Spell Assassin

D&D Character Build Guide

A 1st-20th level build guide

suitable for any level of play

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. SPELL ASSASSIN 1
 Step 3 — Ability Scores
Very particular skill set STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
Leave those daggers and rapiers behind. This
10 (+1) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 8 (-1)
exploration of character concepts gets the deadly
drop on enemies with sneaky spellcasting.

Spell Assassin — Nerdarchy

Start to finish
D&D Character Build Guide
We know how rare it is to complete a 1st-20th
level campaign and how often players partici-
A 1st-20th level build guide suitable for any level of play pate in one shots and campaigns that might only
reach 10th level or so. When we create these
guides we focus on making them fun, interest-
ing, useful and effective from the start. You won't
find characters who only "get good" at certain
levels — these CBGs hit the adventuring road
with the abilities they need to thrive and quickly
develop a reliable collection of features that only
continue to get better as they gain experience.
Step 1 — Race
Deep Gnome (Svirfneblin)
These subterranean denizens bring a lot to the
table with ability score increases lining up per-
fectly, a natural tendency for stealth and down
the road a fantastic feat to keep themselves con-
cealed from all scrutiny.
Writing: Doug Vehovec Proficiencies
Step 4 — Background
Acolyte
Skills: History, Religion
Language: Dwarvish, Elvish
Whether trained for a divine purpose or indoctri-
nated as a fanatical believer in a fringe cult this
character's roots lie in a metropolitan world. They
move through life with conviction and purpose
grounded in strong belief in their principles.
Step 5 — Class and Level Progression
Choice options that are of particular importance
to this character’s effectiveness are in bold.
Level Class Gains
1 Rogue Expertise (Perception, Stealth),
Sneak Attack, Thieves' Cant
2 Rogue Cunning Action
3 Rogue Roguish Archetype — Assassin,
Assassinate
4 Wizard Spellcasting, Arcane Recover,
Spells — Firebolt, Green Flame
Blade, Ray of Frost (Various
damage types and spells with
attack rolls are the priority)

Editing: Doug Vehovec Languages: Common, Gnomish, Undercommon 5

Wizard Arcane Tradition — War Magic,
Arcane Deflection, Tactical Wit
Layout and Design: Doug Vehovec 6 Wizard Spell — Shadow Blade
Step 2 — Class
7 Wizard Ability Score Improvement —
1st level Intelligence +2
Start with Rogue 8 Wizard
Everything about this character's journey begins 9 Rogue Feat — Svirfneblin Magic
with a foundation as a rogue. This class creates 10 Cleric Divine Domain — Grave
a strong base of skills and features they'll focus Domain, Circle of Mortality,
on for their entire adventuring career while ex- Eyes of the Grave
ploring other disciplines to enhance their tech-
11 Cleric Channel Divinity — Path to
niques of conjuring magic to deadly effect.
the Grave
12 Fighter Fighting Style — Dueling,
Proficiencies Second Wind
Armor: Light armor 13 Fighter Action Surge
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, the dragon ampersand, Player’s Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master’s Guide, D&D Adventurers
League, all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. All characters and their
Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, long- 14 Wizard Power Surge
distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized swords, rapiers, shortswords
use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast. 15 Wizard
Tools: Thieves’ tools
©2016 Wizards of the Coast LLC, PO Box 707, Renton, WA 98057-0707, USA. Manufactured by Hasbro SA, Rue Emile-Boéchat 31, 2800 Delémont, CH. Represented by Hasbro Europe,
4 The Square, Stockley Park, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB11 1ET, UK.
16 Wizard Ability Score Improvement —
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence Intelligence +2
Skills: Investigation, Perception, Stealth, Sleight 17 Wizard
of Hand
2 SPELL ASSASSIN Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. SPELL ASSASSIN 3
 18
19 Wizard
Wizard Durable Magic
20 Wizard Feat — Spell Sniper
Conclusion
The Spell Assassin relies on versatile magic to
get the drop on adversaries and put an end to
threats before they even become aware what's
happening. After these opening salvos this
character provides skirmish support and tons of
magical utility.
Final Ability Scores
STR DEX CON INT WIS
10 (+0) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 20 (+5) 13 (+1)
Proficiencies
Armor: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Shields
Weapons: Martial Weapons, Simple Weapons
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
Skills: History, Insight, Perception, Persuasion
Tools: Disguise Kit, Poisoner's Kit, Thieves' Tools
Languages: Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Gnomish,
Thieves’ Cant, Undercommon
Further Resources
We discuss character creation, roleplaying tips
and more in a video on the Nerdarchy YouTube
channel here. In the video description, you can
find a link to this character build on D&D Be-
yond.
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4 SPELL ASSASSIN Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.
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For Dungeon Masters
Who Done It? A gray one makes an unmatched
eliminator. Unable to be detected, a master of
magical subtrefuge and an assassin whose weap-
on of choice if pure arcane energy a gray one can
follow a target, take them out and slip away leav-
ing no trace of evidence.
On Their Tail. Adventurers have a habit of creating
a lot of drama and tension so there's any number
of individual who might hire a gray one to eliminate
the meddlesome heroes. Anyone from a defeated
villain to a commoner who's life experienced nega-
tive fallout from wandering adventurers may find
themselves seeking the services of a gray one.
Gray One
Small humanoid (deep gnome), any alignment
Armor Class 14 (leather armor)
Hit Points 108 (24d6 +24)
Speed 25 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS
10 (+0) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 18 (+4) 13 (+1)
Skills Insight +5, Investigation +8, Perception +9,
Religion +8, Sleight of Hand +7, Stealth +11
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 19
Languages Common, Undercommon and three
other languages
Challenge 12 (8,400 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +4
Cunning Action. On each of its turns, the gray one
can use a bonus action to take the Dash, Disen-
gage, or Hide action.
Evasion. If the gray one is subjected to an effect
that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to
take only half damage, the gray one instead takes
no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and
only half damage if it fails.
Get In and Get Out. The gray one can't be targeted
by any divination magic or perceived through
magical scrying sensors.
Gnome Cunning. The gray one has advantage on
Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws
against magic.
Sneaky Spell Attack (1/Turn). The gray one deals an
extra 14 (4d6) damage when it hits a target with a
spell attack and has advantage on the attack roll,
or when the target is within 5 feet of an ally of the
gray one that isn’t incapacitated and the gray one
doesn’t have disadvantage on the attack roll.
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.
The gray one has advantage on attack rolls against
any creature that hasn’t taken a turn in the combat
yet, and any hit it scores against a creature that is
surprised is a critical hit.
Spellcasting. The gray one is a 7th-level spellcast-
er. It's spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save
DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). The gray one
has the following wizard spells prepared:
1/day each: blindness/deafness, blur, disguise self
Cantrips (at will): chill touch, fire bolt, mage hand,
message, ray of frost
1st level (4 slots): alarm, bane, disguise self, shield
2nd level (3 slots): blindness/deafness, blur, invis-
ibility, mirror image
3rd level (3 slots): counterspell, vampiric touch
4th level (1 slot): dimension door
Stone Camouflage. The gnome has advantage on Dex-
terity (Stealth) checks made to hide in rocky terrain.
Actions
Spell Strike. Melee or Ranged Spell Attack: +8 to
CHA
hit, reach 5 ft. or range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 18
8 (-1)
(4d8) acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, poi-
son, psychic or radiant damage (gray one's choice).
Everyone in the Room (Recharge 6). The gray one
harnesses all their arcane power to strike at multi-
ple targets simultaneously. The gray one chooses up
to five creatures it can see within 30 feet and makes
a melee spell attack against each target. On a hit, a
target takes 33 (6d10) force damage. The gray one
can then teleport to an unoccupied space it can see
within 5 feet of one of the targets you hit or missed.
Reactions
Leave No Trace (1/Day). When a humanoid the gray
one can see within 60 feet dies it can use its reac-
tion to snatch the soul as it dies. While the gray one
has a trapped soul it has the following benefits:
• The gray one can use a bonus action to drain
vigor from the soul and regain 2d8 hit points.
• The gray one can use a bonus action to make its
next attack roll, ability check or saving throw with
advantage. If it doesn’t use this benefit before the
start of its next turn, it is lost.
The soul remains trapped for 8 hours or until the
gray one exploits it four times. Once the gray one
exploits a soul for the fifth time or once 8 hours
elapse the soul is released. While a soul is trapped,
the dead humanoid it came from can’t be revived.
SPELL ASSASSIN 5