This is about understanding Death Attack. It stacks with Sneak Attack, and you gain it at uneven levels. Which is good, because that means you do not have to lose sneak levels if you hop over from a rogue to an assassin (in my build I will actually be doing that the other way around, but hey - details).
On to the actual question. This is just about interpreting the description really.
From the Rogue description:
Clear enough. From the Shadow Thief of Amn:· Sneak Attack: If a rogue can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage. This extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level and increases by 1d6 every two rogue levels thereafter.
Got it, just same damn thing. Now, from the Assassin:Sneak Attack: Starting at 1st level, the shadow thief gets the sneak attack ability at +1d6 damage. This is the same as the Rogue ability of the same name, and its effects stack with that ability. This ability increases by +1d6 at 3rd and 5th level.
It is subtle. Now, I understand that adding 1d6 to a previously gained 1d6 can be translated into a total of 2d6. But "this bonus rises to", from the Assassin quotation, does that imply that the "+2d6 at 3rd level, +3d6 at 5th level, +4d6 at 7th level, and +5d6 at 9th level" are just the same thing as the rogue/shadowthief sneak progression? It is most definitely not 1d6 + 2d6 + 3d6 + 4d6 + 5d6 = 15d6, right?· Death Attack: At 1st level, the assassin can make a special sneak attack called a death attack. This ability adds to the rogue's sneak attack ability, adding an extra 1d6 points of damage. This bonus rises to +2d6 at 3rd level, +3d6 at 5th level, +4d6 at 7th level, and +5d6 at 9th level. If used against an opponent not already in combat, a successful Death Attack forces the victim to make a Fortitude save or become paralyzed.
So troublesome. That is what you get for never having played DND as a teenager.
