The New DnD 2024 Assassin Rogue (Subclass Deep Dive)

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The DnD assassin has existed as a playable subclass since the earliest version of Dungeons & Dragons, using stealth, poison and disguise to eliminate foes with deadly efficiency. In more recent editions, the Assassin has been further refined, offering a darker and grittier alternative to the traditional looting and lockpicking style of play of the DnD 5e Rogue.

Now, the Assassin is back and ready to practice the grim art of death in the pages of the 2024 Player’s Handbook. The new version of these silent killers features a number of key changes, including improved surprise attacks, enhanced tools options, updated infiltration abilities and new ways to leverage lethal poisons.

So does the Assassin Rogue deliver a killing blow to the DnD 2024 rules? Below, we sneak up on all the details.

What’s changed in the new 2024 Assassin Rogue?

Below are all the changes to the 2024 Assassin Rogue in DnD 5e. For ease of reference we’ve included the level of each feature and whether or not it’s changed from the 2014 Player’s Handbook. It’s important to note that both the old and the new version of the subclass still fall under the DnD 5e core rules.

Assassin Rogue Feature	Level	Changed from 2014?	Changes to the 2024 Assassin Rogue
Assassinate	3	Yes	In 2024, you gain advantage on both Initiative and attacks against creatures that haven’t taken a turn in the first round of combat (in the 2014 version you only got advantage on attack rolls, but did not receive advantage on Initiative). Additionally, if your Sneak Attack hits any target during that first round, the target takes extra damage of the weapon’s type equal to your Rogue level (in the 2014 version any hit you scored against a creature that was Surprised during that first round was a critical hit).
Assassin’s Tools	3	Yes	This is a new feature in the DnD 2024 rules.
Infiltration Expertise	9	Yes	In 2024 you can use the new Masterful Mimicry ability to mimic a target’s speech/handwriting if you study them for 1 hour (in the 2014 rules you could create a “false identify” if you spent 7 days and 25 gold pieces). In addition, the new Roving Aim ability lets you use Steady Aim without reducing your speed to 0 (this was not part of the Infiltration Expertise feature in the 2014 rules).
Impostor	13	Yes	This 2014 feature has been removed for the 2024 version of the DnD rogue. In the older rules it allowed you to mimic another person’s speech, writing and behavior (something which in the 2024 rules is now covered under the Master Mimicry ability under the Infiltration Expertise feature at Level 9 – see above)
Envenom Weapons	13	Yes	This is a new feature in the DnD 2024 rules.
Death Strike	17	Yes	In the 2024 rules when you hit with your Sneak Attack on the first round of combat, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your Dexterity modifier + Proficiency Bonus), or the attack’s damage is doubled against the target (in the 2014 rules this feature worked relatively the same, with the exception that it applied to any creature that is Surprised, not just a target who is hit with a Sneak Attack in the first round of combat).

What are the Assassin Rogue features for 2024 DnD 5e?

Below are the full list of all the features using the new 2024 core rules. Where applicable we have called out details to the changes that have been made from the 2014 legacy Assassin Rogue.

Level 3: Assassinate

You’re adept at ambushing a target, granting you the following benefits.

• Initiative: You have Advantage on Initiative rolls.
• Surprising Strikes: During the first round of each combat, you have Advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn’t taken a turn. If your Sneak Attack hits any target during that round, the target takes extra damage of the weapon’s type equal to your Rogue level.

Level 3: Assassin’s Tools

You gain a Disguise Kit and a Poisoner’s Kit, and you have proficiency with them.

Level 9: Infiltration Expertise

You are expert at the following techniques that aid your infiltrations.

• Masterful Mimicry: You can unerringly mimic another person’s speech, handwriting, or both if you have spent at least 1 hour studying them.
• Roving Aim: Your Speed isn’t reduced to 0 by using Steady Aim.

Level 13: Envenom Weapons

When you use the Poison option of your Cunning Strike, the target also takes 2d6 Poison damage whenever it fails the saving throw. This damage ignores Resistance to Poison damage.

Level 17: Death Strike

When you hit with your Sneak Attack on the first round of a combat, the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 plus your Dexterity modifier and Proficiency Bonus), or the attack’s damage is doubled against the target.

Is the New 2024 Assassin Rogue worth playing?

The updated Assassin remains a solid option for the new 2024 Rogue, but it’s also a subclass that’s become even more powerful in the new version of DnD 5e. In particular, the inclusion of new tool proficiencies and new abilities related to infiltration, stealth and poison really do make the Assassin far more deadly, which in a way is fitting given what the subclass does. In other words, if you’re looking to build a killer Rogue in 2024, the Assassin will definitely get the job done.

You can find the complete rules for all the new Rogue subclasses in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, which is available for pre-order now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.

Below is also a video from the official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel, with DnD lead designer Jeremy Crawford discussing more about the key changes to to the Assassin Rogue.

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