The Fanged Assassin - Astarion
"Careful. I bite."
Astarion is a melee Assassin Rogue and Gloom Stalker Ranger, becoming an absolute menace in the first (and often only) round of combat.
Gameplay Notes
By prioritizing lowering the Critical Hit threshold and making use of several game mechanics around hiding and surprising enemies, this build builds toward having very high damage in the first round of combat. A stronger version of this build would prioritize ranged attacks, but this build is all about melee.
Stats and Leveling
Final build: Level 5 Assassin Rogue, Level 5 Gloom Stalker Ranger, Level 2 Fighter
Astarion’s (default) stats: STR 8 / DEX 17 / CON 14 / INT 13 / WIS 13 / CHA 10
Level 1 - Rogue Level 1
- Expertise: Sleight of Hand, Stealth
- Sneak Attack [I really like triggering this through a Reaction]
Level 2 - Rogue Level 2
- Cunning Action [some of the most fun abilities in the whole game]
Level 3 - Rogue (Assassin) Level 3
- Assassin’s Alacrity
- Assassinate
Level 4 - Rogue (Assassin) Level 4
- Feat: ASI+ DEX>18, WIS>14 or Athlete (DEX>18) [I can’t really figure out a preference, since we’re working with very odd starting stats] [or, honestly, take the ASI and add to DEX and CHA, to offset the Smuggler’s Ring]
Level 5 - Ranger Level 1 [see the Lore section for some comments about the leveling path]
- Favoured Enemy: Bounty Hunter
- Natural Explorer: Urban Tracker [yes I know he already has Sleight of Hand Proficiency, but it’s just so fitting for Astarion and I cannot resist]
Level 6 - Ranger Level 2
- Fighting Style: Two-Weapon Fighting
- 1st Level Spells [I so rarely use spellcasting on Rangers… just take utility spells]
Level 7 - Ranger (Gloom Stalker) Level 3
- Dread Ambusher [this is a pretty important power spike]
Level 8 - Ranger (Gloom Stalker) Level 4
- Feat: ASI+ DEX>20
Level 9 - Ranger (Gloom Stalker) Level 5
- Extra Attack [huzzah]
- 2nd Level Spells (including Misty Step)
Level 10 - Fighter Level 1
- Fighting Style: Defence [if you’re looking for an archery build, this is not it]
Level 11 - Fighter Level 2
- Action Surge [use it in the first round of combat - I couldn’t help myself]
Level 12 - Rogue (Assassin) Level 5
Items
Armor - Penumbral Armour (2 Last Light Inn) [I also almost always put Astarion in Minthara’s Spidersilk Armour (1 Goblin Camp) because it just looks! so! good! and feels right]
Melee Weapon -
- Knife of the Undermountain_King (1 Creche)
- Assassin's Shortsword (2 House of Healing)
- Crimson Mischief (3 Temple of Bhaal)
Ranged Weapon - The Dead Shot (3 Stormshore Armoury)
Amulet - Surgeon's Subjugation Amulet (2 House of Healing)
Helmet - Covert Cowl (2 Last Light Inn)
Ring 1 - Smuggler’s Ring (1 Risen Road)
Ring 2 - Risky Ring (2 Moonrise Towers) [very good on rogues]
Gloves - Stalker Gloves (3 Rivington)
Boots - Disintegrating Night Walkers (1 Grymforge) [Astarion deserves the full drow fit]
Cloak - Shade-Slayer Cloak (3 Guildhall)
Lore and Flavor
Right off the bat, I want to make it clear that I’m not pretending Astarion was a dagger-wielding-killing-machine back in Baldur's Gate. He had a baseline of skills in that area, but this build represents a true evolution of his character now that he's on his own for the first time and surviving in the wilderness with the party. That’s the reasoning for waiting until Level 5 to introduce Ranger, despite Dread Ambusher being good enough to rush for. It’s also part of the reason why I am shying away from ranged attacks, since I don’t think Astarion would so quickly come to rely on a relatively foreign type of weaponry. [yes, I know elves have long and shortbow proficiency from Elven Weapon Training, but Astarion barely even got to be an elf before he was turned, so I don’t think he’s up to snuff on his archery practice] Sticking with melee attacks goes against the commonly accepted understanding of the Ranger class, but not enough to outweigh the benefits of taking the Gloomstalker subclass. Plus, the 5e description of Gloomstalker literally mentions “gloomy alleyways”, and there are at least five million lines of dialogue about Astarion stalking the streets and alleys of Baldur’s Gate, so I think it fits.
The one thing I don’t like about this build is the two levels of Fighter. It is a really strong addition to the build, since Action Surge basically doubles the first round burst damage we can get, but I struggle to find a good character explanation for the multiclass. In my playthroughs, I usually hit level 10 around the beginning of Act 3, and I tend to rush Cazador relatively soon after, so perhaps there’s something in the final confrontation with his old master that would inspire him to add more traditional weapons training into the mix.
Being in melee range for this build pairs well with Astarion’s Vampire Bite ability. While I personally planned this build around an Unascended Astarion, the upgraded Ascended Bite is (of course) an upgrade, and nothing about the build would have to change with an Ascended Astarion.