Lancer NPC - Assassin
Core Detail Overview
Stats
The Assassin is a close-range striker, with high Agility, Evasion, and Speed; low Hull and Engineering, below-average Armor and Heat Cap, and average E-Defense, Sensors, and Save Target. Its HP starts out above-average in Tier 1, but it doesn’t increase at higher tiers, which means that the Assassin is decently durable at low levels but becomes increasingly frail at higher levels. Even with that quirk, though, the high mobility (which its base systems further enhance) and Evasion means it’s usually capable of closing in to get to work, but it’s not a striker suited to just charging in directly.
The Asssassin is case of an NPC where their standard Size has two choices, and I think it’s easily the one where that matters the most because being a melee striker who benefits greatly from their target being Immobilized or Prone means there’s a big difference between Grapple or Ram being usable or not. In my experience, encounter maps tend to not have areas accessible only by Size 1/2 mechs, so that’s mostly a non-factor, but being small can be very useful for affording more opportunities to gain cover or use Hide. For the most part, the more allies the Assassin has that can inflict important effects, the easier it is to be Size 1/2 without feeling bad about it, but unless all of the PC mechs are Size 2 or greater (or all have Synthetic Muscle Netting from Blackbeard 1), being Size 1 is the safer choice to at least have more options to Grapple or Ram.
Base Systems
Kai Bioplating is basically a way for the Assassin to get an approximation of hovering for making use of cover and obstructions to help it approach its target. Getting to jump over Size 3 (or eventually Size 4) objects is good, as is ignoring the halved-Speed effects of climbing, jumping, and difficult terrain (including liquids). Being able to jump on top of objects up to Size 3 or 4 also grants more access to places to Hide, helping add another layer of defense, which meshes with the extra Accuracy to Agility checks to stymie Search attempts by the PCs. Unfortunately, unlike the SSC core bonus available to PCs, this one doesn’t give Accuracy to Agility saves, but it’s otherwise a nice mobility booster. As I’ll get into later, I tend to treat the Assassin as an opportunistic flanker, so even in sitreps where the NPCs are trying to defend a single area (like Gauntlet), I often end up making use of this trait.
Heated Blade seems like a weak weapon for a striker at first, being melee (albeit Threat 2) and dealing low damage, but the extra effect of doubling damage against targets that are Prone, Immobilized, Shredded, or Stunned makes it make sense. Finding ways to set those conditions up reliably is the key to making the Assassin effective, which is not as easy as it may seem; being only Size 1/2 or Size 1 by default leaves many PC frames that the Assassin can’t Grapple or Ram, and its other systems that can inflict those effects all rely on saves (with its unremarkable Save Target). This ends up often making the Assassin rather dependent on its allies, but the extra reach and built-in 2 Accuracy makes it pretty consistent at getting that damage in when it can (as well as making the Assassin well-suited to template traits that enhance critical hits), and being able to attack from one space out of adjacency also has benefits like not imposing Difficulty if the Assassin is doing a Barrage with a range weapon or often leaving the Assassin free to back off and Hide after a Skirmish.
Assassin’s Mark is a very interesting and unique ability, combining offensive and defensive benefits with unlimited range and effectively infinite duration (from the Assassin’s perspective, at least). In a theoretical vacuum, the ideal use would be to slap this on someone and then bash them with irreducible damage while suddenly being much tougher against what they can dish out. In practice, PCs have teammates, and it is rather rare to catch one alone enough to approximate that theoretical ideal. What this means is the Mark turns into a complication that the players can try to handle in a few different ways (they may try to have other PCs focus on taking out the Assassin, have the target try to keep out of the Assassin’s limited reach, cleanse effects from the target to avoid taking doubled damage from subsequent Heated Blade attacks, trust in their raw numerical/mechanical advantages to outweigh the Mark’s effects, or most likely some combination of all that and their own extra sauce on top). I like using this early to apply mental pressure as soon as I can on the players and give myself some space to react to their reactions, generally favoring using it on frames that rely on some mix of Armor and/or Resistance to make up for low HP (Black Witch or Napoleon being the best examples for this approach, with others like Caliban, Drake, Genghis, or Sagarmatha being notable), because I find players react more to their HP/Structure being threatened than to their offensive performance being weakened (fairly reasonably, in this case, since it’s usually much easier for a PC mech to just target someone else than it is for it to avoid getting attacked by the Assassin). However, that’s a very broad guideline, and against a PC team where none of them really use Resistance and nobody has more than 1 Armor, I’d be more likely to Mark whoever seems the most threatening to the Assassin. Additionally, if the Assassin is coming in as a reinforcement rather than in the initial deployment, that can also have a major impact on who I pick to Mark. Ultimately, this is a difficult ability to tell if you’re using optimally, so I don’t worry about that; if it seems to save me at least one Skirmish later or gets a PC to use at least one more quick action defensively than they likely would’ve done otherwise, it’s returning its cost, and any further impact is a welcome bonus.
Leap is a nice alternative to Boost as a gap-closer, especially if the PC(s) it would affect have no effects on them already which trigger doubled damage from Heated Blade. It can also be used instead of Ram to try applying Prone if a target recovers from any enabling effects. Simply applying Prone to a target who has another enabling effect can be useful, too, since that means more Accuracy for all incoming NPC attacks until they stand up, but unless the Assassin has allies with accuracy issues (like the Breacher or the Demolisher), I think there are usually better uses of their quick action, since the Assassin’s average Save Target makes this somewhat unreliable in the first place. Otherwise, it doesn’t do much that a Boost can’t do with Kai Bioplating (though it does allow going over or landing on objects up to Size 6, for what it’s worth), and it has to deal with Recharge, and unlike Boost, it doesn’t scale with the Assassin getting more Speed at Tier 3. It’s not bad, but it is situational.
Optional Systems
Devil’s Cough Shotgun (DCS) is among the most damaging NPC weapons usable with Skirmish, competing with the Breacher’s Dual Shotguns, the Operator’s Raptor Plasma Rifle, or the Scourer’s Thermal Lance with Focus Down triggered, and it gets punished less by Armor than the first two since it only does a single big hit. Unfortunately, it then has to deal with being Loading, which means its sustained damage output is actually more similar to the Sentinel’s Combat Shotgun; still solid, but not quite as impressive as it might seem. That said, it’s still got a great first shot, which can make for an explosive spike of damage with a Barrage, and it has better potential to hit flying targets than Heated Blade. The extra Threat is also nice; not often a big difference since Heated Blade has Threat 2 to begin with, but it’s welcome when it pays off; and the Knockback can give it some extra tactical use. However, unless the Assassin is an Ultra with Supreme Maintenance, it’s probably only getting one shot, and with no bonus to-hit or built-in Accuracy, even a Stunned target has only 80% base chance to hit, let alone a target that actually has its regular Evasion. I usually feel like it’s too much of a gamble for what’s typically a single shot, but I can’t deny that it makes an impact when it hits. This is better on Grunts (who typically fall too fast for the Loading tag to matter much), but otherwise, I usually prefer Sap or Spinning Kick, although an Assassin with more than 1 Structure could use an unloaded DCS as a sacrifice to protect its Heated Blade in case of needing to destroy a weapon on taking Structure Damage.
Sap is probably my favorite of the Assassin’s optional systems. PCs tend to not invest heavily in both Agility and Engineering except maybe at fairly high levels, so there’s a decent chance that either this or Leap will have good odds of working on a given target even with an average Save Target, and Stunned is one of the nastiest debuffs in Lancer. To play extra dirty with this (with some more risk of being foiled), rather than using it as a Quick Tech on the Assassin’s turn, Prepare it to use at the start of the target’s turn. Since the duration is until the end of the target’s next turn, that would effectively cost them two turns (or one turn plus another ally doing something to clear Stunned from them) if it works, and since a Stunned character fails Hull and Agility saves automatically, the Assassin could then be guaranteed to apply Prone from either Leap or Spinning Kick on their next turn if they can act again before Stunned expires (plus whatever other pain the other NPCs can deliver). If that’s too cheesy (or too risky), you can still get a lesser version of the same boon by using it on a target who’s acted already in the round for a chance to double-turn the following round, thanks to how Lancer’s turn order works. That all said, Sap certainly has flaws. Needing to be adjacent isn’t too difficult thanks to the Assassin’s mobility, but it can mean exposing them to additional risks (like a larger PC’s Grapple or a Threat 1 overwatch), the Recharge roll always brings some uncertainty to how often it’ll be available, and there’s also still the issue of the Assassin’s Save Target being average. The pay-off if this lands is very good, though, and this is part of why the Scout is a fantastic ally for the Assassin (due to how they can reliably Invade on top of inflicting Shredded, causing Impaired to thus reduce the odds that the target can pass the Engineering save).
Spinning Kick is the Assassin’s other alternative to Ram, except that it requires a Hull save instead of an attack roll, has no Size restrictions, and pushes much further (note that, as-written, the push is mandatory, which may not always be a good thing for the Assassin). Of the three save-based systems that the Assassin has, I like this the least because Hull is something that almost every PC will have some investment in, but it does have the benefits of lacking Recharge, and when I want to use a Size 1/2 Assassin, this becomes a close competitor to Sap since it gets around the general problem with using Ram. Overall, I do still tend to prefer Sap in a vacuum (because of the save it targets, and because there are fewer PC traits/systems granting immunity to Stunned than there are to Prone, and because Stunned is just generally a stronger effect), but both can work well, and certain NPC compositions can really appreciate the push from this. For Size 1 Assassins, because Grapple or Ram are often usable (i.e. most PC compositions won’t be all Size 2 or larger), this becomes more of a toss-up with DCS for which seems better, depending on if I want more positioning control or more (likely one-time) spike damage potential (and Sap would generally be stronger than either, but I try to have some variety in picking optional systems). Spinning Kick is decent at what it does, and I think it brings more consistent value than the other optional systems aside from Sap, but the Assassin is typically at its best when one quick action is being used each round for Heated Blade, so with Leap having some AOE to help make up for the Save Target along with movement utility and Sap targeting a generally-weaker save with a generally-better effect, it’s just difficult to find time to use Spinning Kick unless it’s for NPC composition synergy (or unless the Assassin is an Elite/Ultra).
Cloud Projector is an interesting system, allowing the Assassin to create temporary soft cover and influence line of sight. In practice, I don’t think this sort of hybrid striker/controller Assassin is the best playstyle, but there certainly can be situational uses for it. On very open maps, this provides a way for the Assassin to cover its approach, particularly if the PCs lack ways of targeting it without line of sight, thus sparing the pressure to also Hide for protection. On maps with more typical terrain, while the Assassin can often find cover for itself, this can still be of some use for protecting allies, especially larger NPCs like the Bastion or frailer allies like the Hornet. Dropping smoke on top of a target may also isolate it from support by the other PCs, depending on their composition, giving the Assassin more time to do its work. Still, again, that’s all fairly situational, so unless the NPC composition has specific allies who would benefit from this, it can easily end up going completely unused.
Explosive Knives is a very curious system, giving the Assassin a ranged attack that can’t overwatch and has delayed damage, but it is notably more accurate than DCS, and while it is weaker on a single hit, either catching another target in the AOE or using it more than once can deal more total damage, plus the Assassin does not have to commit to a Barrage to use it alongside Heated Blade. Because the AOE does not discriminate and happens at the end of the target’s turn, it can also be used against the NPCs, so I tend to prefer DCS unless the NPC composition can inflict Immobilized or Stunned (or has a tar pit willing to eat the damage, like an Exotic Goliath with Regenerator), where this becomes an interesting alternative. Still, I would encourage trying it out to see whether it or DCS suits your preferences better.
Templates Overview
For an obvious statement, the Ship and Vehicle templates are quite bad with the Assassin, due to their Limited Melee trait banning the use of Heated Blade, so you would end up with a close-range striker that has no weapon by default. Speculating on how its other systems might interact with the rest of those templates is left as an academic exercise for others.
On the plus side, the RPV and Grunt templates are both fair fits, though in different directions. RPV’s permanent Impaired is offset by the default 2 Accuracy on Heated Blade, and while DCS and Explosive Knives become bigger gambles, Leap, Sap, and Spinning Kick are all unaffected by that condition, and the 1 Accuracy to Agility checks from Kai Bioplating means it would still have neutral rolls to defend against Search while Hidden. Grunt, on the other hand, knows it isn’t long for this world, so DCS and/or Explosive Knives become more viable as ways to go out in a blaze of glory.
Given that it does tend to be on the frail side after Tier 1, I don’t like counting on it to support allies, so I don’t like Commander, though Bolster Network, Quick March, or Military Discipline are all fine as abilities that don’t have action costs, and Voice of Authority can be good to give an ally a reroll to stick an effect to enable Heated Blade.
Exotic’s Chronotorus is generally better for a reroll, since it can also be used against a PC who just passed a save against an enabling effect, and Living Weaponry has some synergy with DCS if you’re willing to reload it. Otherwise, Paracausal Weapon is always good for a damage-dealer (and frees up Assassin’s Mark to be used defensively), and Regenerator can be an idea to patch up some scratches if you want to play a more hit-and-run style.
Mercenary is something of a mixed bag; the various traits that grant Accuracy can be a little redundant with Assassin’s Mark and Heated Blade, but more Accuracy is never unwelcome, and they would help with DCS and Explosive Knives. Favors Owed gives a one-off alternative to Leap, Scout Drone gives a counter to Invisibility, and Last Word can be a minor circuit-breaker (as long as the Assassin isn’t simply destroyed by the attack that would trigger it). Not bad, but Pirate is great for an all-out offensive Assassin, since the Accuracy on Heated Blade goes well with Deadly and Splinter Rounds, and Boarding Leash gives another way of enabling Heated Blade if the target can be Grappled (though it’s a trade-off of dealing some damage in return for giving the target a Hull save, so just doing a regular Grapple can be better in some circumstances). Curiously, Spacer is also nice for all of its systems other than Concussion Gun having a way to enable Heated Blade; Sealant Trap mines don’t even grant a save to avoid being Immobilized, and Spinning Kick can be used to knock a PC into it if you can afford the time to set that up.
Veteran grants a bevy of potential boons: Veterancy with Hull is useful for maintaining a Grapple against a target of the same Size, Acrobat or Slippery can allow some fine repositioning to set up a key Sap or Spinning Kick, Lesser Sight’s limited Range is no issue, and the various defensive options are potentially very useful. Be careful with Limitless given the Assassin’s lower Heat Cap, though getting another Heated Blade attack in a round or a surprise DCS shot after reloading can be big swings.
Elite and Ultra are where the Assassin really starts to shine, in my opinion, because the extra turns give many more opportunities to Recharge Leap/Sap and tend to make it impossible for a Mark target to stay away. Ultra’s innate Deadly is even more useful than it is with Pirate since an Ultra should get more attacks, Siege Shield helps encourage PCs to get into the Assassin’s preferred range, Supreme Maintenance can allow for using DCS as a main weapon, and Supreme Melee relieves a lot of action pressure, as even if Grapple or Ram can’t be used due to Size issues, it can always at least give a free action Heated Blade attack.
General Use
Overall, the Assassin is a close-range striker that may not have the raw damage potential of the other NPCs in that role (such as Berserker, Ronin, and Specter), but it tries to make up for that with a mix of ways to put debuffs on the PCs, plus using Assassin’s Mark, DCS, and/or Explosive Knives to bridge the gap. Unfortunately, its average Save Target holds back how well it can actually apply those debuffs, Mark can end up being more psychological damage than actual mech damage, DCS is saddled with the Loading tag, and Explosives Knives can be as dangerous to the NPCs as they are to the target, so the Assassin is more dependent on dice luck than most. When the PCs aren’t able to guard the Marked one and the rolls go its way, the Assassin can feel like an absolute terror, dealing solid-to-good damage while wasting PC actions/turns recovering from Prone/Stunned. When things don’t go that way, though, the Assassin can feel like complete dead weight dragging down its allies, because it doesn’t tend to have the same gravity with its presence that other unreliable NPCs like the Breacher or the Demolisher do, particularly as its durability falls off at higher Tiers. Using it means accepting its boom-or-bust nature.
That said, it’s definitely still a capable unit that deserves respect. Assuming doubled damage, Heated Blade should out-damage consistent strikers (such as Ace, Assault, and Scourer without Focus Down), and adding either DCS or Explosive Knives on top can push the full-turn output into superheavy weapon performance with a higher floor (albeit with the downsides of either Loading or delayed damage). And while the Assassin lacks the innate AP that the Demolisher or Sniper have, if it’s able to focus on the Marked PC, it gets to ignore Armor, Resistance, and any other damage-reduction (like Aegis Shield Generator from Drake 2 or Napoleon’s core power). Again, the Assassin isn’t bad, but it is inconsistent because it needs to go through extra hurdles to reach that peak performance.
One thing to keep in mind with the Assassin is that it’s atypically sensitive to turn order, especially while using DCS and/or Explosive Knives, but even just finding an opportunity to sneak in an Invade or Hide can make a palpable impact. Regardless of whether it’s applying enabling effects itself or getting that help from an ally, there’s a big difference in how threatening the Assassin will be if it’s getting one turn before the target recovers versus getting two (or even more, if it’s an Elite or Ultra). Being able to think a round ahead is something the Assassin encourages.
I had touched on this earlier, but generally, I like to start out having the Assassin paint its Mark and then start approaching through cover, making judicious use of Hide (or Cloud Projector) to avoid damage as much as possible. This phase takes a mix of patience and urgency; if the Marked PC and a guard (or more than one) are busy worrying about the Assassin, that’s a net win in terms of action expenditure, but waiting so long that the Assassin’s allies have fallen by the time it engages just makes it a soft punching bag. Once the opportunity is there to get in, pounce on the target and put out as much damage as possible (note that this need not be the marked PC; while that is ideal, sometimes the target that’s available now is better than the target in your dreams). If Grappling is possible, that’s a way of landing Immobilized that doesn’t expire at the end of the target’s next turn; otherwise, use any ways you can of getting enabling effects, and try to maximize how many Heated Blade attacks you get during each one. If the other PCs are trying to just support from range (and don’t have ways of doing that which ignore line of sight), Cloud Projector can help to isolate the Assassin with its target, though keep in mind that other characters within the cloud still have line of sight inside of it, just not across its boundaries.
In terms of sitreps, the Assassin works best when the PCs are pressured to spread out, so that it only needs to deal with one or two at a time (ideally just the Marked PC) rather than the whole party. This usually means sitreps with multiple control zones (like Control or Recon), though something requiring a lot of movement (like Extraction) can also work. It is generally going to struggle more in sitreps where the PCs can cluster up effectively (like Escort or Holdout), since that will add more complication to turn sequencing and make it easier for PCs to either protect or cleanse whoever the Assassin wants to focus on.
Compositions of Note
The biggest thing that the Assassin wants from allies is more ways of hitting for doubled damage with Heated Blade, with the next biggest thing being ways to help it stay alive, either by defending it directly or by helping isolate someone to shank. The Bastion and Goliath are both good at all of those items, with their high Size and low damage meaning they’re fine with doing a Grapple/Ram combination, Guardian giving a way for the Assassin to have hard cover, and the various systems both have to draw attention onto themselves.
Unsurprisingly, the Assassin gets along well with most controllers. The Barricade has multiple systems that can restrict how freely the PCs can move, while both Seismic Repulsor (Prone) and Titan-Snare Drone (Immobilized) bring effects enabling Heated Blade in large AOEs, and the Barricade itself is a Size 2 that can bring Grapple and Ram action. The Seeder is one of the few NPCs can that target all four stats with saves, with Stun Mine and Sealant Mine enabling Heated Blade while Shock Mine can cause Impaired to help with the Assassin’s own systems. While the Witch doesn’t have much in the way of enabling Heated Blade (only Petrify), Spread Suffering can effectively make that multi-target, Pain Transference encourages the PCs to spread out, and the raw amount of Heat that a Witch can inflict means there’s a good chance it’ll double the damage of Heated Blade in another way by causing Exposed. The Hive can put PCs in a no-win situation with Drone Barrage either enabling Heated Blade or letting the Hive dictate positioning, and PCs will have to pick between clearing conditions or clearing Burn if they Stabilize. Even the Hornet is a good ally; while it struggles to enable Heated Blade directly since Lock/Hold Javelins takes a full action and can only effect one target at a time, Impale Systems is good at limiting the PCs offensively to make up for the Assassin’s frailty, and anything nearby is so likely to be Impaired that the Assassin’s Save Target will feel boosted. Only the Archer lacks notable synergy among controllers, and even then, the presence of the Assassin can pressure the PCs into taking the reaction attacks from Suppress and/or Hail of Fire, trading single-target damage for more spread damage.
The Berserker, Breacher, and Cataphract all tend to cause Prone and/or use Grapple, with the first two also having potential to enable Heated Blade in other ways (Nail Gun and Break Armor, respectively) while the Cataphract is good at separating PCs by force. The Specter also likes to Ram, and the Assassin has the reach to not disable Hunt while stabbing, along with being able to enable Hunt with Spinning Kick. Just be wary that a composition including any of these with the Assassin is putting a lot of focus on close-range combat and could just get shot apart on approach.
As mentioned earlier, the Scout is a fantastic ally. Marker Rifle can enable Heated Blade via Shredded for as long as the PCs don’t cleanse it if the Lock On is never consumed (and Heated Blade is usually accurate enough on its own), which can free up Assassin’s Mark to go on a high-damage PC instead, and it also disables Hide or Invisibility. The Scout’s huge Sensors and high Systems mean it can Invade reliably to help set up the Assassin’s enabling systems, Expose Weakness is a nice chunk of bonus damage for anyone to take advantage of, and Dataveil can help cover for the Assassin’s frailty while the Scout itself stays far away.
Lastly, while I haven’t had much success with it, I must admit that I’m eternally intrigued about using the Assassin as a bodyguard for the Aegis with Ring of Fire. The Aegis would cause Shredded to nearby foes automatically, and it has the spare actions to Invade so that the Assassin can manage who gets to stay in Defense Net via Spinning Kick or leave PCs in the bubble helpless with Sap. I don’t think this is actually good (hence not having made it work well myself), but it’s just too funny of an idea for me to not mention it.
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