Ninja, 4th Variant (3.5e Class)

Ninja

“	I could totally run straight up a 30 foot wall in real life!	”
—Blue, Halfling Rogue/Ninja

The ninja is the master of unorthodox warfare. Striking silently from the shadows, an experienced ninja can infiltrate any facility without detection. Ninjas tend to form clans, each with their own goals, skills, and traditions. Although they operate in groups, a single ninja can accomplish much on their own. Becoming a ninja requires much more training and skill than a simple assassin, and most ninja clans require their members to be experts of combat (both with weapons and unarmed) as well as stealth tactics, disguise, medicine, and the use of poisons. Ninjas tend to have such high degrees of skill that many insist that they use some form of secret magic known only known to them. When coupled with the trap-finding ability and sneak attack of the rogue, the ninja is an amazingly deadly force. Fighters, rangers, barbarians, and ex-paladins form a lethal combination of stealth tactics and traditional warfare. Sorcerers, clerics, and wizards can unite magic and ninjiutsu to a fear-striking combination. Ninja NPCs tend to be members of ninja clans, operating as allies to the PCs or perhaps working for the enemies of the PCs, who have hired the ninjas to kill them. It is rare, but some ninjas have been known to work solo.

Becoming a Ninja

Entry Requirements

Alignment:	Any Neutral
Base Attack Bonus:	+5
Skills:	10 Ranks Move Silently, 10 Ranks Hide, 6 Ranks Disable Device.

Table: The Ninja

Hit Die: d6

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+1	+1	+0	Swift Shuriken 1; Poison Use; Paralyzing Strike
2nd	+1	+1	+1	+1	Ninja Stealth; +1 save against poison
3rd	+1	+1	+2	+1	Ninja Speed +10
4th	+2	+1	+3	+1	Ninja Acrobatics; +2 save against poison
5th	+2	+2	+3	+2	Swift Shuriken 2, Invisibility 1/day
6th	+3	+2	+3	+2	Ninja Fall; +3 save against poison
7th	+3	+2	+4	+2	Ninja Speed +20
8th	+4	+3	+5	+3	Hide in Plain Sight; +4 save against poison
9th	+5	+4	+5	+3	Swift Shuriken 3
10th	+6	+5	+6	+3	Ninja Speed 30, Invisibility 2/day, +5 save against poison
Class Skills (8 + Int modifier per level) Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), Use Rope (Dex).

Table: The Epic Ninja

Level	Special
11th	Swift Shuriken 4
12th	+6 save against poison
13th	Swift Shuriken 5
14th	+7 save against poison, bonus feat
15th	Invisibility 3/day, Swift Shuriken 6
16th	+8 save against poison
17th	Swift Shuriken 7
18th	+9 save against poison, bonus feat
19th	Swift Shuriken 8
20th	+10 save against poison, Invisibility 4/day

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Ninja.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Because their typical tactics do not put them in direct combat, ninjas are not proficient with any armor. A ninja's training requires expertise with countless weapons. The ninja is proficient in the use of all simple weapons, as well as the Kama, Katana, Kusarigama, Longbow (composite), Nunchaku, Quarterstaff, Sai, and Shurikens.

Poison Use: Ninjas are trained in the use of poisons and as such do not risk accidentally poisoning themselves while preparing and applying poisons to weapons or other objects.

Paralyzing Strike: A ninja has the potential to incapacitate his targets with a single strike. If a ninja has the opportunity to study his target for three rounds without detection, the ninja can attack with a melee weapon to paralyze the target. The victim then makes a Fortitude save (DC 10 + the Ninja’s class level + Ninja’s Int modifier). If the safe is failed, the target is paralyzed for 1d6 rounds. If they suceed, it becomes a normal sneak attack. If paralyzed, they must then make a second Fortitude save at the same DC. If this save is failed, the target is dead. If succeeded, the target remains paralyzed.

Swift Shuriken 'X': Starting at 1st level, when making a full attack using shuriken a ninja may throw X additional shuriken each at his highest base attack bonus, though all attacks made during the round are at -2. Poisoned shuriken may be used, but the poisons must be placed on the shuriken ahead of time and the poisons being used must be declared before attacking. Multiple strikes of the same poison while using this feat require only one save be rolled by the target for that poison, however each additional successful strike increases the save DC by 2 for that poison.

Ninja Stealth: Ninjas are masters of stealth and at 2nd level gain a +2 bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks.

Saving Throws against Poison: The ninja trains in the use of poisons and as such slowly develops a resistance to their effects. The ninja gains a natural saving throw bonus to all poisons gained at 2nd level that increases by +1 for every two additional levels the assassin gains (+2 at 4, +3 at 6, etc.).

Ninja Speed 'X': Starting at 3rd level, a ninja gains a bonus of +X to his base speed while unarmored and unencumbered. Also, when running in a straight path a ninja can run up/along walls for X feet or across X feet of calm water.

Ninja Acrobatics: Ninjas are acrobatic masters and at 4th level gain a +2 bonus to all Balance, Jump, and Tumble checks.

Invisibility: Spell like ability - Self only, 5th caster level

Ninja Fall: Ninjas are masters of tumbling and at 6th level, all falls a ninja experiences while unarmored and unencumbered are treated as half their actual height.

Hide in Plain Sight: A ninja can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as he is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, a ninja can hide himself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. He cannot, however, hide in his own shadow.

Paralyzing: The ninja counts only half his or her class levels beyond 10th when determining the DC to resist this attack.

Saving Throw Bonus against Poison: The ninja’s bonus on saves against poison increases by +1 every two levels after 10th.

Bonus Feats: The epic ninja gains a bonus feat (selected from the list of epic ninja feats) every four levels after 10th.

Epic Ninja Bonus Feat List: Dexterous Fortitude, Dexterous Will, Legendary Tracker, Lingering Damage, Superior Initiative, Uncanny Accuracy.

Ex-Ninjas

Playing a Ninja

Combat: Covert ops, poisoning enemies, disabling traps and opening locks.

Advancement:

Resources:

Ninja in the World

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NPC Reactions:

Ninja Lore

Characters with ranks in can research to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

DC	Result
11	.
16	.
21	.
26	.

Ninjas in the Game

Adaptation:

Sample Encounter:

EL whatever:

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