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Ninja

(Complete Adventurer variant, p. 5)

Ninjas move through the shadows, striking down the unwary and vanishing again with ease. Ninjas walk where others cannot. They blend their training in stealth and assassination with a focused mind. Their rigorous preparation sharpens their minds and bodies, giving them supernatural abilities of stealth and making them phantoms in the eyes of many. Although ninjas in battle lack the staying power of martial characters such as fighters or barbarians, they excel at making combat occur on their terms?appearing and disappearing seemingly at a whim.

Historically, ninjas came from clans of assassins and guerrilla warriors in feudal Japan. In a fantasy setting, they blend a gift for stealth and infiltration with devastating surprise attacks and supernatural means of avoiding blows. Although the specific abilities of the class differ from those attributed to the historical ninja, they mirror the ninja?s fearsome reputation as a spy, assassin, and martial artist.

Hit die

d6

Alignment

Any

Starting gold

4d4x10

Skill points

6 + Int

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the ninja.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Ninjas are proficient with all simple weapons, plus the hand crossbow, kama, kukri, nunchaku, sai, shortbow, short sword, shuriken, and siangham. Ninjas are not proficient with any type of armor or shield.

AC Bonus (Ex): A ninja is highly trained at dodging blows, and she has a sixth sense that lets her avoid even unanticipated attacks. When unarmored and unencumbered, a ninja adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to her Armor Class. This ability does not stack with the monk?s AC bonus ability (a ninja with levels of monk does not add the bonus twice). In addition, a ninja gains a +1 bonus to AC at 5th level. This bonus increases by 1 for every five ninja levels thereafter (+2 at 10th, +3 at 15th, and +4 at 20th level).

These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when a ninja is flat-footed. The character loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears any armor, when she carries a shield, or when she carries a medium or heavy load.

Ki Power (Su): A ninja can channel her ki to manifest special powers of stealth and mobility. She can use her ki powers a number of times per day equal to one-half her class level (minimum 1) plus her Wisdom bonus (if any). Ki powers can be used only if a ninja is wearing no armor and is unencumbered.

As long as a ninja?s ki pool isn?t empty (that is, as long as she has at least one daily use remaining), she gains a +2 bonus on her Will saves.

A ninja?s ki powers are ghost step, ki dodge, ghost strike, greater ki dodge, and ghost walk. Each power is described under a separate entry below.

Sudden Strike (Ex): If a ninja can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage. Whenever a ninja?s target is denied a Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), the ninja deals an extra 1d6 points of damage with her attack. This extra damage increases by 1d6 points for every two ninja levels thereafter. A ninja can?t use sudden strike when flanking an opponent unless that opponent is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC.

This damage also applies to ranged attacks against targets up to 30 feet away. Creatures with concealment, creatures without discernible anatomies, and creatures immune to extra damage from critical hits are all immune to sudden strikes. A ninja can?t make a sudden strike while striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are out of reach.

A ninja can?t use sudden strike to deliver nonlethal damage. Weapons capable of dealing only nonlethal damage don?t deal extra damage when used as part of a sudden strike.

The extra damage from the sudden strike ability stacks with the extra damage from sneak attack whenever both would apply to the same target.

Trapfinding (Ex): A ninja can use the Search skill to locate traps with a DC higher than 20, and she can use Disable Device to bypass a trap or disarm magic traps. See the rogue class feature, page 50 of the Player?s Handbook.

Ghost Step (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a ninja can spend one daily use of her ki power to become invisible for 1 round. Using this ability is a swift action (see Swift Actions and Immediate Actions, page 137) that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. At 10th level, a ninja can become ethereal when using ghost step instead of becoming invisible.

Poison Use (Ex): At 3rd level and higher, a ninja never risks accidentally poisoning herself when applying poison to a weapon.

Great Leap (Su): At 4th level and higher, a ninja always makes Jump checks as if she were running and had the Run feat, enabling her to make long jumps without a running start and granting a +4 bonus on the jump (see the skill description, page 77 of the Player?s Handbook). This ability can be used only if she is wearing no armor and is carrying no more than a light load.

Acrobatics (Ex): Starting at 6th level, a ninja gains a +2 bonus on Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks. This bonus increases to +4 at 12th level and +6 at 18th level.

Ki Dodge (Su): At 6th level and higher, a ninja can spend one daily use of her ki power to cause an attack against her to miss when it might otherwise hit. When a ninja activates this ability, her outline shifts and wavers, granting her concealment (20% miss chance) against all attacks for 1 round. Using this ability is a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

See invisibility has no effect on concealment granted by the ki dodge ability, but true seeing negates the miss chance. This concealment does not stack with that caused by other effects that grant concealment or by spells such as blink or displacement.

Speed Climb (Ex): A ninja of 7th level or higher can scramble up or down walls and slopes with great speed. She can climb at her speed as a move action with no penalty; however, she must begin and end the round on a horizontal surface (such as the ground or a rooftop). If she does not end her movement on a horizontal surface, she falls, taking falling damage as appropriate for her distance above the ground.

A ninja needs only one free hand to use this ability. This ability can be used only if a ninja is wearing no armor and is carrying no more than a light load.

Ghost Strike (Su): At 8th level and higher, a ninja can spend one daily use of her ki power to strike incorporeal and ethereal creatures as if they were corporeal. She also can use this ability to strike foes on the Material Plane normally while ethereal (for example, while using her ghost step ability).

Activating the ghost strike ability is a move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. It affects the next attack made by the ninja, as long as that attack is made before the end of her next turn.

Improved Poison Use (Ex): Starting at 9th level, a ninja can apply poison to a weapon as a move action. (Normally, applying a poison is a standard action, like applying an oil.)

Evasion (Ex): Beginning at 12th level, a ninja can avoid damage from certain attacks with a successful Reflex save. (See the monk class feature, page 41 of the Player?s Handbook.) A ninja?s use of evasion differs slightly from a monk?s use in that a ninja can use evasion only if she is wearing no armor and is carrying no more than a light load.

Ghost Mind (Su): At 14th level, a ninja gains a special resistance to spells of the scrying subschool. To detect or see a ninja with such a spell, the caster must make a caster level check (DC 20 + the ninja?s class level). In the case of scrying spells (such as arcane eye) that scan the ninja?s area, a failed check indicates that the spell works but the ninja simply isn?t detected. Scrying attempts targeted specifically at the ninja do not work at all if the check fails.

Ghost Sight (Su): At 16th level and higher, a ninja can see invisible and ethereal creatures as easily as she sees material creatures and objects.

Greater Ki Dodge (Su): Starting at 18th level, a ninja?s ki dodge ability grants total concealment (50% miss chance).

Ghost Walk (Su): A 20th-level ninja can spend two daily uses of her ki power to enter the Ethereal Plane for an extended period of time. This ability functions as the ethereal jaunt spell with a caster level equal to the ninja

Advancement

Level BAB Fort Ref Will AC Bonus Special
1st +0 +0 +2 +0 +0 Ki power, sudden strike +1d6, trapfinding
2nd +1 +0 +3 +0 +0 Ghost step (invisible)
3rd +2 +1 +3 +1 +0 Sudden strike +2d6, poison use
4th +3 +1 +4 +1 +0 Great leap
5th +3 +1 +4 +1 +1 Sudden strike +3d6
6th +4 +2 +5 +2 +1 Acrobatics +2, ki dodge
7th +5 +2 +5 +2 +1 Sudden strike +4d6, speed climb
8th +6/+1 +2 +6 +2 +1 Ghost strike
9th +6/+1 +3 +6 +3 +1 Sudden strike +5d6, improved poison use
10th +7/+2 +3 +7 +3 +2 Ghost step (ethereal)
11th +8/+3 +3 +7 +3 +2 Sudden strike +6d6
12th +9/+4 +4 +8 +4 +2 Acrobatics +4, evasion
13th +9/+4 +4 +8 +4 +2 Sudden strike +7d6
14th +10/+5 +4 +9 +4 +2 Ghost mind
15th +11/+6/+1 +5 +9 +5 +3 Sudden strike +8d6
16th +12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +5 +3 Ghost sight
17th +12/+7/+2 +5 +10 +5 +3 Sudden strike +9d6
18th +13/+8/+3 +6 +11 +6 +3 Acrobatics +6, greater ki dodge
19th +14/+9/+4 +6 +11 +6 +3 Sudden strike +10d6
20th +15/+10/+5 +6 +12 +6 +4 Ghost walk

Class skills

Skill name Key ability Trained only Armor check penalty
Balance DEX no yes
Bluff CHA no no
Climb STR no yes
Concentration CON no no
Craft INT no no
Disable Device INT yes no
Disguise CHA no no
Escape Artist DEX no yes
Gather Information CHA no no
Hide DEX no yes
Jump STR no yes
Listen WIS no no
Move Silently DEX no yes
Open Lock DEX yes no
Search INT no no
Sense Motive WIS no no
Sleight of Hand DEX yes yes
Spot WIS no no
Swim STR no yes
Tumble DEX yes yes

Spells for Ninja