[3.P] What makes a ninja?

[linklord231]

I think that gestalting (tristalting?) rogue, ninja, and assassin would go a long way towards making a Tier 3 sneaky-assassiny-skillmonkey character like the Ninja is supposed to be.  Maybe give him d8 Hit Dice, since he's ostensibly supposed to be a melee guy.

[Jackinthegreen]

Perhaps continuing this in the homebrew forum would do?  Hell, we could do an entire subforum on really analyzing the merits and intents behind base classes and then rewrite them by committee.

[veekie]

Could you guys take the discussion, that's not about ninjas, elsewhere? It's interesting, but not on-topic.

My apologies. In our defence, it is at least somewhat on topic, but there is reason enough to realign it.

The trouble is, I think, that the thread's question has been answered to the point that everyone seems to agree upon it. The abilities that a competent archetypal ninja would have in D&D are stealth, assassination techniques, movement, poison use, and small magic. I do agree that we need to talk a bit more about ninjas, but with the thread's primary question answered we need a secondary one to keep it centred. That's a big reason why it got derailed: with everyone agreeing on what abilities make a ninja, discussion on the best way to bring those abilities into the game is one possible next step to the conversation.

Well, there IS the espionage and subterfuge abilities to consider as well, ninjas don't get much disguise or social abilities to work the secrets out of people. There's also the improvisational abilities, turning ordinary tools into lethal weapons, operating effectively in light/no armor, converting household substances into poisons. But that's more the 'deep cover' ninja rather than the 'action' ninja.

[skydragonknight]

I can't believe you guys. You're overly complicating the problem with 'stealth' and 'supernatural power'. But there's only three essential "facts" you need to make a ninja:

(click to show/hide)

1. Ninjas are mammals.
2. Ninjas fight ALL the time.
3. the purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people.

[bhu]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninja

wiki seems to quote turnbull extensively