Welcome all. The first thing to do is to figure out some things about your clan, traditions and such. Any ideas?
Well that depends on how you want this homebrew to work.
Traditions will make more sense if we know where the clan is in the world and how that portion of the world would view them.
Where do we want to set this in thematically? With the basis of "ninja clan" I assume the common assumption is oriental influence.
That doesn't have to be the choice though as many other societies have had things similar the term assassin is middle eastern in origin after all.
But for the sake of example lets assume we want something based in a fantasy equivalent orient. The pathfinder version of this is the continent of Tian Xia
If we want to use a similar setting for this we'd want to decide what chunk of that continent our clan would have had influence over.
It was suggested earlier that the ninja clan primarily recruit through orphans gathered through a network of associated temples. However the Red mantis assassins also provide an interesting example of something close to a ninja village could work.
As slavery is legal in vast chunks of land there the concept of selling unwanted kids to slavers would be a very possible option. A good option to how many of our peers could have arrived.
At this point we would want to figure out how close to 'reality' we want out ninja village. I can't say my suspension of disbelief would find a village like those in Naruto reasonable but the concept does have precedent in the Red Mantis assassins having their own damn island fortress and being a legitimate country thats major export happens to be murder.
With the presence of magic in the world assassinations would become much more difficult. Depending on the political potency of the person killed the earth, wood, plants, animals gods and even the dead would have opportunities to out you.
paranoid preparations would likely be a way of life in an organization of people that do such work for a living.
Constant vigilance and all.
Also off topic but how do our collective abundance of human characters propose to deal with darkness at the level we are? In a world where there are races that are drastically superior to humanity in the terms of vision I find it really amusing so many of us picked that.
Naruto does have some influence in my thought processes. Mainly in how I would have set up such a hidden village.
That being various outposts that can send messenger birds with potential jobs to the "Home Office" That however can be massively altered with some divination magic and messaging spells and end up with something more akin to the dark brotherhood set up. A diviner finds clients, ninja meets clients, job
I always found Naruto's concepts easier to swallow when I replaced "Ninja" with "Mercenary" as the ninja villages are effectively private armies fielded with money from the Leaders of that country.
Staffed entirely by super powerful mutants that are able to bend the powers of the universe over their knee with a few decades of training.
Much like benders in the Avatar series.
The ninja's are specalists in their field due to an inborn advantage of chakra but are only a single facet of a nations military and information networks.
Its amusing to look at that facet of the setting and consider how a commoner in non-ninja villages look at ninja. Perhaps some of the reason villages are hidden in the first place is that much of the populace still doesn't fully accept the subset of humanity with god-like powers.
Rather similar to the Avatar series several nations look to use technology to bridge the gap of power between ninja and non-ninja. It isn't anywhere near enough but it is interesting to not the setting relative silence on those technologies anywhere a ninja village happened to be.
Suppression perhaps?
Though that is neither here no there as those setting are absolutely nothing like one that would be based in a Pathfinder look alike.
the dark brotherhood seems like a viable idea perhaps the ninja "village" we are escaping from the destruction of could be something closer to a focal point and training ground.
Where various cell leaders meet in summits, the grandmasters of the organization live after reaching an age where their knowledge is worth more than their skill in the field.
they teach the next generation in hope of cultivating a deep sense of loyalty to the clan along with catching any dangerous signs in students to deal with during training or to remove them from the program if such ideals are too dangerous.
There are several spells for brainwashing or emotional manipulation that would be quite effective if used in secret over a long time. Sow thought as an example.
this would foster factions in the ranks though as each different cell of ninja would likely have their own leaders and similar but slightly differing ideas on how the operation ought to be run.
A defecting cell could serve to explain how such an organization would fall were that group to have been a well respected group to have freedom to learn the positions and defenses of other village cells.
It would also splinter the organization terribly to lose that leadership all at once and make the remaining cells much easier to sweep up with an organized force to find them.
These are excellent thoughts though not what I was thinking. when I mentioned the dark brotherhood it was only an example of how they got contracts.
A splinter group of the clan however could work either way.
I'm just theory crafting right now to see what sticks with the group and what doesn't. As the ninja village is an important aspect of our collective history and a driving force to the story as it is having a general idea as to how it was all set up could be useful if only to serve as window dressing for the campaign at large.
It is highly doubtful we would ever be able to get back to that sort of establishment being hunted by our enemies and having little to nothing to our names.
@Players
Crunch:
So I'm going to have this character taking the route of magical crafting and serving the group by being semi-passable in most needed crafting skills. If someone has a desire to be the party crafter in one manner or another (weapons,armor,clothes,alchemy) let me know and I can swap some stuff around.
At the moment I've got alchemy, weapons, armor and traps. I'd been considering clothing or leather craft for the sake of disguises. Kids are likely to get weird looks if they start asking for hidden pockets and other fiddly additions to their gear.
Also easier to just add your own so an enterprising tailor doesn't have the chance to rat your out for asking for ninja additions to the local guards.
I was unsure of the group layout so I took stealth synergy. Both I and my familiar effectively have this feat so if folks were on the fence about the feats utility until now it might be something to consider.
though I might trade it for skill focus: linguistics to build toward the Orator feat as a means to cover some social stuff.
As Linguistics covers forgeries and forgery is something that has a hgh chance of becoming pertinent depend on what we will be doing as a group I might just go that route even if we do have one or two folks with decent social skills.
@Ai
As we are both arcane spellcasters it would wise to see if we can't share some of our spells. the Witch and wizard spell lists are not entirely the same but it would be good to figure out some tricks.
Perhaps we can work something out for a method to share stuff without having to repeatedly pay for scrolls.
It works for now but after level two or three spells paying scroll cost for learning a spell becomes hard to justify.
I'm not entirely sure that you could copy spells from my Poppet nor I from your spell book. They're just 2 really different forms of spell storage but I don't usually play casters so I'm probably wrong.
On the subject of crafting I was contemplating later taking the couldrin hex so I could cover the alchemy albeit a bit later.
Well, as to the cruchy stuff, I had planned on taking at least 1 crafting skill. Had planned either armor or weapons, might go bows though if anyone but me plans to use one, or traps... actually have room to take two craft skills so let me know.
Also had Stealth Synergy as a floating feat if someone else took it, so unless you change your mind on it Ill be keeping that. Alertness if you change your mind, that or Manipulative Agility (Ultimate Intrigue).
I'm about to head out for a short bit but I'll weigh back in when I can.
I would love to take Stealth Synergy but I can't. I prefer to take Selective Spell use so I can drop fireballs right on top of us without hurting us and only frying the enemy. I do plan to take Outflank so we can set up more effective flanking and combat situations for us (+4 instead of +2 to hit in flanking, auto AoO by flanking partner after a confirmed critical). In addition, I took the Umbral Mutated Bloodline which makes my Darkness related spells more effective.
As for the ninja village, I see that as more of a guise. The ninjas work the town as normal to earn extra money for equipment and etc. In addition, we have a bar in which the females and males work to ascertain information. Everyone chats too much when they get drunk. However, since we are children, we need to change our disguise now even though some of us can pass for adults. There isn't enough adults around to keep the Town guise going. We may have to move operations to a large town/city and take another guise like set up a bar in which the older children that can pass like adults operate it in the front office and in the back office, the children act as street children or do whatever. Maybe own a bar, a shop or two, and later a brothel because regardless what anyone believes, a bar and brothel are great places to gather information. In addition, some people go into bars looking for assassins. Of course, we can have other methods but the ninja town is now compromised.
Crafting wise, I was planning on taking Weapons to craft swords including the Katana.
Profession wise, I was planning on taking Barmaid and/or weaponsmith working both under disguise or combination.
EDIT: Looking at my character, here are the available slots for team feats and what I currently have planned;
5th - Seletive Spell so I can drop a fireball or any AoE on top of us only hurting the enemy.
9th - Outflank (+4 instead of +2 to hit in flanks, auto AoO by flanking partner on confirmed critical hit)
13th - Quicken Spell - this feat can come later too since it adds +4 spell levels.
17. Combat Stamina (if permitted) or Dimensional Agility (if not) - I am not sure Combat Stamina is permitted, I wanted to give Darkshade more fighting prowess but if Stealth Synergy is that important, I can probably remove Combat Stamina and Dimensional Agility would have been better with Dimensional Dervish so I can easily give up Dimensional Agility if Combat Stamina is not permitted.
There might be one of you that can pass as an adult right now I think. While that plan isn't bad it might need to be put on the back burner, or he might want to really get a job.
I will allow combat stamina.
Ai, as far as I'm aware if you can both make scrolls, you can share where appropriate.
@Ai
Cauldron is a thematic choice that works well with the necromancer vibe, could be helpful for lower level potions. Though higher level ones are often times way more expensive than the benefit they provide is worth.
I have scribe scroll right now and will likely be taking craft wondrous item and some of the other more common item creation feats as we level.
I'll likely still take some ranks in Alchemy as thats one of the few craft skills where the DC's get much higher than the 25-30 range.
As to your spell poppet. Thats actually phenomenally bad as a prepared spellcaster.
A normal witch has the ability to learn spells either from another witch's familiar or from scrolls.
Some seem to be of the idea that a spellbook could be burned in a similar manner to a scroll to feed a witch's familiar and learn a spell. However I think thats a commonly accepted house rule and not the normal rules.
As your poppet only counts as a familiar for preparing spells it seems like you've lost both methods of teaching your familiar spells.
Definitely something to bring to the attention of the GM so e can get some manner of ruling about it.
While you have hexes and won't be as bad off as if you were a wizard thats still got to be unintended.
Familiar Teaching Familiar: A witch's familiar can learn spells from another witch's familiar. To accomplish this, the familiars must spend one hour per level of the spell being taught in communion with one another. At the end of this time, the witch whose familiar is learning a spell must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level). If the check succeeds, the familiar has learned the spell and the witch may utilize it the next time she prepares spells. If the check fails, the familiar has failed to learn the spell and cannot try to learn that spell again until the witch has gained another rank in Spellcraft. Most witches require a spell of equal or greater level in return for this service. If a familiar belongs to a witch that has died, it only retains its knowledge of spells for 24 hours, during which time it is possible to coerce or bribe the familiar into teaching its spells to another, subject to GM discretion.
Learn from a Scroll: A witch can use a scroll to teach her familiar a new spell. This process takes 1 hour per level of the spell to be learned, during which time the scroll is burned and its ashes used to create a special brew or powder that is consumed by the familiar. This process destroys the scroll. At the end of this time, the witch must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level). If the check fails, the process went awry in some way and the spell is not learned, although the scroll is still consumed.
The spell Blood transcription might help some once you can cast it as that would let you blue mage some magic assuming you can hunt up the right creatures to drink the blood of and learn from.
@ Valdis
Cool, then if you've got a particular one in mind for your characters concept feel free to let me know. I'll move a points around as people chime in and I can free myself up.
Also I have to say that your shadow creation talent is really cool.
Absolutely perfect for a ninja as well. If you can swing it a decent disguise check could open some very dangerous roads for you.
It also makes a lot of sense for someone who is able to make weapons out of their own damn shadow to have a better than average knowledge of what goes into them.
@Darkshade
The selection of stealth synergy is more of an instance where at low levels a single botched dice can screw you in all kinds of ways. At higher levels its not as needed but as L2 characters on the run that kind of teamwork could be critical.
Realistically Katana finesse does very little for you at the moment, the net gain you have from the base weapon damage of the Katana is a +1 where as weapon finesse would raise your chances to hit by a net 4 points.
Never mind that by the time you hit levels higher than 5 entering melee as a spellcaster is a very dangerous venture without some very heavy investments to make that option valuable.
You might consider swapping katana finesse and weapon finesse in your build order. Use a light weapon until you reach that level and upgrade when it is reasonable, as a primary caster it isn't like you are going to be making full attacks terribly often anyway.
Weapon finesse is a bloodline feat. I can move Katana Expertise from 1st to 5th (Weapon Finesse is at 7th as a bloodline feat), Stealth Synergy at 1st, Outflank at 9th, Selective Spell at 13, and Quicken Spell at 17.
As for danger in combat, whether arcane casters like or not, they do have to engage in some melee combat plus I can sneak attack later at 3rd level. My character will most likely attack from the rear than from the front like most good ninja do.
Then retrain stealth synergy when it no longer matters.
Hmm, I might make my background skills be Knowledge (dungeoneering) and Craft (weapons) then, and use the rank I had in dungeoneering in survival and the ones I had left over for disguise... Probably a good idea anyway as it's going to be hard to blend in with skin that is "bleached gray, deepening to obsidian at the extremities".
But yeah Umbral Gear is pretty cool, being able to have specialty gear when I need it (especially if we get caught and stuff taken away) is really too good to pass up. Even if it means I'm taking Fast Stealth later.
Edit: I'll be putting an actual sheet up on obsidian portal for myself when I've access to my laptop, but can link it if asked. Figure it might be helpful since I'm moving things around a bit.
2nd Edit: I'm going to agree on the moving to a larger city after the village got compromised. That is, assuming we can find some sort of place to use as a hideout. Be it an abandoned building or... if need be, a cistern/sewer. Though given the "be ready to run" from before I'm going to assume we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Since the town is now compromised, I vote for moving into a large city/town. This way, we are just another face instead of a sore thumb. The alternative, is create a secret monastery or base of operations but I think a Large City/Town would be better for Information Gathering and finding clients, and etc.
she can continue to use scrolls
@Darkshade
that would be up to you but I know I wouldn't have the patience to wait for that long to use weapon finesse if I wanted to be semi-passable in melee as a spellcaster.
You could also pick up an effortless lace later on in order to get the katana as a light weapon if that was the big desire there.
You will still struggle to hit with 1/2BAB progression. Melee touch attack spells could likely give you another vector for damage on tougher targets.
As to arcane casters in melee, yep its a possibility but that is what concentration checks and allies are for. Planning contingencies to avoid melee seem easier to build for me than making a primary arcane caster fit on the front line though. Even at the edges.
It should also be noted that far as I can see we have a monk, a rouge, and three spellcasters so until Ai gets some undead mooks for us to use as cover we are going to have issues with absorbing damage.
@Ai
that reminds me. Disguise could be a really big thing for you if you would like to bring your minions on misisons. Having a really quiet butler could be viable in some missions. that same butler being obviously undead would significantly reduce the number of instances they could be useful in.
Looks like you are a step ahead of me and already thought of that.
@Valdis
Fortunately weird appearance in a fantasy setting is a rather high bar to reach.
The issue of appearance was why I had Deneb take the pass for human tiefling trait. I'll miss the opportunity to have a tail. Having infernal blood could cause some problems that I'd prefer to not inflict on the party. As it is now I'll be able to provide the blood for infernal healing. Which is good as we don't really seem to have a devoted healer and while Ai could cast the lower level spells having a necromancer healing people might get weird.
I'd considered having Deneb take disguise but I'm unsure what I might trade to make room for such and would need to swap my trait for the one that gives Int to a cha based skill to be semi-decent.
EDIT:
Yeah large city seems like a decent place for a group of escapee's with espionage skills to vanish into. Though I suppose that depends on when our GM is going to want to drop us in to control our characters after the destruction of the village. It might be a bit before we can reach a position like that if our homes are still on fire in the first post.
Any further thoughts on village traditions at large?
I'm trying to fufill the archetype of Q so I'd been thinking that part of the ritual of becoming what Deneb intended to be was sacrificing their memory of what they have as a name.
they know they had a name before the ritual but they don't remember it. Makes it harder for divinations to stick if the name is false.
Yea. I vote large city too. Probably easier to hide there and probably has more to do.
@Den, I have the patience. I wanted her to have a ninja feel at least but still primarily a spell caster but there are team feats I have to consider and I am prepping her to take Arcane Trickster turning in Five levels of Fractional BaB and some skill points for greater spell casting.
Another alternative, open a tavern w/secrets on a well travelled road.
Considering how many secrets find their way to such a place, (which is why adventuring parties start there so often) that seems like an excellent idea. But I feel we've got just a bit off track when we were discussing the culture and history of your clan
Everyone agree opening a tavern on a well traveled road so we can move on to clan history and culture.
@ tavern.
I'd counter with a pub or something inside a city. Plus there is the question of how we would be able to own or maintain something like that.
Additionally we are going about that backwards as figuring out the culture and history of the ninja village would then serve to decide if a roadside tavern would make sense for our purposes.
If this is the sort of thing ninja informants do all the time than making our own just decreases the number of places the hunters are going to need to look to find us.
@history.
I'm not sure how broad a brush we want to paint with here, are we just filing off the serial numbers for the pathfinder world and moving stuff around as needed to suit the campaign?
Is the plan to go more in depth with a unique geographical and cultural idea?
Are we "the village" a formerly major fixture in this nation, or are there several rival factions that seek to control the same flows?
How accepted was the village in the culture of the area were we feared and mystified like the brotherhood or was there an office people could fill out assassination forms for?
What are the laws like in the area, are we drawing from any periods of upheaval in the real world or just pulling this out whole cloth?
My thoughts would be that... either the village and the clan were well known and were respected/feared, but then got taken out by a rival group or perhaps the ruling government because they feared they were getting too powerful/weren't able to control us like they wanted. (Historically that seems like how most went.)
Or... They were operating in secret, like the dark brotherhood/thieves guild, where people knew that there was a group to do these jobs but didn't know where they were based. Then, once they found out, so and so came in and wiped them out.
As far as cultury stuff... Given the diversity of just our group I'd think there would likely have been factions within the clan. Those that specialised in stealth and assassination. Those that did espionage, intelligence gathering and the like. And so on.
We likely all know each other, but that doesn't mean we really worked directly with each other before the attack. We just happened to be the ones that got away, and hopefully there was enough of how things ran known between all of us to keep things going in a way we were used to. Odds are a bunch of kids/teenagers wouldn't know all the intricacies of how the village really worked, but they continue and try to muddle things out because that's all they really know.
I was picturing one of several clans that were rivals for contracts. I also imagined these clans being hidden in secret rural villages.
Makes sense.
I was picturing one of several clans that were rivals for contracts. I also imagined these clans being hidden in secret rural villages.
But that is until our elders were purged. We would stick out like a sore thumb now so the town has to be abandoned. This is what I would do since the town is compromised, the gig is up there.
As for well traveled road Tavern vs City pub, it's about the same business wise and I am thinking more of a Tavern Inn. If it wasn't a well traveled road then I agree, better business in town.
As we get older, we can re-establish a town but since we are small in numbers and only a few of us can pass as adults, we need to consolidate. Besides, a town can spring up off Tavern/Inn.
What should our clan name be? It looks like the Japanese clans were basically name after Kingdoms they represented. Koga supposedly means Old River and Iga, I am still searching for. One page stated its meaning had been lost to time.
I like Tsuchigumo. I always enjoy building anything spider themed.
Or Kumo-kiri (Spider Cutter)?
I'm cool with Kumo-kiri.
Though, if we are going for a new name (what the kids are calling themselves), I can understand Tsuchigumo in a way. Aside from the fact that after looking that up, seeing it's a derogatory term (but also the name of a yokai). Though it would make sense if people came to refer to the group as such, especially if it was the government that "shut us down". Maybe not adopting it as our actual name but drawing from it and keeping the spider theme? So... if not Kumo-kiri, perhaps Ko-gumo? Pretty sure that roughly translates to spider child.
I also almost feel like we should try and move as far away from the other villages (if we know where they more or less are) as possible since we are still on the run. At least to start, because, well... we don't know if they know we survived. It also comes down to if people in the area know us, our faces, what we are and the like.
I dunno, that's just my 2cp.
Hrmm.. going for a spider motif could work.
Though that would make for a question of what kind of spiders our little group might be.
Hunting spiders and weavers are two very different beasties.
Perhaps that could be the two sides of the coin for how the village referred to the division of work.
From what has been described so far it sounds like these clans would be an open secret to those in power. Known but ignored as they fulfill an illegal but highly desired niche of services. Once that no noble or merchant wants to be even vaguely connected to for fear of damaging their reputations irreparably.
I'm going to keep the motif that at the very least for Deneb's master the loss of their birth name is a thing.
sounds just like the kind of paranoia a mostly unhinged gnomish spell caster would come up with in their centuries of life.
@Valdis
James bond, should have made that more clear. the general useful gadget guy be them mundane or magical. I've got the cars, the guns and the fancy remotes that shatter plate glass with a press of a button. Along with this would be general buffs and boosts granted through arcane magic. Though as we have next to nothing at the moment keeping track of the physical stuff we find or have will likely be something he does. If by some fluke we reach 12+ level territory I'd slide closer and closer to the Star trek version with each leap of reality bending power.
I like Ko-gumo, since we are real children and still have a lot of learning to do.
Culture:
Female ninja in are clan were the primary operatives because they can disguise themselves easier and swing their rears to memorized their targets or the guards of their targets. While male ninja in our clan are primarily trainers, fortress assault, and when all stick is needed instead of finesse and charm.
Our clan is 500 years old and our last Soke (Grand Master and Leader) was our clan's 6th. There have been (2) Women and (4) Men Sokes, the last was male. The clan prospered under all of their leadership because they stuck to the clan's core values and traditions.
Eh. gender seems a strange divide to make decisions like that on.
In a setting where there is literally a potion that will permanently alter their gender or let them off themselves and come back as any number of humanoid races
Additionally non-permanent transformation magic. Spellcasters (Or folks with UMD) would be able to get up to some interesting things with stuff like polymorph and alter self.
Though on that idea we could use a similar divide between folks with physical ability in ninja arts* from those with more mind focused ones**.
while there could be plenty of subdivisions it would make sense for a ninja village to have folks with specializations even if there are specific basics most everyone would want.
there is plenty of crossover on stuff like that but the idea would remain the same that while you might be passable at both your typically are only going to be specialized in one side of that tree.
*Stealth, acrobatics, disable device. perception,survival. breaking and entering, assassination, guard duty and tracking. Traditional high skill classes and their set ups. the mechanically inclined rogue.
** Disguise, high social skills, linguistics(for forgery),sense motive. social ladders, info gathering and intrigue. The bards playground.
Yes, gender probably isn't that important so much as skill. There are plenty of situations where a male shines.
That Culture is the past, who cares if it was female, male, or it. Elders are gone, and some of the culture died with them since there is so much a teenager can be taught and retain. This is an extinction level event for the clan and things are bound to change. It takes years to achieve master level and even longer to achieve grand master so some of the culture was lost with their deaths.
Ok, all the grand masters were eunuchs so they couldn't be seduced by rival clans and state operators ... :-)
Ai's concept is the child of a leader of the clan
Ai is also female and felt compelled to take the rank when the elders died.
Not to continue the gender issue, I'm not weighing in either way about that. But it could make sense if they based the hierarchy on Drow culture, would tie in the slider theme as well. Maybe the children didn't know of the influence and that was the actual reason the clan got taken out, people finding out about the ties to the Drow?
I dunno. I'm cool with pretty much whatever to be honest.
My suggested spider theme has really taken off, I'm so happy.
I've PMed Bane, we'll see if he shows up
The drow idea is actually my favorite so far. NOT just because it would give me ALL THE POWER! MWUHAHAHA... *cough* yeah... Not that at all.
If that is the case, we should all be rebellious Drow but kept the Matriarch. Drow ninja would be scary to most.
Hmm, Noble Drow who went to the surface to escape discipline, started a ninja clan based on Drow culture but a little friendlier (since our alignments don't match the drow).
Imagine the elaborate disguises to pull off we are human? The ultimate in intrigue and masquerade.
Well my understanding of the idea was the clan was connected to the drow thus having a matriarchal power structure. This connection doesn't have to be maintained, merely left it's influence and thus enriches the clan's history on how the dark ones were driven from the surface the clan reformed. It could also be that the clan were the drow's operatives in the surface world but this was hidden to all but the eldest ninjas.
Pretty much, I wasn't trying to say we should all be Drow, lol
Alright so...
The clan was an open secret to those in power. Known but ignored as they filled an illegal but highly desired niche of services. A force no noble or merchant wanted to be even vaguely connected to for fear of damaging their reputations irreparably.
The division of "work" was based around specialized skill sets.
- The Weavers - Those who focus on disguise, forgery, information gathering and other forms of espionage.
- The Seekers - Those who focus on stealth, assassination, scouting, breaking and entering, guard duty and tracking. Typically sent on jobs the Widows deemed beneath them.
- The Widows - Those who deal with high profile assassinations, escorting valuable cargo and enacting daring heists. This group is traditionally entirely women and are considered the highest ranking members in the clan (barring the grand matrons).
The clan's roots were a closely guarded secret among the higher ranking members, most just took things at face value. Many assumed the grand matrons were the leaders of the clan, they had no reason to think otherwise. The one actually pulling the strings, referred to in whispers among the grand matrons as the Spinner, was a very powerful Drow matriarch.
It was this secret, that was somehow discovered after centuries of the clan's existence, that spelled doom for all who lived in the village. Those who were part of the clan, and those part of the disguise. All burned that night... all save a few.
I like everything but the hunters, Black Widows really don't hunt, they ambush. I am trying to think if an alternative.
EDIT: More like Trappers.
I love it. It gives me mysteries and plot points, it gives you history and heirarchy, with some research I can find ways they influenced your culture. The classes are my problem.
How about change Hunters to Seekers. When the Black Widow feels vibrations in the web, they seek out their prey to bite and spin them. They are mostly blind and rely heavily on the vibrations of their web.
So yes, Seekers -
The Weavers
The Seekers
The Widows
The Spinner or the Spinneret ... lol
Eh, names are changeable (it all is really). I only went with Widows because of the Black Widow perk in Fallout to be honest.
Edit: Classes?
For a different name than "hunters" I might suggest the "Wanderers" because banana spiders be crazy.
We could also go for a bodypart motif if we wanted to avoid the assumption of solitary assassins.
The idea of it being presumptuous to think any one of us could emulate the sublime lethality presented in the concept of a spider.
Emphasizing working in teams and loyalty to the village would prevent in-fighting some.
Well that and messy public executions of those who attempt such actions and get caught.
EX:
Spinnerets/ Thread?
Fangs
Venom
Though such concepts could be preached in the village while leaving those outside it of the idea that each of these operating teams were in fact just one hyper competent ninja.
The wonder of propaganda and all.
@Valdis
Hrmm... the whole "drow matron" thing could work out as a very good means to hammer a ninja village publicly without reprisal.
Even if it turns out to be untrue or only partially true the public perception of the events isn't going to change.
Though pathfidner elves and drow are a good bit different from WOTC Drow due to large chunks of that history and Lolth being closed content.
Fun fact, a sufficiently evil elf can actually become a drow. Golarion wise the concept of 'drow' is also something the elves keep secret to the extreme.
Its similar to the way that the Asari of Mass effect conceal knowledge of the Ardat-Yakshi from the general public.
As this is ahome game I have no idea what our GM intends with that partiuclar plot line but it could be quite fun.
Also opens up the opportunity for some of the ninja clans to have supernatural predicessors. A guild of assassins lead by a Rakshasa could be some fun times.
Darkshade
You are correct on the style of hunting a widow commits to. I'd counter by saying that it could be an idea where a name like "Widows" people would take it for granted that they acted like their namesake.
Its more of an instance where the image and fear associated with the black widow would come into play over the physical manner of their hunting. Over all such creatures are known for their lethality after all.
As these indiduals as supposed to be above the more common spiders of the village perhaps a spider that hunts spiders?
A jade wasp could work but breaks the arachnid motif.
Your proposed ninja types
I would suggest weavers be manipulators and spies. Why kill your target when a simple piece of information in the right ear can keep your hands clean.