| AXThorn |
Hello all. I know this is an old thread but I have just created my first Ninja (playing in the Shattered Star AP) and have selected Ghost Step. I have read your comments above and feel that some people are missing the 'intent' of the trick. Lets take a slightly legalese approach and break it down to it's elements:
Ghost Step (Su): As a swift action [swift action as stated in the rules],
a ninja with this trick can pass through walls [walls would generally indicate man made structures, ie not natural however this is not the intent and in this case 'wall' would mean any vertical or near vertical surface.. not floor... BUT READ ON]
as if she were a ghost.[is an informal conjunctive... i think... meaning displaying the characteristics of but not the same as.. if the incorporeal form was the 'same' as a ghost it would read 'same'. In this instance it is not 'same' but they are using the reference to a ghost to try to describe how it would appear]
Until the end of her turn,[this does not suggest the incorporeal form must continue until x feet have been reached. A move can cease at any point up to the max move distance. Just because a character can move up to 30 feet, it does not mean they have to]
she can pass through a wall or other surface [oh! there it is, the clarification.. now it says 'any other surface' that is up to 5 feet thick per level [ok so now we are clear that this trick can be used on ANY surface UP TO 5 feet per level. No ambiguity there.]
as if [there it is again] she were incorporeal. She must exit the solid material by [by, meaning UP TO the end, not AT the end]
the end of her turn. Each use of this ability uses up 1 ki point.
Sorry I got a bit carried away there, but I hope any readers understand the points I have raised. The 'intent' of this trick is simple. A ninja can pass through any surface up to a maximum distance dictated by their level. They are considered incorporeal whilst passing through the surface. So in a combat situation just consider the wall as not there.