Pocket Ninja

[chaostails7]

Hey guys,

I had a cool idea for a gimmick build involving the Ninja (because ninja are cooler than Rogues) and the rogue trick minor magic -> major magic -> familiar line.

Take a high goblin and make him as light as possible. By virtue of high goblin's overpoweredness, you are already really stealthy. Now pick up Reduce person twice a day from major magic. Not only would your DM almost certainly agree to give you a cool +4 stealth bonus for that even if its not in the RAW, you're also rocking a dexterity boost and an additional to-hit increase, while not reducing your damage appreciably at all - especially if you're going the poison route or have an agile weapon.

You're going to have a tough time flanking if you decide to fight like that, but idn, maybe your DM would let you take a feat to avoid being seen under a much larger creature's body. I don't suppose one like that already exists...?

For more jollies, grab a hawk familiar and get someone to build you a really strange saddle. Now you have a flying mount with which to scout from on high, and a perception boost to go with it.

[LurkingSooner]

There is the small problem of the high gob being a 3rd party product and not a true paizo race

[Hayato Ken]

And you are dealing less damage because of very low STR, not to mention you become tiny and don´t threaten squares anymore, but have to move into oponent squares. Even with the agile weapon enchantment, a negative STR modifier lowers your damage.

[blackbloodtroll]

Ninjas ARE Rogues.

[FuelDrop]

if all of the other factors were to somehow align i can see this working, using poisoned ranged attacks, of course.

[Oterisk]

Or, using a reach weapon like a long spear. Then you could still make attacks from adjacent squares. At least I think you could...

[Hayato Ken]

A long spear gives +5' reach. 0+5=5. Ranged attacks would work however.
Poison is a problem though often. Most critters have high FORT saves and poisons are not that deadly in my experience. But play it through and tell your experience. I would be looking forward to it.

[chaostails7]

Poisoned ranged attacks seem like a good idea.

If I took Scout and Master Poisoner from the rogue archetypes, most of my damage output would be from move -> sneak attack with pre-poisoned shrunken/arrow and be plenty high even ignoring low strength. This has the added advantage of reduce person not reducing the damage of projectiles once they are loosed from my person, but the size/dexterity related accuracy boost still applying.

I could also get proficient with a scorpion whip if I wanted to attack at range like Oterisk suggested - its a light (i.e. finessable/capable of being agile) melee weapon with reach, that doesn't have the whip's problem of not actually doing damage.

As to poisons not working all that often, all I have to do is a) keep ahead of the fort curve with master poisoner and b) keep trying. They'll roll 1 eventually!

[Hayato Ken]

Whip or scorpion whip doesn´t matter so much for you, because you do damage from sneak attack. All whips damage is low.

If you become tiny, all your weapons do the same and reach and damage are reduced. No matter what weapon.

Your damage can come from sneak attack and poison however, which are not reduced.

Find a way to hit, do sneak attack and survive and you will be fine.

Halfling with swift as shadows racial trait to reduce stealth penalty by 10 might be good for you, since tiny creatures get a high bonus to stealth. On low levels sniping every round for SA is a good thing.

[chaostails7]

Hayato Ken wrote:

Whip or scorpion whip doesn´t matter so much for you, because you do damage from sneak attack. All whips damage is low.

If you become tiny, all your weapons do the same and reach and damage are reduced. No matter what weapon.

Your damage can come from sneak attack and poison however, which are not reduced.

Find a way to hit, do sneak attack and survive and you will be fine.

Halfling with swift as shadows racial trait to reduce stealth penalty by 10 might be good for you, since tiny creatures get a high bonus to stealth. On low levels sniping every round for SA is a good thing.

I think you missed the point of the whip - the point being, to be able to attack out of my square. And it definitely feels cheesy to be doing sneak attack damage with a weapon that doesn't deal damage, hence scorpion whip.

The halfling sniper idea is good, though. Only problem being that if I end up doing too good a job with the stealth, it'll get kinda boring. I'll just sit there and invisibly shoot.... all day...

[Son of the Veterinarian]

You might get a better fit into RAW if you either used a Soulbound Doll or cast Awaken on some kind of lapdog and gave them ninja levels.

The Pekingese in particular is a good choice for this as it was quite literally bred to be small enough to be carried in the voluminous sleeves of Italian and Chinese nobility.