Ninja Guide

[darth_borehd]

ikarinokami wrote:

although they get a miuns to charisma, i like the android race for ninja. i would give them a solid, green.

Why?

[ikarinokami]

bonus to int and dex which is awesome.

construct abiltiies shores up your biggest weakness low will saves, and also allows you to take a lower wisdom score.

bonus to perception

dark vision for sneak attacking

nanite surge.

it's blue as a rogue class
and green as a ninja, however if you arent using a lot of ki points or are using wisdom for ki, then its blue

[Psyren]

Advanced Race Guide classes need to be added to this. Fetchling as StreamoftheSky mentioned way back is a must-add, and so is Ifrit - their Firesight racial feat lets them see through smoke (i.e. smokesticks, smoke bombs and eversmoking bottles) while still granting themselves total concealment - this lets you use a ranged sneak-attack build.

EDIT: I would also max Bluff for Improved Two Weapon Feint, which lets you sacrifice one attack with your main-hand in order to make your opponent lose their Dex to AC for all the rest of them. If you spend 1 ki as a swift you get a bonus main-hand attack, meaning you actually lose no attacks doing this.

[SunderedShadow]

Thank you for adding the stars for those who have issues with seeing specific colors or combinations of them, the extra step is appreciated.

[Grond]

I just have to add since I'm looking at rolling up a ninja and I've seen several comments on this. Why are the Advanced Race Guide options not included in the guide? Wouldn't Fetchling both mechanically and in role play reasons make the "best" ninja?

[Frenir]

I really am liking the kitsune for ninja.

Kitsune Ninja Scout Arch Type
Ability Scores 10 18 14 10 10 15 after racial mods Level 4 +1 Dex, Level 8 +1 dex, level 12 +1 cha

1 Weapon Finesse
2 Ninja Trick - Vanishing Trick
3 Arcane Strike
4 Ninja Trick - Darkvision, Scout's Charge
5 Kitsune Realistic Likeness
6 Ninja Trick - Pressure Points or Forgotten Trick and Rogue Talent - Offensive Defense* (took favored class bonus for kitsune 6 times)
7 Iron Will
8 Ninja Trick - Weapon Training - wakizashi , Skirmisher
9 Toughness or Extra Ki
10 Advanced Ninja Trick - Invisible Blade
11 Improved Critical - wakizashi or Kitsune Fox Shape
12 Advanced Ninja Trick - Assassinate, Rogue Talent - Ninja Trick - Evasion (took favored class bonus for kitsune 6 times)

Primary weapon would be a wakizashi that would be getting to +1 Agile as fast as I could.

I really have dropped the two weapon because of Ninja ability to spend a Ki point for an extra attack really I am only wanting that when I am flanking so I can crank the damage and I can use a ki point for that.

Will have some daggers as backup weapons and I can throw them as well if I am invis don't want to mix it up yet.

[j b 200]

Grond wrote:

I just have to add since I'm looking at rolling up a ninja and I've seen several comments on this. Why are the Advanced Race Guide options not included in the guide? Wouldn't Fetchling both mechanically and in role play reasons make the "best" ninja?

If you scroll to the bottom, there is a link for the Races section that has the ARG info you are looking for

[Divicius]

Thanks for your Guide.
I think you under evaluate the ratfolk :
First a Tailblade adds a natural attack, at -5 but more sneak attacks are always welcome.

Tailblade:

A tailblade is a small, sharp knife designed to be strapped to the tip of a wielder's tail. It takes a full-round action to strap on or remove a tailblade. The wearer can loosely attach the tailblade (without strapping it securely in place) as a move action, but using a loosely attached tailblade gives the wielder a –4 penalty on all attack rolls made with the weapon, and other creatures get a +4 bonus on disarm combat maneuver checks to disarm the tailblade. A ratfolk wielding a tailblade can make a tail attack, adding its Strength modifier to the tailblade's damage. Ratfolk are considered proficient with such attacks and can apply feats or effects appropriate to natural attacks to tail attacks made with a tailblade. If used as part of a full attack action, attacks with a tailblade are considered secondary attacks.

But what I did with my Ratfolk ninja is using swarming.
With his good charisma I took leadership at lvl 7.
And then came his Ratfolk ninja brother lvl 5.
Now they just always are on the same square, always flanking, always getting sneak attacks. From there it went crazy.
Too bad my GM saw it coming and didn't agree to the brother being a vivisectionist beastmorpher... but I agreed that two ninja brothers were more flavourous.

[The Shaman]

Has anyone tried out eldritch heritage on half-elf or humans (with the skill focus trait) ninjas? I think some of them can be quite nice, such as the serpentine bloodline for a more social, high-charisma ninja characters.

Required skill: Diplomacy. As a ninja, are a skill monkey, and eldritch heritage requires good charisma - so diplomacy is a skill you'd probably max anyway. Now you are even better at both having people do what you want and tell you what you want to know.

Eldritch heritage : Serpent's Fang. This is pure gold imo. As a rogue-like character you rely on sneak attack for damage, and this is an extra sneak attack on top of either your two-handed or two-weapon combo at no penalty for the main attacks. As an extra rider, it packs a scaling constitution poison. It is limited in rounds, but still scary good.

Improved eldritch heritage A: Serpentfriend. Okay, this has two parts. First, you speak with any reptiles at will, which is situational, but valuable (I've seen worse feats). Second, you get a viper familiar. Well it's more limited than what you get from arcane (so it can't use wands and is not always socially acceptable to have around) but it's still a familiar with all the skill ranks you as a skill monkey have - so rerolls on a lot of skills and a useful scout. Second, it's a free alertness for if around and a free +3 to bluff on top of your already good social abilities to turn you into a certified smooth criminal. Oh, and you can (subject to DM approval) milk it for free, if not THAT powerful, venom - and with poison use you can't poison yourself doing so. Definitely worth a feat imo.
The envenomed bloodline version trades this for being able to envenom a weapon several times per day with a poison using your charisma for the DC. Not that good imo, but still interesting.

Improved eldritch heritage B: Serpentskin. A natural armor bonus, bonus vs poisons (hey, you do have a weak fortitude save) and a bonus to escape artist checks in case you want them. At lvl 15 and 19 (if you get that far), the bonuses improve. This one is a bit weaker than the former two imo, but still good enough to merit a feat.

There are other interesting bloodline options imo such as draconic (probably linnorn as energy ray is more useful than claws on a ninja imo), harrowed, orc and a few others, as well as of course the arcane or shadow that the guide already mentioned. Half-elf ninjas with EH can be quite fun imo and I'm sad I have never had the occasion to play one in a face-to-face campaign.