Unarmed Snake Style Ninja?

[Celestial_Chameleon]

Hey guys, I am going to be joining a campaign that one of my friends is running and I decided to roll a ninja. I am very smitten with Monk/ninja/rogue so I decided to try and play a monk/rogue hybrid and settled on the ninja as it had a lot of the features from both that I liked. The general Idea is to make a ninja that uses unarmed attacks and relies on avoiding attacks in melee and following up with a counter attack, thus the snake style chain. The build will also focus a bit on poisoning, hence Addar Strike. This is the first 10 levels of progression I have thought of. It isn't meant to be super optomized.

Human

Str 10
Dex 16(lv 4 and 8 stat bumps here)
Con 14
Int 10
Wis 14
Cha 14

Feats:

1:Improved Unarmed
1H:Addar Strike
2(Combat Trick): Weapon Finesse
3: Snake Style
5:Skill Focus[Sense Motive]
6(Style Master Trick): Snake Sidewind
7: Bleeding Attack
9: Snake Fangs

Ninja Tricks:

2:Combat trick for weapon finesse
4:Shadow Clone
6:Style Master trick for snake sidewind
8:Pressure Points
10:Unarmed Combat Mastery

Since ninja gets a lot of skills natively, the character will play as a skill monkey for the most part. During combat the main tactic is to pop shadow clones to increase the chance of an enemy missing me. The focus is more so debilitating poisons, flanking, and pressure points with sneak attacks. The shadow clones will help with snake fangs later, and Addar strike effectively doubles the doses of poisons I buy/make. The build doesn't revolve around invisibility like most ninja builds I see. More or less a ninja you cant touch, but in plain sight. As for skills, I take what I need to meet pre-reqs and then have plenty of left overs for many other skills. If I really needed more skills I could use the favored class bonus for it, but I think HP would be prefered as dancing around in melee even with clones is risky stuff.

As for items, the important ones I can see would be Monk's Robes, Stat boosting Items, Necklace of Mighty Fists, Headband of ninjutsu, other defensive items etc.

Do you guys think this build will be able to perform well enough to contribute a half decent amount to my party, or is it absolute garbage? Suggestions would be swell. :)

[blackbloodtroll]

Ninja is Rogue.

[qutoes]

You can't flurry so you are going to need to take twf feats or monk dip (better choice)

[blackbloodtroll]

Is it more important to have the Ninja class, or Ninja flavor?

What races are available?

[Celestial_Chameleon]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

Is it more important to have the Ninja class, or Ninja flavor?

What races are available?

Any of the core races are available.

And I understand that Ninja = Rogue. There is just enough flavor split between monk and rogue that I tend to just refer to ninja as a seperate class(though I know its not).

Since I am not going for outright total damage in combat im not worried about getting twf or flurry. The build focuses more on the poisons and getting a few pressure points in.

As for dipping and flavor, I would rather be ninja and nothing but. I don't really like dipping all that much. I play a class because I like what it has, not what I can frankinstien together with 3+ classes from a miriad of dips.

Edit: After looking at my post it seemed rather stand-offish. Totally wasn't meant to be. I just tend to regurgitate stuff like a robot.

[Celestial_Chameleon]

One question I do have though is, the bleeding attack feat. Does that bleed happen every round until healed or is it a one time damage bonus that counts as bleed damage so it ignores DR?

[blackbloodtroll]

Scout Ninja will work.

Heretic Inquisitor will make a great Ninja, as does Guide Ranger.

Really, I am not suggesting dipping, but another class entirely.

The flavor is what you make it, and your class is just a list of abilities you tailor to fit that flavor.

[LoreKeeper]

The rogue talent Bleed is per-round damage until healed (but doesn't stack with itself).

The Snake-Style ninja is perfectly viable as shown, I play similar builds myself.

[TGMaxMaxer]

To do what you want it to do, you'd be well off to dip a level of MoMS or two. I know you don't want to, but it saves you 3 feats and boosts saves, also adds in Wis to armor if you like. (UMD a wand of mage armor, better than wearing anything until you get celestial armor)

Do it at level 3, and 5, and pick up panther style as well. If you're moving around and they swing at you, you get an extra swing to apply the pressure points damage.

[Kazumetsa Raijin]

Celestial_Chameleon wrote:

Hey guys, I am going to be joining a campaign that one of my friends is running and I decided to roll a ninja. I am very smitten with Monk/ninja/rogue so I decided to try and play a monk/rogue hybrid and settled on the ninja as it had a lot of the features from both that I liked. The general Idea is to make a ninja that uses unarmed attacks and relies on avoiding attacks in melee and following up with a counter attack, thus the snake style chain. The build will also focus a bit on poisoning, hence Addar Strike. This is the first 10 levels of progression I have thought of. It isn't meant to be super optomized.

Ninja and Rogue seriously aren't too different. A ninja feels like a combination of Rogue and Monk as is.

I'd go 10/10 or 12/8, make sure to take Monastic Legacy, pick up an AoMF and Monk's Robe. From that I'm sure the Monk/Ninja will meld just perfectly. If you're going TWF, I'd probably just grab MoMS Monk. If you're going Flurry, I'd go with Qinggong Something Monk.

[prototype00]

An amusing combination with monk/ninja types.

1.Enemy attacks you, hits/misses
2.Retaliate with Crane Style/Snake Style
3.On your AoO, use stunning fist, if successful enemy is stunned until just before they take their next turn.
4.Coup de grace stunned enemy on your turn with Dastardly Finish (required 5d6 Sneak attack)
5.Profit.

prototype00