So I'm going to confess to being inspired by a certain fictional blonde-haired ninja (not him, Galford from Samurai Shodown). So I'm working on a ninja for PFS, and the Kawarimi advanced trick just strikes me as hilarious. However, needing to have cover/concealment does seem limiting, has anyone pulled off using this trick effectively?
I was thinking Smoke Bombs and Shadow Strike to get concealment without killing my sneak attacks, but that seems like a lot to use the trick.
What could be used to make Kawarimi more reliable?
Unfortunately, it's pretty worthless as written. You need either a round of set-up to use something like a Smoke Bomb (or the mundane equivalent, smokestick or smoke pellet) to use something you may not even need that round.
If you had a way to get Hide in Plain Sight it would be pretty good (well...good for that one pitiful time you can use it per day), but not as-is.
You're better off doing something like taking the Snake Style Feat and using its Sense Motive to AC ability and flavoring it as a substitution.
If you're really attached to that once per day Master Trick specifically, take a dip in Shadowdancer?
That's what I feared. :( Guess Invisible Blade at 10 it is!
Would a race with a darkness spell-like ability, like Tiefling or Drow, be helpful?
For a Ninja-type character with more magical punch in PFS levels, there's always Arcane Trickster for doing something like Snakebite Striker Brawler 3/ Teleportation Wizard 4/ Arcane Trickster, with Accomplished Sneak Attacker. You can use Snake Feint and Shift to move up and feint, Sneak Attack, and then teleport away; you can take Two-Weapon Feint with Brawler's Flurry; and eventually you can use retraining to pick up Dimensional Dervish at level 10 if you want to.
It was a long shot, but man it would have been funny. I'll just stick with Invisible Blade as the Advanced Trick, even if it strikes me as Ninja Shocking Grasp. I'm planning on Startoss Style with shurikens, so other style feats are pretty much out.
Seems ridiculous that I can turn invisible and stab dudes repeatedly, but avoiding one attack per day requires a skill check and concealment. And I just remembered that Shadow Clone is only a basic Trick!
What the f~@%? Sheesh, I'll forget about doing minorly funny things and just cast greater invisibility constantly like you want, Paizo.
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Yeah... it's kind of annoying isn't it? I mean, all that, and then the thing is that beyond level 10, it's not so uncommon for enemies to see through Invisibility anyhow. So it's incredibly good until "oh sH^T they've got True Seeing, it's useless!"
The only nice things non-casters can have are stolen from the casters I suppose. It's for PFS, so getting past level 10 isn't a big thing. I just wish there was something that wasn't Vanish or Invisible Blade that was nearly as cool. There's Assasinate, but why not just use greater invisibility and sneak attack them for the two rounds it takes?
I don't want to just run around while invisible, but man do they make it hard not to.
I don't want to just run around while invisible, but man do they make it hard not to.
Considering PFS levels, that only happens at the very end anyhow.
There's always feinting, including Two-Weapon Feint. Or Shatter Defenses. Or using magic to blind with the Eldritch Scoundrel, which is basically a magic Ninja. Or going multiclass with magic. Or going multiclass with a Brawler and using feint combos. Plenty of stuff grants Sneak without waiting until 10 to run around invisible and hope it works when it really matters.
My preferred non-magic Ninja is with a little Weapon Master to get Shatter Defenses going quickly (and bump up combat skills, eventually by +3s).
All Ninjas I make go for Imp. Eldritch Heritage (Shadow) to pick up Hide in Plain Sight.
All Ninjas I make go for Imp. Eldritch Heritage (Shadow) to pick up Hide in Plain Sight.
That would be cool, but three feats is a bit high. Right now I think the plan will be:
Level 2 - Weapon TrainingLevel 3 - Startoss Style
Level 4 - Style Master (Startoss Comet)
Level 5 - Precise Shot
Level 6 - Flurry of Stars
Level 7 - Startoss Shower feat, Vanishing Trick (FCB)
Level 8 - Combat Trick (Far Shot)
Level 9 - ???
Level 10 - Invisible Blade
Level 11 - ???
Level 12 - ???
I suppose I could shift some stuff around and do:
Level 2 - Weapon Training
Level 3 - Startoss Style
Level 4 - Style Master (Startoss Comet)
Level 5 - Skill Focus (Stealth)
Level 6 - Flurry of Stars
Level 7 - Eldritch Heritage (Shadow), Combat Trick (Startoss Shower) (FCB)
Level 8 - Forgotten Trick
Level 9 - Precise Shot
Level 10 - Assasinate
Level 11 - Improved Eldritch Heritage (Shadow)
Level 12 - Kawarimi