What magic items (non artifact, non tech, non firearm type that didn’t exist at the time) would most benefit real life ninjas during the age of ninjas?

[Reksew_Trebla]

So I’m disallowing artifacts because most of the answers would be those, obviously, and disallowing anything whose mundane counterpart was more advanced than what they had (ie, magic tech items, and magic firearms that are of a firearm type that didn’t exist at the time, and no, that isn’t all firearms. Real ninjas actually used a shit ton of firearms and other explosives).

What magic items do you think real life ninjas would most benefit from?

[*Thelith]

Anything that gives invisibility.
"" "" "" Teleport.
"" "" "" Regeneration.

[Saffron Marvelous]

"Real life" ninjas could refer to anything from informants to guerillas to warrior monks, so it really depends. I suppose a hat of disguise is probably useful across the board. Anything that lets you speak with plants or animals should be super useful too.

[rorek55]

I'd wager they are talking in regards to the pop culture idea of the ninja.

In other words, something that never quite existed as represented. IIRC, "ninjas" were both samurai retainers willing to do what was "needed" and/or peasants defending their own.

As for what they want...

-invisibility
-poisoners gloves
-smokestick (or other equivalent)
-anything that gives darkvision
-Teleportation or ability to travel through shadows.
-hat of disguise
-anything that would allow them to cast spells like detect thoughts
-items that made them better at sneaking/climbing/jumping/swimming

[Saffron Marvelous]

It's mostly hard to get specific records because no one cared to write down what, effectively, peasants were doing. There were certainly trained spies and saboteurs doing all sorts of things, and the term "shinobi" was in use for people who did those kinds of things. The big question is if there were these secret connected fraternities that did that stuff or what, and I don't know that there's a lot of evidence for it either way that comes from before the Edo period, but it's not unthinkable either.

Anyway, something I just remembered that I didn't think of before is fire. Pretty much anything that makes fire is a good fit for ninja. Setting fire to stuff is one of the more "realistic" things for a ninja to do, and I'm sure that's why they always have fire magic in anime and stuff.

[Reksew_Trebla]

rorek55 wrote:

I'd wager they are talking in regards to the pop culture idea of the ninja.

In other words, something that never quite existed as represented. IIRC, "ninjas" were both samurai retainers willing to do what was "needed" and/or peasants defending their own.

Actually, while my knowledge is limited, most of my knowledge of real ninjas comes from Youtuber Gaijin Goomba, who made it his career to study Japan's culture/history, so much so, that he actually went to live there for awhile (I don't recall if he still lives there or not), to get as accurate of knowledge as possible.

So I do actually mean the real ninjas of the past. Though I am lumping any group of people who could be called ninja into this.

For the record though, the sort of beefed up version of pop culture is fine to give answers about,as I don't expect anyone to have to research ninjas to participate here.

[Zombie Lord]

Durable on shuriken

Sleeves of many garments for different color ninja suits

Boots of the cat (super hero landing!)

[Thunder999]

Probably candles of invocation, really hard to go wrong with functionally unlimited power.

[Firebug]

Second the Hat of Disguise.
A Robe of Needles would likely be thematic, though not that powerful.
A Traveler's Anytool.
Bags of holding, or the smuggling version.
Lantern of Hidden Light.
Tengu Drinking Jug.
For a few.

[Zepheri]

From my point of view the ninja is a specialization based on the monk of Japan and the Yakuza which uses any weapon which the samurai would not use for being a commoner or that is even disgraceful to a monk

Kunai, shuriken, ninja-to, kusarigama, smoke bomb, darts, needles