Ninja

The ninja, or “shadow warriors,” are a well-known legend in the Shao Yan. They are well versed in the arts of concealment, stealth, and trickery. Clad in their infamous black uniforms and armed with a deadly arsenal of weapons and gadgets, ninja are the master assassins and spies for those who can or will hire them. Terror usually accompanies the mere mention of their name, even among the stoutest warrior, and many common people ascribe supernatural powers to the ninja, who do nothing to discourage these stories.

​Skill Progression: Ninja tend to become most proficient in the skills of moving silently, hiding in shadows, detecting noise, and climbing walls. The open-locks skill often comes in handy for getting to their victims.​

Ninjitsu (Tai-Jutsu)

Known Clans:

Clan of the Bright Blade

Clan of the Broken Blade

Role

​The abilities of the ninja are clouded in mystery. Despite their infamy, they are very secretive and unseen. Living out their days as common townsfolk or farmers, their nights are spent performing their missions of spying and assassination. Every ninja has an everyday identity that must be maintained. Every ninja belongs to a clan, or organization of assassins. The head of the clan assigns various missions to the lesser ninja. These missions must be completed, or the ninja is expected to die trying. Defiance of the clan head means an all-out attempt on the life of the offender, ending only with his death or the far less likely success of the offender in taking the clan heads place. ​

Distinctive Appearance

None

Special Benefits

​In addition to standard thieving abilities, ninja are able to fully specialize in the martial art Ninjitsu (Tai-Jutsu) as if they were a single class fighter.

Special Hindrances

​As mentioned previously, a ninja must maintain a secret identity known only to other clan members. Should this identity be discovered, all law-enforcement officers in the area will begin a massive manhunt for the ninja, stopping only when the ninja is captured, dead, or runs too far to follow. The ninja is then dismissed from his clan, and his fellow clan members will conduct their own manhunt to preserve their secrets. ​

Class

Thief ​

Attribute Requirements

Charisma and Strength 12, Constitution and Intelligence 11, Dexterity 15 ​

Barred Beliefs

None

Race Requirement

The vast majority of ninja are human, as other races might be too easy to identify in an all-human environment. ​

Bonus Weapon Proficiencies

None​

Required Weapon Proficiencies

Ninja-to (treat as a short sword)

Recommended Weapon Proficiencies

Blowpipe, chain, shuriken. Many of a ninja’s weapons are used only to administer a fatal dose of poison to their victim. ​

Barred Weapon Proficiencies

None

Bonus Non-Weapon Proficiencies

Tightrope Walking

Recommended Non-Weapon Proficiencies

Alertness, Blind-Fighting, Disguise, Herbalism, Jumping ​

Equipment

​Ninja are known for the variety of special equipment they use to complete their missions. Typical examples include metal climbing claws, and special grenades filled with smoke powder, pepper, or flash powder. Even their sword scabbards often have multiple uses. Some have secret compartments, while others are open at both ends for use as a blow-pipe or breathing tube. The player is encouraged to be imaginative in the creation of special equipment, subject to the DMs approval. ​

Wealth Options

None

Homeland Terrain

None

Economic System

​None​