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View Full Version : Can a ninja ever be good at combat?



Half-orc Bard
2010-06-11, 07:47 PM
Can a ninja ever be good at combat? they seem like great spies, but how good is that in a general campain. I want to play a ninja because they seems awesome roleplaying, yet in combat they are a sub-par rouge. anyway I would be thankful if someone to tell me how to optimize the class or show me another ninja class that is better in combat.

Flickerdart
2010-06-11, 07:50 PM
Ninja can be very good in combat...as the enemy. Use your limited Invisibility to dart in, exhume a PC and escape, then come back another day to claim another life.

Dusk Eclipse
2010-06-11, 07:56 PM
Be a swordsage and call it a ninja?

The point ios that ninja excel at surprise attacks and unless all the party is the sneaky type it will be REALLY difficult to get that. The most common strategy for a ninja is hit and run tactics.

In my opiniuon the way to get an effective ninja in combat is to talk to the party so all of you use hit and run tactics.

Fouredged Sword
2010-06-11, 08:39 PM
Use the ninja class to go into the assasin PrC. Now you do better. Kill something every three turns.

Ravens_cry
2010-06-11, 08:47 PM
Use the ninja class to go into the assasin PrC. Now you do better. Deal a sneak attack that you could have done 3 times, at least, in those 3 rounds, quite possibly killing the target, but instead chose give that up for an attack with a ridiculously easy to beat DCKill something every three turns.
Fixed that for you.

The Glyphstone
2010-06-11, 08:52 PM
Why so many ninja threads lately? Aren't ninjas supposed to be invisible?

Starbuck_II
2010-06-11, 09:58 PM
Why so many ninja threads lately? Aren't ninjas supposed to be invisible?

Don't forget the Ninja rule of multiplication. Too many ninjas make them see-able.

Harperfan7
2010-06-11, 10:06 PM
Ninjas aren't so bad. If you have high stealth (duh), high initiative, and say, two weapon fighting, you can go full out for a round or two, all the while ki dodging or whatever, then disappear and do it all over again later. You ought to have slightly higher AC than a rogue, and with your defensive abilities you should be able to survive in a straight up fight for slightly longer, you just have to run away every other round or two.

Oh and you can use poison without the 5% chance of poisoning yourself.
Whoo.

I would say that by yourself you are more powerful than a rogue in combat, but if the rogue has warrior friends you don't quite compare.

Hague
2010-06-11, 10:08 PM
Ninjas aren't supposed to be good in combat. If they get into combat, then they've already lost. It goes like this: Disguise/Hide self. Move ahead, sneak behind someone and kill them when they isolate themselves (Ambush Feat Throat Stab ahoy!) Hide corpse. Use ring of chameleon/superior disguise skill to assume form of that guard. Kill other guards with a surprise round.

My recommendation for an interesting pairing: Ninja/Wu Jen. Wu jen's watchful spirit feats allow you to get extra flat-footed turns and extra watchful spirit uses (hasty spirit is a must) Superior initiative feats and rerolls allow you to get lots of flat-footed attacks. Ghost step and run away. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Ninjas are for getting in somewhere and doing a job, not pummeling guys into oblivion. It's really hard to set up a challenge when you can walk through most walls. Though, your first wall of force and you're in for some trouble.