Person_Man
2011-02-07, 04:21 PM
A friend of mine wants to play a Ninja. As we all know, the actual Ninja in Complete Adventurer sucks rocks. Swordsage makes an excellent Ninja, but the player in question does not want to learn Tome of Battle, and in general does not want a "complex" class. Rogue would work ok, but again the player doesn't want to deal with the hassle of wands, and thus would have a hard time keeping up with the more veteran players in the group.
So this homebrew is an attempt to resolve this issue. Making a simple, fun Ninja. This is my current result:
The Ninja
http://theglamorous.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/sn12.jpg?w=500
Hit Die: d6
Skills Per Day at 1st Level : (8 + Int) x 4
Skills Per Day at Each Additional Level : 8 + Int
Class Skills: The Ninja's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str) and Tumble (Dex).
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Ninja are proficient with all simple weapons plus the bastard sword (katana), hand crossbow, kama, nunchaku, sai, siangham, shortbow, short sword and shuriken. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
{table=head]Level | BAB | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Ki Power
1st | + 0 | + 0 | + 2 | + 0 | Trapfinding, Bonus feat, Ki Power, Ninjutsu | 2
2nd | + 1 | + 0 | + 3 | + 0 | Sudden Strike 1d6, Uncanny Dodge | 2
3rd | + 2 | + 1 | + 3 | + 1 | Ninjutsu | 3
4th | + 3 | + 1 | + 4 | + 1 | Sudden Strike 2d6, Poison Use | 4
5th | + 3 | + 1 | + 4 | + 1 | Ninjutsu | 5
6th | + 4 | + 2 | + 5 | + 2 | Sudden Strike 3d6, Sense Chakra | 6
7th | + 5 | + 2 | + 5 | + 2 | Ninjutsu | 7
8th | + 6 | + 2 | + 6 | + 2 | Sudden Strike 4d6, Evasion | 8
9th | + 6 | + 3 | + 6 | + 3 | Ninjutsu | 9
10th | + 7 | + 3 | + 7 | + 3 | Sudden Strike 5d6, Elude Detection | 10
11th | + 8 | + 3 | + 7 | + 3 | Ninjutsu | 12
12th | + 9 | + 4 | + 8 | + 4 | Sudden Strike 6d6, Conservation of Ninjutsu | 14
13th | + 9 | + 4 | + 8 | + 4 | Ninjutsu | 16
14th | + 10 | + 4 | + 9 | + 4 | Sudden Strike 7d6, Improved Uncanny Dodge | 18
15th | + 11 | + 5 | + 9 | + 5 | Ninjutsu | 20
16th | + 12 | + 5 | + 10 | + 5 | Sudden Strike 8d6, Improved Evasion | 22
17th | + 12 | + 5 | + 10 | + 5 | Ninjutsu | 24
18th | + 13 | + 6 | + 11 | + 6 | Sudden Strike 9d6, Mind Blank | 26
19th | + 14 | + 6 | + 11 | + 6 | Ninjutsu | 28
20th | + 15 | + 6 | + 12 | + 6 | Sudden Strike 10d6, Incomparable Speed | 30
[/table]
Class Abilities:
Trapfinding (Ex): As per the Rogue ability.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level a Ninja may select either Weapon Finesse, Quickdraw, or Exotic Weapon Proficiency as a bonus feat, even if they do not otherwise meet the pre-requisites of the feat.
Ki Power (Su): Each Ninja gains a pool of energy created by their personal life force and experience, which they may use to fuel their Ninjutsu abilities. This pool increases as they gain additional Ninja levels (see chart above). Refilling the Ki Power pool requires spending 10 minutes of meditation and rest during which they may not expend Ki Power points or take any any action more stressful then walking.
Ninjutsu (Su): At every odd Ninja class level the Ninja selects a new Ninjutsu ability from the list below. If an ability requires a Saving Throw, the DC is 10 + 1/2 the Ninja class level + his Dexterity bonus. Unless otherwise noted, a Ninjutsu is an Immediate Action to activate. The Ninja may choose to use a Move or Standard Action during their turn instead of an Immediate Action to activate a Ninjutsu if they wish.
Abundant Step (Minimum 11th level): For every point of their Ki Power that the Ninja expends to activate this ability, the Ninja may instantly teleport 10 ft (20 ft if they expend 2 points, 30 if they expend 3, etc) to any unoccupied space within line of sight. After using this ability, you can’t take any other actions until the start of your next turn, including Immediate Actions and attacks of opportunity. You can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn’t exceed your maximum load. You may not bring any other creatures along. If you attempt to teleport into a solid object, the ability fails and the points of Ki Power are wasted. If activating this ability was in reaction to an attack, and it moves the Ninja completely outside of the area of effect, range, or reach of the attack, then that attack fails.
Acrobatics: For every point of their Ki Power that the Ninja expends to activate this ability, the Ninja gains +5 enhancement bonus to their Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Jump, and Tumble checks for one minute. The Ninja may expend a maximum of four points of Ki Power on this ability, for a maximum enhancement bonus of +20. While this ability is active the Ninja does not take any penalties for moving at full speed or running for these Skill checks, and if you do not get a running start your Jump checks do not have their DC’s doubled.
Bleeding Strike (Minimum 5th level): By expending two points of their Ki Power, for one minute whenever the Ninja damages an opponent with a Sudden Strike, the enemy takes 1 additional point of damage each round at the stat of the Ninja's turn until they receive any form of healing (including magical healing, Fast Healing, Regeneration, or First Aid from the Heal Skill). Damage from multiple bleeding strikes are cumulative.
Chakra Cripple (Minimum 9th level): By expending four points of their Ki Power, for one minute whenever the Ninja damages an opponent with a Sudden Strike, the enemy also takes 1 point of Wisdom damage. Damage from multiple Chakra Cripples attacks are cumulative.
Death Attack (Minimum 7th level): By expending four points of their Ki Power, the Ninja may make a Death Attack. This ability is the same as the Assassin ability of the same name (requires observation of the target for 3 rounds and the target must not perceive the Ninja as a threat), with the exception of the fact that it uses the Ninja's Dexterity based Save DC, and requires an Immediate Action and the expenditure of Ki Power in order to trigger when the Ninja makes the Death Attack.
Invisibility: By expending one point of their Ki Power the Ninja becomes Invisible until the start of their next turn. Attacking does not dispel this Invisibility. If the Ninja expends three additional points of their Ki Power, then creatures who are capable of detecting Invisible creatures (such as those with See Invisibility, Tremorsense, etc) must make a Spot or Listen check (their choice) opposed by the Ninja's Hide or Listen check (as appropriate) to bypass the Ninja's Invisibility.
Fast Movement: For every point of their Ki Power that the Ninja expends to activate this ability, the Ninja gains +10 ft bonus to all of their base movement speeds for one minute. (+10 if they expend one point, +20 if they expend two, and so on).
Flash-Bang: By expending two points of their Ki Pool, the Ninja may create a 10 ft radius explosion of light within a range of 60 ft. This explosion deals no damage, but creatures within the area must make a Reflex Save or be Blinded for 1 round.
Genjitsu: For every point of their Ki Power that the Ninja expends to activate this ability, the Ninja gains +5 enhancement bonus to their Bluff, Disguise, and Sleight of Hand checks for one minute. The Ninja may expend a maximum of four points of Ki Pool on this ability, for a maximum enhancement bonus of +20. As part of the Immediate Action which triggers this ability, the Ninja may immediately make a Disguise check to change appearances, and hide (or reveal, if previously hidden) the magic auras of any item they are carrying as if they had cast the Magic Aura (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magicaura.htm) spell. Anyone who can see the Ninja at the time they take this action can see that they have changed appearances though, so Ninja will often wait until they are alone, Hide, or go Invisible first.
Ghost Step (Minimum 11th level): By expending two points of their Ki Power the Ninja becomes Incorporeal (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Incorporeal) during any movement that they take until the start of their next turn. This allows the Ninja to move unseen, without provoking attacks of opportunity, move directly through walls and enemies, and move across non-solid surfaces or vertically as if walking on air. This ability does not allow the Ninja to attack or take any other actions other then movement while Incorporeal, even if it is done as part of or at the end of movement (such as Flyby Attack, Spring Attack, or a Charge).
Ghost Strike: By expending one point of their Ki Power, for one minute all attacks made by the Ninja gain the Ghost Touch property and count as magical for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. By expending an additional four points of their Ki Pool, the Ninja may also ignore the miss chance from any source (magic, psionics, Ninjutsu, concealment) for the duration of this ability.
Nature Manipulation (minimum 3rd level): Choose one energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic). By expending one point of their Ki Power, for one minute the Ninja may convert the bonus damage from their Sudden Strike into that type of energy. Once the energy type is chosen the choice is permanent. However, the Ninja may choose the Nature Manipulation Ninjutsu more then once if they wish, gaining a new Energy type each time. This ability allows the Ninja to damage creatures who are otherwise immune to Precision Damage (plants, undead, constructs, etc), assuming that they are denied their Dexterity bonus, which is still required to trigger Sudden Strike. Other effects triggered by Sudden Strike (such as Feats like Craven or Ninjutsu like Bleeding Attack) continue to function normally when Nature Manipulation is used.
Nature Release (requires Nature Manipulation): By expending three points of their Ki Power, as a Standard Action the Ninja may make an elemental attack. This attack deals damage equal to the total amount of Sudden Strike damage that they Ninja is capable of dealing, plus any additional effects from other Feats and Ninjutsu triggered by Sudden Strike such as Bleeding Attack and Chakra Cripple (if they are active). The type of elemental damage it deals and the form of the attack that the Ninja can make depends on the type(s) of energy they are capable of using with Nature Manipulation:
Acid: Any 4 contiguous spaces targeted within 60 ft of the Ninja.
Cold: 30 ft cone.
Electricity: 60 ft line.
Fire: 20 ft radius burst, targeted within 60 ft of the ninja.
Sonic: 15 ft radius burst centered on the Ninja.
In each case, the Ninja never takes damage from their own Nature Release attack. A target which is hit by a nature release attack may make a Reflex Save. If they succeed on this Save they take half damage, and do not suffer any additional effects from other Ninjutsu or Feats triggered by Sudden Strike from this attack.
Phantom Sound: By expending one point of their Ki Power, the Ninja may create a sound, which emanates from any space (including occupied spaces) within 50 feet of the Ninja for up to one round. The sound can be anything that the Ninja is familiar with - talking, singing, shouting, walking, marching, running, a door slamming, a sword being drawn, creature noises, etc., as long as the volume of the sound is not louder that which can be produced by an average human. Each creature which hears the sound is entitled to a Willpower Save to disbelieve it, and if they succeed they realize that it was a false sound created by the Ninja. If the Ninja attempts to create a sound which mimics a specific creature (for example, false orders which emanate from the enemy's leader), each creature which hears it is also entitled to a Sense Motive check (opposed by the Ninja's Bluff check) to realize that it is false. By expending one additional point of their Ki Pool, the Ninja may instead make a very loud noise (up to a the volume of 20 humans shouting), which will also Deafen (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Deafened) any creature who is in the space that the sound emanates from for the duration of the sound (up to one 1 round). A Fortitude Save negates the Deafen effect. This is a mind-affecting effect.
See Chakra (Minimum 7th level): By expending four points of their Ki Power, for one minute the Ninja expands their ability to sense chakra to the point that they can detect and pinpoint the thoughts of living beings within 100 feet. This allows the Ninja to "hear" the surface thoughts and strong emotions of creatures within range, and to pinpoint the exact square that they are in, even through walls and other solid objects. The Ninja also gains a +10 Insight bonus to all Sense Motive checks against any effected targets. Each creature within the area is entitled to a Willpower Save. Passing this Save allows the target to elude all of the effects of this ability for one minute. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Shadow Clone: For every point of their Ki Power that the Ninja expends to activate this ability, the Ninja creates a shadow clone. This ability duplicates the Mirror Image (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mirrorimage.htm) spell, with the exception that the number of clone/images created is equal to the number of Ki Pool you expend to create it, and the effect only lasts for 1 minute. If the Ninja becomes Invisible while this effect is active his clones also become Invisible (and thus have no effect on enemies), but they reappear when the Invisibility effect ends.
Smoke Bomb: By expending two points of their Ki Pool, the Ninja may create a 10 ft radius explosion within a range of 50 ft. This explosion deals no damage, but creates an area of thick smoke within it's area of effect for one round. Anyone within the smoke or attacking through it has total concealment (50%). If the Ninja is within the area of smoke, then as part of this action,the Ninja may also make a Bluff (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/bluff.htm) check (opposed by the Sense Motive check of observers) to create a distraction in order to Hide, even if they are being observed.
Sudden Strike(Ex): Against enemies that are denied their Dexterity bonus, the Ninja deals extra damage. This extra damage is 1d6 at 2nd level, and it increases by 1d6 every two Ninja levels thereafter. Sudden strike damage is never multiplied by a critical hit or other effect. Sudden Strike only functions on attacks against enemies within 30 feet of the Ninja. Creatures that are immune to Sneak Attack are also immune to Sudden Strike. Sudden Strike may be used to qualify for and trigger any feat or Prestige Classes in place of Sneak Attack.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): As per the Rogue ability. If the Ninja has or later gains Uncanny Dodge from another class or prestige class (but not a magic item), he instead gains Improved Uncanny Dodge, and his levels of Ninja stack to determine the effectiveness of the ability.
Poison Use (Ex): Ninja are trained in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a weapon. A Ninja may apply one dose of any poison he is carrying to any weapon that he is holding as an Immediate Action. If he chooses, as part of this action he may attempt a Sleight of Hand check (opposed by the enemies' Spot check) to conceal that he is doing this.
In addition, as a full round action that provokes and attack of opportunity a Ninja may extract one use of poison from a dead creature that normally produces poison in life. The creature must have been killed in the last 24 hours, and the extraction process may only be done once per dead creature. This poison has the same effects as it did for the creature it was extracted from.
Sense Chakra (Su): Ninja have an intuitive sense capable of detecting chakra. This ability allows them to continuously discern the general direction of any living creature within 100 feet, even through walls and other barriers (but not their exact space). It also allows the Ninja to discern the general power level (very strong, weak, etc) and general intent (hostile, friendly, resting) of creatures within range, assuming that they are not trying to convince or deceive the Ninja of something (in which case the Ninja would have to use Sense Motive as per the normal rules).
Evasion (Ex): As per the Rogue ability. If the Ninja has or later gains Evasion from another class or prestige class (but not a magic item), he instead gains Improved Evasion.
Elude Detection (Su): Ninja are extremely well versed in avoiding detection and misleading their enemies, as if under a continuous Nondetection (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/nondetection.htm) effect. This ability also prevents detection from the Sense Chakra and See Chakra abilities of other Ninja, which require a level check (d20 + Ninja level + Ninja's Dexterity bonus) to function normally.
The Save DC to detect a Ninja with any such effect is 20 + their Ninja class level. If any such check fails by 5 or more, then the Ninja may provide false information if they wish (providing the wrong location, an incorrect alignment, false thoughts, etc).
Conservation of Ninjutsu (Ex): In any fight with a highly skilled Ninja, it seems as if there is only a finite amount of martial ability available to each side in a given encounter. As a result, one Ninja is a deadly threat, but an army of them are cannon fodder. At the start of each round count the total number of enemies that the Ninja is fighting, and then subtract the total number of allies that the Ninja currently has fighting with him (including the Ninja himself). If the result is positive, the ninja gains it as a Dodge bonus to his Armor Class until the end of the round, up to a maximum bonus of his Ninja class level. Dodge bonuses do not apply when the Ninja is denied their Dexterity bonus. Enemies which are not directly fighting against the Ninja's party (such as enemy combatants on another part of the battlefield, or enemies who are watching or are otherwise in close proximity but not acting against the Ninja or his party) do not count in this calculation.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): As per the the Rogue ability.
Improved Evasion (Ex): As per the Rogue ability.
Mind Blank (Su): The Ninja's ability to hide has expended to the point where they are under a continuous Mind Blank (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mindblank.htm) effect. The Ninja may activate or suppress this ability at will as an Immediate Action.
Incomparable Speed (Ex): The Ninja gains one additional Immediate or Swift Action each round (for a total of 2 such actions).
I'm interested in any and all commentary.
So this homebrew is an attempt to resolve this issue. Making a simple, fun Ninja. This is my current result:
The Ninja
http://theglamorous.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/sn12.jpg?w=500
Hit Die: d6
Skills Per Day at 1st Level : (8 + Int) x 4
Skills Per Day at Each Additional Level : 8 + Int
Class Skills: The Ninja's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Autohypnosis (Wis), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str) and Tumble (Dex).
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Ninja are proficient with all simple weapons plus the bastard sword (katana), hand crossbow, kama, nunchaku, sai, siangham, shortbow, short sword and shuriken. They are proficient with light armor, but not with shields.
{table=head]Level | BAB | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Ki Power
1st | + 0 | + 0 | + 2 | + 0 | Trapfinding, Bonus feat, Ki Power, Ninjutsu | 2
2nd | + 1 | + 0 | + 3 | + 0 | Sudden Strike 1d6, Uncanny Dodge | 2
3rd | + 2 | + 1 | + 3 | + 1 | Ninjutsu | 3
4th | + 3 | + 1 | + 4 | + 1 | Sudden Strike 2d6, Poison Use | 4
5th | + 3 | + 1 | + 4 | + 1 | Ninjutsu | 5
6th | + 4 | + 2 | + 5 | + 2 | Sudden Strike 3d6, Sense Chakra | 6
7th | + 5 | + 2 | + 5 | + 2 | Ninjutsu | 7
8th | + 6 | + 2 | + 6 | + 2 | Sudden Strike 4d6, Evasion | 8
9th | + 6 | + 3 | + 6 | + 3 | Ninjutsu | 9
10th | + 7 | + 3 | + 7 | + 3 | Sudden Strike 5d6, Elude Detection | 10
11th | + 8 | + 3 | + 7 | + 3 | Ninjutsu | 12
12th | + 9 | + 4 | + 8 | + 4 | Sudden Strike 6d6, Conservation of Ninjutsu | 14
13th | + 9 | + 4 | + 8 | + 4 | Ninjutsu | 16
14th | + 10 | + 4 | + 9 | + 4 | Sudden Strike 7d6, Improved Uncanny Dodge | 18
15th | + 11 | + 5 | + 9 | + 5 | Ninjutsu | 20
16th | + 12 | + 5 | + 10 | + 5 | Sudden Strike 8d6, Improved Evasion | 22
17th | + 12 | + 5 | + 10 | + 5 | Ninjutsu | 24
18th | + 13 | + 6 | + 11 | + 6 | Sudden Strike 9d6, Mind Blank | 26
19th | + 14 | + 6 | + 11 | + 6 | Ninjutsu | 28
20th | + 15 | + 6 | + 12 | + 6 | Sudden Strike 10d6, Incomparable Speed | 30
[/table]
Class Abilities:
Trapfinding (Ex): As per the Rogue ability.
Bonus Feat: At 1st level a Ninja may select either Weapon Finesse, Quickdraw, or Exotic Weapon Proficiency as a bonus feat, even if they do not otherwise meet the pre-requisites of the feat.
Ki Power (Su): Each Ninja gains a pool of energy created by their personal life force and experience, which they may use to fuel their Ninjutsu abilities. This pool increases as they gain additional Ninja levels (see chart above). Refilling the Ki Power pool requires spending 10 minutes of meditation and rest during which they may not expend Ki Power points or take any any action more stressful then walking.
Ninjutsu (Su): At every odd Ninja class level the Ninja selects a new Ninjutsu ability from the list below. If an ability requires a Saving Throw, the DC is 10 + 1/2 the Ninja class level + his Dexterity bonus. Unless otherwise noted, a Ninjutsu is an Immediate Action to activate. The Ninja may choose to use a Move or Standard Action during their turn instead of an Immediate Action to activate a Ninjutsu if they wish.
Abundant Step (Minimum 11th level): For every point of their Ki Power that the Ninja expends to activate this ability, the Ninja may instantly teleport 10 ft (20 ft if they expend 2 points, 30 if they expend 3, etc) to any unoccupied space within line of sight. After using this ability, you can’t take any other actions until the start of your next turn, including Immediate Actions and attacks of opportunity. You can bring along objects as long as their weight doesn’t exceed your maximum load. You may not bring any other creatures along. If you attempt to teleport into a solid object, the ability fails and the points of Ki Power are wasted. If activating this ability was in reaction to an attack, and it moves the Ninja completely outside of the area of effect, range, or reach of the attack, then that attack fails.
Acrobatics: For every point of their Ki Power that the Ninja expends to activate this ability, the Ninja gains +5 enhancement bonus to their Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Jump, and Tumble checks for one minute. The Ninja may expend a maximum of four points of Ki Power on this ability, for a maximum enhancement bonus of +20. While this ability is active the Ninja does not take any penalties for moving at full speed or running for these Skill checks, and if you do not get a running start your Jump checks do not have their DC’s doubled.
Bleeding Strike (Minimum 5th level): By expending two points of their Ki Power, for one minute whenever the Ninja damages an opponent with a Sudden Strike, the enemy takes 1 additional point of damage each round at the stat of the Ninja's turn until they receive any form of healing (including magical healing, Fast Healing, Regeneration, or First Aid from the Heal Skill). Damage from multiple bleeding strikes are cumulative.
Chakra Cripple (Minimum 9th level): By expending four points of their Ki Power, for one minute whenever the Ninja damages an opponent with a Sudden Strike, the enemy also takes 1 point of Wisdom damage. Damage from multiple Chakra Cripples attacks are cumulative.
Death Attack (Minimum 7th level): By expending four points of their Ki Power, the Ninja may make a Death Attack. This ability is the same as the Assassin ability of the same name (requires observation of the target for 3 rounds and the target must not perceive the Ninja as a threat), with the exception of the fact that it uses the Ninja's Dexterity based Save DC, and requires an Immediate Action and the expenditure of Ki Power in order to trigger when the Ninja makes the Death Attack.
Invisibility: By expending one point of their Ki Power the Ninja becomes Invisible until the start of their next turn. Attacking does not dispel this Invisibility. If the Ninja expends three additional points of their Ki Power, then creatures who are capable of detecting Invisible creatures (such as those with See Invisibility, Tremorsense, etc) must make a Spot or Listen check (their choice) opposed by the Ninja's Hide or Listen check (as appropriate) to bypass the Ninja's Invisibility.
Fast Movement: For every point of their Ki Power that the Ninja expends to activate this ability, the Ninja gains +10 ft bonus to all of their base movement speeds for one minute. (+10 if they expend one point, +20 if they expend two, and so on).
Flash-Bang: By expending two points of their Ki Pool, the Ninja may create a 10 ft radius explosion of light within a range of 60 ft. This explosion deals no damage, but creatures within the area must make a Reflex Save or be Blinded for 1 round.
Genjitsu: For every point of their Ki Power that the Ninja expends to activate this ability, the Ninja gains +5 enhancement bonus to their Bluff, Disguise, and Sleight of Hand checks for one minute. The Ninja may expend a maximum of four points of Ki Pool on this ability, for a maximum enhancement bonus of +20. As part of the Immediate Action which triggers this ability, the Ninja may immediately make a Disguise check to change appearances, and hide (or reveal, if previously hidden) the magic auras of any item they are carrying as if they had cast the Magic Aura (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magicaura.htm) spell. Anyone who can see the Ninja at the time they take this action can see that they have changed appearances though, so Ninja will often wait until they are alone, Hide, or go Invisible first.
Ghost Step (Minimum 11th level): By expending two points of their Ki Power the Ninja becomes Incorporeal (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Incorporeal) during any movement that they take until the start of their next turn. This allows the Ninja to move unseen, without provoking attacks of opportunity, move directly through walls and enemies, and move across non-solid surfaces or vertically as if walking on air. This ability does not allow the Ninja to attack or take any other actions other then movement while Incorporeal, even if it is done as part of or at the end of movement (such as Flyby Attack, Spring Attack, or a Charge).
Ghost Strike: By expending one point of their Ki Power, for one minute all attacks made by the Ninja gain the Ghost Touch property and count as magical for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. By expending an additional four points of their Ki Pool, the Ninja may also ignore the miss chance from any source (magic, psionics, Ninjutsu, concealment) for the duration of this ability.
Nature Manipulation (minimum 3rd level): Choose one energy type (acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic). By expending one point of their Ki Power, for one minute the Ninja may convert the bonus damage from their Sudden Strike into that type of energy. Once the energy type is chosen the choice is permanent. However, the Ninja may choose the Nature Manipulation Ninjutsu more then once if they wish, gaining a new Energy type each time. This ability allows the Ninja to damage creatures who are otherwise immune to Precision Damage (plants, undead, constructs, etc), assuming that they are denied their Dexterity bonus, which is still required to trigger Sudden Strike. Other effects triggered by Sudden Strike (such as Feats like Craven or Ninjutsu like Bleeding Attack) continue to function normally when Nature Manipulation is used.
Nature Release (requires Nature Manipulation): By expending three points of their Ki Power, as a Standard Action the Ninja may make an elemental attack. This attack deals damage equal to the total amount of Sudden Strike damage that they Ninja is capable of dealing, plus any additional effects from other Feats and Ninjutsu triggered by Sudden Strike such as Bleeding Attack and Chakra Cripple (if they are active). The type of elemental damage it deals and the form of the attack that the Ninja can make depends on the type(s) of energy they are capable of using with Nature Manipulation:
Acid: Any 4 contiguous spaces targeted within 60 ft of the Ninja.
Cold: 30 ft cone.
Electricity: 60 ft line.
Fire: 20 ft radius burst, targeted within 60 ft of the ninja.
Sonic: 15 ft radius burst centered on the Ninja.
In each case, the Ninja never takes damage from their own Nature Release attack. A target which is hit by a nature release attack may make a Reflex Save. If they succeed on this Save they take half damage, and do not suffer any additional effects from other Ninjutsu or Feats triggered by Sudden Strike from this attack.
Phantom Sound: By expending one point of their Ki Power, the Ninja may create a sound, which emanates from any space (including occupied spaces) within 50 feet of the Ninja for up to one round. The sound can be anything that the Ninja is familiar with - talking, singing, shouting, walking, marching, running, a door slamming, a sword being drawn, creature noises, etc., as long as the volume of the sound is not louder that which can be produced by an average human. Each creature which hears the sound is entitled to a Willpower Save to disbelieve it, and if they succeed they realize that it was a false sound created by the Ninja. If the Ninja attempts to create a sound which mimics a specific creature (for example, false orders which emanate from the enemy's leader), each creature which hears it is also entitled to a Sense Motive check (opposed by the Ninja's Bluff check) to realize that it is false. By expending one additional point of their Ki Pool, the Ninja may instead make a very loud noise (up to a the volume of 20 humans shouting), which will also Deafen (http://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Deafened) any creature who is in the space that the sound emanates from for the duration of the sound (up to one 1 round). A Fortitude Save negates the Deafen effect. This is a mind-affecting effect.
See Chakra (Minimum 7th level): By expending four points of their Ki Power, for one minute the Ninja expands their ability to sense chakra to the point that they can detect and pinpoint the thoughts of living beings within 100 feet. This allows the Ninja to "hear" the surface thoughts and strong emotions of creatures within range, and to pinpoint the exact square that they are in, even through walls and other solid objects. The Ninja also gains a +10 Insight bonus to all Sense Motive checks against any effected targets. Each creature within the area is entitled to a Willpower Save. Passing this Save allows the target to elude all of the effects of this ability for one minute. This is a mind-affecting effect.
Shadow Clone: For every point of their Ki Power that the Ninja expends to activate this ability, the Ninja creates a shadow clone. This ability duplicates the Mirror Image (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mirrorimage.htm) spell, with the exception that the number of clone/images created is equal to the number of Ki Pool you expend to create it, and the effect only lasts for 1 minute. If the Ninja becomes Invisible while this effect is active his clones also become Invisible (and thus have no effect on enemies), but they reappear when the Invisibility effect ends.
Smoke Bomb: By expending two points of their Ki Pool, the Ninja may create a 10 ft radius explosion within a range of 50 ft. This explosion deals no damage, but creates an area of thick smoke within it's area of effect for one round. Anyone within the smoke or attacking through it has total concealment (50%). If the Ninja is within the area of smoke, then as part of this action,the Ninja may also make a Bluff (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/bluff.htm) check (opposed by the Sense Motive check of observers) to create a distraction in order to Hide, even if they are being observed.
Sudden Strike(Ex): Against enemies that are denied their Dexterity bonus, the Ninja deals extra damage. This extra damage is 1d6 at 2nd level, and it increases by 1d6 every two Ninja levels thereafter. Sudden strike damage is never multiplied by a critical hit or other effect. Sudden Strike only functions on attacks against enemies within 30 feet of the Ninja. Creatures that are immune to Sneak Attack are also immune to Sudden Strike. Sudden Strike may be used to qualify for and trigger any feat or Prestige Classes in place of Sneak Attack.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): As per the Rogue ability. If the Ninja has or later gains Uncanny Dodge from another class or prestige class (but not a magic item), he instead gains Improved Uncanny Dodge, and his levels of Ninja stack to determine the effectiveness of the ability.
Poison Use (Ex): Ninja are trained in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a weapon. A Ninja may apply one dose of any poison he is carrying to any weapon that he is holding as an Immediate Action. If he chooses, as part of this action he may attempt a Sleight of Hand check (opposed by the enemies' Spot check) to conceal that he is doing this.
In addition, as a full round action that provokes and attack of opportunity a Ninja may extract one use of poison from a dead creature that normally produces poison in life. The creature must have been killed in the last 24 hours, and the extraction process may only be done once per dead creature. This poison has the same effects as it did for the creature it was extracted from.
Sense Chakra (Su): Ninja have an intuitive sense capable of detecting chakra. This ability allows them to continuously discern the general direction of any living creature within 100 feet, even through walls and other barriers (but not their exact space). It also allows the Ninja to discern the general power level (very strong, weak, etc) and general intent (hostile, friendly, resting) of creatures within range, assuming that they are not trying to convince or deceive the Ninja of something (in which case the Ninja would have to use Sense Motive as per the normal rules).
Evasion (Ex): As per the Rogue ability. If the Ninja has or later gains Evasion from another class or prestige class (but not a magic item), he instead gains Improved Evasion.
Elude Detection (Su): Ninja are extremely well versed in avoiding detection and misleading their enemies, as if under a continuous Nondetection (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/nondetection.htm) effect. This ability also prevents detection from the Sense Chakra and See Chakra abilities of other Ninja, which require a level check (d20 + Ninja level + Ninja's Dexterity bonus) to function normally.
The Save DC to detect a Ninja with any such effect is 20 + their Ninja class level. If any such check fails by 5 or more, then the Ninja may provide false information if they wish (providing the wrong location, an incorrect alignment, false thoughts, etc).
Conservation of Ninjutsu (Ex): In any fight with a highly skilled Ninja, it seems as if there is only a finite amount of martial ability available to each side in a given encounter. As a result, one Ninja is a deadly threat, but an army of them are cannon fodder. At the start of each round count the total number of enemies that the Ninja is fighting, and then subtract the total number of allies that the Ninja currently has fighting with him (including the Ninja himself). If the result is positive, the ninja gains it as a Dodge bonus to his Armor Class until the end of the round, up to a maximum bonus of his Ninja class level. Dodge bonuses do not apply when the Ninja is denied their Dexterity bonus. Enemies which are not directly fighting against the Ninja's party (such as enemy combatants on another part of the battlefield, or enemies who are watching or are otherwise in close proximity but not acting against the Ninja or his party) do not count in this calculation.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): As per the the Rogue ability.
Improved Evasion (Ex): As per the Rogue ability.
Mind Blank (Su): The Ninja's ability to hide has expended to the point where they are under a continuous Mind Blank (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/mindblank.htm) effect. The Ninja may activate or suppress this ability at will as an Immediate Action.
Incomparable Speed (Ex): The Ninja gains one additional Immediate or Swift Action each round (for a total of 2 such actions).
I'm interested in any and all commentary.