[3.5] Ninth level character: Shadow Sun Ninja

[Snowbluff]

I have another game going on and the DM is calling for 9 level characters, no BS (by which he means no Boomerang Daze Aptitude weapon builds). I can't decide on what to build. What would you guys do? :smalltongue:

[20yrslater]

Try a build with Enlarge Person (belt or potions) with Spiked Chain (Reach and trip) that utilizes power attacks or channel spell or both. (Fighter or Duskblade)

[eggynack]

Welp, that's a rather broad and vague request. I'ma go with druid, cause that's my default suggestion. Maybe a shifter druid who just started moonspeaker, cause that'd be pretty neat. Either that or a druid using a bunch of Cityscape ACF's for maximum urbanization.

[Snowbluff]

Hm... very good suggestions, but I've been completely sidetracked by Shadow Sun Ninja... :smalltongue:

Swordsage4/Monk1(Stunning Fist)/Shadow Sun4

Probably:
Pharaoh's fist
Sand Dancer
Shadow Blade
Sandspinner

Wis saves!

[Dusk Eclipse]

Last (or the one before that) Iron Chef was Shadow Sun Ninja, you might want to check it out.

[Snowbluff]

Last (or the one before that) Iron Chef was Shadow Sun Ninja, you might want to check it out.

Thanks sunbro. :smallsmile:

[Dusk Eclipse]

I'm actually a Catbro :smallcool:

[Snowbluff]

I'm actually a Catbro :smallcool:
>:o

My brother was killed by a catbro. We are now mortal enemies!

:smalltongue:

[Piggy Knowles]

OK, going in a completely different direction...

Passive Way Monk 2/Swordsage 2/Warblade 4/Shadow Sun Ninja 1

1. Swordsage1- Adaptive Style, Tomb-Tainted Soul
Counter Charge, Moment of Perfect Mind, Wolf Fang Strike, Sudden Leap, Mighty Throw, Distracting Ember, Island of Blades (stance)
2. Monk1- IUS, Combat Expertise
3. Monk2- Improved Trip, Knock-Down
4. Swordsage2-
Shadow Jaunt
5. Warblade1-
Wall of Blades, Disarming Strike, Mountain Hammer, Hunter's Sense (stance)
6. Warblade2- Sun School
Claw at the Moon
7. Warblade3-
Iron Heart Surge
8. Warblade4-
Claw at the Moon -> Mind over Body, Pearl of Black Doubt (stance)
9. Shadow Sun Ninja1- Snap Kick
Comet Throw

Infinite healing for you and the party with Tomb-Tainted Soul + Touch of the Shadow Sun, wide selection of maneuvers (mostly focused on counters to make you unhittable, because you are a ninja - the Diamond Mind counters, Counter Charge, Wall of Blades... heck, even Disarming Strike can act as a counter of sorts), decent kung-fu. Trip and throw enemies, and mini-shadowpounce right off the bat with Shadow Jaunt + Sun School/Snap Kick. Of course, the swordsage's maneuver recovery sucks. Lucky for you, Shadow Sun Ninja lets you add Setting Sun and Shadow Hand maneuvers to your far superior warblade chassis. That means that at level 11 you can add Shadow Stride as your new maneuver known.

So, at level 11, you'll be able to do things like trip or throw someone as a standard action (including follow-up attacks from Improved Trip - carry a reach weapon even if you mostly plan to attack unarmed so you can even attack enemies you've thrown), then Shadow Stride as a move action, making two MORE attacks via Sun School/Snap Kick. Next round, swift action to refresh Shadow Stride, while you make a standard action attack (which becomes a trip and follow up attack thanks to Knock-Down/Imp Trip).

Of course, eventually you'll get Shadow Blink as a Warblade maneuver too, which just becomes silly...

[Snowbluff]

I like the idea. I'll sub in some Warblade levels. I guess I'll use Tomb Tainted. Too bad it conflicts with Golden Ice, because someone somewhere has to roll a one sometime.

Question: Isn't there a way a human can use a Battlefist? :smallconfused:

Other than fanged ring and wallop, what are some other cheap size bonuses for my base unarmed damage?

[Piggy Knowles]

I like the idea of Touch of Golden Ice plus lots of attacks in theory... except that if I'm hitting an enemy enough to get them to roll a one, they're probably dead already.

In any case, the other nice thing about Warblade is that it gives you access to Stormguard Warrior, which is pretty nice alongside Shadow Sun Ninja.

[Snowbluff]

I like the idea of Touch of Golden Ice plus lots of attacks in theory... except that if I'm hitting an enemy enough to get them to roll a one, they're probably dead already. Mhm. I was mostly thinking about using it for thematic reasons (It'd be great if I could be Tomb Tainted and Exalted) and dealing with pesky, immune-to-blindness undead.


In any case, the other nice thing about Warblade is that it gives you access to Stormguard Warrior, which is pretty nice alongside Shadow Sun Ninja.
Um... which tactic are you referring to? Channel the storm? I was kind of thinking Gloom Razor for making more hide checks.

[weckar]

If you're set on shadow sun, have you considered going Necropolitan? It's basically no-holds-barred free healing for the whole party, at any time, as long as you're willing.

[IronFist]

Isn't there a way a human can use a Battlefist? :smallconfused:


Mighty Arms graft?

[Piggy Knowles]

I'm trying to find a link to JanusJones' shadow sun Stormguard healbot, but my google-fu is failing me - maybe I'll have better luck when I get to a real computer rather than my phone. It uses Combat Rhythm with Touch of the Shadow Sun to pretty great effect, either to heal large amounts or to dish out lots of neg energy damage as a touch attack. And my own Hamish Half-Dead uses it with the SSN capstone to give negative levels via touch attack as it charges up Combat Rhythm for a big strike.

[Snowbluff]

Thanks, Piggy!

I actually was thinking about necropolitan on the way here. Tomb Tainted conflicts with the alignment prerequisite of SSN and Touch of Yellow Snow. I could then cheese Human Heritage to lose the undead type and heal from both types if energy. Also, I'd be Soul Reaver.


Mighty Arms graft?

Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks!

[Piggy Knowles]

Ack, forgot that Tomb-Tainted required a nongood alignment. Yeah, then necropolitan is your best bet. Freeing up a feat is pretty nice regardless. That'll give you room for Combat Reflexes, or you can start building toward Elusive Target, or even just open up a feat for Martial Study so you can pull in something handy like Baffling Defense, or take INA/Superior Unarmed Strike or...

You get the idea.

Scratch all that - if you free up a feat, you'll almost certainly want to spend it on Darkstalker.

(If you can get yourself access to an undead companion, you can also get unlimited healing that way. So pay a wizard to animate a pet bird or something that you carry around with you, and alternate negative energy on your undead buddy with positive energy on yourself or your teammates.)

[Person_Man]

Blinky the Ninja

Warlock 3/Swordsage 2/Shadow Sun Ninja 4

Take the Tomb Tainted Soul Feat: You are healed by negative energy and harmed by positive. Now your allies can dump Uttercold or Enervated spells in the middle of combat to heal you and harm (non-undead) enemies, and you can heal yourself and everyone in your party infinitely with the SSN's Touch of the Shadow Sun ability. Libris Mortis pg 31.

Take the Blend into Shadows (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57352) feat (Drow of the Underdark). It allows Warlocks (or Dragonfire Adepts) to Hide in Plain Site as a Swift Action every round as long as you're within an area of magical darkness. Invest in and boost your Hide check via magic items. Remember, rolling a natural 20 doesn't automatically pass a Skill check. So unless an enemy has a ridiculously high Spot, you can't be targeted by anything except for area of effect attacks.

Cast your Darkness Invocation individually on multiple pieces of ammunition (shuriken, arrows, bolts, whatever). Darkness lasts for 10 minutes per level, and you can cast Invocations unlimited times per day, so duration isn't an issue. Keep one in your hand at all times. The rest are a free action to draw when you attack with them.

Buy a Wand of Ebon Eyes (Spell Compendium), and cast it on all of your friends. Now your friends don't have to worry about the 20% miss chance from your magical Darkness. Or they can take At Home in the Deep, Pierce Magical Concealment, or find some other feat, spell, or item. Or you can just screw your friends - you don't need them with this build, and if you invest in the Devil's Sight invocation you're not effected by the miss chance from magical Darkness.

Take the Darkstalker feat (Lords of Madness) which allows you to Hide from things with Scent, Tremorsense, See Invisibility, and similar abilities. You can now Hide in Plain Site against literally everything.

Shadow Sun Ninja also gives you the Light within Darkness special ability. After you successfully Hide and make a melee attack, all opponents (not everyone, just opponents) within 60 feet who failed to detect you must make a Fort Save or be Blinded for one round.

Take Frightful Presence (Draconomicon). When you attack, all opponents within 30 feet who have fewer hit dice then you must Save or be Shaken.

Buy armor with the Fearsome armor enhancement from Drow of the Underdark. It allows you to use Intimidate to Demoralize an enemy as a Move action (normally it's a Standard action). Buy the Crystal Mask of Dread from the Magic Item Compendium (buffs Intimidate). Take the Beguiling Influence Invocation (buffs Intimidate). Take Imperious Command Feat from Drow of the Underdark - now whenever you successfully use Intimidate to Demoralize a foe, it Cowers for 1 round and Shaken the next. And Fear effects stack, so if they failed their Save vs Frightful Presence, they're Frightened. Use the Never Outnumbered Skill Trick from Complete Scoundrel so that you can Intimidate everyone within 10 feet.

Use Standard Action ToB maneuvers or Ghost abilities to make melee attacks.


The full combo put together:

Round 1) Attack with your ranged weapon(s), spreading Darkness throughout the battlefield. Enemies within range of you must make a Will Save vs. Fear. Then Hide in Plain Site as a Swift Action. Move if you feel paranoid. Use Intimidate to Demoralize your opponents before you make your Hide check if you don't.

Round 2) Use a standard action Maneuver (you are now no longer hidden). Enemies within range must make a Will Save vs. Fear. Enemies who failed their Spot check must Save or be Blinded for 1 round. Hide in Plain Site as a Swift Action. Move if you feel paranoid. Use Intimidate to Demoralize your opponents before you make your Hide check if you don't.

Repeat.

[Dusk Eclipse]

OK, going in a completely different direction...

Passive Way Monk 2/Swordsage 2/Warblade 4/Shadow Sun Ninja 1

1. Swordsage1- Adaptive Style, Tomb-Tainted Soul
Counter Charge, Moment of Perfect Mind, Wolf Fang Strike, Sudden Leap, Mighty Throw, Distracting Ember, Island of Blades (stance)
2. Monk1- IUS, Combat Expertise
3. Monk2- Improved Trip, Knock-Down
4. Swordsage2-
Shadow Jaunt
5. Warblade1-
Wall of Blades, Disarming Strike, Mountain Hammer, Hunter's Sense (stance)
6. Warblade2- Sun School
Claw at the Moon
7. Warblade3-
Iron Heart Surge
8. Warblade4-
Claw at the Moon -> Mind over Body, Pearl of Black Doubt (stance)
9. Shadow Sun Ninja1- Snap Kick
Comet Throw

Infinite healing for you and the party with Tomb-Tainted Soul + Touch of the Shadow Sun, wide selection of maneuvers (mostly focused on counters to make you unhittable, because you are a ninja - the Diamond Mind counters, Counter Charge, Wall of Blades... heck, even Disarming Strike can act as a counter of sorts), decent kung-fu. Trip and throw enemies, and mini-shadowpounce right off the bat with Shadow Jaunt + Sun School/Snap Kick. Of course, the swordsage's maneuver recovery sucks. Lucky for you, Shadow Sun Ninja lets you add Setting Sun and Shadow Hand maneuvers to your far superior warblade chassis. That means that at level 11 you can add Shadow Stride as your new maneuver known.

So, at level 11, you'll be able to do things like trip or throw someone as a standard action (including follow-up attacks from Improved Trip - carry a reach weapon even if you mostly plan to attack unarmed so you can even attack enemies you've thrown), then Shadow Stride as a move action, making two MORE attacks via Sun School/Snap Kick. Next round, swift action to refresh Shadow Stride, while you make a standard action attack (which becomes a trip and follow up attack thanks to Knock-Down/Imp Trip).

Of course, eventually you'll get Shadow Blink as a Warblade maneuver too, which just becomes silly...

You can also get Cloak of Deception in a Novice Shadow Hand and add it to your warblade maneuvers, if you can't find a way to use swift action Greater Invisibility every other round you aren't trying.

[Snowbluff]

I like the warlock option, because warlocks are awesome. However, I think a Wand of Darkness could do the job for ambushes, At Home in the Dark would let me see through it anyway, and I am not sure I want to fit the level in for this build.

I might just be dark for the HiPS of I really need it, and Gloom Razor provides hide checks for Invisibility.

I'll probably do Warblade1/Unarmed Swordsage4/SSN4.
Human:
F: Human Heritage
F: Shadow Blade
1: Darkstalker
3: Frightful Presence
6: Imperious Command
9: Gloom Razor

Alternatively, I can replace Gloom Razor with Snap Kick, Superior Unarmed Strike. I might be a spellcaster apprentice for Wand use.
EDIT: I think I'll just cut Gloom Razor... for now. :smalltongue:

Items I am think of:
Mighty Arms 1kgp
Battlefist +1, Scorpion Kama properties ~7 kgp
Fang Ringed 10 kgp
+1 Fearsome Chainshirt ~7kgp

I'll pick up basic + items. Any other warforged stuff I can do? Also, I wish I could pull people in like Scorpion...