Will It Be Door #1, #2, or #3?

[Level20Commoner]

Salutations. I have never posted any homebrew material before, but I could really use some help finishing a few of my pet projects so I may do. The question is, which of my three works would you all be most interested in p.e.a.c.h.-ing and/or contributing to? I have been working on a complete overhaul of the monk, ninja, and samurai base classes. If I can get a few responses than it will help me figure out which class people would be interested in giving me feedback on. Thanks in advance. :smallbiggrin:

[AstralFire]

I suppose monk. I've never understood why ninjas or samurai needed their own classes.

[Zeta Kai]

The samurai has had some pretty good fixes, & everyone & their mother has done a monk fix. So I'll vote Ninja.

[afroakuma]

Concur. The ninja needs retouching, everyone's done the monk and I myself did a Samurai not too recently.

Ninja for me.

[Dracomortis]

Ninja. There are quite a number of samurai fixes (not to mention that there's two "official" versions), and monk has never been a class that interested me.

[thegurullamen]

"I am NINJOR!"
--Ninjor

I vote ninja just for full bandwagonning effect. (Sorry AF.)

Btw, who takes Commoner all the way to 20? You PrC outta that ASAP. Take Lumberjack or Spook or Rioter or something.

[AstralFire]

"I am NINJOR!"
--Ninjor

I vote ninja just for full bandwagonning effect. (Sorry AF.)

The fact that you just referenced power rangers with one of the more obscure one-season allies makes up for it.

[Level20Commoner]

Well that was fast! :smalleek: I guess I forgot that people live in different time zones and I might well expect a reply (Crom willing) even if it was 3 in the morning when I posted. So I guess ninja beat out samurai and monk eh? So be it.

[Level20Commoner]

Homebrewed character classes:

Forward:
Some classes in DnD 3.5 are weaker compared to others and need to be ‘ramped up’ to make them more interesting and powerful. Anyone who cares to read this and subsequent posts should be aware that I consider the "big 3", wizards, druids, and clerics to be the gold standard as far as power level in 3.5 is concerned. Any class that doesn't cast spells is, in my humble opinion, a day late and a dollar short as far as 3.5 goes. One need only note that almost every splat and campaign setting book ever printed contained a "new spell" section to figure out the face and backstabbing crowd was getting a raw deal. I mean, look at the Spell Compendium for Crom's sake! The point of all this teeth clenching and hand wringing is that I intend to fight fire with fire! Why nerf full spellcasters back to the stone age like 4 Edition did when we can just pick the spell chuckers' pockets and steal their stuff.

Class # 1: The Ninja:

Note:
The ninja is not the weakest class ever made, but it fell far short of what it could’ve been. As it is now, it is basically a rogue with some spell-like abilities and a less useful sneak attack with some monk thrown in to compensate for the ninja’s athleticism. A revision from top to bottom is in order. I will not re-write everything included in Complete Adventurer (hereafter CA), if you have never read the ninja’s entry in that book than this update will be of little use to you. The major changes will be listed in the same order that they appear in a dnd book’s description. Assume that if something is not discussed in the following description, then it remains unchanged in the update. For example, I do not list available alignment choices. You should take this to mean that the ninja can still be of any alignment.

Level Progression Table:
The Ninja
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|AC Bonus|Special|0|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9

1st|
+0|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+0|
Secret Knowledge|4|2

2nd|
+1|
+0|
+3|
+0|
+0|||1

3rd|
+2|
+1|
+3|
+1|
+0||||1

4th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+1|
+0||||1

5th|
+3|
+1|
+4|
+1|
+1|
Secret Knowledge||||1

6th|
+4|
+2|
+5|
+2|
+1|||||1

7th|
+5|
+2|
+5|
+2|
+1||||||1

8th|
+6/+1|
+2|
+6|
+2|
+1||||||1

9th|
+6/+1|
+3|
+6|
+3|
+2|||||||1

10th|
+7/+2|
+3|
+7|
+3|
+2|
Secret Knowledge||||||1

11th|
+8/+3|
+3|
+7|
+3|
+2||||||||1

12th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+8|
+4|
+2||||||||1

13th|
+9/+4|
+4|
+8|
+4|
+3|||||||||1

14th|
+10/+5|
+4|
+9|
+4|
+3|||||||||1

15th|
+11/+6/+1|
+5|
+9|
+5|
+3|
Secret Knowledge|||||||||1

16th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+10|
+5|
+3||||||||||1

17th|
+12/+7/+2|
+5|
+10|
+5|
+4|||||||||||1

18th|
+13/+8/+3|
+6|
+11|
+6|
+4|||||||||||1

19th|
+14/+9/+4|
+6|
+11|
+6|
+4|||||||||||1

20th|
+15/+10/+5|
+6|
+12|
+6|
+4|
Secret Knowledge||||||||||1[/table]

[Level20Commoner]

Weapon and armor proficiency: The shuriken is the iconic weapon of the ninja and all ninjas are trained in its use (and therefore receive Exotic Weapon Proficiency – Shuriken). In addition to their trademark shuriken, ninjas receive training in other exotic weapons to gain an advantage over their foes. The ninja may select any 8 exotic weapons to gain proficiency in during character creation.

Special Exceptions:
No exotic weapon with a racial designation may be selected unless the character is of the matching race. For example a dwarven ninja could select the dwarven urgrosh when selecting his 8 proficiencies. This is also an exception to the other limitation, which is that double and two-handed exotic weapons are not valid choices for the ninja to make when selecting his proficiencies. Therefore a half-orc ninja could not select a double-bladed sword when picking his proficiencies, but he could select an orc double-axe since he counts as an orc, and orcs created the double-axe.

Exotic weapons not in the Player’s Handbook (PHB) can be selected at the Dungeon Master’s (DM) discretion. The exotic weapons in table 5-3 Asian Weapons in the Dungeon Master’s Guide (DMG) would be a good place to start. Ninjas also have proficiency in all simple weapons, but they lose their previous proficiencies in the hand crossbow, kama, kukri, nunchaku, sai, shortbow, short sword, and siangham.

As for armor, ninjas are proficient in the use of light armor only. Any instance of ninja powers not functioning while a ninja wears any armor or is encumbered is rescinded and replaced with the following: “a ninja’s powers cease to function if at any time he is carrying more than a light load or wearing armor with which he is not proficient, whichever comes first.”

Note:
The original CA ninja’s restriction on the use of armor and its effect on his powers is intended to impose the importance of stealth (armor makes noise and makes breaking and entering more difficult) and reflects the origins of ninjas in history (it is my understanding that medieval Japanese warfare did not place much emphasis on the use of armor in any capacity, whether on the battlefield or off). This is all well and good, but it is too stifling for a fantasy setting. For example, elves (drow especially) could certainly have ninja clans, so who are we to say that they wouldn’t outfit their ninjas with light weight elven chain shirts for protection. The important thing to remember is the light load restriction does what the old wording intended. A ninja by any other name must still keep his mobility and his stealth. He is not going to charge a samurai across an open field and then sit there and trade shots because of some light armor.

[Level20Commoner]

AC: The ninja receives a bonus to his AC equal to his intelligence bonus (if any). As with the previous bonus from wisdom, this AC bonus is lost if the ninja is completely immobilized (i.e. he succumbs to a ‘hold person’ spell, is tied up, etc.). The un-typed incremental bonuses to AC that begin at 5th level remain in place.

Note:
The reason for this change is twofold. The first reason for the change is game mechanics. Both ninjas and monks suffer from MAD (Multiple Attribute Dependency), which means that they will need almost every single ability score to be high in order to be powerful, nay even effective characters. Both classes need high scores in dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, and while ninjas can get away with an average strength score, monks need a high strength score too. Even though ninjas have less MAD than monks, it is still too high for my liking.

Ninja vs Fighter:
What attributes must a fighter have to succeed? Strength obviously, since it grants him bonuses to hit and damage in melee combat, and gives him an edge in bull rushing and sundering items. Constitution is next, since it gives him bonus hit points and bolsters his fortitude save. Are any of his other scores really that important? Some would say dexterity is next on the list, since it allows him to wield a strength rated bow with deadly accuracy, and it is a pre-requisite for many fighting styles (two-weapon, anything requiring dodge). This is not an entirely unconvincing argument, but even if dexterity is considered a must have for fighters, that makes three total ability scores that a fighter needs to succeed. And to be fair, constitution is the elephant in the room in this discussion. With the exception of the Dread Necromancer, every character is going to want a high constitution, because having more hit points is always a plus. Shifting the AC bonus to intelligence reduces MAD and it also makes more sense for flavor purposes as well.

Changing the Keyed Ability Score:
This brings me to the second reason I changed the source of the AC bonus to intelligence. The reasoning behind the bonus stemming from intelligence is a shift from perception/intuition to training. The explanation in CA says the following: “a ninja is highly trained at dodging blows, and she has a sixth sense that lets her avoid even unanticipated attacks.” The writers of the PHB very clearly state that both a person’s perception and their intuition are measured by their wisdom score. Intelligence is defined as “how well a person learns and reasons.” Next we must look at the monk’s entry in the PHB, in which the monk’s bonus to AC is described in exactly the same way as the ninja’s bonus, word for word. I contend that the designers of the ninja equated the AC bonus that a monk gets to the one that a ninja gets in terms of the methods of training that initiates to each class receive, and that such a comparison is faulty and should be discarded.

In order to prove my claim, it is necessary to elaborate what the training for each class entails. What would ninja training likely involve? He would need to read a great many books about architecture, biology, chemistry, history, and foreign languages. To add to the wealth of knowledge required by the profession, ninja trainees would have to maintain peak physical condition: including not just martial arts practice but more mundane physical training such as climbing, running, swimming, and other general conditioning. Learning how to assassinate well guarded (protected by a samurai) persons would also include training in methods of avoiding detection and navigating unfamiliar places.

And what would monk ‘training’ involve? The large variety and dispersal of monks notwithstanding, it is obvious that the monk in the PHB draws almost all of its abilities from lore centered around the Asian tradition of monastery life. The majority of a monk’s waking hours would be devoted to meditation, with farming and simple chores next in importance. Any remaining time in a monk’s day would be spent strengthening his body so that his understanding of his body would equal his understanding of his soul.

Now both of the above descriptions are very generalized and this is something of which I am well aware. There may be ninja academies that have training regimens that are closer to a monastery lifestyle and there may be monk orders who are highly militarized and trained at infiltration. My given examples are meant to show that ninjas would, in most cases, fight their battles using knowledge acquired through study and extensive planning. Monks would credit their expertise at evading blows from an inner tranquility and enhanced senses acquired through years of meditation and prayer. Chess vs. ro-sham-bo, prediction versus reaction, however you care to think about it, the bonuses to AC that a monk and ninja possess should be keyed to different ability scores.

[Level20Commoner]

Ki Power (Special Techniques): This special ability, which allowed the ninja to become invisible, avoid blows, and become ethereal, is replaced with a similar ability called Special Techniques. These techniques represent training that seasoned ninjas receive above and beyond the basics which all initiates to the clan receive. These techniques are unique from one ninja clan to the next, and guarded closely. To teach a technique to a ninja from another clan is considered a betrayal of the highest order, and a player character (PC) ninja who commits such an act should not expect to sleep soundly ever again. The only realistic way for a ninja to learn a new technique from another ninja is to kill him/her and extract the details of a technique from the rival ninja’s corpse. To prevent the secrets of their lifeless bodies from being plundered, many ninjas prepare a small incendiary device that they can use on the precipice of death to incinerate their remains (A PC ninja may or may not be in good standing with his clan, so the following information should be considered typical for ninjas in general). The game mechanics for PC ninjas wishing to upgrade their arsenal of techniques through examination of a fallen enemy ninja will be covered at the end of this document.

What Has Come Before:
In the case of the original CA ninja, the special abilities (ghost step, ki dodge, ghost strike, greater ki dodge, and ghost walk) fueled by Ki Power were usable a number of times per day equal to half the ninja’s level plus her wisdom bonus (if any). The updated ninja still uses a ki pool, but the number of points in the pool is now equal to 2 points per ninja level. The bonus to Will saves that a ninja who still had ki points remaining enjoyed is rescinded.
For example, Hanzo the ninja is 3rd level. After awakening at dusk, his body and mind are rested and ready. Hanzo fills his ki pool with 6 ki points to spend during tonight’s mission.

Note:
2 ki points per level instead of ½ a ki point per level seems like a big increase in power for the ninja, but the means by which the ninja uses his ki pool is now different and will be explained shortly. Although the power and diversity of the tricks a ninja has up his sleeves has definitely gone up, the opportunities to perform these amazing feats of stealth and misdirection will be more limited than was the case with the CA ninja. The mechanics of the CA ninja’s various ki powers were straightforward and uniform. Each of them required a swift action to activate, each was considered a supernatural (Su) ability and therefore did not provoke attacks of opportunity (AoO), and with the exception of ghost walk, each power required a single ki point to use. The updated ninja now must choose his abilities from several schools of study, each having a list of progressively stronger abilities.

How to Use a Special Technique:
First a ninja decides which technique he wishes to use. Then the ninja chooses how much ki will be used to power the technique. He selects any number of ki points from zero points all the way up to his current ki point total. The number selected will act as a bonus in a special concentration check that the ninja must make in order to successfully use the technique. The standard formula for determining if a ninja has maintained his focus and can use the technique is:

ranks in the Concentration skill + Constitution bonus (if any) + ki points + d20 ≥ 15 + the technique’s effective spell level x 2.

Hanzo, the Wall Crawling Dwarven Ninja:
For example, let us return to Hanzo the ninja, who we will recall is 3rd level (and played by Bob). Hanzo wants to use his blur technique. Bob consults the ninja arts list which reminds him that blur has an effective spell level of 2. Bob tells his DM that he is using blur and the DM asks him how many ki points he will use on the blur effect. Bob decides on an investment of 2 ki points. The DM then tells Bob to make his Concentration check. Bob rolls a 10 on the d20, then crunches the numbers. He has 6 ranks in concentration and his constitution is 14 (+2 bonus) so the results would look like this: 6 + 2 + 2 + 10 ≥ 15 + 2 x 2 or 20 ≥ 19. Hanzo has successfully used the blur technique. Note that this check becomes easier the more powerful the ninja becomes. Let us look at another ninja, Genma, who is 20th level. Genma wishes to use his shadow landscape technique, which is the equivalent of a 9th level spell. Genma has max ranks in Concentration and a Constitution of 14 (+2 bonus), so his Concentration check to use shadow landscape would be 23 + 2 + ki points + d20 ≥ 15 + 9 x 2. Even if Genma doesn’t spend any ki points to power shadow landscape, his check is only 25 + d20 ≥ 33, requiring only a roll of 8 or more on the d20 to create the effect.

[Level20Commoner]

There are additional modifiers that may affect the Concentration check. The following table lists some examples:

{table=head]
Special Modifier Description|
Check Modifier

Damaged during the activation|
-(damage dealt/10)

Dazzled|
-1

Taking continuous damage during the activation|
-(last damage dealt/5)

Vigorous Motion|
-1

Violent Motion|
-2

Extraordinarily violent motion|
-3

Entangled|
-2

Exhausted|
-3

Fatigued|
-1

Grappling or pinned|
-3

Stunned|
-2

Weather is wind driven-driven hail, dust, or debris|
-1[/table]
Notes
1: Add all concurrent effects together to get the total special modifier
2: modifier must be at least “-1”, round up fractions

Running Out of Ki:
As a ninja depletes his ki pool, his body approaches its limits. If a ninja uses a special technique without spending at least half of the special technique’s effective spell level in ki points (round up) then the following rules apply. If he makes his Concentration check, then the special technique is used successfully, but he must then wait 1d4 rounds before attempting another special technique. If the Concentration check fails, then the ninja immediately becomes fatigued. He can attempt another special technique next round, but a penalty applies on that check (see above) and a second failure causes the ninja to immediately become exhausted. If a ninja who is exhausted attempts to use a special technique and fails his Concentration check, he immediately drops to one knee (treat him as kneeling, except that a move action is needed to stand up) and he takes 1d4 points of non-lethal/subdual damage. These rules do not apply to special techniques with an effective spell level of 1st or less.

Genma, Master of the Alter Self Technique:
For example, let us look at Genma the 20th level ninja master once again. In the previous example it was suggested that Genma could use his shadow landscape technique without spending any ki points if he rolled at least a 8 on his Concentration check. If he decided to do exactly that and then rolled a 15 on his Concentration check, he would successfully create the shadow landscape effect but would then have to wait 1d4 rounds before attempting to use any more special techniques. If he botched the check by rolling a 1, the special technique would fail to manifest and he would immediately become fatigued. If he were to spend at least 5 ki points on shadow landscape, he would not become fatigued even if he failed his Concentration check.

Special Techniques Per Level:
All ninjas receive the following techniques for free at first level: caltrops*, ghost sound, message, and summon tools*. A ninja may also select two 1st level techniques that he knows as a starting character. Each time he gains a level in the ninja class he adds one new technique to the list of ones he already knows. The special techniques available to ninjas are listed below. There are restrictions on selecting higher level techniques. In order to select higher level techniques, a ninja’s level must match the minimum spellcaster level of the class that normally casts the spell. If multiple classes can cast the spell, the ninja need only be at the level of the class which can cast the spell first. So if a spell has an entry of “Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 5”, then the ninja could select the technique at level 7, since that is when a bard would be able to cast the spell (albeit only with a high Charisma score). Treat special techniques taken from non-spells such as shadow hand techniques and shadowcaster mysteries as sorcerer/wizard spells (since these abilities use different methods for advancement).

Genma Returns:
For example, let us return to Genma the ninja master, who we will remember is 20th level. Genma’s shadow landscape technique, which he used in an earlier example, could only have been selected at level 17, which is when a druid first gets level 9 spells and druids are normally the only ones who can cast shadow landscape.

The spells that form the majority of the ninja’s special techniques are hereby modified for the ninja in the following ways:

- All special techniques require a swift action to use.
- special techniques are spell-like abilities (Sp) in nature unless otherwise noted below. Unlike most spell-like abilities, special techniques do not provoke attacks of opportunity (AoO) when used. Opponents can still ready actions to strike the ninja as the special technique forms, as with regular spells.
- A special technique never requires material or verbal components, or a focus item. They all have a somatic component (even spells which did not previously have somatic components). Just like traditional spellcasters, ninjas need only one of their hands free to create the somatic components of their special techniques.
- If the spell the special technique mimics has a duration longer than 1 round, the special technique has a duration half as long (round up). So if a spell would normally last for 1 minute, the special technique of the same name would only last 5 rounds (10 combat rounds are equivalent to 60 seconds of real time). Any exceptions to this rule will be noted below.
- If a special technique requires a save, treat the ninja as a full spellcaster of the class which can cast the spell first (see previous paragraph). Regardless of what class gets the spell first, a ninja always counts his intelligence as his key ability modifier.
- Any special techniques with an asterisk* have an entry at the end of the Ninja Arts List. Consult these entries for modifications to the original spell and other important information.

[Level20Commoner]

Ninja Arts (Special Technique) List:

Art of Alchemy:
obscuring mist (Drd-1), sleep (Sor/Wiz-1), gembomb Gnome/Trade-2), glitterdust (Sor/Wiz-2), deep slumber (Sor/Wiz-3), stinking cloud (Sor/Wiz-3), confusion (Sor/Wiz-4), solid fog (Sor/Wiz-4), cloudkill (Sor/Wiz-5), endless slumber (Sor/Wiz-6), acid fog (Sor/Wiz-6),

Art of the Beast:
False Tracks* (Sor/Wiz-1), expeditious retreat (Sor/Wiz-1), bite of the wererat (Drd-2), spider climb (Sor/Wiz-2), bite of the werewolf (Drd-3), haste (Sor/Wiz-3), bite of the wereboar (Drd-4), snake darts-4, bite of the weretiger (Drd-5), aspect of the earth hunter (Drd-6), bite of the werebear (Drd-6),

Art of the Elements:
ice dagger (Sor/Wiz-1), fist of stone (Sor/Wiz-1), fire shuriken (Sor/Wiz-2), entangling scarf-2, primal form (Sor/Wiz-3), lightning garrote* (Sor/Wiz-3), dragon breath (Sor/Wiz-4), heart of earth-4, firebreath-5, lightning leap-5, stone body* (Sor/Wiz-6), lightning noose* (Sor/Wiz-6), decapitating scarf (Wuj-7),

Art of Illusion:
color spray (Sor/Wiz-1), silent image (Sor/Wiz-1), blinding color surge (Sor/Wiz-2), blur (Sor/Wiz-2), displacement (Sor/Wiz-3), greater mirror image*(Sor/Wiz-4), greater invisibility (Sor/Wiz-4), mirage arcana (Sor/Wiz-5), persistent image (Sor/Wiz-5), mislead (Sor/Wiz-6), programmed image (Sor/Wiz-6), body outside body (Wuj-7), truth revealed (Shr-7), ice assassin* (Sor/Wiz-9)

Art of Implements:
(lesser) create trap (Sor/Wiz-1), hawkeye (Drd-1), cloud of knives (Sor/Wiz-2), rain of needles (Wuj-2), improved create trap* (Sor/Wiz-3), hunter’s eye (Rgr-2), storm of needles (Wuj-4), arrow storm* (Rgr-3), deadfall (Drd-8), greater create trap* (Sor/Wiz-9)

Art of Poison:
breath of the jungle (Drd-1), cobra’s breath (Wuj-1), increase virulence-2, drain vitality (Ssg-2), poison (Drd-3), hand of death (Ssg-3), poison needles-4, toxic weapon-4, bloodletting strike-5, heartfreeze (Sor/Wiz-6), five-shadow ice enervation strike (Ssg-9),

Art of Shadow:
child of shadow (Ssg-1), critical strike (Sor/Wiz-1), know the shadows (Shu-2), veil of shadow (Sor/Wiz-2), shadow binding (Sor/Wiz-3), spectral weapon (Sor/Wiz-3), shadow form (Sor/Wiz-4), shadow well (Sor/Wiz-4), possess-5, shadow arrow (Assassin-4), shadowy grappler (Sor/Wiz-6), prison of night (Scr-7), reanimation* (Wuj-7), tomb of night (Scr-8), shadow landscape (Drd-9),

Art of Stealth:
accelerated movement (Sor/Wiz-1), surefoot (Sor/Wiz-1), balancing lorecall (Sor/Wiz-2), knock (Sor/Wiz-2), heart of water (Sor/Wiz-3), forestfold (Drd-3), prying eyes (Sor/Wiz-5), passwall (Sor/Wiz-5), stalker in the night (Ssg-6), shadow blink (Ssg-7)

As you can see, this is one section that I need help with. Not only do I not have a parentheses with the original spellcasting class(es) for each special technique, I also do not have a full list of techniques for each school. I was trying to make it so each school would have 2 special techniques available for each spellcasting level that was thematically appropriate, but it is harder going than I realized. My tiny brain forgot that not all classes that cast spells do so at the same rate or level so I may have screwed up on a few of them as well. Give me a little more room to post the rest of the class and then I would greatly appreciate any help from spell chucking gurus on this portion.

[Level20Commoner]

New Spells and Spell Modifications:

Create Trap, Greater:
Conjuration Level: Nja 9/ Effect: One CR 9 trap

This special technique functions like the (lesser) create trap spell, except that the trap you create can be up to CR 9 (consult the DMG for options). Also unlike lesser create trap, you may create any mechanical trap desired with a few restrictions. You cannot create a trap that requires a specific element (such as the ceiling in a Dropping Ceiling trap) if that element is not present where you create the trap. You can also create a trap of your own design, but in this case you must allow the DM to confirm that the trap is in fact CR 9.

Create Trap, Improved:
Conjuration Level: Nja 3/ Effect: One CR 3 trap

This special technique functions like the (lesser) create trap spell, except that the trap you create can be up to CR 3 (consult the DMG for options). Also unlike lesser create trap, you may create any mechanical trap desired with a few restrictions. You cannot create a trap that requires a specific element (such as the ceiling in a Ceiling Pendulum or Stone Blocks from Ceiling trap) if that element is not present where you create the trap. You can also create a trap of your own design, but in this case you must allow the DM to confirm that the trap is in fact CR 3.

Caltrops:
Modify the spell as follows: Components: S/ Casting Time: 1 swift action/ Duration: Permanent

Summon Tools:
Conjuration(Creation) Level: Nja 0/ Components: S/ Casting Time: 1 swift action/ Range: 0 ft./ Effect: Five or more throwing weapons/ Duration: Permanent/ Saving Throw: None/ Spell Resistance: No

This spell creates up to 5 throwing weapons per ninja level. The weapons summoned must be little thrown weapons (darts, shuriken, and daggers; the DM may allow other weapons), but they need not all be of the same kind. You are the only one who can use the summoned weapons, which count as being of masterwork quality (including the +1 bonus to hit). You can have any number of the weapons appear in your hands, and the rest will be hidden in you clothing. Make a Sleight of Hand check. This check is the Search DC that a person frisking you must beat in order to find the hidden weapons. You may make a Sleight of Hand check even if you have no ranks in the skill.

False Tracks:
Transmutation Level: Nja 1/ Components: S/ Casting Time: 1 swift action/ Range: Personal/ Duration: 10 minutes/level/ Saving Throw: None/ Spell Resistance: No

This spell causes your legs and feet to change into those of any creature of the animal type. When you use this special technique you choose an animal. You then decide whether the animal you have chosen is a predator or prey. If you chose a predatory animal, you receive a +10 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. If you chose a prey animal, you receive a +20 racial bonus to your base land speed. This spell also makes tracking you difficult. While you still leave tracks as you run or walk, they are normal-sized tracks of the animal you chose.

Lightning Garrote:
Conjuration(Creation) Level: Nja 3/ Components: S/ Casting Time: 1 swift action/ Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)/ Target: One creature/ Duration: Concentration (up to 1 round/ level)/ Saving Throw: None/ Spell Resistance: See text

This special technique causes a thin wire to spring from an opening in your clothing and wrap itself around the neck of a creature, electrocuting and strangling it simultaneously. Make a ranged touch attack against the target creature. If you hit, the wire immediately begins constricting, dealing 6 points of slashing damage per round. The wire cannot be removed by any means short of a limited wish, wish, or miracle spell. While the wire is constricting, you send a lethal current of electricity through the wire and into your target’s body. When you first use this special technique, it deals 1d4 electricity damage per caster level (maximum 9d4) to the target creature. If you continue to concentrate on this special technique (as a sorcerer/wizard may continue to concentration on certain spells), the electricity damage is dealt each round along with the slashing damage. Whether you continue to concentrate on the special technique or not, the slashing damage is dealt each round until the special technique ends. Note that while the wire this special technique creates is real, and therefore not stopped by spell resistance, the slashing damage it deals is subject to damage reduction like any other kind of weapon damage. Any creature against which the slashing damage is even partially effective (the wire deals at least 1 point of slashing damage) cannot speak, provided its anatomy is roughly analogous to a human being. The electricity damage this special technique deals is entirely magical in nature, and may be defeated by a creature’s spell resistance.

These are some spells I made up (or tweaked) to fill the void in my special techniques list. If anyone has a thematically appropriate hombrew spell to toss onto the bonfire, I will heap praises upon thy name! :smallsmile:

[AstralFire]

Er, some more formatting might help. >.> That's a lot to read.

[Level20Commoner]

Sudden Strike (Secret Knowledge): The updated ninja’s sudden strike capability is rescinded and replaced with abilities more specific to an individual ninja’s field of expertise, called secret knowledge. These abilities are gained alongside the special techniques listed above. For every 5 special techniques a ninja knows, he gains secret knowledge related to one of the 8 schools. A secret knowledge ability can only be selected if the 5 special techniques are all from the same school. The six special techniques that all ninjas have at 1st level count towards uncovering secret knowledge, so a 1st level ninja may select a secret knowledge ability during character creation. The first secret knowledge ability a ninja learns can be from any school. If a secret knowledge grants a ninja a specific feat, the ninja is exempt from meeting the listed prerequisites for the feat. A secret knowledge entry will indicate if it can be taken more than once.

Art of the Beast:

Beast Form:
Many years of intense ‘study’ of druids, lycanthropes, doppelgangers, and other creatures with shape changing abilities have yielded truly impressive results for clans focused on mastering the Art of the Beast. Look at the table below this text. You may select 1 ability from the row whose range of numbers includes your current ninja level, 2 abilities from a row whose range of numbers includes at least one number equal to your current ninja level – 5, or 3 abilities from a row whose range of numbers includes at least one number equal to your current ninja level – 10.

{table=head]
Ninja Level|
Available Abilities


0th–4th|
Burrow, Scent, Natural Armor, Natural Attack


5th–9th|
Blindsense, Pounce, Spell Resistance, Swim

10th–14th| Breath Weapon, Fast Healing, Tremorsense, Extra Limbs


15th–19th|
Blindsight, Fly, Poison, Regeneration[/table]

Blindsense 60 ft. (Ex):
If you have line of effect to a creature that is within 60 feet of your location, you can pinpoint that creature without having to make Spot or Listen checks. If you can’t see a creature, it still has total concealment against you and denies you your Dexterity bonus to Armor Class against its attacks. If you have both the blindsense and scent abilities, you treat any creature within 5 feet of your location that you can’t see as having concealment (20% miss chance) instead of total concealment (50% miss chance). Also, you ignore the effects of concealment (20% miss chance and lose Dexterity bonus to AC) if an opponent is within 5 feet of your location.
Blindsight 60 ft. (Ex):
If you have line of effect to a creature that is within 60 feet of your location, you can pinpoint that creature without having to make Spot or Listen checks. You can sense creatures that are invisible, have concealment, or are shrouded in darkness with as little effort as looking at a creature which was not hidden in any of those ways.
Breath Weapon (Su):
When you select this ability you must make two decisions. First you decide on a damage type: choose either Acid, Cold, Electricity, or Fire. Then you choose a breath weapon shape: either cone-shaped or line-shaped. Attacking with your breath weapon is a standard action. Your breath weapon deals 1d4 points of damage of the chosen energy type for every two ninja levels you possess. Creatures caught in the area of your breath weapon can halve the damage dealt to them by making a Reflex save with a DC equal to 10 + ½ your ninja level + your Con modifier. If you decided on a cone-shaped shaped breath weapon, it extends out 5 feet for every two ninja levels you possess. If you decided on a line-shaped shaped breath weapon, its length is equal to 5 feet x your ninja level. Once you have used your breath weapon, you must allow it to recharge for 1d4 rounds before using it again.
Burrow 30 ft. (Ex):
You can tunnel through dirt at impressive speeds. You can also make your way through stone, but to do so you must protect your hands by reinforcing them with (gauntlets, claw bracers, katars, etc. made of) a material which has a greater hardness than the stone you are moving through. Steel, for example, has a hardness of 10, which exceeds the hardness of common stone, which has a hardness of 8. Even if you wear adequate protection, your burrow speed while moving through stone drops to 10 feet. You can also create a tunnel that creatures of your size or smaller can use, but this requires you to move at half speed because you have to spend time making sure the tunnel does not fill in behind you.
Extra Limbs (Ex):
A ninja with this ability has undergone unspeakable rituals or endured painful surgeries to have a fully functional limb or limbs grafted onto his body. When you select this ability, choose either arms, legs, or head.

If you chose arms, you gain 1 extra pair of arms. These arms grant you a +4 racial bonus on Climb checks and Grapple checks. You may also wield weapons in your extra hands, though each hand after the first (either your original left or right hand) is considered an off hand for the purposes of multiweapon fighting.

If you chose legs, you gain 1 extra pair of legs. These legs grant you a +20 foot racial bonus to your base land speed, a +4 bonus on checks to avoid being Bull Rushed or Tripped while standing on the ground, and as a quadruped, your carrying capacity (what constitutes a light, medium, and heavy load for you) is increased by x1 if you are small, x1.5 if you are medium, and x3 if you are large. Unfortunately, your new form is not suited for certain tasks and it bestows a –8 penalty to your Climb and Swim checks.

If you chose head, you gain 1 extra head. This head has a distinct personality from you, though it considers you as close as a twin brother or a best friend. You are constantly aware of the thoughts of your new head, and it is likewise always aware of your thoughts. Your extra head grants you the ability to treat your off hand as if it were a primary hand. This enables you to wield a one-handed melee weapon or thrown weapon in each hand with no penalty, and your second hand gets iterative attacks as well. For example, a 12th level ninja with “Exotic Weapon Proficiency– Bastard Sword” could attack with a bastard sword in each hand and make 4 attacks; each hand would make two attacks at +7/+2.
Fast Healing 5 (Ex):
Your can recover from serious injuries unbelievably quickly. You heal 5 hit points every six seconds (1 combat round). Your fast healing does not stop the loss of hit points due to starvation, thirst, or suffocation. Unlike regeneration, your fast healing does not allow you to reattach recently severed limbs or regrow lost ones.
Fly (Ex):
A ninja with this ability has spent much time and effort having wings grafted to his body. The type of wings vary greatly from case to case, depending on whether the ninja wished to be fast or maneuverable. When you select this ability, choose one of the following degrees of maneuverability: Clumsy, Poor, Average, Good, Perfect. You gain a fly speed equal to your maneuverability class x 5, with Clumsy having a maneuverability rating of 18 and Perfect having a maneuverability rating of 6. For example, a 20th level ninja with this ability could choose to have a fly speed of 60 feet with Average maneuverability, or a fly speed of 45 feet with Good maneuverability.
Natural Armor (Ex):
Your natural armor bonus improves by 2 (This stacks with any natural armor bonus you have by virtue of race, class features, feats, or other innate abilities of your character. Most humanoids have a +0 natural armor bonus). Since this ability is innate, it stacks with any enhancement bonuses to natural armor that you might gain from a spell or other magical effect.
Natural Attack (Ex):
When you select this ability, choose one of the following natural attacks: Bite (piercing, slashing, and bludgeoning), Claw (piercing and slashing), Gore (piercing), Slam (bludgeoning), Sting (piercing and poison), or Tentacle (slashing or bludgeoning). If you selected Bite, Gore, or Sting, you gain 1 natural attack of that type which deals 1d8 points of damage. If you selected Claw, Slam, or Tentacle, you gain 2 natural attacks of that type which deal 1d4 points of damage. You may use your natural attack(s) in place of or combined with weapon attacks. If you combine natural and weapon attacks together, you must designate which attacks are primary and which attacks are secondary. The secondary attacks are made at a –5 penalty, unless you have the “Multiattack” feat.
Poison (Ex):
A ninja with this ability has had poison glands surgically implanted in his body. He now produces a deadly poison that he can wield without fear of hurting himself and that costs him nothing to use. Your body is continuously producing a powerful poison. It is an injury poison, so you must deliver it though a natural weapon attack or by coating a manufactured weapon with it. You can also spit your poison as a ranged touch attack with a range increment of 10 feet. The save DC for your poison is equal to 10 + ½ your ninja level (round up) + your Con modifier. Choose two of the following: (1d4 + your Con modifier) damage per ninja level, (1d4 + your Con modifier) Con damage, (1d6 + your Con modifier) Strength damage, (1d8 + your Con modifier) Dexterity damage, or (1d6 + your Con modifier) minutes of blindness, (1d4 + your Con modifier) rounds of unconsciousness. The two options you selected are the primary and secondary effects of your poison. You may not store your poison for later use.
Pounce (Ex):
If a ninja with this ability makes a charge, he can still make a full attack.
Regeneration 5 (Ex):
Damage dealt to a ninja that has this ability is treated as nonlethal damage. The ninja heals nonlethal damage at a rate of 5 points per round. When you select this ability, choose any 2 of the following energy types: acid, cold, electricity, fire. Any effect that deals damage of either of the two types of energy you selected is lethal instead of nonlethal, and your regeneration can’t heal any of that damage. Even if you have been rendered unconscious through nonlethal damage, you can’t be killed by a coup de grace attack unless it deals at least 1 point of damage of either of the two energy types you chose when you first gained this ability. Effects that don’t deal hit point damage ignore regeneration. Your regeneration does not stop the loss of hit points due to starvation, thirst, or suffocation.. You can regrow lost portions of your body (including your head) and can reattach severed limbs or body parts instantly by holding them to the stump. If you can’t recover or choose not to reattach a severed body part, it withers and dies normally. You must have a Constitution score to select this ability.
Scent 30 ft. (Ex):
You can detect opponents within 30 feet by sense of smell. If the opponent is upwind, the range increases to 60 feet; if downwind, it drops to 15 feet. Strong scents can be picked up at twice the normal range, and overpowering scents can be picked up at triple the normal range. To find the exact location of a scent, you must first use a move action to note the specific direction the scent is coming from. Once you are within 5 feet of the source of a scent you can pinpoint its exact location. If you have the “Track” feat, you can follow tracks by smell. To do so, make either a Wisdom or Survival check to find or follow a trail. The base DC is 10, regardless of the surface which holds the scent. Every hour that the trail is cold adds 2 to the base DC. You ignore the effect of surface conditions and poor visibility when you track by scent.
Spell Resistance (Ex):
A ninja with this ability has modified his body to resist the effects of magic, harmful and helpful. To affect you with a spell or spell-like ability, a caster must make a caster level check (1d20 + caster level). If the result equals or exceeds your spell resistance, the spell works normally and you must then make your saving throw, if allowed. Your spell resistance is equal to 10 + your ninja level + your Con modifier. For example, a 5th level ninja with a Constitution score of 14 who selected this ability would have spell resistance 17.
Swim 30 ft. (Ex):
You can swim through liquid bodies at tremendous speed. You gain a permanent +8 racial bonus on any Swim check to perform some special action or avoid a hazard. You may take 10 on a Swim check, even if distracted or endangered. You can also use the run action when swimming, but you must swim in a straight line in this case.
Tremorsense 60 ft. (Ex):
A ninja that has tremorsense is sensitive to vibrations in the ground. He can automatically pinpoint the location of anything that is in contact with the ground and within 60 feet of his location. If you also possess a swim speed (innately or through magic), you can use tremorsense to locate any creature that comes within 60 feet of your location while you are in a body of liquid.

Bee Keeper (Ex):
Once per day you may call forth a number of creatures of the animal or vermin type of up to 4 HD. The animals/vermin must be of a similar kind, so you could call a pack of wolves but not a group of wolves and dire rats. Once you have chosen the kind of animal/vermin, you cannot change it. The animals/vermin cannot have any templates added to them that would change their creature type to anything other than ‘magical beast’ (no outsiders, aberrations, etc.). The animals/vermin are not summoned, so they require 2d6 rounds to arrive at your location. The animals/vermin serve you for up to 1 hour. This secret knowledge can be selected multiple times. Each time it is selected, you may raise the maximum HD of the animals/vermin by 4.

Animal Helper (Ex):
The ninja gains the loyalty of a small but resilient creature. This secret knowledge is similar to a sorcerer's ability to summon a familiar (PH 52), including all benefits granted and gained by the familiar, except as noted below. The ninja does not lose experience points if his Animal Helper is slain, and he requires only 1 week to replace one who is lost. His Animal Helper has total hit points equal to ¾ his own hit points, rather than ½ as per a familiar. A ninja who selects this secret knowledge is limited to a choice between a cat, a dog, or a falcon. The abilities of each Animal Helper are summarized in the following two tables. Additional information can be found below the second table.

{table=head]Animal Helper|
Special


Cat|Master gains the Improved Initiative feat*


Dog|Master gains the Endurance feat*


Falcon|Master gains the Alertness feat*[/table]

{table=head]
Level|
Natural Armor|Int|
Cat|
Dog|
Falcon

[CENTER]1st-2nd|
+1|
2|
Lightning Reflexes* Stealthy*|
Die Hard* Pack Attack|
Improved Disarm(b) Missile Screen

[CENTER]3rd-4th|
+2|
4|
Improved Toughness(b)|
Improved Toughness(b)|
Improved Toughness(b)

5th-6th|
+3|
6|
Speak with Master|
Speak with Master|
Speak with Master

7th-8th|
+4|
8|
Lucky Start*|
Guard|
Flyby Attack(b)

9th-10th|[CENTER]+5|
10|
Unbelievable Luck*|
Improved Interpose|
Improved Flyby Attack(b)

11th-12th|
+6|
10|
Make Your Own Luck*|
Pile On|
Deft Strike*

13th-14th|
+7|
10|
Survivor’s Luck*|
Hindering Opportunist(b)|
Find Weak Points

15th+|
+8|
10|
Improved Toughness(b)|
Improved Toughness(b)|
Improved Toughness(b)
[/table]

Special Abilities (Ex): While an Animal Helper is within 60 feet of its master, the master gains all feats with an asterisk (example: Feat X*). Any feat with followed by the letter b in parentheses (example: Feat Y(b)) is a bonus feat of the animal helper. All other abilities will be described below.

Share Special Techniques: At the master’s option, he may have any special technique he uses on himself also affect his Animal Helper. The Animal Helper must be within 5 feet at the time of manifesting to receive the benefit. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of "You" on his Animal Helper (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A master and his Animal Helper can share special techniques even if a technique normally cannot affect creatures of the Animal Helper’s type (magical beast).

Empathic Link (Su): The master has an empathic link with his Animal Helper out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The master cannot see through the Animal Helper’s eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated. Because of this empathic link, the master has the same connection to an item or place that his Animal Helper does.

Speak with Master (Su): Once the master reaches 5th level, an Animal Helper learns one language of the master’s choice. The Animal Helper’s speech can be understood by anyone fluent in the language chosen, not just the master.

Dog:

Pack Attack (Ex): If the Animal Helper and its master are adjacent to the same creature, each of them gain the benefits for flanking that opponent. The Animal Helper can gain this benefit against multiple opponents at the same time, as can its allies. If the Animal Helper and its master are adjacent to the same two creatures, each of them gain the benefits of flanking against both creatures.

Guard (Ex): As long as the Animal Helper is adjacent to its master, it may activate this ability as a free action. While the Guard ability is active, all attacks against the master take a –2 penalty. Maintaining this ability is a free action. The master may order the Animal Helper to Guard another creature.

Improved Interpose (Ex): As long as the Animal Helper is adjacent to its master, it may use this ability. The Animal Helper, may, as an immediate action, attempt to throw itself in the path of any successful attack made against its master. Roll a d6 and consult the following table:

{table=head][CENTER]d6|
Result|
Effect

1|
Miss|
No Effect

2|
Some Contact|
Shift 1/4 of the damage from the attack to the Animal Helper

3|
Contact|
Shift 1/2 of the damage from the attack to the Animal Helper

4|
Solid Contact|
Shift 3/4 of the damage from the attack to the Animal Helper

5|
Complete Contact|
Shift all of the damage from the attack to the Animal Helper

6|
Attack Deflected|
Shift 1/4 of the damage from the attack to the Animal Helper, and the rest of the damage is negated[/table]

In most cases, the Animal Helper takes a percentage of the damage that would be dealt to its master, anywhere from 25 to 100 percent of the total damage (round up). In the case of a ‘1’ or a ‘6’, the Animal Helper either did not react to the attack quickly enough (if a ‘1’ was rolled) and was thus not able to absorb any of the damage from the attack, or, the Animal Helper managed to time its interposition perfectly (if a ‘6’ was rolled), and deflected away the majority of the attack. In the case of a magic attack that does not do hit point damage (such as a Ray of Enfeeblement), a roll of ‘2’ to ‘6’ indicates that the Animal Helper has been ‘hit’ by the spell and may suffer its effects. If the spell cannot normally target a magical beast (the Animal Helper’s type), then the spell has no effect. Otherwise the Animal Helper is treated as if it were the original target of the spell. The Animal Helper must have some way of knowing that the attack is coming in order to use Improved Interpose.

For example, the Animal Helper could not use Improved Interpose against an attack from an invisible attacker, since the Animal Helper cannot see where the attacker is. However, locating the square of the attacker with the Scent ability would allow the Animal Helper to use Improved Interpose because the Animal Helper now has at least some idea where the attacker is. Regardless of the outcome of Improved Interpose, the Animal Helper may only attempt to interpose itself between one attack per round. The master may communicate the circumstances under which he wishes his Animal Helper to use Improved Interpose, but if he does not specify any conditions for its use, then the Animal Helper will continue to use Improved Interpose until it loses consciousness or is slain. The master may order the Animal Helper to use Improved Interpose on the attacks made against another creature.

Pile On (Ex): To use this ability, the Animal Helper must use the aid another action (PH 154) to grant an ally a bonus on his next attack roll against an opponent both of them threaten. If the Animal Helper’s ally attacks and hits that enemy, the Animal Helper can make an immediate attack of opportunity against that target. The Animal Helper gains this benefit if its ally hits the foe before the start of its next turn. The Animal Helper gains the attack of opportunity only on the first successful attack.

Hawk:
Missile Screen (Ex): Once per round when the master would normally be hit with a ranged weapon, the Animal Helper may catch or deflect it, thereby preventing all of the damage it would have dealt. The Animal Helper must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed. Using Missile Screen doesn’t count as an action. Unusually massive ranged weapons and ranged attacks generated by spell effects can’t be caught or deflected.

Find Weak Points (Ex): An Animal Helper using this ability can choose to make melee touch attacks in place of normal melee attacks against an opponent. These touch attacks deal no damage. For each melee touch attack that hits, the master gains a +5 bonus on melee damage rolls against that same foe on the master’s next turn.

[Level20Commoner]

Art of Shadow:

Black Fog (Su):
A ninja with this secret knowledge can open up tiny rifts to the Plane of Shadow, (often placing them on the tips of the fingers or the inside of the mouth) causing darkness to leak into the ninja’s environs like an inky black mist. This ability can be activated as a move action, and remains active until you end it as a free action. After activating it, attacks made against you have a 5 percent miss chance/ for every two ninja levels you possess. At 8th level (when the miss chance is 20 percent), you are also considered to have concealment while this ability is active, and at 20th level (when the miss chance is 50 percent) you are considered to have total concealment. This secret knowledge can be temporarily suppressed by a spell with the “light” descriptor, but the caster must make a caster level check with a DC equal to 10 + your ninja level + your Intelligence modifier. If the caster succeeds on his caster level check, then the ability ends immediately and you cannot activate it again until 1d4 rounds have passed.

Shadow Discorporation (Su):
A ninja with this secret knowledge has been trained (or has trained himself) to use his mastery of shadows to cheat death. If he is in shadow or darkness (anything but direct daylight or the illuminated radius of a light source), any damage that would reduce him to 0 hit points or below instead has a chance to discorporate him. The ninja has a 5 percent chance per level of discorporating, so a 10th level ninja would have a 50 percent discorporation chance, for example. If successful, the ninja breaks apart into dozens of flitting shadows and vanishes, along with his gear (anything he is holding, carrying, or wearing). At the next sunset, he appears in a spot of his choosing within one mile of the place where he was forced to discorporate. While discorporated, the ninja simply does not exist… he can do nothing, nor can his enemies do anything to him. When the ninja re-appears he has full hit points, any ability or level drain he may have suffered has been removed, and he is treated as if he had rested for 8 hours.

Shadow Swim (Su):
A ninja with this secret knowledge was born in shadow, and will die in shadow too. He has such a deep connection to and understanding of shadows that he may swim through them as if they were pools of water. If he is in shadow or darkness (anything but direct daylight or the illuminated radius of a light source), he may ‘submerge’ himself into the shadows with a new skill called Shadow Swim. The ninja cannot buy ranks in Shadow Swim. His ranks in Shadow Swim are equal to ½ his ranks in the Hide skill, and he receives a +2 synergy bonus to Shadow Swim if he has at least 5 ranks in Swim. Any bonuses a ninja might have to the Hide skill provide half of the normal bonus to the Shadow Swim check. Like the Swim skill, a successful Shadow Swim check is needed to move while in the Plane of Shadow. Unlike the Swim skill, however, a ninja moving through the Plane of Shadow moves faster than normal, not slower. A successful Shadow Swim check allows the ninja to swim 2 times his normal land speed as a move action or 3 times his normal land speed as a full-round action. Consult the following table when using the Shadow Swim skill:

{table=head]Density of Shadows|Shadow Swim DC

Darkness|10

Some Shadows|15

Few Shadows|20

A ninja using Shadow Swim enjoys several other advantages over more conventional forms of movement. First, a ninja using Shadow Swim is both invisible and completely silent. Listen and Spot checks cannot detect his presence, and even more powerful sensory abilities do not help unless they allow a creature to view or hear things in the Plane of Shadow. Creatures currently on the Plane of Shadow can see and hear the ninja normally. In addition to being invisible and silent, a ninja using Shadow Swim does not provoke attacks of opportunity, is not effected by difficult terrain of any kind, and may occupy squares that contain solid objects or even other creatures. The major limitation on this ability is that the shadow in the square that the ninja wishes to emerge from must be large enough for the ninja to fit through.

Failing a Shadow Swim check indicates that the ninja was not able to find a shadow to emerge from and must spend the remainder of the round in the Plane of Shadow (similar to swimming in a body of water which is covered by a solid sheet of ice). Place the ninja in the 5 foot square that you intended to emerge from and roll a d8. This determines the ninja’s location relative to his intended destination, with 1 being straight back towards his starting square, and 2 through 8 counting clockwise around the intended square being other possible end destinations. While the ninja is in the Plane of Shadow, treat him as if he were swimming underwater intentionally.

To recap the rules on swimming underwater intentionally:

“ […] you must hold your breath. You can hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to twice your Constitution score, but only if you do nothing other than take move actions or free actions. If you take a standard action or a full-round action (such as making an attack), the remainder of the duration for which you can hold your breath is reduced by 1 round. (Effectively, a character in combat can hold his or her breath only half as long as normal.) After that period of time, you must make a DC 10 Constitution check every round to continue holding your breath. Each round, the DC for that check increases by 1. If you fail the Constitution check, you begin to drown.”

The ninja may also intentionally remain in the Plane of Shadow in order to attack his enemies. He can choose to remain either completely or partially submerged while attacking. If he remains completely submerged, he gains full concealment and attacks made against him suffer a 50 percent miss chance, however, he may only use melee weapons with reach and ranged weapons. If he instead chooses to fight while partially submerged, the ninja may use any weapon, but the only defensive benefit he receives is that he is treated as one size category smaller than normal (which gives him a +1 bonus to AC). Either way, a ninja who is even partially submerged in the Plane of Shadow cannot be bull rushed or tripped. Remember that attacking from the Plane of Shadow is like fighting underwater, so many ranged weapons will be highly ineffective.

[Level20Commoner]

Art of Implements:

Speed Throw (Ex):
When making a standard attack with any thrown weapon, you may add an extra attack at your highest base attack bonus, but that attack, and all others you make this round, suffer a -2 penalty to hit. You may also add an extra thrown weapon attack at your highest base attack bonus when making a full attack, but the same -2 penalty applies to all of the attacks you make in your full attack routine, including the extra one. At 5th level the penalty to hit is reduced to only -1, and at 9th level it disappears. At 11th level, you may add 2 extra thrown weapon attacks at your highest base attack bonus at no penalty when making using a standard or full attack action with thrown weapons. You are treated as having the Rapid Shot and Improved Rapid Shot feats for the purposes of selecting other feats. This secret knowledge can be combined with a haste spell or other similar magical effects.

"Shot on the Run" + Palm Throw (Ex):
When using little thrown weapons (darts, shuriken, and daggers; the DM may allow other weapons) a ninja with this ability may throw two of each weapon with a single attack. Damage for each weapon is resolved separately, but the ninja does not apply his strength bonus to either damage roll. This secret knowledge can be combined with a haste spell or other similar magical effects, but the haste spell or magical effect still only provides a single extra attack. In other words, though you cannot apply Palm Throw to the extra attack that the haste spell grants, you are likewise not prevented from using Palm Throw and gaining an extra attack from haste at all.

Note:
This secret knowledge works in conjunction with Speed Throw if you also possess that secret knowledge, but you should add the extra thrown weapon attacks after doubling your normal attacks with little thrown weapons, not before. Mathematically it would look like this:

Assume 11th level ninja using a standard attack action with shuriken, therefore, Correct: 1 x 2 + 2 = 4 attacks/ Incorrect: 2(1 + 2) = 6 attacks
Assume 20th level ninja using a full attack action with shuriken under the effects of a haste spell, therefore, Correct: 3 x 2 + 2 + 1 = 9 attacks/ Incorrect: 2(3 + 2 + 1) = 12 attacks

"Able Sniper", "Far Shot", and "Quick Draw".

"Concealed Ambush" and "Woodland Archer". The ‘Adjust for Range’ portion of the Woodland Archer feat now applies to any ranged weapon attacks you make. You must be at least 5th level to select this secret knowledge.

"Improved Precise Shot" and Weak Spot (Ex):
A ninja with this secret knowledge has been trained (or has trained himself) to quickly scan an enemy for gaps in their armor. When using a thrown weapon against a target of his size or larger, the ninja can make a ranged touch attack instead of a normal attack. If the attack hits, the ninja does not apply his Strength bonus to the damage. You must be at least 10th level to select this secret knowledge.

[thegurullamen]

To make a table, you type {table=head] then fill in the various criteria like "Level", "Class ability" and other things like "Ki Pool" or "Unarmed Damage" or "Spells per Day" etc. Separate each of these with an | (Shift + \). Hit Enter then start on the first row, filling in appropriate info. End with a [/table] after all of the info is typed outFor example, let's say I wanted a table with 3 levels of +1 spellcasting. What I would type would be:

{table=head]Level|Spellcasting

1|+1 spellcasting

2|+1 spellcasting

3|+1 spellcasting[/table]

and I would get:

{table=head]Level|Spellcasting

1|+1 spellcasting

2|+1 spellcasting

3|+1 spellcasting[/table]

For spoilers, just type Text goes here. to get a spoiler tag. Text goes here

For more info, visit this page:

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10313

and scroll down to section 2.

Use the code in the spoilers below for a:

20 Level Base Class

NAME OF CLASS
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

2nd|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

3rd|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

4th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

5th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

6th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

7th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

8th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

9th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

10th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

11th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

12th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

13th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

14th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

15th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

16th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

17th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

18th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

19th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

20th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability[/table]

NAME OF CLASS
{table=head]Level|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special

1st|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

2nd|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

3rd|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

4th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

5th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

6th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

7th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

8th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

9th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

10th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

11th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

12th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

13th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

14th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

15th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

16th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

17th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

18th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

19th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability

20th|
+x|
+x|
+x|
+x|Class Ability[/table]

[Level20Commoner]

Art of Poison:
Poison Use (Ex):
A ninja with this secret knowledge has been trained (or has trained himself) in the use of poison and is never at risk of accidentally poisoning himself when applying poison to a weapon. The ninja also receives a +4 save versus poisons.

+5 bonus on Craft (poisonmaking), and one of the following feats: Poison Expert or Poison Master. The effects of Poison Expert and Poison Master apply to your Poison School special techniques where applicable. This secret knowledge may be taken up to two times.

+5 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks and Rapid Application (Ex):
A ninja with this secret knowledge has been trained (or has trained himself) to use poison in combat situations. Instead of applying poison to a weapon as a standard action, the ninja may now apply poison to a weapon as part of a move action. Rapid Application may be used in combination with other actions that can be taken as part of a move action (such as drawing a weapon if the ninja has at least a +1 base attack bonus). This secret knowledge may be taken up to two times. If you take it a second time, then you receive an additional +5 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks (for a +10 total bonus) and may apply poison to a weapon as a free action rather than as part of a move action.

[Level20Commoner]

Art of Stealth:
You gain Great Leap and Leap of the Clouds:
Great Leap (Su): You make jump checks as if you were running and had the Run feat, enabling you to make long jumps without a running start and granting you a +4 bonus on the check.
Leap of the Clouds (Su): Your jumping distance (vertical or horizontal) is not limited according to your height.

Empty Stride (Su):
A ninja with this secret knowledge has been trained (or has trained himself) to distribute his ki in such a way as to make his stride nearly weightless. He gains a +5 bonus on all Balance checks. More impressively, he can walk on the surface of any material into which he would normally sink, such as powdery snow, thin ice, and even water. He may walk on such precarious surfaces as long as he makes a DC 15 Concentration check. Normally, the Concentration check for this activity is a standard action, so a ninja may make one move action per round while using Empty Stride. If he makes a DC 30 Concentration check, he may concentrate on his Empty Stride ability as a move action instead, allowing him to use it and still take one standard action in a round. If he makes a DC 45 Concentration check, the ninja may concentrate on his Empty Stride ability as a free action instead, allowing him to use it and still take a full round action, or any combination of actions (standard + move, move x 2, etc.) that can be combined in a single round. He does not trigger traps that use pressure plates while using Empty Stride, nor is his speed impacted by deep snow.

Acrobatic Charge, Fast Acrobatics, and Steady Stance:
Acrobatic Charge (Ex): A ninja with this secret knowledge has been trained (or has trained himself) to charge in situations where others cannot. He may charge over difficult terrain that normally slows movement or through allies blocking his path. Uses of this ability include (but are not limited to): running down steep stairs, leaping down from a balcony or ledge, tumbling over tables, charging across a cluttered battlefield, and swinging across a chasm. Depending on the circumstance, the ninja may still need to make appropriate checks (such as Jump, Tumble, Use Rope, etc.) to successfully continue moving across the difficult terrain.

Fast Acrobatics (Ex): A ninja with this secret knowledge has been trained (or has trained himself) to use his infiltration skills while moving at an accelerated rate. He ignores the normal –5 penalty when making a Balance check while moving at his full normal speed. He can climb at half his speed as a move action without taking a –5 penalty on his Climb check. Finally, the ninja can tumble at his full speed without taking the normal –10 penalty on his Tumble check.

Steady Stance (Ex): A ninja with this secret knowledge has been trained (or has trained himself) to remain calm and alert while using certain demanding skills, no matter the circumstance. He is not considered flat-footed while balancing or climbing, and he adds his class level as a bonus on Balance or Climb checks to remain balancing or climbing when he takes damage.

Ki Climb (Su):
While a grappling hook and rope combination is an old standby of ninjas and roof walkers in general, some ninjas have been trained (or have trained themselves) to use the ki in their bodies to help them scale walls quickly and efficiently. Similar in many ways to another secret ninja skill known as Empty Stride, the only real difference between the two is that when a ninja makes use of Empty Stride, he makes himself lighter by pushing as much ki as possible into his head, his shoulders, and the rest of his upper body. When a ninja employs the secret knowledge of the Ki Climb skill, he distributes as much ki as he possibly can into his feet. By distributing his ki in this way, the ninja is mimicking the claws, hooks, and pads that animals use to climb unforgiving surfaces.

The ninja gains a +5 bonus on all Climb checks. More impressively, he can climb perfectly smooth, flat, vertical surfaces or even traverse ceilings without difficulty. He may climb such surfaces as long as he makes a DC 15 Concentration check. Normally, the Concentration check for this activity is a standard action, so a ninja may make one move action per round while using Ki Climb. If he makes a DC 30 Concentration check, he may concentrate on his Ki Climb ability as a move action instead, allowing him to use it and still take one standard action in a round. If he makes a DC 45 Concentration check, the ninja may concentrate on his Ki Climb ability as a free action instead, allowing him to use it and still take a full round action (except the run action), or any combination of actions (standard + move, move x 2, etc.) that can be combined in a single round. While using Ki Climb, a ninja retains his Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (if any), and opponents get no special bonus on their attacks against him.

[Level20Commoner]

Art of the Elements:
Energetic Dynamo (Su):
A closely guarded secret of the Elemental School is known as the Energetic Dynamo. Exhaustive study of creatures native to other dimensions has perfected a process that allows ninjas from the material plane to generate potentially lethal amounts of energy within their bodies.

When you first select this secret knowledge, choose one of the following energy types: Cold, Electricity, Fire, or Sonic. You may charge a melee touch attack or a weapon (melee or ranged, and of manufactured or natural origin) as a free action with the energy type you have chosen. Your touch attack or weapon attack deals 1d8 damage of the energy type you chose. This energy damage is dealt each time you hit with a touch attack or weapon attack this round, so any iterative weapon attacks or attacks of opportunity you make also deal the extra damage, and if you are somehow capable of making multiple touch attacks in a single round, each of those deals the extra energy weapon damage as well. This secret knowledge can be selected any number of times.

Elemental Epidermis (Su):
Ninja clans that espouse the virtue of the Elemental School developed this signature ability to protect their warriors from the arrows of enemy soldiers and the deadly blades of their eternal foe, the samurai.

When you select this ability you gain either DR 2/-, or DR 4/ with a weapon damage type, special material type, or magical property type of your choice. Some examples include: DR 4/magic, DR 4/silver, and DR 4/piercing.

Note that if you want to have damage reduction that can only be overcome by an aligned weapon, the type of aligned weapon required must be diametrically opposed to one component of your actual alignment. For example, a lawful good ninja who selected this secret knowledge would be able to pick either DR 4/evil or DR 4/chaotic. This damage reduction is not always active. You may activate it as a swift action, and it remains active until you choose to dismiss it.

This secret knowledge may be taken any number of times. Each time it is selected, you may increase either the amount of damage reduction you have, or the nessecary weapon qualities necessary to overcome your existing damage reduction. If you choose to increase the required special qualities of a weapon to overcome your damage reduction, you may only choose 1 weapon damage type and 1 special material type. Magical properties can be added to your damage reduction multiple times.

For example, let us look at Tessai, a level 15 ninja. Tessai chose this secret knowledge at 1st level, 5th level, 10th level, and 15th level. At 1st level, he chose to gain DR 4/adamantine, gaining the ability to make his skin as hard as stone as a swift action. At 5th level, he chose to add the bludgeoning weapon damage type to his damage reduction, making it DR 4/adamantine and bludgeoning. At 10th level, Tessai increased his damage reduction by 4 points, giving him DR 8/ adamantine and bludgeoning. Finally at 15th level, Tessai chose to add the “good” alignment property to his damage reduction (his alignment is neutral evil), making his skin that much tougher to scratch. He currently has DR 8/ adamantine, bludgeoning, and good.

[Kroy]

So much writing....

[Level20Commoner]

Hoody Hoo, finished at last. My creation is now properly spoiler and table-fied for the general inspection of the community. I would like to thank thegurullamen for being a sport and showing me the basics of formatting. Remember any comments are welcome (except maybe "this sucks and so do you"). :smallsmile:

[Level20Commoner]

Art of Illusion:

Master of Misdirection:
Many of the ninja clans who work with and specialize in illusions teach their members how to end a fight quickly and cover one’s tracks. A ninja who studies under an Art of Illusion school master has it beat into him that a ninja who has to fight his way out of a mission has already fared quite poorly; special techniques should only be used to enhance one’s ability to go unnoticed and to correct for variables that a ninja could not possibly foresee. The defensive techniques gained from this secret knowledge increase as a ninja expands his knowledge and grows more powerful. Consult the following table to see what abilities are available at each level.

{table=head]
Ninja Level|
Abilities Learned

[CENTER]1st-5th|
Backpedal, Flee the Scene

[CENTER]6th-10th|
Misty Minions, Substitution

[CENTER]11th-15th|
Friendly Fire, Sideslip

[CENTER]16th-20th|
Phantasmagoria, Reinforcements [/table]

Backpedal (Ex):
You may make multiple 5-foot steps in a round, but each 5-foot step after the first consumes one of your potential attacks of opportunity for the round. The availability of this special movement is limited, therefore, to the number of attacks of opportunity you can make in a single round. You may use Backpedal at any time, even in response to an attack. If your 5-foot step would put you out of range for an incoming attack, that attack automatically misses. Like a normal 5-foot step, using Backpedal does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Flee the Scene (Ex):
Once per round, you may use a swift action to take an extra move action during your turn. For example you could use a run action (move up to 4 times your speed as a full round action) then use Flee the Scene to take another move action, allowing you to effectively move 5 times your speed.

Friendly Fire (Sp):
You may use this ability once per round, and activating it requires only a free action; but it can only be used in response to an attack that could have been made against a creature adjacent to you. For example, if a Drow rogue fires at you with his crossbow and there is a Kuo-toa monitor standing in a square adjacent to you, then you may use Friendly Fire as a free action.

Make a Reflex save with a DC equal to the attacking creature’s (A) attack roll, and a bonus to your save equal to your ranks in the Tumble skill. If your Reflex save is sucessful, you managed to avoid the attack in such a way that now the creature adjacent to you (B) might be hit. Compare the attack roll of creature A to the AC of creature B. If the attack roll is higher than creature B’s AC, it is hit as if it were the original target of creature A. Both creature A and creature B must make Will saves with a DC equal to 10 + your ninja level + your Intelligence modifier.

If creature A fails its save, it sees creature B as an exact copy of yourself, including the detailed audible, tactile, and olfactory elements that distinguish you from any other creature. If creatures B tries to speak, all creature A hears are threats, taunts, and other hostile statements made in your voice and in the language creature A last heard you speak (if any). Creature A also sees you as an exact copy of creature B, with audible, tactile, and olfactory qualities as precise as your knowledge of creature B allows. This effect lasts for 1d4 rounds.

If creature B fails its save, it sees creature A as an exact copy of yourself, including the detailed audible, tactile, and olfactory elements that distinguish you from any other creature. If creature A tries to speak, all creature B hears are threats, taunts, and other hostile statements made in your voice and in the language creature B last heard you speak (if any). Creature B also sees you as an exact copy of creature A, with audible, tactile, and olfactory qualities as precise as your knowledge of creature A allows. This effect lasts for 1d4 rounds.

Misty Minions (Sp):
Once per round, as a free action, you may create a figment as the “Persistent Image” spell (caster level equals your ninja level), except that the duration of Misty Minions is 1d4 minutes.

Phantasmagoria (Sp):
This ability continuously duplicates the effects of a “Mirage Arcana” spell (caster level equals your ninja level). Each round you may spend a standard action to change the shape of the area or the effects of this spell-like ability as if you were continuing to concentrate on it. Creatures who manage to make their Will saves to disbelieve are able to see the terrain in the area of this ability as it really is; but each time you alter the effects of this ability the creatures must interact with and make new Will saves against your new terrain features.

Reinforcements (Sp):
This ability allows a ninja to create an illusory army to do his bidding. Activating or dismissing Reinforcements requires only a free action, and it remains active until you dismiss it. While it is active it affects a number of 20 foot cubes equal to your ninja level; with both the area and the effects of the ability shapable at will as a standard action. The illusions (figments) contained within the area of this ability have the appearance of multiple creatures of any type or types you wish. The creatures perform any actions you wish (guarding the area of the ability, fighting each other, sleeping, etc.) but if you program them to move beyond the area of the ability, they wink out of existence. Any creature which enters the area of an active Reinforcements ability (that has not been previously designated by you not to be affected) must make a Will saving throw at a DC equal to 10 + your ninja level + your Intelligence modifier; and must make a new Will save every round it remains in the area of the ability.

If a creature fails its save, then it believes the illusions to be real and becomes both entangled and flat-footed until it either leaves the affected area of the Reinforcements ability or it makes a successful Will save on its next turn. If the creature makes its save, then it disbelieves the existence of the creatures and is bombarded with cascading waves of nonsensical, terrifying images (pattern, mind-affecting) that are mixed with magical force. The creature takes 1 point of force damage per ninja level and is dazed until its next turn unless it makes a second Will save; a creature which successfully saves takes half damage and is dazzled instead of dazed.

Sideslip (Sp):
Once per round, if you are hit by an attack (melee, ranged, or magic), you may, as an immediate action, disappear from the square you are currently in and reappear in a sqaure up to 20 feet away to which you have line of sight. The attacking creature must then make a Will save with a DC equal to 10 + your ninja level + your Intelligence modifier. If it fails its save, the creature believes that what it hit was actually a figment, and striking it has caused the figment to dematerialize. You may now make a Hide check as if you had successfully used the “Creating a Diversion to Hide” version of the Bluff skill. You ignore the normal –10 penalty to your Hide check because the target is more than distracted, it was almost certain that the target of its attack was real (and you’re not about to argue the point either). Using Sideslip never causes an attack of opportunity.

Substitution (Sp):
Many clans specializing in the Illusion school teach their students this potent trick, which can save a ninja’s life by fooling his enemy’s senses. Use this ability only if an enemy misses you with a melee or ranged weapon attack or if an enemy successfully attacks a ‘figment’ created by one of your illusion school special techniques (such as a figment created by the “Greater Mirror Image” special technique). The enemy must make a Will save with a DC equal to 10 + your ninja level + your Intelligence modifier. If they fail their save, the enemy believes that they ‘dropped’ you (dealt enough damage to bring your hit points to 0 or less) with their attack. You may now make a Hide check as if you had successfully used the “Creating a Diversion to Hide” version of the Bluff skill. You ignore the normal –10 penalty to your Hide check because the target is more than distracted, they genuinely believe you to be dead.

[Level20Commoner]

Art of Alchemy:

You gain a +5 bonus on Craft(Alchemy) checks and one of the following feats: “Exceptional Artisan” or “Extraordinary Artisan”. You are considered a spellcaster for the purposes of creating items with the Craft(Alchemy) skill. The following table includes some exclusive items available only to ninja’s who have studied in the ways of the Art of Alchemy.

{table=head]Item|Weight|Cost|Craft DC

Eggshell Grenade, Dust|1/10 lb.|
30 gp|
15|

Eggshell Grenade, Pepper|1/10 lb.|
30 gp|
15|

Eggshell Grenade, Stink Bomb|
1 lb.|
40 gp|
15|

Bakemono's Candle|
1 lb.|
40 gp|
20|

Eggshell Grenade, Flash powder|1/10 lb.|
50 gp|
20|

Smoke Bomb|1/10 lb.|
50 gp|
20|

Deepbreath Serum|
―|
60 gp|
25|

Poison Friend Dust|
―|
60 gp|
25|

Rabbit Prince Serum|
―|
90 gp|
25|

Ravager Serum|
―|
90 gp|
25|

Blackpowder Bomb|
4 lb.|
100 gp|
30|

Scroll Bomb|
―|
750 gp|
30|

Promise to the Clan|
10 lb.|
2,250 gp|
30|

Make an Item More Quickly|
―|
―|
DC + N|[/table]

Bakemono’s Candle:
This item was inspired by the Bakemono’s totally unreliable explosive missile weapons. The ninja clans focusing on the Art of Alchemy realized early on that the original Bakemono mixture would never yield an effective weapon for stealthy operations. There was one interesting thing about the explosives, however. The showers of sparks coming from the ignited powder made using special techniques difficult while the sparks lasted. Thus the ‘firecrackers’, as the Bakemono called them, were turned into a potent anti-spellcaster weapon by the largest of the Art of Alchemy clans.
A Bakemono’s Candle is like many other splash weapons, having a range increment of 10 feet. Targeting a creature is not necessary, you need only target a square (AC 5) you wish to affect. Creatures within a 5-foot radius of the square you targeted who attempt to cast any spells while the Bakemono’s Candle is still burning must make a Concentration Check (DC 10 + spell level) or lose the spell. The Bakemono’s Candle burns out in 1d6 rounds.

Blackpowder Bomb:
The formula for this potent weapon was stolen in a daring raid on the poorly guarded compound of a renowned alchemist from another land. While not as powerful as magic itself, this ‘blackpowder’ produces a volatile reaction when exposed to heat which far exceeds the pitiful damage output of more readily available alchemical substances such as ‘alchemist’s fire’. It is believed that in time, the process for creating ‘blackpowder’ will become less expensive, and that further experimentation might yield an even more explosive substance than is currently possible.

A Blackpowder Bomb is a splash weapon, having a range increment of 20 feet. Targeting a creature is not necessary, you need only target a square (AC 5) you wish to affect. The Blackpowder Bomb effects all creatures and objects in a 15-ft.-radius spread, centered on the square you targeted. Any creature caught in the spread can make a Reflex save at DC 16 for half damage.

Deepbreath Serum:
This serum was developed by the top researchers of the largest and most successful clans devoted to the Art of Alchemy as a last resort for delicate situations requiring ‘wet work’. While special techniques such as “heart of water” are much better suited for prolonged and continuous underwater operations, sometimes it is not possible or even preferred to recruit the aid of a ninja who has connections to one of the Art of Stealth clans.
After quaffing the serum, a ninja can hold his breath for 4 rounds per point of Constitution, rather than the normal 2 rounds per point of Constitution. If he drinks the Deepbreath Serum after he begins holding his breath, he multiplies the number of rounds he could continue holding his breath by 2. Once a ninja is forced to begin making Constitution checks in order to continue holding his breath, the Deepbreath Serum will no longer be able to help him.

Eggshell Grenade: An Eggshell Grenades is, as the name suggests, a container made of an egg or other brittle material. Eggshell Grenades come in several varieties, but one thing they all share is the simplicity of their ingredients. They are cheap to produce and are used extensively by both less experienced ninjas and clan-less ninja who cannot afford more expensive chemicals.

An Eggshell Grenade is like many other splash weapons, having a range increment of 10 feet. In order to resist the effects of an Eggshell Grenade, a creature must make a Reflex save with a DC equal to 5 + ninja’s rank’s in the Craft(Alchemy) skill + the ninja’s intelligence modifier. The DC for each Eggshell Grenade is set upon its completion, just like most magic items.

Different Types of Eggshell Grenades
Dust: This type of Eggshell Grenade targets an individual creature. Make a ranged touch attack to hit. If you hit and the creature fails its saving throw, then it is blinded for 1d4 rounds, or until it flushes its eyes out.

Flash Powder: Targeting a creature with this Eggshell Grenade is not necessary, you need only target a square (AC 5) you wish to affect. The Flash Powder Grenade effects all creatures in a 10-ft.-radius spread, centered on the square you targeted. Creatures who fail their saving throws are blinded for 1d4 rounds.

Pepper: This type of Eggshell Grenade targets an individual creature. Make a ranged touch attack to hit. If you hit and the creature fails its saving throw, then it is sickened for 1d4 rounds, or until it flushes its eyes out.

Stink Bomb: This type of Eggshell Grenade targets an individual creature. Make a ranged touch attack to hit. If you hit and the creature fails its saving throw, then it is nauseated for 1d4 rounds. A creature with the “Scent” Extraordinary ability takes a –2 penalty to its saving throw to resist the effects of a Stink Bomb Grenade.

Poison Friend Powder:
This weapon was created by a clan of ninjas who dabbled in both the Art of Alchemy and the Art of Poison schools. It is a powder which, when inhaled, causes a victim’s blood to course vigorously. This makes many poisons more effective because they rely on the substance running up and down a victim’s veins before the toxin has its full effect. The intended scenario to use this powder was in an ambush situation. A lone ninja would blow the powder on the intended targets then allow himself to be pursued to a designated location. Once the targets were close enough, the provocateur’s allies would pepper the pursuers with poisoned tipped darts and shurikens.

Poison Friend Powder is like many other splash weapons, having a range increment of 10 feet. Targeting a creature is not necessary, you need only target a square (AC 5) you wish to affect. The Poison Friend Powder effects all creatures and objects in a 10-ft.-radius spread, centered on the square you targeted. Any creature standing in the square you targeted or caught in the spread takes a –4 penalty on any saving throws made against poisons and Art of Poison special techniques which deal ability damage made within the next 1d4 x 10 minutes. A creature can make a Fortitude save at DC 16 to resist the effect.

Promise to the Clan:
This item is famous to both ninjas and samurai alike, samurai deeming it a kamikaze device. Ninjas know that this device is not often used for a suicide attack, however. The real purpose of this powerful explosive is to prevent the body of a dead ninja from being recovered by a member of a different clan. If an autopsy is performed on a dead ninja whose body is relatively intact (the ninja would be eligible for a “raise dead” spell), it is possible to recreate the special techniques the ninja knew in life, or at the very least, deduce the training regime used to develop the deceased ninja’s physical skills. With the power of the clan in mind, most clan leaders exact an oath from their subordinates that under no circumstances should a dying member ever reveal the secrets of his craft to a rival. Thus, if Greek warriors had a motto of: “come back with your shield or on top of it”, the ninja’s motto would be: “come back with your mission completed or disappear from this world entirely”.

Using Promise to the Clan does not require an action and can be used in combat (during any part of a round) or out of combat. You may even use Promise to the Clan in response to being “dropped” (dealt enough damage to bring your hit points to 0 or less), regardless of what effect “dropped” you and even if the effect would outright kill you. When you use Promise to the Clan your body is instantaneously destroyed in an explosion that deals 9d8 points of damage to all creatures and items in a 30-ft.-radius burst. The damage from this item is non-magical, so it ignores spell resistance, and functions unhindered in the area of an anti-magic or dead magic field. The explosion destroys your body so completely that any form of raising or resurrection is prevented, with the exceptions of the “wish”, “miracle”, and “true resurrection” spells.

Rabbit Prince Serum:
This vial of strange chemicals allows the ninja to become amazingly quick and agile. It was originally developed as a means to avoid capture by mounted warriors. Since ninjas cannot typically rely on having a mount ready to wisk them away from the site of their mission (especially If they are assigned a solo mission), this serum gives the ninja the ability to actually out distance a horse in full gallop, provided the ninja has had some training in sprinting and long distance running. The increase in speed and nimbleness also enhances the ninja’s ability to leap and bound, which is a great boon for ninjas who also prescribe to the principles of the Art of Stealth school.

After quaffing the serum, the ninja gains a +15 foot Alchemical bonus to his base land speed, he may move up to five times his speed instead of four times his speed when running, and he receives a +4 Alchemical bonus on Jump checks made after a running start. If the ninja has the “Run” feat or the “Great Leap” secret knowledge, he gains additional benefits. He may move up to six times his speed instead of four times his speed when running, and he receives a +8 bonus (+4 Alchemical, +4 untyped) on Jump checks made after a running start. The effects of the Rabbit Prince Serum last for 1 hour.

Ravager Serum:
This special mixture allows a ninja to chemically enhance his body to feel no pain, know no weakness, and overcome any obstacle. The price that the ninja pays for his temporary state of invincibility is great, however. When the only options besides completing a mission are death or dishonor, many ninjas will gladly do whatever it takes to increase their chances of success.

After quaffing the serum, the ninja gains a +2 Alchemical bonus on saves vs. Fear effects and Pain effects, and is immune to fatigue and exhaustion (magical or otherwise). He also receives a +2 Alchemical bonus on all skill checks which are modified by Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. Lastly, a ninja under the effects of the serum cannot become staggered or unconscious, and can continue to act normally even if his hit points are reduced to 0 or less. The ninja still dies if his hit points reach –10, as normal. These changes last for 1 hour. After the serum wears off, the ninja must make a Fortitude save at DC 15 or fall unconscious for 1d4 hours. Regardless of whether or not the ninja makes his save, he is treated as exhausted for 24 hours following the use of the Ravager Serum, and no amount of rest can end this state early (though spells which remove exhaustion can still be used).

Scroll Bomb:
This deadly weapon serves much the same purpose as a Blackpowder Bomb. A Scroll Bomb weighs less, has superior range, does more damage, and has greater strategic value than the Blackpowder Bomb. For all its advantages, though, the Scroll Bomb is seven times more expensive, which precludes its inclusion in the arsenals of all but the wealthiest and most powerful ninjas.

A Scroll Bomb can be placed on a flat surface or tied to a ranged weapon. Placing or tying a Scroll Bomb can be done in combat as a move action. Any number of placed Scroll Bombs may be activated as a swift action from up to 600 feet away. An activated placed Scroll Bomb explodes, dealing 5d6 points of damage to all creatures and objects in a 20-ft.-radius spread. Creatures caught in the spread can make a Reflex saving throw at DC 18 for half damage.

If you prefer, you can rig a placed Scroll Bomb to explode when stepped on. In this case, the creature that steps on the Scroll Bomb is not allowed to save for half damage, but all other creatures and objects who are also caught in the explosion can make their saves as normal. If you choose this option, a Rogue can use the Search and Disable Device skills to find and disarm your Scroll Bomb as if it were a magic trap, provided he gets a 28 or higher on each check.

Finally, if you want to tie your Scroll Bomb to a ranged weapon, make an attack with the weapon as normal. If you hit with your attack, you may activate the Scroll Bomb right as the weapon strikes the creature (a free action), denying it a saving throw for half damage as if the creature had stepped on the Scroll Bomb. Surrounding creatures and objects may save for half as normal. If you miss with your ranged attack, you may still activate the Scroll Bomb as it passes through the target’s square, but in this case the creature can make a saving throw for half damage.

Smoke Bomb:
This small item was created, like many ninja alchemical items, to be used as a means of escaping the inevitable man hunt that follows a successful mission. While it lacks the offensive punch that many of the Eggshell Grenades have, the advantages of a Smoke Bomb are its long duration and bigger area of effect (by comparison). One application that makes the Smoke Bomb attractive in a fantasy setting is that many high profile targets (wizards, non-humanoids) may have servants or may themselves be immune to many of the status effects that can be generated by other alchemical items. Few special abilities can defeat a simple, non-magical Hide check, however.

A Smoke Bomb is like many other splash weapons, having a range increment of 10 feet. Targeting a creature is not necessary, you need only target a square (AC 5) you wish to affect. The bomb fills a 20 ft. radius (and rises 20 ft. upward) around the square you targeted. The smoke obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature 5 feet away has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker cannot use sight to locate the target).The smoke dissipates in 1 minute in calm weather, 4 rounds in balmy weather (moderate winds), and 1 round in stormy weather (severe winds).

You may select this secret knowledge any number of times.

[Level20Commoner]

10/23/08 Updated the Alchemy secret knowledge with item descriptions. I think Promise to the Clan and Scroll Bomb are the kewlest of the bunch, but I will leave that entirely subjective matter up to the forum dwellers. Please let me know what you think. :smallsmile:

[Prometheus]

Door #3 definitely, although I should warn you that I didn't read the OP (because you know, it would presumably contain spoilers about what is behind each door).

[Level20Commoner]

Door #3 definitely, although I should warn you that I didn't read the OP (because you know, it would presumably contain spoilers about what is behind each door).

Door #3 contains a fabulous noprize package including: a cookie, an internet, a ninja suit, and an update! This noprize package has an estimated worth of 10 lira. Thanks for playing! :smallbiggrin:

(10/30/08 Added "Beast Form" to Art of the Beast section)

[Level20Commoner]

11/6/08 Added "Master of Misdirection" in the Art of Illusion section. I felt that "Substitution" was too weak on its own, so I added it to the collection of abilities a ninja who takes the "Master of Misdirection" secret knowledge receives. As before, opinions (negative, positive, or nonsensical) are welcome. Thank you! :smallsmile:

[Lochar]

Btw, who takes Commoner all the way to 20? You PrC outta that ASAP. Take Lumberjack or Spook or Rioter or something.

Is it safer to take Commoner to 20, or to take the PrC Red Shirt?

[Level20Commoner]

Is it safer to take Commoner to 20, or to take the PrC Red Shirt?

I played a "Red Shirt" in a GURPS campaign once. I had an agreement with the DM whereby I would continue to be resurrected at the beginning of each session if I could change the facial features of my character slightly. There was a TPK and cosmic "rewind" at the end of each session anyway. Thank you for posting.:smallwink: