Fighters

[Devils_Advocate]

Why would you want to turn a Fighter, of all things, into a ninja? That's crazy talk! A samurai Fighter (or Paladin), on the other hand, would be quite workable.

Combat and skills are not mutually exclusive. Ambushes rely on stealth, Tumble helps with mobility, etc.

If you want to make a ninja character without using any "oriental"-flavored material, I don't really see how it requires any more than playing a Rogue and having your Rogue wear a black jumpsuit and, um, one of those... black... hat-mask... things.

The actual Ninja class from Complete Adventurer is basically a cross between Rogue and Monk.

There's no reason that in a world where magic exists, a Ninja couldn't be a spellcaster. Maybe your Cleric is a Ninja? That's actually quite in line with how they're portrayed in popular fiction though of course historical accuracy flew outta the window long ago. Cloistered Cleric with Trickery-domain has a good bunch of skills you want, and spells to be physically formidable while also having the option of a more discrete approach.

I dunno, I think that something more like Arcane Trickster or Psychic Rogue would work better for a magic!ninja.