[4e Class, WIP] - My blade sinks unseen into the backs of my foes

[Shadow_Elf]

Ninja

"Now you see me - now you see nothing"



Class Traits:
Role: Striker. You appear in the middle of the fray, offering flanking to allies from unseen locations and dealing damage without a trace. You lean towards either leader or controller as a secondary role, depending on your choice of powers.
Power Source: Shadow. You have learned to warp and control the shadows around you using the strength of your soul, combining this mastery of the darkness with lightning reflexes.
Key Abilities: Dexterity, Wisdom, Constitution

Armour Proficiencies: Cloth, Leather, Hide
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple picks, Simple Flails, Simple Light Blades, Military Picks, Military Flails, Military Light Blades, Shuriken.
Bonus Defences: +2 Reflex

Hit Points at 1rst Level: 12 + Constitution score
Hit Points per Level Gained: 5
Healing Surges per Day: 8 + Constitution modifier

Trained Skills: Acrobatics or Stealth. From the class skills list below, choose four more trained skills at first level.
Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Athletics (Str), Dungeoneering (Wis), Endurance (Con), History (Int), Insight (Wis), Nature (Wis), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex), Streetwise (Cha).

Class Features: Concealing Shadows, Deadly Advantage, Shadowshape Style, Vanishing Act

Ninja Class Features:
The ninja has the following class features:

Concealing Shadows
If you move more than 3 squares from your starting location on your turn, you gain concealment until the start of your next turn.

Deadly Precision
Whenever you make an attack with combat advantage against a target using a light blade, pick or flail, roll twice and take whichever result you prefer.

Shadowshape Style
As a ninja, you have a means of moulding the shadows around you and crafting defensive and offensive objects with their hidden power. You choose one of the following styles:
Death's Painter: Once per encounter, when you have concealment or total concealment, as a free action, you can gain a bonus to a single attack roll equal to your Wisdom modifier.
Death's Sculptor: Once per encounter, when you have concealment or total concealment, as an immediate reaction, you can add your Constitution modifier to all your defences against a single attack.
Death's Playwright: Once per encounter, when you have concealment or total concealment and you hit any of the attack's targets, you slide all the targets a number of squares equal to one half your Wisdom modifier rounded down and they grant combat advantage to your allies until the end of your next turn.
Death's Forgemaster: Once per encounter, when you have concealment or total concealment, as a free action, you can add your Constitution modifier to all damage rolls until the end of your next turn.

Vanishing Act
You can use the vanishing act encounter power to escape messy situations or weave into the fray stealthily.

Ninja Powers

Features

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Vanishing Act
"You disappear in a blast of blinding smoke and shadows"
Encounter * Shadow
Move Action - Personal
Effect: You become invisible until the end of your turn or until you attack, and you can move a number of squares equal to the higher of your Wisdom or Constitution modifiers.

Level 1 At-Will Shadowmelds

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Hands Tied
"Your strike makes your foe wary of challenging you openly"
At-Will * Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee or Ranged Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade, a pick or a flail
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Dexterity modifier damage and the target cannot flank you or make opportunity attacks against you until the start of your next turn.
Special: Increase damage to 2[W] + Dexterity modifier damage at 21rst level.


Shadowed Blow
"Your attack leaves lingering shadows in your foe's vision, obscuring it"
At-Will * Shadow, Necrotic, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade, a pick or a flail
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Dexterity modifier damage, you can shift one square, and the target cannot see further than 10 minus your Wisdom modifier squares until the end of your next turn.
Special: Increase damage to 2[W] + 2d6 + Dexterity modifier damage at 21rst level.

Nether Strike
"Your attack is imbued with dark energies that augment its power"
At-Will * Shadow, Necrotic, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee or Ranged Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade, a pick or a flail
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Dexterity modifier necrotic damage and you choose a square adjacent to you. That square counts as an ally for the purposes of flanking until the start of your next turn.
Special: Increase damage to 2[W] + 4d4 + Dexterity modifier damage at 21rst level.

Life-Sapping Sting
"The shadow energies imbued in your attack sap your foe's life energy, delivering it to you"
At-Will * Shadow, Necrotic, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade, a pick or a flail
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + Dexterity modifier necrotic damage and you gain temporary hitpoints equal to 2 + your Constitution modifier.
Special: Increase damage to 2[W] + Dexterity modifier damage at 21rst level.

Level 1 Encounter Shadowmelds

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Bone-Chilling Blow
"Your sword sinks into your foe, causing a chill to run up their spine"
Encounter * Shadow, Cold, Fear, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade, a pick or a flail
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + dexterity modifier cold damage and the target grants combat advantage to an ally of your choice that you can see until the end of your next turn.

Dark Shackles
"You craft bonds out of pure darkness, channeling them through your weapon to bind your foe"
Encounter * Shadow, Necrotic, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee or Ranged Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade, a pick or a flail
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + dexterity modifier cold damage and the target is slowed until the end of your next turn.
Death's Sculptor: The target is instead immobilized until the end of your next turn.

Hammerfall
"Your weapon is imbued with fire from eldritch forges, causing your foe to writhe in pain"
Encounter * Shadow, Fire, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade, a pick or a flail
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + dexterity modifier fire damage and you knock the target prone.
Death's Forgemaster: Your next attack with the same weapon before the end of your next turn deals extra fire damage equal to your Constitution modifier.

Shadow Orchestration
"You redirect your foe's charge, carefully maneuvering to cancel its impact"
Encounter * Shadow, Necrotic, Weapon
Immediate Interrupt - Melee Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade, a pick or a flail
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 1[W] + dexterity modifier necrotic damage and the target's charge is canceled.
Death's Playwright: You can shift a number of squares equal to your Wisdom modifier on a hit.

Sweeping Brush
"You drag your foe across the battlefield, like ink across a page"
Encounter * Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade, a pick or a flail
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 2[W] + dexterity modifier damage and you slide the target 2 squares
Death's Painter: You instead slide the target 1 + your wisdom modifier squares on a hit.

Level 1 Daily Shadowmelds
[spoiler]Shadow Strike
"You vanish into thin air, reappearing next to a foe and attacking them in their surprise"
Daily * Shadow, Teleportation, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade, a pick or a flail
Effect: You teleport a number of squares equal to your Dexterity modifier, then make the following attack, with combat advantage:
Target: One enemy
Attack: Dexterity vs. Reflex
Hit: 2[W] + dexterity modifier damage, and you teleport the target into the square you started in.

Liquid Dance of Death
"You dance circles around your foes, leaving them dizzied and confused"
Daily * Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade, a pick or a flail
Effect: Shift a number of squares equal to your speed + your wisdom modifier and make the following attack against each enemy you end your turn adjacent to:
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: Dexterity modifier damage and you slide the target 3 squares and it is dazed until the end of your next turn.

Finishing Strike
"You end your foe's pitiful existence"
Daily * Shadow, Weapon
Standard Action - Melee or Ranged Weapon
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade, a pic or a flail
Target: One bloodied enemy granting you combat advantage
Attack: Dexterity vs. AC
Hit: 3[W] + dexterity modifier + wisdom modifier + constitution modifier damage.
Miss: Half damage.

Soulfire Barrage
"A simple shuriken transforms into a deadly ball of soulfire"
Daily * Shadow, Fire, Necrotic, Weapon
Standard Action - Burst 2 within 10
Requirement: You must be wielding a light blade with the light thrown property
Target: Each enemy in burst
Attack: Dexterity vs. Reflex
Hit: 1[W] + dexterity modifier fire damage and the target takes ongoing necrotic damage equal to 2 + your Constitution modifier (minimum 1).
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Feats:

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Master Playwright
Prerequisites: Ninja, Death’s Playwright class feature.
Benefit: When you activate your Death’s Playwright class feature, you slide the targets a number of squares equal to your full Wisdom modifier, instead of half.

Master Smith
Prerequisites: Ninja, Death’s Forgemaster class feature.
Benefit: When you activate your Death’s Forgemaster class feature, the bonus to damage provided by the feature increases by 2.
This bonus increases to +4 at level 11 and +6 at level 21.

Master Sculptor
Prerequisites: Ninja, Death’s Sculptor class feature.
Benefit: When you activate your Death’s Sculptor class feature, the bonus to defences provided by the feature increases by 1.

Master Painter
Prerequisites: Ninja, Death’s Painter class feature.
Benefit: When you activate your Death’s Painter class feature, the bonus to an attack roll provided by the feature increases by 1.

Weapons:

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{table=head] Weapon | Proficiency Bonus | Damage | Classification | Properties | Difficulty
Ninjato | +3 | 1d6 | Light Blade | Swift 3 | Superior
Nunchaku | +2 | 2d4 | Flail | Brutal 2 | Superior
Claws | +3 | 1d6 | Light Blade | Off-Hand, Defensive | Superior
Katana | +3 | 1d8 | Heavy Blade | High Crit, Versatile, Swift 1 | Superior
Naginata | +2 | 1d10 | Heavy Blade, Polearm | Reach, Dismounter 2 | Superior
Pick & Chain* | +2 | 1d12/d8 | Pick, Flail | Defensive, Off-Hand | Superior
[/table]

The Ninjato, Nunchaku and Claws are One-Handed, The Katana is two-handed and the Naginata and Pick & Chain are two-handed, in case it wasn't obvious.

Dismounter X: This weapon deals +X damage per [W] against creatures of Large size or larger, or small and medium creatures mounted on creatures of Large size or larger.
Swift X: This weapon deals +2 damage per [W] for the first X rounds of combat.
*The Pick and Chain is a Double Weapon (see Adventurer's Vault, page 10). One end is a Heavy Pick that deals 1d12 damage, and the other is a small flail that deals 1d8 damage.

PEACH and Enjoy. This is my first big attempt at a full class. Encounter and Daily powers, as well a Utilities, will be up as soon as my pressing VUACS work schedule is lessened.

Edit Log

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EDIT 1: I changed their "bonus damage feature", which now looks like the love child of Oath of Enmity and Sneak Attack. I also dropped Maces (useless) and let them pick up flails (more thematically appropriate anyways).
EDIT 2: I know, Edit 2 came in fast. I added two new builds: Death's Playwright and Death's Forgemaster. Its like you get Shadow Power before it even comes out! Now I'm onto powers. Enjoy.
EDIT 3: Fix'd the at-will powers to fall in line with the new bonus damage feature. PEACH.
EDIT 4: Added level 1 encounter powers.
EDIT 5: Added a few feats, and some Oriental-inspired weapons. PEACH.
EDIT 6: Added level 1 daily Shadowmelds. Enjoy.

[Alteran]

I like it so far. The basics seem in order, although I thought maybe it would be reasonable to give them history as a class skill. I'm not sure why that came to mind, but it did. Concealing Shadows, Shadowshape Style, and Vanishing Act are fun stuff, and the at-will powers seem solid. Quite powerful, but perhaps not too powerful. They remind me of the barbarian powers, we get either cool effects or extra dice. This is good. You can probably get away with better powers, because (like the barbarian) the extra-damage features are not as powerful.

Now we're getting the the one part I'm unsure about, Deadly Advantage. Raising dice sizes seems simple enough, but you lose a lot of control with that. It's not a static bonus, it depends on weapons used, and also what powers you use. This, to me, means it could be more easily abusable. I'm also not sure how it compares to sneak attack, hunter's quarry, or some of the other extra damage features.

Let's say for the purposes of this experiment that the Ninja is using a rapier. Refluffed as a katana perhaps, but the rapier seems to be the best choice so far. Bumping up the die size by two brings it from d8 to d12, an increase from 4.5 average damage to 6.5, an increase of 2 per die used. I'll compare two at-will powers at level 1.

Rogue
We'll give the Rogue backstabber as a feat, since most rogues will have it.
This guy is an Artful Dodger, using sly flourish.

1d4 (dagger)
4 (dex mod)
3 (cha mod)
2d8 (sneak attack)

2.5 + 4 + 3 + 9 = 18.5 average damage.

Ninja
Our first level Ninja has spent her feat on becoming proficient with the rapier.
She's using nether strike.

1d12 (rapier)
4 (dex mod)
2d4 (nether strike)

6.5 + 4 + 5 = 15.5 average damage. This is only slightly less damage, and for each extra [W] the Ninja deals an extra 2 damage. This seems fairly balanced.

Now, at level 21.

Rogue
Same Rogue, same power.

2d4 (dagger)
7 (dex)
5 (cha)
5d8 (sneak attack)

5 + 7 + 5 + 22.5 = 39.5 average damage.

Ninja
Same Ninja, she'll use nether strike again.

2d12 (rapier)
7 (dex)
4d4 (neither strike)

13 + 7 + 10 = 30 average damage. This is significantly lower. Remember, our rogue was using a dagger. He could also use a rapier, and only suffer an attack bonus that's one lower. As I thought, Deadly Advantage becomes worse at higher levels, but it becomes more powerful with attacks that use more dice. I won't know how well it would balance out without some playtesting.

Overall this looks like a fun class, but you'd need to figure out how good Deadly Advantage is and base powers around that. There's also the possibility of changing it, but nothing comes to mind right now.

[Wreckingrocc]

Looks very intriguing. A list of powers might better define it, but there are certainly things I see and like, and things I see and believe require changing.

First, I have a question that can be applied to many 4e classes, but I think it fits here.

Why Constitution? How does being healthy cause the ninja to move faster and heighten ability to dodge?

It's just one of those classes that seems like it should only have two relevant ability scores...

Also, shouldn't power source be Ki? I'm betting that Wizards will have Ninja the Ki striker; not the shadow. Monk will cover Defender, and perhaps even Shugenja might jump the Controller, though it could go in any direction.

[Shadow_Elf]

Looks very intriguing. A list of powers might better define it, but there are certainly things I see and like, and things I see and believe require changing.

Thanks.

First, I have a question that can be applied to many 4e classes, but I think it fits here.

Why Constitution? How does being healthy cause the ninja to move faster and heighten ability to dodge?

It's just one of those classes that seems like it should only have two relevant ability scores...

Going a bit for the traditional Ninja. In real life, Ninjas were farmers trained by nobles to kill samurai. That simple. They often employed ball-and-chain (i.e. flails), farming implements such as scythes or picks, and occasionally Shuriken or Daggers. CON represents their resilience, the fact that many of them would have been farmers, and they need those Endrance checks for long missions.

Also, shouldn't power source be Ki? I'm betting that Wizards will have Ninja the Ki striker; not the shadow. Monk will cover Defender, and perhaps even Shugenja might jump the Controller, though it could go in any direction.

I've given up on Monk being anything but a Striker in 4e. The way I see it:

Monk: Ki Striker
Samurai: Ki Defender
Wu Jen: Ki Controller

No I know there can be overlap, but here I'm mixing fantasy with real life - in D&D, a farmer trained to assassinate samurai would not be very useful elsewhere. So I added a mystical aspect to them - they bend shadows to their will with the sheer power of their soul (Soul Power being represented by Wisdom and Constitution).

Also, Edited the Ninja with a new bonus damage feature. The at-will powers may now have to be changed, but them's the breaks.

[Shadow_Elf]

I've added some level 1 encounter powers. PEACH and Enjoy. I will have some Dailies up tonight most likely, after I make some monsters for VUACS.

[Shadow_Elf]

Added weapons and feats, for more of a "Ninja" feel. Enjoy.

[Malicte]

One thing I noticed - did you mean for the Nunchaku to be 1d4 or 2d4? With a brutal 2 on a 2d4 weapon, you average 7 damage per 1[W], more than a d12. This, combined with the +3 proficiency bonus, makes this weapon better than some 2-handed superior weapons (executioner's axe comes to mind, a brutal 2 weapon with roughly 6.5 damage per 1[W]), and does it one-handed. Consider dropping this to 1d4 damage (brutal 2).

[Shadow_Elf]

One thing I noticed - did you mean for the Nunchaku to be 1d4 or 2d4? With a brutal 2 on a 2d4 weapon, you average 7 damage per 1[W], more than a d12. This, combined with the +3 proficiency bonus, makes this weapon better than some 2-handed superior weapons (executioner's axe comes to mind, a brutal 2 weapon with roughly 6.5 damage per 1[W]), and does it one-handed. Consider dropping this to 1d4 damage (brutal 2).

Oops, how did I miss that? 1d4 and brutal 2 would be on average... 3.5 damage, the same as 1d6, which would make it underpowered when compared to other Superior weapons. Yet 2d4 and Brutal 1 is still too high, averaging 6 damage, which is about a d12 and still too good for a one-handed weapon... but if I make it 1d8, it will be rather unoriginal. Also, the Execution Axe is 7.5 average damage ( [3+12]/2 = 7.5), and it is also high-crit. If it was 2d4 and brutal 2 (average 7 damage), but had a +2 proficiency (it is a rather ridiculous weapon...), it would be about on par with the Bastard Sword, which has the added bonus of being versatile. So unless there's any objections, I'll knock the proficiency down a notch and leave it be otherwise.

[Faulty]

You could maybe include bastard sword as a weapon proficiency. That's generally the analog to a katana.

[Shadow_Elf]

You could maybe include bastard sword as a weapon proficiency. That's generally the analog to a katana.

I have included a Katana above in the Weapons section. I will provide a feat that allows the use of Heavy Blades with Ninja powers, but I have not yet figured out how to balance it (I can't drop SA dice like Martial Power did for alternate Rogue Weapons, since there are no dice associated with Deadly Precision.) Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Also, I'm pretty sure real Ninjas never used katanas, but thats beside the point. If I don't let Ninjas use katanas somehow, there'll be lynch mobs in no-time flat ,

[Shadow_Elf]

Level 1 Dailies added. The Ninja is now playtestable at level 1! Hurray! Level 2 Utilities to come.

Also, I'm thinking up ideas for Paragon Paths. Any thoughts would be appreciated (eventually, since PPs are useless until the Heroic Tier is done...)