Alright, so here I go charging again with completely bizarre revampings to classes that are fan favorites but bad for optimizing. Hope this helps a bit.
Say...remember the Monk? No, not the original one nor the slight retouch done later on. The Monk I speak was a revamping that I did to make it a bit more attractive while keeping that idea of Wuxia, retain the mechanical concepts of the system so that it kept working with the existing system, and fix some of the eternal problems the Monk usually had. Well, there were some stuff I considered adding the Monk that I scrapped because they weren't thematically fit, but that would work quite well with the Ninja. So, trying to stick to that concept, I decided to revamp the Ninja as well.
I'll attempt to repeat what I did last time. I'll take the existing Ninja class (the one from Complete Adventurer, not the one from Legend of the Five Rings or such) and try making it more effective than it can possibly be. There'll be some good stuff and some bad stuff. I'll explain (as I did before, with a liberal use of spoilers) the entire thought process and the justification for all the added, revamped or replaced class abilities. As a general idea: when I made the Monk, I took the concept originally existing from the Ninja and added some fitting abilities. This is essentially returning the favor to the class.
As an added point: there's a very, very, very good rendition of a Ninja that serves as the theoretical inspiration for this revamp, and that's the Shinobi-no-Mono that heretic8888 made a long time ago. Part of his inspiration was clinging to the traditional abilities of the ninja. While respecting that aspect, I wanted to give the same supernatural feel I gave the Monk but going through that line of thought. I expect to believe I at least managed to succeed on that.
NINJA
"To infiltrate. To spy. To escape. That is my task. That is my life." - mantra recited by the clan of the Whispering Wind.
MAKING A NINJA (or, how it has - or hasn't - changed)
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Abilities: The CA Ninja has a very limited form of MAD, mostly depending on Dexterity and Wisdom for all abilities. Since they are of the roguish kind, Ninjas don't depend much on Strength as other classes would. Wisdom is now more important than ever, given the fact that it influences more than just the Ki pool. Dexterity still remains an important score, but it stands between equal to lower compared to Wisdom. Constitution remains a strong third choice.
Races: Humans are best fit to become Ninjas, given their bonus feat and extra skill point. Halflings are also a good choice, since they can do a very strong amount of damage and have a solid boost on Dexterity. Oddly enough, Elves with their Dex bonus and Martial Weapon Proficiencies find themselves an interesting choice.
Outside of Core, a race with high Dexterity and no Wisdom penalties (or viceversa) make a fine Ninja. Oddly enough, Githzerai make perfect Ninja given their abilities and ability score choices, as well as both Aasimar and Tiefling. Goblins also make reasonable choices.
Alignment: Any. I could be tempted to go with Lawful or non-Good, but Ninjas work on all trends. A Ninja can be loyal to a feudal lord or merely hold a sense of respect (but not attachment) to its clan and teacher. The arts of the Ninja can serve both good and evil. So there's no point on limiting the alignment of the class to fit a certain choice.
Starting Gold: as base Ninja
Starting Age: as base Ninja
Class Skills
The Class Name's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information, Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (local) (Int), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str) and Tumble (Dex)
Skills Per Day at 1st Level : (8 + Int) x 4
Skills Per Day at Each Additional Level : 8 + Int
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Yes, the Ninja list is this long. There's some skills that may seem a tad odd but fit perfectly if you consider the 18 arts of Ninjitsu:
Hensōjutsu: disguise and impersonation. Hence, Bluff and Disguise.
Shinobi-iri: stealth and entering methods. Hide and Move Silently pretty much exemplify the stealth, but to make a proper entrance, locks have to be deactivated; hence, Open Lock. Disable Device is meant for mechanical traps, but I declined giving the Ninja a specific ability that's best left for the Rogue. Climb is also meant for entering, amongst other things.
Bajutsu: horsemanship. Or, as known in D&D, Ride.
Sui-ren: water training. This one is a bit tough, but it can be interpreted as a skill in aquatic movement or combat; if so, Swim meets nearly all the requirements.
Chōhō: espionage. This is best represented by Gather Information and Knowledge (local), since information gathering is the entire basis of espionage, no?
Intonjutsu: escaping and concealment. Hide and Move Silently also represent this, but there's other class abilities that best represent this particular Ninja art.
Tenmon: meteorology. The closest thing to a meteorological prediction is through Knowledge (nature).
Chi-mon: geography. This pretty much means Knowledge (geography) is added to the list.
As for the other skills, they are part of the old CA Ninja and hold pretty considerable strength. Two odd skills the Ninja has is Use Magic Device and Use Rope: the former is to represent the odd knowledge of Ninjas using magic from scrolls, and the other is general knowledge with a rope.
And yes, I know pretty much no one puts points on Use Rope.
Given the controversy regarding UMD, I decided to remove it from the list. I really liked the skill, if only to replicate the fantastic idea of taking a scroll with magic and unleashing some "ninja magic" on your enemies. However, the benefits far outweigh the intent, and UMD seemingly grants far much power to a Ninja than it intends to.
Use Rope, on the other hand, was plain weird.
Hit Dice: d6
Table: The Ninja
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Slow Fall distance
|AC Bonus
|Speed Bonus
1st|+0|+0
|+2
|+0
|Unarmed strike, ki power, sudden strike +1d6|0 ft.
|+0
|+0 ft.
2nd|+1|+0
|+3
|+0
|Evasion, ghost step (invisibility 1/round)|0 ft.
|+0
|+0 ft.
3rd|+2|+1
|+3
|+1
|Sudden strike +2d6, art of poison|0 ft.
|+0
|+10 ft.
4th|+3|+1
|+4
|+1
|Leap of the clouds, ki strike (magic), art of disguise, slow fall|20 ft.
|+1
|+10 ft.
5th|+3|+1
|+4
|+1
|Sudden strike +3d6, uncanny dodge|20 ft.
|+1
|+10 ft.
6th|+4|+2
|+5
|+2
|Ghost step (invisibility 1/round), phantom image (blur)|40 ft.
|+1
|+20 ft.
7th|+5|+2
|+5
|+2
|Sudden strike +4d6, art of exhalation|40 ft.
|+1
|+20 ft.
8th|+6/+1|+2
|+6
|+2
|Walk the clouds, ki strike (ghost touch)|40 ft.
|+2
|+20 ft.
9th|+6/+1|+3
|+6
|+3
|Improved evasion, improved uncanny dodge, sudden strike +5d6|60 ft.
|+2
|+30 ft.
10th|+7/+2|+3
|+7
|+3
|Death attack, ghost step (greater invisibility)|60 ft.
|+2
|+30 ft.
11th|+8/+3|+3
|+7
|+3
|Sudden strike +6d6, art of explosions|60 ft.
|+2
|+30 ft.
12th|+9/+4|+4
|+8
|+4
|Phantom image (mirror image), hide in plain sight|80 ft.
|+3
|+40 ft.
13th|+9/+4|+4
|+8
|+4
|Sudden strike +7d6|80 ft.
|+3
|+40 ft.
14th|+10/+5/|+4
|+9
|+4
|Ghost step (ethereal), ghost mind|80 ft.
|+3
|+40 ft.
15th|+11/+6/+1|+5
|+9
|+5
|Sudden strike +8d6, expanded precision|100 ft.
|+4
|+50 ft.
16th|+12/+7/+2|+5
|+10
|+5
|Ghost sight|100 ft.
|+4
|+50 ft.
17th|+12/+7/+2|+5
|+10
|+5
|Sudden strike +9d6|100 ft.
|+4
|+50 ft.
18th|+13/+8/+3|+6
|+11
|+6
|Phantom image (shadow image)|any
|+5
|+60 ft.
19th|+14/+9/+4|+6
|+11
|+6
|Sudden strike +10d6|any
|+5
|+60 ft.
20th|+15/+10/+5|+6
|+12
|+6
|Mastery of ki|any
|+6
|+60 ft.
[/table]
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First thing you'll notice is, evidently, the Ninja has acquired many of the Monk's goodies. While I might not incline much towards fast movement, I do incline towards the unarmed damage and slow fall abilities, which are preeminent on both classes.
The HP of the Ninja is on tune with the Rogue, which has a Hit Dice in the low threshold. This makes the Ninja's HP be a priority, as well as attempting to evade combat as much as possible. BAB is like Rogue, considering that the Ninja is a stealth-based class and not a solid warrior.
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the ninja.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Ninja are proficient with all simple weapons plus the hand crossbow, kama, kukri, kusari-gama, nunchaku, sai, shortbow, short sword and shuriken. Ninja are not proficient with any armor or shields
When wearing armor, using a shield, or carrying a medium load, a ninja loses her AC bonus, as well as her fast movement, slow fall, and all her ki abilities.
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The difference between the Monk's choice of weaponry and the Ninja choice of weaponry lies upon the short sword and the short bow. I would be inclined to add kusarigama and even perhaps spiked chain, but the former isn't legal unless you have Oriental Adventures or a book tha has it. The closest equivalent is the spiked chain, which is a weapon I have already added to the monk.
In any case, if your DM allows the kusarigama, consider this Ninja proficient in it.
UPDATE: Kusari-gama is in (thanks Cie)
AC Bonus (Ex): When unarmored and unencumbered, the ninja adds her Wisdom bonus (if any) to her AC. In addition, a ninja gains a +1 bonus to AC at certain intervals, as shown on Table: The Ninja. The bonuses are not cumulative.
These bonuses to AC apply even against touch attacks or when the ninja is flat-footed. She loses these bonuses when she is immobilized or helpless, when she wears any armor, when she carries a shield, or when she carries a medium or heavy load.
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Look at my Monk revamping for opinions over this. It's mostly the same.
Unarmed Strike: At 1st level, a ninja gains Improved Unarmed Strike as a bonus feat. As well, a ninja’s unarmed strikes may use her Strength or Wisdom modifier for her attack and damage rolls, whichever is the highest.
A ninja’s attacks may be with either fist interchangeably or even from elbows, knees, and feet. This means that a ninja may even make unarmed strikes with her hands full. Exception: a ninja may not use unarmed strikes if she holds a weapon in each hand (or a double weapon) if she is using the Two-Weapon Fighting feat. She may, however, use unarmed strikes with the Two-Weapon Fighting feat if she holds only one weapon or none (in the case of none, treat each unarmed strike as a separate weapon for purposes of qualifying). There is no such thing as an off-hand damage penalty for a ninja striking unarmed, she may thus apply her full Strength (or Wisdom) bonus on damage rolls for all her unarmed strikes.
Usually a ninja’s unarmed strikes deal lethal damage, but she can choose to deal nonlethal damage instead with no penalty on her attack roll. She has the same choice to deal lethal or nonlethal damage while grappling.
A ninja’s unarmed strike is treated both as a manufactured weapon and a natural weapon for the purpose of spells and effects that enhance or improve either manufactured weapons or natural weapons.
A ninja also deals more damage with her unarmed strikes than a normal person would. She deals 1d6 points of damage with each strike; this damage does not improve.
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Alright, this may look odd to you until you get the gist of it. At first glance, it seems the Ninja copied some stuff from the Monk, but weaker. This is intentional for various reasons.
One of the 18 arts of Ninjutsu is Taijutsu, or the art of barehanded combat. You could expect that a Ninja should be, at best, quite proficient in unarmed combat so as to hold her ground. Given her dependance on Wisdom (or Dexterity), her unarmed attacks (and only unarmed attacks) can be influenced by Wisdom.
But, why weaker? Well, the Ninja already has a method to deal greater damage, so in theory you'd be dealing a solid amount of damage by combining unarmed strikes with the extra damage die to be presented soon. An unarmed ninja isn't a weak opponent, but someone meant to be dangerous. This should exemplify the idea.
EDIT: Given that it seems giving a better progression for a Ninja makes using weapons a bit of a pointless affair, I decided to make the Ninja deal only a specific amount of damage. It's pretty much like the Monk's base unarmed damage, but the Monk's damage increases while the Ninja's damage remains stationary. Of course, add Sudden Strike and watch the sparks fly!
Ki Power (Su): A ninja can channel her ki to enhance her mobility, defense, and special attacks through a variety of powers. She can use her ki powers a number of times per day equal to half her class level plus her Wisdom bonus (if any). Ki powers can only be used if the ninja is wearing no armor or shield and carries no more than a medium load. As long as a ninja’s ki pool isn’t empty, she may use all of her supernatural abilities (except Slow Fall, Ghost Step, Leap of the Clouds and ki strike which are always active). A ninja’s ki powers are described under separate entries below.
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Copied almost verbatim from the old CA Ninja, except for what happens when you waste your ki pool. Of course, some abilities have to remain active nearly all of the time; the remaining abilities should allow your character to escape if it goes nova.
Sudden Strike (Ex): If a ninja can catch an opponent when he is unable to defend himself effectively from her attack, she can strike a vital spot for extra damage. Whenever a ninja’s target is denied a Dexterity bonus to Armor Class (whether the target has a Dexterity bonus or not), the ninja deals an extra 1d6 points of damage with her attack. This extra damage increases by 1d6 points for every two ninja levels thereafter. A ninja can’t use sudden strike when flanking an opponent unless that opponent is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC.
This damage also applies to ranged attacks against targets up to 30 feet away. Creatures with concealment, creatures without discernible anatomies, and creatures immune to extra damage from critical hits are all immune to sudden strike. A ninja can’t make a sudden strike while striking the limbs of a creature whose vitals are out of reach (for purposes of definition, treat a creature two sizes higher than the ninja as having its vitals out of reach).
A ninja can’t use sudden strike to deflect nonlethal damage. Weapons capable of dealing only nonlethal damage don’t deal extra damage when used as part of a sudden strike. A ninja’s unarmed strike can deal sudden strike damage only if the damage is lethal.
The extra damage from the sudden strike stacks with the extra damage from sneak attack whenever both would apply to the same target.
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I know, I know. Why on heavenly tarnations I went with Sudden Strike over Sneak Attack? Well, it already exists as one of the ninja abilities, and I won't go angry for it. The reason why I didn't felt like replacing SS for SA is mostly because you'll be expected to be invisible, taking opponents one by one; not working flanking opportunities. At first, it may seem like pointless to attempt SS, but eventually the chances of denying a Dexterity bonus to AC will improve.
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level or higher if a ninja makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, she instead takes no damage. Evasion can be used only if a ninja is wearing light armor or no armor. A helpless ninja does not gain the benefit of evasion.
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Nothing new. The main difference is that the ninja now gets Evasion right at the moment where the Monk and the Rogue get it.
Ghost Step (Su): A ninja has mastered the art of hiding and escaping with such depth that she is almost considered invisible to the naked eye. She moves like a ghost, unseen and untouchable only until the blow has been dealt. She may add half her ninja level as a competence bonus to all Hide checks.
Starting from 2nd level, a ninja can spend one daily use of her ki power to become invisible for one round. Using this ability is a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. At 6th level, the invisibility lasts for 1 round per ninja level, or until she makes an attack, and at 10th level she can remain invisible for the duration of the ability even if she makes an attack.
At 14th level, a ninja can become ethereal instead of becoming invisible.
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Ghost Step is almost part of the iconic Ninja abilities, almost quite literally the art of hiding in plain sight. This goes straight with Intonjutsu, but with a mystical flair towards it. At first, the ability is meant to be reasonable yet stringent; limiting the invisibility to one round and making it as the typical invisibility (which means you lose your status once you attack). 6th level is the moment where you can pretty much prepare the character for a beating; again, perhaps it won't seem reasonable, but you can use that invisibility for better uses. 10th level is when things finally improve, where the Ninja can remain invisible for a much longer period of time and makes SS actually viable. Finally, 14th level makes the Ninja ethereal instead, which becomes a mighty defensive tactic.
Also, Ghost Step makes your Hide checks a cinch. The intention is that no one gets where you are, so why not make it the main benefit of the class ability?
Fast Movevent (Ex): At 3rd level, a ninja gains an enhancement bonus to her speed, as shown on Table: The Ninja. A ninja in armor or carrying a medium or heavy load loses this extra speed.
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Same as Monk. This means the Ninja can move at surprisingly fast speeds, and make more of that round of invisibility.
Art of Poison (Ex & Su): At 3rd level, a ninja learns the art of proper poisoning, which allows her to cripple or kill her opponents in a painful and lethargic way. A ninja never risks accidentally poisoning herself when applying poison to a weapon. Furthermore, she can apply a poison as a swift action instead of a standard action.
By expending a daily use of her ki power, a ninja can make her poison especially virulent. She may add up to half her class level plus her Wisdom modifier to the Difficulty Class of any ingested or injury poison she uses. This increase in DC affects both the primary and the secondary effect of the poison.
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This is an improvement to the class ability Poison Use. By 3rd level, poisons should be well used by sneaky classes, and the Ninja is no exception.
The ki enhancement granted to the Ninja in the use of poison is, in my opinion, a needed one. Poisons become nearly all but useful at higher levels, and it is often considered that poison is worthless. This should make the poison a bit more potent at later levels, making Ninjas with concealed poisonous weapons a veritable challenge
Slow Fall (Su): At 4th level or higher, a ninja takes damage from any fall as if it were shorter. The amount of distance reduced by this ability is shown on Table: The Ninja. As well, a ninja may expend one daily use of her ki pool as an immediate action to gain the effect of a feather fall spell.
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Please take a look at the revamped Monk so that you get an idea.
Leap of the Clouds (Su): At 4th level and higher, a ninja always makes Jump checks as if she were running, enabling her to make long jumps and high jumps without a running start. Furthermore, she may add half her class level as a competence bonus to all Jump checks
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This is mostly an enhancement to the class ability of similar name that the Ninja possesses. It makes Jumping (and Jump-based damage builds) much better. There are uses for Jump, and this makes those uses better.
Ki Strike (Su): At 4th level, a ninja’s unarmed attacks are empowered with ki. Her unarmed attacks are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to creatures with damage reduction. Ki strike improves with the character’s ninja level. At 8th level, her unarmed attacks are also treated as ghost touch weapons for the purpose of dealing damage to incorporeal creatures.
By expending daily uses of her ki power, a ninja’s ki strike temporarily improves. At 4th level, the ninja may spend one daily use to grant her unarmed strikes gain a +1 enhancement to attack and damage rolls, as if using a +1 weapon; this enhancement bonus increases by 1 every three levels, up to a maximum of +5 at 16th level. At 8th level, the ninja may spend two daily uses to grant her unarmed strikes the ability to attack creatures in the Material Plane while being ethereal (or while at the Ethereal Plane). These enhancements are cumulative (a ninja need only spend two daily uses for all effects), and last for a period of rounds equal to half her class level. If the ninja gains an enhancement bonus to her fists, or the ability to attack creatures while ethereal, she need only spend one daily use of ki to gain the remaining enhancement.
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Much like the enhancement of the ki strike done to the Monk, Ninjas already have stronger unarmed strikes, so this is meant to make those unarmed strikes better.
Ghost touch is something I have to explain. Since by 14th level you can be expected to face incorporeal creatures, and you'll have the ability to go ethereal, having the ghost touch special ability and it's logical enhancement makes sense. You can take the battle into the Ethereal Plane and cause all sorts of mayhem, making Sudden Strike just as useful as Sneak Attack, with the added damage of your own unarmed strike.
Art of Disguise (Ex & Su): At 4th level, a ninja improves her ability to assume the identity of an individual, or to pass as an inconspicuous individual with great ease. She may add half her class level as a competence bonus to all Disguise checks.
By expending a daily use of her ki power, a ninja can improve her disguise with a transformation effect as if using the spell alter self, except her transformation is purely illusory (Will save for disbelief equal to the ninja’s Disguise check). Her effective caster level for this effect is one-half her ninja level (rounded down).
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Much like what Ghost Step did to Intonjutsu, this ability does to Hensōjutsu. Ninjas are meant to be master artists in the art of disguise, so they gain the extraordinary ability to make their disguises already better by increasing in the class. The ki enhancement is meant to work on making superb disguises but not granting the literal power of Alter Self, which can be easily abused.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 5th level, a ninja can react to danger before her senses would normally allow her to do so. She retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if she is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, she still loses her Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
If a ninja already has uncanny dodge from a different class she automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.
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I find it odd that the Ninja doesn't has this class feature. It's nothing out of the ordinary; just gaining a defense from the kind of damage she can potentially deal. It makes sense that, if you know the tactic to deal greater damage, you must also know the defenses against it. Hence, Uncanny Dodge.
Phantom Image (Su): At 6th level, a ninja’s supernatural agility causes in her opponents difficulty to follow her position. If she moves more than 10 feet in one round, her outline shifts and wavers, granting her concealment (20% miss chance) against all attacks for one round. Using this ability is a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. By spending one daily use of her ki power, her image distorts for a longer time, lasting for a number of rounds equal to half her class level. At 12th level, she gains total concealment (50% miss chance) from this ability, and she can expend two daily uses of her ki power to generate a series of illusory images of herself, as if using the mirror image spell, with an effective caster level equal to half her class level.
Spells such as see invisibility have no effect on the concealment and mirror image effects granted by this ability, but a true seeing spell negates all miss chance effects and allows to ignore the images.
At 18th level, her illusory images are constructed instead from shadows, and become partially real; the images gain an AC equal to your own, and have an amount of effective HP equal to one-half your current. The images are not automatically destroyed with a single attack unless the attacker succeeds on a Will saving throw (DC equal to 10 + half the ninja’s character level + the ninja’s Wisdom modifier). If a creature succeeds on the saving throw (or has true seeing), the images are treated as one-fifth (20%) real for terms of HP, and their AC is reduced to that of the image produced by the mirror image spell. Creatures with blindsense, tremorsense, blindsight must also succeed on the saving throw or treat all images as real.
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Phantom Image is what you get when you see Ki Dodge and you notice "gee, this ability kinda sucks!". By remaining in movement, you get concealment; this not only plays well with the feeling of the class, but it also gives the impression of the Ninja having supernatural agility and prowess (and it works much better than, say, Mobility; +4 AC isn't as strong as 20% miss chance you can activate with a mere Tumble).
The Mirror Image ability is one that I consider usually the kind of trick you'd expect from a Ninja. Either as Bunshin (a mere double image), or Utsusemi (a rather literal version of Mirror Image), this ability got stuck to the Ninja and makes sense to add. It reinforces the evasive-defensive abilities of the Ninja, allowing her to remain in close combat with the safety that few attacks will actually hit and lower her precious HP.
The 18th level ability takes the power of Mirror Image to higher levels. This ability should be enough to fool such forms of preternatural sight such as blindsight, mindsight and so on. It isn't enough to fool True Seeing, but it helps to save ki points by making the images more resilient. If it becomes harder to take a shadow down, and you can reshuffle your position as easy as a free action, then it makes your survival much better. Of course, even though the images are partially real, the intention is to make them decoys, not summoned creatures under your control.
Art of Exhalation (Su): At 7th level, a ninja gains the ability to hold in her mouth a diverse number of liquids, such as poisons or alchemical fluids, and spew them in a small cloud that can affect a small area. As a full-round action, a ninja may fill her mouth with the contents of a flask of liquid such as a contact or inhaled poison, acid, holy water, alchemical fire and similar effects without activating the effect (thus, a ninja never gets poisoned, nor suffers acid or fire damage). She cannot talk nor use any ability that requires a verbal component while holding the liquid in her mouth. As a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, a ninja can spew the liquid into a fine mist that affects a single creature within 5 feet of her if it succeeds on a melee touch attack. She can use this ability as part of an attack, but she cannot use her sudden strike (or sneak attack) extra damage even if the creature is denied her Dexterity bonus with this ability.
By expending a daily use of her ki power as a swift action, a ninja can expel the liquid at full strength at a larger distance. The range of the cloud increases to a 15-foot cone, and every creature within the range must instead succeed on a Reflex saving throw (DC equal to 10 + half the ninja’s caster level + the ninja’s Wisdom modifier) or take the full effect of the liquid; a success implies half damage.
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Much like what Art of Poison did with poisons, this does for alchemical items (and whaddya know, poisons too, believe it or not!). This allows you to get an extra attack of a specific element as a free action, or strengthen the power of the alchemical item by making it a ranged weapon. This is based partly on Kayakujutsu (the art of explosives and gunpowder), but also on certain modern "warriors" that enjoy using the move (such as Tajiri with his "green mist"). While it may make a Ninja look like a coward, such is the Ninja's way of combat; pure trickery and surprise.
Walk the Clouds (Su): At 8th level, a ninja is capable of leaping and moving with such grace that she seems to move through the air. She may move through the air up to a distance equal to her character level plus any ranks in Balance horizontally through the air, and rise up to a distance equal to half her character level plus half of any ranks in Jump at a degree of 45, both at their nearest 5-feet equivalents (round down). Her total movement may not exceed her land speed. A ninja must concentrate (as a move action) to remain aloft or fall to the ground.
If she instead expends two daily uses of her ki power, she may move instead up to her land speed and half her land speed, respectively, as if under the effects of an air walk spell, with a caster level equal to half her ninja level.
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This is like the ability of the same name from the Monk revision I made. In a nutshell, it's like Air Walk but not at full strength, in order to make it permanent. The ability of Leap the Clouds doesn't work with Walk the Clouds, however.
Improved Evasion (Ex): At 9th level, a ninja’s evasion ability improves. She still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks, but henceforth she takes only half damage on a failed save. A helpless ninja does not gain the benefit of improved evasion.
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It makes no sense that the Rogue and the Monk have Improved Evasion, but the Ninja doesn't. Let's fix that.
And yes, the Rogue doesn't get it as a granted ability, but as a special ability. It is the second best, after the bonus feats. So...eh, one level earlier at the bare minimum.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): A ninja of 9th level or higher can no longer be flanked.
This defense denies rogues the ability to sneak attack the character by flanking her, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target does.
If a character already has uncanny dodge from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum rogue level required to flank the character.
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If the Barbarian, of all people, can have it why not the Ninja? After all, you deny a Rogue its best ability much like not being able to flank denies yours. Time for some comeuppance, don't you think?
Death Attack: If a ninja studies her victim for 3 rounds and then makes a sudden strike with a melee weapon that successfully deals damage, the sudden strike has the additional effect of possibly either paralyzing or killing the target (ninja’s choice). While studying the victim, the ninja can undertake other actions so long as his attention stays focused on the target and the target does not detect the ninja or recognize the ninja as an enemy. If the victim of such an attack fails a Fortitude save (DC 10 + half the ninja’s class level + the ninja’s Wis modifier) against the kill effect, she dies. If the saving throw fails against the paralysis effect, the victim is rendered helpless and unable to act for 1d6 rounds plus 1 round per level of the ninja. If the victim’s saving throw succeeds, the attack is just a normal sudden strike. Once the ninja has completed the 3 rounds of study, she must make the death attack within the next 3 rounds.
If a death attack is attempted and fails (the victim makes her save) or if the ninja does not launch the attack within 3 rounds of completing the study, 3 new rounds of study are required before he can attempt another death attack.
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So...not only does it dabble from the Rogue, it also steals from the Assassin? Oddly enough, the Ninja is one of the few people that can do this right: stay invisible for 3 turns, then all of a sudden surprise with a death attack. Using Wis instead of Int was a reasonable choice, since you won't expect to make the Ninja MADder than it already is, right? Besides, Wis deals with perception and Heal is based off it; makes much better sense.
This effectively raises the danger of this class from high to lethal. If you succeed, you can either kill or paralyze an opponent. Even worse, you can do it as a good creature, watching the repercussions of a swift and painful death. Good creatures could never have an ability such as death attack until now.
So...does this mean an Assassin has no reason to live? It has...it just means you don't have to take 10 levels of Ninja to get the same ability, or that you don't need to multiclass as a Ninja. That's pretty much about it.
Art of Explosions (Su): At 11th level, a ninja acquires the ability to expend greater amounts of poisons or alchemical liquids to expand the range of their effect without losing their potency. She can extend the range of her thrown splash weapons by an amount of feet equal to 5 ft per class level. By using two flasks of any splash weapon (such as acid or alchemist’s fire, for example), she can deal equal damage to a creature regardless of whether it is the target of the attack or not. She may add her Wisdom modifier to the save DC of any splash weapon she uses, regardless of whether it deals damage or not.
By expending one daily use of her ki power as a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, a ninja can expand the range of the weapon and make it harder to evade. The effect of the weapon increases to a 30-feet radius burst centered on the target of the splash weapon, and the save DC of the attack is further increased by adding half her class level. A ninja need only to use one flask (instead of the two) on this attempt. This effect persists for one round, and it affects all splash weapons thrown during it.
A ninja only applies her sudden strike (or sneak attack, if any) extra damage to the target of the attack, but she does not increase the damage to any other creature in the area of effect. The sudden strike damage is of the element of the weapon (in the case of acid, for example), or affects only the right amount of creatures (in the case of holy water, for example), but it does not count as ability damage or similar special abilities.
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Remember when I mentioned Kayakujutsu? Well, this is what you'd expect from knowledge of explosives. This essentially further improves poisons and alchemical items to nearly similar levels.
The ki enhancement turns your splash weapons into different variants of Fireball, as at-will as your ki and loot allow you. It still doesn't make alchemical weapons all-powerful, but makes them reasonable choices for weapons. You can already add your extra dice of damage to a single target, so it's not bad.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): At 12th level, a ninja can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as she is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, a ninja can hide herself from view in the open without having anything to actually hide behind. She cannot, however, hide in her own shadow.
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Again, stealing from the Assassin. With the probably high Hide bonus because of the class plus ranks and Dex, combined with an excuse to use it, means you can pretty much go out of sight at the right moment, unable to be revealed by magic aside from scrying. That allows you to save your ki points for when they're needed, and enhance your chances of pulling Sudden Strike.
Ghost Mind (Su): At 14th level, a ninja gains a special resistance to spells of the scrying subschool. To detect or see a ninja with such a spell, the caster must make a caster level check (DC 20 + the ninja’s class level). In the case of scrying spells that scan the ninja’s area (such as arcane eye), a failed check indicates that the spell works but the ninja simply isn’t detected. Scrying attempts targeted specifically at the ninja do not work at all if the check fails. If the ninja is hiding, the caster must also succeed on a Search check in order to have the spell work; if the caster fails any of the checks, the spell is automatically dispelled. If the ninja is under the effect of invisibility or has turned ethereal, the spell always fails to detect her (as if it had failed the check). If the ninja is disguised, the caster must succeed on a Spot check; failure implies the spell fails (in case of specifically targeted spells), the ninja is not identified as such (if the ninja uses the Disguise skill normally), or the ninja is considered a specific person (if the ninja is using the Disguise skill to impersonate a particular individual). This resistance fools even true seeing and similar spells.
By spending two daily uses of her ki power, a ninja blocks her mind from any intrusion, as per the mind blank spell, except the range is personal, she retains her resistance effects (whichever is most beneficial), and the duration is limited to 1 hour per two class levels.
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This is an enhancement to Ghost Mind, the class ability with the same name presented on the Complete Adventurer Ninja write-up. The base benefit is mostly the same, except that it accounts for hiding, invisibility/etherealness and disguise; each of the three allows a different portrayal that makes more sense than what's presented. You shouldn't be found while hiding, and this ability helps you prevent that. Being invisible or ethereal allows you to prevent scrying with True Seeing (note: prevents scrying; if you're there with True Seeing, you're still seen). And disguised allows you to fool the caster into believing something you are not; it's worse to not suspect anyone than to be "betrayed" by the person you trust.
The ki enhancement completes what Ghost Mind offers. Mind Blank allows you to be undetectable to divination spells, including scrying spells, plus immunity to mind-affecting effects. Ghost Mind offers one of the three immunities; makes sense that by enhancing that ability with your own ki, you gain immunity to the other two. However, if you are under the effect of Mind Blank and disguised, your ability supersedes the Mind Blank benefit (to your benefit, of course)
The intention is that you're still revealed by True Seeing. Or Invisibility Purge. Just...you need to get closer, right where the ninja wants you.
Expanded Precision (Su): At 15th level, a ninja’s gains the ability to enhance her precision in striking vital spots to unimagined levels. By spending two daily uses of her ki power as a swift action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, she can use her sudden strike ability even when the opponent is not denied its Dexterity bonus to armor class, and she can use her ability at any range, for one round.
As well, if she is using her arts of exhalation and/or explosion, the sudden strike extra damage dice applies to all creatures within the area. Creatures that fail their saving throws against the splash weapon still take half damage from it (unless the creature has the evasion or mettle abilities).
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This is quite probably the best ability the ninja will have. This makes the Ninja's Sudden Strike officially better than Sneak Attack, as it always applies. Heck, it even applies to your alchemical weapons, so now these weapons become even more dangerous. This is meant to combine with anything that enhances or adds to the extra damage dice, so it mixes with Craven, Assassin's Stance, and so on.
UPDATE: Apparently, this was just a *tad* too good to be true. Making it of a 1-round duration should make it more balanced.
Ghost Sight (Su): At 16th level, a ninja can see invisible and ethereal creatures as easily as she sees material creatures and objects, as the effect of the see invisibility spell.
By expending one daily use of her ki power, her vision becomes clearer. She is treated as if under a true seeing spell, with an effective class level equal to half her class level.
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While already a bit late, you get permanent See Invisibility, with a chance for temporary True Seeing. No one can fool you; you're the one that fools everyone instead.
Mastery of Ki (Su): At 20th level, a ninja’s mastery of ki reaches a pinnacle. She may reduce the cost of all abilities that require daily uses of her ki power by one. As well, she does not lose her supernatural abilities if her daily uses of ki power are completely expended.
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On the Monk revision thread, I mentioned I wanted a fitting capstone ability for the class. After some time, I found this as a fitting capstone; your uses of ki power are reduced, and some suddenly become "at-will" abilities. I figure this is a reasonable capstone for staying 20 levels in a single class, one that isn't strictly necessary but that isn't a bad idea to take nonetheless.
I decided to introduce it here. Later on, I'll add it to the Monk properly.
I'll go with a shorter version of what I did with the Monk thread: this is a draft, although an improved and revised draft based on what I thought for the Monk. The development of the Ninja also refined the Monk, so these classes are closer to proper completion than ever before. Please make suggestions and recommendations, or a simple critique of the work. While I might be slow to answer, be sure I'll take your suggestions under consideration.
Ninja revisions:
1.0 (10/7/2009): Original version
2.0 (11/24/2009): Removed some skills, reduced unarmed damage, reduced duration of Expanded Precision
