Ninja Class Overview: Ninjas in D&D 3.5 specialize in stealth, sudden strikes, and supernatural abilities like invisibility, making them masters of surprise and mobility.
Forest Tanto[1] Build: A versatile shapeshifting ninja with aerial mobility, switching between melee and ranged attacks using daggers and footbows.
Kodachi Master[2] Build: A two-weapon fighter with an overwhelming number of attacks, leveraging sudden strike bonuses for massive melee damage.
Night Stalker[3] Build: A monoclass ninja[3] who excels in stealth, becoming invisible, ethereal, and even incorporeal to outmaneuver foes.
Shuriken Master[4] Build: A master thrower ninja that deals devastating ranged damage using shuriken, combining sneak attacks with the Fire Shuriken spell.
Swan Maiden[5] Build: A hybrid melee and shapeshifting build with battlefield control, strong melee abilities, and the ability to manipulate magical darkness.
Strong melee combat, shapeshifting, and battlefield control.
Moderate defenses, struggles in prolonged fights.
Forest Tanto
The Forest Tanto[1] is a, shapeshifting ninja combining the Raptoran race’s aerial mobility with the combat versatility of wild shaping. It excels at hit-and-run tactics with melee and ranged attacks, using daggers and footbows, while transferring magical enhancements to animal forms.
Incredible versatility in combat, switching seamlessly between melee, ranged, and wild shape-enhanced attacks.
Requires careful management of resources like wild shapes and relies heavily on the magic of daggers to remain effective in all forms.
Flying with Flyby Attack allows you to dart in and out of enemy reach, making it hard for enemies to pin you down while dealing consistent damage.
Kodachi Master
The Kodachi Master[2] is a two-weapon fighter that combines ninja stealth with the mobility and offensive power of a Dervish. The character can deliver a high number of attacks per round. Each attack benefits from sudden strike bonuses, making it devastating in melee.
Exceptional number of attacks, potentially up to 14 in one round, with high damage output from sudden strike bonuses.
The build relies on being in close combat, so ranged or heavily armored opponents may pose challenges.
Use your unarmed strikes and the Feral Trance ability from Fist of the Forest to add variety to your attacks and throw off enemy defenses.
Night Stalker
The Night Stalker[3] is a monoclass ninja[3] designed to master invisibility, stealth, and sudden strike damage. The build excels in dealing devastating damage while remaining unseen, eventually becoming incorporeal to bypass most physical defenses.
Unparalleled stealth, with the ability to turn invisible, ethereal, and incorporeal, making it difficult for enemies to retaliate.
Low defenses and hit points can leave the character vulnerable if caught out of stealth or overwhelmed by multiple enemies.
Use Ghost Step (Invisible) in combination with Darkstalker to remain undetectable even by creatures with blindsight or other special senses.
Shuriken Master
The Shuriken Master[4] is a master thrower ninja specializing in dealing massive damage with shuriken. This allows leveraging sneak attacks and the assassin’s Fire Shuriken spell. This build thrives on overwhelming enemies with high-volume ranged attacks.
Incredible ranged burst damage with shuriken, especially when enhanced by the Fire Shuriken spell.
Dependent on ammunition and careful positioning to maximize sneak attack opportunities, leaving the character vulnerable if isolated.
Combine the Palm Throw and Two with One Blow abilities from Master Thrower to throw twice as many shuriken per round, doubling your attack output.
Swan Maiden
The Swan Maiden[5] is a hybrid melee and shapeshifting character combining the elegance of the Swashbuckler with the wild empathy of the Swanmay. This character is adept at battlefield control, shapeshifting, and using a wide variety of tricks to keep enemies off balance.
Excellent mobility and adaptability, with strong melee abilities, shapeshifting into a swan for escape, and the ability to manipulate magical darkness.
Moderate defenses and hit points limit the build’s endurance in prolonged combat situations.
Use your ability to shapeshift into a swan to escape dangerous situations or avoid enemies, making it nearly impossible for them to pursue you effectively.
FAQ
What makes the Ninja class stand out compared to other stealth focused classes in D&D 3.5?
The Ninja class excels at sudden strike damage, supernatural abilities like invisibility (Ghost Step), and unique mobility options like walking on walls and etherealness. It offers a mix of stealth, burst damage, and supernatural movement that other stealth classes lack.
How does the Forest Tanto[1] Ninja build manage versatility in combat?
The Forest Tanto[1] can seamlessly switch between melee (with daggers) and ranged (with footbows) attacks while also utilizing wild shapes for different tactical advantages. The magical properties of their daggers can even be transferred to their animal forms, enhancing their combat effectiveness.
What is the key feature that makes the Kodachi Master[2] Ninja such a powerful melee combatant?
The Kodachi Master[2] can perform an impressive number of attacks per round, sometimes up to 14 attacks in a single round, benefiting from sudden strike damage and the high mobility offered by Dervish Dance.
What should players be aware of when using the Shuriken Master[4] Ninja build?
The Shuriken Master[4] relies heavily on having enough ammunition (shuriken) and positioning themselves to take advantage of sneak attacks. While the damage potential is high, careful resource and positioning management is crucial.
How does the Swan Maiden[5] Ninja build’s shapeshifting enhance its combat capabilities?
Shapeshifting into a swan provides the Swan Maiden[5] with excellent escape and pursuit options, while her strong melee skills and ability to manipulate magical darkness make her a highly adaptable combatant in various situations.
Writer, Editor, GM, Technologist – Andrew’s been playing TTRPGs since as far back as he can recall… at least sometime in the nineties… or was it the early 2000s?
Making her way through the thicket of trees and underbrush, she began to notice the signs of passage, the scents and tracks of the clan that were living in this section of the woodland.
Far above her, in the sky, the raptoran was keeping his distance while monitoring her progress. Engaging her, even to test her abilities himself would lead to a rapid loss on his part, he had seen her skills beforehand, even with his ability to shapeshift, his defeat was certain.
Instead, he opted to remain hidden, to follow and observe as her exploration began to take her deeper and deeper into his home. When the time came, the raptoran turning homeward, and rapidly returning to his leader to report on what he’d encountered, what the woman’s capabilities were, and what she was doing in the forest.
Race
Raptoran
Class
Ninja 5/Wildshaper Ranger 5/Daggerspell Shaper 10
Ability Scores
Str 10/Dex 16/Con 16/Int 10/Wis 14/Cha 10
Skills
Concentration 8
Equipment
A pair of daggers, footbow
Goal
You are a flying, shapeshifting ninja who can flyby spring attack enemies and fly back into relative safety. You are a master with daggers and if they are magical they transfer their magic to your animal forms too. You can also switch to ranged combat with a fair degree of ease, using raptorans footbows with great effect.
The man sat alone in a temple deep in the woods, sipping sake, as the white lady came barging in.
-“I have finally arrived.” she barked, with clear annoyance.
-“You took your time.” He replied, the man slowly pulling himself from the floor to meet her. Two kodachi, once sat beside him. The motion unseen as they were suddenly in each hand.
-“I am supposed to ask you questions.“
-“Yes, I imagine you are. A deal in that case, I offer. For each strike you land, I’ll answer one.” The man readying each blade and taking his preferred stance.
The woman giving a disgruntled, yet entertained smirk as she cracked her neck.
-“Fine by me.” She retorted, charging forward. She had fought her sister countless times before, she knew how to dodge a wielder of two weapons. The wind leaving her lungs, a well placed kick to the stomach stopping her in her tracks, sending her flying back, out, and down the stairs outside.
-“I never said we’ll be fighting inside, impatient one.” The man following after her, stepping out to accompany her.The woman stumbling to her feet to ready herself once again.
-“Now, let’s see if you can land even one hit first.“
At first two short swords, eventually two kodachi(scimitars)
Goal
A two weapon fighter who can throw up to fourteen attacks in one round(admittedly 1/day) and usually seven, each possibly with sudden strike, and the damage piles up really, really fast. Add to it that you can unarmed strike to vary your attack pattern, and that you add your Con to your AC, plus all the other classic ninja goodies and you’re just a ridiculous melee combatant.
Level
Class
HD
Feat
Special
1
Ninja
8
Improved Unarmed Strike, Great Fortitude, Dodge, Mobility
–“This is stupid.” The woman said, stumbling through a heavily wooded area, a nigh aimless wandering with each footfall.The woman was just fine in the city, doing her usual things, why was her sister bothering her to do this kind of thing now?
-“Oh, but only you know how to deal with the ninjas and ask for their help.” she said, mocking a gesture of annoyance out towards everything around her, and nothing at all at the same time.
-“You gotta help.” she grumbled to herself, once again mocking her sister’s words back to herself. Her sister knowing fully well that those words would get to her, the act of being helpful was something she had always been striving to do.
-“Well screw this!” she screamed out to the forest, her white coat on, her wolf mask hanging from her belt, bobbing against her hip with each step.
She barely had the time to dodge the shuriken that came out of the foliage in front of her. There he was. Jumping towards him at the moment of notice, transforming midair into a fully lupine form, the woman; now beast landed hard and heavy on the masked man with all her weight, growling intently at him.
The ninja, his eyes opening wide in terror, understood that she had been tricking them into attacking her, while thinking she wasn’t aware of their presence. She was good. Soon, he was dissolving into the ground and materializing a few feet away, hands raising slowly as the large white wolf continued to snarl, the man raising his hands toward her, attempting to appear harmless.
–“Stop. Let’s talk. You are here for our master aren’t you?” The wolf pausing for just a moment, giving another low growl as she studied him before swiftly returning to that of a woman again.
–“You open dialogue with a bladed weapon?” She barked, more annoyed than anything. “Regardless, I just wanna talk with him.” The ninja nodding. Turning away, gesturing for her to follow. One test complete, another no doubt in her path.
Race
Human
Class
Ninja 20
Ability Scores
Str 13/Dex 16/Con 14/Int 10/Wis 14/Cha 10
Skills
Hide, Move Silently, Spot, Listen, Search, Tumble Equipment: Shuriken(s), a Short Sword
Goal
Ninja, heck yeah! You can turn invisible from level 2 onwards, “sneak attack” for ridiculous damage, throw shuriken, walk on walls, and overall do everything a ninja can, and more. Eventually you can even turn incorporeal, which is just icing on the proverbial cake.
Level
Class
HD
Feat
Special
1
Ninja
8
Dodge, Mobility
Ki Power, Sudden Strike +1d6, Trapfinding, AC Bonus(Wisdom)
As she stood on the wooden bridge, the final guardian before her before she’d be able to confront her true target. The halfling stood there, seemingly unarmed, but she knew better.
-“I ask you halfling, will you let me pass?” The halfling looking her over before shaking her head.
-“No can do I’m afraid. You may be in a hurry, but I am not.” She responded with a sigh.
–“Very well, brute force it is.” She took her wolf form as he unleashed a volley of shuriken her way, each precise throw being avoided by a narrower and narrower margin, able to barely dodge each one. The halfling took a step back, threw another handful of shuriken, before another step, each step the margin for error in her ability to evade the weapons grew, instead of shrinking. The distance between them was closing, but the halfling seemed unphased. Sudden realization striking her that the halfling had never intended to hit her. Turning her lupine head toward the ropes that made up the bridge’s structural supports and growling is annoyance.
They were mostly severed and frayed, moments from failing and sending the two of them plummeting to their deaths. The large form charging forward. She had no time to stand there, if she did, Death’s embrace would no doubt welcome her.
Race
Halfling
Class
Ninja 5/Assassin 10/Master Thrower 5
Ability Scores
Str 10/Dex 20/Con 10/Int 16/Wis 12/Cha 8
Skills
Disguise 4, Hide 8, Move Silently 8, Sleight of Hand 4
Equipment
Shuriken. Lots of shuriken.
Goal
For a while, your kit will be reliant on both standard and magical shuriken, which is fine, with your sneak attack/sudden strike they still do crazy damage and as a master thrower you can shoot so much in a single round it counts as a proverbial volley, but Assassins get a fun spell called Fire Shuriken, which conjures magical shuriken that deal each 3d6 fire damage… I’ll let you imagine the rest.
A woman, in wolven form halting in her path through the clearing, taking in the sight of a beautiful pond that glimmered in the sun where swans flocked and bathed. On a small outlook, a dark elf woman practicing with her rapier, swift and growing accurate strokes of her blade.
The wolf approaching the dark elf slowly. Shifting from one form to another, into the form of a woman as she began to study the dark elf. Each motion the dark elf made clear her understanding of her fighting style. An understanding that was nearly perfect, a dance of incredible lethality.
-“I am here for your master, will you take me to them?” asked the woman, her hands in her white coat.
-“I know. And you know the drill, defeat me in a duel of my choice, and I will show you the next steps.”
The woman groaned. “Fine. I accept.”
The dark elf stopping her dance and smiled.
-“Very well, do you know how to play Go?”
-“I am a fast learner“. Replied the young woman, a challenging grin widening on her face.
Race
Dark Elf
Class
Swashbuckler 3/Ninja 7/Beastmaster 3/Swanmay 7/2 LA Buyback
This is actually a build I have played in the past. You are a fantastic melee combatant, can shapeshift into a swan to avoid pursuits, and can see through magical darkness, you can also reduce your Sudden Strike to blind people with magical darkness, and have access to a variety of great tricks, like an animal companion, poison use and excellent maneuverability which turns you into a tricky opponent.
Level
Class
HD
Feat
Special
1
Swashbuckler
1d10
Weapon Finesse, At Home in the Dark, Cosmopolitan(H andle Animal), Skill Focus(Handle Animal)
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