AD&D The Complete Ninja's Handbook (Tsr 2155)

The Complete

Ninja’s

Handbook

By Aaron Allston

Table of Contents

CInhtaropdteurct1i:oTnhe..N.i.n.j.a..C.l.a.s.s.....................A.5 Restrictions ........................ 27
KillerKits ......................... 28
Ninja and Rogue .................... 5 .........Chapter4:
Ninja ExperienceLev& ..............5 30
Ninja Class F&quimnents ............6 hoficiencies and MarthlArts
Weapon P m f i a k e s ...............30
Alignment .......................... 6 Weapon Specialization
Weapons and Armor ................. 6 and WeaponGroups ...............30
Thieving Skills ...................... 6 Nonweapon Profiaenaes............30
Ninja's Followers .................... 8 Nonweapon Profiaenaes
Nonweapon Profiaenaes ............10 from the Player's H a n d h k .........31
Starling Money ..................... 10 New Nonweapon Profiaenaes .......31
Multiclass Ninja .................... 10 New Nonweapon
Dual-class Ninja .................... 11 Pmfiaency Descriptions ...........31
Other CharacterCreationNotes ......11 Martial Arts ....................... 39
................Chapter 2: Ninja Kits 12 MartialArtsResults ................39
Kit Descriptions .................... 12
Ninja Kits ......................... 12 specializingin MartialArts ..........40
stealer-In .......................... 12 Mixed campaigns ..................40
pArdevraeqnuciesditeMsatrotiLaelaArrntsin(gOMptaiortniaallA) r.ts....4422
ShadowWarrior .................... 12 Finding a Master ...................42
Intruder ........................... 13
Consort ........................... 13 Training Under the Master ...........43
Pathfinder ......................... 14
LoneWolf ......................... 14 Learningthe Style ..................43
SpiritWarrior ...................... 14 Fk-campaignLearning .............43
MultipleStyles ..................... 44
Ninja Spells ........................ 16 Style characteristics ................44
FSeircsotn-Lde.LveevleS1.pSelplsel.ls...................................1186 Creating a New Style: WBaesaicpson.s..............4487
FTohuirrdth-L-eLveevleSlpSeplellsls...................................2109 Creating a New Style:
AGrvsmapteeicdniagalnaMdNaAenrwemuSovtreyerldes:O..p.p.o.n.e.n.t.s............5499
Fifth-LevelSpells ...................21
sixth-Level spells ................... 22 Stunning and Incapacitating .........61
.........HitLocations ...................... 61.
. ..Chapter 3: Shinobi Spies,and Killers -23
Shinobi ........................... 23 Chapter 5: Tools of the Trade 62
Shinobi Fighter ..................... 23 Weapons .......................... 62
Shinobi Ranger ..................... 23 Entangling Attacks .................62
Shinobi MIMlluaesgsiteon..i..s..t.......................................................222544 Prone and EntangledOpponents .....62
Shinobi Weapon List ........................ 63
Shinobi MissileWeapon Ranges .............75
ShinobiThief ...................... 25 MArismcoerllan..e.o.u..s.E..q.u..ip..m..e.n.t.....................7766
Shinobi Bard ....................... 26
NTShpineiejsaFo.Ki.rte.s.ig.an.n.S.d.e.tr.vh.iec..Se.p..y...........................................222677 Weapon Modifications ..............80
Magicaland Special Treasurm ........81

MiscellaneousMagic .. ..........81
What the Spy Does ............... ..2 7 MagicalWeapons ...................84
DemihumanSpies ..................27
Killers ............................ 27

2 TabieofContenh

.........Chapter 6: Country and Chn.88 25: MissileWeapon Ranges ..........75
Land of the Ninja ...................88 26 MiscellaneousEquipment ........77

..........99 27Weapon Modifications ...........80
28 Ninja ClanAlignments ...........94
a in the Outer World ............99
.........lo2 29 Clan Member Alignments ....... .94

...............lo4 30 Ninja Clan Resource
If .............lo4
Credh
.................107
.................I10 Design:Aaron Allston
a Kitsin the Campaign .........115
a ClanResources ..............117 Editing: Barbara G. Young
Black and White Artt JimHolloway
xamples of Ninja Characters ...... .119
Examplesof Ninja Clans ...........123 Color Ark Clyde Caldwell, Fred Fields,
Other Ninja-Type Organizations .....125 Les hrscheid

Tables Typography: Tracey Isler
Production: Paul Hanchette
1:Rogue ExperienceLevels ...........5
2 Ninja Thieving Skill BaseScores .....7 Acknowledgements: Many elements of The
Complete Ninja’s Handbook were derived from
3 Thieving Skill Dexterity Adjustments 7 parts of Oriental Adventures designed by
David “Zeb” Cook. In particular, portions of
4 Backstab DamageMultipliers .......7
the optional Advanced Martial Arts rules are
5 Thieving Skill Armor Adjustments.. .8
drawn from Oriental Adventures.
6: Clan Status ..................... .ll
TSR, Inc. TSR Ltd.
7 Spirit Warrior Spell Progression ....15 120 Church End,
8: Spirit Warrior ExperienceLevels ....15 201 SheridanSpringsRd.
9 Shinobi Thief Base Scores ..........26 cherry Hintm
Lake Geneva
10ShinobiBard Base Scores .........26 Cambridge CB13LB
11:Proficiency Costs ................30 WI 53147 U N M Kingdom
12NonweaponProfiaency Groups ...31
13Broad and light Weapon Groups ..32 USA
14Enamor Proficiency Results .......34
15EscapeProficiency Penalties ......35 ADVANCED DUNGEONS& DRAGONS,AD&D, DRAGON,
16Martial Arts Results .............40 and DUNGEON MASTER arr registered trademarks owned
17Common Martial Arts Styles ......45
18:Martial Style Combinations .......48 by TSR, Inc.TheTSRlcgois atrademarkmed by TSR, Inc.
19SpecialManeuvers .............. .51
20 Ch’i Attacks ................... .59 This book is protected under the copyright laws of the
United States of America. Any reprcdudionor unauthorized
21: Penalties and Bonuses use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited

vs. Armored opponents ......... .60 without the express writtenpmnission of TSR lnc.
Random Houseand its affiliate companieshave worldwide
22: PenaltiesVs.Armed opponents ...60
23: Martial Arts Hit Locations ........61 distributionrights in the book trade for English language
24 Weapon List ................... .63 products of TSR,Inc. Distriited to the book and hobby trade
in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd.Disauted to the toy and
hobby trade by regionaldistributon.

01995TSR, lnc. AU rights resenred. printed inthe U.S.A.

v Table of Contents 3

rf Introduction

v

What is a ninja?Everywhere you turn, you Arrangement of the Sourcebook
find a different definition, especially in the
movies. Is the ninja a cruel supernatural Chapter 1:The Ninja Class provides char-
assassin with godlike powers of invisibility, acter classinformation for the ninja.
illusion, and teleportation?A modem, feeling
Oriental man with family, job responsibilities, Chapter 2: Ninja Kits details kits that
and an interesting double life? A stone-faced allow you to further customize ninja charac-
Westerner who miraculously inherits the ters.
duties of an ancient ninja clan tradition when
his adopted brother is slain?A martial arts Chapter 3: Shinobi, Spies, and Killers
practitioner celebrating hundredsof years of introduces kits to create shinobi (adjunct
unbroken tradition? membersof ninja clans), spies (charactersbuilt
with the ninja rules but employed by non-
In the AD&D@game, the ninja is a highly Orientalorganizations, and killers (NPCs built
trained spy who is expert in matters of intru- with the rules of the ninja class).
sion, sabotage, and elimination.He is part of
a tight-knit clan whose profession and goals Chapter 4 Proficiencies and Martial Arts
he shares. Some ninja are generalists, equally details the roles of certain proficiencies used
at home in matters of stealth and combat. by ninja, addsnew proficiencies, and expands
Some are specialists, becoming adept at social on martial arts and weapon proficiency rules.
skills, magic, or interactionwith nature.
Chapter 5: Tools of the Trade describes
They’re all exotic, secretive, and danger- weapons and armor available to the ninja
ous-just the thing for the player who’s tired character.
of stand-up fighters, clean-cut clerics, and
nearsighted scholar-mages. Chapter 6: Countryand Clan discusses the
role of the ninja character within his culture.
Ninja have been herebefore, in the pages of
DRAGON* Magazine and the Oriental Adven- Chapter 7: Playing the Ninja provides
tures supplement.Now they return, slinking information and tactics for the player who
into the game’s shadows in their night-suits, intends to play a ninja character.
learning the balance of weapons and tools
made a little unfamiliar by adaptation to Chapter 8: Campaigning the Ninja talks
A D & P 2nd Editionrules.We’ve missedthem, about secrecy, missions, duties to clan, and
other details, and gives hints for placing the
and it’s high time to welcome themback. ninja in existing campaigns.
The Complete Ninja’s Handbook is a supple-
Chapter 9: Examples is full of easily cus-
ment to the Player’s Handbook. It consists of tomized ninja characters.
optional rules that are intended to round out
and add color to a campaign. Players should familiarize themselveswith
chapters 1and 2, and at least glance through
The key word here is ”optional.” No DM is chapters 3-7. Players should not read Chapter 9
required to introduce any of these rules into unlesstheir DMinvites them to do so.
his campaign simply because they’re in print.
Likewise, any DMshouldfeelperfectly at ease The Dungeon Master shouldbecome famil-
plundering these guidelines for rules and iar with chapters 1,4,5,and 8. These should
options he likes, whether or not he introduces give the DM a good idea of what to expect of
ninja charactersinto the campaign.Ultimately, a ninja PC in the campaign.
the DM, not this rulebook, is the final author-
ity on what appearsin the campaign.

The Ninia Class

In seventh century Japan,Prince Shotoku lier), while others believe that the modern
Taishi won a war against an enemy named combat and espionage techniques now being
Moriya.The prince’s successrestedon informa- taught under the name ninjutsulare genuine,
tion brought to him by a spy named Otomo- linear descendants of the real mja skills.
no-Saijin, whom ShotokuTaishi honored with
the name Shinobi, meaning ”stealer in.” It is Ninja and Rogue
probably from this incidentthat the use of the
term shinobi has cometorefer tohighly trained, The ninja character class, like Ithe thief and
clan-based Japanesespies. the bard classes, belongs to the rogue group.
However, the ninja’s similaritytq other rogues
(InJapaneseand Chinese,there may be two lies not in temperament (ninja d/onot believe
or more ways to pronounce the same written that the world owes them a livinj~a,nd are not
characters. An alternate pronunciation for shi- known as carefree, happy-go-lkky people)
nobi is ninju.) but in skills. (Ninja are proficientin matters of
stealth, intrusion, and investigatipn.)
Japanesetechniques of military intelli-
gence, heavily influencedby espionage advi- Like other rogues, ninja coFbine traits
sors from China and Sun Tzu’s classic manual from several character classe4. They have
many of the skills of the thief an# some of the
The Art of War,developed over a period of combat options of the fight- A fnlrr 1-0 ahlo
to learn some magical spelh
severalhundred years.
During the Kamakura era, from the late Table 1: Rogue Experience Lwels

twelfth to early fourteenth centuries, many Level Ninja Hit Dice (d6)
samurai and their families fell out of favor 1 0
with the court, Some of these families fled to 2
distant Iga and Koga provinces and settled 1,250
there in reduced circumstances to make their
living as farmers. Among them were experts 77
in military intelligence, who began selling 8 70,000
their expertise to duimyo, Japanesefeudal
lords. It was in this setting that the modern I 10+8
idea of the ninja-an agent with espionage
skills for hire but whose loyalty belongs first
to his own clan-truly took hold.

In their isolated villages, the ninja clans
developed specific espionage and combat
techniques. These are collectively referred to
as ninjutsu, though that term is also used to
refer to only their unarmed and weapon
combat techniques.

Spies and ninja found many opportunities
for employment in the great anarchic periods
of the twelfth to sixteenth centuries. In the
more stable Tokugawa shogunate of the sev-
enteenththroughnineteenthcenturies, they
were used less often, and it is reasonableto
assume that their numbers declined. Some
modem historiansbelieve that the last of the
true ninja died during World War 11 (or ear-

Ninja Expedence levels aiment

Ninja earnexperiencelevelsas other rogues Technically, a ninja may be of any align-
do. Table 25 from the Player's Handbook is ment. However, each ninja belongs to a clan
reproducedon page 5. (seeChapter 6), and each clan's members are
restricted to a range of alignments. A player
One type of ninja, the Spirit Warrior (see might be able to choose the character's clan
Chapter 2) may learn magic spells and must but cannot then choose an alignment inap-
propriate for that clan.
earnmore experiencepoints to gain levels.
Ninja of experience levels 1-5 arep i n , the The standardninja dan allows its members
to be of any lawful or neutral alignment (LG,
lowest-ranking ninja. Those of experience LN, LE, NG, N, NE). The "lawful" aspect of
levels 6 through 9 are chunin, the middle the alignment applies to the rules of conduct
management of the ninja clan-sometimes of the clan, not those of the society or the

gettingtheir hands dirty and sometimes hob- The ninia can use anv wea
nobbing with the upper ranks. Those of expe-
rience level 10and above are junin, the upper much wid& range of chdices U$na k e f l&.
management of the clan. Armor choices are limited to leather, padded,

Ninja Class Requirements studded leather, ring mail, brigandine, scale
Ability Requirements male, hide armor, and chain mail. The ninja
canuse a shield and fightsas a rogue.
Dexteritv 13
Intellige;lce10 To avoid any adverse effect, ninja avoid
Prime Requisite wearing armor heavier than leather when
Dexterity they plan to use their thieving skills.
Races Allowed
HUman Thieving Skills
Dwarf
Like other rogues, ninja can learn thieving
Halfling skills. They are not as proficient in most of
these skills as thieves are, but a ninja who
The ninja must have a Dexterity score of at becomes very experienced and specializes in
least 13 (reflecting intensive training from two or three thieving skills can achieve great
childhood in ninja arts) and an Intelligence
score of at least 10. pIOfiCi'?3-lCy.
Table 2 shows the base scores for ninia
The ninja PC,wardless of race, must have ,.thieving skills.
'..( .;. .
been raised from youth by a human ninja _ _,I (1,To ,;, I .i,: : i
clan. There are no demihuman ninja clans,
I.
and the DM and players will have to be very
these base.scores, appIy ;&&;? ..,, ji;: . " , ::i
creativeto account for a ninja clan's fostering appro$%&
"
roefqaudirweamref notr,hsaelefltihn;g.sFeocrtieoxncedunti"oSnpsietos"thiins
bonuses and penalties for Dex~ ten6 (Tible 3,
Chapter 3. reproduced here fromTable 28 in the Player's
Handbook), for race (below), and for armor
The DM has the right to decide whether a worn (Table 5, replaces Table 29 from the

player can runa nin6 character. Ninja bring
new levels of swrecy and intrigueinto a cam-

paign. The DM who does not wish to compli-

cate the campaign to this extent may forbid

6 Chapter-

II II

Player‘s Handbook and is compatible with Backstab

Table 38 in The CompleteThzefs Handbook). The ninja has the same backdtab ability as

Table t: Ninja Thieving Skill Base Scores the thief.

Skill Base Score :*yirTable 4 Backstab Damage Mbltipliers
0% NLinejvae‘ls
Pick Pockets 0% 1-4
Open J-ocks 0%
Fid/Remove Traps 20% 5 8 k3
Move Silently
Hide in Shadows 20%0 9-12 X#

DetectNoise 10% 13+ x5
Climb Walls 40%
0% clan signs
Read Languages
Instead of thieves’ cant, ninja know clan
Dwarf +lo% Open Locks, +15%Find/
I Remove Traps, -10% Climb Walls,-5% Read signs.

~ PClan signs form a language f hand-signs

LangHuaalgfelisng +5% Pick Pockets, +5% Open and written ideograms. Clan s gns can con-
vey entire sentences and coqplex sets of
Locks,+5% @ind/RemoveTraps, +lo% M-ove instructions. However, clan qigns are not
Silently, +15%Hide in Shadows, +5%0Detect sophisticated enough to conveb poetry, and
Noise,-15% QimbWalls,-5% ReadLanguages do not include technical termit.lology unre-
lated to the ninja. (Topicssuch philosophy,
Ninja d v e extra training in their thieving physics, and so forth are best lkft to normal
skillsas their careersprogress.Each ninja at 1st spoken tongues.)
level receives 60 discretionary percentage
points to add to the base scores. (The ninja Each ninja clan knows its
may put no more than30 points into any one of clan signs. A member of
skill.) At each additional experience level, he understand the hand-signs
receives another 30 points to distribute (and
may put no more than15points into a s a ) . Signing (see other clans’ signs ap being used,
detect when
As with the thief,the ninja cannot raiseany though the proficiency does nft provide an
interpretationof the signs’ m-g.
skill above 9570,including all adjustmentsfor
Dexterity, race, and armor.

Table 3: Thieving SLUI DexterityAdjusenenb

pick open Findl Move Hide in
Locks RemoveTrap Silently Shadowc
Dexterity PO&&

I\

Use Scrolls followers as they have to him.They're mem-

The ninja does not automatically receive bers of his own family, so the PC should not
the thief's ability to use scrolls. However, the risk their lives unnecessarily--only under the
Spirit Warrior ninja kit (see Chapter 2) does same circumstances he would expect his life
@part this ability. to be risked by his superiors. (See "When a
Follower Dies.")
Nin~a'rFollowers
With these followers, the ninja PC can
Ninja do not typically build citadels the begin to contribute more to the goals of the
way fighters and other classesdo. family. The ninja will now have to plan mis-
sions more carefully, deciding whether to
At loth level, the ninja achieves the rank of undertake a mission alone, send one or more
jonin, a group leader within the clan. The clan followers, or lead a number of followers in
leader assigns the jonin 2d6 followers who the assignment.
are members of the clan.
None of this precludes the PC from taking
All followers are relatedby blood to the PC followers along when adventuring with other
ninja. Some may be distant cousinsnever pre- PCs. In fact, it's appropriate for the ninja PC
viously met, but many will be close cousins to take one or more followers along on non-
and the ninja's own younger brothers, sisters, clan adventures to give them experience in
and perhaps even sons and daughters. the real world.

Half of the followers (round up) will be of When a Follower Mes
the ninja character class. The other half will If a follower dies while obeying the orders
be of other character classes bearing shinobi
of the PC, the clan lord will gather informa-
kits.(See Chapter 3.) tion and the testimony of witnesses. A clan
The DM rolls ld6 to determine the experi- lord who determines that the ninja was un-
necessarily careless with the follower's life
ence level of each follower. may punish the PC by taking all followers
The ninja PC is responsiblefor teaching fol- away until the PC demonstrates more sense.
If the PC has been grievously negligent,
lowers to be better, more effective ninja and
shinobi. It's important to remember that the
ninja PC has as many responsibilitiesto these

Table 5:Thieving Skill Annor Adjustments

No Elfin Studded/ Ring/ Brigandinel Scale/
Armor Leather Chain Padded Hide Chain S p l i t Banded Shield
PP +5% - -20% -30% -60% -40% 4 0 % -50% -60%
OL - -5% -10% -50% -15% -15% -20% -20%
EIRT -- - -5% -10% -50% -15% -20% -209"

-20% aw::- W o -40% *'.
-,&&
-, -2+ . '..' <.
.lm. . ;-.,.;
... ,' *

cw +l-o% -3-0% 4-0% -4-0% -5-0% -9-0% -3-0%

RL

' These numben for the re all ~mulativewith other modifiers.Thus, climbing walls in chain mailwith a shield yields
a -70% adjustment.
-__ -*'Thi.s appl.i.es i f the ochmaragctterraipsst,ynroitntSotoh.npidc~mk gpo.tc.hkeemts with hand carryingthe shield.
aadd.jj.uussttmmeenntt applies on.ly to m the
IIUS
only

8 Chapter One



remotion and permanent loss of all followei The ninja character class has the following
a likely punishment. nonweapon proficiency group crossovers:
Whenever a follower dies, the DM should Rogue,Warrior, General. The ninja who se-
ake reaction rolls for all other followers lects nonweapon proficienciesfrom these
present. Use Table 5 9 Encounter Reactions, groups pays the listed number of slots. Profi-
ciencies selected from other groups cost one
from the DUNGEOMNASTER@Guide, under the extra slot per proficiency.
lumn. If the PC was careless
his follower, the DM should Starting Money

er to the roll and use the Ninja receive the same starting money as
other rogues: 2d6 x 10gp. This rule is in effect
CO~UIIUI. On any result Of "HOS- regardless of the relative wealth of the ninja
clan. Very poor clans save up enough money
a follower making the roll de- to give their agents an adequate stake, while
callously sent his minion to rich ones choose not to spoil their members
offendingthe family honor.
with excessfunding.
follower attacks the PC on the spot,
th. If the follower survives, MuMclass Ninja

e will be the FC's enemy forever. Demihuman ninja cannot be multiclassed.

onweapon Proliciencies Even if the DM decides to ignore the character

The ninja PC receives initial weapon and

onweapon proficiency slots and earns addi-
onal slotsas a rogue.

race restrictions on the ninja class-in order to Playersalso need to decide
1 have elf ninja or some other combinationap- names and determine their

propriate to the campaign-uch ninja should
still always be singledass characters.

1 Dual-Class Nin status

J It is not recommen e DM allow O n Tab
dual-classninja. Ninja have such a rich range
social status of their
~ highest to lowest
of opportunities that allowing the dual-class farmer, artisan,
option is overkill. However, if the DM is
determined to allow dual-classninja, here am
the guidelinesto use.
If the campaign uses ninja kits, characters
switching to the ninja class can take only the
j Stealer-In or Shadow Warrior kit.
1 Ninja Class Becoming Another Class: A
I ninja clan will not allow one of its members to
start out as a ninja and then switch to another
class. Only the Lone Wolf ninja (seeChapter
' 2) can switch to another class.
Another Class Becoming Ninja Class: This
can happen in one of two ways. Table 6 Clan status
Result
-The PC starts out as a shinobi (seeChap- ld20

ter 3) in a ninja clanand decides to switch to 1-2 Nonperson (

the knja class. The clan leader will discour- 34
age this,but generally will not forbid it. 7-10
-A PC from outside the clan has become 11-18 Artisan
good friends with a ninja and asks to be 19-20 Farmer
taught the secrets of the ninja class. The ninja
samurai

clan lord must be convinced tht the PC is sin-
cere and loyal. The PC will be put through a
variety of tests to determine his loyalty before A PC of the artisan, me
being adopted into the clan. Not all the tests social class chooses a
will be obvious ones, suchas risking one's life charactersrefer to

to save a clan member or turning down a
bribe from a member of another clan.
If the ninja candidate fails to convince the
clan lord of his loyalty, the clan must elimi-
nate himbecause he knows their secret.Natu- choosesa family name and a
rally, the friend who sponsored the PC Orientalnamesarepmted

will be assigned this task as a test

clan lord bear the clan name

Ninja Kits

By using kits in a campaign, the DM can additional restrictions on the ninja character.
encourage players to fbrther develop their These restrictionsmay be added clan obliga-
characters and distinauish them from one tionsor limitson abilities.

nother. A kit's packabe of requirements, Ninja Kits
onuses, and penaltiqs help to define the
aracter more specifikally than the broad All of the ninja kits are listed on the follow-
ing pages. Additional kits for characters
etypes of the Player'$Handbook. Two char- related to the ninja appear in Chapter 3.
belonging to the same class but taking
Stealer-In
different kits may have labilities and orienta-
tions almost as distincdjve as charactersbe- Qualifications: None beyond normal ninja
longing to differentclase. requirements.

h Kits are entirely optiopal; the DM does not Description and Role: This is the basic
ave to use them in the qampaign. ninja. If your campaign uses kits but none of
the more specialized ones appeal to you, use
Kit Descriptions this one. This kit is identical to the basic ninja
character class.
In this chapter, each kit is described in the
following way: Secondary Skills: None required.
Weapon Proficiencies: Required: Ninja-to.
Qualifications: Some ikits require the char- Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: Blind-
acter to have abilities beyond the ordinary fighting.
demands of the charactef class. Special Benefits:None.
Special Hindrances: None.
Description and Rohe: This ninja is de-
Shadow Warrior
scribed in terms of his yeas of specialty and Qualifications: The Shadow Warrior must

prominence. have a Strength score of 13or better. This kit
Secondary Skills: If a e campaign uses sec- is available to only humans, dwarves, and
half-elves.
ondary skills, the ninja dust take the required
skills listed here rather tMan choosing a diffm- Description and Role: The Shadow War-
ent skill or rolling randoyy. rior has more fighting abilities but weaker

Weapon Proficienciek Some ninfa receive thief skills than the average ninia. The Shad-
bonus weapon proficiehcy slots devoted to
specific weapons. Some pre required to spend ow Warrior is more adept with weapons than
their normal allotmentof weapon proficiency other ninja and is able to convincingly dis-
slots on specific weapons. Some are prohibited guise himself as a fighter.
from spending weaponlproficiency slots on
certain weapons. Speciql ninja weapons are Secondary Skills: None required.
Weapon Proficiencies: Required: Ninja-to.
described in Chapter 5. Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: Run-
ning.
Nonweapon Proficieqcies: Likewise, some Special Benefits: In a campaign that uses
nonweapon proficiency1choices are granted weapon proficiencyrules, the Shadow Warrior
as bonuses while otherslare required or pro- can specialize in weapons and martial arts, but
hibited. New nonweapbn proficiencies in-
troduced in this book 4re marked with an is much more limited in this thana fighter.

asterisk y) and are described in Chapter 4.

"i.Special Benefits: M ny kits provide the

ninja with additional op@onsand benefitsnot
granted to other ninja.

Special Hindrances: Most kits also impose

The Shadow Warrior may specializein one even when not on a mission, she must report
weapon at 5th level, a second weapon at 9th constantly on her movements a4d the activi-
level, and a third weapon at 13th level. (This ties of her allies. She is often pla4ed in a posi-
follows the rate of improvementwith the back- tion of juggling clan obligationsiwith obliga-
stab ability.) He may not specialize in more tions to friends. A player shod4 choose this
than three weapons (or two weapons plus one kit only for a ninja with especiallfrclose ties to
martial art). He does not get the additional the clan (and only if the DM is *illing to uti-
attacks per round of a weapons specialist lize the clan to that ext
(fromTable 3 5 Specialist Attacks Per Round,
in the Player’s Handbook), nor receive any extra Consort
attacks per round like a fighter.
Qualifications: The
Special Hindrances: The Shadow Warrior Charisma score of 14 or better. ICharisma is
can learn thieving skills but is not as good at not mere physical beauty. A C+wort needs
them as other ninja. All his thieving skills the ability to be charming and It0 arrest the
begin at 0%, and he receives only 30 discre- attention of onlookers.
tionary points at 1st level. The Shadow War-
rior earns subsequent discretionary points at Description and Role: This hinja’s skills
the same rate as other ninja (30 at each addi- have been optimized for social hteraction. A
Consort achieves mission goals through
Qualifications: The Intruder must have an romance or seduction. Both male and female
Intelligence score of 13or better. characters may take the Con$ort kit, but
female Consort ninja have a special name in
Description and Role: This ninja’s skills Oriental cultures: kunoichi.
are optimized for espionage, particularly
intrusion into dangerous sites. Secondary Skills: None req&d.
Weapon Proficiencies: Required:No
Secondary Skills: Scribe. Nonweapon Proficiencies: Rjequired: Act-
Weapon Proficiencies: Required:Ninja-to. ing, Etiquette, Enamor*; Recombended: Dis-
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: Read- guise.
ing/ Writing; Recommended: Quick Study‘, Special Benefits: The Conso8t can use all
Information Gathering. Charisma-based Rogue and General non-
Special Benefits: The Intruder can use all weapon proficienaes as though his Charisma
Intelligence-based Rogue and General non- score were 2 points higher thaS it is. (If his
weapon proficiencies that she possesses as
though her Intelligence score were 2 points %Charisma is 15 and he has Eti uette profi-
higher than it is. (Thus, if her Intelligence is 14
and she has Appraising Proficiency, her skiU is ciency, his skill is a 17.) Even wi the bonus,
a 16.) Even with this bonus, however, the In- however, his proficiency cannot~havea score
truder’s profiaency cannot have a score higher
than 18. higher than18.
Special Hindrances: Unlike other ninja, Special Hindrances: This ninji must spend
who are occasionally called on to perform
missions for the clan, the Intruder is always months in false identities where* he consorts
on duty. She is required to perform missions (so to speak) with NPCs being spied on.
two or three times as often as other ninja, and Though most of these mission4 can be pre-
sumed to take place outside lormal cam-
paign activities, the Consort is in constant
danger of being recognized later by people he
has known during these missiod.

Periodically, the DM should qlecide if one
of these previous victims shows Jlp to compli-

kte matters. The NFCdoes not automatically ninja hasno clanobligations,he isnot required
cognize the ninja, particularly with Dis- to follow the dictatesof a clan superior.
pix profiaency complicatingthings, but the
h j a may find it necessary to take extraordi- Special Hindrances: This ninja cannot call
nary steps in order to limit contact with the on the resourcesof a clan and will never have
followers.
I
The Lone Wolf ninja begins play opposed
cQualifications: Nonebeyond normal ninja by a powerful campaign enemy, normally an
quirements. This kit is available to humans, entire clan, that will haunt him throughout
alf-elves, and halflings. his career. If he is an exile, the enemy is his
Description and Role: Pathfinder ninja own clan. If he is the survivor of a massacre,
possesses special wilderness experience and
abilities. his enemy is the clan that destroyed his.
Initially,a Lone Wolf wiU be far too weak to
Secondary Skills: Forester, Hunter, Trap-
per/Furrier (choose one). eliminate this enemy, but he is obligated to
try to remove the threat once he’s achieved a
Weapon Pmficiencies: Required: Half-bow high enough level, learned enough informa-
(hankyu),ninia-to. tion, and gained the help of other powerful
adventurers. He might renew ties with his
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Bonus: Track- clan or even assume its leadership, or destroy
ing.Required: Hunting.
the clan that has haunted him throughout his
Special Benefits: The Pathfinder receives
extra bonuses to Trackimg proficiency: +1at career.
5th level, another +1 at 9th level, and another Guidelines for use of the Lone Wolf’s cam-
+1 at 13thlevel.
paign enemy appear in Chapter 7.
Special Hindrances: This ninja gathers no
Spirit Warrior
followers.
Qualifications: The Spirit Warrior must
Lone Wolf have an Intelligence score of 13or better. This
Qualifications: None beyond no- m j a kit is available to humans and half-elves only.
Description and Role: The Spirit Warrior
requirements. ninja possesses some magical abilities. Such
Description and Role: The Lone Wolf ninja characters can, at high experiencelevels, pass
themselves off as low-level illusionists. Be-
has no clan. Either he has disgraced himself cause of their magical powers, high-level
before the clan and been exiled (or escaped Spirit Warriors sometimes accomplish mis-
before being killed), or his clan was wiped sions that create superstitious dread in the
out by an enemy clan. Most Lone Wolf ninja average person and go down in local legends.
wander the world, selling their skills to a If you are updating ninja characters from
the original Oriental Adventures game book,
variety of employers and trying to keep a step you’ll want to use the Spirit Warrior kit for
charactersyou feel must retain the extraordi-
ahead of their enemies. They usually pretend nary abilitiesprovided by thosed e s .
to be thieves or warriors. Secondary Skills: Scribe.
Weapon Proficienaes: Required: Dagger or
Secondary Skills: None rrquirrd. knife.
Weapon Pmfiaenaes: Required:Ninja-to. Nonweapon Profiaenaes: Required: Read-
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: Sur-
vival. ing/Writing, Spellcraft. !
Special Benefits: Because the Lone Wolf

Special Benefits: The Spirit Warrior has this time she can take no othet actions; if
access to profiaenaes from the Wizard profi-
aency group without cost penalties. attacked or disturbed while concentrating,

~ she loses the use of this power for the day.

At 5th level, the Spirit Warrior can walk The power to walk through walls lasts for one
across short distances of smooth water. In a
single day, she can cross 10yards of water per round per the ninja's experienae level. The
five experience levels (thus a 15th-levelSpirit
Warrior ninja can cross 30 yards of water), Spirit Warrior moves 1foot per rbund (1foot
moving at a rate of 10 yards per round at a
Movement Rate of 1).If the ninja is injured per experience level). If the ninja is not com-

~ pletely through the obstacle at q heoeonddidofeathtoe
round, she dies inside it (soit is a
while walking on water, her concentration is
be sure of the thickness of a wall before a'
broken and she falls in. If the ninja carries so
tempting to walk through it).
much weight that her normal (land) walking
rate would be 6 or less, she cannot walk on Special Hindrances: The SpirifiWarrior has
water regardlessof her level.
a limited selection of weapons. $he may use
At 9th level, the Spirit Warrior ninja may
begin learning Illusionist spells. She may only dagger, knife, tanto, yoroiltoshi, short
learn spells of the Illusion school only, plus
the special ninja spells described later in this sword, ninja-to, staff, dart, blowgun, or sling.
chapter. She leams spells at the same rate pal-
adins do: The Spirit Warrior may wear only leather or

padded armor and may not carry a shield.

The Spirit Warrior must eadn the same

amount of experienceas a wizard lbut rolls six-

sided dice for hit points and reFeives addi-

tional bonus hit points from 11thlevel up.

Table 7: Spirit Wanior Spell Progression Table && Spirit Warrior Experiitnce Levels

Ninja Casting Illusionist Spell Level Level XP Cost Hit Dice (d6)
Level Level 1 2 3 4 1 1
0
9 1 I---
10
2 2---

15 7 3 2 1 1 7 60,OOo
8 90,000
8 3311

* Mrudmum SpeU Abhty 1: 11.51:oo.oooD 10+6
14 10+8

The Spirit Warrior also receives a thief's 16
ability to read scrolls.
17
At 13th level, this ninja gains her ultimate 3375.000
,'I~. 3;750;000
power, the ability to pass through walls. She 20 10+20

i1 must spend three rounds concentrating and
preparing before entering the wall. During

NIqjaKits 15

mr

Ninja Spells the nondescript face. Immunity to the spell
lasts the length of the spell duration, but the
The Spirit Warrior ninja is able to learn spell itself is not dispelled and will work on
some wizard spells. So can the Shinobi Mage people who have not made their saving
and Shinobi Illusionist,described in the next throws. The person who successfully saves
chapter. againstthis spell has no idea that a spell is in
effect; he does not see the false features fade
The following spells are known only by away and feels no hint of magic.
members of ninja clans. The Spirit Warrior
can learn spells of the Illusion school only. This spell’s success dependson the ninja’s
The Shinobi Illusionist can learn all spells maintaining a mental attitudeof dullness and
except those of Invocation/Evocation, Neao- boredom. When a ninja deliberately does
mancy, and Abjuration. The Shinobi Mage something interesting while wearing this
can learn all spells. spell-if he attacks someone, saves a life, or
robs a merchant-the spell ends and every
Ninja spells are unlike most other types of witness can see his true featurrs.
pells because the only components they
require are kuji-kiri finger exercises. These This spell can be canceled by a dispel mugk
stylized hand manipulations, used by the spell.
ninja to enhance meditation, are usually per- False Tracks (Ulusio
formed from a kneeling position. Range: 0
Comuonents S
First-Level Spells
Saving Throw:None
Face-Blur flllusion) For the duration of this spell, the ninja
Range: 0
Components: S leaves tracks appropriate to a common nor-
Duration: 1hour/level mal animal (herd beast, deer, fox, etc.). The
Casting T i e : 4rounds ninja chooses the species when the spell is
Area of Effect: One creature cast. His footprintswill be those of an animal,
SavingThrow: none moving at whatever pace the ninja maintains.
(If the ninja is running, he leaves behind the
The ninja casts this spell on himself or on runningfootprintsof the animal.) If bits of the
another. It may be cast only on a willing tar- ninja’s clothing become snagged on under-
get, who gets no saving throw. brush, they will appear to be bits of animal
hide. However, if the ninja drops an item of
The spell altersthe target’s features slightly, equipment or a garment, this spell will not
conceal its nature.
making them unremarkable-neither hand-
some nor ugly. The gaze of any witness slides N o saving throw is allowed. However, the
right off the features of a ninja affectedby this spell canbe removedby casting a dispel magic
spell. spell. If such a spell is cast on any part of the
trail the ninja has left behind, the entire spell
A person who is keenly and alertly look- is canceled and all tracks revert to normal.
ing at the faces of everyonehe seessuch as
a dedicated guard scanning a crowd to find The effects of this spell are entirely illusory.
someone who has just disappearedinto it-
gets a saving throw against the effects of the
spell.If the observer makes his savingthrow,
he sees the ninja’s actual features instead of

When the spell duration ends, all affected in relationto true north, south, east, and west;
footprints revert to normal. the presence lodestones will not affect the
spell. The spell works underground, in dark-
Ninja use this spell to elude pursuers. ness, when the ninja is upside down, and in
When someone a ninja wishes to ambush is any sort of disorienting circumstance.
hunting a specific type of animal, the ninja
will leave tracks of that animal for the quarry Lesser Distraction (Illusion)
to follow. Range: 5 feet/level
Components: S
Find Direction (Divination) Duration: Instantaneous
Range: 0 Casting Time: 1round
Components:S Area of Effect: One creature
Duration:Instantaneous Saving Throw: Neg.
Casting Time: 1round
Area of Effect:Special With this spell, the caster causes the victim
Saving Throw: None to hear a faint noise or see something indis-
tinct out of the corner of his eye. The caster
By performing kuji-kiri finger exercises, the must decide if the illusion will be auditory or
ninja obtains a momentary understanding of visual but cannot choose to further define the
distraction.It will be a sound, but not a foot-
her current direction.This can be very helpful step or a low moan. Or it will be a glimpse of

when she has become lost.
The ninja understands the actual direction

Ninja Kits 17

something,but not of a person. getting darker, but this observation does not
The victim who does not successfully save affectthe spell’s progress.
When the spell is completed, the room is as
vs. spell believes the sight or sound to origi- full of shadow and darknessas possiblewith-
nate from a direction of the spellcaster’s out arousing suspicion. If it is daylight out-
choice. (The spellcaster cannot choose dis- side, it will seem that a doud has passed over
tance. A victim can be made to believe that the sun. If it is nighttime, the candles and fire
seem to have burned low. The dimming of
he heard a sound behind him,but not that it the light does not appear at all menacing to
people in the m a , though a detect magic spell
was something moving 30 feet behind him. will reveal the presence of the deepen shadows
Spell.
He can be made to think that he saw motion The caster receives a +2%bonus per expe-
rience level to her hide in shadows roll with-
off to his right, but not that it was something in the effect of the deepen shadows spell. Only
moving at the top of a wall 50 feet from the caster receives this bonus, because only
she has complete understanding of the way
?I The victim is freeto actashe choosesonthe the shadows fall.
usion. He may ignore it or may be moved by This spell is useful to a ninja who cannot
duty or curiosity to investigate. use her ability to hide in shadowsbecausethe
area is too bright. The shadows created by
Because the illusion is quick and not de- this spellcan help ninja to escape, to infiltrate,
to pull sleightaf-hand switches, etc.
tailed, thevictim hasa -4penalty to hischance If the casting ninja is in a portal or doorway
between rooms,she may choose which room
to save. If he fails the saving throw, he be- is darkenedby this spell.
lieves the sight or sound to be real but does If the ninja is of sufficient level that she
not know what made it. If he makes the sav- could cover more than the area of the room
ing throw, he assumes that he was ”seeing she occupies, the excess area is lost unless
things” or ”hearing things” and does not act there is an open portal between the ninja’s
room and an adjacent room, and the ninja’s
on the distraction. Even if he makes his sav- spell can affect enough area to cove,r both
mms completely.
ing throw, he does not know that he was the If the ninja is not of sufficientlevel to affect
target of a spell. the entire area of a room, the spell automati-
cally fails.
This spell is used by ninja attempting an
escape or infiltration. It is designed to encour- Example: As a 10th-levelSpirit Warrior,
Noriko casts magic as a 2nd-level spell-
age a guard to leave his post for a moment. caster and thus can cover a lO’x20’ area
with her deepen shadows spell. However,
Second-Level Spells she is standingin a ZO’x20’ room and so
cannot cover the entire area. If she at-
Deepen Shadows (Illusion) tempts to cast her spell here, the casting
Range: 0 or 6 yards (seebelow) will fail.
Components: S
Duration: 1hour/level
Casting T i e : 5 rounds
Area of Effect: One lO’x10‘ ma/spellcasting

level
Saving Throw: None

This spell slowly, inconspicuously darkens
the room where the ninja is. The change is
gradual, taking five rounds (five minutes).
With a successfulsavingthrow at a -4 penalty,
someone inside the room can notice that it is

18 Chptcr Two

Featherfoot (Alteration) With this spell, the ninja can agk any nonliv-
ing material (ofa maximum volume of 3cubic
Casting T i e : 5 rounds/level feet) by about 100years. An objett affected by
Area of Effect: One creahve the spell may make a normal savingthrowvs.
Saving Throw: None
disintegration (see the DUNGFOMNASTER
cted by this spell gains the
Guide,Chapter 6) to avoid the spd's effect.
move quietly and weight- An object that fails its saving @ow suffers

walking pace or slower. If the ravages of a hundred years of aging, on
the inside. On the outside it apqears normal,
. ster, the effect of the s.pell but a little more weathered than before. Stone
items are affected very little, but wood rots,
is lost. metal rusts or corrodes through, and other
materials suffer similar resdts. *e next time
While the spell is in effect, the character an object affectedby this spell ispicked up or
otherwise used, it crumbles intb ruin. If the
gains +30%to' his move silently roll. (If he object is already under strain when the spell
is cast on it, it givesway irnmecbtely.
does not possess this skill, for the duration of
This spell allows a spellcaster to sabotage
the spell he performs as though he does pos- crucialobjectsor pieces ofequipmenk a ladder
sess the skill with a score of 303' 3.) rung, a wooden step, the sword of an enemy,
etc. A fleeing ninja can use this spellto drop a
The person affected by this spell does not portcullis,booby trap the stairway shehas just
leave anyfootprints,nor doeshe setoff weight- descended, or destroy a weapon about to be
wielded againsther. It will not allow the char-
or pressure-based traps. acter to sink a boat; the keelexceeds the spell's
volume limitations. (However, a hull patch
The reverse of this spell, leadfoot,affectsone that does not exceed the voluve limitation
could be destroyed by the spell.)
creature.The victim is allowed a saving throw
This spell does not affect living creatures.
to avoid being affectedby the spell. It will not cancel the effects of a potion of
Zongeoity. If cast on such a potion, the spell
The victim of a leudfoot spell moves loudly permanently renders the potion useless. A
potion of longevity is the only item that does
and heavily. He cannot move silently or hide not receive a saving throw a@-@ this spell.

in shadows, and automatically sets off any Detect the 1' * 3 (Dk ' Yon)

pressure-based traps he steps on. (No roll is Range: 0
Components: S
necessary.) Duration: 3 turns
CastingT i e : 1round
A leadfooted character inside the area of a
Area of Effect:60feet + 10feet/level
silence spell moves normally; he can be heard
Saving Throw:None
if he fails to make a move silently roll.
This spell acts much like a detect undeud
Third-Level C; :Us spell but allows the ninja to detect the pres-

Age to Derbuctlon
AlteratlonfNecrormncy)

Range: 2 feet/level
Components:S
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting T i e : 1 round
Area of Effect: 1object (3cubic feet)
Saving Throw: Neg.

ence of living beings. include itching, the feeling that one’s hands
The spell works on living beings belonging are grubby, or the need to answer nature’s
Call.
to animal species with half a hit die or more
of hit points. Thus the spell will not detect If the victim fails the saving throw, the sen-
members of very small animal species or any sation will not stop distracting him until he
plant speaes. deals with it (by scratchingthe itch, washing
his hands, etc.) or until the spell duration
The spell’s area of effect extends in a path ends. Once either of these conditions is met,
10 feet wide and 60 feet long (plus 10 feet the distracting sensation ends. If the victim
longer per spellcasting level of the ninja) in makesthe save, he feels the sensationmomen-
the direction the caster is facing. Scanning a tarily but it goes away almost immediately.
direction requires one round, and the caster The victim is never aware that a spell was cast
must be motionless except for the somatic
element of his spell (kuji-kiri finger exer- on him,whether he saves or not.
cises). When the spell is successful, the
caster sees a glow in the direction of the This is another spell used by intruding
life-form; no one else can see the glow. The ninja to maneuver guards or intended targets
spell indicates direction only; it does not out of position.
give specific location or distance.
Fourth-Level Spells
This spell can detect living beings through
walls and obstaclesbut is blocked by 1 foot of Improved Featherfoot (Alterdon)
solid stone, 1yard of wood or loose earth, or a Range: Touch
Components:S
thincoating of metal. The spell does not indi- Duration: 1tum/level
Casting T i e : 1round
cate the type (species or level) of creature Area of Effect: One creature
detected, only that such a being is present. Saving Throw: None

Ninja use this spell to detect someone hid- This spell improves on the 2nd-levelfeath-
ing behind a paper room divider or a false erfoot spell by additionally allowing the ninja
wall. They can then attack through the wall to to walk across still or gently moving water
surprise their prey. Such attacks, when they surfaces (the water of a pond or a slow river,
are successful, are startling and sometimes for example).
deadly, but even when aided by a detect the
diving spell, a ninja strikingin this way suffers Such travel leaves the bottoms of the ninja’s
a 4 penalty to his attack roll. feet wet, so she must take care to leave no
trail after leaving the water.
Greater Distraction (Illusion)
Range: 10feet/level Improved Mirror Image
Components: S (IUusion/wantasm)
Duration: 1tum/levels Range: 0
Casting T i e : 3 Components:S
Area of Effect:One creature Duration: 3 rounds/level
Saving Throw: Neg. Casting Tiie: 2 rounds
Area of Effea: 30-foot radius
With this spell, the caster causes the victim Saving Throw: None
ti0 become distracted by a sensation. The
caster decides what the sensation will be
before he casts the spell. Typical sensations

I

Ihis spell works much like the 2nd-level the U M rolls 164 and adds 1 foIr every three
levels of the ninja’s spellcastingexperience.
wizard spell mirror image, with some impor-
Fwh-Level Spells
tant differences.
Shirdow-F~nn( I I I u s I ~ ~ )
The mirror images appear in the vicinity of
the caster, but they can move up to 30 feet Range: Unlimited
Components: S
away. Although the images must face the Duration:One hour or until struck
same target or enemy (whichever one the Casting T i e : 5 rounds
spellcaster is facing), they do not have to per- Area of Effect: One creature ,
form exactly the same actions.They can draw Saving Throw: None
diffeent weapons or appear to choose differ- I
ent tactics in combat.
With this spell, the ninja creates a transpar-
When struck in combat, these images col- ent duplicate of himself. The duplicate, or
lapse as if i n j w d or kiUed, feeling solid to the
person attacking them. Only at the startof the shadow-form, appears adjacent to the spell-
next combat round do “injured” images dis-
appear. caster. It wears all the clothing and carries all
the equipment thatwere in the ninja’s posses-
Like the images createdby a mirror image sion when he cast the spell, leaving him un-
spell, these visions can do no actual damage. clothed and unarmed; the clothingand equip-
If they attack an enemy in combat, all their ment are not transparent.

attacks seem to miss until they are struck or
the spell duration ends.

To determine how many images appear,

1 For the duration of the spell, the ninja con- The DM determines what constitutes such

krols the shadow-form’s actions and sees betrayal, but the spell normally reacts when a
through its eyes. It is an extension of him and clan member has deliberately taken an action
that puts his own welfare above the clan’s.
possesses all of his physical and mental skiUs
but not his magical abilities. (Inother words, However, the spellcaster cannot determine
the identity of the betrayer or reveal details of
it moves, sounds, and fights just as he does that betrayal. The spell has no range, so the
but cannot cast spells.) The ninja sees through
both sets of eyes at once. When the shadow- traitor could be anyone in the clan.
form is waiting or resting, the ninja can take
actions on his own, but he cannot make both The spell does not react to exiles, outcasts,
his real body and his shadow-form act at the or clan members the spellcasterbelieves to be
same time. dead.

If the shadomform is hit in combat or struck This is a spell used most often by Shinobi
with a dispel magic spell,it disappearsleav- Mage advisors to clan leaders. Though it is
ing behind all the clothing and equipment it necessary to know about such betrayals in
was carrying. Also left behind is a handfd of order to protect the clan, this spell can be as
leaves inside the clothes, all that remains of much a curse as it is a blessing, because it
the insubstantialbody.
makes the clanlord and his advisors paranoid.
Spirit Wamors and spellcasting shinobiuse
this spell to perform particularly frightening
short-term assignments.The shndau-formmay
be sent off to attack someone, to deliver a
message, to scout a dangerous area, or to
undertake any sort of action in which the
ninja cannot afford to be caught. Usually the
spellcaster dresses in a ninja night-suitbefore
casting this spell, so that it is not readily obvi-
ous that the person within the clothing is
transparent. When the shadow-form wears a

night-suit and moves mund in the dark,it is
difficultto see that it is not a physical being.

Sixth-Level Spells

Sense Treason (DMnation)
Range: special
Components: S
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting T i e : 5 rounds
Area of Effect: the caster
Saving Throw: None

With this spell, a shinobi spellcaster can

determine that the clan has been deliberatelv

betrayed.

Shinobi, Spies, and Killers

It’s possible to have ninja-lie characters heavy-duty fighting is required (often in the
company of ninja with the Shadow Warrior
who don’t belong to the ninja character class, kit). In addition, the Shinobi Fighter may
adventure out in the world the way othe
and to use the ninja character dass rules with- ninja do, so long as he does not reveal hi
out playing Oriental ninja characters. This ninja clan associations.
chapter describeshow.
SecondarySkills: None required.
Shinobi Weapon Proficiencies: Required: Ninja-to,
No ninja clan is made up solely of ninja. At
daikyu (Oriental long bow) or hankyu (half
most, halfthe people belonging to a ninja clan bow).
will be of the ninja characterclass. That means
the other halfare normai (zero-level) humans Nonweapon Proficienaes: Required: Blind-
fighting.
or, more commonly, representatives of other
character classes. In the AD&D@game, we Special Benefits: The Shinobi Fighter is
call these clan members shinobi. ablgto learn a few thieving skills. At ist level
he can move silently, hide in shadows, and
In the Japaneselanguage, the words ninju climb walls with base scores of 10% eack
and shinobi have similar meanings. They are (modified by all racialbonusesand penalties)
two different pronunciations for the same
written word. In The Complete Ninju‘s Hand- With each subsequent experience level, the
book, however, we make an artificial distinc- Shinobi FighM gets 10disaetionarypoints tc
tion between ninja and shinobi. divide among the threethieving skills.

Here, ninju are people of the ninja character Special Hindrances: None.
class who belong to a ninja clan. Shinobi are
people of other character classeswho belong Shinobi Ranger
to a ninja clan. Qualifications: This kit is avaiiaDie to

Shinobi are not ninja and cannot take ninja human and haIf-eJf rangersonly.
kits. Instead, they have their own kits. A shi- Description and Role: The Shinobi Ranga
nobi who is a fighter must take the Shinobi
Fighter kit; a shinobi who is a wizard must is the clan wilderness specialist. However
take the Shinobi Mage or Shinobi Illusionist this character’s primary concern is neithei
kit. protecting the wilderness nor making he1
livelihood there. The Shinobi Ranger’s skill!
With the DMs permission, players of non- am used to scoutenemies and lead clan mem.
ninja character classes may belong to ninja
clans and take appropriate shinobi kits. bers throughthe wilderness so they can per-

Shinobi have the same clan obligations as form missions successfdy.
Secondary Skills: Trapper/Funier.
ninja. (SeeChapter 6.) Weapon Proficiencies: Required: HankyL

Shinobi Fighter (half-bow).
Qualifications: This kit is available to NonweaponProficiencies: Required: Run-

human, dwarf, and half-elf fighters (not pal- ning.
adins or rangers). Special Benefits Like the Shinobi Fighter

Description and Role: This character is a the Shinobi Ranger can learn thieving skills
fighter belonging to a ninja clan. He is ordi- Her skills are move silently, hide in shadows
narily not chosen for stealth-based missions and detect noise, with the same base scores
but accompanies ninja on assignmentswhere and progressionas a ShinobiFigh

Special Hindrances: None.

t' Shinobi Mage
Qualifications: This kit is available to
i
human and half-elf wizards only, with mini-
i mum Intelligencescores of 12.

j Description and Role: All ninja clans need
members with more magical knowledge
.' than the Spirit Warrior possesses. The Shi-
nobi Mage is a normal generalist wizard who
I has a little bit of ninja training. Because his
training has been divided between magic
1-- and ninjutsu, he is not quite as accomplished
a wizard as those who do not belong to ninja
clans.

The Shinobi Mage is often appointed as an
advisor to the clan leader.

Secondary Skills: Scribe.
Weapon Proficiencies: Required:None.
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: Read-
ing/writing.
Special Benefits:The ShinobiMage is able
to learn a few thieving skills, receiving move
silently, detect noise, and read languages at
1stlevel. Subsequently,he progresses in these

b skills in the same way as a Shinobi Fighter.
The Shinobi Mage can also learn to use the
ninja-to, but proficiency in this weapon re-

' iquires two slots; he is not required to learn
the ninja-to.
Special Hindrances: Because his training
is divided between the study of magic and
the practice of ninja skills, the Shinobi Mage
cannot attain the same mastery of magic as a
normal mage. To determine the Spell Level
limit, Chance to Learn Spell, and Maximum
Number of Spells per Level (all from the
Player's Handbook, Table 4), treat the Shinobi
Mage as having an Intelligence score 2 points
lower than it actually is. (Thus a Shinobi
Mage with an Intelligence score of 17learns
spells as though he had an Intelligence score
of 15.)
Note: The followers of a Shinobi Mage are
always Shinobi Mages, Shinobi Illusionists,
and Spirit Warriors.

\

Shinobi Illusionist ing to the priesthood of any god whose wor-
Qualifications: This kit is available to ship would cause a division of loyalty be-
tween his clerical order and the ninja clan.
human illusionistsonly.
Description and Role: The Shinobi Illu- Secondary Skills: Scribe.
Weapon Proficiencies: N o bonuses, re-
sionist has much in common with the Spirit quirements, or prohibitions.
Warrior ninja but chooses to concentratemore Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: Read-
on magical skills than physical skills. This ing/writing.
shinobi's special powers of illusion give the Special Benefits: The Shinobi Cleric can
clan greater versatility and help embellish the use any weapon allowed to other clerics and
frightening reputation of the ninja. can use one-handed bladed weapons as well.
This shinobi can also learn thieving skills as a
Secondary Skills: Scribe. Shinobi Fighter.
Weapon Proficiencies: Required: None. Special Hindrances: The Shinobi Cleric
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: Read- cannot use any armor providing better de-
ing/writing.
Special Benefits:In addition to those spells fense thanscale mailor hide armor (though he
available to normal illusionists, the Shinobi
Illusionist can learn some of the ninja spells may wear magicalversions of %ese armors).
describedin the previous chapter.This shinobi Note: Shinobi priests of specific mythoi can
is also able to learn a few thieving skills (move
silently, hide in shadows, read languages) at also be built using thi~kit
the progressionrate described for the Shinobi
Fighter. Like a ShinobiMage, the ShinobiIzlu- Shinobi Thief
sionist can also learn to use the ninja-to. Qualifications: 11113xu 13avcuiauie LO hu-
Special Hindrances: Because her training
is divided between magic and ninjutsu, the mans, dwarves, half-elves, and halflingthieves.
Shinobi illusionist cannot attain the same Description and Role: In a ninja clan, the
mastery of magic as a normal wizard. When
consulting Table 4 in the Player's Handbook, character who wants to have a good balance
treat the ShinobiIllusionistas having an Intel- between fighting and thief skills becomes a
ninja. The ShinobiThief is a specialistin thiev-
ligen* score 1point lower thanit actually is. ing skills, as dedicated to them as a graybeard
scholar is to reading musty scrolls by candle-
Note: The followers of a Shinobi Illusionist light. The Shinobi Thief's fighting skills are
are all Shinobi Illusionists, Shinobi Mages, not on a par with that of the ninja or the ordi-
and Spirit Warriors. nary thief, but his thief skills are superior.

Shinobi Priest The Shinobi Thief often works on missions
Qualifications: This kit is available to side by side with true ninja and is a welcome
broth--in-arms. In missions requiringseveral
human, dwarf, and h a l f 4 clerics. party members, the Shinobi Thief is the intru-
Description and Role: Although such char- sion specialist, the one relied on for finding
and removing trapsand other security devices.
acters are rare, there is nothing to keep a ninja
clan from producing a cleric.A Shinobi Cleric Secondary Skills: None required.
Weapon Proficiencies: Required: Ninja-to.
must fulfill all normal clerical duties for his Nonweapon Proficiencies: N o bonuses,
requirements, or prohibitions.
order, and additionally-and secretly-per- Special Benefits: The Shinobi Thief starts
out with thieving skius superior to those of a
form those servicesfor his ninja clan. regular thie
The Shinobi Clericwill never receive a call-

Shinobi, Spies, and Killers 25

I

Table 9 Shinobi Thief Base Scores good time in this role.
Secondary Skills: Scribe.
Skill Base Score Weapon Proficiencies: N o bonuses, re-
Pick Pockets 20%
15% quirements, or prohibitions.
Open Locks 15% Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: Read-
20%
Find/Remove Traps 20% ing/writing.
Move Silently 20% Special Benefits: The Shinobi Bard has a
Hide in Shadows 65%
Detect Noise 5% wider range of thief skills and generally
Climb Walls
Read Languages higher startingvalues thanan ordinary bard.
Table 10: Shinobi Bard Base Scores

I .Like a regular thief, the Shinobi Thief re- Skill Base Score
Pick Pockets 10%
ceives 60 discretionary points at 1stlevel (no
more than 30 pointsmay be added to any one
skill) and receives 30 points at each additional OpenLoCks 5%
experience level. (No more than 15points Find/Remove Traps 5%
may be added to any one skill.) Move Silently 5%
Hide in Shadows 5%
Special Hindrances: The Shinobi Thief can Detect Noise 30%
wear only padded or leather armor, and can Climb Walls 50%
use only the same weapons as wizards (dag- Read Languages 10%
ger, knife, staff, dart, sling). Like a wizard, the
Shinobi Thief uses a four-sided die to roll for
hit points. Subsequent progression of thieving skills
follows the normal bard class.
Special Hindrances: The Shinobi Bard
learns bard spells at a slower rate than ordi-
Shinobi Bard nary bards. Treat her as though she were two

Qualifications: This kit is available to experience levels lower when determining
humans and halfelf bards only. spell progression. Thus,a Shinobi Bard learns
Description and Role: The Shinobi Bard is her first spell at 4th level.
specially trained to entertain people and to
lend magical knowledge to a ninja mission.
She is often paired with Intruder and Consort spies

ninja, whose abilities are most suited to inter- Naturally, not all cultures can have ninja
acting with other people.
clans. However, other d t u r e s can have char-
The Shinobi Bard is weaker in spellcraft acters similar to ninja.
than an ordinary bard but is somewhat better These characters are built with the ninja
at thieving skills. character class guidelines, but we call them
She is often called on to strike up a song or spies.
put on a show to distract people while her Not every campaign setting should have
I brethren carry out the quiet and sneaky parts characters of the spy (ninja) class; a setting

of a mission. For this reason, a player who should have spies only if the DM allows. Cer-
wants to be where the action is shouldnot take tainly, every culture can have rogues who
this type of character, while a PC who likes perform espionage tasks, but for a culture to
being the center of crowd attention while his produce specialized spies belonging to their
allies are doing the dirty work would have a own character class, it must:

Be considered culturally advanced and be in place, maintaining a cjver identity
sophisticated compared to the cultural aver- establishedyears earlier.
age for the world, and The Pathfinder spy is I

Have a tradition of attempting to resolve sions tend to be more urban.
problemswith cunning, guile, p m s w , black- The Spirit Warrior spy is otten used as a
mail, trickery, and even treachery (in addition missionspecialist, seldom as a W, sion leader.
to that familim old standby, war).
WhattheSpyDMs ~
The Foreign Service
Spiesbelong to the ForeignService,a branch I

of the government whose specific task is to Chapter 8 includes notes on'campaigning
manage international relations. The Foreign spy characters.
Service's main task is to operate a corp of
ambassadorsand negotiators, but intelligence The spy goes on missions huch like the
work also falls under its umbrella. ninja, but these missions relaye more to na-
tional security than clan concers.,The spy is
Unlike the ninja, the spy was probably not more prevalent in campaigns et in western
born to a family of spies.He or shewasnoticed cultures, and is perhaps most qppropriate to
by the Foreign Service during adolescence or campaigns settings somewhat l i b the Euro-
pean Renaissance.
early adulthoodand recruitedinto the Senrice.
Demihuman Spies I
However, in most ways the service is like a
ninja clan. It is ruled by a powerful, autocratic Whereas ninja clans are alwaJ human clans,
leader. It has a goal, an alignment, a range of an intelligence agency employing spies can
resources, a set of allies, a number of enemies. belong solely to another race. ~ L dwWarve
and halflings can be ninja, pfedominantly
It demands loyalty of its agents and punishes dwarf andhalflingspyorganizations can exist.

betraval. It sends its members out on life-or- Wen I
deat6missions.
I
Ninja Kits and the Spy
Another type of character d+ved from the
Allninja kits are available to the spy except ninja character class is the kill?. This variani
NPC is a murderer who needq ninja abilitie:
h r the Lone Wolf kit. to get to his target.
I
The Stealer-In, or basic spy, is actually Any culture can produce kt1ller organiza-
wcommon. Spies prefer to speaalize. tions. Killers with the Eliminator kit are besi
suited to the same types
The Shadow Warrior, or fighting spy, is duce spies, while those with
aommonbut is almostalwaysused in associa- Ravager kits most often
tion with other spies. A Shadow Warrior spy considered foreign and exotic.
is seldom sent on a solo mission or as the ~
leader of a mission.
Rerhictions I,
The Intruder is the most common sort of
qpy, and the type tapped most often to lead a Player characters cannot belong to thc
group or to undertake a solo mission.
3killer (ninja) class. These rul s are includec
The Consort spy is also very common, and
is second most likely to lead a group or under- for the DM who wants to cr ate extremel)
take a solo mission. When a mission leader is
sent into an area, a Consort spy may already dangerousopponents for his PfZs.

Killer Kits penseful sort of adventure involves PCs (per-
There are three kits available for killers: haps some of them are spies) assigned to pro-
minator, Punisher, and Ravager. tect the target of an Eliminator.

r iminator Eliminators belonging to criminal organi-
zations suffer the same clan obligations as
ninja. (See Chapter 6.)

Qualifications: NPCs with good align- Punisher
ments cannot be Eliminators.The Eliminator
must have an Inteuigenke score of 13or bet- Qualifications: NF’C only.
ter. Description and Role: The Punisher be-
Description and Rolg: The Eliminator is a longs to an organization with a goal. The
loner who assassinates&h-profile, carefully goal itself might not be evil, but the way the
protected targets. Eliniinators are solitary organization attempts to reach its goal-
hunters; they work in gmups only when they through a program of murder and terror-
feel it is impossible to gdt to the target alone. certainly is.
Each Eliminator specinlizes in one specific For example, two covert groups might have
technique of elimination, performing assassi- the same goal: to force a group of occupying
nations with the same type of weapon every invaders to withdraw.
time. Highly egotistical Eliminators choose One group, consisting of spies, would try
uncommon or unusual vireapons as their ”sig- to accomplish this goal by sabotaging enemy
missions, planting spies within the enemy
1lUtUreS.” forces, subvertingenemy leaders, and thwart-
Secondary Skills: Noqe required. ing the enemy’s military operations through
Weapon ProfiaenciesF Required: None. superior intelligence.
Nonweapon Proficiencies: Required: None.
Special Benefits: In a campaign that uses A group consisting of P
eapon proficiency rules, the Eliminator can would not hesitate to send
specialize in weapons but is much more lim- der enemy leaders and their
ited than a fighter. Some Punisher societie
The Eliminator mag! specialize in one following the dictates o
weapon at 5th level, a second weapon at 9th organizationis led by clerics
level, and a third weapon at 13th level. He the god, but most of the
may not specialize in mpre than three weap- is carried out by killer
ons (or two weapons plus one martial art). He kit.
does not get the additional attacks per round Every Punisher organization
of a weapons specialist [from Table 35 in the ture weapon that its mem
Player’s Handbook), nor receive extra attacks everyone will know that
per round based on levd advancementlike a by the organization.When a
fighter. L ’ Wed into the organization, a
Special Hindrances: There are two types of the likeness of this weap
Eliminator: free-lancers, who contract for inconspicuousplace on his
killings on a mission-by-mission basis with Secondary Skills: None
many employers, andlthose belonging to Weapon Proficiencies:
ciency with the organiza
criminal organizations.
Both types of EliminDtor exist mainly as weapon.
skillful opponents for the PCs. The most sus- Nonweapon Proficiencies:

I
I

Special Benefits: Members of the organiza-

--tion receive +2 to hit with the preciseweapon

used as the symbol of the order.
Special Hindrances: Punishers suffer the

same clan obligationsas ninja. (See Chapter 6.)
Qualifications:A Ravager must be an "C

with a Constitution scoreof at least 13.
Description and Role: Ravagers have the

same goals and methods as Punishers, but
Ravagers do not have signature weapons.
Instead, they consume dangerous potions
before going on their missions. These potions
make them fearless and unusually hard to
defeat in combat.

Proficiencies and Martial Arts

Weapon Proficiencies in more than one group. Both the medieval
thief who is proficient with short blades and
These rules are adapted from the ones the Renaissance dandy who knows only fenc-
ing weapons are likely to be proficient witb
introduced in The Complete Fighter’s Handbook the dagger, for example. However, the PC
Under the rules in Chapter 5 of the Phyer’s who purchases several tight groups wi
andbook, a DM can decide to use weapon overlapping sets of weapons receives no pr
fiaency slot cost reduction.
roficiencies in his campaign. When using
hese rules, a character does not know how These broad categories are very close tc
o wield a weapon well unless he spends a the related weapon groups from Chapter 5 or

eapon proficiency slot on it. If he has profi- the Player’s Handbook. The DM can use these
iency with a weapon, he uses it normally; if
e does not have proficiency, he suffers an categories as related groups. This helps
ttack roll penalty whenever he tries to use determine whether or not a combatant gets
he weapon. (The penalty is -2 for warrior the full attack roll penalty when he uses a
haracters, -5 for wizards, and -3 for priests weapon unfamiliar to him, or whether he
receives only half the penalty for using a
d rogues.) weapon similar to one with which he.has
With the new rules given here, a character proficiency.

~ Weapon SpecMzation and
Weapon Groups
can devote extra weapon proficiency slots to
It is not possible to specialize in an enti
Iecome proficient with an entire group of group of weapons except by spending
eapons. additional weapon proficiency slot on ev
There are two types of weapons groups: weapon in the group. You cannot, for exam-
ight groups and broad groups. A tight group, ple, spend two proficiency slots to

sually consisting of three to eight weapons, weapon familiarity with the Oriental B
includes weapons very closely related in
function and effect (for example, fencing tight group, and then an extra proficie
blades). A broad group, consisting of several slot to specialize in every weapon i
tight groups, includes weapons that ~ I Vmore group. You would need to spend one
loosely related in function and effect (for tional slot each for katana/bokken, ninja-to,
xample, all blades). no-daichi, tetsu-to, tanto/yoroi-toshi, and
wakizashi, for a total of eight weapon profi-
Table 11shows the cost of purchasing profi- aency slots.
with differentcategoriesof weapons.
Nonweapon Proficiencies
11: Proficiency Costs
For Proficiency With
One weapon
Xght group of weapons
Broad group of weapons

Broad and Tight Weapon Croups

iinja characters can purcha* weapon profi-

iencies in the broad and tight groups listed
the sidebar on pages 32 and 33.
You’ll notice there’s a little overlap between

some of the groups; many weapons can found
30 ClupterFour

Nonweapon Proficienciesfrom the Warrior Group: Running, Tracking.
phyer's flandbook Wizard Group: (with appropriate penalty)
Languages (Ancient),Reading/Writing.
Some nonweapon proficiencies are appro-
priate to all ninja characters. These include: Psionicist: (from TheCompletePsionics Hand-

General Group: Artistic Ability, Cooking, book,with appropriate penalty) Hypnosis.
Dancing, Direction Sense, Etiquette, Fire-
building, Heraldry, Languages (Modern), New Nonweapon Proficiencies
Riding (Land-based), Rope Use, Singing;
Ninja know several nonweapon proficien-
(from The CompleteBook ofDwames)Alertness, cies that have not appeared in earlier PZayer's
Handbook supplements. Many of these profi-
Locksmithing, Slow Respiration. ciencies are appropriate to other character
Priest Group: (with appropriate penalty) classes as well as ninja.

Engineering, Healing, Reading/Writing. New Nonweapon Proficiency
Rogue Group: Blind-fighting, Disguise, Descriptions

Forgery, Gaming, Juggling,Jumping, Musical Acting: This proficiency, originally pre-
Instrument, Reading Lips, Set Snares, Tight-
rope Walking, Tumbling, Ventriloquism; (from sented in TheCompleteBard's Handbook, allows
TheCompleteTh@s Handbook) Alertness, Mor-
mation Gathering, Observation; (from The a character to skillfully portray another per-
CompleteBards Handbook) Acting. son. Although acting is usually considered a
form of entertainment, it can be useful in
Table 12: Nonweqon ProRciencyGroups
helping the ninja accomplishmission goals. If
~ciency #of Slots Relevant Check
General the ninja has both the Acting and Disguise
Required Ability Modifier proficiencies, the proficiency check for either
is made with a +1 bonus.
," 1 comtitutii,.. Y
Hold Bretth Proficiency checks for Acting are required
only if the actor must portray a particularly
Quick Study 2 Varies -3 difficult character or is attempting to ad lib a
Undd 1 Wdom 0 role (a nonrehearsed role or a performance on
Voice Mimicry 2 charisma var short notice).

Water Walking Dexterity -1 Assimilation: The character with this profi-
ciency is able to study a different culture well
enough to pretend to be a member of it. As-
similation allows the character to pick up cul-
tural mannerisms (common rituals, expres-
sions of speech, taboos, etc.). It is distinct
from Acting but helpful to that proficiency. A
character who has both Acting and Assimila-
tion proficiency receives a +1 bonus to checks
with either proficiency when portraying a
member of another culture. (Thisis not cumu-
lative with the Acting/Disguise bonus; if a
character has all three proficiencies, she does
not receive a +2 bonus.)

City Familiarity (specific city): A character

Table 13: Broad and Tight Tight Group:Short Blades
Weapon Croups
chopsticks*
Broad Group: Dagger/Dirk
Arrow-Firing Missile Weapons Gaff/Hook (CFH)
light Group: Bows Knife/Stiletto

Dam Main-gauche (0
Hankyu*
Long bow Parang*
Long bow, composite Short sword'
Pellet bow' Shuriken, large star*
Short bow Nekode'
Tight Group: Cr6ssbows Tanto/Yoroi-toshi'
Cho-ko-nu (repeating crossbow)' WakiZaShi'
Hand crossbow
Light crossbow Broad Group: ChaidRope Weapons
Tight Group:Chain Weapons
Broad Group: Blades
Kau sin ke*
Tight Group:Fencing BIades Kusarigama'
Dagger/Dirk MaNiki-@
Knife/Stiletto
Main-gauche (CFH) Three-sectionSW
Rapier (CFH)
Sabre (CFH) Tight Group:Lash Weapons
Scourge
Tight Group:Lung Blades Whip'
Bastard sword
No-daichi' Tight Group:Rope Weapons
Tetsu-to* Bola
Two-handed sword Kawanaga*
KYO@SU-S~O$
Tight Group:Medium Blades Lasso* (not part of a tight group)
Broad sword Net (not part of a tight group)
cutlass
Katana/Bokken* Broad Group: CleavhgKrushing Weapons
Khopesh Tight Group:Axes
Long sword*
Ninja-to* Battle axe*
sdmitar , Hand/Throwing axe'
Tight Group:Clubbing Weapons
Tight Group:Oriental Blades Club
Katana/Bokken' Footman's mace
Ninja-to* Hanbo'
No-daichi* Horseman's mace
Teku-to*
Tanto/Yoroi-toshi' JO*

Kiselu*
Morning star
Tonfa"
War hammer

t- I

iPight Group:Karate Weapons Spetum
Karna" Trident'
Nunchaku* Voulge
Quarterstaff/Bo* Tight Group:Lances
Sai/Jitte* Heaw horse lance
Tonfa* Ligh(horse lance"
ITight Group:Picks Joustinglance
Mediumhorse lance
Fang* Tight Group: Spears
Footman's pick Awl pike
Horseman's pick Chijiriki*
Tight Groups:Sickles Harpoon
Kama* Javelin
Sickle Long spear (CFH)
scythe Shakujo yari*
Tight Group:Staves Spear
Kumade' Trident
Lajatang* Uchi-ne"
Quarterstaff/Bo*
Tetsu-bo" Broad Group: Small Throwhg Weapons
Tight Group:Bladed Throwing Weapons
Gunsen (war fany
Dagger (thrown)
(not part of a tight group) Knife (thrown)
Siangkam* (not part of a tight group) Stiletto (thrown)
Tight Group: Grenades
road Group: Pole Weapons Eggshell grenades*
ght Group:Bladed Poles Nage teppo"
Tight Group:Shuriken
Bardiche Bo shuriken'
Bec de corbm Small shuriken'
Bill-guisarme Large star shuriken'
Fauchard Dart (not part of a tight group)
Fauchard-fork Tetsu-bisht* (not part of a tight group)
Glaive Tight Group:Blown Weapons
Glaive-guisarme Blowgun*
Guisarme Fukimi-ban"
Guisarme-voulge Metsubishi"
Halberd* Needle"
Hook fauchard Tight Group:Primitive Firearms
Lajatang+ Arauebus
Lucemhammer Tight Groip: Slings
Man catchef Sling
Military fork staff sling
NagimaW
Naginata' *Appearson weapon lists in thissupplement.
Partisan CFH: h m d u d in The Complete Fixhtefs Handbook.
Ranseur

1 sang kauw"
SodegaramP

with this proficiencyis unusually knowledge- Enamor: This proficiencyallows a ninja to
able about one specific community, chosen
when the proficiency is purchased. City Fa- trick an NPC into falling in love with him or
miliarity gives the character a good knowl- her. It is morethanthe skill of knowing which
edge of the importantpolitical and financial
figures in the community, an understanding flowers to send or garments to wear. Enamor
of which families (and criminal organiza- proficiency allows the ninja to study his tar-
tions) are most important and how they relate get like a thief studies a vault, looking for
to one another and a good grasp of the aty’s weak pointsto exploit.
main streets and byways. The character needs
no skill check to call on this information. Standard use of the Enamor proficiency
When the character wants more detailed takes a week of constant contact for a suscep-
information-such as the precise layout of
streets when he’s running away from city tible victim, a month or more for a more diffi-
guards, the name of the number-two man in a
specific crime organization,or the knowledge cult target. The DM can allow bonuses to the
of which politicians are cheapest to bribe-
the character must make a proficiency check profiaency roll for a PC who is thorough and
with a difficulty modifier determinedby the clever in his research into the victim’s psyche
DM.
and who takes extra time, and can assign
A character can must have lived in a city penalties to one who spends too little time or
for at least three months before he can pur- makeswrong assumptions.
chase the City Familiarity profiaency and-
except for the town in which he grew up-he At the end of the contactperiod,the DMrolls
can do so only with DM permission.
the Enamor proficiencyfor the ninja and com-
Detect Signing: This proficiencyallows a
character to realize when ninja from other pares the resultswith the listed in Table 14.
clans are communicating using their own clan Table 14: Enamor hoRckncy Results
signs. The character who makes a Detect
Signing roll recognizes seemingly meaning- Ninja Lost by 4+
less symbols as writing and ordinary speech The victim has been (accidentally) insulted
as having special meaning, although she just during the romantic pursuit. The victim
will not know the content of the communica- may attack the ninja, may arrange to have
tion. the ninja assaulted, may pretend to be se-
duced in order to cause the ninja some great
At the DM’s discretion, a Detect Signing
roll made by 2 or more will allow the charac- harm later, etc.
ter to recognize when other sorts of subtle
communicationarebeingused, suchasthieves’ Ninja Lost by 2 3
cant. The victim is not interested in the ninja and
may become irritated with continued pur-
If a character makes her Detect Signing roll suit.
by 6 or better, she can recognize one word or
symbol in a specific communication and Ninja Lost by 1
understand its meaning. The DM chooses The victim is flattered but not convinced.
which word the character recognizes. (This is The ninja can start over with a -2 penalty to
an opportunity for the DM to pass an intrigu-
ing clue on to the ninja character.) his Enamor check, or can abandon pursuit,

perhaps leaving behind some hard feelings.
Even Roll

The victim is flattered but not convinced.
The ninja can start over or can abandon
pursuit with no hard feelings.
Ninja Won by 1
The victim is flattered but not convinced.
The ninja can start over with a +1 bonus to
his Enamor check, or can abandon uursuit

Ninja Won by 2-3 Proliclencks and Martw Arts 35
The victim is infatuated by the ninja but
will not change ethics, goals, or loyalties.

Ninja Won by 4-6
The victim is in love with ninja and will
help ninja in any way that does not violate
important ethics and loyalties.

Ninja Won by 7+
The vidim is madly in love with the ninja and
will abandon allethics,goals, and loyalties.
The DM, at his discretion, can additionally

make a Wisdom check for the victim. If the
victim makes the Wisdom check by more
than the ninja made his Enamor proficiency
check, the resulk are as for an Even Roll.

Ironically, the more complete the ninja's
success, the more dangerous the situation

becomes. A victim who is madly in love may

do everything the ninja wishes, including
betraying state seaets and turning traitor, but
expects the character with Enamor profi-

ciency to be just as much in love. The victim

becomes dangerously jealous of potential
rivals (seeing anyone remotely suitable as a
potential rival) and could become murderous
if he realizes he hasbeen duped.

The relationship built by use of the Enamor
proficiency need not be a romantic one. De-
pending on the situation, the relationship
might be a friendshipor the winning of some-
one's loyalty away from an enemy.

Although nothing prevents good-aligned
characters from learning the Enamor profi-
ciency, the first time they ruin a life with it
may be the last time they use it.

Escape: This nonweaponproficiencyallows
a character to slip out of ropes and other
types of bindings.

When a character is bound or tied, the DM

assigns a penalty based on the type and cir-
cumstance of the binding. Table 15shows
standard penalties for a variety of situations.
The character with Escape proficiencycan try
to use his skill in order to free himself. He
rolls his proficimcy and appliesthe appropri-

I

I

ate penalties. If the roll is successful, he can Escape proficiency does not allow the char-
untie himself. acter to undo locks or escape other sorts of
traps. Those tasks require the open locks and
Table 1% Escape Pdciency P e d e s find/remove traps skills.

Penalty Feign/DetectSleep: People who pretend to
Binding Type (Cumulative) be sleeping seldom do it right. However,
Standard rope 0 most people don’t h o w how to tell the fakers
Rawhide, dry -2 from those really asleep. Characters with this
Rawhide, soaked and shjrunken -4 proficiency are trained to feign sleep accu-
Wire rately and to determine when others are
Fingers individuallytied/taped -3 feigning sleep.
4
This skill is of special use to ninja on guard
Circumstance Penalty duty and those infiltrating a secure site. A
(Cumulative) ninja will use this skill when listening to
Binding character takes extra seemingly sleeping guards and guests. If he
detects one who is breathing wrong, he can
time/attention -2 take steps to capture or silence the faker. Like-
Binding character takes little wise, a ninja can use this skill to convince an
time/attention intruder that he is h l y asleep, so that he can
+2
Binding character is a thief or ninja -3 creep up on the intruder from behind when
Binding character makes
fhd/remove traps roll his back is turned.
Character with this profikiency -2* Acting proficiencycan convey the ability to

tries to untie another dharacter +4 feign sleep, but the Acting check is made at a
Bound characterwith this proficiency 4 penalty instead of the standard -1.
tries to untie another qharacter -4
Giant Kite Flying: This proficiency is of
* The DM may assign a penalty eqyl to the number by whch the use only to characters who intend to fly the
unusual items called hifowashi (human eagle)
bmdmg character makes h s findhremove traps roll divided by and yami d o h (man-sized kite). It is an expen-
hve (Forexample, If the character Has a 50% chancebut mUs a 30. sive skill and difficult to master, so there are
he has made the rollby 20 The pendlty IS a 4 ) very few practitioners. Without this profi-
ciency, a character trying to use a giant kite is
Example: Ichiro the ninja is bound certain to crash and do himself great harm, if
back-to-back with his fighter friend OM. not kill himself. Even with this proficiency,
Ichiro has been bound with standard the character is very likely to do so.
rope, but the character tying him spent
extra time on the task and individually Hold Breath: This proficiencyhelps a char-
tied the ninja’s fmgeqdchiro receives a acter hold her breath for extended periods of
penalty of 4 against yls Dexterity-1 roll time. (See the rules in the Player’s Handbook,
of 16. The ninja rolls atl11 and fails. Chapter 14, for the amount of time a character
can normally hold her breath.)
Ichiro then tries to free Olaf. The penalty is
the same, but he’s trying to untie another per- With Hold Breath proficiency, a character
son while he himself is bund, resulting in an can hold her breath for half her Constitution
additional -4 penalty fqrr a total of -10. The score in rounds (rounded up). If the character
ninja manages to roll a 6 and successfully is exerting herself, this time is halved (again
Ifrces his all< rounding up). When attempting to hold her
I. breath beyond this time, the character rolls
the usual Constitution check each round. The

36 ChapterFour

first check has no penalty, but each subse- be moving or waiting in. Until he has sper
quent check takes a cumulative-1 penalty. that amount of time in the dark, this profi-
Once a check is failed, the character must ciency just does not work. (However, the
breathe; if she cannot reach air, she dies. character can be doing other things while let-
ting his eyes adjust, so long as these other
Information Gathering: This proficiency,
introduced in The Complete Thiefs Handbook, tasks do not expose him to varying light cor
represents the ability to gather information
from the underworld, most commonly about ditions.)
roguish activities and personalities. A charac- Once his eyes have adjusted, the character
ter with this proficiency, in appropriate cir-
cumstances, will be aware of any major can use his Night Vision at any time. When-
rumors circulating among the lowlife of an ever he looks at something, he must make
area. With a successful proficiency check, he Night Vision proficiency check. With a suc
can gather specificinformation about a person cessful check, the character's Visibility Ranges
or place. (The DM must decide how specific (from the Player's Handbook, Chapter 13) are
the informationis.) doubled in the following conditions: Fog
(dense or blizzard), Fog (moderate), Night
The following modifiers may adjust the
proficiency check: (full moon), Night (no moon), Twilight. Thus,

Other characters' reaction adjustments a character under a full moon at night woulc'
(based on Charisma) benefit or penalize the be able to spot movement at 200 feet rathe
roll. than at 100feet.

Thieves' gulld members receive a bonus If the character with this proficiency i
of +2; they have more contacts (and better- exposed to a change in illurnination-suchas
informedones) thanfree-lancers. by having ajirebaIZ go off within 500feet or by
having a torch or lamp waved in his face-his
A character outside his own territory- eyes are dazzled. His Night Vision is gone
and cannot be regained until the character
usually his home city-suffers a -3 penalty to has again spent five rounds letting his eyes
his check. This penalty canbe worsened in ter- adjust.

ritories very different from the character's, Observation: This proficiency, introduce1
due to differences in language, cultureor race. in The CompleteThief's Handhk, gives charac
ters exceptionally acute powers of observa
Whenever a proficiency check is required
for InformationGathering, the character must tion with all five senses. The DM may ask for
invest a small amount of money for bribes to
avoid an additional-3 penalty. A total of 1dlO a proficiency check (or secretly roll one)
gp is typical for bribes, and is lost whether or whenever there is a subtle clue that the chai
acter might otherwise overlook.The DMma,
not the desired information is learned. The also allow characters with Observationprofi-
ciency to increase their chance of findin-
character can continue his InformationGath- secret or concealed doorsby 1in 6.
ering the next day, spending more money and
making another proficiencycheck. The DM is Quick Study: This proficiency allows d
free to increase the cost of using this profi- ninja to temporarily learn enough about a
ciency as suits the situation or campaign. skill, a job, or an area of scholarship to pass as
someone who belongs to a related profession.
Night Vision: This proficiency improves a
character's ability to see in low-light condi- When using this proficiency, the ninj
tions. It is not equal to infravision but is still spends one week (eight hours a day) stud]
useful. ing the skill she wishes to learn. At the end of
the week, the character has a working knowl-
To use his Night Vision, the character must edge of the field studied. Over the next sev-
spend five rounds in the type of light he will

era1 days, she will be able to pass as a practi- character with Style Analysis receives a
+2 on all attack rolls when fighting the
tioner of that skill, thouT not as an expert. practitioner (unless the practitioner
When she has comp eted his study and switches styles). The +2 wears off after
one day.
must utilize the skill, the character makes a 8 Who the practitioner’s teacher probably
normal proficiency &e+ with an additional was (e.g., Odo Kusuke).
-3 penalty. One week aher the character has 10 General weaknesses in the practitioner’s
completedher study, she suffers a -2 penalty learning (such as a tendency to favor left-
because she has forgotten some detailsof the side attacks over right-side ones). The
skill.Each week thereer, she takes another character with Style Analysis receives a
aumulative-2 penalty. +2 on all attack rolls when fighting the
practitioner.The +2 wears off after one
This proficiency wiU not allow a character year.
to demonstrate an expert level of ability with
the skill being simulatkd. If the character Naturally, there are limits to what the char-
acter can learn even at the best levels of suc-
undertakesa task that, inthe DMsestimation,
cess. For example, he cannot learn the true
calls for an especially baoad or deep knowl- identity of a teacher who is not commonly

edge of the subject, the DM can decidethat the known, though he might be able to identify a

character cannot performthe task. The charac- styleas being the same as another character’s,
ter can then make a n o d Intelligencecheck; thus inferringa common teacher.
success means that she realizes that she’s in
over her head and cannot succeed. Toxicology: In the hands of the ninja, profi-
ciency in Herbalism is bent toward knowl-
It is not possibleto spend extra nonweapon
proficiency slots on Quick Study to improve edge of knockout drugs and poisons. A Toxi-
the roll. However, it is possible to buy the
cologist knows more about such drugs than
proficiency more than once in order to study an Herbalistwith a similar Intelligence score
two skillsper mission. (hence the lack of penalty), but will not know
anything about other types of chemical com-
Style Analysis: This specialized profi- pounds.
ciency gives the character knowledge about
(not skill in) armed and unarmed combat. Underclass: This proficiency imparts an
After watching someone fight for at least one understanding of the way the underclass-
round, a character with this proficiencycan the combinationof poorer classes and crimi-
make a Style Analysis dheck to learn some nal elements-works in a society. The char-
facts about his subject‘s fjghting style. acter with this profiaency can roll an Under-
class check to learn things about the under-
If the character makes his check by the
given amount, he learns the facts following world of any community he visits. The DM
that number.
0 The general style used (eg., karate, ken- should assign time and check penalties
based on cultural differences and the sensi-
jutsu,fencing, etc.). tivity of the information the character seeks.
2 How good the practitioneris (e.g., a basic Attempting to buy an illegal weapon would
take about an hour and result in a check
student, an expert, a grand master of the penalty of 0 or -1. Looking for the secre‘t
style, etc.). hideout of the local master of crime might
4 Which school of tha style is being used take weeks and would impose a penalty of
(e.g., Odo family sumo wrestling). -8 or worse.
6 Superficial or transitpqr weaknesses that
the practitioner is currently exhibiting
(such as favoring an injured leg). The

Voice Mimicry:This proficiency, intro- MaItial A r b
duced in 2 7 ~Complete Thiefs Handbook, is the
In a normal AD&W game campaign set-
art of convincingly imitating the voices of ting, all charactersknow how to punch and
others. It is a demanding skill, requiring wrestle. (See the Player’s€€an-, Chapter 9.)
intense training of the vocal cords.
In a campaignbased in an Oriental setting,
A character with Voice Mimicry proficiency
can imitate any accent she has heard. Success the characters do not know mere punching
and wrestling;they know martial arts.
is automatic, but if people who themselves
speak in that accent am the character’s listen- These rules, introduced in The Complet
ers, a proficiency roll is required (with a +2
modifier). Fighter’sHandbook, allow your character to IJI

To imitate a specific person’s voice, the proficient (or even a specialist) in eastern
character must be familiar with that voice. A style martial arts.These rules work like the
proficiency check determinesif the imitation existing punching and wrestling rules, but
is detected, with modifiers based on the lis- constitute a whole new set of maneuvers and
teners’ knowledge of the voice being mimic- tactics a skilledcharacter can use in combat.
ked. Successis certain if the listener has never
heard the original voice. There is no modifier The martial arts described here aren’t an!
to fool an acquaintance of the originalspeak- specific real-world fighting style; they’re a
er, but the mll to fool a friend of the subject is combination of generic martial-arts maneu
penalized at -2. The penalty is -5 to fool a vers.
close friend of the subject, and -7 to fool
someone who has had close contact with the ter attacks with his bare hands, feet, or eve1
person for years (a parent or spouse). head. No weapons are used, although a char
acter holding a weapon in only one hand c a ~
When Voice Mimicry proficiency is used attack with his weapon in one round an(
with his martialarts skill in the next.
in conjunction with the Disguise proficiency,
The damage from any behanded martial
the decision on which proficiency to check arts attack is broken intotwoparts: 25% of t h ~
first depends on whether the character is damage from the attack is normal damage
first seen or heard. If the Disguise profi-
ciency check is rolled first and is successful, the remaining 75% is temporarydamage. (Set
the subsequent Voice h4imicry check receives the Player’sHandbook, Chapter 9,for a discus
a +5 modifier. (The listeners have already
accepted the character’s appearance, so they sion of temporary damage.)
are less likely to doubt the voice.) If the Dis-
guise check fails, it doesn’t matter how good A character with martial arts skill makes i
the Voice Mimicry is. If the Voice Mimicry
check is rolled first and is successful, the normal attack roll against the normal Arm0
ubsequent Disguise check receives a +1 Class of the target. (An amnoxed attacker suf
iLdifier.
fersthe penaltiesfrom Table 57 Armor Modi
Water Walking: Thisproficiencyallows the fiers for Wrestling,in the Player’sHandbook.)

character to correctly use mizugumo, the spe- If the attack roll is successful, consult Table
cial pontoons that ninja use to walk across 16, using the original, unmodified die roll to
still water surfaces. The ninja must make a determine the martial arts maneuver accom
proficiency check each round. An unsuccess- plished. The attacker may add any bonus fo
ful check means the ninja falls into the water Strengthto the damage done by the blow.
with a big splash.
If,for example, the character rolls a 13tt
hit, the result is a vitals punch doing 2 hl

ProRciendes and MutLlArts 39

damage (plus the attacker’s Strength bonus One additional martial arts attack per
for damage). combat round. The character may not hold
anything in either hand to gain this benefit;
Table 16 replaces the Martial Arts Results and
Table in The CompleteFighter’s Handbook. It is
arranged so that better blows result in more The character may pull the attack, not
causing any damage, and may also refuse to
Attack Martial Arts Damage do the +1 hp damage bonus for specialization.
Roll Maneuver 4
Head Kick 3 It is possible for some types of ninja or
other characters to continue to improve their
Head Punch martial arts abilities beyond the values given
previously. This option is available to only
6 4 Bodv I’unch 1 single-class fighters, fighting-monks (from
s 5 LOW Kick 1 The Complete Priest’s Handbook), and ninja
1-2 Graze 0 with the Shadow Warrior kit.

In an Oriental campaign, do not use the A character who continues to devote weap-
on proficiencyslots to martial arts after the ini-
’%KO column that appears with the equiva- tial specialization gets the following benefits.
For each additional slot devoted to martial
lent table in The Complete Fighter’s Handbook. arts, the character gains:
htead, knockout chances are covered by the
Advanced Martial Arts rules under “Stun- +1 bonus to all martial arts attack rolls;
rling and Incapacitating.” +1 bonus to all martial arts damage; and
+1 chart bonus with all martial arts at-
!4pecidzlng in MartialArts tacks.
The charf bonus allows the character to
Characters can specializein martial arts by affect the location of the attack. When a mar-
spending a weapon proficiency slot on the tial arts specialist makes an attack, he can
skill. Ninja, shinobi, and other fighters can accept the location indicated in the middle
specialize in martial arts regardless of restric- column of Table 16, or adjust it up or down
dons on weapon specializationbased on class the chart by a number of lines equal to the
qr kit. No character is required to specialize in chart bonus. For example, if a martial arts
rhartial arts.
specialisthits with a roll of 14,the indicated
Note: Campaigns using the Advanced blow is a vitals punch. By using the +1 chart
Martial Arts rules (described later) should not
dlso use these spedalizationrules. bonus, the martial artist can change that blow

A martial arts specialist gains the following into a vitals kick for more damage, or a high
Benefits:
kick if some other effect is desired.
+1 bonus to all attack rolls with martial
arts; Mixed campaigns
In campaignsbased around an Oriental
+1 bonus to all damage with martial arts;
+1 chart bonus with all martial arts attacks; culture,characters start play knowing martial

arts.

In campaignsbased around a more main-

stream or western culture, characters start
play knowing punching and wrestling.

In campaigns featuring charactersfrom a
mixture of backgrounds, each character

... . ..

with the type of unarmed arts. Characters originating in an Oriental

te to his culture. The char- culture are assumed to have proficiency in
at style originating in a dif-
evenspecialize in it. basic martial arts, but foreignersmust spend
a proficiency slot to learn basic martial arts
to learn a combat style. before entering advanced study.

rage effort and devotion Once that condition is met, the character
must find a master to study under. A ninja
e 4th experience level or
receives training from childhood in the clan’s
in martial arts, the equiv-
special maneuvers and weapons but must

seek out a master on his own if he desires to
go beyond his clan’s specialties. A Lone Wolf
ninja who desires further training must also
find a master to study with.

Learning an advanced martial art is like FindhgrMaster
learning any other proficiency, with some Finding a master is not necessarilyan easy
important exceptions.
task. Many masters regard their s m as valu-
Martial arts styles are powerful abilities able secrets to be taught to only a select few.
that require the expenditure of many profi- Many a style has disappeared because the
ciency slots to learn well. It takes only one master refusedto reveal his art. Most masters
slot to learn a specificart at itsbasic level, but do not advertise or even display their skill.
it can take a character’s entire stock of slots to They feel that to do so would be proud and
learn an art at a very advanced level. boastful,characteristics that are undesirable in
a master (and, incidentally, may incur the
A character can learn any element of an wrath of the gods). For many the ultimate goal
advanced martial art by expending either a of training istoavoidhaw to use one’s skills.
weapon proficiency slot or a nonweaponpro- Others feelthat their art canbe learned only in
ficiency slot on it. A character learning a lot of the most tranquil and secluded surroundings,
martial ark elementscould end up spending deep in mountainforests and the like. Such
many weapon proficienciesand nonweapon men seldom appear in civilizedlands.
proficienaeson it.
Politics are another reason masters can be
A character wishing to learn advanced hard to find. Conqueredpeoples may be for-
martial arts must first know basic martial bidden to practice their arts lest they become
troublesome and rebellious. Powerful tem-
ples (often the center of such training) may be
des!myed by nervous emperors, warlords, or
daimyos. The master and his students are
forced to scatter with the winds and many
disappear without a trace. In such cases, they
may join or form secret societies, clandes-
tinely meeting on rare occasions to train.

Not all masters are such recluses, or the
skills of martial arts would long since have
died away. A large town or city may have a
school run by a master. If his skill is well

known, potential students will travel great and basic damage). He does not gain any of
distancesto study under him. As characters the special maneuvers or weapons that may
adventure in the campaign, they will un- be taught by the style.
doubtedly hear of these schoolsor may even After the initial month's training, the charac-
learn the whereabouts of one of the more ter does not need to remain with the master
secretivemasters of the martialarts. constantly; he is free to travel and adventwe.
However, he must practice his style for at
Training Under the Master least one hour a day and must spend an aver-
age of six hours per week working with his
After a character has been accepted by a master. There can be some variance in his
schedule, so long as the character spends 24
master, the DM should determine the depth hours of study with his master per month.
Characters who do not fulfill this obligation
of the master's knowledge of his style. cannot add special maneuvers and weapons.
Basics: A master automaticallyknows the
To learn the special maneuvers and weap-
basics of his style (which provide the Armor ons of a particular style, the character must
Class and other basic elements). spend additional proficiency slots. For each
proficiency slot expended, the character can
Maneuvers: The DM determines how add one special maneuver or weapon profi-
ciency from the style. This does not mean the
many special maneuvers are available in the character instantly knowshow to perform the
style (see Table 16) and rolls the smallest die maneuver or use the weapon, but assumes
that is equal to or greater than this number. that he has been practicing prior to gaining
The result is the number of maneuvers the the maneuver or weapon proficienq.
master is proficient in. Masters are under the
same restrictionas characters for the order in No more thantwo proficiency slots can be
which they learn special maneuvers, as dis-
cussed later. expended on a single martial arts style per
experience level.
Weapons: The DM determineshow many
weapons (if any) are used by the style, then Specialmaneuvers mustbe learned in order
rollsthe smallest die that is equal to or greater
thanthis number. (If the style uses five weap- of difficulty. All difficulty 1 maneuvers (see
Table 19) must be learned before the character
ons, the DM rolls ld6.) The number rolled is can progress to difficulty2maneuvers, and so
forth.
the number of style weapons the master is
proficientin (and can teach). When a character has learned all the knowl-
edge the master possesses, there is no point in
Once these facts are determined, the mas- continuing to study under this master. The
ter's abilities are known, and these are the character can now go off in search of another
only things the master can teach. The master master-onewho knows moreabout the style
or one who teaches a differentstyle.
never increases in knowledge unless the DM
Re--* Leuning
rules that special circumstances dictate other- The DM can allow the character to have
wise.
learned some advanced martial arts beforc
Leuningthe Style entering play in the campaign.
Once the character has been acceptedby a
In such a case, the DM allows the player to
master, he must remain and study under him
purchase those elements of the martial art he
for at least one month.

t1 At the end of this time, the character spends
ne proficiency slot and gains the basics of
he style (Armor Class, number of attacks,

~

I

will allow at the start of play. However, what- In addition, stylesare identified by the way
they are used. Some are highly defensive,
ever the characterbuys is the limit of what his relying on the inner power of the user to
overcome the opponent. Others are aggres-
master could teach him. Once the character sive, stressing form and channeled power in
enters play, he will have to find a new master hard and sudden attacks.

ifhe wants to further his martial arts training. Table 17listssome common stvles and their

Muftlple Styles Lxplanation of the C h a t
Player characterscan learn more than one # A T Add this bonus to the character’s

style of martial arts at a time. This requires number of attacks per round when using this
the character to find more than one master, martial arts stylebut only unarmed. If the
have sufficient available proficiency slots, character uses the style with a weapon, he
and possess great dedication. receives only his normal number of attacks
per round.
When fighting, the character with multiple
styles can change his style from round to Dmg: This is the base damage done when
round. When using one style, he gains all the using the style unarmed.
abilitieshe possesses of that style, but no abil-
ities of any other style he knows. He can use AC Mod Add this bonus to the character’s
only the special maneuvers of the style he is Armor Class when using the style. The bonus
currently using (unless they are special bo- applies whether or not the character wears
nuses that are constantly in effect). armor. It represents his ability to dodge and
block attacks that someone with lesser train-
Style Characteristics ing cannot counter. In some circumstances,
Under these rules, the martial arts are clas- however, the A C bonus doesn’t help; see
”Unarmed vs. Armor” later this chapter.
sified by six different characteristics.Items 1-
4 are called the basics. Principal Attack This is the usual attack
form of the style. When the Principal Attack
1.Number of Attacks of the style is ”foot,” a majority of attacks
2. Damage made with the style will be kicks. However,
3. Armor Class the style may include any other sort of attack.
4. PrincipalAttack Form
5. Special Maneuvers Special Maneuvers: These special maneu-
6. Allowed Weapons vers, described later, are associated with the
A combinationof these six characteristicsis style. Each special maneuver costs one weap-
called a s t y k There can be as many styles as on proficiency slot to learn.
there are possible combinationsof these ele-
ments. Each style is different and must be Weapons Allowed: The listed weapons
learned separately. may be used in combinationwith the special
Styles are often given descriptive or poetic maneuvers of the style. For example, if a
names, based on how the style works, its karatepractitionerknowsthe iron fist maneu-
appearance when used, or the source of its ver and has knowledge of kama use, he can
inspiration. There are animal names (Snake performthe iron fist maneuver with his kama.
Style, Monkey Style, Tiger Style, etc.), poetic It costs one weapon proficiency slot to learn
names (Eight Drunken Fairies), and descrip- to use one entiretight group of allowedweap-
tive names (Empty Hand, Springing Legs, ons with the special maneuvers of a martial
Nine Fists, etc.). arts style.

Table 17: Common MartialArts Styles Special
Maneuvers
AC Principal Lock1,2,3
Name #AT Dmg Mod Attack Block 1,2,3,4
Aikijutsu +1 lpt -3 Body Movement 1,3

Throw 1,2,3,4

Profldendes and MartialArt+ 45

I

Lxplanatlonofthes(yleJ tury of the common era, it is said, he came to
All the styles listed in Table 17are real- Shao-lin temple in China and taught his In-
dian style of boxing, which became the basis
world martial arts. for many of the kung fu styles.
Aikijutsu: This Japanesestyle dates back
Ninjutsu: The martial art style of the ninja
everal centuries; it is one of the foundations developed gradually in parallel to the ninja's
of modem aikido. Though it includes more espionageart. It is a deceptive style with hard
and soft elements, a style in which it is as
aggressive blows and techniques thanaikido, important to be able to throw down an oppo-
it is still more a defensivethanoffensive style, nent and runaway as it is to damage him. A
character proficient in Style Analysis can
principally concerned with throws and eva- make a nonweapon proficiency check to
sion. In some schools, sword and staff tech- determinethat a ninja is using ninjutsu. It is
niques are taught. thereforeuseful for a practitioner of ninjutsu
also to know some other style, such as karate,
Atemk Thisart was derived from the much at least at a basic level. That way, if forced
older Chinese ck'uan-fa arts by the warrior intounarmed combat when in the presence of
caste of Japan.A technique for attacking vital friends who are not ninja, the ninja character
is less likely to give himself away.
points of the opponent, its usefulnessfaded
as the Japanesesword arts developed. To the Sumo: One of the most ancient forms of
modern martial arts student, "atemi" is a Japanesecombat, sumo wrestling's origins
generic term for certain types of blows. vanish into Japanesemythology. Legend
attributes the first sumo match to a fight
Jujutsu: This art was systemized from ear- between a mortal hero and a demigod. A
lier fighting styles in the sixteenth century. more historical account describes a type of
Though the modern form, judo, is prinapally sumo match taking place in the first century
thought of as a wrestling art, older jujutsu of the common era. Though the goal of mod-
forms included more strikes, chokes, and ern sumo calls for the opponents to try to
even weapon techniques. It was a fall-back art push one another out of a ring, older forms
for the warrior temporarily separated from included hand strikes, kicks, and head butts.
his prinapal weapons. The modem form still includes a painful and
dishacting slapping technique.
Karate: This style, under the name of te
("hand), was developed in Okinawa over a Tae Kwon Do: This Korean martial art was
period of many centuries. This process was originally derived from Chinese techniques
accelerated after the 17th-centuryconquest of and systemizedin the seventh century of the
Okinawa by Japanand subsequent laws ban- modern era. It is a hard style, emphasizing
ning weapons and martial arts. Tes' develop- punching and kicking.
ment incorporated use of ordinary farming
implements, such as the threshing nunchaku Naturally, it is a gross oversimplificationto
and scythelike kama,whichwere not banned.
Karate ("empty hand") was not popularized lump all styles of kung fu, or karate, or most
in Japanuntil the 20th century, but it is not
too much of a stretch to assume that a Japan- of the other styles described here under one
like fantasy culture will have a style like
karate. set of maneuvers. A DM who knows enough

Kung fu:Systemized study of the fighting about a martial arts style to object to the way
arts dates back into the mists of history in it has been presentedhere is free to develop
China, but legend attributes much of the ori- his own set of guidelinesfor it, using the rules
gin of Chinese martialarts to Bodhidharma, a presented next.
Buddhist monk from India. In the sixth cea-

46 Clupter Four

CrertiDg a New S y k Basics muscles. Their movements are more fluid and

In addition to the styles listed previously, circular and are generally considered more
the DM can create new styles for use in his defensive. These movements divert the at-
campaign. These should be styles unique to tacker, using his own force against him, re-
the campaign world-some common, some
mysterious and littleknown. sponding only after the enemy has committed

The DM creates a styleby choosing its gm- himself. The training is more mentally ori-
era1 characteristics, special maneuvers, and ented, showing the student how to focus and
allowed weapons.
use his innerpower.
The DM first decides whether the style is
Styles that combine both hard and soft as-
hard, soft, or a combination of the two. pects attempt to use the best practices from
Hard styles emphasize the use of the mus- each. Circular and gentle defensive move-
ments are combined with swift and direct
cles and bones for power. They usually use attacks. Physical training is balanced with
direct movements and are generally offen- method, the fighting method most commonly
sive, stressing the attack. used by the style. When a character attacks,
he uses the principal method of the style
Soft styles rely more on the inner power of
the character to provide the necessary energy, more often thannot.

although they too require c o n d i t i o ~ ogf the Each principalmethod describes the mast

profidencks and Mutw A* 47

means of attack. Those with kicking game. Thus, a total Dmg Mod of5 equals ld6;
se many kicks; those with throwing a total of 4 equals ld4. This die roll constitutes
appling and leverage, etc. the basic amount of damage done when fight-
ing unarmed in the style.
incorporates moves
methods, because reliance on a Principal Attack: This part of the body is
would certainly mean defeat. most commonly used with the listed principal
method.Kickingrelies on the feet,while throw-
for creating the basics of a style. As the ing makes use of the whole body. So long as a
oices determine character has the listed body part unbound or

le 1& MuthlStyle Combinatioos freeto move, the character can still attack effec-

Throw 1 Bodv tively with that principal method.

I Hand/Arm Examples of Martial Arts
The basics of the martial arts described ear-
prinapal method for
lier wem built this way:
Mod from the Aikijutsu: Soft: #AT +1,AC -3, Dmg Mod
Round this
0). Throw: Dmg Mod 1,Body.

Atemi: Hard #AT +1,AC -1, Dmg Mod 2.

Vital Area: Dmg Mod 2, Hand/Foot.

Jujutsu: Hard/Soft: #AT +1,AC -2, Dmg
Mod 1.Lock: Dmg Mod 1,Body.

Karate: Hard #AT +1,AC -1, Dmg Mod 2).
Strike:Dmg Mod 2, Hand.

Kung fu:Hard/Sofk #AT +1,AC -2, Dmg
Mod 1.Strike: Dmg Mod 2, Hand.

Ninjutsu: Hard/Sofk #AT +1,AC -2, Dmg
Mod 1.Movement Dmg Mod 1,Legs.

Sumo Wrestling: Hard/Soft: #AT +1,AC
-2, Dmg Mod 1.Pysh Dmg Mod 1,Hand.

Tae Kwon Do: Hard: #AT +1,AC -1, Dmg
Mod 2. Ki& Dmg Mod 2, Foot.

cnatlag a New styk:Wslpow

Most styles incorporate the use of melee
weapons. However, not all styles use all
weapons. The weapons that can be used with
a style are listed in the "Weapons Allowed"
section of Table 17.#

In order to use a weapon with a martial arts

style, a character must spend a weapon profi-
ciency slot on the tight group that includes
that weapon. Earlier, the character must have
spent a slot for profiaency withthe weapon if
he wants use the deapon tight group with his

martialartsstyle. ,

When the character spends his proficiency Kick has one set of special maneuvers, while
slot to use the tight group of weapons with that of Weapons has another.
his style, he can use any weapon he knows
from the group with any special maneuver In addition to the maneuvers grouped
that permitsit. The descriptionof each special under the principal method, there is the addi-
maneuver indicates the weapons that can be nia'ny style'through the practice and disci-
used with that maneuver Dline of the trainins.

When the character uses a weapon with a maneuvers taught by the style. He can Aoose
special maneuver, he may choose whether he
uses the damage for the maneuver or the from any list thanthem are from the list corre-
damage for the weapon. Normallyhe chooses
the one that is higher. In addition, he receives spondingto the principalmethod of the style.
any benefits from the special maneuver. Ad-
ditionally, on the rare occasions when it mat- There should be no fewer thansix special
ters, the character using a weapon with his
martial arts style gains any benefits arising maneuvers in a martial arts style, and more
from the size of the weapon and may suffer than 15 is not recommended; the style
penaltiesfor the speed factor of the weapon. becomes too unwieldy and characters have
little chance of leamine a maioritvof the sue-
The special maneuverslisted under "Prin-
cipal Method: Weapon" can be used only
with weapons.

Creatinga New Style: Specw Maneuvea principal methodlists, the DM does not have

Special maneuvers are actions and abili- to choose a consecutive seauence startine; at
ties that require intensive study and skill to
learn. In return, they give the user greater- from the Mental and F'hyskal Training p u p ,
than-normal results. Some maneuvers are he might choose #1,#3, #5, and #6 for his mar-
actions that the character can attemptduring
the course of a fight (flyingkick, one finger tial arts style.
push, etc.). Others are constant abilities that, Order of LearningManeuvers
once learned, are always in effect (ironskin,
blind-fighting, etc.). The special maneuvers of each method are
ranked according to the difficulty of each
Combat maneuvers are risky; failure often maneuver. The lower the number of the
leaves the character in an exposed or danger- maneuver, the easier it is to learn and execute.
ous position. A combat maneuver costs the
character one or more of his attacks for the Charactersmust learn availablemaneuvers
melee round. A movementmaneuver counts from a principal method list in the order in
as movement, preventing the character from which they are presented.
making any attack that round (unless the
maneuver notes otherwise). Example: Kazuhiro is studying ninjutsu
which incorporates the special maneu
Principal Method Lists vers Kick 1(circle kick) and Kick 3 (back
Each speaalmaneuver belongsto a list cor-
does not have to learn Kick 2, the flyin
respondingto one of the principalmethods of
fighting. For example, the principal method

PtORdendesand Mutw AI& 49