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

kick, and cannot learn it, unlesshe stud- aware of the attacks. She makes a separate
ies a different martial arts that includes attack roll against each oncoming blow.
this maneuver.)
This restriction still allows characters learn- When the Attack RoIl Fails: The opponent’s
ing the same martial art to develop very per- blow hits.
sonal, individual forms of the art.
For example, Akira has decided to concen- WeaponsAllowed:Any. Characters using sai
trate on the principal method of ninjutsu, or jitte weapons receivea +2 bonus to hit with
learning all the movement maneuvers before the parry all maneuver.
learning anything else.
Koichi, however decides to learn all the Grappling Block: With this advanced
basics first, picking up the maneuvers rated maneuver, the martial artist parries an incom-
“1” before progressing on to any rated ”2.” ing weapon attack and is able to grab the
Koichiwill not have the movement expertise weapon, makingit harder for the attacker to
of Akira but will have a much better p u n d -
ing in the overallart use it against him.If the martial artist is un-
Principal Method:Block
Basic Parry The basic parry maneuver p r e armed, the grappling block requiresboth his
vents melee attacks from hitting the martial hands to perform; if he is armed, it requires
artist. It doesnot work against missileattacks. his weapon hand.
A character can perform the basic parry if
he has not used both his martial arts attacks The grappling block takes one of the mar-
for that round. Even if his opponent has ini- tial artist’s attacks, just like the basic p a q . If
tiative, the martial artist can announce that it is successful, the martial artist and the
he’s using one of his attacks to parry. The attacker both have a grip on the weapon. The
martial artist rolls an attack against his oppo- grip is never a dangerousone for the martial
nent, taking into account all normal adjust- artist. For example, the grappling block al-
ments to his opponent’s AC and the ”Un- lows the unarmed martial artist to clap the
armed vs. Armor” conditions described later blade of a sword-wielding opponentbetween
this chapter. If the attack hits, the martial his palms, preventingit from striking.

artist has parried the first blow struck at him In order to strike the martial artist with the
this round by his opponent.
weapon, the attacker must get it free. To do
When the Attack Roll Fails: The incoming this, the attacker m k ld20and compares the

attack hits. number rolled to his Strength score. If the
attacker succeeds in his Strength check, he
Weapons Allowed: Any. Characters using sai recovers his weapon. If he loses his roll by 4
or more, he loses his weapon (it is now in the
or jitte weapons receivea +2bonus to hit with martialartist‘shand). Any other result leaves
-the basic parry maneuver. the two combatants still grappling for the
weapon. The attacker may make as many
Parry All:Theparry all maneuver is a more Strength checks per round as he has attacks
available, and can release the weapon volun-
advanced form of the basic parry. It requires tarily at any time.
two of the character’s attacks for the round
(the total number ofattacks for most charac- The martial artist can make further attacks
ters). With this expenditure, the martialartist on his opponent with a +2 to his chance to
gets to roll a block against every melee attack hit, if the grappling block maneuver has left
aimed at her this round, so long as she is his principal body part free to make the

attack. For example, if he used a chain to
catch his opponent‘s attack, and his principal
attack method is the kick, he can attack with
a leg. But if he used a two-handed sword to
catch his opponent‘s attack and his principal

I-I

Maneuver Blocks 1melee attack
1.Circle Kick Costs2 attacks;blocks all melee attack

?locks 1melee attack; pins weapon
:osts 2 attacks blocks all missile attac
idd ld2 hp tobasic damage

1. Feint Costs extra attack; +3to hit
rincipal Method: Push
1.Concentrated Pus I

Victim -2 to hit, +2 toAC, for ld3 munds

3. Paralyzing Touch 1hour meditation=2 hours sl
1.M d t a t i o n A w a of attacks from all mun
2 All-Around Sight fig%+2 on savingthrows againstmentalattacks
3. Mental Resistance Can hit as ifa ma 'cal weapon
4. Ql'i Attacks Only -1 when in darkness
5. Blind Fighting -2 to AC when not wearing m o r
6. Ironskin
7. Levitation Float5'/round/experience level

attack method is a fist strike, he has no hands to the head or upper body. If the kick con-
free to attack. Additionally, any other charac- nects, the characteradds ld4 hp to the normal
ter making an attack against either of the two martial arts damage.
combatantsgrapplingfor the weapon gets +2
to hit. When the Attack Roll Fails: The attacker falls
to the ground adjacent to the intended target
When the Attack Roll Fails: The martialartist and must spend one round getting back to his
has managed to foul his own weapon on that feet (unless he knows the prone fighting or
of his opponent. If his opponent can then instant stand maneuvers).
make a normal attack roll against him-re-
WeaponsAllowed: None.
quiring no time and not costinghim an attack Backward Kick: This seeminglyinnocuous
-the opponent yanks his weapon free,leav- kick is extremelydifficult to master. The char-
acter attemptsa normal attack at any creatw
ing the character disarmed. directly behind him, either kicking his foot
Weapons Allowed: Any. Characters using forward and straight up (like a Radio City

chain or rope weapons receive a +2 bonus to Music Hall Rockette), with his toe ending up
hit with the grapplingblock maneuver.
behind his own head to connect with the
Arrow Parry:With this maneuver, the mar- enemy, or lashing out straight backward. He
tial artist is able to parry thrown and missile does not have to turn around and face his
weapons. This maneuver requires two attacks attacker.The kick does normal damage.
for the round and applies to all attacks that
the martial artist is aware of. When the Attack Roll Fails: The attacker suf-
fersno ill effects.
When the Attack Roll Fails: The weapon
strikes the martial artist. WeaponsAllowed:None.

Weapons Allowed: Any. Characters using 4Principal Method:Lock
shields receive a +2 bonus to hit with the Locking is the art of gripp’ an opponent
arrow parry maneuver. in a way that preventshim from acting: twist-
ing an arm so the joint is locked, applying
Principal Method: Kick pressure to choke off breathing and blood
Circle Kick In this dramatic kick, the at- flow, etc.

tacker builds up power and momentum by Choke Hold This maneuver teaches the
spinning in a complete circle before landing corn& way of applyingpressure to render an
the kick (usually on the upper body). The opponent unconscious. To initiate a choke
maneuver can also be performed as a SMPor hold, the martial artist must make a success-
thrust kick. ful attack roll. For the maneuver to work as
intended, the martial artist must maintain the
A successfulkick (requiringa normal attack choke hold until the end of the next melee
roll) adds ld2 hp to the character’s normal round. During that time he can take no other
martial arts damage. action and cannot attack again; he is entirely
occupied in gripping and holding his oppo-
When the Attack Roll Fails: As she tries to nent. The opponent can attempt to escape by
making a successful attack roll with a -2
recover his balance, the martialartist loses the penalty. The escape attempt can be tried as
many times as the opponent has attacks for
next attack she would ordinarily be allowed. the round.
Her Armor Class is worsened by 2 points
until the next round. If the opponent fails to escape, he falls
unconscious at the end of that round and
WeaponsAllowed: None.
Flying Kick: This spectacularkick requires
at least 5 feet of runningspace. The character
leaps high into the air (4-6 feet upward, 5 1 2
feet forward)and leads with a powerful kick

remains unconscious for ld3 rounds. During Incapacitator: By gripping the opponent
the time the choke hold is in effect, the oppo- and twisting his joints, the martial artist can
nent cannot cry out for help or cast spells render one finger, arm, or leg useless for 24
requiring verbal components. hours and cause ld4 hp damage in addition

When the Attack Roll Fails: The attacker suf- to his normal martialarts damage.
fers no ill effects. If the incapacitator’sattack roll is success-

Weapons Allowed: Chain weapons, rope ful. the maneuver does the damage noted
weapons, lash weapons, axes (using shafts), above and the opponent must make a saving
clubbing weapons, flails, karate weapons throw vs. paralyzation.If he fails the saving
(using shafts), picks (using shafts), sickles, throw, the appropriatelimb is rendered use-
staves, bladed poles (using shafts),and spears less. If he makes the saving throw, the dam-
(using shafts) tight groups. age remains but there is no paralysis.

Locking Block This action can be at- Application of a cure wounds or remowe
tempted instead of a normal attack. It can be paralysis spell will eliminate the paralyzing
used against unarmed fighters or attackers effects of this attack.
using melee weapons.
When the Attack Roll Fails: The martial artist
The martial artist makes a normal attack suffers no ill effects.
roll. If successful, the attacker has trapped
her opponent’sweapon, arm, or leg in a scis- Weapons Allowed: chain weapons, rope
sors arm-lock; the trapped element cannot weapons, lash weapons, clubbing weapons,
be used to make attacks. In addition, so long karate weapons, staves, and spears (using
as the opponent is so trapped, the attacker shaft) tight groups.
can make other attacks (using the feet only)
with a +4to her chance to hit. The opponent Immobilizing: With one hand the martial
can break the lock by expending an attack artist grips and holds an opponent in such a
and making a normal attack roll for success. way that the opponent cannot take any
This attempt to break free does no damage. action. The martial artist is still able to make
The locking block maneuver also causes no attacks (using either his feet or his other
damage. hand), and even apply an immobilizing lock
on another opponent. A successful attack roll
whpn fheAftackRollFai1s:Whenusedagainst must be made to initiate the immobilization,
an unarmed opponent, an unsuccessful lock- but the attack does no damage. Immobilized
ing block causes no ill effects except for the characterscan attempt to escapeby spending
loss of an attack. However,when used against a melee attack to break the hold. However,
a weapon, an unsuccessful locking block re- the chance of success is modifiedby -6 to the
sults in damage to the martial artist: In at- die roll.
tempting to make the block, the character is
hit by the weapon. She takes normal damage When the Attack Roll Fails: The martial artist
for the weapon, not modified by the Strength suffersa -4 modifier on his next attack.
bonus of the weapon wielder.
Weapons Allowed: chain weapons, rope
Weapons Allowed: medium blades, oriental weapons, and lash weapons tight groups.
blades, short blades, chain weapons, rope Principal Method: Movement
weapons, lash weapons, axes, dubbing weap-
ons, flails, karate weapons, picks, sickles, This method requires training to control
staves, and spears tight groups. Characters and position the martial artist’s own body-
using sai or jitte weapons receive a +2 bonus posture, stance, and reflexes. From this
to hit with the lockingblock maneuver. method, students learn the importance of
speed, sudden changes of direction, and foot-

work. It is seldom very offensive, but when

Rofwencksand Mutw A r k 53

>mbinedwith other styles creates a danger- knocked down,lifted,or thrown off his feet.
Any time an attack would result in one of
- us and deadly fighter. these consequences, the character is automat-
Feint: The martial artist begins an attack in ically allowed a saving throw vs. paralyza-
tion. If the save is successful, the character
one direction and at the last moment changes remains standing.

it to another k t i o n . Or he begins an attack WeaponsAllowed: Any. The character using
immovability does not attack with these
but does not follow through, in order to draw weapons, but uses them to brace himself.
his opponent off balance or make the oppo- They confer no bonus to his immovability.
nent commit to a futile defense.
Leap: The martial artist is able to perform
The martial artist makes a regular attack extraordinaryfeats of springing and leaping
but adds the feint, which costs an extra attack
by channelinghis ch’i, or inner power, men-
and giveshim a +3 to hit. tally makinghimself as light as a feather.

When the Attack Roll Fails: The martial From a standing start, the character can
artist’s attack does not hit, but he suffers no leap 4 feet into the air and 3 feet forward, plus
other ill effects. 1foot up and forward for each experience
level the character possesses. (Thus a 10th-
WeaponsAllowed: Any. level character with this special maneuver
Prone Fighting: Prepared for any circum- could leap 14 feet into the air and 13feet for-
stance, the martial artist who knows this spe- ward.) He can also flip in midair to automati-
cial maneuver is able to fight effectively even cally changehis facing.

sitting, kneeling, prone, or supine. This spe- Standing-startleaps do not take an entire
melee round, costing instead only one attack
cial maneuver requires no time and is always allowed during the round. Thus a character
in effect; it applies any time the character is could flip over an opponent, land behind
knocked from her feet or falls down. How-
ever, the character can performno other spe- him,and execute an attack from the rear with
cial maneuver (except instant stand) when on his next melee attack.
the ground. She can still use her weapons
and the basic damage from her martial arts From a runningstart, the character can leap
style, and suffers 1u)Armor Class penalty for 8 feet upward and 10feet forward plus 1foot
being on the ground. up and forward for each experience level the
character possesses. The character must have
A character without this skill who fights room to run at least 10 feet before making
such a leap.
from the ground is easier to hit thana stand-
With either a standing start or runningstart
ing character. Attacks against a kneeling leap, the character must make a normal attack
character receive a +1 to hit; against a sitting roll vs. AC 10to land safely. If the roll is suc-
character, +2 to hit; against a character who is cessful, the leap is successful.
flat on the ground, +4 to hit. The character
who is down suffers equivalent penalties to When the Attack Roll Fails: The character
hit when attacking someone who is standing: leaps the full distance but falls to the ground
-1 to hit if the attacker is kneeling, -2 if he is on landing. See the prone fighting maneuver
sitting, -4 if he is lying flat. The character described earlier for penalties to fighting
who knows prone fighting suffers none of from the ground.

Lese penalties. Weapons Allowed: The character can carry
Weapons Allowed: Any. Fighters are even any weapon when using the leap maneuver.
to use two-handed and long weapons
effectively from positionson the ground. Speed The martial artist has developed

Immovability: By carefullypositioning his

feet and learning to tense and relax various
muscles, the martial artist can avoid being

II

lightning-fast reflexes and powerful muscles. nent must make a successful saving throw
Once per day, the character can make a Dex- vs. paralyzation to remain on his feet. If the
terity check. For every four points by which opponent hits a solid object, he suffers dam-
she makes the roll (round fractions to the age as if he had fallen the same distance.
n e a s t whole number), shereceivesone extra Those who know the immovability maneu-
attack, which may be used with weapons or ver can resist being knocked back.
martial arts. Such extra attacks last only one
round. When the Attack RoZI Fails: For the remain-
der of the round, all of the martial artist’s
Example: Tamako has the speed ability opponents get a +2 bonus to their attack rolls.
and a Dexterity score of 13. In the midst
of a deadly battle, she makes a Dexterity WenponsAllowed:clubbing weapons, staves,
check and rolls a 4. Her check succeeds bladed poles (using shaft), pole spears (using
by 9 points. The result (rounded) of 9 shaft), and spears(using shaft)tight groups.
divided by 4 is 2. In this round only,
Sticking Touch: The martial artist has so
Tamako gets two extra attacks. attuned her sense of touch that by lightly
placing her hand on an opponentshe can fol-
This special maneuver is difficult and tir-
low that person’s every move. A normal
ing.Once the battle is done, the martial artist attack roll must be made, and the touch does
no damage. However, so long as the martial
must rest one.turnper extra attack she has artist remains in contact, she gains +2 on all
subsequent attack rolls and her Armor Class
made, or be reduced to half her normal move- improvesby 2, becaw she is able to feel the
impending moves of her opponent before
ment until she is able to rest.
WeaponsAllowed: Any. theTyhehatopupcehn.can be broken only by the oppo-
Slow Resistance: Having developed his nentmoving in a way or at a speedbeyond the

body and disciplined his mind, the martial abilities of the character. Thus, an opponent
who knows the leap maneuver can use it to
artistis automatically immune to slow effects. break contact. However, if both combatants
know that maneuver, the martial artist can
This conditionis in effect all the time; it does automatically choose to leap at the same time

not have to be activatedlike a combat maneu- as her opponent, keeping the contactunbroken
(unless the opponent‘s leap is longer thanthe
wr.
WeaponsAllowed:Not applicable. character’s).
When the Attack Roll Fails: The touch does
Principal Method: Push
not “stick.”
Pushing is a soft form of combat, dying on WeaponsAllowed: None; this is an unarmed

the character’s understanding of the forces of maneuver only.
motion. Many pushing techniques turn the
One Finger Push This skill requires long
opponent’s own force against him,deflecting
and difficult practice. It is said that the stu-
his attack, throwing him off balance, or dent first learns to push a suspended heavy
bell with the touch of a single finger. He con-
knocking him backward with a single touch. centrates then on touching it more and more
lightly while making the bell swing even
Learning this art takes great mental discipline more. Finally, he reaches the point where he
but does not require great strrngth. can make the bell move without actually
touching it. His inner power extends out
ConcentratedPush: The character focuses

his inner energy into his hands, giving great
results even from a gentle push. On a suc-

cessful attack roll, the opponent is knocked
back 1foot per level of the martial artist. If

the distance is greater than 3 feet, the oppo-

from his finger and pushes the bell. At this The crushing blow requires great concen-
point he has mastered the one finger push. tration and is the only action the character
can take in a round regardlessof the number
One finger push gives the martial artist the of attacks normally allowed. In all cases a
power of concentratedpush without having normal attack roll must be made. The DM
to touch the target. The character simply con- must determinethe number needed to hit a
centrates and points his finger at the oppo- stationary object (assigning AC based on its
nent.The range is equal to 1foot per character hardness).
experience level. One finger push requires
great concentration and is the only action that When the Attack Roll Fails: If the martial
can be taken in the melee round regardless of artist attempts to strike a hard object (such as
the number of attacks the character can nor- stone) and the attack roll fails, he seriously
mally make. A normal attack roll must be injures his hand, suffering damage equal to
made. If successful, the opponent is affected what he would do on a normal attack. The
as if hit by a concentrated push. hand is unusable for 24 hours, even if healed
before that time has elapsed.
When fheAttack Roll Fails: The one finger
push doesnot take effect. Weapons Allowed: None.

Weapons Allowed:None; this is an unarmed Eagle Claw Throughphysicalexercise and

maneuver only. concentration, the martial artist can summon
Principal Method Strike immense crushing strength into his hands.
On a successful attack roll, he can shatter
Iron Fist: Through various toughening objects (snap spear shafts, crush stones, etc.),
crush metal items, and cause ld8 hp damage
exercises, the martial artist hardens his hands (plus damage bonuses for Strength) per at-
somuch that they feel like steel. The character tack. This ability q u i r e s great concentration
and is the only action the character can take
does ld6 hp damage from each attack (plus during the round.
bonuses for Strength) if the principal attack
uses the hands. If the principal attack is not When the Attack Roll Fails: The attacker does
the hands, the character does ld6 hp damage not damage anything but suffers no ill effects.
on only one attack per melee round.
Weapons Allowed: None.
When the Attack Roll Fails: The blow does Principal Method Throw
not land.
Fall: The martial arts student learns to fall
WeaponsAllmed: Any melee weapon. and roll correctly, taking the impact of the fall
Crushing Blow: The martial artist is able on the safest areas of the body. Once learned,
to shatter or break hard objects-wood, ceram- this maneuver is constantly in effect. There-
ics, and masonry, but not metal-with a blow after, the character suffers only half normal
of the hand. The character can break a half- damage from any fall (if she is consaous and
inch of wood or a quarter-inchof brittle stone able to move).
per experiencelevel. The DMcan modify this
based on the shape, hardness, and age of the WeaponsAllowed: The character can carry
object. If used against a living target, the any weapon when performingthis maneuver.
character causes normal damage plus hit
points equal to half his experience level Instant Stand: After learning to fall, the
(rounded down); Strength damage bonuses student learns how to gain her feet quickly,
do not apply. (Example: An 11th-levelcharac- either by rolling up to a standing position or
ter who normally does ld4 hp damage with using an acrobaticjump. Normally,one round
his martial arts attack would do ld4+5 hp is required for a character to gain her feet, but
damage per crushing blow.) a character knowingthismaneuver can regain

her feet automatically instead of making an Because the training requires a knowledge
attack. She may then perform other actions in of anatomy, the special maneuvers listed can
the mund if she has attacks available. be used against only human and humanoid
opponents, unless the practitionerhas bought
Weapons Allowed: The character can carry a nonweapon proficiency related to the
any weapon when performingthis maneuver. anatomy of a category of monsters (dragons,
equines, etc.).
Hurl:This type of throw relies a great deal
Pain Touch Simply be pressing his finger
on strength and less on leverage. The martial against specificpointsof the body, the martial
artist can attempt to pick up an opponent and artist can cause great pain in his opponent.
throw him to the ground ld4 feet away. The This can be done in place of a normal attack.
attack adds ld4 hp to the basic damage of the The touch causes no damage, but ifthe attack
martial arts style. The attacker must make a roll is successful, the opponentfeels as though
successful attack roll for the hurl maneuver to he were on fire.Thereafter, he will suffer a -2
work. penalty to attack rolls and a +2 penalty to his
AC. The effect lasts for ld3 rounds.
When the Attuck Roll Fails: The attacker loses
all remaining attacks for the round and auto- When the Attack Roll Fails: There is no ad-
matically loses ini!iative for the next round.
verse effect on the opponent, and the attacker
WeaponsAllowed: None. suffersno ill effects.
Great Throw: Using leverageand his oppo-
nent's momentum, the martial artist is able to Weapons Allowed: Clubbing weapons tight
throw his enemy a great distance. The charac- groSutpu.nning Touch With a light slap of the
ter must make a normal attack roll. If the fingers in the correct place, the martial artist
opponent is stationary, the character can can stun and daze her opponent. This can be
throw him 1foot per experience level of the done in place of a normal attack and causes
martial artist. If the opponentis charging, the no damage. The attacker must make a normal
distance thrown is 6 feet plus 1foot per e x p - attack roll. If the attack is successful, the
rience level of the martial artist. The oppo- opponentis allowed a saving throw vs. para-
nent suffers double normal damage for the lyzation. The opponent who fails to save is
martial arts style. stunned for ld4 rounds, unable to take any
When the Attack Roll Fails: The opponent action.
counters the move and knocks the martial
artist off his feet; the character automatically When the Attack Roll Fails: If the attack roll
loses initiativethe next round. fails or the opponent makes the saving throw,
Weapons Allowed: chain weapons, rope the attack has no effect.
weapons, lash weapons, staves, bladed poles
(using shaft), pole spears (using shaft), and Weapons Allowed: Clubbing weapons tight
spears (using shaft) tight groups. groPuapra. lyzing Touch By placing pressure on
Principal Method Vital Area specific nervejunctions, the martialartist can
This method relies on a blow for effect,
much like a strike or kick. However, the paralyzeher opponent, leaving him unable to
strengthof the blow is not as important as the
locationwhere it lands. The vitalarea method move for 2d4 rounds. The character must
beaches the martial artist where and how to make a normal attack roll, but the attack does
strike at the weak spots on his opponent's no other damage. The opponent is allowed a
body-throat, ears, foot, nerve points, and savingthrow vs. paralyzation at a -2 penalty.
other places.
When the Attack Roll Fails: If the attack fails
or the opponent makes a successful saving
throw, no damage is done.

WeaponsAllowed: Clubbingweapons tight breaking them. The breaking action is a swift
PUP. blow or twist with the weapon. The martial

Distance Death Also known as the dim artist must be wielding a martialarts weapon
mak attack or ”death touch,” this ultimate and can use this maneuver onlv aeainst melee
skill of the vital area method requires great weapon is broken (magical weapons are un-
practice and concentration. To learn this harmed). This maneuver does no damage to
maneuver, the martialartist must practice at
a pool of water, driving his h g e r at the sur- living creatures or monsters.
face without touching it. As he does so, he When the Attack Roll Fails: The weapon is
concentrates on his ch’i power, trying to
extend it from his fingertip. When he can unharmed.
hear the echo of his thrust rebound from the Weapons Allowed:Any meleeweapon.
water, he has mastered the maneuver. Steel Cloth: With this maneuver, the mar-

Distance death requirrsgreat concentration tial artist need never be without a weapon. If
and is the only action the character can make the character has a 6-10 foot piece of cloth,
during a melee round. It has a range of 1foot she can whirl it and snap it tight, keepiig it in
constant motion and giving it the rigidity of a
per experiencelevel of the character. SDear.
length d&rmir-es what type of spear it is. If
To use this maneuver, the martial artist it is 643feet, it is a n o d spear;above 8 feet,
it is a long spear. Note that the steel cloth
must make a normal attack roll.If the attack cannot be thrown. The instant it leaves the
attacker’s hands, it becomes a normal piece
is successful, the character can choose to of cloth.
apply one of the following effects:
This maneuver is automaticallysuccessful.
Pain: Theopponentis not allowed a saving The martial artist does not need to make any
sort of roll to turn a clothinto a weapon.
throw. The effect is identicalto pain touch.
Stunning: The opponent is allowed a sav- WeaponsAllowed: One 6-10 foot length of
cloth, or rope weapons tight group.
ing throw vs. paralyzation with a -2 penalty. martial artist in-the course of Gaining. -They
The effect is identicalto stunningtouch. reflect superb control over mind and body.
They donotbelongto the categoriesof prina-
Paralyzation: The opponent is allowed a pal methods as they can be learnedby practi-
saving throw vs. paralyzation, with a -4 tioners of any method or style.
penalty. The effect is identical to paralyzing
touch. Meditation: This ability allows the martial
artist to enter a mental state in which he can
Double Damage: The character does two focus and regain his energies. For each hour
times the basic damage for his martial arts the character spends in uninterrupted medi-
style. No saving throw is allowed. tation, he gets as much rest as two hours of
sleep. While meditating, the character is
When the Attack Roll Fails:No special effects
occur. The opponenttakes no damage.

WeaponsAllowed:None.

Principal Method Weapon
The martial arts often include training in a

number of standard and unusual weapons.
The maneuvers describedbelow can be ap-
plied only when using weapons. They are ex-
clusive to practitioners of the martial arts.

Weapon Breaken Justas martial arts weap
ons are designed to catch and deflect the
weapons of others, they are also capable of

A

oblivious to hunger, thirst, heat, and cold (but Ironskin: Rigorous physical training has
he can still take damage from heat- and cold- toughened the martial artist’s muscles to the
based attacks). He remains conscious and
aware of his surroundings, and suffers no strength of iron. The Armor Class of the char-
penalties on surprise or initiative die rolls.
acter is improved by 2, but only when he is
All-Around Sight: The martial artist’s not wearing any other type of armor.

training makes him more attuned to his im- Levitation: This is perhaps the rarest of all
the martial arts maneuvers because it
mediate surroundings. He is able to detect requires the utmost concentration and men-
opponents on all sides, provided they are not tal discipline. Daily the martial artist prac-
invisible. The character can never be struck tices at making her body feel lighter, using
from behind or suffer a penalty from a back mental power to negate her own weight.
attack. This maneuver is constantly in effect. Finally, the character succeedsin overcom-
ing all her weight and can levitate for a num-
Mental Resistance: The mental exercises ber of rounds equal to her experience level.
and ordeals of the martial artist’s training This maneuver requires one turn of concen-
have toughened and strengthenedher will. tration before it takes effect. Thereafter the
She receives a +2 on a l l saving throws character can move up, down, or sideways
against mental attacks, including charm, illu- at a rate of 5 feet per round. She can take no
sion, and hold spells. This ability is con- actions while levitating and will fall to the
stantly in effect. ground if her concentration is broken. On
completion of the levitation, the character
Ch’i Attacks: With this ability, the martial must rest for one round before taking any
other action.
antist summonshis ch’i (life force energy) and
Armed and Annored -nemts
can use unarmed martial arts attacks to hit A character who knows martial arts is for-
monsters that could otherwisebe hit only by
magic. See Table 20. This ability is constantly midablebut still suffers some penaltieswhen
in effect. facing an armed or armored opponent.
Unarmed vs. Armor
Tabh? 20: Ch’l Attacks
Not all martial arts skills are entirely effec-
XP Level Character Hits As A tive against armored opponents. Table 21
magical weapon shows which martial arts abilities suffer
14 penalties against various types of armor.
5-9 +1magical weapon Comparethe maneuver to the type of armor;
10-14 +2 magical weapon the result is the penalty to hit.
15-19 +3 magical weapon
20 +4 magicalweapon If a maneuver is not listed on Table 21, it
suffers no penalty against an armored oppo-
Blind-fighting: Under his master’s guid- nent
ance, the martial artist has trained for long Unarmed vs. Weapons
periodswhile wearing a blindfold or in dark-
ened room,gaining the ability to detect foes Likewise, unarmed characters fighting
with senses other than sight. The character armed characters suffer penalties because
suffers only a -1 penalty when fighting in they must cope with their enemies’ greater
darkness, when blinded, or when faced by striking range.
invisible opponents. However, any of these in
combination with a silence spell renders the
character effectively blind. This ability is con-
stantly in effect.

Proficlencksand Mutw Arts 59

When an unarmed character fights an op- Tab,e 22: p e ~ e vss.
ponent with a melee weapon, give the un- Armed Opponents
armed character a penaltybased on the length
of the weapon he faces. Opponent‘s Weapon Penalty to Hi
Small (S) -1
Above “Large,” it becomes progressively Medium 0 -2
easier for an unarmed fighter to slip within Large 6)’ -4
the enemy’s effective range, hen& the de- ’ -3
creasing penalties. Giant (G) -1

/ Huge (H)

Table 21: PenaMes and Bonuses Vs. Armond Opponents

Leathefl, All chain Full Plate.
Padded, and Mail

Maneuver Hide.

Lock I
ChokeHold -2 -3 -5
’lock in^ Block ~

Incamgtator -1 -1 -1

-1 -2 -4

-

Vital A m -2
Pain Touch -2
Stunning Touch
Paralyzinz Touch

Includes studded leather

AU monsters wi& an AC of 7 or betterdueto toughhide

Stunning and Inapachting Table 23: MartialArts Hit Locations

In addition to the basic abilities and the Principal Method Die Roll
special maneuvers associated with martial Block
arts styles, all styleshave a chanceof stunning Kick N/A
or incapacitating a man-sized opponent. ld20
Lock 3d6
Whenever the martialartist rolls an unmod- Movement
ified 20 on his attack roll, the opponent must Push N/A
make a saving throw vs. paralyzation. If the Strike ld10+6
saving throw is successful, the opponent isnot 2d6+6
stunned or incapacitated (although he does Throw
VitalArea N/A
take normal damage from the attack).If the Weapon
saving throw fails, the opponent is either ha- 2d6+6
3d6
pacitated or stunned. Compare the hit dice or
Roll Hit Location
level of the opponent to the die roll. If the 18-20 Head
Throat
number rolled is less than the hit dice or level 17 Shoulder
of the target, the opponent is stunned for ld6 16
upper Arm
rounds. If the number is greater thanthis, the 15 Elbow
14 Lower Arm
opponent is incapacitated for ld3hours. 13 Wrist/Hand
12 Chest/Back
Hit L d o n s 10-11 stomach
9 Groin
Players who like to visualize where their 8 Thigh
characters’blows are landing can use a vari- upper k g
ant of the Martial Arts Results Table (pre- 7 Knee
sented earlier). 6 Lower Leg
Foot
Each time the character attacks with mar- 5
tial arts, he makes a die roll and consults
Table 23 to determinethe location of the blow. 4
The principal method of the martial art deter- 1-3
mines the type of roll.
The hit location does not affect the damage
or effect of the attack; it is for visualization
purposes ody

ProfldendeJ and MutklArts 61

CHAPTER Tools of the Trade

5

Oriental cultures feature many weapons lower body, the attacker can spend his next
not commonly found in western cultures, and attack to yank the opponent’s feet out from
the ninja uses tools that are uncommon even under him, throwing him to the ground. Also,
if the attacker’s entangling weapon has an
within his own culture. This chapterdescribes attacking part at both ends, as do many of the
weapons described in this chapter, he can
many of the weapons and gadgets that the make subsequent attacks against the target
presence of ninja will bring to a campaign. with the weapon’s other end.

weapons Prone and EntangidOppon

Some of the weapons are new to the A character who is entangled i
4D&Wgame, while others appeared previ- hit; all attacks made against him get a +2
ously in the Player’s Handbook. The reason bonus to the attack roll.
some weapons are repeated here is to show
players which “normal” weapons are also When a character is on the ground,
available in Oriental cultures. A hand axe also easier to hit; all attacks made agains
get a +2 bonus to the attack roll.
may have a different configurationand a dif-
The poor character who is both en
ferent name in an Oriental setting, but it has and on the ground suffers doubly;
the same weapon statistics as its cousin from nuses are cumulative, and his attacker ge
+4 bonus to the attack roll.
western setting.
Weapon Descriptions
Intanding Attacks Arrows: Arrows for use with the daiky

it.When attacking with a weapon that makes (great bow) or hankyu (half bow) come in
entangling attack (asnoted in many of the number of different shapes and styles.
eapon descriptions), the attacker must
pecify that he’s aiming for either his oppo- Armor piercer arrows have a narrow spike-
head and are designed to punch through dif-
ent’s upper body or lower body. If the ferent typesof armor. They receive a +2 bonus
ttack roll succeeds, one end of the weapon to the attack roll when fired at metal armor.
raps around that part of the body and pins
t, at least for a moment. Flight arrows are the most common sort
If the upper body is entangled, the oppo- arrow, with a wedge-shaped head that is us
ent cannot make attacks that require use of ful in both combat and hunting.
e arms. If the lower body is entangled, the
pponent cannot make attacks that require Frog crotch a m have heads that form a V,
se of the legs, nor can he move from that
the inner edge of which is sharp.These
To break free of an entangling weapon, are used to cut standards and armor
and inflict terrible wounds on an
kthe opponent must make a successfulsaving
caught between the jaws. To successfully use
hrow vs. paralyzation in place of his next
ttack in combat. The weapon takes no dam- the cutting action, the archer must success-
ge. If he is unsuccessful, he remains entan- fully hit a specific point. The DM assigns
led but can try again to break free on his attack-rollpenalties for difficult targets.
ext available attack.
Once an attacker has made an entangling Humming bulb arrows are fitted with carve
attack, he can make other attacks on the same. wooden heads that whistle loudly whe
Iff the attack was made against the opponenVs fired. The sound can be heard up to one
away. This type of arrow is normally use
signaling, but the bulb can also be fitted wi

Table 24: Weapon List Weight Speed Damage
Cost (lbs.) Size Type Factor S-M L
Item Id8 Id8
7 MS 7
Axe,battle i,

LB 4 ldlp4+61 ld6
- ld4
MP

--
-
-

1oogP 12 M- 7 r ;10I-
7 S- -
i(
IT 6 D - 4 ld4

5gP 1 5 14 ld3
1
5cp S 13 ld2
S
16 ld4

l d 2 ld2
I ld3 ld2

!

I

Jo(stick) L
Kama (sickle)
I
Kau sin ke ( w h i mchain)
7 ld8 ld6

5 SP 3 L B 5 ld4+1 ld4
Tools of the Trade 63

Weight Speed Damage
Cost (lbs.) Size Type Factor S-M L

I

sang kauw 10 L
(twoon-eh-ehaadneddedspear)
p o 1uo

Item Cost We1 Speed Damage
(lbs.) Size Type Factor
Yari (spear) 33 3gP 8 S-M L
onehanded LP 8
two-handed ld8 ld8+1
2d6 3d6
Swnd

Broad sword k h n den) .-L" I.. 4 2d4 ld6+1
ldlO ld12
" "I M SIP

(two-handed 5ogP 15 L S 10 ldlO 3d6
Paran.g. 3- 5 M S 5 ld8 ld8

Tanto (dagger) ' 3m 1 2 ld4 ld3
3 g p 6 S P 3 ld4 ld4
Tetsu-bisg-(caltrops)

Whip' 1SP 2 M- 8 ld2 1
Yoroi-Toshi 2, 5gP SP 2 ld4 ld4

The "Type" categoIy indicates bludgeonjng (B),piercing (P), and slashing (S) weapons. The

type of attack may alter the weapon's effectivenessagainst various types of armor. See the
optional d e in the Player's Handbook,Chapter 9.

May be used to make entanghg attacks.
+2 to hit vs. all metal armorbecause of its armor-piercing properties.
May be thrownor wielded in hand-to-hand combat.
Inflicts double damage when used from the back of a charging mount.
Inflicts double damagewhen firmly set to receivea charge.
These items weigh little individually.Ten of these weigh 1Ib.
Intended for two-handed use only

oil-soaked cloth or straw and used as a fire very effectivebut are better than nothing, and
arrow. When used this way, it causesan addi- they are commonly available.
tional ld3 hp damage from the impact and
flame. It also starts firesin flammable materi- Chu-ko-nu (repeating light crossbow):
als d e s s put out quickly. This crossbow is capable of firing several
bolts before it must be reloaded. It is similar
Sheaf nrrows are fitted with broad heads to the western light crossbow, but mounted
designed to cause great injury. These arrow- on top is a magazine that can hold up to 10
heads are often carved or pierced with artistic light quarrels. The cocking and reloading
designs, makingthem works of art. action is worked by a singlelever, pushed for-
ward and then pulled back. This allows a
Axes: Oriental equivalentsfor the common faster rate of fire than normal. Up to two
western battle and hand/throwing axes are quarrels can be reloadedin the magazine per
readily available. round. Thus, five rounds are rrqukd to com-
pletely reload the chu-ko-nu. A character can-
Blowgun: Many ninja use blowguns, as not fire and reload in the same round. The
light weapons or as distractions. Evil ninja chu-ko-nu is heavier than a normal light
may use blowguns as a means to deliver poi-
sons. A blowgun dart is larger and heavier, aossbow and has a shorter range. (See Table
and does more damage than a blowgun nee
dle. The needle is less expensivebut just as _25..)
good at carryingpoisons. bub: Improvisedclubs are as easy to make

Blowguns can also be used as breathing in the Orient as in western campaigns. Clubs
tubesfor swimmingunderwater. are not commonly manufactured for combat
use, so they are not available for sale. See
Special reinforcedblowguns are available.
instead the jo and hanbo.
A blowgun costing 6 gp can alsobe used as a
Crossbow: Standard light crossbows are
jo stick; a 7-gp blowgun can be used as a jo
stick or the scabbard for a sword. available in the Orient. See also the chu-ko-

Bo (staff): This Oriental equivalent of the nu.
Dagger: Ordinarydaggers are available in
quarterstaff is normally 6-7 feet long. Itshard
Oriental settings.
wood makes it &cult to cut or break. Daikyu (greatbow): This is the largesttype
Bokken (wooden sword): This is a wooden
of bow found in an Oriental setting. In some
copy of the katana,designed to simulate that ways, it is similar to the western long bow. It
sword's weight and other characteristics. It is is 7 feet long and bent at the ends for greater
used to practice swordslllilllsh'pl since it does power. Unlikemost bows, the grip is closer to
not cause cutting injuries. Wielded aggres- the bottom, not centered. This allows the bow
sively, however, it can cause injury from the to be fired from horseback and kneeling posi-
force of the blow. The bokken rrq- sword tions.
proficiency, not club profiaency; it shares a
weapon profiaencywith the katana. Dart, throrm: ordinary darts are available

Bow: See Arrows (various types), daikyu, in Oriental settings. Many ninja like them for
hankyu, and pelletbow. their lightness and ease of concealment.

Chijiriki (chain spear): A length of Fang: This heavy iron weapon is similar to
weighted chain is added to the butt end of a a largeanimal goad. It is about the length of a
short sword. One end is sharp, with a heavy
normal spear. Thisweapon can be used as a hookedpoint below it.
normal spear,or the butt-chain can be swung
Fukimi-bari (mouth darts): These small
out, entanglingthe opponent. darts are held in the mouth and blown into
Chopsticks: Chopsticks can be used as a

-reapon in case of emergency.They are not

Up to 10of them can be carried in the mouth. suspiaon.The damage vdues given for it are
They can be fired singly or all at once. When for a freshly sharpened weapon. After use in
fired singly, a normal attack roll is made for the field for several hours, a kama will be
each dart; a successful hit does ld2 hp dam- considerablyduller, and may, at the DMs dis-
age. When fired in bursts, the die equal to
twice the number of darts fired is rolled to mtion, have reduced values for damage.
determinethe damage. Thus, if four darts are Katana (samurai long sword): This single-
fired at once, ld8 is rolled to determine the
damage. edged, slightly curved sword ends in a chisel
point. It is perhaps one of the finest types of
Obviously, since the darts are carried in the sword made, noted for its superior construc-
mouth, they cannotbe poisoned (unless the tion and design. Great carg is taken in mak-
ninja is willing to suffer the effects of the poi- ing the katana, and the forging and construc-
son as well). Furthermore, the darts have a tion of it is considereda rare and valuable art.
very poor range and are almost never effec- The weaponsmith must labor long hours to
tive against any type of armor; wielders of achievethe correct temper of the blade. When
this weapon suffer a -6 penalty to the attack correctly made, the blade is light, well bal-
roll when firing at an armored target. How- anced, strong, flexible, and resilient. The
ever, these darts do have the advantage of quality of the metal and forging allows the
surprise and distraction because they are a blade to be ground to a razor-sharp edge. In
hidden weapon. addition, such blades are often beautifully
decorated with etched designs, prayers, or
Gunsen (war fan): This iron fan‘s main use family lineages. Equal attention is given to
the hilt, guard, and scabbard of the weapon.
is defensive, counting as a small shield. How- Katanas may have individual names, wflect-
ever, it can also be used to strikeblows. It is ing deeds of glory in which they have been
normally considered a fallback weapon. used.

Hanbo (half staff): This 2-3 foot stick is For the samurai character, the katana is
used as a weapon; practitioners often carry
one in each hand. The statistics for the hanbo more thanjust a sword. It is part of his honor
are used when a sword sheath is used as a and the honor of his family. It is his personal

weapon. (Seeninja-to.) weapon, not to be used by others. To touch
the scabbard of the sheathed katana is to
H d y u (half bow): This is the small Ori- insult the samurai. To draw the blade without
permission is a graver insult. A single katana
entalbow, often used by ninja.
may have been in the same family for genera-
Jitte: This tapered iron bar has a short tions, becominga treasuredheirloom. To lose
hook projecting near the handle. It is not such a weapon is a shameful disgracethat can
sharp. The jitte is used to block attacksand be swept clean only by the recovery of the
catch weapons. It can also be used to strike
blows. The jitte shares a weapon profiaency weapon and the punishment of those who
have taken it. Many samurai have given their
T.th the sai. lives to recover a family weapon.
Jo(stick): This stick weapon is about 4 feet
long, between the bo and hanbo in size. It can The value of a katana can vary greatly
be used one-handed and in pairs. The jo is a depending on the quality of workmanship
favoriteweapon of ninja becauseit is innocu- and the history of the weapon. The price
listed in Table 24 is for an average weapon.
1us;it is also called the shinobi-zue. Others may be of greater or lesser value,
Kama (sickle): This straight-bladedsickle depending on the quality and artistic work-
i a farmer’s tool that can also be used as a manship of the we

weapon to great effect. Ninja likethis weapon

because it can be carried without arousing

K a u sin ke (whipping chain): This Kyogetsu-shogi: This is a simple length of
weapon consists of four to six short ironbars rope with a sharp hooked blade at one end
connected by several links of chain. Its ori- and a heavy iron ring at the other. Its uses are
gins can be traced to the agricultural flail. similar to those of a standard chain weapon.
Used properly, it can be a deadly weapon; The rope can be swung to attack with the
the iron bars can wrap around shields to blade or weight, snapped around the feet or
land crushingblows. However, because it is arms to entangle, thrown to entangle, or held
not as flexible as a normal chain or rope while striking with the blade. Although the
weapon, it cannot be used to make entan- rope is far easier to cut or break than a chain,
gling attacks. the weapon is oftenused by ninja because it is
almost silent. It is easy to conceal and can be
Kawanaga (grapnel): This a length of rope, worn as a belt or under a sash.
with a grapplinghook at one end and a weight
at the other, is both a tool and a weapon. It Lajatang: This rare weapon is most often
can be used as a weapon by swinging the found in the hands of a martial artist skilled
hook or the weight at an opponent. The grap- in its use. It consists of a 5 5 foot shaft with a
pling hook can also be used for climbing, and crescent blade fitted at each end. Some indi-
the rope can be used to entangle an opponent. vidual weapons have smaller barbs project-
This type of weapon is popular with ninja ing downward from the outer edges of the
because it has several uses and is easily con- crescent. The weapon is held with two hands,
cealed. much like a bo.

Kiseru (pipe): This is a tobacco pipe made Lance, light horse: This is the normal sort
of metal. Its innocent appearance disguisesits of lance available to horsemen in an Oriental
use as a clubbing weapon. It is popular with campaign.
peasants and monks because it is cheap and
easy to make and does not appear to be dan- Lasso: This weapon does no damage in
gerous. It can alsobe used for smoking. game terms but can entangle a target. It is
used to unhorse riders and pull humanoid
Kumade (rake): This dual-purpose tool targets off their feet. When a lasso wielder
consists of a spear-lengthwooden shaft with attacks a horseman riding past, a successful
a rake head fitted at one end. By setting the attack roll automatically unseats the rider. A
rake prongs in a crack, ledge, or sill, a ninja lassoattack made against the upper body of a
can climb up the shaft. The kumade can also humanoid on foot will pull the target off its
be used as a weapon. Because the kumade feet on a roll of 1on ld4 if the target weighs
has multiple uses and can be carried without no more than half what the attacker weighs,
arousing suspicion, it is a common item for or on a roll of 1on Id8 if the target weighs up
ninja to use. the attacker’s weight.

Kusari-gama (chain-sickle): This variation Man catcher: This is a two-pronged
on the kama (sickle) was designed specifi- polearm. Each prong is curved to encircle a
humanoid creature of man size. Creatures
cally for combat. It is a kamawith a length of larger or smaller than human size by 50% or
more are unaffected by this weapon. The Ori-
weighted chain attached to the butt end of the ental man catcher, unlike the western version,
handle. The kusari-gama can be used in sev- has spikes and sharpened edges to damage
the opponent and prevent the use of hands
eral ways: The user can attack with the kama and arms.

in hand, he can club and entangle with the The victim of a man catcher loses all shield
weighted chain, or he can whirl the kama at and Dexterity bonuses. Furthermore, the

the end of the chain.This weapon is relatively

easy to make and is favored by both peasants
and ninja.

I

opponent can be pulled and pushed with the chiefly the straight-bladed sword from which
the katana evolved.
weapon. This pushing and pulling automati-
cally causes ld2 hp damage per round. There Nage teppo (grenades): These smal
is a 25% chance for the opponent to be pulled grenadelie weapons are popular with ninja
The version detailed in Table 24 explodes or
offhis feet, to either a heeling or proneposi- contact with a target. Other sorts of grenades
are described later under “Miscellaneous
tion. Equipment.”
Anyone caught in a man catcher can break
Nagimaki (horseman’s halberd): This
out by making a successful roll to bend bars. shortened version of the ~ g i n a t ais used pri.
Repeated attempts can be made, but the vic- marily by horsemen. It consists of a 4-6 foot
tim takes ld4 hp damage unless heavy gloves shaft capped by a curved swordlikeblade.
or gauntlets are worn. Characters other than
the one caught may rescue the victim by Naginata (halberd): This lightweight but
choppingthrough the weapon’s haft (6 points strong polearm is 6-8 feet long and ends in a
of cutting damage requjred). curved swordlikeblade. It is used as a stan-
dard polearm. The naginata is often the pre-
Commonly, the man catcher’s wielder will ferred weapon of women; many female
capture an opponent with the weapon, then samurai and ninja become proficientwith this
jerk the victim off his feet or horse, pressing weapon.
the pole down to pin his neck to the ground.
In such a situation, the captive is virtually Needle: Although hardly an effective
helpless. weapon, needles are occasionally carried by
ninja for distraction or surprise. Like the
Manriki-pari (chain): This simple length fukimaari,they are carried in the mouth and
Qf chain with weights at each end can be firedby spittingor blowing (using the tongue
whirled quickly, striking with hard blows as a blowpipe). Up to 20 needles can be car.
from the weights. One end can be swung out ried in the mouth. The needles can be fired
to entangle an opponent, or the entire weapon singly or all at once. When fired singly, a nor-
can be thrown, entanghng and causing dam- mal attack roll is made for each needle with a
age at the same time. The manriki-gusari is successfdhit doing 1hp damage. When fired
popular in areas where the lord has forbidden in bursts, the die equal to the number of nee
the use or wearing of other weapons, or when dles fired is rolled to determine the damage
secrecy is required. It can easily be worn as a Thus, if all 20 needles are fired at once, roll
belt or hiddenunder a sash. It is often used by ld20to determine the damage.
*ja because it has a great number of uses.
Because needles are carried in the mouth,
Metsubishi (blinding powders): A small they cannot be poisoned (unless the ninja is
wooden device, similar to a short blowgun willing to sacrificeherself to complete thc
(1-2 feet long), is used to blow a puff of pow-
der into an opponent’s face. It has a mouth- mission). As with fukimi-bari, needles have a
piece at one end, a chamber for holding the
very poor range and are almost never effec-
Fowder, and a small tube at the other end.
he most common powders are peppers, tive against any typeof armor. They suffer the
ashes, and dust, described under ”Miscella- same 4attack-roll penalty when firing at an
neous Equipment.” This weapon is often
bsed by ninja for distractionand escape, and armored target.
by city constables when attempting to cap- Nekode (climbing claws): This dual-pur-
tureacriminal.
pose ninja tool is a pair of straps or gloves fit-
Long sword: Several varieties of long ted with spikes in the palm. By hammering
pword are available in Oriental settings, the spikes into cracks in a w d or cliff to give
a better grip, the user of nekode receives a

Blowsaun Tetsu-

tianbo

BO

Lnto

0

~

I

yo r oi

Toshi

I Chijiriki

\M a n r i k i +I a nkyu

Club

Tools of the Trade 71



detailed in Tables 24 and 25. Tanto (dagger): This dagger is made in the
same style as the katana and wakizashi
AU shuriken are thrown by hand and have (curved blade, small or nonexistent hand
guard). It shares a weapon proficiencywith
a limited range. They are easily hidden in the yoroi-toshi.
folds of clothing or tucked into sashes. Spike
shurikencan even be worn in the hair. Tetsu-bishi (caltrops):This are small cal-
trops, not melee or thrown weapons. Each is a
Spike shuriken look likelarge pins, tapering ball or four-sided diamond of spikes, de-
to a sharppoint. signed so that no matter how it lands at least
one spike is pointing upward. They are used
Large star shuriken are larger. They may also to stop or slow the movementof men and ani-
be gripped in the fist, with one sharpened mals by making the ground extremely dan-
point projecting between the fingers, and gerousto walk on.
used as a punching weapon.
Because of the wav tetsu-bishiare designed.
Small star shuriken have three or more razor- Y,
edged points, ensuring that at least one point
will strike the opponent (if a successfulattack they c m o t be ttw&n at an opponent for any
roll is made). good effect.Rather, they arecast on the ground
at the feet of an opponent when the wielder is
Siangkam: This weapon hardly appears being pursued. They are greatly favored by
ninja since they increase the chance for a
useful at all. It looks like a metal-shafted quick and unpursued escape.
arrow with a small wooden handle replacing
the feathers. It is normally used in pairs, one When using tetsu-bishi,the character must
for each hand. The siangkamcan be used to state how many he will use and how much
jab, thrust, slash, and parry. It cannot be area he will cover. The base amount is 10
thrown effectively,even though it has the tetsu-bishi cast down in a 5 ’ x 5 ’ area (25
appearance of an arrow. square feet). Anyone entering the area must
make a saving throw vs. paraly7.ation.A suc-
Sling: Ordinary and staff slings are avail- cessful save means the character has avoided
able in Orientalsettings. stepping on any of the tetsu-bishi. An unsuc-
cessful save indicates the character has
Sode garami (sleeveentangler): This high- steppcd on one tetsu-bishi (sufferingld4 hp
ly specialized weapon is used to catch and damage)and must halt his movement. If half
entangle an opponent without causing great the amount of tetsu-bishi are used in the
harm. It is normallymade as a pole and cross- same area, the opponent gains a +4 on his
bar set with a large number of spikes and saving throw. For every five tetsu-bishi
hooks. On a successfulhit, it hooks andcatches greater than the base 10 tetsu-bishi used in
the clothing of the opponent,who is allowed the given area, the opponent’s saving throw
a saving throw vs. paralyzationto escape. If is reduced by 2 and the opponent suffers an
the saving throw is unsuccessful, the charac- additional 1 hp damage (up to +6 hp dam-
ter is entangled. When used specificallyto age). If the opponent is moving a t greater
catch an opponent,the sode garami does no than half his normal Movement Rate, he suf-
damage. However, forcefulblows can also be fers a -2 penalty to the saving throw. One
struckwith the weapon, resulting in the same check must be made for every 5-square-foot
effect and the damage listed on Table24. This section entered. Ilowever, characters who
weapon is often carried by palace guards or move cautiouslv (one third their normal
city constables.

Spear: See chijiriki, sang kauw, shakujo
yari, trident, and yari.

Sword: See bokken, katana, long sword,
ninja-to, no-daichi, parang, short sword,
tetsu-to, and wakizasG.

TodsoftheTrade 73

\ b If a character (or mature) steps on a tetsu- thrusting and jabbing. The uchi-ne is often
ishi, he suffers the damage done by the carried by nobles when traveling.
weapon. If he does not stop and remove the Wakizashk This is a short sword, similar in
weapon befom continuing movement, he suf- design and constructionto the katana. Like
fers the same damage for every 10feet he the katana, the wakizashi may be named for
moves. Removing tetsu-bishi requires one some past deed or event. It holds almost as
round. important a place in the samurai’s honor as
In addition, each time he takes damage his katana. Those rules and guidelines con-
from tetsu-bishi, the character must make a cerning the katana and its care also apply to
second saving throw vs. paralyzation to see if the wakizashi when it is part of a matched set.
he is temporarily lamed. If he fails the save, The wakizashi and the katana are normally
the character can move at only one third his worn as a pair by samurai characters. This
normal Movement Rate, due to pain and dis- pair is known as daisho, or ”long and short.”
comfort. This restriction lasts for 24 hours or In many lands, the two-weapon combination
until the damage heals, whichever comes first. is a sign of samurai status.Anyone other than
Tetsu-bo (iron staff): This is a bo with at a samurai who wears the long and short
least half its length sheathed in studded iron swords together is subject to arrest or imme-
strips. It is often used by travelersbecause it diate execution.
can also serve as a walking stick. Whip: To inflict damage, the whip must
Tetsu-to (iron sword): This odd weapon is strike exposed or lightly covered flesh. Heavy
basically an ironbar shaped in the fashion of clothing, thickhair,or fur gives considerable
a two-handed Oriental sword. It is a heavy protection until tom away by repeated lash-
weapon used for strengthtraining, not com- ing. The type of armor determines how long
bat, and is very slow to use. (It suffers a -3 it takes the whip to begin doing damage.
attack-roll penalty because of its awkward- With heavy clothing, damage begins on the
ness.) However, when the tetsu-to does hit in third successful blow; thick hair or fur, on
combat, it does a lot of damage. the second; padded armor, on the fourth;
Threesectionstaff:This weapon is another leather armor, on the fifth; hide armor, on
derivative of the agriculturalflail. It is made the sixth. The whip can do no harm through
of three 2-3 foot sections of hard wood con- armor heavier than that. Thick hide, such as
nected by short stretches0 cham. It can be that of an elephant or rhinoceros, will allow
a slight sting at best, with no real damage (
t .used to strikean opponent, lock an attack, or
catch and break a weapon. inflicted.
Tonfa (handle): This is a hardwood rod However, the whip can also be used to en;
with a small handle sticking out off-center tangle a target, and is often more effectively
from the side. The entire length is about 2-3 used in this way than for causing damage.
I

feet. It was originally the handle of a mill- Yari (spear): This is the common Oriental
stone. With this weapon, a trained fighter can spear, similar to the westem spear.
block, catch weapons, break weapons, and Yoroi-toshk Thisweapon is shaped like the
attack effectively. The tonfa is often used in tantobut is designed a bit differently. Its tip,
areas where normal weapons are outlawed. rather than blade, is reinforced and sharp-
Trident: Orientalversions of the tridentare ened. This makes the weapon good for pierc-
available. ing armor, and the yoroi-toshigets a +2 bonus
Uchi-ne: This is a short, heavy javelin that when strikingagainst metal armor. The yoroi-
lookslikean oversizedarrow. It canbe thrown
effectively for short distances or used for

74 CbytCrRve

I

Weapon ROF --Range (tens of yards)L
Name SM

Axe, hand 1 12 3
aBow, Pellpt
Blowgun dart 2/1 12 3

Blow .- . I

Crossbow, Chu-ko-nu 3/2 24 6
Crossbow. Heaw 'x
8 16 24

ravelin, thrown 1 24 6
12
Kawanaga, thrown 1 3

Nage teppo, throw 1 23
Needle. blown* 1
3' -

Tanto, thrown 12 3
Tetsu-bishi, thmwn* 1 5' 10' 20'
Uchi-ne, thrown 1 12
Yoroi-Toshi, thrown 1 12 3

* This weapon 3

yards value. in feet rather thanthe normal tens of

Banded armor, chain mail, hide armor, Each ninja night-suit is designed to blend
leather armor, padded armor, ring mail, scale into a specific background. When worn
mail, splinted mail, and studded leather against the correct background, the night-suit

armor are all available in Orientalcampaigns, gives the wearer +lo% to his hide in shadows
as are bucklers, medium shields, and large
shields. roll.

Such campaigns do featurea few types of The standard night-suit is black with a hint
armor not found in mainstream fantasy set- of red. It provides its hide in shadows bonus
tings: when the character is in the equivalent of
”night, full moon” or “night, no moon” light-
Type Cost Wgt (Ib.) ing, as described in Chapter 13of the Player’s
Handbook. In short, if the light is worse than
Gunsen (war fan) 5gP 1 twilight, the night-suit provides its benefits.
Kote (armor sleeves) 2 gp 2 The reddish tinge to the night-suit makes it
harder to detect blood on the costume, which
Gunsen, described earlier under Weapons, in turn makes it harder for a witness to deter-
are iron war fans. They are used to deflect
mine that a ninja has been injured.
blows and can also be used to strike them.
Kote are armored sleeves connectedby a The wilderness night-suit is a camouflage
pattern of brown and green. It provides its
band of leather or cloth across the shoulders. hide in shadows bonus when the character is
The sleeves extend from the shouldersto the surrounded by foliage-typically, in the
backs of the hands. They are normally made woods-regardless of lighting conditions.
of mail; some have small metal plates sewn
onto them. They can be plain or highly deco- The arctic night-suit is white. It provides its
rated. Kote can be worn inconspicuously hide in shadows bonus when the character is
under robes and in combination with other in snow or dense fog. The character can make
pieces of armor. his hide in shadows roll in such circum-

Both gunsen and kote are used like shields, stances even when there are no shadows, if he
reducing a character’s Armor Class by 1 remains still.
when used. However, only one Armor Class
bonus from shield, gunsen,and kote applies Other types of night-suits can be specially
to the character’s Armor Class; he cannot get made for special circumstances. If a team
a -3 bonus to Armor Cla- for carrying all must break into a palace where everythingis
three. decorated in red, it makes sense for the mem-
bers to wear night-suits in the same color.
Ninja make use of many specialized gad-
gets and weapons to perform their missions. Note: Ninja do not commonly wear night-
suits under their normal clothing or carry
Description of Equipment them around on ordmary missions. The pos-
Clothing, ninja night-suit: This is the out- sibility that someone will searcha ninja or his
baggage and find the telltale costume is too
fit worn by ninja on intrusion missions. It great. Night-suits are worn only when ninja
consists of close-fitting trousers and tunic, are leaving a safe house for a specific intru-
split-toed footwear, gloves, and a hood. sion mission and then returning to a safe
house where they can change back into nor-

mal clothing. A 1st-levelninja automatically

receive one standard black night-suit in addi-
tion to his startinggold.

Clothing,tear-away: This is a set of clothing
worn by ninja as a disguise. Each set consists

of a robe, or tunic/trousers combination,or roll, the grenadebursts in a cloud of dust. The
dress, or other principal elementsofan ensem- opponent gets a saving throw vs. poison. If he
ble. These items look in every way like a nor- makes the roll, he is unaffected (though cov-
mal set of clothingbut are lightweight(1lb. for ered by a light layer of dust). If he fails the
the whole outfit) and can be tom off with a roll, he is blinded for ld6 rounds.
simplemovement (noStwngth roll necessary).
Such clothing is ideal for a quick change into Flash powder: When this grenade is thrown
another costume or into the ninja night-suit. into a fire, it explodes in a brilliant flash of
light, blinding everyone who is looking in
Eggshellgrenades: These weapons consist that direction. Theblindnesslastsld3 rounds.
Of an irritatingor concealinginpdient sealed If the DM does not know where a characteris
looking, that character must make a saving
in an eggshell, a paper packet, a nutshell, or throw vs. petrification. If the character is
more than 10feet away from the fire, he gets a
some other containerthat is small and easy to +2 bonus to the roll; more than 20 feet away, a
bwak. The grenadesdo not explode,but burst +4 bonus. Maximum range for the effect of
the flashpowder grenadeis 30 feet.
when thrown against the ground or into the
Pace of an opponent. There are four standard Pepper:This grenade is thrown into the face

w e s of eggshell grenades: of an opponentjust like a dust grenade. Ifthe
Dust: This grenade is thrown into the face attack roll is successful,the pepper gets into
the character’s eyes and up his nose. The af-
of an opponent. All targets are treated as AC fected character must make a saving throw
6. (Eggshell grenades ignore the AC value of
armor but must hit the upper chest or face
area of an opponent.) On a successful attack

Item cost
Clothing, ninja night-suit 5gP
Clothing,tear-away, common

-- 1ogp
T o d s of the Trade TI

bs. poison. T h e rads the roll, he is incapaci- change direction, he must make another

tated for ld6 rounds due to choking and Giant Kite Flying profiaency check or imme-
sneezing.
diately crash to the ground, taking normal
smoke: This grenade can be thrown against falling damage for the full distance he de-
scended from the time he took off.A success-
the ground or intoa f k . When thrownagainst
ful roll means he has changed to the correct
the ground, it createsa smoky area equivalent
to light fog in a 5-foot radius. (If the ninja has direction
Landingfollowsthesame rules as changing
his back to a forest or other escape route and
direction.When the ground is close enough,
has enemies to his front, he may throw a the ninja maneuvers to land, but a failed roll
means he crashes into the ground and takes
smoke grenade in front of him to give him a full damage for the entire distance of his
descent from the time he first took off.
moment of distraction, allowinghim a round
to flee and make a hide in shadows roll.) The hito washi is used by ninja who have
When thrown into a fire, a smoke grenade no better flight spells or magical items avail-
creates a smoky area equivalent to dense fog able and who must make an aerial intrusion.
in a 10-footradius. Ninja sometimes launch from portabletowers
to get over the walls of a citadel or encamp-
All eggshell grenades are fragile. If a char- ment, or may launch from a nearby hilltop or
mountain.
acter carrying these itemsfalls 10feet or mom
and sdfers damage, the player must roll 16or Kama ikada (raft): This is a small one-man
better on a savingthrow vs. crushingblow (as raft that ninja can carry around with ease. It is
a bone or ivory object)for each grenade car- normally used in conjunctionwith a collapsi-
ble pole such as the vaulting pole (described
ried (DUNGEOMNASTERGuide, Chapter 6). If later). The kama ikada can carry 300 lbs.
worth of characters and equipment.
the roll fails, the grenade bursts and is use-
less, but unless it was beiig carried near the Ladder, folding This is a hinged ladder or
rope ladder with hooks at one end. It is used
character's face, it will do no harm. by ninja for quick escapesor covert intrusions
Hito washi (humaneagle): This is a primi-
(especially importantwhen the ninja party is
tive sort of hang glider made of wood, bam- escorting a character who doesnot have ninja
climbing abilities).
boo, paper, and fabric. Medieval aeronautics
being a crude science, hito washi are unreli- Mizugumo (foot pontoons): These inflat-
able and dangerous. ablebladdershave straps to hold them on the
feet. A highly trained ninja (for example, one
The ninja straps himself into the hito washi who possesses the Water Walking proficien-
and launches from a highplace (an altitudeof
at least 100feet). Immediatelyon launching, cy) canuse them to walk aams stillbodies of

the character must make a Giant Kite Flying water. The character walks at a rate of 10
proficiencycheck. If he fails, he falls straight yards per round. His chance for success is
affected by his encumbrance. A ninja on
to the ground and takes normal falling dam- mizugumocan carry 20 lbs. of gear at his nor-
age for that distance. (The character is unable malchance of success,but suffers a -2 penalty
to benefit from any proficiency or talent that to his profiaency roll for every additional 20
lbs. he carries.
keeps him fromfalling,as he is strapped rigid
Because mizugumo are not widely recog-
into a framework and unable to twist his nized and look innocuousw+?n not in use,
body to avoid or mitigate the damage.)

If the character survives the liftoff,he can
fly the hito washi in the direction he was
pointed when he took off.For every 20 feet
forward he travels, he loses 1foot of altitude.
(He can lose more altitudeif he chooses.)

Every time the character maneuvers to

ninja can often smuggle them into secure reach their full effectiveness

areas and then use them to crosswater barri- When taken once per day, in a dose of five
ers such as moats or superheated ponds. pills, the pills prevent the user from feeling
the ill effects of thirst. This can be useful
Powders: These are doses of ammunition when the character is making long forced
for metsubishi. They come in three types: marches or is trappedin a situation where she
Ash, dust, and pepper. Dust and pepper cannot or must not drink.
behave just like dust and pepper eggshell
grenades; ash behavesjust like dust eggshell However, the character still suffers from
grenades. dehydration-shejust cannot feel the effects.
The effect of the pills wears off at the end of
Ravagerpotion: This is a preparation taken five days. If the character is not able to drink
by NF’Cs with the Ravager kit (described in at least a quart of fluid at that time, shebegins
Chapter 3). It is a slow-acting potion, taking to die of thirst. Until sh~egets at least a quart
effect half an hour after being drunk and end- of liquid, she must make a saving throw vs.
ing ld3 hours later. While under the potion’s paralyzation every hour or die of dehydra-
influence, a character receives the following
bonuses and penalties: tia

He is immune to sleep and charm spells. Vaulting pole: This collapsible pole is used
He possesses two additional hit points for vaulting over obstacles (or for other pur-
per experiencelevel (up to 10levels). poses). Under normal circumstances, the pole
is about 6 feetlong. The wielder can telescope
He receives a -2 modifier to individual
initiative. If everyone allied with the charac- it out to 15feet and lock it into place at the
ter has drunk the potion, as is often the case,
the modifieralso applies to p u p initiative. new length. Rules for pole vaulting appear

He receives a -2 bonus to Armor Class. under the Jumpingproficiency in the Player’s
At the end of the potion’s effect, all benefits Handbook,Chapter 5.
wear off, and the character must make a Con-
stitution check. If he fails the check, he col- Yami doko (man-sized kite): This kite is
lapses in a coma for 3d6hours. If the character largeenough to carry a full-sized human aloft
has sustained enough damage that the sud- but differs from the hito washi in several
den loss of the extra hit points brings him important ways.
down to zero hit points or fewer, he dies (no
saving throw). The yami doko is launched and flownfrom
Rope, lighk This rope made of silk, horse- the p u n d like a kite. When it is launched, it
hair, or human woman’s hair is favored by requiresa character with the Giant Kite Fly-
ninja for its light weight. ing proficiency to be on the ground direding
Shinobi-bnne (ninja boat): This small its flight, and that character must make one
canoelikeboat is used by ninja on covert mi+ proficiency check for every 50 feet of altitude
sions. It is light and collapsible, hence easy to the kite gains, with the same results for fail-
carry. The standard shinobi-bune can carry ure as the hito washi suffers. When the con-
about 300 Ibs. and includes a paddle for pro- troller decidesto land the kite, it quires only
pulsion. one profiaency check to bring it down from
Thirst pills: Thiist pills are nonmagical whatever altitudeit has attained.
medicine. The ingredientsinclude only nor-
mal herbs and other plant products, but mak- Once the yami doko is successfully
ing up the pills requires great skill. The pills launched, its rider can cut free and glide
must then age for several years before they away, flying it much as a hito washi. TOdo
this successfully, he too must have Giant Kite
,/ Flying proficiency. The act of cutting free
requiresone proficiency c h d , as does each
maneuver and attempt to land, &=wrihd

yami doko’s rate of descent is greater than lowed and reinforcLd. (A dagger is too short
that of the hito washi. For every 10feet for- to be equipped with a manriki-gusari com-
ward the yami doko moves, it loses 1foot of partment.)
altitude.
Commonly, staff and stick weapons receive
Yami doko are easy to spot, even when this modification, but other gear is suitable
painted black, on Nghts with any moonlight.
for chaincompartments: the forearmportion
Use ngrmal rules for visibility ranges (Player’s
Handbook, Chapter 13). Consequently,yami of a set of kote. the area behind the miD of a
tion,-the wielder of the weapon can press a
doko are most often used on mnndess Nghts. secret switch and pop out a spring-loaded
knife blade. The blade has characteristics
M-- identical to the common knife (Type P/S,
Ninja often pay to have normal weapons Speed Factor 2, Damage ld3 vs. SM and ld2
vs. L).
modified for special uses, or ordinary items
modified to include weapons. The cost of To accommodate a uou-out knife blade. the
sGch modificationsis applied to the weapon inches of length availableto be hollowed and
being modified. (See Table 27.) reinforced. Normal daggers do have enoueh

Table 27: Weapon Modwutbns used. But for twice the cost listed, the blade
can pop out with enough force to act as an
Weight attack.
Modification Cost (gp) Added
Chain in compartment 5 gp 3 lbs. Pop-out spear head This modification is
Pop-out knife blade 20gp 1/21b. identical to the pop-out knife blade, except
Pop-out spear head 30gp 21bs. the weapon emerging is a narrow spear head,
Secret compartment 3gP 0 lbs. with characteristicsidentical to the normal

These modifications can be detected with spear (Type P,Speed Factor 6, Damage ld6 vs.
the same chance any character has to detect a
secret door, but only when a character is SM, ld8 vs. L).
actively looking for changes in the standard To accommodate a popout spear head, the
item.
weapon or item must be at least equal to a
Chain in compartmenkWith this modifica-
spear haft in thickness and must have about
tion, part of the weapon is hollowed out and
a manriki-gusari installed in the compart- 18inches of length available to be hollowed
ment. When the weapon bearer pulls off the and reinforced. Manv sticks, staves, and
compartment’s cap, the chain spills out, enough force to make its emerg&& an attack;
remaining attached at one end to the weapon, it must lock into place before it can be used.
with the cap acting as the chain weight. The But for twice the cost listed, the spear head
weapon may then be used in its normal fash-
ion or as a manriki-pari (except that it can- canbe modified topop intoplace withenough
not be thrown). h x to act as an attack.

To accommodate a manriki-gusari com-

partment, the weapon or item must be at least

qual to a spear in thickness and must have

Secret compartment: This modificationcre- Painter In a Box
ates a secret compartment within the object Talking Paper
being modified.
Yami Doko of Takeichi
The standard secret compartmentmodifi-
cation requires that the weapon or item have Books: A book from this list could instead
an area at least equal to a spear in thickness be a set of scrolls or a series of tablets, as the
and about 2 feet of length available to be hol- DMchooses.
lowed and reinforced. This provides a secret
compartment large enough to hold about 3 Book of One Art: This item does not per-
lbs. of small weapons, scrolls, or other small form any magical functions. A detect magic
items. spell cast on it reveals the presence of magic,
but that magical energy comes entirely from
It is possible to create smaller or larger the veneration bestowed on the volume by
compartments as well. A knife hilt couldhold generations of students.
about half a pound of gear, for instance.
Smaller compartments cost the same as stan- The Book of One Art contains all informa-
dard compartments because of the difficulty tionnecessary to learn every element of a spe-
of working in smaller areas. cific martial arts style. (The DM decides
before a character obtains such a book which
Larger areas hold more gear. For every style it describes.) It doesnot instantly bestow
additional 3 lbs. of gear the compartment is to any part of that art on a character. Instead, it
acts as a martial arts master who knows the
hold, the modification costs +loo% of the entire art. A character with this book can
learn an art at the usual rate and through the
original cost. usual expenditureof proficiencies,but with-
out the necessity of seeking out a martial arts
Magical and Special Treasures master.

Many magical items and other special trea- Book of One Maneuver: This magical vol-
sures are found only in Oriental settings. ume contains knowledge of one special
maneuver. (See the rules for ”Advanced Mar-
The DM can use the magical item tables tial Arts” from Chapter 4.) If a character is a
(Tables 88-110) from the DUNGEOMN ASTER student of a martial art that allows the use of
Guide with little modification. this maneuver, reading the book will grant

Mixeuaneous Magk him knowledge of that special maneuver (if
Whenever the DM rolls up an item on one of
the standard miscellaneous magic tables he does not already know it). After the stu-
dent reads the book, all the pages become
(Tables 9.5104 in the DUNGEONMASTERGuide) blank and the book will never function again.

and finds that it does not suit the setting, he If a character is not a student of a martial art
can substitute one of the following items
instead. that allows the maneuver, or already knows
the maneuver described in the book, both he
Book of One Art and the book are unaffected if he reads it.
Book of One Maneuver
Book of One Weapon Book of One Weapon: This magical vol-
Dragon Fog Globe ume contains knowledge on the use of one
specific weapon. (The DM decides must de-
~ cide which weapon it describes.) A character
reading the book receives a weapon profi-
Dust of Creaking ciency with the specific weapon, whereupon
Feather Tabi the enchantmentvanishes from the book.

Invisible Ink

Tools of the Trade 81

If the character is not already proficient One dose of dust can be spread over a
with the weapon, he obtains basic profiaency. lO’x20’ area of ground or flooring. Thereafter,
In addition, if he is a practitionerof a martial for the next 24 hours or until it is swept or
art that permits use of this weapon (see“Ad- washed away, the dust will creaked on if
stepped on, exactly as would an especially
vanced Martial Arts” in Chapter 4), the char- creaky wooden floor.

acter receives the ability to use the weapon Thisdust is often used by powerful leaders
with the art if he does not already possess
that knowledge. to give them advance warning of an intruder.
Feather Tabi: This is a magicalpair of split-
If the character already possesses profi-
ciency with the weapon, he becomes special- toed boots of the sort worn by ninja. The
ized in that weapon (if he is capable of enchantment on these tabi prevents the
wearer from transferring much pressure to
weapon specialization). In addition, if he is a whatever he walks on. This gives the charac-

practitioner of a martial art that permits use ter a +lo%bonus to move silently rolls and
of the weapon, the character receives the abil-
ity to use the weapon with the art if he does preventsher from setting off pressure-based
not already possess that knowledge. traps, triggers, or other items (such as dust of
creaking).
If the character does already possess profi-
ciency with the weapon but is not capable of Invisible Ink:Invisible ink comes in a
specialization, or if the character is unable to
use the weapon described by the book, he small bottle or other container holding 2d20
gains nothing from reading it, and the book‘s doses, each good for the writing of a message
magic doesnot vanish up to one page in length.

Dragon Fog Globe: The Oriental dragon is The message, when written, is completely
an immortal, beneficent creature associated visible. However, the next word the writer
with the sea and rainfall, and this magical speaks over the message becomes its “control
item reflectsthese associations. The dragonfog word.” When the writer speaks the word, the
globe is a delicate glass globe filled with letters vanish, and no chemical method will
smoke, the breath of an Oriental dragon. reveal them. Thereafter, when anyone speaks
When the globe is shattered, the smoke inside the control word over the paper, the message
spill outs, increasing in area and density, reappears. It will disappear again if the word
slowly following the patterns of the wind and is spoken again. The ink will disappear a total
contours of the land until it occupiesan area of 10times; thereafter, it reappearsand will
not disappear again.
one mile in diameter and 20 feet high.
Messages mated with invisible ink cannot
This creeping fog is the equivalent of nat- be read by a read languages spell. A detect
ural dense fog and movesintoplace so slowly magic spell will reveal faint traces of magic. A
and naturally that it seems to be perfectly dispel magic spell cast on such a message will
ordinary ground fog. A detect magic spell will make the letters go away forever if they are
reveal its magical nature, but a dispel magic
currently invisible, or fix them in place, never
spell will not affect it; thisfog is the captunxi
spiritof an immortalbeing, after all. to disappear again, if they are currently visi-
ble.
Ninja love these very rare dragonfog globes,
which help them accomplish difficult mis- Ninja and other sneaky characters use
sions. invisible ink to send messages to confidants.
The bearer of the message may be carrying
Dust of Creaking This is a small amount of the control word (in his memory; it is not
dust normally found in a small silk purse. Such written down), or the recipientof the message
a purse will contain 2d6 doses of the dust. may already know it.

Tricky users of this inkmight write a mes- Both pieces of paper must be stretched
rigid on frames. For this reason, and because
sage in it, say the control word to make the of the need to keep the item inconspicuous,
taking paper is often embellishedwith a beau-
iessage disappear,then write another mes-
ge in the same ink and use the same control tifulpainting or calligraphedproverb, which
ord. Thereafter, until the ink runs out of
agic, saying the control word will cause the is presented to the intended victim of the
o messages to “trade places” on the surface espionage.
f the parchment or paper. Once the ink runs
ut of magic, both messages appear, making The piece of paper that is placed with the
person being spied on is called the ”listening”
e letter unreadable. piece, and the piece kept by the spy is called
Painter in a Box:This is an intricate minia- the ”talking” piece. But those names are not
ure diorama contained in a beautiful lac- precise, becauseboth pieces of paper act as
quered box about l‘x2‘x6”. When openedout, listeners and talkers. Anything said in the
the diorama reveals a small (12 inch) puppet p-ce of the talking piece can be heard by
painter with paints, brushes, and a canvas someone in the presence of the listening
piece. For this reason, the talkingpieceis usu-
scaled to his size. The wielder of the painter in ally placed in a mom whereno one is allowed
a box orients the miniature painter toward to speak.

some scene or view, then speaks the com- A detect magic spell will reveal the presence
mand word associated with the box. of an enchantment on the paper. Taking paper

Over a period of only one round, the pup- is very rare.
pet paints an accurate reproduction of the Yami Doko of Takeichi: Named after the
scene it sees before it.
wizard who created it, this man-sized kite is
This item is a valuable tool to a ninja who
capable of far more than the ordinary yami
needs to sketch troop layouts or the faces of doko.
lords attendinga conferenceof conspirators.
It is also a good way to produce charming The yami doko of Takeichi provides its rider
little presents for someone whom the charac- and operator with a +3 bonus to Giant Kite
ter wants to impress. Flying proficiency checks, or it can be flown

The painter in a box can be used 2d6 times by anyone with a default profiaency score of
before it runs out of magical canvases. These 12.It loses altitudeat a much d u c e d rate: -1
canvases cannot be mtocked. foot of altitude for every 50 feet traveled. It
weighs only 20 lbs. and collapses down into
Talking Paper: A set of talking paper con- its own backpack case with one round of
sists of two identical pieces of expensive effort.
paper at least Z‘x3’. Whatever is said in the
presence of one piece of paper is magically W~W=Po=
reproduced in the vibration of the other. If a
character can sneak one piece of the paper The following magical weapons are espe-
into a room, he can sit in the presence of the cially suited to Oriental campaigns. Any of
other piece and hear whatever is said in that them can be modified according to the Intelli-
gent Weapon rules in Appendix 3 of the
Eroom.
The paper will transmit anytlung said (and DUNGEOMNASTERGuide.
y other noise made) within 20 feet of it, if
e noise does not originate beyond an inter-
ening wall or barrier. The matching paper
ill pick up and reproduce that noise if the
pers are within 10miles of each other.

look of the Trade 83



'4

Weapon List Bo, Barrier:This weapon looks like an ordi-
Arrow, Shouting Humming Bulb nary bo staff. However, when it is twirled and
Bo, Barrier its command word spoken, the wielder can
Chu-ko-nu, Self-loading release the weapon and it will continue
Fukim-bari, Loyal whirling in midair. It continues to whirl for I O
Gunsen of Blinding rounds, behaving in many ways like the
Gunsen of Summoning priest spellblade burrier. Any creature attempt-
Kama of Revealing ing to pass through the bo barrier suffers 4d6
Katana, Blinding hp damage, with no saving throw allowed.
Katana, Honor The wielder of the bo can decide whether the
Kawanaga, Crawling plane of rotation is horizontal, vertical, or at
Kiseru of Smoke some angle in between.The barrier is 7 feet in
Nekode, Monkey Paw diameter, so it is best used to block a narrow
Serpent-Chain door or hallway. Once the 10-roundduration
Shaping Stick has expired, the bo returns to the hand of its
Shuriken, Hunting wielder, flying to that character at a Move-
Shuriken, Sawing went Rate of 24.
Tetsu-bishi, Explosive
Tetsu-bo, Earthquake Chu-ko-nu, Self-loading: This enchanted
.+eating crossbow cocks itself, giving it a fir-
Weapon Descriptions ing rate of two shots per round.
Arrow, Shouting Humming Bulb: This
Fukimi-bari, Loyal: These enchanted
object looks like a normal humming bulb mouth-darts look out for their owner in an
arrow. However, it is not carved to shriek or interesting way. Poison spread on these
whistle while flying.Its user can speak over it fukimi-bari will not affect the owner when
before firing it, and it will repeat what it is the fukimi-bari are held in the mouth. When
told in a voice equivalent to a man's shout. held in anyone else's mouth, the poison on
First, the user tellsthe arrow how many times them acts normally. A batch of such fukimi-
it wants the statement qeated-for example, bari are tied to a command word chosen by
"Three times I tell you" means "Repeat this the wizard who creates them. When a charac-
1 three times." Then, he makes a simple state- ter speaks the command word before putting
ment of 10words or less, which the m o w will the fukimi-bari in his mouth, the darts treat
repeat. The arrow shouts out the statement him as their owner.
once while it is in the air. After it has hit its tar-
get, it repeats the statement once per round Gunsen of Blinding: These war-fans are
until the number of times has been reached polished to a magical shine; they glow bril-
(up to a maximum of 100times). liantly even in darkness. For this reason, ninja
use them only infrequently, and carry them
There is a 1-in-10chance that the arrow will inside sealed bags when they are not in use.
break when it hits its target, and it is easy to Once per round, the wielder can turn the
break by anyone meaning to do so. Once bro- glow on an enemy's face. The wielder must
ken, the arrow will no longer repeat its state- make a normal attack roll but treats all ene-
ment. mies as though they were AC 6. An enemy
who is hit must save vs. petrification (with a
This item is a good diversionaryweapon. It +2 bonus if wearing a helmet). Success means
can make guards believe that someone has he is unaffected, but failure means he is
penetrated their walls or make huntersbelieve blinded for ld3 rounds. The wielder of a gun-
that their quarry has gottenpast them. sen of blinding is in some danger himself. On

Tools of the Trade 85

any natural roll of 1,he accidentally blinds tasy setting, honor swords are almost always
created using the rules for intelligentweap-
himselffor ld3 rounds (no saving throw pos- ons, and they are always the object of desire
or avarice. The family that loses its honor
sible). An enemy can use a mirror or highly sword will do everything it can (within the
range of its ethics)to retrieve the sword. This
polished shield to reflect the glow of a gunsen could mean that the finder will be hunted by
of blinding against the wielder. vengeful family members or by family repre-
sentatives willing to pay him a fabulous
Gunsen of Summoning: This war-fan is amount. If all the members of the blade’s
enameled with a beautiful illustration of one original family are dead, someone else is
type of monster or animal. When its com- most certainly hunting the sword: the slayers
mand word is spoken, the gunsen casts a of the family, ruthless masters who want to
learn the secrets possessed by the mind in the
variant monster summoning III spell, calling blade, etc. Honor swords can be wakizashi as
forth one exampleof the type of creature rep- well, or daisho (katana/wakizashi pairs).

resented in enamel. Kawanaga, Crawling: This weapon looks
like an ordinary kawanaga except for one
There are rumors of the existence of gunsen importantdifference. Instead of a grappling
of summoning enchanted with monster sum- hook, there is an articulated metal hand at
moning IV or even more powerful summon- one end. The hand understands simple com-
mands (such as ”Hold on to what you are
ing spells. Regardless of the power level, now touching and don’t let go”) and has a
though, the gunsen will summon forth only 90% dimb walls thief skill. Crawling kawanaga
one creature. built with the intelligentweapons rules could
follow much more involved commands.
The magical function of the gunsen of sum-
moning can be used once per day. It can be Crawling kawanaga have no move silently
used as a normal gunsenat any time. skill, so they are not quiet when crawling up
Walls.
Kama of Revealing: Thisweapon has pow-
The metal hand is the enchanted part of the
ers related to its original purpose. To use its weapon. If the rope is cut, the hand will still
magicalfunctions,the wielder hurls the kama function.
at a grain field. The kama goes to work, flying
on its own volition, cutting down the grain in Kiseruof Smoke: This pipe instantly emits
the field (to a height of 6 inches) at a rate of a large cloud of dark smoke when its com-
400 square feet (equivalent to a ZO’x20’area) mand word is spoken. The smoke is equal to
per round. It continues to do this until its dense fog and fills an area up to 30 feet in
wielder calls it back or an area of 1,000,000 diameter; it lasts for five rounds. The smoke
square feet has been cut down. itself is nonmagical and so cannotbe dispelled.

The kama of revealing can be used in this The kiseru of smoke can issue its smoke
cloud twiceper day.
way once per week. The rest of the time, it can
Nekode, Monkey Paw: These nekode are
be used as a normal kama.While the thresh- very reliable, giving their user a 99% climb
walls skill roll while worn.
ing power can certainlybe destructive to the
local economy, in times of danger it can reveal Serpent-Chain: This is a manriki-gusari

small armies hiding out in nearby fields, and with a difference.When thrownto entangle, it
at harvestingtime it can save one community gripswith the strength of a snake spirit, mak-
a lot of work.

Katana, Blinding: This sword has a blade
so polished that it can be used to blind an
opponent. The rulesfor its use am identical to
those for the gunsen ofblinding. Wakizashi and

tanto blades can alsobe enchanted in thisway.
Katana, Honor:An honor sword is the ka-

tana representinga family or clan. In a fan-

L-

I

ing it especially hard to break out of (a -3 explode when stepped on by living creatures.
to the saving throw vs. paralyzation). The explosion does ld8 hp damage to the vic-
cast free, or when commandedby tim, and the saving throw vs. paralyzationto
r, the serpozt-chain crawlsback to its avoid being lamed is made at a 4 penalty.
The victim must then pull out the fragments
er with the speed of a serpent (Mv 9). of the explosive device or take an additional
Shaping Stick: This magical device is a tool ld4 hp damage for every 10feet walked.
t of weapons. In its normal form, it appears
o be a bo (staff), but the wielder who knows Tetsu-bo, Earthquake: This iron-shod staff
command word can make it take different acts as a +1 weapon when used against nor-
nfigurations. At his command, it can turn mal targets, but has a special power when
hammered against the ground or floor: It
section staff, a pair of jo, or a pair causes a very strong but localized earth-
repetitionof the command word quake. The blow does 3d6 hp damage to the
weapon to bo form. No matter surface it hits. The resulting earthquake
affects everything within a 60-foot radius.
what form the shaping stick takes, it fightsas a Every wall in that area must make a saving
t2 magical weapon. throw vs. crushing blow, with failure result-
ing in collapse of the wall. Every person in
Shuriken, Hunting: These magical throw- the area takes ld6 hp damage (saving throw
mg stars have a +2 bonus to hit and damage vs. petrification for half damage) and falls
and a much-improved range (10, or 100yards, down (making the same saving throw pre-
treated as Short range; there is no Medium or
vents this result). However, the wielder of the
Long range). In addition, ifa hunting shuriken earthquake tetsu-bo does not suffer thes

is touched with an object belonging to a char- effects.
acter just before it is thrown, and that charac- The earthquake power of this weapon c
ter is within range, the shuriken will fly
unerringly to that character and strike him be used only once per week.
[no roll needed to hit).

Shuriken, Sawing: These throwing stars
behave normally if thrown at living targets
but have a special effect if thrown against
inanimate object. When thrownat a nonliving
target, a sawing shuriken will hover in place,
spinning like a buzz saw blade, and gradu-
ally cut its way through that substance. The
sawing shuriken cuts a notch through five
square inches of wood, one squm inch of soft
stone, or a half-inch square of hard stone or
soft metal per round; it will not affect harder
substances. After 10 rounds, the shuriken
stops sawing and cannotbe used again that

way for a fullday. These weapons are of great

use when the character needs to get through a
doorway, soft metal bars or chain links, or
another obstacle he cannot otherwiseaffect.

Sawing shuriken are roughly as quiet as a
circularsaw; this is not a stealthy tool to use.

Tetsu-bishi, Explosive: These items look
like normal tetsu-bishibut are enchanted to

Tools of the Trade 8T

Country and Clan I

Land of the Ninja Even within the samurai class, there were I
divisionsof rank. In descending order of im-
The historic ninja appeared in medieval Dortance. thev included
Japanhundreds of years ago. The ninja we * Emperor: h e emperor was descended (as
are familiar with from fictionand filmare dis- legend would have it) from the goddess of
tinctly Japane-ven non-Japaneseninja in the sun and was theoretically the ruler of all
bad films seem to follow Japanesetradi- Japan.In reality, though, some emperors were
tions-and would seem very much out of rulers and some were puppets of the shogun.
place if they arose in a fantasy campaign that
resembled V i i g Swedenor MoorishSpain. Shogun The shogun was the military dic-
In short, when settling ninja in a campaign, tator of Japan, subordinateto the will of thc
the DM should place them in a nation that emperor. In some periods, the shogun was thc
hubstantiallv resembles medieval laDan,. de facto d e r of the nation,keeping the pup-
preferably in a larger setting that resembles w t emueror finnlv under his thumb.
the Orient of several hundred years aEo. This
not, however, restrict r&ja froGtrave1- Daimyo: These lords were given rulersh
g to other lands and cultures. of large areas of land by the emperor or sh

order of impor- gun.Daimyo, like the baronsbf medieva
artisans,
England, tried to be as independent as pos
rigid class structure, an obsession with duty sible, often waging war on one another o
a heavy military presence. challenging the current holder of the thron
for the Gtleof emperor. Daimyo maintaine
6"e Samurai Class their own castles, but in various periods
The word "samurai" basically means "ser- to send hostages to stay in the care of
ant" or "retainer." In spite of the lowly emperor or shogun. In some periods, da
sound of the name, though, the samurai were had to spend one year out of two living in
the warrior class of Japan-the master class. capital, and had to leave their families in

echnicalIy, though, they were all servants of inb.caDitalwhen thev returned to their own hold-
khe emperor, hence the name. The nches<daimyo governed lands

The samurai classwas the only portion of the ducing more than a million koku per year;
poorest, lands producing about-10,000 kokt
I"opulation allowed to wear the daisho, or two-
per year. (A koku equals five bushels of rice
sword combination (katana and wakizashi). worth about 25 gp in game terms.)
They w e encouraged to live sober and frugal
lives, though not all were adept at this. !hnurai Samurai: Samurai filled many roles
made up only 6%7% of the nation's population. Japanesesociety, as warriors and militarj
commanders,as bureaucratsand ministers
as bodyguards and inspectors, as town lead.
ers and policemen.They lived in the castles o

their lorhs or in towns near the castles. Th

who administeredlands lived in the town
village of that region. In AD&Wgame te
rnananrtuicaul slaarlal,vrIiue-oswofe~ rufpu~~ ltoor20fa0v,0o0r0edgpsaamnduraaicoe
ule of acres to build their homes on. M
bidvalued samuraireceivedaround50,00(
PD and one acre. while the most commo
samurai received only about 25 gp annu
and lived communally with others at t

economic level. (These lowest samurai, often to the farmer class. The support of the entire
the policemen of their communities, tended nation was on their shoulders, but they were
to supplement their income through accep- looked down on by the samurai and by
tance of gifts.This is akin to bribery but was townspeople, who regarded them as illiterate
not censured exceptwhen the samuraidemon- NbeS.
strated excessivegreed.)
Farmers lived a difficult life, paying taxes
It is important to remember that the word amountingto around 50% of their annual pro-
dudion. Some tided themselves over in rough
samurairefersto a socialclass and not a p m f s periods by selling their daughters to brothels
sion. Roughly half the samuraidass was made in the towns. This was not a shameful fate for
the daughters, cultural attitudes being differ-
up of women, some of whom were trained in ent from the west, but was stiU not the course
combat, particularlywith the ~ g i ~ t a . most of them would have p d e m d .

Ronin: This was an odd class of samurai. At various times, farmers were not allowed
to carry weapons, to sell their land, or even (in
These menhad no lord and receivedno dq, the most restrictiveperiods)to leave their land.
The Artisan and Merchant Classes
but retained the rights of the samurai out of
hereditary position or for some other reason. Artisans were, for the most part, townsfolk
(Some ronin were normal samurai enduring a who provided services and goods to the gov-
temporary sentence of exile for a crime.) ernment and for sale. Some craft professions
Many servedas soldiersor bodyguards; some included:
were teachers.
The Farmer Class

Most people in medieval Japanbelonged

Country and Clan 89

Blacksmith sawyer tors. Manywere allowedtowear singleswords
Carpenter Sculptor and were accorded respect deriving from
cooper Shingler
Dyer Silversmith their celebrity rather thantheir class.
Lacquerer Spinner
Matmaker Stonemason Loyalty and Obedience
Miller Sword sharpener In medieval Japaneseculture, a charact
Paperer Thatcher
Plasterer mer owed first loyalty to his or her lord, k o n d
Potter Weaver his or her parents. A woman owed her

sakebrewer Wood worker loyalty to her spouse and her fourth t
firstbornson.
Merchants includedthe traders and money-
changers necessary to handle transactions In the samurai class, unquestioningob

between people in differentregionswho used ence to one’s lord was the norm. This did
mean, however, that all samurai were co
different systems of coinage. Because of the pletely loyal to their lords.
Japanesecontempt for greed and its results,
the government classed merchantsbelow In the Dh4’s campaign, a Japan-likeculture
farmers and artisans when it offiady struc- will have similar emphasis on the loyalty a
tured Japanesesociety. However, the mer- character owes to his lord and clan over other
chant class gradually gained in power and
wealth, by and large employing the artisans considerations. Western culture promotes
and unofficially becoming more powerful self-advancement and individualityover con-
formity, so the introductionof this element
and higher in statusthanthe farmers. will strongly reinforce to the players that this
is a very d&rent setting.
Merchants and artisans, unlike farmers,
were allowed to carry a single sword. The Role of Women
Female ninja, called kunoichi, were often
Nonpersons
People in thislowest of categories, the eta, very important elements in ninja missions.
Kunoichi, like women samurai, were some-
included exiles, who would reenter the class timestrained in combat, and any female ninja
systems once they were allowed to return
home; entertainers (including actors and in an AD&D@ game is certain to be among
prostitutes); and beggars. Certain people,
such as those who handled the dead, could those so trained.
theoreticallyreenter the class systems once In a game campaign iVs not inappropriate
they left their professions. But the eta inher-
ited professionsthat the Japaneseconsidered to have a higher proportion of female samu-
repugnant (particularly those dealing with rai and ninja in important combat and gov-
animal carcasses) and therefore could never erning roles. Female warriors of considerable
become part of ordinary JapaneseSociety. skill and influence are a mainstay of Oriental
legends and modem cinema.
Outsidethe Class System
The Ninja Clan
~
Every ninja (except the Lone Wolf) and shi-
Several groups of professionsremained nobi belongs to a ninja clan. Every character
who is not technically an Oriental ninja but
1 outsidethe class struchm described above. who is built with the ninja character class
rules belongs to an organization with an
11 %me privileged professions, ranking high

in society, included priests, poets, and doc-

I

I
I

lan, or allow him to choose his own clan,he important people in the PC ninja’s life.

ust know which clans are part of the cam- Symbol
Every ninja clan should have a distinc
aign setting and what ninja clans am like.
To design a ninja clan or similar organiza- symbol. Ninja of the clan do not wear
ion, the DM must determine the following
Name

clan will probably be called the Isobe clan.

bers of the Isobe family and its most closely Tehv
allied familieswill know that it is a ninja clan; This is where the clan lives and the area
families more loosely allied may not. The
mysterious ninja clanoperating in the district which it exerts a substantial influence.S
clans will live in some out-of-the-way pl
will be referred to by its nickname. (such as a mountaintop) and exert influen
a small area (typically one village no
Nickname l away), whilelarge clansmay occupy a
capital and influence the entire region.
Many ninja clans also bear intriguingnick-
names, often based on local geography or the Exerting an influenceon an area is not the
same as ruling it. A ninja clan might effec-
clan’s exploits. A ninja clanbased on a tall,black tively rule the villages nearest its stronghold,
mountain, could be theBlack Mountainninja or but if it is located in a large city, it will proba-
bly exert the same degree of influence a 9
the Long Shadow ninja. An NFT clan famous would a powerful thieves’ g d d .
for its poisons mightbe the Venom ninja or the
Serpent ninja. Those known for their intrusion -v
skillsmightbethe Need-NO-DOOISninja

Known For
Each clan will have a particular skill for

1

military service clans with many members The DM must be very careful in the choice
who were spies and tacticians. When the clan of a goal for the ninja clan.It should not be too
fell out of favor with the current ruler, its whimsical ("Promote the Spread of a Revolu-
leaders ordered a retreat to some inaccessible tionary Style of Artwork). If the DM intends
place in order to survive. The clan then made to assign a PC to this clan, (rather than letting
their living selling spy services and evolved the player choose his ninja character's clan),
into a ninja clan. the clan's goals should not be directly opposed
to the character's nature unless the DM wants
Which wars the clan participated in, and on tSo UpuAtcothneflcichtacraancterersiunltcoinnaflnictuwnhitahppthye, clan.
which side. Whenever there are wars, ninja f
clans are hired to perform espionage mis-
sions. Deciding which side this clan helped A ninia clan should have an alignmenti
during the variouswars in a campaign allows
you to determine something about the clan's as a character does. This alignmint reflects
nature. Does the clan work for whoever pays the clan's tactics and practices, as well as
best? Does it stick with one or two ruling way the clan is regarded by those who kn
houses regardless of whether those houses of its existence.
are right or wrong? Does it always side with
the underdog? (If so, see Poor and Dirt-poor Lawful-Chaotic Axis. For ninja clans an
under "Resources.") similar organizations, a choice of "lawful"
does not generallymean "law-abiding." Ninja
Who were thejhous ninja of the clan.Even if the clanspractice outside the law of the land. No
clanninja arenotwell hown mtsidethe family, ninja aiminalorganizations certainly do.
the clan's history will alwaysprovide tales of
members whom today's ninja must live up to. The choice of "lawful" vs. "chaotic" reli
The DM should developa detail or two about more on whether the clan or organization fol-
some of the clan's famous members of the past: lows a set of honorable and known rules
"Shigeru,who developedthe use of the spring- behavior.
board to an art form, and killed the daimyoby
bouncing over the imperialpalace's wall and Imagine a ninia clan that lives near a we
releasing one perfectlyplaced dart; Miyoko of travelgd road, upon which its members often
the Three Faces, who could change identities perform acts of banditry. If the bandit-ninja
give their victims a chance to surrender before
faster thanyou and Icanchangeourminds." attacking, and treat prisoners honorably (ran-
soming them honestly and not harming them),
Goal the clan is probably lawful. If they sometimes
attack from ambush and behave in a more civ-
A clan or organizationmight pursue some ilized manner at other times, without any pre-
lofty aim, be interestedmostly in self-protec- dictable pattern, they are chaotic. If clan
tion, or be motivatedby purely selfish goals. members do the honorable thing only when it
Sample goals include: is in their best interest, they are neutral.

Destroy a Rival Clan A lawful clan is more likely to have inter-
Support a specific der/daimyo esting traditionsrelating to prisoners, such as
Keep an Evil Monster From Waking Up the right to challenge the clan champion to
Keep Foreigners From Becoming Powerful ritual combat and go freeif victorious.
in the Homeland
Promote the Worship of a SpecificGod A neutral clan is likely to have more self-
Spy for the Nationto Protect It serving traditions. A prisoner sentenced to

death might be able to challenge a clan cham- the nation lives unaer a curse until the family
pion to combat. If he kills the champion, he is destroyed, then the goal falls somewhere
will be allowed to join the clan but must betweenneutral and good.
remain with it forever rather thanbe killed.
Remember that morally ambiguous ques-
A chaotic clan can have traditionsthat are tions l i e these make life more interestingfor
entertaining but pointless. Prisoners might be the PC who is a member of the clan. (What if
runthrough an obstacle course, climbing ropes a ninja falls in love with someone and then
and running through booby-trapped build- discovers that this person is secretly a mem-
ings, just to see how fast they get through. ber of the family destined for destruction?)
Prisonerswho are successful would get no
reward greater than a good meal, the event The DM can ask several questions when
having no bearing on their imprisonment.
deciding whether a clan is good, neutral, or
Good-Evil Axis. Interestingly, whether an evil: What does the clan do with hostages?
organization counts as good or evil has little What do ninja on a mission do to guards who
to do with its goal. For example, promoting get in the way? (If the standing order is "Kill
the worship of a specific god soundslike a anyone who sees you," the clan is probably
good aim. But if the god is one who demands evil. If the standing order is "Incapacitate if
the ritual murder of anyone who stands in his possible; kill if you have to," the clan is more
way, the clan should be considered evil. Like- likely to be good.) What do ninja on a mission
wise, destroying a nation's ruling family do to sleeping people in the rooms they pass
might be considered an evil aim. But if the through? Does the clan take revenge for ac-
family at one time in the past was bad, and tions against it? Is this revenge taken only for
major insults or also for minor slights?Is the

C o u m and Clan 93

revenge visited on innocentsor only on the clans permit a wide range of alignments in
personresponsible for the insult? What about their members. The question is:How wide a
the clan’s attitudes toward its own members? range?
Does it casually sacrifice its ninja (an evil
clan), do so only when the return is greater Lawful clans, surprisingly, are more likely
than the loss (a neutral clan), or do so only
when there is no other choice (a good clan)? to permit members of all alignments,because
they are more likely to keep faith with family
Percentage d20 Roll
tradition (and, inevitably, there will have
you’re doing a quick design on a ninja
clan -and don’t ca& w h t its is, roll been family members of opposingalignments
ld20 and check Table 28. in the family history). Because Oriental phi-
losophy involves themes of self-enlighten-
Range of Alignments
Not every member of a ninja clan must ment, a lawful clan will generously allow

have the same alignment as the clan. Most members ofother alignmentsthe opportunity

Table 29: Uan Member Alignments to learn how to correct their behavior. How-
If the Clan Alignment Is: ever, clan members of non-lawful alignments
Lawful/Good are more likely tobe closely watched.
Lawful/Neutrd
Neutralclans tend to act in their own self-
interest, and so arelikelytodealhardy with the

family memberswho causetrouble for the fam-
ily. Neutral clans might &ow opposed align-

ments, but not members whose alignmentsare

strangly Opposedto theclanalignmentor goals.

Chaotic clans are unlikely to have formu-
lated an established policy on member align-
ments. They are more likely than neutral

clans, but lesslikely thanlawful clans, tohave
members with opposed alignments.

Good clansdo not allow evil members, nor

do evil clans allow good members. Neutral
clans allow members of both good and evil
persuasion.

See Table 29 for an overview of clan dign-
ments and the allowable alignmentsfor indi-
vidual members.

Allowed Alignments Include: II

All but NE, CE,LE
All

~

Chaotic/Neutrd All but LG and LE
Chaotic/Evil LE, N, NE, CN,CE

The DM must decide how the clan deals of its members get killed. When such things

with alignment dissenters. Does it banish happen, it‘s usually because:

them or kill them? Either way, having devel- A powerful ruler hired ninja from lots of
clansfor a mission and has thmwn them away
oped an alignmentopposed to the clan align-
ment is one good origin for a character with on a difficulttarget. No one ninja clan will be
the Lone Wolf kit. destroyedbecause of the mission’s f d m .

Races The clan is a huge one, possibly one that
teaches its secretsto students from non-ninja
In a ninja clan,most members are humans, families, and consequentlyhas more ninja of
inferior training to throw away on such mis-
with an occasional halfling or dwarf. Such sions. Or,
demihumans (which are often foundlingsor
changelings) are raised as part of the clan, This is the do-or-die adventure for the
clan, the missioninwhich itsultimate goal will
and often receive special training to take full
be accomplished or the familywill pensh.
advantageof their small size. There areno all-
Other types of organizations-the types
dwarf or all-halfling clans. described in Chapter 3-also tend to fall
within the size ranges described here. The
In a more unusual sort of organization, intelligencedivisionof a largewestern empire
such as a secretive clerical society or a spy can be quite sizeable, while that of a smaller
network, members of other races, using shi- nation or principality, or the private intelli-
@obikits, are allowed. gence team of a specific nobleman will he
much smaller.
Size
Resources
Ninja clanscan be quite large or very small. It‘s not importantto know the exact nature

A large clan will have one lord and one or of a clan’s resources-how many pieces of
two other leaders of high rank called jonin. gold there are in the treasury, how many
swords in the armory. What is important is
Beneath them will be 50 or 60chunin,or mid- knowing what sort of resources the clan has
dlemen, each of whom rules a family includ- for various types of missions. For each type of
ing 30 or so genin (bottom-ranking ninja) and mission, the DM should decide the level of
30 or 40 other family members (most of
financialsupport the clanwill provide.
whom are non-adventuring types or low- Major/Critical Operations: These missions
level characterspossessing one of the shinobi
kits). are crucial to the clan’s goal. Such missions
include final confrontations with enemy
A small clan will be about the size of a
chunin family from one of the larger clans: clans,operations to retrievepriceless artifacts,
two or three jonin, including the clan lord;
attempts to prevent the assassinationof the
three to five chunin; mwnd 20 genin; 30 or 40 clanleader, etc.

other family members. lmportant/Profitable Operations: These mis-
Some small clans have low numbers be- sionshelp accomplish a clan’s goals; failing in
three or four of them is like failing in one
causethey are in decline, their population de- major or criticaloperation.
pleted by warfare or failed missions. Some
may have standards so demanding and rigor- Typical Operations: These are standard mis-
ous that dangerous training and banishments sions; each one successfully completedhelps
the clan achieve its goals, but no single mis-
the numbers low.
Even the largest of ninja clans simply can-
hot affordto launch a mission inwhich dozens

Country and Clan 95

sion is likely to determine the fate of the clan. Lavish expenditures include equipment
Most missions performed by a clan fall into (loaned, not given, to the character) of any
this category. nonmagicalsort, delivered very quickly after
being requested; equipment (loaned) of lesser
Minor Operations: These missions are of magical or more rare varieties delivered as
little consequenceto the clan (loose threads to soon as another ninja can acquire it; enough
tie up, sloppiness from a previous mission to money for the PC to maintainthe illusion that
clean up, etc.). he is a very wealthy person; the employ of
many commonhirelings for assault missions
Nonmission Requests: Requestsfor resources or to make up the character’s retinue.
may be made by clan members who are not
currently on clan missions (such as when a Good expenditures include equipment of
ninja PC asks for weapons or information any nonmagical sort (with a limit of two or
about someonehe is investigating in order to three special or rare items per mission) deliv-
help his fellow PCs). ered fairly quickly afterbeing requested (from
a day to a week after the request); enough
For each type of mission, the DM assigns money for the PC to maintainthe illusion that
he is of the noble class; the employ of one to
the clan’s usual expenditure of resources.
Such expenditurescan be Lavish, Good, Ade-
quate, or Inadequate.

Table 3& Ninja Our Resources

Wealth of Clan Type of Mission Resources Expanded
Fantastically Rch Major/Critical Lavish
Imuortant/Profitable Lavish

--.--0-- Imm&t /Profitable Adeauate

96 Chapter*

threehirelingsto assist in assaults or to aid the the relationship will be one of g
character in his endeavors. ship and alliance between cla
themselves as equals; sometimes t
Adequate expendituresassume a mission clanwill be beholden to a morepowerful
budget of around 100gp. If the ninja needs
more than this, he must steal or otherwise Enemies .
acquire the extra resources himself. Likewise, ninja clans often have longstand-

Inadequate expenditures equal a mission ing enmitieswith other families and organi-
budget of around 10 gp. If more is needed, zations.The DM should establish at least one
the ninja is on his own. enemy family for each ninja clan; many clans
have lots of enemies.
See Table 30 for an overview of clan wealth
categories, mission types, and resources For each enemy, the DM should also decide -
expended.
whether the goal of the clan dispute is compe-
A clan can be of one finanaalcategorybut titionor extermination.
provide resources as though it were from a
lower category if the clan leader is notori- When it is competition, the two clans are in a
ously tight with his money.
protracted rivalry.They may be competing for
A clan can also have variationsin these m-
ommended expenditures based on internal the same clients for their services, or they may
policies. For example, a clan or organization simply want to show one another up. When
with a firmpolicy against the use of resources members of the two clans encounter one an-
on nonclan activitieswiU provide Inadequate other, they endeavor to embarrass each other
resources for nonmission activities even if the at every opportuniq.This rivalry should not
clan is fantastically rich. escalate into duels or degenerate into practical
jokes. The two clans might maneuver one
ChIStdtUS another into tricky situations, such as by pre-
tending to want an ”important” mission and
Most ninja clans belong to the farmer class. allowing the other family to win the contract,
Some are artisan or craftsmanclans. A few have only to reveal that the mission is dangerous
retained samurai status, which is of consider- and unprofitable--or say and pointless.
able benefit to a clan member. He is accorded
the rights pertainingto a samurai and his cover When the goal is extermination, there is
identity cannot be penetrated. A M y belong- blood halmd between the clans. When mem-
ing to the “nonperson” class may be publicly bers of one clan encounter those of another,
they try to kill each other. These attempts
known as a ninia clanand would Dmbablv live may be honorable attacks and duels, or
wicked attempts at assassination, depending
ina on the alignment of the feuding clans and

Aut Each ninja clan imposes certain demands
Ninja clans are often allied with other fami- on its members, includingninja PCs.

liessometimes officially,sometimes seavtly. Demands almost all clans make of their mem-
The DM should decide which families the bers include:
clan counts among its friends, and whether
the ninja clan is superior, equal, or subordi- Silence. The ninja must never admit that
nate in the relationship. he is a ninja. If the character’s clan is known

Sometimes the ninja clan will be the spon-
sor and ruler of a smaller family; sometimes

to be a ninja clan, he may not even acknowl- must arrange a meeting with his superior
edge that he belongs to that clan. There are every three months, and immediately after
exceptions: The ninja can ask the clan leader any rich haul (if possible).

if he might be allowed to acknowledge his The clan will select those items and coinage
it needs and take them away from the charac-
true class and nature to an ally, especially ter without compensation. Typically, the clan
when that ally's help is crucial and will best
be servedif he knows the truth. But such per- takes about half the magical and other special
mission is rare. If a character admits to some-
one outside the clan that he is a ninja, he items the character acquires. Any items that
places that person above his clan in impor- remain after this "tax" belong to the character
tance (to the clan's way of thinking, anyway). and are not subject to confiscationlater. The
The clan, if it finds out, may decide to elimi- more money the ninja clan has,the less likely
nate the person who is now in the know, as it is to take any of the character's. But a ninja
well as eliminate the ninja with the big from a poor family may be required to hand
mouth. over 50%-75% of all his treasure profits so
that the clan will have operating capital for
Missions. The clan can order the ninja other ninja and other missions.
character to embark on missions. Refusal to
carry out a mission is consideredbetrayal of If the ninja character withholds any trea-
the clan. And, yes, a clanleader who doesn't sure and the clan later find out about this
like one of his clan members might try to get betrayal, the ninja will be suitably punished.
rid of that member by sending him on mis-
sion after deadly mission. Cost-Accounting. The ninja character must
keep an accurate accounting of all his mission
Demands some clans make of their members expenditures, right down to the last copper
piece (or campaign equivalent).
include:
Choice of Spouse. The clan leader, not the Of course, the DM can make up any other

ninja, chooses whom the ninja will marry. demands he sees fit for a clanto impose.
Usually, the spouse is another clan member or
someone from an allied clan, chosen for polit- Examples of several types of ninja clans
ical suitability and for the potential of appear in Chapter 9.
strengthening the clan. Love matchesare rare,
and the worst thing a ninja could do would The PC and the Clan
be to tell the clan leader that he or she is in
love with someone specific. The clan leader Ultimately, the DM determineswhich clan
will automaticallychoose someone else to be a PC ninja belongs to. Typically, he does this
the ninja's mate, because romantic love is by:
considered a dangerousthing that has led to
the downfall of many a good warrior. 1.Creating several ninja clans to serve as
background detailsfor the campaign setting.
This whole situation is a p a t opportunity
for role-playing in a campaign. However, 2. Decidingwhichninja clans PCs can come
players in a campaign making this demand from.
should play ninja only if they can role-play a
cultural attitude very differenttheir own, or if 3A. Letting the player do a rough design of
they don't carewhom their characters many his ninja character and then deciding which
clan that PC best suits; or
Delivery of Treasures.The ninja is required
to submit all accumulated treasure to a supe- 3B.Giving the player details of the avail-
rior member of his clan for evaluation. He able clans and allowing him to choose a clan
for his character, then makingsure he designs

a PC ninja suited to it.
Details of what the PC does for his clan

Because the ninja is so secretive, role-play- don’t ever let on that it is not true. The temp-
ing this type of character involvesan unusual tation to do so can be great, especially when it
amount of work for the player. At the very becomes possible to impress a potential lover
least, the character must keep secret from the through tales of your prowess.
outer world the fact that he is a ninja. He may
also try to keep that secret from his party Co Without Your Ninja Tools and
mates and close friends. Even in a party made weapons
up entirely of ninja and shinobi from his own
clan, the character might have secret orders This soundslike a cruelpunishment-when
from the clan lord, directives that no others you have spent so many years learning the
may share. basic skills ofthe ninja profession,why should
you not have itspotent tools readily at hand?
Ninja in the Outer Wodd
But remember this:Ifyou are captured, you
Most of a ninja PC’s life takes place away
from the clan. The ninja is off in the world, may be searched. Tools such as the ninja-to,
exploring new lands, establishing identities nekode, metsubishi, and many others are
in distant cities, and performing missions to clear evidence that you are a ninja. Even cun-
benefit the clan. ningly disguised tools can be found. But tools
that are not present cannot be found.
The ninja characteris usually amongpeople
who don’t know his secret. Here, expressed Therefore, you should carry your ninja
as advice to the ninja character, are some tools only when you wear the ninja night-suit
ways to maintain a secret identity. and are on a stealth mission. At other times,
use gear that it similar but not so telling:
Don’t ImpressPeople Carry a wakizashi instead of a ninja-to, a

It is easy to impress people with your ninja kawanaga instead of nekode, and so forth.
skills. The problem with this is that people If you plan to be on the road for several
remember being impressed. The more people
who remember unusual things about you, the weeks or months, it is best not to carry any
greater the chance they will add stray facts ninja gear. The opportunities for discovery
together to reach a conclusion you don’t wish are too great. When you visit cities where
them to reach. your clan has set up contactsand safe houses,

It’s especially foolish to demonstrate traits you can borrow g-ear for specificmissions.
that do not belong to your cover identity. If
you are pretending to be a normal fighter do Establisha Sak House or Cach

not offer to pick a lock. If you are pretending When you plan tobe in a city or castlefor an
to be a common thief, do not ever wear chain extended period of time, you can set up a safe
mail or any armor too heavy for practitioners house or cachefor ninja tools and weapons.

of that profession. Depending on the size of your ninja clan,
Don’t demonstrate the full level of your there may already be a contact and a safe
house in the city or castle you are sent to visit.
experience. You are at your most dangerous It is no great task for you to ask your clan lord
when enemies underestimate you. Even if to send some of your gear to that contact. This
you are a veteran ninja with many years of is not a safe or automatic process. Your gear
experience, pretend to be a green warrior. will be handed over to a low-ranking ninja of
Once you have established this background, the clan, who will deliver it to its destination,

putting him in great danger of discovery and

death. This ninja is your brother or cousin,

Pllyingthe Ninja 99