d20 Modern Ninja--How would you do it?

[AFGNCAAP]

(I apologize ahead of time if this has already been done to death...)

Okay, since my Ninja-To thread still seems to be thriving...

How would you write up a ninja using the d20 Modern rules? Are they basically a Fast Hero, with levels in the Martial Artist &/or Infiltrator advanced classes? Or would you create a Ninja advanced class to deal with their typically-assigned abilities of stealth, unarmed combat, & ancient weapon combat?

How would you do this?


Pirates, OTOH, will be a seperate discussion.

 

[Vigilance]

There is a Ninja class in the upcoming sequal to Blood and Fists, which will be out in less than a month (give or take) the encompasses quite a bit of research on the elusive assassins.

Chuck

 

[JPL]

There is a Ninja class in the upcoming sequal to Blood and Fists, which will be out in less than a month (give or take) the encompasses quite a bit of research on the elusive assassins.

Chuck

And Blood and Fists offers the Ninjitsu Master and a stack of mighty ninja moves.

But otherwise...I'd say Infiltrator/Martial Artist levels are great, but pretty near any base class could be justified.

Strong ninja - the best fighter of the bunch
Fast ninja - the classic
Tough ninja - the survivor, impervious to pain
Smart ninja - the tactician
Dedicated ninja - the mystic
Charismatic ninja - the spy

 

[ThoughtBubble]

Yeah, to be a propler ninja, you have to be level 10 in everything!

Being a ninja is a lot like being an assassin, it's more in the act, attitude and mindset than anything else. Now, assuming you don't want a 1980's TV ninja, you'll need some hide/move silently, martial/exotic weapons proficiencies, a decent spot and search and some survival skills.

Beyond that, it all sort of depends. From being a royal guard to gathering information to entertaining, ninja had a wide variety of duties and skills that they were trained for (least from my exposure to people who have some idea of what they're talking about--I don't) based on where and when they lived.

But for the movie ninjas, fast 2, strong 1. These are your core ninja forces. Then, you've got your inneffective ninja to throw at the hero a lot, those are fast 1. Your core elite ninja would be fast 3, strong 2. And from there, anyone else deserves a name, a history and a custom progression.

 

[JPL]

There is a Ninja class in the upcoming sequal to Blood and Fists, which will be out in less than a month (give or take) the encompasses quite a bit of research on the elusive assassins.

Chuck

Less than a month? Well, I bought the first one the day it was released, and I intend on doing the same for Vol. 2.

Y'know, I just ran a d20 Modern one-shot where everyone played brothers, and it was a lot of fun. I think it would be cool to do a game focusing around a modern day "ninja clan" --- a Japanese-American family that's been practicing the ancient arts for generations. They don't generally run around in black pajamas killing people...they all have some sort of day job. Then something happens that forces the family to put those ancient skills to the test.

And have Cary Tagawa play the dad. Yeeeah.

 

[Vigilance]

Less than a month? Well, I bought the first one the day it was released, and I intend on doing the same for Vol. 2.

Y'know, I just ran a d20 Modern one-shot where everyone played brothers, and it was a lot of fun. I think it would be cool to do a game focusing around a modern day "ninja clan" --- a Japanese-American family that's been practicing the ancient arts for generations. They don't generally run around in black pajamas killing people...they all have some sort of day job. Then something happens that forces the family to put those ancient skills to the test.

And have Cary Tagawa play the dad. Yeeeah.

The Ninja class has a good chunk of research in it, and it's been in use in my campaign for quite awhile, so like the Weapon Master its been thoroughly playtested.

If you read between the lines of thje flavor txt carefully (especially in War on Terror) you will detect that the PC version of Katsumoto is a Ninja and the PC version of Kimiko is a weapon master.

So there is a bit of ninja clan goings on in my home campaign, which you can also get a glimpse of in my story hour.

Chuck

 

[Ranger REG]

Hmm. A lot of Hollywood-type ninjas are almost always portrayed as assassins. After all, spying is not very exciting. (Why do you think James Bond, 007, licensed to kill, are more exciting than your real-world covert intelligence operative?) But they're basically very resourceful, very versatile spies; the eyes and ears of daimyos, shoguns, and imperial nobles.

What kind of ninja are we looking for? One who embraces the latest high-tech, or stick to traditional low-tech?

 

[JPL]

The Ninja class has a good chunk of research in it, and it's been in use in my campaign for quite awhile, so like the Weapon Master its been thoroughly playtested.

If you read between the lines of thje flavor txt carefully (especially in War on Terror) you will detect that the PC version of Katsumoto is a Ninja and the PC version of Kimiko is a weapon master.

So there is a bit of ninja clan goings on in my home campaign, which you can also get a glimpse of in my story hour.

Chuck

My alternative idea for a ninja game was that the PCs could be experts in other disciplines --- kendo, archery, Navy SEAL, whatever...who at the beginning of the campaign are recruited by an old-school ninja master [also played by Cary Tagawa, who as far as I'm concerned is your go-to guy for playing ninja masters]. The adventures could be a mix of cinematic espionage missions [a la Alias] and Official Clan Business [and god only knows what that would entail].

But I like the family angle, too. I've also thought about doing that with a former Shaolin monk whose five kids have each mastered a different animal style --- Snake, Leopard, Dragon, Tiger, Crane. Very "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues."*

* Bad shows often make good games.