[FR]Player wants to play a Bard/Ninja :), what do you think?

[iwatt]

Yea I think the class name 'ninja', really put me off at first.

If you wanted to change the class name from Ninja to one more in line with a campaign like mine, what would you change the name too?

Shadow-blade?

Avenger?

Harper Infiltrator?


You're right though, Ninja does bring up instant fanboy alerts up....

 

[dagger]

I might say that he got his training in the far east (Kara-Tur, or even Rokugan) and must spend a skill point on Eastern: Common (or something). In which case, I will give him some background info on that part of the world, so it is more grounded. The only thing about FR he really knows, is what he got from CRPGs such as Baulders Gate and Ice Wind Dale.

Or I just might change the name of the class to put it more in line with western Faerun.

 

[Shadowdancer]

Just call him The Caped Crusader.

 

[Starglim]

It worked for Bruce Wayne.

I'd be much happier for him to take the actual ninja class than to waive the requirements for a prestige class, especially if he says that he is not going to assassinate and thus doesn't need to use Assassin abilities such as poison use and death attack.

Though I must admit I have suggested Lawful Good assassins: Hearthkeepers of Ealla

 

[Stormrunner]

While everyone is piling on the "Good-aligned assassin? No way!" debate, I think I should point out that the player didn't choose Bard/Assassin, he chose Bard/Ninja. Ninja and Assassin are not 1-to-1 equivalent. Historically, Ninja were primarily spies and information-gatherers, specializing in disguise and impersonation. A ninja might occasionally assassinate someone - but doing so draws attention, so it would only be done as part of a larger plan, or if it benefited the ninja clan as a whole (e.g., silencing a nosy PC who has been publicly revealing ninja secrets). For a ninja, perfect success means no-one even suspected a ninja was present, NOT a room full of dead bodies. As Jack of Shadows pointed out, this character is essentially James Bond, or Reilly (Ace of Spies).

 

[Elephant]

Crothian, as much as I love your posts most of the time, I have to tell you that posts like this one really make me want to stab my own eyes out (or at least stop reading internet forums). Grammar and spelling correction stopped being funny circa 1994.

Lack of regard for grammar and spelling stopped being funny long before that, however.

 

[Bront]

The 3.5 ninja is closer to a Rogue than an assasin, and no one would be screaming if he took Rogue/Bard (Which could fit his concept almost as well).

I think it's a fine idea, and he had a background for it, which ment he put thought into why his character is who he is instead of the usual "I want to play this" mindset. I would applaud the player on his creativity. As for party conflicts, I don't see it nessessarily being a problem, because occasionaly, the rest of the party may not even know what he did. (I played a secret agent character once in a game. He posed as a priest (not D20 game btw), was good at hiding and jumping around in the shadows, and managed to help the other characters along at times without the PCs knowing he had any direct involvement. It worked very well, and caused no party conflict (I was good enough that few of the players even knew what was happening with my character till alomst 10 sessions later).

 

[James Heard]

I like it. Personally though, I'd keep the player in question well away from the movie Ghost Dog, just so the ninja/bard doesn't start rapping.

 

[sword-dancer]

As for the Hashishin (or whatever the spelling), I see them as the spiritual ancestors of Al'Quaida, so tell me of the Hashishins as evil fanatics, not celestials....

Fanatics, Yes. Evil depends on POV. Mad mass mur4derers like Al Kaida AFAIK definetly No.
They stroke at the people, who were a danger for their people or their religion.

 

[blargney the second]

Alternate name for the ninja class: infiltrator.