Is a Ninja/Barbarian possible?

[Nyeshet]

I was not questioning why a ninja might need survival. I was pointing out that this is not a wilderness barbarian. This is not a barbarian who had to go a little feral to better survive in a difficult clime or biome. This is a PC who lives in towns and wanders through a more or less civilized land. You might be able to explain Rage for such a character, but the class (barbarian, not ninja) needs to be urbanized slightly to really be understandable for the non-wilderness setting.

Thus, I suggest removing Handle Animal and Survival and adding Profession and Knowledge (local). This gives a more civilized feel to the class. Of course, you are also removing the Illiteracy problem (another issue for multiclassing, actually, as Illiteracy is supposed to be a limiting factor for the class) as the Ninja does not have that problem - thus the reason I chose rather minor skills for the replacements (rather than Tumble, which would be of more use to the multiclass, or the Listen/Spot skills).

 

[Borlon]

I tend to think that classes are more about the mechanics that a player can use to implement his or her image of the character. It does not dictate the backstory. A "warrior" can be a ranger (even if not at all woodsy), a barbarian (even if not from a savage, conanesque background), a rogue (even if without the ability to pick pockets or locks, who has never been in a thieves guild) etc.. The class skills of a class sometimes might be a bit limiting, but not usually. And cross-class skills are always a possibility. Judicious multiclassing for the right armor and weapon proficiencies is also quite realistic. So are DM approved tweakings to add an urban flavor to a barbarian or ranger, or a rural flavor to a rogue.

So if you want to play a character who flips out and kills people (and is also a mammal), then a barbarian/ninja would work out quite well. Even in a setting that does not have oriental or savage themes. I reiterate; classes are, in my view, mostly ways to implement a player's vision of a character mechanically. They do not dictate backstory.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Amen to Borlon. He speaks words of great wisdom, and is likely fair in form and feature, to boot.

 

[ThirdWizard]

Thus, I suggest removing Handle Animal and Survival and adding Profession and Knowledge (local). This gives a more civilized feel to the class. Of course, you are also removing the Illiteracy problem (another issue for multiclassing, actually, as Illiteracy is supposed to be a limiting factor for the class) as the Ninja does not have that problem - thus the reason I chose rather minor skills for the replacements (rather than Tumble, which would be of more use to the multiclass, or the Listen/Spot skills).

I would, personally, leave this in the purview of the Player to make the skillset etc believable with the overall character concept. If they wanted to run a more metropolitanized barbarian class, I would definately work with them to create it, though. This speaks more about my trust for my Players than anything, though, I suppose.

The illiteracy thing isn't really a problem. A multiclass barbarian is literate if either class is literate. So a ninja taking a level or barbarian doesn't lose his literacy and a barbarain taking a ninja class does gain literacy. In the end, for this character, it all washes out.

As an aside, to speak of my Players, one of them recently took a level of Fighter after being a straight Barbarian and chose not to gain literacy (without any suggestions) because he felt that it wouldn't be in character. Just because he had been learning more technique oriented styles wouldn't mean he would learn to read suddenly.

 

[Particle_Man]

1) On reading the title of this thread I thought you were describing a TRIBE of barbarian/ninjas. And was riffing on a group of ninja women who become isolated during a magical storm and come across some barbarian men who lost their home village to a volcano and they BOTH teach their heritage to the resulting children. And that would be cool. So thanks for the idea.

2) You might want to try the "whirling frenzy" option from unearthed arcana to replace the barbarian rage. Might fit the idea more. Just a thought.

 

[Andor]

Of course he will not be a TRUE ninja/barbarian untill he gets a mage to magically silence his matt-black chainsaw.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

I'd let it in just for the flipping out and killing people aspect. And it would probably be a running joke for the rest of the campaign. But that's just me.

Stuff like this is why I so love the d20 Modern class types. They're finite package of player-chosen abilities, removing balancing issues, but the story is there for the players to choose without getting their toes stepped on.

--fje

 

[Alzrius]

There's nothing wrong with a ninja barbarian...and if he later decides to become a dinosaur-riding pirate as well, so much the better.

 

[EdL]

I was not questioning why a ninja might need survival. I was pointing out that this is not a wilderness barbarian. This is not a barbarian who had to go a little feral to better survive in a difficult clime or biome. This is a PC who lives in towns and wanders through a more or less civilized land. You might be able to explain Rage for such a character, but the class (barbarian, not ninja) needs to be urbanized slightly to really be understandable for the non-wilderness setting.

Sorry, I misunderstood.

 

[dvvega]

Well historically there were come clans that lived in small villages in the hills and were deemed barbarians by the civilised people.

So it is not impossible to think of a Barbarian/Ninja.

Now to be a Ninja and become a Barbarian seems strange. But there are many ways to justify it. This is one reason I rule certain classes must be taken at first level only (Barbarian being one) since their negatives (unable to read/write) are completely ignored if you have another class.

D