Ninja & 'Ghost Step' invisibility.

[Scratched_back]

Ghost Step (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a ninja can use one daily use of her ki power to become invisible for one round. Using this ability is a swift action that does not provoke attacks of oppurtunity.

In the same day as my other thread regarding the occult slayer, this issue caused debate between the same friend and myself, as there are (again) two valid interpretations:

1) The ninja becomes invisible as the spell invisibility and all rules apply.

2) The ninja is invisible for one full round, irrespective of his actions. Making attacks etc.

Has this cropped up for anyone else? Obviously if the rules support the 2nd argument, it's pretty pleasant with sudden strike, if not, it's semi-useful but not amazing...

Cheers all

 

[azmodean]

Looks like #1 to me. If it were referencing the spell it would say so.

 

[Scratched_back]

Looks like #1 to me. If it were referencing the spell it would say so.

That's the whole point though mate, it says the word 'invisibility' but it doesn't say as the spell invisibility which I'm pretty sure it should if that were the case. Just because it mentions the word invisibility doesn't necessarily mean the spell. It's just a word... like cabbage, or giraffe.

 

[Mirage_Patrick]

I would say #2...otherise it is a pittiful power

 

[shilsen]

It's 2. The description quite clearly does not reference the invisibility spell, and is its own unique type of invisibility.

 

[Thanee]

Yep, also think it's #2.

Bye
Thanee

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

The ninja in my new campaign will be happy to hear that I wasn't sure myself, but I respect the opinions of Thanee and shilsen.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

It is #2. It is one of the few ways a ninja can make use of his / her sudden strike ability once the punches start flying.

Note, also, that it lasts for one round.

This means that the ninja who ghost steps is invisible until just before his next turn.

 

[Scratched_back]

The ninja in my new campaign will be happy to hear that

That's why it came up, I think I'll be playing a ninja very shortly in a new oriental campaign we're starting, just wanted to be sure what I was getting myself into before we start. I guess it would still be moderatey useful if I was wrong... used to flee combat etc.

 

[shilsen]

The ninja in my new campaign will be happy to hear that I wasn't sure myself, but I respect the opinions of Thanee and shilsen.

Aha! My trick of showing up at threads and waving a "What Thanee said" flag is finally paying off

And to make this post a little relevant: Because the ninja ghost step ability lasts the entire round, the more attacks a ninja can pile in the better. In a one-off game, I threw a couple of goblin ninjas (the word "gninja" is now feared in my group ) at a group of 10th lvl characters. I made them Mnk3/Ninja3/Ftr2 each and had them using the ghost step ability and flurrying with magical shuriken. Bugged the heck out of the party and did huge amounts of damage.