ninja/shadowdancer build.

[Animal]

So, has the build seen play?

not yet. i'm play a 2nd level ninja right now. planning to take 2 monk levels next. then some more ninja and eventually SD.

Umbral Disciple is an awesome prestige class from Magic of Incarnum.

noone in my group has MoI.

You may want to look into Dread Commando if you have Heroes of Battle.

i considered this option from the very beginning (see my first post), but i'm afraid that Dread Commando won't synergize well with monk..

The thing about ninja invisibility is that it lasts for one round. Thus, you really should be thinking about full-round attacks using two weapons and possibly Fighter specialization feats. It's not the only way to go, but it's definitely worth thinking about. Ninja X/SD 1 is good in that respect, add Fighter to taste.

a caster in our party plans to go for War Weaver so i don't expect problems with invisibility on high levels.

 

[insanogeddon]

Ninja Experience

I played a ninja once, he was the most fun I had in ages. He was a Human (had to be) Ninja 16, Ftr 4. With a longspear and became known as 'the spearman'. He put NO ranks in hide or move silently as we are all aware ninjas are ALWAYS seen and make a swooshing sound but can at will dissapear. He used to jump most everywhere utterly spectacularly never having issues with terrain due to that and had a nasty jump attack that usually locked down a foe. The first level had to be fighter to fulfill all my needs but skill points were never an issue it went F1, N2-7, F2, N1, F1, N10: FB1.Wpn.Focus longspear, B. Power Attack, 1 personal fun, 3.Martial Stalker, 6. Specialisation, 9. Staggering Strike, FB2. Raptor School (+4 dam), 12. Leap Attack, FB12 Weapon Mastery
Lunging Strike, Short Haft, C.Ref, Expert Tactician wera all on the cards but I found they were irrelevant in the face of my ninja powers and so retrained them eventually.

 

[Darklone]

That spear build looks nice. Combine it with a level monk, that ascetic stalker for monk/ninja multiclassing and then get that Eberron feat that let's you flurry with a spear...

Flurrying with a twohanded weapon and Power Attack...

Edit: Would this build be possible with that Greatspear... and Exotic Weapon Master? Books to me...

 

[insanogeddon]

Nice

Nice idea would be possible with greatspear and an exotic weapon master dip for x2 str damage. Unfort not enough feats and my dm is tight on custom items and sunder (or slime) pops up occasionally and exotic weapons are rarely found (we have a random item generator). Also due to our dm stricktly sticking to treasure limits if I combined flurry with power attack and the ninjas medium BAB I might have missed alot. I preferred jumping about one shot owning the battlefield.

I found a special spear wasn't necessary. I would jump in (swooshing with special 20gp extra 'swooshy' pants) doing d8 +2 (spec) +3 (strx1.5)+3 (str item x1.5) +2 (wpn mastery) +2 (majic spear) + 4 (raptor school) + 6 (2pts of power attack from charge processed thru power attack and leap attack) = d8 + 22 + 6d6 (sudden strike: 1st round I was always invisible due to a ring of invisibility) and then thru 'staggering strike' (complete adventurer) the speared had to do a fort DC (damage dealt!) or be staggered for 1 round.
1 round being more than enough to go mcstabby, assume a 'ninja pose', tumble, or jump away/to the next target or (if patronising) to the far door to open it letting your mage/warrior followers 'mop up'. Also at any point I could use my ninja powers to turn invisible again as a swift action.

Nothing quite like jumping over the mages 'meat shields' and impaling the eggshell artillery and having the door open before your team make it across the chamber (NB: not always the best tactic for survival.... untill you can turn ethereal).

Even better that in our group I was only ever expected me to be a 'sneaky trap finder' till they realised my light weight changed combat outcomes and as I was to all audio appearances as sneaky as a cellophane gollem (when things did dissappear ..etherally.. it: 'couldn't have been me you would have heard me').