Level Up (A5E) Ninjas in A5e

[Corinnguard]

Same way you would in normal DnD really - they could be a monk offshoot or rogue.

Depends on the flavour you want.

Or a hybrid of the two.

 

[Rogerd1]

Or a hybrid of the two.

Exactly that.

 

[Corinnguard]

Ninja – 5th Edition SRD This one is a Rogue archetype.

 

[Mike Myler]

Ninjas were rogues with disguise kits, climbing gear, gunpowder, and a couple other weird tools (the Cutthroat archetype would work fine for it). The "dressed in black night assassins" are a product of stagecraft and zeitgeist (not the IP but the regular noun); historically they were quiet saboteurs and spies that predominantly were about reconnaissance, or depending on when/where you're looking playing a part in staged retreats. If they found themselves in combat they've kinda already failed at whatever they were sent to do. When sent to assassinate (which did happen, just more rarely than everything else) they used rusty blades or more preferably came with several friends all wielding (relatively silent) bows.

For my spoons @Pedantic has the right of it for what you're looking for. Note that not all ninjas are going to be spellcasters with the synergy feats either, only the ninja masters.
I think the more fruitful question @Corinnguard may be circling is which adept and rogue archetypes go best with the Nightstalker synergy feat tree.

 

[le Redoutable]

With reconnaissance, do you mean they use the scout thing?

 

[Mike Myler]

With reconnaissance, do you mean they use the scout thing?

Aye they'd scout out where a battle might take place ahead of time, dress up like a gardener way ahead of the troops and sneak into a fortress to determine the layout (and maybe get an idea of enemy numbers and the like), if they were really lucky overhear/see military plans being worked out by enemy commanders. Jinichi Kawakami (an expert in a type of ninjutsu, of which there were several) gets into the larger role of ninja a bit in this video rating movie ninja fights:

 

[Rogerd1]

Aye they'd scout out where a battle might take place ahead of time, dress up like a gardener way ahead of the troops and sneak into a fortress to determine the layout (and maybe get an idea of enemy numbers and the like), if they were really lucky overhear/see military plans being worked out by enemy commanders. Jinichi Kawakami (an expert in a type of ninjutsu, of which there were several) gets into the larger role of ninja a bit in this video rating movie ninja fights:

Apart from ninja didn't really use a short straight sword, nor did they really run around in those silly ninja outfits.

 

[Mike Myler]

Apart from ninja didn't really use a short straight sword, nor did they really run around in those silly ninja outfits.

Yeah having a sword at all is a mistake (what if someone becomes suspicious of you? Why you got a sword?) but I'd be surprised if they didn't have some kind of camouflage better than farmer duds when taking pot shots at a pursuing army.

 

[Rogerd1]

Yeah having a sword at all is a mistake (what if someone becomes suspicious of you? Why you got a sword?) but I'd be surprised if they didn't have some kind of camouflage better than farmer duds when taking pot shots at a pursuing army.

They may disguise themselves as a samurai, a monk, and all kinds of things.
But they never used a straight sword.

The two best programs with anything like real ninja were Ninja Master with Lee Van Cleef, tools would be cross functional like in one episode he used a shuriken to force open a window, or to wound someone. And of course, the Last Ninja; which portrays them as exceptional humans - like how Shaolin Monks are fairly exceptional. But nothing they did was magic, or supernatural.

Now, this is obviously at odds in DnD, but knowing what they like allows you to portray them more fantastically as befits the setting.

 

[WanderingMystic]

So if you want the best Ninja I would go Monk 1
Then rogue 1-3 taking shadow assassin from the dungeon delvers guide. Next take monk 2-4 taking warrior monk and at level 7 taking the nightstalker feat then for your 8th level going rogue 4 so you can pick up subtle skill feat.

This gives you sneak attacks, unarmed attacks and unarmored defense. You get to sneak attacks with your unarmed, add your wisdom to stealth and add a bonus to most roles about deciding people.