5 Tips For Playing Better Ninjas

The night is quiet. The only thing one can hear is the wind blowing through the eaves, and the occasional flap of a hunting bird. You see nothing, but that doesn't mean there is nothing out there. And as you peer into the shadows, you do not see one of them detach itself from the wall behind you.

For all your vigilance, the ninja is already behind your lines.

The final entry for the class options in Ultimate Combat, the ninja is one that comes with a lot of its own baggage that can often limit the imagination of the players. So if you've been thinking about giving this class a spin, consider some of the following options!

If you're interested in more of these tips, such as the 5 Tips For Playing Better Samurai, make sure you check out my 5 Tips Master List over on my gaming blog Improved Initiative!

Tip #1: What Are You Actually Called?

Much like I pointed out with the samurai tips, as well as in my 5 Tips For Playing Better Gunslingers, we often get caught up in the cultural associations we have with particular class names... whether or not those associations apply to the fantasy setting we're playing our game in.

It's important to remember that "ninja" is just a label for the particular abilities of this class. You have a skill-focused character who can deal precision damage, which develops the focus necessary to use ki, and who has particular training in unique techniques that enhance their abilities to infiltrate, gather information, assassinate targets, and so on.

What is the name of the role you fulfill, though?

Does your tribe of orcs refer to individuals with your skill set as Shadow Touched for your ability to evade even their keen eyes and noses? Does the elven enclave who trained you in these skills call you a gardener, thinking of your duty as someone who prunes dangerous weeds with care and precision? Are you simply referred to as a scout? Are you called something as banal as an agent, or as slanderous as a spy?

It might seem like splitting hairs, but this is often a good step to take just to get yourself out of the box that often contains our imaginations.

Tip #2: Who Do You Work For?

Once you know what the cultural name for your character's skill set is, or just what job title you have claimed for yourself, the next question is to ask who it is you serve with your unique skills.

Are you a member of the Thoriza Rangers, who seem to appear and disappear at-will during their patrols of the Misty Vale? Are you one of the Eyes of The Throne, acting as agents of the crown who gather information, sabotaging the royal family's enemies? Or are you a part of the notorious Black Marks Guild, who guarantees the death of a target once a contract has been signed?

If you need inspiration for organizations, paymasters, etc., consider checking out the following supplements:

- 100 Random Mercenary Companies

- 100 Secret Societies

- 100 Gangs For Your Urban Campaigns

Tip # 3: Consider Your Ki

From becoming invisible and intangible, to imbuing their strikes with power, ninjas are capable of various supernatural feats. Similar to monks, they do this by tapping into a resource of energy called ki. While monks typically do this through strict discipline and following a philosophical path that allows them to access great power, ninja have no such requirement.

As such, it's worth asking where your ninja gained access to this pool of power, and how they maintain it.

For example, is your ninja schooled in a monastic tradition, combining the philosophy of the temple with the arts of a spy? Do they have a philosophy all their own that plays into their use of poison, and their unique style of combat? Do they have mystical tattoos or brands that allow them to reach into this supernatural pool? Did they undergo a unique ritual, or do they believe it comes from their service to a higher power?

There is no mechanical requirement for this, but it can add a lot to your character to ask where this resource comes from, and what you do in order to maintain it.

Tip #4: What is Your Specialty?

Ninjas have an extremely wide breadth of skills they can master, a large list of tricks they can learn, and they are up there with rogues in terms of the sheer number of things they are capable of.

However, it pays to take a moment and ask where it is you're going to spend your ninja's resources.

As an example, do you want to be a bare-handed assassin, capable of breaking bones and snapping necks without ever touching a weapon? Do you want to be a long-range marksman, focusing on the use of bows, crossbows, or guns to deliver death to your targets? Do you want to be an infiltrator capable of stepping out of sight, or even phasing through solid walls and doors? Do you wish to be the party face? A master poisoner whose blends can render entire rooms full of enemies unconscious, or dead?

While a lot of players may end up with decision paralysis, it's a good idea to take a moment to ask what you want to focus on. Because you only have so many points to spend, and it's important to have a goal in mind for them before you start. And once you know what your ninja is going to be good at, then you can build their story around that skill set so the two halves merge into a single whole.

Tip #5: How Much of You is a Lie?

Ninjas come in a wide variety of shapes, styles, skillsets, and abilities. And while one could play a straightforward, truthful, honest individual who happens to have a particularly unusual skillset, it is more likely that ninjas are going to use misdirection in at least some aspect of their life.

So take a moment and ask what aspect of your ninja's life is a lie... and what was the purpose of that lie?

For instance, are you taking the route where your working persona is completely different from your day-to-day self (and if so, consider taking a look at my 5 Tips For Playing Better Vigilantes as well)? Do you instead keep your allegiance secret so that no one knows you are a servant of a deadly spy network, or allied with a particular nation's secret service? Are you part of a cult that trained other people like you? Do you know that your skills make people around you uncomfortable, so you choose to keep them to yourself unless it's necessary for you to reveal what you're capable of? Or are you someone who wants the enemy to underestimate you, so you attempt to appear as harmless as possible until the time comes to prove you're anything but?

Do your fellow party members know who you really are, or do only a few of them truly know your history? Are there some who have no idea who your true allegiance is to? It's a dangerous game, but a good way to bring in additional plot hooks and story beats... just make sure that you aren't planting a seed where you end up betraying the party. That can go sideways in a big, big hurry.

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