Tanuki Ninja (3.5e Prestige Class)
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Tanuki Ninja[edit]
| “ | Where is this little bastard!! | ” |
| —Kelf, Human Wizard | ||
Tanuki Ninja are pranksters, assassins, trapper and thieves. The Clan they belong to has a hundred of years tradition to collect secret arts to perfect their illusionary martial arts. Even though they belong to a clan they are only bound by few rules which include don't fight if you can't win or the best thief is the one never seen. However as good as Tanuki Ninjas are in their specialities they lack the stamina to survive strong physical attacks but thanks to their repertoire they might confuse and restrict their enemies good enough to come out as the victor.
Becoming a Tanuki Ninja[edit]
Like in the legends these ninjas derive their skills from a Tanuki which is called the master of deception and thievery . The Tanuki Ninja highly rely on their survival, illusions and guerilla tactic skills to decept, restrict and damage their foes. While a high dexterity score is an absolute nessacity to tiptoe around deadly attacks a high int score is also needed to perfect their specialised alchemy skills. Because Tanuki Ninjas only show respect to Tanukis and other deception masters they can only rever gods that fit into this aspect. Mostly rogues and rangers take up this class however any type of melee fighter might become a Tanuki Ninja.
| Alignment: | Any Non-Lawful. |
|---|---|
| Base Attack Bonus: | +3 |
| Skills: | Sleight of Hand(+3), Hide(+3), Escape Artist (+3), Bluff(+3) |
| Feats: | Improved Initiative |
| Special: | You must have survived rolling down from a small hill without dying. Entering this Prestige Class will give you the flaw "Terrible Tumbler". If u gained Improved Initiative by spending a feat point you will get an additional fighter feat point. |
Class Features[edit]
All of the following are class features of the Tanuki Ninja.
Weapon and Armor: A Tanuki Ninja is proficient with following weapons: Shurikens(SRD), Kunai(see below), Tanto(acts like a Dagger), Katana(acts like a Bastard Sword) and Giant Shuriken(see below). A Tanuki Ninja is not proficient with any type of armor and can only use his abilities while wearing light or no armor.
Create Tools(Ex): A Tanuki Ninja learns creating tools needed for her class at first level until she perfects the crafting process. She creates everything she needs with materials she already has with her or can find by searching through a forest. She gains a daily collection of 30 shurikens, X amount of Poison vials(depending on the level), 3 Bags of Caltrops, 2 Flash Bangs, 50feet steelwire, one smokebomb, 4 straw dolls and 2 Kunai. The recipes as well as the tools themselves are never sold or gifted due to Tanuki Ninjas always guarding their knowledge for themselves and their clanmembers. The Tanuki Ninja can craft additional tools as extra but has to pay the appropriate price for any extra tools not listed here. The whole equipment adds 20lb to a Ninja's encumberance.
Poison and Tricks(Ex): From 1st level a Tanuki Ninja gains poison and tricks per level as indicated above. All Poisons are known but she can only prepare x amount of poison. All Tricks are known and prepared but only x amount of tricks can be used per day. Tricks can be used without loosing any actions but only if the required situation arises.
Silent (Ex): Tanuki Ninjas are highly trained in stealth combat. At first level they gain a +15 on move silently checks and can even move silently on ground that normally would create sound like shattered glass.
Shadowslash (Su): At first level a Tanuki Ninja gains the Shadowslash ability. Shadowslash works like sneak attack except for noted changes. All Sneak Attack bonuses are added to Shadowslash, however Shadowslash can only be used with weapons a Tanuki Ninja is proficient with. It can't be used with any other type of weapon from other classes or else it won't add its bonus to the sneak attack. Shadowslash can be used whenever an enemy is denied his dexterity bonus to AC, the Tanuki Ninja is still undetected or when the enemy looses sight of the Tanuki Ninja(others may still have their focus on the Tanuki and prevent him from attacking). Shadowslash does Shadow Damage which can be used against any type of enemy except for shadowless creatures(e.g. Ghosts, Permanently Invisible Creatures) or shadowlike enemies(e.g. Greater Shadow). Angels and other celestial beings take only half damage as well as other very bright enemies. ( e.g. Shining Warforged).
Hide Shuriken (Ex): At first level a Tanuki Ninjas gains the ability to hide shuriken. She can hide her shuriken anywhere on her body even when completely naked. Better not ask where exactly. This results in a +15 sleight of hand check for hiding shurikens.
Master of Hidden Weapons (Ex): At first level a Tanuki Ninja gains the ability to use all her proficient weapons with her dex modifier instead of her str modifier as if she has the ability weapon finesse.
Fight while Moving (Ex): At second level a Tanuki Ninja gains the ability to throw shuriken while moving. Moving and throwing counts as a move action instead of a standard action. The Tanuki Ninja also gains the ability to throw caltrops or flash bangs while moving away from an enemy.
Resist Poison (Ex): After poisining herself many times a Tanuki Ninja gains absolute resistance against all poisons and supernatural poisons only have halved effects on her. This ability is gained at 2nd level.
Apply Poison (Ex): At 2nd level a Tanuki Ninja gains the ability to apply poison while moving. This can be used with thrown shuriken in the same move action.
Hide in Plain Sight (Su): At 2nd level a Tanuki Ninja can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as she is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, she can hide herself from view in the open without having anything to actually hide behind. She cannot, however, hide in her own shadow. Additionally at night a Tanuki Ninja gains a +10 on their hide check when using hide in plain sight. At 4th level she gains the improvement to hide behind any type of wood or leaves(e.g. stick with some leaves on it). If the enemy's spot check doesn't succed the hide check of the Tanuki Ninja, she dissapears from enemy sight.
Tanuki Initiative (Su): At 3rd level a Tanuki gains + 4 on their initiative as a moral bonus.
Stabilize (Ex): At 5th level a Tanuki gains the ability to stabilize herself from -9 to 0 from bleeding to death.
Gift (Su): At 6th level a Tanuki Ninja gains the ability to turn a stick, peeble or leaf into a "Gift of a Tanuki" 3 times per day. The "Gift of Tanuki" can be thrown as a standard action and has a 50% chance of healing the target for 1d20 and a 50% chance of dealing 4d6 damage.
Side Step (Ex): At 6th level a Tanuki Ninja gains the ability to side step an incoming projectile or spell once if there is an ally within 10 feet range. The spell or projectile hits the ally instead if she makes a successful reflex check over 15. At 10th level a Tanuki Ninja can use this ability 3/day.
Throat cut (Ex): At 7th level a Tanuki Ninja gains the ability to half the Shadowslash damage(rounded down) and heal himself for half the amount of damage done (rounded down).
Light Eater (Ex): At 8th level a Tanuki Ninja gains the ability to survive on 1/3 of the food needed for any other person.
Steal Magic (Su): At 9th level a Tanuki Ninja gains the ability to absorb 1 magic projectile/day and throw it back towards the source.
Master of Camouflage (Su): At 10th level a Tanuki Ninja gains the ability to transform into a tree, pot or stone of any size from small to large when using his hide in plain sight ability successfully.
Poison[edit]
| Name | Effect | Fort Save Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Poison of Weakness | -3 Str/day | Fort Save: 17 |
| Poison of Dumbness | -3 Int/day | Fort Save: 17 |
| Poison of Foolness | -3 Wis/day | Fort Save: 17 |
| Poison of Spitting | -3 Cha/day | Fort Save: 17 |
| Poison of Hangover | -3 Dex/day | Fort Save: 17 |
| Poison of Basilisk | Stun 1 round | Fort Save: 14 |
| Poison of Snake | 1d2 every round for 5 rounds | Fort Save: 15 |
| Poison of Black Widow | Kills if Hit Points are below 20 | Fort Save: 20 |
| Poison of Scorpion | +1d6 damage | Fort Save: 18 |
| Poison of Slow Thinking | Doubles Cast Time(Spells need at least 1 extra round) | Fort Save: 16 |
| Poison of Empty Mind | Can't make use of Attack of Opportunity anymore for 1d4 rounds | Fort Save: 20 |
| Poison of Sleepiness | Target sleeps falls asleep but wakes up on taking any amount of damage | Fort Save: 14 |
| Poison of Shacking | -2 on Attack Rolls for 1d6 rounds | Fort Save: 16 |
| Poison of Sensible Eyes | Targets is blinded while left close to bright light and is flat footed for 1d2 rounds | Fort Save 15 |
| Poison of Truth | Target can't say anything except the truth for 1 day | Fort Save : 13 |
| Poison of Lies | Target can only lie for 1 day | Fort Save: 13 |
| Poison of Phobia | Target must make an additional Will Save Check of 15 or will get a permanent phobia of the first thing he sees | Fort Save 15 |
| Poison of Weakness against Magic | Target gets 1d4 extra damage from all damaging spells for 1d2 | Fort Save 16 |
| Poison of Weakness against Law/Evil/Good/Chaotic | 1d4 extra damage from all Law/Evil/Good/Chaotic aligned spells or enemies for 1d2 rounds | Fort Save 14 |
| Poison of Bludgeon/Slash/Pierce Weakness | 1d4 extra damage from all Blud./Slash/Pierce weapons | Fort Save 16 |
| Poison of Hyper Activity | Enemy does everything twice as good and as bad.( e.g. He deals double damage and also gains double damage.) | Fort Save 14 |
| Poison of Hallucination | Enemy is seeing everyone else several times and has a -7 on all attack rolls for 2 rounds. | Fort Save 12 |
Adding Poison to the knowledge list: If the situation requires it a Tanuki Ninja can learn new poison types by studying recipes or actual poison vials and craft them with her Knowledge:Poison (Int) as a bonus to the usual craft check. However her ability won't grant her the materials for free.
Tricks[edit]
| Name | Effect |
|---|---|
| "Ouch!" | If the Tanuki gets hit by an attack that would otherwise kill him, he can attempt once a Reflex check to half the damage. Additionally he throws a flash bang if he succeds. If the enemy fails a Will Save of 15 he will loose sight of the Tanuki Ninja. |
| "If i can't see you, you can't see me!" | If the enemy changes targets from the Tanuki Ninja to another target, he must succed a Will Save Check of 15 or loose sight of the Tanuki Ninja. |
| "What happens if i poke this straw doll!" | The Tanuki must have left an unsued straw doll to use this. If the enemy dodges an attack you can threat him with poking a straw doll. He must succed a Will Save Check of 15 or gets 1d4 damage because he feels very connected to the straw doll. |
| "...." | If the Tanuki Ninja is surrounded by more than 3 enemies she suddenly stops moving and becomes flat footed to any type of attack. Every enemy must succed a Will Save Check of 15 or become suprised for 1 round unable to comprehend what is happening. Enemies that are suprised stop whatever they were doing for this round. |
| "Catch this!" | A Tanuki can throw a Straw Doll once per day instead of a Shuriken. The enemy must make a Will Save Check of 15 or unconsiously catch the straw doll while dropping his weapons. |
| "Switch!" | If an enemy has a straw doll in his hands for whatever reason(ones that aren't made from a Tanuki Ninja as well) the Tanuki Ninja can switch places with the straw doll and do an additional attack. |
| "I got this!" | If a Tanuki makes a check that would result in getting damage he can negate the damage once. (e.g. unlocking a chest that was trapped) |
| "See ya again!" | If a Tanuki has less than 10 Hit Points he may drop a straw doll and teleport himself away 30 feet. |
| "Go minions!" | If a Tanuki wasn't detected he can use 2 of his straw dolls to build a net of steelwires in a circle of 10 feet. Any enemy trying to move around will trip if he fails a 15 balance save. The Tanuki Ninja can't trip in his own wires. |
| "Electrify!" | If a Tanuki Ninja has build a Steelwire net she can use a straw doll to electrocute enemies for 1d4 damage that fail a Fort Save of 15 whenever they are moving inside the steelwire net. The Straw Doll stands for 3 rounds. |
| "No,no,no,no!" | If a Tanuki Ninja fails any fear check he automatically runs away to hide behind something instead of standing around. |
| "Avenge me!" | While a Tanuki Ninja's Hit Points are 0 or lower allies gain a +2 moral buff on attack rolls. |
| "Puff!" | If a Tanuki Ninja already got hit in the same round as a new attack is approaching she can throw one smoke bomb to dissapear. The enemy has to make a Will Save of 15 or loose sight of the Tanuki Ninja. |
| "Don't even dare!" | If the Tanuki Ninja is standing 30 feet close to a target that tries to cast a healing spell she can throw a smoke bomb at the target. If the target fails a Concentration Save of 15, she will heal someone randomly on the battlefield. |
Special Weapons[edit]
| Name | Description | Hit Dice | Range | Threat Range | Cost | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giant Shuriken | A huge Shuriken that is used like a rotating blade in order to hurt enemies with weak but many cuts. It can also be thrown. The very first Giant Shuriken were meant for bigger members of the Tanuki Clan. However some disciples trained with these for fun and found a new fighting style. | 1d4/1d4/1d4/1d4 | 10 feet when thrown | 20 | 20g | 10lb |
| Kunai | A small blade like tool with a ring at the end of the hilt that is meant for digging and climbing rather than fighting. +10 on Dig and Climb checks while using these. They can be thrown like shurikens | 1d4 | 10 feet when thrown | 20 | 1g | 1/2 lb |
Ex-Tanuki[edit]
There is no punishment for a Tanuki Ninja to multiclass into other classes. Tanuki Ninjas are known for their curiosity to collect intelligence about martial arts.
Campaign Information[edit]
Playing a Tanuki Ninja[edit]
Combat: Distraction and Deception
Advancement: Tanuki Ninjas mainly multiclass with fighter and rogues.
Resources: Tanuki Ninjas share recipes and knowledge with each other as part of their codex.
Tanuki Ninjas in the World[edit]
| “ | ..... | ” |
A Tanuki Ninja is not a rarity, however most of them are hard to notice. They love disguising themselves as trees, pots or even stones for days! You might have already met one but didn't notice.
NPC Reactions: Why does this stone have eyes??
Tanuki Ninja Lore[edit]
Characters with ranks in Knowledge(History) can research Tanuki Ninjas to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
|---|---|
| 11 | Tanuki Ninjas like to hide in unexpected places, like pots. |
| 16 | Tanuki Ninjas can manipulate Straw Dolls to help them in fights. |
| 21 | It is said Tanuki Ninja Clanmaster have access to alchemy not even known to the royal court. |
| 26 | There is a legend that the founder of the Tanuki Ninja Clan was an actual Tanuki. Rumors says that he still lives to this day, hidden away where none will ever find him. |
Tanuki Ninjas in the Game[edit]
Tanuki Ninjas are good at surviving and support damage. Their perfect place in a group is close to the fighters (meatshields) which makes it easier for them to attack out of nowhere.
Adaptation: Tanuki Ninjas fit into more Oriental themed campaigns. But also fit as travelers from unknown countries.
Sample Encounter: Rogue 4 / Tanuki Ninja 10 | CR 14
EL whatever: A hostile Tanuki Ninja can appear anywhere and everywhere.
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