The Shinobi Arts

As long awaited by the D&D gaming community, a core class ninja made its first appearance in
Dragon #318, written by Jesse Decker. Eventually, it was produced in the pages of Wizards of the Coast's
Complete Adventurer.
However, the gaming community have had many different interpretations of what abilities a ninja
should have. In fact, the ninja core class is probably one of the most controversial topics to hit the gaming
community, since so many have their own views as to what the "real" D&D ninja should be.
The class presented in Complete Adventurer seems to capture most of "basic" elements of a
ninja. If someone wanted more, multiclassing is always available whether into another core class or even
a prestige class. However, for everyone that makes their ideal ninja by multiclassing, there is always one
who prefers not to be forced into losing out on future ninja class abilities because they multiclassed.
Which is why such a person should ideally go the easier route: choosing feats.
Presented below are an array of feats for your ninja to fill in the missing aspect of what you want
your ninja to be. Rather than being forced to multiclass or search for magic items to make your ninja the
way you want it to be, you have an interesting choice of options below to take. They're presented as a
new category of feats known as Ki Power feats, and as such, one would need the ability to use ki powers
in order to take them. Some of these feats, such as Ki Speed or Shadow Silence, are aspects of the ninja
that should've made it as part of the core class, but didn't. Now they can.

Extend Ki Power
Choose a ki power. Its duration is increased
Prerequisites: Wis 13, Concentration 6 ranks, ability to use ki powers
Benefit: Upon taking this feat, the chosen ki power's duration doubles.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken, it either doubles again the duration
of the same ki power or it applies to a different ki power.

Improved Ki Sense
You harness your ki energy to give you supremely heightened senses.
Prerequisites: Wis 19, Ki Sight, Ki Sense, ghost mind class ability, Listen 18 ranks
Benefit: You may use 1 daily use of your ki power as a swift action to gain blindsight 30 ft. for a number
of rounds equal to your class level.

Improved Speed Climb

By manifesting your ki into your body, you're able to climb fast using your supernatural powers. (You just
had the emphasize the lack of speed with the Ninja class!)
Prerequisites: Str 15, Wis 15, Climb 15 ranks, speed climb class ability
Benefit: You do not have to begin and end a round on a horizontal surface when using speed climb.
Normal: You can climb as a move action with no penalty, but must begin and end the round on a
horiztonal surface.

Ki Energy Resistance
By manifesting your ki power, you gain a resistance to a chosen energy type.
Prerequisites: Wis 17, Ki Resistance, ki dodge class ability, Concentration 12 ranks
Benefit: As a swift action, you can expend a daily use of your ki power to gain resistance to a chosen
energy type for as many rounds as your class level. The energy resistance gained is equal to 1 per class
level you have. This does not stack with energy resistance gained from other sources.

Ki Evasion
You use your ki powers to enhance your reflexes instantly in order to avoid danger.
Prerequisites: Dex 15, Wis 15, Ninja level 12th, evasion ability
Benefit: Whenever you're forced to make a Reflex save, you can use one daily use of your ki power as
an immediate action to gain improved evasion for 1 round, until the beginning of your next turn. This
choice can be made after the Reflex save is made, but before the damage result is known.
Special: This feat counts as possessing the improved evasion ability for the purpose of meeting
requirements for other abilities or feats.

Ki Levitate
By manifesting your ki, you can hover above the ground and even concentrate to levitate off the ground.
Prerequisites: Wis 17, Concentration 10 ranks, ghost step (ethereal) class ability
Benefit: As a standard action, you can expend a daily use of your ki power to hover 1 foot above the
ground. This allows you to walk across surfaces such as liquid, quicksand, and others without falling in.
Also, as a move action, you can levitate as per the spell. This ability lasts a number of rounds equal to
your class level.

Ki Magic
You harness your ki energy to give you stronger power with your spells.
Prerequisites: Wis 15, Knowledge (arcana) 8 ranks, Spellcraft 8 ranks, ability to cast spells
Benefit: You may use 1 daily use of your ki power as a swift action to gain a bonus to your caster level
equal to +1 per three class levels for a number of rounds equal to your class levels. The bonus to caster
level may not exceed your character level. Upon using this ability, you choose one spellcasting class that
this will apply to. For it to apply to other spellcasting classes will require another expenditure of your ki
power.

Ki Power Strike
You can bypass damage reduction by channeling your energy into your attacks.
Prerequisites: Wis 15, Concentration 8 ranks, ghost strike class ability
Benefit: As a move action, you can use 1 daily use of your ki power to choose a damage reduction type
(evil, good, adamantine, etc.). You can bypass damage reduction of this type with natural or manufactured
weapons for a number of rounds equal to your class level + Wisdom modifier. You can expend more ki
power uses to bypass more than one type of damage reduction. For example, if you expend 3 daily uses
as a standard action, you can choose silver, magic, and adamantine damage reduction to bypass for the
duration.
Special: You can only choose to bypass damage reduction epic when you're character level has reached
21st.

Ki Resistance
Choose a saving throw type. You can channel your ki to gain a resistance bonus to.
Prerequisites: Wis 13, ki dodge class ability, Concentration 8 ranks
Benefit: As a swift action, you can expend a daily use of your ki power to gain a resistance bonus to the
chosen saving throw type equal to your Wisdom modifier (maximum of +5). This lasts a number of rounds
equal to your class level.
Special: You can take this feat multiple times. Each time it is taken you can choose a different saving
throw type to enhance when expending your ki power. Taking it a third time gives you access to all three
types of saves.

Ki Sense
You harness your ki energy to give you heightened senses and an outstanding ability to detect the
presence of creatures around you.
Prerequisites: Wis 17, Ki Sight, ghost strike class ability, Listen 12 ranks
Benefit: You may use 1 daily use of your ki power as a swift action to gain blindsense 30 ft. for a number
of rounds equal to your class level.

Ki Sight
By manifesting your ki you can see your opponent in any form of concealment.
Prerequisites: Wis 15, ghost strike class ability, Spot 10 ranks
Benefit: As a swift action, you can expend a daily use of your ki power to negate the miss chance from
any form of concealment for 1 round.
Ki Speed
By manifesting your ki into your body, you're able to run as fast as ninja legends state.
Prerequisites: Wis 13, great leap class ability, Tumble 6 ranks
Benefit: As a swift action, you can expend a daily use of your ki power to gain an enhancement bonus to
your speed equal to a monk of the same level. This lasts for a number of rounds equal to your class level,
a number of minutes equal to your class level if 2 ki power uses are expended, or 10 minutes per class
level if 3 ki power uses are expended.

Ki Skill
Choose two skills. Your ninja training grants you improved efficiency with these skills also.
Prerequisites: Int 13, Wis 15, acrobatics +2 class ability, 8 ranks in the skills chosen
Benefit: You gain the same bonuses to the chosen skills as you would from your acrobatics class ability.
Special: This feat can be taken multiple times. Each time it is taken it applies to two different skills.

Shadow Silence
Your movement betrays no hint of sound or sight through intense stealth training, force of will, and the
energy of your ki.
Prerequisites: Dex 17, Hide 15 ranks, Move Silently 15 ranks
Benefit: You may use 1 daily use of your ki power as a swift action to gain the ability to take 10 on Hide
and Move Silently checks. By spending two uses of ki power you also gain the Hide in Plain Sight ability
similar to that of a shadowdancer. These abilties last for as many rounds as your class level.

SIDEBAR
Ki Focus [Psionic]
You harness your ki energy to immediately acquire psionic focus.
Prerequisites: Wis 15, Psionic Meditation, psionic subtype
Benefit: You may use 1 daily use of your ki power as a swift action to gain psionic focus automatically,
without the need of a Concentration check.

(Very tight if all it does is eliminate the concentration check needed, If this means that psionic focus in
itself if obtain with a simple free action, then its broken. Requirements should be alot higher if thats the
case, but im sure it isn't i read it right.)

Ki Psionics [Psionic]
You harness your ki energy to give you stronger power with your psionic powers.
Prerequisites: Wis 15, Knowledge (psionics) 8 ranks, Psicraft 8 ranks, ability to manifest psionic powers
Benefit: You may use 1 daily use of your ki power as a swift action to gain a bonus to your manifester
level equal to +1 per three character levels for a number of rounds equal to your class levels. he bonus to
caster level may not exceed you character level. Upon using this ability, you choose one manifesting
class that this will apply to. For it to apply to other manifesting classes will require another expenditure of
your ki power.