Urthborn Ninja
by Zed

Class: Assassin
Tag: None.

Introduction

At some time in the distant past, a small band of Ninja from another plane of existence were by some unknown means transported to Sanctuary. Though these Ninja are clannish and secretive, they nevertheless have persisted to this day. In ability and temperament they are remarkably similar to the Assassins trained by the Vizjerei, but their arts are completely devoid of magic, and they rely instead on stealth and on chemical devices to achieve their goals. Unlike the Mage Slayers they are not above assassination for profit and political influence, but above all else they are concerned with the preservation of their shroud of secrecy and their way of life.

Mercenary Rules

Urthborn Ninja tend to prefer solitude when on a mission, but sometimes they will accept companionship to achieve a common goal. Thus, they will not employ a mercenary, but will adventure cooperatively with others. Ninja don't duel; rather, they settle their differences with a sharp object in the back.

Items

Armours
In the interest of stealth, they will only use leather-based or lighter armours, including exceptional and elite versions.

Shields
Urthborn Ninja do not use shields; they consider shields to be gear for use in battle, not for missions of stealth.

Weapons
All Ninja are trained to use anything that comes to hand as a weapon, including thrown potions.

Enchantments
Additionally, Urthborn Ninja are distrustful of magic (look where it got them!) and do not use magical items; instead they use non-magical gear they make themselves, with special materials or craftsmanship that provides a similar benefit. Purely magical items, such as rings, amulets, charms, and ethereal items, are banned outright; otherwise, the following attributes can be found on their equipment:

Weapons: (Physical) +AR, +Damage, +Min Damage, + Max Damage, +Weapon Speed, -Item Requirements, Deadly Strike, Crushing Blow, Open Wounds, Knockback, Ignore Target Defense, -Target Defense, Adds Sockets, Increased Quantity, Increased Durability
(Chemical) +Poison Damage, Prevent Monster Heal, Hit Blinds Target, Hit Causes Monster to Flee (Hallucinogen), Hit Slows Target (Paralytic)
(Exceptions) +Fire damage allowed on Bows/Xbows (Fire Arrows) or Clubs (Torches) only. Other attributes may be possible if they could reasonably be considered non-magical.

Armour: +Defense, +Resists (any), +Hit Recovery, +Damage Reduction, Poison Length Reduction, Freeze Length Reduction, +Attacker takes damage, -Item Requirements, Adds Sockets, Increased Durability. +Run/Walk and +Heal Stamina allowed on boots only.

Skills

Urthborn Ninja are not magically trained and are therefore not as versatile as the Mage Slayer clans. Nevertheless they have mastery of a variety of non-magical skills whose secrets have been handed down over generations.

Martial Arts Tree
Tiger Strike, Dragon Tail, and Dragon Claw

Traps Tree
Fire Bomb (Fire Blast; Chemical Weapon), Blade Fury (Throwing Stars)

Shadow Disciplines Tree
Burst of Speed (Heightened Reflexes), Venom (Poisoned Weapon; Chemical), Claw Mastery, Weapon Block, Shadow Warrior (Ninja Apprentice), Cloak of Shadows (Stealth/Smoke Bomb Chemical).

Assassination Quests

Some Urthborn Ninja are so skilled as to have legendary powers, such as invisibility or the ability to confuse enemies. Only those Ninja who have proven their ability to assassinate the most well-guarded of foes are likely to be able to gain any prowess in such legendary feats.

In order to gain these abilities in Sanctuary, an Urthborn Ninja must assassinate an Act Boss while disturbing as few of his guards as possible. They must perform this task alone and without any outside help.

On Normal difficulty, this will grant the ability to use a single skill other than those described in the skill section, and one not requiring a clvl of more than 6. Repeating this on Nightmare after having assassinated all Act Bosses on Normal earns the ability to use a second restricted skill of up to clvl 18, and repeating this on Hell after having assassinated all Act Bosses on Nightmare earns the ability to use a third restricted skill of any clvl. In Nightmare, all tasks must have been completed on Normal. In Hell, all tasks must have been completed on Nightmare.

The tasks are as follows.

1) Assassinate Andariel
No other monsters on in Andariel's Throne Room may be killed. If successful, the chosen skill may be gotten at slvl 1.

2) Assassinate Duriel
Must have assassinated Andariel. No monsters in the True Tomb may be killed. If successful, the chosen skill may be raised to at most slvl 3.

3) Assassinate Mephisto
Must have assassinated Duriel. No monsters on Durance 3 may be killed, except optionally Maffer, Wyand, and/or Bremm. If successful, the chosen skill may be raised to at most slvl 6.

4) Assassinate Diablo
Must have assassinated Mephisto. None of the seal boss packs except the bosses themselves may be killed. If successful, the chosen skill may be raised to at most slvl 10.

5) Assassinate Baal
Must have assassinated Diablo. At the Throne of Destruction, none of the monsters other than Baal's minions may be killed. If successful, chosen skill may be raised to slvl 20.

6) Heirlooms
"Whether Heirlooms crafted by the Urthborn Ninja are in fact magical, or simply exceedingly clever natural creations, has never been discovered. As each Heirloom is uniquely crafted, and the secrets of their creation almost invariably go to the grave with their creators, a definite answer to the question is not likely to be forthcoming. It seems probable, however, that those Ninja with "legendary abilities" are somehow tapping into the natural magical potential all beings in Sanctuary have, despite their lack of any kind of formal training, and seemingly entirely without their own knowledge -- and given that supposition, it is not a great stretch to further conclude that they are able to then imbue their creations with magical powers under certain circumstances, when their own essence is suffused with the energy of vanquishing a great foe or accomplishing a great feat." -- Drognan of Lut Gholein (Forgotten Peoples of Sanctuary, vol. VI, ch. 3)

Urthborn Ninja of legendary prowess also often have the ability to create items of great power, exceeding those crafted by their normal means. Examples include weapons so sharp and strong they can cut through stone, but such items can in fact take any form. A Ninja who has completed all five assassinations on a given difficulty level can craft and use one item with any properties they desire; this heirloom must be marked with the creator's name (personalized.) This item need not be crafted immediately after having assassinated the last Act Boss for that difficulty level, however. Additionally, an Urthborn Ninja may receive a single heirloom from a parent for their own use; however if so then they forfeit the right to create one for themselves after Normal difficulty.

Playing the Ninja

Urthborn Ninja have several challenges due to their restrictions. For instance, a pure melee approach is problematic as they don't have a lot of defense due to their lack of heavy armour and shield, and can't boost their HP with gear. This might make it tempting to go for a missile weapon; however, that route is fraught with a lack of ability to get AR. Additionally, a mana-reliant route is troubled by an inability to leech mana or get extra mana from equipment. This means that, rather than relying on one simple strategy, Urthborn Ninja must use all the resources at their disposal, and know when each is appropriate, in order to survive.