Ninja (FiD)

Starfox's Blades in the Dark fan page

A ninja uses magic inversely to most other magicians. Instead of channeling power through themselves into the world, they create a magical emptiness which ambient magic will seek to fill. This method is very discreet, emphasizing the ninja's stealthy mindset.

As a ninja you are a stealthy shadow, rarely revealing your powers except to your inner circle. Trying to conceal your ninja identity from your crew is a bad idea, as trust relies on openness.

Ninja and Chi are opposite sides of the same coin, ninja are the Yin to the Yang of Chi. The two traditions are similar in their focus on the self, but different in outlook and code of honor. Where Chi is direct and strive to be ideals, ninja obfuscate themselves and seek inner balance.

Many fictional ninja have abilities from other playbooks, a ninja focusing on gadgets might be a Savant and a ninja focusing on personal combat might be a Weapon Master in addition to the role as ninja. In a ninja clan, such specialists might forego the ninja playbook entirely to focus on their specialized roles, just picking up the Prowl action to be able to join operations.

This playbook is inspired by fictional ninja with mystic powers. As a ninja you might be known as a lin kuei, shadow warrior, assassin, or shinobi.

Touchstones: Ninja Scroll (1993), Naruto (2002–2007), Daredevil (2003), Doctor Strange (2016).

Trauma Condition—Void

Finger signs and meditation are used to invoke magic on yourself silently, but using magic on others requires you to verbalize loudly enough to be heard by the target when you release the power. This is a simple word, usually the name for the Form you are using. To utilize ninja arts, your presence must melt away and create a void that magic can fill. You constantly minimize your own presence, something that soon becomes second nature, making magic affecting yourself quick and silent. Creating a magical void outside yourself takes time and requires a word of activation. Affecting something you touch requires a few seconds and a whispered word—feasible during stealth but risky in combat. A target further away takes a full minute, making magic like this useless except against an entirely unaware opponent. You can use powers at range as a part of an ambush, as your word only comes at the very end.

Special Abilities

When a special ability refers to Area, Duration, or Range, these are based on your tier, see page 221.

1. Motion Veil: You may expend your Special Armor to resist a consequence that would allow others to notice you, or to push yourself for a feat of speed or acrobatics.
2. Power Veil: You and your powers are difficult to detect, and you are difficult to detect using powers. This reduces effect or improves your position by two steps against supernatural detection. This has no effect on mundane observation.
3. Reaching Veil: You use powers and special abilities as if you were touching any target within a number of meters equal to your tier +1.
4. Shadow Veil: Create an illusory duplicate within Range, taking level 1 harm "Shadow Drain." This harm only affects ranged powers but can knock you out with repeated use. The clone acts as a Cohort expert (trickster) (p 96), cannot attack or interact physically, and lasts for the Duration or until dispelled, defeated, or struck by sunlight. Common uses:
   • Assist (p 134) on stealth, misdirection, or sneak attacks, potentially taking consequences.
   • Protect (p 135) someone, sacrificing its existence.
5. Shroud Veil: You can touch an item affected by a Power, Ritual or that is an Alchemical, Gadget or Magic item to suppress its operation for a minute. This is mainly useful to bypass locks and alarms created by powers, but can also weaken powers and potent weapons used against you. Improves your position when confronting the powers of things you can reach out to touch.
6. Sound Veil: Anyone you attack in melee is momentarily silenced, the sounds they make swallowed by the void within you. This improves position in connection with sneak attacks and changes the type of consequences you suffer with such an attack, reducing the chance of alarm.
7. Vision Veil: At the start of an encounter, you can begin in hiding if concealment is within Range. When resisting an enemy attack, you can move within the Area, leaving behind a token like a hat or coat. If you reach concealment, you become hidden.
8. Powers: Air, Animal, Barrier, Darkness, Death, Earth, Electricity, Fire, Ice, Flux, Illusion, Kinesis, Life, Light, Metal, Mind, Order, Plant, Space, Time, and Water.

Influential Shadows

˄ ˅ Daiyu, an informant.

˄ ˅ Jian, a wandering monk.

˄ ˅ Kazuo, a rival shadow warrior.

˄ ˅ Lin of many faces, a spy.

˄ ˅ Yun Wei, a schemer.

Inventory

◯, ◯, ◯ Darklight Goggles.

☐ Darklight Lantern.

☐ Fine Burglary Gear.

☐ Light Camping Gear.

• Darklight Goggles ◯: Goggles that let you see in the invisible light of a Darklight Lamp. Vision is sepia-tinted. Gadget.
• Darklight Lantern ☐: A lantern that emits invisible light. Gadget.
• Fine Burglary Gear ☐: A set of lockpicks. A small pry-bar. Vials of oil to silence squeaky hinges. A coil of wire and fishing hooks. A small pouch of fine sand. Refined for your use to give increased effect.
• Light Camping Gear ☐: Bedroll, cooking pot, tarpaulin, fishing line, snares, all personalized and chosen to be lightweight. This gear allows a single downtime action when camping. Lacking camping gear does not allow any effective rest.

XP

• Every time you roll a desperate action, mark xp in that action's attribute.

At the end of each session, for each item below, mark 1 xp (in your playbook or an attribute) or 2 xp if that item occurred multiple times.

• You addressed a challenge with stealth or stillness.
• You expressed your beliefs, drives, heritage, or background.
• You struggled with issues from your vice or traumas during the session.

Starting Actions

Finesse 1

Prowl 2

4 points by choice, no higher than 2 in any one.