Shadow Sun Ninja [Archive] - Wizards Community

Shadow Sun Ninja [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DragonGhoula
07-17-07, 01:25 PM Hey Everybody,
So, does anyone have any experience with this prestige class from ToB, and, as a question for those who do, why does every ability they gain have an opposite, except their keystone ability at 10th? I love this aspect of the class, but why isn't there a 'light' form along with the 'dark' form? Anyone have ideas?
Marcus Majarra
07-17-07, 10:52 PM Actually, none of the abilities of the Shadow Sun Ninja are exactly opposed to other abilities. The class abilities are based around the idea that the character must balance both his light and dark sides. For most of the abilities, this balance is inherent in the ability, including the capstone 10th-level ability, which grants the Ninja the strengths of both the living and the unliving.

The class is wonderful in flavor and can be very interesting in mechanics, in the hand of an experienced player. It's very much essential to anyone wanting to perform the most powerful Tornado Throw out there: Swordsage 3 / Monk 2 / Shadow Sun Ninja 10 / +2 levels of either Swordsage or Master of Nine, with Quicksilver Motion and Tornado Throw. Basically, you get 210 feet of movement in one round, with up to 14 throw attempts (with a bonus starting at +30 and ending as high as +84).
Tempest Stormwind
07-18-07, 07:44 PM (Note that the "most powerful" Tornado Throw actually involves the Ruby Knight Vindicator and Divine Metamagic (and, last I checked, involved moving something like 20,000 miles in the round -- the speed is high enough to make a standing jump through the troposphere), but the strongest it can get without divine magic (i.e. what any sane DM would allow) is pretty close to what Marcus is suggesting.)

Every ability *is* its own opposite, really.
Touch of the Shadow Sun can steal life (dark) and bestow life (light).
Flame of the Shadow Sun can absorb frigid energy (dark) and release it in a burst of flame (light).
Light within Darkness allows you to hide as normal (dark) only to emerge in a blinding flash (light).
Darkness within Light allows you to blind yourself (dark) but still "see" around you (light).
Void of the Shadow Sun lets you call upon a shield of light (light) that releases a blast of shadow if beaten (dark).
Child of Shadow and Light alternates between emitting a corona of light (light) and blanketing an area in shade (dark).
Balance of Light and Dark lets you change into "a creature of pure darkness" (dark), but its abilities come with such a great cost that you are forced to call upon it only in times of great need (that is, balancing it with the "light" you linger in most of the time -- Shadow Sun Ninjas must be Good, after all.). You can think of Balance of Light and Dark's "light" side being the moderation needed to use it and survive -- if you go whole hog with it, the darkness isn't balanced with the light, and it consumes you. (Incidentally, if it does consume you, the vampire it produces (a creature of darkness) lacks the classical vulnerability to sunlight, likely due to the dualistic nature of the creature it was in life.)

Incidentally, in both of my current games, we have no dedicated healers (we have an ardent with Touch of Life in one and a chameleon in the other, but those aren't anywhere near "healer" caliber unless they REALLY dump everything into it). However, in both, we have a Shadow Sun Ninja. Touch of the Shadow Sun does roughly 80% of our healing, and it does it quite well. (It also lets us break the box of the heavily armored cleric being the party healer. In one of our games, it's the lightly-armored "rogue", and in the other it's the chain-throwing "tank/scout".) I consider this a very good thing, challenging assumptions.
DragonGhoula
07-18-07, 09:03 PM Thank you both for your replies, and after some 'consideration' i believe that I am either going to play a 'shapeshifter' (Theriomorph?) or a Shadow Sun Ninja. Thanks a lot for your help! :)

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DragonGhoula 07-17-07, 01:25 PM	Hey Everybody, So, does anyone have any experience with this prestige class from ToB, and, as a question for those who do, why does every ability they gain have an opposite, except their keystone ability at 10th? I love this aspect of the class, but why isn't there a 'light' form along with the 'dark' form? Anyone have ideas?
Marcus Majarra 07-17-07, 10:52 PM	Actually, none of the abilities of the Shadow Sun Ninja are exactly opposed to other abilities. The class abilities are based around the idea that the character must balance both his light and dark sides. For most of the abilities, this balance is inherent in the ability, including the capstone 10th-level ability, which grants the Ninja the strengths of both the living and the unliving. The class is wonderful in flavor and can be very interesting in mechanics, in the hand of an experienced player. It's very much essential to anyone wanting to perform the most powerful Tornado Throw out there: Swordsage 3 / Monk 2 / Shadow Sun Ninja 10 / +2 levels of either Swordsage or Master of Nine, with Quicksilver Motion and Tornado Throw. Basically, you get 210 feet of movement in one round, with up to 14 throw attempts (with a bonus starting at +30 and ending as high as +84).
Tempest Stormwind 07-18-07, 07:44 PM	(Note that the "most powerful" Tornado Throw actually involves the Ruby Knight Vindicator and Divine Metamagic (and, last I checked, involved moving something like 20,000 miles in the round -- the speed is high enough to make a standing jump through the troposphere), but the strongest it can get without divine magic (i.e. what any sane DM would allow) is pretty close to what Marcus is suggesting.) Every ability is its own opposite, really. Touch of the Shadow Sun can steal life (dark) and bestow life (light). Flame of the Shadow Sun can absorb frigid energy (dark) and release it in a burst of flame (light). Light within Darkness allows you to hide as normal (dark) only to emerge in a blinding flash (light). Darkness within Light allows you to blind yourself (dark) but still "see" around you (light). Void of the Shadow Sun lets you call upon a shield of light (light) that releases a blast of shadow if beaten (dark). Child of Shadow and Light alternates between emitting a corona of light (light) and blanketing an area in shade (dark). Balance of Light and Dark lets you change into "a creature of pure darkness" (dark), but its abilities come with such a great cost that you are forced to call upon it only in times of great need (that is, balancing it with the "light" you linger in most of the time -- Shadow Sun Ninjas must be Good, after all.). You can think of Balance of Light and Dark's "light" side being the moderation needed to use it and survive -- if you go whole hog with it, the darkness isn't balanced with the light, and it consumes you. (Incidentally, if it does consume you, the vampire it produces (a creature of darkness) lacks the classical vulnerability to sunlight, likely due to the dualistic nature of the creature it was in life.) Incidentally, in both of my current games, we have no dedicated healers (we have an ardent with Touch of Life in one and a chameleon in the other, but those aren't anywhere near "healer" caliber unless they REALLY dump everything into it). However, in both, we have a Shadow Sun Ninja. Touch of the Shadow Sun does roughly 80% of our healing, and it does it quite well. (It also lets us break the box of the heavily armored cleric being the party healer. In one of our games, it's the lightly-armored "rogue", and in the other it's the chain-throwing "tank/scout".) I consider this a very good thing, challenging assumptions.
DragonGhoula 07-18-07, 09:03 PM	Thank you both for your replies, and after some 'consideration' i believe that I am either going to play a 'shapeshifter' (Theriomorph?) or a Shadow Sun Ninja. Thanks a lot for your help! :)