Fuuma Ninja (3.5e Prestige Class)

Fuuma Ninja
"The Fuuma clan? Some old child's tale, too keep them from running away. You'd be a fool to believe in that."

Whispered in the shadows and held in utmost secrecy, the Fuuma are perhaps the most secretive organization in the world (whatever your world is). The Fuuma are the philosophical descendants of those who first denied the god's right to rule, who turned their back on the idea of a kingdom founded by meddling deities. The ultimate goal fo the Fuuma is to overthrow the rule of the gods and the caste system they have built, returning the true power to the hands of the ordinary man. Only through subtlety can they accomplish their dark goals, and only through secrecy can they survive. The Fuuma's Final Solution is a complex thing (though it most certainly has nothing to do with Hitler), known only to the Kyosho hidden away in the organization's secret temple. The Fuuma don't care about the means they must use to achieve their ultimate goal, but only the glorious ends.

In the meantime, the Fuuma expand their power through stealth, espionage, and assassination. The Fuuma offer their services to those who can pay their price, and often only ask for a bit of information or a political favor in return. If anyone knew their true purpose, even the most evil lord would not associate with them. Luckily, the Fuuma are quite skilled at what they do, and one can never know for certain who is a Fuuma ninja and who is not...

Becoming a Fuuma Ninja
Rogues and similar classes make excellent Fuuma Ninja, but fighers and samurai with the proper skills make even more potent operatives. The Fuuma value the teachings of Nonemu (or some other dead monk dude), but few monks join the Fuuma. Many find it hard to balance the teachings of the Way with brainwashing and assassination. Spellcasters join the Fuuma even more rarely, though it is not unheard of.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Fuuma ninja.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Fuuma ninja gain no proficiency with any weapons or armor.

The Fuuma ninja has allies throughout the Empire/Nation/World, often in the most unlikely of places. The agent may use his Forgery Skill (DC 15) to leave a signal that only another Fuuma ninja would understand (a symbol painted on a wall, a certain sort of tree burning at a certain time of day, etc.). This symbol can effectively transmit a message of up to seven words. Whether another Fuuma decides to give a crap and offer assistance is another matter.

Non-Fuuma ninja can attempt to decipher what the signal means, but doing so requires a Decipher Script check (DC 10 + The Fuuma ninja's ranks in Forgery + The Fuuma ninja's class level). Fuuma ninja need not make the check, for they have learned what the different signs mean.



This ability may be chosen multiple times.

This ability may be chosen multiple times.



This ability may be chose multiple times.

The Fuuma ninja may hide even while being observed. This ability does not remove the -10 penalty for moving at full speed, or the -20 penalty for running or fighting.

As long as he has access to ropes, flexible material like green wood, and weapon-grade materials like sharpened wooden sticks or steel weapons, he can build an improvised trap in 10 minutes. He can build any non-magical trap on the "CR 1" trap list that doesn't involve a pit. These traps have a Search DC equal to 20 + the Fuuma ninja's level, have a BAB equal to his own, and are always single-use traps. He may add poison to these traps, if he has access to it, but it will dry out in an hour.

This may be taken multiple times.

If he already possesses evasion, it upgrades into improved evasion. This may be taken multiple times.

If he already possesses uncanny dodge, it upgrades into improved uncanny dodge (again, as per the rogue ability).

A Fuuma ninja who chooses this ability gains the special class features of any class he chooses, equal to his character level. He does not gain any proficiencies, spellcasting or manifesting ability, or previous abilities of the class he chooses, nor can he choose the abilities of a prestige class. The Fuuma ninja does not recieve the base attack bonus or saves of the chosen class, either. This ability may be taken mutiple times.

''*Example: Kotaro, a human rogue 3/Fuuma ninja 4, decides he wants to gain the special abilities of an assassin so that he can act as a better killer. His total level is 7, so while he gains the saves and base attack bonus increases of a 4th level Fuuma ninja, he gains the special abilities of a 7th level assassin, granting him the Full Death Attack ability, and +11d6 worth of Death Attack damage. He does not gain any of the assassin's spellcasting, and neither does he gain any previous abilities of the assassin, such as uncanny dodge, cloak of discretion, palm weapon, etc.''

 (Ex): As a rogue. A Fuuma ninja's sneak attack damage stacks with sneak attack damage gained from another source.

 (Ex): At 3rd level, the Fuuma ninja gains an additional save (as per Slippery Mind) and a +4 bonus against all enchantments and mind-affecting effects.

 (Su): At 6th level, the Fuuma ninja has learned the secret techniques used to activate Fuuma sleeper agents. With a single word (and a standard action) the ninja may command all sleeper agents within the range of his voice to obey his will. All sleepers present must make a Will save (DC 10 + Fuuma inja's class level + Fuuma ninja's Charisma modifier) or fall under the ninja's control. This is identical to a charm person spell, except that self destructive orders will be obeyed if the Fuuma ninja succeeds in an opposed Charisma check. The Fuuma ninja gains a circumstance bonus equal to his level on all opposed Charisma checks to control a sleeper.

Sleepers obey the ninja for a number of hours equal to his Fuuma ninja level, though he may renew his control as a standard action when the time is up. A ninja may control a maximum number of sleepers equal to his Charisma modifier at one time (he may release sleepers prematurely if he wishes to command others). When the ninja's control fades, sleepers lose all memory of any activities they performed while under his control unless the ninja controlling them wishes otherwise. Two Fuuma ninja giving the same sleeper contradictory commands cause the sleeper to simply stand in one place and do nothin.

The best sleepers are those unaware that they are sleepers. Any individual who is consciously aware that he is a Fuuma sleeper gains a +4 moral bonus to all Will saves and Charisma checks to resis the effect.

This ability only works on those previously programmed to be Fuuma sleepers. To determine whether there are any sleepers in an area, the Fuuma ninja must make a Knowledge (local) check. Depending on the result, he gains more information.

If the Fuuma ninja rolls anything below a 10, he may retry the check the next hour. Should there be no sleepers in the area, a roll above 25 tells the nearest town or city that does contain Fuuma sleeper agents. Alternatively, the Fuuma Ninja could just walk around the city, saying the command word every standard action, and wait for someone to activate...

 (Ex): At 10th level, the ninja is a true master of the Fuuma's techniques, and can create sleeper agents.

Creating a sleeper agent is a long and difficult process, requiring at least one day per character level of the subject. The Fuuma ninja must spend at least 12 hours each day indoctrinating the potential sleeper in the philosophies and directives of the fuuma, and the potential sleeper must have no other human contact during this time. At the end of this period, the Fuuma must expend 50 Experience Points per character level of the subject, and the subject makes a Will save (DC 10 + Fuuma ninja's Charisma modifier + Fuuma ninja's class level). If the potential sleeper fails this save, he has become a sleeper agent. The Fuuma ninja expends experiences whether or not the process is successful.

If unsuccessful, the ninja may immediately try again, beginning another period of deprogramming and brainwashin for a number of days equal to the subject's level. At the end of this time, he must expend XP once more, but the DC of the subject's Will save is increased by 2.

A Fuuma ninja is free to use torture, threats, or coercion to encourage a subject to voluntarily fail his Will save, but many Fuuma frown upon this, relying instead on the purity of their philosophy and their natural persuasive talents. (Then again, most Fuuma are extremely practical people and don't cringe away from a bit of torture.

Once indoctrinated as a sleeper, the process is permanent, and only a wish, miracle, or years of rest and rehabilitation can revert the effects. When released from the programming, the sleeper forgets the entire process and generally returns to his normal life. Thereafter, the Fuuma ninja can command the sleeper using the Activate Sleeper ability described above.

The Fuuma ninja may create sleepers that will obey only his commands, rather than that of any other ninja's.

Ex-Fuuma Ninja
Fuuma ninja who disobey the will of the Fumma or leave the organization no longer progress in levels as a Fuuma ninja, though they may use their abilities freely. Former ninja of the Fuuma are swiftly assassinated or, if that is impossible, blackmailed into submission to protect the organization's secrecy.

Playing a Fuuma Ninja
Combat: Fuuma ninja are not the most combat-oriented of classes, but good use of their Fuuma abilities can turn them into terrifying combatants or stealthy assassins. A Fuuma ninja on an important mission will most likely bring any sleepers in the are along, even if they just act as meat shields.

Advancement: Most Fuuma ninja multiclass as fighters or perhaps a stealthy, assassination oriented class.

Resources: The most obvious resources of the Fuuma ninja are his Secret Brotherhood and the ability to Activate Sleepers. A lone Fuuma ninja can expect assisstence from his clan-mates by going to their local power base, but a Fuuma ninja with friends is forbidden from revealing any of the organization's locations or that he is a Fuuma ninja, something which makes PCs with Fuuma ninja levels infuriated.

Fuuma Ninja in the World
"Oh sure, of course there's a secret organization of sneaky ninja running around forcing people to do what they want and then forgetting about. Get real; that's just your paranoia talking."

The Fuuma ninja are the great string pullers, the spiders in the middle of a vast web of intrigue and politics, slowly advancing on its goal. They make great recurring enemies, even if, in the beginning, the PCs have no idea what the Fuuma's Final Solution is about. If a PC joins the Fuuma clan, it could cause complications in the future if he disagrees with their dogma, or if his friends disagree with his allegiance.

NPC Reactions: NPCs react to a Fuuma ninja according to whatever he acts like. If he is a samurai, they react to him like a samurai, and so on and so forth. NPCs who are not Fuuma ninja themselves should never be aware that a Fuuma ninja is, in fact, a Fuuma ninja.

Fuuma Ninja Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Local) can research Fuuma Ninja to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs. Of course, all of the information about the Fuuma is decidedly vague.

Fuuma Ninja in the Game
Fuuma are excellent opponents when accompanied by several sleepers, especially if the PCs know one of the sleepr agents (or the Fuuma ninja).

Adaptation: Just change the name and they'll work for just about anywhere.

Sample Encounter: Don't got any.

EL -: I don't have any.