#Shinobi (忍)
Assassin. From the Outside Zone to the enemy Rear Zone, from shadow to shadow.
- Role: assassination, scouting, disruption, information warfare
- Core Attributes: Finesse (技), Fate (運)
- Core Zone Entry: free
- Base Class: warrior entrusted with secret missions under a lord. Or a shadow from a clan background.
- Three Ways and Six Hearts: Loyalty or No Heart. Everything for the mission.
- Skills Eligible for Master: Ninjutsu, Infiltration, Lightness Skill, Disable, Disguise, Speed
- Starting Automatic Skills: Ninjutsu Trained, Infiltration Novice, Lightness Skill Novice, Disguise Novice
#Scent — Shadow Techniques
Shinobi are not present on the battlefield — until the enemy finds them. They move in the Outside Zone, suddenly appear in the enemy Rear Zone, and aim for the commander's neck. They avoid frontal combat and break the battlefield's balance with ambush and assassination. As a samurai stands on the battlefield for one person's glory, a shinobi vanishes from the battlefield to become one person's shadow.
The one who plants the banner on the battlefield, and the one who tears it down. Kagura Domain fears Fuma Band for a simple reason — one morning, a commander may wake to find his own head lying beside the pillow. A shinobi's work is not defeating the enemy army, but ending that army before it begins.
Iga-ryu and Koga-ryu shinobi walk different paths. Iga lays Killing Incense (殺人香) — scattering poison mist through a zone and disabling an entire enemy squad. Koga lays traps — the moment the enemy steps there, the spot becomes a grave. Neither fights head-on. The phrase "fair and square" is not in a shinobi's dictionary. It is samurai vanity, and shinobi look only at results.
Yet shinobi are human. The loneliest humans. When the mission ends, they have no identity, no house, no companions. As a shadow cannot exist without light, a shinobi has no reason to exist without a mission. So some shinobi wander after one mission ends, searching for another. Some shinobi meet companions during a mission — and see their own face for the first time. The moment a subordinate of Fuma Kotaro leaves the daughter of an enemy samurai alive, Fuma Band's darkest secret begins.
- Recommended Weapons: ninjato (maintain infiltration), kaiken (assassination), kunai (throwing + melee), shuriken (squad harassment), kodachi (two-sword style)
- Recommended Schools: Iga-ryu (Killing Incense — zone poison mist), Koga-ryu (Trap Chain), no school (self-taught — the most dangerous shinobi)
- Recommended Faction Traits: Fuma Band (Afterimage — shinobi apex), Biu Mountain (combined with illusions), Kagura Domain (official subordinate shinobi)
#Law — Trait List
#1st Dan: Shadow Crossing (影渡り) [aptitude]
[aptitude] Shadow Crossing
Effect: Outside Zone↔anywhere movement for 0 Energy ([Kata]) (1/round). Free entry/exit for the Core Zone.#3rd Dan (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambush (奇襲) | [aptitude] | — | 1/round | first attack while infiltrating: automatic Critical Hit (no check required; true automatic, not Critical Expansion). Replaces basic Ambush, and does not grant additional Defenseless. |
| Poison Hand (毒手) | [aptitude] | — | — | on melee hit, target's next-round Energy -1. |
| Smoke Screen (煙幕) | [Kata] | 1 | 1/round | ranged attacks in the zone automatically fail for 1 round. |
#5th Dan (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clone (分身) | [Kata] | 2 | 1/round | enemy anti-shinobi attacks -3. |
| Vital Strike | [aptitude] | — | — | ambush Critical Hit 2 Wounds→3 Wounds. |
| Information Network | [aptitude] | — | combat start | reveal information on all enemy units. |
#7th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanish | [Kata] | 1 | 1/breath | immediately move to the Outside Zone. Enemies cannot react. |
| Assassin's Eye | [aptitude] | — | — | grant [Pierce 2] to all attacks. |
| Trapmaker | [Kata] | 2 | 1/round | zone trap (on entry, 1 Wound+Defenseless). |
#9th-Dan Advanced Traits (choose 1)
| Trait | Type | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow Clone Technique | [Kata] | 3 | 1/combat | Minion-grade clone (Wounds 1). Independent 3 Energy. |
| One-Hit Kill | [aptitude] | — | 1/combat | first ambush strike: instant death regardless of Wounds (except Commander=4 Wounds). |
| Formless | [aptitude] | — | — | always infiltrating. Maintains it even after attacking (Perception>=17). |
#Typical Breath Pattern (5th Dan)
Shinobi: Energy 13 (10+Finesse 3), kaiken
Count 13 — first breath: Shadow Crossing(0, Outside Zone→enemy Rear Zone) + ambush kaiken thrust(1, automatic Critical Hit 3 Wounds) + Clone(2) = 3 Count 10 — second breath: kaiken thrust(1) + kaiken thrust(1) + Vanish reservation(1) = 3 → remaining Energy: 13 - 3 - 3 = 7 (room for retreat/additional attack)
#Squad Tactics Traits (Shinobi)
Slot Rule: Squad tactics traits are included in the class trait choices for that dan. When choosing 3rd/5th-dan class traits, you may choose a squad tactics trait instead of an ordinary class trait.
Shinobi squad tactics are disruption and information warfare. The goal is not frontal combat, but throwing enemy squads into confusion.
| Trait | Type | Learned Dan | Energy | Limit | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disruption Operation (攪亂作戰) | [Tactic:Kata] | 3rd dan | squad order cost | 1/round | target: 1 enemy squad (adjacent zone). Smoke/guise reduces enemy squad Cohesion by -2. Enemy squad's next attack check -1. |
| Hidden Deployment (潛伏配置) | [Tactic:Stance] | 5th dan | squad order cost | maintain | deploy the squad in infiltration. Revealed by Perception>=13. Until revealed, Domination contribution 0; in exchange, on reveal/release, make an ambush attack (check +3). |
Three Ways and Six Hearts (Squad Tactics): Disruption lies between Demon (cowardly means) and No Heart (victory is the only goal). Hidden Deployment is Loyalty — "for the lord, from where no one can see."
#Zone Bonuses
| Zone | Bonus / Use |
|---|---|
| Outside Zone | shinobi home ground. Enter anywhere with Shadow Crossing for 0 Energy ([Kata]). The only class that can freely enter and leave the Outside Zone. |
| Flank Zone | Infiltration +2, basic ambush possible. With 3rd-dan shinobi [Ambush], automatic Critical Hit. Stepping stone into the enemy Rear Zone. |
| Core Zone | free entry. Dagger flurry + short weapon Combo Fatigue -1. Can infiltrate a boss's lair. |
| Enemy Rear Zone | shinobi hunting ground. Directly targets supply units/standard-bearers/commanders. |
| Front Zone | does not go there. A shinobi standing in the front means the mission has failed. |
#Three Ways and Six Hearts Conflict
The shinobi's core drama is the self of a faceless one.
- Loyalty (Way of Rites): "the lord's secret mission." Shinobi under Kagura Domain, direct Fuma Band agents. The most stable path.
- No Heart (無心): "the mission is the reason to exist." Kill your own emotions and become a tool. The most common endpoint for shinobi.
- Conflict: toward Truth — "who am I?" A shinobi who saw their own face on a mission. A dangerous path toward removing the mask.
- Conflict: toward Compassion — "I cannot kill this person." A shinobi who sees humanity in the mission target. Refusing the mission means their own death.
- Fall: toward Demon — "everything outside the mission is meaningless." A shinobi for whom killing itself has become the purpose. The most frightening enemy.
- Final Conflict: the shinobi's last mission may be to bring down the organization that made them. A Fuma shinobi killing Fuma Kotaro. Is that true freedom, or the final mission?
"I have no name. No face. No yesterday, and no tomorrow. Only — tonight's mission."
#Example Character
→ Kage (Shadow) — Sample Sheet (1st/5th/10th dan + step-by-step backstory)