Ninjas in the dread relms?

[eldervampire]

I read in one of the Quoth the Raven issues about the Role of the Ninja in Ravenloft. I missed out on the development of Rokushima Taiyoo, and I have a few questions.

1) Can anyone tell me where I can get some detailed info ont the Domain?

2) I'm thinking of playing a Ninja PC, has anyone done so and could you give any feedback +/- ?

[ScS of the Fraternity]

Info on that domain is limited. There was some mention of it in RL 3rd edition, the RlDMG and Domains of Dread. In short, the domain is based on the awsome Kirosawa movie "Ran", the japanese version of King Lear. Any foray into Rokushima Taiyoo requires at least one viewing of Ran.

The domain is basically four islands forming a circle around a body of water called Great Mirror Lake. The domain was once an empire formed by a warlord, but when he died his children fought over the empire and tore it asunder. Now the great emporer is a hapless geist, powerless to stop his own sons as they demolish all he built.
Rokushima Taiyoo is a land of constant warfare. The rival shujin constantly battle, making and breaking alliances as the need comes. The samuri of these warlords are little more than thugs, oppressing the poor peasants.
The only recourse the peons have is to turn to the yakuza - bandit gangs who thrive in the chaos of the wars.

[Coan]

ScS has summed it up fairly well. The ninja primarily act as spies and assassins there. Personally I don't see it as well developed as other domains (even islands) and is really open for the DM and players to sculpt it into what they want -which would probably be an Oriental adventure or campaign.

As for Ninja the core class (in Complete Adventurer) it is ok. Not overpowered but with interesting abilities that can be used to deadly effect if you give thought to it. Is it worth buying the book for? No way, but I believe there was a Dragon issue with it in it. A big con to me is that the class doesn't have an improved uncanny dodge (who can sneak up on a ninja?) and Evasion at something like 7th level (while Rogue and Monk get it at 1st or 2nd). So perhaps a little customisation is needed.

For example, I'll be playing in a Planescape campaign one day with a 'modified' ninja (basically we created a new class using parts of the ninja but with take on giving him extra speed).

I am also going to be including a rather interesting ninja NPC into my Ravenloft campaign. But how she is used will be determined by the coming adventures. Her story is so intriguing it is making me want to write the campaign summary so I can explain it...


In short the ninja is a class you really don't want to over do but may need a little 'adjusting' to make it into a 'magical ninja'. But in either case I think they are one of my favourite classes (a more athletic rogue if you will but without the special feats).

[Rotipher of the FoS]

ScS left out one teensy little tidbit of information, that puts a more fantastic spin on the "Ran"-style domain: while there are currently four islands in the domain, each with its own warlord, there used to be more than four. Each time one of the feuding rivals has been killed in battle or assassinated, the island he ruled over "just happens" to have sunk into the sea! So far, the surviving warlords seem to have dismissed this as coincidence -- they're still fighting, after all -- but the peasantry is terrified that yet another warlord's death will doom thousands of innocent souls to the same terrible fate.

[Desertrising]

While I only know what is in the books about Rokushima Taiyoo, I did have a friend play a ninja in Ravenloft from there. It was interesting from a DM perspective because at first I thought a ninja didn't really do well with the gothic atmosphere I was going for. Yet after a couple of sessions with the ninja doing things like using his special hiding abilities and stuff to gaslight one of the main antagonists I found they can lend themselves very well to it when used right.

My two cents.

[Ryan Naylor]

ScS left out one teensy little tidbit of information, that puts a more fantastic spin on the "Ran"-style domain: while there are currently four islands in the domain, each with its own warlord, there used to be more than four. Each time one of the feuding rivals has been killed in battle or assassinated, the island he ruled over "just happens" to have sunk into the sea! So far, the surviving warlords seem to have dismissed this as coincidence -- they're still fighting, after all -- but the peasantry is terrified that yet another warlord's death will doom thousands of innocent souls to the same terrible fate.

Did the Red Box say that? I remember reading the islands sank on the internet somewhere, but I don't remember seeing it in official print.

[JinnTolser]

Yeah, it's on page 39 of the Domains and Denizens book. It says that the name Rokushima Táiyoo translates roughly as "Six Islands of the Sun," and that there used to be two more islands that sank into the Poison Sea when the shujin of each was killed.


*feels helpful*

[Troile]

Ninja sounds like a prestige class to me.

A monk/rogue would fit it well but other class combinations would work too.

Ranger, fighter and sorcerer come to mind.

[Bloody Morgan]

Did the Red Box say that? I remember reading the islands sank on the internet somewhere, but I don't remember seeing it in official print.

I couldn't tell you what the Red Box says, but that's certainly in the 3.0 core book. I actually rather liked it as a description of how much the land is tied to the rulers, even when they're not the Darklords.

Bloody Morgan

[Bluebomber4evr]

Actually, paging through Domains of Dread right now, and I noticed Rokushima Taiyoo is strangely absent...

Anyway, the bit about the islands sinking is a wonderful bit of both tragedy and irony tied to Shinpi Haki's impotence. All the work he put in to forging the islands into one nation under his rule is slowly being undone by his sons--all because he played them against each other and left them less than they felt they deserved. Now, as a geist, the weakest of spirits, he gets to watch as all his hard work is being destroyed, and he is powerless to stop it.

As for ninja not fitting in with a gothic setting, that's just silly. "Gothic" is a state of mind, it refers to a style of describing and portraying a subject (in this case, horror) and isn't necessarily tied to any one culture...it doesn't always have to be vampires with bad eastern European accents.

[Isabella]

Anyone familiar with the Legend of the Five Rings campaign setting could steal some things from there to help fill out the setting.

[Bluebomber4evr]

Anyone familiar with the Legend of the Five Rings campaign setting could steal some things from there to help fill out the setting.

Heh...you know, if Ravenloft were still being produced in-house by WotC like back in the 2nd ed. days (with all the tie-ins to other settings), they probably would have had Rokushima Taiyoo originate from Rokugan. You probably could work some stuff from Legend of the Five Rings/Rokugan rather easily, seeing as how the domain is so underdeveloped.