Shinobi (..Ninja part Deux!)

I’m not fond of the current Ninja implementation, yet I don’t want to “rock the boat” by suggesting a total overhaul ..and at the same time I can understand the Ki invisibility “draw” that the class provides.
So instead let me suggest another base class – the Shinobi.

SHINOBI
The Shinobi is a covert warrior-mercenary often contracted for special guarding, espionage, sabotage, targeted theft, troop support, and occasionally assassination. The only loyalty he displays is with the express terms of each contract. He achieves the terms of his contracts through stealth and disguise, a broad range of weapons and devices, and the natural order of The Nine Cuts – a form of divine magic. The Nine Cuts emphasizes personal improvement for the Shinobi rather than any direct action to harm others, nor is it generally designed to summon additional support. While the Shinobi’s magic is important, his martial training is just as important. His style of martial training emphasizes “a quick beginning and a quick ending”. He knows that most contracts place him in enemy territory; a protracted fight with no hope for reinforcement is a quick death. Likewise, even incurring light wounds often results in death – hindering his chance of escape well behind enemy lines. The Shinobi’s resolution to these problems? Never be seen for what you are. Always be the start of any attack. Finish any attack as if it never started. Never get hit.

Class Features

HD: d8
BAB: Medium
High Saves: Fortitude, Will
Weapon proficiency: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons, Exotic Weapons.
Armor proficiency: Light Armor.

Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft Alchemy, Craft Traps, Craft Weapon, Craft Armor, Disable Device, Diplomacy, Hide, Intimidate, Listen, Lore, Move Silently, Open Lock, Search, Set Trap, Spot, Survival, Tumble, and Use Magic Device.
Skill points: (6 + Int modifier) x 4 at first level

Class Abilities

Level 1: Ki pool, Shinobi Spell Progression, Stealthy.
Level 2: Intuitive Attack, New Feat: Glass Shard (1d4 Acid, 1 time a day - 4 rounds).
Level 3: Shinobi Aikido +1 AC , Weapon Focus (selectable from: Dagger, Kama, Kukri, Mace, Rapier, Short Sword, and Sickle).
Level 4: Glass Shard (1d6 Acid, 1 time a day - 6 rounds), Poison Use.
Level 5: Weapon Focus Greater.
Level 6: +1 AC, Glass Shard (1d6 Acid, 2 times a day - 6 rounds)
Level 7: New Feat: Intuitive Strike (similar to Insightful Strike, but based on Wisdom modifier, stacks with Insightful Strike and Elegant Strike).
Level 8: Glass Shard (1d8 Acid, 2 times a day - 8 rounds).
Level 9: +1 AC, Brew Potion.
Level 10: Glass Shard 5 (2d6 Acid, 2 times a day - 10 rounds).
Level 11: New Feat: Improved Brew Potion (potions cost 50% less to make).
Level 12: +1 AC, Glass Shard (2d6 Acid, 3 times a day - 10 rounds)
Level 13: New Feat: Imbiber (a potion can be consumed as a free action within a round)
Level 14: Glass Shard (2d8, 3 times a day - 12 rounds), New Feat: Skilled Strike (similar to Insightful Strike, but based on Dexterity modifier, stacks with Intuitive Strike, Insightful Strike, and even Elegant Strike).
Level 15: +1 AC.
Level 16: Glass Shard (3d6, 3 times a day - 14 rounds),
Level 17: Evasion.
Level 18: +1 AC, Glass Shard (3d6 Acid, 4 times a day - 14 rounds).
Level 19: Defensive Roll.
Level 20: Glass Shard (3d8 Acid, 4 times a day - 16 rounds).
Level 21: +1 AC, Crippling Strike
Level 22: Glass Shard (4d6 Acid, 4 times a day - 18 rounds).
Level 23: Bonus Epic Feat
Level 24: +1 AC, Glass Shard (4d6, 5 times a day - 18 rounds)
Level 25: Improved Evasion
Level 26: Bonus Epic Feat, Glass Shard (4d8 Acid, 5 times a day - 20 rounds)
Level 27: +1 AC
Level 28: Glass Shard (5d8 Acid, 5 times a day - 22 rounds)
Level 29: Bonus Epic Feat `
Level 30: +1 AC, Glass Shard (5d8 Acid, 6 times a day - 22 rounds)

Shinobi Spell Progression: Identical to the Bard class, but based on Wisdom as the Bard’s is based on Charisma.

Shinobi (magical device and The Nine Cuts) Spell list:

Cantrips:
Acid Splash, Daze, Flare, Light, and Resistance.

Level 1:
Bless, Camouflage, Charm Person, Divine Favor, Entangle, Expeditious Retreat, Faerie Fire, Foundation of Stone, Grease, Identify, Protection from Alignment, Nightshield, Shield, and True Strike.
Level 2:
Aid, Bear’s Endurance, Bladeweave, Blindsight, Bull’s Strength, Cat’s Grace, Cloud of Bewilderment, Darkness, Embrace the Wild, Find Traps, Flame Weapon, Fox’s Cunning, Ghostly Visage, Gust of Wind, Invisibility, Invisibility Purge, Lesser Restoration, Living Undeath, Mirror Image, Owl’s Wisdom, Trip Vine, and Wild Instincts.
Level 3:
Blindness/Deafness, Confusion, Dispel Magic, Displacement, Greater Magic Weapon, Haste, Heroism, Keen Edge, Magic Vestment, Neutralize Poison, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Quillfire, Remove Curse, Spider Skin, Spike Growth, Vine Mine, Vigor, and Weapon of Impact.
Level 4:
Death Ward, Divine Power, Freedom of Movement, Greater Invisibility, Greater Resistance, Polymorph Self, Restoration, Shadow Conjuration, Spell Breach Lesser, Spell Mantel Least, Stone Skin, Wall of Fire.
Level 5:
Cloudkill, Ethereal Visage, Mind Fog, Reduce Person Greater, Owl’s Insight, Plant Body, Rejuvenation Cocoon, Spell Resistance.
Level 6:
Acid Fog, Bigby’s Forceful Hand, Drown, Energy Immunity, Ethereal Jaunt, Premonition, Regenerate, Restoration Greater, True Seeing.

New Feats:

Shinobi Aikido:

Type of Feat: Class (Shinobi)
Prerequisites: Shinobi Level 2
Required for: None
Specifics: At 3rd level the Shinobi begins improving their effective armor by training in a defensive form of Aikido. To on-lookers it appears as if he is dodging blows. He is not. Instead his defensive use of Aikido is more like a parry, though even that is incorrect. A parry deflects an attack, the Shinobi’s use of Aikido is far more precise and wastes no energy in a blocking maneuver. Instead he uses minimal energy to create a very fast “non-attack” to redirect the opponent’s blows to a location he chooses, using the opponent’s momentum against them. Of course that re-directed blow is always in a different location than the Shinobi. When unencumbered, wearing no or light armor and not using a shield a Shinobi gains a +1 AC bonus. This AC bonus increases by +1 every 3 levels as a Shinobi.
Conditions: This is functionally the same as a Sacred Fist’s AC bonus.


Glass Shard:

Type of Feat: Class (Shinobi)
Prerequisites: Shinobi Level 2
Required for: None
Specifics: At 2nd level the Shinobi can make use of a device to temporarily add acid damage to each hit (melee weapon or thrown-weapon ranged attacks). This is a device (tiny acid-filled glass shard ampules that break on impact), made by him. As the Shinobi improves, so does his ability to craft better delivery mechanisms and stronger acid. At every even Shinobi level this device improves – either in damage, number of uses per day, or duration. This is an activated-feat. It stacks with all forms of damage (including magical acid damage a weapon might already have).
Conditions: “Instant” activation, melee and thrown weapon only in-hand at the time of activation, no unarmed attack use and no creature weapon use. If using dual weapons, both weapons have the acid damage bonus.


Intuitive Strike:

Type of Feat: Class (Shinobi)
Prerequisites: Shinobi level 7
Required for: None
Specifics: At 7th level the Shinobi develops and intuitive sense for where to attack for greater damage – without expending any additional effort. He applies his Wisdom bonus to damage rolls (in addition to other sources of damage like Strength modifiers, Insightful Strike, and Elegant Strike) with any light weapon, as well as any other weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse, such as a rapier. Targets immune to sneak attacks or critical hits are immune to the Shinobi’s intuitive strike. A Shinobi cannot use this ability when wearing medium or heavy armor or when encumbered. This damage stacks with damage from Strength modifiers, Insightful Strike, and Elegant Strike.
Conditions: This is functionally the same as Insightful Strike but using Wisdom modifiers rather than Intelligence modifiers.


Improved Brew Potion:

Type of Feat: Item Creation, Class (Shinobi 11th level)
Prerequisites: Spellcaster level 3, Brew Potion
Required for: Imbiber
Specifics: Any potion you can brew will cost 50% less in gold.


Imbiber:

Type of Feat: Item Creation, Class (Shinobi 13th level)
Prerequisites: Spellcaster level 3, Brew Potion, Improved Brew Potion.
Required for: None
Specifics: Because of your extensive potion brewing, you have built up something of a tolerance to their disgusting taste – and as a result can quaff them in one hurried-gulp.
Conditions: Drinking a potion is a free action (not instant), and no longer incurs attacks of opportunity.


Skilled Strike:

Type of Feat: Class (Shinobi)
Prerequisites: Shinobi level 14
Required for: None
Specifics: At 14th level the Shinobi has become so skilled at combat through repetitive action that his attacks do more damage for the same amount of effort. He applies his Dexterity bonus to damage rolls (in addition to other sources of damage like Strength modifiers, Intuitive Strike, and Insightful Strike) with any light weapon, as well as any other weapon that can be used with Weapon Finesse, such as a rapier. Targets immune to sneak attacks or critical hits are immune to the Shinobi’s skilled strike. A Shinobi cannot use this ability when wearing medium or heavy armor or when encumbered. This damage stacks with damage from Strength modifiers, Intuitive Strike, Insightful Strike, and even Elegant Strike.
Conditions: This is functionally the same as Insightful Strike but using Dexterity modifiers rather than Intelligence modifiers.