Ninja 2.0

[malice]

My Ninja fixes:

Swap the bonuses of Mastery of Kung Fu and Ninja. So Mastery of Kung Fu now has (2x weapon or Weapon + Ability) while Ninja gets (Agility + Weapon). Also eliminate that "Never new bonuses" crap that was on Mastery of Kung Fu so it doesn't infect the new Ninja (I have a personal policy of "Never say never", especially when creating something for someone else's use).

Remove Concentration. I never understood its presence, and with the introduction of the "Iron Will" action in the Spidey Guide I feel that the mystical "Martial artist is better at everything else because of Martial Arts" aspect is covered.

Ninjas use Ninja weapons. No firearms.

I think I had one or two more, but I can't remember them.

Reduce cost to something like +2 or +3

[WildKnight]

I can't begin to tell you how much I HATE the Mastery of Kung Fu action, and it should absolutely NOT be represented in 2.0 in any way.

[Dionon]

We DONT need a separate Combat Action for Ninjas and Kung Fu artists.... We COULD roll the Mastery of Kung Fu options into Close Combat... THAT would be a good idea... we'd have to lower the costs of most of them, but that's a good idea.

Other than that... buy the freakin actions...

[WildKnight]

What Dio said. Though personally, I don't even want the Mastery of Kung Fu options for Close Combat. I can't think of anything that Action offered that was any good.

[Dionon]

I can... Though most of them could be accomplished by Specialties instead (which is why I'm going through them to eliminate the Specialties, and get to the hard Options)

[Dionon]

And here we have the results

Catch Projectiles: Specialty... no cost
Balance: Something that can be done already.... no cost
Blind Fighting: Specialty... no cost
Create/Adapt Techniques: What? No...
Can Substitute for Strength to Break Things.... I'd say this is an option... +1 to CL
Can substitute for Intelligence for Mental Defense... Not for Close Combat you're not.... BUT It makes a great option for Concentration at +1 CL
Can substitute Action for Agility for Defense.... This is Gone... cause... you know... It's useless

[malice]

Feb 18, 2009 17:37:26 GMT -5 WildKnight said:

I can't begin to tell you how much I HATE the Mastery of Kung Fu action, and it should absolutely NOT be represented in 2.0 in any way.

That's fine, don't put it in 2.0, but I'd keep the Ninja bonuses I suggested or make it (Weapon and Ability) rather than the absurdly good (2x Weapon or Ability + Weapon) that never made sense with the action to begin with.

While we're on this note, using WildKnight's statement as a springboard, do we even want Ninja in 2.0? To be frank, I'd like to see it removed entirely and replaced with characters who are built like Ninjas instead of just "I took the Ninja action and so I'm a Ninja". Why does Ninja have it's own Action? We're trying to improve things, and Ninja NEVER fit in, so why not remove it entirely?

If you want to fill the void of "Crazy-good action that covers a lot of stuff" then build a template action which players can plug in their own preferences to custom-fit it.

So after completely deleting the Ninja action, create this action:

Combat Specialist
AN + 5 (Working cost)

Upon buying this action choose one of the following bonus sets:
1. (2 Weapon modifiers)
2. (Ability Bonus and Weapon Modifier)
3. (Ability Bonus and Combinable Action [So you could choose "Acrobatics" as your combinable action and ALWAYS combine it])
4. (Weapon Bonus and Combinable Action)

Next decide whether this action will function as Close or Ranged Combat, or both. If you only pick one, then you may pick an additional bonus pairing from above to use when you're not using the first pairing. So you could pick Pairings 1 and 3, and could either use 2 weapons OR an ability bonus and combined action.

Next select a modifier that can be purchased at MN = Cost level and you gain that modifier at your Action Number.

Finally, you may rename the action to suit your decisions.

Example: Billy the Kid wants to specialize in drawing his guns faster than his opponents and shooting them down just as fast. He buys this Action at AN 5, makes it Ranged Combat only, chooses 2 Weapon Modifiers or an Ability Bonus and Weapon Modifier. He makes Fast Draw his free modifier and therefore gains it at MN 5. He names the action "Quickdraw Combat"

Example 2: Alpha wants to use his telekinesis in combat all the time. He wants to throw things at his enemies and he wants to throw his enemies at his enemies. He also wants to be capable of defending himself in Close Combat. He buys this action, makes it count as Close and Ranged Combat, and gets a Weapon Bonus + Combinable Action (Telekinesis). For his Free Modifier he buys Sonar Senses so that he can know where things are and control them 360 degrees around him without having to turn around. He names the action "Psychokinetic Combat"

EDIT: LOL 4 posts in the time it took me to make this one. Looks like there's some support for "Down with Ninja!"

[Dionon]

I seriously have to ask... Why Bother? Seriously.... Just buy Close or Ranged Combat with a good rating, and a good modifier, and BOOM you're a "Combat Specialist"

[malice]

Because I believe Ninja served an important function in the original MURPG. It offered an enhanced action that could cover a lot of ground, justify particular prowess, or make certain levels of "style" or "flavor" affordable. The problem was it was named "Ninja" and therefore made style and flavor harder to implement.

However, I have no problem with completely eliminating the action as long as adding extra ability bonuses or weapon modifiers is affordable.

I also think there should still be an action that serves both as Close and Ranged Combat, because that definitely has a place.

[Dullahan]

So, why not just give ninja a weapon modifier and a ability modifier and call it something else? The name does cause problems, but there is no reason to totally get rid of the action at all.

[Lord Zack]

I disagree that the name is the problem. It's redundant. You can jut get close combat, ranged combat and black ops and do all the same things. Getting them all for a reduced price under a single action is unbalanced.

[Dullahan]

*mumbles to self*
Yes, you could, and that may work. But, what's wrong with having an action that encompassess all three, rolls them into one, and grants a bonus at the same time, the point being that your character is a major stealth and combat expert.

Oh, and unbalanced? Really? Yes, Ninja is good, no question. But, it's also expensive. AN+5 for Close combat, ranged combat, and black ops and all you really get is an extra weapon modifier(and concentration, but I could care less about that). I do see it being a problem at high levels, and I'm fine with tweaking the action, but there is NO reason to just drop it entirely.

[Dionon]

Exactly LZ...

[malice]

While I'm really warming up to the idea of dropping Ninja entirely, I also think that would require that similar levels of customization become affordable.

SOMEONE is gonna wanna dual-wield pistols or katanas, and they shouldn't be screwed for cost because of it.

SOMEONE is gonna want Weapon + Ability Bonus and there's no reason to screw them on pricing

Eventually, SOMEONE will want to ALWAYS have the option to combine certain actions, and while they should certainly pay a fair chunk of stones, it shouldn't be completely off-limits

I just want to preserve the "play the character you want" option. I have always hated copying other characters or following beaten paths, so my characters always try and gain a unique mechanic. THAT'S the void the Ninja action filled for people who wanted Combat-focused characters. Even if they edited what it did and renamed it, they still got to play the character they wanted for an affordable price.

[Dionon]

That's what Options are for.... if we get rid of ninja, we have to make options available for Close and Ranged combat that allow the simulation of the action