Want to play a Kunoichi (Pathfinder/3.5 DnD)

Started by Lunais, July 20, 2015, 10:01:49 PM

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Lunais

For a long time, I've wanted to play an assassin-type character whose strategy involved sex. Simply put, it's easier to kill people when they're not wearing armor - and sometimes, the best way to separate a knight from their armor is to ask them nicely.

I've had multiple character ideas spin off of this concept, but the one I've settled on is a Kunoichi (female ninja). Kunoichi were traditionally spies, infiltrating enemy estates in order to perform sabotage or gain information - a role which could be expanded to assassination.

The type of game I want to play would involve my PC, a Ninja, at the behest of her lord/clan/whatever, infiltrating some enemy organization (daimyo's estate? Something like that), masquerading as a servant or some other role, to spy on and possibly remove targets - both of which could very easily involve getting into the right people's beds.

There would be little up-front combat, with espionage and politics being the focus. Setting would be at the micro-level - the estate being infiltrated would probably be rather large as far as houses go, but certainly not as large as a city or anything on that level. Something large enough to encompass the game, but small enough to be mapped out (Paint is fine) and have its inhabitants characterized. A possible example would be a 4~5 story building with a central garden, living quarters, and other facilities.

A game like this works better with a small group. I'd be comfortable with one other PC as an accomplice - perhaps a samurai serving at the estate who wishes to defect, or just a fellow-spy, or an enemy-of-an-enemy's spy, or something. My character will be undercover practically all the time, so having someone she can speak freely to is essential for character development (and also an opportunity for actual romance - I prefer males in this respect but am flexible). The two could work separately and meet to discuss strategy, instead of being attached-at-the-hip like most PC groups are.

Board-wise, it would probably fall under NC Human System Small-Group. One of the tools in the character's toolkit could be aphrodisiacs which qualifies as coercion. On the other side of the coin, if her identity is uncovered, I could see a blackmail scenario unfolding. The rules say to put it under the 'most graphic scene' and that's the most extreme I can imagine it going. Overall the sex would be mostly vanilla.

As for books, the only non-Paizo material I'm wanting to use are some things out of the Book of Erotic Fantasy - none of which involve the Appearance stat, so very easy to port-over. A one-level dip in Rake (if the levels get that high) and a couple of items. The rules for just having sex could also become applicable depending on the situation.

I would want the starting level to be low. 1-2 preferred, but with steady-enough progression that she would feasibly get into the 4-6 range at some point.

I have a sample character sheet made, with assumptions made regarding point buy, etc. It would all be adjusted depending on what kind of character-building rules the GM sets forth. This is just to get an idea of what the character is like.

http://www.thetangledweb.net/forums/profiler/view_char.php?cid=81522

Logic behind item purchases (again, merely to give an understanding of the character's strategic thinking)

  • Poisons are her chief tactic. Blowgun would see situational use - the 'ideal' progression of events is to get in bed with them, then draw the poisoned knife hidden in her hair, and make a killing blow. Drow Poison is the go-to for this. Aphrodisiacs and other drugs also make an appearance - she has skills in Craft (Alchemy) and Profession (Herbology) to make everything herself.
  • Cypher Book, Invisible Ink, Pet Bird - The bird is a carrier pidgeon to send encrypted messages back and forth to her clan/lord/employer/whatever. Used to give status updates and requisition supplies. Cypher book/invisible ink could double as a secure means of communication between her and the second PC if one joins.
  • Lamp Oil, Alchemist's Fire - Corpse destruction. Speak With Dead could blow her cover, and she certainly doesn't want her targets being raised. Burn the body to ashes to prevent these. Could possibly pull this off in a less collateral fashion with acid or something. (speaking of magical countermeasures - it's worth noting that the NPC Adept class doesn't have Detect Poison on their spell list, and Akai wouldn't register an evil aura until level 5. All gear is also kept non-magical for detect magic sweeps)
  • Random alchemical stuff that seemed situationally useful. I limited it to things that she could feasibly create herself (within 10 of her craft (alchemy) bonus)
One houserule I would very earnestly ask for is an acceleration of the crafting rules. By RAW it would take her an entire month to make one dose of Drow Poison which is a little ridiculous. I know the Master Alchemist feat exists, but it's outside of the initial level scope for this campaign.


What I'm looking for:

  • A DM who can create a detailed micro-setting of the estate to be infiltrated - mapping, NPCs, etc
  • A second PC to act as an accomplice, confidant, and possible love interest to Akai.

Will edit if I think of more info to add. Please reply if interested in DMing or joining. Thanks!

Zeth

Does it have to be Pathfinder/DnD 3.5? I love the idea personally but hate that system.

If it has to be Pathfinder, I'd try asking Muse if he is interested. He is like the go to DM for pathfinder/3.5 around here.

Lunais

#2
What other system(s) would you recommend? Pathfinder is just my go-to since I don't need to buy books for it.

Zeth

Well I'm not sure I could switch her over to another system and keep the level of crunch you have. The tuff I have on hand is rules light compared to D&D.

Now is the setting Straight up japan or some fantasy version with elves and orcs about? Do you want the other PC to be an actual player or just a GM controlled PC party member?

hellrazoromega


Lunais

#5
QuoteNow is the setting Straight up japan or some fantasy version with elves and orcs about? Do you want the other PC to be an actual player or just a GM controlled PC party member?

I'd personally prefer it not be super-realistic-historical-1792 AD Japan, but it can edge towards that if that's what people want. If I had to place it somewhere, I'd put it at Low Fantasy. (I feel like Japanese folklore should take hold, if nothing else...ninjutsu, youkai, etc. all being things)

I'd prefer the other PC to be another player, but they could be a GMPC if necessary. Having a GMPC might be awkward for the GM though - playing against yourself in a combat scenario is one thing, but playing against yourself in a political intrigue situation is like playing poker against yourself...not sure how well it would work out. That would be up to the GM, though.

Zeth

#6
After reading your preferences I doubt I could run a game that meets your standards. I post two paragraphs usually. Now if you sick with DnD I'd avoid maps. If you prefer something more rules light I'd suggest Scarlet Heroes set in Kueh (it's Asian fantasy themed similar to older DnD) or Dashio by 1pg which is more Chanbara style but has ninja specific plots and missions easy to steal.

Lunais

#7
(Looking over my preferences again, they came across as being way more intimidating than I intended...sorry about that @_@;; I rewrote them a bit. Thanks for letting me know, I was setting them up late at night and honestly hadn't looked at them from another person's perspective.)

To clarify on the maps, probably wouldn't need maps like to-scale in squares for combat purposes, just to know what the building contains and where things are. More like a blueprint sort of thing.

Crimson Hero(es) looks interesting and could work. I haven't gotten the book, but I'm reading a couple of reviews on it. How well do you think the crunch aspects would support this kind of game? You mentioned earlier that you weren't sure how you'd be able to port Akai over.

Zeth

Scarlet Heroes does have a quick start. I wold make her the thief class but her defining trait would be Ninja. Now it is designed for one player one GM. But you can squeeze another player in easily. Here is a link to the free quick start pdf if you are interested in seeing ho it works.

http://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/127458/Scarlet-Heroes-Quickstart?term=scarlet+heroes

Lunais

#9
Mechanically, the only hangup I have on the quickstart PDF is that the sneak attack damage magnifies the damage die of the weapon, instead of being segregated from it like in PF. She has to use daggers since they're concealable, but in Crimson Heroes her sneak attack would be a piddly 3d4. It does still have poisons and such though (instakill spider poisons, even!), so I can see it working out.

Is anyone else interested? Still need that second PC.

Foxfyr

#10
I would love to play her partner in crime, especially if it is using pathfinder. I figure an alchemist would be perfect, after all, who better to produce the poisons and alchemical tools needed to help her with her heists. :)

Though, I will read through the Crimson hero's link and familiarize myself with it since that seems to be the way things are leaning.

Annaamarth

If you haven't looked into Legend of the Five Rings, I highly recommend doing so.  It's pretty much made for what you're looking for- low-ish fantasy Japan-ish.
Ons/Offs

My sins are pride, wrath and lust.

Thufir Hawat

Quote from: Lunais on July 24, 2015, 04:56:52 PM
Mechanically, the only hangup I have on the quickstart PDF is that the sneak attack damage magnifies the damage die of the weapon, instead of being segregated from it like in PF. She has to use daggers since they're concealable, but in Crimson Heroes her sneak attack would be a piddly 3d4. It does still have poisons and such though (instakill spider poisons, even!), so I can see it working out.

Is anyone else interested? Still need that second PC.
If it's Scarlet Heroes, I might consider it, but the system depends on the Referee as far as I am concerned.
Mind you, that's easily 3d4+6, and that's enough to oneshot any NPC of lvl3 or below.

Of course, being me, I'd use Heaven's Shadow if I was running it, since it's more or less the assassin's game, and was free last I checked Drivethru!
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Lunais

(Brainstorming add-on: for character advancement, Akai would have a hard time buying things or even accruing gold to keep up with WBL as the campaign went on, just due to its nature. Maybe instead of gold, she gets "favor" with her ninja clan for completing certain tasks, and she can use that favor to "requisition" items from them, to be delivered discreetly, instead of purchasing them)

QuoteThough, I will read through the Crimson hero's link and familiarize myself with it since that seems to be the way things are leaning.

I'm honestly still leaning Pathfinder - I was willing to go with Crimson Heroes because that seemed to be my only real option, but if I have other players interested in PF, I'd rather go with that. I feel like the system's complexity allows me to express Akai's "toolbox" nature and the myraid of strategies she employs...She's the kind of character who would pass on a +1 magic weapon and instead spend that 1000 gold on 50 little things that might come in handy. Alchemy ties in really well with that just because there are SO. MANY. TOOLS. Plus, a lot of BoeF stuff is tied to alchemy (like aphrodisiacs) and can be ported over to PF fairly easily.

I'd definitely welcome an alchemist character. I had some ranks for Akai to handle those things herself, but I can redirect those easily. (She was spread REALLY thin on skill points...but that's the kind of character she tends to be)

Looking at your onns/offs - the sex would be comparatively vanilla, as long as you're fine with that. There's definite conflicts between yours and mine, but in this kind of game it seems like they wouldn't really come up. Does that match up with your perspective?

I'd still be willing to look at other systems if the DM mandates it (just because I actually want to get this game off the ground, even if it means compromising). So far we have two player characters who prefer PF - Do we have anyone who's definitely up for DMing, conditionally or otherwise? I could take a look at Heaven's Shadow or Legend.

Foxfyr

Quote from: Lunais on September 24, 2015, 01:44:20 PM
Looking at your onns/offs - the sex would be comparatively vanilla, as long as you're fine with that. There's definite conflicts between yours and mine, but in this kind of game it seems like they wouldn't really come up. Does that match up with your perspective?

I'm absolutely fine with the sex being vanilla. The stuff on my Off and Ons list is more of a guide for anything beyond vanilla; plus, it has been years since I've updated it. ^_^;