Ninja Kits in the Campaign (CNH)

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Each ninja kit is a little different, and there are ways for the DM to add entertaining elements to his campaign through exploitation of most of them.
==Lone Wolf==
The most important plot element for the Lone Wolf involves the clan that is his enemy. This is either the ninja's own clan (from which he has been banished for some transgression) or is the family that destroyed his clan (and they need to finish up the job by eliminating him).
When the Lone Wolf character is first created, the DM must decide if the enemy is his own clan. The DM can consult with the player or base his decision on what he knows of the player. The rule of thumb is this: Don't have the enemy be the ninja's own clan unless the player likes to suffer. The DM would be shirking his role-playing duty if he did not include poignant encounters with the Lone Wolf's brothers, sisters, and cousins. They are not, after all, just faceless NPCs who pop in to get killed. They're people the PC is supposed to have cared for and considered family at one time.
Early in the ninja's career, the Lone Wolf will occasionally bump into enemy ninja who are on his trail or who recognize him while about other tasks. The resultant duels with skilled adversaries will alert the other PCs in the party that the Lone Wolf character has a powerful enemy. They may realize early on that the enemy is a ninja clan but should not automatically identify the Lone Wolf as a ninja; many characters have reason to count ninja among their enemies. (But the players will probably figure it out quickly.)
As the campaign progresses, the enemy will become more and more adept at tracking down the Lone Wolf, particularly if he accompanies the same group of PCs all the time. The Lone Wolf and his friends will be endangered by ninja attacks with increasing frequency. The leader of the enemy clan may contact the other PCs and peacefully invite (or induce) them to abandon the Lone Wolf, or may automatically count them among the clan's enemies and seek their deaths as well.
Eventually, the conflict between the Lone Wolf and the clan must reach a resolution. Several resolutions are possible.
The Lone Wolf could leave his allies for a time and perform a final assault on his enemy, resulting in his death or theirs. (The number of ninja in the clan might have been whittled down over the years, after all.)
He could accept help from his friends and perform the same mission.
If the enemy clan is his own family, he could find some way to rejoin it—perhaps by performing a mission of expiation, or by killing the clan leader in single combat and taking over.
Such a resolution might be a solo mission or could involve his friends.
Either way, by late in the Lone Wolf's career it will probably be evident to his friends that he is a ninja. He might end up having to fight one or more of them if some accept his profession and some do not.
===Becoming a Lone Wolf===
It's also possible for a ninja PC to become a sort of lone wolf after having been created with another kit. This can happen if the ninja is banished or sentenced to death by his clan (perhaps for failing one of the tests of loyalty described earlier).
When another type of ninja is separated from his clan, he does not take on the Lone Wolf kit. He keeps all the traits, bonuses and penalties of the kit with which he was created, with the following exceptions:
Clan Benefits: All ninja lose any benefits they might have derived from belonging to a clan.
Clan Obligations: Ninja are no longer expected to meet any obligations as members of the clan. However, many PCs who are good role-players may choose to meet some of those obligations—helping favorite family members achieve their personal goals and dreams, for instance.
Intruder: This type of ninja, will no longer be required to meet unusually high levels of clan demands.
Spirit Warrior: This type of ninja cannot learn any new ninja spells unless he does so by
stealing a spell book containing them.
===Becoming a Pack Wolf===
On the other hand, if a Lone Wolf ninja is permitted to rejoin his old clan (or, even more rarely, join a different ninja clan), he simply takes on all benefits and hindrances resulting from clan association. He is no longer called a "lone wolf" but does not take on some other kit, not even the Stealer-In.
==Shadow Warrior==
This fighting ninja is better suited for missions of protection than intrusion. However, because he is somewhat better at combat than the average ninja, he is also better suited to establishing and sustaining an identity as a fighter. He might take on an identity as an itinerant ronin in order gain employment in the personal guard of a daimyo, for example.
==Intruder==
This ninja is best suited for missions where he must think on his feet, improvising tactics and resolutions to rapidly changing situations. He should be put in situations where quick thinking and political maneuvering, rather than a dagger in the dark, will save the day. If he is played properly, the Intruder is a good choice for party leader.
==Consort==
Consort ninja occasionally run into people who might recognize them. The DM should remember a few things when utilizing this plotting tool.
First, the person who might recognize the Consort from his or her previous false identity doesn't do so automatically. That person should make an Intelligence check with several penalties and bonuses:
* –2 for each year that has elapsed since the encounter.
* –3 if the encounter was casual.
* +2 if the two worked closely together.
* +3 if the person fell in love with the ninja (but no penalties for time are applied).
* A penalty (minus) equal to the amount by which the Consort made his or her Disguise checkthat day.
* A bonus (plus) equal to the amount by which the Consort failed his or her Disguise check.The DM is free to add more penalties or bonuses if desired.
Second, the character who might recognize the Consort should be one who cannot be conveniently disposed of. He might be a daimyo always surrounded by guards. He might even be a crucial part of the ninja's plans; to eliminate him would wreck the mission.
Third, the character who might recognize the Consort may do so and yet not immediately expose the ninja. The character might have reasons to keep this knowledge to himself. He might not yet be convinced that the ninja is truly the one he met before. He may realize that the Consort is up to no good and feel that he can blackmail the ninja. He may still be in love with the Consort.
The DM should introduce such a character to make things tense for the Consort ninja. The drama such encounters inject into the campaign shouldn't be removed quickly or easily.
==Pathfinder==
Naturally, adventures with the Pathfinder character should often involve wilderness treks.
==Spirit Warrior==
Spirit Warriors should be assigned missions that make use of their magical knowledge (once they acquire some). The Spirit Warrior should be given the occasional mission that no other character can accomplish by himself, a mission requiring exactly his mix of skills and spells. Being given such a mission doesn't mean that the character will automatically accomplish it, of course, just that the character may be the only one who can accomplish it.