Ninjitsu

Ninjitsu is the discipline of the Ninja — the art of stealth, espionage, and assassination woven together with shape-shifting transformation magic. It arrived with the Samurai Empire expansion and the Tokuno Islands as a parallel skill to Bushido, but where the Samurai stands and parries, the Ninja vanishes, leaps, transforms, and strikes from the dark. The skill counts toward the Special Moves combined-skill threshold and grants access to three Skill Masteries: Intuition, Shadow, and White Tiger Form.

Acquiring the discipline

A character begins Ninjitsu by buying a Book of Ninjitsu — sold by Tokuno Islands scribe NPCs and dropped from Elite Ninja NPCs. The book is a spellbook-class item required in inventory to invoke any of the eight Ninjitsu abilities. Without it, the skill cannot be used.

Murderers (red flagged characters) face the same training restriction as Bushido: a freshly-red character cannot raise Ninjitsu past zero from base. The standard workaround is to cast Animal Form (which works at 0 skill) and stay transformed as a Rat or Rabbit until the skill climbs to 50, at which point regular skill gain resumes.

The eight abilities

Ninjitsu grants eight abilities through the Book of Ninjitsu, with mana costs and skill thresholds that scale from beginner-accessible (Animal Form at 0) to terminal (Death Strike at 85).

Animal Form

Animal Form is the most distinctive Ninjitsu ability — a 10-mana shape-shift into one of sixteen creatures, each with a unique passive bonus active for the duration. The form persists until the Ninja chooses a new form, takes certain disrupting actions, or is dispelled. While transformed, the Ninja cannot cast spells or use most special attacks; only Mirror Image and Shadow Jump remain available.

Standard forms (twelve)

Talisman of the Fey forms (four additional)

Originally introduced as the 8th Anniversary gift, later available through Heritage Tokens. The talismans unlock four additional Animal Form options:

The Cu Sidhe form is particularly notable for solo content — a self-bandaging Ninja can sustain through encounters without needing free hands for healing.

Training path

Ninjitsu trains fastest with a properties suit built around mana economy: 40% Lower Mana Cost and as much Mana Regeneration as the build can carry. Animal Form does not interrupt active Meditation, so a Ninja can activate Meditation, stay still, and cast Animal Form on top — doubling natural regen during training sessions.

A documented dead band exists in the 57.5 – 60 range when training with Mirror Image alone — the gain rate slows or stalls. Switching to Focus Attack on the same mirror summons typically restarts gains.

Mastery synergy

Ninjitsu carries three Masteries — abilities unlocked by binding a Mastery primer to the discipline. Each transforms the Ninja's combat profile in a different direction:

• Intuition — passive: increases the chance that the next attack against a hidden target is a critical, and shortens the cooldown between Stealth-state Backstab and the next swing. Best for assassin-build Ninjas who lead every fight from concealment.
• Shadow — channeled toggle: the Ninja remains in a heightened-stealth state with reduced detection chance, and Animal Form bonuses are enhanced. The standard Mastery for the upper-end skill grind (the cycle-on-cycle-off pattern is what carries 90 – 120 training).
• White Tiger Form — a unique additional Animal Form unlocked only through this Mastery. Substantial movement-speed and damage bonuses, with a small mana drain. Mutually exclusive with the standard sixteen forms.

Combat profile

A complete Ninja template typically carries Hiding, Stealth, Ninjitsu, plus a primary weapon skill (Fencing for kryss/dagger, or Tactics + Anatomy for general DPS) and a defensive layer (Healing, Magery, or Bushido for the parry stack). The combat loop:

1. Hide → Stealth → Approach the target.
2. Backstab out of stealth for the +Ninjitsu damage bonus on the opening swing.
3. Surprise Attack to lower the target's defense.
4. Death Strike, then break engagement — moving the target away amplifies the curse.
5. Shadow Jump out of melee range, re-hide, repeat.

For PvE, Animal Form (Wolf or Bake-Kitsune) plus Focus Attack on slayer-property weapons gives an outsized DPS spike at low mana cost. For PvP, the kit's signature value is movement: Shadow Jump opens long gaps, Death Strike punishes runners, Mirror Image absorbs the burst that would otherwise kill the Ninja outright.

Strategy notes

• Mana economy is the bottleneck. Backstab and Death Strike are 30 mana each; without LMC and MR support, the Ninja runs dry mid-fight.
• Hiding is mandatory. Three of the eight abilities (Backstab, Shadow Jump, Surprise Attack) require Stealth mode at activation. A Ninja without high Hiding cannot use the kit's power moves.
• Animal Form locks out spells. Druidic / shape-shifted Ninjas cannot cast Magery, Necromancy, etc. Plan transitions: drop Animal Form before any non-Ninjitsu spell.
• Death Strike rewards motion. Players who stand still after being struck take minimal damage; those who flee take the maximum. Position the strike before the target is in a position to retreat.
• Mirror Image scales. Four mirrors plus the Ninja is five potential targets — in PvP this often delays the opening volley by a full second as the opponent picks the wrong one.
• The Cu Sidhe is the solo Ninja's safety net. With bandages stocked, the form will self-heal indefinitely, turning the Ninja into a sustained skirmisher rather than a burst assassin.

See also

Ninja, Tokuno Islands, Book of Ninjitsu, Hiding, Stealth, Special Moves, Skill Masteries, Animal Form, Mirror Image, Backstab, Shadow Jump, Death Strike, Surprise Attack, Ki Attack, Focus Attack, Talisman of the Fey, Bushido, Magery, Necromancy.