Black Nokizaru (Ninja/Witch)

Through the union of stealth and witch magic, a unique brand of assassin has emerged from the dark of night. Ritualistically bonded to a spirit that is sealed within a mystical blade, black nokizaru combine ki and dark magicks to silence her foes and inflict deadly wounds with disturbing precision. These enigmatic assailants are a force to be reckoned with, for those they fail to slay are often left with cruel curses and horrific wounds. (Original Concept by Taco Man)

Primary: Ninja.

Secondary: Witch.

Alignment: Any.

Hit Dice: d8.

Bonus Skills and Ranks: The black nokizaru may select three witch skills to add to her class skills in addition to the normal ninja class skills. The black nokizaru gains a number of ranks at each level equal to 6 + Int modifier.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The black nokizaru is proficient with all simple weapons, plus the kama, katana, kusarigama, sai, nunchaku, shortbow, short sword, shuriken, siangham, and wakizashi. The black nokizaru is not proficient with light armor, but not with any type of shield. Like other spellcasters, medium or heavy armor interferes with the black nokizaru's gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.

Athame Bond (Su): At 1st level, a black nokizaru forms a close bond with a weapon called an athame, and begins play with one at no cost. An athame acquired at 1st level is not made of any special material, and must be one of the following weapons: dagger, dagger (punching), kama, katana, sai, short sword, sickle, wakizashi. An athame is a sentient weapon that, like a witch’s familiar, teaches her magic and helps to guide her along her path. An athame also aids a black nokizaru by granting her skill bonuses, additional spells, and help with some types of magic. This functions like the witch’s familiar class feature, except as noted below.

A black nokizaru selects one type of familiar (a badger, rat, etc.), and once chosen, it cannot be changed. The athame grants the same skill bonus as the chosen familiar. The athame has the Intelligence and special abilities of a familiar of the black norizaru’s level. However, the athame loses the improved evasion, share spells, and deliver touch spells abilities, and gains the following abilities instead.

Spellhex Strike (Su): If a black nokizaru is 3rd level or higher, her athame can be used to deliver touch spells or hexes for her. Whenever a black nokizaru casts a spell with a range of “touch” from the black nokizaru spell list, or uses a hex, she can deliver the spell through her athame that she wielding as part of a melee attack. Instead of the free melee touch attack normally allowed to deliver the spell, or the standard action to deliver a hex, a black nokizaru can make one free melee attack with her athame (at her highest base attack bonus) as part of casting the spell or using the hex. If successful, this melee attack deals its normal damage as well as the effects of the spell or hex. This attack uses the weapon’s critical range (20, 19–20, or 18–20 and modified by the keen weapon property or similar effects), but the spell effect only deals ×2 damage on a successful critical hit, while the weapon damage uses its own critical modifier.

All other special abilities granted to a familiar instead function for the athame.

A black nokizaru must commune with her athame each day to prepare her spells. Athames store all of the spells that a black nokizaru knows, and a black nokizaru cannot prepare a spell that is not stored by her athame. At 4th level, a black nokizaru’s athame begins storing three 1st level spells of the black nokizaru’s choice. The black nokizaru also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to her Intelligence modifier to store in her athame. At each new black nokizaru level, she adds two new spells of any spell level or levels that she can cast (based on her new black nokizaru level) to her athame. A black nokizaru can also add additional spells to her athame through a special ritual.

An athame can be used once per day to cast any one spell that the black norizaru has stored in her athame and is capable of casting, even if the spell is not prepared. This spell is treated like any other spell cast by the black norizaru, including casting time, duration, and other effects dependent on the black norizaru's level. This spell cannot be modified by metamagic feats or other abilities. The athame cannot be used to cast spells that are not on the black norizaru’s spell list.

A black norizaru can add additional magic abilities to hers athame as if she has the required Item Creation Feats and if she meets the level prerequisites of the feat. For example, a black norizaru with a bonded dagger athame must be at least 5th level to add magic abilities to the dagger (see Craft Magic Arms and Armor feat. The magic properties of an athame, including any magic abilities added to the athame, only function for the black norizaru who owns it. If an athame's owner dies, or the weapon is replaced, the object reverts to being an ordinary masterwork weapon of the appropriate type.

If an athame is damaged, it is restored to full hit points the next time the black norizaru prepares her spells. If the athame is lost or destroyed, it can be replaced after 1 week in a special ritual that costs 200 gp per black norizaru level plus the cost of the masterwork item. This ritual takes 8 hours to complete. Items replaced in this way do not possess any of the additional enchantments of the previous bonded athame. A black norizaru can designate an existing magic weapon as his bonded athame. This functions in the same way as replacing a lost or destroyed athame except that the new magic item retains its abilities while gaining the benefits and drawbacks of becoming a bonded athame.

This ability replaces poison use and no trace.

Patron Spells: At 1st level, when a black nokizaru gains her athame, she must also select a patron. This patron is a vague and mysterious force, granting the black nokizaru power for reasons that she might not entirely understand. While these forces need not be named, they typically hold influence over one of the following forces.

At 4th level, and every three levels thereafter, a black nokizaru’s patron adds new spells to a black nokizaru’s list of spells known, up to her fourth patron spell at 13th level. These spells are also automatically added to the list of spells stored by the athame. The spells gained depend upon the patron chosen. Each patron is listed by its theme. Its actual name is up to the GM and the black nokizaru to decide. This ability and spellcasting replace uncanny dodge, light steps, and improved uncanny dodge.

Sneak Attack (Ex): This is exactly like the ninja ability of the same name, except that this extra damage is 1d6 at 1st level, and increase by 1d6 at 3rd, 7th, 9th, 13th, 15th, and 19th level.

Ninja Tricks: This is exactly like the ninja ability of the same name. In addition, whenever the black nokizaru could choose a ninja trick, she can select a witch’s hex instead. A black nokizaru’s level is equal to her witch level for the purpose of qualifying for and using hexes. A number of new ninja tricks or new hexes may complement the Black Nokizaru multiclass archetype.

Ki Athame (Su): At 5th level, a black nokizaru can expend 1 point from her ki pool as a swift action to grant her athame she is holding a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute. For every ki point the black nokizaru expends, the athame gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +5. These bonuses can be added to the athame, stacking with existing weapon enhancement to a maximum of +5. Multiple uses of this ability do not stack with themselves. This ability replaces sneak attack +3d6.

Spellcasting: Beginning at 4th level, a black nokizaru gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells, which are drawn from the black nokizaru spell list. A black nokizaru must choose and prepare his spells in advance.

To prepare or cast a spell, a black nokizaru must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a black nokizaru's spell is 10 + the spell level + the black nokizaru's Intelligence modifier.

Like other spellcasters, a black nokizaru can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. Her base daily spell allotment is given on Table: Black Nokizaru. In addition, she receives bonus spells per day if she has a high Intelligence score. When Table: Black Nokizaru indicates that the black nokizaru gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level, she gains only the bonus spells she would be entitled to based on her intelligence score for that spell level.

A black nokizaru may know any number of spells. She must choose and prepare her spells ahead of time by getting 8 hours of sleep and spending 1 hour communing with her athame. While communing, the black nokizaru decides which spells to prepare.

Through 3rd level, a black nokizaru has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, her caster level is equal to her black nokizaru level –3.

Masters Tricks: This is exactly like the ninja ability of the same name. In addition, whenever the black nokizaru could choose a ninja trick, she can select a major hex instead.

Athame Parry (Su): At 11th level, when an enemy makes a melee attack roll against the black nokizaru, as an immediate action the black nokizaru can end her ki athame duration to gain a deflection bonus to her Armor Class until the end of her next turn. This bonus is equal to the number of ki points expended to enhance the athame (maximum +5). This ability replaces sneak attack 5d6.

Throw Athame (Su): At 17th level, as a standard action, a black nokizaru can throw her athame up to 60 feet as a ranged attack (no range penalty). If the athame misses, it returns automatically to the black nokizaru’s hand just before her next turn. If the athame hits, it deals damage and it immediately returns to the black nokizaru; the black nokizaru can choose to spend up to 2 points from her ki pool to increase the thrown athame’s damage by +1d6 for each point spent. This ability replaces sneak attack 8d6.

Grand Hex: At 20th level, a black nokizaru may select one of the following grand hexes: curse of nonviolence, death curse, dire prophecy, eternal slumber, or the new sudden wound grand hex. This ability replaces hidden master.

BLACK NOKIZARU SPELL LIST

Black nokizarus gain access to the following spells.

1st-Level Black Nokizaru Spells—air bubble, beguiling gift, blend, bungle, burning hands, charm person, chill touch, detect secret doors, force quiet, frostbite, fumbletongue, hexward, hypnotism, icicle dagger, ill omen, karmic blessing, mask dweomer, mudball, negative reaction, obscuring mist, shadow weapon, sleep, theft ward, unerring weapon, unprepared combatant, unseen servant, urban grace.

2nd-Level Black Nokizaru Spells—alter self, augury, bestow insight, blindness/deafness, daze monster, delay pain, delay poison, detect thoughts, glide, glitterdust, haunting mist, hidden speech, hold person, levitate, perceive cues, sickening strikes, spectral hand, steal breath, touch of idiocy.

3rd-Level Black Nokizaru Spells—accursed glare, arcane sight, armor lock, bestow curse, charm monster, confusion, countless eyes, deep slumber, dispel magic, harrowing, healing thief, improve trap, ki leech, locate object, locate weakness, shadow step, share sense, spit venom, water walk, witness.

4th-Level Black Nokizaru Spells—break enchantment, cloak of dreams, curse of magic negation, damnation stride, debilitating portent, dimension door, divination, dust form, eyebite, hostile juxtaposition, legend lore, major curse, mind fog, siphon magic, unconscious agenda.

Table: Black Nokizaru