NIGHT'S DARK AGENTS ACTS OF BLACK NIGHT: NINJUTSU FOR PLAYERS Acts of black night, abominable deeds, Complots of mischier. Titus Andronicus V 1 64 Ninja Tacties These were not based on brute force, but nthe manipulation of an opponent by Spplied psychology. Even where physt al toree was used) the overall aim was siways to misiend, confuse or frighten an opponentinto Going the ninjas wil Wherever possible, fe ninja avoided direct confrontation, since tne nature of their work involved operating in's hoe ti environment where they would face averwhaiming torcas if detected. The Rey to success was therefore thorough reparation, to ensure undetected entry Sndoperation, andalsoto arrange. rel able means of escape afterward. Hic den caches of aqdipmane food, ond ovicine alowed the ninja to operate foraxtended periods in enemy tetany. nd avold dangerous contacts. Once thorough intial recapnatseance hal bun carried out themninja.could af Irate using yo or positive lechnigues, hich 38 camouflage. ar in’ negate techniques, which ivalvad working im the open, But ma disgatsed form, sh fazorte of the seven ways of going Wahen operating Inflieway, the pio often carried the rakuguy o's lois None wore suspicious inthem salves: bute could be turmmatethe nines pur poses. They were: Aahortlength of Bam- Boo (uchitake), rope teagalnawa), rain het (om gasa), stone pene (sok its), medicine (usu), and Yew (sanjaku tenugul) Aninjo Could obtain employs ment with a temple as a caretaker or Similar, and work to be transfeted mnie the enemy lord's Nousehotiigreturn Guisedwith defeated trooped infec Ss.an attendant in 3 procession: iKunoven, female ninjs favoured inf ration and seduction, bulifyutancy 9 Shallenge many male pinyeswane ice Japanese actors, skilaghfomale impor sonators,) When operating openly. the ninja hed to concentratefor Most afte time on appearing ta be no more than they were disguised ae: s simple monk atraveliing musician, of any ofthe citer overs they adopted: Sometimes such Sieguises Became false identities, main- {aited for ears on ene. When infitvat ing by stealth, however, or once they Ware free from observation, th tise any technique or equipment to Sehieve thelr ain Night was the riene ofthe ninja; night and foul weather. Driving rain, snow and fog cut down sound she viel and even when these were not presevt they would walt for moonless or cloudy nights, and a wind to move the leaves Snd'grass and cover their passage. To Snsura maximum night vision, the nia might remain in darkness for up t0.24 hovrs prior to the mission, hidden in 2 Cave or hole in the ground. They would then pick weak spotin the enemy's defences, such a8 an empty room or en venue of approach considered impos sible and thos ightly guarded, and also ® psyehologies! moment. such as the huts betore dawn, or when guards were coming tothe end ofa watch and This is the third and final part of our series on Ninjas in rale- playing games. NIGRTS DARK AGENTS Tactics & Strategy by Chris Elliott and Richard/Edwards Stacing a relax, Crack |Somathing ig the campttrsiexhiodes, scattering sparks and embers everywhere? the ‘uard feaps up cursing anc hopes thal one hove ladged in is armour. held tre ready, hepeers intothe ness, but can now see only the after srmage of the fire, flashing as fe blinks. A sitple tick, designed tg spoil a ‘gva'd sight vision, boLone that could BeUsedtoslip pastsentries unobserved, is atraction 1 cover anothe ninja'sentry elsewhere. Oogs and water ‘oomleouls betrays ss ten ci furbed, and were usually poisoned, But frogs and the crickets.berween to. ‘stones of a wall fel silent instead, ard ested aditferentsolution. The ries Skill as 2 yogen (ehernist) provided subs stances which could Bespread onthe sufface of moat to. makethe frogs Gxoaklontly for jong enough to cover ‘entry, and others winfeh couldpértormm @ similgrfunetion with acageaferickats: og a he wl woe Ses Dung ‘sigges, the ninja were allegedtto have luged such exotica as the yarrigoko (kite df the darkness), man-beaFipg kt the ‘hiro wash: hurnan eagle), 2 sand Hamboo glider and the yagoray fertie Weiee| ike machine that could ropa sfrbam of ninja over a wall, but more. Stealshy approaches were Usually fayolised. A common entry was by Water and here the ninje could scatter datwised on the surface, and move beneath the floating mass, breathing througia snorkel, Because of the very humidsummer of Japan, buildings had false attics and underfloor spaces for Ventilation, into which aninje could sip) bydislocating limbs it necessary. They, could also use the selection of saws, hisels, borers, Kays and miniature nati mars concealed in the packets of their Costume. Having previously established the location of a victim's futon (mat tress), they could then be speared through the fimsy floorboards and tat ting. Such spaces, however, were offen strung with threads linked to al67Ms triggered when touched or cut, On entry, hinges and sliding doors would bg tubri cated with oil, water, osuring, 1ostop them squeaking, and the ninja would cover their mouth with their hdod to muffle breathing. Expert at detecting the spenkiiog os Rotron a’ sloepece face Notenoughto wake one reaiyasieen tt would pasicsomeone pretending. who ‘would ink they were the vitim ofsome Dote or ered shut ac oneja moved Ga gerinlegneta sexe eben geod sn asvane Have, wera fauiog sostnartine, ter riutau tes orrvel prevacstions hed previously lewis cnc beorel tewion arde sanded onthe other side Rrosrsevysspped retires, trey would Safety, Antod of ha leakage oa yen Now hevellbe surmenaapnd cut cept st ne seems iohatly pata at foe Sealers rus ocrose tro ere GA Nideh fdaaloeet.or ot tre aes Know oniyto the injaoot ploce them. and chenged frome (ola Guus could atgoud at a Ofmines. (Yes, they didhaveland mines, Gales cuerysralscremen.co™ inage-teppo.)Smokescreons Wate ‘also.usedjand sometimesthasa wera | poeensus. To uly time. calicons woul @ Scattered behind, or inemergencies: thrown Tike sburiken. A wickedly neat fuse wasto thr owashe-ken with asmal Jengthof spitting fuses Tt born orenace,butfewauards the chance of finding-out the hard wey. Fis epadewbiiged an ws el crete he y Mouttha’e disap 2c Fama oe jew testo vsy oad oi ball Dutpusuerswere more) ‘10 fol- low the noise made by another ninja.or assume from the splash of a large stone: in the waxer that theic quarry was mak- ‘ing an escape: + How do. you set eoerinatoNionatyars wares Appear. actually braced between walis and root after, ile acrobatic leap. ‘Qutdoors, they ‘sit on the.bofforn, Of ponds for hours-breathing through a” | shorten getispended trom the See eee ees vsing nei rope, oF ‘burythemselves in shallow ‘earths’ with ‘only thelemouths exposed. Even when WaGhedide building whichwas nen set sightparvetneraut hey wouldhug ipatsigincoforceinecleicfact stove The floor to avoid suffocation, far more IBsegbtes han times, snd thon use fl ‘any available tools to break through af, faorfe bury themselves in the eau Bhesth. Biter ther ciseppor tea Bugis nod consoled thonicelveasedathe sbahtof tre agonizing sesuhey ffusthave suffered, ney would grrerge Tgeontipud neie work 19 aasthey fio. one of th nnja's mast powerts! ieesponsyise Inet repupaa ter occult Rowers, rich they did horRing to ds Me) ahead ofa guvra,erone foneare Frovee becoming acariying demon Irpatting fren Grub getare ine Retonicusot weering cemon mesk and Biowing rettomatube, (rorsome isaof whatthis must have looked like, try to atch the classic Japanese movie ‘Onibaba, where a similar sort of tick is used.) Always remember, be tricky. As that great Occidental sage ill Tidy once said, There's more ways of killing 9 cat then hitting it with a brick. DRAGONS IN THE WATER. NINJUTSU FOR REFEREES ‘One should be as a dragon lying hidden inthe depths of the water; that is, care- fully conserving one’s energy while observing the progress of events and preparing to.act when the right moment occurs Iching There ware three jevels af ninja, the Jonin (high man}. chunin (middie man), fend genin low mani. Ninja ryu (for Game purposes the difference between Fyu, schools or traditions, and the clans With which they were associated is nat Important) were organised on the classic call structure, and although the jonin directed its activities, the chunin acted fs cutouts, ensuring that he genin who etually did the dirty work were unable to betray his identity. Because-of this structure, the gleatjahinisan deat one {or a refeiee, serving much the same function ase Patton in Traveler In theGty. just as the yakuza (gangsters) Sometimes acted like Rabin Hoods ralher Fiherrobbing hoods, so the jonin was concerned o restore the balance atsocs ety by niding the oppressed onc this” hn suse Sours aera. practice; howeverseuen when athievin Soth worthy aime theVwere ae subtle and devious sotto sayenscrupulous. 35 ‘ever. Difecait nipjé vould be essigned tothe samemission withoutknowing, lo vols jeaachery, oro hatanly thejanin jafeceived ail theie reports knew the uelpicture. in 2 variation on this play, inmightbe given partof amas seaeivneh when pultogether would Sivetemmair orders. On occasions, a hinje could eoWen falsernaxmation so: that when coptured ang interrogated they would mislead thaje coptors. i aie payg}o remembershat although we op that moet referees willsiay joni. as rhoral if {uthlessppetrons, that their Feallfe coumerparis were quite pre Parad accept, say, eeontract to sup ross speasant revaltbysrson and terror PS rgabiatia the Ninja RIB racericd i tice, Bute of the Bester tre cage yur nate pro Pleeithe sarenene. sc oat y on itamilies, each tontrolling 30-40, SBMMIEDbverchotecters choca Sor oe geninvalthough you may wish to even: pape serforchanoctars tom BBvicscbecarmschacin 3rtvan Bligwier to esisuisn tn vin tod Pratassenstorinet msl rsmoe ot oamcrsjowerulone fecase pia wore a oparsts cast (or out Fepeio) In Jopanese society, the clan and fc were immensely mpenart to them, Aiaworsbiove have APG nije charac torstavtesanes spent bot poet for them fobelanptod vusisthis provides bth aveaay face Bockgrounes sus parc ana sonic teecicies tietak foctotniana plnvereara given, The NIGHT'S DARK AGENTS Bushido rules already have a structure ofsixelans, AF, [riendly, neutral orhos file to each other. This fa good way of ‘encouraging players to role-play, but fardly makes for ecmtlating diaiogue when two ninja encounter one another ‘ona mission. “Cran AP” “lve, Cran F wakarimasu ka?*, followed by the 2p of fiving sha-ken, 9 groan and a thud Instead of thi, therefore, we have taker shcactualryu, whose special techniques are known: Choosing one of these will Gives players level of expertise or ski ot availabie to other ninja, but also that they may haveto deal wi tie clans 10 obtain their services, equip. tment, poisons, ete. These are the six “Togakure Ryu: Favoured the lutsubish (caltrops) and shuko, These were climb- ing spikes worn across the palm of the hand, (Like the neKode in Bushido), The band around the hand was metal, and could be Used to block sword cuts, giv ing rise to legends of ninja stoppin blades bere Nanded. In AD&D, thiBeah be treated as a skill givingaet to Etec tive Armaur Class’ fareaeh level of expertise, For Bushido, teat as 3 Paty" option, with thefunhet option of 3 | Second She etack or he Dahinda Sirikovokuden to replesent a (ollowp Sack withthe other hand. Kyushin Ryu: Known for theif unor- thodox usef standard Weapons, espe- cially sppate (onto). Players and felarees should use their imaginatio Sherd-and allow a better chance of SUc- cess when, say, throwing arrows. Fado Ryu: Specialists inlavjutsy and shurkerJutsu. Rather than restrict these techniques (or any others) to a par ticular ryu, it wl probably be better to (ive a bonus reflecting greater practice Snd superioriechnique Don't makethis too generous, though, or you'll give an Unfair advantage over other ninja or on-ninjs characters ‘Gyokku Ry: Expert in yubijutsu, oF nerve strikes Tp Bushido, this ean be Wreaiedal te Precision Siri oladen, barehena: ‘Kota Ryu: Users of Koppojutsu bonabreskingtechnique. itis difficult ta simulatetiis in ADKD, as hits are not {akationindivicual locations, butfor this Sklllend yabijutsu, which could also dis able imbs, you can opt to aim bare banded attacks at imbs (excep the head forkoppojutsu) and then appiy ihe Monk rules forstunning oppanents: On 3 kop: Pojutsu attack, thelimb will be’stunned for only as many rounds 2s the level of the attacker, but also sutfer the optional RHP damage perlevel In Bushido, traat koppojutsu asan okuden of atem/-wara, giving an increased chance of ertical Success, and then using the optional rule on broken limbs on pbs of Book 1. For example, an adjusted BCS of 15-28 nar- ‘mally scoresa critical success on a rollof Tor. Using this technique, that becomes 1, 2 oF 3, and 30 on for higher BCSs. It ean be used in both stnke and arapple attacks. ‘Kusunoki yu: This yy had avast net work of spies. They are therafore idzal forretereasto use as aneutral NPC clan, ‘who operate os information brokers, Each ryu should be friendly to one ther (excapttne Kusunoki Ryu, neutral tothe Kusunoki Ryu and one other, and host Ninja Strategy Ninjutsu, propetly practised, was Far ‘more than just esoteric combat tech niques and gadgets. At its highest level used applied psychology to manipy lata sn opponent ito dog the ninjas Will preferably without being sware of Even the genin on a mission rellad wavily on practical peychology to con fuse, shad darter hte ts nemy. This is the most dificult aspect ofthe art fora reterae fo coms to Grips With. ondbeyendthe scope ofthis article Toeven boginto cover sdequately. Even 2 basic appreciaion oft though, will hein give your campaign and scenarios ‘more depth and ailthenity in respect GFthe ninja, and should make them ‘more satisfying to play f your group is into anything more subtle than strayght mayhem Central tothe teachings of mit jutsu was the concept af the five man letting! oti rings Earth, Wate sfire Wind ang Vor, By ror ‘Ovetaliatategyardesni iesr0 fommattaetcs ans aven co Gres, goule be Biojorsccinmhaway Thninjaclasatiedto opponents ‘heads andwesknesses under these ‘manifestations, and planned their Strzgy accordingly, For instanea, an Spponent whose personality operates mainly onthe Wer level wes rane to Singer‘nd other strona emotions. and could be goaded inta rash action: One ‘whose emotions were on the more Dhysical Earth level, on the other hend, Ss prone to laziness, and sought sc lity. They could be discouraged or dis tracted, a8 nthe case of s quara, bribed Drmanipulated by threatening the'rsee rity n-gome terms, whet thie means is Simply thet as Yani’ you would design 3 senngrio that encouraged players te Stidy theirtarget, and selects method of Carving outt contract that played on its weaknesses, orcompiemented sn tnemy's attack also means that you Should not limii your or the player's Stiateqiestodirett assault Athough the ninja were famed tor infamous) assas- Sing and commandos, they were also masters of expionage, snd you should make goad use of disquise, bribery, Bisckmsl, misinformstion, counter espionage, Nirelings, sleepers’, double gents, andellthe other trappings of he silent war FINAL NOTE For scenarios you can Incorporate as ‘much or as itle of the supernatural as you like. ‘Genuine’ magic could be used to counter the ‘sorcery’ of ninjutsu and the Kuji-no-in, butkeep theeffects onthe same level; it’s not much fun being @ ninja if the resident castle Security Wizard thinks that there's one in the bushes ana flattens half an acre with a meteor strike just to be on the safe side. This series has covered a lol af ground, and some of it has had fo be done very Sketchily. We hope, hawever, that most of it has been new to most of you, and thatit has succeeded in its aim of giving ‘an insight into the approach to ife that madatheninja and ninjutsu unique, and suggesting ways in which this can be introduced into role-playing games. Ore.no-shibori-wa doko-ni oitero yok wakartemaso,