Ninja The Ninja Level Proficiency Bonus Martial Arts Die Ki Points Ninjutsu Known Features 1st +2 1d4 - - Unarmored Defense, Martial Arts 2nd +2 1d4 2 2 Ki, Ninjutsu 3rd +2 1d4 3 3 Ninja School 4th +2 1d4 4 3 Ability Score Improvement 5th +3 1d6 5 4 Extra Attack 6th +3 1d6 6 4 7th +3 1d6 7 5 Divinatory Mineralogy 8th +3 1d6 8 5 Ability Score Improvement 9th +4 1d6 9 6 Sixgun Poisoner 10th +4 1d6 10 6 Genetic Banishing Unarmored Defense Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier. Martial Arts At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use unarmed strikes and ninja weapons, which are any weapons with the finesse or light properties, and ranged weapons. You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only ninja weapons and you aren’t wearing armor or wielding a shield: You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes and ninja weapons.

You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or ninja weapon. This die changes as you gain ninja levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Ninja table.

You can draw a new thrown weapon immediately after throwing one as part of that attack.

When you hit an opponent with a ninja weapon and you have advantage on the attack, you can add your martial arts die to the damage. This extra damage is the same type as the weapon you used.

You don't need advantage on the attack if an enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn't incapacitated, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack. Ki Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to harness the mystic energy of ki. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of ki points. Your ninja level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Ki Points column of the Ninja table. You can spend these points to fuel your various ninjutsu. When you spend a ki point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended ki back into yourself. You must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to regain your ki points. Some of your ki features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows: 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier ####

Samurai Slashing another foe in two, an armored elf roars a challenge against all the hobgoblins who would dare knock her down. Her foes decide to launch a volley of arrows instead, but in a blur of movement, she knocks them all out of the sky with a gust of wind emanating from her katana. Riding a horse into battle, a half-orc swings their naginata left and right, completely destroying the enemy's formation. An ogre attempts to get in his way, but with a mighty shout, it is also cut down, a glowing wound indication that there was more than martial might behind the swing. A human holds a bow in their hands, picking off orcs from afar. They unleash a wave of energy with every shot, foes sent flying from the shockwaves as they land. One orc comes at them from the side, but the human uses the bow itself as a weapon to knock the orc aside before continuing their onslaught. Loyal and powerful soldiers, samurai are a cut above your average recruit. They have often trained their entire lives in order to be of service to their lord or their cause, and won't let anything stand in their way. Ki and the Samurai Samurai have trained in the ways of a magical energy called ki, the same as monks. Whereas monks use this energy to enhance their bodies and gain control of living things around them, samurai have trained in order to enhance their control of themselves and the battlefield. Their weapon strikes are deadly, and the speed and ferocity of a single samurai on the battlefield is able to change the course of combat. Service to their Nation Most samurai are children of noble families who are trained to take this role from a young age. Through constant weapon drills and education in the ways of war and peace, manipulation of ki to further enhance themselves is the mark of having graduated from the ranks of a common soldier to a true samurai. After this, they swear loyalty to Some warriors of lower social rank might have a natural talent for this, or learned how to do so from another source. While they may call themselves samurai, those of noble bearing might look down on them for their perceived lesser nature. There are a few reasons for a samurai to leave their lord's side to become an adventurer. Sometimes, a lord might entrust a samurai with a quest that will cause them to leave home, while other samurai lose their lords in one way or another and journey to sustain themselves. Samurai not of noble-blood have no real obligation to a lord, but they might share the same spirit that causes them to seek out new battlefields.

The Samurai Level Proficiency Bonus Martial Arts Ki Points Features 1st +2 1d4 - Martial Arts, Second Wind 2nd +2 1d4 2 Ki, Fighting Style 3rd +2 1d4 3 Warrior Tradition, Deflect Blow 4th +2 1d4 4 Ability Score Increase 5th +3 1d6 5 Extra Attack 6th +3 1d6 6 Ki-Empowerment, Tradition Feature 7th +3 1d6 7 Staredown 8th +3 1d6 8 Ability Score Increase 9th +4 1d6 9 Will of Fire 10th +4 1d6 10 Soul of Steel Creating a Samurai As you create your samurai, think about your connection to the samurai way. Were you a noble child, raised only to die in service to a greater cause? Were you a child of war, hardening your body and soul in order to survive? Were you adopted into this life as a 'reward' for a service to a noble? Consider why you are adventuring now. Were you chosen for a particularly important mission? Were you dishonored in some way, and you chose to flee instead of die? Are you on a quest of vengeance, having lost your home or your family? Or are you simply a wandering vagrant with a soul stronger than your appearance belies? Your weapons of choice also have a history. Were they created by a simple blacksmith, or handed down to you as a family heirloom? What does your armor say about you, if you have any at all? As the result of the discipline and structured codes they are taught in order to harness ki, samurai are almost always lawful. Quick Build You can make a samurai quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, depending on whether you want to focus on heavy melee weapons, lighter melee weapons, or archery. Your next highest score should be Charisma. Second, choose the noble background. Class Features As a samurai, you gain the following class features Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d10 per samurai level

1d10 per samurai level Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier

10 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constituion modifier per samurai level after 1st Proficiencies Armor: Light armor, medium armor

Light armor, medium armor Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial weapons

Simple Weapons, Martial weapons Tools: None Saving Throws: Wisdom, Charisma

Wisdom, Charisma Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, History, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Perception, and Persuasion. Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: (a) a longsword and a shortsword or (b) two martial weapons of your choice

a longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows.

(a) a diplomat's pack or (b) an explorer's pack

(a) scale mail, or (b) leather armor. Unarmored Defense Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Charisma modifier. Martial Arts At 1st level, your practice of martial arts gives you mastery of combat styles that use samurai weapons, which are simple melee weapons and any weapons that have the two-handed or versatile property. You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed or wielding only samurai weapons, and while you are not wielding a shield:

You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your samurai weapons that are not heavy.

You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike or samurai weapon. This die changes as you gain samurai levels, as shown in the Martial Arts column of the Samurai table.

You gain a +1 bonus to your armor class as long as both of your hands are holding a weapon. Ki Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to harness the mystic energy of ki. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of ki points. Your samurai level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Ki Points column of the Samurai table. You can spend these points to fuel various ki features. You start knowing three such features: Kiai Smite, Kiai Defense, and Kiai Charge. You learn more ki features as you gain levels in this class. When you spend a ki point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended ki back into yourself. You must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to regain your ki points. Some of your ki features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows: 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier Kiai Smite When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one ki point to increase the weapon’s damage. The extra damage is equal to your martial arts die for 1 ki point, plus another martial arts die for each ki point beyond that. This extra damage is the same type as the weapon attack's. You can spend a maximum of ki points on a kiai smite equal to half of your samurai level, rounded down, up to 6 ki points total. This extra damage is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical weapon damage. You can only perform one kiai smite during your turn. Patient Defense You can spend 1 ki point to take the Dodge action as a bonus action. Ki Charge You can spend 1 ki point to take the Dash action as a bonus action on your turn. If you move twenty feet in a straight line towards a foe after taking the Dash action, you may make a melee weapon attack against an enemy as part of the same bonus action, using your martial arts die for the damage of the attack instead of the normal damage of your weapon. Fighting Style At 2nd level, you adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again. Archery You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons. Defense While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC. Great Weapon Fighting When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit. Two Weapon Fighting When you engage in two weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack. Warrior Tradition When you reach 3rd level, you pursue a traditional fighting style in order to improve your combat capabilities, such as the Way of the Iron Gate, the Way of the Swift Steed, and the Way of the Heavenly Blade. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 11th, and 15th levels. Deflect Blow Starting at 3rd level, you can use your reaction to deflect the blow when you are hit by a melee weapon attack. When you do so, the damage you take from the attack is reduced by 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your samurai level. If you reduce the damage to 0, you can spend 1 ki point to make a melee weapon attack against the attacker, using your Martial Arts die for the damage of the attack instead of the normal damage of your weapon. Ability Score Increase When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature. Extra Attack Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn. Ki-Empowered Strikes Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Staredown Starting at 7th level, you may spend 2 ki points as an action to project your intent to kill others, centered on yourself. Creatures of your choice within a 30-ft. radius must make a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you for 1 minute. If the creature fails its saving throw by 5 or more, its movement speed is reduced to 0 until it is no longer frightened or until it takes damage. A creature can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. Will of Fire Starting at 9th level, you may add your Charisma modifier as a bonus to all of your saving throws. In addition, if you fail a saving throw, you may spend 2 ki points as a reaction to reroll your saving throw. Soul of Steel Starting at 10th level, you are immune to being charmed or frightened. Warrior Traditions While there are many styles of samurai, three of them are very common on the battlefield. Each clan knows at least these three traditions, as teaching a samurai according to their aptitude results in stronger soldiers. Way of the Swift Steed As a member of the Way of the Swift Steed, you've trained in the arts of mounted combat and overwhelming your foes from atop your steed. Calvary Training You gain proficiency in the Animal Handling skill. You always have advantage on saving throws against falling off of your mount. If you fall off of your mount, you may use your reaction to land on your feet. Mounting or dismounting a creature only costs 5 feet of movement, rather than half of your speed. Additionally, you may spend 1 ki point to gain advantage on your Animal Handling checks. Spirit Steed Starting at 6th level, you may spend 2 ki points to cast the Find Steed spell. Additionally, your Patient Defense, Ki Charge, and Ki-Empowerment features also affect your mount, whether or not it is from the Find Steed spell. Lastly, your mount may use its reaction to attack on your turn when you use the Attack action. If it is from the Find Steed spell, you may use a Kiai Smite when your steed attacks and add it to the steed's damage roll. Way of the Heavenly Blade As a Samurai trained in the Way of the Heavenly Blade, you've trained yourself to manipulate ki even more than your fellow samurai, and can recreate the effects of magic through sheer concentration. Arts of War Starting when you choose this tradition at 3rd level, you can use your ki to duplicate the effects of certain spells. As an action appropriate to the spell, you can spend two ki points to cast branding smite, magic weapon, misty step, or warding wind, without providing material components. Additionally, you gain one of the following cantrips of your choice: booming blade, green-flame blade, or sword burst. Heavenly Blast Starting at 6th level, when you hit an opponent with a weapon attack, you can choose to make the attack explode with energy. Each creature in a 15 ft. cone from the target you hit with your attack must make a Dexterity saving throw or take the same amount of damage as the initial target. On a successful save, they take half this damage. You can use this feature only once per short or long rest. Way of the Iron Gate The Way of the Iron Gate is the way of a defender, who must use their wits and their strength to deny those who would harm those under the samurai's protection. Guardian Training When you select this tradition at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with perception and insight, if you do not already have them. Defensive Stance You gain the ability to enter a defensive stance as a bonus action on any turn in which you have not moved more than 5 feet. While in this stance, you gain the following benefits: Attacks don't have advantage if the creature making them is hidden from you. You gain a +2 bonus to your AC. You have advantage on checks made against being grappled or being made to move, such as being pushed, pulled, or knocked prone. This stance ends if you move more than 5 feet from your current position, even against your will. Iaijutsu Starting at 6th level, you have advantage on initiative checks. Also, you may use your reaction to draw your weapon (if it isn't drawn) and to make a weapon attack against a creature on the first round of combat. You can do this even if you have been surprised and your turn hasn't come yet, but you must be aware of a valid target to do so.

Samurai and Other Classes Samurai borrow abilities from a few other classes and mix them into a singular whole, and yet can exist in the same worlds as these classes. When you multiclass, the following features can be modified as follows. Ki: You may add together your monk and your samurai levels to determine your total amount of ki, so long as you have gained the ki feature in both classes. Martial Arts: You may add together your monk and samurai levels when determining the damage die of your martial arts feature.

Weapon Equivalents English Weapon Japanese Weapon Monk Weapon Ninja Weapon Samurai Weapon Simple Melee Weapons Club Nunchaku Yes Yes Yes Dagger Kunai Yes Yes Yes Greatclub Kanabo No No Yes Handaxe Ono Yes Yes Yes Light Hammer Tessen Yes Yes Yes Mace Yes Yes Yes Quarterstaff Bo Yes Yes Yes Sickle Kama Yes Yes Yes Spear Yes Yes Yes Simple Ranged Weapons Darts Shuriken No Yes No Shortbow No Yes Yes Martial Melee Weapons Battleaxe Ono No No Yes Glaive No No Yes Greataxe Ono No No Yes Greatsword No No Yes Halberd No No Yes Longsword Katana No No Yes Maul No No Yes Pike No No Yes Rapier Ninjato No Yes No Scimitar No Yes No Shortsword Wakizashi Yes Yes Yes Trident Jumonji Yari No No Yes Warhammer No No Yes Whip No Yes No Martial Ranged Weapons Blowgun Longbow No Yes Yes There are a lot of weapons that are unique to Japan, but they have many close equivalents you can use to represent their use in Dungeons & Dragons. Above is a list of replacements for each weapon in the PHB. Some weapons have multiple equivalents, going either way, and that's okay. This is simply a list of suggestions. *Ono is simply the Japanese word for "axe" and is used for various kinds of axes. The weapons exist in Japanese history, but rarely saw use and weren't officially classified into different types based on size. An axe is an axe is an axe, to the Japanese.