[Dungeon Fantasy] Non-East Asian inspirations for Martial Artists (and Ninja)

[KarlKost]

Originally Posted by Infornific

If you're looking for inspiration for ninja aside from East Asia, the Order of Assassins might be a good starting point. It's a religious order so you've got a justification for mystic skills and abilities in addition to conventional assassin skills.

The european Templars or Teutonic Knights could fill that role, as would the Ottoman Janissaries. Sure, those are more commonly paired with Paladins/Mystic Knights, but those were also infiltrators and assassins just as much as the Ninjas were (which is why I prefer "Assassin" as a "class"/template rather than "Ninja").

Originally Posted by Infornific

Did not know there was an assassin template. The poster was asking for non-East Asian inspirations for Martial Artists and Ninjas, so that's why I suggested the Order of the Assassins. The idea is that the alternative would have chi or chi adjacent skills and powers, so the Assassin template seems a poor fit.

"Chi" is just a name. It can just as easily be replaced by "Pneuma" (greek) or "Spiritus" (latin). Ninjas are infiltrators and assassins; that's no different from roman legionnaires speciallized in those functions.

The Ninja template is an assassin template; if you wish to add exotic or supernatural traits to it, that's what it is. "Shadow powers" for instance may be a thing for some secret assassin organizations - not much from different from a Mages Guild teaching spells, or the Alchemists Guild teaching potions.

For example, the Elder Scrolls games (Oblivion, Skyrim etc) have the Assassins guild, and those arent nipponic "ninjas", and they still teach many regular and supernatural abilities.