Ninja-to (dNetHack)
| ) | |
|---|---|
| Name | ninja-to |
| Appearance | ninja sword |
| Damage vs. small | 2d4 |
| Damage vs. large | 1d6+1 |
| Damage type | slashing |
| To-hit bonus | +0 |
| Weapon skill | broadsword |
| Primary attribute | strength |
| Magical item? | no |
| Properties | (none) |
| Base size | large |
| Base price | 10 zm (+10/positive enchant) |
| Default weight | 70 |
| Base material | iron |
- For the weapon known as a "ninja-to" in NetHack, see broadsword.
A ninja-to is a type of weapon that appears in dNetHack, notdNetHack and notnotdNetHack, where it is made into a separate item from the broadsword of NetHack—the broadsword in these variants is also much different from the vanilla broadsword. The ninja-to is a large melee weapon that is two-handed for a medium-sized wielder. It has a base material of iron, and appears as a ninja sword when unidentified.
The ninja-to is the base item for the artifact Fuma-itto no Ken.
Generation
Barbarians, Kensei, Knights, Samurai, and Valkyries start the game with knowledge of the ninja-to.
The ninja-to is very rare and makes up 1⁄1000 (0.1%) of all weapons randomly generated on the ground, in general shops or as death drops. Used armor dealerships and antique weapons outlets can also stock ninja-to.
Some monsters can be generated with a ninja-to:
- Ninja always generate with a ninja-to.
- Maids have a 1⁄4 chance of generating with a ninja-to if the hero is a Samurai.
- The blue-eyed fox has a 1⁄16 chance of generating with a filth-encrusted and dire-poisoned ninja-to.
- Player monster kensei have an effective and roughly 1⁄8 chance of being generated with a ninja-to as their melee weapon.
Description
The ninja-to is nearly identical to the broadsword, inflicting slashing damage and dealing 2d4 versus small monsters and 1d6+1 versus large ones, and is similarly capable of being poisoned by dipping it into an appropriate potion. Ninja-to are considered a valid weapon type for use by lawful yuki-onna Kensei. A hero that wields a ninja-to while they are at Skilled or better in broadswords gains the "focus fire", "create opening" and "bleed" expert traits.
In terms of monster weapon preference, monsters will favor the ninja-to over the standard broadsword and will prefer a scythe, a guisarme (if they can use polearms in melee) or better to the ninja-to.
Origin
The "ninja-to" or "ninjatō" is a type of sword that is alleged to be the preferred weapon of the shinobi of feudal Japan. It is described as a "katana-like short sword" with a broader blade and is portrayed by modern ninjutsu practitioners–including the Bujinkan founder Masaaki Hatsumi and Stephen K. Hayes (a student of Hatsumi's)–as the weapon of the ninja, featuring prominently as such in popular culture. 20th-century examples of this sword are displayed at the Koka Ninja Village Museum in Kōka, Shiga; at the Gifu Castle Archives Museum in Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan; and at the Ninja Museum of Igaryu (established in 1964).
The ninjatō is typically depicted as a short sword with a straight blade similar to that of a shikomizue alongside a square guard—according to Hayes, it is usually "less than 60 cm" in length, with the rest of the sword being comparatively "thick, heavy and straight". This is alleged to be the result of ninja having to forge their own blades from slabs of steel or iron with the cutting edge being ground on a stone, and straight blades were supposedly easier to form than the much more refined curved traditional Japanese sword; Hayes additionally claims that the blade's form emulates Fudo Myo-oh, one of the patron Buddhist deities of ninja families; per Hayes, he is depicted brandishing a straight-bladed short sword similar to a chokutō.
Historically, there is a lack of physical evidence or antique swords from the Sengoku to the 20th century matching the ninjatō: the designs demonstrated by alleged replicas may be based on the design of wakizashi or chokutō swords, or on the swords associated with the common infantrymen known as ashigaru. Similarly, techniques for usage in a martial context are largely speculative—ninjatō are depicted as being used in a "nearly identical" manner to a straight-blade katana, while books and other written materials have described "fast draw techniques centered around drawing the sword and cutting as a simultaneous defensive or attacking action", "a thrust fencing technique", and a "reverse grip" among other styles and usages. The scabbard is also alleged to have been used for various purposes such as a snorkel, an eavesdropping tool, an aid in climbing, or storage for various objects like chemicals used to blind pursuers.
The first known photograph of a straight-blade "ninja" sword is featured in a 26-page Japanese booklet entitled "Ninjutsu" by Heishichirō Okuse, and is dated to 1956, eight years before the Ninja Museum of Igaryu in Japan was established. The earliest films and other media outside of Japan that feature the ninjatō prominently are the 1981 Hollywood film Enter the Ninja, the 1983 Hollywood film Revenge of the Ninja, and the 1984 American television production The Master.
Encyclopedia entry
The ninja-to retains its encyclopedia entry from NetHack:
A Japanese broadsword.
