Shadow Wind Clan
Shrouded in shadow, agile, silent, clad in black raiment and mystery, the members of the Kage Kaze Zoku are the undeniable masters of the covert. Highly skilled assassins and saboteurs, they attack from out of the gloom using every facet of their deadly training to full-effect.
The Kage Kaze Zoku, the Shadow Wind clan, is an amalgamation of three Houses: the Bleeding Moon, the North Star and the Long Shadow; all under the command of the Grand Master. The structure inside the Houses is a mystery known only to a few, but what is known is that it comprises of Shadow Crows, the Soulless, and raw recruits identified only as worms. Details of their training are nothing more than pure speculation.
The warriors of the Shadow Wind clan are highly specialist and act in smaller numbers than any of their opponents, relying on concealment and stealth, alongside specialised weaponry and gear suited to their hidden purpose. Poison, caltrops, hallucinogens, shuriken, smoke bombs, and disguises aid them in their missions. Truly the undisputed masters of the silent kill, the members of the Shadow Wind clan are an elite force to be reckoned with.
Playstyle
The Shadow Wind Clan is an elite faction comprising three different Houses of separate schools. Their playstyle is centred around self-sufficient elite models that use hiding tactics and surprise attacks to deal high amounts of damage.
Most ninjas lack raw samurai fighting power, but make up for it with mobility unhindered by terrain and the ability to completely hide behind or inside terrain. In addition, each ninja comes with two unique effects that can be selected at the start of their activation turning them into versatile swiss-army-knife-models.
The average ninja list consists of self-sustaining models with little synergy. The playstyle is cautious and requires good rules knowledge and patience with a certain attention to detail in model and terrain positioning.
There are three communal themes that can mix ninjas from all houses that can increase damage output against a single target, promote early engagement or allow for last minute flexibility in list building.
The three named houses restrict the ninja choice but provide strong benefits and access to house-specific events and enhancements. House Bleeding Moon focuses on raw fighting power, House Northstar increases unique effect availability every other turn and House Longshadow grants battlefield dominance through advanced deployment and flanking.
Supporting the ninjas are animal creatures such as Karapans or Neko, the moon lion. Born killers with exceptionally high mobility, they compliment a ninja list and enhance tactical options. Ninjas are all about having the right tool for the right job at the right time somewhere in the list.
- Jonathan, Bushido community member.