Where do you put your points? Do you dual wield? Do you pump alchemy? Curious how others have done it. I went Dex Speed Dual Wield on my last one and she sucked until end game.

the point of this race-class is the best staff = http://www.zimlab.com/wizardry/recovered/flamestryke/wizardry8/itemsw8/weaponwiz8/staffs-caneofcorpus.html

you always get it from the same place (a tuff fight at level 12-14) ... if you want this weapon you need 50str by the time you switch to ninja (they get a lot of bonus points) and you can't switch it out for range weapons so the tip build is to max your spells before you dual i.e, spells at range and cane in melee

Actually, I believe it *isn't* a guaranteed drop, so if you're playing Ironman, I would not recommend choosing a setup that relies on getting the drop. I believe it does drop more often than not, so saving before the fight and reloading if you get unlucky enough for it not to drop is a reasonable strategy.

Anyway, one interesting option is to use a different character in the slot, then use the replace character feature to replace that character with a Faerie Ninja once you get the weapon. Physical damage doesn't depend much on level (it's not like magic), and you can use Guardian Angel to keep your new character alive until she is strong enough to not need it. (Also, don't forget about Resurrection, especially if you've reached the point where you have it as a spell, or if you have someone who can use the Amulet of Life; unlike in earlier Wizardry games, there is no stat (or other) penalty for letting characters die and then reviving them.)

Another option is, before you get this weapon, is to give the character the Staff of Doom; it uses the same skill as the Cane of Corpus and is easier to get. Just watch out for the negative health regen and the fact that it is difficult to uncurse.

True. It drops ~80% of the time iirc. Then again the Faerie item restrictions do not bother a Ninja at all: she uses the same equip any other Ninja uses for the most part. Still gets +2 Armor and bonus mana regen. Possibly the best Ninja even w/o the Cane.

The only major items a faerie ninja is restricted from compared to another race of ninja are the polearms and the maces. The Stun Rod, Mystic Spear, and Dread Spear in particular are sad losses. But if you're doing heavy dual wielding you probably don't care. An imported ninja or ranger with a Stun Rod has saved my party many times against Metallic Slimes, Crusher Crabs, Siges, and other early-game nasties, though. The only noteworthy maces you lose are the Vampire Chain (which your ninja probably won't use except soloing) and the Mauler.

You also lose a couple of cloaks, but you can still use the Cloak of Many Colors so it doesn't really matter.

Definitely increase Str and Vit. Gotta keep the tyke alive.

My build was slow at first but now kicking ass. All points going into strength and Dex. For the first five levels Staff Close combat and Critical his. 5- to current (level 13) 3 points in Crit 3 in Alchemy and 3 in Earth. He is a killing machine with the cane. and a decent spell slinger at range.