A couple of suggestions here.
I believe we should make it so ninjas cannot log off and retain their study of the person that they had been studying before. Not only do I think of it as COMPLETELY OOC to log on, and have that ninja log on within seconds of you, and look for you (not hard in cabal wars) and come assassinate you, but I find it one of the most cheapest tactics in this game -- as if the whole skill assassinate (and the ease at which you do it) wasn't enough.
Before anyone says "Oh but you don't know how hard it is!" .. please back up, and rethink. I've had several ninjas. Several veterans on this forum have had ninjas as well. I had NO PROBLEM whatsoever assassinating who I want. I wasn't even a ninja whose specialty was assassinating, either. It either needs to be MUCH harder (and many many many MANY different attributes on whether or not you're able to assassinate) or you lose study when you log off.
Secondly, someone make a vampire please? When I log on and see half the playerbase as ninjas and they all hide as soon as I log on.. it really makes me sad 
**the above has nothing to do with a previous PK or being assassinated. I am posting this because, simply, I'm tired of seeing the other half of my PK disappearing off the who list one at a time after ONE or TWO ninjas log on. Especially when it's within 1 or 2 ticks of logging on. **
Oh you mean people are still looking for ways to OOCly avoid crap? And you've only just noticed?
The fact that a ninja can retain their study is absolutely INSANE! I mean... if I log off for say...6 hours... isn't that more than 30 days having passed in game? Hell... I've moved, gotten a new job, gotten a new (to me anyway) car, and a new girlfriend in 30 days... there's no damn way the person I was 30 days behaves EXACTLY the same as the present day me. Either a SEVERE penalty to their level of study on the log out or losing the study altogether.
I agree with jibber 100% (including that someone should make a vamp 
)
I agree. Slightly off subject... coming from a relatively new player, its disheartening when I ask around for advice on how to deal with a ninja, and the typical answer is "run and hide".
From where I stand, it seems easy enough to land an assassinate 
So, I don't think they should be able to retain their study.
Yeah. Retaining study is completely lame, I didn't even know that's how it worked.
I remember Lamah's deletion thread mentioned the same thing. But nothing happened then. The cabaled player let me take his standard over a period of a few days to gain and keep the study.
....are totally sweet?? 
L-A
PS - someone had to say it.
I agree. Slightly off subject... coming from a relatively new player, its disheartening when I ask around for advice on how to deal with a ninja, and the typical answer is "run and hide".
From where I stand, it seems easy enough to land an assassinate So, I don't think they should be able to retain their study.
I don't know how I feel about the original suggestion. Mostly because what jibber says is true but is only half the story. The other half is players quit when they see a ninja about or get the feeling they are being studied. The ninja loses study over time so if the ninja's stays in the they lose study. This is just as lame by the target.
I can however give some advice (which is always the same) as to dealing with ninjas:
Don't stay still. Keep moving and move through nohide areas regulary while using 'where' You will see a ninja following you sooner or later. After that, the next time you move an area (they can't study across area's) sit in the first room and spam murder, bash, bodyslam or your favourite high damage spell. Dollars to donuts they won't scan (wanting to greedily study you all they can) and will walk in. Bye, bye all that study and if you start lagging quite possibly bye bye to their life.
I haven't been assassinated in a while -and I've put down a ninja like a rabid dog from time to time who has attempted to stalk me.
If all else fails, go sit in the middle of a water area and wait for them. 10-to-1 says they will wet their pants at the thought of them coming out to fight you.
L-A
PS - ninja's don't have to assassinate everybody either. They are perfectly capable in melee if used correctly. Assassinate is still a cool skill though and sometimes necessary if you have to face a lagging melee who has eq to fight you (warrior or berseker with dual flails will shred a ninja. So will a ranger).
Not everyone plays a bash/bodyslam/minotaur/lag machine class, unfortunately. When I fight a ninja, and they start to hide for long periods of time (or even hide once while I fight them) I disappear. I don't log off (unless time permits and I HAVE to go) just because a ninja is around. I really, really hate it when one strangles you, simply studies, then runs off. That's (at maximum) 3 ticks of study against you. They only need 2 more ticks (or just those 3 if they're a certain path) to assassinate you.
Quitting off because you can't get the assassinate on someone and because you're too much of a pussy to follow that target onto water/trees, to just log on later when you KNOW they're on (OOC. Definitely. Whether you're on a lowbie before or have your OOC friend say "hey, so and so logged on, dewd") to assassinate the target?
Not. Cool.
Especially that's all that particular ninja/path does. Hehe.
I guess I'll just go ahead and ask how maintaining a study on someone after you log out is anyway balanced to...say a thief who needs you to be around to be a threat to you. I mean... basically you can keep an assassination ninja in your back pocket to just screw that vendetta'd cabal person who just pantsed you in public... It's like going into a cage fight, but handing your corner man a handgun to use "just in case" I lose. Honestly... if someone is keeping a ninja shelved specifically for this kind of thing... go die in a fire. This is just about as OOC as it gets.
LA counters to those types of strategy are the first thing I learned as a ninja and they aren't very difficult.
I remember Lamah's deletion thread mentioned the same thing. But nothing happened then. The cabaled player let me take his standard over a period of a few days to gain and keep the study.
That was me, and it needed to be done.
Heh. Hate teh TB.
I have to ask.
How serious can a problem be when the person who is proposing the change says in the same post:
"This is not because I've been dying to assassinations."
If you're not dying to it, the imbalance can't be all that terrible.
In response to KRins, there are always going to be some bad eggs who go OOC and use shelved or alternate characters to hassle someone who just defeated them. But I don't believe that the possibility of abuse should be used as a rationale to tone down ninjas as a whole. As Raargant once said:
"Imm policy should not be dictated by the possibility of a few players acting like pussies."
I have to ask.
How serious can a problem be when the person who is proposing the change says in the same post:
"This is not because I've been dying to assassinations."
If you're not dying to it, the imbalance can't be all that terrible.
Uhm, what? I stated that this brought on from a 'recent' assassination. There are several times I've been assassinated with the above tactics used.
Please try to be constructive with your next response.
I mean... yeah you've got a point that handling this is probably still on a case by case kind of level. I'm just hoping this isn't the start of a trend... I tend to nip things in the bud with a flamethrower...
Your original post did not say you had been assassinated many times, or that you were posting due to a recent assassination.
On the contrary, it said : the above has nothing to do with a previous PK or being assassinated.
That's what I was responding to.
I meant was NOT (mistype obviously above). Regardless, that's no means to shoot down my proposal. So my suggestion still stands.