I see people complain that there are no fighter ninjas anymore. Perhaps this is so because they have almost 0 chances against the usual mele classes? My thoughts are, is there a reason ninjas not to have dual parry as skill?
Now that I actually made one, I just noticed they don't have two handed as well?
Caltraps, nerve pinch, poison smoke and blindness dust MORE than make up for the fact that they don't get dual parry. If you equip them like a melee, they'll do pretty well, but the fact remains, they're missing at least one defense against every other melee, so you have to play them differently(with some tactics and skill). Ninjas rely on quick strikes and catching their opponent off-guard, not dirt; trip; trip; trip.
By differently you mean assassination? Because that is the only way a ninja can beat a mele if we take that they have the same skill/equipment.
But that's okay with me, I don't like ninjas too.
No, by differently, I mean that can't just walk up and dirt and hope to outmelee. You have to use hit and run tactics, strangle and blind them, and get off a round or two, run off cure light yourself, etc. It's a whole new way to fight.
By differently you mean assassination? Because that is the only way a ninja can beat a mele if we take that they have the same skill/equipment.
I wholeheartedly disagree. A ninja can cripple most melee classes via their accessory skills.
Nerve: Major -STR
Poison Dust: More -STR, 100% kill on regen
Caltraps: Not only hit/dam suffer, but Major -DEX
Blindness Dust AND Dirt: If one don't work, use the other.
Envenom/Throw: Another source of poisoning
Use these guys in battle successfully: You are fighting a gnome warrior for at least 4-5 ticks.
Push: Lots of uses that no one seems to utilize
People need to stop viewing the ninja class as having two seperate routes.
Ninjas have good melee against many classes, and for those that they can't keep up with as well, they have study/assassinate. Regardless of what path you choose as a ninja, you have both options available to you at all times, and one may be better than another against different race/classes - the paths just augment certain ways of fighting.
Sure, you can have a ninja that plays pure assassination, or a ninja that plays pure melee (with the former being more more viable, usually), but then you're cutting out a big chunk of your skillset. You don't roll up a necromancer and say "I'm gonna go the sleep/mal/acid blast route instead of the zombies route" or roll up an invoker and say "I'm gonna go pure dispel/hellstream instead of ice storm" so why do people do it with the ninja class?
Dey
I see no way to justify ninjas getting dual parry, DKs tho...
I have had a ninja outmelee and kill my Vampire Sirican.
Granted, it was a certain cabal using certain special skills... It's a VAMPIRE vs. NINJA! and the Vamp lost!?
Yes. Melee ninjas can be very viable.
I had a ninja recently that, uncaballed, undecked, and without shurikens capable of hitting vulns beat down a WM crusader and held his own against Uhril while he was massively decked. Chance of surprise against either? Zero. Chance of victory? Not zero by any means.
Melees who I did surprise? They died.
It is ALL about tactics with a ninja. You cannot play one as a warrior, period... you have to play them as a ninja. Surprise and speed are your best friends.
Barnok? shiver
Barnok got ninjas toned though 
As 'spiser had a habit of doing with his characters.
Stupid internet lag = Double Post
I have had a ninja outmelee and kill my Vampire Sirican.
Granted, it was a certain cabal using certain special skills... It's a VAMPIRE vs. NINJA! and the Vamp lost!?
Yes. Melee ninjas can be very viable.
Yes, I remember that one. 
I had a ninja recently that, uncaballed, undecked, and without shurikens capable of hitting vulns beat down a WM crusader and held his own against Uhril while he was massively decked. Chance of surprise against either? Zero. Chance of victory? Not zero by any means.
Melees who I did surprise? They died.
**It is ALL about tactics with a ninja. You cannot play one as a warrior, period... you have to play them as a ninja. Surprise and speed are your best friends.[/**QUOTE]
Thank you, Pali, for illustrating my point far better than I could(since for one, I've never pinned a ninja, but I've gotten 4 pretty close).