Ninja Ikuzachi

Been tossing around this idea for Ikuzachi a few years, ever since playing the relatively new Ninja Gaiden games.

I would like to see Ikuzachi be a relgion-based skill for ninjas.  The premise would be that as you fight, you charge your Ikuzachi "meter" if you will.  The skill would be similar to the Nexus Pandemonium T (I think?) skill Eye of Moloch.

You first cast ikuzachi.  You fight a bit and it charges up three levels.  You then can cast ikuzachi for full effect, and that effect is a 2-3 hour buff.  The buff effect will be religion-based but I have a few suggestions:

Chance - not sure

Death - Buff that steals a small portion of life from up to two attacks per round (think fire shield but a mini vampiric touch instead)

Equilibrium - buff that gives ninja chance to reverse lag attemps. Similar to monk preying mantis, but lasts buff duration.
Knowledge - Buff that has medium chance to cast the mental paralysis spell (the one Grand Mistress casts)

Life - Buff that, if ninja hp gets to 0 in combat while buff is active, ninja flees, buff deactivates, and converts remaining mana to life (similar to Illithid racial ability)

Faith - not sure
 

Thoughts?

While I very much enjoy the concept, some things bother me:

1. Ikuzachi is an active spell, which when cast, does damage. Something similar to lightning bolt. Your suggestion changes is completely. I am not saying this is a bad thing. Just noting the change.

2. Some of your examples are extremely OP. Lag avoidance, on a class that can assassinate means that you can kill anything regardless of EQ, with no risk of dying to laglocks. Now I've been a huge critique of the skill assassinate, but this is plain wrong. Now if the assassinate skill gets removed (which it should), it would be perfectly fine.

3. On life religion - "and converts remaining HP to life". You mean mana to HP?

I really wish the assassinate skill would get removed but on that note...the ikuzachi skill would still be required to charge up.  That means the ninja could still die in that time.

Yes, convert mana to HP

Oh you mean you have to cast it a few times and then it charges?

Yes.  It would have to charge up.

Not sure if you've ever played a Pandemonium to T but they have a skill like this.  You cast it and then start fighting...over the course of a few hours of fighting, the Ikuzachi would raise to level 2, then to level 3.  If you happen to cast the Ikuzachi at less than full power, it just deals damage like it does now. 

Level 1 - same damage as now

Level 2 - Increased damage, but otherwise same as now

Level 3 - The buffs I mentioned.