Bush Ninja Bladeweaver -- advice requested

Rock

I am considering rolling a Bushido/Ninja/Bladeweaver.  His template would be something like:

110+: Throwing, Tactics

100: Chivalry, Focus

 100: Bushido, Ninjitsu

(The reason for Throwing over Archery is he'd probably be made on Siege Perilous, and he wouldn't have to worry about acquiring arrows.)

Notice there is no hiding or stealth, which seem not to be so important on a ranged fighter.  Same with Parry, but for a bladeweaver Parry does make more sense than with an archer.  Sometimes you just want to get up close and personal.  With 100 points left in that template, would you consider Parry?  Or would some 100-point combination of Animal Taming and Lore would allow training his lesser hiryu?  (I don't know how/if Bushido would interact with those.)  I don't expect to tame one, but it would be nice to train it once I have it.  What else to consider?

From Bushido (even without Parry) he would gain Confidence, Lightning Strike, Honor:Perfection, Evasion, and a controllable lesser hiryu pet.

Ninjitsu (without Hide, Stealth) would allow him Focus Attack, Animal Form (including the dog&cat forms with extremely high regen), and Mirror Image (one-use, any damage shields (not sure about AoE)).

Rock

Well, it looks like I was wrong about Focus Attack.  I am trying this out on Test Center, but while holding a boomerang and trying to use Focus Attack a message comes up saying that I must be using a melee weapon without a shield.  (I wasn't holding a shield.)

I wonder why Focus Attack only works with melee weapons.  The other weapon-buff attacks all work with any weapon, ranged or otherwise.  I have tested:

• (chivalry) Consecrate Weapon
• (necromancy) Curse Weapon
• (mysticism) Enchant
• (spellweaving)  Immolating Weapon (oops)
  

I was wrong -- neither Focus Attack nor Immolating Weapon can be used ranged.  The other three can be.  It is also strange that Focus Attack specifically excludes shield bearers.  What makes these two buffs different?

Rock

If I do this, I'd have to forego Ninjitsu.  Without Focus or Stealth, there is no practical way to train it past a skill of 55 or so.  There are powers which don't require stealth, but they require 80 and 85 skill.

Also, I tried this on Test Center.  My other account tamed a lesser hiryu and transferred it.  My hopes of being able to train it as a Samurai were in vain.  It takes 100 Animal Taming to train it.  Even if I could train it, healing it would be problematic.  Vet requires Animal Lore for curing and ressing, so essentially a Samurai would have to be a full-on tamer to be able to train and fully utilize his occupational pet.  Once a character were a tamer, the uniqueness of a warrior having a lesser hiryu is gone.

It looks like I'll be abandoning this idea.