eftexar
2011-07-28, 01:54 AM
Dusk Knight (3.5)
Abilities: A Dusk Knight's most important ability is charisma, because it affects the use of not only his mysteries but also many of his other class abilities. Intelligence can help with skills and all three of the physical stats can be of use in combat. Wisdom on the other hand, has little use for your abilities.
Organization: A dusk knight usually learns shadow magic from another dusk knight in one on one pupil mentor relationships.
Alignment: Dusk Knights may be of almost any alignment as the power of shadow is not innately good or evil.
Religion: A dusk knight may worship any deity, although many worship gods of darkness.
Background: A dusk knight may come from any walk of life, although must have experienced some event that showed them the power of darkness. An interesting background might even be that your character was 'cursed' with this power.
Races: Any race may become a dusk knight, although drow and humans are the most common. Humans are all too easily drawn into it for the power and the dark affinity of a dusk knight meshes well with the drow.
Other Classes: You will probably get along with pretty much anyone as long as they don't have any disdain for you because of your dark magics. Paladins and good-aligned clerics are the most likely to have a problem with you. Meanwhile some wizards might not respect you because your magic comes to you naturally much like a sorcerer.
Role: Your role in battle lies somewhere between a sorcerer and a fighter. You have access to some spells that can deal quite a bit of damage, as well as melee capability, but you lack both the melee and spellcasting flexibility of the fighter and the sorcerer respectively.
Class Features
Hit Die: d8
Starting Gold: As Rogue
Skills: Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points: 4 + int
{table=head] Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Refx Save | Will Save | Special
1st| +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Fundamentals of Shadow, Path of Shadows (apprentice)
2nd| +1 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Ephemeral Ability
3rd| +2 | +1 | +3 | +3 |
4th| +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Shadowcraft
5th| +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 |
6th| +4 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Unnering Shadows
7th| +5 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Fundamentals of Shadow (cha), Path of Shadows (initiate)
8th| +6/+1 | +2 | +6 | +6 | Ephemeral Ability
9th| +6/+1 | +3 | +6 | +6 |
10th| +7/+2 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Shadow Striking
11th| +8/+3 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Fundamentals of Shadow (infinite)
12th| +9/+4 | +4 | +8 | +8 | Seeping Shadows
13th| +9/+4 | +4 | +8 | +8 | Path of Shadows (master)
14th| +10/+5 | +4 | +9 | +9 | Ephemeral Ability
15th| +11/+6/+1 | +5 | +9 | +9 |
16th| +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +10 | Silken Cloak
17th| +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +10 |
18th| +13/+8/+3 | +6 | +11 | +11 | Reaching Shadows
19th| +14/+9/+4 | +6 | +11 | +11 | Partial Regeneration
20th| +15/+10/+5 | +6 | +12 | +12 | Ephemeral Ability, Dark Ascension
[/table]
Weapons and Armor Proficiencies: You are proficient with all simple weapons. You are also not proficient with armor or with any shields.
Class Abilities
Fundamentals of Shadows:
You know all of the fundamental mysteries listed in Tome of Magic. You may cast each fundamental a number of times per day equal to half your Dusk Knight class levels, as spell-like abilities. At level 7 you may cast each of your fundamental mysteries each day an additional amount of times equal to your charisma modifier. At level 11 you have unlimited uses per day of your fundamentals. The save for any fundamental is a DC of 10 + 1/2 level + charisma modifier.
Path of Shadows*:
You acquire the ability to use a small number of mysteries, but may use them more often than the shadowcaster. All mysteries have a save DC of 10 + 1/2 level + charisma modifier.
At your first level of Dusk Night you choose a single apprentice path to progress in, acquiring the first mystery in the path. At 3rd level you acquire the second mystery in the path and at 5th level you acquire the third mystery in the path. These mysteries are cast as arcane spells. You may cast your apprentice path mysteries a total combined number of times each day equal to 1/4 your dusk knight level.
At level 7 the mysteries from the path you chose at level 1 become spell-like abilities. You must then choose an initiate path, from whence you immediately acquire the first mystery. At 9th level you acquire the second mystery in the path and at 11th level you acquire the third mystery in the path. These new mysteries are cast as arcane spells. You may cast your initiate path mysteries a total combined number of times each day equal to 1/4 your dusk knight level, but may now use your apprentice path mysteries a combined number of times per day equal to 1/2 your dusk knight level.
At 13th level the mysteries from the path you chose at first level become supernatural abilities and the mysteries from the path your chose at 7th level become spell-like abilities. You must then choose a master path, from whence you immediately acquire the first mystery. At 15th level you acquire the second mystery in the path and at 17th level you acquire the third mystery in the path. These new mysteries are cast as arcane spells. You may cast your master path mysteries a total combined number of times each day equal to 1/4 your dusk knight level, but may use your initiate path mysteries (individually) a combined number of times per day equal to 1/2 your dusk knight level, and you may now cast your apprentice path mysteries a total number of times equal to your dusk knight level.
*Regardless of the uses per day listed, you may use each set of mysteries at least once per day.
You can find some additional paths here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a).
Lv2, 8, 14, 20 > Ephemeral Ability:
At each level indicated you may choose an ability from the list below. You may not choose the same ability more than once and some may have requirements. Here they are:
Evasive Shadows
Anytime an opponent attacks you, you may, in lieu of an attack of opportunity (as long as you are not caught flatfooted), attempt to dodge it. You must be able to move out of the effects area with five times your dexterity modifier in feet of movement, and must succeed on a reflex save DC of one of the following (these are in order of precedence): 10 + 1/2 your opponents attack roll (if the effect had an attack roll), 10 + 1/2 your opponents caster strength (if a spell or magical/psionic ability without an attack roll), or 10 + 1/2 opponents level (if neither of the other two are relevant).
If you are unsuccessful evasion, mettle, and your improved versions fail to function. If successful you completely avoid the effect and move to just outside the edge of the effect (to a maximum of your five times your dexterity modifier in feet).
Shadow Blade
For any weapon that is finessed and/or made from shadowcraft, you may use your dexterity in place of strength for damage rolls. Additionally, you may, upon a critical, add your strength as well (it is not multiplied).
Gloom Razor
By taking this you acquire the benefits of the gloom razor feat. You do not need to know any shadow hand maneuvers and do not need the shadow blade feat, but must still meet all other requirements.
Umbral Sight
You gain darkvision out to 60ft. This may be used to see through magical darkness. In addition you gain the benefits of the power touch sight (as an extraordinary ability) out to 30ft, although you may only sense foes in shadowy illumination or darker.
Shadeform [Su]
For half your dusk knight levels plus your charisma rounds per day you may transform yourself into a shadow. Activating and deactivating this ability is a fullround action. During it you gain the following benefits and penalties: You become incorporeal, may occupy spaces as if you were 2 sizes smaller, may squeeze through a space 4 times smaller than yourself, you lose the ability to jump and fly, you automatically succeed on all balance checks, you may move across any surface even onto walls and ceilings and never need make a climb check, you may not take any action that requires a body, and you gain a +4 to hide and move silently checks.
Master of the Shadows
You may hide in the darkness from creatures that have darkvision, as you would have if they lacked that feature. You gain a +4 bonus to hide checks to hide in the darkness against creatures who lack darkvision.
Shadow Conduit [Su]
You may use this once per round as a partial action, which does not provoke attacks of opportunity. This is not a teleportation effect, although foes may not attack you while you are moving with it (though they might be able to strike you at the end of your movement (or before if they have an ability that allows them to do so)). You explode into shadows and travel up to 30ft away. You may travel through any area that water could travel through. A trail of shadow and dark ribbons follows you from your origin to your new location, although this can’t be seen in shadowy illumination or darker (if the target can’t see the trail of shadow and you make an attack immediately after using this you catch the foe flatfooted) unless the viewer has darkvision or an ability to detect an intangible presences exact location. If an attack is somehow made against you during this movement (even aoe or ranged) it has a 50% chance of hitting you before you move. This does not affect whether or not a foe can hit at the end of your movement with it.
Shadow Blur
Your form becomes indistinct as the edges of your body bleed into your surroundings, becoming harder to see in shadows. You take a -4 to disguise checks.
Your body flickers and wavers as it becomes permanently partially incorporeal. Any effect that strikes you has a 30% miss chance. Anything you are physically holding, or that you possess, ignores this miss chance. Additionally this does not negate collision/falling effects or being affected by natural environmental effects. You and anything you possess may interact with the world normally without the fear of not hitting corporeal targets.
Any effect with the light descriptor or light in its name bypasses this miss chance. A weapon with a light enchantment, incorporeal attackers (with incorporeal attacks), or ghost touch weapons ignore 10% of this miss chance (this stacks if multiple are present).
This ability does not function if you wear any armor (excluding shields, gauntlets, and magic slot items) or are carrying over a light load.
Note that unlike normal incorporeality you are still subject to special attacks and effects that normally only target corporeal creatures.
Shadow Evasion
You gain benefits of the evasion ability (see rogue). Anytime you are not in daylight or near an illuminated light source this improves to improved evasion (see rogue).
Slashing Shadows
Whenever you make a melee or ranged attack with multiple attacks you may split it among multiple targets.
Astral Strike
All attacks you make ignore concealment granted by shadow effects or darkness.
Twilight Strike [Su]
Requirements: Umbral Sight ability
You may make your attacks through shadow, striking anyone with a shadowcraft weapon who is detected by Umbral Sight's touch sight effect. If you have slashing shadows it may be split among multiple targets.
Strangling Shadows [Sp]
You may, as a standard action, attempt to grapple an opponent within 30ft of you with tendrils of shadow. This is treated as a grapple, but uses your charisma instead of strength. Releasing a target is a swift action though. You needn’t move into the opponents square and, though the opponent is considered grappled by you, you are not considered to be grappling the opponent. You may extend this into a pin, at which point if the opponent escapes they are entangled for 1d4 + 1 rounds. You may not grapple more than 2 opponents at any one time.
Shield of Shadows [Sp]
You can summon a shield of shadow around yourself as a standard action. You must expend a partial action each round to sustain it (this provokes no attacks of opportunity). As long as it remains active the space you are in is considered to be in complete darkness and 5ft from you is shadowy illumination. You also gain DR equal to 1/4 your dusk knight level + 1/6 your other levels.
Furthermore, on any round you take the total defense action, this DR becomes equal to 1/2 your total level.
Concealed Strike
You may add your dexterity to damage (in addition to your normal damage) on all melee or ranged attacks you make against a foe you have concealment against, but that doesn't have concealment against you.
Shadow Pounce
After using any darkness based teleportation effect you may continue your actions as normal without any delay and without ending your turn.
Shadow Armor
While within complete darkness you gain a bonus to AC and reflex saves equal to twice your charisma modifier to a minimum of +1 and a maximum of your level. During anytime you are not in complete darkness you receive a flat +1 bonus.
Lv4 > Shadowcraft [Sp]:
You can create items, such as tools or weapons, from shadow, by drawing it from a nearby shadow as a standard action. It may not possess mechanical (or action through some sort of mechanism) parts but it may possess flexible and/or multiple parts.
You can create one item weighing a number of pounds up to half your Dusk Knight level + your charisma modifier, or two items whose combined weight does not exceed that limit. Your total weight for total shadowcraft items made may not exceed thrice your Dusk Knight level.
If the item leaves your possession, it fades away in 1d4 +1 rounds, unless you re-initiate possession within that time-frame. You may also dismiss a shadowcraft item as a swift action and may do so even if you lack contact with the item.
Items created by shadow craft cannot be employed as material components or foci in spellcasting. In order to create an item, you must succeed on a DC 20 Craft check as appropriate. You may add enhancement bonuses up to +7 to anything you create, but the craft check increases by 3 per +1.
You may duplicate any material with this ability, but they lack any magical effects these materials may have normal had and doing so increases the craft check DC by the same amount it would have increased the craft DC of a medium sword.
Notes:This is a modified version of Shadowcraft that actually allows it to be useful, extending a cool idea into more usable mechanics.
Lv6 > Unnering Shadows [Su]:
You may expend the use of an apprentice mystery as an immediate action to ignore concealment and total concealment as part of a single strike.
Lv10 > Shadow Striking [Su]:
All weapons created from shadowcraft gain the Shadow Striking quality. This ability functions on objects made of any material, unlike normal. Additionally you may temporarily imbue any other weapon (this doesn't increase or affect the weapons enhancement bonus) by expending the use of a mystery. An apprentice mystery grants the effect to the item for 1 minute, an initiate mystery grants it for 1 hour, and a master mystery grants it for 12 hours. If the effect is dispelled it returns in 1d4 + 1 rounds.
Lv12 > Seeping Shadows [Su]:
You may expend the use of an initiate mystery as an immediate action to treat a single strike as a touch attack.
Lv16 > Silken Cloak [Su]:
Any cloth or leather clothes/armor you wear benefits from the Shadow Silk ability (this does not affect enhancement bonuses). This ability does not affect the weight, hardness, or total hitpoints (though the recovery function still works) of such items; and does not require the armor/clothe to be master work.
Lv18 > Reaching Shadows [Su]:
You may expend the use of an initiate mystery as an immediate action to treat a single strike having a +5ft to its range. If you modify a ranged attack this bonus is instead +20ft.
Lv19 > Partial Regeneration:
You gain fast healing equal to your charisma modifier as long as your are in lighting of shadowy illumination or darker. This hit points regeneration may grow back limbs and heal permanently lost hit points.
Lv20 > Dark Ascension
You acquire the dark creature template (see tome of magic) and all benefits and penalties thereof. This does not affect your alignment.
Alot of people around the web seem to be confused about miss chances and when they stack or when they don't stack (as was I). Here is how different types of miss chances interact with one another (mostly compiled from official rules) for anyone who needs clarification:
Miss Chances (see the wizards (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20041005a) site)
Each type of miss chance does not stack with itself. The highest miss chance (or the one that qualifies in any case) takes precedence over the others. Different types are not combined, but are rolled separately.
Type 1: B/c you are difficult or impossible to see.*
ex. Concealment/Cover + Invisibility + Blur + Most Untyped
*A target who is blind ignore this type of miss chance, but has penalties of their own.
Type 2: B/c you are not there, are partially there, are sometimes there, or are sort of there.
ex. Incorporeality + Blink + Flicker + Some Untyped
The maximum for any single roll is 50%. The maximum number of rolls is 2 (one for each type), so the maximum miss chance is 75% (the chance of one of the rolls landing as a miss).
Keep in mind that there are sometimes exceptions to the rules (usually listed in the ability) and that this is not definitive of all situations (but it is for most).
Design Notes
This class is meant as a viable replacement for the shadowcaster class. I really like the shadowcaster class, but the only way to make it viable in a high power campaign (at least to my knowledge) is to force it into a gish role or to switch to sorcerer spell points if the DM allows. This is an attempt to create a gish role, but in a single class.
Abilities: A Dusk Knight's most important ability is charisma, because it affects the use of not only his mysteries but also many of his other class abilities. Intelligence can help with skills and all three of the physical stats can be of use in combat. Wisdom on the other hand, has little use for your abilities.
Organization: A dusk knight usually learns shadow magic from another dusk knight in one on one pupil mentor relationships.
Alignment: Dusk Knights may be of almost any alignment as the power of shadow is not innately good or evil.
Religion: A dusk knight may worship any deity, although many worship gods of darkness.
Background: A dusk knight may come from any walk of life, although must have experienced some event that showed them the power of darkness. An interesting background might even be that your character was 'cursed' with this power.
Races: Any race may become a dusk knight, although drow and humans are the most common. Humans are all too easily drawn into it for the power and the dark affinity of a dusk knight meshes well with the drow.
Other Classes: You will probably get along with pretty much anyone as long as they don't have any disdain for you because of your dark magics. Paladins and good-aligned clerics are the most likely to have a problem with you. Meanwhile some wizards might not respect you because your magic comes to you naturally much like a sorcerer.
Role: Your role in battle lies somewhere between a sorcerer and a fighter. You have access to some spells that can deal quite a bit of damage, as well as melee capability, but you lack both the melee and spellcasting flexibility of the fighter and the sorcerer respectively.
Class Features
Hit Die: d8
Starting Gold: As Rogue
Skills: Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (planes) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).
Skill Points: 4 + int
{table=head] Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Refx Save | Will Save | Special
1st| +0 | +0 | +2 | +2 | Fundamentals of Shadow, Path of Shadows (apprentice)
2nd| +1 | +0 | +3 | +3 | Ephemeral Ability
3rd| +2 | +1 | +3 | +3 |
4th| +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 | Shadowcraft
5th| +3 | +1 | +4 | +4 |
6th| +4 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Unnering Shadows
7th| +5 | +2 | +5 | +5 | Fundamentals of Shadow (cha), Path of Shadows (initiate)
8th| +6/+1 | +2 | +6 | +6 | Ephemeral Ability
9th| +6/+1 | +3 | +6 | +6 |
10th| +7/+2 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Shadow Striking
11th| +8/+3 | +3 | +7 | +7 | Fundamentals of Shadow (infinite)
12th| +9/+4 | +4 | +8 | +8 | Seeping Shadows
13th| +9/+4 | +4 | +8 | +8 | Path of Shadows (master)
14th| +10/+5 | +4 | +9 | +9 | Ephemeral Ability
15th| +11/+6/+1 | +5 | +9 | +9 |
16th| +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +10 | Silken Cloak
17th| +12/+7/+2 | +5 | +10 | +10 |
18th| +13/+8/+3 | +6 | +11 | +11 | Reaching Shadows
19th| +14/+9/+4 | +6 | +11 | +11 | Partial Regeneration
20th| +15/+10/+5 | +6 | +12 | +12 | Ephemeral Ability, Dark Ascension
[/table]
Weapons and Armor Proficiencies: You are proficient with all simple weapons. You are also not proficient with armor or with any shields.
Class Abilities
Fundamentals of Shadows:
You know all of the fundamental mysteries listed in Tome of Magic. You may cast each fundamental a number of times per day equal to half your Dusk Knight class levels, as spell-like abilities. At level 7 you may cast each of your fundamental mysteries each day an additional amount of times equal to your charisma modifier. At level 11 you have unlimited uses per day of your fundamentals. The save for any fundamental is a DC of 10 + 1/2 level + charisma modifier.
Path of Shadows*:
You acquire the ability to use a small number of mysteries, but may use them more often than the shadowcaster. All mysteries have a save DC of 10 + 1/2 level + charisma modifier.
At your first level of Dusk Night you choose a single apprentice path to progress in, acquiring the first mystery in the path. At 3rd level you acquire the second mystery in the path and at 5th level you acquire the third mystery in the path. These mysteries are cast as arcane spells. You may cast your apprentice path mysteries a total combined number of times each day equal to 1/4 your dusk knight level.
At level 7 the mysteries from the path you chose at level 1 become spell-like abilities. You must then choose an initiate path, from whence you immediately acquire the first mystery. At 9th level you acquire the second mystery in the path and at 11th level you acquire the third mystery in the path. These new mysteries are cast as arcane spells. You may cast your initiate path mysteries a total combined number of times each day equal to 1/4 your dusk knight level, but may now use your apprentice path mysteries a combined number of times per day equal to 1/2 your dusk knight level.
At 13th level the mysteries from the path you chose at first level become supernatural abilities and the mysteries from the path your chose at 7th level become spell-like abilities. You must then choose a master path, from whence you immediately acquire the first mystery. At 15th level you acquire the second mystery in the path and at 17th level you acquire the third mystery in the path. These new mysteries are cast as arcane spells. You may cast your master path mysteries a total combined number of times each day equal to 1/4 your dusk knight level, but may use your initiate path mysteries (individually) a combined number of times per day equal to 1/2 your dusk knight level, and you may now cast your apprentice path mysteries a total number of times equal to your dusk knight level.
*Regardless of the uses per day listed, you may use each set of mysteries at least once per day.
You can find some additional paths here (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a).
Lv2, 8, 14, 20 > Ephemeral Ability:
At each level indicated you may choose an ability from the list below. You may not choose the same ability more than once and some may have requirements. Here they are:
Evasive Shadows
Anytime an opponent attacks you, you may, in lieu of an attack of opportunity (as long as you are not caught flatfooted), attempt to dodge it. You must be able to move out of the effects area with five times your dexterity modifier in feet of movement, and must succeed on a reflex save DC of one of the following (these are in order of precedence): 10 + 1/2 your opponents attack roll (if the effect had an attack roll), 10 + 1/2 your opponents caster strength (if a spell or magical/psionic ability without an attack roll), or 10 + 1/2 opponents level (if neither of the other two are relevant).
If you are unsuccessful evasion, mettle, and your improved versions fail to function. If successful you completely avoid the effect and move to just outside the edge of the effect (to a maximum of your five times your dexterity modifier in feet).
Shadow Blade
For any weapon that is finessed and/or made from shadowcraft, you may use your dexterity in place of strength for damage rolls. Additionally, you may, upon a critical, add your strength as well (it is not multiplied).
Gloom Razor
By taking this you acquire the benefits of the gloom razor feat. You do not need to know any shadow hand maneuvers and do not need the shadow blade feat, but must still meet all other requirements.
Umbral Sight
You gain darkvision out to 60ft. This may be used to see through magical darkness. In addition you gain the benefits of the power touch sight (as an extraordinary ability) out to 30ft, although you may only sense foes in shadowy illumination or darker.
Shadeform [Su]
For half your dusk knight levels plus your charisma rounds per day you may transform yourself into a shadow. Activating and deactivating this ability is a fullround action. During it you gain the following benefits and penalties: You become incorporeal, may occupy spaces as if you were 2 sizes smaller, may squeeze through a space 4 times smaller than yourself, you lose the ability to jump and fly, you automatically succeed on all balance checks, you may move across any surface even onto walls and ceilings and never need make a climb check, you may not take any action that requires a body, and you gain a +4 to hide and move silently checks.
Master of the Shadows
You may hide in the darkness from creatures that have darkvision, as you would have if they lacked that feature. You gain a +4 bonus to hide checks to hide in the darkness against creatures who lack darkvision.
Shadow Conduit [Su]
You may use this once per round as a partial action, which does not provoke attacks of opportunity. This is not a teleportation effect, although foes may not attack you while you are moving with it (though they might be able to strike you at the end of your movement (or before if they have an ability that allows them to do so)). You explode into shadows and travel up to 30ft away. You may travel through any area that water could travel through. A trail of shadow and dark ribbons follows you from your origin to your new location, although this can’t be seen in shadowy illumination or darker (if the target can’t see the trail of shadow and you make an attack immediately after using this you catch the foe flatfooted) unless the viewer has darkvision or an ability to detect an intangible presences exact location. If an attack is somehow made against you during this movement (even aoe or ranged) it has a 50% chance of hitting you before you move. This does not affect whether or not a foe can hit at the end of your movement with it.
Shadow Blur
Your form becomes indistinct as the edges of your body bleed into your surroundings, becoming harder to see in shadows. You take a -4 to disguise checks.
Your body flickers and wavers as it becomes permanently partially incorporeal. Any effect that strikes you has a 30% miss chance. Anything you are physically holding, or that you possess, ignores this miss chance. Additionally this does not negate collision/falling effects or being affected by natural environmental effects. You and anything you possess may interact with the world normally without the fear of not hitting corporeal targets.
Any effect with the light descriptor or light in its name bypasses this miss chance. A weapon with a light enchantment, incorporeal attackers (with incorporeal attacks), or ghost touch weapons ignore 10% of this miss chance (this stacks if multiple are present).
This ability does not function if you wear any armor (excluding shields, gauntlets, and magic slot items) or are carrying over a light load.
Note that unlike normal incorporeality you are still subject to special attacks and effects that normally only target corporeal creatures.
Shadow Evasion
You gain benefits of the evasion ability (see rogue). Anytime you are not in daylight or near an illuminated light source this improves to improved evasion (see rogue).
Slashing Shadows
Whenever you make a melee or ranged attack with multiple attacks you may split it among multiple targets.
Astral Strike
All attacks you make ignore concealment granted by shadow effects or darkness.
Twilight Strike [Su]
Requirements: Umbral Sight ability
You may make your attacks through shadow, striking anyone with a shadowcraft weapon who is detected by Umbral Sight's touch sight effect. If you have slashing shadows it may be split among multiple targets.
Strangling Shadows [Sp]
You may, as a standard action, attempt to grapple an opponent within 30ft of you with tendrils of shadow. This is treated as a grapple, but uses your charisma instead of strength. Releasing a target is a swift action though. You needn’t move into the opponents square and, though the opponent is considered grappled by you, you are not considered to be grappling the opponent. You may extend this into a pin, at which point if the opponent escapes they are entangled for 1d4 + 1 rounds. You may not grapple more than 2 opponents at any one time.
Shield of Shadows [Sp]
You can summon a shield of shadow around yourself as a standard action. You must expend a partial action each round to sustain it (this provokes no attacks of opportunity). As long as it remains active the space you are in is considered to be in complete darkness and 5ft from you is shadowy illumination. You also gain DR equal to 1/4 your dusk knight level + 1/6 your other levels.
Furthermore, on any round you take the total defense action, this DR becomes equal to 1/2 your total level.
Concealed Strike
You may add your dexterity to damage (in addition to your normal damage) on all melee or ranged attacks you make against a foe you have concealment against, but that doesn't have concealment against you.
Shadow Pounce
After using any darkness based teleportation effect you may continue your actions as normal without any delay and without ending your turn.
Shadow Armor
While within complete darkness you gain a bonus to AC and reflex saves equal to twice your charisma modifier to a minimum of +1 and a maximum of your level. During anytime you are not in complete darkness you receive a flat +1 bonus.
Lv4 > Shadowcraft [Sp]:
You can create items, such as tools or weapons, from shadow, by drawing it from a nearby shadow as a standard action. It may not possess mechanical (or action through some sort of mechanism) parts but it may possess flexible and/or multiple parts.
You can create one item weighing a number of pounds up to half your Dusk Knight level + your charisma modifier, or two items whose combined weight does not exceed that limit. Your total weight for total shadowcraft items made may not exceed thrice your Dusk Knight level.
If the item leaves your possession, it fades away in 1d4 +1 rounds, unless you re-initiate possession within that time-frame. You may also dismiss a shadowcraft item as a swift action and may do so even if you lack contact with the item.
Items created by shadow craft cannot be employed as material components or foci in spellcasting. In order to create an item, you must succeed on a DC 20 Craft check as appropriate. You may add enhancement bonuses up to +7 to anything you create, but the craft check increases by 3 per +1.
You may duplicate any material with this ability, but they lack any magical effects these materials may have normal had and doing so increases the craft check DC by the same amount it would have increased the craft DC of a medium sword.
Notes:This is a modified version of Shadowcraft that actually allows it to be useful, extending a cool idea into more usable mechanics.
Lv6 > Unnering Shadows [Su]:
You may expend the use of an apprentice mystery as an immediate action to ignore concealment and total concealment as part of a single strike.
Lv10 > Shadow Striking [Su]:
All weapons created from shadowcraft gain the Shadow Striking quality. This ability functions on objects made of any material, unlike normal. Additionally you may temporarily imbue any other weapon (this doesn't increase or affect the weapons enhancement bonus) by expending the use of a mystery. An apprentice mystery grants the effect to the item for 1 minute, an initiate mystery grants it for 1 hour, and a master mystery grants it for 12 hours. If the effect is dispelled it returns in 1d4 + 1 rounds.
Lv12 > Seeping Shadows [Su]:
You may expend the use of an initiate mystery as an immediate action to treat a single strike as a touch attack.
Lv16 > Silken Cloak [Su]:
Any cloth or leather clothes/armor you wear benefits from the Shadow Silk ability (this does not affect enhancement bonuses). This ability does not affect the weight, hardness, or total hitpoints (though the recovery function still works) of such items; and does not require the armor/clothe to be master work.
Lv18 > Reaching Shadows [Su]:
You may expend the use of an initiate mystery as an immediate action to treat a single strike having a +5ft to its range. If you modify a ranged attack this bonus is instead +20ft.
Lv19 > Partial Regeneration:
You gain fast healing equal to your charisma modifier as long as your are in lighting of shadowy illumination or darker. This hit points regeneration may grow back limbs and heal permanently lost hit points.
Lv20 > Dark Ascension
You acquire the dark creature template (see tome of magic) and all benefits and penalties thereof. This does not affect your alignment.
Alot of people around the web seem to be confused about miss chances and when they stack or when they don't stack (as was I). Here is how different types of miss chances interact with one another (mostly compiled from official rules) for anyone who needs clarification:
Miss Chances (see the wizards (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20041005a) site)
Each type of miss chance does not stack with itself. The highest miss chance (or the one that qualifies in any case) takes precedence over the others. Different types are not combined, but are rolled separately.
Type 1: B/c you are difficult or impossible to see.*
ex. Concealment/Cover + Invisibility + Blur + Most Untyped
*A target who is blind ignore this type of miss chance, but has penalties of their own.
Type 2: B/c you are not there, are partially there, are sometimes there, or are sort of there.
ex. Incorporeality + Blink + Flicker + Some Untyped
The maximum for any single roll is 50%. The maximum number of rolls is 2 (one for each type), so the maximum miss chance is 75% (the chance of one of the rolls landing as a miss).
Keep in mind that there are sometimes exceptions to the rules (usually listed in the ability) and that this is not definitive of all situations (but it is for most).
Design Notes
This class is meant as a viable replacement for the shadowcaster class. I really like the shadowcaster class, but the only way to make it viable in a high power campaign (at least to my knowledge) is to force it into a gish role or to switch to sorcerer spell points if the DM allows. This is an attempt to create a gish role, but in a single class.