Hitting Me is Like Boxing With Shadows [3.5 Base Class]

[Rebonack]

Some friends of mine were bugging me to make Shadow Dancer into a base class, and this is what I came up with! The goal here was to create a highly mobile, high damage trap monkey adept at sowing confusion amongst her foes. This Shadow Dancer is meant to function on the level of Factotum and friends.

Shadow Dancer

Class Skills: The shadowdancer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Decipher Script (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Perform (Cha), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).

Skill Points per level: 8 + Int modifier.
HD: 1d8
Three-fourths base attack bonus.
Good Reflex saves.

{table=head]Level|Special
1st|Camouflage, Shadow Partner 0%, Trapfinding
2nd|Shadow Dance +1
3rd|Evasion, Dark Vision, Uncanny Dodge
4th|Shadow Dance +2
5th|Shadow Illusion 2, Shadow Strike 1/Encounter
6th|Shadow Dance +3, Hide in Plain Sight
7th|Shadow Jump 20'
8th|Shadow Dance +4, Shadow Illusion 3
9th|Defensive Roll, Improved Uncanny Dodge
10th|Shadow Dance +5, Shadow Partner 50%
11th|Shadow Jump 40', Shadow Strike 2/Encounter, Shadow Illusion 4
12th|Shadow Dance +6, Shadow Form
13th|Slippery Mind
14th|Shadow Dance +7, Shadow Illusion 5
15th|Shadow Jump 80'
16th|Shadow Dance +8
17th|Shadow Strike 3/Encounter, Shadow Illusion 6
18th|Shadow Dance +9, Greater Shadow Illusion
19th|Perfect Shadow jump 120', Improved Evasion
20th|Shadow Dance +10, Shadow Illusion 7, Shadow Partner 100%, Die in Darkness[/table]

Shadow Dancer class features function as per the Prestige Class except as follows.
Camouflage(Su): The Shadow Dancer blends into her surroundings, allowing her to hide in shadows as though they offered her concealment. The Shadow Dancer may not hide in her own shadow nor can she hide while being observed.

Shadow Partner(Su): Once per encounter as a standard action the Shadow Dancer may summon an illusionary duplicate of herself to attack a foe within 100'. Her duplicate fights intelligently and will attack using her weapons to destroy the creature to the best of her ability. The Shadow Dancer may direct the duplicate to a new target as a free action. The duplicate lasts for a number of rounds equal to half her Shadow Dancer level (rounded down) plus her Int modifier. If slain the duplicate vanishes in a dark cloud of mist.

The duplicate uses the Shadow Dancer's Saves, Base Attack Bonus, Skill Bonuses, Armor Class, Ability Scores, Feats, Hit Points, and has mundane duplicates of all of the Shadow Dancer's equipment. The duplicate also shares the Shadow Dancer's Shadow Dance, Darkvision, and Shadow Jump class features.

The duplicate is a shadow illusion and is harmless if the foe realizes it is an illusion (Will Save DC 10 + 1/2 Shadow Dancer level + Int modifier). At level 10 the duplicate still deals half damage even if it is disbelieved and is summoned with a duplicate of one of the Shadow Dancer's magic weapons. At level 20 the duplicate deals full damage even if it is disbelieved and is summoned with a duplicate of all of the Shadow Dancer's magic weapons. The duplicate is unable to mimic any charged magical effects.

Shadow Dance(Su): As an immediate action the Shadow Dancer may make a Perform(Dance) check when an attack would hit her and use the result in place of her armor class or touch armor class. If the attack misses the Shadow Dancer's foe is Blinded by clinging darkness until the beginning of their next turn.

If the Shadow Dancer or her shadow duplicate hits a blinded foe they deal bonus damage equal to half her Shadow Dancer level, rounded down.

Darkvision(Ex): The Shadow Dancer is able to see clearly in complete darkness, including magical darkness.

Shadow Illusion(Su): As a standard action the Shadow Dancer may create a single visual illusion woven from shadows. The Shadow Dancer may control the actions of these illusions as a free action. The area within these illusions is pitch black.

A successful Will save (DC: 10+1/2 Shadow Dancer level + Int mod) reveals the illusions to be nothing but roiling darkness.

At level 5 the Shadow Dancer may maintain up to two Medium sized illusions. At level 8 and every 3 levels there after the Shadow Dancer may maintain one additional Medium illusion.

Daylight and similar spells dispell shadow illusions. Shadow illusions last for a number of rounds equal to the Shadow Dancer's Shadow Dancer level.

Shadow Strike(Su): As a free action the Shadow Dancer and her duplicate may treat their attacks as touch attacks for one round. This ability may be used once per encounter at level 5, twice per encounter at level 11, and three times per encounter at level 17.

Shadow Jump(Su): The Shadow Dancer may teleport from one shadow to another as a move action. The maximum distance of this teleport improves with the Shadow Dancer's level.

[B]
Shadow Form(Su): The Shadow Dancer and her duplicate can become Incorporeal as an Immediate or a Free action a number of rounds per day equal to her Shadow Dancer level. Ending this ability is a free action. Additionally, all equipment used by the Shadow Dancer now functions as though it has the Ghost Touch property.

Greater Shadow Illusion(Su): The Shadow Dancer may now create shadow illusions as a Swift action rather than a standard action. Additionally, the Shadow Dancer may transform a Greater Shadow Illusion into a 10' globe of pure darkness as a free action. Only a [Light] spell of 7th level or higher can dispell Greater Shadow Illusions.

Perfect Shadow Jump(Su): The Shadow Dancer may now use her Shadow Jump ability as an Immediate or Free action.

Die in Darkness(Su): A number of times per day equal to her Int modifier the Shadow Dancer may make a single attack against a creature or object shrouded in pitch blackness as a Standard action. If the attack hits the target must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 +1/2 Shadow Dancer level + Int Mod) or be utterly consumed by the darkness as though devoured by a Sphere of Annihilation (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/artifacts.htm#sphereofAnnihilation).

The Shadow Dancer must choose to use this ability before making her attack roll. If the attack misses the daily use is lost.

There! That's that. Questions, comments, rotten tomatoes?

[Temotei]

At first glance, a one-level dip would be awesome for hide in plain sight plus a 24-hour summon second character. Trapfinding is something, too.

EDIT: I'll give suggestions, too. Soz.

Making the copy a reduced-efficiency copy would be good and adding a duration would really help. Limiting it to your shadowdancer level would be another way. At later levels, increase its effectiveness.

Hide in plain sight could also be at a later level, and probably should be.

As for early-level replacements for hide in plain sight, you could take cues from Realms of Chaos' nobody (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133433).

[Rebonack]

Hmmm, bumped Hide in Plain Sight back to level 6 and added Camouflage at level 1. Can hide anywhere, just not while being observed.

Also added a clause to Shadow Partner to prevent it from being used for spellcasting multi-class shenanigans. Shadow Partner also gains a duration of one minute per Shadow Dancer level. That should prevent too much multi-class abuse.

[Temotei]

Okay, now it's time to work over shadow partner.

It shares your statistics. If you take ability damage, does the partner, as well?

If you die, does the partner dissipate?

For that matter, do any status conditions that affect you also affect the shadow partner (and vice-versa, I guess)? If you take damage after copying, does the shadow partner also take damage?

If you have an item that has a specific number of charges per day and you've used any of the charges, does the shadow partner copy the number of charges or does it get a fully-charged item?

Can you dismiss the shadow partner to get more time with it in the day? If you dismiss it, does that count as destroying the shadow partner (thereby preventing it from being used again for 24 hours)?

Can the shadow partner create shadow partners?

For that matter, does the shadow partner get your class features? You imply that it does with the "no spellcasting" bit, but it's not explicitly stated. Statistics is rather vague.

[Haldir]

Since skill checks can be jacked up much easier than to-hit, a Shadowdancer maxing dance is going to almost always avoid attacks and disable foes silly easy. Seems like there's some pretty great potential for cheese there.

[Temotei]

Oh, and I'm pretty sure camouflage does nothing unless the allowed shadows to hide in are really small (shadows cast by perched birds on rooftops above you at noon?). Shadowy illumination already gives concealment (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/exploration.htm#visionAndLight).

Actually, I guess you could just hide in a party member's shadow.

[Just to Browse]

Shadow Partner is borked. A 1-level dip to double your everything once per day is overpowered, even if it isn't spells.

It's also annoying to specifically ban spell abuse because it requires you to clarify whether you mean to include spells, SLAs, psionics, PLAs, supernatural abilities that function as spells, supernatural abilities that don't function as spells, maneuvers, meldshaping, shadowcasting, truenaming, invocations, vestiges, runescars, and runes from the runesmith. And after all that, it still has weird problems with xenotheurgy, elder wands, spellshaping, incantations, spheres, etc.

You should honestly just give the shadow dancer the ability to conjure up their shadow by using the luminous assassin line, so the potential for action economy abuse is controlled.

[Temotei]

Shadow Partner is borked. A 1-level dip to double your everything once per day is overpowered, even if it isn't spells.

It's also annoying to specifically ban spell abuse because it requires you to clarify whether you mean to include spells, SLAs, psionics, PLAs, supernatural abilities that function as spells, supernatural abilities that don't function as spells, maneuvers, meldshaping, shadowcasting, truenaming, invocations, vestiges, runescars, and runes from the runesmith. And after all that, it still has weird problems with xenotheurgy, elder wands, spellshaping, incantations, spheres, etc.

You should honestly just give the shadow dancer the ability to conjure up their shadow by using the luminous assassin line, so the potential for action economy abuse is controlled.

This is probably best. I have more notes on it. I was just waiting until I got answers on the above. :smalltongue:

[Steward]

Shadowdancer is an inherently cool concept in my opinion and I think it would make a solid base class even though I feel it's more suited to prestige class.


Double Shadow(Su): The Shadow Dancer may now summon up to two duplicates rather than three.

I feel like this ability is either a typo or a downgrade (or maybe I'm just missing something). If they could originally summon three duplicates, why would limiting that to two be an improvement?

[Rebonack]

Alright, Shadow Partner has been reworked (again!) to give it a bit more clarity in its functionality. Most importantly specifying exactly what statistics and class features it gets.


Okay, now it's time to work over shadow partner.

It shares your statistics. If you take ability damage, does the partner, as well?

Yes.


If you die, does the partner dissipate?

No, it sticks around for the remainder of its duration.


For that matter, do any status conditions that affect you also affect the shadow partner (and vice-versa, I guess)? If you take damage after copying, does the shadow partner also take damage?

The duplicate gets its own HP pool, but if you were to take level drain or ability score damage it would also suffer from it.


If you have an item that has a specific number of charges per day and you've used any of the charges, does the shadow partner copy the number of charges or does it get a fully-charged item?

This has been addressed in the rework. The duplicate gets mundane equivalent equipment and gets access to your magical weapons at higher levels. It is unable to mimic any sort of charged effect.


Can you dismiss the shadow partner to get more time with it in the day? If you dismiss it, does that count as destroying the shadow partner (thereby preventing it from being used again for 24 hours)?

The duplicate has been rewritten as a per encounter ability with a more limited duration, so that is a non-issue.


Can the shadow partner create shadow partners?

Nope! That isn't one of the class features it gets.


For that matter, does the shadow partner get your class features? You imply that it does with the "no spellcasting" bit, but it's not explicitly stated. Statistics is rather vague.

They have been de-vauged!


Oh, and I'm pretty sure camouflage does nothing unless the allowed shadows to hide in are really small (shadows cast by perched birds on rooftops above you at noon?). Shadowy illumination already gives concealment.

Actually, I guess you could just hide in a party member's shadow.

Most environments are going to have shadows all over the place. They're just a spot of variable illumination. You don't need 'shadowy illumination' to have shadows available.


Since skill checks can be jacked up much easier than to-hit, a Shadowdancer maxing dance is going to almost always avoid attacks and disable foes silly easy. Seems like there's some pretty great potential for cheese there.

It's an immediate action, which you only get one of per round. That only really becomes relevant if a monster decides to full-attack you since the Blind wears off at the beginning of the monster's next turn. It makes for good synergy with a sneak-attacker, though.

[razorfloss]

this a fantastic base class i wonder how it would interact with the prestige class though

[Rebonack]

The problem with the Shadow Dancer PrC is, and always has been, that it's really flavorful and really bad. You would take a one level dip in it for Hide in Plain Sight. And that's it, really. So the goal here was to retain the flavor of the PrC as a fully functioning base class that would actually be able to function with other good trap monkies like the Factotum and the Beguiler.