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LordErebus12
2014-12-24, 03:23 PM
The Shade
http://i1073.photobucket.com/albums/w395/TheRoby/47d6d75a-ee62-4e90-9bf9-7bd1400e60f9.jpg

Fluff

Role: The shade is at home in the shadows, blending into the darkness until it attacks, aiming to deal the maximum damage possible before retreating into the darkness. The shade utilizes stealth to stalk his prey and intimidation to paralyze the target with fear.

Alignment: Any. Usually non-good.

Hit Die: d10.

Parent Class: Slayer

Starting Wealth: 5d6 × 10 gp (average 175 gp.) In addition, each character begins play with an outfit worth 10 gp or less.

Class Skills
The shade's class skills are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disguise (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (dungeoneering) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Knowledge (local) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Stealth (Dex), Survival (Wis), and Swim (Str).

Skill Ranks per Level: 6 + Int modifier.



Level
Base Attack
Bonus
Fort
Save
Ref
Save
Will
Save
Special


1st
+1
+2
+2
+0
Armor of Darkness, Inner Darkness


2nd
+2
+3
+3
+0
Shade Talent


3rd
+3
+3
+3
+1
Shadow Attack +1d6


4th
+4
+4
+4
+1
Shade Talent, Fear of the Dark


5th
+5
+4
+4
+1
Eyes of Midnight (60 ft.)


6th
+6/+1
+5
+5
+2
Shade Talent, Shadow Attack +2d6


7th
+7/+2
+5
+5
+2
True Darkness


8th
+8/+3
+6
+6
+2
Shade Talent, Shadow Control


9th
+9/+4
+6
+6
+3
Shadow Attack +3d6


10th
+10/+5
+7
+7
+3
Advanced Talents, Eyes of Midnight (120 ft.), Shade Talent


11th
+11/+6/+1
+7
+7
+3
Armor of True Darkness


12th
+12/+7/+2
+8
+8
+4
Shade Talent, Shadow Attack +4d6


13th
+13/+8/+3
+8
+8
+4
Concealing Shadows


14th
+14/+9/+4
+9
+9
+4
Shadow Manipulation, Shade Talent


15th
+15/+10/+5
+9
+9
+5
Eyes of Midnight (See In Darkness), Shadow Attack +5d6


16th
+16/+11/+6/+1
+10
+10
+5
Shade Talent


17th
+17/+12/+7/+2
+10
+10
+5
Resistant Shadows


18th
+18/+13/+8/+3
+11
+11
+6
Shade Talent, Shadow Attack +6d6


19th
+19/+14/+9/+4
+11
+11
+6
Killer Shadows


20th
+20/+15/+10/+5
+12
+12
+6
Master of Shadows, Shade Talent



Class Features
The following are the class features of the shade.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency:
A shade is proficient with all simple and martial weapons, as well as with light armor and shields (except tower shields).

1st – Inner Darkness (Su):
With a dramatic gesture, the shade’s body begins leaking shadows, filling a large area with absolute darkness. As a move action once per round, the shade can conjure a 20 foot cube of darkness or a wall of darkness (40' long, 20' tall, and 10' thick). The cube can be placed in any square nearby, so long as the shade is at least adjacent to the cube of darkness. The cube of darkness lasts a number of rounds equal to 3 + the shade’s cha modifier.

The shade can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 plus the shade’s cha modifier. At every level thereafter, the shade can use this ability another time per day.

1st – Armor of Darkness (Su):
The shade gains the ability to transmute a suit forged from the darkness inside his soul. This darkness completely cloaks the shade in protective shadows, which cling to the shade like a second skin.

The shade can form this armor as a swift action at will. When formed, this supernatural suit functions as light armor and grants the shade an armor bonus to his armor class, equal to 4 + 1/2 shade level. However, this shade suffers an armor check penalty equal to -5 plus the shade’s cha modifier (maximum 0) and has a maximum dexterity modifier to armor class equal to +0 plus the shade’s charisma modifier (Maximum +5). Any armor worn as the armor is formed is absorbed by the suit and no longer applies to the shade’s armor class.

3rd – Shadow Strike (Ex):
While inside an area of shadowy illumination, the shade can strike at targets with greater precision.

The shade deals an extra +1d6 points of damage on each successful attack. Both the target and the shade must be in shadowy illumination for the extra damage to be applied. In addition, this damage increases by +1d6 at 6th level and every three levels thereafter (Maximum +6d6).

This ability functions as sneak attack for the purposes of shade talents.

4th – Fear of the Dark (Su):
To those unnerved by darkness, the shade is fear incarnate. The shade may use the intimidate skill to cause foes to become frightened, instead of shakened. If the shade succeeds his check by 10 or more, he can choose to make the creature panicked.

5th – Eyes of Midnight (Su):
The shade gains 60 feet of darkvision. This increases to 120 feet at 10th level, and becomes the ‘See in Darkness’ ability at 15th level.

7th – True Darkness (Su):
Any natural or magical shadows that the shade conjures or enters become supernatural in nature. Darkvision no longer penetrates this darkness, although the ‘See in Darkness’ ability still functions normally within the area of darkness.

8th – Shadow Control (Su):
A shade can alter the size of any shadow in contact with the shade's body, causing it to appear to spread out in tendrils of darkness. The shade can cause darkness effects to expand up to double the normal size or shrink up to half the normal size as a swift action. If used in this way, it grants the shade a +5 bonus on intimidate checks against anyone the shadows move towards this round.

11th – Armor of True Darkness (Su):
The shade’s suit of darkness becomes even more protective, healing the shade while in at least shadowy illumination. The armor gains the moderate fortification armor property. When worn, the suit grants the shade fast healing equal to 1 + the shade’s cha modifier (minimum 1).

13th – Concealing Shadows (Su):
While standing in an area of shadowy illumination, the shade gains total concealment, instead of the standard concealment; effectively invisible to those without the ‘See in Darkness’ ability. The shade may choose to reveal himself or hide himself while in the shadows as a free action.

14th – Shadow Manipulation (Sp):
Using a form of shadow control, the shade can manipulate shadows to do various things. This ability functions similar to the telekinesis spell, usable three times per day.

17th – Resistant Shadows (Su):
Any shadow that the shade is in contact with can no longer be countered by light-descriptor spells and effects, or even dispelled.

19th – Killer Shadows (Sp):
The shade can send shadows to kill creatures with terror. This ability functions similar to the phantasmal killer spell, usable three times per day.

20th – Master of Shadows:
The shade can use his ‘Inner Darkness’ ability at will. In addition, the ‘See in Darkness’ ability from no longer can penetrate any shadows that the shade conjures or enters inside, although the shade’s vision does not suffer from this effect.

LordErebus12
2014-12-24, 03:57 PM
Its a work in progress and I could use some help.

Almarck
2014-12-24, 04:19 PM
I think the armor ability is at odds with the fluff. While I can say it is a good idea to pack strong defenses, I don't think conjuring armor should be a main point of a class supposedly reveling in hit and run and darkness.

I think it would be more thematic and practical to instead make a cloak or instead have an invisibility like effect that relies on darkness instead of armor. Such an ability is more befitting of a heavily armor antipaladin.


Aside from that. I am wondering if this is essentially a darkness infused slayer, I wish to know how far you want to diverge away from slayer. It would help to know the design intentions as current the class does essentially look very similar to a slayer archetype but thats mostly due to retaining talents and the sneak attack progression. Do you want us go help you diverge from the inspiration even further?

Demidos
2014-12-24, 05:52 PM
Suggestions for your last few abilities

Once per week, when killed, the shade can reform in a nearby shadow at 1 hp?
Within the shadows enemies are treated as entangled. Or dimensionally anchored. Or slowed. Or all three, as a scaling ability.

LordErebus12
2014-12-24, 05:57 PM
I think the armor ability is at odds with the fluff. While I can say it is a good idea to pack strong defenses, I don't think conjuring armor should be a main point of a class supposedly reveling in hit and run and darkness.

I think it would be more thematic and practical to instead make a cloak or instead have an invisibility like effect that relies on darkness instead of armor. Such an ability is more befitting of a heavily armor antipaladin.


Aside from that. I am wondering if this is essentially a darkness infused slayer, I wish to know how far you want to diverge away from slayer. It would help to know the design intentions as current the class does essentially look very similar to a slayer archetype but thats mostly due to retaining talents and the sneak attack progression. Do you want us go help you diverge from the inspiration even further?

I was going for a spawn-like class, reminiscent of the shade from forgotten realms 3.5., but I'm willing to go any which way with it to make it different.


Suggestions for your last few abilities

Once per week, when killed, the shade can reform in a nearby shadow at 1 hp?
Within the shadows enemies are treated as entangled. Or dimensionally anchored. Or slowed. Or all three, as a scaling ability.

Good ideas. not sure on how to incorporate them. We'll work on it.

Almarck
2014-12-25, 01:27 AM
Never played an actual Forgotten Realms game. I would however state that if you plan to do a Spawn-esque class, you might as well expand it to include every sort of living battlesuit from in fiction from Crisis, to an anime I can't quite remember its name but featured "Zoanoids". But that is hardly helpful (unless it makes you want to make a seperate class all about that), so I let me add something more... useful ideas.

I think as a class, you should by default be relying on your offense if you plan to be "shadow"-enough. The class at its current form needs killing power if it plans to be an assassin, or at the very least accuracy. If you really want to keep the armor, I think you should make it less defense and more offense. Drop the scaling armor value and instead make it more "cosmetic", like a transformation ability similar to a modified monstrous physique.

Alternatively, you can instead of just armor, make it a full equipment suite. You'll need to change things a little, including making the armor have a limited duration per day, but I think it is a flaw to more or less discourage the use of armor outside of the class ability. Changing the bonus to "natural armor" so it sacks with amulets and whatever armor the player has might be better. Then, drop the scaling (at least slightly), let the "shadow" "cling" to the users weapons in some fashion and then you'll have an interesting class.

Also, have you perhaps considered that the area around your darkness ability might be treated as "melee" for you no matter how far away in real space it actually is. Essentially, weaponizing shadows to deliver attacks and strike AoOs to enemies who try to approach you. And then there's perhaps the idea of "throwing darkness" around to weaponize it to capitalize it using your "reach through shadows".

LordErebus12
2014-12-25, 01:53 AM
Never played an actual Forgotten Realms game. I would however state that if you plan to do a Spawn-esque class, you might as well expand it to include every sort of living battlesuit from in fiction from Crisis, to an anime I can't quite remember its name but featured "Zoanoids". But that is hardly helpful (unless it makes you want to make a seperate class all about that), so I let me add something more... useful ideas.

I think as a class, you should by default be relying on your offense if you plan to be "shadow"-enough. The class at its current form needs killing power if it plans to be an assassin, or at the very least accuracy. If you really want to keep the armor, I think you should make it less defense and more offense. Drop the scaling armor value and instead make it more "cosmetic", like a transformation ability similar to a modified monstrous physique.

Alternatively, you can instead of just armor, make it a full equipment suite. You'll need to change things a little, including making the armor have a limited duration per day, but I think it is a flaw to more or less discourage the use of armor outside of the class ability. Changing the bonus to "natural armor" so it sacks with amulets and whatever armor the player has might be better. Then, drop the scaling (at least slightly), let the "shadow" "cling" to the users weapons in some fashion and then you'll have an interesting class.

Also, have you perhaps considered that the area around your darkness ability might be treated as "melee" for you no matter how far away in real space it actually is. Essentially, weaponizing shadows to deliver attacks and strike AoOs to enemies who try to approach you. And then there's perhaps the idea of "throwing darkness" around to weaponize it to capitalize it using your "reach through shadows".

Zoanoids is clearly a reference to one of my all time favorite animes, Guyver the Biobooster Armor. The Guyver is very similar ability-wise to Spawn, although on a technology level rather than supernatural level.

Originally I meant for the suit to grant a natural armor bonus, but then I thought about wild shaping and armor merging into the form. I was trying to balance it, since it becomes as protective as a +5 suit of fullplate, without slowing you down or encumbering you as much.

I thought about going the Darkness route, where you controlled and summoned shadow-fiends to do your bidding.

I definitely think throwing shadows could work. I mean, i could convert shadow strike into something to so with that.

Almarck
2014-12-25, 02:03 AM
The easy solution is treat the "armor merging into form" as something that doesn't happen in that polymorph, but it's redundant anyways. The reread the polymorph rules: you aren't turning into an animal, plant, elemental, dragon, or elemental, so your armor and gear stay on your body. (I actally did just reread the rules. Man are they confusing sometimes). But yeah, Armor of Darkness doesn't change you into a creature of a different type, so armor stays.

And, I do think emphasizing darkness might be better. The name of the class is "Shade", with emphasis on shadows. Armor is not really necessary to reflect that though it can help.

Ever consider "Shadow conjuration" or "shadow evocation" as possible class features?