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CopperElfCleric
2019-10-07, 03:48 PM
The Shadowblade

"Don't be afraid of the dark. Be afraid of what's in the dark, and use the shadows to your advantage." - Laeirlefain Starleaf, Master of Melee and shadow in "The Rogues of The Laughing Midnight".

Shadowblades are martial combatants with an innate link to shadow. While some deliberately study the arts of shadow, most develop their abilities instinctively, making them more akin to shadowdancers than shadowcasters. Those who master the arts of the unseen weapon become warriors with few equals. Their ability to manipulate darkness and shadow enhances their martial skills, allowing them to target weak targets, land blows that should not strike true, and even attack foes who are paces away.

Multiclass fighter/rogues are the most common shadowblades, because they possess both the martial ability and the skills necessary. Single-classed fighters or rogues can enter the class, but it takes longer. A rare few paladins and rangers take this path, enhancing their own abilities with a mastery of shadow. Few mystery users or spellcasters become shadowblades, and barbarians tend to prefer brute force and distrust a shadowblade's powers.

Requirements
To qualify to become a Shadowblade, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:

Skills: Bluff 5 ranks, Hide 5 ranks, Move Silently 5 ranks
Feats: Blind-fight,
Base Attack Bonus: +5
Special: Must have been exposed to shadow at some point prior to taking this class, either through travel on the Plane of Shadow, being subject to a mystery or a spell with the darkness descriptor, or through physical contact with a shadow or dark creature (such as a shadow mastiff or a dark lion)

Class Skills
The shadowblade's class skills are Bluff, Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Move Silently, Profession, Ride, and Swim.

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features
Shadowblades manipulate shadow to strike swiftly and fatally, becoming the ultimate combination of skilled soldier and brutal slayer.

Unseen Weapon (Su): As a standard action, you can wrap any melee weapon you wield in a layer of shifting shadows. This causes the weapon to darken, become less distinct, and leave a trail of shadow behind it as it moves. Your weapon must be in hand and ready to use for you to draw upon this power. You can dismiss the effect with a free action; dropping or sheathing the weapon also ends the effect.

Once per day per shadowblade level, you can activate one of the powers of your unseen weapon as a swift action. At 1st level, you have the power to make an unerring strike (see below). As you gain levels in the class, you acquire additional choices when activating your unseen weapon, as indicated below. When you activate your unseen weapon, choose one of the available abilities. Multiple uses of the same ability do not stack on a single attack.

Unerring Strike: Your next melee attack ignores any miss chance because of concealment or total concealment. You gain this choice at 1st level.

Unexpected Strike: Your opponent is denied its Dexterity bonus against your next melee attack. You gain this ability at 3rd level.

Ephemeral Weapon: Your next melee attack deals an extra 2d6 points of damage, as extraplanar darkness momentarily replaces portions of your opponent's body. You gain this choice at 5th level.

Shadowy Strike: Your next melee attack is resolved as a melee touch attack, ignoring armor and natural armor. You gain this ability at 7th level.

Far Shadow: Your melee reach is increased by 10 feet for 1 round. You gain this choice at 9th level. At 10th level, you can use your unseen weapon abilities as a free action, though you are still limited to one use per day per class level.

Shadow and Stealth (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, the shadows that engulf your unseen weapon cover you as well, granting you a circumstance bonus equal to your full class level on Hide and Move Silently checks.

Sudden Strike (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, if you can catch an opponent when she is unable to defend herself effectively from your attack, you can strike a vital spot for extra damage. Whenever your target is denied a dexterity bonus to Armor Class (whether the target actually has a Dexterity bonus or not), you deal an extra 1d6 points of damage with your attack. This extra damage increases by 1d6 for every two levels thereafter. You can't use sudden strike when flanking an opponent unless that opponent is denied its Dexterity bonus to AC. Ranged attacks can count as sudden strike attacks only if the target is within 30 feet.

Sudden strike functions identically to sneak attack in all other respects. The extra damage from sudden strike stacks with the extra damage from sneak attack whenever both would apply to the same target. It also stacks with the ephemeral weapon ability of the unseen weapon class feature.

Shadow Blur (Su): Beginning at 3rd level, a Shadowblade gains an unusual defense - anytime he is not in daylight or the illuminated radius of a light source, the shadows cloak his every movement, conferring the benefits of a blur spell. The shadowblade can choose to activate or end this effect as a free-action.

See in Darkness (Su): At 7th level, you can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created by a deeper darkness spell.

Shadowblade Hit Die: d8

CL BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1st +0 +2 +0 +0 Unseen weapon (unerring strike)
2nd +1 +3 +0 +0 Shadow and stealth, sudden strike +1d6
3rd +2 +3 +1 +1 Shadow blur, unseen weapon (unexpected strike)
4th +3 +4 +1 +1 Sudden strike +2d6
5th +3 +4 +1 +1 Unseen weapon (ephemeral strike)
6th +4 +5 +2 +2 Sudden strike +3d6
7th +5 +5 +2 +2 See in darkness, unseen weapon (shadowy strike)
8th +6 +6 +2 +2 Sudden strike +4d6
9th +6 +6 +3 +3 Unseen weapon (far shadow)
10th +7 +7 +3 +3 Sudden strike +5d6, unseen weapon (free action)

All comments and suggestions are welcomed.

CEC