The Shadow-Born Template

[CopperElfCleric]

Shadow-Born Template

Those people who are born on The Plane of Shadow to parents who live on the Plane of Shadow are imbued with certain abilities and powers due to their direct, intimate connection to that extraplanar Plane that are not found among those of their race who are born on the Prime Material Plane. Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes, Halflings, Orcs, Humans and any race that is not native to The Plane of Shadow are eligible for this template as long as they are born on the Plane to parents who live on the Plane.

"Shadow-Born" is a template that can be applied to any humanoid (referred to hereafter as the "base character"). It uses all of the base character's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.

Special Qualities: A shadow-born retains all the special qualities of the base creature, and also gains the following:

Resistance to cold equal to 5 + 1 per Hit Die, to a maximum of 20.

Darkvision out to 120 feet.

Low-light vision.

Shadow Blend (Su): In any conditions other than full daylight, a shadow-born can disappear into the shadows, giving it total concealment. Artificial illumination, even a light or continual flame spell, does not negate this ability, but a daylight spell will.

Special Attacks: A shadow-born retains all the special attacks of the base character. The shadow-born also gains the ability to manipulate shadows, granting her access to various spell-like and supernatural abilities based on her character level, as shown in the table below. These spell-like and supernatural abilities are as the spells cast by a sorcerer of the base character's level.

Level	Abilities
1-2	Shadow Mask
3-4	Shadow Spray
5-6	Spell Resistance
7-8	Shadow Grace
9-10	Shadow Stealth
11-12	Ability Increase
13-14	Shadow Stride
15-16	Mask of the Umbral Planes
17-18	Damage reduction
19-20	Shadow Pounce

*Shadow Mask: You cause a mask of shadows to form around your face. It does not impede your vision, cannot be physically removed, completely hides your features, and protects you against certain attacks. You receive a +4 bonus on saving throws against light or darkness spells and any spells that rely on bright light for damaging effects, such as the flare spell or the fireworks effect of pyrotechnics. You also gain a 50% chance each round to avoid having to make a saving throw against gaze attacks, just as if you averted your eyes. If you avert your eyes while using shadow mask, you get to check twice to see if you avoid having to make the saving throw.

When the spell's duration ends, the shadow mask fades over the course of 1d4 rounds (rather than immediately), giving you time to keep your face hidden by other means. A successful dispel magic cast against a shadow mask effectively ends the spell and causes the same slow fading.

Shadow Spray: You cause a multitude of ribbonlike shadows to instantaneously explode outward from the point of origin. Creatures in the area take 4 points of Strength damage and are dazed for 1 round.

Spell Resistance: You gain SR 11 + your character level.

Shadow Grace: Your speed increases by double your normal standard for your race.

Shadow Stealth: You gain a +8 racial bonus to your Hide and Move Silently checks.

Ability Increase: Your constitution and dexterity increase by +2.

Shadow Stride: Three times a day, a shadow-born can vanish from his current location and reappear in any shadowy area within 300 feet. This is a move-equivalent action.

Mask of the umbral planes: You create three shadow duplicates of yourself; they look, sound, and smell like you but are intangible.
You can switch your perceptions between any of the shadows and your own body as a free action on your turn.
When you use the perceptions of a shadow, it mimics your actions (including speech) unless you concentrate on making it act differently.
Any shadows you are not controlling remain inert.
If you desire, any spell you cast whose range is touch or greater can originate from the controlled shadow instead of from you.
(The shadows are quasi-real, just real enough to cast spells that you originate).
A shadow can cast spells on itself only if those spells affect shadows.
The shadows act similar to the servant conjured by an unseen servant spell.
They are mindless, so while they can perform simple tasks such as opening doors, they cannot perform complex tasks such as puzzle solving.
A controlled shadow can also be programmed to move in a particular direction or to a location you know.
It moves at your speed and continues to move in this manner until it reaches its destination or you shift your perceptions to it and program it to go somewhere else.
If you use dimension door, teleport, plane shift, or a similar spell that removes you from the same plane as the shadows, even momentarily, the spell ends.
Normally this spell is used to give you several false bodies to use at once, with one as a safe haven for casting spells (similar to project image) and the other two acting as distractions.

Damage reduction: A shadow-born gets damage reduction of 20/+2 enchanted weapons.

Shadow Pounce: A shadow-born learns how to attack swiftly from the shadows. Any time he uses an ability, spell, or effect with the teleportation descriptor (for example, a dimension door ability or spell), he may execute a full attack action upon completion of the teleportation. The shadow-born must have line of sight on his intended target from his original location, and the spot to which he teleports must be a place from which he can launch a melee attack at the intended target with whatever weapon he has in hand at the beginning of his action.