Shadowblade

here were four thugs in the alley, each of them armed. They formed a circle around the lone figure, chuckling to one another as they drew closer. They did not notice the shadows growing long in the alley as they approached. They did not notice the subtle shades of darkness that crept up to the man’s feet as they laughed. And they did not know how he suddenly disappeared before their eyes. They all looked across at one another, confused. One of them managed to say, “Where did he go?” before his throat was slit open. He fell to the ground, making a gurgling noise as he convulsed. The remaining three watched in terror as their accomplice lay bleeding, and they now held their weapons ready. But it did not help them. They could no more see their attacker than if their eyes had been closed. Two of them began to scream and flail their weapons about. The last of them yelled, “Show yourself!” But there was no response other than another cruel cut. One by one they fell — each killed by a single wound, placed in a vital location. As the last of the thugs fell to the ground, clutching a gaping wound, the shadows of the alley coalesced into a solid shape. And out of that darkness, the man stepped back into the light. At the entrance to the alley, six city guardsmen wandered in to investigate the fighting they had heard. They saw only bloodied bodies and a lone man standing. “You there! Halt!” The man smiled at them for just a moment, giving them a confused gesture that said, Who, me? And then, the shadows of the alley engulfed him once again before he vanished. his form seemed to fall through the street, as if a trap door had been opened underneath him. The shadow on the ground rippled for a moment, like someone had thrown a rock into a pool of oil. One of the guards leapt forward to stab at the darkness, but it was as solid as the cobblestone street beneath it.

While the shadowdancers are the most well-known, there are other paths for those who are willing to delve into the realms of shadow. Among these are the infamous shadowblades — assassins, mercenaries, and thieves who blend martial ability with extraordinary powers. They are regarded with caution and fear by those who recognize what they are.

Shadowblades are often solitary travelers, moving from place to place seeking employment or adventure. They rarely travel among other shadowblades, as their presence brings suspicion along with it. Their reputation as killers and rogues is not unearned, though there are some who do not use their abilities for ill. Those that do, however, find that they are well-suited for the task.

The temptation to delve into realm of shadow lures those from all walks of life. Bards and rogues are drawn to the abilities the shadowblade offers, as they compliment their own class abilities. Fighters who use a less-than-honorable approach to combat may also find this path attractive. Barbarians and rangers, while less likely to pursue this class, still benefit from the various abilities it provides—beware the wilderness hunter whose prowess in the dark exceeds his abilities during the day. While clerics and druids that become shadowblades are certainly rare, they are not unheard of, especially when considering some deities that may look favorably upon the class abilities. Sorcerers and wizards are among the least likely to pursue this class, as it only serves to distract them from their magical pursuits. Paladins never consider the path of the shadowblade, bearing a distaste for the dark and deceptive nature of the class.

Hit Dice: d8.

Requirements

To qualify to become a shadowblade, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.

Base Attack Bonus: +6
Hide: 10 ranks
Knowledge (the planes): 5 ranks
Feats: Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes
Special: Must possess the Evasion job ability.

Class Skills

The shadowblade’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex). See Chapter 4: Skills in the Player’s Handbook for skill descriptions.

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: The shadowblade gains no additional proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Shadowstrike (Ex): The shadowblade is, first and foremost, a canny fighter, and their prowess in battle grants them the ability to make a shadowstrike. Any time a shadowblade’s target would be denied his Dexterity bonus to AC (such as when the shadowblade is using his meld with shadows ability), or when he flanks the target, the shadow strike deals extra damage. This extra damage is +1d6 at 2nd level, and increases an additional 1d6 every four levels thereafter (+2d6 at 6th level and +3d6 at 10th level). This functions identically to (and stacks with) the rogue’s sneak attack ability.

Hide in Plain Sight (Su): At 2nd level, a shadowblade forges a connection with shadow that allows him to conceal himself in darkness. As a move action, the shadowblade can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as he is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, the shadowblade can hide himself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. He cannot, however, hide in his own shadows.

Darkvision (Su): Upon reaching 2nd level, a shadowblade can see in the dark to a range of 60 feet, as though he was permanently under the effect of a darkvision spell. If the shadowblade already possessed darkvision as an ability, the range is doubled (up to 120 feet).

Blade of Shadows (Su): When the shadowblade reaches 4th level, he gains the ability to use shadows to conceal his attacks. Whenever he would be able to activate his hide in plain sight ability (within 10 feet of some sort of shadow), he can hide during combat as a swift action. The normal penalties for hiding in combat do not apply, since he uses his link with shadow to hide in plain sight. He must still make a successful hide check to be concealed in this way.
     All of the normal rules concerning attacking an opponent while hidden apply while the shadowblade is using the strike from shadows ability. His opponent is denied their dexterity bonus to AC, and is subsequently vulnerable to any abilities that allow the shadowblade to exploit this (such as the shadowstrike ability). The shadowblade becomes unhidden once he makes an attack. He may only use this ability once per round.
     If the shadowblade chooses not to make an attack (for instance, if he hides himself before making a retreat), the blade of shadows ability still ends at the beginning of his next turn.

Improved Evasion (Ex): At 6th level, the shadowblade’s evasion ability improves. The shadowblade still takes no damage on a successful Reflex saving throw against attacks such as a dragon’s breath weapon or a fireball, but henceforth he takes only half damage on a failed save.

Deeper Darkvision (Su): Upon reaching 7th level, the shadowblade’s darkvision improves, gaining the ability to penetrate even unnatural or magical darkness.

Blade of Darkness (Ex): When he reaches 8th level, a shadowblade’s link to shadow increases, and his blade of shadows ability improves. Once the shadowblade has successfully hidden in combat (using the blade of shadows ability), he can attempt to remain hidden after making an attack. He rolls an additional Hide check after each successful attack, suffering a cumulative –10 penalty on that check after each successful attack roll.
     For example: A shadowblade uses his blade of shadows ability to hide while adjacent to a foe. He rolls to attack, and gains the benefit of being hidden (the opponent is denied their Dexterity bonus to AC, and the additional damage from Shadowed Strike is applied). To remain hidden, the shadowblade must now make a successful Hide check, suffering a –10 penalty to the roll. He manages to stay hidden, and makes his second attack of the round with the same benefits. If he misses the second attack, he could still choose to remain hidden by making an additional Hide check (still at a –10 penalty). However, if the second attack connects, he may attempt to remain hidden, but his penalty increases to –20.
     If the shadowblade remains hidden through the end of his turn, he can still make subsequent rolls to remain hidden should he make any attacks of opportunity during the rest of the round. Each of these also incurs a cumulative –10 penalty. No matter how many successful Hide checks are made, the blade of shadows ability always ends at the beginning of his next turn.

Made of Shadow (Su): A 10th level shadowblade’s tie to shadow increases, becoming partly made of shadow himself. Shadows cast on his body seem exaggerated and darker, and no amount of illumination completely dispels them. As a result, his hide in plain sight, blade of shadows, and blade of darkness abilities evolve so that his own body is considered a shadow for the purpose of activation. His body cannot be considered as a shadow for any other purpose (such as another creature using the hide in plain sight ability near him).

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 This page was last updated on February 04, 2008 .