Shadowshroud

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, 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 shadowshrouds — 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.

Shadowshrouds are often solitary travelers, moving from place to place seeking employment or adventure. They rarely travel among other shadowshrouds, 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 shadowshroud 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 shadowshrouds 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 shadowshroud, bearing a distaste for the dark and deceptive nature of the class.

Hit Dice: d8.

Requirements

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

Base Attack Bonus: +8
Hide: 10 ranks
Knowledge (the planes): 5 ranks
Move Silently: 8 ranks
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Stealthy
Special: Must possess the Evasion job ability.

Class Skills

The shadowshroud’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), 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 shadowshroud gains no additional proficiency with any weapon or armor.

Wrapped in Shadow (Su): A shadowshroud discovers that his shadow is really an extension of his own body. He can manipulate his own shadow, stretching it around his body like a shroud. Doing so provides the shadowshroud with a circumstance bonus to Hide checks equal to his shadowshroud class levels.
   At 2nd level, using this ability provides the shadowshroud with a natural armor bonus equal to half his shadowshroud class levels (rounded down).
   When wrapped in his shadow, the shadowshroud casts no shadow, and his features are visibly obscured, as if he were wrapped in some black, otherworldly shroud (this does not hamper his movement or vision in any way). Manipulating a shadow in this way is a move action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A shadowshroud can still manipulate his shadow, even in intense light or absolute darkness.

Shadow Strike (Ex): At 2nd level, whenever the shadowshroud is using his wrapped in shadow ability, he infuses his weapon with darkness. This darkness energy is released whenever he makes a successful melee attack.
   At 2nd level, a shadow strike adds +1d6 darkness damage to the shadowshroud’s attacks. This damage increases to +2d6 at level 6, and +3d6 at level 10.

Hide in Plain Sight (Su): Upon reaching 4th level, a shadowshroud can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as he is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, a shadowshroud can hide himself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. However, he cannot yet hide in his own shadow. This ability only functions when the shadowshroud is wrapped in shadow.

Darkvision (Su): Upon reaching 2nd level, a shadowshroud 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 shadowshroud already possessed darkvision as an ability, the range is doubled (up to 120 feet).

Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level, a shadowshroud gains evasion. If exposed to any effect that normally allows him to attempt a Reflex saving throw for half damage, he takes no damage with a successful saving throw. The evasion ability can only be used if the shadowshroud is wearing light armor or no armor.
   If the character already has the evasion ability, he gains improved evasion instead (see below).

Uncanny Dodge (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, a shadowdancer retains her Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. (She still loses any Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.)
   If a character gains uncanny dodge from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge (see below).

Strike from Darkness (Ex): When he reaches 8th level, a shadowshroud’s ability to conceal himself while in combat increases. This functions identically to the strike from shadows ability, but the shadowshroud’s skill penalty to Hide is further reduced to –5.

Improved Evasion (Ex): At 8th level, the shadowshroud’s evasion ability improves. The shadowshroud 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 9th level, the shadowshroud’s darkvision improves, gaining the ability to penetrate even unnatural or magical darkness.

Made of Shadow (Su): A 10th level shadowshroud’s tie to his shadow increases, becoming partly made of shadow himself.
   Additionally, his abilities evolve so that, for the purposes of activation, his own body can be used as the shadow of origin. The hide in plain sight ability no longer requires the presence of shadow within 10 feet — the shadowshroud’s own body now serves this purpose.

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 This page was last updated on March 01, 2006 .