seasong
First Post
In this thread, there was a comment about how the shadowdancer lacked flavor. Got me to thinking - I like a lot of the mechanics of the PrC, but the flavor leaves me flat - and I decided to do a write up of the PrC as it would have been written if I ruled the world.
Thinking's dangerous for me.
Anyway, here it is: a little fishy's rewrite of the shadowdancer, mit flava. This assumes a semi-generic D&D world. Also note that I changed some of the special abilities around, and rewrote some of them for flavor.
All feedback welcome!
Shadowdancer
Special thanks to: maddman75, for bringing this terrible crime to my attention, and to hairo, Hashmalum, Quip and Steveroo for encouragement and commentary.
The Order of Shadow
Anyone can hide in shadows. On cloudy nights, potholes in the road become impenetrable wells, alleys become cthonian depths, dark shapes become impossible to make out against their background. Dressed in dark, drab colors, a person can be invisible in the deeper shadows.
But there is more to shadows than simply tricks of light.
As there are portals to elemental earth in the depths of the underdark, to elemental fire in the hearts of volcanoes, to elemental air in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, and elemental water in the darkest canyons of the ocean... so, too, there is a portal to elemental shadow in the darkest of places. The Order of Shadow developed around one such portal, (they believe the only one) and they guard it jealously.
This portal is the heart of the Order, the source of their secret. For the members of the Order take part of that darkness into themselves, and then train in darkness until they learn to carry that small bit of it with them, even in brightest day, allowing them to draw upon the plane of shadow.
An example portal:
What role the Order of Shadow plays in your world can vary substantially. They could be an elite division of a thieves' guild, a shadow-worshipping cult, or a clan of ninjas, all without much change. Here is an example Order:
Initiation
The Order of Shadow looks for individuals who feel comfortable in the dark, who cling to shadows and avoid notice, and who match the Order's own goals (as thieves, cult, ninjas, or whatever else you decide they do). When it finds them, the Order rarely approaches them directly, instead sending a patsy from its "non-inner circle" to approach the individual.
The Order maintains a second "order" of members who believe they are part of something more substantial, who master the skills of hiding, slipping from shadow to shadow. They are often quite competent masters of concealment... but they are not the true Order. Initiates who did well, but not well enough to join the true Order, are offered a place in this one.
Once the offer is made, the initiate is tested in several ways. She must demonstrate the prereq skills, typically in a deeply shadowed labrinth - there are patches of magical darkness, and the Initiate is watched for comfortableness in those zones, as well as skill in avoiding the light and making sounds. She will also be tested for the agility and grace of a dancer, as the Order focuses on a long series of memorized movements to train. Finally, they look for indications that the individual's goals and personality will match with those of the Order.
An initiate who does adequately is inducted into the outer, false Order; an initiate who truly succeeds is also inducted, and is then approached to "take the next step"... and sworn to secrecy. If the next step is accepted, there is no turning back - you succeed or die, as you will know too much.
The test is simple. They bring the initiate down to the cavern pool, hand the subject a heavy rock, and tell her that she must go down a hole at the bottom of the pool, find her way to the chamber, and retrieve a smooth, opal sphere from there. She must then return to the surface with it. If she returns without it, she is told that she will be killed.
Some additional conditions: No equipment is allowed, dispel magic is cast immediately prior, anti divination magics are constantly maintained in the depths below, and even darkvision can not penetrate the darkness at the deepest parts of the tunnel. To most initiates, it looks like a complicated way to voluntarily wear concrete boots.
Note: "seemingly impossible" tests have a long and grand tradition in secret fraternities; in practice, this test is relatively uncomplicated - it is testing the initiative's mastery of her fears, and ability to choose to trust her superiors within the Order (whether she trusts them under most conditions or not). It also establishes bonds between those who have gone through the initiation versus those who have not; in a lighter-hearted Order, they may even go out for beers afterward.
In reality, it is pretty much a straight drop until you hit a patch of floor. The GM may wish to describe the "appearance of impossibly deeper darkness, just ahead". There is also a shadowdancer spell caster in the target cavern who is watching the initiate - if the initiate makes it to the bottom but is having problems, the shadowdancer will help them get to the cavern itself. The shadowdancer also has air bladders handy, and anything else you feel might be necessary.
This is both test and initiation. The opal is more than just a stone, it is a bit of elemental shadow, earned by the initiate's journey. When the initiate returns to the surface with it, she is told to swallow it, and upon swallowing it, becomes a shadowdancer.
Flickering Shadows
Once initiated, the new member of the Order trains (for a dramatically appropriate time period) in actual shadowdancing, to learn to use her new connection to the darkness. Consisting of a series of one thousand movements, each precisely aligned, constitutes the core of the shadowdancer's "dance"... although it more closely resembles a complex and graceful martial art.
The movements serve to align the shadowdancer's life force with shadow, increasing her power, and also as an enhancement and aid to fighting and sneaking. Many of the movements, stripped of the moves on either side, train the muscles to stealthy movement and evasive stances.
Done in order, and quickly, the shadowdancer can become one with the movements, and resembles a dancing, flickering flame... if fire were dark.
Note: The outer, false order also learns this dance, but they do not learn the deeper secrets associated with it, which require swallowing the opal to tap. Instead, it functions as an alternate training method for the rogue class; thus, someone who was a member of the outer order for a considerable while (as a rogue) and then did something to get invited into the inner Order would already have many of the mundane rogue abilities given by the dance.
Being A Shadowdancer
The specific goals of the Order will vary from setting to setting, but at their heart, shadowdancers seek to remain hidden, to ferret out the secrets hidden in dark places, and to master their own connection to elemental shadow. To the shadowdancer, stepping into shadows is an almost electric experience, and the proximity of darkness is both comforting and pleasurable. Shadows no longer hide, but reveal things that others never see, and provide a rush of power others never experience.
System Mechanics
Hit Die: 1d8.
Requirements: Move Silently 8+ ranks, Hide 10+ ranks, Perform 5+ ranks.
Special: Pass the tests, match the goals of the Order, and generally seem like "the right type" per the flavor text.
Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Pick Pocket, Profession, Search, Spot, Tumble, and Use Rope.
Skill Points Per level: 6 + INT.
Arms/Armor: Shadowdancers are proficient with the club, crossbow (hand, light, or heavy), dagger (any type), dart, mace, morningstar, quarterstaff, rapier, sap, shortbow (normal and composite), and short sword. Shadowdancers are proficient with light armor but not with shields.
Fade Into Shadows: Normally, if a character steps into shadows and attempts to hide, anyone who is watching them can still make them out in the shadows. For the shadowdancer, however, stepping into shadows is to become one with them, blending into the darkness seamlessly. If there are shadows sufficient to hide in, the shadowdancer may attempt a Hide check regardless of whether others are watching or not.
Darkvision (Su): At 2nd level, the shadowdancer can see in the dark as though she were permanently under the affect of a darkvision spell.
Shadow Illusion (Su): Starting at 3rd level, the shadowdancer masters the ability to craft illusions from shadow. The shadowdancer casts as a 1st level wizard, for the illusion school only. Each level after 3rd, add +1 caster level. Spells which produce light can not be learned (dancing lights, color spray, continual flame, rainbow pattern). All illusions gain +2 DC (to save, resist, disbelieve, etc.) when cast in dimly lit areas, and -2 DC when cast in bright or sunny areas.
As an option, the GM may rule that this ability stacks with normal spell caster levels, for illusion only. This makes the class considerably more attractive to illusionists, but complicates spell tracking. The class doesn't need this - it's already attractive to non-illusionists - but it similarly won't be overpowered by adding it.
Shadow Companion (Su): At 3rd level, a shadowdancer can summon a shadow companion. This uses the stats for a shadow (an undead shade), but is not undead, is unable to create spawn, and its alignment matches that of the shadowdancer. The shadow companion cannot be turned, rebuked, or commanded by any third party. It serves as a companion to the shadowdancer and can communicate intelligibly with her. Every third level gained by the shadowdancer allows her to summon an additional shadow companion and adds +2 HD (and the requisite base attack and base save bonus increases) to all of her shadow companions. Appearance is highly variable, and generally suits the personality of the shadowdancer, whether as a flitting raven or a dim shade.
If a shadow companion is destroyed, or the shadowdancer chooses to dismiss it, the shadowdancer must attempt a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15). If the saving throw fails, the shadowdancer loses 200 experience points per shadowdancer level. A successful saving throw reduces the loss by half, to 100 XP per prestige class level. The shadowdancer’s experience can never go below 0 as the result of a shadow’s dismissal or destruction. A destroyed or dismissed shadow companion cannot be replaced for a year and a day.
Shadow Jump (Su): At 4th level, the shadowdancer gains the ability to travel between shadows as if by means of a dimension door spell. The limitation is that the magical transport must begin and end in an area with sufficient shadow for the Fade Into Shadow ability. The shadowdancer can jump up to a total of 20 feet each day in this way, although this may be a single jump of 20 feet or two jumps of 10 feet each. Every two levels thereafter, the distance a shadow_dancer can jump each day doubles (40 feet at 6th level, 80 feet at 8th level, and 160 feet at 10th level). This amount can be split among many jumps, but each one, no matter how small, counts as a 10-foot increment. (A 6th-level shadowdancer who jumps 32 feet cannot jump again until the next day.)
Slippery Mind (Ex): This extraordinary ability, gained at 7th level, represents the shadowdancer’s ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel her. If the shadowdancer is affected by an enchantment and fails her saving throw, 1 round later she can attempt her saving throw again. She only gets this one extra chance to succeed at her saving throw. If it fails as well, the spell’s effects proceed normally.
Special Abilities (Ex): The shadowdancer may select one rogue ability: Sneak Attack +1d6, Evasion, Uncanny Dodge (each time, increase by one stage), Defensive Roll, Improved Evasion. Although the 1,000 steps include all of these, different shadowdancers choose to master different aspects of it.
Thinking's dangerous for me.
Anyway, here it is: a little fishy's rewrite of the shadowdancer, mit flava. This assumes a semi-generic D&D world. Also note that I changed some of the special abilities around, and rewrote some of them for flavor.
All feedback welcome!
Shadowdancer
Special thanks to: maddman75, for bringing this terrible crime to my attention, and to hairo, Hashmalum, Quip and Steveroo for encouragement and commentary.
The Order of Shadow
Anyone can hide in shadows. On cloudy nights, potholes in the road become impenetrable wells, alleys become cthonian depths, dark shapes become impossible to make out against their background. Dressed in dark, drab colors, a person can be invisible in the deeper shadows.
But there is more to shadows than simply tricks of light.
As there are portals to elemental earth in the depths of the underdark, to elemental fire in the hearts of volcanoes, to elemental air in the upper reaches of the atmosphere, and elemental water in the darkest canyons of the ocean... so, too, there is a portal to elemental shadow in the darkest of places. The Order of Shadow developed around one such portal, (they believe the only one) and they guard it jealously.
This portal is the heart of the Order, the source of their secret. For the members of the Order take part of that darkness into themselves, and then train in darkness until they learn to carry that small bit of it with them, even in brightest day, allowing them to draw upon the plane of shadow.
An example portal:
What role the Order of Shadow plays in your world can vary substantially. They could be an elite division of a thieves' guild, a shadow-worshipping cult, or a clan of ninjas, all without much change. Here is an example Order:
You can just as easily have the Order of Shadow be gypsy shadow illusionists (with the summoned shadows acting as black clad stage assistants, and the portal in a secret place known only to them), an evil cult bent on extinguishing the sun (who focus on stealth and skullduggery to achieve their goals), an order of assassins (swapping some thief abilities for assassin poison use and such), an Order of Royal Spies for the small kingdom of Shadow Mountain, and so on. The following assumes the examples given (the thieves guild Order, and the submerged portal), and may require some tweaking or alteration for your specific campaign.
Initiation
The Order of Shadow looks for individuals who feel comfortable in the dark, who cling to shadows and avoid notice, and who match the Order's own goals (as thieves, cult, ninjas, or whatever else you decide they do). When it finds them, the Order rarely approaches them directly, instead sending a patsy from its "non-inner circle" to approach the individual.
The Order maintains a second "order" of members who believe they are part of something more substantial, who master the skills of hiding, slipping from shadow to shadow. They are often quite competent masters of concealment... but they are not the true Order. Initiates who did well, but not well enough to join the true Order, are offered a place in this one.
Once the offer is made, the initiate is tested in several ways. She must demonstrate the prereq skills, typically in a deeply shadowed labrinth - there are patches of magical darkness, and the Initiate is watched for comfortableness in those zones, as well as skill in avoiding the light and making sounds. She will also be tested for the agility and grace of a dancer, as the Order focuses on a long series of memorized movements to train. Finally, they look for indications that the individual's goals and personality will match with those of the Order.
An initiate who does adequately is inducted into the outer, false Order; an initiate who truly succeeds is also inducted, and is then approached to "take the next step"... and sworn to secrecy. If the next step is accepted, there is no turning back - you succeed or die, as you will know too much.
The test is simple. They bring the initiate down to the cavern pool, hand the subject a heavy rock, and tell her that she must go down a hole at the bottom of the pool, find her way to the chamber, and retrieve a smooth, opal sphere from there. She must then return to the surface with it. If she returns without it, she is told that she will be killed.
Some additional conditions: No equipment is allowed, dispel magic is cast immediately prior, anti divination magics are constantly maintained in the depths below, and even darkvision can not penetrate the darkness at the deepest parts of the tunnel. To most initiates, it looks like a complicated way to voluntarily wear concrete boots.
Note: "seemingly impossible" tests have a long and grand tradition in secret fraternities; in practice, this test is relatively uncomplicated - it is testing the initiative's mastery of her fears, and ability to choose to trust her superiors within the Order (whether she trusts them under most conditions or not). It also establishes bonds between those who have gone through the initiation versus those who have not; in a lighter-hearted Order, they may even go out for beers afterward.
In reality, it is pretty much a straight drop until you hit a patch of floor. The GM may wish to describe the "appearance of impossibly deeper darkness, just ahead". There is also a shadowdancer spell caster in the target cavern who is watching the initiate - if the initiate makes it to the bottom but is having problems, the shadowdancer will help them get to the cavern itself. The shadowdancer also has air bladders handy, and anything else you feel might be necessary.
This is both test and initiation. The opal is more than just a stone, it is a bit of elemental shadow, earned by the initiate's journey. When the initiate returns to the surface with it, she is told to swallow it, and upon swallowing it, becomes a shadowdancer.
Flickering Shadows
Once initiated, the new member of the Order trains (for a dramatically appropriate time period) in actual shadowdancing, to learn to use her new connection to the darkness. Consisting of a series of one thousand movements, each precisely aligned, constitutes the core of the shadowdancer's "dance"... although it more closely resembles a complex and graceful martial art.
The movements serve to align the shadowdancer's life force with shadow, increasing her power, and also as an enhancement and aid to fighting and sneaking. Many of the movements, stripped of the moves on either side, train the muscles to stealthy movement and evasive stances.
Done in order, and quickly, the shadowdancer can become one with the movements, and resembles a dancing, flickering flame... if fire were dark.
Note: The outer, false order also learns this dance, but they do not learn the deeper secrets associated with it, which require swallowing the opal to tap. Instead, it functions as an alternate training method for the rogue class; thus, someone who was a member of the outer order for a considerable while (as a rogue) and then did something to get invited into the inner Order would already have many of the mundane rogue abilities given by the dance.
Being A Shadowdancer
The specific goals of the Order will vary from setting to setting, but at their heart, shadowdancers seek to remain hidden, to ferret out the secrets hidden in dark places, and to master their own connection to elemental shadow. To the shadowdancer, stepping into shadows is an almost electric experience, and the proximity of darkness is both comforting and pleasurable. Shadows no longer hide, but reveal things that others never see, and provide a rush of power others never experience.
System Mechanics
Hit Die: 1d8.
Requirements: Move Silently 8+ ranks, Hide 10+ ranks, Perform 5+ ranks.
Special: Pass the tests, match the goals of the Order, and generally seem like "the right type" per the flavor text.
Class Skills: Balance, Bluff, Decipher Script, Diplomacy, Disguise, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Perform, Pick Pocket, Profession, Search, Spot, Tumble, and Use Rope.
Skill Points Per level: 6 + INT.
Arms/Armor: Shadowdancers are proficient with the club, crossbow (hand, light, or heavy), dagger (any type), dart, mace, morningstar, quarterstaff, rapier, sap, shortbow (normal and composite), and short sword. Shadowdancers are proficient with light armor but not with shields.
Code:
[color=skyblue]Lvl BAB Fort Ref Will Special
1 +0 +0 +2 +0 Fade Into Shadows
2 +1 +0 +3 +0 Darkvision, 1 special ability
3 +2 +1 +3 +1 Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow
4 +3 +1 +4 +1 Shadow Jump
5 +3 +1 +4 +1 1 special ability
6 +4 +2 +5 +2 Summon +1 Shadow
7 +5 +2 +5 +2 Slippery Mind
8 +6 +2 +6 +2 1 special ability
9 +6 +3 +6 +3 Summon +1 Shadow
10 +7 +3 +7 +3 1 special ability[/color]Darkvision (Su): At 2nd level, the shadowdancer can see in the dark as though she were permanently under the affect of a darkvision spell.
Shadow Illusion (Su): Starting at 3rd level, the shadowdancer masters the ability to craft illusions from shadow. The shadowdancer casts as a 1st level wizard, for the illusion school only. Each level after 3rd, add +1 caster level. Spells which produce light can not be learned (dancing lights, color spray, continual flame, rainbow pattern). All illusions gain +2 DC (to save, resist, disbelieve, etc.) when cast in dimly lit areas, and -2 DC when cast in bright or sunny areas.
As an option, the GM may rule that this ability stacks with normal spell caster levels, for illusion only. This makes the class considerably more attractive to illusionists, but complicates spell tracking. The class doesn't need this - it's already attractive to non-illusionists - but it similarly won't be overpowered by adding it.
Shadow Companion (Su): At 3rd level, a shadowdancer can summon a shadow companion. This uses the stats for a shadow (an undead shade), but is not undead, is unable to create spawn, and its alignment matches that of the shadowdancer. The shadow companion cannot be turned, rebuked, or commanded by any third party. It serves as a companion to the shadowdancer and can communicate intelligibly with her. Every third level gained by the shadowdancer allows her to summon an additional shadow companion and adds +2 HD (and the requisite base attack and base save bonus increases) to all of her shadow companions. Appearance is highly variable, and generally suits the personality of the shadowdancer, whether as a flitting raven or a dim shade.
If a shadow companion is destroyed, or the shadowdancer chooses to dismiss it, the shadowdancer must attempt a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15). If the saving throw fails, the shadowdancer loses 200 experience points per shadowdancer level. A successful saving throw reduces the loss by half, to 100 XP per prestige class level. The shadowdancer’s experience can never go below 0 as the result of a shadow’s dismissal or destruction. A destroyed or dismissed shadow companion cannot be replaced for a year and a day.
Shadow Jump (Su): At 4th level, the shadowdancer gains the ability to travel between shadows as if by means of a dimension door spell. The limitation is that the magical transport must begin and end in an area with sufficient shadow for the Fade Into Shadow ability. The shadowdancer can jump up to a total of 20 feet each day in this way, although this may be a single jump of 20 feet or two jumps of 10 feet each. Every two levels thereafter, the distance a shadow_dancer can jump each day doubles (40 feet at 6th level, 80 feet at 8th level, and 160 feet at 10th level). This amount can be split among many jumps, but each one, no matter how small, counts as a 10-foot increment. (A 6th-level shadowdancer who jumps 32 feet cannot jump again until the next day.)
Slippery Mind (Ex): This extraordinary ability, gained at 7th level, represents the shadowdancer’s ability to wriggle free from magical effects that would otherwise control or compel her. If the shadowdancer is affected by an enchantment and fails her saving throw, 1 round later she can attempt her saving throw again. She only gets this one extra chance to succeed at her saving throw. If it fails as well, the spell’s effects proceed normally.
Special Abilities (Ex): The shadowdancer may select one rogue ability: Sneak Attack +1d6, Evasion, Uncanny Dodge (each time, increase by one stage), Defensive Roll, Improved Evasion. Although the 1,000 steps include all of these, different shadowdancers choose to master different aspects of it.
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