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<blockquote data-quote="ElectricDragon" data-source="post: 7861516" data-attributes="member: 10778"><p><strong><span style="font-size: 26px">SHADOWY ASSASSIN TEMPLATE</span></strong></p><p>A shadowy assassin is a wisp of black smoke that forms into a robed skeleton armed with a bone blade that seems to be more shadow than real. Shadowy assassins are usually rogues or rogue/assassins, but some monk/rogues, rogue/blackguards, and rogue/shadowdancers have chosen this route to immortality, too. A shadowy assassin has two forms: a wisp of smoke or a robed skeleton. As a robed skeleton, its eyes are empty blackened sockets, its flesh is stretched tightly across its bones, and some bones stick through in places piercing the skin. It wears a drab and tattered cloak that partially hides its grotesque-ness from sight.</p><p>As a wisp of smoke, the shadowy assassin is a black smoky area that can assume a vaguely humanoid shape. Shadowy assassins speak Common plus any other languages they knew in life.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 22px">CREATING A SHADOWY ASSASSIN</span></p><p>"Shadowy assassin" is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid or giant creature that fulfills the following requirements:</p><p><strong>Requirements: </strong></p><p>Hide 15+ ranks,</p><p>Move Silently 15+ ranks,</p><p>Must be able to use <em>sneak attack</em>.</p><p>Must acquire the required Shadow Blade in which to store its shadow essence,</p><p>Must complete the Sealed Shadow ritual.</p><p></p><p>A shadowy assassin has all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here.</p><p><strong>Size and Type: </strong>The creature’s type changes to undead. Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.</p><p><strong>Hit Dice:</strong> Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.</p><p><strong>Armor Class:</strong> In physical form, a shadowy assassin has a +5 natural armor bonus or the base creature’s natural armor bonus, whichever is better. In incorporeal form, a shadowy assassin gains its Charisma bonus as a deflection bonus to AC.</p><p><strong>Attack:</strong> A shadowy assassin has a touch attack that it can use once per round. If the base creature can use weapons, the shadowy assassin retains this ability. A creature with natural weapons retains those natural weapons. A shadowy assassin fighting without weapons uses either its touch attack or its primary natural weapon (if it has any). A shadowy assassin armed with a weapon uses its touch or a weapon, as it desires.</p><p><strong>Full Attack:</strong> A shadowy assassin fighting without weapons uses either its touch attack (see above) or its natural weapons (if it has any). If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack along with a touch as a natural secondary attack, provided it has a way to make that attack (either a free hand or a natural weapon that it can use as a secondary attack).</p><p><strong>Damage:</strong> A shadowy assassin without natural weapons has a touch attack that uses negative energy to deal 1d8+5 points of damage to living creatures; a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 shadowy assassin's HD + shadowy assassin's Cha modifier) halves the damage. A shadowy assassin with natural weapons can use its touch attack or its natural weaponry, as it prefers. If it chooses the latter, it deals 1d8+5 points of extra damage on one natural weapon attack.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Special Attacks:</span></strong> A shadowy assassin retains all the base creature’s special attacks and gains those described below. Save DCs are equal to 10 + 1/2 shadowy assassin's HD + shadowy assassin’s Charisma modifier unless otherwise noted.</p><p><strong>Fear Aura (Su):</strong> Shadowy assassins are shrouded in a dreadful aura of death and evil. Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60-foot radius that look at the shadowy assassin must succeed on a Will save or be affected as though by a <em>fear </em>spell from a sorcerer of the shadowy assassin's level. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same shadowy assassin’s aura for 24 hours.</p><p><strong>Death Blade (Su):</strong> Only usable with sneak attack and its Shadow Blade imbued with <em>Death Touch</em>. A successful sneak attack requires the victim to make a Fortitude save or die. Successful saves still suffer <em>sneak attack</em> damage. This ability cannot be used when incorporeal.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 18px">Special Qualities:</span></strong> A shadowy assassin retains all the base creature’s special qualities and gains those described below.</p><p><strong>Turn Resistance (Ex): </strong>A shadowy assassin has +4 turn resistance.</p><p><strong>Damage Reduction (Su):</strong> A shadowy assassin’s undead body is tough, giving the creature damage reduction 15/magic and good. Its natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.</p><p><strong>Immunities:</strong> Shadowy assassins have immunity to cold, electricity, polymorph, and mind-affecting attacks.</p><p><strong>Corporeal Form* (Ex): </strong>At will, as a standard action, shadowy assassins can change from their incorporeal form to their corporeal form or vice versa. In incorporeal form, the shadowy assassin moves at Fly 60 feet and his damage reduction does not change. Further, a shadowy assassin in incorporeal form gains its Charisma modifier (if positive) as a bonus to its armor class.</p><p><strong>Death Touch (Su):</strong> 1/round as a free action, if hidden, the shadowy assassin can activate this ability to imbue its Shadow Blade (in its hand) with <em>Death Touch </em>for one successful (sneak) attack. The blade remains enchanted for up to 1 minute or until the shadowy assassin scores a successful sneak attack, whichever comes first. This ability cannot be used while incorporeal.</p><p>*Only usable if Shadow Blade is in the shadowy assassin’s possession. See: Loss of Shadow Blade, below.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>Abilities:</strong> Increase from the base creature as follows: Dex +6, Cha +2. Being undead, a shadowy assassin has no Constitution score. When incorporeal, the shadowy assassin has no Strength score.</p><p><strong>Skills:</strong> Shadowy assassins have a +16 racial bonus on Hide, and Move Silently and a +8 racial bonus on Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks no matter their form. In incorporeal form, Move Silently is automatic. Otherwise same as the base creature.</p><p><strong>Organization:</strong> Solitary</p><p><strong>Challenge Rating: </strong>Same as the base creature +2.</p><p><strong>Treasure:</strong> Triple coins; double goods; double items.</p><p><strong>Alignment:</strong> Any evil.</p><p><strong>Advancement:</strong> By character class.</p><p><strong>Level Adjustment:</strong> Same as the base creature +4.</p><p></p><p><strong><span style="font-size: 22px">Shadow Blade:</span></strong></p><p>This is a bone blade in which the shadowy assassin stores its shadow essence. The Shadow Blade has several effects:</p><p><strong>Immortality (Ex):</strong> The shadowy assassin is not permanently killed as long as its Shadow Blade survives. It revives, next to its Shadow Blade 1d10 days later.</p><p><strong>Corporeal Form (Sp):</strong> The shadowy assassin gains the ability to become corporeal at will while the Shadow Blade is in its possession.</p><p><strong>Magic Jar (Sp):</strong> Once per day, the shadowy assassin can use <em>magic jar</em> as if its character levels were its caster level on anyone foolish enough to touch the Shadow Blade.</p><p></p><p><strong>Loss of Shadow Blade:</strong> If a shadowy assassin loses possession of its Shadow Blade, it is no longer able to become corporeal at will. Further if its Shadow Blade is destroyed, the shadowy assassin is drawn fully into the Plane of Shadows until it can devise a way to build another shadow blade. Then it must find a Hollow Night holiday during the Witching hour to transfer its new Shadow Blade back to the Material Plane. Then it can manifest incorporeally and and finally, physically next to its Shadow Blade so it can recapture any lost lairs or treasures; taking care to add new fancies to its list of owned things; and avenge its previous “death” (if necessary).</p><p></p><p><strong>Outcast to the Plane of Shadows: </strong>A shadowy assassin that has its Shadow Blade destroyed becomes trapped on the Plane of Shadows. While trapped on the Plane of Shadows, the shadowy assassin can and must learn to shape shadows well enough to be able to make a shadesteel Shadow Blade on the plane of shadows that has physical substance on the material plane. This effort usually takes, initially, only 100 years or so. Thus it can then transfer its Shadow Blade back to the material plane to a Hollow Night holiday during the Witching Hour. During the learning process, the shadowy assassin will also learn how to shape creatures, items, and structures out of Shadesteel. Items and Structures have the Shadesteel property. Creatures have the Shadesteel subtype.</p><p></p><p>The process of making a shadesteel Shadow Blade is intensively laborious so that even a shadowy assassin that already knows the proper steps to take, will still invest about 50 years to form a new Shadow Blade.</p><p><strong>Note: </strong>The word “possession” throughout the Shadow Blade entry means: on one’s person or belonging to (and thus hidden somewhere). "Belonging to" items can be found and taken from a creature's possession.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ElectricDragon, post: 7861516, member: 10778"] [B][SIZE=7]SHADOWY ASSASSIN TEMPLATE[/SIZE][/B] A shadowy assassin is a wisp of black smoke that forms into a robed skeleton armed with a bone blade that seems to be more shadow than real. Shadowy assassins are usually rogues or rogue/assassins, but some monk/rogues, rogue/blackguards, and rogue/shadowdancers have chosen this route to immortality, too. A shadowy assassin has two forms: a wisp of smoke or a robed skeleton. As a robed skeleton, its eyes are empty blackened sockets, its flesh is stretched tightly across its bones, and some bones stick through in places piercing the skin. It wears a drab and tattered cloak that partially hides its grotesque-ness from sight. As a wisp of smoke, the shadowy assassin is a black smoky area that can assume a vaguely humanoid shape. Shadowy assassins speak Common plus any other languages they knew in life. [SIZE=6]CREATING A SHADOWY ASSASSIN[/SIZE] "Shadowy assassin" is an acquired template that can be added to any humanoid or giant creature that fulfills the following requirements: [B]Requirements: [/B] Hide 15+ ranks, Move Silently 15+ ranks, Must be able to use [I]sneak attack[/I]. Must acquire the required Shadow Blade in which to store its shadow essence, Must complete the Sealed Shadow ritual. A shadowy assassin has all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here. [B]Size and Type: [/B]The creature’s type changes to undead. Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged. [B]Hit Dice:[/B] Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s. [B]Armor Class:[/B] In physical form, a shadowy assassin has a +5 natural armor bonus or the base creature’s natural armor bonus, whichever is better. In incorporeal form, a shadowy assassin gains its Charisma bonus as a deflection bonus to AC. [B]Attack:[/B] A shadowy assassin has a touch attack that it can use once per round. If the base creature can use weapons, the shadowy assassin retains this ability. A creature with natural weapons retains those natural weapons. A shadowy assassin fighting without weapons uses either its touch attack or its primary natural weapon (if it has any). A shadowy assassin armed with a weapon uses its touch or a weapon, as it desires. [B]Full Attack:[/B] A shadowy assassin fighting without weapons uses either its touch attack (see above) or its natural weapons (if it has any). If armed with a weapon, it usually uses the weapon as its primary attack along with a touch as a natural secondary attack, provided it has a way to make that attack (either a free hand or a natural weapon that it can use as a secondary attack). [B]Damage:[/B] A shadowy assassin without natural weapons has a touch attack that uses negative energy to deal 1d8+5 points of damage to living creatures; a Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 shadowy assassin's HD + shadowy assassin's Cha modifier) halves the damage. A shadowy assassin with natural weapons can use its touch attack or its natural weaponry, as it prefers. If it chooses the latter, it deals 1d8+5 points of extra damage on one natural weapon attack. [B][SIZE=5]Special Attacks:[/SIZE][/B] A shadowy assassin retains all the base creature’s special attacks and gains those described below. Save DCs are equal to 10 + 1/2 shadowy assassin's HD + shadowy assassin’s Charisma modifier unless otherwise noted. [B]Fear Aura (Su):[/B] Shadowy assassins are shrouded in a dreadful aura of death and evil. Creatures of less than 5 HD in a 60-foot radius that look at the shadowy assassin must succeed on a Will save or be affected as though by a [I]fear [/I]spell from a sorcerer of the shadowy assassin's level. A creature that successfully saves cannot be affected again by the same shadowy assassin’s aura for 24 hours. [B]Death Blade (Su):[/B] Only usable with sneak attack and its Shadow Blade imbued with [I]Death Touch[/I]. A successful sneak attack requires the victim to make a Fortitude save or die. Successful saves still suffer [I]sneak attack[/I] damage. This ability cannot be used when incorporeal. [B][SIZE=5]Special Qualities:[/SIZE][/B] A shadowy assassin retains all the base creature’s special qualities and gains those described below. [B]Turn Resistance (Ex): [/B]A shadowy assassin has +4 turn resistance. [B]Damage Reduction (Su):[/B] A shadowy assassin’s undead body is tough, giving the creature damage reduction 15/magic and good. Its natural weapons are treated as magic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. [B]Immunities:[/B] Shadowy assassins have immunity to cold, electricity, polymorph, and mind-affecting attacks. [B]Corporeal Form* (Ex): [/B]At will, as a standard action, shadowy assassins can change from their incorporeal form to their corporeal form or vice versa. In incorporeal form, the shadowy assassin moves at Fly 60 feet and his damage reduction does not change. Further, a shadowy assassin in incorporeal form gains its Charisma modifier (if positive) as a bonus to its armor class. [B]Death Touch (Su):[/B] 1/round as a free action, if hidden, the shadowy assassin can activate this ability to imbue its Shadow Blade (in its hand) with [I]Death Touch [/I]for one successful (sneak) attack. The blade remains enchanted for up to 1 minute or until the shadowy assassin scores a successful sneak attack, whichever comes first. This ability cannot be used while incorporeal. *Only usable if Shadow Blade is in the shadowy assassin’s possession. See: Loss of Shadow Blade, below. [B] Abilities:[/B] Increase from the base creature as follows: Dex +6, Cha +2. Being undead, a shadowy assassin has no Constitution score. When incorporeal, the shadowy assassin has no Strength score. [B]Skills:[/B] Shadowy assassins have a +16 racial bonus on Hide, and Move Silently and a +8 racial bonus on Search, Sense Motive, and Spot checks no matter their form. In incorporeal form, Move Silently is automatic. Otherwise same as the base creature. [B]Organization:[/B] Solitary [B]Challenge Rating: [/B]Same as the base creature +2. [B]Treasure:[/B] Triple coins; double goods; double items. [B]Alignment:[/B] Any evil. [B]Advancement:[/B] By character class. [B]Level Adjustment:[/B] Same as the base creature +4. [B][SIZE=6]Shadow Blade:[/SIZE][/B] This is a bone blade in which the shadowy assassin stores its shadow essence. The Shadow Blade has several effects: [B]Immortality (Ex):[/B] The shadowy assassin is not permanently killed as long as its Shadow Blade survives. It revives, next to its Shadow Blade 1d10 days later. [B]Corporeal Form (Sp):[/B] The shadowy assassin gains the ability to become corporeal at will while the Shadow Blade is in its possession. [B]Magic Jar (Sp):[/B] Once per day, the shadowy assassin can use [I]magic jar[/I] as if its character levels were its caster level on anyone foolish enough to touch the Shadow Blade. [B]Loss of Shadow Blade:[/B] If a shadowy assassin loses possession of its Shadow Blade, it is no longer able to become corporeal at will. Further if its Shadow Blade is destroyed, the shadowy assassin is drawn fully into the Plane of Shadows until it can devise a way to build another shadow blade. Then it must find a Hollow Night holiday during the Witching hour to transfer its new Shadow Blade back to the Material Plane. Then it can manifest incorporeally and and finally, physically next to its Shadow Blade so it can recapture any lost lairs or treasures; taking care to add new fancies to its list of owned things; and avenge its previous “death” (if necessary). [B]Outcast to the Plane of Shadows: [/B]A shadowy assassin that has its Shadow Blade destroyed becomes trapped on the Plane of Shadows. While trapped on the Plane of Shadows, the shadowy assassin can and must learn to shape shadows well enough to be able to make a shadesteel Shadow Blade on the plane of shadows that has physical substance on the material plane. This effort usually takes, initially, only 100 years or so. Thus it can then transfer its Shadow Blade back to the material plane to a Hollow Night holiday during the Witching Hour. During the learning process, the shadowy assassin will also learn how to shape creatures, items, and structures out of Shadesteel. Items and Structures have the Shadesteel property. Creatures have the Shadesteel subtype. The process of making a shadesteel Shadow Blade is intensively laborious so that even a shadowy assassin that already knows the proper steps to take, will still invest about 50 years to form a new Shadow Blade. [B]Note: [/B]The word “possession” throughout the Shadow Blade entry means: on one’s person or belonging to (and thus hidden somewhere). "Belonging to" items can be found and taken from a creature's possession. [/QUOTE]
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