Shadar-Kai Racial Feats

[Dawn Raven]

First, let me say that a few of these are modifications of other feats for the race that I have seen. I can't recall anything specific. I do know that I did not see much variety and felt the need to expand the race myself for my games.
I would like to expand outward to include other races as well.

First, a few homebrewed modifications to the race.
1) Like many others, I added the Shadowborn Origin to the Shadar-kai
[FONT=&quot]Shadow Origin: Your ancestors were native to the Shadowfell, so you are considered a shadow creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.

2) Languages: Common, Deep Speech
Deep Speech is the speech used in the Shadowfell and by the race in my games. Also, most races have more than one language and felt that should include the Shadar-kai.

Now for the feats. Note, they are not formatted nicely yet. I will be getting around to that shortly.

[/FONT] Heroic:
Improved Shadow Jaunt: Requirement: Shadar-Kai
The Shadow Jaunt power now allows for a teleport of 5 squares.

Chains of the Fell
Shadar-Kai
Proficiency with flails, +2 to damage with flails.


Design Notes: Similar to the Eladrin and Dwarven racial feats but only gives the bonus to one weapon type. I need to expand this and am contemplating what weapon group would be acceptable


Spiked Chain Finesse
Shadar-kai, Rogue, Int 13, proficiency in the spiked chain
Benefit: Treat the spiked chain as a light blade. When using the spiked chain for sneak attack dice, reduce the damage dice by one die.


Design Notes: The Int requirement would seem out of place. However, take this into account: 1) Shadar-kait get a +2 bonus to Int and 2) spiked chains are reach weapons. However, you do need another feat in order to get this feat so I am not sure..

Shadowborn Companion
Shadar-kai, Ranger, Beast mastery class feature
Benefit: Your beast companion gains the shadow origin, instead of the natural origin.
When you use your shadow jaunt racial power, your
beast companion can teleport the same distance that you teleport and also becomes insubstantial.


Design Notes This is like the Feyborn companion for the Eladrin.


Extended Mists
Shadar-kai, Arcane power source
Benefit: When you use the Shadow Jaunt encounter power, and if no foes target you while you are insubstantial, you may retain the substantial condition until the next attack that includes you as a target.



Design Notes None. This is experimental. Not really sure how I feel about it, but I wanted to do something with the thought.


Frightening Shadows
Shadar-kai, Warlock, Shadow Walk class feature
Benefit: When the shadow walk class feature activates, you get a +2 bonus to damage to powers with the Necrotic keyword.


Design Notes Now, I had first considered Fear but scrapped it due to the fact that the Star Pact has a Fear keyword At-Will. If you look at the Dark, Infernal and Star pacts there are few Necrotic powers and all of them are encounters or dailies. It may be easy to obtain, but it is not useable for many powers.

Shadow Defense
Requirements: Shadar-Kai, Fighter, Combat Challenge Class Feature
Benefit: When you use your Shadow Jaunt encounter power you may choose to grant the insubstantial condition to an ally adjacent to you after the teleport is resolved.

Abyssal Defense
Requirements: Shadar-Kai, Fighter, Combat Challenge Class Feature
Benefit: When you use your Shadow Jaunt encounter power, any ally adjacent of where you leave from and where you teleport too gains concealment until the end of your next turn.

Eerie Tactics
Requirements: Shadar-Kai, Warlord
Benefit: When an ally receives the benefit of the inspiring word power, they also get concealment against the next attack against them including burst and blast powers. This bonus lasts until the end of your next turn.

Sense of Darkness
Requirements: Shadar-Kai, Warlord, Tactical Presence
Benefit: When an ally uses an action point and benefits from tactical presence, they may also ignore concealment and cover for the attack.

Surprise Strike
Requirements: Shadar-Kai, Ranger, Hunter’s Quarry class feature
Benefit: After using the Shadow Jaunt encounter power, you get extra damage equal to your dexterity modifier against your quarry for the next attack.


Devoted to Death
Requirements: Shadar-Kai, Paladin, Raven Queen’s Blessing feat
Benefit: When using your channel divinity to use the Raven Queen’s Blessing encounter power, heal an additional 1d6 + your intelligence or dexterity modifier.

[FONT=&quot]Paragon:

Shadow Eyes
Shadar-kai
Benefit: You gain darkvision and get +2 to Perception rolls.

Edit: A few more came to me...still need to format these. Any idea on how to do that here?

[/FONT]

 

[jffdougan]

First, let me say that a few of these are modifications of other feats for the race that I have seen. I can't recall anything specific. I do know that I did not see much variety and felt the need to expand the race myself for my games.
I would like to expand outward to include other races as well.

First, a few homebrewed modifications to the race.
1) Like many others, I added the Shadowborn Origin to the Shadar-kai
[FONT=&quot]Shadow Origin: Your ancestors were native to the Shadowfell, so you are considered a shadow creature for the purpose of effects that relate to creature origin.

2) Languages: Common, Deep Speech
Deep Speech is the speech used in the Shadowfell and by the race in my games. Also, most races have more than one language and felt that should include the Shadar-kai.

Now for the feats. Note, they are not formatted nicely yet. I will be getting around to that shortly.

[/FONT] Heroic:
Improved Shadow Jaunt: Requirement: Shadar-Kai
The Shadow Jaunt power now allows for a teleport of 5 squares.

Chains of the Fell
Shadar-Kai
Proficiency with flails, +2 to damage with flails.


Design Notes: Similar to the Eladrin and Dwarven racial feats but only gives the bonus to one weapon type. I need to expand this and am contemplating what weapon group would be acceptable


Spiked Chain Finesse
Shadar-kai, Rogue, Int 13, proficiency in the spiked chain
Treat the spiked chain as a light blade.


Design Notes: The Int requirement would seem out of place. However, take this into account: 1) Shadar-kait get a +2 bonus to Int and 2) spiked chains are reach weapons. However, you do need another feat in order to get this feat so I am not sure..


Extended Mists
Shadar-kai, Arcane power source
Benefit: When you use the Shadow Jaunt encounter power, and if no foes target you while you are insubstantial, you may retain the substantial condition until the next attack that includes you as a target.



Design Notes None. This is experimental. Not really sure how I feel about it, but I wanted to do something with the thought.
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]

Amusingly, I started to throw together a pitch for a "Playing Shadar-kai" article earlier today. (It hasn't been sent in yet, and may not if I don't think that what I can work up has enough that's new to offer.) You've got several things that are similar to things I was thinking of, although for Extended Mists, I think you meant retain the insubstantial condition... and there I think it should be either start/end of your next turn.

I think something seems off about the Spiked Chain Finesse, but can't quite say what, although I think I see what you're trying to accomplish with it.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

For Spiked Chain Finesse, you might want to look at similar feats like the Eladrins Longsword Finesse. It also gives the Rogue to use it with powers that require a light blade, and to use it with sneak attack, but the sneak attack damage is reduced by one die. I think the reason for this limit is that most military or superior weapons deal too much damage and the benefit would be too high.

 

[BigNash03]

Amusingly, I started to throw together a pitch for a "Playing Shadar-kai" article earlier today. (It hasn't been sent in yet, and may not if I don't think that what I can work up has enough that's new to offer.)

Oh, do it! Please! I need some WotC approved material for my Shadar-Kai Wizard so that my DM will okay it.

 

[Dawn Raven]

I think Mustum has it right. I suppose that's what I get for not reading the feat thoroughly. I'll edit that in.

jffdougan: I actually had intended to have that added in at the end of the statement. It felt almost too strong to allow the insubstantial to last for whole second turn after. Although I suppose the requirement that you not be targeted by an attack during the first round would balance it out.

 

[Dawn Raven]

More

Here's a few paragon feats. The reason most of these feats are martial is due to the fact that I've been using the martial power book as inspiration for ideas.



Paragon Level:
Instant Reprisal
Requirements: Shadar-Kai, Fighter, Combat Challenge class feature
Benefit: You may make opportunity attacks against foes that teleport while adjacent to you.

Hunter’s Fang
Requirements: 11th level, Shadar-Kai, Ranger
Benefit: When you use the Shadow Jaunt encounter power, you may designate as quarry all foes adjacent to the location you teleport to. Each enemy designated as quarry in this way remain so until they are no longer adjacent to you or until the end of your next turn. These quarries do not count toward the normal limit of one quarry, and any other creature designated as your quarry remains so. You can deal Hunter’s Quarry damage against each foe designated in this way.

Lost to the Darkness
Requirements: 11th level, Shadar-Kai, Rogue
Benefit: When you use the Shadow Jaunt encounter power to move adjacent to an enemy, you gain combat advantage against that enemy until the end of your turn.

Lingering Darkness
Requirements: 11th Level, Shadar-Kai, warlord
Benefit: When you use the Shadow jaunt encounter power to move adjacent to any ally, that ally also benefits from the insubstantial condition until the end of your next turn.


Soothing Shade
Requirements: Shadar-Kai, Cleric, Healing Word class feature
Benefit: When you use the healing word power on an ally they gain concealment until the end of your next turn.

Black Burst
Requirements: 11th level, Shadar-kai
Benefit: When you use the Shadow Jaunt encounter power, you gain concealment until the end of your next turn in addition to becoming insubstantial.

 

[Wraith Form]

This is completely a threadjack (for a moment), but I find the idea of using a spiked chain for a sneak attack to be hilarious.

* clank clank chlink *

* whip-crack *

Bad guy : "WTF? Where did that come from?" followed immediately by "Aggggh, the pain!!!"

 

[Dawn Raven]

I think of sneak attack as doing more damage not because it is sneaky, but because it targets exposed vital areas. I suppose its just easier to do with a smaller, slimmer weapon.

Perhaps that is the flavor reasoning for reducing the sneak attack dice with other weapons? Even if it has blatant mechanical reasoning.

But any thoughts on the balance of these? Usefulness? Either way I just felt I'd share