shadow template?

[der_kluge]

Some backstory - one of my players had to quit our game for RL reasons. In the game, she had a fighter. So, the last game we played with her, the last battle culminated in a fight with a shadow dragon. The party was victorious. Yea!

So, next game, said player was no longer present, and wasn't going to be able to play anymore. So, we decided that her character died a horrible death at the hands of the shadow dragon, and we wouldn't have to deal with her as an NPC then. Easy enough, even though she technically didn't die.

So, fast forward to now. Said player wants to rejoin the group, which is great, but she wants to play that character. D'oh!

So, I have a story reason why her character might be able to survive such a death (artificial or not), so I told her we could bring her back with Shadow Dancer levels (makes perfect sense to me), or we could apply the shadow template from the manual of the planes.

So, here is the Shadow template:

type changes to "magical beast"
-speed: as base creature x 1 1/2.
-cold resistance 5 +1 per HD, to a maximum of 20.
-Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.
-low-light vision.
-Shadow Blend (Su): In any conditions other than full daylight, a shadow creature can disappear into the shadows, giving it nine-tenths concealment. Artificial illumination, even a light or continual flame spell, does not negate this ability. A daylight spell, however, will.

Shadow creatures also have one additional supernatural ability for every 4 HD they possess (minimum of one) chosen from the following list:
-+2 luck bonus on all saving throws.
-Cause fear once per day.
-Damage reduction 5/+1
-Evasion
-Mirror Image one per day
-Plane shift self to or from the Plane of Shadow once per day.
-Regenerate 2 hit points per round (slain if brought to 0 hit points).
-Move Silently +6 ranks
Challenge Rating: +1.

Now, the party is currently 13th level, so I'm trying to find something that I can work with, and some of these things, would be quite useless. For instance, DR 5/+1 isn't necessary, since everything they fight from here on out is gonna have this. She already has a ring of regeneration, so that's not a big deal. I'm thinking the 9/10ths concealment is a bit much for a PC. I'm gonna have to re-roll every time I attack her, and that's gonna get tiresome. She'll be invulnerable. That's one of those "fine for the monster, bad idea for a PC" abilities. The cold and +2 saves also don't seem to make any sense.

Also, what would the level adjustment be? I was going to try to find something at a +1 or +2 ECL. Or, I could just build something completely different, too.

I appreciate any thoughts anyone has on this.

 

[Saeviomagy]

type changes to "magical beast"
-speed: as base creature x 1 1/2.
-cold resistance 5 +1 per HD, to a maximum of 20.

I wouldn't expect a template to count hitdice gained from levels.

-Darkvision with a range of 60 feet.
-low-light vision.
-Shadow Blend (Su): In any conditions other than full daylight, a shadow creature can disappear into the shadows, giving it nine-tenths concealment. Artificial illumination, even a light or continual flame spell, does not negate this ability. A daylight spell, however, will.

9/10ths concealment doesn't make you reroll attacks. It just makes you roll a miss chance on every attack. I think that miss chance is 40% or so. This is a really sweet ability, but note that it doesn't apply to creatures with vision modes other than low-light or normal. To any creature with darkvision, there are no shadows. The same applies to any creature with blindsight. A nice ability, but not nearly as powerful as you think.

Shadow creatures also have one additional supernatural ability for every 4 HD they possess (minimum of one) chosen from the following list:
-+2 luck bonus on all saving throws.
-Cause fear once per day.
-Damage reduction 5/+1
-Evasion
-Mirror Image one per day
-Plane shift self to or from the Plane of Shadow once per day.
-Regenerate 2 hit points per round (slain if brought to 0 hit points).
-Move Silently +6 ranks
Challenge Rating: +1.

Once again - I wouldn't expect a character's class levels to count towards hitdice.

Now, the party is currently 13th level, so I'm trying to find something that I can work with, and some of these things, would be quite useless. For instance, DR 5/+1 isn't necessary, since everything they fight from here on out is gonna have this. She already has a ring of regeneration, so that's not a big deal. I'm thinking the 9/10ths concealment is a bit much for a PC. I'm gonna have to re-roll every time I attack her, and that's gonna get tiresome. She'll be invulnerable. That's one of those "fine for the monster, bad idea for a PC" abilities. The cold and +2 saves also don't seem to make any sense.

You mean you need to roll a miss chance. And only if the opponent is using low-light or normal vision. DR 5/+1 does have some benefits (namely that a lot of mundane damaging effects will bounce off it).

Also, what would the level adjustment be? I was going to try to find something at a +1 or +2 ECL. Or, I could just build something completely different, too.

I'd give it a +1 ECL. The bennies are OK, but nothing astounding, bearing in mind the limitations of the concealment power, and the fact that you don't get more powers as you increase in level.

If you do hand out added powers with increasing levels, I'd recommend about +3.

 

[Mephistopheles]

As an inherited template class levels probably shouldn't be counted for the HD based abilities, even though it's being used as an acquired template in this case. The template would then be granting Magical Beast type (although I think Outsider would be more appropriate for a PC), +50% movement, +6 Move Silently checks, Darkvision 60', Low-light vision, and Shadow Blend (in 3.5ese that's Total Concealment, 50% miss chance). It's listed with a level adjustment of +2 in the MotP 3.5 update.

Alternatively, you could take a look at the Shade race from the Forgotten Realms. While more powerful than the shadow creature template it has a steep level adjustment of +4 and the abilities granted only function when the Shade is in shadows or darkness.

 

[cmnash]

3.5 shade creature template

Are you using 3.5? if so have you checked out the MoP upgrade you can get from WotC website? that lists the template as 'a level adjustment of +2'

This is what it says:

Shadow Creature: The shadow blend supernatural ability
grants total concealment. Their optional supernatural abilities
include +2 luck bonus on saves, 1/day cause fear as a 5th-level
caster, damage reduction 5/magic, evasion (as the rogue class feature),
1/day mirror image as a 5th-level caster, 1/day plane shift as
15th-level caster (to or from Plane of Shadow only), fast healing 2.
They have a level adjustment of +2.

The PC, being a fighter, might find evasion helpful, and mirror image too

Hope that helps

 

[Targos]

I applied the shadow template to elves in my setting as a substitute for drow. I gave them a +1ECL. The shadow blend is uber for anything with sneak attack, but its still a nice defense for others. Out of the list of abilities I just gave them evasion (I recall evasion not working in anything more than light armor) instead of letting them choose or gain additional ones. Changing their type to magical beast will make them immune to several effects so I just made them extraplanar humanoids. (like the 3.5 gith) It worked out well. The only ability thats significant is the shadow blend. +2ECL might be more appropriate. Since these shadow elves were all NPCs the ECL wasn't really tested.

 

[Knight Otu]

I wouldn't expect a template to count hitdice gained from levels.

Normally, I would agree, but I recently looked at the Celestial Charger unicorn, and it clearly receives celestial template benefits for both its Racial Hit Dice and its Class Hit Dice.

 

[hong]

There's also an umbral template in Savage Species, but that one turns you into an incorporeal undead (basically a shadow).

 

[der_kluge]

Thanks guys. Yea, I think I'll apply it as an "outsider". The Magical Beast thing didn't make any sense to me.

I didn't know there was a MoP update. I'll have to look for that.

I think I'll just put a list of several these abilities together and decide whether I want a +1 or +2 ECL.

thanks

 

[Goblyn]

After readong this thread, it looks like it may be easier to just add shadowdancer levels.

Which would the player prefer?