Shadowdancer Implementation

[The Jew]

I have almost no knowledge of 2ed and am basing all my arguments off of the BRCS.

The shadow world was always a mutable world, even before it was warped into the shadow world. That is why all conjuration and illusion spells draw their power from it, even if they are not creating shadow based effects. The halflings are still drawing their powers from the same source, but it has to be taken into account that the source has been warped. That warping, along with the time spent in Cerilia, has cost them many of their powers but it may have also altered some of their others to be more shadow based. Where before they may have been able to step into the fairie world whenever they wished, their power has been weakened by requireing a feat and needing a check, but has also been warped by the fact that it is easier to do so in darker areas.

I like the idea of changing shadow jump to the standard bonus feats for enetering the shadow world, with maybe an extra super feat available at 9th or 10th level.
here would be my suggestion for special powers by level.

1st level: Hide in plain site (same as original, when near a shadow they are able to tap into the shadow world to create a slight illusion which gives them the oppurtunity to hide even when they are out in the open)
2nd level: Evasion, Uncanny dodge
3rd Level: Summon ancestral spirit
4th Level: bonus feat
5th Level: Defensibe Roll, Improved Uncanny dodge
6th Level: Slippery Mind, Summon ancestral spirit
7th Level: Bonus feat
8th Level: Suman ancestral spirit
9th level: Evasion
10th Level: bonus feat
(the bonus feats must be Shadow Guide, Improved Shadow Guide, Shadow walker, Improved shadow walker, and one or two other powerful ones to be determined later)
Improved shadow walker
Requirements: halfling, +13 wisdom, Shadow walker feat
+4 bonus to check for halflings to enter or leave the shadow world.

Dark vision and shadow illusion were nixed because I think 3 bonus feats are better than shadow jump 160 ft., and you were planning on giving them an extra good save.

[RaspK_FOG]

Thank you for your help in this project; I really wanted to implement a variant of the DMG prestige class, and the idea is almost fleshed out as it seems. You have my gratitude. ^_^

As an answer to you, Don E and The Jew, I got an interesting idea reading your responces: what if the Shadow Traversor does not tap onto the Necromantic powers, however benevolent or non-manevolent they may be, and instead use Illusion? Summon Ancestor Shadow would indeed be Summon Ancestor Spirit, only this would produce an incorporeal Illusion [Shadow] effect. The ability would otherwise be like the Shadow Conjuration spell; caster level is equal to the Shadow Traversor's class level, plus the highest caster level he has from one class with Shadow Conjuration in its spell list.

As for the ability to hide in shadows, there is a spell that fits the role pretty neatly: the 3rd-level Night Domain spell, Night's Embrace. Check it out on the BRCS.

I will think over it, but I like it as it seems to go.

[irdeggman]

Rasp,

Another tie for the shadow dancer is to actually manipulate the seeming and stretch its effects into the 'real world'. This could give it more of a BR feel. THe seeming is not just illusion, even though it appears to be. Things are exactly as they appear in the SW they just change frequently and are not the same as they are in the 'real world'.

[RaspK_FOG]

Well, Shadow Conjuration does exactly that... :blink: Unless you mean that's what he does, and that he does not summon an ancestor? Well, what I had in mind was more like: "I summon forth the spirit of my great-grand-father!", which actually is a more like a sentient result of what he regards as most important created out of shadow-stuff; hence the alignment stats, the reason the shadows cannot be turned, etc. They are not "real" shadows in most senses! On the other hand, they are not like the results of Shadow Conjuration in that they have the full stats of a shadow, plus turning immunity, if believed to be real shadows (Will special, DC 14 + Charisma bonus). The reason they have their standard stats is that they still are shadow-stuff, which tends to harm creatures; the reason they do not do as much if disbelieved is that they are not real shadows but what results out of the Seeming. We could use the same DC modifiers as for the Mantle of the Night spell:

+1 forsaken area
+1 winter
+2 night
-2 day
-1 summer
-1 civilised area



As for the idea of a really good ability at 10th level, 1/week spell-like ability of Shadow Walk seems fine to me...

Remember, spell-like abilities are really cool things for the DM, because any creature must have a Charisma score of 10 + level equivalent of the ability (referring to the spell level assigned to Sor/Wiz, Clr, Drd, Brd, Pal, Rgr, at that order, unless defined as an ability similar to a caster of that class).

[irdeggman]

Rasp,

What I meant was insert into the write up that the shadow dancers' special abilities all stem from manipulating the seeming and not directly from manipulating shadows. It makes it much more BR specific, ties more into the vary nature of the Shadow World and allows more real effects instead of merely illusion, etc.

[RaspK_FOG]

Dear [B][I]Irdeggman[/I][/B],
  I feel such shame, with you thinking I didn't have such a simple, campaign-related issue in mind when I made my suggestions and accepted others' in this here poll. The insult is too great for me now to answer you in the same terms.

GOOD DAY! :angry:

:lol: Sorry about that; could not help it... Anyway, thank you for pointing that out in case I forgot (Heavens forbid :P).

[tcharazazel]

Yeah irdeggman, that's a cool way to describe the Shadow Dancer.

[RaspK_FOG]

I will see what I will do... Probably post a write-up by up to the end of the week, but I can't promise anything. Not that it seems to be such a matter to most!

:P Just kidding...

[Azulthar]

*** Sorry, I should have read the entire thread before I posted. Everything you guys are suggesting is looking fine. Ignore this post ***


A Shadowdancer in BR? I figure it's not the one described in the DMG, cause that wouldn't fit BR at all.

Although my first reaction was "not Shadowdancer at all!", I think they could be done in BR with the following criteria:

1.) Halfling only. This emphasizes the unique shadow-nature of BR-Halflings. They're the only ones who could have developed such an 'exotic' class, due to their shadow-legacy, IMO.

2.) Less flamboyant/exotic! I cannot stress this enough. Don't make him the typical 3e edition 'kewl' prestige-class, that doesn't fit BR. Especially the flamboyant part, that would be awful.

Unfortunately I don't have my DMG here, so I can't look the SD up for specific class features that should be changed. I wouldn't add spellcasting abilities, that's a rather boring way of making a prestige class work, especially in a low-magic setting such as Birthright.

All of this is, of course, IMHO.

- Azulthar

[RaspK_FOG]

I will wait for a few more votes, unless I find out that others do not post stuff or things; then the decision will be final from my part, and I will present my idea for discussion.

No, Irdeggman, I am not forgetting what I have to do; I just deal with things left undone. :P