Help on some things [Archive] - Wizards Community

Help on some things [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Ultima0071
06-12-07, 10:18 PM Ok so I am in the middle of a new prestige class.

It is a "Shadow Master" and uses a greatsword and the ability to control shadows.

What should it's BaB, Fort Save, Ref Save, and Will Save be.

I only need 10 levels of progression :bigeyes:
windscar18
06-12-07, 10:19 PM Lets make a little quiz then.

1) Why a greatsword in particular?
2) Spellcasting progression?
3) Where does his power to control shadows come from?
4) Does he "hide" in the shadows?
5) What does he do with the shadows?
Ultima0071
06-12-07, 10:23 PM Lets make a little quiz then.

1) Why a greatsword in particular?
2) Spellcasting progression?
3) Where does his power to control shadows come from?
4) Does he "hide" in the shadows?
5) What does he do with the shadows?

1)The class is based off of using a greatsword with the shadows. This class gives the proficiency with great swords.

2)No Spells

3)His Shadow / Plane of Shadow

4) No

5)A Shadow Master controls and manipulates shadows in different ways. He (or she) can crush, take over, destory, and "see" the shadows.

A - Crushing a shadow is just like crushing a person. Crushing a shadow greatly damages its owner.

B - Taking over a shadow just means being able to move it around

C - Destorying a shadow can do massive damage to its owner

D - "Seeing a shadow" gives the Shadow Master info about the owner of the shadow (Attacks, HP, AC, etc.)
windscar18
06-12-07, 10:27 PM 1) I still fail to see EXACTLY why a greatsword, so I won't include that in my analysis.
2) Okay
3) His Shadow? Seems like Will to me...
4) Probably will ignore Ref save then
5) What exactly are the mechanics for each manuveur?

Some new questions.

1) What's the HD?
2) How often can his abilities be used?
Encard
06-12-07, 10:28 PM Do you have any abilities written up? It seems silly to ask for BAB/etc when we don't know the details of what else you want this class to do. Why not post what you have for the mechanics of the other abilities - preferably in the usual, orderly format - and then see what advice people have for tweeking?

Or do you thus far not have anything besides a rough idea of what you want to do?

1)The class is based off of using a greatsword with the shadows. This class gives the proficiency with great swords.
I believe the question asked was why the greatsword? Why not some other weapon?
Ultima0071
06-12-07, 10:32 PM 1) I still fail to see EXACTLY why a greatsword, so I won't include that in my analysis.
2) Okay
3) His Shadow? Seems like Will to me...
4) Probably will ignore Ref save then
5) What exactly are the mechanics for each manuveur?

Some new questions.

1) What's the HD?
2) How often can his abilities be used?

HD = d10

2) His abilities can be used endlesly but there is a slight cost on some of them (hp loss, etc.)
Encard
06-12-07, 10:37 PM As I said - do you have any mechanics written up for these abilities at the moment? Those would really help us help you.
Ultima0071
06-12-07, 10:38 PM Sure, let me see if I can get them...
Ultima0071
06-12-07, 10:43 PM Shadow Master

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g31/TenshiBeth1/Unidentified%20Anime/Anime%20Boys/Swordsmen/ShadowWarrior4.jpg

“I tugged at their shadows and pulled until they were no more.”
-Blake, a Shadow Master

The Shadow Master is incredibly skilled in controlling and manipulating the shadows. A Shadow Master is one who has experienced the world of shadows and has survived the horrors of this foul plane.
Almost anyone can become this class but the most common of them are Fighters, Wizards, and Sorcerers. Very few Clerics become this class do to the use of the greatsword and dark magic. The very few Clerics that do take this class usually give up all of their healing abilities and renounce their Cleric status.
Most Shadow Masters prefer a fierce fight thus usually turning down the smaller ones. Most epic Shadow Masters are considered legends and are usually in many folk tales.

Requirements
To qualify to become a Shadow Master, a character must fulfill the following criteria.
Alignment: Any Chaotic
Special: Must have somehow gotten to the Plane of Shadow and survived there without loosing more than half of his/her hit point for a week (168 hours).

The Shadow Master
Level Special

1st Shadow Puppetry, Natural Armor Increase (+1)
2nd Darkvision 60 ft.
3rd Shadow Destruction, Natural Armor Increase (+3)
4th Infuse Shadows
5th Advanced Puppetry, Natural Armor Increase (+5)
6th Darkvision 100 ft.
7th Natural Armor Increase (+7)
8th Infuse Shadows (Greater)
9th Natural Armor Increase (+9)
10th Master Puppetry, Dark Void, Shadow Transformation

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the shadow master prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Shadow Masters gain proficiency with the greatsword.

Shadow Puppetry (Ex): A Shadow Master uses his/her powers to control and manipulate the shadows of others. By swaying his/her hand they can move others shadows around, read the shadow’s attacks, and even attack with the shadow. This ability can be used up to 10 feet away from the shadow.

Move Shadow (Ex): By swaying one of his/her hands in a circular motion, the closest shadow to the Shadow Master’s one is able to move freely in the direction that the other hand is pointing to. At 5th level, a Shadow Master can move the shadow across a body of water. At 10th level, a Shadow Master can move the shadow through the air.

Read Shadow (Ex): By swaying both of his/her hands in a line formation, a Shadow Master can learn the attacks of his or her opponent. At 5th level, a Shadow Master can learn half of the hit points of their opponent. At 10th level, they can learn the attacks, the hit points, the armor class, and the stats of their opponent.

Attack Shadow (Ex): By violently shaking one of their hands, a Shadow Master can force a person’s shadow to attack them. The shadow has 100% accuracy and deals a d6 of shadow damage. This damage cannot be resisted or blocked. At 5th level, this attack grows to a d10 of damage and at 10th level it grows to a d12.

Upon reaching the 5th level, a Shadow Master strengthens his/her bond to the shadows thus giving them a greater control over them. With his/her advanced powers, he/she can control shadows from up to 25 feet away and can manipulate shadows to a greater extent.

Upon reaching the 10th level, a Shadow Master learns their purpose in life and gains incredible power over the shadows. With their new skills, a Shadow Master can control shadows up to 50 feet away and can manipulate shadows to an even greater extent.

Natural Armor Increase (Ex): At 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level, a Shadow Master’s body fades away giving them an increased avoidably.

Darkvision (Ex): At 2nd and 6th level a Shadow Master gains Darkvision with a range of 60 feet. Using their shadow’s combination with the darkness Shadow Masters are able to see in the dark to a certain extent.

Shadow Destruction (Ex): At 3rd level, a Shadow Master gains the ability to crush a shadow’s willpower thus destroying it. This attack, if successful, deals 5d12 to the shadow’s keeper. The Shadow Master rolls a d%. If the roll comes out to 95% or more this attack is successful.

Infuse Shadows (Su): At 4th and 8th level a Shadow Master gains the ability to infuse some of his/her shadow into his greatsword. To infuse some of their shadow, a Shadow Master must meditate for 24 hours being undisturbed during that period of time. Upon the meditation being completed, a Shadow Master’s greatsword gains a total bonus of +2 and an extra d8 of shadow damage. This meditation also drains the Shadow Master’s hit points by 5. These hit points cannot be recovered by the spell wish or miracle.

Upon reaching 8th level a Shadow Master can further infuse his shadow giving their greatsword a total bonus of +5 and another d8 of shadow. This drains their hit points once gain for a total loss of 15.

Dark Void (Ex): Upon reaching 10th level a Shadow Master has such a strong bond with the shadows that they can summon a void of darkness once per day. When a Dark Void is summoned two things can happen. To determine this a d% is rolled. If 50 and under is rolled, all the shadows except his/her own are absorbed completely by the Dark Void. This deals 7d12 damage to the shadows’ owners. If 51 and over is rolled, all of the people’s souls are drawn to the void causing sleep for 1d20 rounds to all people whose souls have been drawn to the void. Only wish can cure this sleep. Summoning a void deals 2d8 points of shadow damage to the summoner.

Shadow Transformation (Ex): Upon reaching 10th level a Shadow Master joins with all the shadows. This gives the Shadow Master the ability to go to the Shadow Plane and to change their form into a shadow at will. As a shadow, he/she gains an armor class of +30 but looses 1d10 hit points per round in this form.
windscar18
06-12-07, 10:50 PM Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the class as it looks now (+30 AC? Are you kidding me?), but...

Base Attack Bonus: It looks like you're attacking, but using shadows to increase its powers. But you're not a full martial character...Medium BAB.
Fortitude Save: The Prerequisite screams good fortitude save, and the abilities don't do much to shake that notion off, so good Fortitude save.
Reflex Save: No reason to give him a good one.
Will Save: Mental control classes need a strong sense of will to control their targets. High Will Save.

Thus, your base attack bonus and saves are that of a cleric.
Ultima0071
06-12-07, 11:01 PM Some tips would help.

Also, I am changing that the AC move a tiny bit.

Your AC is STILL +30 but you CAN NOT USE ANY PHYSICAL ATTACKS while in this form. Plus the damage is increased to 2d8 every turn. Does that even it out?
windscar18
06-12-07, 11:08 PM Some tips would help.

Also, I am changing that the AC move a tiny bit.

Your AC is STILL +30 but you CAN NOT USE ANY PHYSICAL ATTACKS while in this form. Plus the damage is increased to 2d8 every turn. Does that even it out?

Don't you have alterante damage forms? Big deal if you can't attack.

Just decrease the AC bonus.
Ultima0071
06-12-07, 11:17 PM By how much? Also, is this ok?

Level BaB Fort Ref Will Special

1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Shadow Puppetry, Natural Armor Increase (+1)
2nd +1 +3 +0 +3 Darkvision 60 ft.
3rd +2 +3 +1 +3 Shadow Destruction, Natural Armor Increase (+3)
4th +3 +4 +1 +4 Infuse Shadows
5th +3 +4 +1 +4 Advanced Puppetry, Natural Armor Increase (+5)
6th +4 +5 +2 +5 Darkvision 100 ft.
7th +5 +5 +2 +5 Natural Armor Increase (+7)
8th +6/+1 +6 +2 +6 Infuse Shadows (Greater)
9th +6/+1 +6 +3 +6 Natural Armor Increase (+9)
10th +7/+2 +7 +3 +7 Master Puppetry, Dark Void, Shadow Transformation
windscar18
06-12-07, 11:38 PM Really, pumping AC past +10 is a bad bad idea.

+10 AC is already the equivelent of saying "He gets -50% chance to hit me".
Encard
06-12-07, 11:53 PM I'd agree with windscar18 about the BAB/saves. Those sound reasonable.

Now... Why are this class's abilities (Ex)? These don't sound like non-magical abilities.

Move Shadow: Aside from there being no rules in D&D for how shadows fall... How fast can he move the shadows, and how far? What kind of action does it take?

Shadow Read: Learning half the hit points is equivalent to learning the hit points. Just multiply by two. Also, this needs an action type - Standard to use? Move? Swift? Etc. Also, what does the target's shadow have to with their attacks/AC/etc? I don't really see where this ability is coming from.

Attack Shadows: This should really be named Shadow Attack, as the shadow is attacking... In any case, the damage is completely worthless - b y the time this guy is level 10, 1d12 is meaningless. Why not just make this function as a more normal ability - i.e. reasonably scaling damage, no weird damage type - instead? Say, 1d6/class level, range as listed, deals slashing damage? Also... What action does it require to use? More interestingly... what does his ability to "manipulate shadows to a greater extent" actually let him do?

Natural Armor Increase: Eh, too high. This should cap at +3 or +4. Why does he get this, anyway? Shadowstuff isn't known for being tough. As you described it, it might be better to give them a permanent low miss chance, I feel, similar to what I recall the Child of Shadow PrC (Tome of Magic) getting.

Darkvision: I'd say have the ranges be 60' and 90' or 60' and 120' to go by the standards, but it doesn't really matter.

Shadow Destruction: A low-damage attack that has a 5% chance of success? Useless ability. Merge it with a revised Attack Shadow. On a side note, for increments of 5%, rolling a d20 is the same as a d%.

Infuse Shadow: I'd really suggest dropping the shadow damage thing. In any case, if you want permanent weapon boosts - powerful permanent weapon boosts - you need to detail what happens when the weapon is lost, destroyed, etc. Personally, I'd favor making this a set of temporary weapon enhancements that the character can choose from upon ability activation. And again, why the greatsword?

Dark Void: A 50% chance of effectively killing anyone nearby who's not immune to sleep? Eh... Overpowered, methinks, especially given the lack of a save. Also, why does it cause sleep? The Plane of Shadow isn't the Plane of Dreams. I'd opt for revising this to a temporary area-effect blindness, which includes a save, lower damage to the user (or possibly damage based on the number of targets) and no percentile dice.

Shadow Transformation: Eh... +30 AC? Real Shadows don't even get that. Honestly, this seems a bit random. Why not just make this Planeshift to the plane of shadows at will, plus type changes to Outsider (native)?

Overall... I'd suggest restructuring things somewhat. Give the character a set of "Shadow Points" to play with - maybe 1 per level or some such. Give him (roughly) the following abilities:

Level 1

Darkvision 60 ft.

Level 2

Shadow Puppetry - the shadow master can change nearby lighting conditions by manipulation shadows. Bright daylight is now normal lighting, normal lighting grants concealment, shadowy conditions that previously granted concealment now grant total concealment. This is not magical darkness. Costs 1 shadow point and a standard action to use, has a radius of 20 ft., lasts 1 round per level.
Devour Shadow - The shadow master can feed on a victim's shadow. This process is horrifically painful for the target, dealing 1d6 points of slashing damage from sympathetic wounds. if the target has not been previously targetted by this ability within 24 hours, the shadow master's Shadow Point pool is replenished by one, up to his normal maximum. This is a standard action.

Level 3

Infuse Shadow (least) - The shadow master can temporarily imbue his weapon with dark energies, granting it one of several special abilities. Appropriate ones might include various darkness/slashing/cold-themed enhancements. Using this ability is a swift action that costs 1 shadow point.

Level 4

Blur - the shadow master can use Blur, as the spell, with a caster level fo the shadow master's character level. This costs 1 shadow point.

Level 5

Darkvision 120 ft.

Level 6

Shadow Infusion (lesser) - as least, but with +2 or +3 enhancements available. Costs 2 shadow points.

Level 7

Dark Void - The shadow master can blind enemies. This is a standard action and costs 1 shadow point per two enemies, to a minimum of 1 point. Blindness lasts 1 round per level. Targets get a Will save to negate the effect.

Level 8

Displacement - as the spell, with a caster level of the shadow master's charfacter level. Costs 2 shadow points.

Level 9

Shadow Infusion (greater) - as before, but with including appropriate +4 or +5 enhancements and costing 3 shadow points.

Level 10

Shadow Transformation - The shadow master's type changes to Outsider (native) to reflect his deep bond with the Plane of Shadow.
Shadow Shift - the shadow master can Plane Shift to the plane of shadow, as the spell, with his character level as the caster level. This costs 5 Shadow Points.

Pretty massive revision, yes, and posted after several posts that've cropped up while it was written. Hope it helps.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Ultima0071 06-12-07, 10:18 PM	Ok so I am in the middle of a new prestige class. It is a "Shadow Master" and uses a greatsword and the ability to control shadows. What should it's BaB, Fort Save, Ref Save, and Will Save be. I only need 10 levels of progression :bigeyes:
windscar18 06-12-07, 10:19 PM	Lets make a little quiz then. 1) Why a greatsword in particular? 2) Spellcasting progression? 3) Where does his power to control shadows come from? 4) Does he "hide" in the shadows? 5) What does he do with the shadows?
Ultima0071 06-12-07, 10:23 PM	Lets make a little quiz then. 1) Why a greatsword in particular? 2) Spellcasting progression? 3) Where does his power to control shadows come from? 4) Does he "hide" in the shadows? 5) What does he do with the shadows? 1)The class is based off of using a greatsword with the shadows. This class gives the proficiency with great swords. 2)No Spells 3)His Shadow / Plane of Shadow 4) No 5)A Shadow Master controls and manipulates shadows in different ways. He (or she) can crush, take over, destory, and "see" the shadows. A - Crushing a shadow is just like crushing a person. Crushing a shadow greatly damages its owner. B - Taking over a shadow just means being able to move it around C - Destorying a shadow can do massive damage to its owner D - "Seeing a shadow" gives the Shadow Master info about the owner of the shadow (Attacks, HP, AC, etc.)
windscar18 06-12-07, 10:27 PM	1) I still fail to see EXACTLY why a greatsword, so I won't include that in my analysis. 2) Okay 3) His Shadow? Seems like Will to me... 4) Probably will ignore Ref save then 5) What exactly are the mechanics for each manuveur? Some new questions. 1) What's the HD? 2) How often can his abilities be used?
Encard 06-12-07, 10:28 PM	Do you have any abilities written up? It seems silly to ask for BAB/etc when we don't know the details of what else you want this class to do. Why not post what you have for the mechanics of the other abilities - preferably in the usual, orderly format - and then see what advice people have for tweeking? Or do you thus far not have anything besides a rough idea of what you want to do? 1)The class is based off of using a greatsword with the shadows. This class gives the proficiency with great swords. I believe the question asked was why the greatsword? Why not some other weapon?
Ultima0071 06-12-07, 10:32 PM	1) I still fail to see EXACTLY why a greatsword, so I won't include that in my analysis. 2) Okay 3) His Shadow? Seems like Will to me... 4) Probably will ignore Ref save then 5) What exactly are the mechanics for each manuveur? Some new questions. 1) What's the HD? 2) How often can his abilities be used? HD = d10 2) His abilities can be used endlesly but there is a slight cost on some of them (hp loss, etc.)
Encard 06-12-07, 10:37 PM	As I said - do you have any mechanics written up for these abilities at the moment? Those would really help us help you.
Ultima0071 06-12-07, 10:38 PM	Sure, let me see if I can get them...
Ultima0071 06-12-07, 10:43 PM	Shadow Master http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g31/TenshiBeth1/Unidentified%20Anime/Anime%20Boys/Swordsmen/ShadowWarrior4.jpg “I tugged at their shadows and pulled until they were no more.” -Blake, a Shadow Master The Shadow Master is incredibly skilled in controlling and manipulating the shadows. A Shadow Master is one who has experienced the world of shadows and has survived the horrors of this foul plane. Almost anyone can become this class but the most common of them are Fighters, Wizards, and Sorcerers. Very few Clerics become this class do to the use of the greatsword and dark magic. The very few Clerics that do take this class usually give up all of their healing abilities and renounce their Cleric status. Most Shadow Masters prefer a fierce fight thus usually turning down the smaller ones. Most epic Shadow Masters are considered legends and are usually in many folk tales. Requirements To qualify to become a Shadow Master, a character must fulfill the following criteria. Alignment: Any Chaotic Special: Must have somehow gotten to the Plane of Shadow and survived there without loosing more than half of his/her hit point for a week (168 hours). The Shadow Master Level Special 1st Shadow Puppetry, Natural Armor Increase (+1) 2nd Darkvision 60 ft. 3rd Shadow Destruction, Natural Armor Increase (+3) 4th Infuse Shadows 5th Advanced Puppetry, Natural Armor Increase (+5) 6th Darkvision 100 ft. 7th Natural Armor Increase (+7) 8th Infuse Shadows (Greater) 9th Natural Armor Increase (+9) 10th Master Puppetry, Dark Void, Shadow Transformation Class Features All of the following are class features of the shadow master prestige class. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Shadow Masters gain proficiency with the greatsword. Shadow Puppetry (Ex): A Shadow Master uses his/her powers to control and manipulate the shadows of others. By swaying his/her hand they can move others shadows around, read the shadow’s attacks, and even attack with the shadow. This ability can be used up to 10 feet away from the shadow. Move Shadow (Ex): By swaying one of his/her hands in a circular motion, the closest shadow to the Shadow Master’s one is able to move freely in the direction that the other hand is pointing to. At 5th level, a Shadow Master can move the shadow across a body of water. At 10th level, a Shadow Master can move the shadow through the air. Read Shadow (Ex): By swaying both of his/her hands in a line formation, a Shadow Master can learn the attacks of his or her opponent. At 5th level, a Shadow Master can learn half of the hit points of their opponent. At 10th level, they can learn the attacks, the hit points, the armor class, and the stats of their opponent. Attack Shadow (Ex): By violently shaking one of their hands, a Shadow Master can force a person’s shadow to attack them. The shadow has 100% accuracy and deals a d6 of shadow damage. This damage cannot be resisted or blocked. At 5th level, this attack grows to a d10 of damage and at 10th level it grows to a d12. Upon reaching the 5th level, a Shadow Master strengthens his/her bond to the shadows thus giving them a greater control over them. With his/her advanced powers, he/she can control shadows from up to 25 feet away and can manipulate shadows to a greater extent. Upon reaching the 10th level, a Shadow Master learns their purpose in life and gains incredible power over the shadows. With their new skills, a Shadow Master can control shadows up to 50 feet away and can manipulate shadows to an even greater extent. Natural Armor Increase (Ex): At 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th level, a Shadow Master’s body fades away giving them an increased avoidably. Darkvision (Ex): At 2nd and 6th level a Shadow Master gains Darkvision with a range of 60 feet. Using their shadow’s combination with the darkness Shadow Masters are able to see in the dark to a certain extent. Shadow Destruction (Ex): At 3rd level, a Shadow Master gains the ability to crush a shadow’s willpower thus destroying it. This attack, if successful, deals 5d12 to the shadow’s keeper. The Shadow Master rolls a d%. If the roll comes out to 95% or more this attack is successful. Infuse Shadows (Su): At 4th and 8th level a Shadow Master gains the ability to infuse some of his/her shadow into his greatsword. To infuse some of their shadow, a Shadow Master must meditate for 24 hours being undisturbed during that period of time. Upon the meditation being completed, a Shadow Master’s greatsword gains a total bonus of +2 and an extra d8 of shadow damage. This meditation also drains the Shadow Master’s hit points by 5. These hit points cannot be recovered by the spell wish or miracle. Upon reaching 8th level a Shadow Master can further infuse his shadow giving their greatsword a total bonus of +5 and another d8 of shadow. This drains their hit points once gain for a total loss of 15. Dark Void (Ex): Upon reaching 10th level a Shadow Master has such a strong bond with the shadows that they can summon a void of darkness once per day. When a Dark Void is summoned two things can happen. To determine this a d% is rolled. If 50 and under is rolled, all the shadows except his/her own are absorbed completely by the Dark Void. This deals 7d12 damage to the shadows’ owners. If 51 and over is rolled, all of the people’s souls are drawn to the void causing sleep for 1d20 rounds to all people whose souls have been drawn to the void. Only wish can cure this sleep. Summoning a void deals 2d8 points of shadow damage to the summoner. Shadow Transformation (Ex): Upon reaching 10th level a Shadow Master joins with all the shadows. This gives the Shadow Master the ability to go to the Shadow Plane and to change their form into a shadow at will. As a shadow, he/she gains an armor class of +30 but looses 1d10 hit points per round in this form.
windscar18 06-12-07, 10:50 PM	Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the class as it looks now (+30 AC? Are you kidding me?), but... Base Attack Bonus: It looks like you're attacking, but using shadows to increase its powers. But you're not a full martial character...Medium BAB. Fortitude Save: The Prerequisite screams good fortitude save, and the abilities don't do much to shake that notion off, so good Fortitude save. Reflex Save: No reason to give him a good one. Will Save: Mental control classes need a strong sense of will to control their targets. High Will Save. Thus, your base attack bonus and saves are that of a cleric.
Ultima0071 06-12-07, 11:01 PM	Some tips would help. Also, I am changing that the AC move a tiny bit. Your AC is STILL +30 but you CAN NOT USE ANY PHYSICAL ATTACKS while in this form. Plus the damage is increased to 2d8 every turn. Does that even it out?
windscar18 06-12-07, 11:08 PM	Some tips would help. Also, I am changing that the AC move a tiny bit. Your AC is STILL +30 but you CAN NOT USE ANY PHYSICAL ATTACKS while in this form. Plus the damage is increased to 2d8 every turn. Does that even it out? Don't you have alterante damage forms? Big deal if you can't attack. Just decrease the AC bonus.
Ultima0071 06-12-07, 11:17 PM	By how much? Also, is this ok? Level BaB Fort Ref Will Special 1st +0 +2 +0 +2 Shadow Puppetry, Natural Armor Increase (+1) 2nd +1 +3 +0 +3 Darkvision 60 ft. 3rd +2 +3 +1 +3 Shadow Destruction, Natural Armor Increase (+3) 4th +3 +4 +1 +4 Infuse Shadows 5th +3 +4 +1 +4 Advanced Puppetry, Natural Armor Increase (+5) 6th +4 +5 +2 +5 Darkvision 100 ft. 7th +5 +5 +2 +5 Natural Armor Increase (+7) 8th +6/+1 +6 +2 +6 Infuse Shadows (Greater) 9th +6/+1 +6 +3 +6 Natural Armor Increase (+9) 10th +7/+2 +7 +3 +7 Master Puppetry, Dark Void, Shadow Transformation
windscar18 06-12-07, 11:38 PM	Really, pumping AC past +10 is a bad bad idea. +10 AC is already the equivelent of saying "He gets -50% chance to hit me".
Encard 06-12-07, 11:53 PM	I'd agree with windscar18 about the BAB/saves. Those sound reasonable. Now... Why are this class's abilities (Ex)? These don't sound like non-magical abilities. Move Shadow: Aside from there being no rules in D&D for how shadows fall... How fast can he move the shadows, and how far? What kind of action does it take? Shadow Read: Learning half the hit points is equivalent to learning the hit points. Just multiply by two. Also, this needs an action type - Standard to use? Move? Swift? Etc. Also, what does the target's shadow have to with their attacks/AC/etc? I don't really see where this ability is coming from. Attack Shadows: This should really be named Shadow Attack, as the shadow is attacking... In any case, the damage is completely worthless - b y the time this guy is level 10, 1d12 is meaningless. Why not just make this function as a more normal ability - i.e. reasonably scaling damage, no weird damage type - instead? Say, 1d6/class level, range as listed, deals slashing damage? Also... What action does it require to use? More interestingly... what does his ability to "manipulate shadows to a greater extent" actually let him do? Natural Armor Increase: Eh, too high. This should cap at +3 or +4. Why does he get this, anyway? Shadowstuff isn't known for being tough. As you described it, it might be better to give them a permanent low miss chance, I feel, similar to what I recall the Child of Shadow PrC (Tome of Magic) getting. Darkvision: I'd say have the ranges be 60' and 90' or 60' and 120' to go by the standards, but it doesn't really matter. Shadow Destruction: A low-damage attack that has a 5% chance of success? Useless ability. Merge it with a revised Attack Shadow. On a side note, for increments of 5%, rolling a d20 is the same as a d%. Infuse Shadow: I'd really suggest dropping the shadow damage thing. In any case, if you want permanent weapon boosts - powerful permanent weapon boosts - you need to detail what happens when the weapon is lost, destroyed, etc. Personally, I'd favor making this a set of temporary weapon enhancements that the character can choose from upon ability activation. And again, why the greatsword? Dark Void: A 50% chance of effectively killing anyone nearby who's not immune to sleep? Eh... Overpowered, methinks, especially given the lack of a save. Also, why does it cause sleep? The Plane of Shadow isn't the Plane of Dreams. I'd opt for revising this to a temporary area-effect blindness, which includes a save, lower damage to the user (or possibly damage based on the number of targets) and no percentile dice. Shadow Transformation: Eh... +30 AC? Real Shadows don't even get that. Honestly, this seems a bit random. Why not just make this Planeshift to the plane of shadows at will, plus type changes to Outsider (native)? Overall... I'd suggest restructuring things somewhat. Give the character a set of "Shadow Points" to play with - maybe 1 per level or some such. Give him (roughly) the following abilities: Level 1 Darkvision 60 ft. Level 2 Shadow Puppetry - the shadow master can change nearby lighting conditions by manipulation shadows. Bright daylight is now normal lighting, normal lighting grants concealment, shadowy conditions that previously granted concealment now grant total concealment. This is not magical darkness. Costs 1 shadow point and a standard action to use, has a radius of 20 ft., lasts 1 round per level. Devour Shadow - The shadow master can feed on a victim's shadow. This process is horrifically painful for the target, dealing 1d6 points of slashing damage from sympathetic wounds. if the target has not been previously targetted by this ability within 24 hours, the shadow master's Shadow Point pool is replenished by one, up to his normal maximum. This is a standard action. Level 3 Infuse Shadow (least) - The shadow master can temporarily imbue his weapon with dark energies, granting it one of several special abilities. Appropriate ones might include various darkness/slashing/cold-themed enhancements. Using this ability is a swift action that costs 1 shadow point. Level 4 Blur - the shadow master can use Blur, as the spell, with a caster level fo the shadow master's character level. This costs 1 shadow point. Level 5 Darkvision 120 ft. Level 6 Shadow Infusion (lesser) - as least, but with +2 or +3 enhancements available. Costs 2 shadow points. Level 7 Dark Void - The shadow master can blind enemies. This is a standard action and costs 1 shadow point per two enemies, to a minimum of 1 point. Blindness lasts 1 round per level. Targets get a Will save to negate the effect. Level 8 Displacement - as the spell, with a caster level of the shadow master's charfacter level. Costs 2 shadow points. Level 9 Shadow Infusion (greater) - as before, but with including appropriate +4 or +5 enhancements and costing 3 shadow points. Level 10 Shadow Transformation - The shadow master's type changes to Outsider (native) to reflect his deep bond with the Plane of Shadow. Shadow Shift - the shadow master can Plane Shift to the plane of shadow, as the spell, with his character level as the caster level. This costs 5 Shadow Points. Pretty massive revision, yes, and posted after several posts that've cropped up while it was written. Hope it helps.