Hello!
Ah, the shadowdancer. A class I've always drooled over when it comes to flavor, but have always been let down by the mechanics that back it all up. I've been doing a lot of thinking about this lately and decided to give it a bit of a make-over. Below I have provided to you the results. I'd love any feedback you may have, but keep in mind that I'd like it to be constructive.
That is, if you have any comments about how well you think something may or may not work or any questions about some of my decisions, those are the sorts of things I like.
Thanks!
Civilized folk have always feared the night, barring themselves behind doors or comforting themselves with bonfires when the shadows grow long, rightfully wary of the creatures that prowl the darkness. Yet long ago, some learned that the best way to conquer an enemy is to embrace it. These were the first shadowdancers.
Shadowdancers exist in the boundary between light and darkness, where they weave together the shadows to become half-seen artists of deception. Unbound by any specified morality or traditional code, shadowdancers encompass a wide variety of adventuring types who have seen the value of the dark. Spellcasters use their abilities to safely cast spells from hiding and then move quickly away, while classes devoted to hand-to-hand combat enjoy the ability to attack foes with the element of surprise. Some even take the name of their kind quite literally, becoming eerie and mysterious performers and dancers, though more often the temptation presented by their talents with deception and infiltration causes shadowdancers to turn to lives of thievery.
Role: Shadowdancers adventure for a wide variety of reasons. Many adventuring parties find shadowdancers valuable members of their teams due to their incredible stealth and ability to surprise enemies with lightning-quick attacks where they're least expected. For this reason, their services are often sought out by those groups in need of scouts or spies.
Alignment: Because of their nature as visually duplicitous tricksters, shadowdancers do not fit comfortably into the lawful category, as many use their talents to avoid the eyes of legitimate authority. Yet though they are allies of darkness, shadowdancers are neither inherently evil nor predisposed to good. To them, the darkness is simply the darkness, without any of the usual moral connotations made by the unenlightened.
Hit Die: d8.
Base Attack Progression: Medium
Fortitude Progression: Poor
Reflex Progression: Good
Will Progression: Good
To qualify to become a shadowdancer, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Skills: Stealth 5 ranks, Perform (dance) 5 ranks.
Feats: Dodge, Mobility.
The shadowdancer's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Acrobatics (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Dex), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex),Perception (Wis), Perform (Cha), Sleight of Hand (Dex), and Stealth (Dex).
Skill Ranks at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
TABLE: SHADOWDANCER
Level Special
1st Darkvision, Shadow Jump, Sneak Attack +1d6, Dancing Shadow
2nd Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Shadow’s Grace 1/day
3rd Shadow Illusion, Hide in Plain Sight
4th Sneak Attack +2d6, Rogue Talent, Shadow Dancing, Shadow Call
5th Improved Uncanny Dodge, Defensive Roll
6th Shadow’s Grace 2/day, Slippery Mind
7th Sneak Attack +3d6, Shadow Walker
8th Rogue Talent
9th Improved Evasion
10th Sneak Attack +4d6, Shadow’s Grace 3/day, Shadow Master
All of the following are features of the shadowdancer prestige class.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Shadowdancers are proficient with the club, crossbow (hand, light, or heavy), dagger (any type), dart, mace, morningstar, quarterstaff, rapier, sap, shortbow (normal and composite), and short sword. Shadowdancers are proficient with light armor but not with shields.
Darkvision (Ex): A shadowdancer gains darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If she already has darkvision, the range increases by 30 feet.
Sneak Attack (Ex): This is exactly like the rogue ability of the same name. The extra damage dealt increases by +1d6 at 1st level and every three levels thereafter (4th, 7th, and 10th). If a shadowdancer gets a sneak attack bonus from another source, the bonuses on damage stack.
Shadow Jump (Su): A shadowdancer can teleport to a nearby space as a move action as if using dimension door provided both the starting and ending locations are areas of dim light (her own shadow does not count as an area of dim light). The shadowdancer may still take actions after this movement. This movement does not provoke an attack of opportunity. The shadowdancer must be able to see the space she is moving into. The shadowdancer may not take other creatures with her when she uses this ability. The shadowdancer may move 5 feet for every class level she possesses each time she uses this ability. The shadowdancer may use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her charisma modifier. At 5th level, the shadowdancer may use this ability as a swift action.
Dancing Shadow (Ex): A shadowdancer adds half her class level (minimum 1) on all stealth and perform (dance) checks and may make perform (dance) checks in place of acrobatics checks.
Shadow’s Grace (Ex): Beginning at 2nd level, a shadowdancer may make a perform (dance) check to replace a saving throw or her AC as an immediate action, even after the results of her original saving throw or the enemy’s attack roll have been revealed. She may use this ability once per day at second level and an additional time per day every four levels thereafter (for a maximum of three times per day at 10th level).
Evasion (Ex): At 2nd level, a shadowdancer gains evasion. If exposed to any effect that normally allows her to attempt a Reflex saving throw for half damage, she takes no damage with a successful saving throw. The evasion ability can only be used if the shadowdancer is wearing light armor or no armor.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 2nd level, a shadowdancer cannot be caught flat-footed, even if the attacker is invisible. He still loses her Dexterity bonus to ACif immobilized. An shadowdancer with this ability can still lose his Dexterity bonus to AC if an opponent successfully uses the feint action against him.
If a shadowdancer already has uncanny dodge from a different class, he automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead.
Hide in Plain Sight (Su): At 3rd level, a shadowdancer can use the Stealth skill even while being observed. As long as she is within 10 feet of an area of dim light, a shadowdancer can hide herself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. She cannot, however, hide in her own shadow.
Shadow Illusion (Sp): When a shadowdancer reaches 3rd level, she can create visual illusions. This ability functions as silent image, using the shadowdancer's level as the caster level. A shadowdancer can use this ability once per day for every two shadowdancer levels she has attained. The DC for this ability is equal to ½ the shadowdancer’s class level + her charisma modifier.
Rogue Talent: At 4th level, and every four levels thereafter, a shadowdancer gains a special ability that allows her to confound her foes. This functions as the rogue talent class feature. A shadowdancer cannot select an individual talent more than once. If a shadowdancer has the advanced talents rogue class feature, she can chose from the advanced talents list instead.
Shadow Call (Sp): At 4th level, a shadowdancer can create creatures and effects out of raw shadow. This ability functions as shadow conjuration, using the shadowdancer's level as the caster level. A shadowdancer can use this ability once per day at 4th level, plus one additional time per day for every two levels attained beyond 4th (2/day at 6th level, 3/day at 8th level, and 4/day at 10th level). Upon reaching 10th level, this ability functions as greater shadow conjuration. The DC for this ability is Charisma-based.
Shadow Dancing: At 4th level, a shadowdancer gains the ability to use bardic performances as if her bard level were equal to her class level–3. Levels in this ability stack with levels in any other class that grants a similar ability to determine her bard level. The shadowdancer also gains one additional performance type.
Inspire Cowardice (Su): A shadowdancer can use her performance to inspire fear in her enemies, deteriorating their will and weakening their morale. To be affected, an enemy must be within 30 feet of the shadowdancer and be aware of the shadowdancer’s presence but not necessarily be able to see her. An affected enemy takes a -1 penalty on saving throws against fear and figment illusions, attack rolls, and damage rolls. This penalty increases by -1 when the shadowdancer reaches an effective bard level of 5 and every 6 levels thereafter, to a maximum of -4 at 17th level. Inspire Cowardice is a mind-affecting ability. Inspire Cowardice can only use visual components.
Defensive Roll (Ex): Starting at 5th level, once per day, a shadowdancer can attempt to avoid a lethal blow. This functions as the rogue's advanced talent of the same name.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 5th level and higher, shadowdancer can no longer be flanked. This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attackthe assassin by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has assassin levels.
If a character already has uncanny dodge from another class, the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum roguelevel required to flank the character.
Slippery Mind (Ex): At 6th level, a shadowdancer becomes resilient to enchantment spells. This functions as the rogue's advanced talent of the same name.
Shadow Walker (Sp): At 7th level, a shadowdancer gains the ability to cast Shadow Walk as a spell-like ability once per day, treating her class level as her caster level.
Improved Evasion (Ex): This ability, gained at 9th level, works like evasion (see above). A shadowdancer takes no damage at all on successful saving throws against attacks that allow a Reflex saving throw for half damage. What's more, she takes only half damage even if she fails her saving throw.
Shadow Master (Su): At 10th level, whenever a shadowdancer is in an area of dim light, she gains DR 10/— and a +2 luck bonus on all saving throws. In addition, whenever she successfully scores a critical hit against a foe who is in an area of dim light, that foe is blinded for 1d6 rounds.
So one approach I took with this reconstruction was a slightly unorthodox look at the Shadowdancer. Most people view the prestige class as a kind of extension of the rogue, but I've always thought of it as thematically more of a combination of rogue and bard. That being said:
Sneak Attack and Performances So, one thing this concept begged for was sneak attack, but what the concept focuses on is more than just rogue-like backstabbing. The decision to make the class integrate dancing as an important mechanic lead me to create a slightly weaker progression of both the bardic ability and the rogue ability.
Hide in Plain Sight at 3rd level I'm actually actively making an attempt to make the class a full commitment rather than a one level dip. Deciding to move Hide in Plain Sight to 3rd level was a big part of this. Moving Darkvision to level one as well as giving them their signature ability - Shadow Jump - out of the gate helps remedy this loss. Which leads me to my next note.
Shadow Jump I completely overhauled this ability. Moving it to level one required that I make it grow much more gradually but pack the same punch at mid levels and more at later levels. Dipping a level in Shadowdancer yields you a move action dimension door 3+stat times per day that you can act after of only 5 feet, something you can dip into wizard for with no movement restrictions as a swift action (albeit without the ability to act afterward). If you can get your charisma modifier to +5 at 15th level (not a difficult task), you can use it to move up to 50 feet per use 8 times per day. Comparable to the original 320 feet of the class.
Bardic Spells I was tempted to progress spell-casting, but ultimately it seemed in poor taste since the class was designed as a bit of a mesh of bards and rogues. I completely nixed the shadow companion (since it was always either a pain or completely overpowered depending on the encounter), but I added some handy spell-like abilities and bardic performance to keep the feel of a dancer. In theory, I believe this balances the loss of the shadow companion and adds some nice flavor to the class.