Hello all! ^_^
Please excuse me if you believe this should be somewhere else and I will change it's location if asked.
Also, please excuse any questions you feel that have been repeated in other threads as I have only found a few talking about this particular archetype and not very many have been forthcoming.
Rule Questions:
Link to Shadow Caller and to Spiritualist.
1.) (my main question)
Shadow Bound states that it replaces Etheric Tether. If that is indeed the case, a) Etheric Tether states that it is responsible for the ability to take hits for your phantom so it doesn't leave the prime material plane and there is no replacing text for that in Shadow Bound and b) the same goes for no replacement text for rounds until it is sent back in case of being exposed to light or being away for too long (seems kinda harsh to be sent back immediately for random torch light and not even a single round to do anything about it).
Of course this can be by design... but it seems really harsh... Do you think that Shadow Bound is meant to be read as "This ability alters etheric tether" instead of its current text.
Shadow Bound (Su)
A shadow caller’s shade remains stable while adjacent to the shadow caller, or while up to 5 feet away from the shadow caller for every 5 levels the shadow caller possesses. If the shade moves beyond this distance, it is automatically dismissed back to the Shadow Plane (preventing the shade from being summoned back for 24 hours) unless the shadow caller concentrates as per the etheric tether ability. However, if both the shadow caller and shade are in areas of total darkness, the shade can move any distance from the shadow caller. If the shade is beyond its maximum distance and enters an area of dim or brighter illumination, it immediately returns to the Shadow Plane and cannot be summoned for 24 hours.This ability replaces etheric tether.
Etheric Tether (Su)
At 1st level, a spiritualist can force the phantom to manifest in an area around her by pushing the phantom’s consciousness though the veil of ethereal essence, allowing it to fully manifest in either ectoplasmic or incorporeal form. Whenever her manifested phantom takes enough damage to send it back to the Ethereal Plane, as a reaction to the damage, the spiritualist can sacrifice any number of her hit points without using an action. Each hit point sacrificed in this way prevents 1 point of damage dealt to the phantom. This can prevent the phantom from being sent back to the Ethereal Plane.This tether is limited. When the phantom is fully manifested, it and the spiritualist must remain within 50 feet of one another for the phantom’s manifestation to stay stable with little to no concentration on the part of the spiritualist. The spiritualist can stretch the limited tether, but only when the phantom is in ectoplasmic form.
When a spiritualist starts her turn and her ectoplasmic phantom is more than 50 feet away from her (but closer than 100 feet), the spiritualist must concentrate on the link as a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity or the ectoplasmic phantom immediately returns to the Ethereal Plane and cannot be summoned from that plane for 24 hours. This concentration can be interrupted as if it were a spell. Treat this effect’s spell level as equal to 1 + 1 per 10 feet farther than 50 feet that the phantom is from the spiritualist (maximum spell level 6th). If the tether is interrupted or the check fails, the phantom immediately snaps back into the consciousness of its spiritualist master.
If the ectoplasmic phantom is ever more than 100 feet away from its spiritualist, or the incorporeal phantom is ever 50 feet away from the spiritualist or outside of line of effect from the spiritualist for more than 1 round per spiritualist level the spiritualist possesses, the tether is automatically broken; the phantom immediately returns to the Ethereal Plane and can’t be summoned from that plane for 24 hours.
2.) (I admit that the next two are me just being nit-picky.)
Does Shade, the archetype ability "that alters phantom," actually do anything or is it just flavor?
Shade
A shadow caller gains a special kind of phantom known as a shade. A shade functions as a phantom, except as noted below. A shade is from the Shadow Plane instead of the Ethereal Plane. A shade is not confined to the shadow caller’s consciousness, but instead inhabits her shadow.This ability alters phantom.
3.) All other abilities having to do with stealth bonuses seem to be (almost) useless against any creature with darkvision or see in darkness ability (except for skill focus stealth). By the wording of Umbral Shroud, it seems that this stealth bonus is exempt. I get that the reasoning for the special cancellation on every other ability as it is shadow/darkness based, but it seems that even though this seems to be along the same lines, it is unaffected. Am I reading this right? (not complaining, just checking my understanding)
Umbral Shroud
When the shadow caller reaches 7th level, her shade can emit a 10-foot aura of swirling shadows that grants all allies 20% concealment against creatures without darkvision or the see in darkness ability, and a +4 bonus on Stealth checks.
4.) In addition, does just having darkvision or see in darkness negate the other stealth bonuses or does the darkvision have to be in range?
ie, within the usual 60ft for most races or the special 90 - 120 ft for the special few.
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X.) (Finally not rules questions per-say, but simply thematic... Ignore if you find this outside the scope of this type of thread)
a.) Why does darkvision/see in darkness wholly negate the most of the stealth mechanics of this archetype when the creature in question is primarily made to look like shadows/a shadow? It make more sense for it to be less effective, but whole negation seems a little to strong.
b.) If it was intended, why do you think from question 1 that the shade is more prone to disappearing, either through damage or by light?
c.) Is there any use for the shade going incorporeal, especially since the spiritualist can't concentrate to maintain its material plane existence if a random passerby "hits" it with torch light?
d.) Did anyone else notice that Emotionless (Su) never directly states that it replaces Emontional Focus for the phantom/shade?
Thank you to all who answer my questions and put up with my silliness.
First and foremost, I'm not that kind of Shadow Caller, I am this kind of Shadow Caller. So my name does not mean I'm an expert.
With that out of the way...
1) RAW? Your shadow vanishes the moment it enters light, without any timer. This is part of the trade-off for being able to send it as far away as you want (as long as it's in darkness).
But remember, your shadow is Incorporeal: "An incorporeal creature can enter or pass through solid objects, but must remain adjacent to the object’s exterior, and so cannot pass entirely through an object whose space is larger than its own. It can sense the presence of creatures or objects within a square adjacent to its current location, but enemies have total concealment (50% miss chance) from an incorporeal creature that is inside an object."
Or in other words, you can stay out of the light by sinking into the floor, you just won't see very well.
You can't sacrifice your HP to save your phantom, though.
2) It's pretty much just flavor. Though I always wonder, how would something like this (or a Shadow Caller Summoner's Eidolon, which is the Summoner's shadow) interact with shadow-manipulating abilities and spells like a Shadow Collector's ability to steal shadows?
3) The +4 Stealth seem to be intentionally exempt. There are many ways for commas to create confusion, but this seems pretty clear. You won't get concealment, but they still help you hide a bit.
4) Technically, it doesn't work against anyone who has Darkvision, even if you're way out of their range. (The bonus applies only "[...] against creatures without darkvision [...]", and whether a creature has Darkvision or not doesn't change no matter how far away you are.)
But most GMs would probably allow it to work if you're out of their Darkvision-range, anyway, since that seems pretty reasonable.
Xa) Shadow Creature stealth is flavoured as "blending into surrounding shadows". For a creature with Darkvision of See in Darkness, there are no surrounding shadows, just the creature.
Xb) Regarding light dismissing it: Because you can sit in a dark room and send it to fight someone an infinite distance away, with no risk for yourself. Without that, the Shadow Phantom could vanish into the floor, "refresh" in the darkness, and rise up again next round, never having to fear being out of range.
As for the damage... Maybe for a similar reason: You could be way out of the "personal danger zone", so sacrificing your HP isn't a real sacrifice. Could have been done better with a distance limit, I guess.
Xc) Yes, to stay in the floor.
Xd) Did you notice that "Emotional Focus" isn't an actual ability, whether for the Phantom or the Spiritualist? It's simply a shared variable that modifies the rest the abilities.
First and foremost, I'm not that kind of Shadow Caller, I am this kind of Shadow Caller. So my name does not mean I'm an expert.
With that out of the way...
1) RAW? Your shadow vanishes the moment it enters light, without any timer. This is part of the trade-off for being able to send it as far away as you want (as long as it's in darkness).
But remember, your shadow is Incorporeal...
First I would like to say thank you for being so forthwith and prompt... and also putting up with tired me so early in the morning.
I wish I would be more coherent when I write these things, but thats what happens when your brain wont settle down and you have an Idea for a character.
Thank you for answering my questions and I do think it funny that they reuse names for archetypes and classes sometimes.
One more quick question for anyone who wants to answer... since I forgot to do this in my original post (further impute not being closed, but I think he gave good points).
For Shadow Bound is the 5ft per 5 levels additional to adjacent (5 + 5 per 5 levels), as that is usually considered 5ft away anyway or is it overlaying the adjacent like in some text for effects, ie the choice of 5ft or 5ft per 5 levels?
Shadow Bound (Su): A shadow caller’s shade remains stable while adjacent to the shadow caller, or while up to 5 feet away from the shadow caller for every 5 levels the shadow caller possesses. [...]
"Either adjacent, or up to 5 feet per five levels". It's overlapping, not in addition.