Shadowsoul (3.5e Monster)

''As you prepare to fight, you realize your opponent's shadow moves differently than your opponent. Suddenly there was a flash of steel, as the shadow lifted up, a pale mimic of your enemy, and lunged to stab you!''

When the spell simulacrum is cast, shadowstuff is pulled forth and modeled into the shape of a man. While nothing more than a copy, not a full being, sometimes the spell can develop quirks, especially in a long-lived or terribly powerful simulacrum. When the simulacrum dies, instead of returning to the shadowstuff it was born, it's false mind does not assimilate into the plane as normal, but instead rebuilds itself slowly from the plane itself. As a man who dies may become part of his afterlife's plane and be reborn as a petitioner, angel, or devil, so too does this false soul find a sort of second life. However, with no guiding plane, society, or force, shadowsouls are often born confused and lost into a world of shadows and mirages, barely able to remember who they originally may have been.

Because of this, a shadowsoul wanders, trying to gather fragments of who it was, or lacking that trying to find an identity for itself. Often choosing to copy instinctively rather than formulate a appearance and mind for itself, when it encounters someone, the faceless and blank humanoid shadow gains the darkened and somehow off appearance of another.

Combat
Using the memories of another, a shadowsoul's fighting styles are as varied as their origins, though their newly born shadow bodies are thin, gaunt, and very light in weight, lending to a more finessing style of combat. Long lived shadowsouls may even remember enough of their lives to start taking class levels to augment what they recall, eventually rebuilding into a warped form of the original.

Shadow Mastery (Ex) In shadowy conditions the shadowsoul gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC against opponents. In total darkness, the bonus increases to +2. This bonus exists even if the opponent can see the shadowsoul, as it results from the shadowsoul actually partially defusing with the surrounding darkness.

Spell-Like Abilities (Sp) 3/day-darkness CL 7.

Aversion to Daylight (Ex) If exposed to natural daylight (not merely a daylight spell), shadowsouls take a -4 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks.

Hide in Plain Sight (Ex) A shadowsoul can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as it is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, a shadowsoul can hide itself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind. It cannot, however, hide in its own shadow.

Shadowblink (Su) As a swift action for up to 10 rounds per day, a shadowsoul can mimic the effects of a blink spell. However, they are blinking in between the material and shadow planes, and not the material and ethereal. As a result, force magic no longer strikes them unerringly, but shadow magic, such as the effects of a shadow conjuration or shadow evocation spell strike without the miss chance involved. It otherwise operates exactly as the spell.

Shadowsight (Ex) The shadowsoul can see partially into the plane of shadow when on other planes which connect to the plane of shadow, such as the material. Because of it, they can see perfectly in darkness of any kind, even that created by a deeper darkness spell, and if using shadow walk they do not suffer from the displacement effect when they exit, as they know precisely where to go. Finally, they can read the movements of others by watching how their shadows move, granting them a +4 insight bonus to AC. This bonus is lost if they are ever flatfooted or unaware of the enemy.

Skills Shadowsouls have a +4 racial bonus to Disguise, Hide, and Move Silently checks. In addition they do not take a penalty for disguising themselves as another race or gender.

Familiar
The shadowsoul can be taken as an improved familiar option for those with a character level of 12 and above.