Shadow Adept (3.5e Prestige Class)

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 * Length=10
 * Minimum Level=6
 * Base Attack Bonus Progression=Moderate
 * Fortitude Save Progression=Poor
 * Reflex Save Progression=Good
 * Will Save Progression=Good
 * Class Ability=Invocations
 * Class Ability Progression=Partial

Shadow Adept
"Darkness is eternal and I am now one with the darkness, does that make me eternal? Let's find out"

The average warlock claims its power from devils or fey, but every once in a while a warlock will get its power from a literally dark source, the plane of shadows. Some of these warlocks learn to tap into their source and have it consume their entire body, becoming one with a shadow.

Becoming a Shadow Adept
Warlocks who made a deal with creatures of shadow to obtain their power may through further dealings, turn into a creature of shadow itself. Each level in this prestige class represents a furthering of the pact until full realization of the pact at tenth level. Epic levels represent the Shadow Adepts ability to will the pact to be stronger than the original intent.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Shadow Adept.

' (Sp):''' At each level, you gain new invocations known and an increase in caster level as if you had also gained a level in the warlock class. (This includes eldritch blast.) You do not, however, gain any other benefit a warlock would have gained, including improved damage reduction and fiendish resilience. At epic levels, you do not gain new invocations known, but you do gain an increase in caster level for each level over tenth level.

 (Ex): At every even level, you gain a +1 bonus to your deflection AC modifier. This does not stack with any other deflection bonus. At epic levels, this deflection bonus goes up every other even level, starting at level 12.

 (Ex): Each level taken in Shadow Adept causes you to drift closer and closer to becoming a shadow. Your hue turns darker, eventually losing all color. Every even level gives you a +1 inherit bonus to hide in places of shadowy illumination or darker and a -1 inherit penalty to disguise checks. This darkness affects you through shapechanging effects.

 (Ex): At first level you gain darkvision to 120 feet. At epic levels, starting at 13th level, your darkvision changes to the maximum range of your Control Light ability.

' (Sp):''' Decrease light in 100ft radius by 10% per level in this prestige class. Each 25% decrease gives a +1 circumstance bonus to hide checks. This darkness lasts for one minute, and is dismissible. At epic levels, the range changes to 10ft per level in this prestige class.

 (Ex): At second level, you have become one step closer to become a shadow. As a move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, you may merge your body into the ground. While in the ground, you are a two-dimensional shadow and may move as if under the effects of Spider Climb. After two rounds, at the end of your turn, you leave shadow form. To leave early, you may use a move action. If you leave shadow form while not on the ground, you instantly start falling or flying (if you can fly).

While you are in shadow form, you may not use a spell-like ability or attack action, lose any invisibility effect, cannot be tracked by the scent ability, or use the jump skill. You are considered to be magically dark (as a 9th level spell), and thus are always visible except to creatures without darkvision in complete darkness.

' (Sp):''' As a move action, you may create one clone of yourself in an adjacent space. This clone lasts for one round. If you or the clone is attacked, roll a d%. On a 51% or above, the attack hits the clone, causing it to instantly dissipate. This is an illusion effect.

 (Su): At fourth level, when you cast an invocation in shadowy illumination or darker, the DC to overcome any special effect is increased by 1. This increases to 2 at eight level. At epic levels, the DC increases by +1 every eight levels starting at sixteenth level.

' (Sp):''' As invisibility, but after each attack option, you have a 90% chance of staying invisible. This is an invocation.

' (Sp):' As Beshadowed Blast'', but the blindness lasts for 1d4 rounds. The target may make another saving throw each round to remove the blindness after the first round of blindness.

This is an invocation. Spell resistance applies.

' (Sp):''' A shadow adept gains the ability to darken the mind of others to hide the non-living world. This is a mind-affecting ability. Pick one target. That target loses all vision of non-living objects, including the ground. If the target attempts to move, it will only move in place. At the beginning of the target's second and subsequent rounds, the target gets a will save (DC 14 + Cha bonus) to end this effect. During this effect, magical darkness and other forms of concealment do not affect the target's ability to see living creatures, though physical barriers do.

Spellcasters must make a DC 15 concentration check to cast spells because of the disorientation of movement.

Shadow Adepts who are in shadow form cannot be seen by those under this effect.

Creatures under a True Seeing effect are immune to this ability. If the creature gains the True Seeing effect while under the effect of Blackout, the effect ends immediately.

This is an invocation. Spell resistance applies.

' (Sp):' As the invocation Path of Shadows''.

 (Ex): Your type changes to Outsider [native]. Your base land speed improves by 20ft while in darkness. You gain the ability to Shadow Stride. To shadow stride, you use a swift action to teleport from one shadowy area you are in to another within 300ft once per minute. All hue has left your body, and you can take 20 on hide checks whenever you may take 10 normally. Furthermore, you may see through magical darkness to a range equal to your darkvision (in case you could not before).



Playing a Shadow Adept
Combat: You fight as a typical warlock, except for the fact you are stronger in darkness than most creatures.

Advancement: Your abilities for the first five levels are extremely specific, as are the abilities granted by this prestige class. It is possible to leave this prestige class early, and go back to normal advancement as a warlock. Further, it is possible to take Hellfire Warlock as long as you and DM agree on a backstory for why you are doing warlock dealings with two different planes. If so, the Hellfire Warlock will advance your damage dealing abilities to be on par with straight warlocks.

Resources: In Faerun, shades will help you. Otherwise, becoming a shadow is a lonely path. Expect to be feared by those who like light.

Shadow Adept Lore
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) or Knowledge (the planes) can research Shadow Adepts to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs. Further, give the equivalent Warlock lore result.

Shadow Adepts in the Game
Player characters using this class will need to coordinate with other players methods of seeing in darkness. This is an excellent prestige class for creatures with darkvision, as only the darkness invocation creates magical darkness.

NPC warlocks that disdain light and invocate would find this a useful prestige class. They should make full use of their darkness to create surprise attacks.

Adaptation: This could be thematically reflavored, minus the meld into shadows ability for smoke, fire, water, and other types of creatures. If you remove the invocations, and dark casting abilities, and replace them with something more martial, this could also be used as a martial class.

Sample Encounter: The player characters are plane shifted into the elemental plane of shadow. After being lost for quite a considerable time, they approach a dark figure.

EL 10: Fifth level warlock + fifth level Shadow Adept