Marksmen of the Dark (3.5e Prestige Class)

Marksmen of the Dark

Whilst some vow to bring the light to all who have dark, yet others bring the dark to all. Marksmen of the Dark revel in the shadows and deep within the darkness, using shadows to accomplish their tasks. They share a link with the shadow plane and it is whilst in the shadows a Marksman of the dark comes alive and is able to use his or her powers to maximum. They operate in the underworld, often hired as assassins and spies thanks to their ability to hide in almost any corner.

Marksmen of the Dark specialize in ranged combat, able to snipe their enemies without ever having to reveal themselves. Their ability to hide in the shadows allows them to move through enemy ranks without being seen, setting themselves up for the perfect shot.

Prerequisites

• Alignment: Any non Good
• Feats: Stealthy, Blind Fight, Point blank Shot
• Skills: Hide 10 ranks, Move silently 10 ranks,
• Special: Must have spent a week living on the the Shadow Plane

Table: The Marksmen of the Dark

Hit Die: D6

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+0	+2	+0	Hide in Plain sight, Shadowsight
2nd	+2	+0	+3	+1	Darkness 3/day, Shot From the Dark
3rd	+2	+1	+4	+1	Shadow Jump 20ft, Motionless State
4th	+3	+1	+5	+2	Evasion, Shadow Phase
5th	+4	+2	+6	+2	Shadow Jump 40ft,
6th	+4	+2	+7	+3	Improved Shot From the Dark
7th	+5	+3	+8	+3	Shadow Jump 80ft, Shadow Form
8th	+6	+3	+9	+4	Greater Shot From the Dark
Class Skills ( 6 + Int modifier per level) Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), Use Rope (Dex)

Class Features

All the following are class features of the Marksmen of the Dark :

Weapon and armor proficiency: Marksmen of the Dark are proficient with all ranged weapons, and all simple weapons. They can wear Light armor and can't use shields.

Hide in Plain Sight: As long as a Marksmen of the Dark is within 10 ft. of a shadow (s)he can attempt a hide even if others are observing her/him.

Note: You can't hide in your own shadow. This can only be done in light or no armour.

Shadowsight: Shadowsight is the magical attunement of the eyes to utter darkness. This ability allows the user to see even in magical darkness albeit in black and white. This ability functions the same as Darkvision. The users eyes develop a light blue glow with this ability.

Darkness: A Marksman of the Dark can cast darkness on him/herself Only up to three times a day. The effect is the same as the spell with the caster level equal to the number of levels of Marksmen of the dark.

Shot From the Dark: At the second level the Marksman of the Dark becomes adept at shooting from hidden locations. If the Marksmen of the Dark is successfully hidden they may use a full round action to fire one shot from a ranged weapon and then attempt another hide immediately after. With this ability the penalty on the second hide is 20-4(+Marksmen of the Dark level). Must be within 30 ft. of the enemy.

Shadow Jump: Starting at the third level a Marksman of the Dark learns how to leap from shadow to shadow. This ability works the same as the spell Dimensional Door except that the start and finish location must be within shadow. *Note* Whilst Darkness cast on a user allows them to start the jump from anywhere their ending location must be part of some other shadow. At the 3rd level they can jump up to 20ft split across however many jumps they want. This increases to 40ft at 5th lvl and 80ft at 7th.

Motionless State: Upon a successful DC 15 Concentration check a Marksman of the Dark enters a motionless state for 1d2 rounds per Marksmen of the Dark level. Whilst in this state they gain a +2 to hit with ranged weapons however they count as flat footed. Any movement taken breaks the state. Also any damage taken requires a new concentration check to stay motionless, DC 15 + Damage done. Only usable in light or no armour.

Evasion: At the fourth level Marksmen of the Dark gain evasion. If they already have this from previous classes they instead gain Improved Evasion.

Shadow Phase: At the fourth level Marksmen of the Dark gain a deeper understanding of the shadows from which they work in. They gain an ability to phase their bodies partly onto the Shadow Plane. This makes them slight incorporeal giving non-magical attacks a 40% miss chance and magical attack a 20% chance (this applies to magical weapons). This is usuable for a number of rounds equal to the Marksman of the Dark level per day and must be done within 10 ft. of a shadow (excluding your own).

Improved Shot from the dark: Leaning even more heavily on the disguise of the shadows a Marksmen of the Dark of sixth level can make his/her full number of attacks and still attempt a second hide check after shooting. This is a full round action. Must be within 50 ft. of the enemy.

Note: Feats such as multi shot and rapid shot are not usable with this ability.

Shadow form: Mastering the shadow a Marksmen of the Dark of seventh level gains shadow form. Whilst in shadow form they gain a +4 on hide, move silently and escape artist checks. Marksmen of the Dark also gain concealment even out in the open giving them a 20% miss chance on all attacks against them.

Another special ability this form grants is the ability to pass through gapped barriers (such as the bars on a cage) by passing momentarily onto the Shadow Plane. To do this they need to pass a DC 25 escape artist check. Failure means they remain on the side of the barrier they started.

Greater Shot from the Dark: Upon reaching eighth level and the pinnacle of Marksmen of the Dark skill users learn to master their shots to strike seemingly from nowhere. With this ability a Marksmen of the Dark can fire as their full number of attacks in a round, including multi shot and/or rapid shot (with usual penalites for doing so) and still attempt a second hide afterwards. In addition to this the critical range and damage of the weapon becomes 18-20 x3.

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