Nomad of Shades (3.5e Class)

Nomad of Shades

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The Nomad of Shades is a version of ranger that is focused around animal companions and combat. Summoning and sharing health with chosen companions.

Making a Nomad of Shades

The Nomad of Shades strengths is in the pack mentality of the character. Fighting as a group has its advantages. However the main weakness is in the fact that you share your life force with your companions. As a party member you will have the advantage of numbers.

Abilities: Strength, Dexterity and Constitution are important for combat.

Races: Any.

Alignment: Any Non Evil.

Starting Gold: 1d6 x 5 gp

Starting Age: Any age above 25.

Table: The Nomad of Shades

Hit Die: d8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+2	+0	+0	Shades Alpha,1st Favored Enemy, Bonus Language, bonus feat, Shades Link
2nd	+1	+3	+0	+0	Woodland Stride, Combat Style, Bonus Feat, Shades Growth(Health)
3rd	+2	+3	+1	+1	Endurance
4th	+3	+4	+1	+1	Speak With Animals, Shades Growth(Health)
5th	+3	+4	+1	+1	Bonus Feat, 2nd Favored Enemy, Shades Augment. Shades Growth(Attack)
6th	+4	+5	+2	+2	Shades Augment, Improved Combat Style, Summon Lesser Shade, Shades Growth(Health)
7th	+5	+5	+2	+2
8th	+6/+1	+6	+2	+2	Endure Elements, Bonus Feat,Shades Growth(Attack),Shades Growth(Health)
9th	+6/+1	+6	+3	+3	Evasion
10th	+7/+2	+7	+3	+3	Venom immunity, Bonus Feat, 3rd Favored Enemy, 2nd Summon Lesser Shade, Shades Augment, Shades Growth(Health)
11th	+8/+3	+7	+3	+3	Bonus Feat, Shades Growth(Attack)
12th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+4	Shades Growth(Health)
13th	+9/+4	+8	+4	+4
14th	+10/+5	+9	+4	+4	Bonus Feat, Shades Growth(Attack), Shades Growth(Health)
15th	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+5	Bonus Feat, 4th Favored Enemy
16th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Shades Growth(Health)
17th	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+5	Bonus Feat, Shades Growth(Attack)
18th	+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+6	Shades Growth(Health)
19th	+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+6
20th	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+6	Bonus Feat, 5th Favored Enemy, Shades Growth(Attack),Shades Growth(Health)
Class Skills (8 + Int modifier per level, ×4 at 1st level) Balance(Dex), Climb(Str), Concentration(Con), Craft(Int), Handle Animal(Cha), Heal(Wis), Hide(Dex), Jump(Str), Knowledge(Nature)(Int), Listen(Wis), Move Silently(Dex), Profession(Wis), Ride(Dex), Spellcraft(Int), Spot(Wis), Survival(Wis), Swim(Str), and Tumble(Dex).

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: - <-description of class weapon & armor proficiency->.

Nature Sense (Ex): - A Nomad of Shades gains a +2 bonus on Knowledge (nature) and Survival checks.

SRD:Endure Elements(Ex): - The Nomad of Shades spends their time in environments far more vicious than any found in the city. Their body has adjusted itself to the harsh extremes of the environment. A Nomad of Shades of 8th level or higher constantly enjoys the benefits of the endure elements spell, though this is neither supernatural nor spell-like in nature. A creature protected by endure elements suffers no harm from being in a hot or cold environment. It can exist comfortably in conditions between –50 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit without having to make Fortitude saves). The creature’s equipment is likewise protected. Endure elements doesn’t provide any protection from fire or cold damage, nor does it protect against other environmental hazards such as smoke, lack of air, and so forth.

Shades Alpha(Ex): - At 1st level, a Nomad of Shades gains an animal companion selected from the following list: badger, dire rat, eagle, hawk, horse (light or heavy), or Dire wolf. If the campaign takes place wholly or partly in an aquatic environment, the following creatures are also available: crocodile, porpoise, medium shark, and squid. This animal is a loyal companion that accompanies the Nomad of Shades on their adventures as appropriate for its kind. This companion acts similarly as a summon. When it dies the Nomad of Shades takes 1d6 + character level. But can be summoned again as a full action for 2 turns. during this time the Nomad of Shades cannot take any other action for 1d6 turns. This ability functions like the druid ability Animal Companion. during this time any other alphas that are not a companion will be stunned as well. Shades Growth(Ex): - Starting at level 2. With every other level you gain your shades grow stronger and stronger. As they do they gain 1 Hit die more than their current HD (Ex: 1d6 becomes 2d6) every other level you grow. Example: if they have 1d8 they will gain 2d8 instead. Also, they gain a second die (Ex: 1d6 becomes 2d6) for attack every 3rd level. As well as +2 to hit every 3rd level.

Shades Link(Ex): - The Shadows you summon have a life link with you. when they kill an opponent you gain 1d6 x per even class level you have in health. (Ex: 2,4,6,8,10,11)

Shades Augment(Su): - At level 5 the Nomad of Shades gains the ability to cover their weapon in a shadow like film. This provides the weapon with a + 1d6 of damage to that weapons attacks. This ability can only be applied on 1 weapon at a time. At level 10 this ability can be placed on a second weapon.

Speak with Animals(Ex): - A Nomad of Shades of 4th level or higher can speak with animals, as though he were under the effect of a permanent speak with animals spells. However, this is neither supernatural nor spell-like. The Nomad of Shades is simply so much like his animal companions that he can understand them as though they were his kind, and they can understand him.

Summon Lesser Shade(Su): - At 6th level a Nomad of shadows can summon a shadow, a shade. Unlike a normal shadow, this shadow's alignment matches that of the character. , and the shadow cannot create spawn. The summoned shadow cannot be rebuked, or commanded by any third party. The shadow serves as a companion to the character. It can communicate mentally with the character. Every two levels the shade gains +3 HD as well as its BAB and Saves. If the shade dies it can be summoned again with a full action and will appear the following round. Unlike Shades Alpha this does not drain health when they die. It does however stun the summoner for 1d4 turns this is also true for any other alphas that are not companions. At level 10 the character gains a second summon, this summon mimics the stats of the first.

Venom Immunity(Ex): - At 10th level, a Nomad of Shades gains immunity to all poisons.

Woodland Stride(Ex): -: Starting at 2nd level, a Nomad of Shades may move through any sort of undergrowth (such as natural thorns, briers, overgrown areas, and similar terrain) at his normal speed and without taking damage or suffering any other impairment. However, thorns, briars, and overgrown areas that have been magically manipulated to impede motion still affect him.

The Druid's Animal Companion

A druid’s animal companion is different from a normal animal of its kind in many ways. A druid’s animal companion is superior to a normal animal of its kind and has special powers, as described below.

Class Level	Bonus HD	Natural Armor Adj.	Str/Dex Adj.	Bonus Tricks	Special
1st–2nd	+0	+0	+0	1	Link, Share Spells
3rd–5th	+2	+2	+1	2	Evasion
6th–8th	+4	+4	+2	3	Devotion
9th–11th	+6	+6	+3	4	Multiattack
12th–14th	+8	+8	+4	5
15th–17th	+10	+10	+5	6	Improved Evasion
18th–20th	+12	+12	+6	7

Animal Companion Basics: Use the base statistics for a creature of the companion’s kind, but make the following changes.

Class Level: The character’s druid level. The druid’s class levels stack with levels of any other classes that are entitled to an animal companion for the purpose of determining the companion’s abilities and the alternative lists available to the character.

Bonus HD: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the animal companion’s base attack and base save bonuses. An animal companion’s base attack bonus is the same as that of a druid of a level equal to the animal’s HD. An animal companion has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a character whose level equals the animal’s HD). An animal companion gains additional skill points and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a monster’s Hit Dice.

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the animal companion’s existing natural armor bonus.

Str/Dex Adj.: Add this value to the animal companion’s Strength and Dexterity scores.

Bonus Tricks: The value given in this column is the total number of “bonus” tricks that the animal knows in addition to any that the druid might choose to teach it (see the Handle Animal skill). These bonus tricks don’t require any training time or Handle Animal checks, and they don’t count against the normal limit of tricks known by the animal. The druid selects these bonus tricks, and once selected, they can’t be changed.

Link (Ex): A druid can handle her animal companion as a free action, or push it as a move action, even if she doesn’t have any ranks in the Handle Animal skill. The druid gains a +4 circumstance bonus on all wild empathy checks and Handle Animal checks made regarding an animal companion.

Share Spells (Ex): At the druid’s option, she may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) she casts upon herself also affect her animal companion. The animal companion must be within 5 feet of her at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the animal companion if the companion moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the animal again, even if it returns to the druid before the duration expires.

Additionally, the druid may cast a spell with a target of “You” on her animal companion (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself. A druid and her animal companion can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the companion’s type (animal).

Evasion (Ex): If an animal companion is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw.

Devotion (Ex): An animal companion gains a +4 morale bonus on Will saves against enchantment spells and effects.

Multiattack: An animal companion gains Multiattack as a bonus feat if it has three or more natural attacks and does not already have that feat. If it does not have the requisite three or more natural attacks, the animal companion instead gains a second attack with its primary natural weapon, albeit at a –5 penalty.

Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, an animal companion takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and only half damage if the saving throw fails.

Alternative Animal Companions: A druid of sufficiently high level can select her animal companion from one of the following lists, applying the indicated adjustment to the druid’s level (in parentheses) for purposes of determining the companion’s characteristics and special abilities.

4th Level or Higher (Level –3) Ape (animal) Bear, black (animal) Bison (animal) Boar (animal) Cheetah (animal) Crocodile (animal)1 Dire badger Dire bat Dire weasel Leopard (animal) Lizard, monitor (animal) Shark, Large1 (animal) Snake, constrictor (animal) Snake, Large viper (animal) Wolverine (animal)	7th Level or Higher (Level –6) Bear, brown (animal) Dire wolverine Crocodile, giant (animal) Deinonychus (dinosaur) Dire ape Dire boar Dire wolf Elasmosaurus (dinosaur)1 Lion (animal) Rhinoceros (animal) Snake, Huge viper (animal) Tiger (animal)	10th Level or Higher (Level –9) Bear, polar (animal) Dire lion Megaraptor (dinosaur) Shark, Huge (animal)1 Snake, giant constrictor (animal) Whale, orca (animal)1 13th Level or Higher (Level –12) Dire bear Elephant (animal) Octopus, giant (animal)1 16th Level or Higher (Level –15) Dire shark1 Dire tiger Squid, giant (animal)1 Triceratops (dinosaur) Tyrannosaurus (dinosaur)
Available only in an aquatic environment.

Campaign Information

Playing a Nomad of Shades

Other Classes: Shades usually stay in deep thought speaking with their shades or studying the surroundings. This makes them mostly quiet or of few words.

Combat: Usually stay away from close-quarter battles and let their Shades do the fighting. Allowing them to strike at a distance.

Nomad of Shades in the Game

Nomad of shades focuses its attention on letting its shades do the fighting and allowing ranged psionics to defend itself and allow to protection when possible. However, losing a shade can cause a grave cost if stunned too long. So it is beneficial to not be in direct but ranged combat instead.

EL2

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