Shadow Lord (3.5e Prestige Class)
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Shadow Lord[edit]
| “ | Shadows are a constant in our world. They are a symbol that there is light and darkness in the world. Too much light and there is no shadow and the same goes for if there is only darkness. | ” |
| —Baron Tulun, Human Shadow Lord | ||
Shadow Lords are the balance keepers of good and evil. Those who wish to disrupt this balance by killing or resurrecting of gods who govern good and evil or those who changes sides by choice or by force. That is where the Shadow Lords come in they show up to correct this balance by doing whatever is needed to restore the balance. They are viewed either as good or evil depending on perspective but they will only go as far as restoring balance nothing further and will flip sides as needed. When a shadow lord is seen out in the world that means that there is an imbalance in the world. Those who know individual shadow lords by name are lucky.
Becoming a Shadow Lord[edit]
Most shadow lords are arcane casters who specialize in necromancy or conjuration because of their usage in resurrecting either the living or the dead. Although it is uncommon there are a few divine shadow lords. This is because shadow lords draw their power from a gray area in between. Those who where to detect there magic would see it as necromantic conjuration. Those who have the potential to master this are chosen by the High Shadow Lord Council. There main abilities are the casting modifier that granted them the ability to take this prestige class which determines the strength of their shadow manifestations and their charisma modifier as they will be determining how many shadows they can store.
| Alignment: | Any Non-Chaotic. |
|---|---|
| Base Attack Bonus: | +5. |
| Race: | Any |
| Skills: | Knowledge (Arcana) 8 ranks, Knowledge (Religion) 6 ranks. |
| Spellcasting: | Ability to cast necromancy or conjuration spells of 5th level |
| Special: | Approved to work as a shadow lord by the High Shadow Lord Council. |
| Level | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Special | Spellcasting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Shadow Extraction (Ex), Shadow Storage (Ex), Shadow Manifestation (Ex) | +1 level of existing arcane or divine spellcasting class. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | +1 level of existing arcane or divine spellcasting class. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | Moderate Shadow Manifestation (Ex), Touch of Shadow (Ex), | +1 level of existing arcane or divine spellcasting class. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | +1 level of existing arcane or divine spellcasting class. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Shadow Replenishment (Ex) | +1 level of existing arcane or divine spellcasting class. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Greater Shadow Manifestation (Ex) | +1 level of existing arcane or divine spellcasting class. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | +1 level of existing arcane or divine spellcasting class. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | +1 level of existing arcane or divine spellcasting class. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | Superior Shadow Manifestation (Ex) | +1 level of existing arcane or divine spellcasting class. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Heart of the Shadow Monarch (Ex) | +1 level of existing arcane or divine spellcasting class. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Class Features[edit]
All of the following are class features of the Shadow Lord.
Shadow Extraction (Ex): The shadow lord places their hand on a dead body and extracts the shadow of the creature from its body. This shadow is created from the residual magic contained within the creature that allows for resurrection and speak with dead. In extracting this shadow the shadow lord removes the ability for the creature to be resurrected or to be spoken with. To determine whether the shadow is extracted the shadow lord must make a check of their casting modifier + their shadow lord level against a DC of 15 + any modifiers from the tables below. Upon a successful shadow extraction the shadow load adds the shadow to their shadow storage.
| DC Modifier | Condition |
|---|---|
| +5 | Creature has been dead for over an hour. |
| +10 | Creature has been dead for over a day. |
| +15 | Creature has been dead for over a week. |
| -5 | Creature was killed by the Shadow Lord. |
| DC Modifier | Condition |
|---|---|
| -5 | The Shadow Lord is stronger than the creature. |
| 0 | The Shadow Lord is equal to the creature in power. |
| +5 | Shadow Lord is weaker than the creature. |
Shadow Storage (Ex): This is the way shadow lords store the shadows they have harvested. The amount of shadows a shadow lord can have stored at one time is equal to their charisma modifier times their spellcaster level. This is usually an object the the shadow lord keeps with it can be a locket, a lamp or any similar object. But if it is ever destroyed the shadow lord must meditate for 24 hours to attune to a new object.
Shadow Manifestation (Ex): The shadow lord summons a number of shadows up to their casting modifier + their shadow lord level to create a shadow manifestation. The summoning and manifestation takes one standard action. These manifestations can take one of three forms a shadow golem, a shadow weapon or a set of shadow armor. They can only have one manifestation active at a time. If the shadow manifestation is destroyed then the shadows used to create it can not be used for the next 24 hours. These manifestations last for a number of minutes equal to the spellcaster level of the shadow lord. When this time ends for the manifestation the shadows return to the shadow lord's shadow storage. Alternatively if the shadow lord lacks the number of shadows needed to create their manifestation they can substitute it with a spell slot equal to the number of shadows needed, these do not get added to the shadow storage when destroyed or have exceeded their time limit. In the description below X is the number of shadows used in the manifestation.
Shadow Weapon: This is a weapon made of shadow that the shadow lord is assumed to be proficient with it grants a +X to hit and damage but ignores the ability modifier for the weapon. Special: Casting Staff, if the shadows are made into a casting staff it grants a +(X/4) to hit with spells and to spell save DC. These weapons are broken when the leave the shadow lord's hand or a critical failure is rolled on an attack.
Shadow Armor: This is armor made of shadow that grants +X armor bonus to Ac this does not stack with mage armor. This armor is broken if the shadow lord is unconscious or if the shadow lord is hit by a critical hit.
Shadow Golem:
| Size/Type: | Large Construct |
|---|---|
| Hit Dice: | Xd10+X*6 (X*12 hp) |
| Initiative: | –1 |
| Speed: | 20 ft. (4 squares) |
| Armor Class: | 17+X (–1 size, –1 Dex, +7+X natural), touch 8, flat-footed 17+X |
| Base Attack/Grapple: | +X/+X+7+(X/2) |
| Attack: | Slam +X+3 melee (2d10+3+(X/2)) |
| Full Attack: | 2 slams +X+3 melee (2d10+3+(X/2)) |
| Space/Reach: | 10 ft./10 ft. |
| Special Attacks: | — |
| Special Qualities: | Construct traits, damage reduction 15/adamantine, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision |
| Saves: | Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +6 |
| Abilities: | Str 16+x, Dex 9, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1 |
| Skills: | — |
| Feats: | — |
| Environment: | Any |
| Organization: | Solitary or gang (2–4) |
| Challenge Rating: | |
| Treasure: | None |
| Alignment: | Always neutral |
| Advancement: | — |
| Level Adjustment: | — |
Moderate Shadow Manifestation (Ex): Starting at 3rd level the shadow lord can have two shadow manifestations active at a given time rather than just one.
Touch of Shadow (Ex): Starting at 3rd level the shadow lord can manifest their shadows to an ally within 30ft of them instead of around themselves. The same destruction conditions apply to the ally as if the manifestation were being used by the shadow lord and this can only be done with shadow armor and shadow weapon manifestations.
Shadow Replenishment (Ex):Starting at 5th level shadows no longer take 24 hours to recover the only take one hour to recover before they can be used again.
Greater Shadow Manifestation (Ex): Starting at 6th level the shadow lord can have three shadow manifestations active at a given time rather than just two.
Superior Shadow Manifestation (Ex): Starting at 9th level the shadow lord can have five shadow manifestations active at a given time rather than just three.
Heart of the Shadow Monarch (Ex): Starting at 10th level the shadow lord gains a shadow heart, this is a hearth that keeps the shadow lord alive beyond death unless the heart is placed in a location with no shadows or no light then the shadow lord can regenerate a new body. This shadow heart can only be destroyed if the shadow monarch's soul is separated from it and destroyed.
Spellcasting: At each level you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained unless they grant additional spells. If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a Shadow Lord, you must add these levels to the class which qualified you for this prestige class.
Shadow Lord Lore[edit]
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) or Knowledge (religion) can research Shadow Lords to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
|---|---|
| 11 | Shadow Lords are Necromantic Conjuration summoners often called "Shadow Summoners". |
| 16 | Shadow Lords display an affinity for death, and older Shadow Lords become more shadow and wispy in nature. |
| 21 | Shadow Lords are not necessarily evil, but rather devoted to a balance of good and evil. |
| 26 | Characters who get this result may learn about specific Shadow Lords. |
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