Shadow Adept Unchained

Some spellcasters who discover the existence of the Shadow Weave are cautious about using it, altering their magic slowly to take advantage of its effects. Others are more reckless, hurling themselves into the abyss of the Shadow Weave immediately to acquire all the gifts available to the casual student and discover secrets unavailable to all but the most dedicated. These latter spellcasters are the shadow adepts, who make great sacrifices with respect to some aspects of the Art in order to reap greater benefits elsewhere.

Most shadow adepts were previously sorcerers or wizards, and these are the ones who stand to gain the greatest power from adopting this path. Any spellcaster can tap the Shadow Weave, however, and a few bards, and other arcane casters have been known to embark on this path. While faith in Shar is not required to tap into her Shadow Weave, among divine casters, only the followers of Shar are common in the ranks of the shadow adepts.

Roleplay Impact of this Class: It is important to know the implications of adopting this prestige class before doing so. Shadow Weave magic is frowned upon in general by the populace of Toril. Think of it as akin to being a witch in Old Salem. Shadow Mages will be shunned, if not hunted — particularly from zealots of the churches of Mystra and Selune and those aligned with them. Shadow Weave magic is known to exist, and all lawful and goodly nations of Toril frown on Shadow Weave magic, with knee-jerk assumptions that anyone devoted to its study and persual, regardless of their actual faith, is also a minion of Shar — who is also generally outlawed in genteel society. The stigma will be enforced by DMs, so discretion is expected. Faith of the character does matter, as no deity aligned against Shar will accept a user of the Shadow Weave as their faithful. See the section below on what happens to shadow adepts who fall out of grace with, or bring upon them the wrath of, Shar’s church.

Requirements: To qualify to become a shadow adept, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

• Alignment: Any Nongood.
• Feat: Shadow Weave Magic, Spell Focus (Enchantment, Illusion, or Necromancy).
• Skills: Knowledge (arcana) 5 ranks, Knowledge (planes) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks.
• Spellcasting: Ability to cast 2nd-level arcane or divine spells.

Class Skills: The shadow adept’s class skills are Bluff, Craft, Disguise, Knowedge (Arcana), Knowledge (Planes), Stealth, Spellcraft.

Skill Points at each Level: 4 + Int modifier.
Hit Die: d6.

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the shadow adept prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A demoniac gains proficiency with all simple weapons and with his patron’s favored weapon. He gains no additional proficiencies with armor or shields.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: At the indicated levels, a shadow adept gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a level in the spellcasting class that qualified him for this prestige class. He does not, however, gain any other features a character of that class would have gained, except for additional spells per day, spells known, and an increased effective level of spellcasting.

Pernicious Magic (Su): The spells of a shadow adept resist counterspell attempts by Weave users. When a Weave caster tries to counterspell a spell the shadow adept is casting, he must make a level check (DC 11 + the shadow adept’s caster level) to succeed at the counterspell. This benefit does not extend to spells cast from the school of Evocation or Transmutation, nor to opponents using dispel magic to counterspell (see Tenacious Magic).

Tenacious Magic (Su): The shadow adept gains the benefits of the Tenacious Spell metamagic feat on all spells he casts from the Enchantment, Illusion or Necromancy schools or spells with the Darkness descriptor versus a Weave user, without affecting the spell level or casting time of the spell.

Darkvision (Su): At 2nd level, a shadow adept gains darkvision out to 60 feet. If he already has darkvision than the range of his darkvision is doubled.

Shadow Defense: At 2nd level, a shadow adept adds a +1 competence bonus to saving throws against spells from the schools of Enchantment, Illusion, and Necromancy, and spells with the darkness descriptor, regardless of whether they originate in the Weave, or the Shadow Weave. This bonus increases by +1 every 3rd level, to a maximum of +3 at 8th level.

Insidious Magic (Su): At 3rd level, when a Weave user employs a divination effect (such as detect magic) that may detect the magical aura of one of the shadow adept’s spells, the Weave user must make a level check (DC 11 + the shadow adept’s caster level) to successfully detect the spell. Similarly, a Weave user attempting to use a divination to see through one of the shadow adept’s spells — such as using see invisibility to reveal an invisibility spell — must make a level check to reveal the spell’s effects. If a weave user has a feat or ability that allows him to determine that the shadow adept’s magic uses the Shadow Weave, they must also make this caster level check. The Weave user need only check once for each divination effect used, no matter how many of the shadow adept’s spell effects are operating in an area. This benefit does not extend to spells cast from the schools of Evocation or Transmutation (except those with the Darkness descriptor), which are detected as normal by divination.

Shadow Step (Su): At 5th level, a shadow adept can create a rift in the shadow plane between two areas of shadow or dim light that he can step through to reach another location. This ability can be used as part of a move action or withdraw action, allowing him to move up to 10 feet per caster level, per day, to any location he can see. This counts as 5 feet of movement. He can only use this ability once per round, and he must begin and end this movement in an area of dim or darker light. As he is phasing through the shadow plane for this movement, it does not provoke attacks of opportunity, but any other movement he attempts as part of his move action provokes as normal.

Pervasive Magic (Su): Add this value to the DC for saving throws and to caster level checks to overcome spell resistance for spells the shadow adept casts from the schools of Enchantment, Illusion, or Necromancy, and spells with the darkness descriptor. This stacks with similar bonuses, such as Spell Focus and Spell Penetration.

Shield of Shadows (Su): A shadow adept can create a mobile disk of purple-black force as a standard action that hovers in front of the shadow adept covering one side of his square as speficied. The shield of shadows has the effects of a shield spell and also provides three-quarters concealment (30% miss chance) against attacks from the other side of the shield. The shadow adept can change the defensive direction of the shield of shadows as an immediate action. The shadow adept can see and reach through the shield, so it does not provide cover or concealment to his opponents. The shield of shadows last 1 round per caster level per day and need not be used all at once, but it must be used in one-round increments; dismissing the shield of shadows is an immediate action.

See in Darkness (Sp): At 7h level, a shadow adept gains the see in darkness ability.

Greater Shield of Shadows (Su): At 8th level, the shadow adept’s shield of shadows also grants spell resistance of 12 + his caster level against targeted effects that originate from the other side of the shield from the shadow adept, as if the shadow adept were the under the effect of a spell resistance spell. Alternately, the shadow adept may forgo the spell resistance in order to create the shield as a sphere, surrounding him on all sides of his square. He must choose the effect at the time of invoking the shadow shield, and changing the effect entails dismissing and re-activating the shield.

Shadow Double (Su): At 10th level, a shadow adept can use a standard action to create a double of himself woven from shadowstuff. The double appears in a square adjacent to the shadow adept, and has the ability scores, base AC, hit points, saves, and attack bonuses as its creator, but no equipment. (Any apparent clothing or equipment is nonfunctional.) The double can attack the creator’s enemies if given a weapon or items (since it can use anything its creator can) or function as the subject of a project image spell, duplicating the shadow adept’s actions and acting as the origin of the his spells when it is within a direct line of sight. Mentally commanding the double is a free action. Using it as the originator of a spell counts as an action for the shadow adept and the double. Causing the creator or the double to leave the plane they share dismisses the double. The double lasts 1 round per caster level per day; which does not have to be spent consecutively, but it must be spent in one-round increments; dismissing the double before the end of its duration is a standard action. The death of the double does not affect the shadow adept or vice versa; the double lasts to the end of its duration if its creator dies.

Shadow Walker (Su): Also at 10th level, a shadow adept can travel effortlessly between the shadow plane and the prime material plane as a standard action, gaining the effects of the shadow walk spell for up to an hour per day per caster level, which does not have to be spent consecutively, but must be spent in 1-hour increments.

Ex-Shadow Adepts: Once a spellcaster has embarked upon the path of the Shadow Weave, she is forever bound to it, if she wants to continue casting magic. Mystra will never allow a Shadow Weave user to use the Weave again. So to walk away from the Shadow Weave is to walk away from being a spellcaster entirely. Shar isn’t jealous as to who uses the Shadow Weave, but should a shadow adept do something particularly egregious against the faith of Shar or her faithful, the shadow adept will find himself stripped of his spellcasting ability and losing all of his abilities granted by this class, until and unless he seeks and gains atonement from Shar’s church.