DragoonWraith
2010-09-14, 03:56 PM
Basically, the Telflammar Shadowlord is a really cool PrC from Unapproachable East that tries to make a shadowy ninja figure that magically hops from shadow to shadow in order to wreak havoc. It does so by synergizing with the Shadowdancer core PrC (sensible), granting a shadow-based Dimension Door SLA, some minor spells, and the fairly awesome Shadow Pounce ability.
Overall, it's a pretty solid PrC, but it's somewhat awkward because the system it was built on, as we know, was not very good at giving melee nice things.
Quite a bit later (Unapproachable East is a 3.0 book), Tome of Battle was released, and Telflammar Shadowlord suddenly looks perfect as a Shadow Hand master PrC a la Bloodclaw Master for Tiger Claw, but awkwardly, the 3.0 Telflammar Shadowlord doesn't quite work with Shadow Hand maneuvers.
This is an attempt to redress this situation.
Prerequisites
Martial Maneuvers
3 maneuvers from the Shadow Hand school, including Shadow Jaunt, Shadow Stride, or Shadow Blink, and Assassin's Stance.
Skills
Hide 12 ranks,
Move Silently 12 ranks.
Feats
Blind-Fight,
Shadow Blade,
Gloom Razor.
Special
The character must either be from Thesk, or possess two ranks in Knowledge (Local - Thesk).
Class Features
Hit Die
d8.
Class Skills
The class skills (and key ability modifier for each) of the Telflammar Shadowlord are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points per Level
6 + Int modifier
{table=head]Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | M. Known | M. Readied | Stances
1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Shadowsight, Shadow Jump | +1 | +0 | +0
2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Shadow Blur | +0 | +0 | +1
3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Hand of Darkness | +1 | +0 | +0
4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Shadow Pounce | +0 | +1 | +0
5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Shadow Discorporation | +1 | +0 | +0
6th | +4 | +2 | +5 | +2 | Hand of Death | +0 | +0 | +0[/table]
Armor and Weapons Proficiency
Telflammar Shadowlords do not gain proficiency in any weapons or armor.
Maneuvers Known
At 1st, 3rd, and 5th level, the Telflammar Shadowlord may add a new maneuver from the Shadow Hand discipline to his maneuvers known. He must meet any prerequisites for the maneuver. The Telflammar Shadowlord also adds his full class level, not half, to his Initiator Level in order to determine his total Initiator Level for the purpose of maneuvers he initiates and the highest level maneuver he may learn.
Maneuvers Readied
At 4th level, the Telflammar Shadowlord may ready an additional maneuver.
Stances
At 2nd level, the Telflammar Shadowlord may learn a new Stance from the Shadow Hand discipline.
Shadowsight (Ex)
The Telflammar Shadowlord gains a special version of Darkvision that can see through normal and magical darkness. The range of this "Shadowsight" is 60 ft.
Shadow Jump (Su)
As a special action that consumes both a Swift and a Standard action, the Telflammar Shadowlord may travel instantly from one square, which must not be brightly illuminated, to another square within 10 ft. per class level that is also not brightly illuminated, and then initiate any strike maneuver with an Initiation Action of one Standard Action. He must have line of sight and line of effect to his destination, his destination must be unoccupied, and he must be able to initiate a strike against a valid target from the destination.
When a Telflammar Shadowlord uses Shadow Jump, he loses the use of one Shadow Hand maneuver he had readied for the current encounter, just as if he had initiated the maneuver (except that he does not also gain the maneuver's normal effect). Once he has used this ability, he can recover the expended maneuver and use it normally. The Telflammar Shadowlord also expends the use of the strike he used at the end of his Shadow Jump, as normal.
Shadow Blur (Su)
So long as he is not in an area of bright light, a 2nd level Telflammar Shadowlord gains the benefits of a Blur spell. The Shadowlord may choose to activate or end this effect as a free action.
Hand of Darkness (Su)
As a Swift action, a 3rd level Telflammar Shadowlord can initiate a special maneuver that has the effect of a Darkness spell, using his Initiator Level as its Caster Level, except that it counts as a spell of the same level as the highest level maneuver the Shadowlord has readied and not expended for the purposes of dispelling it, and it only lasts for one round per level instead of 10 minutes per level. Thanks to his Shadowsight, the Telflammar Shadowlord can see through this darkness. The Telflammar Shadowlord may use this ability at will.
Shadow Pounce (Su)
This ability functions exactly like Shadow Jump, except that it requires a Swift and Full-Round Action to use, and allows the 4th level Telflammar Shadowlord to initiate a strike with an Initiation Action of a Full-Round Action instead of just a Standard Action. The same rules and restrictions for Shadow Jump apply.
Shadow Discorporation (Su)
At 5th level, the Telflammar Shadowlord may, provided he is not in an area of bright illumination, attempt a DC 5 + damage dealt Reflex save any time he takes damage sufficient to reduce him to 0 HP or less. If successful, he immediately disappears, with everything he is holding or carrying, in a shadowy cloud that rapidly dissipates. After this discorporation, he simply does not exist: nothing can affect him nor can he affect anything else. He then re-appears anywhere within one mile of his discorporation at the following sunset.
Hand of Death (Ex)
Beginning at 6th level, a Telflammar Shadowlord may choose a target as a free action on his turn. He is treated as flat-footed against any attack by anyone aside from his target, and his attacks against anyone else take a -2 penalty. Anyone observing the Telflammar Shadowlord is entitled, once per round on the observer's own turn, to a Wisdom check with a DC equal to 10 + the Shadowlord's Initiator Level to recognize the special attention that the Shadowlord is paying to his target. If successful, may make a DC 30 Martial Lore check to recognize what the Shadowlord is planning.
The Shadowlord must continue to observe the same target under these rules for at least three consecutive rounds in which the target is not aware of what he is planning. If the target becomes aware, either by making both of the above checks, or because an ally has made them and warned the target, this count restarts, and furthermore everyone aware of the previous attempt gets a +5 bonus on the Wisdom check and automatically makes the Martial Lore check.
However, if at least three rounds of observation occur without the target being aware of it, the Shadowlord may expend any Shadow Hand maneuver that he has readied in order to make a special attack as a Full-Round Action. He gains a +2 bonus per round of consecutive successful observation on this attack, and for each round of observation he also gains +2d6 damage. Furthermore, the target must make a Fortitude save with a DC of 10 + the level of the maneuver expended + the Shadowlord's Wisdom modifier, or immediately die. If the target fails the save but is immune to death effects, the attack instead deals an extra +1 Con damage per level of the maneuver expended.
The expended Shadow Hand maneuver is lost just as if it had been initiated, but the attack does not also gain the benefits of the maneuver. This attack is considered a Shadow Hand strike of a level equal to the level of the maneuver expended, for effects that depend on the school or level of maneuvers. This attack may be made as part of the Shadow Pounce class feature, if desired, following the normal rules for Shadow Pounce.
Adaptation
The Telflammar Shadowlord works perfectly well outside of Faerūn, mechanically. Since Telflamm does not exist, it should probably be referred to as merely Shadowlord, and the Special requirement ought to be waived, as Thesk does not exist.
Overall, it's a pretty solid PrC, but it's somewhat awkward because the system it was built on, as we know, was not very good at giving melee nice things.
Quite a bit later (Unapproachable East is a 3.0 book), Tome of Battle was released, and Telflammar Shadowlord suddenly looks perfect as a Shadow Hand master PrC a la Bloodclaw Master for Tiger Claw, but awkwardly, the 3.0 Telflammar Shadowlord doesn't quite work with Shadow Hand maneuvers.
This is an attempt to redress this situation.
Prerequisites
Martial Maneuvers
3 maneuvers from the Shadow Hand school, including Shadow Jaunt, Shadow Stride, or Shadow Blink, and Assassin's Stance.
Skills
Hide 12 ranks,
Move Silently 12 ranks.
Feats
Blind-Fight,
Shadow Blade,
Gloom Razor.
Special
The character must either be from Thesk, or possess two ranks in Knowledge (Local - Thesk).
Class Features
Hit Die
d8.
Class Skills
The class skills (and key ability modifier for each) of the Telflammar Shadowlord are Appraise (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Hide (Dex), Jump (Str), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Open Lock (Dex), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex), Use Magic Device (Cha), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points per Level
6 + Int modifier
{table=head]Level | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Special | M. Known | M. Readied | Stances
1st | +0 | +0 | +2 | +0 | Shadowsight, Shadow Jump | +1 | +0 | +0
2nd | +1 | +0 | +3 | +0 | Shadow Blur | +0 | +0 | +1
3rd | +2 | +1 | +3 | +1 | Hand of Darkness | +1 | +0 | +0
4th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Shadow Pounce | +0 | +1 | +0
5th | +3 | +1 | +4 | +1 | Shadow Discorporation | +1 | +0 | +0
6th | +4 | +2 | +5 | +2 | Hand of Death | +0 | +0 | +0[/table]
Armor and Weapons Proficiency
Telflammar Shadowlords do not gain proficiency in any weapons or armor.
Maneuvers Known
At 1st, 3rd, and 5th level, the Telflammar Shadowlord may add a new maneuver from the Shadow Hand discipline to his maneuvers known. He must meet any prerequisites for the maneuver. The Telflammar Shadowlord also adds his full class level, not half, to his Initiator Level in order to determine his total Initiator Level for the purpose of maneuvers he initiates and the highest level maneuver he may learn.
Maneuvers Readied
At 4th level, the Telflammar Shadowlord may ready an additional maneuver.
Stances
At 2nd level, the Telflammar Shadowlord may learn a new Stance from the Shadow Hand discipline.
Shadowsight (Ex)
The Telflammar Shadowlord gains a special version of Darkvision that can see through normal and magical darkness. The range of this "Shadowsight" is 60 ft.
Shadow Jump (Su)
As a special action that consumes both a Swift and a Standard action, the Telflammar Shadowlord may travel instantly from one square, which must not be brightly illuminated, to another square within 10 ft. per class level that is also not brightly illuminated, and then initiate any strike maneuver with an Initiation Action of one Standard Action. He must have line of sight and line of effect to his destination, his destination must be unoccupied, and he must be able to initiate a strike against a valid target from the destination.
When a Telflammar Shadowlord uses Shadow Jump, he loses the use of one Shadow Hand maneuver he had readied for the current encounter, just as if he had initiated the maneuver (except that he does not also gain the maneuver's normal effect). Once he has used this ability, he can recover the expended maneuver and use it normally. The Telflammar Shadowlord also expends the use of the strike he used at the end of his Shadow Jump, as normal.
Shadow Blur (Su)
So long as he is not in an area of bright light, a 2nd level Telflammar Shadowlord gains the benefits of a Blur spell. The Shadowlord may choose to activate or end this effect as a free action.
Hand of Darkness (Su)
As a Swift action, a 3rd level Telflammar Shadowlord can initiate a special maneuver that has the effect of a Darkness spell, using his Initiator Level as its Caster Level, except that it counts as a spell of the same level as the highest level maneuver the Shadowlord has readied and not expended for the purposes of dispelling it, and it only lasts for one round per level instead of 10 minutes per level. Thanks to his Shadowsight, the Telflammar Shadowlord can see through this darkness. The Telflammar Shadowlord may use this ability at will.
Shadow Pounce (Su)
This ability functions exactly like Shadow Jump, except that it requires a Swift and Full-Round Action to use, and allows the 4th level Telflammar Shadowlord to initiate a strike with an Initiation Action of a Full-Round Action instead of just a Standard Action. The same rules and restrictions for Shadow Jump apply.
Shadow Discorporation (Su)
At 5th level, the Telflammar Shadowlord may, provided he is not in an area of bright illumination, attempt a DC 5 + damage dealt Reflex save any time he takes damage sufficient to reduce him to 0 HP or less. If successful, he immediately disappears, with everything he is holding or carrying, in a shadowy cloud that rapidly dissipates. After this discorporation, he simply does not exist: nothing can affect him nor can he affect anything else. He then re-appears anywhere within one mile of his discorporation at the following sunset.
Hand of Death (Ex)
Beginning at 6th level, a Telflammar Shadowlord may choose a target as a free action on his turn. He is treated as flat-footed against any attack by anyone aside from his target, and his attacks against anyone else take a -2 penalty. Anyone observing the Telflammar Shadowlord is entitled, once per round on the observer's own turn, to a Wisdom check with a DC equal to 10 + the Shadowlord's Initiator Level to recognize the special attention that the Shadowlord is paying to his target. If successful, may make a DC 30 Martial Lore check to recognize what the Shadowlord is planning.
The Shadowlord must continue to observe the same target under these rules for at least three consecutive rounds in which the target is not aware of what he is planning. If the target becomes aware, either by making both of the above checks, or because an ally has made them and warned the target, this count restarts, and furthermore everyone aware of the previous attempt gets a +5 bonus on the Wisdom check and automatically makes the Martial Lore check.
However, if at least three rounds of observation occur without the target being aware of it, the Shadowlord may expend any Shadow Hand maneuver that he has readied in order to make a special attack as a Full-Round Action. He gains a +2 bonus per round of consecutive successful observation on this attack, and for each round of observation he also gains +2d6 damage. Furthermore, the target must make a Fortitude save with a DC of 10 + the level of the maneuver expended + the Shadowlord's Wisdom modifier, or immediately die. If the target fails the save but is immune to death effects, the attack instead deals an extra +1 Con damage per level of the maneuver expended.
The expended Shadow Hand maneuver is lost just as if it had been initiated, but the attack does not also gain the benefits of the maneuver. This attack is considered a Shadow Hand strike of a level equal to the level of the maneuver expended, for effects that depend on the school or level of maneuvers. This attack may be made as part of the Shadow Pounce class feature, if desired, following the normal rules for Shadow Pounce.
Adaptation
The Telflammar Shadowlord works perfectly well outside of Faerūn, mechanically. Since Telflamm does not exist, it should probably be referred to as merely Shadowlord, and the Special requirement ought to be waived, as Thesk does not exist.