Phosphate
2012-06-08, 09:07 AM
The Shadow Sniper
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.comicsalliance.com/media/2012/05/arrow.jpg
Alignment
Any.
Hit Die
d8.
Class Skills
The shadow sniper’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level
(6 + Int modifier) ×4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level
6 + Int modifier.
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special |
Shadow Shots known/encounter
1st|+0|+0|+2|+2|Headshots, Shadow Shots, Trapfinding, Strong Bowman|
1 / 1
2nd|+1|+0|+3|+3|Diffuse 140 feet, Steady Distance, Phasing Darkness|
1 / 1
3rd|+2|+1|+3|+3|Darkvision 60 ft, Bonus Feat, Trap Sense +2|
1 / 2
4th|+3|+1|+4|+4|Pinning Vision, Evasion, Skewering Arrows|
2 / 3
5th|+3|+1|+4|+4|Poison Use, Covered Actions, Diffuse 120 feet|
2 / 3
6th|+4|+2|+5|+5|Shadow Aim, Precision|
2 / 4
7th|+5|+2|+5|+5|Bonus Feat, Trap Sense +4|
3 / 5
8th|+6/+1|+2|+6|+6|Diffuse 100 feet, Splinters|
3 / 6
9th|+6/+1|+3|+6|+6|Avert Vision, Improved Evasion|
3 / 6
10th|+7/+2|+3|+7|+7|Shade, Third Time's the Charm|
4 / 7
11th|+8/+3|+3|+7|+7|Bonus Feat, Diffuse 80 feet, Trap Sense +6|
4 / 8
12th|+9/+4|+4|+8|+8|Improved Skewering Arrows|
4 / 9
13th|+9/+4|+4|+8|+8|Hide in Plain Sight, Lucky Streak|
5 / 9
14th|+10/+5|+4|+9|+9|Diffuse 60 feet, Body of Shadow|
5 / 10
15th|+11/+6/+1|+5|+9|+9|Bonus Feat, Trap Sense +8|
5 / 11
16th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10|Reverse Pursuit|
6 / 12
17th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10|Heavy Deal, Diffuse 40 feet|
6 / 12
18th|+13/+8/+3|+6|+11|+11|Ghost Pursuit|
6 / 13
19th|+14/+9/+4|+6|+11|+11|Bonus Feat, Trap Sense +10|
7 / 14
20th|+15/+10/+5|+6|+12|+12|The Thing in the Gloom, Diffuse 20 feet|
7 / 15
[/table]
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the shadow sniper.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Shadow Snipers are proficient with all simple weapons and all martial and exotic weapons that resemble or are used in the same way as a longbow. They are also proficient with light armor and no shields.
Headshots (Ex): Whenever he attacks with a shortbow, composite shortbow, longbow, or composite longbow, a shadow sniper may choose to either make a normal attack or a headshot attack. Headshot attacks do not instantly hit on a roll of 20 or miss on a roll on 1 and they never threaten criticals, but they have a chance to headshot the opponent, granted the opponent has a head and is vulnerable to critical hits. While if the attack misses, a headshot cannot be scored, if the attack hits successfully the headshot is not dependent on the attack roll. In fact, it only depends on the following percent roll:
(10 + class level + number of sizes the target is above medium (or subtract number of sizes the target is below medium) + dex mod - opponent's dex mod + 1 per 10% of concealment you have against the target + 5 if you are hidden from the target)%
If the attack is not a headshot, calculate damage normally. If it is, the target must choose between receiving double damage and making a fortitude save against dying. The DC is 10+class level/2+dex mod. If he saves successfully he doesn't take any damage at all.
Strong Bowman (Ex): A Shadow Sniper is treated as having a good base attack bonus for the purpose of shooting with bows (except crossbows), and if he uses a weapon that already has a range increment of 50 feet or more, this is increased by 10 feet * str mod (minimum 0).
Trapfinding: Shadow snipers can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20.
Finding a nonmagical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
Shadow snipers can use the Disable Device skill to disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
A shadow sniper who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.
Diffuse (Ex): A shadow sniper is hard to spot in the distance. From level 2, he gains 10% concealment that stacks with other forms of concealment (except total concealment) against all targets that are 140 feet away from him or farther. This distance decreases by 20 feet at level 5 and every 3 levels thereafter.
Phasing Darkness (Su): A level 2 or higher shadow sniper ignores all nonmagical difficult terrain. During a round, he may choose to expend a standard action to also ignore the penalty of magical difficult terrain and all effects that would impede his movement (without stopping him completely).
Steady Distance (Ex): A level 2 or higher shadow sniper may use this feature by targeting anyone within line of sight with a base speed equal to or lower than his own. Activating and deactivating this feature both require a swift action, and while this feature is active, you lose your swift action every round.
Whenever your target moves, you may choose to immediately move along with him so that the distance between the two of you remains exactly the same. You may not, through your own movement, close in or distance yourself from the target, although you CAN, at any point, choose to stop moving, even if then the distance will no longer be constant.
If your target moves so that you no longer have line of sight to him, you are granted 15 feet of movement which you must use to reestablish line of sight immediately after your target stopped moving. If you fail in this regard, Steady Distance ends and since you gave up your swift action you must wait 1 more round until you can use it again.
Darkvision (Ex): A level 3 shadow sniper gains darkvision 60 feet.
Bonus Feat: At level 3, and every 4 levels thereafter, you gain a bonus feat from the fighter feat list (extended, includes supplements such as Complete Warrior). You must meet all prerequisites.
Trap Sense (Ex): At 3rd level, a shadow sniper gains an intuitive sense that alerts him to danger from traps, giving him a +2 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +2 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +4 when the shadow sniper reaches 7th level, to +6 when he reaches 11th level, to +8 when he reaches 15th level, and to +10 at 19th level.
Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.
Pinning Vision (Ex): When out in the open, a shadow sniper of level 4 or higher is still a fearsome foe that loses nothing of his precision. Using this feature is a full round action that targets an opponent within line of sight. Doing so makes you lose the benefit of hiding and cover from all sources against that opponent only for 2 rounds. The target makes a Will save against a DC of 10+class level/2+wis mod. If he succeeds, immediately make a ranged attack against him, taking a -4 penalty to the attack roll. If he fails, immediately make a ranged attack against him, and you cannot miss at all.
Evasion (Ex): If a level 4 shadow sniper succeeds on a reflex save against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Becomes Improved Evasion at level 9.
Skewering Arrows (Ex): Whenever a level 4 or higher shadow sniper fires arrows at a target that is 60 feet away or farther, even if he hits, the arrows still have a 50% chance of not being destroyed as a result. If an arrow hits a target and isn't destroyed, the target will receive 2 points of piercing damage per round per arrow until they are removed, and if he has fast healing or regeneration, the amount healed is reduced by 1 per round per arrow. Removing a single arrow is a move action, while removing all of them is a standard action.
Poison Use: Shadow snipers of level 5 or higher are trained in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a blade or arrow.
Covered Actions (Ex): At level 5 a shadow sniper learns to conceal his presence even when performing highly noticeable actions like attacking. He only takes a -2 penalty for moving at normal speed, a -10 penalty to hiding while attacking, running or charging, and a -8 penalty for sniping.
Shadow Aim (Ex): Whenever you make ranged attacks, you gain a bonus to your attack and damage rolls equal to 1 per 10% of concealment you have against your target. Furthermore, he must make a DC 16+class level/2 spot check to determine that you are the shooter.
Precision (Ex): Shadow snipers don't concern themselves with barrage tactics. During a ranged full attack, you may give up any number of attacks. If you do so, you gain a cumulative +2 bonus to attack and damage roll per expended attack to the remaining ones.
Splinters (Ex): The arrows of a shadow sniper of 8th level dig deep in flesh. If an opponent, instead of removing the arrows that skewered him one at a time with move actions removes all of them at once with a standard action, splinters remain. He will continue to receive half the damage he was receiving from the extracted arrows every round, but his fast healing or regeneration (if any) turn back to normal. Removing splinters requires a full round action.
Avert Vision (Ex): If a level 9 or higher shadow sniper uses Pinning Vision and the target saves, he may give up his ranged attack to take a double move instead.
Shade (Su): A level 10 or higher shadow sniper can create one, and only one shadowy figure of himself, as a free action, within 1 mile of himself. This shade will always be last on the initiative line. To all opponents outside Diffuse range, the two seem identical. However, the shade has the following statistics: 1 hit point, aberration type, same mental stats as the shadow sniper, 20 dex, no str and con, base speed 10 feet faster than the shadow sniper, immune to effects that require a fort save, immune to non-force non-positive energy damage, same skill ranks as you in mental skills and nothing in physical skills, incorporeal, unable to deal damage.
Nobody outside maximum Diffuse range knows about those, especially incorporeality, since they consider the shade and shadow sniper to be indistinguishable. Also, whenever you make a ranged attack, the target must make a Spot check against a DC of 20 + class level/2 to determine whether you or your shade was the shooter.
Although you control your shade completely through mental commands, you have no access to its senses and cannot make it communicate.
Third Time's the Charm: From level 10, the target of a sniper's third headshot during an encounter is forced to choose to make the save against dying.
Improved Skewering Arrows (Ex): At level 12, a shadow sniper has learned to intentionally miss armor or bones when shooting his arrows, thus giving them a 75% chance of not being destroyed whether they miss or not.
Hide in Plain Sight (Su): A level 13 shadow sniper can use the Hide skill even while being observed.
Lucky Streak: At level 13, a shadow sniper's luck increases. The target of his third, sixth, ninth, twelfth, fifteenth etc. headshot during a day is forced to choose to make the save against dying.
Body of Shadow (Su): A level 14 shadow sniper altered his being with the essence of shadows, becoming a simpler organism. He can only be dealt critical damage with melee attacks, not ranged ones.
Reverse Pursuit (Su): A level 16 shadow sniper can easily turn from hunter disguised as prey to full blown hunter. If his Steady Distance currently has a target, he may force that target to make a will save against a DC of 10+class level/2+wis mod as a free action. If the target saves, he is immune to reverse pursuit for 5 minutes. Otherwise, during this round he is forced to move along with the shadow sniper, likewise trying to keep the exact same distance (except that, unlike the shadow sniper, he's not allowed to stop). If by moving the target would enter an especially dangerous square (a square being within AoO range of one of your allies does NOT qualify it as a dangerous square), such as the edge of a cliff, or burning lava, or a fire wall, or spikes etc., he is given another save against the save DC. If he saves, he can stop moving but doesn't become immune to this feature. If he fails, he is forced to move properly, even if it leads to certain death.
Heavy Deal (Ex): Whenever an opponent is affected by a headshot delivered by a level 17 or higher shadow hunter, if they choose not to save they receive 2d6 Con damage. If they choose to save, even if they succeed they receive 2d4 Con damage.
Ghost Pursuit (Su): At level 18 and above, a shadow hunter following a target with Steady Distance can pass through walls and floors as if he was incorporeal during this movement.
The Thing in the Gloom (Su): A level 20 shadow hunter is as far from a material being as you can get. He no longer ages, no longer has a maximum age, is immune to critical hits from all sources, receives no penalty for any use of the Hide skill and can enter the plane of shadow at will as a standard action, even if there are no shadows around him.
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.comicsalliance.com/media/2012/05/arrow.jpg
Alignment
Any.
Hit Die
d8.
Class Skills
The shadow sniper’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (nature) (Int), Knowledge (geography) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at 1st Level
(6 + Int modifier) ×4.
Skill Points at Each Additional Level
6 + Int modifier.
{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special |
Shadow Shots known/encounter
1st|+0|+0|+2|+2|Headshots, Shadow Shots, Trapfinding, Strong Bowman|
1 / 1
2nd|+1|+0|+3|+3|Diffuse 140 feet, Steady Distance, Phasing Darkness|
1 / 1
3rd|+2|+1|+3|+3|Darkvision 60 ft, Bonus Feat, Trap Sense +2|
1 / 2
4th|+3|+1|+4|+4|Pinning Vision, Evasion, Skewering Arrows|
2 / 3
5th|+3|+1|+4|+4|Poison Use, Covered Actions, Diffuse 120 feet|
2 / 3
6th|+4|+2|+5|+5|Shadow Aim, Precision|
2 / 4
7th|+5|+2|+5|+5|Bonus Feat, Trap Sense +4|
3 / 5
8th|+6/+1|+2|+6|+6|Diffuse 100 feet, Splinters|
3 / 6
9th|+6/+1|+3|+6|+6|Avert Vision, Improved Evasion|
3 / 6
10th|+7/+2|+3|+7|+7|Shade, Third Time's the Charm|
4 / 7
11th|+8/+3|+3|+7|+7|Bonus Feat, Diffuse 80 feet, Trap Sense +6|
4 / 8
12th|+9/+4|+4|+8|+8|Improved Skewering Arrows|
4 / 9
13th|+9/+4|+4|+8|+8|Hide in Plain Sight, Lucky Streak|
5 / 9
14th|+10/+5|+4|+9|+9|Diffuse 60 feet, Body of Shadow|
5 / 10
15th|+11/+6/+1|+5|+9|+9|Bonus Feat, Trap Sense +8|
5 / 11
16th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10|Reverse Pursuit|
6 / 12
17th|+12/+7/+2|+5|+10|+10|Heavy Deal, Diffuse 40 feet|
6 / 12
18th|+13/+8/+3|+6|+11|+11|Ghost Pursuit|
6 / 13
19th|+14/+9/+4|+6|+11|+11|Bonus Feat, Trap Sense +10|
7 / 14
20th|+15/+10/+5|+6|+12|+12|The Thing in the Gloom, Diffuse 20 feet|
7 / 15
[/table]
Class Features
All of the following are class features of the shadow sniper.
Weapon and Armor Proficiency
Shadow Snipers are proficient with all simple weapons and all martial and exotic weapons that resemble or are used in the same way as a longbow. They are also proficient with light armor and no shields.
Headshots (Ex): Whenever he attacks with a shortbow, composite shortbow, longbow, or composite longbow, a shadow sniper may choose to either make a normal attack or a headshot attack. Headshot attacks do not instantly hit on a roll of 20 or miss on a roll on 1 and they never threaten criticals, but they have a chance to headshot the opponent, granted the opponent has a head and is vulnerable to critical hits. While if the attack misses, a headshot cannot be scored, if the attack hits successfully the headshot is not dependent on the attack roll. In fact, it only depends on the following percent roll:
(10 + class level + number of sizes the target is above medium (or subtract number of sizes the target is below medium) + dex mod - opponent's dex mod + 1 per 10% of concealment you have against the target + 5 if you are hidden from the target)%
If the attack is not a headshot, calculate damage normally. If it is, the target must choose between receiving double damage and making a fortitude save against dying. The DC is 10+class level/2+dex mod. If he saves successfully he doesn't take any damage at all.
Strong Bowman (Ex): A Shadow Sniper is treated as having a good base attack bonus for the purpose of shooting with bows (except crossbows), and if he uses a weapon that already has a range increment of 50 feet or more, this is increased by 10 feet * str mod (minimum 0).
Trapfinding: Shadow snipers can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20.
Finding a nonmagical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
Shadow snipers can use the Disable Device skill to disarm magic traps. A magic trap generally has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create it.
A shadow sniper who beats a trap’s DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with her party) without disarming it.
Diffuse (Ex): A shadow sniper is hard to spot in the distance. From level 2, he gains 10% concealment that stacks with other forms of concealment (except total concealment) against all targets that are 140 feet away from him or farther. This distance decreases by 20 feet at level 5 and every 3 levels thereafter.
Phasing Darkness (Su): A level 2 or higher shadow sniper ignores all nonmagical difficult terrain. During a round, he may choose to expend a standard action to also ignore the penalty of magical difficult terrain and all effects that would impede his movement (without stopping him completely).
Steady Distance (Ex): A level 2 or higher shadow sniper may use this feature by targeting anyone within line of sight with a base speed equal to or lower than his own. Activating and deactivating this feature both require a swift action, and while this feature is active, you lose your swift action every round.
Whenever your target moves, you may choose to immediately move along with him so that the distance between the two of you remains exactly the same. You may not, through your own movement, close in or distance yourself from the target, although you CAN, at any point, choose to stop moving, even if then the distance will no longer be constant.
If your target moves so that you no longer have line of sight to him, you are granted 15 feet of movement which you must use to reestablish line of sight immediately after your target stopped moving. If you fail in this regard, Steady Distance ends and since you gave up your swift action you must wait 1 more round until you can use it again.
Darkvision (Ex): A level 3 shadow sniper gains darkvision 60 feet.
Bonus Feat: At level 3, and every 4 levels thereafter, you gain a bonus feat from the fighter feat list (extended, includes supplements such as Complete Warrior). You must meet all prerequisites.
Trap Sense (Ex): At 3rd level, a shadow sniper gains an intuitive sense that alerts him to danger from traps, giving him a +2 bonus on Reflex saves made to avoid traps and a +2 dodge bonus to AC against attacks made by traps. These bonuses rise to +4 when the shadow sniper reaches 7th level, to +6 when he reaches 11th level, to +8 when he reaches 15th level, and to +10 at 19th level.
Trap sense bonuses gained from multiple classes stack.
Pinning Vision (Ex): When out in the open, a shadow sniper of level 4 or higher is still a fearsome foe that loses nothing of his precision. Using this feature is a full round action that targets an opponent within line of sight. Doing so makes you lose the benefit of hiding and cover from all sources against that opponent only for 2 rounds. The target makes a Will save against a DC of 10+class level/2+wis mod. If he succeeds, immediately make a ranged attack against him, taking a -4 penalty to the attack roll. If he fails, immediately make a ranged attack against him, and you cannot miss at all.
Evasion (Ex): If a level 4 shadow sniper succeeds on a reflex save against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, he instead takes no damage. Becomes Improved Evasion at level 9.
Skewering Arrows (Ex): Whenever a level 4 or higher shadow sniper fires arrows at a target that is 60 feet away or farther, even if he hits, the arrows still have a 50% chance of not being destroyed as a result. If an arrow hits a target and isn't destroyed, the target will receive 2 points of piercing damage per round per arrow until they are removed, and if he has fast healing or regeneration, the amount healed is reduced by 1 per round per arrow. Removing a single arrow is a move action, while removing all of them is a standard action.
Poison Use: Shadow snipers of level 5 or higher are trained in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves when applying poison to a blade or arrow.
Covered Actions (Ex): At level 5 a shadow sniper learns to conceal his presence even when performing highly noticeable actions like attacking. He only takes a -2 penalty for moving at normal speed, a -10 penalty to hiding while attacking, running or charging, and a -8 penalty for sniping.
Shadow Aim (Ex): Whenever you make ranged attacks, you gain a bonus to your attack and damage rolls equal to 1 per 10% of concealment you have against your target. Furthermore, he must make a DC 16+class level/2 spot check to determine that you are the shooter.
Precision (Ex): Shadow snipers don't concern themselves with barrage tactics. During a ranged full attack, you may give up any number of attacks. If you do so, you gain a cumulative +2 bonus to attack and damage roll per expended attack to the remaining ones.
Splinters (Ex): The arrows of a shadow sniper of 8th level dig deep in flesh. If an opponent, instead of removing the arrows that skewered him one at a time with move actions removes all of them at once with a standard action, splinters remain. He will continue to receive half the damage he was receiving from the extracted arrows every round, but his fast healing or regeneration (if any) turn back to normal. Removing splinters requires a full round action.
Avert Vision (Ex): If a level 9 or higher shadow sniper uses Pinning Vision and the target saves, he may give up his ranged attack to take a double move instead.
Shade (Su): A level 10 or higher shadow sniper can create one, and only one shadowy figure of himself, as a free action, within 1 mile of himself. This shade will always be last on the initiative line. To all opponents outside Diffuse range, the two seem identical. However, the shade has the following statistics: 1 hit point, aberration type, same mental stats as the shadow sniper, 20 dex, no str and con, base speed 10 feet faster than the shadow sniper, immune to effects that require a fort save, immune to non-force non-positive energy damage, same skill ranks as you in mental skills and nothing in physical skills, incorporeal, unable to deal damage.
Nobody outside maximum Diffuse range knows about those, especially incorporeality, since they consider the shade and shadow sniper to be indistinguishable. Also, whenever you make a ranged attack, the target must make a Spot check against a DC of 20 + class level/2 to determine whether you or your shade was the shooter.
Although you control your shade completely through mental commands, you have no access to its senses and cannot make it communicate.
Third Time's the Charm: From level 10, the target of a sniper's third headshot during an encounter is forced to choose to make the save against dying.
Improved Skewering Arrows (Ex): At level 12, a shadow sniper has learned to intentionally miss armor or bones when shooting his arrows, thus giving them a 75% chance of not being destroyed whether they miss or not.
Hide in Plain Sight (Su): A level 13 shadow sniper can use the Hide skill even while being observed.
Lucky Streak: At level 13, a shadow sniper's luck increases. The target of his third, sixth, ninth, twelfth, fifteenth etc. headshot during a day is forced to choose to make the save against dying.
Body of Shadow (Su): A level 14 shadow sniper altered his being with the essence of shadows, becoming a simpler organism. He can only be dealt critical damage with melee attacks, not ranged ones.
Reverse Pursuit (Su): A level 16 shadow sniper can easily turn from hunter disguised as prey to full blown hunter. If his Steady Distance currently has a target, he may force that target to make a will save against a DC of 10+class level/2+wis mod as a free action. If the target saves, he is immune to reverse pursuit for 5 minutes. Otherwise, during this round he is forced to move along with the shadow sniper, likewise trying to keep the exact same distance (except that, unlike the shadow sniper, he's not allowed to stop). If by moving the target would enter an especially dangerous square (a square being within AoO range of one of your allies does NOT qualify it as a dangerous square), such as the edge of a cliff, or burning lava, or a fire wall, or spikes etc., he is given another save against the save DC. If he saves, he can stop moving but doesn't become immune to this feature. If he fails, he is forced to move properly, even if it leads to certain death.
Heavy Deal (Ex): Whenever an opponent is affected by a headshot delivered by a level 17 or higher shadow hunter, if they choose not to save they receive 2d6 Con damage. If they choose to save, even if they succeed they receive 2d4 Con damage.
Ghost Pursuit (Su): At level 18 and above, a shadow hunter following a target with Steady Distance can pass through walls and floors as if he was incorporeal during this movement.
The Thing in the Gloom (Su): A level 20 shadow hunter is as far from a material being as you can get. He no longer ages, no longer has a maximum age, is immune to critical hits from all sources, receives no penalty for any use of the Hide skill and can enter the plane of shadow at will as a standard action, even if there are no shadows around him.