Iron Chef Optimization Challenge In The Playground XXVI

[Venger]

I don't know if I'll get done. If I don't, I'll post my build after the reveal. Hopefully I can get in just under the wire because I just need equipment and a source list at this point...

you've got 9 minutes .

do eeeeeet

[Hunter Killer]

Got it. Officially submitted at 5:59PM CT, or 11:59PM GMT. I used literally every last minute to put it together.

It's not my best work, and I wish I had more time to polish it, but such as life. Work kind of got in the way.

[DeAnno]

I'm happy I didn't try to throw an entry together; I didn't really have any inspiration. I'm excited to see if anyone did anything useful with this class though and I'm going to try to judge.

[Amphetryon]

Now, it's time for the reveal! Please refrain from posting in the thread until I give the all clear. Thanks.

[Amphetryon]

He had a shady past. . . .

The life and times of Lord McUmbra:

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I am not a child, though from a distance I am often mistaken for one. I do not begrudge humans or elves this mistake - to them, I am proportioned as one of their children and only when you can see the detail of my face does the distinction become evident. Perhaps it does not help that I wear children's clothing, but in truth it is far less expensive and just as durable and useful. Indeed, children's clothing often has oversized pockets and other useful features.
There is a significant difference between allowing others to come to the wrong conclusion and lying. I do not lie. I do not cheat. I kill only when it becomes necessary. And I believe that greed is possibly the worst of all sins.
One should work hard for what they have in life - look at me, I am perhaps the most rigourously trained individual in the realms in the arts of combat, stealth and mental discipline. I worked hard in my early career to build a relationship with the Shadowmasters of Telflammar, becoming not only one of the most trusted but also the most effective member of that guild - this, despite my strict adherence to my own code of honor and morality. However, in the one regard they cared about most - the issue regarding personal property and the redistribution thereof - I agreed with them. While I never acted as a runner of drugs, I had no qualms about entering the homes of the most wealthy and stripping them nearly bare - always leaving a single room's worth of wealth and items (generally the sleeping chamber of the lord of the manor).
It was this close connection to a league of such infamous shadow users that sparked my interest in shadows. To me, the world is black and white - rich and poor, good and evil, law and chaos - the distinctions are clear, and yet we all live in the twilight between. To master the shadows is to master both the distinctions and the twilight. Knowing this, and with the aide and training of the Shadowlords, I became a dancer in that twilight realm.
I became legendary for my ability to enter and leave even the most closely guarded fortresses at my leisure, and once I had called up and forged a bond with my dearest Zillah, no group of guards or host of defenses could keep us from a king's trove of treasure or a foul dungeon lord's wealth.
In this way, I became not just a member in good standing, but a Lord in the parlance of the guild. While I did not advance to their highest ranks - my free spirit and need to roam far outweighed by greed - I still retain good relations with their organization even today.
But now, in my own twilight years, I have found that I have become the very thing that I railed against in my youth - a gentleman of liesure, a man whose wealth exceeds his grasp to hold onto it. And should a thief come into my home and take what I now posses? I would not begrudge them - after all, if I need it back, I'll just steal it back!

Build:

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Name: Shady McUmbra
Alignment: LN
Attributes: Str 6, Dex 20, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 8 (Increases go to dex)
Race: Strongheart Halfling
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features
01|Swordsage 1|0|0|2|2|Balance 4, Concentration 4, Hide 4, Move Silent 4, Tumble 4, Sense Motive 4, Knowledge (Local-Thesk) 2, Ride 2|Combat Reflexes, Blind-Fight|Quick to Act +1, Discipline Focus (Shadow Hand)
02|Fighter 1|1|2|2|2|Concentration 5, Ride 3|Weapon Finesse|
03|Monk 1|1|4|4|4|Perform (Dance) 5|Dodge, Favored (Criminal Org, Shadowmaster of Telflammar, Hide)|AC Bonus, Skirmish +1d6
04|Monk 2|2|5|5|5|Hide 7, Move Silent 6|Mobility|Invisible Fist
05|Swordsage 2|3|5|6|6|Hide 8, Move Silent 8, Concentration 8||AC Bonus
06|Fighter 2|4|6|6|6|Hide 10*, Ride 4|Spring Attack, Primary Contact (Hide)|
07|Shadowdancer 1|4|6|8|6|Move Silent 10, Balance 5, Spellcraft 1, Skill Trick 1||Hide in plain sight
08|Shadowdancer 2|5|6|9|6|Hide 11, Move Silent 11, Tumble 6, Concentration 9|Retrain Primary Contact to Shadow Blade|Evasion, darkvision, uncanny dodge
09|Shadowdancer 3|6|7|9|7|Hide 12, Move Silent 12, Tumble 8, Sleight of Hand 3|Martial Stance (Assassin's Stance)|Shadow illusion, summon shadow
10|Shadowdancer 4|7|7|10|7|Hide 13, Move Silent 13, Tumble 9, Sleight of Hand 5, Skill Trick 2||Shadow jump 20 ft.
11|Shadowlord 1|7|7|12|7|Concentration 12, Skill Trick 3||Shadowsight, shadow jump
12|Shadowlord 2|8|7|13|7|Concentration 15, Tumble 11|Adaptive Style|Shadow blur
13|Shadowlord 3|9|8|13|8|Concentration 16, Tumble 15||Shadow walk
14|Shadowlord 4|10|8|14|8|Concentration 17, Hide 15, Move Silent 15||Shadow pounce
15|Shadowdancer 5|10|8|14|8|Hide 18, Move Silent 18, Sleight of Hand 6|Elusive Target|Defensive roll, improved uncanny dodge
16|Shadowdancer 6|11|9|15|9|Hide 19, Move Silent 19, Sleight of Hand 11||Shadow jump 40 ft., Summoned shadow +2 HD
17|Shadowdancer 7|12|9|15|9|Hide 20, Move Silent 20, Sleight of Hand 14, Skill Trick 4||Slippery mind
18|Shadowdancer 8|13|9|16|9|Hide 21, Move Silent 21, Tumble 20|Martial Study (Shadow Stride)|Shadow jump 80 ft.
19|Shadowdancer 9|13|10|16|10|Hide 22, Move Silent 22, Tumble 22, Sleight of Hand 17||Summoned shadow +2 HD
20|Shadowdancer 10|14|10|17|10|Hide 23, Move Silent 23, Tumble 23, Sleight of Hand 21||Shadow jump 160 ft., improved evasion
[/table]
ACFs: Halfling Monk 1 (Flurry->Skirmish), Cobra Strike Monk (Dodge & Mobility as bonus feats), Invisible Fist (Evasion -> swift invis)

Maneuvers, Spells and Skill tricks:

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Maneuvers:
Level 1: Burning Blade, Moment of Perfect Mind, Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Set Counter Charge, Clinging Shadow Strike, Shadow Blade Technique, Island of Blades
Level 5: Shadow Jaunt, Child of Shadow
Level 9: Assassin's Stance
Level 18: Shadow Stride
Spells:
Telflammar Shadowlord spellcasting:
Level 11: CL 1, 1 1st level spell (bonus from int)
Level 12: CL 2, 2 1st level spells
Level 13: CL 3, 2 1st level spells, possibly 1 2nd level spell (only if you have an int +2 item)
Level 14+: CL 4, 3 1st level spells 1-2 2nd level spells
Learned spells: You learn spells as a wizard, so here are the spells you should pick up:
1st Level: blindness/deafness, darkness, invisibility, knock, levitate, shadow mask (FRCS)
2nd level: air walk, blacklight (FRCS), displacement, haste, improved invisibility, nondetection, vampiric touch.
Skill Tricks:
Level 7: Shrouded Dance
Level 10: Conceal Spellcasting
Level 11: Swift Concentration
Level 17: Mosquito's Bite

Tactics and Secret Ingredient:

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Hide in Plain Sight - Despite the two feats normally considdered dead weight (Dodge and Mobility) that are required to get into this prestige class, it's still a common dip for certain types of build. Why? Because Hide in Plain Sight is, for all intents and purposes, super-invisibility. You need to cross a well-lit courtyard with no cover at all and guards that can see invisible creatures? No problem! As long as your Hide roll beats their spot roll, they can't see you! Some GMs might be stingy with there being shadows everywhere (take a look around the room you're in and count the number of shadows within ten feet of you - I guarantee it's more than one, unless your sitting in the middle of the Sahara desert at high noon just after a bulldozer has come through and leveled all of the nearby dunes...) - but if that's an issue, see the equipment section below for a dozen ways to quickly and cheaply add shadows to any environment. Suffice to say, this class feature alone makes you one of the stealthiest individuals in your campaign setting.
Evasion - Monks and Rogues get this at 2nd level, so why is this even worth mentioning? Because, with your ridiculously high Reflex save and Dex score, you're effectively immune to large swaths of magical destruction - not to mention the vast majority of traps. And since we traded Monk evasion of the Invisible Fist class feature, getting it now is quite nice.
Darkvision - A lot of races take this for granted, but considdering how effective you are in complete darkness (absence of light means everything is in shadow, and anyone who tries to tell you differently is being silly) being able to see when here is no light available is a very useful ability.
Uncanny Dodge - Again, this is a common ability, but having it can make all the difference. Since the vast majority of your AC is dependent on your dexterity score and dodging ability, this is a vital ability!
Shadow Illusion - What can you do with a 1/day SLA that emulates a 1st level spell? Dominate an encounter! Because as soon as you get the Swift Concentration skill trick, you'll be able to use this ability for an entire encounter without worry. There is no duration limit on the ability, and the range is 400 feet, so the sky is quite literally the limit on this power. Want more shadows in an encounter and don't want to raise suspicions? The illusion of a few fluffy white clouds up in the sky combined with casting shadows down on the ground is something that nobody is going to disbelieve and which they can't really interact with! Create illusionary terrain features that your enemies will move around without questioning them, controlling their movement. Create illusory allies to flank your enemies. The limits of this spell are set only by your imagination.
Summon Shadow - This is the first unique ability that a shadowdancer gets that nobody else does. Yay, you've got yourself a strength-damage dealing buddy! As he goes up in level, you obviously want to boost his Charisma, and give him the Empowered Ability Damage feat (which means you deal 1d6 * 1.5 strength damage per touch attack). Skill points should probably go towards Use Magic Device, or if the GM determines that incorporeality prevents them from using magic items, then listen and spot (which are apparently class skills for shadows, despite the fact that it's not specifically mentioned, since they've got 6 ranks in each at 3HD). Because this new minion of your is A) Incorporeal, B) Sentient, C) Able to communicate and D) Deals ability damage with a touch attack, they will never, ever be useless. They can also be targeted with spells, and hence can be buffed a great deal, making them excellent scouts, sneaky weapons and FLANKING BUDDIES! This last is the real reason to use them in combat despite the possibility of them dying suddenly. Just be sure that they know it's OK to dodge DOWN (there is nothing that prevents incorporeal creatures from dodging into the floor except lack of imagination) and they shouldn't have too much trouble even in upper level combat.
Shadow Jump - This is the class feature that we're waiting for. The most important thing this gets used for is easy entry into Telflammar Shadowlord - normally you need either a template or 4th level spellcasting to get in, but Shadowdancers are specifically qualified through this class feature. And once we've gotten shadow pounce, then suddenly we can use this power to get a skirmishing full-attack! Of course, you've got other means of teleportation, at least one of which is a 1/encounter ability, but once you've used that up you're going to be relying primarily on this ability to deal any serious amount of damage.
Defensive Roll - This is nearly as good as the Shadowlord's Shadow Discorporation ability, which is very nice since we're not able to get that AND the last level of Shadowdancer. Since that extra 8 uses/day of Shadow Jump are pretty vital, we happily take the lesser form of immunity-from-death. Given that by the time we get this our reflex save is ridiculously high, we're pretty much guarenteed a get-out-of-doom free card with this one.
Slippery Mind - While it's not the most powerful ability in the class, being able to re-roll will saves means that we don't have to waste our Moment of Perfect Mind counter the FIRST time we're up against an enchantment spell - instead we can use that maneuver after it's already affected us! Seriously, the combo of Slippery Mind and using a Concentration check (which we've got other uses for) to sub in for that save means we're never getting caught in a mind-lock.
1-6: This may look like a bit of a mish-mash of classes, but what is really going on is that you're setting up your ideal combat style. The idea here is that we've got a maneuver for every situation, we're always going to be hitting our enemies with skirmish damage, you're never going to be unarmed, and no one can pin us down. Classic mobility combat, in other words. Add on top of that your Invisible Fist (you've got swift improved invis for 1 round every 3 rounds), ridiculous hide skill (at least +20 at level 6), and two stances that each give their own edge in combat, and your enemies will be lucky if they even notice you before they're dead. If played tactically rather than 'I run up and hit them!', then you'll be the perfect spoiler on the battlefield, acting at just the right moment, applying just the right pressure to dominate every encounter. This is not a simple fighter, not a 'do everything' swordsage, not even an underpowered monk - as far as you're concerned, your real 'character class' is 'martial artist' in the classical senses of both martial and artist.
7-10: Yes. Shadowdancer entry at 7th level, not 8th. This is not just RAW legal, but also makes a great deal of sense from a story perspective. Shadowdancers are masters of deception, dancers on the border between light and darkness. Your ties to criminal organizations have granted you greater than normal insight into stealth, which allows you to master the shadows earlier than others of similar experience. That bonus rank you get at 6th level, after you've taken 9 ranks in Hide? Brings you up to 10 actual ranks in the skill. Now, enough about the early entry, let's talk about hide in shadows - because you get it before anyone else is even close. Between your spring attacks, skirmish, sneak attacks (once you hit 9th level), and magnificent dexterity, not only are you the absolute master of hit and run, you're also effectively invisible all throughout combat. Without the need for cover, you can strike and fade in pretty much any terrain, you're nearly immune to area-effect damage thanks to an awesome reflex save, and you've still got halfway-decent hit points thanks to having d8 or d10 hit dice from your various classes. You might not be wearing armor most of the time, but in truth you're almost never going to be attacked. Meanwhile, you're going to be an ideal scout, with a pet shadow to act as a range-extender, getting into nooks and crannies, passing through walls to tell you whats on the other side of them (before teleporting through yourself) and in pretty much every way being so mobile and untouchable that it will give the GM fits.
Sweet Spot: The sweet spot for this build is NOT after it gets shadow pounce. That might be a nice boost to combat power, but just like Shadowdancer is not a class built around combat, this build is not solely focused on combat capability. Despite that, a 9th level character following this build is still a force to be reckoned with. First, you're just about the stealthiest being in existence. You're a scout, a sneak, a snoop, and when necessary an assassin, but most importantly you're the most effective burglar that's ever lived. You never bothered to learn to pick locks because you don't need to open doors - if you want to get into a building, you go up to the wall, send your shadow through, have him tell you about any furniture that might be in the way, and teleport through. Wards against teleporting? Sneak in. Everything is locked? Chimes of openning. Basically, there's no vault or palace or dungeon so secure that you can't (literally) waltz in and out, and be virtually guarenteed of not being found (without GM fiat to the contrary). In combat, you've got your shadow dealing strength damage, you'll be using it to flank when you're not invisible or striking from the shadows or otherwise being sneaky. And you've got dex to both damage and attack, plus skirmish damage, with several weapons that you've got weapon focus with, including your bare hands. Basically, you can out-killer-gnome the killer gnome when you want to.
11-14: OK, it may not be terribly unexpected, but Shadowdancer and Shadowlord go together like coco-powder and sugar. If you aren't shadow-pouncing, then you've got no business taking more than 2 levels of Shadowdancer. Do I have to mention how every class feature of the shadowlord is complementary to the shadowdancer, how the handful of spells you get are among the most generally useful in the game, and especially how you will be extensively using wands/scrolls of them, or even about how it's got one of the best class skill lists of any class ever? Basically, this is a perfect match, and despite the 3 feat tax to get in (one of which is assassin's stance and well worth the expenditure) there is no other class or mix of classes that really extends and enhances the Shadowdancer quite so well.
15-20: And now we finish out shadowdancer. We go back to that prestige class for two important reasons: more shadow jump (which gets us more pouncing) and more HD for our killer shadow. Now that we have shadow pounce, we will be doing three things with our turns: moving, using our swift action to concentrate on Shadow Illusion, and holding our action to teleport. We might also be ordering our shadow minion around, but that's usually a free action. Why are we always holding our action? Because we always get a full-attack after that teleport, and more importantly, we can use our full attack to interrupt someone else's action. Is there a mage on the other side of the room who's about to cast a save-or-die spell? Teleport next to him and hack him to pieces (go ahead, make that diff 50 concentration check mister mage! No? Well, there goes that spell!). Is there a barbarian charging at you? Teleport behind him and slice him to pieces even as he's running away from you. Is your friend in trouble? Teleport in and put down one of the enemies that's attacking him. You may not be able to do all of these all the time, but in general you should be able to predict what's going to happen in the following round well enough that you can state: I'm going to hold my action until X - and be sure that X is going to happen before your turn comes up, teleport as soon as X happens, and deal serious damage while confounding anyone who was trying to finally take a swing at you.

Build notes:

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Yes, I made a shadow pouncer. It may not be the most original, but I believe that it's the perfect example of what a Shadowdancer should be. The shadow pouncing isn't even the primary point of the build, it's just used to greatly enhance the shadow jump class feature (which would otherwise be completely overshadowed by a single feat available to any character of 6th level: Martial Study (Shadow Jaunt)). This build is, essentially, the absolute quintessential Shadowdancer, who I see as a gentleman-rogue with a very black and white attitude towards life, yet who still lives his life in the grey area.

I decided to use retraining from PHB2 as a standard part of this build because the Primary Contact feat is nearly useless after its very timely bonus rank of hide. I wait until I can legally buy myself up to 11 ranks in hide, just so the GM cannot quibble that I'm not entitled to progress in Shadowdancer. If your GM does not allow retraining, then you'll be stuck having 2 users/month of the Favored (Criminal Organization) special feature, and you'll have to bump all of your feats up (elusive target is probably the least necessary to the build).

Despite having bonus feats from both Monk and Fighter, this build is feat-starved. If you can get flaws, take them. Adaptive style and Shadow Blade should absolutely be taken at 1st level if possible. There are a number of feats you could use to replace them with, but the best choices probably involve Extra Readied Maneuver and Martial Study for a higher level maneuver that isn't a teleport.

If you can get LA Buyoff, you might considder getting the Shadowlord template despite not needing it for entry, because it is really a very good template.

Equipment, etc.:

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His needs are few and easily managed. He wears gloves with the highest affordable dex bonus he can get. He always carries a chime of openning. He wields an adamantine siangham, enchanted with elemental damage (cold or sonic) and then the speed enhancement. An Anklet of Translocation is also an excellent bargain. The rest of his gear provides him bonuses to his stealth, sneak attack, and if you can find it the option of dealing strength damage.
However, some of his gear is most certainly not standard. One of the keys to the shadowdancer class is the presence of shadows - and if they are not present, it behooves you to create them (preferably in large quantities all over the place). Now, while the precise definition of what could constitute a shadow might be argued at some length, the simplest way to ensure that shadows are present is by doing 2 things - creating the brightest light source in the area, then blocking off large portions or it (preferably in moving patterns). And you want to be able to do this is a move action, if possible.
Grabbing something off of your belt is a move action, as is dropping it. And the continual flame spell is a cheap source of light. If one were to take a pebble, and have continual flame cast upon it, then have that pebble dipped in glass until you've doubled it in size, then paint thick black lines over that glass, you would have a nearly disposable (and yet permanent and thus recoverable) item that provides instant shadows with a move action. They would cost little more than a casting of Continual Flame (70 gp, including material component), keep 10 on hand.
If there is already too much light and you don't want to use your shadow illusion, keep an eversmoking bottle on hand, as well as some smoke grenades. Smoke will block all sorts of light and turn a sunny day into a shadowy landscape.
Flash grenades, daylight scrolls, and other sources of bright light are also your friend - because you can fight while blinded, but also because your illusions can cast shadow even in the brightest of light.
If all else fails, keep a bag of caltrops handy - no matter how brightly lit a room is, caltrops will cast shadows on the ground - after all, your powers do not specify how much shadow you need to hide (and if it were 'shadowy illumination' then you'd be able to hide without the hide in plain sight class feature!)

Sources:

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Strongheart Halfling - Races of Faerun
Halfling Monk - Races of the Wild
Swordsage, Maneuvers, Shadow Blade, Martial Study, Martial Stance, Adaptive style - Tome of Battle
Favored, Primary Contact - Cityscape
Invisible Fist (Monk alternate class feature) - Exemplars of Evil
Skill Tricks - Complete Scoundrel
Retraining - Player's Handbook 2
Telflammar Shadowlord - Unapproachable East
Elusive Target - Complete Warrior
Cobra Strike Monk ACF - Unearthed Arcana

[Amphetryon]

Shadows and dust. . . .

Sandamir – The Hunger in the Shadows

Human (Gravetouched Ghoul) – Chaotic Evil – Battledancer 2 \ Swordsage 2 \ Paladin of Slaughter 4 \ Shadowdancer 10

Backstory

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Sandamir grew up an orphan in a large town in the middle of noplace. She was a product of the city’s criminal population and quickly learned that she had to be both vicious and talented to survive. Quite the street thug, she made her living dancing… provocatively… for whomever would pay her for it, and then trying to avoid the worst consequences afterward. The merchants and so called “nobles” who gave up coins for her services were contemptible and weak, their wealth being their only real asset.

In the winter of her 17th year, a large orc horde besieged the town. Faced with starvation, death, and destruction, the town leaders struck an accord with the orcs, handing over much food, loot, and slaves in return for being left in peace. This is just the sort of action from the wealthy that Sandamir found so pitiful, so when the press gangs swept the town to round up enough lowlifes to fill the slave wagons, Sandamir just… volunteered. Walked right up to them and handed herself in.

The orcs at least were strong. And their vicious “I have strength, I will take it” appealed to her upbringing, and their habit of dining upon their weaker captives didn’t repulse her in the slightest. Sandamir soon began dancing for their leaders, and found herself one of the personal playthings of a great chieftain. In addition to bearing three children, she embraced the orcish way of life, and apprenticed (ingratiated) herself to the clan’s priestess. It was in the worship of Luthic, the orc goddess of fertility and feminism, that she finally found her path. The goddess empowered Sandamir, helped her to prosper, and in return she played the role of vengeful matron, healer, and clan enforcer.

But all bad things must come to an end, and Sandamir was no exception. While most of the clan was away on a raid, a necromancer and his band of companions came looking for treasure. Backed by his sorcery, warriors sacked the clan hold, slaying all within and carrying off their valuables and a few choice corpses for “raw material”. Sandamir had led the countercharge at the beginning of the battle, but was struck down by enervating magic and died upon the field.

But her goddess was unwilling to let her go. Perhaps it was the necromancy that felled her, perhaps it was the belly full of human flesh from her last meal, perhaps it was the hand of some ghoulish spirit or even Luthic herself, but Sandamir awoke the next night, knowing a brand new hunger for flesh. Devouring the bodies of her former clan members, she lurked in that place for weeks until the Cheiftain returned and she told him what had transpired. She then helped them track down and exact revenge on the band that killed their kin, striking from the shadows and vanishing again, leaving paralyzed victims in her wake to be hacked apart by her orcish masters.

She still dances for the Cheiftain and his sons to this day, she entertains those bold enough to visit with him, and she dances in the nearby towns as a spy on the lookout for any who would come to harm her clan again. If those she dances for are strong, they may sate their appetites on the pleasures she can provide. But if those she dances for are weak, it is she who sates her appetite upon them, the Hunger in the Shadows.

The Build

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{table=head]Level|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA
lvl 1|14|16|8|14|8|16 – 32 point buy
lvl 4|14|16|8|14|8|17
lvl 8|14|16|8|14|8|18
lvl 10|16|20|-|16|12|20 - +2LA template
lvl 14|16|20|-|16|12|21
lvl 18|16|20|-|16|12|22 [/table]
{table=head]Level|Class|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st| Battle Dancer 1|

+1

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

| Balance 4, Escape Artist 4, Hide 4, Listen 4, Move Silently 4, Perform (Dance) 4, Tumble 4| Dodge, Mobility| AC Bonus (CHA), Unarmed Strike (1d6)

2nd| Paladin of Slaughter 1|

+2

|

+2

|

+2

|

+0

| Balance 4, Escape Artist 4, Hide 4, Intimidate 5, Listen 4, Move Silently 4, Perform (Dance) 4, Tumble 4|-| Aura of Evil, Detect Good, Smite Good (1/day)

3rd| Paladin of Slaughter 2|

+3

|

+3

|

+2

|

+0

| Balance 4, Escape Artist 4, Heal 5, Hide 4, Intimidate 6, Listen 4, Move Silently 4, Perform (Dance) 4, Tumble 4|Combat Reflexes| Divine Grace, Deadly Touch
4th| Paladin of Slaughter 3|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

| Balance 4, Escape Artist 5, Heal 5, Hide 4, Intimidate 7, Listen 4, Move Silently 4, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 4|-| Debilitating Aura, Divine Health

5th| Paladin of Slaughter 4|

+5

|

+4

|

+3

|

+1

| Balance 4, Escape Artist 5, Heal 5, Hide 4, Intimidate 8, Listen 5, Move Silently 4, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 5|Extra Smiting| Rebuke Undead, (un)Holy Warrior (replace spellcasting with bonus feat)

6th| Swordsage 1|

+5

|

+4

|

+5

|

+3

| Balance 4, Escape Artist 5, Heal 5, Hide 8, Intimidate 9, Listen 5, Move Silently 8, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 5| Healing Devotion | Quick to Act (+1), Discipline Focus (Weapon Focus), initiator level 3
7th| Battle Dancer 2|

+6

|

+4

|

+6

|

+3

| Balance 4, Escape Artist 5, Heal 5, Hide 9, Intimidate 9, Listen 5, Move Silently 9, Perform (Dance) 10, Tumble 5|-| Battle Dancer’s Performance (Reckless Bravery)

8th| Swordsage 2|

+7

|

+4

|

+7

|

+4

| Balance 4, Escape Artist 5, Heal 5, Hide 11, Intimidate 11, Listen 8, Move Silently 11, Perform (Dance) 10, Tumble 5|-| AC Bonus (WIS) (see Notes below), initiator level 5

9th| template
10th| template|

-

|

-

|

-

|

-

| -|Multiattack| Gravetouched Ghoul template, Type (Undead), +2 NA, Bite 1d6, Claw 1d4, Ghoul Fever (10+1/2HD+CHA), Paralysis (10+1/2HD+CHA), +2 Turn Resist, Diet Dependent (flesh)

11th| Shadowdancer 1|

+7

|

+4

|

+9

|

+4

| Balance 4, Escape Artist 8, Heal 5, Hide 12, Intimidate 11, Listen 8, Move Silently 12, Perform (Dance) 12, Tumble 8|Spring Attack| Hide in plain sight

12th| Shadowdancer 2|

+8

|

+4

|

+10

|

+4

| Balance 5, Escape Artist 11, Heal 5, Hide 13, Intimidate 11, Listen 8, Move Silently 13, Perform (Dance) 13, Tumble 11 |-| Evasion, darkvision, uncanny dodge

13th| Shadowdancer 3|

+9

|

+5

|

+10

|

+5

| Balance 6, Escape Artist 14, Heal 5, Hide 14, Intimidate 11, Listen 8, Move Silently 14, Perform (Dance) 14, Tumble 14|-| Shadow illusion, summon shadow

14th| Shadowdancer 4|

+10

|

+5

|

+11

|

+5

| Balance 9, Escape Artist 15, Heal 5, Hide 15, Intimidate 11, Listen 10, Move Silently 15, Perform (Dance) 15, Tumble 15|Ability Focus (Paralysis)| Shadow jump 20 ft.

15th| Shadowdancer 5|

+10

|

+5

|

+11

|

+5

| Balance 12, Escape Artist 16, Heal 5, Hide 16, Intimidate 11, Listen 12, Move Silently 16, Perform (Dance) 16, Tumble 16|-| Defensive roll, improved uncanny dodge

16th| Shadowdancer 6|

+11

|

+6

|

+12

|

+6

| Balance 15, Escape Artist 17, Heal 5, Hide 17, Intimidate 11, Listen 14, Move Silently 17, Perform (Dance) 17, Tumble 17|-| Shadow jump 40 ft., summon shadow

17th| Shadowdancer 7|

+12

|

+6

|

+12

|

+6

| Balance 18, Escape Artist 18, Heal 5, Hide 18, Intimidate 11, Listen 16, Move Silently 18, Perform (Dance) 18, Tumble 18|Robilar’s Gambit| Slippery mind

18th| Shadowdancer 8|

+13

|

+6

|

+13

|

+6

| Balance 19, Escape Artist 19, Heal 5, Hide 19, Intimidate 11, Listen 18, Move Silently 19, Perform (Dance) 19, Search 2, Tumble 19 |-| Shadow jump 80 ft.

19th| Shadowdancer 9|

+13

|

+7

|

+13

|

+7

| Balance 20, Escape Artist 20, Heal 5, Hide 20, Intimidate 11, Listen 20, Move Silently 20, Perform (Dance) 20, Search 4, Tumble 20 |-| Summon shadow

20th| Shadowdancer 10|

+14

|

+7

|

+14

|

+7

| Balance 21, Escape Artist 21, Heal 5, Hide 21, Intimidate 11, Listen 21, Move Silently 21, Perform (Dance) 21, Search 7, Tumble 21|Improved Paralysis| Shadow jump 160 ft., improved evasion [/table]

Maneuvers

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{table=head]Level 6|Level 8
Child of Shadow (St)|Assassin’s Stance (St)
Cloak of Deception|Feigned Opening
Shadow Blade Technique|-
Drain Vitality|-
Clever Positioning|-
Emerald Razor|-
Sapphire Nightmare Blade|
-|-
Initiator Level 3|Initiator Level 5[/table]

Level Highlights

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Level 6– At level 6, Sandamir is a skirmisher who isn’t afraid to get stuck into combat. She has concealment as long as she moves and can disappear if needed, has 3 uses of smite per day powered by an awesome charisma bonus, has both Emerald Razor and Shadow Blade Technique to make sure those smites don’t miss, and her worship of Luthic allows her to fire off 7 or more charges of Fast Healing each day on herself or one of her clan. Her one shortcoming is armor class, but concealment offsets this slightly.

Level 11 – Having risen from the dead by a combination of necromancy and divine will, Sandamir has her first level of Shadowdancer and a strong Paralysis attack. She will fade in, use spring attack to claw someone to force a saving throw (DC 19 plus equipment, net of 23), and complete her move someplace where she can hide again. Smite and martial maneuvers make it so she is unlikely to miss and has extra methods of disappearing. She has many uses of Fast Healing, and can inflict wounds upon herself with her Deadly Touch ability (28 points or so). She has everything her concept needs at this point, and the following levels just make her stronger.

Level 17 – Sweet Spot – Sandamir is truly fearsome at this level. Her paralysis DC is up to 29 or so, and she has a shadow companion who can scout for her (see Comments and Options below). Her tactic now is to spring into the midst of a group and stop, paralyze one of them and provoke attacks of opportunity, which activates her Robilar’s Gambit and allowing her to attempt to paralyze everyone. (She has a martial maneuver to provoke attacks of opportunity, but much prefers to coup de grace a paralyzed opponent, which provokes all the allies that might save said helpless target.) If she does get truly hampered, she can use a defensive roll, disappear even when there are no shadows around, and activate one of a dozen uses of Fast Healing to recover while she hides.

Level 20 – At the apex of her career, Sandamir has 18 class levels now (thanks to her +2 LA template) and a Paralysis DC of 34. Smites and martial maneuvers help guarantee that she’ll hit on that first surprise attack, and her use of Robilar’s Gambit to paralyze multiple opponents per round is even more effective.

Equipment Needs

Spoiler

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Sandamir relies on natural attacks, wears no armor, and often has 20% concealment. Plus, those natural attacks primarily deal their damage by forcing a Fort save. Any item that adds a hit/damage bonus to natural attacks or that adds an AC bonus is fine, but it’s stat boost items that she needs, particularly charisma. There are three specific items that she needs, though the build works fine without them.

Cloak of Charisma +6 – adds to Paralysis DC, armor class, and skills
Veil of Allure - increases her Paralysis DC by 2. Between that and a +6 cha item, she tops out at a Paralysis DC of 34 by the end of the build.
Hat of Disguise – once she becomes a ghoul, this item keeps her true nature hidden from most onlookers until she chooses to reveal it.

Comments and Options

Spoiler

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An Undead Shadowdancer – It’s kind of a natural concept to start with, an evil soul lurking in the shadows, striking and disappearing again, and Shadowdancer does few concepts better. In this case, the character is a ghoul and works off strike, paralyze, and fade. A high DC for paralysis powers this, plus martial maneuvers to make the hit easier and to provoke attacks of opportunity.

With an Undead Shadow Companion – With it’s limited hit dice, what do you do with the shadow companion? Scouting. It hides, it’s incorporeal, it flies, it has Listen and Spot, and has racial bonuses to same. Hook it up with the feats Lifesense (Libris Mortis) and [b]Quick Reconnoiter[b] (Complete Adventurer) and add skill points to those skills, and it becomes even better at darting out of a wall, checking things out, and darting in again.

A note on Swordsage – I haven’t developed the wisdom stat to make use of the Wis bonus to AC on the assumption that it does not stack with the CHA bonus to AC provided by Battle Dancer. This also lets me shed Wis as a stat altogether and trade in the Paladin casting for the Extra Smiting feat. If your DM rules that they DO stack, then an option for this build is to reduce DEX by two points and raise WIS by 4 (resulting in 12 WIS at early levels and 16 after level 8, plus equipment), and trade the Extra Smiting feat back for Paladin spellcasting.

Gravetouched Ghoul – while normal ghouls are created via disease, a gravetouched ghoul is or can be a spontaneous divine (or epic whomever) act, “gifted” on someone of exceptional debauchery who savored the taste of sentient creatures. As such, even someone with the Divine Health ability might be cursed by it. And in our backstory, that’s exactly what has happened. I have elected not to use LA buyoff rules on an acquired template. (Were I to do so, two more levels in Swordsage would result.)

On Luthic – Luthic happens to be the only diety who accepts a chaotic evil worshipper that also offers the Healing Domain. And Healing Devotion is important to the character’s survivability, allowing her to disappear for a minute or two and recover considerable vitality, and being fast healing rather than positive energy, it works fine on the undead.

Use of Special Ingredient

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This section details how exactly this build advances each of the Shadowdancer’s special abilities, rather than just having them on the c-sheet.

Hide in Plain Sight is used for ambush fighting and hiding between attacks as well as granting time to use fast healing between engagements.

Shadow Illusion is used as a lure. Place an image of something that might attract the attention of her targets in place, and then attack from the shadows from a different direction.

Summon Shadow is used as a scout, as noted above. Maximized spot and listen and two feats that maximize that make it even more useful.

Shadow Jump and Defensive Roll are another abilities used to retreat or relocate from a fight gone wrong. Disappear and spend time with fast healing or Deadly Touch (for the negative energy healing), then come back for more.

Slippery Mind more than soaks up anything that Sandamir isn’t otherwise immune to as an undead creature.

Evasion, Uncanny Dodge and their improved versions are useful as ever to a melee combatant, but are not otherwise expanded, while Darkvision is actually redundant as the character has it before adopting the prestige class.

Source Books

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{table=head]Sourcebook|Class/Race|Feats
Complete Champion|Holy Warrior ACF|Healing Devotion
Dragon Magazine Compendium|Battle Dancer|-
Dungeon Master’s Guide|Shadowdancer|-
Libris Mortis|Gravetouched Ghoul|Improved Paralysis
Monster Manual I|-|Ability Focus
Player’s Handbook|-| Dodge, Mobility, Combat Reflexes, Spring Attack
Player’s Handbook 2|-|Robilar’s Gambit
Tome of Battle|Swordsage|-
Unearthed Arcana|Paladin of Slaughter|- [/table]

[Amphetryon]

Shadows look like anything, depending on your perspective. . . .

Ensis Tenebra, Sword in the Shadows
Most people think that shadows only follow, precede or surround beings or objects. The truth is that they also surround words, ideas, desires, deeds, impulses and memories...

The Build...

Take hope from the heart of a man and you make him a beast of prey.

Spoiler

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Neutral Evil Human Male -- 14, 15, 10, 14, 16, 8 (32 Point Buy)
(4th Level Stat to Dex [16], 8th to Int [15], 12th to Int [16], 16th to Wis [17], 20th to Wis [18])
(* - Indicates a skill that can't be increased beyond maximum Cross Class)

{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Ninja|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|Balance 4, Bluff 4, Disguise 4, Hide 4, Jump 4, Move Silently 4, *Perform (Dance) 2, Sense Motive 4, *Spellcraft 2, Tumble 4|Able Learner, Combat Reflexes|Ki Power, Sudden Strike +1d6, Trapfinding

2nd|Ninja|

+1

|

+0

|

+3

|

+0

|Balance 5, Bluff 5, Disguise 5, Hide 5, Jump 5, Move Silently 5, Sense Motive 5, Tumble 5, *Spellcraft 1||Ghost Step (Invisible)

3rd|Duskblade|

+2

|

+2

|

+3

|

+2

|Bluff 6, Disguise 6, Hide 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 2|Expeditious Dodge|Arcane Attunement, Armored Mage (Light)

4th|Duskblade|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|Bluff 7, Disguise 7, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Spellcraft 3|Combat Casting (Bonus Feat)|

5th|Duskblade|

+4

|

+3

|

+4

|

+3

|Bluff 8, Disguise 8, Hide 8, Move Silently 8, Spellcraft 4||Arcane Channeling

6th|Chameleon|

+4

|

+3

|

+4

|

+3

|Bluff 9, Disguise 9, Hide 9, Move Silently 9, Tumble 8|Mobility|Aptitude Focus 1/day (+2)

7th|Chameleon|

+5

|

+3

|

+4

|

+3

|Bluff 10, Disguise 10, Hide 10, Move Silently 10, *Perform (Dance) 3, Tumble 10|Staggering Strike (Bonus Feat)|Changeable Bonus Feat

8th|Chameleon|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+5

|

+4

|Bluff 11, Disguise 11, Hide 11, Move Silently 11, *Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 11||Mimic Class Feature 1/Day

9th|Chameleon|

+7/+2

|

+4

|

+5

|

+4

|Bluff 12, Disguise 12, Hide 12, Move Silently 12, Tumble 12, Skill Trick -- Shroud Dance|Craven|Ability Boon +2

10th|Chameleon|

+7/+2

|

+4

|

+5

|

+4

|Bluff 13, Disguise 13, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Tumble 13, Skill Trick -- Acrobatic Backstab||Aptitude Focus 2/day (+4)

11th|Chameleon|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+6

|

+5

|Bluff 14, Disguise 14, Hide 14, Move Silently 14, Tumble 14, Skill Trick -- Second Impression||Mimic Class Feature 2/day

12th|Chameleon|

+9/+4

|

+5

|

+6

|

+5

|Bluff 15, Disguise 15, Hide 15, Move Silently 15, Tumble 15, Use Magic Device 2|Arcane Strike|Ability Boon +4, Double Aptitude

13th|Shadowdancer|

+9/+4

|

+5

|

+8

|

+5

|Bluff 16, Disguise 16, Hide 16, Move Silently 16, Tumble 16, Use Magic Device 6||Hide in Plain Sight

14th|Shadowdancer|

+10/+5

|

+5

|

+9

|

+5

|Bluff 17, Disguise 17, Hide 17, Move Silently 17, Tumble 17, Use Magic Device 10||Evasion, Darkvision, Uncanny Dodge

15th|Shadowdancer|

+11/+6/+1

|

+6

|

+9

|

+6

|Bluff 18, Disguise 18, Hide 18, Move Silently 18, Tumble 18, Use Magic Device 14|Evasive Reflexes|Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow

16th|Shadowdancer|

+12/+7/+2

|

+6

|

+10

|

+6

|Bluff 19, Disguise 19, Hide 19, Move Silently 19, Tumble 19, Use Magic Device 18||Shadow Jump 20'

17th|Shadowdancer|

+12/+7/+2

|

+6

|

+10

|

+6

|Bluff 20, Disguise 20, Hide 20, Move Silently 20, Tumble 20, Use Magic Device 20, Skill Trick -- Timely Misdirection||Defensive Roll, Improved Uncanny Dodge

18th|Shadowdancer|

+13/+8/+3

|

+7

|

+11

|

+7

|Bluff 21, Disguise 21, Hide 21, Move Silently 21, Spot 3, Tumble 21, Use Magic Device 21|Robilar's Gambit|Shadow Jump 40', Summon Shadow

19th|Shadowdancer|

+14/+9/+4

|

+7

|

+11

|

+7

|Bluff 22, Disguise 22, Hide 22, Move Silently 22, Spot 6, Tumble 22, Use Magic Device 22||Slippery Mind

20th|Shadowdancer|

+15/+10/+5

|

+7

|

+12

|

+7

|Bluff 23, Disguise 23, Hide 23, Move Silently 23, Spot 9, Tumble 23, Use Magic Device 23||Shadow Jump 80'[/table]

Spells Per Day
(Includes Duskblade and Chameleon Spellcasting expressed in a format of X/X, where the first number is Duskblade and the second is Chameleon. When Chameleon reaches 7th level, this is then expressed as X/X+X, where the third number is the additional spells from Double Aptitude. Obviously, we lose the Chameleon spells if we're not in the right Aptitude modes. This doesn't include Bonus Spells.)

{table=head]Level|0th|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th

1st|-|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|-|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|3/-|2/-|-|-|-|-
4th|4/-|3/-|-|-|-|-
5th|5/-|4/-|-|-|-|-
6th|5/4|4/2|-/0|-|-|-
7th|5/4|4/3|-/1|-|-|-
8th|5/4|4/3|-/2|-/0|-|-
9th|5/4|4/4|-/3|-/1|-|-
10th|5/4|4/4|-/3|-/2|-/0|-
11th|5/4|4/4|-/4|-/3|-/1|-
12th|5/4+4|4/4+4|-/4+4|-/4+4|-/2+2|-/0+0
13th|5/4+4|4/4+4|-/4+4|-/4+4|-/2+2|-/0+0
14th|5/4+4|4/4+4|-/4+4|-/4+4|-/2+2|-/0+0
15th|5/4+4|4/4+4|-/4+4|-/4+4|-/2+2|-/0+0
16th|5/4+4|4/4+4|-/4+4|-/4+4|-/2+2|-/0+0
17th|5/4+4|4/4+4|-/4+4|-/4+4|-/2+2|-/0+0
18th|5/4+4|4/4+4|-/4+4|-/4+4|-/2+2|-/0+0
19th|5/4+4|4/4+4|-/4+4|-/4+4|-/2+2|-/0+0
20th|5/4+4|4/4+4|-/4+4|-/4+4|-/2+2|-/0+0[/table]

The Explanation...

Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows,
the light and dark which that thing provides.

Spoiler

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I would first like to state that I've always loved the Shadowdancer class. When I started playing 3.5 D&D, it was one of the first Prestige Classes that I built my character around getting into because I thought the flavor was sooooo awesome. Attempting to get into it as early as possible is probably what started me on the road to becoming an optimizer. The game ended early, so I never got to play it and I moved on to other things without ever coming back to it.

Thank Pelor that happened! This class is horrid. Now I long for the time before this challenge when I could look upon this class with nostalgic bliss and think of how cool it sounded. Now I can't taste icecream...

Overall
The build as a whole is supposed to represent a skilled assassin who has picked up a lot of tricks along as the years have gone by. The cap-off levels, which are prettymuch just Shadowdancer, represent him finally learning to bend the very shadows to his will.

Synergy was the name of the game when I put the build together. Regardless of what the build would do (and it took a lot of time to lock this down), I wanted it to have everything interlock in such a way that we could pull off a wide range of tricks with each part's abilities.

The build can't do some things very well (social interaction really sucks), but it does one thing exceptionally well: Battlefield Control. We start this as soon as we get spells and don't stop.

1st-5th
I've always liked Ninja because it's a solid, but not overpowered class. I thought it would be a cool entry into the build, although I'm not sure it's altogether unexpected.

The class's abilities are a boon to the rest of the build: Sudden Strike will allow some nice tricks later while giving us some minor damage boosting in these low levels, WIS to AC is awesome because we're fighting in the nude, and Ghost Step is all sorts of nasty when a build is going to Hide and then try to whack you in the face (Flat-Footed for the WIN!)...

Able Learner is there to maximize our skill points across the build and to qualify for Chameleon at a later time, while Combat Reflexes is there to get the odd second Attack of Opportunity and provide building blocks for later levels.

2nd level is packed with ranks in throw-away skills (Like Jump, Balance, Sense Motive) just to pick up some nice Synergy Bonuses for some more giggles.

The fun really begins with Duskblade at 3rd-5th. These are the Duskblade spells I'd take. We might get to know more, but honestly these are the important ones (Pick the rest as you like):

0th - Acid Splash, Touch of Fatigue
1st - Swift Expeditious Retreat, Shocking Grasp (Taken when we reach 4th Level), Truestrike

The spell Swift Expeditious Retreat allows us to effectively double our movement at the outset of combat, which works well with the Expeditious Dodge feat we're picking up at 3rd.

Shocking Grasp is probably going to be our go-to spell at 5th, and will be one of our nicer damage dealers when we stack it on with Sudden Strike + Ghost Step.

6th-10th
We get into the fantastic Chameleon class at the beginning of this part of the build, and we stay in it all the way until 10th.

The idea here is to pick up tricks we can use with the Shadowdancer later on, and to add some of the power to our build via a somewhat cheesy Aptitude Focus trick (We'll get to that).

The build takes the Mobility feat to start. While this is mostly to meet the requirements of Shadowdancer, it's useful in conjunction with Swift Expeditious Retreat to rush past front-line enemies and attack their squishy casters.

We can grab the Staggering Strike feat through Chameleon at 7th. This allows us to force a Fort Save on anyone who takes our Sneak Attack damage (Sudden Strike counts as Sneak Attack for purposes of ALL feats and ALL abilities) equal to damage dealt. Failure means target is Staggered (This status means they can only make a Move or Standard Action, not both).

The best part of the Chameleon's Bonus Feat, though, is that it allows us to swap it every day. So we can grab something like Stand Still or Mage Slayer if we need a little Battlefield Control.

Craven is just going to add more damage to our Sudden Strikes so that our Staggering Strike DC's are higher.

The other two abilities we're getting from Chameleon, Mimic Class Feature and Ability Boon, are also going to likely be used for increasing our damage. Mimic allows us to get more Sneak Attack dice, and the Boon allows us to increase our Strength for more weapon damage.

The trick I talked about? Well, we're going to cherry pick the lowest level powerful spells off of any Arcane or Divine list we want. The class features themselves say we can do this, so it's not even a shady rules interpretation!

Here's what I'd take in the Spell Levels we will have available to us over the course of these levels. The bold ones are the ones we want as soon as possible, and the underlined ones are the ones we want to prep most of the time:

Arcane Focus:
0th - Prestidigitation, Detect Magic
1st - Haste, Gaseous Form, Expeditious Retreat, Colorspray
2nd - Glitterdust, Heroics, Lesser Celerity, Wracking Touch
3rd - Vampiric Touch, Bestow Curse, Fly
4th - Celerity

Divine Focus:
0th - Create Water, Read Magic
1st - Camouflage, Entangle, Command
2nd - Hold Person, Invisibility
3rd - Bestow Curse, Infestation of Maggots
4th - Divine Power

We're probably going to stick to Arcane Focus most of the time, especially at the lower levels. Once we can get 3rd and 4th level spells, Divine Focus becomes a little sweeter, but still probably not better than Arcane Focus.

Most of these are pretty self explanatory, I think, but my favorite three are Heroics, Celerity and Wracking Touch.

Heroics, if you didn't know already, allows us to add one Fighter Bonus Feat to our character for the duration of the spell. We can use this to grab Power Attack if we want more damage, Blind-Fight if we need to face invisible things, and a whole slew of other standalone feats.

It's best use, though, is with the Chameleon's changeable Bonus Feat... That allows us to change our build's main trick every single day (So if the DM decides to counter one trick, you chose another!). For example: Take Combat Expertise at the beginning of the day instead of Staggering Strike, then get Improved Trip with Heroics. Or we could Take Power Attack and then use Heroics to get Reckless Offensive.

Wracking Touch allows us to Sneak Attack or Sudden Strike our opponent even if he isn't Flat-Footed, and we can do it through our sword! That's nice for when we can't Hide or go invisible.

The Celerity line of spells is just broken, cheestastic fun... The one at fourth level would allow us to Arcane Channel + Attack x 2 in one round. That's awesome!

The Skill Tricks here are just for laughs, but they're kind of cool. Shroud Dance allows us to spend a Move Action to gain Concealment for a round (Which is great if we're not moving because we're going to Arcane Channel anyway!). Acrobatic Backstab allows us to move through an opponent's square and attack them as though they are Flat-Footed (Also great because it uses the Move Action might be wasting because we Channel!).

11th-15th
We grab the final two levels of Chameleon here and start our trek through Shadowdancer.

Ability Boon and Mimic Class Feature get some boosts here, which is good, but the real gem is the Double Aptitude Focus we get at 12th level. That effectively doubles all of our Chameleon spells.

Since we have a lot of low level spells to burn, I decided to tack Arcane Strike on the build (The extra damage and to-hit is cute if your Dungeon Master rules that you can only use the feat once a round, but it's scare as hell if he allows you to burn a chunk of spells all at one time. Either way, it helps).

We may also get Bonus Spells for our Divine Focus if our WIS is high enough. If that's the case, I'd just take Slay Living. It's a Save-or-Die we can use with out Channeling, so go figure (Yes, we can do Divine spells through Arcane Channeling. The ability specifically says ANY Touch range spell you know and doesn't state it has to be Arcane).

Hide in Plain Sight is just sick, wrong, and awesome! We're going to use in conjunction with Camouflage to have a place to Hide after attacks. Alternately we, we can use it to Hide at the outset of combat. Due to the wording, we can actually Hide in our opponents' own shadows, which is cool!

Shadow Illusion will simply be used in conjunction with Ghost Step to make opponents think we teleported or moved away.

Summon Shadow will simply be used to give us a flanker. It is fragile, and losing it would suck due to the XP loss, but ideally we're going to use some of our WBL to increase its defense. If we can replace the feats, we'd grab Combat Reflexes and Vexing Flanker (Other than that it'd be a standard Shadow, so I won't stat it out here).

We grab Evasive Reflexes near the end of these levels to set up up for my favorite trick of the build in the next level. Yes, that does mean that it doesn't do much at the level we'll be getting it at.

16th-20th
This starts with my favorite trick... Using Heroics to get Robilar's Gambit a few levels before we can grab our final feat. Why do we want Robilar's Gambit? Because we're going to use it in conjunction with Evasive Reflexes to never eat a Full Attack to our face for the rest of our lives. We activate it, they attack, we move. Rise and repeat.

Since we get Robilar's Gambit at 18th, that frees us up to use Heroics for something else again.

Another trick we get in these levels is the combination of Celerity and Shadow Jump. If it looks like combat is about to turn south, or we don't want to stick around a particularly nasty creature, we just do our attack as normal, activate Celerity, then use Shadow Jump to boogie to a safe location.

Other than that, the idea is to just sit back and reap the defensive benefits of being a Shadowdancer: Defensive Roll, Improved Uncanny Dodge, and Slippery Mind. Of these, the Defensive Roll is probably my favorite (Though Slippery Mind is likely the one to save our bacon the most).

Sweet Spot at 13th
The sweet spot is probably when we get our first level of Shadowdancer at 13th and the Hide in Plain Sight ability. The rest of Shadowdancer is a welcome buff to our survivability, but honestly Hide in Plain Sight is the best ability of the entire class.

At this point we're abusing Ghost Step, slinging spells like a champion, swapping feats like fiends, bringing the thunder with Arcane Channeling, and using Hide to get Concealment when we can. Almost everything is online except out final defensive abilities.

The Story...

The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.

Spoiler

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Ensis has always had a knack for dispassionate detachment, and he's always found this fascinating.

In his youngest years, Ensis often found himself breaking certain rules or performing forbidden acts to see just how deep his lack of emotional response was rooted. This started innocently enough; He stole little trinkets or small morsels of food. When that failed to elicit an emotional response, he began to get more and more extreme: He started to kill.

The death of living things, be they beast or man, filled him with a sense of exhilaration and... Lust. Ensis found happiness, or at least enjoyment, in sheer cold-blooded murder. What's more than that, he found it interesting that his reaction was thus, so every kill was treated as a thought experiment.

Of course, Ensis was not stupid. Even as a boy, he knew that wonton murder and destruction would not be something he could sustain forever. His skill set, such as it was, needed to be turned to something more.

Through no small amount of luck, he fell in with an assassin's guild that taught him the ways of the sneak. Natural talent for athletics was honed into acrobatic weapon finesse and skilled stalking. A hidden talent for lying was transformed into silver tongued story weaving and believable disguises.

Eventually, Ensis grew bored of the assassin's guild. He'd always been interested in Arcane magic, and had heard of warriors who had a knack for channeling magic through their blades. After killing his master, who refused to let Ensis leave the guild, he traveled to the land of the elves.

Ensis search high and low, until he found an old elf to teach him the arts of the blade magic channeling for a bit of coin. Because of his veracious apatite for new experiences he learned quickly, but after a time he grew board of this as well. This be blamed on the old elf, whom he murdered in his sleep.

Years of Ensis's life went by, and he drifted around for a time before discovering the College of Broad Horizons. He was able to prove his skill to the masters of the order and gain acceptance to study the ways of he Chameleons. This was something that held his interest longer than his other pursuits, but it was not to be his final destiny.

Ensis made a mistake while practicing some of the more difficult magic the College was teaching him. Through some odd happenstance, he was transported to the Plane of Shadow. The College was able to retrieve him after a time, but what he saw there scarred him forever and turned him into a coward. Shortly thereafter, he left the College.

Through some odd encounters with old enemies, Ensis learned that his visit to the Plane of Shadow left him with some power over the darkness. Thus he began his travels down the path of the Shadowdancer...

The Equipment...

From the world of darkness I did loose demons and devils in the power of scorpions to torment.

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The equipment list for this build is pretty short, sweet, and to the point. Most of this can be found in the Dungeon Master's Guide or the Player's handbook:

We will start Ensis off with a Shortsword for the first two levels, then switch that out to a Masterwork 2-Hander as quick as possible (Greatsword is fine). We want to enchant this with extra To-Hit bonuses and some extra damage via Flaming or Shocking. Spell Storing would be nice as well.

Bracers of Armor would be a welcome addition to the build because we're going to lack in AC due to not wearing armor or carrying a shield.

A couple of Pearls of Power will make us last longer throughout the day, so if we have the gold a few of those would be nice.

Metamagic Rods will give us some extra mileage out of our spells, so picking up some of those for Quicken, Enlarge, or Maximize might be a decent idea.

Finally, we get UMD to some decent levels near the end of the build so some Wands are in order... I really just play this one by ear. Stuff like Fly, Restoration, Remove Disease and the like are what I normally pick up. Of course, if you can swing it then a Wand of Heroics might be nice...

The Sources...

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Complete Adventurer - Ninja, Spells (Trapsmith List), Staggering Strike
Complete Scoundrel - Skill Tricks
Complete Warrior - Arcane Strike
Player's Handbook - Spells
Player's Handbook II - Spells, Duskblade, and Robilar's Gambit
Spell Compendium - Spells
Online - Chameleon
Races of the Wild - Expeditious Dodge
Tome of Battle - Evasive Reflexes
Races of Destiny - Able Learner
Champions of Ruin - Craven

[Amphetryon]

Ichabod is terrified of this guy. . . .

The Story

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Pumpkinhead:ogre
Half ogre and half pumpkin
Orange and quite proud

Lonely, but for plants
Learned their ways: their life and death
Tended to their dead

Saw they died smiling
He cremated their remains
And guarded their grove

One day: a gray beast
Pumpkinhead accepted it
It became his friend

He sought to grow up
Wondered why he wouldn't sprout
Grow round and orange

He then hid his face
Kindled a fire inside
And looked like his friends

Those who trespassed died
But they never saw his face
He guarded the grove

He resides there still
He and his elephant friend
Orange all around

Abilities

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Starting Ability Scores (before racial adjustments)

Str 16 dex 16 con 12 int 14 wis 10 cha 8

After half-ogre racial adjustments:

Str 22 dex 14 con 14 int 12 wis 10 cha 6
(ability points to dex at lvl 4, 8, 12, and 16)

Large
Darkvision
Nat Armor +4
LA+2

The Build

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PUMPKINHEAD
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Martial Rogue|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|Balance 4, Concentration 4, Craft (alchemy) 1, Hide 4, Knowledge (Psionics) 2, Move Silently 4, Perform (dance) 4, Sleight of Hand 4, Spot 3, Tumble 4|Apprentice (Martial Artist), |Bonus Feat (Point Blank Shot), Trapfinding

2nd|Martial Rogue|

+1

|

+0

|

+3

|

+0

|Balance +1 (5), Concentration +1 (5), Hide +1, (5), Listen 3, Move Silently +1 (5), Perform (dance) +1 (5), Tumble +1 (5)| |Spell Reflection, Bonus Feat (Power Attack)

3rd|Fighter|

+2

|

+2

|

+3

|

+0

|Concentration +1 (6), Hide +1 (6), Move Silently +1 (6)|Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Pumpkin)|Bonus Feat (Weapon Focus: Pumpkin)

4th|Fighter|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|

+0

|Concentration +1 (7), Hide +1 (7), Move Silently +1 (7)||Bonus Feat (Combat Reflexes)

5th|Fighter|

+4

|

+3

|

+4

|

+1

|Concentration +1 (8), Hide +1 (8), Move Silently +1 (8)||

6th|Fighter|

+5

|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|Hide +1 (9), Ride 2|Dodge|Bonus Feat (Mobility)

7th|Hulking Hurler|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+6

|

+1

|Hide +1 (10), Ride +2 (4)||Catch Weapon, Really Throw Anything

8th|Shadowdancer|

+6/+1

|

+4

|

+8

|

+1

|Hide +1 (11), Ride +6 (10)||Hide in Plain Sight

9th|Shadowdancer|

+7/+2

|

+4

|

+9

|

+1

|Bluff 2, Hide +1 (12),Move Silently +4 (12)|Wild Talent|Evasion, Darkvision, Uncanny Dodge

10th|Pyrokineticist|

+7/+2

|

+6

|

+11

|

+1

|Bluff +1 (3), Hide +1 (13), Move Silently +1 (13)||Fire Lash

11th|Pyrokineticist|

+8/+3

|

+7

|

+12

|

+1

|Bluff +1 (4), Hide +1 (14), Move Silently +1 (14) ||Fire Adaptation, Hands Afire

12th|Pyrokineticist|

+9/+4

|

+7

|

+12

|

+2

|Bluff +1 (5), Hide +1 (15), Move Silently +1 (15) |Brutal Throw|Bolt of Fire

13th|Pyrokineticist|

+10/+5

|

+8

|

+13

|

+2

|Bluff +1 (6), Hide +1 (16), Move Silently +1 (16)||Weapon Afire

14th|Shadowdancer|

+11/+6/+1

|

+9

|

+13

|

+3

|Disguise 5, Hide +1 (17), Move Silently +1 (17)||Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow

15th|Shadowdancer|

+12/+7/+2

|

+9

|

+14

|

+3

|Hide +1 (18), Move Silently +1 (18)|Far Shot|Shadow Jump (20ft)

16th|Shadowdancer|

+12/+7/+2

|

+9

|

+14

|

+3

|Bluff +2 (8), Disguise +3 (8), Hide +1 (19), Move Silently +1 (19)||Defensive Roll, Improved Uncanny Dodge

17th|Shadowdancer|

+13/+8/+3

|

+10

|

+15

|

+4

|Disguise +5 (13), Hide +1 (20), Move Silently +1 (20)||Shadow Jump (40ft), Summon Shadow

18th|Shadowdancer|

+14/+9/+4

|

+10

|

+15

|

+4

|Disguise +5 (18), Hide +1 (21), Move Silently +1 (21)|Mounted Combat|Slippery Mind [/table]

Level 5:

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At this point, Pumpkinhead functions like a basic fighter because, for the moment, that's what he is. Enjoy wearing heavy armor now at the low levels where it matters, because the hiding required later on will not make the armor check penalty viable, especially considering he already takes a -4 penalty to hide checks for being large. Deal as much damage as you can with your power attack and make as many AoOs as you can enjoying your combat reflexes. The only thing sweeter than multiple AoOs per round is multiple AoOs per round by hitting your opponent in the head with a pumpkin.

Level 10:

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The build is starting to come together now all of the tricks it can do are finally online. With levels of Hulking Hurler, Shadowdancer, and Pyrokineticist under his belt, Pumpkinhead can strike unseen with a thrown pumpkin, his fiery whip, or a fiery fist from the shadows and then disappear. Though the prerequisite ranks in hide for shadow dancer are already taken care of, his large size necessitates maxing ranks in it from now on to keep it a viable option in combat, especially at later levels where opponents' spot checks will keep increasing, so Pumpkinhead's hide and seek skills have to keep up.

Level 13 (sweet spot) :

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This is what the build is all about: throwing flaming pumpkins at the enemy under cover of darkness! Hide in plain sight has always been just about my favorite ability in the game. Combine it with a half-ogre chucking flaming pumpkins at hapless adventurers and it is a mental image far too ridiculous to not be built. That said, due to his assiduous devotion to hide and move silently (which carries no proviso about large size providing a hindrance) his enemies might have a harder time finding him than they might think. Sneak around and use reach to clobber foes, either with a power attack up-close pumpkin or with a ranged pumpkin, or a bolt of fire. Not that the +1 matters very much at this level, but PBS will activate if you keep it up close and personal with enemies within 30 feet of yourself, which works fine with the 10 foot range increment given by Really throw anything, which'll double when Far Shot comes online. Brutal throw is also active now, so you can start using your superior strength to attack with your thrown pumpkins.

Level 15:

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Shadow jump comes online at this level and allows you to control the battlefield even more than you could two levels ago. Rather than think of shadow jump as a limited dimension door, I like to think of it as feet/10 abrupt jaunts. While they're not immediate actions, they can get you out of a tight spot and allow you to make another HiPS attempt. Pumpkinhead is large, and while it is something of a boon when it comes to the amount of enemies he's able to threaten at once when he catches them unawares, especially if they are bunched up, it makes it somewhat difficult to move around the battlefield. Remember, you are large, any square you designate, you can only fit 1/4 of your bulk into it. This can be used to effectively squeeze an "extra" 10 feet out of each use of your shadow jump ability since you can start moving from any square you occupy.

Thanks to the mandatory ranks in concentration from pyrokineticist (that it doesn't use for anything), you can make use of your shadow illusion ability, despite the fact that shadow dancer doesn't give concentration as a class skill. Yay! In the not entirely unlikely event that Pumpkinhead's enemies are able to spot him, an illusion (possibly of a really big pumpkin blocking their line of sight to you) might be just what the doctor ordered

Level 18:

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Unfortunately, due to half-ogre's +2 LA, Pumpkinhead misses out on the last three levels of shadow dancer, but he does stick around long enough to pick up the always-fun slippery mind ability. The inside of his head is slippery now, like the inside of a pumpkin. this'll do a tiny bit to make up for his otherwise embarrassing will save

Use in Play

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While this build does have a few weaknesses (namely his single digit will save), as long as you make it your prerogative to stay hidden, you can soften that blow a little. Many will save spells need LoS or LoE, which the enemy can't draw to you if you are hidden.

Tempting as it is to have a "reduce person" item to counteract the penalty to hide checks, it is best to avoid falling into this trap. As the rules on p16 of Complete Warrior say, if you stop qualifying for a PrC, then you lose the "special" things from it, which in this case, since you would no longer qualify for HH as long as you were medium, which'd take away your "catch weapon" and "really throw anything" abilities, which is in a manner of speaking, the crux of this build.

While this specific rule is the subject of some debate since it doesn't appear in other splatbooks and some people argue it only applies to PrCs in Complete Warrior itself, it's best to err on the side of caution and assume that he doesn't retain class abilities for the duration that he doesn't qualify for the class.

That said, this build excels in hiding and if you are fortunate enough to obtain a mount large enough to ride on (which will be something of a task since it would need to be huge) then you can hide in its shadow while riding it, since you will always be within 10 feet of its shadow while riding it. this can lead to the enemy being pelted with flaming pumpkins while seeing only a seemingly docile creature standing alone in the field. While you may not be able to hide in the traditional sense, you can hide in plain sight.

As long as you can stay out of sight, you should be okay in a fight. While you have a ton of health from all your d10s, you will succumb to save-or-dies rather easily. your dex will help you get more use out of spell reflection both in the number of times per day you can use it and boosting your touch AC which your natural armor, as great as it it, doesn't help with. However, that said, it's not a prudent plan to rely on your enemies using a lot of touch spells against you once they can see you. Despite your rather respectable ranks in disguise, it is still possible that they might see through your ruse and realize you are just a half-ogre wearing a pumpkin on his head. Fire adaptation means you can light a candle inside the pumpkin you are wearing and not have it actually be capable of hurting you.

Once they do this, they'll probably target your poor will save, or you might get lucky with them assuming you do not have class levels and they'll target your beefy reflex save, allowing you to make use of your evasion. As amazing as your fort save is, spells that target fort are comparatively rare and once your adversaries see what they're up against, they probably won't target you with a fort save spell. Ref saves can be your ace in the hole though.

Speaking of aces in the hole, your fire lash can be a surprise to anyone you fight against and makes you a very big annoyance when it comes to battlefield control. remember, it functions like a regular whip, so while it threatens squares 15 feet out, it can also threaten anyone inside that range. combine this with combat reflexes and you can make more AoOs than your enemy can shake a stick at.

Suggested Equipment

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Any str or dex booster helps, but isn't essential due to upping dex each level and a racial bonus to str.

A hat of disguise could make his pumpkin persona more convincing, but it's not essential.

A bag of holding/portable hole could keep a bunch of pumpkins handy and ready for throwing on subsequent rounds.

while heavy armor is best for low levels, once you start with your shadowdancer levels and can actually use hide for something, you ought to switch to a mithral chain shirt. you're already at -4 for being large (although this will be largely cancelled out by dumping points into dex when possible) so you don't need an armor check penalty on top of that.

Adaptation

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If your DM allows flaws and is lenient on the requirements, "Fling Enemy" from Races of stone is a fun option that requires a str of 19, large size and the racial ability to throw rocks which I don't think half-ogres have. If it's allowed, you can stealthily hoist enemies up into the air, set them on fire with weapons afire for bonus 2d6 damage (which does not harm them since they are being thrown as a weapon) and bonk their allies with them. If your DM is strict, this may require EWP (thrown enemies) but HH's "really throw anything" should more or less take care of it since most medium sized enemies are a light load for you, especially if you're able to get a str boosting item.

Fling Ally is fun for similar reasons and might be more useful depending on the party that Pumpkinhead is in, if he is with a monk, for example, that wants to make a flurry of blows full attack and doesn't want to use his move action, so you could throw him.

If throwing flaming pumpkins is less important to you than improved evasion, then you could cut the pyro levels down to 2 and take the extra 2 lvls of shadowdancer. However, this also loses the bolt of fire ability which is a usable-at-will ranged touch attack so it's a great boon against enemies with poor touch ACs, so I wouldn't personally advise it, and that's why I went with 2 more pyro levels over the last 2 of shadowdancer, to give Pumpkinhead more options.

Books Used

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Complete Warrior- Hulking Hurler
PHB- Fighter, Point blank shot, Weapon Focus, Power Attack, Combat Reflexes, Mobility, Dodge, Exotic Weapon Proficiency, Far Shot, Mounted Combat
XPH- Wild Talent, Pyrokineticist
Complete Adventurer- Brutal Throw
Unearthed ArcanaMartial Rogue (a.k.a "feats" rogue),
DMG- Shadowdancer
DMG2-Apprentice (Martial Artist)
Complete Mage- Spell Reflection ACF

[/QUOTE]

[Amphetryon]

Followed BECMI around everywhere, looking for a red box. . . .

Osric the Fallen- NE Human Human Paragon 3/Rogue 3/Totemist 2/Avenging Executioner 2/Shadowdancer 10



The Build

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{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Human Paragon 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|Bluff 4, Hide 4, Intimidate 4, Move Silently 4, Perform: Dance 4, Spot 4, Tumble 4|Jotunbrud, Combat Reflexes|Adaptive Learning: Intimidate

2nd|Human Paragon 2|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

|Bluff 5, Hide 5, Intimidate 5, Move Silently 5, Perform: Dance 5, Spot 5, Tumble 5|Weapon Finesse|-

3rd|Human Paragon 3|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|Bluff 6, Hide 6, Intimidate 6, Move Silently 6, Perform: Dance 6, Spot 6, Tumble 6|Dodge|Ability Boost: Cha +2

4th|Rogue 1|

+2

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|Bluff 7, Escape Artist 1, Listen 1, Hide 7, Intimidate 7, Knowledge: Local 1, Move Silently 7, Perform: Dance 7, Spot 7, Tumble 7|-|Sneak Attack +1d6, Trapfinding

5th|Rogue 2|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+3

|Bluff 8, Escape Artist 2, Listen 2, Hide 8, Intimidate 8, Knowledge: Local 2, Move Silently 8, Perform: Dance 8, Spot 8, Tumble 8|-|Evasion

6th|Rogue 3|

+4

|

+2

|

+4

|

+4

|Bluff 9, Escape Artist 3, Listen 2, Hide 9, Intimidate 9, Knowledge: Local 2, Move Silently 9, Perform: Dance 9, Spot 9, Tumble 9, SKILL TRICK: NEVER OUTNUMBERED|Mobility|Sneak Attack +2d6

7th|Totemist 1|

+4

|

+4

|

+6

|

+4

|Bluff 10, Escape Artist 3, Listen 2, Hide 10, Intimidate 10, Knowledge: Local 2, Move Silently 10, Perform: Dance 9, Spot 9, Tumble 9|-|Wild Empathy

8th|Totemist 2|

+5

|

+5

|

+7

|

+4

|Bluff 11, Escape Artist 3, Listen 2, Hide 11, Intimidate 11, Knowledge: Local 2, Move Silently 11, Perform: Dance 9, Spot 9, Tumble 9|-|Totem Chakra Bind (+1 Capacity)

9th|Avenging Executioner 1|

+5

|

+5

|

+9

|

+6

|Bluff 12, Escape Artist 8, Listen 2, Hide 12, Intimidate 12, Knowledge: Local 2, Move Silently 12, Perform: Dance 9, Spot 9, Tumble 9|Imperious Command|Bloody Blade, Sudden Strike +1d6

10th|Avenging Executioner 2|

+6/+1

|

+5

|

+10

|

+7

|Bluff 13, Escape Artist 13, Listen 2, Hide 13, Intimidate 13, Knowledge: Local 2, Move Silently 13, Perform: Dance 9, Spot 9, Tumble 9|-|Rapid Intimidation

11th|Shadowdancer 1|

+6/+1

|

+5

|

+12

|

+7

|Bluff 14, Escape Artist 14, Listen 3, Hide 14, Intimidate 14, Knowledge: Local 3, Move Silently 14, Perform: Dance 10, Spot 10, Tumble 10|-|Hide In Plain Sight

12th|Shadowdancer 2|

+7/+2

|

+5

|

+13

|

+7

|Bluff 15, Escape Artist 15, Listen 4, Hide 15, Intimidate 15, Knowledge: Local 4, Move Silently 15, Perform: Dance 11, Spot 11, Tumble 11|Improved Feint|Evasion, Darkvision, Uncanny Dodge

13th|Shadowdancer 3|

+8/+3

|

+6

|

+13

|

+8

|Bluff 16, Escape Artist 16, Listen 5, Hide 16, Intimidate 16, Knowledge: Local 5, Move Silently 16, Perform: Dance 12, Spot 12, Tumble 12|-|Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow

14th|Shadowdancer 4|

+8/+3

|

+6

|

+14

|

+8

|Bluff 17, Escape Artist 17, Listen 6, Hide 17, Intimidate 17, Knowledge: Local 6, Move Silently 17, Perform: Dance 13, Spot 13, Tumble 13|-|Shadow Jump 20ft

15th|Shadowdancer 5|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+14

|

+8

|Bluff 18, Escape Artist 18, Listen 7, Hide 18, Intimidate 18, Knowledge: Local 7, Move Silently 18, Perform: Dance 14, Spot 14, Tumble 14|Craven|Defensive Roll, Improved Uncanny Dodge

16th|Shadowdancer 6|

+10/+5

|

+7

|

+15

|

+9

|Bluff 19, Escape Artist 19, Listen 8, Hide 19, Intimidate 19, Knowledge: Local 8, Move Silently 19, Perform: Dance 15, Spot 15, Tumble 15|-|Shadow Jump 40ft

17th|Shadowdancer 7|

+11/+6/+1

|

+7

|

+15

|

+9

|Bluff 20, Escape Artist 20, Listen 9, Hide 20, Intimidate 20, Knowledge: Local 9, Move Silently 20, Perform: Dance 16, Spot 16, Tumble 16|-|Slippery Mind

18th|Shadowdancer 8|

+12/+7/+2

|

+7

|

+16

|

+9

|Bluff 21, Escape Artist 21, Listen 10, Hide 21, Intimidate 21, Knowledge: Local 10, Move Silently 21, Perform: Dance 17, Spot 17, Tumble 17|Bonus Essentia|Shadow Jump 80ft

19th|Shadowdancer 9|

+12/+7/+2

|

+8

|

+16

|

+10

|Bluff 22, Escape Artist 22, Listen 11, Hide 22, Intimidate 22, Knowledge: Local 11, Move Silently 22, Perform: Dance 18, Spot 18, Tumble 18|-|-

20th|Shadowdancer 10|

+13/+8/+3

|

+8

|

+17

|

+10

|Bluff 23, Escape Artist 23, Listen 12, Hide 23, Intimidate 23, Knowledge: Local 12, Move Silently 23, Perform: Dance 19, Spot 19, Tumble 19|-|Shadow Jump 160ft, Improved Evasion[/table]

Essentia/Soulmelds Shaped/Chakras Bound

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Total Essentia: 4

Throat: Brass Mane
Hands: Kruthik Claws
Totem Chakra Bind: Shadow Mantle

The Shade of Departed Alicia

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{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats

1st|Shadow 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|Spellcraft 1|Empowered Ability Damage

2nd|Shadow 2|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

|Spellcraft 2|-

3rd|Shadow 3|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|Hide 2, Spellcraft 2|Willing Deformity

4th|Shadow 4|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Hide 2, Move Silently 2, Spellcraft 2|-

5th|Shadow 5|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Hide 4, Move Silently 2, Spellcraft 2|-

6th|Shadow 6|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Spellcraft 2|Mage-Slayer

7th|Shadow 7|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Hide 6, Move Silently 4, Spellcraft 2|-

8th|Shadow 8|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+6

|Hide 6, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 2|-

9th|Shadow 9|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

|Hide 8, Move Silently 6, Spellcraft 2|Deformity: Tall[/table]

--------------------------
STATS
--------------------------

32-point buy assumed; if the point-buy is higher, prioritize Cha>Dex>Int>Con>Str>Wis.

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Str 8
Dex 14
Con 12 +1 (levels)
Int 14
Wis 8
Cha 18 +2 (paragon), +4 (levels)

FINAL

Str 8
Dex 14
Con 13
Int 14
Wis 8
Cha 24

-------------------------
LEVEL-BY-LEVEL
-------------------------

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1-3

Human Paragon 3

I was young, once. I was respected. I was well-liked by those who knew me. I was foolish, reckless, and happy. But that was a long, long time ago. Before she came and brought the light into everything. Those days were wonderful: Running from the watch, staying one step ahead of the Inquisitors, stealing what we needed to get by, and then gambling our hard-won prizes away for drinking money... Ah, to be carefree again. We had no direction, and that was fine by us! Our little gang: Finchy, the halfling who could sing just like his pet Sparrow; Kolvar, the spiteful Mongrelfolk with the three missing teeth; Szeetus, with his wings and his bow; and last, but not least, there was I, Osric the Mighty! Tall, handsome, bold, brash, and in charge. But all of this was not to last, for one day, there arrived a woman in our midst...

4-6

Human Paragon 3/Rogue 3

I will never forget the first time I saw her. Alicia Quintero, the heartbreaker of Fassengeist! We'd all heard stories about the legendary "most beautiful woman in the world", but none of us believed she was anything more than a folk tale. We had just done a little smash and grab on a potion shop in one of the richer parts of our fair city when, rounding a corner, my heart nearly stopped. Leaning on a wall underneath a lamppost, her red hair burning brighter than the sunset behind her, she made my breath burn in my chest and the blood rush to my face. She smiled at me, and though their timing could not have been worse, the rest of the gang rounded the corner behind me and knocked us all into an undignified heap. We laid there for a moment, gawking at this utterly enchanting being in front of us. The sounds of nearby guard whistles rapidly brought us all back to reality, and as she heard their sound, she laughed. "Amateurs," she laughed,"You're not going to last long attracting attention like this." We picked up and ran, and she ran with us. Down the alley, bounding over fences, leaping past pedestrians, sprinting through thick crowds... Always one step behind her. After a time, the whistling faded in the distance and we stopped to rest at a well-populated thieves den. She joined our gang that night, and nothing was ever the same. She taught us how to steal without raising alarm, how to pick a pocket with light fingers, how to bluster our way into any home and bluff our way out of any jail. I showered her with tokens of my love, but she always remained one step out of reach.

One late afternoon, after spending the day sleeping off a hangover from a well-deserved payday the night before, we sat on a wall near the river. She had joined us almost exactly a year before, and my love had done nothing but grow in the time we had been given. We spoke not at all for a time, and watched the sun go down. As it did, we turned to each other, and, not saying a word, traded kisses until the sound of footsteps woke us from our reverie. We retreated to our hideout, and there we demonstrated our mutual love until dawn came.

We woke to the sounds of screaming. Poor, unlucky Finchy. He always slept next to the window, so he could be near the birds he could emulate so well. When the Inquisitors tossed the first bags of Alchemist's Fire in the windows, he was the first to go. Kolvar ran out the door to meet our hated foes head on, his eyes aflame and his lips white with foam; they took him with arrows and not a single casualty on their part. Szeetus took his position on the roof and gave Alicia and I enough cover to escape out the back, but that too was a trap; the roof collapsed underneath him and crushed the life from his body. We were met at the back by thirteen armored men, all prepared to kill or be killed in the name of "justice". We fought like mad things, and for a short while, it seemed like we might make it out alive. The sound of a blade snapping brought that hope to an end, however. Alicia's rapier shattered on breastplate, and the guardsman took that opportunity to run her through, front to back. I roared as though the blade had pierced my chest; indeed, it had pierced my heart. My beloved was dead at my feet, so what was I to do? I leapt to the rooftops and fled, shrieking my despair and rage at my pursuers. I escaped that day, but I died in that alley nontheless. My heart and mind died, but my body lived on...

7-10

Human Paragon 3/Rogue 3/Totemist 2/Avenging Executioner 2

I lived like an animal for some time. I wept at intervals, spoke not a word of any known language. I roared my frustrations and sadness to the moon, and howled my hatred of those who took the light from my world, leaving me in darkness. I learned to use the same techniques as the beasts I lived around, and it made me fearsome.

Eventually, I resolved to return to the city I had left and visit my revenge upon those responsible for the darkness I felt shrouded in... But that darkness fueled me. I drew further and further upon that dark, evil force inside myself and learned to use it. I brought it forth, and it filled the gaping hole that my loves death had made in me. I was not whole, not yet...

11-20

Human Paragon 3/Rogue 3/Totemist 2/Avenging Executioner 2/Shadowdancer 10

I became one with the darkness in my heart. I brought it forth into the light, and hid myself in a shroud of shadow. But after some time had passed, an unusual thing happened. My shadow began to move independently of my movements. It danced and swayed in such a familiar fashion, that I knew the only explanation: my Alicia was there with me, reduced to ash and darkness by the cruel blades of the Inquisitors. She will dance whole by my side once more, this I swear to all. With every day, I feel my strength growing, and it feeds her... Soon, my beloved and I will dance in the dark together. Shadow and flesh shall be as one, and all shall fear our danse macabre.

--------------------------
BASIC TACTICS
--------------------------

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As it might be fairly obvious from a cursory glance at the build, this is a skirmishing/wintimidator build. When first presented with the SI, I was puzzled as to how to make use of a class whose main ability (and therefore the main draw to take the class) required a standard action to use, and then immediately ended your turn. The obvious choice was Intimidate! With 23 ranks, a +7 Cha modifier before equipment comes into play, and the Brass Mane soulmeld shaped (+4 competence bonus on Intimidate checks, with an additional +2/essentia invested), Osric lays down the fear. His feat selection is geared towards this as well, with Jotunbrud (+4 size bonus on opposed checks where being a size category larger would benefit him), Imperious Command (makes all of the effects from fear one step worse for a turn), and the skill trick "Never Outnumbered" (allows him to demoralize all in 10ft radius 1/encounter). Osric grabs Bonus Essentia at level 18 because before then, his Essentia capacity for his soulmelds is too low to benefit from extra Essentia. By level 18, he can put 4 points into Brass Mane, giving him a whopping +12 competence bonus to Intimidate. He's got a +2 synergy bonus from 5 ranks in bluff as well, giving him a total Intimidate bonus of +48 (23 ranks, 12 competence, 2 synergy, 7 Cha, 4 size) before equipment is even factored in! His Hide/Move Silently checks are similarly boosted. With his two other Soulmelds improving his H/MS checks, plus magic items, his bonuses should be high enough to reliably Hide from just about anything: and with Shadowdancer's Hide in Plain Sight, he'll be able to put that to good use.

Osric's round-by-round tactic goes as follows: He demoralizes as a move action (thanks to Avenging Executioner's 'Rapid Intimidation' ability), and, assuming his demoralize was successful, standard action Shadow Jumps behind his victim and delivers a nasty full attack the following turn. Should his attempt to demoralize fail, he'll instead Shadow Jump somewhere else and wait for a better opportunity by hiding. He is quite capable at hiding himself from enemies and remaining unnoticed.

His Shadow companion has the beginnings of a lock-down build going on, with the Willing Deformity: Tall pairing, increasing its reach by 5ft. (This may or may not be allowed, depending on the ruling of individual DMs: there is no prerequisite that says you have to have a physical body in order to be deformed. ) That combination, together with Mage Slayer, allows Osric to be a lot less fearful of enemy spellcasters insta-gibbing him the second he pops out of hiding. The Shadow acts as a miniature anti-caster bubble.

The "sweet spot" for this build comes online rather late. I believe it to be around level 18, when Osric gets Bonus Essentia. Level 18 alone makes his Intimidate score improve by 5.

--------------------------
EQUIPMENT
--------------------------

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Osric is pretty easy-going when it comes to gear at lower levels; +1 Keen Rapier, maybe a +Dex item. At higher levels, he starts to need +Cha items, and anything that gives him a bonus to Intimidate is of course welcome. Extra Essentia can be helpful, for investing further into his miscellaneous soulmelds. Anything that can help his damage output would also be a boon, as he is limited to 2d6 SA and 1d6 SS damage/hit whenever the enemy is denied their Dex bonus. The feat Craven helps somewhat in this department, adding +20 damage/hit.

--------------------------
QUESTIONABLE RULES INTERPRETATIONS
--------------------------

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In the way of questionable stuff, Osric really just has the one aspect that raises questions: The Shadow companion's feats. If your DM doesn't allow you to re-train the Shadow's feats, that's not really a big deal. You lose out on some cool stuff, but it doesn't cripple the build.

--------------------------
SOURCES
--------------------------

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Monster Manual: Shadow (221)
Complete Arcane: Mage Slayer (81)
Libris Mortis: Empowered Ability Damage (26)
Drow of the Underdark: Imperious Command (50)
Races of Faerun: Jotunbrud (166)
Champions of Ruin: Craven (72)
Unearthed Arcana: Human Paragon (43)
Magic of Incarnum: Totemist (29), Bonus Essentia (35), Soulmelds (54)
Complete Scoundrel: Avenging Executioner (24), Never Outnumbered (87)
Dungeon Master's Guide: Shadowdancer (195)
Heroes of Horror: Willing Deformity (125), Deformity: Tall (121)
Players Handbook: Misc.

[Amphetryon]

Not all who wander are lost. . . .

There are many wanderers.

Your father was a wanderer, once. Long before he settled down here, long before these great lands all paid fealty to him, your father was a poor vagrant. He walked across many lands, barefoot and alone. And he made a name for himself every where he went. He began his journeys a tramp; he ended them a king.

But not all wanderers make names for themselves. Not all wanderers are known. Oh, surely, a man of no consequence will never be remembered. But every now and then there is a great wanderer, one whose presence reverberates throughout the land, and yet none know him. He stays to the shadows, not because he must, but because he chooses to. And yet these men are sometimes the greatest of them all.

Have you ever heard of a man like that? No? Then let me tell you about Lucian...

-Excerpt from Queen Pilinia's memoirs to her daughter

Lucian the Wanderer, the Hidden Shadow

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Neutral Human, Shadowcaster 11/Shadowdancer 9

Str 8 / Dexterity 14 / Constitution 12 / Intelligence 16 / Wisdom 10 / Charisma 16

LUCIAN THE WANDERER
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Shadowcaster 1|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|

+2

|Hide 4 ranks, Move Silently 4 ranks, Concentration 4 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks, Intimidate 4 ranks, Perform (dance) 2 ranks|Dodge, Mobility|Fundamentals of shadow, apprentice mysteries

2nd|Shadowcaster 2|

+1

|

+3

|

+0

|

+3

|Hide 5 ranks, Move Silently 5 ranks, Concentration 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks, Intimidate 5 ranks, Perform (dance) 2.5 ranks|Nocturnal Caster|

3rd|Shadowcaster 3|

+1

|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

|Hide 6 ranks, Move Silently 6 ranks, Concentration 6 ranks, Spellcraft 6 ranks, Intimidate 6 ranks, Perform (dance) 3 ranks|Combat Reflexes|Umbral sight (darkvision 30')

4th|Shadowcaster 4|

+2

|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|Hide 7 ranks, Move Silently 7 ranks, Concentration 7 ranks, Spellcraft 7 ranks, Intimidate 7 ranks, Perform (dance) 3.5 ranks||Bonus fundamental

5th|Shadowcaster 5|

+2

|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks, Concentration 8 ranks, Spellcraft 8 ranks, Intimidate 8 ranks, Perform (dance) 4 ranks||Sustaining shadow (eat 1 meal/wk)

6th|Shadowcaster 6|

+3

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|Hide 9 ranks, Move Silently 9 ranks, Concentration 9 ranks, Spellcraft 9 ranks, Intimidate 9 ranks, Perform (dance) 4.5 ranks|Darkstalker|

7th|Shadowcaster 7|

+3

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|Hide 10 ranks, Move Silently 10 ranks, Concentration 10 ranks, Spellcraft 10 ranks, Intimidate 10 ranks, Perform (dance) 5 ranks||Apprentice mysteries (spell-like), initiate mysteries

8th|Shadowcaster 8|

+4

|

+6

|

+2

|

+6

|Hide 11 ranks, Move Silently 11 ranks, Concentration 11 ranks, Spellcraft 11 ranks, Intimidate 11 ranks, Know (arcana) 1 rank|Favored Mystery (Shadows Fade)|Bonus fundamental

9th|Shadowdancer 1|

+4

|

+6

|

+4

|

+6

|Hide 12 ranks, Move Silently 12 ranks, Bluff 5 ranks, Tumble 3 ranks|Path Focus (Unbinding Shade)|Hide in plain sight

10th|Shadowdancer 2|

+5

|

+6

|

+5

|

+6

|Hide 13 ranks, Move Silently 13 ranks, Tumble 11 ranks||Evasion, darkvision, uncanny dodge

11th|Shadowdancer 3|

+6/+1

|

+7

|

+5

|

+7

|Hide 14 ranks, Move Silently 14 ranks, Tumble 14 ranks, Diplomacy 5 ranks||Shadow illusion, summon shadow

12th|Shadowcaster 9|

+6/+1

|

+7

|

+6

|

+7

|Hide 15 ranks, Move Silently 15 ranks, Intimidate 13 ranks, Spellcraft 13 ranks|Greater Path Focus (Unbinding Shade)|

13th|Shadowcaster 10|

+7/+2

|

+8

|

+6

|

+8

|Hide 16 ranks, Move Silently 16 ranks, Intimidate 15 ranks, Spellcraft 15 ranks||Sustaining shadow (sleep 1 hour/day)

14th|Shadowcaster 11|

+7/+2

|

+8

|

+6

|

+8

|Hide 17 ranks, Move Silently 17 ranks, Intimidate 17 ranks, Spellcraft 17 ranks||Umbral sight (see in darkness 60')

15th|Shadowdancer 4|

+8/+3

|

+8

|

+7

|

+8

|Hide 18 ranks, Move Silently 18 ranks, Intimidate 18 ranks, Tumble 18 ranks, Diplomacy 7 ranks|Favored Mystery (Shadows Fade, Greater)|Shadow jump 20'

16th|Shadowdancer 5|

+8/+3

|

+8

|

+7

|

+8

|Hide 19 ranks, Move Silently 19 ranks, Spellcraft 18 ranks, Tumble 19 ranks, Diplomacy 12 ranks||Defensive roll, improved uncanny dodge

17th|Shadowdancer 6|

+9/+4

|

+9

|

+8

|

+9

|Hide 20 ranks, Move Silently 20 ranks, Intimidate 19 ranks, Tumble 20 ranks, Diplomacy 17 ranks||Shadow jump 40'

18th|Shadowdancer 7|

+10/+5

|

+9

|

+8

|

+9

|Hide 21 ranks, Move Silently 21 ranks, Spellcraft 19 ranks, Tumble 21 ranks, Diplomacy 21 ranks, Intimidate 19.5 ranks|Shadow Cast|Slippery mind

19th|Shadowdancer 8|

+11/+6/+1

|

+9

|

+9

|

+9

|Hide 22 ranks, Move Silently 22 ranks, Tumble 22 ranks, Diplomacy 22 ranks, Intimidate 20.5 ranks, Spellcraft 20 ranks||Shadow jump 80'

20th|Shadowdancer 9|

+11/+6/+1

|

+10

|

+9

|

+10

|Hide 23 ranks, Move Silently 23 ranks, Tumble 23 ranks, Diplomacy 23 ranks, Intimidate 22 ranks, Spellcraft 21 ranks, Disguise 1 rank||[/table]

Uses per Mystery per Day

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{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

1st|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|1|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|1|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

5th|1|1|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|1|1|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|2|2|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|2|2|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|2|2|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|2|2|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|2|2|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

12th|2|2|2|1|1|-|-|-|-|-

13th|2|2|2|1|1|-|-|-|-|-

14th|2|2|2|1|1|1|-|-|-|-

15th|2|2|2|1|1|1|-|-|-|-

16th|2|2|2|1|1|1|-|-|-|-

17th|2|2|2|1|1|1|-|-|-|-

18th|2|2|2|1|1|1|-|-|-|-

19th|2|2|2|1|1|1|-|-|-|-

20th|2|2|2|1|1|1|-|-|-|-[/table]

Mysteries Known

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1- Arrow of Dusk, Sight Obscured, Black Candle, Bend Perspective

2- Dusk and Dawn

3- Piercing Sight

4- Mystic Reflections, Shadow Skin

5- Killing Shadows

6- Dancing Shadows

7- Shadows Fade

8- Umbral Hand, Shadow Evocation

12- Unravel Dweomer

13- Feign Life

14- Shadows Fade, Greater

Lucian's Path

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Lucian the Wanderer prefers to travel the shadows, where he has always felt a calling. Though he never showed any interest in spellcasting, the pull of the Shadow was too great, and he began down the path of the shadowcaster.

Lucian primarily uses the shadowcaster's abilities to give himself unsurpassed stealth. His excellent hide skill only gets better when combined with Sight Obscured, and many of his mysteries focus on manipulating shadows and bending perception, giving him ample opportunities to hide. Though he is human, he can see well in the darkness thanks to his Umbral Sight ability (which explicitly extends the range of other darkvision abilities, for when he gains darkvision via Shadowdancer). He avoids battles whenever possible, and at low levels, generally hides and distracts, carefully firing away with his crossbow or using his Arrow of Dusk mystery.

By level 5, he has added several excellent defensive abilities, as well as the fairly potent Killing Shadows to increase his offensive output. His association with the darkness has also given him a very intimidating demeanor, which helps him outside of combat.

In the mid-levels, when he learns initiate mysteries, he begins to truly become a threat. The Unbinding Shade path, his primary focus, allows him to eliminate magical threats, while Shadow Evocation, as per the spell, offers incredible utility.

The shadowdancer is what truly makes him great, though. As someone who lives his life in shadows, who can manipulate them or create them as he wishes, the hide in plain sight ability is quite powerful. Evasion is also an excellent ability to pick up, as it means that enemies who cannot locate him can't just bombard the place with area damage. But the shadow companion is Lucian's real threat.

The shadow companion, being incorporeal, can go many places that Lucian cannot, which gives him much greater flexibility when scouting. He also uses it as his primary form of offense. As it is incorporeal and can only be harmed by spells or magic weapons, Lucian hides and uses Shadows Fade (and the greater version) to eliminate spells or suppress magic weapons, taking away his opponent's ability to harm the shadow. Lucian remains hidden, always moving, occasionally tossing in his own ranged attacks or assisting with mysteries such as Feign Life when necessary.

Places He Has Been

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Lucian the Wanderer needs only a few sources to work.

Shadowcaster (as well as Shadow mysteries in general and the shadow-related feats) is found in Tome of Magic.

The Darkstalker feat comes from Lords of Madness.

All other feats, classes and abilities are core and can be found in the PHB, DMG, or SRD.

[Amphetryon]

Escaping from Waldo's shadow. . . .

Where in Eberron is Khariman Sandiga?

Play This
Greetings Gumshoes!
Today's caper is bankrolled by House Kundarek Bank and readers like you!
And everyone wants to know, where in the world is Khariman Sandiga?
Today's guest Gumshoes are:
Daragos Kitsune the Psion
Kesnit the Warblade
Ryu Bonkosi the Binder
Bob Vosh the Dread Necromancer
Will our Inquisitives find Khariman Sandiga before she finishes her capricious caper?
Lets find out!

Acme Inquisitive Profile: Kharamin Sandiga

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Kharamin Sandiga
Chaotic Evil Centaur Feat Rogue / Shadowdancer / Exemplar
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Monstrous Humanoid 1|

+1

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|Hide 4, MS 4, P. Dance 2, SoH 2|Martial Study: Shadow Hand Technique|

2nd|Monstrous Humanoid 2|

+2

|

+0

|

+3

|

+0

|Hide 5, MS 5, K. Local 1||

3rd|Monstrous Humanoid 3|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

|

+1

|Hide 6, MS 6, P. Dance 3|Dodge|

4th|Monstrous Humanoid 4|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|

+1

|Hide 7, MS 7, SoH 3||

5th|Feat Rogue 1|

+4

|

+1

|

+6

|

+1

|Hide 8, MS 8, SoH 8, K. Local 2|B. Mobility|Trapfinding

6th|Feat Rogue 2|

+5

|

+1

|

+7

|

+1

|Hide 9, MS 9, SoH 9, Tumble 7|Master Criminal, B. Trapfinding |Evasion

7th|Feat Rogue 3|

+6

|

+2

|

+7

|

+2

|Hide 10, MS 10, SoH 10, P. Dance 5, Tumble 10, K. Local 3||Trap Sense +1

8th|Shadowdancer 1|

+6

|

+2

|

+9

|

+2

|Hide 11, MS 11, SoH 11, Tumble 11, Diplomacy 4||Hide in Plain Sight

9th|Shadowdancer 2|

+7

|

+2

|

+10

|

+2

|Hide 12, MS 12, SoH 12, Tumble 12, Diplomacy 8|Skill Focus Sleight of Hand|Uncanny Dodge

10th|Shadowdancer 3|

+8

|

+3

|

+10

|

+3

|Hide 13, MS 13, SoH 13, Tumble 13, Linguistics (Drow Sign Language), Disguise 2||Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow

11th|Shadowdancer 4|

+9

|

+3

|

+11

|

+3

|Hide 14, MS 14, SoH 14, Tumble 14, Disguise 6||Shadow Jump 20

12th|Shadowdancer 5|

+9

|

+3

|

+11

|

+3

|Hide 15, MS 15, SoH 15, Tumble 15, Disguise 10|Shape Soulmeld: Necroarnum Touch|Defensive Roll, Imp. Uncanny Dodge

13th|Shadowdancer 6|

+10

|

+4

|

+12

|

+4

|Hide 16, MS 16, SoH 16, Tumble 16, Disguise 14||Shadow Jump 40

14th|Shadowdancer 7|

+11

|

+4

|

+12

|

+4

|Hide 17, MS 17, SoH 17, Tumble 17, Disguise 17, 1 Jump||Slippery Mind

15th|Shadowdancer 8|

+12

|

+4

|

+13

|

+4

|Hide 18, MS 18, SoH 18, Tumble 18, Disguise 18, Jump 4|Shape Soulmeld: Theft Gloves|Shadow Jump 80

16th|Shadowdancer 9|

+12

|

+4

|

+13

|

+4

|Hide 19, MS 19, SoH 19, Tumble 19, Disguise 19, Jump 6||

17th|Shadowdancer 10|

+13

|

+4

|

+13

|

+4

|Hide 20, MS 20, SoH 20, Tumble 20, Disguise 20, Jump 11||Shadow Jump 160

18th|Exemplar 1|

+13

|

+4

|

+13

|

+6

|Hide 21, MS 21, SoH 21, Tumble 21, Disguise 21, Jump 18|Bonus Essentia|Skill Artistry: Sleight of Hand
[/table]

Acme Inquisitive File: Vic the Slick Shadow

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Vic the Slick
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Undead 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|Sleight of Hand 4, Linguistics 1 (Drow Sign), Hide 2|Criminal Background|

2nd|Undead 2|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

|Sleight of Hand 5, Hide 3||

3rd|Undead 3|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|Sleight of Hand 6, Hide 4|Lifesense|

4th|Undead 4|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Sleight of Hand 7, Hide 5||Charisma 14

5th|Undead 5|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Sleight of Hand 8, Hide 6||

6th|Undead 6|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Sleight of Hand 9, Hide 7|Skill Focus: Sleight of Hand|

7th|Undead 7|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Sleight of Hand 10, Hide 8||

8th|Undead 8|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+6

|Sleight of Hand 11, Hide 9||Charisma 15

9th|Undead 9|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

|Sleight of Hand 12, Hide 10|Ghostly Grasp|

[/table]

Khariman Sandiga and the Case of the Hidden Horse (ECL 10)

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By this point Khariman Sandiga as an accomplished centaur pickpocket. To avoid suspicion, she wears a red hat of disguise and blends in as an attractive half-elf with a red Fedora and Trenchcoat. Before any magical item boosts her Slight of Hand is at +18, a custom item of +10 slight of hand would be well inside her budget for a total of +28. Thanks to Master Pickpocket she can steal items in combat as a standard action without any attack of opportunity, and can steal items as a free action at a -10 penalty. This either leaves her at +8, or +18 depending on if custom items are allowed. At the very least you can perform a free action during any other sort of action, so that is at least three free action thefts per round, more if the game allows.

A master tumbler, she always succeeds on tumble checks to avoid attacks of opportunity, and given her 50 foot move speed, she can easily escape from most situations. After she has moved away, she can use hide in plain sight to hide. The distance penalty observers take easily counteracts her own size penalty to hiding. Even with her size penalty she has a +14 hide check before magic items. Her move silently is not penalized by size.

Should she be forced into combat she relies on her hiding abilities, and her natural strength to see her through. At this level she has a 26 strength before any magic items. She can also use Shadow Blade Technique to help insure that her attacks strike home. She also has two hooves she can use as secondary natural attacks.

Khariman Sandiga and the Case of the Missing Mansion (ECL 20)

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Khariman Sandiga's pickpocketing abilities have become even more impressive. +48 Slight of Hand without magic items. Even when pickpocketing as a free action, she automatically succeeds on stealing objects with a +38 to pickpocket. She also has a new henchmen, Vick the Slick Shadow Companion, who can sense the presence of living creatures, even if they are trying to hide, invisible, or are darkstalkers. Vick the Slick can also pass through walls, and pickpocket corporeal objects, although his own pickpocketing skills are not quite as impressive. (12 Ranks, +5 Dex, +2 Circumstance) Vic the Slick and Khariman Sandiga learned Drow Sign Language from their vile contact, Drow Matron Contessa.

With her more potent hiding abilities, and Vick's ability to move partially into walls, both crooks are good at getting away with their dastardly crimes. (27 Hide, 31 Move Silently before magic items) (21 Hide for Vic the Slick). The various defensive abilities of Shadowdancer help out Khariman when things have gone wrong, including Improved Uncanny Dodge, Improved Evasion and Defensive Roll.

But this isn't the worst of it!
Khariman Sandiga can now Shadow Jump. Shadow Jump allows you to dimension door short distances as a supernatural ability. It functions like the normal dimension door in that you can move other creatures with you and port touched objects up to your maximum load.

At this point when fully buffed Khariman Sandiga's Maximum Load is:
137,625,600 Pounds or
68,812.8 Tons
Enough to carry most vehicles, buildings, and geographical landmarks.
Khariman Sandiga doesn't just pick pockets, she pick's buildings.
Will our Gumshoes catch her in time!

After she grabs the building, she shadowjumps 160 feet into the sky, before hiding in plain sight and flying away using her phoenix cloak. All obserers take a -16 to spot her at such extreme distances, allowing her to make her escape unnoticed despite being huge sized. Sometimes she is known to throw up a Shadow Illusion after her theft, making it look like the stolen building was still there!

How does she steal buildings?

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Starting Stats:
16 Str
16 Dex
10 Con
16 Int
8 Wis
8 Cha

After Racial Modifiers:
24 Str
20 Dex
14 Con
14 Int
10 Wis
8 Cha

After Leveling:
28 Str
20 Dex
14 Con
14 Int
10 Wis
8 Cha

After Items:
34 Str
26 Dex
14 Con
14 Int
10 Wis
8 Cha

After Tomes:
38 STR
26 Dex
14 Con
14 Int
10 Wis
8 Cha

With 8 Grappling Tentacles: (160,000 GP, Fiend Folio)
62 STR
26 Dex
14 Con
14 Int
10 Wis
8 Cha

Potion of Girallon's Blessing Spell Compendium -750 GP
+2 Arms

Potion of Fuse Arms: Spell Compendium - 300 gp
6 sets of arms

Fused to one arm set:
+24 Str

(350 gp -7th level tattoo of expansion) EPH
+4 STR, Gargantuan Size

Total of 90 STR and Gargantuan Size

Belt of Wide Earth -8000 MIC doubles carrying capacity
Phoenix Cloak - 50k, Fly perfect at land speed MIC

Final Carrying Capacity for a Gargantuan Sized Quadraped with 90 STR:
137,625,600
68,812.8 Tons

How does she Pickpocket so Well?

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21 Ranks
+8 Dex Modifier
+4 Profane (Necroarnum Touch Soulmeld)
+6 Insight (Theft Gloves Soulmeld)
+3 Skill Focus Slight of Hand
+4 Competance (Exemplar: Skill Artistry Slight of Hand)
+2 Circumstance (Masterwork Tool: Soft Gloves)
+48 Slight of Hand

Acme Inquisitive Top Secret: Ms. Sandiga's Sources

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Centaur: SRD
Martial Study: Shadow Hand Technique : Tome of Battle
Master Pickpocket: City of Stormreach
Shape Soulmeld : Magic of Incarnum
Necroarnum Touch: Magic of Incarnum
Theft Gloves: Magic of Incarnum
Bonus Essentia: Magic of Incarnum
Drow Sign Language: Drow of the Underdark
Feat Rogue: SRD (Variant Rules)
Exemplar : Complete Adventurer
Criminal Background: City of Stormreach
Lifesense: Libris Mortis
Ghostly Grasp: Libris Mortis
Masterwork Tool: SRD
Grappling Tentacle: Fiend Folio
Girallon's Blessing: Spell Compendium
Fuse Arms: Spell Compendium
Tattoo: SRD (Psionic Items)
Expansion: SRD (Psionic Powers)
Belt of Wide Earth (Magic Item Compendium)
Phoenix Cloak (Magic Item Compendium)

[Amphetryon]

Coming down from the mountains. . . .

Theodorus Johannes Kaczynski, Human

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{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Factotum 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Use Magic Device 4, Search 4, Disable Device 4, Open Lock 4, Spellcraft 4, Craft (Trapmaking) 4, Perform (Dance) 4, Spot 4|Dodge, Able Learner (Human bonus)|Cunning Insight, Cunning Knowledge, Trapfinding

2nd|Artificer 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|Hide 5, MS 5, UMD 5, Search 5, DD 5, OL 5, Scraft 5, C(Trap) 5, P(Dance) 4, Spot 4|Scribe Scroll (Artificer)|Artificer Knowledge, Artificer Bonus, Item Creation

3rd|Artificer 2|

+1

|

+0

|

+2

|

+3

|Hide 6, MS 6, UMD 6, Search 6, DD 6, OL 6, Scraft 6, C(Trap) 6, P(Dance) 4, Spot 4|Mobility (level), Brew Potion (Artificer)|-

4th|Artificer 3|

+2

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|Hide 7, MS 7, UMD 7, Search 7, DD 7, OL 7, Scraft 7, C(Trap) 7, P(Dance) 5, Spot 4|Craft Wondrous Item (Artificer)|-

5th|Artificer 4|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

|

+4

|Hide 8, MS 8, UMD 8, Search 8, DD 8, OL 8, Scraft 8, C(Trap) 8, P(Dance) 5, Spot 5|Extraordinary Artisan (bonus Artificer)|Craft Homonculus

6th|Artificer 5|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

|

+4

|Hide 9, MS 9, UMD 9, Search 9, DD 9, OL 9, Scraft 9, C(Trap) 9, P(Dance) 5, Spot 6|Combat Reflexes (level), Craft Magic Arms and Armor (Artificer)|Retain Essence

7th|Artificer 6|

+4

|

+2

|

+4

|

+5

|Hide 10, MS 10, UMD 10, Search 10, DD, 10 OL 10, Scraft 10, C(Trap) 10, P(Dance) 5, Spot 7|-|Metamagic Spell Trigger

8th|Artificer 7|

+5

|

+2

|

+4

|

+5

|Hide 11, MS 11, UMD 11, Search 11, DD 11, OL 11, Scraft 11, C(Trap) 11, P(Dance) 5, Spot 8|Craft Wand (Artificer)|-

9th|Shadowdancer 1|

+5

|

+2

|

+6

|

+5

|Hide 12, MS 12, UMD 12, Search 12, DD 12, OL 12, Scraft 12, C(Trap) 12, P(Dance) 5, Spot 11, Listen |Two Weapon Fighting (level)|Hide in Plain Sight

10th|Shadowdancer 2|

+6

|

+2

|

+7

|

+5

|Hide 13, MS 13, UMD 13, Search 13, DD 13, OL 13, Scraft 13, C(Trap) 13, P(Dance) 5, Spot 13, Listen 1|-|Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Darkvision

11th|Artificer 8|

+7

|

+2

|

+7

|

+6

|Hide 14, MS 14, UMD 14, Search 14, DD 14, OL 14, Scraft 14, C(Trap) 14, P(Dance) 5, Spot 14, Listen1|Extra Rings (bonus Artificer)|-

12th|Artificer 9|

+7

|

+3

|

+8

|

+6

|Hide 15, MS 15, UMD 15, Search 15, DD 15, OL 15, Scraft 15, C(Trap) 15, P(Dance) 5, Spot 15, Listen 1|Double Wand Wielder (level), Craft Rod (Artificer)|-

13th|Shadowdancer 3|

+8

|

+4

|

+8

|

+7

|Hide 16, MS 16, UMD 16, Search 16, DD 16, OL 16, Scraft 16, C(Trap) 16, P(Dance) 5, Spot 16, Listen 3|-|Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow 3HD

14th|Shadowdancer 4|

+9

|

+4

|

+9

|

+7

|Hide 17, MS 17, UMD 17, Search 17, DD 17, OL 17, Scraft 17, C(Trap) 17, P(Dance) 5, Spot 17, Listen 5|-|Shadow Jump 20ft

15th|Shadowdancer 5|

+9

|

+4

|

+9

|

+7

|Hide 18, MS 18, UMD 18, Search 18, DD 18, OL 18, Scraft 18, C(Trap) 18, P(Dance) 5, Spot 18, Listen 7|Twin Spell (level)|Defensive Roll, Improved Uncanny Dodge

16th|Shadowdancer 6|

+10

|

+5

|

+10

|

+8

|Hide 19, MS 19, UMD 19, Search 19, DD 19, OL 19, Scraft 19, C(Trap) 19, P(Dance) 5, Spot 19, Listen 9|-|Shadow Jump 40ft, Summon Shadow 5HD

17th|Shadowdancer 7|

+11

|

+5

|

+10

|

+8

|Hide 20, MS 20, UMD 20, Search 20, DD 20, OL 20, Scraft 20, C(Trap) 20, P(Dance) 5, Spot 20, Listen 11|-|Slippery Mind

18th|Shadowdancer 8|

+12

|

+5

|

+11

|

+8

|Hide 21, MS 21, UMD 21, Search 21, DD 21, OL 21, Scraft 21, C(Trap) 21, P(Dance) 5, Spot 21, Listen 13|Wand Mastery (level)|Shadow Jump 80ft

19th|Shadowdancer 9|

+12

|

+6

|

+11

|

+9

|Hide 22, MS 22, UMD 22, Search 22, DD 22, OL 22, Scraft 22, C(Trap) 22, P(Dance) 5, Spot 22, Listen 15|-|Summon Shadow 7HD

20th|Shadowdancer 10|

+13

|

+6

|

+12

|

+9

|Hide 23, MS 23, UMD 23, Search 23, DD 23, OL 23, Scraft 23, C(Trap) 23, P(Dance) 5, Spot 23, Listen 16, Craft (Basketweaving) 1|-|Shadow Jump 160ft, Improved Evasion[/table]

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{table=head]Stats|1st|Mod|4th|8th|12th|16th|20th

Str|11|+0|-|-|-|-|-

Dex|15|+2|-|-|-|-|-

Con|10|+0|-|-|-|-|-

Int|17|+3|18 (+4)|-|-|-|-

Wis|8|-1|-|-|-|-|-

Cha|14|+2|-|15 (+2)|16 (+3)|17 (+3)|18(+4)[/table]

LEVEL 1-5

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Our hero starts as many many humans start out their adult life: with no idea of what to do with it. He takes many odd jobs, but has a real knack for burglary with a speciality in magic items. Often he would take the extra time to not only go for the biggest score, but also dismantle and take the magical defenses with him for study. And so it came to be that Theodorus started replicating magical items. He developed a real talent for magical traps that would burst into flame when someone would touch them a certain way. It was just a shame that some were... Let's just say volatile. He even crafted a small construct that would act as a lookout while he would place explosive traps under the seats of their rivals. Yes, it was a market very much untapped.
Factotum 1/Artificer 4
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Factotum 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Use Magic Device 4, Search 4, Disable Device 4, Open Lock 4, Spellcraft 4, Craft (Trapmaking) 4, Perform (Dance) 4, Spot 4|Dodge, Able Learner (Human bonus)|Cunning Insight, Cunning Knowledge, Trapfinding

2nd|Artificer 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|Hide 5, MS 5, UMD 5, Search 5, DD 5, OL 5, Scraft 5, C(Trap) 5, P(Dance) 4, Spot 4|Scribe Scroll (Artificer)|Artificer Knowledge, Artificer Bonus, Item Creation

3rd|Artificer 2|

+1

|

+0

|

+2

|

+3

|Hide 6, MS 6, UMD 6, Search 6, DD 6, OL 6, Scraft 6, C(Trap) 6, P(Dance) 4, Spot 4|Mobility (level), Brew Potion (Artificer)|-

4th|Artificer 3|

+2

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|Hide 7, MS 7, UMD 7, Search 7, DD 7, OL 7, Scraft 7, C(Trap) 7, P(Dance) 5, Spot 4|Craft Wondrous Item (Artificer)|-

5th|Artificer 4|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

|

+4

|Hide 8, MS 8, UMD 8, Search 8, DD 8, OL 8, Scraft 8, C(Trap) 8, P(Dance) 5, Spot 5|Extraordinary Artisan (bonus Artificer)|Craft Homonculus[/table]
First level of Factotum for a nice set of skills, and we won't need Jack of all Trades. On top of that we gain some nice boosts on saves and a meh boost to skills. It's just better than Artificer 10th and it still fits thematically.
Skills are pretty straightforward. They are built for an infiltrator/trapmonkey. UMD for Artificer obviously, Spellcraft to pick up new Infusions. Trapmaking with Craft Wondrous Item can make Magic traps (see below). Perform Dance... everyone needs a hobby right?
For feats, Able Learner because skill lists don't overlap. Dodge and Mobility aren't supergood, but defenses are always alright, and we need em anyway. Extraordinary Artisan makes stuff cheaper (and since it's a theorhetical build, XP and time are just less of a factor). Craft feats are nice, but the big one is Wondrous Item. A magic trap of 4d6 Fireball would cost 600gp and 6 days to make. The craft DC is a little high, and so is the UMD, but we could get some tools and helpers pretty easy and a bunch of retries on the UMD. We also use our 2 Inspiration points to get a whopping +1 to the skill checks. But it's just cool that you get to make and plant a FRIGGIN BOMB! Direct combat is for suckers.

LEVEL 6-10

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Theodorus learns to make many more new magical items, and becomes better at it. However, his line of work is dangerous. He lost count of how many times things could have gone horribly wrong. He nearly got caught, or in his rush to leave, he touched the trap on the wrong panel. Now armed with his homemade wands, he once again tries to pick up his old mantle of burglar. Because what good is the art of destruction, when you cannot walk away?*
Factotum 1/Artificer 7/Shadowdancer 2
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

6th|Artificer 5|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

|

+4

|Hide 9, MS 9, UMD 9, Search 9, DD 9, OL 9, Scraft 9, C(Trap) 9, P(Dance) 5, Spot 6|Combat Reflexes (level), Craft Magic Arms and Armor (Artificer)|Retain Essence

7th|Artificer 6|

+4

|

+2

|

+4

|

+5

|Hide 10, MS 10, UMD 10, Search 10, DD, 10 OL 10, Scraft 10, C(Trap) 10, P(Dance) 5, Spot 7|-|Metamagic Spell Trigger

8th|Artificer 7|

+5

|

+2

|

+4

|

+5

|Hide 11, MS 11, UMD 11, Search 11, DD 11, OL 11, Scraft 11, C(Trap) 11, P(Dance) 5, Spot 8|Craft Wand (Artificer)|-

9th|Shadowdancer 1|

+5

|

+2

|

+6

|

+5

|Hide 12, MS 12, UMD 12, Search 12, DD 12, OL 12, Scraft 12, C(Trap) 12, P(Dance) 5, Spot 11, Listen |Two Weapon Fighting (level)|Hide in Plain Sight

10th|Shadowdancer 2|

+6

|

+2

|

+7

|

+5

|Hide 13, MS 13, UMD 13, Search 13, DD 13, OL 13, Scraft 13, C(Trap) 13, P(Dance) 5, Spot 13, Listen 1|-|Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Darkvision[/table]
Combat Reflexes.... We'll just chalk it up to feat tax. We want to avoid melee mostly, but when it does happen we could use the Spell Storing Item infusion to give our weapons some more "oompf". And the same goes for Two Weapon Fighting. We'll need both for later. Some sweet defensive buffs from early Shadowdancer.
The cool trick that you can pull is to boost your saves via Cunning Insight, then set off an AoE spell from close to the target, dodge it with evasion, then Hide in Plain Sight during the same round to disappear in the confusion. Or as I call it, the Pretend Suicide Bomber. Vitriolic Sphere (Complete Arcane) can be very nasty (and pricey at 26250gp per wand base, we get 25% off), but Fireball still works fine too and there's just something about balls of fire...

LEVEL 11-15

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Theodorus is becoming increasingly dangerous with his wands. Even though he has learned of ways to burn through them much faster, the destruction is also very much ramped up. His poor little homonculus almost ate it a few times. So he decides he needs a new scout. Through a dark ritual, he attracts a Shadow that follows his every command. The realm of shadows is a place of many opportunities for a man like Theodorus...
Factotum 1/Artificer 7/Shadowdancer 2/Artificer 9/Shadowdancer 5
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

11th|Artificer 8|

+7

|

+2

|

+7

|

+6

|Hide 14, MS 14, UMD 14, Search 14, DD 14, OL 14, Scraft 14, C(Trap) 14, P(Dance) 5, Spot 14, Listen1|Extra Rings (bonus Artificer)|-

12th|Artificer 9|

+7

|

+3

|

+8

|

+6

|Hide 15, MS 15, UMD 15, Search 15, DD 15, OL 15, Scraft 15, C(Trap) 15, P(Dance) 5, Spot 15, Listen 1|Double Wand Wielder (level), Craft Rod (Artificer)|-

13th|Shadowdancer 3|

+8

|

+4

|

+8

|

+7

|Hide 16, MS 16, UMD 16, Search 16, DD 16, OL 16, Scraft 16, C(Trap) 16, P(Dance) 5, Spot 16, Listen 3|-|Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow 3HD

14th|Shadowdancer 4|

+9

|

+4

|

+9

|

+7

|Hide 17, MS 17, UMD 17, Search 17, DD 17, OL 17, Scraft 17, C(Trap) 17, P(Dance) 5, Spot 17, Listen 5|-|Shadow Jump 20ft

15th|Shadowdancer 5|

+9

|

+4

|

+9

|

+7

|Hide 18, MS 18, UMD 18, Search 18, DD 18, OL 18, Scraft 18, C(Trap) 18, P(Dance) 5, Spot 18, Listen 7|Twin Spell (level)|Defensive Roll, Improved Uncanny Dodge[/table]
Between Double Wand Wielder and Twin Spell Metamagic Trigger, we can burn through 11 charges of 2 wands for 4 spells in one round. 36d6 plus up to 9 times 18d6 secondary targets worth of Chain Lightning? Yes please! We also get to use Shadow Illusion to set up ambushes ("Has that closet always been theOHMYGODITBURNS"), and Shadow Jump into rooms that our Shadow companion just scouted out for us. Some more defensive goodies, because people do get a round to try to kill you if you Jump into combat. I believe this is the high point of the build. Many cool tricks around blowing stuff up.

LEVEL 16-20

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Theodorus further explores his connection with the realm of shadows. He can step through the shadows over increasing distances, his mind gets shrouded in shadows, and even his physical body is protected from the explosive potential. He is the Most Wanted. A terrorist like the world has never seen before. A shadow in the night that brings death and destruction to all his enemies when they least expect it.
Factotum 1/Artificer 7/Shadowdancer 2/Artificer 9/Shadowdancer 10
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

16th|Shadowdancer 6|

+10

|

+5

|

+10

|

+8

|Hide 19, MS 19, UMD 19, Search 19, DD 19, OL 19, Scraft 19, C(Trap) 19, P(Dance) 5, Spot 19, Listen 9|-|Shadow Jump 40ft, Summon Shadow 5HD

17th|Shadowdancer 7|

+11

|

+5

|

+10

|

+8

|Hide 20, MS 20, UMD 20, Search 20, DD 20, OL 20, Scraft 20, C(Trap) 20, P(Dance) 5, Spot 20, Listen 11|-|Slippery Mind

18th|Shadowdancer 8|

+12

|

+5

|

+11

|

+8

|Hide 21, MS 21, UMD 21, Search 21, DD 21, OL 21, Scraft 21, C(Trap) 21, P(Dance) 5, Spot 21, Listen 13|Wand Mastery (level)|Shadow Jump 80ft

19th|Shadowdancer 9|

+12

|

+6

|

+11

|

+9

|Hide 22, MS 22, UMD 22, Search 22, DD 22, OL 22, Scraft 22, C(Trap) 22, P(Dance) 5, Spot 22, Listen 15|-|Summon Shadow 7HD

20th|Shadowdancer 10|

+13

|

+6

|

+12

|

+9

|Hide 23, MS 23, UMD 23, Search 23, DD 23, OL 23, Scraft 23, C(Trap) 23, P(Dance) 5, Spot 23, Listen 16, Craft (Basketweaving) 1|-|Shadow Jump 160ft, Improved Evasion[/table]
It peaters out a little bit. Improved Evasion is pretty sweet for not getting blown up by accident. And more Shadow Jump is always nice. Wand Mastery makes our wands a little bit more potent without using more charges for metamagic.

INFUSIONS

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{table=head]Level|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th

1st|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|3|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|4|-|-|-|-|-

4th|4|2|-|-|-|-

5th|4|3|-|-|-|-

6th|4|4|2|-|-|-

7th|4|4|3|-|-|-

8th|4|4|3|-|-|-

9th|4|4|3|-|-|-

10th|4|4|3|-|-|-

11th|4|4|4|2|-|-

12th|4|4|4|3|-|-

13th|4|4|4|3|-|-

14th|4|4|4|3|-|-

15th|4|4|4|3|-|-

16th|4|4|4|3|-|-

17th|4|4|4|3|-|-

18th|4|4|4|3|-|-

19th|4|4|4|3|-|-

20th|4|4|4|3|-|-[/table]
Pump saves, skills, armor. Get special properties on your armor and weapons. Artificer casting is made for this mission focused type character. We even get an Energy Substitution so our wands aren't useless when an enemy has immunity. A lot of win.

EQUIPMENT

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The build is not made for direct combat, so focus on boosting skills first, mostly UMD (you'll especially need it at the beginning), Hide and Move Silently. Then boost defenses all around, saves and AC. Save plenty of gp to build your own WMDs, Wands of Mass Destruction. I ran a bit out of time, so I don't have an exact breakdown of everything. Equip your weapons with wand chambers, and enchant them with Spell Storing.

ADAPTATION

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For a better wand/item builder, and maybe more practical build, the other two Artisan feats will be nice. Extra Rings is really just there to give us more room for magic items, it can easily be replaced. We could also get armor "of Mobility" to grant us the feat (Magic Item Compendium), but if we were to lose it somehow all we would be left with is a squishy wand blaster. If we were to abandon efficiency, we could stack more metamagic onto our wands. Explosive Spell (Complete Arcane) is thematic and will mess up action economy of our enemies by knocking them prone. Empower and Maximize just directly increase damage. Widen (what? Yes it exists) can be fun, but it's a little expensive and only worth it for large groups.
Because it's pretty much a wand blaster, anything that does damage up to and including 6th spell as an 11th level caster (9Artificer,2Wand Mastery), with a DC of up to 21 (10+spelllvlx1.5+2). Heck you could buy bigger wands, if you have he money to spare. Though it should probably still be avoided, you can catch yourself in area spells and just brush it off with (Improved) Evasion. It's really built for an urban/tight dungeons/enclosed spaces type of setting. You can still blast fine from range anyway.

SOURCES
DMG, PHB, MM
Factotum class - Dungeonscape
Able Learner feat - Races of Destiny
Artificer class, Extraordinary Artisan & Extra Rings & Wand Mastery feats, Infusions - Eberron Campaign Setting
Double Wand Wielder & Twin Spell feats - Complete Arcane
Shadowdancer prestige class - DMG

[Amphetryon]

Daddy was a Drow and Mommy was a black widow. . . .

Vesper, the Dark Spider
Drider Rogue 1/Shadowdancer 9

I will weave my webs of darkness around you, and dance past your blades.

The build

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NAME OF ENTRY
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Drider LA 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|||Racial Skill Bonuses (Hide & Move silently +4, Climb +8)

2nd|Drider LA 2|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|||

3rd|Drider LA 3|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|||

4th|Drider LA 4|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|||

5th|Drider HD 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|Climb +4 (4 ranks), Concentration +2 (2 ranks), Hide +4 (4 ranks), listen +3 (3 ranks), Move Silently +4 (4 ranks), Perform (Dance) +4 (2 ranks), Spot +3 (3 ranks)|Combat Reflexes|

6th|Drider HD 2|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

|Climb +1 (5 ranks), Concentration +1 (3 ranks), Hide +1 (5 ranks), listen +1 (4 ranks), Move Silently +1 (5 ranks), Spot +1 (4 ranks)||

7th|Drider HD 3|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|Climb +1 (6 ranks), Hide +1 (6 ranks), listen +1 (5 ranks), Perform (Dance) +2 (3 ranks), Spot +1 (5 ranks)|Dodge|

8th|Drider HD 4|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Climb +1 (7 ranks), Concentration +1 (6 ranks), Hide +1 (7 ranks), listen +1 (6 ranks), Move Silently +1 (6 ranks), Spot +1 (6 ranks)||

9th|Drider HD 5|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|Climb +1 (8 ranks), Hide +1 (8 ranks), listen +1 (7 ranks), Perform (Dance) +2 (4 ranks), Spot +1 (7 ranks)||

10th|Drider HD 6|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Climb +1 (9 ranks), Concentration +1 (7 ranks), Hide +1 (9 ranks), Listen +1 (8 ranks), Move Silently +1 (7 ranks), Spot +1 (7 ranks)|Mobility|Poison, SLAs, Spells, Dark vision 60 ft., SR 17

11th|Rogue 1|

+4

|

+2

|

+4

|

+5

|Hide +1 (10 ranks), Listen +1 (9 ranks), Move silently +3 (10 ranks), Perform (Dance) +1 (5 ranks), Search +5 (5 ranks), Spot +1 (9 ranks)||Sneak attack +1d6, Trapfinding

12th|Shadowdancer 1|

+4

|

+2

|

+6

|

+5

|Escape artist +4 (4 ranks), Hide +1 (11 ranks), listen +2 (11 ranks), Move silently +1 (11 ranks), spot +2 (11 ranks)||Hide in Plain sight

13th|Shadowdancer 2|

+5

|

+2

|

+7

|

+5

|Escape Artist +6 (10 ranks), Hide +1 (12 ranks), listen +1 (12 ranks), move silently +1 (12 ranks), spot +1 (12 ranks)|Combat Casting|Evasion, darkvision, uncanny dodge

14th|Shadowdancer 3|

+6/+1

|

+3

|

+7

|

+6

|Escape Artist +3 (13 ranks), Hide +1 (13 ranks), listen +1 (13 ranks), move silently +1 (13 ranks), search +3 (8 ranks), spot +1 (13 ranks)||shadow illusion, summon shadow (5 HD)

15th|Shadowdancer 4|

+7/+2

|

+3

|

+8

|

+6

|Escape Artist +1 (14 ranks), Hide +1 (14 ranks), listen +1 (14 ranks), move silently +1 (14 ranks), Search +5 (13 ranks), spot +1 (14 ranks)||shadow jump 20 ft

16th|Shadowdancer 5|

+7/+2

|

+3

|

+8

|

+6

|Escape Artist +1 (15 ranks), Hide +1 (15 ranks), listen +1 (15 ranks), move silently +1 (15 ranks), Search +2 (15 ranks), spot +1 (15 ranks), Use Rope +3 (3 ranks)|Ability Focus (Poison)|Defensive roll, Improved uncanny dodge

17th|Shadowdancer 6|

+8/+3

|

+4

|

+9

|

+7

|Escape Artist +1 (16 ranks), Hide +1 (16 ranks), listen +1 (16 ranks), move silently +1 (16 ranks), Search +1 (16 ranks), spot +1 (16 ranks), Use rope +4 (7 ranks)||Shadow jump 40 ft, Summon shadow (7 HD)

18th|Shadowdancer 7|

+9/+4

|

+4

|

+9

|

+7

|Escape Artist +1 (17 ranks), Hide +1 (17 ranks), listen +1 (17 ranks), move silently +1 (17 ranks), Search +1 (17 ranks), spot +1 (17 ranks), Use rope +4 (11 ranks)||Slippery Mind

19th|Shadowdancer 8|

+10/+5

|

+4

|

+10

|

+7

|Escape Artist +1 (18 ranks), Hide +1 (18 ranks), listen +1 (18 ranks), move silently +1 (18 ranks), Search +1 (18 ranks), spot +1 (18 ranks), Use rope +4 (15 ranks)|Improved Critical|Shadow Jump 80 ft

20th|Shadowdancer 9|

+10/+5

|

+5

|

+10

|

+8

|Escape Artist +1 (19 ranks), Hide +1 (19 ranks), listen +1 (19 ranks), move silently +1 (19 ranks), Search +1 (19 ranks), spot +1 (19 ranks), Use rope +4 (19 ranks)||Summon Shadow (9 HD)[/table]

Abilities before racial adjustment:
Str 10 Dex 16 Con 14 Wis 10 Int 14 Cha 14
Abilities After racial adjustment:
Str 14 Dex 20 Con 20 Wis 16 Int 18 Cha 20
Abilities after level-up:
Str 16 Dex 20 Con 20 Wis 16 Int 18 Cha 22

Spells

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{table=head]Level||{colsp=4}Spells per day||{colsp=4}Spells known
||0th|1st|2nd|3rd||0th|1st|2nd|3rd
10th||6|8|6|4||7|4|2|1[/table]
Suggested Spells known:
0th - Daze, Detect Magic, Ghost sound, Mage hand, ray of frost, read magic, resistance
1st - Magic Missile, Obscuring Mist, Ray of Enfeeblement, Silent Image
2nd - Invisibility, web
3rd - Suggestion

Level 10

Spoiler

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"We are all Lolth's Food", the priestesses said. The Spider Goddess tests us, and I failed.
I won't fail again. Now you will all be MY food, and I will devour you!

Level 10 is the first level this build is playable, since a Drider has 6 HD and 4 LA. By this point, she's pretty average for a Drider, but with an odd feat selection and skill set.
A lot of her skill points are going into the prerequisites for Shadow Dancer, but she can't afford it on Drider HD alone.
Due to a higher Con score, the Poison DC is higher, meaning DC 18. Injury poison is better than ingested, not as good as contact. Still 1d6 str, possibly twice.
All three of her feats are devoted to qualifying for Shadowdancer.
She can still take Attacks of Opportunity while flat-footed, not to mention she gets five per round, and due to mobility, gets +4 AC against attacks of opportunity against her.
Arguably, since she can choose a new opponent to apply Dodge to on any action, that could include free actions outside her turn, for a constant +1 AC. Which is not as good as having good armor, but better than nothing.

She also casts spells as a 6th level sorcerer. This is the nice part of being a Drider. And a number of 1/day SLAs, also at CL 6th.
Since the save DCs are charisma based, she naturally has a high charisma. Despite being an unholy fusion of spider and drow, she is still extremely attractive, and charming.
She can already cast Silent Image up to 8 times per day, although she will want to spend those slots on other spells, too, like magic missile, or ray of enfeeblement.

Due to her racial skill bonuses, she adds +14 (9 ranks, 4 racial, 5 dex, -4 large) to hide checks, +16 (7 ranks, 4 racial, 5 dex) to move silently, and +19 (9 ranks, 8 racial, 2 Str) to climb.
And she can take 10 on climb checks, due to her climb speed. AND she keeps her Dex to AC when climbing.

Tactics
Hide while invisible (with other advantageous spells, too, like Obscuring mist), wait until the prey are close enough to strike at. Attack, with poison, and keep moving about. She only gets one attack per round, so she may as well keep moving (after attacking). And her foes provoke AoO when they follow her.
So she attacks, moves away (using evasion + dodge to not get hit by any parting blows), and waits for them to approach.
If they don't approach, she casts Web, then peppers them with Rays of Enfeeblement and Magic Missiles until they escape.

Levels 11-15

Spoiler

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I dance around, spinning webs, cutting at your throat. Your shadow is your enemy; For I may step out of it.

One level of rogue, and four of shadowdancer. Rogue is mostly only taken for the skill points, because her Drider HD leave her 1 rank behind on each of the skills she needs.
Trapfinding is somewhat useful, but not very, especially since we don't focus on it. And Sneak attack is a nice bonus to be benefited from every once and a while, but not worth very much.
She has taken the combat casting feat, something most driders take earlier. it's very usefull, but she had to get her prerequisites in first.
Anyways, that's +4 to concentration while using spells or SLAs, which she has both of, in somewhat common combat situations.

So, what she gets from Shadowdancer is this:
She can use her hide skill if she's in 10 feet of a shadow, even if being observed. So, right in the middle of combat, she disappears (to all apearences). This is because her opponents cast a shadow, and she's usually within 10 feet of them.
So she literally hides right behind them. And they can't see her, unless they've got fairly great spot checks. Yeah, so it's a -20 to hide while attacking, but there's no penalty to hide checks while casting spells. So she can be right beside her enemies, and they can't see her to attack her.
I could have sworn opponents were denied Dex to AC against hiding opponents, but I guess not. So that doesn't earn extra SA damage
Evasion and Uncanny dodge, which makes it so that she can entirely negate damage from "Reflex Save For Half Damage" abilities, and keeps Dex to AC when flat footed (Take that, other rogues!).
She gets Shadow illusion, or Silent Image once more per day, but at a different caster level. Until shadow dancer 6th, which she only has 4 levels of, this is lower than her casting ability so far, but why waste it?
She also summons Shadows, or has the ability to. Those carry an XP penalty, but apparently have no time limit. So it's like an... animal companion, or cohort. even if she dismisses it herself, she can't get another for 30 days, so she just never dismisses it.
A 5 HD creature isn't much help in combat against level 15 foes, unfortunately, but while it lasts it can provide flanking bonuses, and deal extra Str damage to foes.
Finally, she has the ability to jump between shadows. Only 20 feet, so far. If an area is already thick with her webs, or she's cast a darkness spell, or for any number of different reasons an area would be full of shadows, she has a slight home-turf advantage. Standard action, so she won't use it often, but it's much nicer than not being able to go through walls.

Tactics
Same as before, she casts some spells to give her a turf advantage (invisibility, darkness, mist), Hide, wait for prey to approach, strike (now with sneak attack!).
Hit, move away, if they give chase, repeat, otherwise, Web and pepper with damaging spells. Only now, she has a shadow which gets on the other side of whoever, and attacks, and drains strength.
And if she takes on too much damage, she hides RIGHT in the middle of combat, and starts moving away slowly.
Most of her useful abilities gained these levels are passive-defensive, though.
Also, her main damaging spell should be ray of enfeeblement. Combined with her poison, that should reduce an enemy's Str pretty quick. If her shadow is still alive when her foes are reduced to about 0-4 Str, he can touch them, and actually kill them.

Levels 16-20 (Sweet spot: 18th)

Spoiler

Show

I have been blessed by my curse; You cannot hide from me, for the harder you hide, the easier I will find you.

Whew. 5 more levels of shadowdancer.
First she gets Defensive roll, and Improved uncanny dodge, as well as her next feat: Ability Focus (poison).
So now, something with 6-8 legs is tucking and rolling with the blows. This is the default flavor, at least, but more likely she's leaping away.
She can't be flanked, except by rogues with 4 more levels of rogue than she has of her PrC. So, 9-13 or higher.
And her poison is harder to resist. Whoo, +2 DCs. [/sarcasm] OK, so there could be a better choice.
But arguably, your class levels count as HD, which also increase the poison DC. So by 16th, that's +3 more, and by 20th, that's +5, for a total DC of 25. So, still resistible, if you have a good fort. But if you haven't been focusing on it...

Then her shadow jump gets longer (at the same time all her saves go up, and her bab), and her summoned shadows have two more HD. This means...very little, since a level 17 party can still butcher it, easy. Still, while this pseudo familiar lasts, flanking bonuses and con damage.
18th level, the Sweet Spot, is so called, because that's when her Slippery Mind comes online. So, she's subject to a spell with a saving throw? Ooh, it seems that whatever effect doesn't affect her at all until the next round, when she can save again! Sure, she already has Spell Resistance...
next, all she really gets is a longer shadow jump, although 80 feet is finally useful outside of going through walls. It's faster than she is normally, now. She also gains Improved Critical that level, meaning her threat range is doubled when using her primary weapon.
And last, her summoned shadows grow to 9 HD. Really, they now cost 1800 xp to banish (on a failed save, 900 if successful), or if their destroyed, so if she summons one, she should be prepared to pay the cost for it, every time.

Tactics
Once more, she uses her magic to augment her Hide skill, taking it as ludicrously far as possible, waits, and strikes. Of course she's using poison, since it's pretty well free. And using her shadow to finish them off if it survives.
As stated earlier, most of the abilities of this class seem to be passive-defensive. So, really, she's still using the same tactics, only now it's much easier for her to survive.
And she can actually get away using shadow jump if the going gets too tough.
But, attack, move, wait for charge. If no charge, web and spells. Not much change at all.
Oh, yeah, she can shadow jump into a foe's shadow reliably, now. Not that that makes much difference.

Adaptation + Equipment

Spoiler

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So, several potential suboptimal choices have been made. This is due to sticking ENTIRELY to the SRD. If you haven't noticed that by now, for shame.
So, if you have more than the SRD, first thing you're going to want to do is trade out some of those feats:
Ability Focus (Poison) sucks. She could have applied it to her SLAs, which would have been OK, but you want something outside the SRD. Improved Critical could be swapped out, too.
Mobile Spell-Casting (Complete Adventurer) lets you cast and move in the same STANDARD action. For a Drider, this is very nice, and makes combat casting more worthwhile.
Travel Devotion (Complete champion) is another nice option, but because she only has two attacks (plus bite), and the second comes late, it's not the best for her.
There are other options available, because there are many, many books.

That rogue dip. She doesn't get much out of it. It's pretty much there for the skills. Why not replace it with Warblade or Swordsage?
And the last two levels of shadow dancer are pretty much useless. So why not replace them with more of whatever got dipped?

Equipment wise, she wants a weapon her size. She does not want a reach weapon, because she's going to stay within 10 of her enemies when she's attacking. Something with a nice Crit range would be nice.
Magic items to increase her Dex, Con, or Cha would be good. Str, too. She is pretty MAD. Although these aren't required.
Since she has so many passive-defensive abilities, but can't wear heavy armor, some Mithril armor would be good. Perhaps enchanted with Silent Moves, or sine resistances.
A ring of invisibility would free up the second level spell known, for a more blasty spell.
A staff would be a good choice. Pick some spells, and keep someone around to recharge it if she runs out.

[Amphetryon]

Made from shadowsteel, maybe?

Artou Defoor
Warforged Scout
Maguito build (As in Mage-Mosquito)

Background

Spoiler

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You were taught the best style of fighting in the known world by the Academy. The rules stifled you a little since all you wanted to do was dance. People think you look funny when you dance, but you don't care. You were bright they told you, but you were wasting your talents. Still, you got to practice your stealth whenever you snook out to dance the night away. Always the rules get you though!

You spent a few years gaining experience in doing small jobs for the Academy. One day however, you found an old book in a dusty attic. Devoting yourself to studying the strange arts it described you started on the path of the wizard. Practising hard you first learn the spells Expeditious Retreat and Mage Armour. What with this, and working out how your dance born agility could be used in combat, its as if you had just taken several levels in Monk. You also befriend a bat in the attic.

Having been thrown out of the Academy for cheating: you find yourself sleeping among the waste bins on the streets. Here you pick up several new skills, and acquire the knack of filching arcane power from others.

You work out how to survive on the streets and even prosper on your own; and, in between your love of dance, continue to studying the arcane arts. From your time furtively sneaking off in the darkness to dance all night, you stumble into your true vocation.

Character at 11th Level

Spoiler

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Equipment

Spoiler

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WBL: 66,000 gp

Skirmish boots [3200] extra attack 3/day
Gloves of Dex +6 [36,000]
Ring Prot +2 [8,000]
Heward's Haversack [2,000]
Wand Expeditious Retreat [750]
Wand Darkness [4500]
Wand Repair Moderate Damage [4500] (This is just for self healing)
Cloak of Elvenkind [2500]
Various amounts of Contact Poison

Str 6[-2]
Dex 22[+6]<+9>
Con 14[+2]
Int 16[+3]
Wis 6[-2]
Cha 6[-2]

Fort 4+2 Con
Reflex 9+9 Dex
Will 8-2 Wis

Immune to Poison, Sleep, Paralysis, Disease, Nausea, Fatigue, Exhaustion, Sickening, and Energy Drain.
Evasion, Spell Reflection, Spellgrace +1 on saves against spells.
5% Arcane failure
Familiar: Bat
25% Fortification
BAB +5
Initiative +9
Speed 20' but you should have Expeditious Retreat running.
AC (10 +2 Warforged +9 Dex +2 Ring +1 size) 24 Flat 15 Touch 22 (plus a choice of buffs)
Unarmed attack +15 2d4-2+1d6 sneak+Arcane Strike

Skills
{table=head]Skill|Ranks|Stat|Other|Total
Balance|5|+9|+2 Tumble|16
Craft-Blacksmithing|10|+3|-|13
Know(Arcane)|7|+3|-|10
Hide|14|+9|Small+4 Cloak+5|32
Jump|5|-2|+2 Tumble|5
Tumble|14|+9|+2 Jump|25
Perform(Dance)|5|-2|-|3
Move Silently|14|+9|Bat+3|26
Spellcraft|12|+3|+2 Know(Arcane)|17
Listen|0|-2|Bat+2|0
Spot|2|-2|Bat+2|2
Search|2|-2|-|0
Sense Motive|1|-2|-|-1
[/table]
Why is Perform(dance) Cha based, surely Dex should be involved in here somewhere ?

You normally start combat hidden.
You should have scouted the area and so have time to do things like apply poison, cast buffs, etc.
You need speed because you have little legs: Expeditious Retreat will do just fine.
From Hiding you will aim to spring attack opposing spell casters in order to take their spells. After the spring attack you should aim to retreat and hide. After having stolen the spells you
can either cast them back at the enemy or burn them in an Arcane Strike.
This should give you concealment and hence a miss chance: so if they try a ranged touch spell or SLA your Spell Reflection may bounce it straight back.
Hopefully the enemy spell caster will go something like What was that ? Where did my spells go ? Arghh ! There they are.
You only have a few spells yourself, but there is nothing to stop you stealing some more from other friendly casters. You are a rechargeable spell battery.

Use of Equipment:
If you play in a game with a 15 minute adventuring day then you probably don't need the Wands. You can cast these spells yourself, but wands are cheap. You do lack spells per day however
and so these are a good idea.
The Skirmish boots allow you to nova: 3xday you can steal spells twice in one round.

Typical Spells: (Caster Level = 11)
1st Level Spells: Mage Armour, Expeditious Retreat x2, Feather Fall
2nd Level Spells: Blur x2, See Invisibility
3rd Level Spells: Fly, Vampiric Touch

Build

Spoiler

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The theory behind this build is that we can do the mage killer trick, with a slight twist.
What makes a caster powerful ? Their spells of course, and without these they are simply over qualified commoners.
Basically the concept is to run interference against spell casters, and to turn their own powers against them. You can even take down their defences. You have several defences of your own,
which again are designed to frustrate opposing casters. Against non-casters you are not so impressive, but such opponents are less challenging for others.

I also considered poison use, but since we are immune to poison we can just slap it all over our hands and not worry about it too much. Contact poison is a standard consumable for this
character - subject to availability.
I did consider Sunschool, assuming Shadow jump is Dimension Door, but the idea of ending up next to the target didn't appeal. It is an option, just not a brilliant one.
Bounding Assault would also be excellent, unfortunately we will never have the BAB to qaulify.

Start with 2 levels of monk
Cobra Srike variant gets me Dodge and Mobility
Decisive Strike because this is not a front line character nor will it ever full attack also 1d4-2 is very poor, but 2d4-2 is better.
I take Combat Reflexes at 1st to get it out of the way, and besides I don't have the BAB I need for the feats I want yet.
At 2nd I swap out Evasion for Spell Reflection; not that Evasion is bad - it isn't. Its just that I get it again later, and Spell Reflection will work well when I get my miss chances
working.
My Crafts skill is Blacksmithing (self repair basically), and my Perform is Dance - of course.

Next Wizard 1 with the Combat Wizard option to trade Scribe Scroll for Weapon Finesse.
Transmutation specialist banning Evocation and Enchantment
Bat familiar for Alertness and +3 Move Silently
I take Practised Spellcaster as my level 3 feat

Next Spellthief 1 for 1d6 Sneak Attack, Steal Spell – 0th or 1st and Trapfinding.
I'd swap out Trapfinding if there was anything useful available.

Wizard 2 and 3 follow allowing me to take the Master Spell Thief feat

Next we take Spell Thief 2 which gives me Detect Magic, Spellgrace +1 and Steal Spell Effect
All of this is good, and we get to top our skills up.

Now we take Wizard 4 so that we can steal 3rd level spells
And then Wiz 5 so that we can cast 3rd level spells.
We trade our bonus feat for Spring Attack and take Arcane Strike as our 9th level feat.
This allows us to dump unwanted spells we might have stolen for a to hit and damage boost.

Now we are ready to enter Shadowdancer
Everything is good for our role, up until 5th anyway. After that we would be better switching into an stealth/arcane PrC
Its not a good point that we can only steal 3rd level spells, but there's not much to be done about that within this PrC.
Which is why I switch out after 5 levels, but that will still only allow us to steal 6th level spells (From 19th level).
We need these 5 levels to meet the pre-reqs of our final PrC anyway.

Hide in plain sight - the capstone of the class, well in most builds which use it I guess.
Evasion - We have an excellent Reflex save and opponents may well try to catch us this way, besides we swapped our first evasion out at 2nd level.
Darkvision - we don't have this, and it is useful
Uncanny dodge - do levels of SpellThief stack ? Well maybe but I suspect not. This is unlikely to be useful - we have 25% fortification already
Shadow illusion - whoopie a 1st level SLA
Summon shadow - an upgrade to our bat-scout. It may be useful for generating flanks in some situations, or its another distracting attack.
Shadow jump 20 ft. - Get out of grapples/Force Cages etc. twice a day
Defensive roll - might save your life, which is always handy.
Improved uncanny dodge - see Uncanny Dodge
Shadow jump 40 ft. - How many Forcecages is that Sorceror carrying today ?
summon shadow - see above, or below
Slippery mind - This might be useful, but its marginal.

The Shadow companion
A very useful scout, and with the right feats a diversionary attacker also. Unfortunatly this doesn't seem very likely
HD 3d12 Init +2 Fly 40 (good)
Incorporeal Touch +3 1d6 str
Darkvision, incorporeal traits, undead traits.
With a max HD of 5, and poor BAB, you can never even get Spring attack for it.

At 12th we take Sidestep. We have combat reflexes and people may be hunting for us. So we can now take an AoO, maybe steal a spell, 5' step and Hide in Plain sight.

OK after 5 levels of Shadow Dancer we have all we need for this concept and move into Unseen Seer. Arcane Trickster would have been fine, if we had 2d6 sneak.
We need to know a couple of divinations for this class, but we are a wizard so thats easy.
This PrCC mainly gives us Skill points and Arcane Casting. The extra sneak dice are just iceing on the cake.
Silent spell is another useful class feature.
At 19th we get Guarded mind, which is just non-detection.
With more caster levels we have more spells and with Master Spellthief we can steal higher level ones as well. This will increase the power of our Arcane Strike - if nothing else.

At 15th level we take Improved Fortification which is a Warforged only feat. This makes us immune to sneak damage and criticals.

At 18th we take Quicken, for Expeditious reasons most likely.

This build is an interesting Gish designed to foil arcane casters in unexpected ways. It would probably play best as an antagonist, ideally a recurring one.

Spoiler

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{table=head]Stat|Allocation|Racial Mod|Total|Modifier
Str|8|-2|6|-2
Dex|18|+2|20|+5
Con|14|-|14|+2
Int|16|-|16|+3
Wis|8|-2|6|-2
Cha|8|-2|6|-2
[/table]

Maguito build
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Monk 1|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|

+2

|Balance(4),Craft(2),Know(Arc)(2/1),Hide(4),Jump(4),Tumble(4),Perform(4),Move Silently(4)|Combat Reflexes|Cobra Strike(Dodge),Decisive Strike,Unarmed Strike(2d4)

2nd|Monk 2|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|Balance(1),Craft(1),Hide(1),Jump(1),Tumble(1),Per form(1),Move Silently(1)|-|Cobra Strike(Mobility),Spell Reflection

3rd|Wizard 1|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|

+5

|Spellcraft(5)|Practised Spellcaster|Summon familiar, Weapon Finesse

4th|Spell Thief 1|

+1

|

+3

|

+5

|

+5

|,Hide(2),Tumble(2),Move Silently(2),Craft(2),Know-Arc(1)|+1 dex|1d6 Sneak Attack, Steal Spell (0th or 1st) and Trapfinding

5th|Wizard 2|

+2

|

+3

|

+5

|

+6

|Spellcraft(3),Craft(1),Know-Arc(1)|-|-

6th|Wizard 3|

+2

|

+4

|

+6

|

+6

|Spellcraft(1),Craft(1),Know-Arc(3)|Master Spell Thief|-

7th|Spell Thief 2|

+3

|

+4

|

+6

|

+7

|Hide(3),Tumble(3),Move Silently(3)|-|Detect Magic, Spellgrace +1 and Steal Spell Effect

8th|Wizard 4|

+4

|

+4

|

+6

|

+8

|Spellcraft(2),Craft(2),Know-Arc(1)|+1 dex|-

9th|Wizard 5|

+4

|

+4

|

+6

|

+8

|Spellcraft(1),Craft(1),Know-Arc(3)|Arcane Strike|Spring Attack

10th|Shadow Dancer 1|

+4

|

+4

|

+8

|

+8

|Hide(3),Tumble(3),Move Silently(3)|-|Hide in plain sight

11th|Shadow Dancer 2|

+5

|

+4

|

+9

|

+8

|Hide(1),Tumble(1),Move Silently(1),Spot(2),Search(2),Sense Motive(2/1)|-|Evasion, darkvision, uncanny dodge

12th|Shadow Dancer 3|

+6

|

+5

|

+9

|

+9

|Hide(1),Tumble(1),Move Silently(1),Spot(2),Search(2),Sense Motive(2/1)|Sidestep,+1 dex|Shadow illusion, summon shadow

13th|Shadow Dancer 4|

+7

|

+5

|

+10

|

+9

|Hide(1),Tumble(1),Move Silently(1),Spot(2),Search(2),Sense Motive(2/1)|-|Shadow jump 20 ft.

14th|Shadow Dancer 5|

+7

|

+5

|

+10

|

+9

|Hide(1),Tumble(1),Move Silently(1),Spot(2),Search(2),Sense Motive(2/1)|-|Defensive roll, improved uncanny dodge

15th|Unseen Seer 1|

+7

|

+5

|

+10

|

+11

|Hide(1),Move Silently(1),Spellcraft(5),Spot(2)|Improved Fortification|+1d6 sneak

16th|Unseen Seer 2|

+8

|

+5

|

+10

|

+12

|Hide(1),Move Silently(1),Spellcraft(2),Spot(5)|+1 dex|Advaned learning,Silent Spell

17th|Unseen Seer 3|

+9

|

+6

|

+11

|

+12

|Hide(1),Move Silently(1),Spellcraft(1),Spot(5),Know(Arcane)(1)|-|Divination Spell Power +1

18th|Unseen Seer 4|

+10

|

+6

|

+11

|

+13

|Hide(1),Move Silently(1),Spellcraft(1),Spot(1),Know(Arcane)(5)| Quicken|+1d6 sneak

19th|Unseen Seer 5|

+10

|

+6

|

+11

|

+13

|Hide(1),Move Silently(1),Spellcraft(1),Spot(1),Know(Arcane)(5)|-|Advanced Learning, Guarded mind

20th|Unseen Seer 6|

+11

|

+7

|

+12

|

+14

|Hide(1),Move Silently(1),Spellcraft(1),Spot(1),Know(Arcane)(4), Listen(1)|+1 dex|Divination Spell Power +2[/table]

Spells per day
{table=head]Level|CL|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

1st|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|3|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|4|3|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

5th|5|4|2+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|6|4|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|7|4|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|8|4|3+1|2+1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|9|4|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|10|4|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|11|4|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-

12th|11|4|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-

13th|11|4|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-

14th|11|4|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-|-

15th|12|4|3+1|3+1|2+1|-|-|-|-|-|-

16th|13|4|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-|-

17th|14|4|4+1|3+1|2+1|2+1|-|-|-|-|-

18th|15|4|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-|-

19th|16|4|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|2+1|-|-|-|-

20th|17|4|4+1|4+1|4+1|3+1|2+1|1+1|-|-|-[/table]

References

Spoiler

Show

Warforged Scout from MM3 p193

Core Feats: Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, Mobility, Practised Spellcaster, Weapon Finesse, Spring Attack, Quicken

Four ACFs are used,

Cobra Strike Monk ACF from SRD
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/cl...tm#cobraStrike
This just gives you Dodge and Mobility as Bonus feats.
(Actually there is a bonus to Escape Artist which I have ignored.)

Decisive Strike (PHB 2, p 51): Lose flurry of blows, gain ability to make one attack that deals double damage.

Evasion ACF from CMage p35
Spell Reflection
If a spell or SLA aimed at you misses, then it gets reflected and may hit the caster.

Combat Wizard ACF from SRD
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/cl...ses.htm#wizard
This nets me two fighter feats, at 1st and 5th

Spell Thief Base Class from CAdv p13
Unseen Seer PrC CMage p93

Other Feats
Master Spell Thief CSco p79
Arcane Strike Car p96
Sidestep Mini p28
Improved Fortification Warforger racial feat, from Eberron Campaign Setting p55

[Amphetryon]

Shadow assassin? Targets, or modus operandi? Hmmm. . . .

Athek, the Shadow Assassin

Starting Stats:
Human
Str: 8
Dex: 16
Con: 16
Int: 16
Wis: 10
Cha: 8
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Factotum|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Perform (dance) 4, Use Magic Device 4, Autohypnosis 4, Tumble 4, Balance 4, Iajutsu Focus 4, Search 4, Disable Device 4|Able Learner, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (gnomish quickrazor)|Trapfinding, *Cunning Insight, Cunning Knowledge, Inspiration

2nd|Factotum|

+1

|

+0

|

+3

|

+0

|Hide 5, Move Silently 5, Perform (dance) 5, Use Magic Device 5, Autohypnosis 5, Tumble 5, Balance 5, Iajutsu Focus 5, Search 5, Disable Device 5||Arcane Dilettante (1 spell)

3rd|Factotum|

+2

|

+1

|

+3

|

+1

|Hide 6, Move Silently 6, Perform (dance) 5, Use Magic Device 6, Autohypnosis 6, Tumble 6, Balance 6, Iajutsu Focus 6, Search 6, Disable Device 6, Knowledge (Arcana) 1|Weapon Finesse|Brains Over Brawn, Cunning Defense

4th|Fighter bonus feat Rogue (UA variant)|

+2

|

+1

|

+5

|

+1

|Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Perform (dance) 5, Use Magic Device 7, Autohypnosis 7, Tumble 7, Balance 7, Iajutsu Focus 7, Search 7, Disable Device 7, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1|Dodge (bonus feat)|

5th|Fighter bonus feat Rogue (UA variant)|

+3

|

+1

|

+6

|

+1

|Hide 8, Move Silently 8, Perform (dance) 5, Use Magic Device 8, Autohypnosis 8, Tumble 8, Balance 8, Iajutsu Focus 8, Search 8, Disable Device 8, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1|Mobility (bonus feat)|Evasion

6th|Factotum|

+4

|

+1

|

+7

|

+1

|Hide 9, Move Silently 9, Perform (dance) 5, Use Magic Device 9, Autohypnosis 9, Tumble 9, Balance 9, Iajutsu Focus 9, Search 9, Disable Device 9, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (the planes) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1|Font of Inspiration|Arcane Dilettante (2 spells), Cunning Strike

7th|Factotum|

+4

|

+1

|

+7

|

+1

|Hide 10, Move Silently 10, Perform (dance) 5, Use Magic Device 10, Autohypnosis 10, Tumble 10, Balance 10, Iajutsu Focus 10, Search 10, Disable Device 10, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, and nature) 1 each, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1||Opportunistic Piety

8th|Factotum|

+5

|

+2

|

+8

|

+2

|Hide 11, Move Silently 11, Perform (dance) 5, Use Magic Device 11, Autohypnosis 11, Tumble 11, Balance 11, Iajutsu Focus 11, Search 11, Disable Device 11, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature) 1 each, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Spot 1||

9th|Factotum|

+6

|

+2

|

+8

|

+2

|Hide 12, Move Silently 12, Perform (dance) 5, Use Magic Device 12, Autohypnosis 12, Tumble 12, Balance 12, Iajutsu Focus 12, Search 12, Disable Device 12, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature) 1 each, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Spot 1, Listen 1|Combat Reflexes|Arcane Dilettante (3 spells)

10th|Factotum|

+7

|

+2

|

+9

|

+2

|Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Perform (dance) 5, Use Magic Device 13, Autohypnosis 13, Tumble 13, Balance 13, Iajutsu Focus 13, Search 13, Disable Device 13, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature) 1 each, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Spot 1, Listen 1, Gather Information 1||Cunning Surge

11th|Shadowdancer|

+7

|

+2

|

+11

|

+2

|Hide 14, Move Silently 14, Perform (dance) 5, Use Magic Device 14, Autohypnosis 14, Tumble 14, Balance 14, Iajutsu Focus 14, Search 14, Disable Device 14, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature) 1 each, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Spot 1, Listen 1, Gather Information 1, Intimidate 1||Hide in Plain Sight

12th|Shadowdancer|

+8

|

+2

|

+12

|

+2

|Hide 15, Move Silently 15, Perform (dance) 5, UMD 15, Autohypnosis 15, Tumble 15, Balance 15, Iajutsu Focus 15, Search 15, Disable Device 15, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature) 1 each, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Spot 1, Listen 1, Gather Information 1, Intimidate 1, Diplomacy 1|Obtain Familiar|Darkvision, Uncanny Dodge

13th|Shadowdancer|

+9

|

+3

|

+12

|

+3

|Hide 16, Move Silently 16, Perform (dance) 5, UMD 16, Autohypnosis 16, Tumble 16, Balance 16, Iajutsu Focus 16, Search 16, Disable Device 16, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature, local) 1, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Spot 1, Listen 1, Gather Information 1, Intimidate 1, Diplomacy 1||Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow

14th|Shadowdancer|

+10

|

+3

|

+13

|

+3

|Hide 17, Move Silently 17, Perform (dance) 5, UMD 17, Autohypnosis 17, Tumble 17, Balance 17, Iajutsu Focus 17, Search 17, Disable Device 17, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature, local) 1 each, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Spot 1, Listen 1, Gather Information 1, Intimidate 1, Diplomacy 1, Spellcraft 1||Shadow Jump 20 ft.

15th|Shadowdancer|

+10

|

+3

|

+13

|

+3

|Hide 18, Move Silently 18, Perform (dance) 5, UMD 18, Autohypnosis 18, Tumble 18, Balance 18, Iajutsu Focus 18, Search 18, Disable Device 18, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature, local) 1 each, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Spot 1, Listen 1, Gather Information 1, Intimidate 1, Diplomacy 1, Spellcraft 1, Jump 1|Font of Inspiration|Defensive Roll, Improved Uncanny Dodge

16th|Shadowdancer|

+11

|

+4

|

+14

|

+4

|Hide 19, Move Silently 19, Perform (dance) 5, UMD 19, Autohypnosis 19, Tumble 19, Balance 19, Iajutsu Focus 19, Search 19, Disable Device 19, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature, local) 1 each, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Spot 1, Listen 1, Gather Information 1, Intimidate 1, Diplomacy 1, Spellcraft 1, Jump 1, Craft (basketweaving) 1||Shadow Jump 40 ft., Summon Shadow +2 HD

17th|Shadowdancer|

+12

|

+4

|

+14

|

+4

|Hide 20, Move Silently 20, Perform (dance) 5, UMD 20, Autohypnosis 20, Tumble 20, Balance 20, Iajutsu Focus 20, Search 20, Disable Device 20, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature, local) 1 each, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Spot 1, Listen 1, Gather Information 1, Diplomacy 1, Intimidate 1, Spellcraft 1, Jump 1, Craft (basketweaving) 1, Escape Artist 1||Slippery Mind

18th|Shadowdancer|

+13

|

+4

|

+15

|

+4

|Hide 21, Move Silently 21, Perform (dance) 5, UMD 21, Autohypnosis 21, Tumble 21, Balance 21, Iajutsu Focus 21, Search 21, Disable Device 21, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature, local) 1 each, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Intimidate 1, Diplomacy 1, Spot 1, Listen 1, Gather Information 1, Spellcraft 1, Jump 1, Craft (basketweaving) 1, Escape Artist 1|Font of Inspiration|Shadow Jump 80 ft.

19th|Shadowdancer|

+13

|

+5

|

+15

|

+5

|Hide 22, Move Silently 22, Perform (dance) 5, UMD 22, Autohypnosis 22, Tumble 22, Balance 22, Iajutsu Focus 22, Search 22, Disable Device 22, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature, local) 1 each, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Intimidate 1, Diplomacy 1, Spot 1, Listen 1, Gather Information 1, Spellcraft 1, Jump 1, Craft (basketweaving) 1, Escape Artist 1, Use Rope 1||Summon Shadow +4 HD

20th|Shadowdancer|

+14

|

+5

|

+16

|

+5

|Hide 23, Move Silently 23, Perform (dance) 5, UMD 23, Autohypnosis 23, Tumble 23, Balance 23, Iajutsu Focus 23, Search 23, Disable Device 23, Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, nature, local) 1, Bluff 1, Sense Motive 1, Lucid Dreaming 1, Disguise 1, Sleight of Hand 1, Intimidate 1, Diplomacy 1, Spot 1, Listen 1, Gather Information 1, Spellcraft 1, Jump 1, Craft (basketweaving) 1, Escape Artist 1, Decipher Script 1||Shadow Jump 160 ft., Improved Evasion[/table]


Level 5 abilities include:
Brains Over Brawn: Apply Intelligence modifier to all Dexterity and Strength skills
Trapfinding: Allows you to find traps with a Search DC of over 20. *
Evasion: When you succeed on a Reflex save for half damage, you instead take no damage. *Coupled with high Reflex saves, this ability can be extremely useful.
Inspiration: At this point, you have 3 Inspiration points. *Inspiration points recharge each encounter, and can be used in a variety of ways. *At this level, you can use these to apply your Intelligence modifier to 1 attack roll, saving throw, or to your AC against one foe. *It can also be used to apply a +3 bonus to one skill check.
Arcane Dilettante: At this level, you can use Arcane Dilettante to cast 1 first level spell.
Weapon Finesse: With Finesse weapons, this build can use Dexterity for attack instead of Strength.
Dodge+Mobility: You have both the Dodge feat and the Mobility feat, giving you +1 dodge bonus to AC against one target and +4 dodge bonus to AC against AoO for leaving a space. Also, required for Shadowdancer.
Able Learner: This feat, combined with Factotum levels, makes it so all skills are on your skill list for the rest of your levels.
Exotic Weapon Proficiency (gnomish quickrazor): The gnomish quickrazor is a weapon that you draw every time you attack. *It is used with Iajutsu focus in this build. *
Skills: You have ranks in various skills, such as Hide and Move Silently (stealthy skills), Iajutsu Focus (extra damage), Autohypnosis (various abilities), UMD (use wands and such), Tumble and Balance (various falling help, and Tumble stuff), and Search and Disable Device (trapmonkey skills).

Level Ten Abilities
Inspiration: Your Inspiration pool is now 6 Inspiration points, and in addition to level 5's uses, you can spend one point to add +1d6 sneak attack damage to an attack, or to heal 20 health, or to turn undead. *Your skill boost from spending an Inspiration point is now 8. *You can also spend 3 points to take an extra standard action.
Arcane Dilettante: You can now cast 3 spells of up to 3rd level.
Combat Reflexes: You can now make additional AoOs equal to your Dexterity modifier. *Also, required for Shadowdancer.
Skills: You have more ranks in all the previously mentioned skills, plus one rank in Knowledge (arcana, religion, the planes, and nature), Bluff, Sense Motive, Lucid Dreaming, Disguise, Sleight of Hand, Spot, Listen, and Gather Information.
Blurstrike: Blurstrike weapons can, ten times per day, make your opponent flat-footed. *At this level, you can afford a Blurstrike gnomish quickrazor, for reliable Iajutsu Focusing.

Level 15 abilities
Inspiration: Your Inspiration pool is now 8 points.
Hide in Plain Sight: You can now hide effectively while within 10 feet of some sort of shadow. *Because of Obtain Familiar, you have a raven familiar. *Ravens cast shadows, so ad long as your familiar is within 10 feet of you. *
Darkvision: Athek can see in the dark.
Uncanny Dodge: Athek retains his Dexterity to AC while flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker.
Improved Uncanny Dodge: Athek can no longer be flanked, except by a rogue 4 levels higher than him.
Shadow Illusion: Once per day, Athek can create a silent image, as the spell.
Summon Shadow: Athek gains a shadow companion, being a normal shadow, except with an alignment matching his, and without the ability to create spawn, and with immunity to rebuking and controlling.
Shadow Jump: Your familiar saves the day again, as it produces a shadow. *While you can only jump 20 ft a day right now, this ability is useful.
Defensive Roll: When hit by an attack that would reduce him to 0 hit points, Athek can make a Reflex save for half damage.

Level 20 abilities
Inspiration: Your inspiration pool is 11 points now.
Shadow Jump: You can now jump 160 ft per day. *
Improved Evasion: In addition to the Evasion ability, whenever you are subject to a Reflex save for half damage, you automatically take only half damage.
Slippery Mind: Whenever Athek is subject to an enchantment spell and fails, he may try again next round.
Summon Shadow: Your shadow companion now has +4 HD.

[Amphetryon]

This one jumps out, literally.

Karn the Conqueror
CN Shadow-Walker Human
A city skilled Lion Totem Whirling Frenzy Barbarian
A Warblade
A Swordsage
A Shadowdancer
With gigantic malancolies and gigantic mirths
to tread the jeweled thrones of Toril under his shadowed feet

Karn the Conqueror

Spoiler

Show

Karn the Conqueror
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Barbarian 1|

+1

|

+2

|

+0

|

+0

|Hide 2, MS 2, P Dance 2, Jump 4, Tumble 4, UPD 2, K. Arc 2, G. Info 4, UMD 2, K. Religion 2, Collector of Stories|Able Learner, Dodge|Whirling Frenzy, Pounce

2nd|Warblade 1|

+2

|

+4

|

+0

|

+0

|Jump 5, Tumble 5, K. Local 5||Battle Clarity

3rd|Warblade 2|

+3

|

+5

|

+0

|

+0

|Jump 6, Tumble 6, K. Local 6, Hide 3, MS 3, P. Dance 3, UPD 3|Mobility|Uncanny Dodge

4th|Warblade 3|

+4

|

+5

|

+1

|

+1

|Jump 7, Tumble 7, K. Local 7, K. Arc 3, K. Plane 1, UMD 3, K. Religion 3||Battle Ardor

5th|Warblade 4|

+5

|

+6

|

+1

|

+1

|Jump 8, Tumble 8, K. Local 8, Hide 4, MS 4, P Dance 4, UPD 4||

6th|Swordsage 1|

+5

|

+6

|

+3

|

+3

|Hide 9, MS 8|Combat Reflexes|Quick to act, Discipline Focus Tiger Claw

7th|Swordsage 2|

+6

|

+6

|

+4

|

+4

|Hide 10, MS 10, P. Dance 5, UPD 5, K. Arc 3, K Planes 5||AC Bonus

8th|Shadowdancer 1|

+6

|

+6

|

+6

|

+4

|Hide 11, MS 11, Jump 11, Tumble 11, G. Info 3, K. Local (Taer) 2||Hide in Plain Sight

9th|Shadowdancer 2|

+7

|

+6

|

+7

|

+4

|Hide 12, MS 12, Jump 12, Tumble 12, UPD 6, K. Arc 6, K. Planes 4, G. Info 6, UMD 4|Battle Jump|Evasion, Imp. Uncanny Dodge

10th|Shadowdancer 3|

+8

|

+7

|

+7

|

+5

|Hide 13, MS 13, Jump 13, Tumble 13, K. Religion 6, K. Nature 1, Concentration 1||Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow

11th|Shadowdancer 4|

+9

|

+7

|

+8

|

+5

|Hide 14, MS 14, Jump 14, Tumble 14, UPD 7, K. Arc 7, K. Planes 5, G. Info 5, UMD 6||Shadow Jump 20

12th|Shadowdancer 5|

+9

|

+7

|

+8

|

+5

|Hide 15, MS 15, Jump 15, Tumble 15, K. Religion 7|Knowledge Devotion|Defensive Roll

13th|Warblade 5|

+10

|

+7

|

+8

|

+5

|K. Local 15|Blade Meditation: Tiger Claw (B)|

14th|Shadowdancer 6|

+11

|

+8

|

+9

|

+6x

|Hide 17, MS 17, Jump 17, Tumble 17, K. Religion 8||Shadow Jump 40

15th|Shadowdancer 7|

+12

|

+8

|

+9

|

+6

|Hide 18, MS 18, Jump 18, Tumble 18, UPD 8, K. Arc 8, K. Planes 6, G Info 6, UMD 7|Martial Study (Shadow Stride)|Slippery Mind

16th|Shadowdancer 8|

+13

|

+8

|

+10

|

+6

|Hide 19, MS 19, Jump 19, Tumble 19, UPD 9, K. Arc 9, K. Planes 7, G info 7, UMD 8||Shadow Jump 80

17th|Shadowdancer 9|

+13

|

+9

|

+10

|

+7

|Hide 20, MS 20, Jump 20, Tumble 20, UPD 10, K. Arc 10, K. Planes 8, G. Info 8, UMD 9||

18th|Shadowdancer 10|

+14

|

+9

|

+11

|

+7

|Hide 21, MS 21, Jump 21, Tumble 21, UMD 10, K. Religion 10, K. Nature 2|Trickery Devotion|Shadow Jump 160, Improved Evasion

19th|Swordsage 3|

+15

|

+10

|

+11

|

+7

|Hide 22, MS 22, Jump 22, Tumble 22, UPD 11, K. Arc 11, K. Planes 9, G info 9, UMD 11 ||
[/table]

Warblade Maneuvers:

Spoiler

Show

Warblade 1:
3 Maneuvers Known, 3 Maneuvers Readied, 1 Stance
Tiger: Sudden Leap
White: Leading the Attack, Douse the Flames
Stance: Leading the Charge

Warblade 2:
4 Maneuvers Known
Tiger: Wolf Fang Strike

Warblade 3:
5 Maneuvers Known
White: Battle Leader's Charge

Warblade 4:
2 Stances
Swap Wolf Fang Strike with Iron: Wall of Blades
Stance: Hunter's Sense

Warblade 5:
6 Maneuvers Known
White: White Raven Tactics

Martial Study: Shadow Stride

Swordsage Maneuvers:

Spoiler

Show

Swordsage 1:
6 Maneuvers Known, 4 Readied, 1 Stance
Shadow: Shadow Jaunt, Cloak of Deception, Drain Vitality, Shadow Blade Technique, Clinging Shadow Strike
Tiger: Sudden Leap
Stance: Island of Blades

Swordsage 2:
7 Maneuvers Known, 2 Stances
Set: Counter Charge
Stance: Child of Shadow

Swordsage 3:
8 Maneuvers Known, 5 Maneuvers Readied
Shadow: Shadow Stride

Crown of White Raven: White Raven Tactics

Initiator Levels:

Spoiler

Show

{table=head]Level|Warblade|Swordsage
1st|0|0
2nd|1|0
3rd|2|0
4th|3|0
5th|4|0
6th|5|3
7th|5|4
8th|6|5
9th|6|5
10th|7|6
11th|7|6
12th|8|7
13th|9|7
14th|9|8
15th|10|8
16th|10|9
17th|11|9
18th|11|10
19th|12|11
[/table]

Shadow Walker Abilities

Spoiler

Show

{table=head]Level|Abilities
1st|Shadow Mask 3/Day
2nd|
3rd|Dimension Door 1/Day
4th|
5th|Darkness 3/Day
6th|
7th|Dimension Door 2/Day
8th|
9th|Shadow Spray 3/Day
10th|
11th|Shadow Walk 1/Day
12th|
13th|Displacement 2/Day
14th|
15th|Dimension Door 3/Day
16th|
17th|Evard's Black Tentacles 1/Day
18th|
19th|Shadow Walk 3/Day
[/table]

Tools of the Trade:

Spoiler

Show

Magic Item Enhancing Rules: Magic Item Compendium
Slotless Rules: Dungeon Master's Guide

Head:
Circlet of Persuasion, enhanced with Novice Crown of White Raven
4,500 Gp + 4,500 gp = 9,000 GP

Circlet of Persuasion: SRD
Novice Crown of White Raven: Tome of Battle

Face:
Crystal Mask of Knowledge (Local) enhanced with Crystal Mask of Knowledge (Arcana)
2,500 GP +3750 = 6250
Magic Item Compendium

Shoulders:
Assassin's Cloak, Enhanced with Shadow Cloak
10,000 GP + 8,250 = 18,250 gp
Drow of the Underdark


Weapon:
MW Adamantine Greataxe +1 Valorous, MD White Raven, MD Tiger Claw with Wand Chamber
3,120 +32,000 = 35,120 GP
Unnaproachable East: Valorous
Dungeonscape: Wand Chamber
Martial Discipline Weapon: Tome of Battle
(Double Damage on Charge, +5 Attack and Damage when in White Raven stance or using White Raven
Maneuver, increases to +7 to attack and damage when using both White Raven and Tiger Claw)

Belt:
Belt of Magnifigance
+6 enhancement bonus to all stats
200,000 gp
Miniatures Handbook

Feet:
Boots of Swift Passage Enhanced with Anklet of Translocation Enhanced
5,000 gp + 2,100
Magic Item Compendium

Slotless Boots of Landing
1,000
Magic Item Compendium

Other Items:
Dorje of Clairvoyant Sense (4,500)
Expanded Psionics Handbook

Wand of Dimension Door (21,000)
SRD

Wand of Haste (11,250)
SRD

Dorje of Touchsight (11,250)
SRD

Masterwork Tool of UMD (50 GP) - Lucky Horseshoe
Masterwork Tool of UPD (50 GP) - Lucky Crystal
Masterwork Tool of Hide (50 GP) - Camo Pants
Masterwork Tool of Move Silently (50 GP) - Cozy Socks
Masterwork Tool of K. Local (50 gp) - Cheat Sheet
Masterwork Tool of K. Arcane (50 gp) - Cheat Sheet
SRD

Shaders
1 SP Races of Eberron


Shadow Companion Items

+1 Ghost Touch Adamantine Quarterstaff with two wand chambers
11,200 GP
Wand Chamber: Dungeonscape
Wand of Second Wind (Spell Compendium) Paladin 1 750 GP
Wand of Benign Transposition (Spell Compendium) Sorc / Wizard 1 750 GP
Pearl of Speech common:600 gp, MIC
Martial Script of White Raven Tactics, 750 GP each Tome of Battle (10x)

Total Price: 335,200.1 GP

[b]Kitchen:[\b]

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Shadow-Walker Template: Unapproachable East
Lion Totem Barbarian: Complete Champion
Whirling Frenzy Barbarian: SRD
Skilled City Dweller Barbarian: http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a

Able Learner: Races of Destiny
Warblade: Tome of Battle
Swordsage: Tome of Battle
Battle Jump: Unapproachable East
Knowledge Devotion: Complete Champion
Martial Study: Tome of Battle
Trickery Devotion: Complete Champion
Apprentice Spellcaster : DMG II
Mentor Spellcaster : DMG II

Greybeard the Shadow Companion

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Greybeard the Shadow Companion
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Undead 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|UMD 4, Linguistics 1(Common), K. Arcana 4|Apprentice: Spell Caster|

2nd|Undead 2|

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

|UMD 5, K. Arcana 5, Hide 2||

3rd|Undead 3|

+1

|

+1

|

+1

|

+3

|UMD 6, K. Arcana 6, Hide 4|Skill Focus UMD|

4th|Undead 4|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|UMD 7, K. Arcana 7, Hide 6||Charisma 14

5th|Undead 5|

+2

|

+1

|

+1

|

+4

|UMD 8, K. Arcana 8|B: Mentor Spell Caster|

6th|Undead 6|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

| Hide 7|Magical Aptitude|

7th|Undead 7|

+3

|

+2

|

+2

|

+5

|Hide 8||
8th|Undead 8|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|

+6

|Hide 9||Charisma 15

9th|Undead 9|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

|

+6

|Hide 10|Skill Focus K. Arcana|[/table]

Summary

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Karn is a variation Shadow Pouncer.
Sure its unoriginal, but it works.
And Karn out pounces just about everybody.

Instead of going Teflammer Shadow Lord, Karn uses Battle Jump to let him charge an opponent whenever he drops down on them from 5 feet or more. Barbarian lets him full attack on a charge. Karn uses the Shadow Jump ability to port above opponents and then charge them as a standard action. Warblade and Swordsage let him Shadow Stride above enemies as a move action. Anklets of Translocation and Sudden Leap let him drop down on opponents as a swift action.

At its most basic, Karn makes three full attack charges at x3 damage a turn.
Then he uses White Raven Tactics, his Shadow Companion and Trickery Devotion to break open the action economy and suck the marrow out of it.

Why Shadowdancer?

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Shadowdancer is one of the best sources for standard action short range porting available. Shadow Jump is a supernatural ability that can be used during a rage. It also gives a flying incorporeal companion who gains hit dice. Evasion, Improved Evasion, and the stacking of Improved Uncanny Dodge with his Warblade and Barbarian levels help make him surprisingly resilient. Hide in Plain sight also helps him avoid notice and deny enemies their dexterity bonus to AC.

The other class that Shadowdancer will often be compared to is Teflammar Shadowlord. While Teflammar Shadowlord has many nice abilities, its main trick, Shadow Pounce, takes too many levels to come online, and is outdamaged by Battle Jump. It is also harder to put into use, requiring line of sight to use. Teflammer Shadowlord also gives you less DD per day then Shadowdancer does and many of the class's other abilities are given by the Shadow Walker template.

Karn the Mercenary (ECL 6)

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At this point Karn is a fairly standard charger. Pounce makes his White Raven stances and maneuvers significantly more powerful, especially when used in a Whirling Frenzy. Sudden Leap gives him greater mobility then other melee characters, and his Shadow Walker powers gives him access to dimension door before most full casters.

Sudden Leap to get in Charge Range.
Leading the Charge to get +4 damage on a charge.
Battle Leader's Charge to get +10 damage on a charge.
Valorous Weapon doubles all damage dealt if available.

Karn the Shadow Pouncer (ECL 15)

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For a while now, Karn has been Shadow Pouncing, but this is roughly the point where he gets great at it. Karn now has Battle Jump and Shadow Jump, the basis for his main trick. Battle Jump lets him charge whenever he drops down on an enemy for double damage. Pounce lets him full attack on a charge. Shadow Jump lets him short range dimension door over an enemy.

On his turn Karn can:
Karn uses his standard action to Shadow Jump 5 feet over an enemy, then charge them with a full attack. He then uses his Boots of Swift Passage to port 5 feet over an enemy to charge them with a full attack. Then as a swift action he uses White Raven Tactics to act again. He uses his second standard action to Shadow Jump and full attack charge. He uses his second move action to port with his Boots of Swift Passage and full attack charge again. Lastly he uses his second swift action to Sudden Leap above his opponents to full attack for a last time. All five full attacks deal double damage. If he uses a Valorous Weapon (only +1) he does three times damage instead. He and his allies do +9 damage on all charge attacks (before multiplying) thanks to his Leading the Charge stance.

If he has the coin to spare he can have his Shadow Companion, Greybeard make things even more rediculous. Greybeard has absorbed a Pearl of Speech (Common) allowing him to speak and read common normally. Greybeard can then read a Martial Script of White Raven Tactics for 750 GP, giving him the ability to use it for one encounter (and give Karn an additional turn with up to three full attacks).

Next level Karn will be getting the Shadow Stride maneuver to let him move action port without items on a Warblade recharge setup.

Karn the Scry and Die Pouncer (ECL 20)

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Karn now has a fully trained shadow companion, and a trickery devotion duplicate of himself (with only 16 strength). Karn is also skilled at using Dorjes and Wands. The main use for this is Dorjes of Clairvoyant sense. Clairvoyant sense is the psionic version of Clairvoyance / Clauradiance but available as a lower level, and thus cheaper as a Dorje. With a Dorje of Clairvoyant Sense Karn (or his trickery duplicate) can scry on any location on the same plane without any sort of save or spell resistance. Once Karn sees the location with Clairvoyant Sense he can use his racial Dimension Door ability to teleport five feet above an enemy, bringing his Trickery Duplicate and Greybeard the Shadow with him. With each drop through the air Karn and his Trickery Duplicate use Hide in Plain Sight to confuse, deny dex to, and count as invisible attackers to all opponents.

Haste and Protection from Evil usually applied before porting, either from wands, potions or party members.

Scry and Pounce Attack Routine

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Karn makes 12 full attack charges.
His Trickery Devotion Duplicate makes 7 full attack charges.
And all three can dimension door back in the same turn or...
get 4 more full attack charges.
With 4 attacks on each charge that makes:
92 attacks in one round.

The Routine is:

Karn uses Dorje of Clairvoyant Sense to investigate the target location.
Karn uses a standard action Dimension Door spell-liketo port in bringing Trickery and Greybeard with him.
Karn and Trickery make knowledge checks about their opponents to use Knowledge Devotion for bonuses as a free action.
Karn drops down and full attack charges the target.
Trickery drops down and full attack charges the target.
Karn uses a move action to Shadow Jaunt (from Swordsage) above the target to full attack again.
Karn uses a swift action to White Raven Tactics (from Swordsage and Crown of White Raven) to act again.

Karn uses a standard action to Shadowdancer Shadow Jump himself and Trickery above the target.
Karn drops down and full attack charges the target.
Trickery drops down and full attack charges the target.
Karn uses a move action to Shadow Jaunt (from Warblade) above the target to full attack again.
Karn uses a swift action to White Raven Tactics (from Warblade) to act again.

Karn uses a standard action to Shadowdancer Shadow Jump himself and Trickery above the target.
Karn drops down and full attack charges the target.
Trickery drops down and full attack charges the target.
Karn uses a move action to Boots of Swift Passage port above the target to full attack again.
Karn uses a swift action to Sudden Leap(Sword Sage) above the target to full attack again.

Trickery uses a standard action to Shadowdancer Shadow Jump himself and Karn above the target.
Karn drops down and full attack charges the target.
Trickery drops down and full attack charges the target.
Trickery uses a move action to Shadow Jaunt (from Swordsage) above the target to full attack again.
Tricky uses a swift action to White Raven Tactics (from Swordsage and Crown of White Raven to act again.

Trickery uses a standard action to Shadowdancer Shadow Jump himself and Karn above the target
Karn drops down and full attack charges the target.
Trickery drops down and full attack charges the target (from Warblade)
Trickery uses a move action to Shadow Jaunt (from Warblade) above the target to full attack again.
Trickery uses a swift action to White Raven Tactics (from Warblade) and have Karn go again.

Karn uses a standard action to Shadowdancer Shadow Jump himself and Trickery above the target.
Karn drops down and full attack charges the target.
Trickery drops down and full attack charges the target.
Karn uses a move action to Boots of Swift Passage port above the target to full attack again.
Karn uses a swift action to Sudden Leap (Warblade) above the target to full attack again.

Greybeard uses a standard action to Wand of Benign Transposition to switch places with Karn
Karn drops down and full attack charges the target.
Greybeard uses White Raven Tactics (from Martial Script) to have Karn go again.

Karn can now either use a racial or SD Dimension Door to teleport himself, Trickery, and Greybeard away, or spend a swift action to refresh his warblade maneuvers, use his standard action to double dimension door pounce with trickery, spend a move action to Boots of Swift Passage port charge, and a swift action to Anklets of Translocation port above the target, full attack and charge.

Karn can use whirling frenzy to get more attacks in per round, but is unable to use spell completion items during that time. The fatigue that comes at the end of the frenzy can be removed by Greybeard using a Wand of Second Wind. Unlike many other charging characters, Karn is good at finding things out, and at getting to where he wants to be. His racial Shadow Walk ability lets him travel quickly, and even travel to any other plane of existence. His knowledge skills and his gather information ability helps him to find out more about his victims. Then he only needs to get within 1,160 feet of his target to strike.

Leading the Charge Stance gives both Karn and Trickery +12 to damage on all charge attacks. If Leading the Charge stacks with other uses of Leading the Charge, then they get +24 total on charge attacks, before being multiplied by their Valorous Greataxes and Battle Jumping.

Hither comes Karn

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Karn was an orfan of Teflam, taken in by the Shadowmasters. The Shadowmasters wanted a new crop of killers, vicious and tricky, raised to kill and steal from a young age. They were trying to make the perfect shadow lords. They tried to teach Karn to be stealthy, to be tricky, to be subtle, to read...

It didn't take. Karn didn't see the use in books then. He found it much easier to kill a target by just rushing in then by sneaking. Instead of admiring tales of daring thefts, he listened to the stories of the Taer and Orcish mercenaries of the city. Brutal men who did not tiptoe about.

From then he learned the ways of frenzy, of the mountain lion and the snow tiger, how to fight in the air as easily as on the ground. How a loud voice could overcome the limits of reason, good sense, and maybe even time itself. The Shadowmasters were not pleased.

There was only one way to leave the program, and that way was death. Countless times did the other orphans sneak up on Karn. They aimed their daggers carefully, but Karn was always ready, and suffered only minor cuts and bruises from their attacks. The other students did not do so well against his greataxe.

Karn graduated, not through skill, but through persistence. He was given the blessing of the God Mask and became a Shadow Walker. But he never did become a Shadowlord. Instead he joined a mercenary company and left Teflamm for good. And only amongst the mercenaries did he learn to sneak and read. An aging Hobgoblin recognized his supernatural gifts, and taught him the secrets of the Shadow Hand, and even in time how to hide while observed.

But even Shadow Dancers do not live forever. Karn continued his new calling, every night rejecting the teachings of Teflamm for the older ways of shadow. In time, his Shadow for many years darker then night itself, split off from him and became alive. He named his Shadow "Greybeard" because it was an idiot. The incompetent Shadow became like a pet or a child to him. Karn had good teachers, and bad teachers and thought he could do better then any of them.

He took Greybeard as his apprentice, and taught it all he knew of the ways of magic, and how with enough boldness you could force it to do what you wished, restrictions be damned. The shadow learned slowly, but did learn. Karn taught it common, and gave it a magic pearl so that Greybeard could speak and finally put an end to its endless mumbling.

Karn rose amongst the mercenaries, becoming one of their most powerful fighters and scouts. He learned the battle secrets of the Taer, how to bring death on his enemies from above. And he took their martial styles, and he mixed it with his own porting abilities to deadly effect. Many were the bodies and much was the loot. Life was good.

And maybe Mask was pleased. Just when Karn thought there was nothing more to do, he was able to remove his very reflection. His echo was able to burst from him and fight at his side, at first he thought it was just an illusion, but no, this echo was far more potent. In honor of his distant patron, he named the duplicate "Trickery".

And no man could stand against the Three of Shadow: Trickery, Greybeard and Karn. They could charge through walls, through mountains, through flesh, and even the planes themselves. No Shadowlord of Teflamm ever had it so good.

[Amphetryon]

Left upon my chamber door. . . .

His true name is Maxwell Allard, but to the forces of evil, he is better known as the Raven...

The night will fall, the stars will sing,
Yet evil men, for all they plot,
Fear the shadow ‘neath the raven’s wing.

A man so bold may evil bring -
Foolish man, death is your lot.
The night will fall, the stars will sing.

And once the chime of darkness rings,
The raven’s net will bind and knot.
Fear the shadow ‘neath the raven’s wing.

Those shadows shift, they lurch, they spring,
Your strength will sap, your life will rot.
The night will fall, the stars will sing.

And so the raven’s wrath will sting,
And all the villain’s plans are naught.
Fear the shadow ‘neath the raven’s wing.

Give up misdeeds or your bell shall ring,
And death shall be all that you wrought.
The night will fall, the stars will sing.
Fear the shadow ‘neath the raven’s wing.

Damask strained against his net’s bonds. The little man did not look strong, but try as he might, Damask could not pull away from him. Still, he was backed up against a wall. Net or no net, Damask would crush his skull. He tightened the grip on his club and prepared to step forward and swing.

Suddenly, the man stepped backwards - into the wall! His body melted into the stone behind him, yet he still held fast onto the rope. Damask let out a roar of frustration, and went back to straining against his lead.

The shadows shifted. A dark hand reached up from Damask’s own shadow and grabbed his foot. A cold shiver ran down his spine, and Damask found the strength he needed to break from his bonds ebbing.

A raspy voice whispered. “Fear the shadow ‘neath the raven’s wing...”

The Build, or The Raven’s First Flight

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`Prophet!' said I, `thing of evil! - prophet still, if bird or devil!’

-Edgar Allen Poe, The Raven

Maxwell Allard is The Raven

BUILD: NG Human, Factotum 5 / Chameleon 5 / Shadowdancer 10

Stats (32 point buy): Str 12 / Dex 14 / Con 12 / Int 16 / Wis 14 / Cha 10

Level 4: +1 Wis
Level 8: +1 Wis
Level 12: +1 Int
Level 16: +1 Int
Level 20: +1 Int

{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Factotum 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|Hide 4 ranks, Move Silently 4 ranks, Use Magic Device 4 ranks, Spot 4 ranks, Listen 4 ranks, Bluff 4 ranks, Disguise 4 ranks, Craft (alchemy) 4 ranks, Search 1 rank, Disable Device 1 rank, Sense Motive 1 rank, Spellcraft 1 rank, Know (arcana) 1 rank, Tumble 1 rank, Open Lock 1, Autohypnosis 1 rank|Able Learner, Dodge|Inspiration, cunning insight, cunning knowledge, trapfinding

2nd|Factotum 2|

+1

|

+0

|

+3

|

+0

|Hide 5 ranks, Move Silently 5 ranks, Use Magic Device 5 ranks, Spot 5 ranks, Listen 5 ranks, Bluff 5 ranks, Disguise 5 ranks, Craft (alchemy) 5 ranks, Perform (dance) 1 rank, Sleight of Hand 1 rank||Arcane dilettante (1 spell)

3rd|Factotum 3|

+2

|

+1

|

+3

|

+1

|Hide 6 ranks, Move Silently 6 ranks, Use Magic Device 6 ranks, Spot 6 ranks, Listen 6 ranks, Bluff 6 ranks, Disguise 6 ranks, Craft (alchemy) 6 ranks, Sense Motive 2 ranks, Spellcraft 2 ranks|Combat Reflexes|Brains over brawn, cunning defense

4th|Factotum 4|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+1

|Hide 7 ranks, Move Silently 7 ranks, Use Magic Device 7 ranks, Spot 7 ranks, Listen 7 ranks, Bluff 7 ranks, Disguise 7 ranks, Craft (alchemy) 7 ranks, Sense Motive 3 ranks, Spellcraft 3 ranks||Arcane dilettante (2 spells), cunning strike

5th|Factotum 5|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+1

|Hide 8 ranks, Move Silently 8 ranks, Use Magic Device 8 ranks, Spot 8 ranks, Listen 8 ranks, Bluff 8 ranks, Disguise 8 ranks, Craft (alchemy) 8 ranks, Sense Motive 4 ranks, Spellcraft 4 ranks||Oppurtunistic piety

6th|Chameleon 1|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+1

|Hide 9 ranks, Move Silently 9 ranks, Use Magic Device 9 ranks, Spot 9 ranks, Listen 9 ranks, Craft (alchemy) 9 ranks, Perform (dance) 2 ranks, Know (dungeoneering) 1 rank|Mobility|Aptitude focus 1/day (+2)

7th|Chameleon 2|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|

+1

|Hide 10 ranks, Move Silently 10 ranks, Use Magic Device 10 ranks, Spot 10 ranks, Listen 10 ranks, Craft (alchemy) 10 ranks, Perform (dance) 3 ranks, Handle Animal 1 rank||Bonus feat

8th|Chameleon 3|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|

+2

|Hide 11 ranks, Move Silently 11 ranks, Use Magic Device 11 ranks, Spot 11 ranks, Listen 11 ranks, Craft (alchemy) 11 ranks, Perform (dance) 5 ranks||Mimic class feature 1/day

9th|Shadowdancer 1|

+5

|

+2

|

+7

|

+2

|Hide 12 ranks, Move Silently 12 ranks, Use Magic Device 12 ranks, Spot 12 ranks, Listen 12 ranks, Craft (alchemy) 12 ranks, Know (architecture & engineering) 1 rank, Know (planes) 1 rank, Know (local) 1 rank, Sense Motive 5 ranks|Obtain Familiar (raven)|Hide in plain sight

10th|Shadowdancer 2|

+6/+1

|

+2

|

+8

|

+2

|Hide 13 ranks, Move Silently 13 ranks, Use Magic Device 13 ranks, Spot 13 ranks, Listen 13 ranks, Craft (alchemy) 13 ranks, Tumble 5 ranks||Evasion, darkvision, uncanny dodge

11th|Shadowdancer 3|

+7/+2

|

+3

|

+8

|

+3

|Hide 14 ranks, Move Silently 14 ranks, Use Magic Device 14 ranks, Spot 14 ranks, Listen 14 ranks, Balance 5 ranks||Shadow illusion, summon shadow

12th|Shadowdancer 4|

+8/+3

|

+3

|

+9

|

+3

|Hide 15 ranks, Move Silently 15 ranks, Use Magic Device 15 ranks, Spot 15 ranks, Listen 15 ranks, Concentration 5 ranks|Darkstalker|Shadow jump 20 ft

13th|Shadowdancer 5|

+8/+3

|

+3

|

+9

|

+3

|Hide 16 ranks, Move Silently 16 ranks, Use Magic Device 16 ranks, Spot 16 ranks, Listen 16 ranks, Know (religion) 5 ranks||Defensive roll, improved uncanny dodge

14th|Shadowdancer 6|

+9/+4

|

+4

|

+10

|

+4

|Hide 17 ranks, Move Silently 17 ranks, Use Magic Device 17 ranks, Spot 17 ranks, Listen 17 ranks, Know (arcana) 5 ranks, Know (nature) 1 rank||Shadow jump 40 ft, improved shadow

15th|Shadowdancer 7|

+10/+5

|

+4

|

+10

|

+4

|Hide 18 ranks, Move Silently 18 ranks, Use Magic Device 18 ranks, Spot 18 ranks, Listen 18 ranks, Survival 5 ranks|Elusive Target|Slippery mind

16th|Shadowdancer 8|

+11/+6/+1

|

+4

|

+11

|

+4

|Hide 19 ranks, Move Silently 19 ranks, Use Magic Device 19 ranks, Spot 19 ranks, Listen 19 ranks, Jump 5 ranks||Shadow jump 80 ft

17th|Shadowdancer 9|

+11/+6/+1

|

+5

|

+11

|

+5

|Hide 20 ranks, Move Silently 20 ranks, Use Magic Device 20 ranks, Spot 20 ranks, Listen 20 ranks, Tumble 8 ranks, Use Rope 1 rank, Concentration 6 ranks||Improved shadow

18th|Chameleon 4|

+12/+7/+2

|

+5

|

+11

|

+5

|Hide 21 ranks, Move Silently 21 ranks, Use Magic Device 21 ranks, Spot 21 ranks, Listen 21 ranks, Know (geography) 1 rank, Know (nature) 1 rank, Know (history) 1 rank|Sidestep|Ability boon +2

19th|Chameleon 5|

+12/+7/+2

|

+5

|

+11

|

+5

|Hide 22 ranks, Move Silently 22 ranks, Use Magic Device 22 ranks, Spot 22 ranks, Listen 22 ranks, Decipher Script 1 ranks, Know (psionics) 1 rank, Use Psionic Device 1 rank||Aptitude focus 2/day (+4)

20th|Shadowdancer 10|

+13/+8/+3

|

+5

|

+12

|

+5

|Hide 23 ranks, Move Silently 23 ranks, Use Magic Device 23 ranks, Spot 23 ranks, Listen 23 ranks, Psicraft 5 ranks||Shadow jump 160 ft, improved evasion[/table]




Spells per day - Chameleon
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd|4th|5th|6th|7th|8th|9th

1st|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

2nd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

3rd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

4th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

5th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

6th|4|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

7th|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-

8th|4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

9th|4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

10th|4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

11th|4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

12th|4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

13th|4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

14th|4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

15th|4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

16th|4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

17th|4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-|-

18th|4|4|3|1|-|-|-|-|-|-

19th|4|4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-

20th|4|4|3|2|0|-|-|-|-|-[/table]

Fear the Shadow ‘neath the Raven’s Wing: Explanations, Tips and Tricks

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Maxwell Allard is no stranger to terror.

When he was a boy, long before he became the Raven, Maxwell was afraid of the dark. He was afraid of what surprises the shadows may hold. But unlike most boys, Maxwell faced his fears. Maxwell sought out the shadows that scared him so. And when he discovered that most shadows really were just that - shadows, and nothing more, Maxwell decided to make that lurking horror real, and become a source of terror for those that would seek to besmirch the night.

Maxwell is skillful above all else. He strives to be stealthier and more aware than any of the enemies he is tracking down. While he is reasonably nimble, his cunning is truly what sets him apart, and the Factotum’s Brains over Brawn ability ensures that he can use his cunning to augment his stealthiness.

Skills-wise, he focuses heavily on stealth, awareness, and the ability to use magic (specifically alchemy and UMD). However, he has at least a cursory knowledge in every topic he can get his hands on, and he can spend an inspiration point to give these skills a hearty boost.

As the Raven, Maxwell is a survivor. He avoids direct combat whenever possible, preferring to disappear into the shadows and pick people off one by one. He focuses heavily on defenses, using the evasive abilities of the Shadowdancer alongside the safety net of Cunning Insight to help protect him from many spells. At higher levels, his biggest concern is being one-shotted by opponents before he can escape, so he takes on feats such as Elusive Target, which allow him to mitigate charging Power Attack enemies.

Maxwell’s favorite way to deal with enemies involves the humble net, from the player’s handbook. He generally uses stealth to scout his opponents and their capabilities. He then relies on either Meld Into Stone (cast as a Chameleon), or if they have no way to deal with flying enemies, Alter Self (generally via Arcane Dilettante) to turn into a Raptoran. He tosses a net from the shadows, and then either flies straight up or uses Meld Into Stone to meld into the wall, still controlling the enemy. It is a strength check to control his enemies, and Brains over Brawn allows him to add his formidable intelligence to these opposed checks. Meanwhile, his incorporeal shadow companion glides through the ground underneath his enemy and drains his strength as he is trapped in place, each successful drain making it harder and harder to escape.

Though he lacks proficiency with the net, Maxwell uses his floating Chameleon feat to pick up that proficiency any day he expects combat. However, even if he is caught unaware, non-proficiency merely gives him a -4 to his attack roll. Since he is making a touch attack against opponents that are generally flat-footed, this is a very easy roll to make.

On his off time, Maxwell is a skilled crafter. He is fascinated by alchemy, and can create a myriad of useful alchemical devices, especially tanglefoot bags and smokesticks. Also, thanks to Arcane Dilettante, Maxwell can use his floating Chameleon feat on off days to scribe scrolls, craft wands, and more. With the incredibly flexible casting he gets from Chameleon, this gives him plenty of ways to augment his abilities, give him extra castings of key spells, and more. Also, his raven familiar can use these items to apply buff spells to Maxwell and his shadow companion in combat.

The Secret Ingredient, or the Shadow ‘neath the Raven’s Wing

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Maxwell Allard trained in many ways. He trained to be smart, to be flexible, to have abilities that could answer the attacks of any enemy. But what truly brought it all together was when he began to learn to dance with the shadows. His skillfulness remained impressive, but he also picked up several new and powerful abilities.

Certainly his stealth improved right off the bat. Hide in Plain Sight may not be a unique ability to Shadowdancers alone, but the Shadowdancer’s supernatural version of it is almost unparalleled. The ability to disappear into any shadows within ten feet is key to Maxwell’s modus operandi, and is only made better by the ease with which Maxwell can create new shadows, via spells and alchemy. And as Maxwell clings to the shadows and relies on having better senses than his enemies, darkvision is also vital.

Then there is the wide array of abilities that allow Maxwell to live another day, to face groups of enemies alone and yet walk away. Evasion, Uncanny Dodge, Defensive Roll, Slippery Mind - these abilities are worth their weight in gold, and afford far more protection than a suit of plate armor ever would, especially alongside Cunning Insight and Cunning Defense.

Then there is the shadow manipulation. Though the shadow illusion is something that Maxwell could imitate with spells, his limited castings per day very much appreciate having that standby that does not cost an additional spell slot. And the shadow jump ability means that when he disappears into one shadow, no one knows where he may reappear.

Finally, the shadow companion. The companion is a key part of Maxwell’s arsenal, whose favorite tactic is restraining someone with a net, and while they are stuck in place, draining them of their strength to make keeping them restrained easier. Its fragility is mitigated by its tactics (it prefers to stay incorporeally within the floor underneath its enemy, where it cannot easily be attacked), but also by the buffing it receives via Maxwell’s raven familiar.

Snapshots, or the Day to Day Life of Maxwell Allard

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Level 5

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At level five, Maxwell Allard is a competent skill-monkey through his factotum levels. He has excellent stealth and perception skills for the level, especially his stealth skills, which benefit from Brains over Brawn. His alchemy crafting is easily good enough at this point to always have a few tanglefoot bags on hand, and so he attempts to restrain enemies and deal with them one by one. His two spells per day, usually Grease and Alter Self, afford him a fair bit of utility as well.

Level 10:

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By level 10, Maxwell has truly come into his own. His stealth abilities at this point are unparalleled. The chameleon levels have significantly expanded on his flexibilty, and his raven familiar will serve as both a scout and an invaluable companion who can assist Maxwell in casting during combat.

Level 15:

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By level 15, Maxwell’s shadow companion has begun picking up additional feats, which can be supplemanted via the Heroics spell. He manages to keep stealth relevant via Darkstalker. He also picks up Elusive Target, which helps neutralize power attacking enemies, and Slippery Mind, which gives him an extra saving throw (which he can easily improve via inspiration points). He continues with his net tricks, using Enlarge Person to net enemies up to Huge size. (Note that the opposed strength check does NOT receive size bonuses, meaning that netting larger enemies is still feasible, unlike tripping/grappling).

Level 20:

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Similar to level 15, except that Maxwell has picked up a few more defensive abilities, and has also increased his spellcasting power. Fourth level spells is a solid end-point, allowing access to the excellent spells found in Ranger 4 (the Aspect spells, as well as utility spells such as Commune With Nature, come to mind), or spells such as Divine Power to increase Maxwell’s melee aptitude.

Sweet Spot:

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Level 12, Factotum 5/Chameleon 3/Shadowdancer 4
FEATS: Able Learner, Dodge, Mobility, Combat Reflexes, Obtain Familiar, Darkstalker

This is the moment when Maxwell’s key abilities have come into perfect alignment. This is also the moment when his net restraint tactics are most effective. His skills are high enough to easily cast from wands, to disappear into the shadows, and to spot trouble from as far away as possible. Darkstalker allows him to remain unnoticed by ANYONE, short of mindsight/lifesight. His two companions, shadow and raven, are both huge assets.

At this level, Maxwell Allard proves that it is wise to fear the shadows.

This Dial Goes up to Eleven - Adaptations and How to Make the Most of Maxwell Allard

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Maxwell was designed for use in a standard game, and designed to be playable and effective from levels 1 through 20. However, without making major changes to his build, Maxwell can power up and continue to work well in more high-optimization groups.

First of all, if online resources are allowed, the Font of Inspiration can allow Maxwell to use his Factotum abilities far more frequently. Check with your DM, but depending on the campaign, this could prove to be a decent replacement for Elusive Target and Sidestep. Similarly, Devotion feats could be an alternative, as Maxwell can pick up turning attempts from his Factotum/Chameleon levels.

Second, do not neglect downtime and the Chameleon’s casting ability. The divine spells are especially potent, because unlike the archivist, the chameleon does not need to ever find a scroll of a rare ranger spell to cast it - he merely prays for it. Though it was referenced briefly in the tactics section, in a high-op campaign, the ability to create scrolls and wands of almost any spell in the game up to 4th level, is really quite impressive and can actually border on becoming abusive. And while some DMs may not allow it, if you take Scribe Scroll as a regular feat rather than a floating feat, you can use your floating feat to pick up Arcane Disciple, and then scribe those domain scrolls into your spell book, upping your flexibility considerably.

Third, in a truly high-op campaign, although it would deviate a bit from Maxwell’s flavor, an Uurkrau Illumian could be a dangerous replacement race, thanks to the potential of adding persistent or quickened spell buffs to the chameleon’s excellent and varied spells.

Sources, or The Feathers on the Raven’s Wings

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Classes
Factotum: Dungeonscape
Shadowdancer: SRD / DMG
Chameleon: Races of Destiny, also previewed online here

Feats
Dodge, Mobility, Combat Reflexes: SRD / Player’s Handbook
Able Learner: Races of Destiny
Darkstalker: Lords of Madness
Elusive Target: Complete Warrior
Obtain Familiar: Complete Arcane
Sidestep: Miniature’s Handbook

Skills
Autohypnosis, Use Psionic Device and Psicraft are all found in the Expanded Psionics Handbook, or on the SRD.

[Amphetryon]

Even the name is obscured. . . .

The Dancing Shadow

Story

“I was lucky,” the man in the bar commented “Extremely lucky. I have seen The Dancing Shadow who has got everyone worked up and lived to tell the tale.”

“It was several weeks ago when I was patrolling with my fellow guardsmen. We were on the lookout for any of the thieves that were causing a series of robberies around the town. We wandered around the town for several hours and then we saw something moving down an alley. Knowing the area I knew that the alley was a dead-end leading only to a few buildings. Therefore I left three men to guard the entrance while the rest of us went to investigate the movement. We were about halfway down the alley when a shadow jumped out of the wall and danced around us, wounding all of us and killing several of my men.”

“We started towards where we saw the shadow stop but by that time he was back in the shadows and completely hidden. We saw him again and again as he leapt out, killing one of us and then jumping back into the shadows. Finally I managed to spot him in the shadows and closed in on him, knowing that I was strong enough to resist his attacks. Then I felt a hand grab my leg. A shadowy hand had risen from the stones and was draining my strength.”

“I still had my spear and was close enough to use it on the dancer, but it was like trying to hit a breeze. Finally I managed to hit him and he was staggered by the blow. He then moved deeper into the shadows and I lost sight of him and the hand draining me released me as well. I moved far enough towards the entrance of the alley to talk to my men while watching all the doors. I told one man to get some reinforcements including someone who could cast a bright light to dispel the shadows. When he got back we searched the alley thoroughly but The Dancing Shadow was nowhere to be found.”

“So remember this, all ye who hear my tale. Be extremely careful if you have to go into the shadows, because The Dancing Shadow could be waiting for you and you will never leave the shadows again.”

Build

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True Neutral Human Scout 4/Binder 3/Swordsage 3/Shadowdancer 10

Abilities, 32 Point Buy

{table=head]

Ability

|

Point Buy

|

Level Boosts

|

Binding Paimon

|

Final Score

|

Modifier

Strength

|

8

|||

8

|

-1

Dexterity

|

16

|

+2

|

+4

|

22

|

6

Constitution

|

16

|

+2

||

18

|

4

Intelligence

|

10

|||

10

|

0

Wisdom

|

15

|

+1

||

16

|

3

Charisma

|

10

|||

10

|

0

[/table]

The first 2 boosts are into Dexterity, the third is into Wisdom and the last 2 are into Constitution.

{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Scout 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|Tumble 4, Perform (Dance) 4, Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Spot 4, Listen 4, Open Lock 4, Disable Device 4, Intimidate 4|Able Learner, Combat Reflexes|Skirmish (1d6), Trapfinding

2nd|Binder 1|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|

+2

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1||Soul Binding (1 Vestige)

3rd|Binder 2|

+1

|

+3

|

+2

|

+3

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1|Improved Binding|Pact Augmentation, Suppress Sign

4th|Binder 3|

+2

|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1||Improved Vestige Level

5th|Swordsage 1|

+2

|

+3

|

+5

|

+5

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1||Quick to Act, Discipline Focus (Weapon Focus, Shadow Hand) Manouvers, Stances, (Initiator Level 3)

6th|Scout 2|

+3

|

+3

|

+4

|

+3

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +2, Listen +2, Tumble +2|Desert Wind Dodge|Battle Fortitude +1, Uncanny Dodge (When Paimon is bound this is now Improved Uncanny Dodge)

7th|Scout 3|

+4

|

+4

|

+4

|

+4

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +2, Tumble +1, "Listen to This" Skill trick||Fast Movement +10ft, Skirmish (1d6, +1AC),Trackless Step

8th|Scout 4|

+5

|

+4

|

+5

|

+4

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +3||Bonus Feat (Mobility)

9th|Swordsage 2|

+6

|

+4

|

+6

|

+5

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1|Adaptive Style|AC Bonus (Wisdom to AC when in light armour), New Manouver and Stance (Initiator Level 5.5)

10th|Shadowdancer 1|

+6

|

+4

|

+8

|

+5

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1||Hide in Plain Sight

11th|Shadowdancer 2|

+7

|

+4

|

+9

|

+5

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1||Evasion, Improved Uncanny Dodge, Darkvision

12th|Shadowdancer 3|

+8

|

+5

|

+9

|

+6

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1|Spring Attack|Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow

13th|Shadowdancer 4|

+9

|

+5

|

+10

|

+6

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1||Shadow Jump 20ft

14th|Shadowdancer 5|

+9

|

+5

|

+10

|

+6

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1||Defensive Roll

15th|Swordsage 3|

+10

|

+6

|

+10

|

+6

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1|Shadow Blade|New Manouver (Initiator Level 9)

16th|Shadowdancer 6|

+11

|

+7

|

+11

|

+7

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1||Shadow Jump 40ft, Summon Shadow

17th|Shadowdancer 7|

+12

|

+7

|

+11

|

+7

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1||Slippery Mind

18th|Shadowdancer 8|

+13

|

+7

|

+12

|

+7

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1|Gloom Razor|Shadow Jump 80ft

19th|Shadowdancer 9|

+13

|

+8

|

+12

|

+8

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1||Summon Shadow

20th|Shadowdancer 10|

+14

|

+8

|

+13

|

+8

|Perform (Dance) +1, Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Spot +1, Listen +1, Tumble +1||Shadow Jump 160ft, Improved Evasion[/table]

Maneuvers and Stances
{table=head]

Level

|

Manouvers Gained

|

Stances Gained

Swordsage 1, Level 5

|

Burning Blade, Counter Charge, Fire Riposte, Cloak of Deception, Drain Vitality, Shadow Blade Technique

|

Child of Shadow

Swordsage 2, Level 9

|

Strength Draining Strike

|

Assassin Stance

Swordsage 3, Level 15

|

Bloodletting Strike

|[/table]

Tactics and Level Analysis

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Level 1-3:The Shadow's main tactics are not ready yet so he acts as a sneaky scout and skill monkey using whichever vestige is useful in the situation. His damage and to-hit are low at the moment but that will change in a moment. Taking the Improved Binding feat at level 3 is because we need Paimon quickly. It also means that at level 3 we can make use of the 2nd level vestiges if we desire.

Level 4: Now with 3rd level vestiges available Paimon is bound all the time. Our attack gets a +6 improvement with using Weapon Finesse and Paimon's Dexterity. Our defence also gets a bonus as does the will save. Both the Dance of Death and Whirlwind Blade makes the character able to hit a lot of mooks at one time. Though the Dance of Death gives the enemy Attacks of Opportunities the current Tumble check is +11. This is made up of +5 from Dexterity, -2 from a chain shirt, +4 from Paimon and 4 ranks.

Level 5: Hear the first level of Swordsage has Initiator Level of 3 allowing second level maneuvers and stances. Therefore the Shadow picks up the Child of Shadow Stance to create his signature move of being a mobile shadow. The Cloak of Deception is for when we need more than a good hide to be able to surprise attack the enemy. Burning Blade and Fire Riposte are there partly to qualify for Desert Wind Dodge and also to answer any of the creatures who need fire to be killed. It also means that if the Shadow is attacked the attacker is likely to take damage themselves. Shadow Blade Technique is for allowing 2 attack rolls to try and hit the enemy while Drain Vitality is the first of many ability draining attacks that come in to our arsenal.

Level 6-8: Returning to scout to improve our skirmish and finish qualifying for the Shadow Dancer class. The Desert Wind Dodge feat specifically says that it counts as Dodge for the purpose of qualifying for feats, prestige classes and other special abilities. I took 4 levels in scout to get the bonus feat and chose Mobility, the last feat needed for the Shadowdancer class.

Level 9: Although I could have taken Shadowdancer now, I chose Swordsage as my Initiator level is now 5.5 allowing third level maneuvers and stances. This allows me to choose Assassin's Stance for the extra sneak attack and Strength Draining Strike to help reduce the enemy to weaklings. I took Adaptive Style to recover all my maneuvers as a full-round action rather than one maneuver as a full-round action.

Level 10: The first level in Shadowdancer and one of the better abilities. Hide in Plain Sight in shadows make it even harder for someone to spot you and therefore you can hide and get a sneak surprise attack each round from the shadows and hide in the shadows again.

Level 11: The second level is also powerful, Evasion to improve your reflex saving and ignore most area of affects. Darkvision to improve your sight when hiding in the shadows and Uncanny Dodge which is improved to Improved Uncanny Dodge when binding Paimon.

Level 12: The third level is a sweet spot as you now get your companion shadow and can use that to surprise and reduce the strength of some foes. Two attacks on a wizard or similar will put most of those out of commission for a while, especially as they are unlikely to have prepared many still spells. The shadow illusion is useful as a decoy. This level you also get spring attack which allows for the main combo. First you hide near in the shadows near a group of foes then you do a Paimon Dance of Death around them wounding them all and finish back into the shadows where you hide again. While this happens your shadow moves under them and attacks from the ground dealing strength damage. The next rounds you do a spring attack with a maneuver and hide in the shadows again. When you run out maneuvers you spend the round refreshing them. After 5 rounds you can do another Dance of Death if there are still many foes or carry on spring attacking. If they do manage to surround you then the whirlwind feat will enable you to hit them all.

Level 13: The fourth level allows you to dimension door away if they do get past your defences. Because this take a standard action it is best if you only use it when it is needed.

Level 14: The fifth level of Shadowdancer allows you a get out of death free card in the form of half damage this is a powerful ability though once used it is a good idea for you to use the shadow jump the next turn or else you will die from the next attack. You would also get Improved Uncanny Dodge at this level but with Paimon bound that doesn't help much.

Level 15: This level you take a final level of Swordsage and gain a new strike to damage the abilities even more. You also take Shadow Blade which gives you Dexterity to Damage.

Level 16-19 These levels are a return to Shadowdancer and are about improving your Shadow Jump and Shadow Companion. Though at level 17 the Slippery Mind is useful is someone tries to enchant you as the will save is about average for a character that has a poor will save. At level 18 you take Gloom Razor which allows three tactical maneuvers: Lingering Gloom is a helpful spell as they will now need even harder spot checks to find you. Moving Shadows with Assassin's Stance on the next turn gives you sneak attack and is available every turn that you do a move and attack. Finally Shadow Slip reduces the DC on the tumble check to 20 from 25 which is helpful.

Level 20 With the sort of numbers wizards are throwing on their DC then it is likely that Evasion won't be enough to stop the reflex saves, therefore Improved Evasion is helpful against those attacks.

Equipment

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To make this build work I only need a short sword and light armour though other items will be useful.

If I could choose how to enchant the sword then I would probably add Enfeebling, Wounding, Transmuting to make the sword deal ability damage to all and ignore any damage reduction after the first hit.

For the armour a mithral chain shirt will give the best armour bonus. If I could enchant it I would probably add Shadow and Silent Moves to help improve my hide and move silently which is reduced by the armour.

Sources

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Scout (Compete Adventurer Page 10)
Binder (Tome of Magic Page 9)
Swordsage (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 16)
Shadowdancer (SRD)
Able Learner (Races of Destiny Page 150)
Combat Reflexes (SRD)
Improved Binding (Tome of Magic Page 74)
Desert Wind Dodge (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 29)
Mobility (SRD)
Adaptive Style (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 28)
Shadow Blade (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 32)
Spring Attack (SRD)
Gloom Razor (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 35)
Paimon Vestige (Tome of Magic Page 45)
Burning Blade (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 52)
Fire Riposte (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 53)
Counter Charge (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 71)
Assassin's Stance (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 75
Bloodletting Strike (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 75)
Child of Shadow (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 76)
Cloak of Deception (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 76)
Drain Vitality (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 77)
Shadow Blade Technique (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 78)
Strength Draining Strike (Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords Page 80)
Enfeebling (Book of Exalted Deeds Page 113)
Wounding (SRD)
Transmuting (Magic Item Compendium Page 45)
Shadow (SRD)
Silent Moves (SRD)

[Amphetryon]

He says his name is Dini. Who?

Claire a.k.a. The Marvelous Mr. Dini! 32 point buy Str 10 (14 with Morphic Body) Dex 16 (20 with 4 ability boosts) Con 12 (16 with Morphic Body) Int 16 Wis 8 Cha 14
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Changeling Rogue|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|Balance 4, Bluff 4, Diplomacy 4, Disguise 4, Hide 4, Intimidate 4, Jump 4, Move Silently 4, Perform (Ballet) 4, Sense Motive 4, Sleight of Hand 4, Tumble 4, UMD 4|Combat Reflexes|Sneak Attack +1d6, Social Intuition

2nd|Swashbuckler|

+1

|

+2

|

+2

|

+0

|Bluff +1 (5), Disguise +1 (5), Hide +1 (5), Move Silently +1 (5), Perform (Ballet) +1 (5) Second Impression (Skilltrick) ||Weapon Finesse

3rd|Swashbuckler|

+2

|

+3

|

+2

|

+0

|Balance +1 (5), Bluff +1 (5), Diplomacy +1 (5), Hide +1 (6), Jump +1 (5), Move Silently +1 (6), Jump +1 (5), Move Silently +1 (6), Sense Motive +1 (5), Tumble +1 (5) |Dodge|Grace +1

4th|Swashbuckler|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|Diplomacy +1 (6), Escape Artist 2, Hide +1 (7), Move Silently +1 (7), Perform (ballet) +2 (7), ||Insightful Strike

5th|Rogue|

+4

|

+3

|

+5

|

+1

|Escape Artist +6 (8), Hide +1, (8), Intimidate +2 (6), Move Silently +1 (8), Perform (Ballet) +1 (8), ||Feign Death

6th|Warshaper|

+4

|

+5

|

+5

|

+1

|Hide +1 (9), Jump +1 (6), Perform (ballet) +1 (9), Shrouded Dance (Skilltrick) |Mobility|Morphic Immunities, Morphic Weapons

7th|Warshaper|

+5

|

+6

|

+6

|

+2

|Hide +1 (10), Intimidate +2 (8), Easy Escape (skilltrick)||Morphic Body

8th|Shadowdancer|

+5

|

+6

|

+8

|

+2

|Bluff +5 (10), Perform (ballet), +2 (11), Never Outnumbered (Skilltrick) ||Hide in Plain Sight

9th|Shadowdancer|

+6/+1

|

+6

|

+9

|

+2

|Bluff +2 (12), Hide +2 (12), Intimidate +4 (12), Perform (ballet) +1 (12)|Skill Focus: Perform (Ballet)|Evasion, Darkvision, Uncanny Dodge

10th|Shadowdancer|

+7/+2

|

+7

|

+9

|

+3

|Perform (ballet) +1 (13), Sleight of Hand +8 (12) ||Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow

11th|Exemplar|

+7/+2

|

+7

|

+9

|

+5

|Gather Information 8, Perform (ballet) +1 (14), Mosquito's Bite (Skilltrick)||Skill Artistry (Perform:Ballet), Skill Mastery: Disguise, Perform (ballet), Sleight of Hand, Hide

12th|Exemplar|

+8/+3

|

+7

|

+9

|

+6

|Listen 5, Perform Ballet +1 (15), Spot 5|Quick Change|Lend Talent (1/2 penalty)

13th|Exemplar|

+9/+4

|

+8

|

+10

|

+6

|Listen +5 (10), Perform Ballet +1 (16), Spot +5 (10)||Bonus Feat (Acrobatic)

14th|Exemplar|

+10/+5

|

+8

|

+10

|

+7

|Intimidate +5 (17), Perform (ballet) +1 (17), Tumble +3 (8), Point it Out (Skilltrick) ||Skill artistry (Balance) Sustaining Presence

15th|Exemplar|

+10/+5

|

+8

|

+10

|

+7

|Balance +10 (15), Perform (ballet) +1 (18)|Disturbing Visage|Persuasive Performance

16th|Shadowdancer|

+11/+6/+1

|

+8

|

+11

|

+7

|Disguise +6 (11), Intimidate +2, (19), Perform (ballet) +1 (19)||Shadow Jump 20 ft

17th|Shadowdancer|

+11/+6/+1

|

+8

|

+11

|

+7

|Bluff +3 (15), Diplomacy +5 (10), Perform (ballet) +1 (20)||Defensive Roll, Improved Uncanny Dodge

18th|Shadowdancer|

+12/+7/+2

|

+9

|

+12

|

+8

|Diplomacy +8 (18), Perform (ballet) +1 (21)|Persona Immersion|Shadow Jump 40ft, Summon Shadow

19th|Shadowdancer|

+13/+8/+3

|

+9

|

+12

|

+8

|Escape Artist +8 (16), Perform (ballet) +1 (22)||Slippery Mind

20th|Cabinet Trickster|

+13/+8/+3

|

+9

|

+14

|

+10

|Bluff +8 (23), Perform (ballet) +1 (23)||Detect thoughts 2/day, doppelgänger insights[/table]



Level 1:

Spoiler

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This is the first part of Claire’s story. She is a Changeling Rogue 1 at the moment. Her numerous skill points represent her innate talent for ballet and, along with her high intelligence, give her plenty of different areas of expertise, her foci still being somewhat diffuse at this early level due to the high number of skill points and the cap of 4, enabling her to max 13 skills making her appear quite a gifted child indeed. Her minor shape shift ability is still functioning somewhat instinctively at this point, as she doesn’t yet grasp its full potential.

There was a girl who was left in the Black Forest of Germany. She never knew why, and she never knew how she came to be left here, but it was not on her mind much, as her day to day needs were largely attended to by the people who took her in. She found a place at the Nutcracker Academy that she could have said was as good as any other. Rather than being shunned by the other girls for being an outsider as she had expected, she was welcomed in quite readily, as many of the student body was either away from their families at the boarding school or were there as a result of similar circumstances. While she saw several others whose parents had succumbed to disease or been deemed unfit to raise them, she hadn’t met anyone else who didn’t know at least one thing about their parents, even if it were only a locket or a half-remembered dream. She couldn’t claim even that much.
The instructors at the school kept an eye on the girl. Children would occasionally wander in from the neighboring villages, having drifted from their parents’ homes. They seldom stayed for too long, but this girl was different. A day passed without her parents returning for her, a week, two. The academy did take on its share of orphans though, so once a month had passed, there was an unspoken understanding that she was here to stay. Eventually, the time came for the academy’s annual recital. It was a ballet production of “Romeo and Juliet,” and they were suffering from an abundance of girls.
The academy did stress the importance of making do with what one had, and she found herself cast as Romeo. Throughout her years, she and her tutors alike were delighted to discover her great talent for dance. Her skills lay most specifically in ballet. Her build was slight, and as a result, she found herself forever soaring through the air from pair to pair of outstretched arms, her arms aloft, a toe pointed behind her, firmly encased in her pair of secondhand slippers.
Before long, she found herself pushed to the top of the class, leading her fellow dancers in their morning warmup routines. Though she was encouraged by her classmates, she always had the lurking suspicion that their admiration came more from her talent to make herself up for the roles hat she played than because of her ability to dance.
She always drew oohs and ahhs from her backups and scene partners when emerging from the dressing room. She never failed to garner praise from how different she was able to make herself look with the bits of drab fabric and their small collection of makeups. What they didn’t know was how she could knead at her face like dough, put more color in her cheeks with a brush of her fingertips, no makeup necessary, dimple or undimple them she saw fit. She wasn’t entirely sure how she was able to do it and as she had grasped en pointe through years of practice, she assumed it was a matter of physical discipline, a mere matter of holding these muscles like so and those muscles like so. Anyone could make herself appear a few inches taller by taking the right stance properly executed, after all.

Level 5:

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At this point, Claire has 3 levels of swashbuckler under her belt and is finding swordplay easier than she thought due to her high dexterity and the free weapon finesse. Grace helps out with her releves and plies and she keeps maxing ranks in perform (ballet) because of her devotion to her craft. Her shapeshifting is growing more out of hand now and is responding to unconscious desires and thoughts instead of just conscious control. Her control is still imperfect as she was awoken in her natural changeling form, but once she had her bearings, her body changed her back to normal on its own as her shape shifting is growing more powerful as she ages, which serves as foreshadowing for warshaper which follows the level after this. She accidentally triggered the feign death ability when she was playing dead and played it too well. Once more, once she was in over her head, her body took over and woke her up which is again, her shape shifting growing stronger as she ages.

Claire grew anxious as the day of the dress rehearsal drew near. Practices grew longer and each morning, she awoke feeling less and less rested, no matter how much she slept. The storm that loomed over the school didn’t help her sleep at all. While she didn’t precisely have her own room in the dormitory, living in the converted attic with the rest of the girls, there was a space that she had to call her own. Where the other girls had pictures of their families or a few decorations in their respective corners, Claire held onto clothes.
Anything the academy’s seamstresses discarded found its way to her part of the dormitory eventually. It was the best way, she had found, to find spare clothing, as there was always a certain degree of confusion when a new batch of donations came in, since she seemed to outgrow clothes just as quickly as as she got her hands on them only to find them fitting just fine a few days or weeks later. It was all part of growing up, she had been told by her tutors, and she understood it was customary for her body to do things she didn’t fully understand.
Trying on a spare waistcoat that seemed too broad in the chest, but upon closer inspection fit perfectly, Claire realized it was late. She climbed into bed and let the stresses of the day out with a cleansing breath. The waistcoat felt loose as she tossed and turned. She must have popped a seam. She could always fix it later.
She found herself focused on the recital. The costume for Romeo had been a little too big on her, and it was hampering her ability to dance, but her luck did seem to be improving. Maybe she would have grown into it come morning. A clap of thunder made her jolt, her skin tingling with an unusual but oddly familiar sensation.
The curtain around her section of the room was pulled back slightly and her Juliet looked at her in the dark, her eyes wide as another flash of lightning lit up the attic. Claire was startled as the girl’s scream filled the attic and the curtain fell closed. She heard chatter of a monster in the attic and hid herself under her bed, curling up and making herself as small as she could, her breathing shallow.
Claire felt her pupils change size as she heard footsteps coming up the stairs, the flickering shadows cast by a lamp stretching the other girls’ shadows into grotesque shapes. She wasn’t sure which of them the monster might be or if it had already made off with one of them.
The storm had passed now and she felt her breathing slow as the rumbling in the distance grew ever more distant. Juliet reached her hand under her bed and Claire gratefully took it, eliciting no scream this time as she found that everyone was indeed safe. She was able to get back to sleep relatively soon afterwards and felt more optimistic about the recital.
The next morning, she was being walked through her stage combat routine for her fight with Tybalt and was elated to discover that the kind of sword fighting involved wasn’t too taxing since the last thing she wanted was for her preoccupation with technique to negatively impact her dancing. It was, as she had been taught, all in the wrist, and she found the movements of the thrust, parry, and lunge nearly indistinguishable from the maneuvers she had performed doing plain ballet.
As was customary, the recital was being put on in the main square of the academy and was open to the town. While Claire was not precisely nervous about how she would be received, she was anxious about how her performance would be received. She didn’t expect the people of the town to remember Claire the ballerina, but she hoped they would never forget seeing Romeo.
The time for the ballet was finally at hand and Claire was making the transition to Romeo more easily every day. She could feel her voice deepen as she spoke from her diaphragm, reciting his lines, as she had practiced. Once more, she was alone for her pre-show ritual. She tilted her head up to make her jawline more prominent and pulled and pinched at her forehead to give herself a less aquiline nose. The spare waistcoat had, as she suspected, fit like a glove, despite her being unable to find the popped seam earlier. The time for her to enter drew close and she readied herself, finding her center of gravity which seemed to change daily.
The crowd was captivated watching her dance. Her concerns melted away as sword stroke and steps merged for her, becoming as second nature as breathing. She saw darkness gathering outside, the storm having returned, fittingly enough, just in time for her final act. She pacified herself by slipping back into character, preparing herself for her imminent death.
She supped the poison and pressed her lips to Juliet’s, her breath tickling Claire’s chin as she pulled away. Claire collapsed and felt a profound chill fill her body. Her face was on the ground and she could hear the gasp of the crowd and the other actors delivering their lines. When it was time for Juliet to cradle Romeo in her arms, Claire could hear her, but couldn’t feel Juliet’s hands on her skin.
The curtain closed as the last line was delivered and Claire heard the chatter around her but found it was a great effort to rouse herself. She found herself looking Juliet in the eye, a look of concern on her face. When she was asked why she didn’t get up after the curtain, Claire didn’t know what to say. She felt very small and slunk back to her room while everyone else was busy, tossing her too-large waistcoat aside and decided to try to figure out what was going on.


Level 10:

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This marks Claire’s first levels of shadowdancer, taken as soon as possible. Warshaper represents her ability to shape shift growing stronger and more controlled, allowing her to affect changes that were not possible before with morphic body, which increases her str and con by 4, something minor shape shift, while it may give the appearance of doing by making one bigger and burlier, cannot actually do. This helps her keep her separate cover identities straight since people are less likely to equate a large, robust opera singer with a ballerina. Her talents regarding ballet have (at least in her own mind) plateaued as she has taken skill focus Perform: (ballet), giving her a formidable +18 to perform dance checks, giving her roughly even odds of drawing on attention from distant potential patrons and extraplanar beings at DC 30.
Easy escape represents her escape artist act and shrouded dance represents her incorporating a dervish dance into her ballet. Never outnumbered, rather than being intended to stack fear effects, is more intended to express her command of the stage and the sense of awe that she will inspire to those who are up close to her. Hide in Plain Sight can see use in a somewhat straightforward manner in a disappearing act that will be further elaborated on later.

Claire sat in her dressing room awaiting the curtain call. It was becoming so bothersome waiting for the other actors to get ready. It was beginning to grate on her nerves, as was the inability to be cast as a female lead as of late.
Her thoughts were derailed as she heard her door squeak open. She donned an oversized (for the moment) dressing gown and filled it out in an instant with impossibly broad shoulders. A neatly trimmed pencil moustache slid from her lip like a cat’s claw from its finger and she turned to face the door, ensuring the emcee in a deep rumble that Mr. Clay would indeed be ready for his scene. As soon as the door shut and she was alone again, the moustache sucked itself wetly into her skin once more like a wisp of spaghetti and she lightened the load on her chair as it groaned under Mr. Clay’s bulk by becoming Claire once more.
While she didn’t exactly want to lose sight of her roots at the academy, she was growing sick of Shakespeare and his ilk. While no one of her personas had had more than his or her fair share of the limelight, when Mr. Clay, Ms. Rue, Mr. Bombardini, Senor Agricola, and the rest were all the same person, it made for one very bored prima donna.
It seemed like there were barely any new operas or ballets being written nowadays. Maybe she was in the mood for something new. A kind of art that hadn’t been done before. She could always use a new persona for it, so if things didn’t pan out, Claire could shrug it off and leave it behind.
It had taken a little while for Mr. Dini to convince Claire’s patron to give him an audition since he was an unknown. Claire had to hold a laugh behind her perfectly even teeth. If only he knew. She invited him onstage to help tie her up and put a pair of manacles on her to check that they were in fact genuine. He seemed confused, but complied.
Claire nodded to the stagehand and a tank of water was wheeled out. Her patron raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Claire was lowered into the tank and the curtain closed, the shafts of light that streamed through the water being broken. It was a trivial manner to become slim enough to slip out of the manacles and knots that had been tied. She had given Mr. Dini almost cartoonishly muscular forearms for the purpose. The water drew up around her as she shrank down to the girl from the academy she had once been, the manacles clinking as they hit the glass bottom of the tank.
A ring of red began to cloud her vision, but she had seen to give Mr. Dini a barrel chest capable of holding plenty of air for her act. She popped the lid and dismounted gracefully, landing on the balls of her feet. She had to remember who she was supposed to be as she suppressed the instinct to put her hand out by her hip, reaching for a Juliet that wasn’t there.
The curtain drew back and she looked to her sponsor, leaving a deliberately wild gleam in her eye and drinking in his applause when it inevitably came. Soon enough, there was indeed a new headliner in town, even if Mr. Clay needed to be bumped. She was sure he wouldn’t be too broken up about it.

Level 15:

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This is the seed that this build grew from. The one thing that had always bothered me most about shadowdancer was how it required ranks in perform (dance) and once you were in the class, you never actually used them for anything. Exemplars get their famous persuasive performance ability at level 5, enabling any check to be used as a diplomacy check for the purpose of influencing NPCs, in this case, perform(ballet). Her surge in popularity is due to her now being able to use perform(ballet) to influence large groups of people and improve their attitude drastically with a +27 bonus to the check,guaranteeing the DC 30 check for indifferent targets to become helpful thanks to skill mastery.
Mosquito’s bite, as with swashbuckler, represents Claire’s prowess in stage combat growing. As warshaper has enhanced her shape shifting abilities, it has also helped sharpen her muscles when it comes to practicing her craft.
While she was technically capable of casting the shadow illusion at level 10, it didn’t come together with warshaper’s morphic weapons and the quick change and disturbing visage feats as it does here. She can turn into a monster on stage and do battle with a ghost for the duration of the performance, all through apparent legerdemain. Skill mastery with disguise in addition to her +17 modifier means that audience members are unlikely to cry foul during one of Mr. Dini’s freak shows. Sleight of hand will similarly help with more mundane stage magic fare.

Mr. Dini was in high demand. In fact, he was in a demand so high that Claire found herself unable to have a moment to herself to experiment with new things to do with her art. This was the entire reason for her being here in the first place, the reason for Mr. Dini, the reason for taking on a job with this theater, the reason for her life itself, she thought. Claire sighed and collapsed into a chair, her bones feeling rubbery from being stretched, slipping through those manacles so many times, she could swear they were being worn smooth.
She hadn’t been sleeping again, and she knew what that could herald. Granted, she wasn’t sharing an attic with a dozen other girls, but her quarters at theater weren’t exactly ironclad. A stagehand seeing something he shouldn’t could cause unwanted trouble for her, to say nothing of the consequences he would reap.
She desperately wished for a new act, and as her mind wandered, she caught the traces of motion from within her mirror. She was shifting through her own personal shadow cast unintentionally. She scowled, halfway between the irritatingly ubiquitous Mr. Dini and the nearly forgotten Mr. Clay. She turned to the tailor’s mirror in the corner and held out a hand. She murmured the first words that came to mind when describing the form she wore in private, Claire, and dabbed at her eyes with a bit of wool. She squinted and looked to the Claire in front of her to try to remember what she was supposed to look like, her mind muddled with too many possibilities and not enough sleep. She was examining the face to see what color the eyes should be when the door rattled. She cursed as the woman in front of her dissolved and contemptuously flicked the bit of fleece sticking to his fingernails to the floor. She took a deep breath and felt her breast swell with the all-too-familiar bulk of Mr. Dini.
The page at the door alerted her that her fans were clamoring for new material since after you see a man climb out of a box ten times, the odds he’ll do it again the eleventh are pretty good. Just what she wanted to hear. She told him in Mr. Dini’s vague, generically foreign accent that it would be no trouble at all. He bowed his head and left, neglecting to shut the door after himself.
Claire plodded awkwardly over to the door, her mammoth arms swinging by her sides. She wished she hadn’t had this petty indulgence when creating the persona. Mr. Dini was far too well-known at this point to suddenly change. She had grown to hate this form, its pendulous arms would be better suited to an ape than a man.
No sooner had she said this than she noticed the doorknob in her meaty fist had deformed slightly under her death grip. She examined the offending hand more carefully and saw that it was indeed more bestial than its counterpart on her other side. The song of possibilities began once more in her head and she knew what the rest of her day would be consumed by.
On a whim, she picked up the piece of fluff on the ground and tried to make the girl she could only half-remember now appear before the mirror. The ring of red, the harbinger of suffocation appeared around the edges of her vision again and she dropped the fluff, coughing, the mirror remaining damnably empty.
When she lifted her head, the greasy, grimacing face of Mr. Dini that looked back at her made her feel no better. His teeth and nose looked more like a snout to her as examined her reflection. And before her eyes, it became so.
Though she had never looked quite so gruesome as Mr. Dini, Claire couldn’t say she remembered the last time she had felt so comfortable in his skin.

Level 20:

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This concludes the story arc of Claire the changeling. Shadowdancer finally gives its trademark shadow jump at this level, which would see plenty of use as one of Mr. Dini’s magic tricks. While she was somewhat weary of the public’s love for her same old fare last time around, she has grown comfortable with it since she is allowed to challenge herself artistically with the new things she’s constantly bringing into her act.
As at the last checkpoint, multiple class features converged in the story, the same thing happens here. Now that she is interacting more frequently with the crowd, her diplomacy increases to a more respectable level since it’s only fitting of a performer of her caliber by this point. She is becoming somewhat resigned to being Mr. Dini, so the Persona Immersion is, as has been the trend with her feats, an adaptation her body has undertaken on its own rather than any conscious action on her part. The last level represents her reunion with her father and her finally finding out what she is and that there are others like her. The level of cabinet trickster is her showing her pride in her doppelgänger and changeling heritage, plus its detect thoughts ability would fit right in with the gilded age magic act that she performs as Mr. Dini. The apparition of the illusion of her adult Claire form in the mirror is not her shadow illusion this time, but her Shadow companion playing tricks on her since it shares her CN alignment and is somewhat playful with her fractured psyche and her image of herself is somewhat complicated

Claire sighed as she knocked on the door to her sponsor’s room. She wasn’t sure what she was hoping to find, but she did have a good idea of what was likely. He bid her to come in, in the guise of Mr. Dini, as usual. She shut the door behind her and looked at him with a determined expression, setting Mr. Dini’s weak chin into a more chiseled jaw as subtly as she could. News of this sort should be delivered in as serious a fashion as possible.
She asked him why exactly he had agreed to all the new, unorthodox ideas she had been throwing in his direction over the past few years and he asked what she was on about. She took a deep breath and a gamble and let the accumulated bulk of Mr. Dini slide away, letting the fine, tailored clothes suited to his ponderous form fall loose on her frame, the appearance of Claire long since forgotten, her skin taking on a smooth, translucent appearance that hadn’t had a place outside her own fevered dreams since she was a little girl and was startled by a fateful clap of thunder.
He cocked an eyebrow, the closest thing she ever saw to an expression on his face. Without a word he crossed the room, walking right past her and locked the door, an indulgence only his room possessed. He lowered the top hat that was perpetually perched just so on his head and Claire’s milky, white eyes widened as she saw his hair crawl back into his scalp and his debonair mustachios slither into nothingness, disappearing beneath his skin as it faded to a gray that precisely matched her own. He hugged her tightly to him and for the first time she could remember, her body was still.
She didn’t bother to ask whether they would publicize their true nature. As soon as she had had the thought, her father, or perhaps her mother, shook his head at her. When she asked him how he knew what she was thinking, he just smiled and said there would be plenty of time to teach her. She was just fine with that. She looked into the mirror behind her father and saw that shape of a girl that she used to be wave at her. She knew she could be anyone, but the pressures of the stage were off of her for once in her life and while she wasn’t sure entirely how she felt about that, she was looking forward to finding out.

Tips and Tricks

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Pros

Claire dominates when it comes to skills. Except for the knowledges and spellcraft, she has just about everything in the game with plenty of skill points and a good int to back the skills up. if you need a skill check made with this character, it is getting done, especially since she's got 9 of them mastered by level 11

changeling rogue gives skill mastery with Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate, and Sense Motive. exemplar gives skill mastery with 1+int mod other skills which, for the purpose of this exercise, are perform (ballet), disguise, sleight of hand and hide.

taking 10 on a perform check when combined with the persuasive performance ability from later on in exemplar means everyone who sees her dance is her biggest fan

taking 10 on a disguise check helps keep all her cover IDs straight since she is (1910s era pun totally intended) a quick change artist, having in all likelihood to make multiple minor shape shifts per day and as a result being unable to coast indefinitely on a single lucky disguise roll. due to her background, she doesn't have any formal training using her abilities, which is why she doesn't have very many ranks in disguise (although her mod is still fairly high)

taking 10 on sleight of hand is primarily for the magic act, but can be combined with mosquito's bite, which is very sneaky when used in combination with a poisoned weapon in case anyone ever finds out too much about her alter egos and jeopardizes her operation

taking 10 on hide is probably the most useful overall since hiding while in combat is normally not viable since you're being threatened and rushed and are being directly observed. skill mastery takes care of the first clause of this and hide in plain sight takes care of the second. the end result is that Claire is seen only when she wants to be seen, and since this manner of hiding is nonmagical, it can't be bypassed by see invisibility, true seeing, and the like. taking 10 can also be combined with the shrouded dancer skill trick whenever 1 round of concealment is needed. it only works once an encounter, but it can be a lifesaver. combine this with defensive roll, evasion, and improved uncanny dodge, and her enemies will have a hell of a time landing a hit on her (assuming they can even find her)

even if they do manage to land a hit, with 7 d6s, 3 d10s, and 9d8s for hit dice, she's going to have a lot of health, especially taking morphic body into account. assuming average rolls, she'll have 72 base hp by level 20, modified by 60 bonus HP from con thanks to morphic body for a total of 132, which, while not astronomical, is still pretty solid for a ballerina

so defensively and skills wise, she's pretty much a beast. offensively is a slightly different story.

she doesn't absolutely need any particular piece of gear, but gloves of dex, cloak of cha, headband of intellect, circlet of persuasion, and choker of eloquence would all help further improve her chosen fields of speciality (perform (ballet) checks and more cha based skills and skill mastery)

Cons

while not exactly helpless, Claire is far from a powerhouse when it comes to dealing damage. as you can see from the build, she's not really specced for offense.

that said, combat reflexes does allow her quite a lot of AoOs per round which, when paired with hide in plain sight (enhanced by skill mastery) along with her shadow jump ability, should make her at the very least a major wildcard when it comes to battlefield control, allowing her to cover a much larger area than normal.

swashbuckler's insightful strike allows her to make use of her intelligence by putting it onto damage and her exemplary dex by putting it where it's needed, onto her attack. she will most likely use a rapier, since it would be the most similar to the swords she fenced with on stage, and can fall back on morphic natural attacks from warshaper. the damage is a little on the low side due to being medium sized, but since changelings stay in their chosen form until they change again, the only limit on how many natural attacks you can stack onto your body is how many move actions you have to spare in combat. adding morphic weapons while hiding in plain sight only to spring apparently from nowhere (or shadow jump, staying hidden in plain sight) and full attack your opponent with your numerous claws/tentacles/etc is a highly amusing prospect

Sources

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Races of Eberron- Changeling Rogue Racial Substitution, Quick Change, Disturbing Visage, Persona Immersion, Cabinet Trickster
Complete Warrior- Swashbuckler, Warshaper
PHB- Rogue, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility, Skill Focus
Dungeon Master's Guide- Shadowdancer
Complete Adventurer-Exemplar
Exemplars of Evil-Feign Death (Alternate Class Feature replaces Evasion)

[Amphetryon]

Tiger, tiger, burning bright. . . er, dark.

Tiesa, The Stalker of Night

The Build

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Anthropomorphic Tiger Ranger 1/Barbarian 3/Monk 3/Shadowdancer 10
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Tiger RHD 1|

+1

|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|Hide 4, Move Silently 4|Dodge|

2nd|Tiger RHD 2|

+2

|

+0

|

+3

|

+3

|Hide 5, Move Silently 5||

3rd|Tiger LA 1|

+1

|

+0

|

+3

|

+3

| | |

4th|Ranger 1|

+3

|

+2

|

+5

|

+3

|Hide 6, Move Silently 6, Survival 4|Track (Bonus), Mobility|Favoured Enemy (Human), Wild Empathy

5th|Barbarian 1|

+4

|

+4

|

+5

|

+3

|Hide 7, Move Silently 7||Rage 1/day, Fast Movement, Illiteracy

6th|Barbarian 2|

+5

|

+5

|

+5

|

+3

|Hide 8, Move Silently 8, Survival 6||Uncanny Dodge

7th|Barbarian 3|

+6/+1

|

+5

|

+6

|

+4

|Hide 9, Move Silently 9, Survival 8|Spring Attack|Trapkiller

8th|Monk 1|

+6/+1

|

+7

|

+8

|

+6

|Hide 10, Move Silently 10, Perform (Dance) 2|Improved Unarmed Strike (Bonus), Stunning Fist (Bonus)|Flurry of Blows, Unarmed Strike, AC Bonus

9th|Monk 2|

+7/+2

|

+8

|

+9

|

+7

|Hide 11, Move Silently 11, Perform (Dance) 4|Combat Reflexes (Bonus)|Evasion

10th|Monk 3|

+8/+3

|

+8

|

+9

|

+7

|Hide 12, Move Silently 12, Perform (Dance) 6|Versatile Unarmed Strike|Still Mind, Fast Movement +10ft

11th|Shadowdancer 1|

+8/+3

|

+8

|

+11

|

+7

|Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Perform (Dance) 10||Hide in Plain Sight

12th|Shadowdancer 2|

+9/+4

|

+8

|

+12

|

+7

|Hide 14, Move Silently 14, Perform (Dance) 14| |Improved Evasion, Improved Uncanny Dodge

13th|Shadowdancer 3|

+10/+5

|

+9

|

+12

|

+8

|Hide 15, Move Silently 15, Perform (Dance) 15, Survival 11|Freezing the Lifeblood|Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow

14th|Shadowdancer 4|

+10/+5

|

+9

|

+13

|

+8

|Hide 16, Move Silently 16, Perform (Dance) 16, Survival 14||Shadow Jump 20ft

15th|Shadowdancer 5|

+11/+6/+1

|

+9

|

+13

|

+8

|Hide 17, Move Silently 17, Perform (Dance) 17, Survival 17| |Defensive Roll

16th|Shadowdancer 6|

+12/+7/+2

|

+10

|

+14

|

+9

|Hide 18, Move Silently 18, Perform (Dance) 18, Survival 18, Tumble 2|Bounding Assault|Shadow Jump 40ft, Summon Shadow

17th|Shadowdancer 7|

+13/+8/+3

|

+10

|

+14

|

+9

|Hide 19, Move Silently 19, Perform (Dance) 19, Survival 19, Tumble 4||Slippery Mind

18th|Shadowdancer 8|

+14/+9/+4

|

+10

|

+14

|

+9

|Hide 20, Move Silently 20, Perform (Dance) 20, Survival 20, Tumble 6| |Shadow Jump 80ft

19th|Shadowdancer 9|

+14/+9/+4

|

+11

|

+15

|

+10

|Hide 21, Move Silently 21, Perform (Dance) 21, Survival 21, Tumble 8|Combat Tactician|Summon Shadow

20th|Shadowdancer 10|

+15/+10/+5

|

+11

|

+16

|

+10

|Hide 22, Move Silently 22, Perform (Dance) 22, Survival 22, Tumble 10| |Shadow Jump 160ft [/table]

Recommended Equipment

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Tiesa is not limited with his equipment, except that he cannot wear armour of any kind. Since he has natural weapons in the form of claws and a bite, along with unarmed strike, he does not require a weapon. However, a Monk’s Belt will be incredibly helpful in increasing his Unarmed Strike damage.

Tiesa can benefit from any item that increases ability scores, skills or saves except for Intelligence, as he does not require Intelligence for any of his skills or abilities. He would benefit most from an increased Dexterity or Constitution, as his main skills require Dexterity and extra health is always helpful. Constitution also determines how long he stays in rage, so lengthening the time would be very useful as well. A higher Strength increases his damage output and his chance of hitting. A higher Wisdom increases his defence from the Monk’s AC Bonus and his Survival skill to upgrade his tracking ability and lockpicking. A higher Charisma score increases his Perform skill which makes it easier for him to succeed on those checks. Even though his saves are above average overall, a Cloak or Vest of Resistance would be helpful.

Tiesa would also benefit from having Bracers of Armour as he does not wear any armour and he need to increase his AC. He will not benefit from an Amulet of Natural Armour, though as he already has Natural Armour granted from Anthropomorphic Tiger.

Abilities {table=head]Level|Strength|Dexterity|Constitution|Intelligence|Wisdom|Charisma
1st|17|21|15|11|18|13
4th|17|22|15|11|18|13
8th|18|22|15|11|18|13
12th|18|22|16|11|18|13
16th|18|22|16|11|18|14[/table]

Tactics:

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Level 1-4

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Tiesa is at his weakest during these points, as he only has 1 class level and 3 hit dice, so he has to use his mobility to help him survive. With only 1 level of ranger, he can take Favoured Enemy for Human, using it whenever possible. His feat selection during these levels also increases his survivability with Dodge and Mobility, allowing him to constantly be on the move. He takes Survival, Hide and Move Silently to let him avoid direct combat whenever possible. If he is forced into combat, he will use his claws and bite attack to deal damage in the hopes of getting to a place where he has the advantage.

Level 5-9

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At these levels, Tiesa starts taking barbarian and monk, increasing his overall combat effectiveness. Taking Spring Attack increases his ability to deal damage and avoid combat while not sacrificing too much power. Instead of Trap Sense, he takes Trapkiller letting him use his higher Survival check to disable any traps he may come across instead of Search, improving his sneaking abilities. If he has no other choice, he will use his Rage ability to deal as much damage as possible before he retreats to recover from the backlash. He takes Stunning Fist from the Monk class to incapacitate opponents if he is facing multiple foes, thinning the number he actually has to face. He uses Uncanny Dodge and Evasion to help him defend against surprise attacks and effects requiring a reflex save.

Level 10-14

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During these levels, Tiesa begins to take Shadowdancer, giving him Improved Uncanny Dodge and Improved Evasion at level 12. He takes his last level in Monk, grabbing the speed boost, making his speed 50ft per round, and Versatile Unarmed Strike, helping him overcome damage reduction. He uses Shadow Illusion in conjunction with Summon Shadow to confuse his opponents, making it appear that he is in a different area than he actually is, striking from the shadows. Should his summoned shadow be attacked and damaged, it will retreat to avoid being destroyed. He uses his Shadow Jump in 2 10ft bursts to quickly escape enemies or to jump to a different area of the fight.

Level 15-20

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At the end, Tiesa is taking straight Shadowdancer, maxing out his Summon Shadow and Shadow Jump abilities. Similar to what he does when he is at level 10-14, he uses his stronger Shadow to continue confusing his opponents while he strikes at them from behind. He uses his Shadow Jump ability more often as he gains more uses of it, always in 10ft bursts unless absolutely necessary. At 16th level, he grabs Bounding Assault to attack twice while using his hit and run abilities. As his final feat, he takes Combat Tactician to have a higher chance of hitting his opponents and dealing more damage as he constantly stays on the move.

The History of Tiesa

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When Tiesa was born, he was viewed as an abomination by his tribe. The majority of the inhabitants were humans and half orcs, and his tiger-like appearance was seen as an insult to nature. Although they did not abandon him, they did not care for him. They left him to his own, not teaching him the ways of their village or things that were important to survive. Tiesa eventually learned how to hunt on his own and fend for himself. Out of resentment towards his tribesmen, he left to look for what he wanted to do.

As time went on, Tiesa’s temper generally got the best of him, but in this time, he learned that he became stronger when he was angry, if only for a short time. While he was impressed with this ability, he turned away from it in search of something else. He began to learn patience and wisdom and started to learn how to use his fists instead of his claws and teeth to fight. During this time, he also learned that he enjoyed dancing, although he danced when no one was looking.

His joy of dancing in the shadows surprised him in that he learned of a new way to implement this newfound interest. He eventually learned how to teleport between the dark areas of rooms, and he continued to develop this ability. During his training, he also brought his shadow to life, and it follows him as his companion. Tiesa continued developing these abilities in secret until he became a hunter once more.

After perfecting his shadow dance, he returned to hunting, where he would hunt more than just game. He is well known in the country as a mass murderer, somehow being able to sneak past guards in the dead of night to dispatch his chosen target for the night before disappearing once more into the shadows. While town guards and the military have searched for him over the years, they have not found him yet, as Tiesa is always one step ahead of them. There is no telling where he will strike next, as he simply melts into and out of shadows at will.

Sources

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Barbarian, Monk: Players Handbook, Shadowdancer: Dungeon Master’s Guide , Anthropomorphic Tiger: Savage Species, Tiger: Monster Manual, Bounding Assault Versatile Unarmed Strike Combat Tactician: Player’s Handbook 2, Freezing the Lifeblood: Complete Warrior

[Amphetryon]

I didn't say I was afraid of the DARK, Grandma!

The Damned Drake

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NE Ambush Drake* 7/Shadowdancer 10/Rogue 3
*Class at bottom of page

Starting stats of (original, without racial modifiers);
Str 14 (14)
Dex 16 (16)
Con 18 (14)
Int 10 (14)
Wis 10 (10)
Cha 8 (8)

Backstory

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In a far away land near the mountains, there was a tall mountain with a dark cave. In that dark cave was a small abandoned creature, a little dragon with no name. He had no pack, he had no parents, and a hunger for meat. He lurked in that deep dark cave for weeks and weeks, leaving to drag off mountaineers for dinner at night and sharpen his teeth on their bones in the day. Soon, he was talked about in taverns as "The Damned Drake" and drew attention to his dark, dark cave.

The local assassin's guild had recently lost a number of their trainees to a raid on one of their safe houses, and so when they heard of a beast in the darkness devouring people, they did their best to take advantage of the creature. The Damned Drake was captured, taken to the guild masters and given a choice - serve or die. The Damned Drake was a savage hunter, but he was no idiot - he relented, and became a servant, and started the path of utter darkness.

They trained him to strike a person's weak spots, to hide in the smallest slither of shadow and to hone their reflexes, and soon he became a great assassin, but soon the guild masters became greedy. They experimented on The Damned Drake, activating his draconic heritage to give him more powers - to jump through shadows and even weave them into servants. Inevitably, The Damned Drake became bored of serving an assassins guild, and escaped. In a stunning display of something crazy and stupid enough to work via unpredictability, he went to the one place he ever loved - his old cave deep in the mountains.

Now The Damned Drake lurks in his cave, leaving to take revenge on the assassin's guild by doing what he does best - eating them and turning their bones into toothpicks. It seems he has learned skills never instructed to him in order to protect his cave home, such as finding traps lain in place to dissuade The Damned Drake. This means, much to the horror of the assassin's guild, that The Damned Drake is adapting to his new position well. In fact, it is only a matter of time before he becomes bored and takes his revenge on the assassin's guild......

The Build

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The Damned Drake
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Ambush Drake 1|

+1

|

+2

|

+2

|

+2

|Hide 4, Listen 4, Move Silently 4, Spot 4, Perform (Dance) 1 1/2|

Combat Reflexes

|+4 Con, -4 Int, darkvision 60 ft., immunity to magic sleep effects and paralysis, low-light vision, scent.

2nd|Ambush Drake 2|

+2

|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|Hide 5, Listen 5, Move Silently 5, Spot 4, Perform (Dance) 2 1/2|

---

|Poison, telepathic link 15 ft.

3rd|Ambush Drake 3|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|

+3

|Hide 6, Listen 6, Move Silently 6, Spot 4, Perform (Dance) 3 1/2|

Dodge

|+1 Str, fly 15 ft. (poor)

4th|Ambush Drake 4|

+4

|

+4

|

+4

|

+4

|Hide 7, Listen 7, Move Silently 7, Spot 4, Perform (Dance) 4 1/2|

---

|

---

5th|Ambush Drake 5|

+5

|

+4

|

+4

|

+4

|Hide 8, Listen 8, Move Silently 8, Spot 5, Perform (Dance) 5|

---

|+2 Str, fly 30 ft. (poor)

6th|Ambush Drake 6|

+6/+1

|

+5

|

+5

|

+5

|Hide 9, Listen 9, Move Silently 10, Spot 7, Perform (Dance) 5|

Mobility

|Telepathic link 30 ft.

7th|Ambush Drake 7|

+7/+2

|

+5

|

+5

|

+5

|Hide 10, Listen 10, Move Silently 10, Spot 9, Perform (Dance) 5|

---

|Breath weapon

8th|Shadowdancer 1|

+7/+2

|

+5

|

+7

|

+5

|Hide 11, Listen 11, Move Silently 11, Spot 11, Perform (Dance) 5|

---

|Hide in plain sight

9th|Shadowdancer 2|

+8/+3

|

+5

|

+8

|

+5

|Hide 12, Listen 12, Move Silently 12, Spot 12, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 1|

Enlarge Breath

|Evasion, darkvision, uncanny dodge

10th|Shadowdancer 3|

+9/+4

|

+6

|

+8

|

+6

|Hide 13, Listen 13, Move Silently 13, Spot 13, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 2|

---

|Shadow illusion, summon shadow

11th|Shadowdancer 4|

+10/+5

|

+6

|

+9

|

+6

|Hide 14, Listen 14, Move Silently 14, Spot 14, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 3|

---

|Shadow jump 20 ft.

12th|Shadowdancer 5|

+10/+5

|

+6

|

+9

|

+6

|Hide 15, Listen 15, Move Silently 15, Spot 15, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 4|

Spring Attack

|Defensive roll, improved uncanny dodge

13th|Shadowdancer 6|

+11/+6/+1

|

+7

|

+9

|

+7

|Hide 16, Listen 16, Move Silently 16, Spot 16, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 5|

---

|Shadow jump 40 ft., summon shadow

14th|Shadowdancer 7|

+12/+7/+2

|

+7

|

+9

|

+7

|Hide 17, Listen 17, Move Silently 17, Spot 17, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 6|

---

|Slippery mind

15th|Shadowdancer 8|

+13/+8/+3

|

+7

|

+10

|

+7

|Hide 18, Listen 18, Move Silently 18, Spot 18, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 7|

Improved Initiative

|Shadow jump 80 ft.

16th|Shadowdancer 9|

+13/+8/+3

|

+8

|

+10

|

+8

|Hide 19, Listen 19, Move Silently 19, Spot 19, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 8|

---

|Summon shadow

17th|Shadowdancer 10|

+13/+8/+3

|

+8

|

+11

|

+8

|Hide 20, Listen 20, Move Silently 20, Spot 20, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 9|

---

|Shadow jump 160 ft., improved evasion

18th|Rogue 1|

+13/+8/+3

|

+8

|

+13

|

+8

|Hide 21, Listen 21, Move Silently 21, Spot 21, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 12|

Skill Focus (Hide)

|Sneak attack +1d6, trapfinding

19th|Rogue 2|

+14/+9/+4

|

+8

|

+14

|

+8

|Hide 22, Listen 22, Move Silently 22, Spot 22, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 15|

---

|Spell reflection (replaces evasion)

20th|Rogue 3|

+15/+10/+5

|

+9

|

+14

|

+9

|Hide 23, Listen 23, Move Silently 23, Spot 23, Perform (Dance) 5, Tumble 18|

---

|Sneak attack +2d6, penetrating strike (replaces trap sense)[/table]

Build Notes:

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This build takes the Ambush Drake monster class I happened upon, adds Shadowdancer for a dark, sneaky creature. It has Enlarge Breath and a big Con score for a breath attack with a nasty DC and a Slow effect that can target groups of people from range and then enter the fray with tooth and claw.

Other than battle The Damned Drake has the capacity to be a good sneak - hiding in the shadows and collecting information, stealing items and anything else that can be achieved with judicious application of ninja skillz.

Build Highlights and notes on certain levels:

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1st to 3rd level - At low levels, the Ambush Drake is quite the bruiser, with high Con and thus HP, Natural Armor boni, flight and poisons, all at a level where that stuff can actually be effective in a big way.

8th level - At 8th level, the Ambush Drake has finally got its Slow breath attack which is based on the Ambush Drake's lovely Con score, and has scored Shadowdancer's claim to fame - HiPS, allowing it to Slow enemies and slip away into the shadows again and again, like some sort of Draconic griefer.

12th level (Sweet Spot!) - At this level, The Damned Drake has got it's main bite out of Shadowdancer, combined with its Ambush Drake levels - Flight, Poison, a breath attack boosted further by Enlarge Breath, Shadow Jumping, a dedicated flanking buddy (see: Summon Shadow) and the Defensive Roll

13th level and onwards - Past 12th level, Shadowdancer mainly scales out the remaining abilities, with the addition of slippery mind and improved evasion (which are always nice). Past Shadowdancer, Rogue levels gives The Damned Drake mediocre ranks in Tumble at last, a bit of SA die and with some ACF magic some small boni at the end of the build.

21st level plus - Epic Shadowdancer seems the way to go, increasing all the scaling abilities (Summon Shadow + Shadow Jump) and offering bonus feats useful to The Damned Drake.

Equipment Wishlist:

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Well, The Damned Drake is not humanoid shaped so custom sized barding will be needed. If we can get a hold of that, then we all know what The Damned Drake would like. A nice light armor, maybe with some enchantments like Soulfire, and Shadow.
A Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis would also be a nice present. Once again, we raid the Draconomomomomomocon and see some real gems - Jaws of the Dragon and Pectorals of Manoeuvrability are lovely things for The Damned Drake. As you imagine, an Amulet of Mighty Fists is mandatory for the Damned Drake's natural attack, but if it's a low wealth campaign it shouldn't hurt too much.

Sources Used:

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Ambush Drake monster class: Link to web enhancement at top of page
Rogue and Shadowdancer: SRD
Enlarge Breath: Draconomicon
Spell reflection ACF: Complete Mage
Penetrating Strike ACF: Dungeonscape

[Amphetryon]

Someone's major domo.

Domovoi, the Dark Dancer

He danced all night, and when he was finished, all his partners lay dead.

The Build

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Halfling Bard 3/Scout 4/Shadowdancer 10/Dervish 3
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Bard 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|Perform (Dance) 4, Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Concentration 4, Tumble 4, Escape Artist 4, Perform (Singing) 4 |Dodge|Bardic Music, Lore Song 1/day, Countersong, Fascinate, Inspire Courage +1

2nd|Scout 1|

+0

|

+0

|

+4

|

+2

|Perform (Dance) 5, Hide 5, Move Silently 5, Concentration 5, Tumble 5, Escape Artist 5, Climb 1 Survival 2||Skirmish +1d6, Trapfinding

3rd|Scout 2|

+1

|

+0

|

+5

|

+2

|Perform (Dance) 6, Hide 6, Move Silently 6, Concentration 6, Tumble 6, Escape Artist 6, Climb 2, Survival 4|Mobility|Battle Fortitude +1, Uncanny Dodge

4th|Scout 3|

+2

|

+1

|

+5

|

+3

|Perform (Dance) 7, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Concentration 7, Tumble 7, Escape Artist 7, Climb 3, Survival 6||Fast Movement +5ft, Skirmish (+1d6, +1 AC), Trackless Step

5th|Bard 2 |

+3

|

+1

|

+6

|

+5

|Perform (Dance) 8, Hide 8, Move Silently 8, Concentration 8, Tumble 8, Escape Artist 8, Climb 4||

6th|Bard 3 |

+4

|

+2

|

+6

|

+5

|Perform (Dance) 9, Hide 9, Move Silently 9, Concentration 9, Tumble 9, Escape Artist 9, Climb 5 |Combat Reflexes|Inspire Competence Lore Song 2/day

7th|Scout 4 |

+5

|

+2

|

+7

|

+6

|Perform (Dance) 10, Hide 10, Move Silently 10, Concentration 10, Tumble 10, Escape Artist 10, Climb 6, Survival 8|Combat Expertise (Bonus Feat)|

8th|Shadowdancer 1|

+5

|

+2

|

+9

|

+6

|Perform (Dance) 11, Hide 11, Move Silently 11, Concentration 11, Tumble 11, Escape Artist 11, Climb 7||Hide in Plain Sight

9th|Shadowdancer 2|

+6/+1

|

+2

|

+10

|

+7

|Perform (Dance) 12, Hide 12, Move Silently 12, Concentration 12, Tumble 12, Escape Artist 12, Climb 8|Weapon Focus (Longsword)|Evasion, Dark Vision Improved Uncanny Dodge

10th|Shadowdancer 3|

+7/+2

|

+3

|

+10

|

+8

|Perform (Dance) 13, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Concentration 13, Tumble 13, Escape Artist 13, Climb 9||Shadow Illusion, Summon Shadow

11th|Dervish 1|

+8/+3

|

+3

|

+12

|

+10

|Perform (Dance) 14, Hide 14, Move Silently 14, Tumble 14, Escape Artist 14 ||Dervish Dance 1/day, Movement Mastery, Slashing Blades AC Bonus +1

12th|Dervish 2|

+9/+4

|

+3

|

+13

|

+11

|Perform (Dance) 15, Hide 15, Move Silently 15, Tumble 15, Escape Artist 15 |Deft Opportunist |Fast Movement +5ft

13th|Dervish 3|

+10/+5

|

+4

|

+13

|

+11

|Perform (Dance) 16, Hide 16, Move Silently 16, Tumble 16, Escape Artist 16 |Spring Attack (Bonus Feat)| Dervish Dance 2/day

14th|Shadowdancer 4|

+11/+6/+1

|

+4

|

+13

|

+11

|Perform (Dance) 17, Hide 17, Move Silently 17, Tumble 17, Concentration 14, Escape Artist 17, Climb 10||Shadow Jump 20ft

15th|Shadowdancer 5|

+11/+6/+1

|

+4

|

+13

|

+11

|Perform (Dance) 18, Hide 18, Move Silently 18, Tumble 18, Concentration 15, Escape Artist 18, Climb 11 |Karmic Strike |Defensive Roll

16th|Shadowdancer 6|

+12/+7/+2

|

+5

|

+14

|

+12

|Perform (Dance) 19, Hide 19, Move Silently 19, Tumble 19, Concentration 16, Escape Artist 19, Climb 12 ||Shadow Jump 40ft, Summon Shadow

17th|Shadowdancer 7|

+13/+8/+3

|

+5

|

+14

|

+12

|Perform (Dance) 20, Hide 20, Move Silently 20, Tumble 20, Concentration 17, Escape Artist 20, Climb 13 ||Slippery Mind

18th|Shadowdancer 8|

+14/+9/+4

|

+5

|

+15

|

+12

|Perform (Dance) 21, Hide 21, Move Silently 21, Tumble 21, Concentration 18, Escape Artist 21, Climb 14 |Bounding Assault |Shadow Jump 80ft

19th|Shadowdancer 9|

+14/+9/+4

|

+6

|

+15

|

+13

|Perform (Dance) 22, Hide 22, Move Silently 22, Tumble 22, Concentration 19, Escape Artist 22, Climb 15 ||Summon Shadow

20th|Shadowdancer 10|

+15/+10/+5

|

+6

|

+16

|

+13

|Perform (Dance) 23, Hide 23, Move Silently 23, Tumble 23, Concentration 20, Escape Artist 23, Climb 16 | |Shadow Jump 160ft, Improved Evasion[/table]

Spells per day/Spells Known

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{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|
1st|2|-

2nd|2|-

3rd|2|-

4th|2|-

5th|3|0

6th|3|1

7th|3|1

8th|3|1

9th|3|1

10th|3|1

11th|3|1

12th|3|1

13th|3|1

14th|3|1

15th|3|1

16th|3|1

17th|3|1

18th|3|1

19th|3|1

20th|3|1 [/table]

Recommended Spell List:
0 Level: Lullaby, Light, Ghost Sound, Resistance, Dancing Lights, Mending
1 Level: Expeditious Retreat, Cure Light Wounds, Grease

Recommended Equipment

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Domovoi doesn’t require any particular items outside of stat and defensive boosts, although a Ring of Freedom of Movement does help. The only ability score he would not benefit from increasing would be Wisdom, as none of his skills rely on it and he is an Intelligence based caster. He primarily uses a longsword, so having several bonuses to it would certainly help. If it can be afforded, mithril breastplate is best; however, chain shirts and studded leather armour are acceptable substitutes at earlier levels. If his Dexterity is too high for mithril breastplate, a mithril chain shirt is another possible option.

Abilities {table]{table=head]Level|Strength|Dexterity|Constitution|Intelligence|Wisdom|Charisma
1st|10|17|13|13|13|13
4th|10|17|14|13|13|13
8th|10|18|14|13|13|13
12th|10|18|14|13|13|14
16th|10|19|14|13|13|14
20th|10|20|14|13|13|14
[/table]

Tactics:

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Level 1-4

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During these levels, Domovoi is not a main combatant. Instead, he prefers to use his Inspire Courage ability to increase his and his allies’ effectiveness in combat. Starting to take levels in Scout at second level allows him to deal slightly more damage when he moves and increases his measly fortitude save; although not by much. He also uses his Lore Song ability to gain the upperhand in combat if at all possible.

Level 5-9

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Here, Domovoi begins taking levels in Shadowdancer and starts to become a lot more mobile. Taking Combat Expertise as a bonus feat opens up his options for combat, allowing him to increase his AC to help him survive longer. He uses his Lore Song ability more now that he has access to more uses per day. He tends to stay with hit and run tactics, attempting to avoid staying in one place for more than a single turn.

Level 10-14

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At this point, Domovoi gets a lot more mobile with the addition of Shadow Jump and taking levels in Dervish. He will keep a shadow summoned at all times, however, it is not for combat. Instead, he uses it to scout out potential targets for him. He will use his Shadow Illusion to confuse his opponents while he strikes using Skirmish and Spring Attack. He also takes Deft Opportunist to gain bonuses against those that try to retreat from him. If his opponents are spread out, he uses his Dervish Dance ability in conjunction with his Tumble check and Spring Attack to damage all his opponents. Should his Dervish Dance run out, he uses his Shadow Jump ability to escape combat and hide until he is no longer fatigued. Afterwords, he continues to strike using Spring Attack and Combat Reflexes when applicable.

Level 15-20

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At the end, Domovoi finishes taking Shadowdancer, giving him access to their final abilities. He also takes Bounding Assault and Karmic Strike, increasing his effectiveness at both attacks of opportunity and at hit and run. He will use his defensive roll only if he needs to and will follow it up with a Dervish Dance and then Shadow Jump. His Slippery Mind ability allows him to break enchantments easier and his Improved Evasion allows him to avoid all but the worst from spells that require a reflex save, which is already really high. He continues to use his Summon Shadow ability to scout out areas and targets for him. He uses his Shadow Jump ability to surprise his opponents and to gain extra Skirmish damage.

The Story of Domovoi, the Dark Dancer

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Domovoi was a very unfortunate kid growing up. Living in a big city, his parents could not afford to keep him and their house. They eventually decided to keep him and took to the streets, learning to find edible food anywhere and to convince others to give them their money. As he entered adolescence, Domovoi’s parents learned that he was very nimble on his feet and had a decent singing voice. They decided to teach him how to dance, as his father was an aspiring dancer himself, in hopes to earn enough money to stay alive. It was successful, and they began to earn enough money to sustain themselves. After earning enough money to purchase a cart and a mule, they began to travel between cities, giving performances of his dancing skills in bars, on stages, anywhere where they could get money. He would also give singing performances to those who were willing to listen to him, in an attempt to keep their money.

He stayed with his family through his adolescence and young adult life before leaving in search of his own calling. As one of his experiments, as he called them, he decided to enter the local military as a scout, ranging ahead and acting as support for his comrades. After his required time ended, he returned to being a travelling performer. He tried to find his parents again, only to find out that they had both perished while he was in the army. Domovoi returned to dancing for crowds to earn his pay. After several more years of dancing, he learned of a new style of dancing, one that he had never heard of before. He began researching this new dancing technique, and he discovered that there were very few masters of this technique.

After tracking down one of the masters of this technique, he learned of its true potential. He also learned of its true name: Shadowdancing. His impressive dancing ability quickly earned the masters respect and he began studying under the man. Domovoi spent several years training under him before he moved on to other things. He continued his studies on his own and learned of another dancing technique, that of the Dervish.

He sought for an instructor for this new style, as he wanted to learn as many different styles of dancing. After finding the master of this style of dance, Sanavakri, he learned that she was indeed, the master of all Dervishs. Swearing an oath to her, he started to learn this exotic dancing technique from her. He acted as her student until he learned all he wanted to from her and returned to shadowdancing. He remains at her side today, even though he has a separate profession from dancing.

After learning everything there can be about shadowdancing, Domovoi became an assassin. Using his dancing skills to slip past guards of high officials and his ability to leap between shadows to surprise his targets, he finishes his job with efficiency. One of his most famous jobs was when he was sent to kill all the people who were attending a ball. Masking his kills as part of his dance, he stood in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by the dead bodies of all those who were attending. Domovoi walked out of the ball, content with himself and disappeared into the shadows, only seen with Sanavakri and in the rare instances where someone sees him, only to find their life’s blood on their clothes and on the floor before their world goes black, never to see the light of day again.

Sources

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Bard: Players Handbook, Scout, Deft Opportunist: Complete Adventurer, Dervish, Karmic Strike: Complete Warrior, Shadow Dancer: Dungeon Master’s Guide, Lore Song: Dungeonscape, Bounding Assault: Player’s Handbook 2

[Amphetryon]

Unless I messed up, that's the last of them. Ready, set, judge!

[Diefje]

Still giggling about Carmen Sandiego.


Also, super happy i'm not judging. Sorry judges!

[Thurbane]

So, to summarize -

1. Lord McUmbra: Strongheart Halfling Swordsage 2/Fighter 2/Monk 2/Shadowdancer 10/Shadowlord 4
2. Sandamir: Human (gravetouched ghoul) Battledancer 2/Swordsage 2/Paladin of Salughter 4/Shadowdancer 10
3. Ensis Tenebra: Human Ninja 2/Duskblade 3/Chameleon 7/Shadowdancer 8
4. Pumpkinhead: Half-ogre Martial Rogue 2/Fighter 4/Hulking Hurler 1/Shadow Dancer 7/Pyrokineticist 4
5. Osric the Fallen: Human Paragon 3/Rogue 3/Totemist 2/Avenging Executioner 2/Shadowdancer 10
6. Lucian the Wanderer: Human Shadowcaster 11/Shadowdancer 9
7. Khariman Sandiga: Centaur Feat Rogue 3/ Shadowdancer 10/ Exemplar 1
8. Theodore Johannes Kaczynski: Human Factotum 1/Artificer 9/Shadowdancer 10
9. Vesper: Drider Rogue 1/Shadowdancer 9
10. Artou Defoor: Warforged Scout Monk 2/Wizard 5/Spell Thief 2/Shadowdancer 5/Unseen Seer 6
11. Athek: Human Factotum 8/Martial Rogue 2/Shadowdancer 10
12. Karn the Conqueror: Human (shadow walker) Lion Totem Barbarian 1/Warblade 5/Swordsage 3/Shadowdancer 10
13. Maxwell Allard: Human Factotum 5/Chameleon 5/Shadowdancer 10
14. The Dancing Shadow: Human Scout 4/Binder 3/Swordsage 3/Shadowdancer 10
15. Mr. Dini: Changeling Rogue 2/Swashbuckler 3/Warshaper 2/Shadowdancer 7/Exemplar 5/Cabinet Trickster 1
16. Tiesa: Anthropomorphic Tiger Ranger 1/Barbarian 3/Monk 3/Shadowdancer 10
17. The Damned Drake: Ambush Drake 7/Shadowdancer 10/Rogue 3
18. Domovoi: Halfling Bard 3/Scout 4/Shadowdancer 10/Dervish 3

Please let me know if I messed up or missed anything...

[OMG PONIES]

And it's time to start in on my judging. Here's the build I never felt like submitting:

The Dancer in the Dark
Azurin Bard 10/Shadowdancer 10

Spoiler

Show

{table=head]

Level

|

Class

|

Base Attack Bonus

|

Fort Save

|

Ref Save

|

Will Save

|

Skills

|

Feats

|

Class Features

1

|

Bard 1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

|

+2

|

Bluff 4, Diplomacy 4, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 4, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Move Silently 3, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 4, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 1, Use Magic Device 4

|

Midnight Dodge, Mobility

|

Bardic music, bardic knack, mimicking song, healing hymn, inspire courage +1

2

|

Bard 2

|

+1

|

+0

|

+3

|

+3

|

Bluff 5, Diplomacy 5, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 5, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Move Silently 4, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 5, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Use Magic Device 5

||

3

|

Bard 3

|

+2

|

+1

|

+3

|

+3

|

Bluff 6, Diplomacy 6, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 6, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 5, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 6, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Use Magic Device 6

|

Snowflake Wardance

|

Inspire competence

4

|

Bard 4

|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

Bluff 7, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 7, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 7, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 6, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 7, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 2, Use Magic Device 7

||

5

|

Bard 5

|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

|

+4

|

Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 8, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 8, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 7, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 8, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 3, Use Magic Device 8

||

6

|

Bard 6

|

+4

|

+2

|

+5

|

+5

|

Bluff 9, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 9, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 9, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 8, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 9, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 4, Use Magic Device 9

|

Combat Reflexes, Song of the Heart

|

Song of the Heart

7

|

Bard 7

|

+5

|

+2

|

+5

|

+5

|

Bluff 10, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 10, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 10, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 10, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 10, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Use Magic Device 10

||

8

|

Shadowdancer 1

|

+5

|

+2

|

+7

|

+5

|

Bluff 11, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 11, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 11, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 11, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 11, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 7

||

Hide in plain sight

9

|

Shadowdancer 2

|

+6/+1

|

+2

|

+8

|

+5

|

Bluff 12, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 12, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 12, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 12, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 12, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 10

|

Requiem

|

Evasion, darkvision, uncanny dodge

10

|

Shadowdancer 3

|

+7/+2

|

+3

|

+8

|

+6

|

Bluff 13, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 13, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 13, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 13, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 13, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 13

||

Shadow illusion, summon shadow (3 HD)

11

|

Shadowdancer 4

|

+8/+3

|

+3

|

+9

|

+6

|

Bluff 14, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 14, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 14, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 14, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 14, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 14, Use Magic Device 11

||

Shadow jump 20 ft.

12

|

Bard 8

|

+9/+4

|

+3

|

+10

|

+7

|

Bluff 15, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 15, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 15, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 15, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 15, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 15, Use Magic Device 13

|

Darkstalker

|

Inspire courage +2

13

|

Bard 9

|

+9/+4

|

+4

|

+10

|

+7

|

Bluff 16, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 16, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 16, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 16, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 16, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 16, Use Magic Device 15

||

Inspire greatness

14

|

Bard 10

|

+10/+5

|

+4

|

+11

|

+8

|

Bluff 17, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 17, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 17, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 17, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 17, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 17, Use Magic Device 17

||

15

|

Shadowdancer 5

|

+10/+5

|

+4

|

+11

|

+8

|

Bluff 18, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 18, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 18, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 18, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 18, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 18, Use Magic Device 18

|

Words of Creation

|

Defensive roll, improved uncanny dodge

16

|

Shadowdancer 6

|

+11/+6/+1

|

+5

|

+12

|

+9

|

Bluff 19, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 19, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 19, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 19, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 19, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 19, Use Magic Device 19

||

Shadow jump 40 ft., summon shadow (5 HD)

17

|

Shadowdancer 7

|

+12/+7/+2

|

+5

|

+12

|

+9

|

Bluff 20, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 20, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 20, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 20, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 20, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 20, Use Magic Device 20

||

Slippery mind

18

|

Shadowdancer 8

|

+13/+8/+3

|

+5

|

+13

|

+9

|

Bluff 21, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 21, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 21, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 21, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 21, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 21, Use Magic Device 21

|

Cunning Evasion

|

Shadow jump 80 ft.

19

|

Shadowdancer 9

|

+13/+8/+3

|

+6

|

+13

|

+10

|

Bluff 22, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 22, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 22, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 22, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 22, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 22, Use Magic Device 22

||

Summon shadow (7 HD)

20

|

Shadowdancer 10

|

+14/+9/+4

|

+6

|

+14

|

+10

|

Bluff 23, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 23, Disable Device 1 (cc), Hide 23, Knowledge (arcana) 1, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (geography) 1, Knowledge (history) 1, Knowledge (local) 1, Knowledge (nature) 1, Knowledge (nobility & royalty) 1, Knowledge (religion) 1, Knowledge (planes) 1, Move Silently 23, Open Lock 1 (cc), Perform (dance) 23, Sleight of Hand 1 (cc), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 23, Use Magic Device 23

||

Shadow jump 160 ft., improved evasion

[/table]


{TABLE=head]

Ability

|

Points

|

Base

|

Level

|

Total

|

Modifier

STR

|

0

|

8

|

0

|

8

|

-1

DEX

|

6

|

14

|

4

|

18

|

+4

CON

|

5

|

13

|

0

|

13

|

+1

INT

|

8

|

15

|

0

|

15

|

+2

WIS

|

0

|

8

|

0

|

8

|

-1

CHA

|

13

|

17

|

1

|

18

|

+4

[/TABLE]

{table=head]

Level

|

0-level

|

1st level

|

2nd level

|

3rd level

|

4th level

|

Spells Known

1

|

2

|||||

Dancing Lights; Detect Magic; Ghost Sound; Mage Hand

2

|

3

|

0

||||

Grease; Inspirational Boost; Prestidigitation

3

|

3

|

1

||||

Improvisation; Songbird

4

|

3

|

2

|

0

|||

Alter Self; Minor Image

5

|

3

|

3

|

1

|||

Suggestion; Undersong

6

|

3

|

3

|

2

|||

7

|

3

|

3

|

2

|

0

||

Darkness; Haste; See Invisibility

8

|

3

|

3

|

2

|

0

||

9

|

3

|

3

|

2

|

0

||

10

|

3

|

3

|

2

|

0

||

11

|

3

|

3

|

2

|

0

||

12

|

3

|

3

|

3

|

1

||

Dispel Magic

|||||

13

|

3

|

3

|

3

|

2

||

14

|

3

|

3

|

3

|

2

|

0

|

Freedom of Movement; Major Image; Shadow Conjuration

15

|

3

|

3

|

3

|

2

|

0

|

16

|

3

|

3

|

3

|

2

|

0

|

17

|

3

|

3

|

3

|

2

|

0

|

18

|

3

|

3

|

3

|

2

|

0

|

19

|

3

|

3

|

3

|

2

|

0

|

20

|

3

|

3

|

3

|

2

|

0

|[/TABLE]

Requiem, Inspire Greatness, Song of the Heart, and Words of Creation would have gotten the shadow companion up to 12 HD at 19th level. It seemed like a one-trick pony, and it wasn't much of a trick. My adaptation section suggested using flaws to snag either Dragontouched/Dragonfire Inspiration for the standard bard route, or Shape Soulmeld (Necrocarnum Circlet)/Combat Reflexes, freeing up level 6's feat slot for Open Least Chakra (crown) to get a necrocarnum zombie of up to 10 HD, also a target for Inspire Greatness to bump him up to 15 HD. Slap a Vest of Legends on, and you can Inspire 5 HD of greatness in your shadow, your necrocarnum zombie, and yourself with one performance.

[deuxhero]

Still giggling about Carmen Sandiego.!

As am I. I'm a sucker for builds that emulate characters from fiction. The build stuck out at me as a clever use of the shadowdancer abilities. She also makes good use of the other abilities of the shadow dancer to a degree as well.

[Zipding]

I'm wondering who made the Bloodwings reference with Pumpkinhead. There is a reference in one of my builds, but I won't reveal it until after the results of the judging.

[Amphetryon]

I admit I wondered if we'd see an Umbral Disciple, a Shadow Sun Ninja, or a Shadowstriker submitted.

[Ryu_Bonkosi]

If I am a Binder does that make me a hipster cleric?