Darkness Over The Battlefield [PrC]

[The Demented One]

Ebon Raven General

Wars are not won by glorious soldiers and men of honor, but by soldiers who are willing to shed blood, trained in the arts of subterfuge and murder. Ebon Raven Generals take pride in training and leading such men. Masters of stealth and leadership, an Ebon Raven General can mold a band of fresh recruits into an elite team of assassins, or transforms a party of adventurers into the most feared commandos throughout the realm.


An Ebon Raven General and his extraplanar allies prepare for an ambush.

d8 HD

Requirements
To qualify to become a Ebon Raven General, you must fulfill all the following criteria.
BAB: +5
Feats: Clarion Commander or Gloom Razor
Skills: Diplomacy 5 ranks, Hide 5 ranks, Move Silently 5 ranks
Martial Maneuvers: Must know at least one 4th-level maneuver of the Shadow Hand or White Raven disciplines.

Class Skills
The Ebon Raven General’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Climb (Str), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (History) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Listen (Wis), Martial Lore (Int), Move Silently (Dex), Profession (Wis), Swim (Str), and Tumble (Dex).

Skill Points at Each Level: 4 + Int modifier.

{table=head]Level|BAB|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Maneuvers[br]Known|Maneuvers[br]Readied|Stances[br]Known

1st|

+1

|

+0

|

+2

|

+0

|Whispering Steel|1|0|1

2nd|

+2

|

+0

|

+3

|

+0

|Circle of Razors, Hide in Plain Sight|1|0|1

3rd|

+3

|

+1

|

+3

|

+1

|Evasive Tactics|2|0|1

4th|

+4

|

+1

|

+4

|

+1

|Assassin’s Glory|2|1|1

5th|

+5

|

+1

|

+4

|

+1

|Ebon Raven Stealth|3|1|2

6th|

+6

|

+2

|

+5

|

+2

|One Thousand Murders|3|1|2

7th|

+7

|

+2

|

+5

|

+2

|Phantasmal Ambush|4|1|2

8th|

+8

|

+2

|

+6

|

+2

|Ebon Raven Training|4|2|2

9th|

+9

|

+3

|

+6

|

+3

|War by Twilight|5|2|2

10th|

+10

|

+3

|

+7

|

+3

|Warlord Hidden in Shadows|5|2|3[/table]

Class Features
All the following are class features of the Ebon Raven General prestige class.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency
You gain no additional weapon or armor proficiencies.

Maneuvers
At each odd-numbered level, you gain one new maneuver known from the Shadow Hand or White Raven disciplines. You must meet a maneuver’s prerequisites to learn it. You add your full Ebon Raven General level to your initiator level to determine your total initiator level and the highest level of maneuver you can learn. If you have levels in an initiator class that allows you to exchange out maneuvers at certain levels, your Ebon Raven General levels stack with your levels in that class for determining when you may exchange maneuvers. At 4th and 8th level, you gain an additional maneuver readied each day.

Stances
At 1st level, 5th, and 10th levels, you gain a new martial stance known from the Heart or White Raven disciplines. You must meet a stance’s prerequisites to learn it.

Whispering Steel (Ex)
You can lead your allies in stealth, using your training in guerilla combat to show them how to move silently and unseen even when burdened down by armor. Whenever you, or any ally within your line of sight, makes a Hide or Move Silently check, they may ignore any armor check penalties from light or medium armor and shields. At 5th level, you and your allies can ignore penalties to Hide and Move Silently from even heavy armor and shields. You must be conscious and able to move in order for you and your allies to gain the benefits of the whispering steel ability.

Circle of Razors (Ex)
You and your allies can strike a foe in unison, taking advantage of surprise to ambush it en masse. At 2nd level, in any round where you and one or more allies successfully damage a creature that is flanked or denied its Dexterity bonus to AC with melee attacks or ranged attacks made from within 30 ft. of that creature, then that creature takes 1d6 damage at the end of the round, plus an additional 1d6 damage for each character, including you, that hit it. This damage is treated as precision damage, and any creature that would be immune to sneak attack damage is also immune to the damage from circle of razors.

Hide in Plain Sight (Su)
At 2nd level, you can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as you are within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, except your own, you can hide yourself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind.

Evasive Tactics (Ex)
Ever-watchful, you warn your allies of danger, allowing them to dodge out of the way just in the nick of time. Whenever you or an ally makes a Reflex save against an effect that allows half damage on a successful save, you may use this ability before the save is rolled. If you do, and the save is successful, then you or that ally instead take no damage. You may use this ability a number of times per encounter equal to the higher of your Dexterity modifier. You may grant its benefits to multiple allies with a single immediate action, but you must expend a use for each ally you protect.

Assassin’s Glory (Ex)
You take a fierce pride in your allies, your heart and courage bolstered by their success on the battlefield. At 4th level, whenever you or an ally within line of sight to you confirms a critical hit, you may take an immediate action to recover a single expended maneuver. You may use this ability once per encounter.

Ebon Raven Stealth (Su)
Your mastery of stealth allows you to conceal your allies, hiding them in the slenderest shadows. At 5th level, all allies within your line of sight gain the benefits of your hide in plain sight class feature.

One Thousand Murders (Su)
You call to life the shadows of your allies, enclosing your foes behind a barricade of umbral warriors. At 6th level, once per encounter, whenever you or any ally within line of sight of you moves, you may use this ability as an immediate action. If you do, then that ally’s shadow rises up behind them, leaving a stream of dark afterimages behind them as they move. Until the beginning of your next turn, that ally is treated as occupying each of the squares they moved through for determining whether you or any of your allies gain flanking against enemies.

Phantasmal Ambush (Su)
You can stride through shadows to switch places with your allies, allowing you to make devastating tactical strikes. At 7th level, whenever an ally you have line of sight to makes a melee attack against an enemy and misses, you may use this ability as an immediate action. Both you and that ally are teleported, exchanging places with each other. You may then take either make a single melee attack against the creature missed by your ally, or initiate any martial strike with an initiation time of a standard action or less that would allow you to make a melee attack against that creature. Even if the strike would normally allow you to attack more than one creature, you may only attack the creature missed by your ally. You may use the phantasmal ambush ability once per encounter.

Ebon Raven Training (Ex)
Your martial prowess allows you to teach your allies secrets of warfare, training them in its techniques. At 8th level, while you are in a martial stance, every ally that begins his turn adjacent to you gains the benefits of that stance until the beginning of his next turn.

War by Twilight (Su)
At 9th level, you master the War by Twilight stance, a mystical stance that bends light and darkness around you, causing the shadows of you and your allies to rise up around you like veils. While you are in a martial stance of the Shadow Hand or White Raven disciplines, you may, as a swift action, forgo its normal benefit to gain the effects of the War by Twilight stance. You can also end the War by Twilight stance and resume the normal benefit of the stance you were in as a swift action. While in this stance, the entire area around you seems to be strangely lit, as if it were twilight, though any actual light is not dimmed. However, you and all allies within 30 ft. of you are embraced by a vaporous shroud of shadowstuff that grants you a 20% miss chance against all attacks and an enhancement bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks equal to your initiator level. In addition, when you use your evasive tactics class feature to protect you or an ally while they are under the effect of this stance, you do not have to expend a use of that ability.

Warlord Hidden in Shadows (Su)
As you master the arts of the Ebon Raven General, you learn a final boon to bestow upon your allies in battle. At 10th level, you gain the ability to, as a standard action, step into the shadow of a single adjacent ally. Doing so causes you to fuse with their shadow–your body, and all equipment you are carrying, dissolve into the shadow, and cannot be affected or targeted by anything. You can perceive the world through the senses of the ally whose shadow you inhabit, and you can communicate telepathically with him, though no one else. While you are fused with an ally’s shadow, they may initiate any maneuver you have readied, or recover any of your expended maneuvers as if they were you (you cannot initiate or recover maneuvers). They also gain the benefits of whatever stance you were in when you entered their shadow, and may change the stance as a swift action.

In addition, while one with their shadow, you can grant them otherwordly assistance. When you first enter the shadow, roll 1d6 and consult the table below to determine what ability you gain from fusing with their shadow. While you draw on this shadow energy, it is the ally who must take the action to use the shadow’s gift. The ability can only be used once while you are within their shadow.

{table=head]Roll|Power|Effect
1|Massacre of a Moment|As a standard action, the ally can use the massacre of a moment ability. If they do, they move up to twice their base land speed, and may make a single melee attack at their highest base attack bonus against a foe each time they pass by it, to a maximum total of attacks equal to half your initiator level. They receive a +5 enhancement bonus on each attack and damage roll. They do not provoke attacks of opportunity while moving.
2|Dark Treachery|As a standard action, the ally can cause the shadow of a single foe to rise up and attack it. The shadow strikes its master with a shadowy replica of the weapon they wield, automatically hitting and dealing damage as if that creature had been hit with the weapon they are currently wielding or their natural weapon, or their strongest weapon they have if they have more than one. Any other special abilities of the weapon itself also apply, but not special attacks or class features of the victim. In addition, that creature must make a Will save, DC 10 + 1/2 your initiator level + the highest of your Wisdom and Intelligence modifiers, or be entangled by their shadow, and become paralyzed for 1d4 rounds.
3|Venomous Shadow Blade|As a swift action before making a melee attack, the ally can use the venomous shadow blade ability. If they do, and the attack hits, then they may deal their choice of 2d6 Strength or Dexterity damage or 1d8 Constitution damage to the creature hit.
4|Masterful Assassination|As a swift action before making a melee attack against a foe who is denied their Dexterity bonus to AC (but not flanked), the ally can use the masterful assassination ability. If they do, and the attack hits, then the attack deals +50 damage. This damage is treated as precision damage, and any creature that would be immune to sneak attack damage is also immune to it.
5|Seven Shadows Dodge|As an immediate action, the ally may designate a single foe within their line of sight. Until the beginning of that ally’s next turn, any melee or ranged attack that enemy makes automatically misses that ally unless they are denied their Dexterity bonus to AC.
6|Ebon Raven Tactics|As an immediate action, the ally may take either a move action or a standard action. Doing so allows them to act even before the character who is currently taking their turn.
[/table]

You may remain in your ally’s shadow for up to 10 rounds, or until you choose to exit as an immediate action. When you exit, you appear in any unoccupied square adjacent to the ally. If their are no unoccupied squares adjacent to the ally and you leave their shadow, then you are shunted into the nearest unoccupied square and take 1d6 damage. You may use this ability once per day.

[SilentNight]

This looks very nice. I'm not too good a judge of balance but It does look a tad overpowered. Especially hide in plain sight at 2nd level.

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

This looks very nice. I'm not too good a judge of balance but It does look a tad overpowered. Especially hide in plain sight at 2nd level.

Shadowdancers get it at first. Really, it's not all that powerful an ability unless you stack it with other things(like hiding as a free action).

[The Demented One]

This looks very nice. I'm not too good a judge of balance but It does look a tad overpowered. Especially hide in plain sight at 2nd level.

You have to be at least 7th level to enter the class, so you'd be getting HiPS at 9th level. Compare this to Shadowdancer, which gives it to you at 8th level total.

[SilentNight]

Nevermind then. *backs away slowly*

[Krimm_Blackleaf]

You have to be at least 7th level to enter the class, so you'd be getting HiPS at 9th level. Compare this to Shadowdancer, which gives it to you at 8th level total.

Nice teamwork.

[The Demented One]

Nice teamwork.

After you flanked him, I had to get my sneak attack...

[dyslexicfaser]

Speaking as a guy who likes hordes of ninja, I dig this class. The capstone is a cool concept as well.

Plus, a PrC for guys who like the Shadow Hand discipline besides Shadow Sun Ninja? Always welcome.