Instead of summoning a skeleton, these necromancers summon the shadows of their fallen victims to do their bidding.
The shadow monarch is an archetype of the necromancer class.
Class Skills
A shadow monarch adds Stealth to his list of class skills and loses Use Magical Device as a class skill.
This ability modifies the starting necromancer skills.
Shadow Magic
At 1st level, a shadow monarch may take vanish spells or spells with the shadow descriptor from the illusionist spell list when obtaining spells.
This ability modifies spells.
Shadow Soldier (Su)
At 1st level, a shadow monarch is able to make shadow soldiers out of his fallen victims. The shadow soldier counts as a bone commander for all necromancer class features, talents, and feats. The shadow monarch receives two commands he use:
- Arise (Su): As a full-round action, up to 3 times per day, if any intelligent, living creature is killed (doing at least 1 damage, if killed by other party members) by the shadow monarch that has the same hit dice or lower than the shadow monarch’s level can be made into a shadow soldier. The shadow monarch has a 80% chance to raise a shadow soldier if its hit dice is the same as his necromancer level, with a +5% per level lower than him (if he has a talent that allows him to have higher than his necromancer level, then it’s a -5% chance per hit dice higher than his necromancer level). This ability does not work on any creature with the archfiend, boss, cie’th, mini-boss, primal, or super boss subtypes.
- The shadow soldier has the same abilities (shadow soldiers loses a Constitution score and instead increases their Charisma score to what they had in Constitution unless they had a higher Charisma score) and equipment (the equipment disappears if removed from the shadow soldier) that it had in life and is undead and incorporeal, but can’t improve its abilities any further. Despite being incorporeal, the shadow soldier can attack corporeal opponents without any problems but can be attacked by non-magical weapons.
- Shadow soldiers cannot create undead, summon or otherwise conjure another creature, nor can they use any teleportation or planar travel abilities.
- If the shadow soldier had a natural armor bonus, it becomes a deflection bonus instead.
- Once made into a shadow soldier, the body can no longer be resurrected.
- A shadow monarch can have a number of hit dice of shadow soldiers equal to twice his necromancer level. If a shadow monarch has too many hit dice of shadow soldiers, he must immediately release enough hit dice to fit within his shadow soldier pool.
- While the shadow soldier may not have the same languages as the shadow monarch, the shadow monarch can communicate with his shadow soldier telepathically.
- Once a shadow soldier dies, it is automatically raised back to full health after 1 minute has passed, consuming the shadow monarch’s MP equal to its hit dice, if he has no magic points, then the shadow soldier stays dead until MP is regained. The shadow monarch can instead use a standard action to revive a shadow soldier outside of this time limit, but it costs double the MP.
- Summon (Su): As a standard action, the shadow monarch can summon all his shadow soldiers, or as a swift action, he can summon 1 shadow soldier within 30 feet of him.
This ability replaces bone commander.
Shadow Soldier Talents (Ex/Su)
At 2nd level and every two necromancer levels, a shadow monarch may take the following talents in addition to necromancy talents.
Efficient Shadow Soldier (Ex): Once per day, the shadow monarch can choose to have a shadow soldier revive back to full HP while only consuming half the required MP when raising from death.
Improved Shadow Soldier (Ex): A shadow monarch is considered 4 levels higher for determining hit dice for shadow soldiers.
These abilities may replace necromancy talents.
Shadowstrike (Su)
At 3rd level, a shadow monarch can make a ranged touch attack as a standard action (up to 30 feet away) that inflicts 1d6 points of shadow damage. If the shadow monarch is in stealth or invisible when using this ability, he will deal additional precision damage as if using sneak attack as a thief of the same level. He can use this ability a number of times per day equal to half his necromancer level + his Charisma modifier.
This ability replaces harm touch.
Nighteye (Ex)
At 4th level, a shadow monarch gains darkvision 30 feet.
At 7th level, a shadow monarch gains darkvision 60 feet. If he already possesses darkvision, its range is increased by these amounts.
At 10th level, a shadow monarch can see in any darkness (such as the deeper darkness spell).
This ability replaces unholy fortitude.
Cloak of Darkness (Su)
At 5th level, a shadow monarch conjures a cloak of shadowy darkness that grants him a +4 armor bonus and a +2 circumstance bonus on Stealth checks. At 9th level, and every four levels thereafter, the bonus to stealth checks increases by +2.
He can use this cloak for 1 hour per day per necromancer level. The duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-hour increments.
This ability replaces fear aura.
Shadow Exchange (Su)
At 6th level, a shadow monarch can, as a swift action, swap locations with his shadow soldiers. If it is larger than him, he can appear in any square occupied by the shadow soldier. The shadow soldier must occupy the square that was occupied by the shadow monarch if able, or as close as possible if it is not able. He can use this ability a number of times equal to 3 + his Charisma modifier.
This ability replaces secrets of the dead.
Wings of Darkness (Su)
At 7th level, as a swift action, a shadow monarch can manifest a set of translucent, inky wings that grant him a fly speed of 60 feet with good maneuverability. He can use these wings for 1 minute per day per necromancer level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-minute increments.
At 11th level, he can use these wings to fly as if with flight once per day. Used in this way, the ability lasts for up to 1 hour per level, and counts as his total use of this ability for the day. This ability has also grants the shadow monarch a +8 bonus on Fly skill checks.
This ability replaces cheat death.
Stealth Mastery (Ex)
At 8th level, a shadow monarch gains Skill Focus (Stealth). At 17th level, a shadow monarch gains the hide in plain sight thief class feature.
This ability replaces unlife healer.
Shadow Well (Su)
At 9th level, when within an area of darkness or dim light, as a move action, he may choose to switch places with a willing ally within 60 feet, who must also be in darkness or dim light. At 13th level, he can instead switch the positions of two willing allies, each of whom must be within 60 feet of him. Unless otherwise noted, this travel is identical to dimension door. He may use the ability to switch places once per day at 9th level, plus one additional time per day at 17th level and 20th level.
This ability replaces miasma.
Living Shadow (Sp)
At 13th level, a shadow monarch’s body dissolves, and he becomes a living shadow. This ability functions as gaseous form. At 20th level, this ability functions as shadow body instead, except he also gains DR 10/magic and becomes immune to poison, sneak attacks, and critical hits as if also using gaseous form. He can use this ability a number of minutes per day equal to his necromancer level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-minute increments.
This ability replaces death’s kiss.
Monarch’s Domain (Su)
At 12th level, once per day, a shadow monarch can affect all shadow soldiers with the power of the Shadow Plane, granting all shadow soldiers within a 50-ft.-radius a +2 bonus on all rolls, including damage rolls, a +2 bonus to special ability DCs, a +4 bonus to AC and CMD, 2 additional hit points per Hit Die, and temporary hit points equal to twice his necromancer level for 1 minute. The shadow soldier’s destructive instincts take hold for the duration of this ability, and any attempts to control or command the undead creature have a 50% chance of failing. The shadow monarch gains another use of this ability at 15th and 18th level.
This ability replaces master of undeath.
Enveloping Darkness (Su)
At 19th level, a shadow monarch may create an area of deeper darkness that he can see through without penalty. All creatures except the shadow monarch are entangled within this darkness unless using freedom of movement or a similar effect. He may use this ability once per day.
This ability replaces final guide.
Shadow Lord (Su)
Upon reaching 20th level, the shadow monarch’s body becomes permanently suffused with the essence of the Shadow Plane. A shadow monarch gains regeneration 5 while in dim light or darkness and immunity to ice, critical hits, and sneak attacks. His regeneration is suppressed while in any level of illumination brighter than dim light. In addition, any spells he casts of the shadow subschool or with the darkness descriptor are automatically enlarged without affecting their MP. Once per day, a shadow monarch can use his arise command to command up to twice his necromancer level.
This ability replaces lich transformation.