For some, darkness is not a hindrance, but a powerful ally. Quietly stepping between shadows, nightshades are experts of stealth and subtlety, blending agile combat with potent magic to outwit and overwhelm their foes. nightshades excel at using shadow art in innumerable ways, making them adaptable and unpredictable.
The nightshade is an archetype of the ninja class.
Archetype Main Ability Scores:
The nightshade mainly focuses on DEX for martial combat and WIS for their class features.
Archetype Feature Replacements:
1st – Limit Break (Missile Barrage). 2nd – Ki Pool. 3rd – No Trace, Ki Power. 5th – Ki Power. 7th – Ki Power. 8th – Ninja Trick. 9th – Ki Power. 10th – Ninja Trick. 11th – Ki Power. 12th – Master Trick. 13th – Ki Power. 14th – Master Trick. 15th – Ki Power. 17th – Ki Power. 19th – Ki Power, Hidden Master.
Limit Breaks (Su)
At 1st level, the nightshade receives the Limit Break (Shadowy Mists).
Shadowy Mists (Su): This Limit Break allows the nightshade to envelop a 30-ft.-radius area in a shroud of dark fog, centered on herself. This grants the nightshade and any allies within the area of effect total concealment for a duration of 1 round + 1 round per four ninja levels after 1st. Allies must be within 30 feet of the nightshade while this limit break is in effect to receive the concealment bonuses.
This ability replaces the Limit Break (Missile Barrage).
Shadow Surge (Su)
At 2nd level, the nightshade gains the ability to create a condensed reserve of energy from the Plane of Shadow which she can expend to great effect, but creating the reserve takes effort. The nightshade can spend a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity to gain a single shadow surge. When she does this, her shadow becomes darker and more distinct as it is infused with the planar energy. The shadow surge is an expendable resource that the nightshade can use to fuel her various abilities. She cannot have more than one surge at a time, but there is otherwise no limitation on how many times a day the nightshade can create or use shadow surges. The nightshade has these surges indefinitely until she expends them, though she loses her surges if she is ever unconscious, asleep, or killed. The nightshade can expend a shadow surge as a free action when making a Stealth check to enshroud herself in darkness, letting her roll twice and take the better result. The nightshade can gain new ways to use shadow surges as she grows in skill, typically through gaining a nightshade art (see below).
This ability replaces ki pool.
Nighteye (Ex)
At 3rd level, the nightshade gains darkvision out to 30 feet. At 8th level, this distance increases to 60 feet. If the nightshade already has darkvision, its range is increased by these amounts. She also gains Blind-Fight as a bonus feat. If she already has this feat, she can choose any other feat she qualifies for.
This ability replaces no trace.
Nightshade Art
As a nightshade gains experience, she learns a number of techniques and powers that enhance her combat skill. Starting at 3rd level, a nightshade gains one nightshade art. She gains an additional nightshade art for every three levels of ninja attained after 3rd level. A nightshade cannot select a particular art more than once. If a nightshade art calls for a saving throw, the DC is equal to 10 + half of the ninja’s level + her Wisdom modifier. A nightshade can choose from any of the following nightshade arts:
Beckoning Shadows (Su): The nightshade gains the ability to forcibly shadow shift another creature. As a standard action, the nightshade can target a single creature within 50 feet and teleport it in any direction to another location within 30 feet she can see, following the same limitations as her shadow shift ability. The destination must be on solid ground, and the teleportation cannot end in a space that is by nature hazardous to the creature the nightshade is teleporting. A successful Will save by the target negates the effect. The distance the nightshade teleports a creature with beckoning shadows counts triple against her total daily distance she can teleport with her shadow shift ability. Prerequisite: Nightshade 15
Combat Art (Ex): The nightshade gains a combat feat as a bonus feat. This can be selected only once.
Dark Resurgence (Su): The nightshade can quickly recover her shadow powers. Once per day as a free action, the nightshade can gain all of her shadow surges back, up to her maximum amount. Prerequisite: Nightshade 6
Disguising Veil (Sp): The nightshade can mask her appearance, as disguise self, for a number of minutes per day equal to her ninja level. This duration does not need to be consecutive, but must be spent in 1-minute increments. The DC to disbelieve the disguising veil is equal to the nightshade’s art DC, rather than the normal DC for disguise self.
Dusk Strike (Su): The nightshade gains the ability to slip her weapon between dimensions, if only for a moment. By expending a shadow surge as a swift action, the nightshade’s melee, ranged, or natural weapon shifts partially into the Plane of Shadow, bypassing a target’s defenses. The next weapon or natural attack the nightshade makes resolves against touch AC, rather than the target’s normal AC. If the nightshade doesn’t make the attack before the start of her next turn, the effect is wasted. Prerequisite: Nightshade 9
Fall of Night (Su): The nightshade can spend a shadow surge as a swift action when she confirms a critical hit to flood her target with shadowy energy. The nightshade can choose one of the following effects to inflict: blinded for 2d4 rounds, staggered for 1 round, or exhausted. A successful Fortitude save negates the effect. Prerequisite: Nightshade 15
Flexible Art (Ex): The nightshade gains a bonus feat. This can be selected more than once. Prerequisite: Nightshade 12
Hidden Stride (Ex): The nightshade can move at full speed while using the Stealth skill without penalty. When in dim light, the miss chance due to concealment against the nightshade increases to 50% (rather than 20%); this does not grant total concealment, it just increases the miss chance.
Penumbral Aegis (Ex): The nightshade can use shadowstuff to redirect attacks that would normally bypass her defenses. The nightshade adds her Wisdom modifier (minimum +0) as a bonus to her touch AC. This cannot make her touch AC exceed her normal AC. Prerequisite: Nightshade 12
Shadow Motion (Su): The nightshade can bend the space she is in by partially moving into the Plane of Shadow. This allows her to spend a shadow surge as a free action when making an Acrobatics, Climb, or Swim check to roll twice and take the better result.
Shadow Run (Su): The nightshade’s legs become shadowy wisps that bend and flow around the terrain. As a swift action, the nightshade can spend a shadow surge to be unaffected by difficult terrain for a number of rounds equal to her Wisdom modifier (minimum 1). In addition, the nightshade adds her Wisdom modifier to her CMD against attempts to trip, bull rush, reposition, or otherwise move her from her current space for the duration. Other penalties associated with moving over difficult terrain (such as damage) still apply. Prerequisite: Nightshade 6
Shifting Focus (Su): The nightshade can shift an extra 100 feet each day using her shadow shift ability. The nightshade can also take other willing creatures that are adjacent to her with her when she shadow shifts. She must spend an equal amount of distance for each creature brought along. Prerequisite: Nightshade 12
Void Sight (Su): The nightshade can grant others the ability to see in even the darkest of shadows. As a standard action, the nightshade can grant willing creatures within 30 feet the benefits of both a darkvision spell and a see invisibility spell, using the ninja’s level as her caster level for each effect. The nightshade can affect one willing creature per three ninja levels she has, to a maximum of 6 creatures. The nightshade can use this ability once per day. Prerequisite: Nightshade 6
Warp Strike (Su): The nightshade can shift her weapon into the Plane of Shadows, distorting the distance between herself and her target. By expending a shadow surge as a swift action, all of her melee weapon attacks or natural attacks made during her turn have their reach increased by 5 feet. At 12th level, the range increases to 10 feet. She may also perform this with a single melee touch attack made on her turn. Alternatively, she can spend her shadow surge as a swift action to reduce the penalty on ranged attack rolls due to distance by 2 until the end of her turn. At 12th level, the penalty is reduced by an additional 2.
These abilities replace ki powers.
Twin Surge (Su)
A nightshade of 8th level or higher can store up to two shadow surges at once. She can gain both surges with a single full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity or gain one surge as a standard action as normal.
This ability replaces a ninja trick gained at 8th level.
Shadow Shift (Su)
At 10th level, the nightshade gains the ability to travel between shadows as if by means of a dimension door spell. The limitation is that the magical transport must begin and end in an area with at least some dim light. The nightshade can shift 30 feet per level each day in this manner. This amount can be split among many shifts, but each one, no matter how small, counts as a 10-foot increment. This ability functions as if casting a dimension door spell for the purpose of qualifying for and using feats such as Dimensional Agility. She cannot bring other creatures along.
This ability replaces a ninja trick gained at 10th level.
See in Darkness (Su)
At 12th level, a nightshade can see perfectly in natural or magical darkness out to any distance.
This ability replaces a master trick gained at 12th level.
Triple Surge (Su)
A nightshade of 14th level or higher can store up to three shadow surges at once. She can gain all three surges with a single full-round action or can gain a single surge as a standard action.
This ability replaces a master trick gained at 14th level.
True Shadow (Su)
At 19th level, a nightshade can spend 3 shadow surges to assume to form of a shadow, an undead shade, for 1 hour. Unlike a normal shadow, the nightshade cannot create spawn. While in this form, a nightshade receives a +4 bonus on Will saves made to halve the damage from positive channeled energy and cannot be turned or commanded. He can also communicate intelligibly with other creatures. This shadow form otherwise has the same statistics and abilities as the nightshade. If a nightshade is destroyed while in this shadow form, he must attempt a DC 15 Fortitude save. If the saving throw fails, the nightshade gains one permanent negative level and cannot assume this shadow form for 30 days. A successful saving throw avoids this negative level and restriction.
This ability replaces hidden master.
