Dream-Quest: Shadow

Shadow

Footfalls erased. Faces forgotten. Whisper where the dark gathers.

Origin: Earthborn or Dreamborn

Requirements: None

Prime Requisite: DEX

Hit Dice: 1d4

Maximum Level: 14

Armor: Leather, no shields

Weapons: Any

Languages: Alignment, Common, Dreamspeech

Born of silence and hidden places, the Shadow moves through the Dreamlands as unseen as a half-remembered dream. Cloaked in whispers and moonlit mist, he slips across thresholds where waking eyes cannot follow. His blade strikes from the folds of forgetting and his touch uncovers secrets that even dreamers fear to name.

Combat

A Shadow cannot wear armor heavier than leather and cannot use shields. He can use any weapon.

Shadow Skills

A Shadow can use the following skills, with the chance of success (where applicable) shown on the table below.

Dreamsense (DS)

Perceive cracks in dream’s fabric.
Concentrate for 1 turn to sense a falsehood, hidden catch, or concealed threshold within 30’.

Meld into Gloom (MG)

Vanish into half-light and mist.
In dim light, smoke, or fog, roll to disappear. On success, even searchers only find the Shadow on 1-in-6.

Night’s Kiss

Dream’s chill made weapon.
Once per day per 3 levels, envenom a light weapon with dream-stuff. On a hit, target must save vs. paralysis or fall into nightmare-sleep for 1 turn. Dream-creature instead suffer damage.

Silent Reverie (SR)

Steps hushed by dream itself.
Move silently across any surface. On success, listeners detect the Shadow only on 1-in-6.

Step Between (SB)

Slip behind dream’s curtain.
Once per turn, attempt to pass through a door, curtain, mirror, or shadow and reappear up to 10’ away. On failure, that way is blocked to the Shadow.

Unreal Guise

Become what dreamers expect to see.
Once per day per 4 levels, assume the guise of a generic figure (guard, priest, merchant, etc.). On doubt, intelligent creatures save vs. spells. Ends if Shadow speaks in his true voice or acts implausibly.

Whisper Between

Send words on dream’s current.
Once per day per 2 levels, the Shadow can whisper to someone he can see or imagine clearly. The words arrive in target's mind as if dreamed.

After Reaching 9th Level

A Shadow can establish a mutable Den of Forgotten Places within the Dreamlands — shifting alleys, hidden ruins, or moonlit grottos that exist between dream and waking. Here, he attracts followers drawn from thieves, dream-haunters, and shadow-spirits. The Den may subtly shift its location over time, making it nearly impossible to assault and can sometimes house a portal to the Waking World, allowing the Shadow to admit select allies or spy unseen in places Earthborn call home.