Prestige Classes

SHADOWSTRIKER

“Horrible cults, terrible demons, and the shambling remains of creatures long dead—I have seen them all, and my bright blade has given me the strength to do what is right. Though the shadows may blind you, they can also open your eyes to the realization that our plight is dire—more so than we might at first admit.” —Peadrin, shadowstriker of Pelor The elite group known as the shadowstrikers is the military arm of Pelor’s Shadow Guard. Its members make little attempt to hide their presence because they prefer to stand as constant reminders to the minions of evil and decay that divine consequences await their vile actions. BECOMING A SHADOWSTRIKER Shadowstrikers come from all walks of life. Most are drawn from the clerics and paladins who serve in the ranks of either Heironeous or Pelor, though any member of either church with strong faith and a needed skill— regardless of vocation—is welcome to apply. PLAYING A SHADOWSTRIKER As a shadowstriker, you are one of Pelor’s elite soldiers. You and your fellows enjoy an esprit de corps that other religious orders rarely exhibit, due in part to the fact that shadowstriker cells are composed primarily of laypersons brought together by their common faith in your two patron deities. The forces of evil cannot long stand before such a zealous and devoted group—indeed, When you are with the other members of your cell, you are unstoppable and capable of accomplishing any goal. Even when you are alone, you are a force to be reckoned with, and you don’t mind letting others know it. Combat When engaging enemies in combat, your best option is your luminous weapon ability, which increases the damage you deal. At 2nd level, you can pair this ability with sun’s blessing, which adds a significant amount of fire damage to your attacks. If you use these two abilities in conjunction with smite evil, you can easily lay fiendish foes low with a few well-placed blows. Since your damage-enhancing abilities are usable only in hand-to-hand combat, however, you must be prepared to close for melee with your enemies.

Hit Die: d10.

Requirements

To qualify to become a shadowstriker, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria.

Alignment: Any good.

Base Attack Bonus: +5.

Skill: Knowledge (religion) 2 ranks.

Feat: Good Devotion, Healing Devotion, Law Devotion, Strength Devotion, Sun Devotion, or War Devotion.

Class Skills

The shadowstriker's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Climb (Str), Diplomacy (Cha), Handle Animal (Cha), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (Int), Ride (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: The Shadowstriker

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the shadowstriker prestige class.

You are a weapon of Pelor given humanoid form. As a shadowstriker, you have learned to channel your faith into a well-honed weapon and become especially proficient at dealing with undead creatures.

Badge of Office (Ex): Upon your induction into the shadowstrikers, you were given a special holy symbol combining the symbols of Heironeous and Pelor. This item is crafted from gold, inlaid with platinum lightning motifs, and encrusted with sunstones. In areas where the Church of Heironeous or the Church of Pelor holds political power, this badge allows you access to prohibited areas and gives you the right to detain and question suspects in the pursuit of your deity’s will.

Luminous Weapon (Su): You can imbue your melee weapon with the power of the Shining One. When you do so, your weapon glows as if affected by a light spell and gains a bonus equal to twice your shadowstriker level on damage rolls against evil and/or undead creatures. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum once), and the effect lasts for 10 rounds.

Smite Evil (Su): Beginning at 2nd level, you can smite evil once per day (see the paladin class feature). Smite evil attempts/day attained from multiple sources stack.

Sun’s Blessing (Su): When you reach 2nd level, you can cause your weapon to flare with the fires of the sun. As long as the sun’s blessing remains upon your luminous weapon, it deals an extra 1d6 points of fire damage. Additionally, the blinding light spilling from the weapon counts as a daylight spell for the duration of the effect. The sun’s blessing can be used once per day, and the effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to your shadowstriker level. You can gain an additional use per day of this ability for each daily turn attempt, smite evil attempt, or spell slot (if you are a spontaneous caster) that you sacrifice.

Surge of Piety (Su): When you attain 3rd level as a shadowstriker, your touch becomes infused with positive energy. Any undead creature that touches you (by hitting you in melee or for any other reason) is shaken for 1 round or until it is no longer in physical contact with you—even if it normally can’t be affected by this condition. Once per day as a fullround action, you can channel this energy into a single burst of positive energy, which manifests as a flash of bright, warm sunlight. In addition to functioning as a consecrate spell, this wave of energy deals 1d8 points of positive energy damage to every undead creature within 30 feet (no save). You can increase the damage this effect deals by 1d8 points (maximum +5d8) for each daily turn attempt, smite evil attempt, or spell slot (if you are a spontaneous caster) that you sacrifice.