Path of the Twilight Veil

The Path of the Twilight Veil is a secretive path that uses shadow magic to distract, confuse, and deceive opponents. Nightblades on this path can vanish in the blink of an eye and create the most realistic of illusions.

Path Power: A nightblade that follows the Path of the Twilight Veil gains the following path power.

Distorting Shadows (Su)

You create an area of shifting shadows, the darkness an ever-changing pattern of shapes and shades that assault the minds of those within.

As a standard action, you designate a point in space within 50 feet to conjure your distorting shadows. The distorting shadows swirl around that point in a 20-foot radius spread, affecting any creatures within or entering the area. Any creature that enters the area of your distorting shadows or starts its turn within the area must make a Will save or be affected by the shadows, which causes a random effect as shown on Table: Distorting Shadows Effects. Each creature must make this save every round they remain in the area or suffer another randomly determined effect.

Table: Distorting Shadows Effects
d6/d8 Effect
1 The shadows makes the creature feel uneasy, sickening it for 1 minute. This duration does not stack.
2 The shadows make the creature feel unusually tired, causing it to be fatigued for 2d4 rounds. This effect does not stack, and is removed at the end of the duration. At 10th level, the creature is exhausted for the duration instead.
3 The pattern assaults the creature’s senses, blinding or deafening it (your choice) for 1 round.
4 The distracting patterns throw the creature off balance, staggering it for 1 round.
5 The creature cannot focus on any tasks, dazing it for 1 round.
6 The shadows confuse the creature for 1 round.
7 The distortions are overwhelming, stunning the creature for 1 round.
8 The creature falls unconscious for 1 round. Only living creatures can fall unconscious; nonliving creatures are stunned instead.

The Hit Dice of the creature being affected determines what effects can be applied to the creature. If the creature has less Hit Dice than 1/2 your nightblade level + 5, roll 1d8 to determine what effect is applied to it from Table: Distorting Shadows Effects. If the creature has more Hit Dice than that, roll 1d6 to determine what effect is applied to it from Table: Distorting Shadows Effects. You must roll separately for each creature affected.

Distorting shadows lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + 1/4 your nightblade level. You can dismiss it early as a standard action. You are immune to the effects of your distorting shadows. Sightless creatures are unaffected by distorting shadows. This is a mind-affecting pattern effect.

Surge Ability: A nightblade of 2nd level that follows the Path of the Twilight Veil gains the following ability to use with her shadow surge class feature.

Veil of Darkness (Sp)

You can expend a shadow surge as a move action to disappear for one round per nightblade level, as the spell invisibility. You cannot regain shadow surges until the invisibility ends.

Path Techniques: Your shadow illusions deceive even the strongest of minds.

Extended Illusions (Su)

At 1st level, you may have any illusion spell you cast with a duration of “concentration” last a number of additional rounds equal to 1/2 your nightblade level after you stop maintaining concentration (minimum +1 round).

Illusory Arcana (Ex)

At 5th level, you can add a single illusion or enchantment spell from the sorcerer/wizard spell list or the nightblade spell list to your list of spells known. This spell must be of a level you are capable of casting. You gain an additional spell known at 11th and 17th levels.

Entrancing Shadows (Sp)

At 10th level, you can create a wall of shadowy figments and patterns to entrance creatures. This power acts as a greater wall of darkness. However, one side of the entrancing shadows designated by you fascinates creatures within 10 feet, up to a maximum of 2 HD of creatures per nightblade level. A Will save negates the fascinate effect; the DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 your nightblade level + your Charisma modifier, as opposed to the save DC of greater wall of darkness. You may use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to your nightblade level. These rounds do not need to be consecutive. The fascination is a mind-affecting pattern effect.

Slip Away (Sp)

At 15th level, you can vanish without a trace, causing witnesses to forget you were even there. Once per day as an immediate action, you can vanish from sight for 1 round per two nightblade levels, as the spell greater invisibility. While invisible in this way, you cannot be detected by any means, and not even invisibility purge, see invisibility, and true seeing can reveal you. In addition, creatures within 100 feet must make a Will save or forget that you were there. This functions as modify memory, though it requires no action on your part and can only make a creature forget about you (such as sounds you have made, having seen you, conversations, and so forth). The DC of the modify memory effect is equal to 10 + 1/2 your nightblade level + your Charisma modifier, as opposed to its normal DC. You can only make a creature forget details and events involving you that have occurred within the past minute. You can affect a number of creatures up to your Charisma modifier.

Master of Shadows (Su)

At 20th level, your mastery over illusions is complete. You can make one illusion spell with a duration of “concentration” become permanent. You can have no more than one illusion made permanent in this way at one time. If you designate another illusion as permanent, the previous permanent illusion ends. In addition, you permanently gain the benefits of true seeing, as the spell. You can suspend or reactivate this ability as a free action.

Nightblade Arts: A nightblade that follows the Path of the Twilight Veil can select from the following nightblade arts.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Path of Shadows, © 2015, Ascension Games, LLC; Author Christopher Moore

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