Shadowcaster

(BASE CLASS)
All things fall into shadow, even light. Shadows do not represent the absence of light; they show the presence of darkness. Thus, shadow and darkness are not death or diminishment; they are the fundamental state of the universe, the constant that existed before, that exists now, and that will exist when all other things are snuffed out. So it is with the Plane of Shadow, that dark mirror to the Material Plane and many other realities. Shadowcasters tap into this most fundamental of forces and planes to work their dark wills. By tying themselves to the Plane of Shadow, they maintain a tenuous link to the ultimate force of existence.

The shadowcaster understands the true, primal power of darkness, attunes herself to the Plane of Shadow, and learns great shadow mysteries the equal of any mundane spell. These dark casters are workers of alien magic, possessing an occult understanding of the world and magic that even other spellcasters find disturbing. They are masters of a dark power - and perhaps, as some worry, its servants as well.

- Hit Die: d6
- Proficiencies: You are proficient with all simple weapons. You are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with your gestures, which can cause your mysteries to fail when they function as spells.
- Skill Points: 2+ Int Modifier.

MYSTERIES: You do not cast spells as other classes do, but instead invoke mystical secrets called mysteries. You know one mystery at 1st level and gain one additional mystery every class level. Up to 6th level, you can learn only apprentice mysteries. At 7th level, you gain access to initiate mysteries, and at 13th level you become able to use master mysteries. Within a category (apprentice, initiate, master), you can only learn mysteries of a new level if you have learned at least two mysteries of a previous level. However, you can always select the lowest level mysteries in a category you have access to. For example, you could learn a 4th level mystery (Initiate category), even if you know no 3rd level mysteries (all of which are in the Apprentice category).

When you are capable of casting only apprentice mysteries, you cast them as though they were arcane spells. They all have somatic components, armor-based spell failure chance, and are subject to interruption (but they do not require material components, foci, or verbal components). At 7th level, when you become capable of casting initiate mysteries, your apprentice mysteries function as spell-like abilities, and they no longer require somatic components. Your new initiate mysteries function as arcane spells and follow the rules described above. When you reach 13th level and become capable of casting master mysteries, another change occurs. Your master mysteries now function as arcane spells, and your initiate mysteries function as spell-like abilities. Your apprentice mysteries become supernatural abilities, changing their DC formula to 10 + 1/2 caster level + Cha, and no longer generating attacks of opportunity when cast.

You can use each mystery you know a certain number of times per day depending on whether it is cast as a spell (once), a spell-like ability (two times), or a supernatural ability (three times). In order to cast a mystery, you must have an Intelligence score of at least 10 + the mystery's level. The save DC for your mysteries equals 10 + mystery level + your Cha modifier. Finally, you gain bonus mysteries per day if you have a high enough Charisma. This follows the same formula as sorcerer or wizard.

Bonus Feats - You gain a bonus feat equal to the total number of Paths you complete (Paths are collections of 3 mysteries, all within the same category). You must meet the prerequisites in order to select a feat as a bonus feat. The list of feats you can select is Favored Mystery, Greater Path Focus, Nocturnal Caster, Path Focus, Shadow Cast, and any metashadow feat.