Evil monks? try the shadow warrior!
Shadow Warrior
Requirements: Minimum DEX 9, minimum WIS 9
Prime requisite: STR, DEX
Hit Dice: 1d6
Maximum level: 14
Armour: None, no shields
Weapons: Any
Languages: Alignment, Common
Alignment: A shadow must be chaotic. If the character’s alignment ever changes (for any reason), they lose all class abilities and become a fighter of the same level.
Prime requisites: A shadow warrior with at least 13 in one prime requisite gains a 5% bonus to experience. If both STR and DEX are 16 or higher, the shadow warrior gets a +10% bonus.
Awareness
Shadow warriors are only surprised on a roll of 1. This may mean that a shadow warrior is able to act in the surprise round while their companions are surprised.
Infravision
Starting from 1st level shadow warriors have 30’ of infravision increasing to 60’ at 5th level and 90’ at 10th level.
Limited Possessions
A shadow warrior may only keep four magic items at a time and must donate 90% of their wealth to their order or other evil causes.
Order Code
Shadow warriors are bound by the stringent codes of their orders. A shadow warrior who fails to live up to the code of his order loses all class abilities and becomes a fighter of the same level.
Shadow Armour
When standing in darkness or shadows a shadow warrior has +2 to their armour class.
Shadow Blink
Once a day a shadow warrior may step into a shadow and emerge from another shadow that they can see within 180' of the original shadow.
Shadow Warrior Skills
Shadow warrior can use the following skills, with the chance of success shown below:
▶ Climb sheer surfaces (CS): A roll is required for each 100’ to be climbed. If the roll fails, the shadow warrior falls at the halfway point, suffering falling damage.
▶ Deflect Missiles (DM): A roll is required to attempt to deflect non-magical missile attacks.
▶ Hear noise (HN): In a quiet environment (e.g. not in combat), a shadow warrior may attempt to listen at a door or to hear the sounds of something (e.g. a wandering monster) approaching.
▶ Hide in shadows (HS): Requires the shadow warrior to be motionless—attacking or moving while hiding is not possible.
▶ Move silently (MS): A shadow warrior may attempt to sneak past enemies unnoticed.
Strike Invulnerable Monsters
A shadow warrior of 4th level or higher is able to use unarmed attacks to hit monsters that can normally only be harmed by magic.
Unarmed Combat
A shadow warrior’s unarmed strikes do 1D4 damage instead of the usual 1D2, upon reaching 4th level this becomes 1D6, at 8th level 1D8 and at 12th level 1D10.
Unarmed attacks which hit by 5 or more than the required amount have a 4 in 6 chance to blind the target for one round.
After Reaching 9th Level
There can only be a limited number of shadow warriors at each higher level. When a shadow warrior has enough experience points to reach 9th level, they challenge an existing 9th level shadow warrior. The character only advances to 9th level if the other shadow warrior is defeated. Such challenges may take any form that is agreed by both parties, including combat (which need not be fatal). This process is repeated at each subsequent level.
Shadow warriors who attain 9th level or above may found their own cloister which is funded by their order. 2D6 1st level shadow warriors will join the new cloister as students.
Shadow warrior Level Progression
Saving Throws
Level XP HD THAC0 D W P B S
1 0 1d6 19 [0] 12 13 14 15 16
2 3,000 2d6 19 [0] 12 13 14 15 16
3 6,000 3d6 19 [0] 12 13 14 15 16
4 12,000 4d6 17 [+2] 10 11 12 13 14
5 24,000 5d6 17 [+2] 10 11 12 13 14
6 45,000 6d6 17 [+2] 10 11 12 13 14
7 95,000 7d6 14 [+5] 8 9 10 10 10
8 175,000 8d6 14 [+5] 8 9 10 10 10
9 350,000 9d6 14 [+5] 8 9 10 10 10
10 500,000 9d6+2* 12 [+7] 6 7 8 8 8
11 650,000 9d6+4* 12 [+7] 6 7 8 8 8
12 800,000 9d6+8* 12 [+7] 6 7 8 8 8
13 950,000 9d6+10* 10 [+9] 4 5 6 5 5
14 1,100,000 9d6+12* 10 [+9] 4 5 6 5 5
* Modifiers from CON no longer apply. D: Death / poison; W: Wands;
P: Paralysis / petrify; B: Breath attacks;
S: Spells / rods / staves.
Shadow warrior Skills Chance of Success
Level CS DM HN HS MS
1 87 10 1–2 10 20
2 88 15 1–2 15 25
3 89 20 1–3 20 30
4 90 25 1–3 25 35
5 91 30 1–3 30 40
6 92 40 1–3 36 45
7 93 50 1–4 45 55
8 94 60 1–4 55 65
9 95 70 1–4 65 75
10 96 80 1–4 75 85
11 97 90 1–5 85 95
12 98 95 1–5 90 96
13 99 97 1–5 95 98
14 99 99 1–5 99 99