Darkness (Shaman Spirit)

*A shaman that selects the darkness spirit has a mysterious and entrancing air about her, yet she seems to go by unnoticed. When she calls upon the spirit’s abilities, her appearance fades as her shadow elongates and darkens, and nearby candles and lights flicker and dim.*

**Bonus Spells**: *shadow stream* (2nd), *dust of twilight*APG (4th), *deeper darkness* (6th), *shadow conjuration* (8th), *vampiric shadow shield*ACG (10th), *shadow walk* (12th), *greater shadow conjuration* (14th), *greater shadow evocation* (16th), *polar midnight*UM (18th).

**Hexes**: A shaman who chooses the darkness spirit can select from the following hexes.

Cloak of Darkness (Su): The shaman conjures a cloak of shadowy darkness that grants her a +4 armor bonus and a +2 circumstance bonus on Stealth checks. At 7th level, and every four levels thereafter, these bonuses increase by +2. She can use this cloak for 1 hour per day per shaman level. The duration does not need to be consecutive, but it must be spent in 1-hour increments.

Dark Whispers (Su): The hidden powers of darkness are revealed to the shaman. She adds a number of spells from the sorcerer/wizard spell list equal to her Charisma modifier (minimum 1, maximum equal to half her shaman level) to her spell list and her list of spells known as divine spells. These have a spell level equal to their sorcerer/wizard spell level. She can add only illusion spells from the shadow subschool or spells with the darkness descriptor to her list of spells known in this manner. Each time she gains a shaman level after taking this revelation, she can choose to replace one of these spells for a new appropriate spell on the sorcerer/wizard spell list.

Enveloping Void (Su): The shaman curses one creature with the dark void. As a standard action, the shaman can cause one enemy within 30 feet to treat the light level as two steps lower: bright light becomes dim light, normal light becomes darkness, and areas of dim light and darkness become supernaturally dark (like *darkness*, but even creatures with darkvision cannot see). This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the shaman’s level. A successful Will saving throw negates this effect. Whether or not the save is successful, the creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 24 hours.

Shade Sight (Sp): The shaman gains a bonus on Perception checks to locate invisible or incorporeal creatures equal to half her shaman level (minimum 1). At 7th level she can, as a standard action, look into shadows to see out of another area of darkness nearby. This functions as *clairaudience/clairvoyance*, but only for sight (not hearing). The shaman must be in an area of dim light or darkness to use this ability, and can only scry upon another area of dim light or darkness. A creature’s shadow counts as dim light for this purpose, but if the creature moves from its current space the effect ends. Unlike with *clairaudience/clairvoyance*, the shaman’s low-light vision, darkvision, and see in darkness abilities function through the sensor (if she has them). The shaman can use this ability for a number of rounds per day equal to her shaman level, but these rounds do not need to be consecutive.

Sight Unseen (Ex): The shaman gains Blind-Fight as a bonus feat. At 8th level, she gains Improved Blind-FightAPG as a bonus feat. At 15th level, she gains Greater Blind-FightAPG as a bonus feat. The shaman does not need to meet the prerequisites of these feats.

**Spirit Animal**: The shaman’s spirit animal becomes faded and shadowy. Whenever the spirit animal is in dim light, the miss chance granted by concealment increases to 50% instead of the normal 20%. This does not grant total concealment; it just increases the miss chance. Additionally, the spirit animal gains darkvision 30 feet. If it already has darkvision, it is increased by this amount.

**Spirit Ability**: A shaman who chooses the darkness spirit as her spirit or wandering spirit gains the following ability.

*Chilling Shadows (Su)*: As a standard action, the shaman can unleash a flare of bone-chilling darkness upon an enemy within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. This flare deals 1d4 points of cold damage + 1 point for every two oracle levels she possesses. The shaman can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. At 11th level, any weapon she wields is treated as a *frost* weapon.

**Greater Spirit Ability**: A shaman who chooses the darkness spirit as her spirit or wandering spirit gains the following ability upon having access to the greater version of that spirit.

*Dark Presence (Su)*: The shaman gains the see in darkness ability. As long as she is in dim light, darkness, or supernatural darkness, she ignores difficult terrain and can walk along any incline or slope at her full speed, including walls and ceilings.

**True Spirit Ability**: A shaman who chooses the darkness spirit as her spirit or wandering spirit gains the following ability upon having access to the true version of that spirit.

*Eternal Darkness (Sp)*: The shaman can cast *power word blind* and *orb of the void*UM each once per day with a caster level equal to her shaman level.

**Manifestation**: Upon reaching 20th level, the shaman becomes a master over darkness. She becomes immune to blindness, dazzling effects, death effects, and energy drain. When she casts a shadow spell whose realness is represented as a percentage (such as *shadow conjuration*), she increases its realness by 20%. Once per day, she may cast *shades* as a spell-like ability, using her shaman level as her caster level.