Shadow Stepper - Kinetic Shinobi Archetype

# Shadow Stepper

In the mix between light and dark, the shadow steppers thrive. To the common folk these mysterious warriors are often considered to abore light and strike from the darkness. This has given them a reputation among the civilized as assassins and thiefs. Despite which, they have no inherent disposition to evil, or even necessarily just the darkness. Rather, they are those that acknowledge the darkness for what it is. Neither good nor evil, but merely a thing that exists. No more to be feared than anything else. While a shadow stepper makes for a fearsome assassin, they may also be a friendly child that laughs as they step between dark and light. Or an exotic dancer that makes use of the play of light and shadow to accent their performance.

## Class Skills

The shadow stepper gains 4 + Int skill ranks at each level.. They gain Knowledge (arcana), Perform (dance), and Spellcraft as a class skills, but not Disable Device, Intimidate, or Use Magic Device. This alters the kinetic shinobi’s class skills and skill ranks per level.

## Void Focus

The shadow stepper must select void as their elemental basics’ focus at 1st level. This alters elemental basics.

## Spellcasting

At 4th level, the shadow stepper gains the ability to cast spells. They can cast arcane spells using the bloodrager’sACG table to determine how many spells they can cast per day as well as how many spells they know at a given level, being able to cast any spell they know without preparing it ahead of time. To cast a spell, a shadow stepper must have a Charisma score of at least 10 + the spell’s level. Their bonus spells are based on Charisma, and saving throws against these spells have a DC of 10 + the spell level + the caster’s Charisma modifier (if any). A shadow stepper can learn any illusion spell on the wizard/sorcerer and psychic spell lists as well as any spell with the light, darkness, or shadow descriptor on the wizard/sorcerer and psychic spell lists. At 8th level and every 3 levels thereafter, they can choose to learn a new spell in place of one they already know, provided the new spell is of the same level as the one they are replacing.

A shadow stepper spell cast by the shadow stepper can be affected by their metajutsu. Doing so treats the spell as being cast in an identical way to the metamagic feat it emulates or shares a name with. However, this does not increase the casting time. (Though it does increase the spell slot.) This alters metajutsu and replaces the shinobi talents gained at 5th, 7th, 11th, 13th, and 19th levels as well as no trace.

## Shadow Jutsu (Sp)

Upon reaching 2nd level, a shadow stepper gains their ki pool, but does not gain access to the normal abilities granted by that ki pool. Instead, the shadow stepper can spend 1 point from their ki pool and a spell slot to spontaneously cast certain spells as if they were shadow stepper spells. These spells and the levels they count as for the shadow stepper are as follows:

1st—shadow enchantmentOR, 2nd—shadow conjuration, shadow step, shadow projection, 3rd—shadow evocation, greater shadow enchantment, shadow walk 4th—greater shadow conjuration, greater shadow evocation

Consuming this ki requires a swift action. Any time a shadow stepper casts a spell in this way it is treated in all ways as identical to a normal spell of that level for the shadow stepper. The shadow stepper adds a bonus of +¼ their shadow stepper level -2 to the DCs of these spells. This alters ki pool.