Shadow Servant

Shadow servants are creatures of living darkness infused with partially real shadowstuff from the Shadow Plane. They treat the Shadow Plane as their home plane and thus gain the “extraplanar” subtype on the Material Plane. A shadow servant is completely indistinguishable from a standard shadow. However, like its brethren, it is a creature of living darkness and can hide in darkness, springing to attack when living opponents wander too close. A shadow servant obeys its master’s verbal commands to the best of its ability, and cannot be controlled or turned by others. A shadow servant will do all it can to aid and protect its shadow fade master. Shadow servants have the base statistics as shown on the Shadow Servant Base Statistics table. These base statistics can only be modified by the servant’s base form and through a shadow fade’s level advancement, for it gains no evolution pool and cannot be modified through evolutions.

SHADOW COMPANION ABILITIES

A shadow servant’s abilities are determined only by the shadow fade’s level. Table: Shadow Servant Base Statistics determines many of the base statistics of the servant. Each shadow servant possesses a base form that modifies these base statistics. Shadow servants are considered incorporeal and undead for the purpose of determining which spells affect them. A shadow servant’s qualities are similar to those described in the Eidolons description block of the Advanced Player’s Guide (see p. 58), except with the following changes.

Hit Dice: This is the total number of Hit Dice the shadow servant possesses, except that a shadow servant uses 8-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains a Charisma modifier instead.

BAB: This is the shadow servant’s base attack bonus. A shadow servant’s base attack bonus is equal to 3/4 of its Hit Dice. Shadow servants do not gain additional attacks using their natural weapons for a high base attack bonus. This replaces the eidolon’s base attack bonus.

Skills: The shadow servant receives a number of skill ranks equal to 4 + its Intelligence modifier per HD (to a minimum of 1), instead of the usual 6 + Int modifier. The shadow servant considers Climb*, Disguise, Fly, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Perception, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, and Stealth as class skills. (*Note that shadow servants use their Charisma score when making any skill checks that require a Strength score.)

Deflection Bonus: The number noted here is the shadow servant’s base total deflection bonus to Armor Class. This number is modified by the shadow servant’s Charisma modifier. This replaces the eidolon’s armor bonus.

Dex/Cha Bonus: Add this modifier to the shadow servant’s Dexterity and Charisma scores, as determined by its base form. This replaces the eidolon’s Str/Dex bonus.

Evolution Pool: A shadow servant gains no evolution pool, and therefore cannot be upgraded through evolutions. The shadow servant only improves according to the shadow fade’s level advancement.

Special: This includes a number of abilities gained by all shadow servants as they increase in power. Each of these bonuses is described below.

Channel Resistance: The shadow servant receives a +2 bonus on Will saves made to halve the damage from positive channeled energy and cannot be turned or commanded. This increases to +4 at 8th level.

Darkvision (Ex): The shadow servant has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.

Fly (Ex): The shadow servant has a fly speed of 20 feet. This increases to 30 feet at 9th level, and to 40 feet at 15th level.

Incorporeal Touch (Ex): As an incorporeal creature, a shadow servant can make incorporeal touch attacks. A shadow servant’s incorporeal touch deals 1d4 points of Strength damage regardless of its shadow fade master’s alignment. This damage increases to 1d6 at 7th level, and 1d8 at 16th level. Incorporeal touch attacks bypass solid objects, such as armor and shields, by passing through them. An incorporeal touch attack works similarly to a normal touch attack except that it also ignores cover bonuses. Incorporeal touch attacks do not ignore armor bonuses granted by force effects, such as mage armor and bracers of armor.

Incorporeal Traits: The shadow servant has no physical body, is immune to critical hits and precision-based damage (such as sneak attack damage), is subject to the ghost touch special weapon quality, and gains the incorporeal special quality (see p. 301 of the Bestiary). An incorporeal gains a deflection bonus to Armor Class equal to its Charisma modifier.

Undead Traits: The shadow servant gains the undead type (see p. 309 if the Bestiary).

Base Form

A shadow servant has one form, that of a humanoid that resembles the shape of its shadow fade. This base form determines its starting size, speed, AC, attacks, and ability scores. All natural attacks are made using the shadow servant’s full base attack bonus unless otherwise noted (such as in the case of secondary attacks). This base form gains no evolutions.

True Form

Shadow (extraplanar, incorporeal, undead)

Starting Statistics: Size Medium or Small (as the shadow fade’s size); Speed fly 20 ft. (good); AC +2 deflection; Saves Fort (bad), Ref (bad), Will (good); Attack incorporeal touch (1d4 Str); Ability Scores Str—, Dex 14, Con—, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 15. Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth in dim light (–4 in bright light).

Table: Shadow Servant Base Statistics