It's a well-known fact to science that being hard to see is completely awesome. Take ninjas for example: total pain in my ass, but their sheer radness is higher than any of my instruments can even measure.
Shadow is the archetype of stealth, allowing its users to pass unseen and unheard. As a problem-solving tool it has an extremely high amount of versatility, serving to cement its popularity for adventurers in almost any campaign world. Certain abilities (such as Invisibility and Traceless) might require special dispensation from your referee before you can take them.
| Shadow | Avoid being noticed. | |
|---|---|---|
| caret-right | Ambusher | Enhanced backstabs. |
| caret-right | Fade | Hide while observed. |
| caret-right | Flit | Move stealthily. |
| caret-right | Invisibility | Hide in plain sight. |
| caret-right | Traceless | Hide from unusual senses and leave no tracks. |
| Protection | plus-circleHide In Shadows: When in an area of partial concealment (dim light, partial fog, etc) or partial cover, you may instead treat it as full concealment. minus-circleStay Still: Taking any actions while hiding gives you away automatically if anybody sees you. You can totally wait for somebody to turn their back before sneaking to another hiding place, though. minus-circleI See You, Boy: You can't hide if somebody is directly observing you when you enter concealment/cover. minus-circleCheck-Based: Roll a trigger die when somebody might see you. If the result is 5+, you remain undetected; if not, then you get caught. Roll a maximum of once per round no matter how many creatures might catch you or how many different Shadow tricks you use. |
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| caret-right | Alternative | plus-circleDrop Low: If you fail to hide yourself, you can retry your check if you'd like. minus-circleMojo: Every time you retry a stealth check, you must spend 1 Mojo. |
| Protection | plus-circleMove Silently: You can move around undetected while within standard detection distance (10 meters or the same room, whichever's smaller) of somebody that you'd rather not hear you. Creatures outside of standard detection distance won't hear you regardless. minus-circleTippy-Toe: When moving silently, you take an impairment to movement speed and cannot dash or otherwise trade Energy for further movement. minus-circleMovement By Definition: You can't hide and sneak at the same time, since sneaking involves movement and movement makes you visible. Carefully observe your circumstances and move when the time is right. minus-circleCheck-Based: Roll a trigger die when somebody might hear you. If the result is 5+, you remain undetected; if not, then you get caught. Roll a maximum of once per round no matter how many creatures might catch you or how many different Shadow tricks you use. |
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| caret-right | Alternative | plus-circleReposition: If you fail to sneak, you can avoid getting caught. This allows you to retry if you'd like. minus-circleMojo: Every time you retry a stealth check, you must spend 1 Mojo. |
| Limitation | minus-circleStay Light: You cannot benefit from any ability in the Shadow archetype while carrying anything more than a light load. doubledPowerhouse Exemption: If you also have the Powerhouse archetype, you can ignore this limitation. |
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| Offense | plus-circleHamstring: When using any weapon that grants additional damage for a backstab (which is most Melee- and Remote-type weaponry) you always inflict one of the weapon's standard conditions to your target on a successful backstab regardless of the trigger die result. | |
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| Protection | plus-circleVanish: You can hide from a creature even when they are directly observing you do it. minus-circleTakes A Second: Hiding while being directly observed requires an action instead of simply being automatic. |
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| Movement | plus-circleLow Profile: You can move or make non-offensive actions without betraying your presence, allowing you to hide and sneak simultaneously. Attacking will still give you away. plus-circleSilent Running: When sneaking without trying to hide, you have no impairment to movement speed and can sprint or use other Energy-consuming movement enhancers if desired. |
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| Protection | plus-circleChameleon: You can hide (and thus grant yourself complete concealment) even when you don't have any partial cover or concealment to hide yourself in. You still obviously have to roll for it, though. | |
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| Protection | plus-circleMulti-Sensory: You can evade detection via means other than sight or sound, such as scent or sonar. Doing so requires a stealth check just like hiding yourself normally does. | |
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| Protection | plus-circleNo Trail: You leave no tracks, scent or other signs of your passing, unless you want to. You cannot be tracked. | |