The halflings were once a native people of the Shadow World and are some of the few who can walk upon the lands beyond Aebrynnis to this day, despite the difficulties they face doing so. Still, the halflings are, in their own, far aways from home and they know it. Some of them, however, have crossed the veil of shadows.
These halflings, pulled by their homeland and a deeper connection their brethren has with it, learn how to manipulate the Seeming and can produce remarkable feats by tapping unto its endless potential for constant change.
Hit Die: d8.
Requirements
Base Attack Bonus: +4.
Feats: Endurance, Self-Sufficient, Shadow Walker.
Race: Halfling.
Skills: Knowledge (Shadow World) 5 ranks, Survival 5 ranks.
Class Skills:
The Traverser of Shadows’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Balance (Dex), Craft (Int), Disguise (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Heal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (Shadow World) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Wis), Profession (Wis), Search (Int), Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Tumble (Dex), and Use Rope (Dex).
Skill Points at Each Level: 6 + Int modifier.
Class Features:
All of the following are features of the Traverser of Shadows prestige class.
Base Attack Bonus: Average (3/4 HD).
Base Saves: High Fortitude and Will, Poor Reflex.
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: Traversers of Shadows are proficient with the club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger (any type), dart, mace (light or heavy), morningstar, quarterstaff, sap, shortbow (normal), and shortsword. Traversers of Shadows are proficient with padded, and leather armour (normal or studded), and with light shields.
Hide in the Seeming (Su): Manipulating the very Seeming, a Traverser of Shadows can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as he is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, he can hide himself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind; he cannot, however, hide in his own shadow. According to the proximity of the Shadow World, there are circumstance modifiers to this Hide check:
+2 in Winter
+2 in deserted/uncivilised areas
+5 at night
-5 in the day
-2 in settled/civilised areas
-2 in Summer
Bonus feats: A Traverser of Shadows gains Shadow Guide as a bonus feat at 2nd level; he also gains Improved Shadow Guide as a bonus feat at 8th level.
Seeming Shadow (Su): At 3rd level, giving shape and form to the Seeming, a Traverser of Shadows can summon a shadow, an undead shade (see the monstrous entry for the shadow’s statistics). Unlike a normal shadow, this shadow’s alignment is one step on each axis closer to his alignment, and the creature cannot create spawn. The summoned shadow cannot be turned, rebuked, or commanded by any third party due to it being a creation of the Seeming. This shadow serves as a companion and can communicate with the Traversor; however, the shadow’s perspective is skewed and perverted to that of the Shadow World. Every third level gained by the Traverser adds +2 HD (and the requisite base attack and base save bonus increases) to his shadow companion. For example, a 9th-level Traverser of Shadows can have a shadow with 6 HD.
If a shadow companion is destroyed, or the Traverser chooses to dismiss it, the latter must attempt a DC 15 Fortitude save. If the saving throw fails, he loses 200 experience points per class level. A successful saving throw reduces the loss by half, to 100 XP per class level. The Traverser’s XP total can never go below 0 as the result of a shadow’s dismissal or destruction. A destroyed or dismissed shadow companion cannot be replaced for 30 days.
Seeming Mettle (Su): Hardened by the experiences in the Shadow World and through his ancestral connection to it, the Traverser gains the supernatural ability to shrug off any effects that would otherwise harm him there. At 4th level, if he makes a successful Will save that would normally reduce the effect, he suffers no effect at all as long as the Traverser is in the Shadow World. Only spells and effects that are halved or affect their victim partially or have similar entries on a successful saving throw can be negated by this ability.
At 7th level, the ability also affects similar successful Fortitude saving throws made in the Shadow World.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 4th level, a Traverser gains the ability to react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. He retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if he is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, he still loses his Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilised.
Improved Shadow Walker (Ex): More attuned to the Shadow World as he delved in its dark recesses, the Traverser gains the ability to step into it with more ease than he did; he receives a bonus on all checks made to step into or tap unto the Shadow World (including the Hide in the Seeming supernatural ability) that is equal to half his class level.
Improved Uncanny Dodge (Ex): At 7th level, a Traverser can no longer be flanked; he can react opponents on opposite sides of him as easily as he can react to a single attacker. This defence denies others the ability to sneak attack the Traverser by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has Traverser levels.
If a character already has uncanny dodge (see above) from a second class, the character automatically gains improved uncanny dodge instead, and the levels from the classes that grant uncanny dodge stack to determine the minimum level a rogue must be to flank a character.
Shadow Walk (Sp): A Traverser of Shadows gains the ability to cast Shadow Walk as a spell-like ability once per week at 10th level.
1st level: Hide in the Seeming
2nd level: Bonus feat - Shadow Guide
3rd level: Seeming Shadow
4th level: Seeming Mettle - Will, Uncanny Dodge
5th level: Improved Shadow Walker
6th level: Seeming Shadow +2 HD
7th level: Seeming Mettle - Fortitude, Improved Uncanny Dodge
8th level: Bonus feat - Improved Shadow Guide
9th level: Seeming Shadow +4 HD
10th level: Shadow Walk 1/week
, it is the nature of the game. That is the reason to ensure that no multiclass combination will allow a character to qualify early.