Seven Swords, The Shadow Walker
Medium Undead (Spirit)
Hit Dice: 11d12+22 (93 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 40 ft. (8 squares)
Armor Class: 23 or 24* (+3 Dex, +3 monk bonus, +2 insight,
bracers of armor +2, +1* shield, +3 natural), touch 18, flat-footed 20 or 21*
*when using Two-Weapon Defense
Base Attack/Grapple: +8/+15
Attack: Shadowless blade +14 melee (1d6+7 plus shadow wound/×4 if scythe, ×2 if chain); or
shadow stars +13 ranged (1d6+5/19-20); or unarmed strike* +11 (1d8+3)
Full Attack: Shadowless blade +14/+9 melee (1d6+5 plus shadow wound/×4 if scythe, ×2 if chain); or
shadowless blade +12/+7 melee (1d6+7 plus shadow wound/×4 if scythe, ×2 if chain) and off-hand
shadowless blade +12/+7 melee (1d6+5 plus shadow wound/×2 if chain, ×4 if scythe); or
shadow stars +13/+8 ranged (1d6+5/19-20); or unarmed strike* +11/+6 (1d8+3)
*The Shadow Walker can attack with a kama, nunchaku or siangham with the same attack bonus and damage as its unarmed strike.
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with
shadowless blade)
Special Attacks: Acrobatics, hurl, martial artistry, martial training, push,
shadow stars, shadow wound,
shadowless blade, sneak attack +3d6
Special Qualities: All-around vision, darkvision 60 ft., ghostform, hide in plain sight, immune to turning, improved evasion, leap of the clouds, martial resilience, ninjitsu, rejuvenation, shadow displacement, slow fall (50 ft.), special weakness -
shadowless blade, thousand faces, uncanny dodge, unholy toughness, wallwalking, water walk
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +10, Will +9
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 17, Con —, Int 15, Wis 14, Cha 14
Skills: Hide +17, Listen +16, Move Silently +17, Search +16, Sense Motive +16, Spot +16, Balance +31, Climb +31, Jump +31, Tumble +31
Feats: Blind-Fight, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexesᴮ^, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (bastard sword)ᴮᵑ, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (scythe-chain)ᴮᵑ, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (shuriken)ᴮᵑ, Improved Grappleᴮ˟, Improved Tripᴮ^, Improved Unarmed Strikeᴮ^, Stunning Fistᴮ^, Two-Weapon Defenseᴮ˟, Two-Weapon Fightingᴮ˟, Improved Two-Weapon Fightingᴮ˟, Weapon Focus (scythe-chain)ᴮ˟, Weapon Focus (shuriken), Weapon Specialization (scythe-chain)ᴮ˟, Weapon Specialization (shuriken)
˟ fighter bonus feat, ^ monk bonus feat, ᵑ ninja bonus feat
Environment: Ruins
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 9
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: —
An athletically built warrior dressed all in black whose head is concealed by a hood and cloth mask. Where gaps in the warrior's clothing should reveal eyes, wrists or ankles there is nothing but featureless shadow.
The Shadow Walker is one of the Seven Swords, a group of seven weapon masters who were transformed into unique undead by an ancient curse that binds them to a castle they once guarded in life. If one of the Seven Swords is destroyed, the curse causes them to reform the following night and continue to haunt the castle.
In life, the Shadow Walker was a master assassin and spy who performed many clandestine missions for his clan. After dying, the Shadow Walker's only goal is stopping any intruders to its quarters from ever leaving the castle.
The Shadow Walker stands 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. It can speak Common, Draconic, and Undercommon.
Combat
The Shadow Walker is a cunning opponent who favors hit-and-run tactics that wear away its foes. It makes clever use of its many special abilities to debilitate and outmaneuver its enemies as well as damage them.
Acrobatics (Su): The Shadow Walker has a +20 competence bonus on Balance, Climb, Jump, and Tumble checks.
All-Around Vision (Ex): The Shadow Walker is trained in secret techniques that make it exceptionally alert and circumspect, providing a +4 racial bonus to Spot and Search checks. The Shadow Walker can't be flanked.
Ghostform (Su): A Seven Swords undead is normally invisible and intangible but senses its surroundings normally. Should the site it is haunting be disturbed, the spirit assumes a corporeal form as a swift action. The Shadow Warrior materializes by leaping out of a shadow, accompanied by a gust of wind. Once materialized, the undead spirit can remain in solid form until the sun rises. It can resume ghostform as a full-round action.
Hide in Plain Sight (Su): The Shadow Walker can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as it is within 10 feet of some sort of shadow, even the shadow cast by its own body, the Shadow Walker can hide itself from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind
Hurl (Ex): The Shadow Walker can hurl an opponent to the ground with a successful grapple check. The target takes 2d6+4 damage and ends up prone on the ground in a 5 ft. square adjacent to the Shadow Walker, but is no longer being grappled. If the Shadow Walker loses the opposed grapple check, it can’t maintain the grapple and must immediately let go of the target. The Shadow Walker can Grab an opponent with a successful melee attack and then immediately attempt to Hurl the target with an opposed grapple check.
The damage of the hurl attack equals the unarmed strike damage the Shadow Walker would inflict if it were a size larger than its actual size, plus 1½ times the Shadow Walker’s Strength bonus.
Improved Evasion (Ex): if the Shadow Walker makes a successful Reflex saving throw against an attack that normally deals half damage on a successful save, it instead takes no damage. Even if it fails this saving throw, it takes only half damage from the attack. The Shadow Walker can only use improved evasion if it is wearing light armor or no armor.
Leap of the Clouds (Su): The Shadow Walker’s jumping distance (vertical or horizontal) is not limited according to its height.
Martial Artistry (Ex): The Shadow Walker possesses the bonus feats, AC bonus, flurry of blows and unarmed strike abilities of a 6th-level monk. It adds its inherent monklike abilities to any monk levels it might acquire. Thus, a Shadow Walker 3th-level monk possesses the AC bonus, flurry of blows and unarmed strike of a 9th-level monk.
Martial Resilience (Ex): The Shadow Walker has all good saves.
Martial Training (Ex): The Shadow Walker was a master martial artist in life, and retains the martial skills it once possessed. The Shadow Walker possesses the base attack bonus of an 11th-level rogue and bonus fighter feats of an 8th-level fighter. It is proficient with all simple and martial weapons and gains an insight bonus to AC equal to its Intelligence bonus. It adds its inherent fighter abilities to any fighter levels it might acquire. Thus, a Shadow Walker 2nd-level fighter possesses the bonus feats of a 10th-level fighter.
Ninjitsu (Ex): The Shadow Walker's extensive training in the ninja arts gives it three exotic weapon proficiencies as bonus feats as well as many of the extraordinary and supernatural abilities it possesses. If the campaign uses the
Oriental Adventures sourcebook it has all the special abilities of an 8th level ninja spy (many of which are already included in the Shadow Walker's abilities) except it has the katana and scythe-chain added to its Exotic Weapon class feature's proficiency options. It adds its inherent ninjitsu abilities to any ninja spy levels it might acquire. Thus, a Shadow Walker 2nd-level ninja spy possesses all the special abilities of a 10th-level ninja spy.
Push (Ex): The Shadow Walker can Push an opponent of any size as a standard action by hitting it with a melee touch attack. The target must succeed at a DC 19 Will save or be pushed 10 ft. away from the Shadow Walker and take 1d6 nonlethal damage. It must then succeed at a DC 19 Reflex save or fall prone. If the target strikes any solid object during its pushed movement it takes normal damage instead of nonlethal damage.
The save DC is Charisma-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Rejuvenation (Ex): The Shadow Walker cannot be destroyed through simple combat. If "destroyed" its body and equipment vanish in a flash of light and smoke, following which the point at which it was destroyed is surrounded by a
silence spell (CL 11th). A ring with a small sword-shaped charm pendant simultaneously appears concealed somewhere nearby. Finding this concealed item requires a DC 15 Search check or DC 25 Spot check.
The following night, the Shadow Walker reappears at full strength at whatever place it haunted and the sword charm vanishes. The Shadow Walker can only be destroyed permanently if its sword charm is destroyed before the Shadow Walker rejuvenates. A typical sword charm is a Fine sized object with 20 hp, hardness 12, and break DC 24.
Shadow Displacement (Su): A light-bending glamer surround the Shadow Walker whenever it is in a shadowy or dark area, making it difficult to surmise the creature’s true location. Any melee or ranged attack directed at it has a 50% miss chance unless the attacker can locate the Shadow Walker by some means other than sight. A
true seeing effect allows the user to see the creature’s position, but
see invisibility has no effect.
Shadow Stars: The Shadow Walker can produce giant shuriken made of darkness as a free action - it reaches into the dark recesses of its clothing (or another lightless place) and pulls the weapon out from nothingness. The Shadow Walker can produce slashing stars or blinding stars. A slashing shadow star acts as a Gargantuan sized
+1 keen ghost touch shuriken, but the Shadow Walker can use it as if it were properly sized for the Shadow Walker. A blinding shadow star does no damage if it hits, but any creature struck by one must make a DC 18 Reflex save or the shadow binds to its eyes, causing blindness for 1d4 rounds. The Walker can create as many
shadow stars as it can hold; the shadow shuriken vanish one round after leaving the hold of the Shadow Walker. The save DC is Dexterity-based.
Shadow Wound (Su): Any creature the Shadow Walker injures with its
shadowless blade must succeed at a DC 17 Fortitude save or take 1d4 Con damage. The shadow wound is a supernatural ability of the Shadow Walker, not of the weapon. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Shadowless Blade: The shadow walker wields a
+2 scythe-chain made from wood and metal so utterly black it never reflects light. A scythe-chain is an exotic weapon similar to a kusari-gama, it has the following weapon description:
Exotic Weapons—Melee
Two-Handed Melee Weapon
| Cost | Dmg | Critical | Range | Weight | Damage Type |
| Scythe-chain^* | 10 gp | 1d6/1d6 | ×4/×2 | — | 3 lb. | Slashing/Bludgeoning |
* See the description of this weapon for special rules.
^ Reach or double weapon (see weapon description).
Scythe-chain: A scythe-chain is a length of chain with a small scythe at one end. It can be used either as a double weapon or as a reach weapon. You can fight with it as if fighting with two weapons, incurring all the normal attack penalties as if using a one-handed weapon and a light weapon. In this case, you can only strike at an adjacent opponent. A creature wielding a scythe-chain in one hand can’t use it as a double weapon—only one end of the weapon can be used in any given round.
If you use the scythe-chain as a reach weapon, you can strike opponents 10 feet away with it. In addition, unlike other weapons with reach, you can use it against an adjacent foe. In this case, you can only use one end of the scythe-chain effectively; you cannot use it as a double weapon. You can choose which end of the scythe-chain to use. The scythe end is a slashing weapon with a ×4 critical multiplier; the chain end is a bludgeoning weapon.
You can make trip attacks with the chain end. If you are tripped during your own trip attempt, you can drop the scythe-chain to avoid being tripped.
When using a scythe-chain, you get a +2 bonus on opposed attack rolls made to disarm an opponent (including the roll to avoid being disarmed if such an attempt fails).
You can use the Weapon Finesse feat to apply your Dexterity modifier instead of your Strength modifier to attack rolls with a scythe-chain sized for you, even though it isn’t a light weapon for you.
Slow Fall 50 ft. (Ex): This works the same as the monk class ability. If the Shadow Walker gains any levels in a class with the slow fall ability, such as a monk, it adds ten levels to that class's slow fall ability. Thus, a 5th-level Shadow Walker monk can slow fall like a 15th-level monk.
Sneak Attack (Ex): This ability is just like the rogue's sneak attack and subject to the same limitations. If the Shadow Walker gets a sneak attack bonus from another source the bonuses on damage stack.
Special Weakness - Shadowless Blade (Ex): Each of the seven swords have a different special weakness. The Shadow Walker's is that its existence is tied to its
shadowless blade. Whenever an attack would normally inflict damage to that scythe-chain (AC 15 (carried) or AC 7 (unattended), hardness 14, break DC 30) the Shadow Walker suffers double that amount of damage instead. In addition, whenever a Seven Swords is damaged through its special weakness it must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 10 plus damage inflicted) or be shaken for 1 round.
If the
shadowless blade is destroyed the Shadow Walker is immediately destroyed. Similarly, if the Shadow Walker is destroyed the
shadowless blade is also destroyed.
Thousand Faces (Su): The Shadow Walker has the ability to change its appearance at will, as if using the spell
alter self.
Uncanny Dodge (Ex): The Shadow Walker can react to danger before its senses would normally allow it to do so. It retains its Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) even if it is caught flat-footed or struck by an invisible attacker. However, it still loses its Dexterity bonus to AC if immobilized.
Unholy Toughness (Ex): The Shadow Walker gain a bonus to its hit points equal to its Charisma modifier x its Hit Dice.
Wallwalking (Ex): The Shadow Walker need not make Climb checks to traverse a vertical or horizontal surface (even upside down). It retains its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class while climbing and opponents get no special bonus to their attacks against it. The Shadow Walker can make Jump checks and perform the Run action when it uses wallwalking to climb.
Water Walk (Su): The Shadow Walker can use water walk to walk on any liquid as if it were firm ground. The Walker must concentrate (as a standard action) to perform this ability, and thus can only take a single move or move-equivalent action each round while water walking. The effect lasts for 1 round per ninja level.
Possessions: shadowless blade,
+2 bracers of armor.
In Kara-Tur
The Seven Swords were the leading members of the Ito clan and lived in Ito-Jo castle. The malign influence of a krakentoa led to their rule becoming tyrannical and eventually brought down a dreadful curse upon the Swords and the entire castle, turning it into a haunted place of the damned. The Seven Swords of Ito-Jo cannot be destroyed simply by destroying their sword charms. The only way to permanently lay them to rest is to slay the krakentoa responsible for the curse.
The Shadow Walker was once Ito Yoichi, a highly skilled ninja. He was such an expert in stealth that the Ito clan's enemies knew of him only through rumors about
"the one-who-walks-in-shadow". Ito Yoichi often masqueraded as a common warrior during missions.
Originally appeared in OA2 - Night of the Seven Swords (1986).
