Night Terror (Shifter Archetype)

Polished Dark
$7.99

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Dark Transformations: At 1st level, the night terror gains the Alteration sphere and Dark sphere as bonus magic talents. The night terror uses their night terror class level as their caster level with the Alteration and Dark spheres. This stacks normally with caster levels gained from other sources.

If the night terror does not already possess the Alteration sphere, the night terror gains the Lycanthropic sphere-specific drawback. If the night terror does not already possess the Dark sphere, the night terror gains the Personal Cloak sphere-specific drawback.

This alters shapeshifter.

Night’s Embrace (Su): At 1st level, while the night terror is within a darkened area, the night terror reduces the sphere ability casting time of their Alteration sphere shapeshift or Dark sphere cloak to target themself (and only themself) by 1 step (minimum swift action).

Additionally, the night terror reduces the action cost to maintain concentration on a shapeshift or cloak placed on themselves (and only themselves) by 1 step (minimum swift action).

This alters quick transformation.

Creature of Night: The night terror gains the following abilities at the listed levels:

- Night Stalker (Ex): At 1st level, the night terror gains a bonus to Stealth checks equal to 1/2 their night terror level.
- Night Vision (Ex): At 1st level, the night terror gains the nightvision bestial trait. If the night terror possesses the Deeper Darkness talent, the night terror benefits from the clearsight option as a constant supernatural effect (as though the nightvision bestial trait were the darkvision (meld) option).
- Night Fright (Su): At 5th level, the night terror’s voice carries easily through the darkness. The night terror may speak directly to a creature they can see within close range (using the night terror’s Dark sphere caster level to determine range); this functions similar to telepathy but requires both the night terror and target to be within the same darkened area; when speaking this way, the night terror may choose whether they can be heard normally or only by the target creature. This method of speech allows the night terror to use Intimidate to demoralize a target without the target needing to clearly see the night terror, provided both the night terror and creature are within the same darkened area, and increases the range for demoralization to close range. If the night terror would inflict a fear condition greater than shaken, and the target is unaware of the night terror’s position, the target treats their current space as the source of its fear when determining where to flee.

At 15th level, this ability allows the night terror to be understood by any creature they speak to this way that possesses a language, as though they possessed the truespeech ability.

At 20th level, this ability works across any distance, so long as both the night terror and the creature are within darkened areas.
- Vanish Into Night (Ex): At 11th level, while within any darkened area, the night terror can use Stealth to hide while being observed and without cover or concealment.

This ability replaces wild empathy, steal language, boundless communication, and endless communication.

Nightforms (Su): At 3rd level, and again at levels 7, 13, and 19, the night terror gains a “nightform”, selected from the list included below. A nightform may be suppressed or resumed as a free action, and otherwise functions similarly to a bestial trait (retaining them when subject to a shapeshift).

Bestial Traits

The night terror shifter has unique and exclusive access to the following bestial traits:

Extra Nightform (requires night terror level 10\)

The night terror may select 1 additional nightform. This bestial trait may only be selected once.

Nightforms

The following nightforms are available to the night terror archetype for shifter. Unless otherwise stated, the saving throw DC of a nightform is equal to 10 + 1/2 the night terror’s class level + the night terror’s casting ability modifier.

A nightform is a supernatural effect (unless otherwise stated).

Call Shadow Pack

As a standard action, the night terror may spend 1 spell point to summon 2 dark minions (referred to as “nocturnal predators” for this ability”). This functions as the Living Darkness dark calling sphere ability and continues without concentration as though the night terror spent an additional spell point. When summoned, the nocturnal predators gain a bite natural attack (instead of being granted a masterwork weapon) and benefits from 1 bestial trait the night terror possesses, +1 per 5 night terror levels. If the bestial trait would require the night terror to choose upon gaining the bestial trait, the nocturnal predators gain the same selections chosen by the night terror. The night terror may only have a single instance of this ability active; using this ability again dismisses previously summoned nocturnal predators.

Special - Nocturnal Predators and Sphere Talents: If a nocturnal predator would gain sphere talents, the nocturnal predator gains the base sphere (or the selected talent, if it is already granted or possesses that base talent). Nocturnal predators cannot be granted magic sphere talents unless the night terror possesses the Living Darkness Mastery advanced talent; if granted a magic sphere talent, a nocturnal predator gains 1 spell point when summoned and is treated as a low caster.

Crippling Fear

The night terror gains a fear aura with a radius of 15 feet, +5 feet per 3 night terror levels after 3rd. Other creatures which enter this aura or begin their turn within the aura are shaken for as long as they remain within this aura (Will save negates). A successful saving throw grants that creature immunity to this aura for 24 hours. A creature that is shaken by this effect cannot communicate effectively, suffering a 25% failure chance on any effect with a verbal component (see the silent darkness option’s note for more details) and prevents the creature from speaking in anything quieter than shouting, preventing the use of Stealth during any round the creature speaks or uses an ability that would suffer failure chance.

Emergence

As a swift action, the night terror may choose 1 ongoing Dark sphere effect they created to dismiss, provided the night terror has line of sight to the effect and the effect is not being maintained through concentration. The night terror may, as part of dismissing this effect, immediately cast a shapeshift on themself (and only themself) or cause a shapeshift they are concentrating on to continue without concentration, as though spending 1 spell point. When a Dark sphere effect is dismissed using this ability, the night terror gains a +2 bonus to their Strength and Dexterity for 1 round, +1 round per 4 night terror levels; this bonus increases by +2 at level 8 and every 8 night terror levels thereafter.

Midnight Suffusion

Whenever the night terror casts a shapeshift on themself (and only themself), the night terror may also add a cloak to that shapeshift’s effects, paying any additional spell point costs for the gloom as appropriate. This ability may be used in addition to other abilities that add a cloak to a shapeshift to another ability (such as dual sphere feats). At 10th level, when using this nightform to add a cloak to a shapeshift, the night terror reduces the spell point cost of the cloak by 1 (minimum 0). At 20th level, the night terror may add 2 different cloaks to their shapeshift as part of using this ability.

Phasing Beast

Whenever the night terror uses the charge, run, or withdraw actions, the night terror ignores difficult terrain and can move through squares that contain allies. Whenever the night terror successfully makes an attack action against another creature, the night terror may spend 1 spell point as a free action to take a -2 penalty on all attack rolls until the start of their next turn to immediately charge another creature and make a single attack action at the end of this charge; the night terror’s movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity from the originally struck target. If the night terror can maintain martial focus, the night terror may expend martial focus instead of 1 spell point to use this ability. The night terror may only use this ability to perform an additional charge attack once per round.

Shadow Rend

The night terror’s attacks gain the shadow wake special weapon ability (Ultimate Spheres of Power), including their natural attacks, manufactured weapons, etc. Whenever the night terror performs an attack action, the shadow wake’s bonus damage is increased to 2d6, +1d6 per 5 night terror levels for that attack action (but not any additional attacks). If the night terror is within a darkened area, the additional damage from the shadow wake special weapon ability may be dealt as lethal damage on a successful hit (but remains non-lethal on an attack that misses but would still succeed versus touch AC).