Shadow dancer

Suggestions Should Be Posted in Their Respective Categories

Moderators: Moderator, Quality Control, Developer, DM

Post Reply
User avatar
Scorpius
Posts: 218
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 9:25 pm

Shadow dancer

Unread post by Scorpius »

Hi just a suggestion

The summon shadow from shadowdancer would be more rp and usefull if it was actually manageable like a ranger's companion...
How?
Well atm, you can only cast it once per day wich is OK. But you can't cast it back
Unless you rest... It can be a problem if you get in a party and it blocks a door way while in combat as you can't use recall...

What I suggest it to have it be manageble like the Ranger Companion

- Once per day. So stay the same and still if killed you need to rest
- add Could be sent back,
- add If sent back you can call it back, like ranger companion, after a cooldown.

Would be rp as shadowdancer's Shadow is his own shadow being able to move by itself.. And you can technically always project shadow

Would help to manage it so it don't get kill that easily and would not get in the way as you could just send it back for later... wont block allies in doorways if in combat...
Daishi Tora
Kensei, Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Tora sword technic. (Phoenix Company), seeking "The Way"(Follower of the old order), Bladestone Foundation
***
Kaoi Kaze - Crimson Blade - Blackrose - Last Order
***
Isha Yahto - Shaman
User avatar
Blackman D
Retired Staff
Posts: 4810
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2009 5:43 am
Location: IL

Re: Shadow dancer

Unread post by Blackman D »

except the SD's shadow is more like a familiar than an animal companion by the rules

once you summon it you cannot unsummon it unless you pass a will check and if you fail you become depressed and take a con penalty just like if a wiz/sorc familiar dies

familiars and companions have a mind of their own so there is no real controlling them, though familiars can be possessed, the SD shadow does not offer that option however

the SD shadow becomes an extension of the SD, so telling it to go away is like killing a part of themselves, hence the penalty
everyone is evil till proven otherwise
User avatar
Tsidkenu
Posts: 3961
Joined: Tue May 27, 2014 12:04 am
Location: Terra Nullis

Re: Shadow dancer

Unread post by Tsidkenu »

Pretty sure he was merely asking for QoL, given that sorc/wiz familiars are not technically 'unsummoned' either every time a player clicks that mechanical effect in-game. SD shadow, while RPly akin to a familiar, does not mechanically function IG as a sorc/wiz familiar or druid animal companion.
User avatar
Scorpius
Posts: 218
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 9:25 pm

Re: Shadow dancer

Unread post by Scorpius »

well if you want to play on words.... lets do this :)


if you want to distort the meaning of the post you can... but I'm simply asking if it could be INGAME term... summoned and unsummoned... cause it is how the description works on wiki,
and I state :

Summon Shadow
Once per day, a 3rd-level shadowdancer can summon a shadow as a spell-like ability. On BGTSCC the Shadow Dancer's Summon Shadow creature was made stronger for the 3 variants.
end statement

they talk about the shadowdancer being able to "summon" his shadow... but then if you want to play with words and call it a rp thing... well

we all know it is not an actual "summon" but he animate his own shadow.

lets talk RP

anyone as a shadow yes ?

shadow dancer can make it be animated... why cant he just let it be is own shadow again then ?
so unanimated ...

it is like if you animate it then it is there animated untill it "dies" ho yes... gets unanimated again... wait... unanimated ? but why can't we just "decide" to unanimate it as shadowdancer and let be part of ourself again ? it is indeed not like summoning a creature...


PS
having it be handle as a familiar would give too much privilege as you can control it... this is why I didn't put that on table at first.. you did... not me

I talked about Animal companion like the ranger wich you "CAN'T control" and anyway neither of them actually "dies" they are technically "sent back"

this is why I think this would work for SD also... to sent it back to its initial place... as a regular shadow...
Daishi Tora
Kensei, Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Tora sword technic. (Phoenix Company), seeking "The Way"(Follower of the old order), Bladestone Foundation
***
Kaoi Kaze - Crimson Blade - Blackrose - Last Order
***
Isha Yahto - Shaman
User avatar
Tsidkenu
Posts: 3961
Joined: Tue May 27, 2014 12:04 am
Location: Terra Nullis

Re: Shadow dancer

Unread post by Tsidkenu »

Scorpius, there's no play on words here. This is a distinction between a Pen & Paper class feat (Summon Shadow), and then precisely how that feat is represented mechanically in NWN2's Aurora Engine. Admittedly, the latter has far more limitations than the former.

It is a common error to go both ways: assume the way a feat/ability/spell works as it is mechanically represented in-game, or assume a feat/ability/spell works as PnP with no regard to the in-game mechanics.

In the case of a Shadowdancer's Summon Shadow ability, it should work akin to a ranger's animal companion mechanically as it is a creature in its own right with its own mind which should be 'summonable' and 'unsummonable' at will (as far as companion mechanics go). Unfortunately, it is treated by both NWN1 & 2 as a mere 'summon' rather than a living embodiment of the Shadowdancer's connection to the Plane of Shadow, that is, a 'companion' (akin to ranger or druid). It might be possible for the devs to fix this.

From a roleplay perspective, a shadowdancer's shadow might be commanded to act in the place of the shadowdancer's actual shadow, but I don't think they are one and the same. Shadowdancers do form a unique and interesting bond with their shadow compatriot much akin to how wizards form tight bonds with their familiars. And unlike regular 'undead' shadows, a shadowdancer's shadow cannot be turned, rebuked, dominated or commanded by any 3rd party. I hope they have maximum possible Turn Resistance on their creature skins for that reason! But they are, from an RP perspective, their own intelligent entity with whom the Shadowdancer can communicate both intelligently and effortlessly.
User avatar
Blackman D
Retired Staff
Posts: 4810
Joined: Sat Sep 12, 2009 5:43 am
Location: IL

Re: Shadow dancer

Unread post by Blackman D »

yea not twisting anything around or anything like that

if its just being able to get the summon re credited when unsummoned and the shadow didnt die like familiar and companions do then thats fine

it would be nice if they functioned like familiar/companions rather than summons
everyone is evil till proven otherwise
User avatar
Scorpius
Posts: 218
Joined: Thu May 12, 2016 9:25 pm

Re: Shadow dancer

Unread post by Scorpius »

^_^

like you guys :)
Daishi Tora
Kensei, Master of the Hiten Mitsurugi Tora sword technic. (Phoenix Company), seeking "The Way"(Follower of the old order), Bladestone Foundation
***
Kaoi Kaze - Crimson Blade - Blackrose - Last Order
***
Isha Yahto - Shaman
Post Reply

Return to “Suggestions and Discussion”