Hiding in Plain Sight and You!

[NiteCyper]

The HiPS (Hide in Plain Sight) (Ex) ability, I want it usable from the get-go (read: level 1). The most intriguing option is the "Blend into Shadows" feat. In this case the "Warlock" and "Dragonfire Adept" base classes, with their unlimited "Darkness" least invocation S-LAs, are the obvious choices to fuel it. However, starting off as a "Warlock" or "Dragonfire Adept" is undesirable. The starting skill-points and other features of a "Factotum" or "Rogue" (with the "Fighter bonus feat"/Martial variant) are more preferrable.

One option is to start as a Dark Whisper Gnome with the "Magically Adept" feat and get "No Light" 3/day at a duration of 1 min. each, then retrain that feat to "Blend into Shadows" dipping into either the "Dragonfire Adept" or "Warlock" base class at second level. The stealth bonuses are welcome as well as the back-up (of a second source of HiPS) if there is no area of magical Darkness within 10 feet to work off of. The problem with this though is the level-adjustment (LA) and limited (amount of) conditions for hiding assuming a complete reliance on the SLA, say if you're playing in a desert campaign. If I dipped into the Warlock, I'd want to take the "Factotum" (Dungeonscape) base class as a Human with the "Able Learner" feat, but Humans don't qualify for the "Magically Adept" feat. I don't know what base class I'd settle on for the first option.

Is there any other source of an unlimited/at-will "Darkness" SLA (at first level) or source of shadowy illumination? Is there some more synergetic, reliable form of acquiring the "HiPS" ability?


[spoiler]Reference(s):
1. Tome of Magic > page 161 > Creating a Dark creature - http://img715.yfrog.com/img715/2496/tom161dark.png
2. Drow of the Underdark > Feats > Blend into Shadows - http://yfrog.com/5edotu47featsbisp
3. Dragon Magic > "Dragonfire Adept" base class - http://yfrog.com/htdm81invocations2px
4. Complete Arcane > the "Warlock" base class - http://img141.imageshack.us/g/printjp2.bmp/
5. SRD > Variant Classes > Martial Rogue variant - http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#rogue
6. Races of Stone > page 94 & 95 > "Whisper Gnome" race - http://yfrog.com/jnros94n95whgnomepx
7. Dragon Magazine issue #291 > page 32 > the "Magically Adept" feat - http://yfrog.com/jqd291p32p
8. Book of Vile Darkness > page 98 > "No Light" cantrip (level 0 spell) > http://yfrog.com/iybovd98spellslovespainstpx
[spoiler]"No Light
Transmutation
Level: Brd 1, Clr 0, Sor/Wiz 0
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area: 20-ft.-radius spread
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
The caster creates an area of darkness
Normal light sources cannot illumi-
nate the area, but darkvision allows a
creature to see within the area. Light
counters no light (and vice versa), leav-
ing whatever light conditions nor-
mally prevail in the overlapping areas
of the spells. Higher-level light spells
counter and dispel no light."[/spoiler]
9. Dungeonscape > the "Factotum base class - http://yfrog.com/judu14factotumpx
10. Races of Destiny > page 150 > General and Racial feats > the "Able Learner [Racial]" feat - http://yfrog.com/3mrod150featsablearnerp[/spoiler]

[carnivore]

Psionic power:

Control Lighttotal darkness

[Hallack]

Seems to me that Blend into Shadows would be redundant with HiPS (ex).  Both can be used as long as there is shadows within 10 (that are not your own shadows).

[PhaedrusXY]

Hmm... that psionic power is nifty, but it seems like it would be hard to use with it's duration of Concentration. You'd need either an ally or a separate mind to concentrate on it while doing other things. The fact that it can actually give 100% "darkness" for a 1st level power is awesome, though (I hate 3.5 "Dimness" with the fury of a thousand suns). This would be a great candidate for a dorje that a psicrystal or familiar uses.

[Arz]

Also check out the Tiefling substitution levels for Incarnate. They gain an oddly worded shadowy radiance and see in magical darkness. Would require Shape soulmeld-Worg Pelt to meet skill target.

[Sinfire Titan]

Also check out the Tiefling substitution levels for Incarnate. They gain an oddly worded shadowy radiance and see in magical darkness. Would require Shape soulmeld-Worg Pelt to meet skill target.

Shape Soulmeld doesn't add the skill to your skill list, and Worg Pelt only provides a bonus to Hide/MS checks (it doesn't let you invest Skill Points, only essentia). Trust me, more people would be using Incarnum by now if it worked that way.

Totemist's have the Shadow Mantle soulmeld, which (when bound to the Shoulders or Totem, can't remember due to AFB) creates a zone of Darkness and grants Blindsight. This+Ring of Dark Hidden=Sphere of Improved Invisibility. You can simply dip Totemist and take Open Chakra to get that bind, but it would be late-game.

[PhaedrusXY]

Also check out the Tiefling substitution levels for Incarnate. They gain an oddly worded shadowy radiance and see in magical darkness. Would require Shape soulmeld-Worg Pelt to meet skill target.

Shape Soulmeld doesn't add the skill to your skill list, and Worg Pelt only provides a bonus to Hide/MS checks (it doesn't let you invest Skill Points, only essentia). Trust me, more people would be using Incarnum by now if it worked that way.

Totemist's have the Shadow Mantle soulmeld, which (when bound to the Shoulders or Totem, can't remember due to AFB) creates a zone of Darkness and grants Blindsight. This+Ring of Dark Hidden=Sphere of Improved Invisibility. You can simply dip Totemist and take Open Chakra to get that bind, but it would be late-game.

Is that Darkness like the 3.5 "Dimness" spell, or real fkn darkness like Blacklight (and 3.0 Darkness... or you know, like a goddamned dark room or cave...)?

[Sinfire Titan]

Also check out the Tiefling substitution levels for Incarnate. They gain an oddly worded shadowy radiance and see in magical darkness. Would require Shape soulmeld-Worg Pelt to meet skill target.

Shape Soulmeld doesn't add the skill to your skill list, and Worg Pelt only provides a bonus to Hide/MS checks (it doesn't let you invest Skill Points, only essentia). Trust me, more people would be using Incarnum by now if it worked that way.

Totemist's have the Shadow Mantle soulmeld, which (when bound to the Shoulders or Totem, can't remember due to AFB) creates a zone of Darkness and grants Blindsight. This+Ring of Dark Hidden=Sphere of Improved Invisibility. You can simply dip Totemist and take Open Chakra to get that bind, but it would be late-game.

Is that Darkness like the 3.5 "Dimness" spell, or real fkn darkness like Blacklight (and 3.0 Darkness... or you know, like a goddamned dark room or cave...)?

Full-fledged Magical Darkness (not as the Dimness spell, but effing Darkness that only Baatezu can pierce naturally):

As a swift action, you can surround yourself with a globe of
magical darkness to a radius of 5 feet per point of invested
essentia. You also gain blindsight with the same radius.
Thus, you are completely aware of all creatures within the
radius of darkness, but you are invisible to them unless
they have some way of piercing magical darkness. On the
other hand, creatures beyond the radius of your darkness
are invisible to you, but they can guess your location within
the darkness.
If you enter a zone of magical silence, your blindsight
no longer functions. You can end the darkness effect as
a swift action; ending the darkness effect also ends your
blindsight.

[PhaedrusXY]

Very nice. So actually, the ring is unnecessary, isn't it? Darkvision doesn't pierce magical darkness anyway, and the baatezu ability isn't Darkvision, and so ignores the ring. Can you get this as a non-totemist? And if not, how many totemist levels does it take? I am a complete Incarnum n00b.

[Sinfire Titan]

Very nice. So actually, the ring is unnecessary, isn't it? Darkvision doesn't pierce magical darkness anyway, and the baatezu ability isn't Darkvision, and so ignores the ring. Can you get this as a non-totemist? And if not, how many totemist levels does it take? I am a complete Incarnum n00b.

9 Totemist Levels, or two feats (Shape Soulmeld, Open Lesser Chakra, minimum level 12). The two feats give a +1 bonus to Reflex saves, but you'd need an Essentia pool from somewhere to even use the Chakra Bind's effect.

[skydragonknight]

Decrease: You can decrease the illumination of an area by as little as 5% (barely perceptible) or as much as 100% (total darkness). If you decrease the light by 50% or more, the visual ability of creatures that depend on light to see declines accordingly.If you decrease the ambient light in an area by 100%, even those with lowlight vision are unable to see within the affected area. For each 25% decrease in ambient light, characters in the area gain a cumulative +1 circumstance bonus on Hide checks (to a maximum of +4 when all the light is gone).
 

All that will accomplish is every enemy you run across saying "I attack the darkness!".

[PhaedrusXY]

Decrease: You can decrease the illumination of an area by as little as 5% (barely perceptible) or as much as 100% (total darkness). If you decrease the light by 50% or more, the visual ability of creatures that depend on light to see declines accordingly.If you decrease the ambient light in an area by 100%, even those with lowlight vision are unable to see within the affected area. For each 25% decrease in ambient light, characters in the area gain a cumulative +1 circumstance bonus on Hide checks (to a maximum of +4 when all the light is gone).
 

All that will accomplish is every enemy you run across saying "I attack the darkness!".

That's totally worth it! 

[Hallack]

Decrease: You can decrease the illumination of an area by as little as 5% (barely perceptible) or as much as 100% (total darkness). If you decrease the light by 50% or more, the visual ability of creatures that depend on light to see declines accordingly.If you decrease the ambient light in an area by 100%, even those with lowlight vision are unable to see within the affected area. For each 25% decrease in ambient light, characters in the area gain a cumulative +1 circumstance bonus on Hide checks (to a maximum of +4 when all the light is gone).
 

All that will accomplish is every enemy you run across saying "I attack the darkness!".

That's totally worth it! 

LOL, Got any Mt Dew?

[NiteCyper]

Thanks for posting "Control Light" as I've forgotten about it; thank you all for posting. However, I'm not proficient with Psionics, and the (amount of) duration(s) seems too limited.

Seems to me that Blend into Shadows would be redundant with HiPS (ex).  Both can be used as long as there is shadows within 10 (that are not your own shadows).

"Blend into Shadows" lets you HiPS as a swift action and by virtue of its prerequisite, fuels itself. Assume a large lack of shadows, say a big open coliseum arena. I want adaptability.

[Hallack]

Thanks for posting "Control Light" as I've forgotten about it; thank you all for posting. However, I'm not proficient with Psionics, and the (amount of) duration(s) seems too limited.

Seems to me that Blend into Shadows would be redundant with HiPS (ex).  Both can be used as long as there is shadows within 10 (that are not your own shadows).

"Blend into Shadows" lets you HiPS as a swift action and by virtue of its prerequisite, fuels itself. Assume a large lack of shadows, say a big open coliseum arena. I want adaptability.

Covering unfavorable situations... got it.

[skydragonknight]

Child of Shadow, the 1st level Shadow Hand Stance, gives Concealment as long as you move. Concealment allows you to make a Hide check to hide. You can make a Hide check as part of a move action, and you're taking a move action. Any way this doesn't work?

[bearsarebrown]

I think hiding is a move action. Not a part of one.

So it would take a full round unless you're moving with your Swift action.

[Hallack]

Nope, Hiding is part of a move action but the amount of movement modifies the hide check.

[Anklebite]

Child of Shadow, the 1st level Shadow Hand Stance, gives Concealment as long as you move. Concealment allows you to make a Hide check to hide. You can make a Hide check as part of a move action, and you're taking a move action. Any way this doesn't work?

sadly, child of shadow says that you specifically cannot do that.

[carnivore]

All that will accomplish is every enemy you run across saying "I attack the darkness!".

no ... i dont think so .... look at the area that it affects:

"Nine 10-ft. cubes + three 10-ft. cubes/level" ....... and you are not limited to how you shape the cubes.... it gives Lots of places to hide ..... also this is a great power for:


Solicit Psicrystal... let your Psicrystal concentrate on this power