Corruption (Su)

You create a swirling vortex of negative energy around you, harming any that draw near. Starting a corruption is a swift action. The corruption manifests as shadowy energy that flows about you in a 5-foot radius. This energy harms any creature exposed to it, dealing 1d6 negative energy damage to any creature that enters the area or starts their turn in the area. A successful Fortitude save halves the damage. Undead in the area are not healed by this negative energy, but must instead make a Will save or flee as if panicked for 1d4 rounds.

The corruption always moves with you and stays centered on your space. Creatures you move past take damage from your corruption as if they had entered the area themselves. A single creature cannot be harmed by corruption more than once per round, regardless of how many times a creature enters or exits your corruption. You are immune to the effects of your own corruption; other creatures in your space are affected as normal.

The corruption lasts a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your nightblade level + your Charisma modifier (minimum 1) and can be dismissed early as a standard action. You can only have one corruption in effect at a time. At 5th level, and every four levels thereafter, the damage of your corruption increases by 1d6, to a maximum of 5d6 per round at 17th level.

Entropic Grasp (Su)

By spending a shadow surge as a standard action, you can make a single touch attack against a creature to afflict it with entropic energies. For the next round, anytime the target rolls a d20, it must roll twice and take the less favorable result. Once a creature has been affected by entropic grasp, it cannot be affected again for 24 hours.

Powered by Death (Sp)

You can absorb the life force of a dying or recently deceased creature to gain great power. As a standard action, you can target a creature within 30 feet that currently has -1 or fewer hit points or is deceased. A creature that is deceased must have died on the previous turn to be targeted by this ability. A living creature must make a Will save or be slain instantly. This is a death effect. If you successfully kill a creature with this ability, you gain one of the following benefits, chosen when the creature fails its saving throw:

• +1 morale bonus on attack rolls. This increases by +1 at 6th level and every six nightblade levels thereafter (max +4).
• +1 morale bonus on damage rolls. This increases by +1 for every three levels past 1st (max +7).
• DR 1/magic. This increases by 1 for every four levels after 1st (max DR 5). At 10th level, this DR changes to silver.
• +1 insight bonus on concentration checks and caster level checks to overcome spell resistance. This increases by 1 for every three levels after 1st (maximum +7).
• Heal 1d6 hit points, plus an additional 1d6 hit points per two nightblade levels past 1st (maximum 10d6).

The benefit lasts for 1 minute, except for the healing, which is instant. When you target a creature that died last turn, the creature gets no saving throw and you automatically gain one of the listed benefits. You cannot target a dead creature that you killed with this ability. At 7th level, you can use this ability as a move action. At 13th level, you can use this ability as a swift action. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

Descent into Darkness (Su)

At 5th level, you gain Diehard as a bonus feat, even if you do not meet the prerequisites. In addition, you gain an aura that balances life and death within. Allies within 10 feet of you are treated as having the Diehard feat, even if they don’t meet the prerequisites, and automatically succeed any checks to stabilize. An ally using the Diehard feat to stay conscious that moves more than 10 feet away from you immediately falls unconscious (but stable) if they do not possess the Diehard feat themselves. In addition, enemies within 10 feet of you that are dying automatically fail any checks to stabilize and cannot benefit from the Diehard feat unless they have more hit dice than your nightblade level. You have this aura only while you are conscious, not if you are unconscious or dead.

Death Attunement (Su)

At 10th level, you no longer take damage from negative energy effects. You gain a +4 bonus on saving throws against death effects and energy drain. You permanently can see the condition of living and dead creatures, as if under the effects of a deathwatch spell.

Shadow Betrayal (Sp)

At 15th level, you gain the power to animate a creature’s shadow and turn it against him. As a standard action, you can cause a creature within 30 feet to have its shadow animate into a hostile creature; this is treated as a summon monster VII spell, but instead conjures a greater shadow. The greater shadow has superficial traits that make it appear similar to the creature it was animated from, but otherwise does not have its statistics or size changed in any way. The greater shadow can only attack the creature whose shadow it was animated from; if that creature dies, the greater shadow dies with it. The greater shadow cannot create spawn. You cannot use this ability on a creature that does not have a shadow. As long as this ability is in effect, the creature does not cast a shadow and cannot be targeted by other spells and effects that rely on having a shadow.

You can use this ability once per day. At 17th level, this ability functions as summon monster VIII, allowing you to create 1d3 greater shadows. However, you may only animate one greater shadow per creature in range; the shadow can only attack whatever creature it was animated from. At 19th level, this functions as summon monster IX with the same limitations, allowing you to summon 1d4+1 greater shadows.

Master of Death (Su)

At 20th level, you become one with death and entropy. You gain immunity to death effects, energy drain, sickened, nausea, fatigue, and exhaustion. You can no longer be magically aged. Negative energy effects heal you as if you were undead. Once per day, you may cast maw of the nightwave as a spell-like ability, using your nightblade level as your caster level.