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The Nightshroud is a medium-health Aesther character and locked class.
Flavor
"How an Aesther pursues their goals exactly can be as diverse as the infinite planes themselves. Whatever powers brought an end to the Aesther society left some with a particularly strong affinity to planes of pure darkness. With the ability to cloak himself in shadow and pass through the world unseen, the Nightshroud becomes a deadly stalker, using blades and stealth to eliminate any target. Rather than working with other races to gather knowledge, the Nightshroud prefers to pry the knowledge from their cold, dead fingers."
Mechanical Themes
One of the two strongest classes in Gloomhaven to an incredible degree, the Nightshroud excels at eliminating single targets. His metaphorical spear is his executes, allowing him to instantly kill most targets regardless of their health or the scenario difficulty. His metaphorical shield is his invisibility, which combined with clever initiative manipulation, allows the Nightshroud to remain untouchable for almost the entire scenario. With no concerns over enemy shields or HP, and no concerns over enemy damage, the Nightshroud operates nearly entirely independently from the difficulty curve of the game, often rendering even +2 difficulty trivial next to the power of his cards.
That said, the Nightshroud is not without faults. To operate, the Nightshroud desperately requires the Dark element; almost every single major payoff needs it. And for something that the entire class is built around, it is actually relatively difficult to find. Most of the Dark production on the class are on mediocre to sub-par abilities. Where some classes get Move 3s and 4s with their element, the Nightshroud gets Smoke Step's Move 1. Where some classes get Attack 3 Range 3 with a bonus effect and their element, the Nightshroud gets Cloak of Shade's Attack 1. Where many classes have +2 Element modifier cards, the Nightshroud takes two full perks to get a single +1 Dark. This severely limited production eases off at higher levels, but many low level Nightshrouds will find themselves turning to items or enhancements in order to make up for this deficiency.
Another major fault the Nightshroud has is that he is very slow in terms of movement. The Nightshroud often has trouble moving more than 2 hexes per turn. However, like Dark production, the Nightshroud gains access to better moves at higher levels, and low level Nightshrouds will find themselves buying items in order to make up for this issue. A common solution to both problems is to heavily invest in buffing the Move abilities that have attached Dark production via enhancements, solving both problems at once.
Abilities
| Level | Name | Init | Top Effect Types | Bottom Effect Types |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black Knives | 44 | Ranged Attack, Persistent Track, Loss | Melee Attack, Muddle |
| Cloak of Shade | 13 | Melee Attack, Dark | Move, Dark, Invisible | |
| Empowering Void | 21 | Melee Attack, Dark, Special | Move, Dark, Special | |
| Doomed Breeze | 15 | Ranged Attack, Muddle, Dark | Move, Curse | |
| Enervating Wound | 77 | Melee Attack, Heal, Dark, Loss | Move | |
| Spirit of the Night | 84 | Melee Attack, Dark, Execute | Move, Dark, Loss | |
| Dancing Shadows | 09 | Move, Melee Attack | Special, Dark | |
| Silent Force | 91 | Melee Attack | Move, Loot, Loss | |
| Smoke Step | 28 | Move, Melee Attack, Dark | Move, Dark | |
| X | Wings of the Night | 24 | Melee Attack, Invisible | Move, Persistent Track, Loss |
| Concealed Dominance | 35 | Melee Area Attack, Dark, Loss | Move, Dark, Teleport | |
| Dark Cloud | 74 | Melee Attack, Curse | Muddle, Dark | |
| 2 | Prepare for the Kill | 07 | Melee Attack, Dark | Move, Dark |
| Soulfire | 85 | Ranged Attack, Wound, Stun | Melee Attack, Curse, Loss | |
| 3 | Terror Blade | 17 | Melee Attack, Push | Move, Special |
| Armor of the Night | 23 | Melee Attack, Dark, Heal | Shield, Dark | |
| 4 | Nightfall | 73 | Dark, Persistent Track, Loss | Move, Melee Attack, Light, Dark |
| Grim Sustenance | 29 | Melee Attack, Invisible Self | Loot, Dark | |
| 5 | Claws of the Night | 26 | Melee Area Attack, Poison, Any Element, Dark | Area Attack, Persistent Track, Loss |
| Black Arrow | 11 | Ranged Attack, Muddle, Curse | Invisible, Dark, Ranged Attack | |
| 6 | Unseen Dread | 05 | Melee Attack, Dark | Move, Jump |
| Swallowed by Fear | 90 | Melee Attack, Dark, Any Element, Execute | Move, Push | |
| 7 | Eyes of the Night | 35 | Special, Persistent, Loss | Move, Light, Muddle, Dark |
| Quiet Frenzy | 19 | Melee Attack, Dark | Melee Attack, Move | |
| 8 | Gloom Darts | 78 | Multi-target Ranged Attack, Poison, Curse, Dark | Move, Dark |
| Lurking Ruin | 18 | Melee Attack, Poison, Wound, Muddle | Move, Invisible | |
| 9 | Angel of Death | 38 | Melee Area Attack, Dark, Execute | Move, Jump, Dark, Execute |
| Voice of the Night | 06 | Stun, Persistent Track, Loss | Move, Melee Attack, Any Element, Invisible, Dark |
