Intensify Shadows is very niche, but I could see it getting use if assaulting very specific ruins, bases, etc.

Most nightstalker abilities can only target darkness. Darkness is defined as <30% light. Torches give off an area of 50% light, which rapidly dims after a few tiles to 30% or less. Effectively, all you're doing is giving all light sources a slightly smaller radius for the purpose of Shadowskip and Assassinate.

It's a 2-3 tile difference. Not much, but it could get you into the corner of a seemingly well lit room.

Ah I see. Still so niche for a point investment prior to Assassinate.
+ You can just shadowskip into a door frame as the doors space is a 0% light source
I wonder if theres any way to buff it?

Originally posted by Rinklestein:

What does it even do besides make the map look strange?
I don't see how it's useful in any way since it doesn't change anything besides visuals and there's nothing stating anything useful about it.

It makes all places with less than 50% light completely dark.

Originally posted by legodude17:

Originally posted by Rinklestein:

What does it even do besides make the map look strange?
I don't see how it's useful in any way since it doesn't change anything besides visuals and there's nothing stating anything useful about it.

It makes all places with less than 50% light completely dark.

What does "complete darkness" actually do? As far as I know, darkness in vanilla doesn't affect a pawn's ability to aim or fight. Is it just for enabling shadowskip and assassinate?

Ok so with testing, it makes any cell with a light value of <50% default to 0%.
It's really tricky to tell since it doesn't change those cells visually, as the towering shadows effect is reserved to only changing the visuals of the shadows drawing from occupied cells outdoors (where the spell has largely no effect as you'd be better off using eclipse and fighting outdoors etc.)

This lets you do your assasinates more easily, shadowstep to any area that would have been at <50% lit values (as shadowstep requires <=25% lit values), and maintain a constant maxed shadowfocus as long as the cell isn't >=50% lit values.

So yeah the visual is really distracting but has nothing to do with what it actually does.
Cool effect tho.

The 12% Psyfocus cost is questionable tho, it's almost as much psyfocus as an Assassinate / you would be better off just using another assassinate.

TLDR Intensify shadows isn't 100% clear (pitch darkness being confused for something else than a 0% light level) about how it benefits you, and is too expensive and niche.
Only possibly viable if you have a lot of Nightstalker Psycasters, as only one is needed to activate Intensify Shadows for everyone.

Originally posted by 8:

Originally posted by legodude17:

It makes all places with less than 50% light completely dark.

What does "complete darkness" actually do? As far as I know, darkness in vanilla doesn't affect a pawn's ability to aim or fight. Is it just for enabling shadowskip and assassinate?

Yes.

Originally posted by legodude17:

Originally posted by 8:

What does "complete darkness" actually do? As far as I know, darkness in vanilla doesn't affect a pawn's ability to aim or fight. Is it just for enabling shadowskip and assassinate?

Yes.

If "dark" tiles have no inherent effect or purpose other than to enable other nightstalker skills, then whats the point of the darkvision psycast? If there's no penalty to aiming or combat while in darkness, then isn't that psycast useless?

Originally posted by 8:

Originally posted by legodude17:

Yes.

If "dark" tiles have no inherent effect or purpose other than to enable other nightstalker skills, then whats the point of the darkvision psycast? If there's no penalty to aiming or combat while in darkness, then isn't that psycast useless?

Darkness also affects work speed and move speed, and if you use Ideology there's Darkness Combat precepts. Also, darkvision negates the "Darkness" mood debuff.