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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Sep 2007 : 11:53:01
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I found this post over at the Chamber of Sages, as a question for Ed. However, as it will most likely take a while for Ed to answer and I am curious of this topic myself, I decided to re-post here again for generall discussion.
quote:
Originally posted by jaydemoon
Hi. All standard praises apply ;)
My question is on Shadowdancers. In Faerun, what are the ties (if any) between Shadowdancers, Shadows (undead creatures), the Plane of Shadows, the Shadovar, the Shadow Weave, and the Goddess Shar?
All of a Shadowdancers powers come from an affinity with something that is often lumped into 'evil' and 'darkness'. The plane of Shadows is a scary evil place, Shadows are evil, life hating undead, etc.
Yet Shadowdancers themselves can be good and are often played a mischievous and fun loving.
So I'm often unsure how to run situations in which Shadowdancers are dealing with antagonists that come from shadow.
Please, scribes, be so kind to share your thoughts with jaydemoon and me.
Thanks in advance
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"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 17 Sep 2007 12:13:43
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Jorkens
Great Reader
Norway
2950 Posts |
Posted - 17 Sep 2007 : 12:05:48
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Well, I have always used the Shadow dancers (and spell dancers) as part of tethen culture. I had a lot of shadow/dream themes melted into these. We are talking pre-races of Faerun here. The ties to the clergy of Shar went trough mystics and the Neutral priest kit in Warriors and Priests of the Realms, the one tied to forgetting as a form of healing of sorrow. Starting before the 3ed. I always used Shar as a more distant goddess with elements that could be used as gainful, as with Myrkuls ties to the fall.
Things having developed as they have, this is very un-canon of course, but I still use it. |
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Ayunken-vanzan
Senior Scribe
Germany
657 Posts |
Posted - 17 Sep 2007 : 12:14:21
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IIRC, the manual of the planes describes the plane of shadows as mildly neutral alligned. The PGtF describes it as mildy evil-alligned, because the plane is home of an evil god and so acts like an outer plane.
I don't think that this plane is more evil than or even as much as evil as declaredly evil outer planes like the Nine Hells. So there is room and the possebility to use the Shadows without becoming evil. |
"What mattered our lives now? When our world had been torn from us? Folk wept, or drank, or stood staring out over the land, wondering what new horror each dawn would bring."
Elender Stormfall of Suzail
"Anyone can kill deities, cause plagues, or destroy organizations. It takes real skill to make them live on."
Varl
FR/D&D-Links • 2ed Downloads |
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Marquant Volker
Learned Scribe
Greece
273 Posts |
Posted - 17 Sep 2007 : 16:01:51
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In my campaign the way i used the plane of shadows has many similarities with the sea.
One can sail througt it to reach certain destination (in Faerun, Planes or Beyond) or can use the plane to hide when needed. Like every sea there are creatures living there (Malaugrims,Shadows) who have adopted the way of living in that enviroment. Like in the sea the plane of shadows is very unstable enviroment witch is ever-changing, that can make the journey dangerous
(let alone been stalked by predators) even to the most experienced mage/shadowdancer
Now plane of shadow is journeyed by many a sailor, these can be shadowdancers,mages,sorcerers,shadowlords of Teflamm(and many more-hey with all those PrC's who can really know ;-) ) all classes with access to the shadowplane, be it with spells or abillities.
I always like to give the plane of shadow a aura of mystery, i drop hints to my players that it connects other worlds and keeps many secrets (well it kept the Shades for a while,but who can say that's the last surprise? ) when a player travels throuth it i always describe what the player sees (even its just a short shadowjump) even on univentful jumps/journeys i describe him some weird scenes, or phenomena that takes place in the plane (it makes the player rather anxious). Sometimes (10% chance) a shadow or two (or three or four... :-) ) will jump at the character.
Once the PCs were traveling in plane of shadown when a rift occured (the plane of shadow was touching the plane of earth) and the unlucky characters were stranded in the plane of earth, they wandered a bit before they went to a city of Elementals ruled by a powerfull lord, who was kind (?) enough to show them the way home, but no before they were "bound" to return a favour for him in the future (thus creating a definite future adventure hook)
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 17 Sep 2007 : 19:34:51
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Nice thought - this sea-thing. very appealing....... i never really knew how to handle the plane of shadow. I used it once to get my players to another demiplane (selfcreated one). However, as it was only a traveling from A to B I did not want to confuse my players with semi-relevant plot lines and kept most creature appearences and such things out of their picture by providing a guide. I tried to give them a dark, unvary and gloomy feeling while traveling through the shadow plane but I am not sure it I accomplished that task at all.
Anyhow, the sea - i like that idea. |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
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Marquant Volker
Learned Scribe
Greece
273 Posts |
Posted - 18 Sep 2007 : 16:27:40
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glad i helped, now that i rechecked my post i figured that its easy for one to missunderstand it. It has the philosophy of the sea as stated above and some characteristics (like weird planar storms) but it isnt nessesary to own a ship or actually swim on the shadow plane.
If you see a mountain in the Material plane there will be (almost) the same mountain in the shadow plane but it will look more hollow and bizzare. To earn extra points keep reminding to the PCs that everything is looking black/grey/white (not sure about white, perhaps to repsresent a powerfull source of light?)
When i had this Shadowdancer PC in my party i tried to remind him about the danger of shadowplane, he treated it with respect and that reflected character wisdom, it turned out good. The tools of that was once the trip to Plane of Earth as stated above, storms, chasms natural phenomena, the possibility of getting lost...you get the idea.
I also used the plane's predators but rarely as a combat encounter, those nonsense combat bore me and my party and they are time consuming. I mostly used tricks like, a pair of eyes (looking white) in the black background, or an shadow attacking the player and he must make an (easy) reflex to avoid him (yes i know i break the rules) if succeded the PC usually swifts back to the material.
Oh! another good one is to have your players hear a random conversation from 2 casters from your local wizzards guild about their fellow guild member who was lost while shadowwaling
All those are tricks, so the players wont make the plane of shadow a part of their daily routine, descriptions are nice and enchance the game but sometimes you have to scare your players a bit and make them feel they play with dangerous toys (like a wizzards spell) after all safe things are boring |
Edited by - Marquant Volker on 18 Sep 2007 16:35:15 |
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sirreus
Learned Scribe
USA
118 Posts |
Posted - 18 Sep 2007 : 19:45:05
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cale,cale,cale. kemp gives a very detailed discription of the plane while cale's party is there. the 'return of the archwizards' is another great look at the plane of shadow. also the supplement with the three new magics(place,name and shadow)have a template i am using for my campiagne to give more common creatures a tie to the plane. i may be way off base but to me and most of my group, the novels coexist with the faerun supplements (maybe because we all read so many of them). all the new authors are excellant and their love of the setting and game show in every written word.
hope it helps |
"The measure of an undisciplined mind, is that the intellect allows emotion to challenge the observed truth" Richard Baker |
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Seadin
Acolyte
USA
1 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2008 : 04:07:12
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| Hey hey, I was wondering if anyone knows or have suggestions for how a shadowdancer actually gains the supernatural abilies he or she has. I'm working with a character right now and would like to provide them with some sort of ritual or rite that's interesting and will provide them with their first level of shadowdancer. |
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Ergdusch
Master of Realmslore
Germany
1720 Posts |
Posted - 29 Jan 2008 : 13:10:53
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All this is from vague memory as I have no books at hand. So take it with caution:
IIRC, there is a PrC in Unapproachable East, the Shadowthief of Teflam or some such thing. Now, I believe that to become a Shadowthief you have to undergo a ritual.
Maybe someone could varify this? Or you check that info yourself, if you have the book available.
Edit note: BTW, I have read the Twilight War trilogy as far as it was published and it gives a great impression on the plane of shadow, shadowwalking, shades and the likes. |
"Das Gras weht im Wind, wenn der Wind weht." |
Edited by - Ergdusch on 29 Jan 2008 13:12:18 |
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Question on Shadowdancers
