Tome of Shadow (Shadow Magic Revitalization)

[Realms of Chaos]

Shadow Necromancer:
“They’re corpses. Why would I give them a choice?”
-Pontias Giberton, Shadow Necromancer

Shadowcasters are famous for trying to separate themselves from the moral labels attached to their dark powers. The most famous example would have to be the Shadow Necromancer, who puts aside the normal stigma attached with reanimation of the undead to make an inexhaustible supply of loyal servants.

BECOMING A SHADOW NECROMANCER
Although a few rare cultists of dark causes best left unnamed take up this path, most of its practitioners are shadowcasters. Although some Shadowcaster/Necromancers and Shadowcaster/Clerics become shadow necromancers, the stress of multiclassing slows down the process.
Entry Requirements:
Skills: Hide 8 ranks, Knowledge (arcane) 8 ranks, Spellcraft 8 ranks.
Shadowcasting: ability to cast the Walking dead mystery.

The Shadow Necromancer Hit Die: d6

Level  BAB  Fort Ref  Will  Special                          Mysteries
1      +0   +2   +0   +2    Aura of Shade, Moral Ambiguity   
2      +1   +3   +0   +3    Ebon Guard (1)                   +1 level of existing mystery-using class
3      +1   +3   +1   +3    Twilight Aura                    +1 level of existing mystery-using class
4      +2   +4   +1   +4    Ebon Guard (2)                   +1 level of existing mystery-using class
5      +2   +4   +1   +4    Corpsecrafter                    +1 level of existing mystery-using class
6      +3   +5   +2   +5    Ebon Guard (3)                   +1 level of existing mystery-using class
7      +3   +5   +2   +5    Create Spawn                     +1 level of existing mystery-using class
8      +4   +6   +2   +6    Ebon Guard (4)                   +1 level of existing mystery-using class
9      +4   +6   +3   +6    Advanced Animations              +1 level of existing mystery-using class
10     +5   +7   +3   +7    Ebon Army, Ebon Guards (5)       +1 level of existing mystery-using class

Class Skills (2 + Int modifier per level): Concentration, Decipher Script, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcane), Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Move Silently, Spellcraft, Spot.

Class Features: The shadow necromancer is a master of undead animation, animating them with shadow instead of negative energy.

Mysteries: at every level after 1st, you gain new mysteries and an increase in caster level as if you had also gained a level in a mystery-using class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefits a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one mystery-using class before becoming a Shadow Necromancer, you must choose which class to add each level.

Aura of Shade (Su): A Shadow Necromancer emanates an area of supernatural shade, going out to 5 ft/class level. All undead within this area gain turn resistance equal to the Shadow Necromancer’s HD level while all other living creatures take a –2 penalty on saving throws. In addition, this area is kept in perpetual shadowy illumination.

Moral Ambiguity: A Shadow Necromancer sees past the petty labels given to him by those who do not understand his art. As a result, his alignment is not affected by the animation of undead.

Ebon Guard (Su): At 2nd level and every odd level afterwards, the Shadow necromancer may select one undead creature they have animated through the walking dead mystery to live on as their permanent minion. This minion gains maximum hit points per HD, gains the Dark template, and gains an intelligence score of 10 (even if 10 is higher than the base creature’s intelligence score). In addition, skeletons chosen can take full rounds of actions while zombies lose their penalty to attack and damage rolls. Lastly, these minions last until they are destroyed, at which point the Shadow necromancer can indicate a new undead to join their Ebon Guard.

Twilight Aura: The Shadow Necromancer’s Aura of Shade eventually starts to leak negative energy. Starting at 3th level, all undead within its reaches gain fast healing 1 while all attempts to use spells of the healing subschool require a dc20 caster level check.

Corpsecrafter: The Shadow Necromancer gains corpsecrafter as a bonus feat at 5th level.

Create Spawn: Starting at 7th level, any creature slain within the Shadow Necromancer’s Aura of Shade are reanimated as shadows 1d4 rounds afterwards, as long as they remain in the aura until that time. These Shadows are under the control of the Shadow Necromancer. A Shadow Necromancer can control up to 4 hit dice/level of shadows in this way (not counting towards any other limit of undead controlled).

Advanced Animation: At 9th level, a Shadow Necromancer gains any feat with corpsecrafter as a prerequisite as a bonus feat.

Ebon Army: At 10th level, a Shadow Necromancer’s entourage seems inexhaustible. All undead that they animate via the Walking Dead mystery become
members of their Ebon Guard, so long as they remain within their Aura of Shade. If they at any point leave the aura, they return to normal undead and the duration of Walking Dead begins, even if they return into the aura later. All specifically chosen members of the Ebon guard can enter and leave the aura freely. In addition, all members of the ebon guard can communicate telepathically with the shadow necromancer.

PLAYING A SHADOW NECROMANCER
Some NPC shadow necromancers, much like masters of shadow, become domineering individuals. Others, however, choose instead to use their undead to help in their research. Their undead can assist their research in ways as complex as an arcane dissection or as simple as fetching a nearby book or beaker. Although they have a small army at their disposal, they are more often than not simple researchers, as if to prove that undead animation does not effect the animator.
You are welcome in the tenebrous cabal if you should wish to join. Due to the nature of your minions, the Nightshade Covenant and Votaries of Vecna are more than pleased to see you join with them but wish to see you eradicated if you refuse to.

COMBAT
Your greatest weapons are two-fold. The first that you get is your aura of shade, protecting your undead from troublesome clerics while weakening the defenses of your foe. Your second powerful weapon is your ebon guard, an ever-expanding rank of intelligent, shadow-infused undead that protect you with far more proficiency than the normal walking dead.

ADVANCEMENT
The means by which you animate and empower the undead are often learned, rather than discovered. However, there are almost no shadow necromancers willing to teach. Instead, when most shadow necromancers reach an old age, they inscribe the instructions of how to establish an aura of shade and ebon guard onto the flesh or bone of one of their ebon guard and set it aside. Should the shadow necromancer never come back to it, it is ordered to go out into the world and try to teach a potential candidate. As many such undead are slain upon sight rather than read, it is not wholly unusual for a shadow necromancer to send out a random undead with such instructions every now and again.
Continued advancement leads to increased power of your army, as your aura of shade expands, the ranks of your ebon guard increase, and you eventually reanimate shadows within your aura, to say nothing for your increased shadowcasting ability. To take the most advantage of your aura of shade, it is best to take mysteries that require saving throws. From a strategic vantage point, however, choosing mysteries that summon additional aid is wise.

RESOURCES
You tend to see other of your training almost as brothers, further distancing yourself from the stereotype of emotionally dead necromancers. After all, it may have been any shadow necromancer’s minion that taught you the art yourself. With close personal friends, together with your minions, other shadow necromancers, and members of your organization (if any), you have enough allies to accomplish many goals. Alas, many items created for the use of undead control merely effect how many undead you can control, a meaningless factor for shadow necromancers. If you can find something to increase the power of your undead, however, it would be insane to not try to obtain it.

SHADOW NECROMANCERS IN THE WORLD
“The necromancer approached with his pitch-black horde and we all thought we were doomed, see. But then, he just asks to see the library. He reads a couple of cookbooks and is off on his merry way. I need another drink”
-Cayov Mcgallo, Baker

The shadow necromancer is the perfect road for someone who loves the undead. As one does not need to be evil to be a shadow necromancer (and indeed, could be good), this is an excellent way to put the craft into the hands of the PCs.

DAILY LIFE
A shadow necromancer, as a rule of thumb, rarely lives too fancily. They prefer to live in Spartan accommodations (ranging down to and including cemeteries) with their minions. They spend a lot of their time researching and practicing their art. Even though they have minions, shadow necromancers are stuck delivering their own messages, due to their minions’ tendency to get killed on the road.
Only when a shadow necromancer really gets into a position of power do they really put their undead to work. They normally supplement the town’s guard with some of their ebon guard while lending out lesser undead to townspeople in need of cheap labor. Although such a society may seem appalling to an outsider, most people inside of the society actually appreciate how much easier the undead can make their lives.

NOTABLES
The greatest known shadow necromancer to date is Callembar Glopt, the very first shadow necromancer and the creation of the Walking Dead mystery (He is not undead. Rather, the art of shadow necromancy is only about 60 years old). Since its creation, Callembar has been surpassed in his own art by Sigfried Trent, the first individual to enter the Nightshade Covenant by pure merit.

ORGANIZATION
The Tenebrous Cabal welcomes you into its ranks with open arms and there are no limits, unofficial or otherwise, on how far they can progress in the Parliament of Shadows. Due to its relatively short existence, however, no shadow necromancer has ever made it into the parliament. The nightshade covenant also welcomes you with open arms. Its undead members see you as a natural boon while its other members see you as a way to keep the undead in check. The Votaries of Vecna have a special respect for the shadow necromancer. They are knowledgeable enough to know there is no means by which shadow magic can control existing undead. With that knowledge in tow, shadow necromancers seems as an obvious boon to the undead members of the votary. In fact, much like with children of night, a shadow necromancer who joins need not die in the process, should they not wish to for some reason.

NPC REACTIONS:
NPC reactions to shadow necromancers are normally negative. They often see them as either a shadow caster or (more likely) as a necromancer, neither of which is openly welcomed in most societies. In a society that is already ruled by a shadow necromancer, however, individuals are at least friendly towards another follower of the same road. Most shadowcasters and necromancers alike are indifferent towards the shadow necromancer.

SHADOW NECROMANCER LORE
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcane) or Knowledge (the planes) can research shadow necromancers to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs.
DC 10: Some shadow magic users called shadow necromancers expound upon undead reanimation.
DC 15: shadow necromancers rely both on an aura of supernatural shade and an honor guard of shadow-infused undead to protect them.
DC 20: shadow necromancers have actually managed to separate themselves from the normal stigma of undead reanimation. Many of them are actually benevolent.
A bardic knowledge check or a Gather Information check can reveal the same information as these Knowledge checks, but in each case the DC is 5 higher than the given value.

SHADOW NECROMANCERS IN THE GAME
Shadow necromancers prefer to do their own work, using their undead as aides rather than as proxies. Although the practice is new, it is possible that the nearby necromancer locked up in his tower is indeed a shadow magic practitioner. Otherwise, the option might fall into your players laps as another shadow necromancer’s skeleton walks up to your party, inscribed from head to toe with instructions.
Anyone who enjoys controlling others, managing complex tactics, or simply controlling the undead makes for an ideal shadow necromancer. Although there are some fights that even the souped-up ebon guard cannot win, the ability to control and empower so many troops should prove rewarding so long as they can replenish their troops when they fall.

ADAPTATION
The easiest adaptation to a shadow necromancer is to let it use negative energy, just like any other necromancer. Making it the stereotypical evil-to-the-bone necromancer is another way to fit it into play.

SAMPLE ENCOUNTER:
Admittedly, a hooded figure who carries around their own aura of shade, and who is surrounded by an honor guard of pitch black skeletons and zombies, is about as subtle as a hole in the head. Use that to your advantage. That way, when your players fight a shadow necromancer, they know that they aren’t facing just any old necromancer. As a twist, you could easily have that same imposing figure turn out to be good, and see if a party’s good faith can overcome their old prejudices.
EL 17: Callembar Glopt is the venerable creator of the shadow necromancer. As its first practitioner, it nearly earned him a place within the Parliament of Shadows, which he politely turned down. Callembar has been traveling the world, looking for new scraps of necromantic lore for him to write down in his memoir.
Callembar Glopt CR 17
Venerable Male Human Shadowcaster 9/Shadow Necromancer 8
TN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +0; Senses Darkvision 30 feet; Listen +0, Spot +20
Languages Common, Elven, Dwarven, Gnome, Draconic
AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 19
hp 96 (17 HD)
Fort +14, Ref +5, Will +12
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee +2/+2 quarterstaff +9 (1d6+1/1d6+1)
Ranged +1 Light crossbow +9 (1d8+1/19-20)
Base Atk +8 ; Grp +7
Special Actions Shadow Cast, Still Mystery, Extend Mystery, Line of Shadow, Quicken Mystery, Shadow Vision
Combat Gear Ring of Nullification, Shadow maniple, 4 orbs of shadow , Greater Shroud of Night, 2 orbs of shadow (apprentice 1st)
Mysteries Known (CL 16th)
Master Paths
8th—Soul Puppet (spell, 1/day)
7th—Summon Umbral Servant (spell, 1/day), Dark Soul (spell, 1/day), Truth Revealed (spell, 1/day)
Initiate Paths
6th—Twisted Summons (spell-like, 2/day)
5th—Walking Dead (supernatural, 4/day), Echo Spell (spell-like, 2/day)
4th—Bolster (spell-like, 2/day), Warp Body (spell-like, 2/day), Warp Spell (spell-like, 2/day)
Apprentice paths:
3rd—Sharp Shadows (supernatural, 3/day), Dancing Shadows (supernatural, 3/day)
2nd—Sight obscured (supernatural, 3/day), Shadow Skin (supernatural, 3/day)
1st—Steel Shadows (supernatural, 3/day), Dusk and Dawn (supernatural, 3/day)
Fundamentals
0—umbral hand (supernatural, 3/day), Mystic Reflections (supernatural, 3/day), Caul of Shadow (supernatural, 3/day), Arrow of Dusk (supernatural, 3/day, +7 ranged touch attack), Olden Tales (Supernatural, 3/day), Shadowy Touch (Supernatural, 3/day, DC 14)
Abilities Str 8, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 18, Wis 11, Cha 18
SQ Sustaining Shadow (eat 1 meal/week), Aura of Shade, Twilight Aura, Create Spawn
Feats Favored Mystery (Walking Dead) (2), Extend Mystery, Shadow Cast, Still Mystery, Line of Shadow, Quicken Mystery, Shadow Reflection, Shadow Vision, Corpsecrafter
Skills Concentration +22, Intimidate +24, Knowledge (arcana) +24, Knowledge (the planes) +24, Spellcraft +24, Spot +20
Possessions combat gear plus +2/+2 Quarterstaff, +1 Light Crossbow with 20 bolts, Cloak of resistance +1, 370 gp.

 

[Realms of Chaos]

Shadowscout
“I’ve never seen anything like it. They fought like a hivemind and rushed into the darkness.”
-Drael Fus, crystal guardian

The shadowcaster, almost in spite of itself, has always been quite adept at the role of a scout, at least compared to other spellcasters. Some shadowcasters, driven by necessity,
Have been forced to explore this road more thoroughly. By allowing their mysteries to atrophy, they gain the unique ability to link their consciousness with others, becoming one large mind. In addition, their studies include mundane imitations of common scouting techniques.

BECOMING A SHADOWSCOUT
Given the prerequisites, shadowcasters can easily qualify for this class. On the other hand, cultists can meet the prerequisites with equal ease, although they gain slightly less from the class. Some multiclassing rogues, scouts, ninjas, and factotums also decide to take this class, although the strain of multiclass means that they seem even further delayed in terms of what they get from the class.
Entry Requirements:
Skills: Search 4 ranks, Spot 8 ranks
Feat: Shadow Vision or Shadow Reflection
Mysteries: Ability to cast the Sight Eclipsed or Piercing Sight mystery

Shadowscout Hit Die:d6

Level  BAB  Fort  Ref  Will  Special                     Mysteries
1      +0   +0    +2   +2     Trapfinding, Skirmish +1d6/+0     +1 level of existing mystery-using class
2      +1   +0    +3   +3    Shadowstep, Linksense
3      +2   +1    +3   +3    Skirmish +1d6/+1                   +1 level of existing mystery-using class
4      +3   +1    +4   +4    Shadow Acuity
5      +3   +1    +4   +4    Umbral Hivemind,               +1 level of existing mystery-using class
                             Skirmish +2d6/+1

Class Skills (8 + Int modifier per level): Balance, Bluff, Climb, Concentration, Disable Device, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (arcane), Knowledge (architecture and engineering), Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (the planes), Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spellcraft, Spot, Swim, Tumble.

Class Features: The shadowscout specializes in reconnaissance, searching an area for traps, using enhanced senses and sending back what they know to their allies.

Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: The Shadowscout gains proficiency with light armor and with one martial weapon, should they not already possess these proficiencies.

Mysteries: At each odd level, you gain new mysteries and an increase in caster level as if you had also gained a level in your mystery using class. You do not gain any other benefits a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one mystery-using class before becoming a Shadowscout, you must decide to which class to add each level.

Trapfinding: Starting at 1st level, a Shadowscout gains trapfinding, as the rogue class feature.

Skirmish (Ex): At 1st level, the Shadowscout gains the benefits of the skirmish ability, allowing them to deal an extra +1d6 damage on any attack made after moving at least 10 feet. The damage increases to +2d6 at 5th level. AT 3rd level, the Shadowscout gains +1 AC on any round in which they move at least 10 feet. This ability stacks with the skirmish abilities granted by any other class.

Shadowstep (Su): Starting at 2nd level, the Shadowscout can use the Shadowstep fundamental at will as a swift action.

Linksense (Su): Starting at 2nd level, a Shadowscout learns how to share their senses with another. At will, as a full-round action, they can link themselves to up to the indicated number of touched willing creatures. All such creatures share both an empathic link and a status effect amongst each member of the Linksense. The linksense lasts for 10 minutes/class level can include a number of other members up to the Shadowscout’s class level – 1.

Shadow Acuity (Su): Starting at 4th level, a Shadowscout gains darkvision out to 60 feet, low-light vision, and blindsight out to 10 feet. Any other member of their Linksense gains these senses as well. These abilities overlap (do not stack) with similar abilities already possessed.

Umbral Hivemind (Su): At 5th level, a Shadowscout and their linked targets are united as one. No individual linked to the Linksense can be flanked unless they all are. In addition, so long as a senselink is established, all of its members can communicate telepathically.

PLAYING A SHADOWSCOUT
You have tamed shadow into a tool. Through it, you and your compatriots can accomplish perception, and coordination with great ease. You are not as studious as many practitioners of shadow magic, but you may still read a tome or two if they happen to fall into your lap. By the same logic, if you have nothing better to do, why not practice?
The Tenebrous Cabal alone seems to have no real place for you. After all, what could someone who favors secrecy over knowledge provide to such a society. The Nightshade Covenant has a decent minority of Shadowscouts in its midst. After all, who better to scout the surface at night and lead raiding parties? The Votaries of Vecna maintain positive connections with Shadowscouts, but very few of them are willing to go through death to join them officially.

COMBAT
Your capabilities in combat are decent, but only if you have enough room to skirmish. Your true ability lies in coordinating others. By linking the senses of several creatures, the entire group detects any threat that one detects and the group can take out the threat together.

ADVANCEMENT
Your capabilities are most likely learned, even if you have had less education than the average shadowcaster. It is unlikely that you have learned your abilities within a shadow organization. Rather, it is likely that you have practiced under another shadowscout. After all, many say that it is impossible to understand a linksense without going through one.
Continued advancement requires less practice and study than most, leaving more time open for other endeavors. While you are unlikely to learn the most powerful forms of shadow magic, you at least have the most useful variety for your field.
As you advance, the sparse choices of learned mysteries become more vital, although it is best to choose mysteries that can give you some form of battlefield or sensory advantage.

RESOURCES
You tend to regard other shadowscouts with a bit of disdain. The more you meet, the more business in the area that is already taken. Besides, having two shadowscouts in a group adds nothing that having one shadowscout did not already provide. You’ll likely want any piece of equipment that can increase your stealth, be it a scroll, potion, or wondrous item.

SHADOWSCOUTS IN THE WORLD
“You’ll never find a shadow in the night.”
-Matius Gambry, Shadowscout

For ages, there have been stories of scoundrels able to coordinate tremendous works, compensating and accounting for each and every problem along the way. The shadowscout is the perfect path for player who want to be that person, for by linking senses with their party, any problem can be instantly identified and fixed.

DAILY LIFE
A shadowscout’s daily activity is anything but daily. Most of them choose to rest during the day, and work during the night. They spend at least some time practicing their powers, if not studying. The rest of the time is spent on their particular jobs, which might be for their employer or of their own design.

NOTABLES
As Shadowscouts need to remain secret to be of any use, neither they nor their employers see any need to give them notoriety. Some, however, have become well-known among possible employers. One would be Matius Gambry, who is known to never have failed a task thus far. Another is Waylen Burgren, who somehow managed to acquire the sphere of annihilation for Crestian, leader of the Votaries of Vecna. It is rumored that he is currently looking for a matching talisman of the sphere.
As shadowscouts usually work in groups and rely on teamwork, it is not unheard of for shadowscouts to develop permanent teams who in turn gain status. These teams, however, are often more easily discovered than individual shadowscouts.

ORGANIZATION
The Tenebrous Cabal is weary of you. You have dedicated much more of your time to deception and secrecy than to your practice of shadow magic, making you more of a liability than an asset in most cases, although it is still possible to join. The Nightshade Covenant keeps a decent amount of shadowscouts at hand, ready to plan for future raids by moonlight alone. The Votaries of Vecna respect the combination of shadow magic and secrecy that a shadowscout possesses and typically pays shadowscouts a bit more than they would pay others for the same job. Although some shadowscouts find themselves in the regular employ of the Votary, very few want to join, as doing so would involve their own death. Nonetheless, there are rumors of a small handful of necropolitan shadowscouts within their midst.

NPC REACTIONS:
The vast majority of people react to shadowscouts with a combination of the distrust they feel towards spies and the suspicion with which they view shadow magic. This is only if they know the shadowscout’s identity, however. Most individuals see them as regular shadowcasters, spellcasters, rogues, or scouts, providing a wide variety of views. shadowcasters try to remain indifferent towards shadowscouts, seeing them both as wasted potential and as potentially useful tools.

SHADOWSCOUT LORE
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcane) or Knowledge (the planes) can research shadowscouts to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including the information from lower DCs.
DC 10: A shadowscout uses the power of shadow to accomplish greatly coordinated acts of thievery and reconnaissance.
DC 15: A shadowscout is able to unite the consciousnesses of several individuals through a process called a linksense, allowing greater coordination among their accomplices.
DC 20: Although they benefit from improved stealth, a shadowscout’s casting ability is greatly decreased.
A bardic knowledge check or a Gather Information check can reveal the same information as these Knowledge checks, but in each case the DC is 5 higher than the given value.

SHADOWSCOUTS IN THE GAME
Shadowscouts make it their business to be well-kept secrets, and it is indeed hard to detect their unique talents, meaning that it should not surprise players that they have not fought any in the past. In fact, they may well have fought one but did not know it.
As long as there are buildings to be looted, tactics to be formed, and team mates to stand by, a player should not end up thinking that their levels of shadowscout were wasted.

ADAPTATION
Shadowscouts can exist in settings that do not use shadow magic, requiring very little alteration. Shadowscouts make very few references to shadow magic through their class features, so it is possible to have their power originate from arcane magic, divine magic, or just about any other source from which supernatural abilities can be derived.

SAMPLE ENCOUNTER:
Encounters with Shadowscouts should focus highly on calculated tactics. While a Shadowscout on their own can put up a decent fight, they are at their best when they are directing others in combat.
EL 10: Nackalais Teveren has been causing trouble among the dwarves. A cultist of Garl Glittergold, he believes that his god endorses pranks upon the other gods, including Moradin. He and a small group of cultists have been scouting out the nearby shrines of Moradin and are trying to determine how to best proceed.
Nackalais Teveren CR 10
Male Dwarf Cultist 5/Shadowscout 5
TN Medium humanoid (dwarf)
Init +0; Senses Darkvision 60 feet; Listen +2, Spot +10
Languages Common, Dwarven
AC 15, touch 10, flat-footed 15
hp 62 (10 HD)
Fort +5, Ref +9, Will +11
Speed 20 ft. (6 squares)
Melee +1 warhammer +7 (1d8+1/x3)
Ranged +1 Heavy crossbow +7 (1d10+1/19-20)
Base Atk +6 ; Grp +6
Atk Options: Skirmish +2d6/+1
Special Actions Shadow vision, enlarge mystery, patron’s gift, Linksense
Combat Gear 1 orb of shadow (apprentice 1st)
Mysteries Known (CL 8th)
Apprentice paths:
2nd—Piercing Sight (spell, 2/day), Black Fire (spell, 2/day)
1st—Bend Perspective (spell, 2/day), Carpet of Shadow (spell, 2/day)
Fundamentals
0—Shadowstep (spell-like, at will), Trick of the Light (spell-like, at will, DC 11)
Abilities Str 10, Dex 11, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 15, Cha 12
SQ stability, stonecunning, trapfinding, shadow guardian (hidden faith), umbral acuity, umbral hivemind.
Feats Shadow Vision, Path Focus (Dark Terrain), Greater Path Focus (Dark Terrain), Enlarge Mystery, True Believer
Skills Disable Device +9, Hide +17, Move Silently +17, Search +13, Spot +10
Possessions combat gear plus +1 Warhammer, +1 Heavy Crossbow with 20 bolts, Cloak of resistance +1, +1 Shadow, Silent Moves Chain Shirt, 800 gp.

 

[Realms of Chaos]

New Creatures

Black Maw
Colossal Elemental (Extraplanar, Incorporeal)
Hit Dice: 30d8+210 plus 30 (375 hp)
Initiative: +13
Speed: Fly 40 ft. (perfect)
Armor class: 19 (+5 deflection, -6 size, +9 Dex,), touch 18, flat-footed 9
Base attack/grapple: +22/—
Attack: —
Full attack: —
Space/reach: 30 ft./0 ft.
Special attacks: Blackest cage, forgotten corners, ravaging darkness, siphoned strength
Special qualities: Beacon of darkness, blindsight 300 ft., elemental traits, incorporeal traits
Saves: Fort +19, Ref +28, Will +12
Abilities: Str –, Dex 28, Con 24, Int 10, Wis 11, Cha 20
Skills: Listen +33, Spot +33
Feats: Ability Focus (blackest cage), Ability Focus (forgotten corners), Ability Focus (ravaging darkness), Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Improved Toughness, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes, Mobility.
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge rating: 20
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: —
Level adjustment: —

A black mouth of gigantic proportions, partially concealed within an aura of darkness, creeps forwards. As it crosses the landscape, it leaves the ground it has crossed destroyed and cratered, as if large bites had been taken out of it.

Perhaps one of the greatest elementals related to the Plane of Shadow, black maws are ironically never found on the Plane of Shadows. Although they are intelligent and mobile, they are better related to bags of devouring than to normal shadow elementals, feeding nonliving matter directly to the Plane of Shadow and allowing living matter to get caught halfway.

COMBAT
A black maw fights simply by sweeping over foes, either ripping them to shreds thans to ravaging darkness, or else trying to capture them within the extradimensional space that they carry.
Beacon of Darkness (Su): A black maw constantly radiates an area of darkness. They radiate darkness out to 60 feet and shadowy illumination all the way out to 200 feet. 9th-level or epic light effects cancel out any overlapping area between the effect and the beacon of darkness.
Blackest Cage (Su): At the beginning of a black maw’s actions, all creatures sharing a square with the black maw must make a will save (DC 34) or be imprisoned, as the spell. Any creature sharing a square with a black maw can cast freedom to free any such imprisoned creature, as if standing in the square where they were captured. The will save DC is constitution-based.
Forgotten Corners (Su): At the beginning of a black maw’s actions, all creatures in the black maw’s area of darkness must make a reflex save (DC 34) or become trapped within the extradimensional space of the black maw, although they remain conscious. This functions as the maze spell, and any creature within the black maw’s area of darkness can cast freedom to free any such captured creature, as if standing in the square where they were captured. The reflex save is constitution-based.
Ravaging Darkness (Su): At the beginning of a black maw’s actions, each creature within 300 feet takes cold damage, the amount of which depends on the ambient lighting each creature stands in. Creatures standing in bright light take 1d6 cold damage, creatures standing in shadowy illumination take 3d6 cold damage, and creatures standing in darkness take 5d6 cold damage.
Siphoned Strength (Su): At the beginning of a black maw’s actions, all creatures in the black maw’s area of shadowy illumination must make a fortitude save (DC 34) or take 1d4 strength damage and 1d4 dexterity damage. The fortitude save DC is constitution-based.

BLACK MAW LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about black maws. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]20[/B]   Black maws are incorporeal “mouths” of the plane of shadow, feeding matter directly into it.
[B]20[/B]   Black maws unleash a large amount of darkness, and damage any nearby who wander into darkness.
[B]25[/B]   Depending on how close an opponent gets, they may become trapped midway between the material plane and the plane of shadow.

Blackroot
Medium Plant
Hit Dice: 6d8+24 (51 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 5 ft.
Armor class: 18 (+8 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 18
Base attack/grapple: +4/+6
Attack: tendril +6 melee (1 Dex)
Full attack: 4 tendrils +6 melee (1 Dex)
Space/reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special attacks: Infuse terrain, slow mulch
Special qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., camouflage, immunity to cold, low-light vision, plant traits
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +2, Will +2
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 10, Con 18, Int –, Wis 10, Cha 8
Skills: –
Feats: –
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary or patch (2-4)
Challenge rating: 4
Treasure: 1/10th coins; 50% goods; 50% items
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 7-14 (Large)
Level adjustment: –

This stump appears blackened and dead. A few small roots or tendrils rise out of the ground around it.

Blackroot is the end result of a breeding program that attempted to grow assassin vines in the plane of shadow. The plane of shadow almost killed them, leaving them looking withered, but infused them with shadowstuff.
Blackroots grow no grapes or fruit of any sort.

COMBAT
When a blackroot detects food, it instantly uses its instill terrain ability. Once their foes are snared, they are assaulted by the blackroot’s many tendrils, which rip out of the earth. Once the prey is completely immobilized, it undergoes a slow mulching process.
Camouflage (Ex): Since a blackroot looks like a normal plant when at rest, it takes a dc 20 spot check to notice it before it attacks. Anyone with ranks in Survival, Knowledge (nature), or Knowledge (the planes) may use those skills instead of spot to notice the plant.
Infuse Terrain (Su): Once per encounter, a blackroot can infuse the area within a 30-foot radius of itself with shadowstuff. Doing so is a full-round action. On the round after the shadowstuff is infused, all terrain within range becomes difficult, as the carpet of shadow mystery (caster level 5th). On the second round after the shadowstuff is infused, the area bursts into black flames, acting like the Black Fire mystery (caster level 5th). On the third round after the shadowstuff is infused, the area immobilizes foes, as the clinging darkness mystery (caster level 5th). All of these abilities stack and effectively emanate out from the blackroot, moving as the blackroot moves. All of this abilities effects end the moment that the blackroot creating them dies. The blackroot is immune to the effects of their own infuse terrain ability.
Slow Mulch (Su): Once a blackroot has killed a foe or left them helpless, that foe starts a minute-long process of burial amongst the blackroot’s roots. This does not take any effort on the blackroot’s part but the blackroot cannot move during this process. Each round of this process, the target takes 1d8 slashing damage. At the end of the minute, if they are still alive, they must immediately start holding their breath or begin to suffocate. Dragging a creature out of a blackroot’s clutches is difficult. The strength DC is 15+2 per round spent being buried.

BLACKROOT LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) or Knowledge (nature) can learn more about the blackroots. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes) or Knowledge (Nature)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]17[/B]   On the plane of shadow resides a rare, dead-looking plant called a blackroot, derived from an assassin vine breeding program. 
[B]22[/B]   From their exposure to shadow, blackroots have gained the ability to infuse their surroundings with shadow magic as well as an immunity to cold. In addition, blackroot tendrils steal mobility rather than physically damaging the foe.
[B]25[/B]   When a nearby foe is immobilized, blackroots begin a slow process of grinding them into mulch.

CROOB
Croob, Warrior 1
Small monstrous humanoid (extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 1d8+2 (6 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor class: 11 (+1 size), touch 11, flat-footed 11
Base attack/grapple: +1/+0
Attack: Club +1 melee (1d6)
Full attack: Club +1 melee (1d6)
Space/reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.
Special attacks: —
Special qualities: Light Sensitivity, Teka’s Madness, Low-light vision, Luminescence
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +0, Will –3
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 10, Con 9, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 13
Skills: Climb +4, Swim +4
Feats: True Believer, Toughness
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary, Pair, Sect (10-100), Cult (50-500 plus 50% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level fanatic per 20 adults and one leader of 4th-6th level), Covenant (1,000-10,000 plus 100% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level fanatic per 20 adults plus 50-100 4th-6th level soothsayers plus 20-40 galks plus 1 7th-8th level leader plus 1 Geluk)
Challenge rating:[/B] 1/3
Treasure: 1/2 standard
Alignment: Usually Chaotic Neutral
Advancement: By Character Class
Level adjustment: +0

This pale white humanoid is about the size of a gnome or halfling, but is hunched over, making it appear even smaller. It has deep bags underneath its pitch black eyes and its hands each end in a talon. Their bodies seem to glow with an eerie light.

Croobs are small castaways from the mad dreams of Teka with unstable and violent tendancies.
Their skin always ranges from a deep shade of grey to a chalky white. Their eyes are completely black. They wear ragged clothing, preferring dark colors to light ones.
The croob obediently obey the insane orders of their deity, which make perfect sense to the equally insane croob. This obedience is instinct rather than faith, preventing the presence of clerics or adepts. Instead, Cultists are abundant.
The croobs are secretive to a fault, going as far as hiding the success of a mission from their superiors. The only being that they are completely open with is Teka, who is too insane to truly make anything of their instinctual prayers.
Though croobs have no racial enemies, a couple of misinterpreted missions have caused genocides on the material plane. A few well-informed researchers are beginning to realize the threat that they hold, for they seem to be spawned faster than even goblins or kobolds, gather in larger numbers, and never need to sleep.
A croob is about 2 feet tall when standing completely erect (a rare occurrence) and weigh 40 to 50 pounds.
Croobs speak common and their own language, croob, with a voice that sounds like a soft breeze.

COMBAT
Croobs, as a general rule of thumb, don’t attack. Instead, they swarm and massacre. Sometimes, entire cults or covenants of them converge upon a target as small as a thorp, or even a small group of individuals, with even the normal noncombatants joining in the bloodshed. There have been tales of great individuals buried alive under the aftermath of a croob assault. These large-scale attacks are quite rare, however. Normally, croobs seek to escape combat, working in small groups or individually.
If these “sneaky” croobs are forced into combat, they fight erratically and with little subtlety. Furthermore, they don’t seem to notice that they are alone, taking advantage of an inexistent flanking opportunity or aiding an ally who simply isn’t there.
Light Sensitivity (Ex): Croobs are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
Luminescence (Ex): Croobs continually give off light equivalent to that given off by a candle. This ability may not be suppressed and imposes a –2 penalty on hide checks.
Teka’s Madness (Ex): Croobs have permanently been infected with Teka’s Madness, altering their mind to the point of insanity. Croobs take a –2 penalty to all wisdom-based skill checks and will saves, but needs not sleep.
Furthermore, a croob with a Charisma of 12 or higher can make an untrained knowledge check, using their charisma modifier instead of their intelligence modifier a number of times each day equal to their charisma modifier.
Lastly, a croob is unable to comprehend the concept of fighting on one’s own. When fighting alone, a croob must make a dc 10 will save each round or provoke an attack of opportunity at the end of their round.

The croob warrior presented here had the following ability scores before racial adjustments: Str 12, Dex 8, Con 9, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 13
Challenge Rating: Croobs with levels in NPC classes have a CR equal to their character level –3.

CROOB SOCIETY
Croobs are decidedly fonder of the Plane of Shadow, where their progenitor still spawns them forth. Amongst their other mental deficiencies, they are extremely secretive and paranoid, leading to a society that by all means shouldn’t exist. In the end, the leader of the society is the one strong enough or clever enough to coax the most information out of their underlings, or by a Geluk, if they are lucky enough to possess one.
Croobs generally stay within a small area of land, which can be any form of terrain, only slightly modified by the creation of ramshackle structures. Once they have made their claim, they rarely step beyond it, save to fulfill Teka’s wishes.
In the center of each croob society is a pit of darkness called the spawning pool, from which all new croobs emerge as infants. The croobs themselves do not breed true (see galks).

CROOB CHARACTERS
Croob characters possess the following racial traits

• –2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, –2 Wisdom
• Small Size: +1 bonus to armor class, +1 bonus on attack rolls, +4 bonus on Hide checks, –4 penalty on grapple checks, lifting and carrying limits 3/4 those of medium characters.
• A croob’s base land speed is 30 feet.
• Low-light vision
• Racial Feats: A kobold character gains True Believer as a bonus feat, otherwise gaining feats according to its character class
• Special Qualities (see above): Light sensitivity, luminescence, Teka’s madness
• Automatic Languages: Croob, Common. Bonus Languages: None
• Favored Class: Cultist
• Level adjustment: +0

CROOB LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about the croob. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]10[/B]   On the plane of shadows is a race of insane cultists known as the croob. 
[B]15[/B]   The croob are the mad creations of a shadow deity named Teka, who drives her creations made through the process of their births.
[B]25[/B]   Although alive, the croob do not breed true. The few croob who breed have monstrous children known as galks.

Cursed Walker
Large Undead
Hit Dice: 14d12+42 (133 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor class: 20 (-1 size, +10 natural, +1 Dex), touch 10, flat-footed 19
Base attack/grapple: +10/+20
Attack: Slam +16 melee (2d6+6)
Full attack: 2 slams +16 melee (2d6+6)
Space/reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special attacks: Absorb Taint, Curse Item, Snatch Item, Spell-like abilities
Special qualities: Curse Wielder, Damage Reduction 10/good, Darkvision 60 ft., Undead Traits, Unholy Toughness
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +5, Will +12
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 12, Con –, Int –, Wis 16, Cha 16
Skills: —
Feats: —
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge rating: 14
Treasure: 1/10 coins; double goods; triple items (cursed items only)
Alignment: Always Neutral Evil
Advancement: 15-22 HD (Huge)
Level adjustment: —

As this gigantic, chalk-white skeleton lumbers forward, you notice several trinkets lining its bones. Amulets and rings hang from its ribs, wands and scrolls reside within the ribcage, and two grey gems are locked in its eye sockets.

Though many shadow magic practitioners pretend not to notice it, there is indeed a malevolence of sorts about the plane of shadow. Some shadowcasters, seeking to control this malevolence, one unfortunate soul found their answer in cursed walkers when he killed a man with a scarab of death and reanimated him. Although the original creator was slain by his creation, his research lived on, and it has since been proven that cursed items are a crucial factor in their creation.
Cursed walkers walk the world, adding malevolent items onto their person and gaining strength from each one. Strangely, even malevolence normally undetectable to others is picked up by the cursed walker, and they are just as likely to pick up a mace of blood as a mundane butcher knife used to kill an innocent. In battle, however, a cursed walker would gladly steal a benevolent item and taint it to fit its needs.
To create a cursed walker, first, the individual to be reanimated must have been killed by a magic item. Next, a caster of caster level 12 or higher must cast create undead, create greater undead, or walking dead on the corpse after placing a gem of night (ToM, page 156) in each of the corpses eyes (replacing the material component for create undead). The cursed walker comes back indifferent (if walking dead or create greater undead was used) or hostile (if create undead was used) towards its creator. In addition, its creator cannot gain direct control over the cursed walker through any means.

COMBAT
In combat, a cursed walker has a straightforward strategy. Steal the opponent’s weaponry, curse it, and then curse any opponent not using weapons. Once their opponents are hapless, a cursed walker is content to continue on its merry way, but if pressed, a cursed walker will fight to the death.
Absorb Taint (Sp): A cursed walker, when in danger, can absorb the taint of their cursed items directly into themselves, healing themselves. As a standard action, a cursed walker can heal 20 health. Each use of this ability uses up one of the cursed walker’s daily uses of their bestow curse spell-like ability.
Curse Item (Sp): While a cursed walker eventually bestows curses upon all items it holds (after somewhere between a week and a month), it can spread the essence of taint from its cursed items to a new one, speeding up the process. As a standard action, a cursed walker can curse any item it possesses (roll on Cursed Item Common Curses, DMG page 272). Each use of this ability uses up one of the cursed walker’s daily uses of their bestow curse spell-like ability and the new cursed item only grants another daily use after 24 hours.
Curse Wielder (Ex): A cursed walker is ironically immune to the cursed items that once slew them. A cursed walker also gains proficiency with any cursed item wielded, automatically succeeds on all spellcraft checks made to use cursed items, and is not limited by item space limitations (although they may not wield more than 2 weapons or wear more than one suit of armor at a time. How each curse is neutralized depends with the curse.
Delusion: The cursed walker is aware that the item serves no real function.
Opposite effect or target: The cursed walker is aware of the item’s true function.
Intermittent functioning: The item always functions for the cursed walker and only when the cursed walker wishes for it to.
Requirement: The requirement is ignored.
Drawback: The drawback is ignored.
Completely different effect: The cursed walker is aware of the item’s true function.

In addition, the cursed walker is immune to all numeric penalties placed by cursed items and can put away cursed items and draw new ones even if a cursed item’s effect would normally prevent such action. Lastly, if a curse is only activated once a condition is met, all of that item’s effects are merely suppressed for 1d4 hours whenever that condition is met.

Snatch Item (Ex): A cursed walker can snatch items from others, both actively and reflexively. As a full-round action, a cursed walker can make an attack roll against a target, provoking an attack of opportunity from that target. If the attack is successful, the target takes no damage, but one visibly stowed item (including items worn, except armor) is stolen, ready to be cursed on the cursed walker’s next turn.
If an attack against the cursed walker made with a manufactured weapon succeeds, it takes a DC 20 strength check to remove the weapon afterwards. If this check fails, the cursed walker can curse the item on their next turn.

Spell-like Abilities (Sp): At will — detect evil.
In addition, 1/day per cursed item in their possession, a cursed walker may use bestow curse (DC 17). Caster Level 10th.

Unholy Toughness (Ex): A cursed walker gains a bonus to its hit points equal to its Charisma modifier X its Hit Dice.

CURSED WALKER LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about cursed walkers. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]15[/B]    Cursed walkers are undead made from those killed by cursed items and reanimated using shadow. They are constantly on the quest for new items with cursed or unlucky histories.
[B]20[/B]   Cursed walkers are highly resilient against all but good weapons, and have more fortitude than is normal with undead creatures.
[B]25[/B]   Cursed walkers ignore the curses of the items they bear and can draw upon these cursed items to curse others, curse new items, or to heal themselves.

Dark Drone
Small Vermin
Hit Dice:16d8+16
Initiative: +2
Speed: 40 ft.
Armor class: 18 (+2 Dex, +6 natural); touch 12; flat-footed 16
Base attack/grapple: +12/+11
Attack: Bite +15 melee (1d4+3)
Full attack: Bite +15 melee (1d4+3) and two claws
Space/reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.
Special attacks:, Pheromones, rapid molt
Special qualities: Aura of darkness, darkness vision, immune to cold, scent, vermin traits
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +7, Will +6
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 12, Int –, Wis 12, Cha 8
Skills: —
Feats: —
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary; Scourers (2-10); Colony (50-500); Swarm (550-1,000)
Challenge rating: 16
Treasure: 1/10 coins, 50% goods, 50% items
Alignment: Neutral
Advancement: 17-18 HD (Medium); 19-20 HD (Large); 21-22 HD (Huge); 23-24 HD (Gargantuan); 25-26 HD (Colossal)
Level adjustment: —

The insect before you resembles a monstrous ant, except that its head bears uncountable eyes and that its skin seems slightly darker in hue

Dark drones are the quick-growing Plane of Shadow equivalent of monstrous vermin. Although other unique forms of vermin have evolved on the Plane of Shadow, they are invariably wiped out by the drones. Dark drones act exactly as any other ant, down to the way in which they protect and feed their queen. Strangely, despite these actions towards a queen drone, no such queen exists in any known colony, and no dark drone egg has ever been seen. How, or if, the dark drones reproduce is yet to be seen.

COMBAT
Dark Drones, due to their limited senses, are usually forced to live within shadow. Their pheremones provide a good defense against enemies, and they use their rapid molt ability if they are pressured too hard.
Aura of Darkness (Su): Dark Drones emanate a 20-foot radius area of darkness. This darkness is not magical in nature, and can be seen though with darkvision.
Darkness Vision (Ex): Despite their many complex eyes, dark drones can only see within areas of darkness (including their own aura of darkness). Bright light or shadowy illumination renders the dark drone blind (although it can still use smell).
Pheromones (Ex): Dark drones have access to two pheromones, which they use instinctively in combat. Outside of combat, dark drones can identify each other by these pheromones (and as such, any disguise to fool them must also include an olfactory aspect).
Battle-Initiator: The first time in each encounter when a dark drone attacks, and again when it dies, it unleashes a pheromone to excite and anger nearby dark drones. Any dark drone that come close enough to smell the pheromone within the next minute joins the combat if able and gains a +2 bonus to strength (these bonuses stack).
Non-combatant: While not in combat, a dark drone unleashes a pheromone that calms others, as the calm emotions spell (DC 19 negates). Dark drones are immune to this pheromone, however, and can be as violent as they please. Upon releasing the battle-initiator pheromone, the non-combatant pheromone cannot be released until the end of the encounter.
If the dark drone is lowered to under one-half of their maximum hit points in combat, however, they unleash a burst of their non-combatant pheromone, which lasts one minute. This single use per encounter is all that they get in combat, even if healed above and knocked below half of their hit points several times in one encounter.
Rapid Molt (Ex): Although a dark drone naturally molts several times within their lives, they can force a molt in a hurry if pressured, as often as once per week. Doing so takes a full-round action and provokes no attacks of opportunity. At the end of the action, the dark drone gains a hit die and heals health equal to twice their hit die, but they lose their natural armor bonus for 1 minute, after which it returns with a +1 bonus.
A dark drone cannot use this ability if doing so would cause them to grow a size category in a place unable to accommodate the new size.

DARK DRONE LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about dark drones. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]15[/B]   Dark drones are quick-growing vermin from the plane of shadow, all dedicated to the protection of inexistent “dark queens”. 
[B]20[/B]   Dark drones unleash a small aura of darkness, and can only detect creatures within darkness or through scent.
[B]25[/B]   Dark drons have a couple of pheromones which they use in combat, and they can rapidly molt if pressed too hard.

Darkling Swarm
Fine Elemental (Extraplanar, Incorporeal, Swarm)
Hit Dice:8d8 (36 hp)
Initiative: +11
Speed: Fly 40 ft. (perfect)
Armor class: 18 (+1 deflection, +7 Dex), touch 18, flat-footed 11
Base attack/grapple: +9/—
Attack: Swarm (2d6 cold)
Full attack: Swarm (2d6 cold)
Space/reach: 10 ft./0 ft.
Special attacks: Distraction, Shadow Vision
Special qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., elemental traits, immune to weapon damage, improved evasion, incorporeal traits, swarm traits
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +15, Will +4
Abilities:Str –, Dex 24, Con 10, Int 4, Wis 10, Cha 12
Skills: Hide +28, Listen +5, Spot +5
Feats: Ability Focus (distraction), Ability Focus (shadow vision), Improved Initiative
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary, Dusk (2-4 swarms), or Nightfall (5-8 swarms)
Challenge rating: 7
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: —
Level adjustment: —

The creature you see is a swirling vortex of shadow. Looking closer, it is made up of thousands of tiny motes of darkness. It silently approaches.

Whenever a shadow elemental is damage, a few small motes of shadow escape. Of them, the largest often absorbs the others, becoming a barely sentient and altogether harmless creature known as a darkling. When thousands of darklings gather together, however, they can form a terrible swarm, killing every living thing it touches but leaving objects almost unscathed.

COMBAT
A darkling swarm is only barely sentient, but knows enough to go after spellcasters, who they consider to be the only ones truly capable of harming them. If sufficiently damage, the swarm may duck within the nearest object large enough (normally the floor).
Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a darkling swarm in its space must succeed on a DC 18 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based
Shadow Vision (Su): Whenever a living creature takes swarm damage from a darkling swarm, they must make a DC 19 will save or fall under the effects of the Shadow Vision mystery, except that its duration is 1 round. The save DC is Charisma-based.

DARKLING SWARM LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about darkling swarms. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]17[/B]   Darkling swarms are swarms of fine shadow elementals, extremely resilient against most forms of attack.
[B]22[/B]   Anyone swarmed by a darkling swarm may have their vision temporarily corrupted by shadow.

GALK
Large Monstrous Humanoid (extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 8d8+56 (92 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft.
Armor class: 16 (-1 size, +1 Dex, +6 natural), touch 10, flat-footed 15
Base attack/grapple:+8/+18
Attack: Claw +14 melee (1d6+6)
Full attack: 4 claws +14 melee (1d6+6)
Space/reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special attacks: Assimilate, Improved Grab, Teka’s Curse
Special qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., Inexistent Mind, Power Resistance 20, Spell Resistance 20
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +7, Will –3
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 12, Con 24, Int 6, Wis 1, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +12, Listen +4, Spot +5
Feats: Alertness, Endurance, Diehard
Environment:Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary, Pair, or Gang (3-8)
Challenge rating: 8
Treasure: 1/2 coins, no goods, no items
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 9-14 HD (Large); 15-20 HD (Huge)
Level adjustment: —

The hulking figure before you has the mass of a giant. Its white skin stands in stark contrast to its dark surroundings. Its two-toed feet appear firmly rooted in the ground and its four wickedly clawed arms seem to emerge from its back. Its face is almost featureless, save for pitch black teeth that jut out of the slab of flesh at random

According to most definitions, croobs are not a proper species. Though they are indeed alive and they aren’t genetically viable with any other life form, they do not breed to create more croobs. Instead, Teka continually spawns more of them. The croobs do mate, however, and the resulting children grow to be the horrific and powerful protectors of the croob, the galks.
Many mistake the galks for a mutated Grey Render, but the two beings are in no way connected. Galks are far more insane than their croob progenitors, as well as being far more violent. Their entire body is formed not of bone and muscle but of pure flesh, ranging from the calcified flesh that forms a rough skeleton to the nearly gelatinous flesh on its stomach.
Galks need not eat, sleep, or breathe, gaining all of their nourishment from their assimilate ability.

COMBAT
Galks attack to kill. Whether facing one or multiple opponents, galks prefer to assimilate one opponent and then head after others. They may hide and wait for prey to approach but use little more in the way of tactics, although they are normally loathe to leave behind the croob society that they guard.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use his ability, a Galk must hit a target with two or more claw attacks. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.
Assimilate (Ex): A galk that begins a turn with a victim pinned and that makes one more successful grapple check automatically drags the victim directly into their stomach, where they are left to float in a shadow-infused mass of gelatinous flesh. The stomach can hold one medium creature, two small creatures, or four tiny or smaller creatures. Each round that a subject remains trapped, they take 1 point of wisdom damage. In addition, the subject has to hold their breath or start drowning. The subject is freed if they can make two consecutive successful grapple checks against the Galk or if the galk is slain.
Teka’s Curse (Su): Any creature slain by a galk and revived by any means less than a true resurrection, miracle, or wish permanently from images of Teka’s madness, which infests their dreams. From that point onward, the target cannot sleep of their own accord, although prolonged periods of sleeplessness eventually force them asleep. This curse can be removed by a break enchantment, heal, limited wish, wish, or miracle spell, or by the unveil mystery.
Inexistent Mind (Ex): Galks, running against all logic of life, have no form of mind or brain structure, but still manage to function. As such, it is immune to all mind-affecting effects and any attempt to read or contact its mind automatically fails.

GALK LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about galks. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]16[/B]    Galks are the resulting spawn from croob mating. They are gigantic masses of flesh, functioning without muscles or brain.
[B]21[/B]   Galks feed by inserting food into its stomach, where the creature’s psyche is picked apart as they drown. This assimilation is the only nourishment that a galk requires. 
[B]26[/B]   The few beings slain by galks and brought back to life are forever haunted by images of Teka’s madness, preventing proper sleep.
[B]32[/B]   Galks breed no truer than the croobs. In the few cases when they manage to breed, the resulting offspring is a much more intelligent geluk.

GELUK
Medium Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 13d8+24 (78 hp)
Initiative: +12
Speed: 20 ft.
Armor class: 20 (+2 Dex, +6 insight, +2 natural), touch 18, flat-footed 18
Base attack/grapple: +12/+12
Attack: Slam +12 melee (1d6)
Full attack: 2 slams +12 melee (1d6)
Space/reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special attacks: Mysteries, Psionic Powers,
Special qualities: All-Around Vision, Clarity of Teka, Damage Reduction 10/good, Dual Actions, Immunity to Cold, Power Resistance 30, Spell Resistance 30, Telepathy 100 feet
Saves: Fort +12, Ref +16, Will +17
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 16, Cha 22
Skills: Bluff +21, Diplomacy +21, Knowledge (arcana) +20, Knowledge (psionics) +20, Knowledge (the planes) +20, Psicraft +20, Spellcraft +20
Feats: Still Mystery, Empower Mystery, Maximize Mystery, Quicken Mystery, Improved Initiative
Environment: Plane of Shadows
Organization: Solitary or Entourage (1-2 plus 10-50 croobs plus 2-8 galks)
Challenge rating: 15
Treasure: Double standard
Alignment: Usually Chaotic Evil
Advancement: by character class
Level adjustment: +8

The strange being you see has an overlarge head, in which are embedded ten eyes, distanced equidistantly around the head. The head otherwise appears featureless. The rest of the body has a wiry, humanoid build. The flesh of the creature you gaze at is a deep shade of grey.

Although it is relatively rare for them, galks occasionally figure out how to mate. When this happens, it is revealed that the galk breeds no truer than croobs. Their offspring, made almost entirely out of grey matter, are known as the geluk. Geluks, unlike the past two generations of beings, represent their progenitor deity’s propensity for both psionics and shadow magic.
When a geluk reaches a society of croobs, it invariably takes command, sharing command with any other geluk that may already be there (although societies with two or more geluks are quite rare). Geluks serve as the minds of the society, interpreting Teka’s mad whispers into sane, long-term plans. They are also the most likely to parlay with another group of sentient beings.
The physiology of the Geluk is somewhat unique in the way that two individual minds are wired into one brain. Furthermore, these minds, rather than antagonistically fighting for control, work in harmony with each other. One mind is believed to specialize in shadow magic while the other is believed to specialize in psionics. On a side note, Geluks are physically incapable of breeding, although a few do try to teach galks how to do so, in order to continue a line of succession.

COMBAT
Geluks approach combat methodically and with a cool and calculating demeanor. They prefer to have won the match before it has even begun, either through infiltration, coercion, or overwhelming advantage of numbers. If forced into combat itself, the geluk uses both rounds of actions to attempt to disable its foes by any means necessary. Only in times of desperation do geluks ever use their rather ineffective slam attacks.
Mysteries: Geluks cast mysteries (but not fundamentals) as 13th-level shadowcasters.
Typical Mysteries known (DC 16+mystery level); 1st—Carpet of Shadow (supernatural, 3/day), Voice of Shadow (supernatural, 3/day); 2nd—Black Fire (supernatural, 3/day), Congress of Shadow (supernatural, 3/day); 3rd—Clinging Darkness (supernatural, 3/day), Flicker (supernatural, 3/day);4th—Warp Spell (spell-like, 2/day), Step into Shadow (spell-like, 2/day), Bolster (spell-like, 2/day);5th—Echo Spell (spell-like, 2/day), Pass into Shadow (spell-like, 2/day);6th—Flood of Shadow (spell-like, 2/day);7th—Prison of Night (spell, 1/day)
Psionic Powers: Geluks manifest powers as 13th-level psions.
Typical Psion Powers Known (power points 186; save DC 16 + power level): 1st—Conceal Thoughts, Deceleration, Demoralize, Entangling Ectoplasm, Psionic Grease; 2nd—Cloud Mind, Detect Hostile Intent, Ego Whip, Mental Disruption;3rd—Body Adjustment, Dispel Psionics, Psionic Blast, Forced Share Pain;4th—Death Urge, Psionic Divination, Psionic Freedom of Movement, Telekinetic Maneuver;5th—Ectoplasmic Shambler, Psionic Planeshift, Psychic Crush, Psionic True Seeing;6th—Psionic Contingency, Psionic Disintegration, Fuse Flesh, Psionic Overland Flight;7th—Insanity
All-Around Vision (Ex): The many eyes of a Geluk grant them a +4 racial bonus on spot and search checks, and they can’t be flanked.
Clarity of Teka (Ex): Geluks, unlike their predecessors, gain tremendous insight from their progenitor deity, adding their charisma modifier (normally +6) as an insight bonus (or penalty, if negative) to their AC, initiative checks, and all saving throws.
Dual Actions (Ex): Each round, a geluk may take two full rounds of actions, meaning that they may make a full attack, manifest a power, and move, make two full attacks, etc. They may not, however, cast two mysteries or manifest two powers in one round (they are free to use their standard actions to use one of each, however).

GELUK LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) or Knowledge (psionics) can learn more about geluks. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes) or Knowledge (Psionics)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]17[/B]   Geluks are the enigmatic and strangely sane leaders of the croobs and galks, in charge of turning their mad god’s ravings into divine mandates.
[B]22[/B]   Geluks are resilient against all but good weapons, against spells and powers alike, and have telepathic capabilities.
[B]27[/B]   Geluks have two independently working minds, one of which deals with shadow magic, and the other of which deals with psionics.

 

[Realms of Chaos]

Loress
Small Outsider (extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 1d8-1 (3 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 20 ft.
Armor class: 14 (+1 size, +3 deflection)
Base attack/grapple: +0/-5
Attack: Morningstar +0 melee (1d6-1)
Full attack: Morningstar +0 melee (1d6-1)
Space/reach: 5 ft./ 5 ft.
Special attacks: —
Special qualities: AC bonus, Burst of Knowledge, Darkvision 60 ft., Inner Gateway, Outsider Traits
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +2, Wis +4
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 10, Con 8, Int 17, Wis 14, Cha 11
Skills: Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +7, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Knowledge (geography) +7, Knowledge (history) +7, Knowledge (local) +7, Knowledge (nature) +7, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) +7, Knowledge (religion) +7, Knowledge (the planes) +10, Search +7
Feats: Skill Focus (knowledge [the planes])
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary, Pair, Cognition (2-10), Erudition (20-40), Enlightenment (50-100 plus 1 3rd-level archivist per 20 adults plus 1 6th-level archivist)
Challenge rating: 1/3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Usually Lawful Neutral
Advancement: By character class
Level adjustment: +1

the short being appears to have been scrunched. Their large cranium is placed on a small, pale body wearing robes almost comically large for it. Furthermore, the figure before you is hunched over, as if of old age, making them appear shorter still. Their black eyes contain neither iris nor pupil, but appear to see all the same.

All outsiders originate from ideals. Although most originate from ideals of good and evil or law and chaos, some ideals are simply there, made to carry out purposes having little or nothing to do with morality. The loress are the perfect example. Originally hailing from the outer planes (which one exactly is unknown), they moved to the plane of shadow for reasons known only for themselves. Afterwards, they began their long-running project to collect all known knowledge in existence.
No deity of knowledge has yet to claim creatorship of the loress, and such deities often pin the blame for the race’s creation on others. Although not particularly good or evil, the loress are particularly bureaucratic (a trait many suspect came after they moved to the plane of shadow), and discovering an individual’s name or the location of the city hall might take as much paperwork as discovering where a long-dead rogue buried their loot.

COMBAT
Although relative noncombatants, the loress will fight to protect their lives and libraries. They are thoughtful combatants, using every tactical advantage given to them.
AC Bonus: Loress add their intelligence bonus (if any) as a deflection bonus to their AC.
Burst of Knowledge (Ex): The essence of a loress is knowledge and they can burn away at that essence to gain greater insight. By taking 1d4/HD damage and spending one minute in focus, the loress can take 20 on any knowledge check in which they are trained.
Inner Gate (Su): As an escape mechanism of sorts, a loress has a small portal to the Plane of Shadow inside of them. As a full round action, a loress can take 1d6/HD damage to teleport to the Plane of Shadows. If the loress dies while not on the plane of shadows, the portal widens, sending the corpse to the plane of shadow and opening a usable portal which lasts 1d4 rounds.

LORESS LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about loress. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]15[/B]   The loress are an ancient race of extraplanar lore gatherers, though which plane they originate from is unknown. 
[B]20[/B]   The loress have the unique ability to burn through their essence to gain greater insight into the world.
[B]25[/B]   Within each loress is a small portal to the plane of shadow, which they use to escape if something goes wrong, and which briefly opens up if the loress is slain.

Living Mystery
Shadow Magic is a very enigmatic form of sorcery. Just when all of its methods appear to have been discovered, it throws another curveball. One of the many mysteries concerning shadow magic are the existence of living mysteries. Occasionally, it appears that mysteries gain a life all their own. As no one has ever witnessed the creation of a living mystery, however, there is a great debate over whether they are creatures based on mysteries or whether the mysteries themselves have gained life.

Creating a Living Mystery
“Living mystery” is an unusual template, in that is is applied to a mystery rather than a creature. The characteristics of the living mystery are determined by the nature of the mystery/mysteries, including the caster level of the mysteries. The template can be applied to any mystery that creates an area or effect (as long as that effect is not a creature), has a target, or has a range of personal.
Size and Type: A living mystery’s size depends on its caster level: 1st-6th is Medium, 7th-12th is Large, 13th or higher is Huge. Its type is ooze.
Hit Dice: A living mystery has Hit Dice equal to its caster level. Its Hit Dice are d10s.
Speed: A living mystery’s speed depends on its duration. A living mystery with a duration measured in rounds has a speed of 20 feet, a duration measured in minutes has a speed of 40 feet, a duration measured in hours has a speed of 60 feet, and a duration of 24 hours or longer has a speed of 80 feet. A mystery with any other duration has a speed of 20 feet. If two mysteries of different durations combine to make a living spell, the living mystery’s speed is based on the duration of the longer lasting of the parent mysteries
Attack: A living mystery gains a slam attack it can use oonce per round. The slam attack deals damage based on the living mystery’s size (see the table below), plus its Strength bonus X 1-1/2, plus an amount of cold damage equal to twice its spell level. A successful slam attack also activates a living mystery’s Mystery Effect and Mysterious Enhancement abilities (see special attacks, below)

[B]Living Mystery Size    Slam Damage[/B]
Medium                  1d4
Large                   1d6
Huge                    1d8

Special attacks: A living mystery has three special attacks.
Mystery Effect (Su): A creature hit by a living mystery’s slam attack is subjected to the normal effect of all component, area, effect, and targeted mysteries that it is comprised from. Saves apply normally for the mysteries, the DC is 10 + spell level + Cha modifier. Any attack rolls normally required for such mysteries are disregarded.
Mysterious Enhancement (Su): Whenever a living mystery successfully hits with a slam attack, all component mysteries with range of personal are cast upon the living mystery. In addition, they may either add the highest spell level among mysteries they are based on as a resistance bonus to saving throws or as a deflection bonus to their AC for 1 round/HD.
Engulf (Ex): A living mystery can flow around creatures that fit within its space as a standard action. It cannot make a slam attack during a round in which it engulfs. The living mystery merely has to move over the opponents, affecting as many as it can cover. Opponents can make attacks of opportunity, but if they do so they are not entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 10 + spell level + Cha modifier) or be engulfed; on a success they are pushed back or aside (opponent’s choice) as the mystery moves forward. Engulfed creatures are subject to the full normal effect of the mystery/mysteries each round on the living mystery’s turn, take cold damage as if hit by the living mystery’s slam attack, and are considered to be grappled.
Special qualities: A living spell has 4 special qualities.
—Ooze Traits
—Damage Reduction 10/magic
—Fast Healing equal to highest spell level X 2.
—20% miss chance against all attacks
Saves: A living spell has no good saves, as is typical for a creature of the ooze type.
Abilities: A living mystery has Strength, Constitution, and Charisma scores equal to 12 + its spell level. Its Dexterity and Wisdom scores are 10 + its spell level. It is mindless, and has no Intelligence score.
Skills and Feats: Living Mysteries, being mindless, possess not skills or feats.
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary
Challenge rating: A living mystery’s Challenge Rating is equal to the spell level of the highest-level mystery upon which it is based plus one-half its caster level, rounded down, +1 (minimum CR 2). If the living mystery is based on multiple mysteries, increase the CR by one-half the sum of the additional spell levels (minimum increase +1)
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: —
Level adjustment: —

Killer Shade
Medium Ooze
Hit Dice: 5d10+10 (32 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 20 ft.
Armor class: 11 (+1 Dex), touch 11, flat-footed 10
Base attack/grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Slam +5 melee (1d4+3 plus 6 cold plus mystery effect plus mysterious enhancement)
Full attack: Slam +5 melee (1d4+3 plus 6 cold plus killing shadows plus mysterious enhancement)
Space/reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special attacks: Engulf, killing shadows, mysterious enhancement
Special qualities: 20% miss chance, blindsight 60 ft., damage reduction 10/magic, fast healing 6, ooze traits
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +2
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 13, Con 15, Int –, Wis 13, Cha 15
Skills: —
Feats: —
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary
Challenge rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level adjustment: —

A black mass of sludge trudges towards you, seeping fumes up into the air. Every now and again, an eyeball becomes visible before sinking back into the ooze’s depths

A killer shade is a living killing shadows mystery, unleashing bursts of unearthly energy as it attacks.

COMBAT
A killer shade normally hides in a dark crevasse or similar area, waiting to snatch up anything that gets too close.
Engulf (Ex): A killer shade can flow around creatures that fit within its space as a standard action. It cannot make a slam attack during a round in which it engulfs. The living mystery merely has to move over the opponents, affecting as many as it can cover. Opponents can make attacks of opportunity, but if they do so they are not entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 15) or be engulfed; on a success they are pushed back or aside (opponent’s choice) as the mystery moves forward. Engulfed creatures take 5d8 points of damage (Will DC 15 half), take another 6 cold damage, and are considered to be grappled.
Killing Shadows (Su): A creature hit by a killer shade’s slam attack or engulfed b it is dealt 5d8 damage (Will DC 15 half).
Mysterious Enhancement (Su): Whenever a creature is hit by a killer shade’s slam attack, the killer shade either gets a +3 resistance bonus on all saving throws or a +3 deflection bonus to AC for 5 rounds.

Eternal Mass
Large Ooze
Hit Dice: 7d10+21 (59 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft.
Armor class: 11 (-1 size, +2 Dex)
Base attack/grapple: +5/+12
Attack: Slam +7 melee (1d6+4 plus 8 cold plus mysterious enhancement)
Full attack: Slam +7 melee (1d6+4 plus 8 cold plus mysterious enhancement)
Space/reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special attacks: Engulf, Mysterious Enhancement
Special qualities: 20% miss chance, blindsight 60 ft., damage reduction 10/magic, fast healing 8, ooze traits
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +4, Will +4
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 16, Int –, Wis 14, Cha 16
Skills: —
Feats: —
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary
Challenge rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level adjustment: —

This bloated, grayish mass, seems to enlarge, calcify, and then shrink back to its normal size as it moves towards you.

An eternal mass is a living bolster, so named for its ability to withstand huge amounts of punishment.

COMBAT
An eternal mass makes no effort to hide itself, relying on its tremendous resilience to keep itself going.
Engulf (Ex): An eternal mass can flow around creatures that fit within its space as a standard action. It cannot make a slam attack during a round in which it engulfs. The living mystery merely has to move over the opponents, affecting as many as it can cover. Opponents can make attacks of opportunity, but if they do so they are not entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 17) or be engulfed; on a success they are pushed back or aside (opponent’s choice) as the mystery moves forward. Engulfed creatures take 8 cold damage and are considered to be grappled.
Mysterious Enhancement (Su): Whenever a creature is hit by an eternal mass’ slam attack, the eternal mass gains 35 temporary hit points (which last for up to 70 minutes) and either gets a +4 resistance bonus on all saving throws or a +4 deflection bonus to AC for 7 rounds.

Walking Detriment
Huge Ooze
Hit Dice:13d10+65 (136 hp)
Initiative: +4/+17
Speed: 20 ft.
Armor class: 12 (-2 size, +4 Dex)
Base attack/grapple: +12/+25
Attack: Slam +15 melee (1d8+7 plus 14 cold plus greater life fades plus shadow vision plus languor plus mysterious enhancement)
Full attack: Slam +15 melee (1d8+7 plus 14 cold plus greater life fades plus shadow vision plus languor plus mysterious enhancement)
Space/reach: 15 ft./10 ft.
Special attacks: Engulf, greater life fades, languor, mysterious enhancement, shadow vision
Special qualities: 20% miss chance, blindsight 60 ft., damage reduction 10/magic, fast healing 14, ooze traits
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +9
Abilities: Str 21, Dex 19, Con 21, Int –, Wis 19, Cha 21
Skills: —
Feats: —
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary
Challenge rating: 17
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: —
Level adjustment: —

The terrific being before you seems to be a mass of half-liquified skulls. As it approaches, you can smell the scent of death in the air.

A walking detriment is little more than an amalgam of the most harmful mysteries in existence, including greater life fades, languor, and shadow vision.

COMBAT
A living detriment makes no effort to keep itself hidden. It wades across the battlefield, weakening as many as possible but not pressing a fight unless forced to. They are normally content to keep moving in a straight line across the battlefield.
Engulf (Ex): A living detriment can flow around creatures that fit within its space as a standard action. It cannot make a slam attack during a round in which it engulfs. The living detriment merely has to move over the opponents, affecting as many as it can cover. Opponents can make attacks of opportunity, but if they do so they are not entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a Reflex save (DC 22) or be engulfed; on a success they are pushed back or aside (opponent’s choice) as the mystery moves forward. Engulfed creatures are afflicted by their greater life fades, languor, and shadow vision attacks, they take 14 cold damage and are considered to be grappled.
Greater Life Fades (Su): A creature hit by a living detriment’s slam attack or engulfed by it take 13d6 nonlethal damage and are exhausted for 13 rounds. If they succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 22), they take half damage and are only fatigued.
Languor (Su): A creature hit by a living detriment’s slam attack or engulfed by it must make a will save (DC 20) or suffer the effects of the languor mystery. Although the living detriment may use either version of this mystery, they prefer the slow version.
Mysterious Enhancement (Su): Whenever a creature is hit by a living detriment’s slam attack, the living detriment either gets a +7 resistance bonus on all saving throws or a +7 deflection bonus to AC for 13 rounds.
Shadow Vision (Su): A creature with 3 or more Intelligence hit by a living detriments slam attack or engulfed by it must make a will save (DC 19) or suffer the effects of the shadow vision mystery.

LIVING MYSTERY LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about umbral devourers. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]15[/B]   Some mysteries, for reasons unknown to shadow magic users, take on a life of their own.
[B]20[/B]   Living mysteries are surprisingly resilient, resisting many attacks and healing themselves with ease.
[B]25[/B]   A living mystery unleashed their mystery’s normal effect whenever they hit  or engulf a foe.

Mockery Creature
There are a few strange tails of creatures who wanders off into the plane of shadows and finds a twisted mockery of themselves among their other umbral opponents. Most of these are thought of either as wise proverbs or as the ravings of lunatics and drunkards. The mockeries are out there, and though they are not mobilizing, it is hard to find ease knowing that each man woman child, and beast has a double of them waiting. Even if a Mockery’s double dies, the mockery remains as a twisted testament to their life. Some mockeries imitate individuals, and others exist to mock a race in general

Sample Mockery Creature[
Mockery Goblin, 1st-level Warrior
Small Humanoid (Goblinoid, Shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 1d8+1 (5 hp)
Initiative: +1
Speed: 40 ft.
Armor class: 15 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +2 leather armor, +1 light shield), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base attack/grapple: +1/-3
Attack: Morningstar +2 melee (1d6) or javelin +3 ranged (1d4)
Full attack: Morningstar +2 melee (1d6) or javelin +3 ranged (1d4)
Space/reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special attacks: —
Special qualities: Broken bonds, darkvision 60 ft., damage reduction 10/magic, immortal, immunity to cold and mind affecting effects, morphic anatomy, rejuvenation
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +1, Will –1
Abilities: Str 11, Dex 13, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 9, Cha 6
Skills: Hide +5, Listen +2, Move Silently +5, Ride +4, Spot +2
Feats: Alertness
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Ebon Gang (4-9), Dark Band (10-100 plus 100% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level sergeant per 20 adults and 1 leader of 4th-6th level), Warband (10-24 with mockery worg mounts), or umbral tribe (40-400 plus 100% noncombatants plus 1 3rd-level sergeant per 20 adults, 1 or 2 lieutenants of 4th or 5th level, 1 leader of 6th-8th level, 10-24 mockery worgs, and 2-4 mockery dire wolves)
Challenge rating: 3
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Any
Advancement: By character class
Level adjustment: +0

This little humanoid has a flat face with a broad nose, pointed ears, and a wide mouth filled with small, sharp fangs. Although bipedal its arms hang down almost to its knees. Something about the small being seems off, but it is impossible to tell just what.

COMBAT
A mockery goblin fights just like other goblins, with low courage and great numbers. Their nature is rarely made visible unless they use their morphic anatomy ability.
Broken Bonds (Ex): Most mockery goblins spend their entire lives on the plane of shadow, to which they are linked. If they leave the plane, however, the ties that kept them alive are forever broken, causing a slow death in the mockery goblin. Each week, the mockery creature takes 1 constitution damage. In addition, every month, the mockery creature’s constitution is permanently lowered by 1, which cannot be reversed even by a miracle or wish.
Immortal: Mockery goblins do not die of old age.
Morphic Anatomy (Ex): The mockery goblin, despite looking like an imitation of another creature, is truly a morphic shapechanger. As a swift action, they can extend their reach by 5 feet. As a move action, they can fit through gaps as narrow as 1 inch in diameter. As a standard action, they can imitate the alter self spell, except that it affects the mockery goblin regardless of their type and only lasts as long as it is concentrated on. In addition, the mockery goblin is immune to critical hits and sneak attacks


Creating a Mockery Creature
”Mockery” is an inherited template that can be added to any living creature or onto any unique or individual creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A mockery creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and abilities, except as noted here.
Size and Type: The mockery creature gains the shapechanger subtype.
Speed: Each of the mockery creature’s movement speeds increases by 10 feet.
Special qualities: A mockery creature retains all the special qualities of the base creature and also gains the following qualities.
—Darkvision out to 60 ft.
—Damage reduction 10/magic
—Immunity to cold and mind-affecting effects
Broken Bonds (Ex): Most mockery creatures spend their entire lives on the plane of shadow, to which they are linked. If they leave the plane, however, the ties that kept them alive are forever broken, causing a slow death in the mockery creature. Each week, the mockery creature takes 1 constitution damage. In addition, every month, the mockery creature’s constitution is permanently lowered by 1, which cannot be reversed even by a miracle or wish.
Immortal: Mockery creatures do not die of old age.
Morphic Anatomy (Ex): The mockery creature, despite looking like an imitation of another creature, is truly a morphic shapechanger. As a swift action, they can extend their reach by 5 feet. As a move action, they can fit through gaps as narrow as 1 inch in diameter. As a standard action, they can imitate the alter self spell, except that it affects the mockery creature regardless of their type and only lasts as long as it is concentrated on. In addition, the mockery creature is immune to critical hits and sneak attacks
Rejuvenation: Mockery creatures cannot truly die, short of their broken bonds ability, until their original has been killed. If a mockery creature is killed while its original yet lives, it comes back to life with full hit points 1d4 weeks later (if a Mockery Creature is not made as a mockery of a specific creature, assume that they do not rejuvenate).
Abilities: Intelligence at least 3.
Skills: A Mockery creature gets a +20 racial bonus on disguise checks to look like their original creature (if it is based on an individual).
Environment: All Mockery creatures naturally remain on the plane of shadow.
Challenge Rating: +2
Alignment: Any
Level adjustment: —

MOCKERY LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about mockery creatures. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]20[/B]   Every race and individual has a twisted mockery of it living somewhere on the plane of shadow.
[B]25[/B]   Although mockeries look like the originals, they are truly morphic shapechangers, made to imitate forms on the material plane.
[B]30[/B]   Mockery creatures can leave the plane of shadow if they must, but doing so dooms them to a slow and painful death.

Shadow Keeper
Small Fey
Hit Dice: 1d6+1 (4 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft.; fly 40 ft. (average)
Armor class: 18 (+1 size, +4 deflection, +3 Dex), touch 18, flat-footed 15
Base attack/grapple: +0/-5
Attack: Shortsword +3 melee (1d4-2) or light crossbow +3 ranged (1d6/19-20)
Full attack: Shortsword +3 melee (1d4-2) or light crossbow +3 ranged (1d6/19-20)
Space/reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special attacks: Keeper of Crossroads, Spell-Like Abilities
Special qualities: Damage reduction 5/cold iron, light sensitivity, low-light vision, protector of shadows, spell resistance 16
Saves: Fort +1, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 18
Skills: Diplomacy +8, Disguise +8, Hide +7, Knowledge (nature) +5, Move Silently +7, Perform (sing) +8, Sense Motive +5
Feats: Weapon Finesse
Environment: Plane of Shadow or Underground
Organization: Solitary or Pair
Challenge rating: 1
Treasure: 50% goods; 50% items
Alignment: usually neutral
Advancement: 2-4 HD (Small)
Level adjustment: +3

The small being before you looks almost like a miniature elf, with the exception that it possesses dusky skin and a pair of black butterfly wings.

It is said that long ago, a race of fey were sent from the material plane into the plane of shadow, to bring into it nature and joy. After millennia of failure, however, they returned to find their previous posts taken by new forms of fey. Retreating into self-imposed exile, they returned to the only post left for them, the guarding of darkened places in the world. Unlike most forms of fey, shadow keepers do not gather in groups. Instead, each meditates in isolation, protecting a cavern or area in the plane of shadows, meeting with each other only to mate and raise young or to protect an area of shadow from those who would desecrate it. Though their songs are rare, the few that have been heard speak of the wonders of shadow and solitude. The shadow keepers protect the darkness from those who would dare desecrate it with illumination. They also protect creatures native to that habitat and the area itself, from those who would seek to exploit it.

COMBAT
Shadow keepers are rather inept at combat, hoping to solve problems before they can start, either through diplomacy or, failing that, their keeper of crossroads ability. If a lasting problem does manifest itself, however, it is not uncommon for ten or more shadow keepers to gather. They fight under the cover of shadows, hiding themselves, threatening their opponents with illusions, and peppering their opponents with crossbow bolts or arrows of dusk, should they wish for the confrontation to remain nonlethal.
Keeper of Crossroads (Su): Shadow Keepers understand how difficult it is for some to travel without light. Some more understanding Shadow Keepers offer travelers another way to travel without light. Less understanding Shadow Keepers punish travelers for their reliance upon it. A number of times per day equal to their charisma modifier (usually four times each day), a Shadow Keeper can grant a target darkvision out to 60 feet and a +10 bonus on survival checks or deny that target of any darkvision or low-light vision they possess (including superior low-light vision) and impose a –10 penalty on survival checks. Both uses of this ability require a successful touch attack against the target and last until the target is exposed to natural sunlight (but not equally bright light, such as a daylight spell).
Light Sensitivity (Ex): Shadow Keepers are dazzled in bright sunlight or within the radius of a daylight spell.
Protector of Darkness (Su): While in areas of darkness or shadowy illumination, Shadow Keepers add their charisma bonus (if any) as a deflection bonus to their AC.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will—Arrows of Dusk, Black Candle, Trick of the Light (DC 14); 3/day—Dusk and Dawn, False Form, Voices from Nowhere (DC 15); 1/day—Without a Trace. Caster level 8th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

SHADOW KEEPER LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) or Knowledge (nature) can learn more about the shadow keepers. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes) or Knowledge (Nature)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]15[/B]    Shadow keepers are few dedicated to the protection of dark places, both on the material plane and the plane of shadow.
[B]18[/B]   Shadow keepers have the ability to help or hurt those traveling through their homes, depending on their moods, until their target sees the light of sun once more.
[B]21[/B]   Shadow keeper employ a good range of shadow magic, gained from their long protection of darkness.

Shadow Ore Golem
Large Construct
Hit Dice:12d10+30(96 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 20 ft.
Armor class: 29 (-1 size, +4 Dex, +16 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 25
Base attack/grapple: +9/+19
Attack: Slam +15 melee (2d8+6)
Full attack: 2 slams +15 melee (2d8+6)
Space/reach: 10 ft./20 ft.
Special attacks: Wraith Strike
Special qualities: Adaptive body, construct traits, damage reduction 10/adamantine, darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 10, hide in plain sight, immunity to magic, light vulnerability, low-light vision, shadow blend, slight build, unreliable
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +4
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 18, Con —, Int —, Wis 11, Cha 1
Skills: Hide +20, Move Silently +24
Feats: Combat Reflexes
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary or Gang (2-4)
Challenge rating: 11
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral
Advancement: 15-20 (Large); 21-32 (Huge)
Level adjustment: –

This automaton is barely comparable to the iron or flesh golems in stories. The figure appears to be composed of loose, black stones, floating near each other in a roughly humanoid pattern. A dark mist seems to fill the space between the stones.

Shadow ore golems are semi-reliable guardians first created on the plane of shadow. They are created from loose chunks of shadow ore, kept coherent by bonds of shadow between them. They are often kept in areas of darkness, where they are most effective.

COMBAT
Shadow Ore Golems are normally ordered to wait in shadows until an intruder approaches. Then, they strike out from cover, striking their foes and occasionally hiding back within the shadows.
Adaptive Body (Ex): Whenever a Shadow Ore Golem is hit by a weapon crafted of a special material, the Shadow Ore Golem’s slam attacks are treated as being crafted of that material for 1d4 rounds. Their slam attacks may be treated as multiple special materials, for this purpose.
Hide in Plain Sight (Ex): A shadow ore golem can make hide checks without cover or concealment or while observed as long as they do so within 10 feet of shadowy illumination or darkness.
Immunity to Magic (Ex): A shadow ore golem is immune to any spell or spell-like ability that allows spell resistance.
Light Vulnerability (Ex): A shadow ore golem in an area of sunlight or within the radius of a sunlight spell loses their fast healing, hide in plain sight, slight build, and wraithstrike abilities, and has their reach halved
Shadow Blend (Ex): while not in an area of bright light, a shadow ore golem gains concealment.
Slight Build (Ex): much of a shadow ore golem’s area is taken up by insubstantial bonds between the chunks of shadow ore. By compressing the ore together, shadow ore golems can fit through areas as if they were up to two size categories smaller
Unreliable (Ex): as the famed creators of automatons (MMII) have learned, shadow is a much less reliable power source than an elemental spirit. Therefore, at the beginning of each round, there is a chance that the shadow ore golem is unable to keep up with the events of the previous round, rendering it dazed and flat-footed for that round. The exact odds of this happening are determined by light conditions, as dictated below.

[B]Light condition  % chance[/B]
Darkness          10%
Shadowy           25%
Bright Light      50%

Wraith Strike (Su): As a swift action, a shadow ore golem can turn all slam attacks made for the rest of the round into melee touch attacks. The shadow ore golem does not add their strength modifier to the attack or damage rolls of such attacks. Once this ability has been used, it cannot be used again for 1d4 rounds.
Skills and Feats: A shadow ore golem gains a +20 racial bonus on hide and move silently checks and gains combat reflexes as a bonus feat.

SHADOW ORE GOLEM LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about shadow ore golems. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]15[/B]   Shadow ore golems possess unnatural stealth capabilities, hiding with little or no darkness available.
[B]20[/B]   Shadow ore golems have much longer reach than one would expect, imitate any special materials struck with, and can bypass armor.
[B]25[/B]   Despite their many defenses, the animating force of a shadow ore golem is unreliable, especially in bright light.

CONSTRUCTION
I don’t know the equation for calculating the cost of the shadow ore golem, but if someone could provide me with such an equation, I would be more than pleased to write this down.

Shadow Phantom
Medium Abberation (incorporeal, shapechanger)
Hit Dice: 10d8+20 (65 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: Fly 30 ft. (perfect)
Armor class: 15 (+3 deflection, +2 Dex), touch 15, flat-footed 13
Base attack/grapple: +7/—
Attack: incorporeal touch +9 melee (1d6)
Full attack: 2 incorporeal touches +9/+4 melee (1d6)
Space/reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special attacks:Baleful Translocation, Final Surprise
Special qualities: Amorphous, Borrowed Form, Incorporeal Traits, Instant Movement, Veil of Corporeality
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +5, Will +8
Abilities: Str –, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 16
Skills: Bluff +16, Disguise +18, Listen +10, Spot +9
Feats: Alertness, Deceitful, Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative,
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary, pair, or mockery (2-4)
Challenge rating: 5
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always Neutral Evil
Advancement: 11-20 HD (Medium)
Level adjustment: —

A wisp of insubstantial shadow glides steadily towards you.

On the plane of shadow, some visitors have visited warped versions of familiar sights and heard the shouts of loved ones. The unlucky ones have run into a more difficult obstacle, themselves. Although not truly a copy of an individual, shadow phantoms populate the shadowy mockeries of inhabited areas, playing the “roles” of typical creatures, despite their incorporeal state. Whenever they pass through another creature, they become the perfect imitation, fooling both simple and magical tests.

COMBAT
A battle with a shadow phantom almost invariably starts with it rising up from the ground, passing through another party member (and making a touch attack against them using flyby attack), and then “walking” forward, making the one that lags behind look like a copy.
Amorphous (Ex): A shadow phantom is immune to extra damage from critical hits and sneak attack.
Baleful Translocation (Su): As a free action, a shadow phantom can attempt to switch locations with another creature up to 100 ft. away. This attempt is thwarted if the target to be switched with succeeds on a DC 18 will save. Regardless of success or failure, another attempt may not be made for 1d4 rounds.
Borrowed Form (Su): Whenever a shadow phantom passes through the square of a target within one size category of themselves, they instantly take the appearance of that creature. This illusion covers visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and thermal components (but the illusion of the new form cannot cause any damage that the shadow phantom cannot) of both it and any items carried. Furthermore, the shadow phantom learns all languages known by the target for as long as they remain in that form. Any attempts to discern the original from the fake via divination reveals them both to have the same alignment, thoughts, and items (the shadow phantom, however, has access to none of this information). A true seeing spell reveals the shadow phantom for what it is. Any item copied in this way is nonfunctional (a sword, for instance, can still be used, but will only deal the normal 1d6 touch attack damage).
Final Surprise (Su): When slain, a shadow phantom can make a final melee touch attack against any adjacent foe as an immediate action. If it succeeds, the touched target suffers the effects of the phantasmal killer spell (Save DC 18).
Instant Movement (Ex): Whenever another creature moves through the shadow phantom’s space, the shadow phantom may make a move action as an immediate action as soon as the other creature occupies their space (their appearance is copied by the borrowed form ability).
Veil of Corporeality (Ex): A shadow phantom truly appears to be corporeal. They can walk (and make appropriate sounds for walking), have tactile and thermal aspects included in their disguise, and can will their disguise to appear injured if appropriate. No spot or listen check can discern that the shadow phantom is truly incorporeal (although they may still see through the disguise).
Skills: A shadow phantom has a +10 racial bonus on disguise checks while using the borrowed form ability.

SHADOW PHANTOM LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about shadow phantoms. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]18[/B]    Shadow phantoms are particularly effective incorporeal shapechangers, native to the plane of shadow.
[B]21[/B]   A shadow phantom’s disguise is almost complete, fooling mundane experimentation and even most divination spells.
[B]25[/B]   A shadow phantom leaves one last surprise when slain, an illusion meant to frighten its killer to death.
[B]28[/B]   The only flaw in a shadow phantom’s disguise is its inability to read its target’s mind or access its thoughts.

 

[Realms of Chaos]

Shadow Scuttler
Small Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 3d10+6 (22 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 40 ft., burrow 20 ft.
Armor class: 18 (+1 size, +4 natural, +3 dex)
Base attack/grapple:+3/+0
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d4+1 plus poison)
Full attack: Bite +6 melee (1d4+1 plus poison)
Space/reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special attacks: Planar burrow, poison
Special qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, shadow blend, shadow scuttle
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 2, Wis 14, Cha 8
Skills: Hide +6, Move Silently +6
Feats: Improved Iniatiative, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary or cluster (2-6)
Challenge rating: CR 3
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 4-6 HD (Small); 7-9 HD (Medium); 10-11 HD (Large)
Level adjustment: —

A small, segmented insect with at least 12 slender legs, each trailing off into shadow as it reaches the floor, emerges from the ground. A dark blue shell covers most of its body and its head is little more than mandibles surrounded by a ring of antennae, which apparently conceal its eyes.

The Shadow Scuttler appears to be the shadowy relation to the typical ankheg, although no genetic links have been made, as of yet. They appear to burrow using their fast-moving mandibles alone, and they possess a venom capable of slowing down attackers. Unlike ankhegs, however, they possess no ability to sense potential prey from their tunnels, and so prefer to hide in dark places and wait there for prey.

COMBAT
Shadow Scuttlers, being much smaller than their material cousins, have correspondingly smaller appetites. A couple of bite attacks provide it with a good meal, although it will not hesitate to kill prey that does not put up much of a fight. When in danger, they typically use their shadow scuttle ability to keep themselves safe long enough to use their planar burrow ability.
Planar Burrow (Su): As a full-round action, a shadow scuttler can dig themselves from the plane of shadow to the material plane or visa-versa. This ability leaves no usable portal, however. When a shadow scuttler uses this ability, they reappear at the exact spot on the target plane in which they had last used this ability.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 13, initial damage speed is reduced by 10 feet for 1 hour, secondary damage target cannot run or charge for 1 hour. The save DC is Constitution-based.
Shadow Blend (Su): While not in bright sunlight or within the radius of a sunlight spell, the shadow scuttler gains concealment.
Shadow Scuttle (Ex): Once per hour, a shadow scuttler can take a withdraw action as an immediate action. If this is done in response to an attack, the attack has a 50% miss chance. If this is done in response to an area effect, the shadow scuttler has a 50% chance of avoiding that effect, so long as they move out of its area.

SHADOW SCUTTLER LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about the shadow scuttlers. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]12[/B]    It is said that ankhegs have a relation on the plane of shadow, known as shadow scuttlers.
[B]18[/B]   Shadow scuttlers are defensive in nature, blending in with shadows, using a speed-slowing poison to stop pursuits, and having the ability to retreat a distance in a mere moment’s time. 
[B]25[/B]   Shadow scuttlers are known for their ability to tunnel between the material plane and the plane of shadow.

Shadow-Warped
Throughout the ages, there have been those individuals depraved enough to attempt to infuse their body with darkness. In most cases, this actually means an infusion of evil through pact with a fiend, a transformation into an undead, or a deal with a deity of evil. In a few, rare cases, however, an infusion of darkness is literally meant as an infusion of darkness, taken directly from the plane of shadow. The mixing of constant existence with morphic shadow, however, makes for a poor excuse of a creature, doomed to misery for the rest of its (hopefully short) life. This technique is sometimes used upon others, to make an army of pliable creatures.

Sample Shadow-Warped Creature
Shadow-warped Blink Dog
Medium Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10+8 (30 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 50 ft.
Armor class: 15 (+3 Dex, +1 natural, +1 deflection), touch 14, flat footed 12
Base attack/grapple: +4/+5
Attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+1)
Full attack: Bite +5 melee (1d6+1)
Space/reach: 5 ft./10 ft.
Special attacks: —
Special qualities: Blink, darkvision 90 ft., dimension door, daylight sensitivity, endless agony, fortification, low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +1
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 11, Cha 7
Skills: Hide +2, Listen +2, Sense Motive +3, Spot +2, Survival +3
Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Track
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary or Pair
Challenge rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually Chaotic Good
Advancement: 5-7 HD (Medium); 8-12 (Large)
Level adjustment: +3 (Cohort)

A big canine with yellow-brown fur and large ears looks completely different from its normal kin, bearing patches of wavering black fur and an unnaturally extended snout and neck. It disappears and quickly reappears somewhere else.

When a blink dog is subjected to large amounts of shadow, they may become infused with it. They maintain their teleportation abilities, but have been driven to the point of insanity. This insanity, combined with their lower intelligence, has kept shadow-warped blink dogs from remembering their own language.

COMBAT
Shadow-warped blink dogs, due to their insanity and related lack of language, rarely get together in groups of more than 2. As they cannot take advantage of flanking, they simply wade through the battle field, teleporting close enough for their improved reach to hit, biting, and then running away with their improved speed.
Blink (Su): A shadow-warped blink dog can use blink as the spell (caster level 8th), and can evoke or end the effect as a free action.
Daylight Sensitivity (Ex): A shadow-warped blink dog is dazzled in areas of bright light.
Dimension Door(Su): A shadow-warped blink dog can teleport, as dimension door (caster level 8th), once per round as a free action. The ability affects only the shadow-warped blink dog, which never appears within a solid object and can act immediately after teleporting.
Endless Agony (Ex): The writhing of the unstable shadowstuff makes maintenance of the body nearly impossible, driving the shadow-warped blink dog insane with pain. The shadow-warped blink dog cannot fight defensively, use the total defense option, or use the combat expertise feat. In addition, the shadow-warped blink dog cannot use the concentration skill or any other intelligence-, or charisma-based skill check other than intimidate, and cannot cast any spells (or similar abilities) that take longer than 1 standard action to use. Lastly, the shadow-warped blink dog is immune to all charm effects.
Fortification (Ex): As some of the shadow-warped blink dog’s organs are infused with shadowstuff, they may be able to move out of the way of an attack, providing a 50% chance to negate extra damage from a sneak attack or critical hit. This percentile is rolled separately from any granted by armor or other such exterior sources.
Saves:Shadow-warped blink dogs take a –4 penalty on all will saves made against compulsion effects.

Creating a Shadow-Warped Creature
“Shadow-warped” is an acquired template that can be added to any corporeal aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, plant, or vermin (referred to hereafter as the base creature).
A shadow-warped creature uses all the base creature’s statistics and abilities except as noted.
Speed: One of the shadow-warped creature’s speeds is increased by 10 feet, chosen at the time that the template is acquired.
Armor class: A shadow-warped creature loses two points of natural armor (to a minimum of +0 natural armor) but gains a +1 deflection bonus to AC.
Space/reach: The shadow-warped creature has their reach extended by 5 feet.
Special qualities: A shadow-warped creature has all the special qualities of the base creature, plus the following special qualities.
—Darkvision 30 feet, or the shadow-warped creature’s existing darkvision is extended by another 30 feet.
Daylight Sensitivity (Ex): A shadow-warped creature is dazzled in areas of bright light.
Endless Agony (Ex): The writhing of the unstable shadowstuff makes maintenance of the body nearly impossible, driving the shadow-warped creature insane with pain. The shadow-warped creature cannot fight defensively, use the total defense option, or use the combat expertise feat. In addition, the shadow-warped creature cannot use the concentration skill or any other intelligence-, or charisma-based skill check other than intimidate, and cannot cast any spells (or similar abilities) that take longer than 1 standard action to use. Lastly, the shadow-warped creature is immune to all charm effects.
Fortification (Ex): As some of the shadow-warped creature’s organs are infused with shadowstuff, they may be able to move out of the way of an attack, providing a 50% chance to negate extra damage from a sneak attack or critical hit. This percentile is rolled separately from any granted by armor or other such exterior sources.
Saves: A shadow-warped creature takes a –4 penalty on will saves made to resist compulsion effects.
Abilities: Increase from the base creature as follows: Str +2, Con +4, Int –4, Wis –2, Cha –4
Challenge rating: +0
Alignment: usually chaotic. Though the surging shadowstuff may not make a shadow-warped creature evil, it most certainly drives them insane.
Level adjustment: +1

SHADOW-WARPED LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about shadow-warped creature. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]15[/B]    Some creatures are infused with shadowstuff, strengthening their body but weakening their mind.
[B]20[/B]   The warping nature of shadowstuff has given shadow-warped creatures a lifetime of agony, although it protects them in other ways as well. 
[B]25[/B]   Shadow-warped creatures are more susceptible to compulsion magic, leading some depraved souls to force the condition onto others against their will.

Umbral Devourer

As is commonly known, both matter and shadow exist. Also known is that some magic utilizes shadow itself. Unknown, to all but a few scholars in existence, is that when shadow magic is invoked on our plane, an equal amount of material matter or magic is transferred to the Plane of Shadow, which is just as alien there as shadow magic is here. The plane of shadow, it seems, has come up with a solution to this problem. From random shadow stuff, oozes of various sizes have congealed, which work almost as scabs, absorbing material magic and keeping it sequestered until it is metabolized. Although it is alive (in the strictest sense of the word) umbral devourers do not truly die. Instead, as a dying blow would be dealt, the shadowstuff making up the umbral devourer is recycled elsewhere in the plane, where a new one is formed. As such, the population is on the incline, and their frequent slaughter by the material creatures (which umbral devourers assume to be a threat to the plane) makes sure that they are spread out among the plane, eating material matter wherever it may spawn.

COMBAT
Although they are very varied in strength, most use the same tactics. Once they detect magic, they move towards it, stealing the magic and then trying to destroy its source, if any.
Detect Magic (Su): All umbral devourers can detect the presence of magic within a 300 foot-radius, although they can neither identify schools of magic, recognize how many sources or how strong the magic is, nor pinpoint the location of the magic.
Spell Vulnerability (Su): umbral devourers have been created to recognize and destroy only material magic. Due to this, umbral devourers do not detect mysteries or magic of the shadow subschool with their detect magic ability. Furthermore, such forms of magic not only automatically overcome the umbral devourer’s spell resistance but treat the umbral devourer as having failed any related saving throws.
Skills: umbral devourers have a +8 racial bonus on Climb and Swim checks and may always choose to take 10 on a Climb check or Swim check, even if rushed or threatened

Minor Devourer
Small Ooze
Hit Dice: 2d10+4 (15 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 10 ft., climb 10 ft., swim 10 ft.
Armor class: 11 (+1 size), touch 11, flat-footed 11
Base attack/grapple: +1/-3
Attack: Slam +2 melee (1d4 plus 1d4 cold)
Full attack: Slam +2 melee (1d4 plus 1d4 cold)
Space/reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special attacks: Aura of Cold, Drain Spells
Special qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., Damage Reduction 2/Magic, Detect Magic, Ooze Traits, Spell Resistance 11, Spell Vulnerability
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +0, Will –5
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 10, Con 14, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: Climb +8, Swim +8
Feats: —
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary
Challenge rating: CR 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 3-7 HD (Small)
Level adjustment: —

A small ooze looks like nothing more than a living puddle of grayish muck.

Minor Devourers are the weakest of the umbral devourers, only able to digest very weak spells. There is always a chance of developing into a larger umbral devourer, but the risks needed to do so are extreme, making it almost impossible for the unintelligent ooze. A minor devourer weighs about 50 pounds.

COMBAT
Minor devourers are in many ways limited by their small metabolism. Once they have sated themselves, they either run away to digest or keep fighting.
Aura of Cold (Su): A minor devourer emanates a weak area of cold. At the beginning of its turn, the minor devourer deals 1d4 cold damage to each creature within 5 feet of it. In addition, each of its slam attacks deal an additional 1d4 cold damage.
Drain Spells (Su): Once every 5 rounds, a minor devourer can attempt to steal spells from nearby spellcasters. As a full-round action, it forces every spellcaster within a 5 foot-radius to make a will save (DC 10 + 1/2 devourer’s HD + devourer’s con modifier) or lose a random spell (or spell slot, for spontaneous casters) of the highest level they have access to (maximum 1st level). For each spell stolen in this way (regardless of spell level), the minor devourer gains 5 temporary hit points, which last for 5 rounds. At the end of this time, the minor devourer gains a permanent hit dice for every 5 temporary hit points lost. A minor devourer with 7 hit dice instead becomes a lesser devourer at the first opportunity in which the area can hold its new mass.

Lesser Devourer
Medium Ooze
Hit Dice: 8d10+32 (76 hp)
Initiative: –1
Speed: 20 ft., climb 20 ft., swim 20 ft.
Armor class: 9 (-1 Dex), touch 9, flat-footed 9
Base attack/grapple: +6/+7
Attack: Slam +7 melee (1d6+1 plus 1d6 cold)
Full attack: Slam +7 melee (1d6+1 plus 1d6 cold)
Space/reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special attacks: Aura of Cold, Drain Spells
Special qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., Damage Reduction 5/Magic, Detect Magic, Ooze Traits, Spell Resistance 14, Spell Vulnerability
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +1, Will –3
Abilities: Str 12, Dex 8, Con 18, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: Climb +9, Swim +9
Feats: —
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary
Challenge rating: CR 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 9-14 HD (Medium)
Level adjustment: —

This dark grey mass looks like a mobile mudslide, albeit with a dark grey color.

Lesser Devourers are the second most common of umbral devourers, and are likely the stage of life in which any umbral devourer spends the most time, weak enough to not be sought out, but strong enough to push back the occasional attack.
Lesser devourers normally weigh about 100 pounds.

COMBAT
Lesser devourers are not as limited as minor devourers, thanks to a wider radius over which they can steal spells, in addition to increased speed, allow them to render magical opposition harmless. In addition, they can steal magic more frequently. Their enhanced fighting capabilities over that of minor devourers means that they need not run off to digest their spells.
Aura of Cold (Su): A lesser devourer emanates an area of cold. At the beginning of its turn, the lesser devourer deals 1d6 cold damage to each creature within 10 feet of it. In addition, each of its slam attacks deal an additional 1d6 cold damage.
Drain Spells (Su): Once every 4 rounds, a lesser devourer can attempt to steal spells from nearby spellcasters. As a full-round action, it forces every spellcaster within a 10 foot-radius to make a will save (DC 10 + 1/2 devourer’s HD + devourer’s con modifier) or lose a random spell (or spell slot, for spontaneous casters) of the highest level they have access to (maximum 3rd level). For each spell stolen in this way (regardless of spell level), the lesser devourer gains 5 temporary hit points, which last for 5 rounds. At the end of this time, the lesser devourer gains a permanent hit dice for every 5 temporary hit points lost. A lesser devourer with 14 hit dice becomes an average devourer at the first opportunity in which the area can hold its new mass.

Average Devourer
Large Ooze
Hit Dice: 15d10+90 (172 hp)
Initiative: –2
Speed: 30 ft., climb 30 ft., swim 30 ft.
Armor class: 7 (-1 size, -2 Dex), touch 7, flat-footed 7
Base attack/grapple: +11/+17
Attack: Slam +12 melee (1d8+2 plus 1d6 cold)
Full attack: Slam +12 melee (1d8+2 plus 1d6 cold)
Space/reach: 10 ft./10 ft.
Special attacks: Aura of Cold, Drain Spells
Special qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., Damage Reduction 10/Magic, Detect Magic, Ooze Traits, Spell Resistance 17, Spell Vulnerability
Saves: Fort +11, Ref +3, Will +0
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 6, Con 22, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: Climb +10, Swim +10
Feats: —
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary
Challenge rating: CR 10
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 16-25 HD (Large)
Level adjustment: —

This dark grey pool works its way across the ground. Light barely seems to permeate its membrane.

Although not the most common, the average devourer, also known as the umbral devourer, is perhaps the most commonly known of the species, as it is the most common one that provides a real threat.
Average devourers normally weigh about 500 pounds.

COMBAT
Average devourers are straightforward attackers, bolstering themselves by stealing spells whenever possible and attacking in all other situations.
Aura of Cold (Su): An average devourer emanates an area of cold. At the beginning of its turn, the average devourer deals 1d6 cold damage to each creature within 20 feet of it. In addition, each of its slam attacks deal an additional 1d6 cold damage.
Drain Spells (Su): Once every 3 rounds, an average devourer can attempt to steal spells from nearby spellcasters. As a full-round action, it forces every spellcaster within a 20 foot-radius to make a will save (DC 10 + 1/2 devourer’s HD + devourer’s con modifier) or lose a random spell (or spell slot, for spontaneous casters) of the highest level they have access to (maximum 5th level). For each spell stolen in this way (regardless of spell level), the average devourer gains 5 temporary hit points, which last for 5 rounds. At the end of this time, the average devourer gains a permanent hit dice for every 10 temporary hit points lost. An average devourer with 24 hit dice becomes a greater devourer at the first opportunity in which the area can hold its new mass.

Greater Devourer
Huge Ooze
Hit Dice: 25d10+200 (337 hp)
Initiative: –3
Speed: 40 ft., climb 40 ft., swim 40 ft.
Armor class: 5 (-2 size, -3 Dex), touch 5, flat-footed 5
Base attack/grapple: +18/+29
Attack: Slam +19 melee (2d6+3 plus 2d6 cold)
Full attack: Slam +19 melee (2d6+3 plus 2d6 cold)
Space/reach: 15 ft./15 ft.
Special attacks: Aura of Cold, Engulf, Drain Spells
Special qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., Damage Reduction 20/Magic, Detect Magic, Ooze Traits, Spell Resistance 22, Spell Vulnerability
Saves: Fort +16, Ref +5, Will +3
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 4, Con 26, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: Climb +11, Swim +11
Feats: —
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary
Challenge rating: CR 14
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 26-29 HD (Huge)
Level adjustment: —

This gigantic mass of blackish liquid quivers and shakes as it approaches.

Greater devourers are rare and dangerous. They have been known to attack wizarding colleges and towers, although they are normally repelled, at least eventually.
Greater devourers normally weigh about 2,000 pounds.

COMBAT
Greater devourers take advantage of their new engulf attack, ramming over dangerous foes to absorb more spellpower while attacking other foes mindlessly.
Aura of Cold (Su): A greater devourer emanates an area of cold. At the beginning of its turn, the greater devourer deals 2d6 cold damage to each creature within a 40 foot-radius of it. In addition, each of its slam attacks deal an additional 2d6 cold damage.
Drain Spells (Su): Once every other round, a greater devourer can attempt to steal spells from nearby spellcasters. As a full-round action, it forces every spellcaster within a 40 foot-radius to make a will save (DC 10 + 1/2 devourer’s HD + devourer’s con modifier) or lose a random spell (or spell slot, for spontaneous casters) of the highest level they have access to (maximum 7th level). For each spell stolen in this way (regardless of spell level), the greater devourer gains 5 temporary hit points, which last for 10 rounds. At the end of this time, the greater devourer gains a permanent hit dice for every 20 temporary hit points lost. An greater devourer with 29 hit dice becomes a superior devourer at the first opportunity in which the area can hold its new mass.
Engulf (Ex): using its quick speed, a greater devourer can simply mow down Large or smaller creatures as a standard action. It cannot make a slam attack during a round in which it engulfs. The greater devourer merely has to move over the opponents, effecting as many as it can cover. Opponents can make opportunity attacks against the devourer, but if they do so they are no entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a DC 25 Reflex save or be engulfed; on a success, they are pushed back or aside (opponent’s choice) as the devourer moves forward. Engulfed creatures are subject to the devourer’s drain spells and aura of cold ability each round, and are considered to be grappled and trapped within its body. The save DC is Strength-based.

Superior Devourer
Gargantuan Ooze
Hit Dice: 30d10+300 (465 hp)
Initiative: –4
Speed: 50 ft., climb 50 ft., swim 50 ft.
Armor class: 2 (-4 size, -4 Dex), touch 2, flat-footed 2
Base attack/grapple: +22/+38
Attack: Slam +22 melee (3d6+4 plus 4d6 cold)
Full attack: Slam +22 melee (3d6+4 plus 4d6 cold)
Space/reach: 20 ft./20 ft.
Special attacks: Aura of Cold, Engulf, Drain Spells
Special qualities: Blindsight 60 ft., Damage Reduction 30/Magic, Detect Magic, Ooze Traits, Spell Resistance 25, Spell Vulnerability
Saves: Fort +20, Ref +6, Will +5
Abilities: Str 18, Dex 2, Con 30, Int —, Wis 1, Cha 1
Skills: Climb +12, Swim +12
Feats: —
Environment: Plane of Shadow
Organization: Solitary
Challenge rating: CR 18
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always neutral
Advancement: 31-34 HD (Gargantuan)
Level adjustment: —

The approaching mass of pitch-black liquid is as large as a pond. It’s cytoplasm almost seems to crackle with energy as you feel the temperature around you drop.

Superior devourers are a tremendous threat to magical communities. On the few occasions that they have escaped the Plane of Shadow, they have caused mass destruction, annihilating any source of material magic that they find.
Superior devourers normally weigh about 20,000 pounds.

COMBAT
Superior devourers take advantage of their engulf attack, ramming over dangerous foes to absorb more spellpower while attacking other foes mindlessly. When injured, they attempt to Drain Spells each round, until there are no more sources to draw upon or they are bolstered enough for combat.
Aura of Cold (Su): A superior devourer emanates an area of cold. At the beginning of its turn, the superior devourer deals 4d6 cold damage to each creature within a 60 foot-radius of it. In addition, each of its slam attacks deal an additional 4d6 cold damage.
Drain Spells (Su): As a full-round action, a superior devourer can force every spellcaster within a 60 foot-radius to make a will save (DC 10 + 1/2 devourer’s HD + devourer’s con modifier) or lose a random spell (or spell slot, for spontaneous casters) of the highest level they have access to (maximum 9th level). For each spell stolen in this way (regardless of spell level), the superior devourer gains 5 temporary hit points, which last for 20 rounds. At the end of this time, the superior devourer gains a permanent hit dice for every 40 temporary hit points lost. A superior devourer with 34 hit dice becomes a perfect devourer (see epic monsters) at the first opportunity in which the area can hold its new mass.
Engulf (Ex): using its quick speed, a superior devourer can simply mow down Huge or smaller creatures as a standard action. It cannot make a slam attack during a round in which it engulfs. The superior devourer merely has to move over the opponents, effecting as many as it can cover. Opponents can make opportunity attacks against the devourer, but if they do so they are no entitled to a saving throw. Those who do not attempt attacks of opportunity must succeed on a DC 29 Reflex save or be engulfed; on a success, they are pushed back or aside (opponent’s choice) as the devourer moves forward. Engulfed creatures are subject to the devourer’s drain spells and aura of cold ability each round, and are considered to be grappled and trapped within its body. The save DC is Strength-based.

UMBRAL DEVOURER LORE
Characters who have ranks in Knowledge (the planes) can learn more about umbral devourers. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs
Knowledge (the Planes)

[B]DC  Results[/B]
[B]15[/B]    Umbral devourers are oozes native to the plane of shadow, spawned by the plane itself to detect and destroy material magic.
[B]20[/B]   Umbral devourers possess an aura of unearthly cold, often steal spells from the opposition, and the larger ones can even engulf their prey.
[B]25[/B]   Umbral devourers are resilient against all but magic weapons, but resist magic itself. They are, however, weak against shadow magic.

 

[Realms of Chaos]

Plagues and Poisons
Even the Plane of Shadow has some unique diseases and poisons, although perhaps not as many as most other planes.

Diseases:

[B]Disease      Infection   DC  Incubation  Damage[/B]
Black Blight  Ingested   16   1 week     1d4 Str
                                         1d4 Cha
[I]The Fading[/I]    Inhaled    18   1d4 days   1d6 Dex

Black Blight: Black blight is caught by eating some plants indigenous to the plane of shadow. The target’s hair turns black and falls out as their skin becomes pockmarked and worn. It takes three consecutive saving throws to cure yourself of black blight, rather than the normal two.
The Fading: In some less formed areas of the plane of shadow, especially near the darklands, the air is only partially formed and tries to disassemble anyone breathing it from the inside out. Every time that a creature takes damage from the fading, they must make another fortitude save or lose their sense of touch for the disease’s duration, imposing a –2 penalty on all climb, disarm device, jump, open lock, swim, and tumble checks. If they have already lose their sense of touch, they are rendered blind for the disease’s duration. If they are already numb and blind, they are rendered deaf for the disease’s duration.

Poisons:

[B]Poison                     Type                Initial Damage          Secondary Damage                  Price[/B]
Ebon Extract               Contact DC 17       1d4 Wis                 Unconsciousness for 1 hour        425 gp     
Midnight Residue           Contact DC 22       0                       2d6 Str+2d6 Dex                   1,500 gp
Black Root Vine            Ingested DC 16      1 Dex                   1d4+1 Dex                         150 gp
Beverut                    Ingested DC 20      0                       3d6 Dex                           750 gp
Ebon Cloud                 Inhaled DC 15       1d4 Wis                 2d4 Wis+1d4 Int                   225 gp
Black Mist Powder          Inhaled DC 25       0                       -2 Will saves for 1 hour          175 gp
Shadow Scuttler venom      Injury DC 13        -10 speed for 1 hour    no running/charging for 1 hour    400 gp
Dark Ichor                 Injury DC 15        1d4 Dex                 sickened for 1 hour               200 gp

 

[Realms of Chaos]

NEW DEITIES
Although most deities live on the outer planes, a few live on or are closely related to the plane of shadow.


DOLUS
God of Fools, the Hidden One, Trickster of Tricksters
Demigod (Neutral Evil)

Dolus is a god of trickery, but he displays his trickery in a quite unusual way. Instead of inspiring his worshippers to trick others, he tricks his worshippers. He cares not who or what his thralls think they are worshipping, as long as the power of that worship goes out to him. Due to his nasty habit of stealing worship from other deities, he fears retribution too much to live on the outer planes. Instead, he lives on the Plane of Shadow, where his angry brethren are unlikely to ever find him. Dolus’ holy symbol, or its closest equivalent, is a featureless, black circle. All formal worshippers tattoo this symbol somewhere on their body.
Anyone is a potential worshipper of Dolus, even if they do not know it. Dolus commonly floods the plane of shadow with his divine essence, increasing the odds that cultists (see earlier post) will call upon him instead of their desired source of power. There are a very few individuals who know Dolus’ identity, and have, as an act of worship, set out on a quest to meet the hidden one himself. Dolus’ views towards his direct worshippers, as of yet, remains to be seen.
Although Dolus actively teaches nothing on his own behalf, his few direct followers have learned from example and gain power, complete tasks, and manipulate others without doing so much as revealing their faces.
Portfolio: Secrecy, Manipulation, Shadow
Domains: Technically, Dolus grants access to every domain. His few direct worshippers, however, are limited to the Secrecy, Shadow, Evil, and Trickery domains.
Cleric Training: The only training that a cleric of Dolus truly needs is the discovery of Dolus’ name and identity. This task has not been made easy, however, and may require several divination attempts, an interrogation of another cleric of Dolus, or the recovery of ancient lore depicting him.
Quests: Dolus doles out no quests. Instead, he allows his followers to assign themselves tasks. Clerics of Dolus make it their mission to meet Dolus, face-to-face.
Prayers: Dolus accepts all forms of prayer with equal glee. As such, his few actual clerics usually choose to keep their prayers simple and quiet, knowing he will not mind.
Temples: Dolus has many temples, spread out amongst the planes. Actual temples dedicated to him in particular, however, are nonexistent. A cleric of Dolus can send their worship to their deity from anywhere and a shrine of Pelor would work just as well as a shrine of Wee Jas.
Rites: Despite the lack of formal rites, it is customary that if someone sees the face of a cleric of Dolus against their whims, that they mutilate, or magically alter their face.
Herald and Allies: Dolus’ one ally and friend is his herald, a Gloom (ELH, page 192).

Mae Kiar:
Reclaimer, Watcher of Darkness
Lesser Deity (Neutral)

Mae Kiar is a deity of, for lack of better terms, justifiable vengeance. Formerly an abyssym, she slew the balor that owned her family’s souls and took his soul in turn. This remarkable act of vengeance allowed her to ascend. Mae Kiar watches for dark acts and sends her worshippers to claim vengeance for those unwilling or unable to claim it themselves. Seeking nothing from her divine kin, she has isolated herself on the plane of shadows, where she claims evils can be seen earliest. Although she is dark with her verdicts, she is not nearly as cruel as Cas (deity of spite, see heroes of horror for details). She appears as a humanoid woman of indistinguishable race, surrounding by a blurring shroud of shadow and possessing two piercing red eyes. Her holy symbol is a fist, with a long crack running down its center.
Mae Kiar’s cause appeals to few out there, but some individuals see her teachings as appealing, and so worship her. She is a bit contrary in that she attracts and supports both evil and good worshippers. Evil worshippers look to her as a deity of violence, torturing and slaughtering portrayers of other dark acts with utmost glee. Good worshippers look to her as a deity of protection, protecting the downtrodden against those they cannot fight against on their own. A few warlocks look to her as a paragon, one who was able to escape her curse.
Portfolio: Vengeance, Justice, Shadow
Domains: Evil, Good, Shadow, Wrath
Cleric Training: Clerical training of Mae Kiar involves personal training by an elder cleric, culminating with a mission from the church.
Quests: Mae Kiar’s missions always involve the righting of a wrong or the punishment of a wrongdoer. She is careful to give missions only to followers with an appropriate alignment for that mission.
Prayers: Prayers to Mae Kiar always a proclamation of evils bested and those yet to be destroyed.
Temples: Shrines to Mae Kiar are surprisingly common, appearing in good and evil towns alike, as well as on lesser-known roads. They are often small and hidden in shadow, however.
Rites: The most famous of Mae Kiar’s rites is known as “the acknowledgement”, listing the name of the last evil thwarted before destroying a new one.
Herald and Allies: Mae Kiar’s Herald is a unique dark trumpet archon of neutral alignment. Her planar allies include concordant killers (see MM IV) and, surprisingly, the rilmani (see Fiend Folio).

Mutart:
Moon Maiden, The Silver Mistress
Greater Deity (Neutral Good)

Deity of the moon and tide (and on occasion, love), Mutart is one of the older deities in the current pantheon. She appears as a human or elven (the exact race seems to change over time) female, wearing a long, silver dress. Her skin and hair looks pale and silvery as well, but she possesses glowing blue eyes. She seeks relatively little from her worshippers, impacting their life directly as little as possible. Her holy symbol is, in most cases, a crescent moon, although full moons are sometimes used as well.
The Moon Maiden, more often than not, appeals to sailors, who often need the moon’s light or fear a rough tide. Poets, writers, and other romantics also pay her homage from time to time. Most who worship her, however, are lycanthropes, who she feels particularly responsible for and who are the only ones to possess full moon holy symbols. Some overzealous religions relate presence of her churches (perhaps rightly so) to lycanthrope attacks, and so seek to drive them out.
Mutart teaches that just as the sun illuminates, so does the moon as its reflection, a fundamental lesson taught to most shadow magic users as an example of reflection. By the same ticket, this lesson has inspired many diviners to work in unusual ways. She also teaches that the moon calls out, to lovers, to the tide, and, unfortunately, to lycanthropes.
Portfolio: Moon, Love, Ocean, Lycanthropes
Domains: Good, Moon, Ocean, Oracle
Cleric Training: Clerical training of Mutart is individualistic. As soon as an individual considers themselves worthy to be called a cleric, Mutart will accept them as one.
Quests: Mutart’s missions are few and far between. She allows clerics to decide how they should proceed, for the most part, so long as their goals to not contradict her own..
Prayers: Mutart’s prayers differ from area to area. In one country, prayers to her may be complex hymns. In another, they may be poetic recitations.
Temples: Mutart’s temples are grand and tend to be poetically placed, such as on the top of a large hill or on a seaside cliff.
Rites: It is customary among clerics of Mutart to bow ones head whenever one sees the reflection of the moon upon water.
Herald and Allies: Mutart has no true herald, instead claiming each moon acts in its own way as her herald, which she can make appear larger, smaller, or change color to signify events to entire worlds. Her planar allies are celestial or half-celestial lycanthropes.

Teka:
Lord of Madness, Father of Croob
Lesser Deity (Chaotic Neutral)

Teka is a deity that stands for nothing. His deific power was a terrible mistake that drove him to insanity. He appears as a floating, black brain, covered in cracks, as if about to shatter. Teka does not, and indeed cannot, leave the Plane of Shadow. His holy symbol is a black and cracked skull.
Since Teka’s ascension, he has formed the croob in a fit of madness, and through them, the galks and geluks. These individuals are among Teka’s only worshippers. A few small cults on the material plane worship Teka as well, but the number of individuals in these cults is far outweighed by the hordes of Teka’s creations. Teka’s enemies include most sane deities and individuals, although they are content knowing that Teka’s mind is no longer capable of forming a proper long-term plan.
Though Teka teaches nothing, the Geluks have made it their business to interpret every garbled message of Teka into a tangible message. The entire mass of “Tekan” philosophy encompasses several material plane philosophies.
Portfolio: Insanity, Mind, Shadow
Domains: Chaos, Madness, Mind, Shadow
Cleric Training: Clerical training of Teka is best left undescribed, consisting of several atrocities, the least of which is self mutilation of the brain.
Quests: Teka’s missions, even as interpreted by the Geluks, seem to make little sense. Some missions call for massacres among the croobs, while others call for peace treaties with buffalos. If the Geluks are trying to turn Teka’s thoughts into a plan, it is impossible to see where it is going.
Prayers: Prayers to Teka consist of screams, moans, and gurgling noises. As such, one listening to a church of Teka may come to assume it is a torture chamber.
Temples: Shrines to Teka are made ridiculously big, at the orders of the Geluks. Sometimes, the croob have to squeeze their way around a church to get to their home each day.
Rites: Teka, according to the Geluks, accepts several rites, each of which is worse than the atrocities of clerical training.
Herald and Allies: Teka, lacking the sanity to gather forces, has neither herald nor planar allies (unless the croobs, galks, and geluks are to be included in such a category).

Honorable Mention
Although I can not give its statistics and have only just remembered it, I feel that an honorable mention should go to the Shadow, member of the Dark Six from Ebberon. For purposes of Thoroughness, I also mention another deity of shadows, Erebus, from Dragon issue #322 (which, interestingly enough, is the first source to mention the Nightshade Covenant and creates the basis for shadow elementals as Darkness Pseudo-Elementals. I’d advise you to get the issue: it’s a great shadow magic history lesson, If you know where to look).

 

[Realms of Chaos]

New Affiliations
To match the three organizations given to us in the Tome of Magic, I provide you with three additional affiliations.

Reclaimers of the Mind
Symbol: The symbol of the reclaimers is a brain, wrapped in bandages.
Background, Goals, and Dreams: The reclaimers are group of shadow magic users, psionicists, and diviners, all dedicated to the reclaiming of knowledge, lead at all times by a council of three dark minds.
Members: The reclaimers welcome all races equally, but only allow the magically or psionically adept enter their group. One is free to leave at any time, so long as they submit to having their mind probed for any withheld information.
Secrets: The ultimate goal of the reclaimers, beyond the mere accumulation of lore, is to pull Teka back into the material plane, possibly restoring his sanity while keeping his divinity intact. Hidden by the council is a portal leading to the plane of shadow, which they expect will be instrumental. Until a member finds a means to complete their ends, however, the reclaimers are happy to accumulate knowledge.
Type: College (secretly Cabal)
Scale: 2 (neighborhoods)

[B]Criterion                                        Affiliation Score Modifier[/B]
Character Level                                  +1/2 PC’s level
5 or more ranks in any knowledge skill           +1 per skill
5 or more ranks in Knowledge (the Planes)        +2
Able to use divination spells, mysteries,        +2
or powers of 3rd level or higher
Visibly carries holy symbol of Teka              +4
Completes a mission for the reclaimers           +2 per mission
Brings back piece of forgotten lore              +2 per piece of lore (max 2/year)
Has lived on Plane of Shadow for at least        +6
one year
Makes peaceful contact with croob society        +2 (once only)
No ranks in any knowledge skill                  -2
No spellcasting, shadow magic,                   -10
or psionics ability
Good alignment                                   -6
Fails mission for reclaimers                     -4 per mission

Titles, Benefits, and Duties:

[B]Affiliation Score            Title: Benefits and Duties[/B]
3 or lower                   Not affiliated or junior member with no benefits
4-10                         [B]Explorer:[/B] +2 competence bonus on decipher script and search checks.
11-20                        [B]Archeologist:[/B] 1/day, you may reroll a knowledge check, lore check, or bardic knowledge check and take the better of the two results.
21-29                        [B]Reclaimer:[/B] You can read a single piece of parchment as a full-round action. In addition, you may read items that were recently destroyed (reclaiming the raw knowledge from the destroyed item), as long as they were destroyed less than 1 round/level prior.
30 or higher                 [B]Incarnate:[/B] You can take 20 on any knowledge check in which you have at least one rank, even when rushed or under pressure. +4 competence bonus on decipher script and search checks.

Executive Powers: Assassinate, Craft, Research

Shadowgauntlet
Symbol: the symbol of the shadowgauntlet is an emaciated hand with fingers that seem a bit too long (anyone familiar with shadowgaunts recognizes the hand as belonging to them).
Background, Goals, and Dreams: The shadowgauntlet, as it is named by others, exists entirely on the material plane, near the ruins of Gengardon. It appears, at first glance, to be an organization composed completely of shadowgaunts. When someone else enters though, they are treated as one of the group. Several sages, fighters, and explorers have traveled to the shadowgauntlet to meet the enigmatic shadowgaunts on equal grounds, where they can compete, fight, or trade equipment and information. Most people theorize that the shadowgauntlet is the shadowgaunt’s way of reaching out to other races. Despite the seeming fluidity of roles in the shadowgauntlet, senior members do seem to have more of a say in what happens, and members tend to offer wears to senior members with less compensation than normal.
Members: The shadowgauntlet is mostly comprised of Shadowgaunts, although anyone who enters the structure that holds it is heralded as, at the very least, a probationary member.
Type: Fighting Company
Scale: 2 (one structure plus planar visitors)

[B]Criterion                                        Affilliation Score Modifier[/B]
Character level                                  +1/2 PC’s level
Native to Plane of Shadow                        +1
Shadowgaunt                                      +2
Shadowcaster or Cultist                          +1
Beats another member of equal or higher level    +2 (max 1/month)
in nonlethal combat.
Spends 1 or more years as an active member.      +2/full year
Shares an interesting story of outside world     +1 (max 2/year)
and presents it in interesting way
(DC 20 perform check).
Fulfills a mission request from a senior member  +2 per mission
Defiles Gengardon                                -4
Does not show up at least once per month.        –1 per absent month
Refuses three consecutive mission requests       -2 per three refused missions
from senior members.

Titles, Benefits, and Duties: As a member of the Shadowgauntlet attends regularly over time, fights other members, brings in new stories, and fulfills the mission requests of others, they find themselves more respected amongst the other members of the shadowgauntlet. At the same time, some of the shadowy energies from the plane permeate the shadowgauntlet’s members due to their long proximity to it. The only thing that is truly expected from members is their regular participation, both in attendance and in missions.

[B]Affiliation Score            Title: Benefits and Duties[/B]    
3 or lower                   Probationary member with no benefits.
4-10                         [B]Junior:[/B] you are more likely to be called upon for missions.
11-15                        [B]Apprentice:[/B] hide and move silently are always class skills for you.
16-22                        [B]True Member:[/B] You gain a +2 bonus on attempts to influence the attitudes of other shadowgaunt members. You gain a +1 dodge bonus to your AC in areas of shadowy illumination.
23-29                        [B]Senior Member:[/B] You gain a +2 inherent bonus to your dexterity score and an additional +2 bonus on reflex saves.
30 or higher                 [B]Elder:[/B] 2/year, you may request that a mission be fulfilled. The mission is attempted by 1d4+1 effective cohorts of random classes. Their level is determined by your effective leadership score. You are free to accompany them on such a mission. You gain a +8 bonus on attempts to influence the attitudes of other shadowgaunt members.

Executive Powers: None.

The Seven Paths
Symbol: The symbol of the Seven Paths is seven equidistant lines stretching out from one source.
Background, Goals, and Dreams: The seven paths was founded by Farsen Gorlock, a half-orc initiate of the seven enigmas. Unusually philosophical for a half-orc, Farsen (the only Walker of Seven in the affiliation), he created the Seven Paths as a wizard college of sorts made exclusively for shadowcasters. Although the college is filled with shadowcaster students, only those that stay after their formal education to learn more actually enter the affiliation.
Members: Although there are no racial stigmas within the seven paths, shadowcasters alone are allowed to join.
Type: College
Scale: 5 (City)

[B]Criterion                                        Affiliation Score Modifier[/B]
Character level                                  +1/2 PC’s level
5 or more ranks in knowledge (arcana             +2 per skill
or the planes)
Able to cast 3rd level mysteries                 +2
Able to cast 5th level mysteries                 +4
Possesses at least one item creation feat        +2
Is an initiate of the seven enigmas              +8
Brings a new student to the school               +2/student (max 2/year)
Also casts spells                                -2
No ranks in Knowledge (arcana or the planes)     -5 per skill
Does not spend at least one month per year       -20
on campus.

Titles, Benefits, and Duties: As you advance through the seven paths, your shadowcasting ability improves. You must, however, spend some time on campus, either performing research and experiments or teaching students. The college also requires you to fulfill special tasks every now and again.

[B]Affiliation Score           Title: Benefits and Duties[/B]
3 or lower                   Walker of One: no affiliation or junior member with no benefits.
4-10                         Walker of Two: You are called upon regularly to perform special tasks. You gain a +2 bonus on attempts to influence the attitude of seven paths members.
11-15                        Walker of Three: When crafting magic items, you can supplement your own life force with shadowstuff, allowing you to pay only 90% of the normal XP cost.
16-22	                       Walker of Four: Select one metashadow feat you possess that can be taken multiple times. You may use it one additional time per day. In addition, you gain a +4 bonus on attempts to influence the attitude of seven paths members
23-29                        Walker of Five: Once per month, you may request any shadow magic scroll or potion costing 750 gp or less. You must replace them with shadow magic scrolls or potions of equal or greater value within one month of taking them.
30 or higher                 Walker of Six: You gain Cold Resistance 10. In addition, you gain a +6 bonus on attempts to influence the attitude of seven paths members.

Executive Powers: Craft, Research, Trade

 

[Realms of Chaos]

Spells
Although mainly dedicated to the Shadowcaster, it would be negligent to not print any new spells. Though not all of them possess the shadow subschool, the same thing could actually be said for shadow magic.

ASSASSIN SPELLS
1ST-LEVEL ASSASSIN SPELLS
Darkened Mind: Conceal your thoughts from others.
2ND-LEVEL ASSASSIN SPELLS
Shadow Touch: Inflict chilling cold instead of striking vital points.
4TH-LEVEL ASSASSIN SPELLS
Cloak of Shadow: Cloak protects against mundane projectiles and allows short distance flight.

BARD SPELLS
1ST-LEVEL BARD SPELLS
Dark Mist: Create illusory mist that only your allies can see through.
2ND-LEVEL BARD SPELLS
Darkened Mind: Conceal your thoughts from others.
4TH-LEVEL BARD SPELLS
Escape Tactics: Create shadow copies of you and allies to aid in your escape.
6TH-LEVEL BARD SPELLS
Cloak of Shadow: Cloak protects against mundane projectiles and allows short distance flight.
Shadow Replication: Imitate any apprentice mystery.

BLACKGUARD SPELLS
2ND-LEVEL BLACKGUARD SPELLS
Shadow Steed: Grant mount concealment and ability to walk across unstable surfaces.
4TH-LEVEL BLACKGUARD SPELLS
Dark Avatar: Create large, immobile creature of shadow to slow down assailants.

CLERIC SPELLS
1ST-LEVEL CLERIC SPELLS
Disperse Shadows: Increase areas of darkness to areas of shadow.
2ND-LEVEL CLERIC SPELLS
Darkened Mind: Conceal your thoughts from others.
6TH-LEVEL CLERIC SPELLS
Dark Avatar: Create large, immobile creature of shadow to slow down assailants.
8TH-LEVEL CLERIC SPELLS
Phantom Avatar: Create illusory image of deity to harm and strike fear in creatures of opposed alignments.

SECRECY DOMAIN
Granted Power: Once per day/2 class levels, you may spend a standard action to turn invisible for 1 round, as the invisibility spell.

SECRECY DOMAIN SPELLS
1 Undetectable Alignment: Conceals alignment for 24 hours.
2 Darkened Mind: Conceal your thoughts from others.
3 Nondetection: Hides subject from divination, scrying.
4 Selective Sight: Become invisible except to your allies.
5 False Vision: Fools scrying with an illusion
6 Mislead: Turns you invisible and creates illusory double.
7 Repulsion: Creatures can’t approach you.
8 Mind Blank: Subject is immune to mental/emotional magic and scrying.
9 Fortress of Secrecy: Create secluded extradimensional space to hold yourself and allies.

DRUID SPELLS
1ST-LEVEL DRUID SPELLS
Shadow Impediment: Make the terrain rough and damaging.
2ND-LEVEL DRUID SPELLS
Hunter of the Night: Make one creature more adept for night.
Shadow Snare: Create an invisible trap out of ambient shadows.
4TH-LEVEL DRUID SPELLS
Phantasmal Pack: create a pack of phantasmal animals to attack.

HEXBLADE SPELLS
1ST-LEVEL HEXBLADE SPELLS
Dim: Lowers areas of light into shadow.
2ND-LEVEL HEXBLADE SPELLS
Pin Shadows: Pin a target to the ground by their shadow.
4TH-LEVEL HEXBLADE SPELLS
Cloak of Shadow: Cloak protects against mundane projectiles and allows short distance flight.

PALADIN SPELLS
1ST-LEVEL PALADIN SPELLS
Disperse Shadows: Increase areas of darkness to areas of shadow.

RANGER SPELLS
1ST-LEVEL RANGER SPELLS
Shadow Impediment: Make the terrain rough and damaging.
2ND-LEVEL RANGER SPELLS
Shadow Snare: Create an invisible trap out of ambient shadows.

SORCERER/WIZARD SPELLS
1ST-LEVEL SORCERER/WIZARD SPELLS
Dim: Lowers areas of light into shadow.
Shadow Impediment: Make the terrain rough and damaging.
2ND-LEVEL SORCERER/WIZARD SPELLS
Dark Mist: Create illusory mist that only your allies can see through.
Net of Shadow: Create a mist to block opponents or catch your fall.
3RD-LEVEL SORCERER/WIZARD SPELLS
Ebon Relay: Cast certain spells from another location as a swift action.
4TH-LEVEL SORCERER/WIZARD SPELLS
Shadow Assault: Imitate a evocation that you have just cast.
5TH-LEVEL SORCERER/WIZARD SPELLS
Transient Foe: Create a shadowy copy of your foe to fight them with.
6TH-LEVEL SORCERER/WIZARD SPELLS
Escape Tactics: Create shadow copies of you and allies to aid in your escape.
Shadow Thought: Briefly grand intelligence to the unintelligent
7TH-LEVEL SORCERER/WIZARD SPELLS
Ephemeral Transformation: Grant one target the dark template
8TH-LEVEL SORCERER/WIZARD SPELLS
Dark Banishment: Send one target back to the Plane of Shadow.
9TH-LEVEL SORCERER/WIZARD SPELLS
Burst of Shadow: Damaging cone that may blind those who disbelieve it.

 

[Realms of Chaos]

Burst of Shadow
Evocation/Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 9
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 20 feet
Area: 20 ft. cone
Duration: Instantaneous or Permanent
Saving Throw: Will Half and Fortitude Partial
Spell Resistance: Yes

As you complete the casting, you notice a miniscule portal to the plane of shadows open up at your fingertips. Fostering it with your own magical energy, you force it to enlarge, spilling waves of shadowstuff upon your enemies.

All targets within the range of this effect take 1d6/level damage (maximum 225d6). Due to its partially illusory nature, anyone succeeding on a will save takes only half that much damage. Any target that succeeds on their will save must make an additional fortitude save or become blinded as their sense of sight is overwhelmed by the assault.

Cloak of Shadow
Abjuration
Level: Assassin 4, Bard 6, Hexblade 4
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target You
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

As the material components dissolve into the air, a black cape materializes on your back, flowing in rhythm to some unfelt breeze.

While this spell is in effect, you are immune to nonmagical projectiles. In addition, as a move action, you may fly up to twice your speed with average maneuverability. If you do not end this movement on another solid surface, however, you begin to fall.
Material Component: a bat wing and a single drop of a demon’s ichor.

Dark Avatar
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Blackguard 4, Cleric 6
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft.+ 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One shadow duplicate of caster
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

As you crush the material component in your hand, a gigantic avatar appears behind you, bearing your likeness and ready to interpose itself between you and your foes.

This spell creates a large creature within range, armed with a shadowy version of your weapon. The creature cannot move and has hit points equal to your caster level x 5. Each turn, it makes an attack at your highest attack bonus, dealing 1d4/level damage with a successful hit. The creature can make attacks of opportunity and the DC of all tumble checks to get past them are increased by 1/2 of your caster level.
Material Component: An oil of darkness, which is harmlessly crushed in the hand as the spell is cast.

Dark Banishment
Conjuration (Teleportation)
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 8
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature Touched
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: None or Will Negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

As your hand makes contact with your foe, you watch their outline become blurred by shadow. Slowly, you watch them fade out of sight.

The target of this spell is sent to the Plane of Shadow. If the Target is a native to the Plane of Shadow, they may make a Will save to negate this spell’s effects.

Dark Mist
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Bard 1, Sorcerer/Wizard 2
Components: S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 20 ft.
Effect: Illusory Cloud spreads in 20-ft. radius from you, 20 ft. high
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

As you form the final gesture of this spell, an inky blackness like smoke spreads from your hands. Despite its opacity, you can see easily through it to your allies, much in the same way as they can see you.

This spell creates an area of fog that acts to most as an obscuring mist spell. However, you and up to one individual/2 caster levels, chosen at the time of this spell’s casting, can see through the fog as if it weren’t there.
In addition, neither wind nor fire can eliminate the cloud and this spell may be cast underwater.

Darkened Mind
Abjuration
Level: Assassin 1, Bard 2, Cleric 2, Secrecy 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You
Duration: 1 hour/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

As the spell is cast, you feel your mind get caught in a fog. Despite this apparent fogginess, you appear to think with equal ease.

While under the effects of this spell, the caster is immune to any attempt to read their mind or make telepathic contact with them, although other divination effects (such as those that divine alignment) function normally against the caster.
In addition, the caster’s manner becomes nearly as unreadable as their mind, imposing a –4 penalty on any sense motive check made against them.

Dim
Evocation [Darkness]
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 1, Hexblade 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 0 ft.
Area: 10 ft./level-radius emanation
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

As you cast this spell, you watch the area around you go dark. It stops short of full darkness, however, at a twilight shadow.

All squares filled with bright illumination within range are lowered to shadowy illumination.
Any light or darkness spell can dispel or counter Dim.

Disperse Shadows
Evocation [Light]
Level: Cleric 1, Paladin 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: 0 ft.
Effect: 10 ft./level-radius emanation
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

As you cast this spell, the darkness are lifted as if by an unseen source of light, throwing darkness into dim illumination.

All squares filled with darkness within range are increased to shadowy illumination.
Any light or darkness spell can dispel or counter Disperse Shadows.

Ebon Relay
Evocation
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 3
Components: S, V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: 1 5-ft. square
Duration: 1 hour
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You set up a seed of darkness in the air, connecting it to yourself with a transient link of shadows. Using this link, you can launch further spells from this seed of darkness.

Once per round, as a swift action, you may cast an evocation, conjuration, or illusion spell of 2nd-level The spell must have a casting time of 1 standard action or less. You may use either your line of sight or its line of sight (and it is treated as having darkvision out to 60 ft. for this purpose.) but it does not allow you to see from its perspective and the 5-foot square must have a line of effect with the spell’s target, if any.

Ephemeral Transformation
Transmutation
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 7
Components: V, S, M, XP
Casting Time: 10 minutes
Range: Touch
Target: 1 willing or helpless creature
Duration: Instantaneous
Saving Throw: Will Negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

At the end of the long and tedious process, the target’s skin has darkened and their shadow has lengthened. They end the process as a new creature, a creature of shadow.

The target of this mystery loses one level (or 2 constitution, if they possess no level) but gains the dark template.
Material Component: The (mostly intact) remains of another dark creatures.
XP Cost: 1,000

Escape Tactics
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Bard 4, Sorcerer/Wizard 6
Components: V
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: Self + up to one willing ally/caster level.
Duration: 1d4 minutes
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

As the final syllable of the incantation escapes your mouth, each of your targets becomes surrounded by illusory copies of themselves. For a brief moment, each of the copies stands calmly. Then, each copy simultaneously starts screaming and running in random directions.

This spell creates 1d6+2 illusory copies of each of this spell’s targets anywhere within range. For the duration of the spell, each illusory copy runs around blindly, screaming, shouting curses, or challenging others to follow. Each illusion contains audible, olfactory, thermal, and tactile components, in addition to its visual component. Once cast, there is no maximum distance that these copies can travel. Each illusory copy has an AC equal to the touch AC of its original. Alas, there is a bit of a connection between each copy and the original and if a copy is dealt damage, the original takes half that amount of nonlethal damage as that copy is destroyed.

Fortress of Secrecy
Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Secrecy 9
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: Extradimensional Fortress, up to three 10-ft. cubes/level (S)
Duration: 2 hours/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

As the spell is cast, a glittering, black passageway opens up where you have designated. Despite its opaque nature, you know that safe haven lies just beyond the doorway.

You conjure up an extradimensional dwelling that has a single entrance within range. The entry point looks like a shimmering blackness in the air that is 4 feet wide and 8 feet high. Furthermore, it is invisible to all but you, although a see invisibility or more powerful effect will reveal its presence. Only those you designate (to a maximum of one other/level, including pets, mounts, and familiars) may enter the mansion, and the portal is destroyed behind you when you enter. Once observers have passed beyond the entrance, they find the ruined remains of a grand fortress that looks as though it had been laid by siege for eons. The primary building material is wood, but each hinge is attached randomly and by any connector, from mud to gold to deffication. The atmosphere is damp and of anxiety and paranoia.
You can create any floor plan you desire to the limit of the spell’s effect. The place is very roughly furnished, and contains sufficient stale (but edible) foodstuffs to feed a dozen people per caster level.
Once inside the fortress, no exterior divination effects can be used in regards to any of its inhabitants, even if these divination effects would merely be used to gather information about the inhabitants. In addition, even though the Fortress exists in a way that makes it coterminous with all planes, no exterior force can break into or dispel the Fortress once the entrance has closed. Furthermore, no inhabitants within can be contacted from the outside by sources such as dream, demand, nightmare or sending. Once per round, as a standard action, you may send a message, as the sending spell, cast at your caster level, to any individual on any plane with no chance of failure. No individual may be contacted more than once during a single use of this spell.
As a standard action, any inhabitant of the fortress can send themselves to any plane of existence. If the return to the plane from which this spell was cast, they emerge near the original entrance to the spell. Otherwise, they emerge at a random location on the new plane (although multiple creatures moving to the same plane within one round of each other arrive in close proximity to each other). Either way, all items associated with the fortress disappear when someone leaves it. Anyone leaving the fortress finds the trip to be a one-way journey, with no way back to the extradimensional haven. When the caster leaves the fortress, the spell ends, forcing everyone else onto the same plane as the caster.

Hunter of the Night
Transmutation
Level: Druid 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Touch
Target Animal Touched
Duration: 24 hours
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: No

As you weave incantations over the animal you touch, you prepare it to deal with darkness, weaving a bit of shadow into its being to aid the process.

The animal targeted by this spell gains a number of benefits. First of all, it gets darkvision out to 60 feet. Secondly, it gets a +2 enhancement bonus to its Dexterity score. Lastly, it gains immunity to fatigue and exhaustion.

Net of Shadow
Illusion (Shadow
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 immediate action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level
Effect: Anchored plane of shadow, up to 20 ft. to a side
Duration: Duration 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

As you unleash this net of shadows, it launches out, anchoring itself vertically or horizontally.

If this spell is used, it must adhere to at least two opposite surfaces. If used to make a horizontal plane, it stops falling with no damage and can carry 200 pounds/level before breaking. Alternatively, it can be used to slow down other flying or falling assailants. If used to make a vertical plane, it is limited to stopping others from following. The plane created via this spell has 5 hit points/level and has a break DC of 10+caster level. This spell cannot be used if even one of the squares that the plane would occupy is already occupied.

Phantasmal Pack
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Druid 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Effect: Conjured shadow beasts
Duration: Concentration+1 round
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

Drawing upon the natural ambient shadows around you, you form several beasts, formed fully of nature’s shadows.

You conjure 1d6+2 medium incorporeal animals, the nature of is determined by the druid but has no effect on the spell. The animals do nothing but make attacks of opportunity if not otherwise directed. As a swift action, one animal can be made to move up to 30 feet in any direction. As a move action, one or more animals can be made to make attacks against adjacent foes, using your caster level as their attack bonus and dealing 2d6+ your caster level nonlethal damage with a successful attack, or twice that with a critical hit. The animals also provide flanking. If any animal is successfully dealt damage, they are destroyed.

Phantom Avatar
Illusion (Phantasm, Shadow) [Cold, Fear, Mind-Affecting]
Level: Cleric 8
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area: 30 ft.-radius emanation, centered on a point in space
Duration: Instantaneous, and then 1d4 rounds
Saving Throw: Will negates or Will partial
Spell Resistance: Yes

You draw upon a small fraction of your deity’s might, turning it into coherent form through use of shadow, and then instilling the fear through the use of phantasm. As the spell is cast, an avatar of your deity seems to rise from out of nowhere. As the avatar makes its attack, even you can feel a surge of cold pass over you.

This spell creates an illusory avatar of your deity to inspire fear within your deity’s foes. All creatures of an opposed alignment to your deity in at least one axis must make a Will save or take 1d6 cold damage/level and become panicked for 1d4 rounds. All creatures opposed to the alignment of your deity in both the good-evil axis and the lawful-chaotic axis take half damage and become shaken for 1d4 rounds even if they make a successful Will save.

Pin Shadows
Necromancy
Level: Hexblade 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 swift action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: 1 creature
Duration: 1 round
Saving Throw: Reflex negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

In the blink of an eye, you pin your opponent’s shadow to the ground, rendering them unable to move.

If the target fails their saving throw, they become immobilized.

Selective Sight
Illusion (Glamer)
Level: Secrecy 4
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Personal
Target: You + up to 1 target/level
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You mask yourself from head to toe with the invisibility of this spell, but leave a few chinks in this new armor for your allies to see through.

Selective Sight functions as the invisibility spell. However, up to one ally/level can see you as if you were not invisible. Furthermore, when you take an offensive action, only the target(s) of your offensive action become able to see you (although they can point out your location to others, should they survive the experience).

Shadow Assault
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 3
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 swift action
Range: See Text
Effect: One 3rd-level or lower evocation spell
Duration: See Text
Saving Throw: Will Negates
Spell Resistance: Yes

Briefly skimming across the surface of shadow magic, you unleash another attack, much like your previous one in nature, but with far less substance behind it.

Shadow Assault imitates the effects of any single 3rd-level or lower evocation spell that you have cast within the last round. Before any other saving throws are allowed, the target may make a Will save to disbelieve. In addition, the target is allowed spell resistance, even if the imitated spell did not. Lastly, if the spell imitated has a duration longer than instantaneous, its duration is halved.

Shadow Impediment
Transmutation
Level: Druid 1, Ranger 1, Sorcerer/Wizard 1
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./level)
Area: 1 5 ft-square/level
Duration: 10 minutes/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

You weave magic about the ground, causing each shadow cast to impede movement.

Each of the selected 5 ft-squares is treated as being difficult terrain. In addition, anyone walking through such as square takes 1 damage, as the semi-solid shadows scrape against them.

Shadow Replication
Illusion (shadow)
Level: Bard 6
Components: None
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: See Text
Area/Target/Effect: See Text
Duration: See Text
Saving Throw: See Text
Spell Resistance: See Text

You begin to weave strands of shadow together like the many threads of a tapestry. Instead of a fine piece of art, however, you create raw magic from these shadows.

Shadow Replication imitates the effects of any apprentice mystery, cast at your caster level.
Note: The experience of casting this spell is difficult to put in words, and impossible to pass down in the form of scroll or other magic item, although mysteries copied using this spell may be used to create other magic items.

Shadow Snare
Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Druid 2, Ranger 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Area 1 5-foot square
Duration: Permanent
Saving Throw: Reflex negates
Spell Resistance: No

Running your hand along the ground, you set shadows against the ground to trap the first person who passes by.

The first creature to walk into the designated 5-foot square takes 2d6 nonlethal damage unless they succeed on a Reflex Save. If that creature carries a nonmagical light source, they instead take 4d6 cold damage, unless they succeed on their Reflex Save, in which case they only take 2d6 nonlethal damage.
A Shadow Snare is suppressed so long as it is in the area of a magical light or darkness effect.

Shadow Steed
Transmutation
Level: Blackguard 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: 1 Mount
Duration: 1 minute/level
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

As you cast this spell, your mount almost seems to disappear as some of its flesh seems to fade away.

The mount targeted by this spell gains a 20% miss chance against all attacks. In addition, they can walk across semi-solid surfaces and liquid as if it were solid ground.

Shadow Thought
Transmutation
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 6
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 Standard Action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target: One creature with an intelligence of 2 or less
Duration: 1 round/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes

Worming shadow into their psyche, you grant your unwitting target the gift of true cognition.

If this spell is used on a non-intelligent creature or a creature who’s intelligence score has been lowered to 0, that creature gains an intelligence score of 1d6+4 for the spell’s duration. If they have not been damage so far in the encounter, their initial attitude towards the caster and their allies is indifferent.
Alternately, if this spell is used on a creature with an intelligence of 1 or 2, that creature gains a +4 enhancement bonus to their intelligence score for the duration of this ability. An animal so affected is treated as a magical animal for the duration of the spell.

Shadow Touch
Evocation [Cold]
Level: Assassin 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: touch
Target: creature touched
Duration: instantaneous
Saving Throw: Fortitude half
Spell Resistance: Yes

You conceal your hands with a layer of cold, which you then attempt to pass onto your foe.

If your touch attack against your target succeeds, your target takes an amount of cold damage equal to your normal sneak attack damage. This spell effects creatures normally immune to sneak attacks.

Transient Foe
Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Sorcerer/Wizard 5
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: 1 shadow copy of a foe
Duration: See Text
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No

Bearing a small piece of your foe, you make a lesser copy of them. Although you know it cannot beat the original, it can certainly help.

This spell summons an illusory double of your foe. It has 50% as many hit points as the foe and only deals 50% as much damage as the foe with each successful attack. If the foe’s attacks come with any secondary effect (such as poison or disease), that benefit is lost unless it is completely mechanical (such as improved grab or rend). The Illusory Copy imitates all spells known/prepared by the target up to 4th level, as well as all spell-like abilities imitating spells up to 4th level. In addition, any spell-like abilities normally usable at will are usable only three times each day. The values of any energy resistance, fast healing, spell resistance, and damage reduction are halved while any regeneration is lost.
The illusory double may only take offensive action against their original copy (although others may get caught in the crossfire) or others standing in the way of that goal. The spell lasts for the duration of the encounter, until either the original flees in a way that the double cannot duplicate or until the original is dead.
You may only have one Transient Foe spell active at any given time.