Shadow Magic

[Dorian_Grey]

Shadow magic was a very fun aspect of 2nd Edition AD&D, and from what I've seen online, there were even third edition versions of it as well. Some examples:

• Shadow Monsters (4th Level Illusion/Phantasm)
• Shadow Door (5th Level Illusion/Phantasm)
• Shadow Magic (5th Level Illusion/Phantasm)
• Shadow Walk (7th Level Illusion/Phantasm)

Some other spells appeared later on - though I can't remember all of them. I have dug through the 5e material and do not see any equivalent magic. Which is a shame, as shadow spells were some of the most fun for an Illusionist! Especially if you were a gnome illusionist.

Anyway, I've been thinking about it (and did a quick forum search which came up empty!) and decided to put some notes together. My first effort is a minor one, but I like it:

Minor Shadow Charm
Shadow Cantrip

Casting Time: 1 Action
Range: 30'
Components: V, S, M (Dried Ink, which the caster dips their fingers in)
Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute.

You create a small charm of shadow in the air in front of you. This charm floats freely and can be moved about by you. This shadow charm will generate one of three magical effects at the will of the caster. This effect is put in place at casting and cannot be changed after casting:

• Cloak of Shadow: The charm creates an area of deepened shadows and gloom that is a 20' diameter circle around the charm. Light sources dim by 50% within the area of the cloak, and anyone in the range gains advantage on stealth checks.
• Ward of Shadow: The ward settles on a single target. It creates a conduit between the target and the Demiplane of Shadow. The target gains 1d4 to saving throws against cold and necrotic damage. This can be rolled before or after the save, and can only be used three times. After the third use the ward fails.
• Dancing Shadows: The charm causes lights and shadows to dance erratically in a 20' circle around the charm. The charm causes lights and shadows to dance erratically in a 20' circle around the charm. This chaos is disorienting, and the caster can focus the effect at one target. If they fail a wisdom save, they take a 1d4 penalty to their next dexterity save after which they recover. Stepping out of the effected area will instantly remove the effect as well.

 

[fixitgeek]

I approve the effort, Shadow magic was indeed one of the best parts of being an illusionist. Not all of the older spells fit so well into this edition, but you can still get the same feel out of new spells. It would take a little work and I've done some of it myself, but it is possible. Though in the case of Shadow Monsters it doesn't seem quite as useful in this day and age. I did grab a newer spell Summon Shadow Mastiff to put in it's place though.

Now looking at your cantrip, this is a bit overpowered for a cantrip. First up disadvantage on attacks for a whole combat would be best suited at a higher level. Shield, Shield of Faith, and Mage Armor are defensive spells and all above cantrip for a good reason, that ability itself could probably rate level 1. Ward of Shadow emulates protection from energy limiting your choice but giving you a second type of damage to resist. Again this feature should be a higher level spell. The cloak of shadow feature I do like though. That is very fun to play around with.

 

[Dorian_Grey]

Wow I haven't touched these in a while! Thank you for rekindling this. I somewhat agree with you and here are some of my tweaks:

Ward of Shadow
* Target gains +1d4 up to three times to saving throws against cold and necrotic damage for the duration of the spell. After the third use, the ward fails.

Dancing Shadows
* The charm causes lights and shadows to dance erratically in a 20' circle around the charm. This chaos is disorienting, and the caster can focus the effect at one target. If they fail a wisdom save, they take a 1d4 penalty to their next dexterity save after which they recover. Stepping out of the effected area will instantly remove the effect as well.