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Description

Over two thousand years ago, the ruler of a Netherese flying city transported his entire city onto the Plane of Shadow in order to explore that dim and perilous plane. For thousands of years, the City of Shade was lost to human knowledge, but in 1372 DR it aprubtly returned to Faerûn above the Dire Wood. Today, it soars above the deserts of Anauroch, land that was once a fertile part of the Empire of Netheril. Why the Netherese – now known as the Shadovars – returned, and what they are planning, are two mysteries that trouble the rulers of every nation in Faerûn. Most fear that solving these vital riddles will provide them with answers they will not care to hear. Until then, the Shadovars scheme in secret, their true goal a mystery to all but their ruler, the High Prince Telamont, and his twelve sons, the Princes of Shade.

Not all Shadovars are shades. The Princes of Shade decide who is to be given such a blessing, and they are stingy with their favors, careful to only empower those who are sure to be loyal to them and their causes. Prospective candidates are stringently tested for ability, loyality, and resourcefulness.

Shades look just like normal humanoids, although their skin is gray to inky black, as are their eyes. They are thinner than most humans, and they prefer to dress in dark-hued clothes or armor. Human Shadovars are never made into shades until after they have reached the age of majority. There are no such things as young shades, and shades who marry produce normal offspring.

Shades have extraordinarily long lifespans. By trading some portion of their souls for the stuff of shadow, they extend their lifespan tenfold. Shades created from humans use the following aging effect characteristics instead of the ones in Table 6-5 in the Player's Handbook:

• Shade (human) – 300 – 450 – 600 – +6d% years

Region: Anauroch, City of Shade

Combat

Racial Traits

As creatures of the Plane of Shadows, shades are considered to be of the outsider type. Shades must be of a nongood alignment.

All shades have the following powers when within shadows or darkness. In well-lit surroundings (daylight or the radius of a daylight spell) none of these powers function.

• Abiliy scores: A shade's Constitution and Charisma scores increase by +2.
• Speed: Increases by 20 ft. (or 15 ft., if the character wears medium or heavy armor).
• Armor Class: The shade gains a +4 deflection bonus to AC.
• Attacks and Damage: The shade gains a +2 competence bonus on attacks and damage.
• Saves: The shade gains a +4 luck bonus on all saving throws.
• Skills: The character gains a +4 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks, and a +8 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks. He does not suffer skill check penalties due to darkness.
• Control Light (Sp): The shade can decrease the levels of light within a 100-foot radius ba a factor of 10& per level. For characters and creatures depending on light to see, this decreases the effective range of vision for them by the same percentage. For each 25% decrease in light, anyone within the area gains a +1 circumstance bonus on Hide checks.
• Fast Healing 2.
• Invisibility (Sp): The shade can use this ability once per round as a sorcerer of his level.
• Shadesight (Sp): The shade has 60-foot darkvision. He can see normally through any darkness effects but not through fog, invisibility, obscurement, and so on.
• Shadow Image (Sp): Three times per day, the shade can use this spell-like ability (similar to the mirror image spell) as a sorcerer of his level. This creates 1d4 figments of the shade, +1 per three levels.
• Shadow Stride (Sp): As often as once every 2 rounds, a shade of 8th level or higher can vanish from his current location and reappear in any shadowy area within 300 feet. This is a move-equivalent action.
• Shadow Travel (Sp): If the shade is 12th level or higher, the can use teleport without error to reach a shadowy locale on the same world or plane shift to access the Plane of Shadows. A shade can shadow travel once per day.
• Spellcasting Tradition: Shadovar arcanists have at least two racial spells particular to their people: handfang and shadow canopy.
• Spell Resistance: 11 + character level.
• Level Adjustment: +4. Shades are more powerful and gain levels more slowly than the common races of Faerûn. Their many bonuses and powers are hindered only by the fact that they do not work in bright light. Shadovars do not create shades from characters who are less than 5th level.