Wizards face Elana Darksun during the Quest, Creatures of Shadows and Light, who becomes a Shadow Spell Trainer. Two additional Wraith Knight Minions appear if more than two Wizards are present. In contrast, Shrike, Seraph, and Sentinel are shadow spells but not Shadow Magic. To train for the new Shadow Magic in the Solar Arc, follow the second part of Darkmoor. Elana DarkSun is the Guardian of the Solar Arc, and Wizards must face her during the quest.
After reaching level 98 and rescuing Elana Darksun in the Solar Arc in the Kondha Desert, Wizards can train for Shadow Magic in the Solar Arc after completing the Solar Arc quests. All Darkmoor spells require a shadow pip, and until you unlock shadow magic, you will never get a shadow pip, so you cannot use the spell.
Shadow magic has been neglected in the way KI has handled shadow spells. When introduced in Khrysalis, it was warned that it was a dangerous tool. Wizards can appeal the decision by notifying the publisher via email or U.S. Mail within 30 calendar days after receiving this book.
📹 An Introduction to Dark Sun Lore
Chapters 0:00 – Introduction 2:22 – The Planes 5:39 – Cosmology 6:38 – Athas 9:10 – Welcome – Sources Micheal Snow’s Guide: …
How to get shadow pip spells?
It is only possible to receive Shadow pips if one has undergone training in Shadow Magic. In order to ascertain the effects of a current Shadow Magic spell, it is necessary to hover the cursor over the Shadow Pip displayed on the 2D Combat interface. It should be noted that all spells of the Shadow variety carry an inherent risk of backlash damage.
What are shadow spells?
The practice of shadow magic allows practitioners to utilize spells that are in alignment with the plane of shadow, drawing upon its inherent energy. These spells frequently incorporate elements of necromancy and illusion. The most potent spells in this category are capable of creating tangible and semi-tangible entities, creatures, and effects.
What level for shadow pips?
A base shadow pip rating is established at level 93; however, shadow pips cannot be generated until the completion of the Shadow Dancer or Walpurgisnacht quest.
Who is the shadow trainer in Khrysalis?
Elena Darksun is a Shadow Creature trainer in the Solar Arc located in the Khonda Desert, Khrysalis. In order to undertake the training, players must have reached level 97, have acquired the skill of Shadow Magic, and have completed the “Creatures of Shadow and Light” quest. The training effect is an 815-point reduction in the health of all enemies, with half of this reduction being allocated to health.
Is Shadow the best magic Arcane Odyssey?
Shadow Magic is a variant of Light Magic, with less speed and more powerful attacks on enemies and buildings. It has better clash rates but is vulnerable to all status effects and does not synergize with any magics. Shadow Magic has 5 clash advantages and 10 disadvantages, losing most clashes but outperforming magics with generally poor clash rates. It has a 1. 3x clash advantage against Ash Magic, 1. 3x clash advantage against Wind Magic, 1. 2x clash advantage against Poison Magic, 1.
2x clash advantage against Plasma Magic, 1. 1x clash advantage against Ice Magic, neutrally clashes against Acid Magic, Water Magic, Fire Magic, Light Magic, 0. 9x clash disadvantage against Wood Magic, 0. 9x clash disadvantage against Crystal Magic, 0. 8x clash disadvantage against Earth Magic, Explosion Magic, Magma Magic, 0. 75x clash disadvantage against Metal Magic, 0. 7x clash disadvantage against Sand Magic, Lightning Magic, Snow Magic, and 0. 6x clash disadvantage against Glass Magic.
How many hours does khrysalis take?
The video presents a detailed analysis of the time required to complete the Wizard 101 level, which is the longest in the game. The video’s length is reflective of the extensive content and complexity of this particular level.
Who is the shadow summoner?
Shadow Summoners are powerful Grisha with a unique bloodline that can summon darkness and confound enemies. They can also concentrate their power to create a shadow blade called the Cut. General Kirigan and his mother Baghra are the only known Shadow Summoners. Shu Han, a prosperous nation south of Ravka, has a well-trained army and has been at war with Ravka for centuries. Alina is half Shu. Small Science allows Grisha to manipulate matter at its fundamental levels, but they don’t consider this magic.
Are shadow spells worth it in Wizard101?
The superior is exacting and necessitates assistance. Despite the possibility of death, it is possible to utilize a potion to return to the battlefield. It is not advisable to pursue the acquisition of Shadow Magic. Should any inquiries pertaining to the account arise, we kindly request that you contact Customer Support. In the Spiral, there exists a fundamental, defining, and transformative magic called Shadow Magic. Training in this skill is only possible through the expenditure of Training Points and is not a primary focus of any School of Magic.
How to obtain shadow magic?
Shadow Magic is a powerful and dangerous skill that can be learned from Sofia DarkSide, a wise mouse mage in the Eclipse Tower. It was forbidden by Bartleby and Grandmother Raven, as it touched the true essence of the Spiral. Shadow Magic enhances spells while in effect, but is unstable and difficult to control. Players must learn how to manage Shadow Magic and harness its powerful benefits to effectively use it. Shadow Magic is a valuable and valuable knowledge that Morganthea has long coveted.
How does Shadow Pip Chance work?
Shadow Pip chance is a combat-dependent stat in Wizard101, a dynamic value that differs each round in combat. The two major influences on shadow pip chance are the current round and previously generated shadow pips. Experiences in the Battle Arena suggest that shadow pip chance increases each round. The longer the match, the more the Shadow Pip chance, suggesting that schools that can last longer in matches (RIP Diviners) have a better chance at obtaining shadow pips.
This also explains why the Ice school has a higher shadow pip chance, as matches involving Ice tend to be longer. The base shadow pip chance for all schools is the same. Shadow pip chance is one of the most mysterious stats, and this information is a big win for all. KI Developer, Matthew, shared this information with everyone and allowed us to discuss it further.
Is Shadow magic Void?
Shadow magic, also known as void magic, is the manifestation of the Void, a realm of pure shadow energy. It is highly corruptible and requires careful use. The Old Gods are also creatures of the Void. Shadow magic is the direct counterpart to holy magic, the magic of the Light, which is the polar opposite of the Void. The Old Gods are creatures of the Void, and their use requires great care.
📹 You Won’t Find This Dark Sun Giant In Bigby’s Book
Shadow giants are among the strangest monsters I’ve ever covered on this channel. Originating in AD&D 2nd edition with the …
Youtube will probably hide this comment for awhile, but thank you for the Dark Sun lore article. Dark Sun has quickly become probably one of if not my favorite official D&D setting, as well as a major influence on me. I love the land of Athas. I love the Cracked, Dying Red Sun, the Sorcerer-Kings, the Dragon’s and all of that. I’m super excited for the future articles on this as well! I find the possibility of lives on the moons could be very interesting for a homebrew campaign set on one of them as well. With a unique take on Moon Elves, perhaps.
So as Conan Low fantasy fans, my Dad bought me books that appealed to his love of bodybuilding and Masculinity. The Cover of the Verdant passage instantaneously drew me in and I’ve read that book (the First Novel in the Dark Sun Prism Pentad) several times. Now as the modern forms of entertainment get all colorful and furry…I have gone back to the Conan-esque sensibilities and into Grimdark Low fantasy. Dark Sun will be my setting (for my D&D5e games) and Death a constant. This website directly rekindled my love of these worlds and Lore. Thank you for your awesome and content rich articles!
Dark Sun has fascinated me ever since I started playing 2nd edition. I have the second boxed set and have unfortunately couldn’t find a steady group to play. Players were turned off by psionics and the grim dark miserable setting. I still live it to death and have tried to read any bit of lore I can find. Cannibal halflings ftw!
interesting highly intriguing! Personally, the D&D universe is confusing, stereotyped and even so I am amazed at its particular cosmology and narrative development! I love your website, especially sword & sorcery topics! Really ingenious comparative, analytical and thoughtful introduction to this desolate, brutal and barbaric realm! Keep rolling!
As a student of history, I feel it isn’t civilization itself that is corruptive, but rather a civilization’s failure to root out, punish, and destroy corruption that is often its downfall. Dark Sun is a good example, as it was in failing to stop the use of corruptive, destructive magic that ultimately caused the calamity that brought about its current state. If such evil was exterminated on sight and hunted down wherever it might try to hide back then, the world of Dark Sun would be a better place.
A normal T-Rex is bad enough, but an Athasian T-Rex is psychic. That means that when you freeze up, taking Jurassic Park’s advice that “their sight is based on movement”, not only can it see you perfectly well with its eyes, but it can read your mind and think to itself “LOLOLOLOLOL What bad advice, LMFAO!”
I’ve always kind of hated how the D&D Multivurse kind of insists upon itself, regardless of how little it makes sense in relation to any given setting. On top of that, it insists that all D&D worlds, even those run by you and your friends are connected to it, even if you don’t want it to be. Sure you can always rule it doesn’t have a connection, but thene you have to explain that to every new player.
Love it man. Im training jiu jitsu in Brazil at the moment when i get back to new Zealand im going get i to DnD . I hope to find some people who play dark sun🙏. With the character creation is it a different set up in the sense. 1. You have to just pick a race from the dark sun world. 2. Can you make multi race. 3. Can you pick skills that reflect dark sun. Like survivalist and such. 4. What weapons and gear do you start with? Or do i pick that with my caracter creation?
Check out Guillman’s Guide to Speed right here! – kickstarter.com/projects/onlycrits/guillmans-guide-to-speed?ref=c6avqx Thanks for perusal gang! What monster would you like to see show up next on the website? :_DadDragonPog: edit: for those asking, the next time segment is still a thing! It’ll be back next time (lol). The timing of this article and the next upload got messed up due to some PC issues, so I left it out of both of them. But in the article after that it’ll be a thing again!
With regards to Dark Sun, I doubt Wotc would really try and bring it back to 5e, but if they did, they’d probably have the book they bring it back in based in that one City-State in lore that overthrew its tyrant, freed its slaves, and became a fledgling republic; The bulk of the book would be about the city and how it’s a chaotic democracy always on the brink of collapse or invasion or civil war, the rest of the book would mostly be about exploring generic wastelands and a bit of lore for the wider Dark Sun setting but not that specific, and maybe a few pages dedicated to other specific locations, like a paragraph describing other major City-States
Loved the Robocop reference. A+. Loved all the conversions you made. You’re not wrong about us likely never seeing this monster while 5e exists (or ever). Also, kudos to you for checking off both a “giant” and “Dark Sun” checkbox. So many Dark Sun requests over the year, especially after Kyle Brink did all those interviews, and a giant monster during Bigby’s release is just what the doctor ordered. Feel weird not seeing a “Next Time” on the article. You’ve conditioned me to expect that music. XD
Shadow Giants actually did make it into the 4th edition re-release of Dark Sun in the Creature Catalog, although as this iteration dropped the controversial “halflings were the precursors” angle from 2e’s Revised Edition of the setting, they were instead reflavored as the wrathful spirits of the giants massacred by the Sorcerer-Kings during the Wars of Cleansing, and ditched the convoluted “light availability = size” mechanics of 2e.
Alright, okay, hear me out- What if the “Shadow Giant” is the dreaded last stage of the Darklings? Shadow Creepers and their evolved form, Shadow Stalkers, explode with the trapped light they carry within themselves upon death. It’s as if they are the embodiment of unstable isotopes. The lore suggests that there is an unknown ritual to transform a creeper into a stalker. Perhaps there is a further procedure or ordeal (maybe a magical object that requires obsidian) that can allow a Shadow Stalker to brave the light and take the form of a Shadow Giant! I’m all in on this one: the light absorption debuff of Darklings is an intriguing oddity that captured my imagination. I appreciate the inspiration from this one🖤Thanks! 🍻
I’m adding these to my Eberron campaign. The land of the giants was destroyed by the dragons and so there are very few giants left but these could be the actual shadow of the giant given that giant’s sentience by the magic that destroyed them. Slight variations in the stat block might be needed but nothing substantial. Thanks for the great vid. I’ve already added a few others like the False Hydra to the game. It was a heart wrenching moment when the party realised the NPC girl they had helped earlier in the campaign had been consumed by the False Hydra and that they had delivered it (unknowingly) to the Mror Holds themselves.
One option for an origin might be to tie them back to some of the bigger planar disruptions, perhaps they’re actually from the Plane of Shadows rather than the Shadowfell, being tied to that part of things from past editions. Also, there are other domains of Ravenloft…Barovia doesn’t really fit them. Perhaps one of the minor domains is their home and they can spill out into others, or, occasionally, out of Ravenloft and into other settings
I like the idea of using these guys in a plot that’s kinda the opposite of Lord Harkon and his vampires in Skyrims Dawnguard DLC. They want to get a magic bow (Auriel’s Bow) which has the magic capabilities to blot out the sun, allowing vampires to run free, whereas you could have a faction of Shadow Giants trying to find some sort of artefact that would allow them to bring about an age of eternal sunlight, making them too powerful for any other faction to stop. Maybe their motive is that they want revenge on the descendants of those who cast their Halfling ancestors into The Black all those years ago and that revenge has gone slightly over scaled and is now just aimed at the world generally
I really like the idea of them wearing special fabric/magical items that stop light from reaching their skin, and still acting as very laid back, reasonable merchants. It makes sense to present a face that doesn’t scare the hell out of potential customers when you need this material so badly, and for anyone who knows their actual ability, it’s a handy analogue for the sawed-off behind the counter.
This is so perfectly timed for me! One of the BBEGs for my campaign is a vampire who was banished to the Shadowfell for a century and has managed to return to try to recruit his dhampir kids to his side. I needed a way for him to feasibly protect himself from the light and move back and forth from the Shadowfell, and this thing can do both in a super flavorful way! I will definitely be softening up the Descend though since I’ll be using a good amount of these bad boys.
Here’s another idea for how Shadow Giants came to be in a Forgotten Realms setting (or anything that uses the Plane of Shadow)! The Black could also be a Domain of Dread as opposed to an entire separate plane. As you said yourself, The Black is basically the equivalent of the Shadowfell, but it’s supposedly a realm of darkness. Perhaps the Darklord and its people live in this plane of existence, haunted by a special darkness in the Domain of Dread that haunts the Darklord or something. Haven’t nailed down the specifics, but I think this idea has legs.
Love this website. As a lover of older lore and settings this is like candy to me. Its a shame we won’t be getting another dark sun book but probably never will because of WotC’s design philosophy of not telling your players “no you can’t play that”. Even if we did get a book it would probably be some unbalanced subclasses for a descecrator wizard, cleric elemental domains, some spells, amd a handful of monsters. Im terms of future articles, I really want to see the Suel Lich. A lich that converts its soul from positive to negative energy and inhabits the bodies of fresh mortals as it decays instead of leaving itself in a phylactary.
An idea cones to mind. Shadow giants accidently made Shadowfel. Every time they bring stuff or people back to the Black, there was always that little piece of dirt or material that came with them. Over time this led to the creation of Shadowfel as these pieces coalesced into bigger and bigger pieces of land/existence. Creatures that inhabit it are folks lucky enough to escape from the Black.
…I was going to write that a kidnapping plot could be really interesting, but you stole that right out of my brain at 15:02 😅 Great minds! 😉 Seriously though, I think it could make for such an interesting encounter, even for a higher level party: 4 massive shadow giants show up, so they try fighting them off. You can make it so that the party doesn’t seem to do much damage, and once they’re all grappled, they’re zipped off to The Black/Shadowfell/etc. Suddenly their grapplers are the about equal in size to the party, and they simply plead them to follow along to their destination. I really like the halfling origin for this creature, too; it adds a little extra something. I’m not sure why, but I kind of want older or more powerful shadow giants to be extra short in The Black, which somehow gives them a capacity to become even larger on the material plane than their younger/less powerful comrades. Maybe once your kidnapped party is taken to the leader of the shadow giants, you could surprise the party and have the leader just be an extra small shadowy halfling-shape, just casually dragging on a pipe with tendrils of light coming out of it 🚬😤 (sorry, no pipe emoji) Thanks Dad!
I’m currently running Kobold Press’s Scarlet Citadel dungeon campaign in their Midgard setting, and I’m definitely considering having some of Gellert the Gruesome’s robbery plots be because he’s trading with these guys — they’d be from Midgard’s Shadow Realm or creature that live on the Shadow Roads and could even be descended from halflings in this setting, since some halflings did leave with the elves in the Retreat and eventually wind up in the Shadow Realm. I also definitely think these guys would be great in a lot of different Ravenloft settings — the Dark Arthuriana type domains of the Shadowlands (Avonleigh, Shadowborn Manor, and Nidala — especially in Avonleigh and the Phantasmal Forest) or as cursed creatures in Tepest would be great too.
Can I suggest adding something that forces them to return to The Black because it seems like they would want to spend as much time as possible in the Material Plane. Maybe something like overcharging where spending too much time there is damaging like how in older editions staying on the positive elemental plane caused people to explode.
I would love to see more articles about Giants soon! I don’t think Mountain Giants have been featured in 5e yet, the irda from Dragonlance only got a brief mention in a monstrous compendium, and the Fomorians were seemingly retconned in the Bigby’s book to be a True Giant as a descendant of Annam instead of simply being Giant-Kin
They could be a really interesting people group that are subserviant/revere the sun dragons. The idea of them relying or idolizing a creature that embodies the thing that grants the shadow people power could be a fun encounter, especially a possibly tyrannical dragon who weilds the power of the sun as a means to punish them by keeping them in the darkness. Either that or as foot soldiers against moon dragon lycanthropes
After seeing this I’m immediately altering the BBEG of my current campaign to be a Shadow Giant. The players have had encounters with this enigmatic shadow being, and because they haven’t fought him yet I was able to put off writing an actual stat block outside of vague shadow sorcerer abilities. With the generously provided stat block I whipped up a much better version of the villain than I’d had before, and even the generic Shadow Giant lore fits into my game. The campaign takes place inside a giant’s castle, so having a technical giant as the villain is very good. The players have rescued and befriended a moon spirit, which several factions within the castle want for themselves. Our BBEG is from the dark side of the moon, and wants the spirit so he can absorb the light of the moon- just like a Shadow Giant. I also added some shadow sorcerer abilities to bump up the CR a touch to real final boss territory. Even the dreaded Descend ability is a really useful tool for a DM; if, like me, you’re having the players essentially do a long escort quest, giving the villain the ability to just snatch up their NPC is a great way to set the stage for the final encounter, where the players will have to figure out how to follow the Shadow Giant into his realm and somehow beat him on his own turf. It’s fantastic, thanks so much.
The party has acsended the mountains to the northwest and discovered a sprawling maze like tunnel system, full of traps and dead ends. At the center lies The Santuary. In the center of this giant Emerald and Silver structure lies the Shadow Giant, bound by eldritch energies. The party approaches and the bindings release. The shadow giant begins attacking the party, under the impression, they are there to unleash an eldritch entity trapped in between dimensions. The party begins evasive actions, unaware that their foe is actually a guardian, preventing a greater evil from inking its way into the material plane. And then possibly, all of existence. If the party end up beating their adversary, they would inadvertently unlocking the gate keeping such evil bound in a state of stasis. If the party somehow talk to the creature they may learn of its nature in this place, far in the mountains, tucked away in a maze none know exist. Perhaps the party are requested to bring obsidian orbs to the shadow giant as a means of strengthening the bindings and possible completely sealing it for good. Or maybe the Shadow giant has lied about everything, and is the sole key needed to open the door to said destruction, and it has been waiting a long time to fulfill its purpose.
This feels less like a common monster more like a terrifying urban legend like the bag man or tailypo Like this thing goes after people who are afraid of the dark and who’s more scared of the dark than children that it’ll try to drag away if they fail to face they’re fears and light a candle or cast they’re candle light.
The obsidian orb egg thing, has a lot of potential in an alien style quest . You come across a nest where there is always light, the shadow people have to avoid being there to keep from absorbing to much light which is why they go back to the shadow fell to deposit light energy ( which fades very quickly in the shadowfell) into a false sun made of crystal given to them by the Raven Queen. Once the crystal has enough light it it free them from their eternal curse. The shadow people where the original followers of the Raven Queen and where cursed as punishment for helping her. This curse was created by the Gods . The Raven Queen was able to change it so they do become more powerful in light which is why she sends them as fighters into realms that have plenty of light. The eggs hatching when your players get there having to fight a few as they get stronger as the fight goes on tough encounter to get through but one hell of a one shot though probably lvl 14 or higher depending on how many hatch or if any sentries come to protect the nest
If you use older D&D cosmology, specifically when it comes to elemental planes, you could always just use the Negative Energy Plane in place of The Black. It’s literally as you described it: A universe of endless, featureless, black void which naturally drains light and life from anything within it that isn’t undead. And if you are using more modernized cosmology, you could always just slip in the Plane of Radiance / Plane of Radiant Energy and the Plane of Necrosis / Plane of Necrotic Energy, since radiant and necrotic are what the positive energy and negative energy damage types got re-flavored as in 4e and 5e.
These are cool, I like that they’re more “Shadow people” than “Darkness people” the way most shadow creatures in 5e are. Shadows and Shadow Demons etc all love dim light and darkness and are light adverse, which makes sense but it tends towards “darkness creatures”, since shadows are tied to that contrast of being a patch of darkness cast in an area of light. It might be a fo pah to make the comparison but it reminds me of in Naruto where one of the characters had a spell that lets them control and reshape their shadow, and if they can attach their shadow to someone else’s, they can puppet/ restrain that person instead. That character explicitly states they’re “useless at night” because without light there aren’t any shadows. FMAB also had a shadow manipulator with the same weakness. These could be excellent for a horror game (provided you limited player options for darkvision), like an Amnesia/ Slender style of setting where the party/ player’s trapped in an enclosed location and these are “the monster(s)” roaming the place. The area’s naturally dark so the players can’t see much, but using a light source to see would both draw the attention of the shadow people AND empower them the closer they are to said light. They’d also be had to spot near the edge of the light’s radius since they’d blend in with the darkness behind them.
Counterpoint; maybe the black is accessible for other campaign settings? Why wouldnt a demiplane of another world overlap other realities? Also Planescape sort of allows that to happen, as it explains that everything is connected everywhere. One idea is that maybe the black is the only route of escape from Athas? That’d be a cool direction to take it.
In my setting there is “The Darkness”. An unknown (so far) force of ultimate evil, or should I say, anihilation. It is set on devouring EVERYTHING. It was fortold as 4 riders of apocalypse. Sphere of anihilation is a oneway portal into dimension of “The Darkness”. And Shadow Giants are perfect fit for a corrupted souls of mortals, who ended up in The Darkness and were reborn there.
The Shadow Shire has a good ring to it. I’d have it look like the Hobbits home from LOTR but it’s all in gray and these shadow giants mope around focused on day to day chores. They awkwardly have to duck or crawl to enter their homes and everything is creepily silent. Maybe only having them talk when spoken too. I’d also find it hard not to have an obsidian dragon ruling the realm.
This sounds like a great outside context problem to drop on a party that’s gotten a bit complacent. You could even work their being smaller and weaker in darkness into making a trickier encounter, as it would make things much harder for any player characters that don’t have a good Darkvision or Blindsense or something. Do you want to deal with normal sized enemies in the dark, or giants in the light?
Imagine the party of heroes having to defend mount celesta against these giants. As the sun never sets on the mountain combined with radiant energy immunity makes them perfect angel killers. But the giants are a distraction as a evil Lich named Lea’ feh steals the sun’s heart (the most potent source of sunlight) in order to power a great amalgam of shadow giants that the Lich grafted together in order to prevent celestial beings interfering with his plans on the mortal realm.
When you mentioned possibly having the black be a particular part of the Shadowfell, I had a fun mental image of like–the deep ocean, intricate caves, or even a version of The Underdark existing within the Shadowfell where they just descend into that absolute blackness. You try to grab a torch it offers no heat or light. Could even do something mirroring the shadow-giants themselves where light or light magic expand its scope/power. Whole idea of being in an absolute void where nothing should live but knowing you’re not alone and something comes for you.
I actually love when Dark Sun gets conversions to a modern stat block even though I don’t play d&d anymore my group plays a hybrid version RPG we’ve been working on for a couple of years now we try different ideas out for rolling and converting older monsters/creatures/npcs and normal game play. Thanks for bringing this one up I’ve been thinking about a way to get my group back to Athas since at the moment they are in a converted Ultima Online / Sosaria – Trammel world where everyone thinks the Dragonborn / Dragonoid (humanoid dragonkin) is a Gargoyle which in this world are usually hostile to outside races.
Imagine a shadow giant working with a vampire that cast polymorph on it and invisibility on itself to scare the shit out of people by going in direct sun light (the vampire stands behind the shadow giant). The shadow giant benefits by being able to work in sunlight and get valuables while the vampire can go do vampire things without immediately dying when outside during daytime.
I actually disagree with the idea of them living in the Shadowfell. Perhaps, yes, they might originate from the Shadowfell, but a race that feeds off of light would seek to live in bright places. Perhaps they’ve moved to the City of Brass on the Plane of Fire or onto a volcano on the Material Plane. Maybe they’ve either contracted or captured a radiant Celestial and are either paying or forcing it to act as a makeshift sun. Or, maybe they just live on the Material Plane as a normal race, but they’ve aligned themselves with race of primarily nocturnal people to form a symbiotic community where both cover the needs of the other.
Me, about to sent my party into a den of Kythons. Also having already set up a material called ‘Abyssal Essence’ as basically the physical corruption of the BBEG: I really want to make a new Kython to scare my players This Episode: finally gives me the inspiration I needed to make Abyssal Essence infused Kythons.
With some enhancements I might use the stat block for this Shadow Giant as a base template for a major BBEG in my campaign. Over time I have been building up for my players that one of the “Doomsday Level” threats in my homebrew world to be a dark entity known as The Shadow Monarch. Much like the Domains of Dread, The Shadow Monarch is imprisoned within the Shadowfell with their true power sealed away. If nothing else this helped me give a more defined shape to how I wish to strike fear into my players when the BBEG says “I will drink your Light” and mean it.
I actually just brought one of these into my campaign recently! The party unknowingly ventured into the cavern it had been hiding out from the city guard in, as the thieves guild it was being paid by was destroyed by the party and it had no reason to stay. Druid hit it with moonlight almost instantly, and the cleric immediately went for the dick measuring context and cast daylight. Problem was that it was a fairly low ceiling cave, it had been described earlier in the campaign as about eight feet. So the shadow giant grows and gets stuck, looks at the party, gives a big hollow smile, opens it’s mouth and just inhales both spells, leaving the cave completely black except for it’s massive, glowing grin, that slowly begins to descend till it disappears beneath the floor. Party told the guards they handled it, passed the deception check (they knew that this was not handled), packed up everything, sold the tavern, and fled in the dead of night. Ironically he considered the spells a gift of light and was heading home to grab gifts for them. I’m thinking I’ll have him try to find them, have them hear about sightings if they stay in an area for a bit, and eventually when i decide he catches up he’ll give them level appropriate gear. I’m basically gonna make him a spooky version of the “CHOCOLATE!!!” guy from SpongeBob
idea, from perusal the latest article, “the black” in 5e could be a separate territory in the shadowfell, much like the domains of dread, which historically included a city from darksun, perhaps like the domains of dread are ruled by the dark powers, the territory of “the black” could be ruled by Borys who in 5e could be a powerful and unique variant of a shadow dragon and potentially keeps the shadow giants from abducting people too often with their unique ability as from what i could find historically regarding the cosmology of darksun “Shadow Giants can draw creatures into the Black. It was hypothesized by Agis and Sadira that the Dragon protected Athas by keeping the Shadow Giants in the Black.” so you could basically since 5e is typically both a continuation but also, it’s own continuity, could make this theory true. another idea i had is this “the black” could simply be where the thing known as “the grey” which surrounds the world of athas, and the shadowfell overlap
Honestly, I love this creature, especially with how it reacts to light. Always looking for more creatures to throw into my Domain of Dread game, and love the idea of this creature being a prison warden for another creature you covered years ago, the Shining Child (could really be one for any radiant heavy creature, but Shining Child I got plans for). And with how prevalently used darkness and shadows are in Shadowfell/Domain of Dread campaigns, a creature of shadow absorbing radiant and light is such an awesome curve ball to throw at players who might get comfortable using it left and right. P.S. Saw a typo in the pdf in the Syphoning Slam attack, seeing “and thief the target” instead of “and if the target”.
You know because they’re made out of Shadow and darkness when if they be near impossible to hit because they would just blend in with the environment a creature made out of Shadow is now basically hiding in the darkness yeah it’s weaker but it’s also hard to hit you don’t know if you’re hitting it or are they would all look the same
IIRC, the original “I6: Ravenloft” module had the DM select or randomly roll up any one of four objectives that Strahd could be working on, aside from his usual Chasing-Amy schtick. One of those options was that he could be crafting a globe of magical darkness, with which to permanently shield his domain from the sun. Maybe a DM could run with that idea in 5e, only the globe in question isn’t a magic item, but a jumbo version of the shadow giants’ obsidian orbs, that could birth a whole troop of those creatures to be Von Zarovich’s sunlight-devouring bodyguard minions?
Great article. I discovered you not too long ago and I’m enjoying your content a lot! I’ve got lots of DMing experience across the editions, and this is giving me ideas. For example, when the Shadow Giant is grappling someone and tries to drag them off to the Shadowfell or the Black, a forgiving-but-not-TOO-forgiving DM could give them a save to escape.. but depending on how well they succeed or fail, they could take damage and levels of exhaustion, as a portion of their life essence is torn away from them into another world. They could even end up with permanent scars (or stat loss, if your players are more hardcore).. but hey, they don’t die!
If in doubt how to justify the presence of a weird Monster: it’s a Mad Wizards fault. Existence of owlbears? Created by a Mad Mage. Forgotten nameless Horror from the deep or from beyond space? Awoken by a Mad Mage. Weird shadowy Giants that eat light and want Obsidian from another world in the Forgotten Realms? You guessed it: summoned from that other world to the Forgotten Realms by a Mad Mage.
Ooooh, this one really got the mind juices flowing, especially the “Dark Sun” part. Since I really like the other giant races you’ve covered, Sun, Moon, Runic, etc and have my own tweaked versions in my Forgotten Realms campaign world iis giving me some great ideas on how these guys would fit in the worlds existing lore but keeps some original flair. Like I said the Dark Sun got me going so I’m thinking they’re Sun Giants that got trapped/banished to the Shadowfell with the lack of light and holy energies causing their bodies to weaken and shrink before finally being completely corrupted and twisted by the dark plane. This explains why they react to light so differently than the normal denizens, as originally beings of light they can still draw power from it just in a more twisted and perverse manner. Definately a WIP, but it’s what popped into my mind after first reading the articles title!
While playing 3.5 we had a situation where a player wished to dimension door a creature against its will. A will save was called for… mostly because the DM had given us a creature eight levels of CR above us and we couldn’t think of any other way to harm it than grapple it and dimension door it straight up in a six thousand foot pile driver… and he felt that it was impossible for his epic level pit fiend to fail the grapple check… and then fail its will save. in this case, a will save vs the shadow person’s spell save DC (which should be 15 if I’ve done my math right) seems appropriate, if we’re talking Dimension Door-adjacent, or Charisma save if it’s a banishment-adjacent effect.
Personaly the insta in shadowfell feels off so probably give them a shadow walk mechanic that allows escape. But drops attached persuers in the nearest shadow. Likely usable 1 time per day. But the group probably would know how to create portals to the shadow fell in their lairs. Using them for trade and escape. Cause closing them could be something they know well. Opening them could take a bit. As for campaign integration. Shadow fell traders work well. But…. Could be merchant companies that tend to trade in more unorthodox locations. Churches possibly frowning on trade with the shadowdark. Possibly accepting payment upfront for an extra planar escape route. Could possibly find hags, dark fey, drow, lich / dark wizard types. Good business partners. Or go the opposite. At least for some clans. They smuggle good creatures out of the shadowfell. Allowing low lvl players a route out if the fells through one of their lairs. Through trade with churches of light they keep with them items that increase there combat power for short bursts. As in light source items with timed output.
How I would use the Shadow giant: – A powerfull one gets obsessed by one member of the party because he “likes the light in his/her eyes”. Maybe is the most positive one, maybe is the most cringe one and the giant wants to take the last remaining light. Basically it’s a serial killer or a weird guy, it’s just nice the parallel between real light and “emotional light” – This nemesis will try its best to make them fear the shadows and the night by making any horror conceivable attack them during sleep and such (night hags, vampires, etc). he will lead creature there, lead the party in problematic situation, buy mercenaries, everything. – This is the ground for a psychological horror campaign with sleep deprivation, paranoy and depression, which high chance for the players to isolate themselves or the victim. In a way or another, their “lights” have to grow weak. – Eventually the Shadow Giant will lead them to the equivalent of our norther states during summer whitout them noticing it or by simply forcing them trought conspiracy and stuff. Here the light time is way longer than usual. – Final Showdown, they will have to resist the siege and if they’re smart enough, they’ll be able to make the giant forget about “winter”. Otherwise, they can even be able to fight him during the day or who knows. I mean I like the idea of a dark creature obsessed by light that’s dangerous during day and that makes night a living hell, really Berserkersque. I would also implement some rule about fatigue and depression to enanche that (lesser and momentary malus to ST, Abilities, characteristic, often describing things in a way that gives an uncertain feeling, HP damages on long term and so on)
So the planes of necrotic (negative plane) and radiant (positive plane) may not exist in 5e yet, but they did before (might be that they were removed from contact with the current prime material plane during the last magic reset?), and there were even VERY VERY rare elementals from it. Honestly, this would explain a lot if they came from the dimension of necrotic energies and darkness, as i seem to remember that some of the very few creatures we saw from it would use small lights to draw in prey lanternfish style, sometimes stunning with light. Or they would occasionally be raided by beasts of the positive plane that would push back the darkness. So, a being that gets stronger/feeds upon such light actually makes pretty great evolutionary sense. Perhaps lean into the halfling origins and snakelike form a bit and draw in some sort of “light fed luck” and a yuan-ti (whom did live near the halflings in DS) like set of darkness infused traits? Perhaps some form of poison or something. Definitely something very interesting to work from if nothing else.
I was working on a version of the Shadow Giant that was summoned by Clan Duergar. With the reclamation of the Invisible Art from their Mindflayer captors centuries ago, they opened ancient pathways into the earth below the Shadowfell: the Deepfell. This is where they communed with, and conjoined with, the Shadow Giants.( It made more sense to me than the fiendish connection hinted at for the duergar creation in the original FR lore, and gave them a more unique lore relative to the other races save the Shadar’kai.)
I’m running a Viking themed campaign in a year or so. Have been prepping for almost a year already. I think these would make a great addition to my pantheon as denizen’s of Hel’s realm (the goddess of death). I’d probably flavor them with necrotic damage to fit her theme, and they’d work excellently as gate guards to her realm, as they counter any kind of radiant incursion.
Here’s a lore idea: Maybe they work as merchants/lackeys on the material plane, and they’re there as a form of punishment from the raven queen, forced to wear a mask that prevents them to even receiving light. The mask is impossible to take off in the material plane, but in the shadowfell it can be done though with major struggle. The thing is, if any of them tried taking it off, the queen would know immediately, and they’d be cursed into that lightless abyss forever. So, the plot revolves about a shadow giant that managed to take it off, maybe the main villain betrayed the queen and freed a number of them to use as soldiers. Or, maybe it’s the players objective, freeing them to receive powerful allies and defeat the BBEG.
Instead of Barovia I think these guys would work better in Sithlicus or the Shadow Rift (both from real Ravenloft aka pre reboot). Or just say they’re the souls of people who were stuck in the the domains that disappeared during the Grand Conjunction or people who got lost in between the Islands of Terror or the cluster domains.
You know I think I once read some legend about there being a place in the Shadowfel where all of the light of the Shadowfel goes…. Which is why its such a dark place…. What if these creatures are actually what inspired that legend and is in fact their home? (Turns out they’ve been sucking the light of the Shadowfell out and hoarding it in their lair to empower themselves…)
Idea for a shadow giant campaign vaugely inspired by LOTR. There are a group of fallen kingdom leaders that were banished by a goddess of light. Over the centuries they warp into shadow giants whom have started forcing their way into the mortal plain to ransack her temples and kidnapping/killing her followers. The goddess chooses some champions (the players) to hunt them down and end them but with every one slaid of the (insert number here) the rest get stronger (gotta change some stats, maybe improv some abilities to keep things fresh) where they are fought could also play in heavy to each fight
You could also use it to drag your players into the world of Dark sun and do a Dark sun campaign, Could explain it away as the Shadow Giant was particularly powerful and was able to explore “Other” material planes, this could also be a fun plothook to have your players explore other DnD worlds and campaigns!
Sounds like a nice pairing to go alongside Shadow Mastiffs and other Shadowfell beasts in an invasion on light campaign as Shadowfell creatures hate light and Shadow Giants eat light. Perfect for my deep dark forest invasion of darkness campaign I am homebrewing and have the Shadow Giants/People be paid in obsidian by a cult of darkness to envelope the world in darkness.
oof, combine this with an enemy that can produce light and oh boy, you have an encounter that is troublesome. One way to make this work is to make them attracted and hang out with beings that produce a lot of light. Maybe things like Phosphorescent Myconids. Maybe they act as bodyguards for these creatures and act as protectors since they have a form of symbiosis going on, where they both benefit from being around eachother. the shadow giants get to stay strong and the mychonids get protection from outsiders since the giants are stronger than them. now if you want to fight them, you have take out these smaller, but weaker creatures to weaken the the shadow giants.
couldn’t the shadow giant being a part of the negative plane then? it is the equivalent of a plane of pure darkness, as it is the plane where all the negative energy came from, and partly the reason why the shadowfell is what it is (the shadowplane is between the material plane and the negative plane, and there some passageways there). the Shadows giant feel very similar to the nightwalker in vibe. so it would make sense if shadow giant where from the same places.
i could think of adding them as one form of the void the literal nothing inbetween reality no light, no space, no time nothing. sometimes this leaks into different planes and takes the shape of something from soemthigna s vague as a concept to something more spesific. either these could be the shape it takes for shadows the whole saying “the larger the flame the longer the shadows”
I kinda like the idea of using this more as a deadly trap encounter and having its descend ability to go to the negative energy plane, not entirely unlike a nightwalker. It is permitted to enter a limited space in the material by its master, and in return the dungeon sort of filters trespassers toward that chamber. Once the shadow giant has weakened someone enough that they can’t resist, it just drags them to the negative plane, annihilating them and feeding the giant.
i think that in adition to obsidian, they might also trade for other things that they need, but that they cannot obtain or make in the black abyss they call home specifically. lights they need light in order to stay strong, to heal, and in the black no such thing exists or can exist, and so the only way to bring light sources in is by trading for them
Weird way to incorporate The Black into a game without changing the cosmology of your existing game? Since D&D did away with the whole concept of Phlogiston, make The Black the void between stars, beyond the edge of wildspace, between star systems or crystal spheres. Shadow Giants could be native to this lightless void and have to contend with Stellar Dragons and other such star spawned mysteries most mortals and even gods would rarely interact with.
My absolute favorite setting. My GMs couldn’t handle me amd molecular manipulation. My gear was pure bling. Bling Diamond ruby and emeralds. I could dimension hop too. The access tonthe very universe via my psychics and the knecklace or adaption amd biomancy powers. My guy was a God among men. I never got to ruck with a dragon king though. My plans were to just revive the world. They can keep doing what they do If I could save the planet by opening up dimensional gates to replenish our water and mineralogical needs. I was going to give the druids armies to replant. The Dragons can come out and gorge themselves every so often to toughen up the people. Eventually humanity and the anthropomorphic entiti4s will overcome them. Then the world can begin its next step. Every Athenian that can become God like will be elevated. The planet is meant to die after all. The sun lense damaged the sun itself. So the athasians can go and colonize new spheres and become new gods and form new worlds and adventures. Yeah I got Meta.
an idea that instantly popped to mind with this thing’s statblock is to have a higher level mixed encounter with them and normal shadows, putting the players in a sort of ‘plague or cholera’ situation. if they light the place up, the giant becomes stronger, but the shadows can’t do their “hide and seek” style combat. if they keep it dark, they can deal with the giant, but the shades become a real problem. for sure one to keep in my back pocket!