Shadow Born (3.5e Race)
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Shadow Born[edit]
Shadow born are borne by deep elven magic, where form & thoughts are imbued into shadows drawn from the upper planes of conflict & occasionally the upper planes of law & chaos. They are not particularly strong, but they are quick in both body & wit, making excellent diplomats & scouts alike. Most will be found residing within elven clan structures in woodlands.
Personality[edit]
Shadow born range from rowdy & ambitious, to well mannered & stoic. Typically all shadow born have in common a varyingly friendly demeanor however, & will often go out of their way to mend & otherwise upkeep good relations with those around them. Shadow born have a strong inclination towards justice, & do not take lightly the misdeeds of others, often taking direct offense to crimes perpetrated by criminals. They will distance themselves from the cruel & cut off all contact with the wicked. Shadow born may occasionally come off as dismissive or insensitive to others, this is often due to a misunderstanding of customs or ignorance of another race's needs. Usually the only culture they are accustomed to are those of their elven creators. If one can get past such trivialities, shadow born have a tendency towards loyalty & forming strong bonds with good friends.
Physical Description[edit]
Shadow born typically stand 5-1/2 to 6-1/2 feet tall, with an average to slender looking build, rarely will a shadow born bear a large & strong build. Shadow born appear as living silhouettes with a pair of gleaming eyes, usually either gold, red, white or some mixture of the three colors. Aside from those, shadow born are completely devoid of other facial & bodily features like hair, mouths, noses & ears. Although they are ageless, shadow born cannot be created as adults, consequentially, a shadow born reaches adulthood at about 70 years of age.
Relations[edit]
Shadow born share a strong sense of brotherhood with any race they spend their time growing up around, which is almost exclusively elves. They rarely share the same standards elves have towards other races & will approach them with open arms. It is primarily the actions & integrity of an individual's character that can invoke the ire or joy of a shadow born. When approaching others however, it is common for a shadow born at a glance to be misinterpreted as a lowly monster, & as a result shadow born typically have a difficult time introducing themselves to potential allies.
Alignment[edit]
A shadow born's alignment is exclusively of a good nature, since all shadow born are comprised of shadows from the upper planes, which are intrinsically aligned to a good nature. Because their constituent shadows can come from the upper planes of law, conflict or chaos, they will range anywhere on the spectrum of good from lawful to chaotic, abiding strictly by the laws of others, to laws of their own moral compass to aid those in need when they are able.
Lands[edit]
Most shadow born live alongside elves in woodland clans where they were created, assisting with hunting, gathering & growing food. Their most important role in elven clans however is to survey the woods with their shadow phasing abilities, allowing them to scout vast tracts of land under the cover of darkness & forest shadows to report intruders, dangerous beasts & any other abnormalities around their home. Some shadow born choose to leave their clan behind & immigrate to more urban environments to experience the world beyond their clan.
Religion[edit]
Most commonly, shadow born will adopt the patron of their creators or familial clan, often the case is Corellon Larethian. It is not uncommon however, that in the minority, some shadow born choose Ehlonna as their patron for their love of the woodlands & other aspects of nature. In addition, some shadow born choose to reject dedication to a patron altogether in favor of dedicating themselves more fervently to the wellbeing of those they care for.
Language[edit]
Shadow born learn how to speak & write fluent elven from their creators. In addition, they learn common from them as well so they may interact with any outsiders, wandering merchants or intruders they may encounter within their native woodlands. Shadow born will frequently become fluent in celestial later in their lives as well, so as to converse with other entities with parallel alignments or extra-planar origins such as their own.
Names[edit]
Shadow born will choose their own names akin to elves when they declare themselves as adults. The names they choose are most often words associated with honesty, justice & positivity, though some will instead choose to take on names relating to the night & darkness as a whole as well.
Adventurers[edit]
Like elves, shadow born will turn to adventuring when they grow curious of the world beyond their home. Growing accustomed to new races & cultures is disorienting for shadow born at first, but they quickly adapt & usually become excellent negotiators between many of them. It is not uncommon for this reason that shadow born seek diplomatic positions & occupations among able bodied adventurers, traders or public offices.
Racial Traits[edit]
- -4 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma
- Outsider:
- Medium: A Shadow Born does not gain any bonuses for being a medium creature.
- 60ft Darkvision: Shadow born can see black & white in total darkness out to 60ft.
- Shadow Born base land speed is 40 feet.
- Freedom of Movement (Su): Shadow Born can move about freely as if under the affect of the Freedom of Movement spell. This functions as a continuous supernatural ability.
- Endure Elements (Su): Shadow Born can exist comfortably in any environment as if under the affects of the Endure Elements spell and can survive survive on the Elemental Planes indefinitely. Like their Freedom of Movement special ability, this functions as a continuous supernatural ability.
- Automatic Languages: Common, Elven. Bonus Languages: Celestial, Draconic, Auran, Ignan, Terran, & Aquan.
- Favored Class: Rogue
- Shadow Invigoration (Ex): Shadow born become invigorated & agile in pitch darkness, while Conversely they become sluggish & weak under intense light. While in darkness that requires Darkvision to see, +4Dex/+2ATK. While under intense light where cast shadows are extremely scarce or nonexistent, -4Dex/-2ATK.
- Shadow Phase (Su): Shadow born can phase into shadows, becoming one with them. They cannot inhabit shadows more than a single size category smaller than themselves, & cannot reshape themselves to a shadow more than a single size category larger either. If they inhabit a shadow two or more size categories larger than themselves, they occupy a medium space within the shadow. They cannot teleport from shadow to shadow & must have them connect if they wish to move to another shadow without leaving the shadow they currently inhabit. If a shadow born cannot keep up with a moving shadow they will be forced out, likewise if lighting increases enough to dissipate the shadow completely, or the part they currently inhabit for larger shadows, even if temporarily. A shadow born can manipulate their body to avoid assault in shadows they inhabit, applying their Shadow Invigoration Dex bonus. However, a shadow born is entirely incapable of attacking or spell casting while in this state.
- Shadow Storage (Ex) : The shadow born can store a small number of their belongings within themselves. Their shadow comprised body behaves like a pocket dimension with a 10 lb. limit to how much it can contain, though the object must fit through themselves & as such cannot exceed their own size at the time, even should they increase the size of themselves by inhabiting another shadow. Living beings cannot be stored against their will, willing living beings cannot exit without assistance, & should the shadow born die, those in their storage cannot escape.
- Magical Composition: Shadow born being comprised of magically condensed shadows, are affected differently by certain spell interactions. For example, detect magic is able to detect shadow born, anti magic fields circumvent their freedom of movement & behave as an impassable barrier, & attempts to dispel them are treated as damaging attacks (1D6 per caster level, maximum of 10D6).
- Nonbiological Anatomy: Shadow born are immune to disease & poisons.
Vital Statistics[edit]
Shadow Born do not physically age past adulthood when they reach 70 years of age.
| Adulthood | Simple | Moderate | Complex |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 years | +4d10 | +8d10 | +12d10 |
| Middle Age1 | Old2 | Venerable3 | Maximum Age |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Gender | Base Height | Height Modifier | Base Weight | Weight Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 5' 6" | +1d12 | 0 lb. | × 0 lb. |
| Female | 5' 6" | +1d10 | 0 lb. | × 0 lb. |
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