The Plane of Shadow

The Plane of Shadow is a darkly lighted dimension that has the same boundaries and extents as the Material Plane. It overlaps the Material Plane much as the Ethereal Plane does, so a planar traveler can use the Plane of Shadow to cover great distances quickly. The Plane of Shadow shares many boundaries to other planes and with the right spell, you can use the Plane of Shadow to visit other realities.
The Plane is a world of black and white, color itself has been bleached from the environment. The sky above is a black vault with neither sun nor stars. Landmarks from the Material Plane are recognizable on the Plane of Shadow, but they are twisted, warped things—diminished reflections of what can be found on the Material Plane. Despite the lack of light sources, various plants, animals, and humanoids call the Plane of Shadow home.

Terrain

The Plane of Shadow is highly morphic, and parts continually flow onto other planes. As a result, precise maps are next to useless, despite the presence of landmarks. If a traveler visits a mountain range during one use of a shadow walk spell, the mountain range may still be there the next time, but the individual mountains may have moved about. Precision is a lost cause in the Plane of Shadow.
The terrain of the Plane of Shadow is usually similar to the area where the traveler enters from the Material Plane. If a wizard travels onto the Plane of Shadow from a forest, she first sees an equivalent shadow forest. If she starts underwater, she appears within a shadowy sea that behaves like a Material Plane ocean, so her water breathing spell still works. However, as she moves away from her entry point, the terrain of the Plane of Shadow changes dramatically, although it usually bears some resemblance to the corresponding terrain on the Material Plane.

Planar Traits

• Normal Gravity
• Normal Time
• Infinite Size
• No Elemental or Energy Traits
• Mildly Neutral-Aligned
• Enhanced Magic: Shadow spells may be enhanced on the Plane of Shadow. All spells making use of shadows do their maximum damage possible.
• Impeded Magic: Spells that use or generate light or fire may fizzle when cast on the Plane of Shadow. A spellcaster attempting a spell with the light or fire descriptor must succeed on a Intelligence (Arcana) check (DC 15 + half the level of the spell). Spells that produce light are less effective in general, because all light sources have their ranges halved on the Plane of Shadow.
• Vision - Darkvision is a near requirement on the Plane of Shadow, as it allows those with it to see beyond their normal range. The mists that flow through the plane allow those with darkvision varying degrees of vision, from half their normal darkvision to miles out depending on the mists flow. Those without darkvision are blind unless they have a light source.

Inhabitants

While the Plane of Shadow is not evil in and of itself, it is home to a wide variety of foul creatures that hate the light and the living. The best known denizen of the plane is the shadow, an undead creature that sucks the strength from adventurers on either the Material Plane or the Plane of Shadow. The Shadar-kai are a race of fey that are connected to the Shadowfell, believed to be an offshoot of elves. The mysterious Raven Queen, a powerful deity, also called the Shadowfell her home.
There are numerous stories of castles and entire cities that have been sucked up by the Plane of Shadow over the years. Some still survive, but they have been warped by the insidious, toxic nature of the Plane of Shadow. Castorhage, often better known as The Blight, is an enormous metropolis and one such city. Millions dwell within its walls, and its tendrils stretch far and wide in the material plane.

Alternative Name(s)

Shadowfell, Demiplane of Shadow, The Shadowlands, The Mists

Type

Dimensional plane