Racial Template by Aleksandar Licul (ShadowMoon)
Sidhe call them Awn'Shaar, or the Dark/Shadow Spirits, though most denizens of Cerilia simply call them Shades. Once normal living creatures forever changed by the twisting powers of the Shadow World, cursed with very darkness that now flows through their veins.

• Special: Character must prove worthy (or be chosen) and survive the ritual of shadow binding. In rare cases excessive exposing to the Seeming can change a Daylight creature into a Shade.
  

• Abilities: A Shade's key abilities are Dexterity, and Charisma.
  
• Alignment: Any, but most of them succumb to Chaos.
  
• Hit Dice: d8.
  

• Racial Abilities: As per original (non-shade) race. In addition apply these abilities:
  
  • Shadow Blood (Ex): A shade can be considered a shadow creature for many purposes, including the casting of True Magic.
    
  • Long Life (Ex): Age as original member of its race (non-shade) till becoming Young Adult, thereafter apply these modifications: Mature +15 years, Middle-aged +30 years, Old +60 years, Ancient +1d12.
    
  • Shadow Essence (Ex): Shade's invocations and manipulation of magical energies is forever linked with the Seeming; the undercurrents of the Shadow World. This gives a Shade a +1 bonus on Saves DC against his spells of Conjuration, Divination, Illusion, and Necromancy schools and effects, and a +1 bonus to overcome SR using those schools and effects. This constant link with the Shadow World produces a -1 penalty on Saves DC against his spells of Abjuration, Enchantment, Evocation, and Transmutation schools and effects, and a -1 penalty to overcome SR using those schools and effects. Shade also gains a +1 bonus on his Saves against spells and effects of Conjuration, Divination, Illusion, and Necromancy, and a -1 penalty on his Saves against spells and effects of Abjuration, Enchantment, Evocation, and Transmutation. In addition, casting spells and using magic effects with the Light descriptor is greatly diminished. To be able to invoke any power with the Light descriptor, Shade needs to pass Concentration check DC25. If he succeeds, power function, but all effects are halved (duration, range, etc.). Shade can use Shadow Magic Items normally. All Magic Items created by the Shade are Shadow Magic Items. Add creature type Native Outsider (Shadow). 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.
    
  • Increased Abilities (Ex): A Shade's Constitution and Charisma scores increase by +2.
    
  • Increased Speed (Ex): Increases base Speed by 10ft. (or 5 ft., if the character wears medium or heavy armor).
    
  • Increased Defence (Ex): The Shade gains a +2 deflection bonus to AC.
    
  • Increased Resistance (Ex): The Shade gains a +2 luck bonus on all saving throws.
    
  • Increased Senses (Ex): The Shade gains a +2 racial bonus on Listen, Perception and Spot checks.
    
  • Increased Stealth (Ex): The Shade gains a +4 racial bonus on Hide, Move Silently and Seeming checks.
    
  • Shadesight (Su): The Shade has 60 ft. Darkvision. He can see normally through any darkness effects but not through fog, invisibilty, obscurement, and so on. He does not suffer skill check penalties due to darkness.
    
  
  

Shade class skills and the key ability for each skill are: Bluff (Cha), Hide (Dex), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Perception (Wis), Seeming (Cha), Speak Language (Shaalach) (N/A), and Spot (Wis).

• Skill Points at 1st Level: (8 + Int modifier) x 4.
  
• Skill Points at each additional Level: 8 + Int modifier.
  

All of the following are class features of the Shade racial template.

Shade

Level	BAB	F	R	W	Special
1st	+1	+2	+2	+2	Augmented Speed, Enhanced Defence, Unnatural Resistance, Keen Senses, Improved Stealth, Control Light
2nd	+2	+3	+3	+3	Precision, Regeneration, Invisibility
3rd	+3	+3	+3	+3	Aura, Shadow Image
4th	+4	+4	+4	+4	Attuned Precision, Greater Regeneration, Shadow Stride
5th	+5	+4	+4	+4	Strong Aura, Shadow Travel

• Weapon and Armour Proficiency: The Shade is proficient in all simple weapons, but not with any type of armour or shield.
  
• Augmented Speed (Ex): Substitute Increased Speed (Ex). Increases base Speed by 20ft. (or 10 ft., if the character wears medium or heavy armor).
  
• Enhanced Defence (Ex): Substitute Increased Defence (Ex). The Shade gains a +4 deflection bonus to AC.
  
• Unnatural Resistance (Ex): Substitute Increased Resistance (Ex). The Shade gains a +4 luck bonus on all saving throws.
  
• Keen Senses (Ex): Substitute Increased Senses (Ex). The Shade gains a +4 racial bonus on Listen, Perception, and Spot checks.
  
• Improved Stealth (Ex): Substitute Increased Stealth (Ex). The Shade gains a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Move Silently, and Seeming checks.
  
• Control Light (Sp): The Shade can decrease the levels of light within a 100 ft. Radius by a factor of 10% per level. For characters and creatures dependent 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.
  
• Precision (Ex): The Shade gains a +1 competence bonus on attacks and damage.
  
• Regeneration (Su): The Shade gains Fast Healing 1.
  
• Invisibility (Sp): The Shade can use this ability once per round as a sorcerer of his level.
  
• Aura (Ex): The Shade gains Spell Resistance 5 + character level.
  
• 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.
  
• Attuned Precision (Ex): Substitute Precision (Ex). The Shade gains a +2 competence bonus on attacks and damage.
  
• Greater Regeneration (Su): Substitute Regeneration (Ex). The Shade gains Fast Healing 2.
  
• Shadow Stride (Sp): As often as once every 2 rounds, a Shade can vanish from his current location and reappear in any shadowy area within 300 feet. This is a move-equivalent action.
  
• Strong Aura (Ex): Substitute Aura (Ex). The Shade gains Spell Resistance 10 + character level.
  
• Shadow Travel (Sp): The Shade can use teleport without error to reach a shadowy locale on the same world or plane shift to access the Shadow World. A Shade can Shadow Travel once per day.
  

This is inspired by Shade from Birthright: Blood Spawn (TSR: AD&D 3140), based on a Shade from Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (D&D 3.5 d20), modified for my Birthright campaign (Birthright d20R: Shadow Rising), and converted to Monster Class Levels (Savage Species system), though I call it a Racial Template in d20R.

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