Shadow World Rules (long)

[Yair]

IF MY PLAYERS ARE READING THIS - stop reading!

I have written a fairly extensive set of rules regarding the shadow world. It is long, but I would appreciate any comments or criticism, before I unleash them on my poor party.
The basic premise is that the shadow world (well, actually the real world too) is a dream world, populated with the dreams of the gods. I started off there, and used the excellent Occult Lore book (by Atlas Games) tofollow suit.
It is not quite complete, but it almost is.
Here it goes...

The Shadow World
Travel into the shadow world can only be accomplished through the shadow walk spell (Wiz7, Clr?), the shadow guide spell (Wis9, Clr?), or their namesake feats. In the shadow world the “reality” is that of seeming and appearance, everything is constantly changing much like in a dream (or, under the Cold Rider’s influence, a nightmare).

Elven characters entering the shadow world are nauseated (as per the DMG) until they make a Fort save with DC 15 (check each round). Even then, they feel ill-at ease (although this is purely a role-playing condition).

Feats
The following are “corrected” feats for the BRCS.

Shadow Walker
You have learned to draw upon you connection to the shadow world to lower the barrier between the two worlds, and to cross between them.
Prerequisites: Halfling, Wis13+
Benefits: You can attempt to cross over a number of times per day equal to your character level. Moving into and out of the shadow world are two separate attempts.
You must succeed in a Seeming (Wis; untrained) check to draw yourself into the shadow world. The DC depends on the closeness of the shadow world:
Base Conditions DC
Midday 20
Near Dawn/Dusk 15
Deep Night 10

Modifiers DC
Civilized Area +5
Abandoned/Forsaken Area -5
Summer +5
Winter -5
The DC is based on the conditions in the real world, whether you are attempting to come back to it from the shadow or vice versa.
Crossing over is a full round spell-like ability; if you are disrupted you must make a Concentration check with DC 17 (the attempt counts against your daily limit even if you fail).

If you succeed in crossing over, you are considered to have successfully cast shadow walk. Only the caster is affected, he can take no other creature. The spell takes you to the edge of the Shadow World. You can move at a rate of up to seven miles every 10 minutes, moving normally on the borders of the shadow world but much more rapidly relative to the real world. You witness both the shadow world and the real world in your voyage, receiving glimpses of both, so you can see where you will come back into the real world.
You can also use shadow walk to travel into the plane of shadows itself. This takes but 1 more round. Once in the shadow world, you can travel in it normally – as such things are in that world. You can also travel to the nether realms beyond the shadow world, if you can find and reach them.

The shadow world is fraught with danger, even its outer border is dangerous (particularly at locations and times where the shadow world is close). When traveling in shadow, the DM should roll on the following chart to determine any dangers:
1d20 Roll Effect
1-10 No special hindrance.
11-15 Easy Encounter
16-18 Traveler
19-20 Encounter
21+ Posession

Circumstance Modifier
Winter +2
Summer -2
Deep in Shadow +5
Close Worlds +5
Easy Encounter: An encounter with shadows, undead, or a fey creature in the shadow world, with CR equal to the character’s level or less.
Traveler: A being from the shadow world has slipped into this world along with the traveler. This is often a shadow, wight, ghost, or similar incorporeal undead.
Encounter: A powerful undead or fey is encountered, with CR above the character’s level (often +4).
Possession: A powerful incorporeal undead, often a ghost, possesses the character.

Deep in Shadow: Traveling inside the shadow world. This checks the transit into or from the shadow world, not encounters within it.
Close Worlds: The two worlds are considered close when and where the DC for crossing between them less than 10.

Shadow Guide
Prerequisites: Halfling, Shadow Walker, Wis 13+
Benefit: You may bring additional creatures when you walk in shadows. You may bring an additional number of creatures equal to your character level plus wisdom modifier. Any creature touched by you when you shadow walk, or any creature touching it, can also make the transition to the borders of the shadow world. They may opt to follow you, or wander off through the plane. Creatures who do not follow a shadow guide normally have no means of returning to the real world (unless they can shadow walk themselves, or through other unusual circumstances), and are trapped in the shadow world. Creatures unwilling to accompany you into (or out of) the shadow world receive a Will saving throw to negate the effect. You can choose whether or not to take someone into (or from) the shadow world (even if he touches you or a character you touch).

Seeming Points
The seeming mechanics are based on Atlas Games’ Occult Lore section on dreams.
All characters receive seeming points based as follows:
* All characters receive dream points equal to (2 + Wis modifier) per character level.
* A character receives 2 more seeming points per feat from the following list: shadow walk, shadow guide, improved shadow guide or shadow magic.
* A shadowdancer, shadowmancer, and creatures with the Shadow Creature template receive 2 more points per class level (or hit dice).
* Characters with the Seeming skill receive additional points equal to (2 x Seeming ranks).
* Characters with Regency Points receive an additional amount of seeming points equal to their current total of regency points. Furthermore, they can decide to expand regency points instead of seeming points on a 1-1 basis.

Upon entering the shadow world or after a full night’s rest, a character has all her seeming points. Each round, a character can use at most (2 + Seeming ranks) seeming points. Points can be expanded on the following actions. Generally, these are free (instant) actions that don’t provoke an attack of opportunity, but require a Seeming check. The points are spent regardless of the success of the check. Any number of seeming actions can be undertaken at once, provided the total amount of seeming points does not exceed the limit.
Characters with no ranks in the Seeming skill can only spend their points subconsciously. The DM should choose when and how to spend them. There is no limit to the amount of seeming points a character can use subconsciously. Characters cannot subconsciously use regency points instead of seeming points – this can only be done consciously.
The shadow world can be said to have a “low but malevolent intelligence”. In effect, the DM may “spend” seeming points at will to change the reality at any moment, using any and all actions. Such attempts should be quite rare, however – perhaps no more than one change or kind of change for most encounters. Navigating through the shadow world is particularly difficult, as the shadow world often modifies reality, thus changing paths and landmarks.
Seeming is a class skill only for the shadowdancer and shadowmacner prestige classes.

When someone uses seeming points in any way, come up with a description for the effect. If he is increasing his chances to hit, is he moving faster than the eye can follow? Does his axe suddenly triples in size?

Seeming Actions
Lend Seeming Points
DC: 10
Seeming Points Cost: 2 per point transferred to target
Effect: The transferred points must be used by the target immediately, and the supporting character must know towards what effect he is donating his points towards; he is helping to visualize the effect, and the target is using that belief to help make the effect happen.

Mimic Skill
DC: 15 for class skill, 20 for cross-class skill, 25 for prohibited skill
Seeming Points Cost: 4
Effect: The character gains use of the skill for one round, as if she had one rank in the skill.

Mimic Feat
DC: 15 if prerequisites are met; 25 otherwise
Seeming Points Cost: 3
Effect: The character gains the feat for one round, and can use it even if he does not meet its prerequisites.

Mimic Spell Effect
DC: 15 + spell level for class spell; 20 + spell level otherwise
Seeming Points Cost: 2 points per spell level, 1 point for 0-level
Effect: This effect is considered to be a spell-like ability. No material components are required, nor does armor restrict the casting. The caster’s effective caster level is equal to her ranks in Seeming, or the minimal level required to cast the spell. The spell’s casting time, and requisite verbal or somatic components still apply. If the spell creates any physical items, those items are made from shadow-stuff and will be revealed as such upon leaving the shadow world. They may fade away, or they may linger – often with nefarious side effects.

Modify Ability
DC: 15 + 1 per point added
Seeming Points Cost: 1 per point added
Effect: The character can increase one of her ability scores by one point per seeming point spent. This change lasts for one round. The bloodline score cannot be increased.

Modify Chance
DC: 10 + 1 per points added to use on self; 15 + 1 per point added to use on another.
Seeming Points Cost: 1 per point added
Effect: The character can modify any standard roll by 1 per point spent. The action must be declared before the roll is made. Modify Chance cannot be used to modify a Seeming check.

Modify Threat Range
DC: 15 + 1 per point added
Seeming Point Cost: 1 per point added
Effect: This action increases the threat range of the character’s weapon by one per seeming point spent. The effect lasts for the entire round, from the attack right after Modify Threat Range was declared to the character’s next turn. The changed threat range affects the weapon only when wielded by the character.

Modify Reality
DC: Special
Seeming Point Cost: Special
Effect: The DC and seeming point costs for changing reality depend on the degree of change:
Level of Change Example DC Cost
Minor, personal Alter hair color, 15 5
appearance of
clothing
Major, personal Cause a weapon 20 10
or armor to vanish
Minor, general Create a door 25 20
in a wall, freeze water
Major, general Create a wall to 30 30
seal off a hallway
A character can pour seeming points into a desired change over several rounds, until the total number of points have been accumulated. The skill check is made after all points have been amassed. Any interruptions require a Concentration check as if the character was casting a 5th level spell.

Magic in the Shadow World
When casting a spell, the character must make a Seeming check (DC 15). If he fails, roll on the following table. (This is not applicable to any Shadow spell.)
1d20 roll Result
1-4 Spell fizzles with no effect.
5-9 All numerical elements are at 50% normal value.
10-13 All numerical elements are at 150% normal value.
14-16 Spell effect is opposite of inteded.
17-18 Spell has no effect. A random effect strikes the caster.
19-20 Spell has no effect. A random effect strikes the party.
This does not affect Shadow spells, or spells mimicked through the Mimic Spell Effect seeming action. The Modify Chance action cannot be used to alter this roll.

[Edit: I can't seem to get the tables and paragraphs alignment right, sorry.]

[Sir Justine]

IF MY PLAYERS ARE READING THIS - stop reading!

HA! My players would never obey this...

Great rules!
Though my interpretation of the SW is slight different, I really like this "dream" things.
Do you know the book Blood Spaw? It has monsters and rules for the SW; I have it in PDF (I guess it was never printed?).
Also do you know a serie of three books about a knight, a boy and a girl set in the One Hundred Years war in France (I don't know if this is how it's called in english..), from Casterman, Paris-Tournai? It's really worth reading it.

Also, why elves feel bad in the SW?
And why is the SW evil? Only because of the Cold Rider's influence? If so, how was it like before the Cold Rider? What came first, Cerilia or the SW?

I really would like to talk about the SW; it's one of the parts of Birthright that I like more!

[Yair]

Well...

I do have the Blood Spawn pdf (I think it's free at WOtC's site?). It served as part of the inspiration for my interpertation, actually.
Don't know the book, although it sounds interesting. I'm not sure how it connects to the SW, but certainly interesting.

Elves feel bad in the SW becuase... because the cannon says so (see the quote below). I also came up with my own reason, though (see below).

As for what came first, the Blood Spawn is pretty specific there. To qute it:
"The Shadow World is steeped in the Seeming, a word which comes from an ancient elven term meaning both master spirit and t rue illusion.
According to elven legends, the word first saw use before the Shadow World and Aebrynis were separated as they are now. Then, creatures of these two lands lived together, until a rift between the two drove them apart. The whys and hows of that ancient time are not clear (one legend is recounted on the next page), but it is said the elves still retain a racial fear of the Shadow World and its creatures — a fear they cannot explain. Only a few elves are known to have m a s t e red their fear enough to walk in the Shadow World and return alive. None have related their experiences to others."

Blood Spawn continues to detail an elven legend of how the world became to be. Using that, I combined it with the dream theme (and also some other concepts, I guess) and turned it around a bit. Since it answers all your questions, I'll just post it away. It isn't quite how I now see things, but this is what I wrote to get em' creative juices flowing. I hope you'll find it interesting.

The Shadow World
“Did you ever had a dream that was so vivid, you thought it was real? What if you could never wake up from this dream? What if in this dream, your sleep will be filled with dreams of reality? How than could you tell what was a dream, and what was real?

Now you must decide, mortal: do you want to wake from your dream?”

- The Cold Rider



None now live who remember the olden days, when the ancient gods were young. But even the gods themselves do not know what was before that time, when there were no gods. Perhaps, such a question is meaningless. At any rate, we can begin our tale only in the first instant of time, and that is with the creation of the gods.

Sages say that long ago there was only one form to existence: Awnmebhaighl, loosely translated as “Appearance” or “Seeming”. The world then changed according to no rules, without rhyme or reason. A lake might form where a mountain had been, white glaciers moved over deserts, and rivers flowed through the sky. It is this world that the gods, it is said, awoke to. Whether it existed before anyone could perceive it, say the sages, is a question we cannot conceive.

The gods, it is believed, were formed out of this land. Not wishing their nature to change without warning, as did all things in Awnmebhaighl, they begun to enforce their will upon the world, stabilizing it. Mountains, rivers, shores, and seas all took shape and stayed constant, bent to the will of the young gods. Thus was formed Aebrynis, which means “the World” or “Reality”. But one god delighted in the ever-changing world and refused to bind his will and his being to the land. That god became known as the Lord of Shadow, the god of chaos and change, or as he is commonly known in our times – Azrai.

Little is known of the gods’ earliest years in time, before humans or even elves. It is believed elves were formed as was the world; the same power that bound earth, fire, air, and water into stability also forced the existence of the first elves. Their most ancient legends speak of times when giants walked the earth along with great immortal beasts and other beings lost to the passage of time. Azrai alone of all the gods sought change and evolution in Aebrynis, and some elven legends attribute the creation of the human race to him – although many scholars have noted that these legends all seem to have been authored long after the human invasion of Cerilia.

With the formation of Aebryinis, a division was formed within the Awnmebhaighl. Aebrynis remained constant, only transforming in response to the actions of its inhabitants over long periods, while the Spirit World (as it was then called) remained mutable and ever-changing. The rift between the two worlds was deep, and passage between them grew rarer and more difficult the more Aebrynis solidified.

Then came Deismaar, and the destruction of the gods. With the death of the gods, died also the will that held Aebrynis together. The new gods retained some of their power, and their will still held the world together, but they have only a fragment of the ancient god’s powers and are too weak. The borders between the spirit world and the real world weakened, and now they lie closer than ever before.

Worse still, Azrai’s shadow, caught in the Spirit World, has corrupted it. Learning arcane secrets from the least likely allies [halflings], Azrai has learned the true nature of the Seeming. After eons, at last he realized the truth: that the Awnmebhaighl, in its entirety, is the realization of the dreams of the gods. Perhaps, indeed, of the dream of one mind – for the arcane theories he teaches tell of one mind, all-powerful but divided, that lies at the center of every “god-like” being and every free spirit in Awnmebhaighl. He speaks of uniting this mind into one being, his being, of reforging the world into one coherent whole, perceived and controlled consciously by one mind.

Though these theories may sound bizarre, Azrai’s shadow has grown stronger through them. His influence over the spirit world is so profound that the people of Cerilia now refer to it as the Shadow World, in homage of the dreaded change the Lord of Shadows imparted upon it. Where once the spirit world was totally random, now it seems to obey a will. Still chaotic, it changes now seem to be almost intelligent, and certainly malign. Deep shadows, death, and undeath now await all that step into what remains of the Awnmebhaighl.



The world of shadow is the world of dreams – the dreams of the one divinity, which is effectively the (hypothetical) entity containing the sum of all the divine bloodline in Awnmebhaighl. From the beginning of time, this entity was divided – first into the ancient gods, and than further still into their myriad scions. All those who dream possess some divine bloodline, and all those who dream change the Awnmebhaighl through their dreams and wishes. There are many such beings in the world – most date back to ancient times, when the young gods experimented with their new powers and by expending a tiny fracture of their divine blood created many forms of life. The most ancient of all according to elven legends are the dwarves, said to have been formed by a single drop of Moradin’s blood dropped onto the root of the deepest mountain of the world.

The humans, the halflings, some say even the animals have a smuttering of this divine blood, and so they dream. Many humans think of it as their “soul”, though some erringly think elves have souls too. Alone of all the sentient races, elves are not all “alive” in the sense that mortal men are. They are alive like a plant or a fey spirit is alive – they can think, they can act, but they are devoid of soul, devoid of dreams, devoid of sleep. They are part of Aebryinis, not of what forms it. This gives them unique powers over shadow, but also alienates them to the spirit world – which they hate and fear profoundly and instinctively.

Note: As elves do not dream, Occult Lore provides special rules for them in the dream world. I intended to apply them to the Shadow World too.
Also, "Azrai's Shadow" is actually his Id Manifestation. While he died at Deismaar, his Id (or the shadow of his Id, his will if you will) remained in the Shadow World. While far weaker, he retained his sense of identity - and consideres himself to be Azrai. Although, technically, it isn't - it is just his Id, not his whole personality.

[oximoron]

Elves feel bad in the shadow world becouse when the spirit world was split so were they and to every elf inhabiting aebrynis there also lives another being who bear strong resemblance to those elves that inhabit Aebrynis these are the fay. The elves of aebrynis are also bound to the world. Cerilian elfs are immortal only on aebrynis where if elves were to enter the shadow world they would begin to age like mortals do

[Yair]

Oximoron, is this your own idea or is this the canon? If so, can you tell me where is it written?

Thanks

[Azrai]

Not a bad idea. Personally I prefer the "Shadow plane" in "Manual of the planes" version for the BR shadowworld. Your flair is slightly different.

One should not focus that much on the "seeming" concept in Blood Spawn. The shadowworld as a place of undead and darkness fits IMO better than the concept of a dream world.

[kgauck]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Azrai" <brnetboard@TUARHIEVEL.ORG>
Sent: Saturday, March 15, 2003 6:15 AM


> Not a bad idea. Personally I prefer the "Shadow plane" in "Manual
> of the planes" version for the BR shadowworld. Your flair is slightly
> different.
>
> One should not focus that much on the "seeming" concept in Blood
> Spawn. The shadowworld as a place of undead and darkness fits
> IMO better than the concept of a dream world.

I agree. I have seperated the Blood Spawn`s Shadow World into two planes.
One is the "shadow world" inhabited by undead and darkness, where the Cold
Rider lurks for his lurid purpose. The other is the spirit world, where the
seeming occurs and the fey dwell. When druids take "animal form" what they
are really doing is summoning a creature from the spirit world, which is
identical to the normal animals on Cerilia, switching places with it, and
travelling in the spirit world, while their summoned spitit animal takes on
their conciousness and travels in the human world.

Kenneth Gauck
kgauck@mchsi.com

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[Yair]

Story-wise, I agree that the "plane of undeath" is the most natural place the shadow plane finds itself used. And I do intend it to be such. However, this is only "post Cold Rider", and I don't like the idea of having both a Spirit World and a Shadow World somehow reside on the same plane. I don't think I would seperate the two.

As for myself, I reserve the S World largely to incorporeal undead (spirits), which I see mostly as manifestations of the dying people from the real world. I also populate it with Halflings and Fey creatures, on which I add the Shadow Creature template, and perhaps a few corporeal undead created from these. I don't think I'll be using many corporeal undead in my tales, mostly shadows, wraiths, nightcrawlers, and ghosts etc. Skeletons, zombies and so on will be left for dark wizards to create, not your "standard" shadow world taint.

While the "place to find undead" is very useful for adventures within Cerilia, I think exploring the shadow world should reveal more than simply a "negative energy plane" or a "quick-transit plane". While I liked and will use some of the Shadow Plane from the Manual of the Planes, the Seeming (whether in my twist as a dream or in the original) I think creates a more interesting world. Basically, I just think it will be more fun.

Plus, I've got a major story arc just waiting to happen there (little wonder, since I've written it all) if my players will ever choose to pursue it, so I think I'll stick to my version of it. :P

[ryancaveney]

On Sat, 15 Mar 2003, Kenneth Gauck wrote:

> I have seperated the Blood Spawn`s Shadow World into two planes. One
> is the "shadow world" inhabited by undead and darkness, where the Cold
> Rider lurks for his lurid purpose. The other is the spirit world,
> where the seeming occurs and the fey dwell.

I agree, and have since even before Blood Spawn came out. Cerilia has
*two* reflections -- a dark one and a light one. The dark one is just
more aggressive in crossing over, and a less superficially pleasant
(though no more inherently dangerous) place to be, so through worry it
occupies a greater place in the imagination of most mortals.

One of the things I`ve done with the light reflection is to rewrite
Vorynn`s version of the Travel blood ability, so that it is almost
identical to Azrai`s: it differs only in that it uses the "bright" shadow
world (I have yet to come up with a good name for it -- any suggestions?)
for transport, and it works any time the moon is in the sky rather than
any time the sun isn`t.

IMO, the Sidhelien bridge all three worlds. Nature is mundane, glorious
and nasty all at the same time, and so are they.

> When druids take "animal form" what they are really doing is summoning
> a creature from the spirit world, which is identical to the normal
> animals on Cerilia, switching places with it, and travelling in the
> spirit world, while their summoned spitit animal takes on their
> conciousness and travels in the human world.

I really like this idea! Well done, Kenneth. It is also easily adaptable
with slight variations to explain such spells as Summon Nature`s Ally,
Meld into Stone and Pass Without Trace.


Ryan Caveney

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[Trevyr]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Birthright Roleplaying Game Discussion
> [mailto:BIRTHRIGHT-L@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM]On Behalf Of Ryan B. Caveney

> One of the things I`ve done with the light reflection is to rewrite
> Vorynn`s version of the Travel blood ability, so that it is almost
> identical to Azrai`s: it differs only in that it uses the "bright" shadow
> world (I have yet to come up with a good name for it -- any suggestions?)
> for transport, and it works any time the moon is in the sky rather than
> any time the sun isn`t.

How about "Mirror World," referencing the Mirror of Galadriel and the use of
mirrors in mythology for both divination and otherworldly travel. Circular
mirrors could also be understood to be a proper symbol of Ruornil, the moon
god, in his full phase.

Mark V.

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