Editing Shade (section)

===Shadowbane Shades===
'''Shadowbane Shades''' are another version of the Shade race that appeared in the Silicon Sorcery article for [[Dragon Magazine]] #307, which converted this videogame race to [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]]. These shades are more akin to the [[Fetch]] race, with ties to undeath and the [[Ethereal Plane]] rather than the darkness powers of classic D&D shades.

Also known as '''Pale Ones''', '''The Damned''' and '''The Stillborn''', shades are death-touched [[human]]s born when a man is killed whilst a child of their blood remains unborn in its mother's womb. It doesn't matter if he's resurrected before the birth; so long as he died whilst mom was pregnant, there's a chance that the baby will be born a shade. This has, sadly, led to great deals of persecution over the years for shades; perhaps in part because they only began appearing in their native world a century ago, shades have been targeted with persecution, harsh cleansing rites, enslavement and even slaughter by their human progenitors.

Which, understandably, has made shades very suspicious and self-centered. They don't act rashly, having learned to think before they do in order to survive, and never trust others to look out for them. They can be passionate, when they feel it's safe, and they are fiercely loyal to those who prove worthy of their trust, but in general shades are best described as "muted" personalities. Having often been subjected to both religious and secular law being used as a weapon against them, shades tend towards more of an anarchist mentality; they typically dislike complex bureaucracy and layers of authority.

A shade resembles a human, save for a number of deathly traits. Firstly, they are completely hairless. Secondly, their coloration consists exclusively of gray-white, almost corpse-like skin, and solidly coal-black eyes. Thirdly, their voices are raspy and often faint, coming across as ghostly whispers. Fourthly, their touch carries a grave-like chill. Finally, in what should be of little surprise given how obviously death-touched they are, shades are sterile and cannot reproduce on their own - they depend on human parents and chance.

The exact lifespan of shades is currently unknown, but it definitely exceeds a century. Sages who've studied the race have speculated that, based on comparative aging signs, shades may have a lifespan equivalent to an [[elf]], and be able to reach 700 years or more in age.

Human/shade relations are, obviously, complicated; shades are born to humans and mature at a human rate, but at the same time, they can't forget how humanity has long hated and abused them for the crime of being born different. In general, shades tend to be cautiously reserved towards humans, until they prove worthy of either fierce friendship, or icy hate.

With other races... things are more tentative. [[Half-Orc]]s and shades tend to avoid each other, since the brashness of the former doesn't mix well with the quiet caution of the latter. Still, they share an understanding of being rejected by human kinsfolk for the crime of being different, and thus can bond over that. Whilst shades often try to make friends with [[halfling]]s and [[gnome]]s, the naturally sullen and dour attitudes of most shades tend to be perceived as off-putting by the smallfolk. As for [[elves]] and [[dwarves]]... both races don't get on well with shades initially - elves find the obvious death-touched nature of shades to be unsettling, whilst shades are suspicious of the dwarven subservience to law - but their mutual longevity allows for initially coolly cordial relationships to strengthen and grow over years and decades.

Many shades become [[adventurer]]s, seeking freedom from the pressures of "normal" life, and acceptance amongst their fellow oddballs and outcasts.

Shadowbane Shades have the following PC stats for [[Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition]], having been created during 3.0:
::+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom, -2 Charisma
::Medium size
::Base speed 30 feet
::See Ethereal: Shadowbane Shades can see ethereal beings and objects naturally and continually.
::Ghost Touch: A Shadowbane shade's melee attacks ignore the normal penalties or miss chances for attacking incorporeal targets.
::[[Favored Class]]: [[Rogue]]
::[[Level Adjustment]]: +2

[[Category: Dungeons & Dragons]] [[Category: Dungeons & Dragons Races]] [[Category:Monsters]] [[Category:Planetouched Races]] [[Category:Undead]] [[Category:Magic: The Gathering]]