#DND SHADOW BLADE SERIES#

Illusory Dragon ( Xanathar’s Guide to Everything).

Summon Greater Demon (Used to summon a Shadow Demon, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything).

Shadow of Moil ( Xanathar’s Guide to Everything).

Shadow Blade ( Xanathar’s Guide to Everything).

But these are just suggested spell choices or ones that fit the theme the best. Though, I should warn that many spell effects can be flavored to implement the “shadows” so to speak. There are many spells and magic that shadow users may employ across their career, along with some magic items that may complement their play styles.

Cleric – Trickery Domain & Darkness DomainĪs you can see, our choices are somewhat limited but ironically, this small list helps one spot particular builds that can be stealthy, utilitarian, and outright powerful in some instances.

Here’s a breakdown of the various classes and subclasses you will expect to find to fit your “manipulator of the shadows” theme.

#DND SHADOW BLADE SERIES#

Many shadow-users are spellcasters but not all of them, and for the most part, each build focuses on a particular function and aesthetic.ĭon’t forget to check out my other “Perfect Build” series too.Īs I stated above, many shadow-users are spellcasters, but some are not. Additionally, there are character classes that employ the magical use of darkness, and therefore those features will be added to consideration when we focus on our builds. Since that heavy obscurement doesn’t last into your next turn, it’s difficult to turn into advantage on attacks, keeping it as a defensive bonus to go along with the spell’s extra damage.Kicking off the month of October, after a Twitter Poll to determine my next “Perfect Build” series, you all voted for class builds and advice on building the perfect “Shadow-User.”Ī shadow-user is typically a character that utilizes the themes and aesthetics of pulling energy from the Plane of Shadow or Shadowfell, weaving this energy to great amazing effects.

In addition to doing slightly more damage, this gain in power also causes the spell to shroud you (the caster) from the target until the start of your next turn, granting you a potent defensive advantage against a single target. This also helps to cement that shadow lance - which is a cantrip rather than a 2nd-level spell - is thematically weaker than shadow blade. Much like shadow lance, it gains in power when the target is in shadows or darkness - but because the lance is hurled across a distance, you must also be in shadows or darkness. Shadow lance, on the other hand, is a combat spell through-and-through. Despite that, midnight offers spellcasters the ability to blot out the sun over a city or army, and that kind of godlike narrative power must be locked behind 9th-level spell slots, whether it is being used by player characters or villainous NPCs. While midnight’s long casting time makes it difficult to use in combat, it is also not especially useful against most higher-level enemies, which usually have some ability to see in the dark. With entire dimensions dedicated to shadows and darkness, it stands to reason that there should be plenty of spells dedicated to the same thing! We’re previewing two spells focused on shadows from The Impermissicon, the upcoming compendium of forbidden magic, that are perfect for spellcasters themed around the Shadowfell or other forces and realms of nighttime and darkness.īoth of these new spells are illusions midnight is similar to a massive version of blackout (which is an illusion, like the silence spell that also suppresses a medium of perception, and shadow lance is designed to be similar to the shadow blade spell (which is also an illusion).

Few things are more instinctually frightening than the mystery of what lurks in the shadows and darkness, and that’s especially true in the worlds of Dungeons and Dragons given all their monsters and dark magic.

Dnd shadow blade