Shadow magic Shadow magic , also called Talfirian magic , was a type of Weave - based arcane magic that channeled power from the Plane of Shadow . Nature of shadow magic . Shadow magic was but one of many ways of accessing and controlling the natural energies of the Weave , and was strongly tied to it . Most users of shadow magic used the Weave to connect to the Plane of Shadow and channeled their magic directly from there , in a manner similar to typical conjuration spells . Although Shadow Weave magic was heavily redolent of shadow magic , they were in fact unrelated , with some fundamental differences in practice and philosophy . Whereas shadow magic users drew upon the Plane of Shadow via Mystra ' s Weave , Shadow Weave magic users drew their power directly from Shar ' s dark weave , which was formed from the gaps and negatives in the Weave itself . Despite this , the concept of the Shadow Weave closely aligned with the principle of reflection that underpinned shadow magic . Shadow magic casters could thus truly understand the Shadow Weave , and many were naturally attracted to it and could learn to utilize it . Notably , negative energy was not tied to shadow magic , and spells or effects drawing on negative energy did not harness it . Practitioners . The ability to use shadow magic had a tendency to run in families , manifesting in childhood . In such cases , it became a family tradition , its secrets passed down from grandparent or parent to child . Human s of the Tethyrian ethnic group had a legacy of shadow magic that dated back to the ancient Talfir . This included both a knack for practicing it , and for resisting its effects . A number of Tethyrian rogue s became shadowdancer s as a result . Shadowdancers practiced a form of lesser shadow magic . They did not learn the ability through study , but acquired it instinctively through close association with shadow . Experts and more traditional shadow mages were uncertain as to how this occurred , but it was a matter of ongoing study . The majority of users of shadow magic were bard s , those who possessed a rare and mysterious power known to them only as " shadow magic " . The most common and basic form of this was the ability to make natural shadows move and dance to their tunes . However , such power carried a curse dating back to the evil Shadowking of Talfir . As the bard user gained new shadow powers , and if there was no other Shadowking in existence , the shadow magic slowly corrupted them into a new Shadowking to replace the old . The Shadowking fought the bard for control , causing a split personality , and could control undead shadow s . Finally , they were transformed bodily into the monstrous Shadowking . The most expert practitioner of shadow magic was the shadowcaster . They usually began as gifted apprentice mages who were discovered and taught by a shadowcaster mentor . Others were sponsored by a church of a deity of darkness , such as Shar , Mask , Set , Lolth , or Shargaas . They trained shadowcaster mystic theurge s and noctumancer s , in the hopes of cultivating an interest in darkness amongst their followers . Some unlikely practitioners of shadow magic were gnomish and Lantanese artificers , who used technology to replicate the effects of arcane magical spells . But when a mundane mechanical apparatus wasn ' t up to the task , they tapped into the power of shadow magic instead to produce genuine supernatural outcomes . They required training in arcane illusion magic to access the shadow magic . Organizations . There were a few organizations that routinely practiced shadow magic in Faerûn , including : The churches of Lolth , Mask , Set , Shar , and Shargaas also had an interest in shadow magic . Famous users . Some important users of shadow magic were : Attitudes . Shadow magic was very rare and its nature and philosophy were poorly understood . Some felt that its dark powers meant it was inherently evil , or at least inextricably linked with evil — the curse of the Shadowking gave quite some credence to this notion . Thus , users of shadow magic faced a host of misconceptions , prejudices and even persecution , especially from the clergy of deities of good and light . Shadow magic spells . The school of shadow encompassed . It was considered a school of effect , and was opposed to the schools of invocation / evocation and abjuration . Shadow mages gained the benefits of a specialist in this school . The school of illusion had an over - lapping subschool of spells called " shadow " . There was also an individual spell called " shadow magic " , which later was better known as " shadow evocation " . Shadow magic items . Some shadow magic items were : Tomes that discussed shadow magic included :