Wizards of Dusk & Gloom (Article)

:From Dragon Magazine #261 (Pages 31-36)
:by Tony Nixon
:illustrated by Doug Alexander Gregory
__TOC__
﻿The PLAYER'S OPTION® books introduced the shadow mage, and here at last are three kits for the mysterious class: the shadow caller, the shadow seeker, and the shadow hunter. Each kit has an accompanying spellbook description included as a guide for creating new spells. These kits are suitable for most AD&DR settings, although of course-the DM has the final say whether these dark sorcerers have yet emerged from the shadows of your campaign.
==Shadow Mage Societies==
Shadow mages are not highly regarded in most places because they dabble in unwholesome magic. Their spell selection certainly indicates a tendency toward the sinister. Since shadow mages are rarely social, it is difficult to disabuse mainstream folk of this notion.
The magical histories of a dozen worlds reveal only a handful of shadow mage societies, and these are small due to the class's demanding requirements. It is usual for a reclusive master of "the Gray Art" to take only a single student at a time. There are (or once were) a few select shadow mage societies on some worlds and planes, such as the Solemn Order of Dusk, the Wizards Tenebrous, and the Contemplative Brotherhood of Sublime Shadows.
﻿Over the last century, a few renegade practitioners of Shadow magic have appeared, although their origins are unclear. Calling themselves the Gray Cabal, these wizards have developed a divergent philosophy of Shadow magic. The Gray Cabal claims that shadow magic based upon magical darkness is flawed. As evidence they cite such creatures as the shade, an entity that derives its powers from shadowy regions but weakens in total darkness.
Members of the Gray Cabal reason that Shadow magic is more powerful under twilight conditions than in total darkness. They use an altered version of the PLAYER'S OPTION: Spells & Magic saving throw table; the modifiers applied to the saving throws of their opponents appear on Table 1.
 Table 1: Gray Cabal Target Saving Throw Modifiers
Lighting Conditions 	Modifier
Bright daylight/continual light 	0
Weak daylight/dusk/light 	-2
Twilight/moonlight/lantern light	-3
Weak moonlight/torch light 	-4
Candlelight/starlight 	-3
Total darkness 	-2
Gray Cabal spellcasters do not have the ability to see increasingly clearly in darkness as they rise in levels. They still have preternaturally keen vision, but this manifests as an ability to notice individuals hiding in shadows. A Gray Cabal mage has a 5% chance per level of noticing such an individual.
﻿Players with a shadow mage character can, if their DM allows it, choose to be Gray Cabal wizards. Membership in the Gray Cabal offers no physical advantages, because the Cabal is a loose brotherhood of like-minded wizards rather than a proper organization. Antipathy or rivalry from traditional shadow mages is
common.
==Shadow Mage Kits==
Spellcasters practice Shadow magic in a variety of ways, and three of the many "sects" of shadow mages appear here in the form of kits. Note that shadow mages are rare; there are probably no more than a few dozen, even in regions well known for wizards. Useful information about more than a handful of these individuals is hard to find.
﻿Proficiencies noted with an asterisk are from the PLAYER'S OPTION: Spells & Magic book.
* Shadow Hunter (Character Kit)
* Shadow Seeker (Character Kit)
* Shadow Caller (Character Kit)
==The Book of Shadows==
Several mages have been presumptuous enough to name their spellbooks The Book of Shadows. Famous examples include Brie! and Nebt Bhakau, both from the world of Tori! Descriptions of three more (one for each of the respective kits) follow. Only unique spells have been noted; a DM can decide what other spells are in these books.
===The First Book of Shadows===
The name of the shadow caller who wrote tlris spellbook is lost to time, A common ballad from his homeland calls him Bane-Eye, though why he was given this nickname is not known. What is known is that he commanded a group of raiders who worshiped the god of war.
Bane-Eye was infamous for launching his attacks at twilight, his forces bolstered by the shadowy monsters he summoned. He was eventually slain after he combined Iris warriors with a horde of orcish mercenaries. His failure to win the day could be attributed to squabbles between his servants; the ores were much despised by the shadow caller's personal warriors.
With two arrows in his belly and seeing his forces scatter, Bane-Eye cast his most potent summoning spell. A shadow fiend appeared and was ordered to press the attack. The monster took one look at its weakened summoner, stole his mind, and departed. This is a telling example of tire dangers of summoning such creatures.
Bane-Eye's book was taken by his fleeing minions. It has since been owned by several shadow callers, and the spells therein cart now be found in other sources. The book is presently owned by a mage named Kellinster. He has no interest in its spells but is willing (rather irresponsibly) to allow them to be copied ... for a price. Slightly different versions of the spells have been independently developed by other shadow callers.
In addition to the spells listed below, the book contains the 6th-level spell summon slow shadow. This spell is fully detailed in the Monstrous Compendium Annual, Volume Four, in the description of the slow shadow. (Slow shadows and shadows summoned by the same wizard do not attack each other so long as the summoner is within sight.)
* Claws of Darkness
* Shadow Spiders
* Gloom Ravens
* Guardian Shadow
* Wings of Gloom
* Summon Greater Shadow
* Summon Shadow Fiend
===The Second Book of Shadows===
The author of this book, Dariastren, was the court wizard to a baron called Krentzern. Dariastren suffered from a psoriatic skin condition exacerbated by exposure to sunlight. Consequently he stayed in the shadows whenever possible and hid himself beneath voluminous robes. This behavior did nothing to enhance his reputation at court. 
Krentzem was a harsh-tongued man, embittered by his experiences at the ducal court, where he had been ridiculed for his provincial dialect and rural ways. He scorned book-learning, employing Darias hen only reluctantly and because his magical powers proved valuable in the provision of magical potions, in combat against monsters, etc, Krentzern often humiliated the wizard, berating him for his physical shortcomings and obsession with learning. Dariastren avoided confrontation with his master, biding his time and building up his resources. 
The conflict came to a head one night when Baron Krentzern, drinking with his lackeys, decided to drag Dariastren from his "da mnable books and potions" to join them in their revel. Dariastren, enraged at being disturbed in his researches, finally showed Krentzem the true extent of his powers. It is not known what spell or combination of spells Dariastren loosed upon his master, but Krentzern was changed instantly and forever, his character transformed to one of utterly broken gloom and misery until his death a few years later, Dariastren left Krentzern's castle unchallenged. 
Dariastren then retreated from sight, taking refuge in an abandoned and ruined keep some wire re in the trackless reaches of the Dim Forest, Several groups initially pursued the wizard to bring him to justice, but all were slain or forced to retreat, Dariastren took no students, and he had only limited contact with the local woodsmen and sylvan elves, to whom he looked for provisions in return for various magical favors. (Even today, the elf clans of the forest use many shadow' spells.) He spent most of his time researching spells or using his magic to travel to distant places. One day he did not return. 
There are many rumors about Dariastren's keep; There is a permanent gate to the Demiplane of Shadow in the dungeon below; shadowy guardians prowl the grounds; the area has slipped outside of the real world and become a Fading Land, Some time after the wizard's disappearance, a band of adventurers investigated the area. They found no spells to stop them, no summoned creatures to attack them, and no treasure or magical items. The spellbook has yet to be found. 
The spellbook contains the four rare spells described below. It also contains a few cryptic notes on spell design, including mention of a spell called Da tins hen's fortress of shadow. Nobody knows what happened to the wizard, although there are several theories and rumors. Perhaps he journeyed to the Demiplane of Shadow only to perish there; perhaps he was successful in becoming a shade and made the demiplane his home; perhaps he even serves a powerful shade wizard, hoping to learn the process by which he might make the transition. 
* Shadow Spray
* Dariastren's Shadow Well
* Mantle of Twilight
* Dariastren's Shadow Blight
===The Third Book of Shadows===
This spellbook is perhaps the most apt example of a shadow mage's spellbook, because absolutely nothing is known about the history and owner of the book. 
Upon the final few pages is written an unsigned declaration in which, without giving any precise details, the author of the book boasts of a series of thefts, all accomplished by magical means. 
* Kreshenk's Shadow Mask
* Net of Shadows
* Scimitar of Shadows
* Blend with Shadows
* Shadowtheft
==Spell List==
Spells with an asterisk (*) require the shadow caller kit to be considered a school of Shadow spell.
Level 1
* Kreshenk's Shadow Mask
Level 2
* Claws of Darkness
* Net of Shadows
* Scimitar of Shadows
* Shadow Spray
Level 3
* Blend with Shadows
* Shadow Spiders
Level 4
* Dariastren's Shadow Well
* Gloom Ravens
* Guardian Shadow*
Level 5
* Wings of Gloom
Level 6
* Mantle of Twilight
* Shadowtheft
Level 7
* Summon Greater Shadow*
Level 9
* Dariastren's Shadow Blight
* Summon Shadow Fiend*
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