Shadar-kai

In the gloom of the Shadowfell live shadar-kai, elves whose ancestors served the Raven Queen, a god of death and memory. They were brought to that realm in ages past, so long ago that they're now adapted to its cheerless environment, both physically and mentally.

Jump to: Gloom Weaver | Shadow Dancer | Soul Monger

Eons of exposure to the influence of the Shadowfell has left shadar-kai often joyless and mournful. In that realm, they have pale hair, wrinkled gray skin, and swollen joints that give them a corpse-like aspect. They appear more youthful while on other planes, but their skin always retains a deathly ashen hue. When in the Shadowfell, they detest mirrors and avoid keeping things that remind them of their age.

Shadar-kai of the Raven Queen watch over both the Shadowfell and the Material Plane, scouting out choice souls and tragedies that might please their deity. They are rumored to be able to coax worldly events along tragic paths for her amusement. The Raven Queen is famously cryptic even to her most devoted followers, however; their efforts are rewarded only with vague omens they interpret as best they can.

Fortress of Memories. The shadar-kai who are most devoted to the Raven Queen serve her at the Fortress of Memories, her twisted castle in the Shadowfell. The fortress is a mournful place, filled with incessant echoes of the past. Flocks of ravens that act as the Raven Queen's eyes and ears darken the skies around it when they emerge from within, bearing her cryptic messages and omens far and wide across the multiverse.Within the fortress are items that the Raven Queen finds irresistible: objects invested with deep feelings of sorrow, longing, or remorse. These items are brought to her as gifts from the shadar-kai, and include furniture, clocks, mirrors, jewels, and toys. Ghostly visions of people, places, and pets also appear in the fortress. Any of these things can spontaneously appear about her lair, every object and apparition being a metaphoric representation of some story--great or small--that was saturated with raw emotion.

Shadar-kai encountered outside the Shadowfell are often on quests to find the most sorrow-touched items they can find to bring back to their queen's gloomy castle.

Gloom Weaver

Although they're formidable warriors, gloom weavers are often content to hide in the shadows, watching as their very presence affects their victims. Their bleak energy weighs down the heart, causing those nearby to feel the approach of death. If detected, gloom weavers use their shadow magic to reduce enemies to ghastly corpses.

Environment

Token

Gloom Weaver

Medium humanoid (Elf), Typically Neutral Evil

  • Armor Class 14 (17 with mage armor)
  • Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32)
  • Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
11 (+0) 18 (+4) 14 (+2) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 18 (+4)
  • Proficiency Bonus +4
  • Saving Throws Dex +8,Con +6
  • Damage Vulnerabilities
  • Damage Resistances
  • Damage Immunities necrotic
  • Condition Immunities charmed,exhaustion
  • Skills
  • Senses darkvision 60 ft.,passive Perception 11
  • Languages Common,Elvish
  • Challenge 9

Burden of Time. Beasts and Humanoids (except elves) have disadvantage on saving throws while within 10 feet of the shadar-kai.

Fey Ancestry. The shadar-kai has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put it to sleep.

Actions

Multiattack. The shadar-kai makes three Shadow Spear attacks. It can replace one attack with a use of Spellcasting.

Shadow Spear. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 30/120, one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 26 (4d12) necrotic damage. Hit or Miss: The spear magically returns to the shadar-kai's hand immediately after a ranged attack.

Spellcasting. The shadar-kai casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 16):

  • At will: arcane eye, mage armor, minor illusion, prestidigitation, speak with dead
  • 1/day each: arcane gate, bane, confusion, darkness, fear, major image, true seeing

Reactions

Misty Escape (Recharge 6). When the shadar-kai takes damage, it turns invisible and teleports, along with any equipment it is wearing or carrying, up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. It remains invisible until the start of its next turn or until it attacks or casts a spell.

Shadow Dancer

Those who have fought shadow dancers describe the experience as similar to fighting a living darkness. Every dim alcove and darkened nook is a place the lithe and acrobatic shadow dancers can emerge from to ambush their prey. Using this tactic, they attack their enemies from all angles with a flurry of entangling chains that hold fast and corrupt the flesh. When their quarry is helpless, they dispatch it and then loot the corpse for trinkets, particularly anything colorful and lively to gaze at after they return to the gloom of the Shadowfell.

Environment

Token

Shadow Dancer

Medium humanoid (Elf), Any Alignment

  • Armor Class 15 (studded leather)
  • Hit Points 71 (13d8 + 13)
  • Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
12 (+1) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 11 (+0) 12 (+1) 12 (+1)
  • Proficiency Bonus +3
  • Saving Throws Dex +6,Cha +4
  • Damage Vulnerabilities
  • Damage Resistances necrotic
  • Damage Immunities
  • Condition Immunities charmed,exhaustion
  • Skills Stealth +6
  • Senses darkvision 60 ft.,passive Perception 11
  • Languages Common,Elvish
  • Challenge 7

Fey Ancestry. The shadar-kai has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put it to sleep.

Actions

Multiattack. The shadar-kai makes three Spiked Chain attacks. It can use Shadow Jump after one of these attacks.

Spiked Chain. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or suffer one of the following effects (choose one or roll a d6):

  • 1-2: Decay. The target takes 22 (4d10) necrotic damage.
  • 3-4: Grapple. The target is grappled (escape DC 14) if it is a Medium or smaller creature. Until the grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the shadar-kai can't grapple another target.
  • 5-6: Topple. The target is knocked prone.

Bonus Actions

Shadow Jump. The shadar-kai teleports, along with any equipment is it wearing or carrying, up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space it can see. Both the space it teleports from and the space it teleports to must be in dim light or darkness.

Soul Monger

Wracked with despair over the loss of memories of a brighter time, soul mongers crave the vitality of others. The aching void within a soul monger radiates outward, manifesting as an unbearable weight that drains the vigor of anyone unfortunate enough to be in their presence. Those who have escaped the onslaught of a soul monger can hardly shake the memory of the sound they make--the moan of a tortured soul, lost in a bottomless well of tragedy.

Environment

Token

Soul Monger

Medium humanoid (Elf), Typically Neutral Evil

  • Armor Class 15 (studded leather)
  • Hit Points 136 (21d8 + 42)
  • Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
8 (-1) 17 (+3) 14 (+2) 19 (+4) 16 (+3) 13 (+1)
  • Proficiency Bonus +4
  • Saving Throws Dex +7,Wis +7,Cha +5
  • Damage Vulnerabilities
  • Damage Resistances
  • Damage Immunities necrotic,psychic
  • Condition Immunities charmed,exhaustion,frightened
  • Skills Perception +7
  • Senses darkvision 60 ft.,passive Perception 17
  • Languages Common,Elvish
  • Challenge 11

Fey Ancestry. The shadar-kai has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put it to sleep.

Magic Resistance. The shadar-kai has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Soul Thirst. When it reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the shadar-kai can gain temporary hit points equal to half the creature's hit point maximum. While the shadar-kai has temporary hit points from this trait, it has advantage on attack rolls.

Weight of Ages. Any Beast or Humanoid (except an elf) that starts its turn within 5 feet of the shadar-kai has its speed reduced by 20 feet until the start of that creature's next turn.

Actions

Multiattack. The shadar-kai makes two Shadow Dagger attacks.

Shadow Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (4d4 + 3) piercing damage plus 19 (3d12) necrotic damage, and the target has disadvantage on saving throws until the end of the shadar-kai's next turn. Hit or Miss: The dagger magically returns to the shadar-kai's hand immediately after a ranged attack.

Spellcasting. The shadar-kai casts one of the following spells, requiring no material components and using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 16):

  • 1/day each: bestow curse, finger of death, gaseous form, seeming

Wave of Weariness (Recharge 4-6). The shadar-kai emits weariness in a 60-foot cube. Each creature in that area must make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 45 (10d8) psychic damage and suffers 1 level of exhaustion. On a successful save, it takes half as much damage and doesn't gain a level of exhaustion.