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Solsagan
Acolyte
Canada
1 Posts |
 Posted - 18 May 2019 : 13:11:30
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Hello all,
I am preparing an adventure that will be happening around 1315 DR. Which means before the Times of Trouble and just a little before Elaine Cunningham's Songs and Swords series.
It will be mostly located to the north of the Sea of Fallen Stars (still working on that). So I am already planning ahead some encounters. One will be a meeting with a Melegaunt Thantul scouting the Realms.
That brings a couple of unanswered questions:
1 - Was Melegaunt a shade like his brothers? I was reading previous post that said otherwise. According to Forgotten realms wiki he was. He had quite a long lifespan which makes me believe he was, but I am not sure.
2 - Do shades still can look like human(without magic support)? In some books of the FR setting we described them as grey-skin humans with darker features (3rd and 3,5) or pale sick-looking humans (4th). In the novels, correct me if I am wrong, they are described as shadowy figure with two eyebulbs and floating organs.
3 - Does all shadovars are tapping the Shadow Weave? No exceptions? This is how they are educated, trained and all their paradigm evolves around Shar and the Shadow Weave?
Thanks in advance for your opinions!
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Edited by - Solsagan on 18 May 2019 13:23:44
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2019 : 15:23:42
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Okay, this is just how I'd handle it all...
1) Yes
2) I'd favor the 3E description, but add that there could be variations -- including extreme ones like the novel description. I'd say for the latter that such Shades had "gone further" towards Shadow than others, losing more of their humanity and becoming more deeply tied to (and strengthened by) Shadow. In game terms, a penalty to pretty much all stats save Intelligence and (maybe) Wisdom, increased damage from light-based attacks and healing magics, but maybe a couple nifty shadow-based abilities or increased efficacy of shadow magic. I'd made them something akin to undead, honestly.
3) They're all about the Shadow Weave (which I think was a poor construct at best and never should have been a thing).
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The Masked Mage
Great Reader
USA
2420 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2019 : 17:46:24
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1) I think so too, though I guess it might be possible to explain everything as some other magic.
2) I think its like a lichnee state - what you become depends on the magical method used to become a shade. Different methods = different results.
3) The use both. Melegaunt demonstrates his ability to use both several times and I think it would be strange if he were unique. |
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist
USA
11691 Posts |
Posted - 19 May 2019 : 00:24:19
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quote:
Originally posted by The Masked Mage
3) The use both. Melegaunt demonstrates his ability to use both several times and I think it would be strange if he were unique.
Did he? Love when they break their own canon rulesets of "once you use the shadow weave you can't go back". Granted, I see no problem with this concept, though it should be some special ability/feat/class feature or somesuch. |
Alavairthae, may your skill prevail
Phillip aka Sleyvas |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36779 Posts |
Posted - 19 May 2019 : 03:27:43
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quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas
quote:
Originally posted by The Masked Mage
3) The use both. Melegaunt demonstrates his ability to use both several times and I think it would be strange if he were unique.
Did he? Love when they break their own canon rulesets of "once you use the shadow weave you can't go back". Granted, I see no problem with this concept, though it should be some special ability/feat/class feature or somesuch.
They likely changed that rule at some point... Even 4-6 months during 3E, we got new info on the Shadow Weave, and it often contradicted the previous info. The most glaring example was right after the so-called "supermodules" came out and Rich Baker point-blank said that the way the Shadow Weave was handled in the most recent one was incorrect. |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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The Masked Mage
Great Reader
USA
2420 Posts |
Posted - 19 May 2019 : 04:48:14
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Also, remember that novel was the first major introduction to the shadow weave. There were no rules at that point - those came a year or so later and tried to codify it even though there was no real reason to do so.
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LordofBones
Master of Realmslore
1477 Posts |
Posted - 19 May 2019 : 05:08:25
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The game and the novels have a weird discontinuity that makes me wonder if there's even any communication on either side of the divide.
Its how we get things like Greeth the lich being slain by lightning when liches are immune to electricity. |
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The Masked Mage
Great Reader
USA
2420 Posts |
Posted - 19 May 2019 : 06:23:42
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that was obviously magical-lich killing lightning powered by the positive energy plane. duh :P
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Starshade
Learned Scribe
Norway
279 Posts |
Posted - 19 May 2019 : 22:52:48
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| Races of Faerun say they produce normal offspring, so those "Floating eyeballs" are at least functional. |
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Some questions about the Shades
