Shadowcast
When first formed, shadowcasts look like carbon copies of their counterparts and their coloration is entirely in shades of black, white, and gray. More often than would otherwise happen, shadowcasts sometimes find themselves pulled through portals to the Material Plane, as though the universe is trying to balance itself somehow. Upon their arrival, a shadowcast’s monochrome appearance changes. The longer that they stay on the Material Plane, the more pronounced the effect as they gradually assume the natural pigmentation of their counterpart. The speed of the process varies, with some attaining full color within a week and others taking closer to a year. Those who return to the Bleak Gate similarly experience a slow “bleaching” process, as the color they gained on the Material Plane slowly fades away.
Due to their unique nature, shadowcasts are not “born” in the traditional sense; they instead wink into being once their counterpart reaches a certain amount of self-awareness—usually around puberty. A shadowcast knows that there is another version of them out there somewhere, but they have no innate knowledge of their thoughts, memories, or personal relationships. However, if something physically catastrophic happens to their counterpart—such as a serious injury or the loss of a limb—the shadowcast feels a twinge of pain in that area on their body. They are also aware if their counterpart dies; the shadowcast ceases to physically age, and remains in that form until their natural lifespan runs out. In some instances, a shadowcast will even have dreams that show them snatches of their counterpart’s life. These sensations and visions do not go both ways, however. Similarly, many shadowcast find themselves with similar proclivities and talents to their counterparts, though they are far from bound to these inclinations, as their lived experiences can differ wildly.
Shadowcast Traits
When you choose this heritage, select the traits from an existing heritage. These represent your counterpart on the Material Plane and determine your physical appearance, the rate at which you age, your base walking speed, and any heritage traits.
Shadowcast Gifts
While a shadowcast retains the physical characteristics of their counterpart, their Bleak Gate origins give them unique gifts tied to the dark and shadowy plane. In addition to the traits found in your counterpart’s heritage, select one of the following gifts:
Shadow Walker
The Bleak Gate is a dangerous place even for those who originate there, and some shadowcasts have evolved to leverage the darkness to their advantage. You gain the following trait:
Lesser Darkvision. You gain darkvision to 30 feet. If you have darkvision already, its range increases by 30 feet.
Shadow Teleport. Shadows do more than hide you—they provide you with a handy form of short-distance transport. So long as you are in dim light or darkness , you can teleport up to 15 feet to an unoccupied square you can see as a bonus action. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest .
Umbral Magic
Your time spent in the Bleak Gate has given you the ability to bend the bleak aspects of your home plane to your will. You learn your choice of the following cantrips: chill touch , ray of frost , spare the dying . At 3rd level, choose one 1st- or 2nd-level spell from the cold, necrotic, or shadow schools. You may cast this spell once per long rest without expending a spell slot or requiring material components. At 5th level you can cast the chosen spell twice per long rest in this way. A 1st-level spell chosen this way can be cast at 2nd-level using this trait, if the spell allows. Your spellcasting modifier for this spell is Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, whichever is highest.
Shadowcast Paragon
When you reach 10th level, you become a better shadowcast and gain one paragon gift from the following list.
Grasping Shadow
You can now use your shadow as effectively as any weapon. You can make a melee weapon attack with your shadow, which deals necrotic damage equal to 1d6 + the highest of your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifiers. On a successful hit, if the target is no more than one size category larger than you, you can grapple it with your shadow. The target makes a Strength saving throw . The DC for this saving throw is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + the ability modifier that you attacked with. On a failure, the creature is grappled . Until this grapple ends, you can’t grapple another creature with your shadow. The DC to escape the grapple is the same as the DC to avoid the grapple.
Grappling a creature in this manner leaves your hands free. This allows you to attempt to grapple a creature yourself, though you can’t move a grappled creature if both you and your shadow are grappling a creature. Your shadow uses your carrying capacity when moving a grappled creature.
Shadowy Aspect
You have learned to mimic the power of the ghosts and shadows that populate your home plane, granting you the ability to take on a distorted form and grant it to others. You learn the blur spell and can cast it without components or using a spell slot. At the end of a long rest, choose one of the following options: you can cast blur 3 times per long rest ; you can cast blur as a 4th-level spell twice per long rest; you can cast blur as a 6th-level spell once per long rest. Your spellcasting ability for this spell is Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (whichever is highest).
Shadowcast Culture
Like the shadowcasts themselves, shadowcast culture is often an inverse of those cultures that exist on the Material Plane. Even though grand cities lie in ruin and villages appear abandoned, shadowcasts gather in societies that mimic those found on the Material Plane, hidden from the cursed forms of unlife that call the Bleak Gate home. Their cultures, in general, tend to follow similar lines to those typically found in the heritage of their counterpart, though a shadowcast may find that their culture differs from their extraplanar twin in one way or another. For example, a halfling shadowcast may be from a tunnel halfling culture and show a particular affinity for life underground, while their counterpart is from a stout halfling culture and prefers living in quaint hillsides. Or, a shadowcast who is incredibly cosmopolitan may discover that their counterpart leads a much more simple life in the country as a villager.
The ways of life found in the Bleak Gate harbor the same cultural affinities and outlooks as those found on the Material Plane. Language does not experience any changes due to the Bleak Gate’s inverse nature; the Common, Elvish, and other languages that are spoken on the Material Plane are the same languages spoken in the Bleak Gate, and those who encounter a shadowcast on their home plane find that they are able to freely communicate with them. Or, rather, they could if they met with one. A few serve as guides, scouts, or even shepherds of a sort for the unfortunate souls, exiles, and trapped mortals wandering the lifeless expanse, but most shadowcast prefer the company of each other.
Due to the unorthodox nature of their coming into existence, many shadowcast make it their mission to find newly formed members of their kind and ensure that they are kept safe. However, as there seems to be little predictable about where a shadowcast will first appear, some find themselves alone or manifesting with a small group. This leads to adolescents, either singly or in bands, making their own way through the lifeless expanse. Some are found and taken in by settlements or individuals, while others live their lives on the move.
Suggested Cultures
While you can choose any culture for your shadowcast character, the following cultures are linked closely with this heritage: forsaken , itinerant , lone wanderer , wildling .
While the shadower and replacer backgrounds are intended for those of the shadowcast heritages, they could also be adapted for other sorts of characters with a focus on “the original.” These include fantastical examples—such as clones, split psyches, or a casting of mirror image gone terribly wrong—or one as comparatively mundane as a twin separated from their sibling early in life. Mentions of having arrived at the Material Plane could instead refer to when an adventurer escaped the lab they were created in or the cruel guardians they had been sent to live with.