In our last Deep Dive, we discussed the Raven Queen and one of the pieces of her lore touched on the Shadar-Kai. These poor creatures are first introduced in 3rd edition and go through an identity crisis throughout the subsequent editions. In the 3rd edition, they are a race of fey creatures, and life seems pretty good, even if they are stuck in the Plane of Shadow. In the 4th edition, the lore gets a major overhaul, and these descendants of humans have been banished to the Shadowfell, which is the same place as the Plane of Shadow, just rebranded and more edgy. In the 5th edition, the Shadar-kai are now elves, and are still screwed. So let's take a look at these creatures of shadow, where they've been, where they are now, and why they are always so glum.

3e - Shadar-Kai

Medium-Size Fey (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice: 3d6 (10hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 30 ft.
Armor Class: 16 (+3 Dex, + 3 studded leather), touch 13, flat-footed 13
Base Attack/Grapple +1/+1
Attacks: Spiked chain +4 melee, or shortbow +4 ranged
Full Attack: Spiked chain +4 melee, or shortbow +4 ranged
Damage: Spiked chain 2d4, shortbow 1d6/x3
Face/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with spiked chain)
Special Attacks: Sneak Attack +1d6
Special Qualities: Hide in plain sight, shadow curse, superior low-light vision
Saves: Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +4
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 9
Skills: Hide +9, Listen +7, Move Silently +9, Search +6, Spot +7, Survival +6, (+8 following tracks)
Feats: Alertness, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (spiked chain) (B), Weapon Finesse
Climate/Terrain: Any forest and underground (Plane of Shadow)
Orgnization: Solitary, patrol (3-6), or raid (7-12)
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: +1 gal-ralan plus standard
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +1

Fiend Folio, 2003 WotC — **Fiend Folio**, 2003 WotC

The Shadar-Kai are introduced in the Fiend Folio (2003) and it begins immediately to talk about how bitter they are. That their souls are poisoned by shadows and that they take on the form of grace and uncanny stealth-like abilities. They are described as slender, slightly taller than humans, that shadows cling to them and that the shadows are darker on them than on other people. They employ the use of agile and exotic weapons, like a spiked chain, and can blend themselves into shadows. The artwork for them shows off a shirtless man with long flowing white hair, a spiked chain, boots that strap on up to his knees, and tattoos that are all over his body. This might be the edgiest description of a race that we have ever come across, maybe even beating out the drow.

Looking at the history of the Shadar-kai, this arrogant fey race had once decided that the other humanoid races were a blight on the world and that they alone could protect it. The Shadar-kai were masters of shadow magic, so it makes sense that they would cut a deal with some mysterious entity from the Plane of Shadow to put the world in a perpetual state of twilight. Like all incredibly bad ideas, the plan fell apart, and the Shadar-kai were bound to the Plane of Shadow.

The Shadar-kai suffer from the shadow curse, an affliction that, upon death, damns their souls to the endless darkness of the Plane of Shadow. Whenever a Shadar-kai becomes stunned, dazed, or knocked unconscious, they must attempt to hold their soul intact or the Plane of Shadow takes a piece of their soul. This can be compared to a long car trip where you are being forced to listen to Michael Bolton. Every song that comes on next rips out a little bit of your soul, just like if the Shadar-kai loses control over their consciousness, they lose a bit of their soul, except we suspect it is far less painful for the Shadar-kai. Upon losing a bit of their soul, the Shadar-kai gains a negative level, and negative levels suck. For each negative level a Shadar Kai takes, they take the following penalties; -1 on all ability checks, attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks, -5 hit points, -1 effective level, and if the Shadar-kai can casts spells, they lose access to their highest-level spell slots. Think about that the next time you complain about having two levels of exhaustion.

But fear not, the Shadar-kai aren't completely lost. If they happen to be on the Plane of Shadow, they can find a nice and friendly cleric to repair their broken soul with a simple greater restoration spell. Of course, you have to find a 13th level cleric and one who is willing to lose 500 XP for them to cast the spell. If you think that’s rough, the Shadar-kai stuck on the Material Plane has a much more difficult time of it. The only way for them to repair their broken and splintered soul is to find someone that can cast the miracle or wish spell and is willing to give up 5,000 XP.

Though, if you think that that is a big ask, you can breathe a sigh of relief. These negative levels only affect a Shadar-kai while outside of the Plane of Shadow, which leads to many Shadar-kai deciding to just stay on the plane as their stubbornness can no longer overcome the icy void of nothingness in their heart whenever they are on the Material Plane. Most Shadar-kai would prefer to be on the Material Plane instead of on the plane that has cursed their existence to be that of gloom and shadows, but sometimes your soul just doesn't agree with you.

Now, let’s say you are a Shadar-kai and the cold, cruel world of the Plane of Shadow is just not doing it for you anymore… but you are also worried about losing your soul and permanently dying forever if you make it to the Material Plane and your soul is ripped away. What do you do in such a situation? Well, luckily for everyone there is one way for the Shadar-kai to get around losing their soul, but it isn't pleasant. Many Shadar-kai who visit the Material Plane wear a cold-forged iron armband called a gal-ranan. This armband is made up long needles that sink into your flesh while you are wearing it, the constant pain provides clarity and focus for the Shadar-kai, keeping their soul rooted firmly to their body, though it does reduce your Constitution slightly, so that’s a bummer but can you put a price on your soul not being ripped out?

Dragon Magazine #337, 2005 WotC — **Dragon Magazine** **#337**, 2005 WotC

The Shadar-kai gets a bit more love in 3rd edition with Dragon #337 (November 2005) which features an Ecology of the Shadar-Kai article by Jesse Decker. While there isn’t a ton of new information here, it does flesh out the already established lore and talks about how Shadar-Kai interact with the world and each other. To no one’s surprise, it's full of misery and pain, of shadows and power, and how the Shadar-Kai definitely didn’t do anything wrong and it’s everyone else's fault.

First, we get the story behind the disaster that led the Shadar-Kai to become the Shadar-Kai. It turns out they were always part of the shadow, but this didn't make them the depressed and sullen shadow fey they are today. Nope, they were once a happy, peaceful, and powerful race of fey, one with nature and living in harmony. Welp, time passes as it always does, and the Material Plane starts to get overrun with those pesky lesser races like humans and similar. The shadow fey had peered into the future and saw a prophecy of destruction that those races would bring to their serene natural world. Something had to be done!

You ever notice nothing good comes from a bunch of wizards getting together saying they have a plan and that through their powerful magic, everyone will be alright? Well, a hundred powerful would be Shadar-kai, masters of the ancient arcane arts, got together and hatched a plan. They would use their magic and knowledge of shadows to permanently merge the Material Plane and the Plane of Shadow, giving them complete control over their natural world. So they start the ritual, find out that their race will be the conduit for the shadow plane, and figure, meh, how bad can it be? Well, that turned out to be a very bad idea as a bunch of ancient warriors from the other races thought the idea of having shadow fey overlords wasn’t to their liking.

These ancient warriors, who have been all but forgotten, journeyed to the Plane of Shadow, found the shadow magic masters, and started stopping this ritual with violence. These ‘heroes’ stopped the ritual from completing, which saves the Material Plane from being part of neverending shadows, and the Shadar-kai are then cursed and dragged into the Plane of Shadow as they are now inexplicably linked to the plane. So, apparently, it turned out to be a bad idea to use your entire race as a conduit for the Plane of Shadow… who could’ve guessed?

The article continues to explain how the current day Shadar-kai feel about this and how this event has affected their society at large. To no one’s surprise, they are still fuming over it even though everyone who took part in that event has been long dead for eons now. The race still holds a grudge about their souls being tethered to the Plane of Shadow and refuse to accept that they kind of brought it upon themselves. They are bloodthirsty when it comes to dealing with other races, quickly jumping to violence against outsiders.

This violent nature can also be found in their society as they are described as masochists and their relationships are deeply passionate, but deeply painful as well. Their romances consist of pain, tattooing, scarification, mutilation, and more, and they sometimes engage in these activities in a large orgy. This might seem a bit extreme from an outsider's perspective, but this society is focused on tethering their soul in passion and emotion, which can often only be accomplished through pain. Shadar-kai are fiercely loyal to each other, protecting and guarding members of their race against outsiders, even sacrificing themselves to protect others of their kind.

4e - Shadar-Kai

Gloomblade - Level 6 Lurker
Medium shadow humanoid / XP 250
Initiative +12 / Senses Perception +5; low-light vision
HP 54; Bloodied 27; also see veil of shadows
AC 20; Fortitude 17, Reflex 18, Will 15
Speed 5; also see shadow jaunt
Greatsword (standard; at-will) ✦ Weapon+11 vs. AC; 1d10+3 damage; also see gloomstrike.
Gloomstrike If the shadar-kai gloomblade hits a target that can’t see him, the target is blinded wuntil the end of the gloomblade’s next turn.
Shadow Jaunt (move; encounter) ✦ Teleportation
The shadar-kai gloomblade teleports 3 squares and becomes insubstantial untilt he start of his next turn.
Veil of Shadows (move; at-will) ✦ IllusionThe shadar-kai gloomblade turns invisible and moves up to his speed. The gloomblade cannot use this power while bloodied.
Alignment Unaligned / Languages Common
Skills Acrobatics +14, Stealth +14
Str 17(+6) | Dex 20 (+8) | Wis 15 (+5) | Con 12 (+4) | Int 10 (+3) | Cha 11 (+3)
Equipment shadowmail, greatsword

Monster Manual, 2008 WotC — **Monster Manual**, 2008 WotC

The Shadar-kai are introduced in 4th edition with the release of the Monster Manual (2008). Typically when we do a stat block for a creature with multiple entries, we use the first stat block in the description, for the 4e Shadar-Kai, we used the second, the Gloomblade. Why you might ask? Because Gloomblade just sounds so badass, we just had to use it! For those wondering, the other Shadar-kai presented in the Monster Manual are the Chainfighter, Witch, and Warrior.

Before we dive into the mechanics, let’s go over all the new and exciting lore changes for the moodiest and glum… humanoids. That's right, the Shadar-kai were once humans but they have lived in the Shadowfell for so long that it has augmented them into a new race of humanoids focused on extremes and living life to the fullest, take that elves! With 4e’s removal of the Plane of Shadow, transforming it into the Shadowfell, large tribes of Shadar-kai can be found there performing deeds for the enigmatic Raven Queen. These individuals fight with abandon, unconcerned for their own lives for they trust that the Raven Queen will protect them in the afterlife, turning them into her sorrowsworn.

Jumping over to the different types of Shadar-kai you might be forced to fight, these creatures wield exotic weapons and work steadfastly for the Raven Queen, harvesting souls on the Material Plane. The Shadar-kai utilize the shadows to immobilize their foes, teleport through the shadows, and strike out with strange weapons.

Monster Manual 2, 2009 WotC — **Monster Manual 2**, 2009 WotC

The Shadar-kai don’t have to wait long until Monster Manual 2 (2009) brings in more lore as well as additional individual to help them kill you with shadowstuff. The Blacksoul, Dawnkiller, Gloom Lord, and Painbearer all bring in new ways of controlling the battlefield with shadows and keep up the strong tradition of wearing as much leather and metal spikes as possible. The new lore provides just the barest glimpse of their relationship with the Raven Queen. They are bound to her will through an oath of blood and service to her will so that she might extend their lives, and in fact, they can even live longer than an eladrin, though they rarely do as their life is full of extremes - which means they die relatively fast.

Dragon Magazine #391, 2010 WotC — **Dragon Magazine #391**, 2010 WotC

Beyond that, we also gain an exciting look into the Shadar-kai with the release of Dragon Magazine #372 (February 2009) which presents an opportunity for players to play as Shadar-kai in their campaigns. Players can learn how to play these gloomy humanoids, as well as many of the characteristics of these creatures.

Most Shadar-kai have alabaster to dark gray skin, they have a large number of tattoos, they enjoy dark-colored clothes but will often wear some fabric with spots of bright color. Their hair is typically bone white to a colorless gray, though hints of some natural hair color can be seen in a few of them. Thin and tall, these creatures are graceful and would be almost normal if it weren’t for the number of self-imposed scars, tattoos, piercings, and mutilations.

To match their esoteric appearance, they are also full of bravado and are constantly seeking new challenges. They boast of their prowess to any who will listen, reciting stories of their past deeds like poetry, their deeds would almost seem like fantasy though they are more than happy to back up their words with a sword. They believe that to live forever, one must accomplish great deeds, the stories of your life are what allow you to live long after you are dead. To die without any stories is to have never lived at all, which is one of the reasons that so many Shadar-kai rarely live for long - they are too busy taking on hard and deadly challenges that they don’t slow down to fear death.

The last mention of the Shadar-kai comes in the supplement The Shadowfell - Gloomwrought & Beyond (2011) which talks about the role that the Shadar-kai play in the Shadowfell as well as their full history. During the Dawn War, the original humans who would become Shadar-kai watched as Nerull, the god of the dead, mistreated those who died. When the Raven Queen slew him and took over his position, they witnessed her new treatment of the souls and saw a kinder, more gentle goddess of the dead. They beseeched the Raven Queen to watch over their souls with kindness so that when they die, they won’t be mistreated for all eternity. For whatever reason, the Raven Queen agreed, and those humans were brought to the Shadowfell where they slowly became known as the Shadar-kai.

As the Shadar-kai continued their existence in the Shadowfell, it became evident that the malaise of life in the shadows was beginning to suck away at their lifeforce. To combat this, they began going on great searches for excitement, pain, and emotions. These extreme feelings help ground themselves and prevent them from simply drifting away into a deathly malaise, their soul and body blending into the Shadowfell itself. Throughout the Shadowfell, the Shadar-kai can be found - some might be helpful, while others can be bitter enemies seeking a rush of excitement as swords are drawn. Outsiders should always offer a rush of emotion when it comes to bartering or trading with the Shadar-kai, offering up ways to allow a Shadar-kai to experience extreme emotions they might not always be able to emulate.

Lastly, we did lie. There is a bit more information on the Shadar-kai in 4th edition, though it is about their place in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting and can be found in Dragon Magazine #391 (September 2010). They appear in the article A Legacy in Shadow Illustrations: Shadar-Kai in the Forgotten Realms by Robert J. Schwalb and we aren’t going to touch on it too much as we try to avoid setting specific content. The barebones are basically the Shadar-kai were created due to the events surrounding the Spellplague and they had offered up their mortal souls to the Shadowfell to grant them power. Apart from that change to their origins, there isn’t much else different about them.

5e - Shadar-Kai

Shadow Dancer / Medium humanoid (elf), neutral
Armor Class 15 (studded leather)
Hit Points 71 (13d8 + 13) / Speed 30 ft.
STR 12(+1) | DEX 16(+3) | CON 13(+1) | INT 11(+0) | WIS 12(+1) | CHA 12(+1)
Saving Throws Dex +6, Con +4
Skills Stealth +6
Damage Immunities necrotic
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages Common, Elvish
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Fey Ancestry. The gloom weaver has advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put it to sleep.
Shadow Jump. As a bonus action, the shadow dancer can teleport 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. The shadow dancer can use this ability between the weapon attacks of another action it takes.
Multiattack. The shadow dancer makes three spiked chain attacks.
Spiked Chain. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or suffer one additional effect of the shadow dancer’s choice:
- 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 shadow dancer can’t grapple another target.
- The target is knocked prone.
- The target takes 22 (4d10) necrotic damage.

Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes, 2018 WotC — **Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes**, 2018 WotC

Unfortunately for the Shadar-kai, they are forced to wait for 4 long years before they make their appearance in 5th edition with their introduction in Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes (2018). In this edition, they get another overhaul of their background and are back to being fey, though more specifically, they have elven blood and are descended from the elves in the Feywild. This edition more specifically calls out their direct duty to the Raven Queen and makes it so that they no longer revere her as much as they are her servants that she specifically orders about through cryptic omens. Even their origin is the direct fault of the Raven Queen, when she had attempted to ascend to godhood, she accidentally tore her followers from the Feywild and dragged them into the Shadowfell, transforming them permanently.

Once in the Shadowfell, things don't get any easier for our former elves. Cursed to forever serve the Raven Queen, they are even too terrified to enter the Fortress of Memories. While they exist in the Shadowfell, their bodies are withered with swollen joints and their faces sag under wrinkles, so many wear obscuring clothing and wood or metal masks. Once they leave the Shadowfell, they return to more youthful and spry forms, though they always keep their deathly pallor skin color and the Raven Queen forces them to return to the Shadowfell to continue to serve her.

Lastly, while the Shadar-kai do gain immortality, which is what they always wanted in the previous editions, it’s not great. The Shadar-kai can still die, but they know their soul belongs to the Raven Queen who plucks it from the afterlife and resurrects them so that they can continue their service to her. Their memories of life and happiness before this curse still burns fresh in their memories, though the gloom of the Shadowfell turns those happy memories into painful reminders that of their current position.

For players who read about this tortured existence and decide they want to make their edgelord character out of it, they are in luck as Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes has player information for them! They are simply treated as a subrace of the elves, though apparently they lack much emotion and must venture into the Material Plane to carry out the Raven Queen’s will.

Apart from the brief information, there are also three different examples of Shadar-kai warriors that can be tossed at a party. Their tactics focus on slipping through the shadows and using the spiked chains and other exotic weapons to tear away souls from their mortal coil. The three Shadar-kai are called Gloom Weaver, Shadow Dancer, and the Soul Monger, and each utilizes the shadows in their unique way. The Shadow Dancer teleporting from shadow to shadow, lashing out with a horrifying spiked chain, while the Gloom Weaver is a powerful warlock, who we can only assume has the Raven Queen as a patron. The Soul Monger is the most powerful of the Shadar-kai and is capable of creating weariness on a large number of creatures, sucking away their energy and causing waves of necrotic energy to wash over them.

The Shadar-kai are tools of the Raven Queen, forced to read her cryptic omens and follow ravens through the portals to bear witness to fate. They watch for souls to be gathered up, to watch for tragedy to take place, and bring it all to their queen who they are too scared of to gaze upon. The Shadar-kai’s fate is tied inadvertently to the Raven Queen, even if it was only so that they might gain immortality. The Shadar-kai, no matter which edition you look at, have all made bad choices that have landed them in the Shadowfell, or the Plane of Shadow. They are a dour lot, focused on their pain and suffering, though in 4th edition, they fight back against it, reveling in the emotions it gives them.

In conclusion, we'd like to say that the Shadar-kai are just a poor, misunderstood race that has made some bad life choices. While that may be true in some fashion, it doesn't excuse them for trying to rip your head off with a spiked chain, or for that matter, their incredibly gloomy fashion choices.

If you enjoy our Deep Dive series consider
supporting us on Patreon and following us on Twitter!