Shadar-kai (CR 1)

Medium Fey (Extraplanar)
Alignment: Usually neutral evil
Initiative: +3 (Dex); Senses: superior low-light vision, Listen +8, and Spot +8
Languages: Common, Elven, and Sylvan


AC: 16 (+3 Dex, +3 studded leather), touch 13, flat-footed 13
Hit Dice: 3d6 (10 hp)
Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +4
Speed: 30 ft.
Space: 5 ft./5 ft. (10 ft. with spiked chain)
Base Attack +1; Grapple +1
Attack: 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
Special Attacks/Actions: Sneak attack +1d6
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 16, Con 11, Int 11, Wis 10, Cha 9
Special Qualities: Hide in plain sight, shadow curse
Feats: Alertness; Exotic Weapon Proficiency (spiked chain) (B); Weapon Finesse
Skills: Hide +9, Listen +8, Move Silently +9, Search +6, Spot +8, and Survival +6 (+8 following tracks)
Advancement: By character class
Climate/Terrain: Any forest and underground (Plane of Shadow)
Organization: Solitary, patrol (3-6), or raid (7-12)
Treasure/Possessions: +1 gal-ralan plus standard

Source: Fiend Folio

Cursed and blessed with a great affinity for the Plane of Shadow, the shadar-kai are subtle and deceptive. They steal without being detected when they can, striking from ambush when necessary. Spellcasters among the shadar-kai favor shadow and illusion magic, and few groups of the shadow fey are without a powerful spellcasting leader. Skilled an stealth and gifted with visual acuity greater than that of most other creatures, the shadar-kai have little trouble making sure that combat occurs on their terms.

The shadar-kai described in the statistics block wears a +1 gal-ralan (see Shadar-Kai Items).

Sneak Attack (Ex): Anytime a shadar-kai's target is denied a Dexterity bonus, or when a target is flanked by a shadar-kai, the shadar-kai deals an additional 1d6 points of damage on a successful melee attack. This damage stacks with sneak attack damage from other sources, such as rogue levels.

Hide in Plain Sight (Su): Shadar-kai can use the Hide skill even while being observed. As long as they are not illuminated by natural daylight, the daylight spell, or similar magical light, shadar-kai can hide themselves from view in the open without having anything to actually hide behind.

Shadow Curse (Su): The Plane of Shadow exerts a tremendous pull on shadar-kai's soul, which is only tenuously connected to its mortal body. Any time a shadar-kai is stunned, dazed, staggered, or unconscious (other than from natural sleep), the shadow fey must make a Will save (DC 15) or lose a portion of her soul to the Plane of Shadow. The shadar-kai must also attempt a save any time she removes a gal-ralan, if she has one.

A shadar-kai with a damaged soul gains one negative level that cannot be removed until she restores her soul completely. If exposed to another event that requires a save against the shadow curse, a shadar-kai may gain additional negative levels. A shadar-kai on the Plane of Shadow can transfix her soul to her body again with a greater restoration spell. A shadar-kai on the Material Plane (or elsewhere) must use a wish or miracle spell to restore her soul.

A shadar-kai afflicted with the shadow curse cannot be raised from the dead or resurrected, and cannot gain experience. The touch of the shadow curse galls a shadar-kai, filling her heart with an icy emptiness that eventually drives all but the most determined individuals to capitulate and leave the Material Plane altogether.

A shadar-kai who goes to the Plane of Shadow and remains there ameliorates the effects of the shadow curse and suffers no ill effects. However, if she leaves the Plane of Shadow without restoring her soul, she suffers the effects of the shadow curse until she returns to the Plane of Shadow or restores her soul.

Superior low-light Vision (Ex): Shadar-kai have extraordinary vision in low-light conditions. They can see four times as fan as a human in low-light conditions.

Skills: Shadar-kai have a +10 racial bonus on Hide checks made in dark or shadowy conditions (anything other than daylight or the area of a daylight spell).

Extraplanar Subtype

A subtype applied to any creature when it is on a plane other than its native plane. A creature that travels the planes can gain or lose this subtype as it goes from plane to plane. This book assumes that encounters with creatures take place on the Material Plane, and every creature whose native plane is not the Material Plane has the extraplanar subtype (but would not have when on its home plane). An extraplanar creatures usually has a home plane mentioned in its description. These home planes are taken from the Great Wheel cosmology of the D&D game (see Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). If your campaign uses a different cosmology, you will need to assign different home planes to extraplanar creatures.

Creatures not labeled as extraplanar are natives of the Material Plane, and they gain the extraplanar subtype if they leave the Material Plane. No creature has the extraplanar subtype when it is on a transitive plane; the transitive planes in the D&D cosmology are the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, and the Plane of Shadow.