WIXLIB

Blood of Shadows

Illumination LevelsBright LightBright light is created by direct sunlight,as well as by spells such as daylight.Color and detail are easily determinedby most creatures in bright light,though shiny or ref lective surfacescan be difficult to look at.Creatures with light blindnessare blinded when exposed to brightlight, and those with light sensitivityare dazzled. It is impossible forcharacters in bright light toattempt Stealth checks withoutcover or invisibility.Normal LightAreas of normal light mightinclude a glade under a forestcanopy during midday, the interiorof a room illuminated by indirectsunlight, and the space within 20 feet of atorch or an object affected by the light spell.While colors and fine details may not be asvivid in normal light, characters can stillsee easily without special forms of vision.Normal light does not impact characterswith light blindness or light sensitivity.Dim LightAreas of dim light include theoutdoors on a moonlit nightor the light of a candle inthe absence of any other lightsource. Most sources of normallight cast a radius of dim lightout to double the radius of thenormal light. In dim light,creatures have concealmentfrom those withoutsome ability to seein darkness andcan attempt Stealthchecks in order tohide themselves.DarknessIn the absence oflight, darknessreigns supreme.Some areas ofdarkness includeunlit chambers of adungeon, most caverns,and the outdoors on a cloudy,moonless night. Without darkvision orother ability to see in the dark, creatures indarkness are effectively blind. It is impossible to determine thecolor of an object in total darkness, even with darkvision. Creatureswith darkvision see the unlit world only in shades of gray.

Development Lead Owen K.C. StephensAuthors Alexander Augunas, Steven T. Helt,Luis Loza, and Ron LundeenCover Artist Kiki Moch RizkyInterior Artists Melvin Chan, Marjorie Davis,Tawny Fritzinger, Lance Red, and Anson TanEditor-in-Chief F. Wesley SchneiderCreative Director James JacobsExecutive Editor James L. SutterSenior Developer Rob McCrearyDevelopers John Compton, Adam Daigle,Mark Moreland, and Owen K.C. StephensAssistant Developers Crystal Frasier,Amanda Hamon Kunz, and Linda Zayas-PalmerSenior Editors Judy Bauer and Christopher CareyEditors Jason Keeley and Josh VogtLead Designer Jason BulmahnDesigners Logan Bonner, Stephen Radney-MacFarland,and Mark SeifterManaging Art Director Sarah E. RobinsonArt Director Sonja MorrisSenior Graphic Designer Adam VickGraphic Designer Emily CrowellPublisher Erik MonaPaizo CEO Lisa StevensChief Operations Officer Jeffrey AlvarezDirector of Sales Pierce WattersSales Associate Cosmo EiseleMarketing Director Jenny BendelVice President of Finance Christopher SelfStaff Accountant Ashley KaprielianData Entry Clerk B. Scott KeimChief Technical Officer Vic WertzSoftware Development Manager Cort OdekirkSenior Software Developer Gary TeterProject Manager Jessica PriceOrganized Play Coordinator Tonya WoldridgeAdventure Card Game Designer Tanis O’ConnorCommunity Team Liz Courts and Chris LambertzCustomer Service Team Sharaya Copas,Katina Davis, Sara Marie Teter, and Diego ValdezWarehouse Team Will Chase, Mika Hawkins,Heather Payne, Jeff Strand, and Kevin UnderwoodWebsite Team Christopher Anthony, Lissa Guillet,Julie Iaccarino, Erik Keith, and Scott SpaldingOn the CoverTable of ContentsIntroduction2The Taint of Shadow4Transformed by Shadow6Transformed by Light10Transformed by the Darklands14Shadowy Archetypes18Fighting in the Dark20Shadowcraft Weapons22Shadow Feats24Shadow Magic Items26Penumbral Spells28Shadow Spells30Illumination LevelsInside Front CoverReferenceThis Pathfinder Player Companion refers to several other Pathfinder Roleplaying Gameproducts and uses the following abbreviations. These books are not required to make use ofthis Player Companion. Readers interested in references to Pathfinder RPG hardcovers can findthe complete rules from these books available for free online at paizo.com/prd.Advanced Class GuideAdvanced Player’s GuideAdvanced Race GuideOccult AdventuresACGAPGARGOAPathfinder UnchainedUltimate CombatUltimate EquipmentUltimate MagicPUUCUEUMThis product is compliant with the Open Game License (OGL) and is suitable for use with the Pathfinder RoleplayingGame or the 3.5 edition of the world’s oldest fantasy roleplaying game.Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game Licenseversion 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters,deities, etc.), dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, characters, artwork, and trade dress. (Elements that have previouslybeen designated as Open Game Content or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.)Open Content: Except for material designated as Product Identity (see above), the game mechanics of this Paizogame product are Open Game Content, as defined in the Open Gaming License version 1.0a Section 1(d). No portionof this work other than the material designated as Open Game Content may be reproduced in any form withoutwritten permission.Artist Kiki Moch Rizky brings ustwo drow warriors getting the dropon a well-equipped seugathi in theDarklands on this amazing cover.Paizo Inc.7120 185th Ave NE, Ste 120Redmond, WA 98052-0577paizo.comPathfinder Player Companion: Blood of Shadows 2016, Paizo Inc. All Rights Reserved. Paizo, Paizo Inc., the Paizogolem logo, Pathfinder, the Pathfinder logo, and Pathfinder Society are registered trademarks of Paizo Inc.; Hell’sRebels, Pathfinder Accessories, Pathfinder Adventure Card Game, Pathfinder Adventure Path, Pathfinder Battles,Pathfinder Campaign Setting, Pathfinder Cards, Pathfinder Flip-Mat, Pathfinder Map Pack, Pathfinder Module,Pathfinder Pawns, Pathfinder Player Companion, Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, and Pathfinder Tales are trademarksof Paizo Inc.Printed in China.

IntroductionDarkness always lurks just beyond the reach of the light.Lightlessness is the natural state of the universe, heldbriefly at bay by fire, moonlight, magic, or pale torchesheld in trembling hands. While most of the surface worldenjoys many hours of sunlight each day, vast regions existfar below, where natural light never reaches. The Darklands’huge caverns and countless tunnels stretch untold distancesaround Golarion; within them, entire empires have grownin endless gloom and permanent night.In addition to the unlit places on the Material Plane,the Shadow Plane lurks just out of sight. Coterminous andcoexistent with the Material Plane, this colorless reality ispopulated by twilight analogs of the mortal world and, insome cases, even contains shadowy equivalents of greatcities, including Absalom. The Shadow Plane has its ownnatural gray terrain, such as caves, mountains, and forestfloors, all parts of a dim world with unique native denizens,threats, politics, and even economic needs. While mostof those who dwell on Golarion would never guess thatan additional world, with its own great cities and ancientempires, overlays their own reality within the shadows, thereare others who deal regularly with visitors from the ShadowPlane, hoping to advance trade, intrigue, or power.Characters influenced by shadow can make for someof the most exciting stories. Inherent in any tale of lightand darkness are the spaces between, filled with limitlesspotential. From the literal shadows where assassins skulk andundead drain strength, to the veil of secret knowledge soughtby scholars and roaming vagabonds in the deep places of theworld, darkness influences the destiny of those both aboveand belowground. Supernatural forces and strange energiescombine to alter those who travel the Shadow Plane and thecavernous Darklands into darker versions of themselves.Over generations, even kingdoms of the long-lived elves anddwarves have been changed by their exposure to forces thatdwell only in the lightless places. Blood of Shadows presentsrules for characters born or changed by the shadows, and thepower that darkness provides.Shadow OriginsOver passing ages, countless souls have ventured into darkplaces of danger and opportunity. Some hail from Nidal, anation dominated by lords from the umbral reaches. Othershave strong ties to the Shadow Plane, the long-abandonedhome plane of the wayangs who now dwell in the DragonEmpires, and the current residence of the fetchlings whofled there from doomed Azlant. Some find themselvesfleeing into the Darklands to avoid threats of the surfaceworld, or trying to escape its eternal murk in hopes ofseeing the sky at least once. Though drow, fetchling, andwayang characters have obvious ties to dark places, there area number of possible ways other characters’ origins could betied to the powers of shadow, such as those presented below.2Benign EnvoySettlements in the Darklands that resist the corrupting taintto which their neighbors long ago succumbed sometimesbrave the journey to the surface to establish trade and recruitallies. An emissary from the lightless reaches requires timeto adjust to life under the sun. Luckily, such characters don’ttend to carry the arrogance or hostility present in the evildenizens of the Darklands.Child of ShadowBorn into a twilight realm, many shadow-tainted creaturesknow little of bright daylight or subterranean darkness.They dwell in the alleys between tall buildings or amongthe thick trees of dense forests, avoiding the discomfortof bright light, even though it might be only the toss of adagger away. Their survival depends on the ability to hideand scavenge, and these children of the shadow know noother way.Hiding from the LightIt isn’t uncommon for one to flee from abuse or persecution.Whether a criminal or a victim, such fugitives abandon anormal life in order to remain free from the law or theirtormentor. These individuals practice stealth and livebeneath the notice of their neighbors, using magic or guileto keep their secrets from coming to light.Liberated LaborerThough the surface world has its share of nations thatindulge in slavery, the Darklands are full of chattel capturedfrom both surface settlements and subterranean cities.Those who manage to free themselves from bondage fight toreach the surface, or at least find a community belowgroundthat doesn’t think of them as property.Trapped by TerrorThe nation of Nidal conditions the majority of its citizensto live amid cruelty and supernatural horror. Thoughfew opportunities to escape the darkness shrouding thatland occur, they are not outside the realm of possibility.Adventurers, traveling musicians, political envoys, andtrade emissaries can still serve their homeland loyally, butfrom a position far removed from the persistent gloom inwhich they were raised.Umbral OperativeThere are those who serve the shadow directly; agents ofkingdoms on the Shadow Plane or divine servants of ZonKuthon often work in obscurity to eclipse light and warmth.While not all umbral operatives are evil, their allegiance toshadow certainly colors their actions and attitudes. Theirpresence heralds a coming darkness that threatens toenvelop everyone around them.