Shadow Walker (5e Race)

Shadow Walkers

“

They are the knife in the dark and the monster in the shadows. They are death.

”

Physical Description

By J-B Reynaud

Shadow walkers are born of the void. They have slits for nostrils, no mouth, and their slit eyes glow a bright white. The skin of a shadow walker can be any color between deep purple and a jet black, with most having skin just a shade from pitch black. People who have touched them recall it being mainly very cold and smooth. Their bodies emanate darkness, which sometimes resembles an extension of their bodies. They do not require clothing, as their bodies are usually very hard to see distinct features of. Most also find clothes unnecessary as it would hamper the fluidity of their bodies within the cloth constraints.

History

The history of shadow walkers is shrouded in darkness, much like the void in which they originate from. What scholars can piece together are from unconfirmed sources and the mad ravings of those who have crossed paths with these enigmatic beings and dared to anger them. Walkers of the void usually warn of these beings which stalk the place like their territory, using darkness as a weapon to drive out outsiders. Shadow walkers were humans who were drawn into the void long, long ago. The void forever changed them and still continues to consume and mangle life to this day. We do not know if victims are drawn in willingly, tricked in, or dragged into the void...but we do know that now they feed off the void constantly for life. Some people have come to see them as heralds of a time to come and worship them as such envoys.

Society

Shadow walkers are primarily solitary beings. There are is no real shadow walker society, only the void to which they are bound. They fear the light like a plague, which can severely damage their amorphous bodies. People tell tales of how the shadow walkers scheme nightly to eliminate the night. When a lunar eclipse happens, it is said to be blocked out by crows conjured from dark magic by the shadow walkers. On the rare times the void crosses alignment with Prime, shadow walkers may escape into the Material Plane without the use of high-level spatial magic they cannot use. However, they fare rather poorly in a world of half night and day, and so can only survive in the bowels of the Underdark. They are avoided by other dwellers like drows and quaggoths.

Shadow Walker Names

Shadow walkers carry vague memories prior to their twisting into creatures of the void. They may or may not retain their human names, which can hint at their original gender. If not, they usually take names of darkness from Abyssal.

Male: Aldrich, Anton, Atticus, Arug'Olath, Kizz'Arak

Female: Artemis, Aster, Luz, Neethlaath, Gestromoth

Shadow Walkers Traits

Beings of the void
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Age. Shadow walkers are humans who were exiled to the center of the negative plane. They were so suffused with energy that they became something else. They ceased to age once they gained their new forms and did not die anymore from the passage of time.
Alignment. Most shadow walkers are chaotic neutral, with a fair few becoming evil.
Size. Shadow walkers are sometimes well over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Superior Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Photosensitivity. While in bright or dim sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.
Shadow Dash. In your element, you draw from your surroundings to move smoothly and quickly. When you take the Dash action while in darkness on your turn, you can move an additional distance equal to half your movement speed.
Dark Aura. You can summon the darkness emanating from yourself and move them like your own limbs. You can cast the arms of hadar spell once, as a 1st level spell. You must finish a long rest to use this trait again.
Eyes for Darkness. Whenever you make a Wisdom (Perception) check while in darkness, you are considered proficient in the Perception skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Abyssal.
Subrace. Choose from the infiltrator or darkflame subraces.

Infiltrator

These shadowy beings have more willowy stature, prone to swaying. They lurk at the corner of your eyes sometimes, only to duck away when you look, being very elusive.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Void Blink. You have advantage in Dexterity (Stealth) checks when in darkness.

Darkflame

Shadow walker darkflames specialize in flaring out their powers of darkness. They walk with a steady stride unlike their flickering counterparts.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2.
Dark Flare. When you use your Dark Aura trait, the spell range increases to 15 feet.

Random Height and Weight

Base Height	Height Modifier*	Base Weight	Weight Modifier**
5′ 8''	+2d10	135 lb.	× (2d6) lb.
*Height = base height + height modifier **Weight = base weight + (height modifier × weight modifier)

Suggested Characteristics

When creating a shadow walker character, you can use the following table of traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws to help flesh out your character. Use these tables in addition to or in place of your background's characteristics.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I love a good insult, even one directed at me.
2	I'm confident in my own abilities and do what I can to instill confidence in others.
3	When I set my mind to something, I follow through no matter what gets in my way.
4	I've been isolated for so long that I rarely speak, preferring gestures and the occasional grunt.
5	I am utterly serene, even in the face of disaster, because I have seen worse.
6	If you do me an injury, I will crush you, ruin your name, and salt your fields.
7	I'm always picking things up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them.
8	My language is as foul as an otyugh nest.

d6	Ideal
1	Change. We must help bring about the changes the gods are constantly working in the world. (Chaotic)
2	Respect. People deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. (Good)
3	Destiny. Nothing and no one can steer me away from my higher calling. (Any)
4	Sincerity. There's no good pretending to be something I'm not. (Neutral)
5	Might. If I become strong, I can take what I want--what I deserve. (Evil)
6	Community. We have to take care of each other, because no one else is going to do it. (Lawful)

d6	Bond
1	A powerful person killed someone I love. Some day soon, I'll have my revenge.
2	No one else is going to have to endure the hardships I've been through.
3	I fight for those who cannot fight for themselves.
4	Those who fight beside me are those worth dying for.
5	Someone saved my life on the battlefield. To this day, I will never leave a friend behind.
6	The common folk must see me as a hero of the people.

d6	Flaw
1	I have trouble trusting in my allies.
2	Now that I've returned to the world, I enjoy its delights a little too much.
3	I harbor dark bloodthirsty thoughts that my isolation failed to quell.
4	I remember every insult I've received and nurse a silent resentment toward anyone who's ever wronged me.
5	I'd rather kill someone in their sleep than fight fair.
6	I judge others harshly, and myself even more severely.

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