First time I ever encountered shadows I'd hit level 5 as a cleric at the end of the session before. The team had a nice cuddle in the spirit guardians aura and anhilated all of them. It made me think spirit guardians is much better than it actually is though. 

Fire generates light.

I give a chiefs kiss to the absolute versatility and easy in game custom lore connections gust make it a cr 3 or 4 and we have a perfect monster

Wdym you literally get your strength back on a SR, its in the stat block

Why is this weak in only sunlight? What about bright light from a torch? I can see how this would make it way easier to fight, but is it not darkness? I like to imagine that it cannot attack in bright light or hide, and takes like 1 point of damage every round it starts in any bright light. Just a thought.

Ah yes, a 1/2 CR monster with the capability to TPK low level players

how come this doesnt come with the description?

its racist

Semi-colons op

does the mystic get these?

Theoretically, one could fill a bottle with as many shadows as they want, and tie the bottle to an arrow. Essentially, have a group of servants of a shadow dragon fire bottles of shadows at adventurers to make an especially hard time for your players. Or just fire em at cultists, Idc.

So agree about it being OP for 1/2 challenge rating.

It's resistant to those damage types unless they're counted as magical through the effect of a magical weapon, in which it will take full damage.

This chap and his 6 buddies killed our sorcerer last game just from the Strength Drain alone. And they almost got our rogue and fighter as well. We only lived because they left after stealing an item from our sorcerer's corpse.

We're level 5. The encounter calculator said the difficulty was supposed to be Medium. Our cleric's strength score is just 6, but luckily she's evil aligned, so they left her alone...

If there was a way to resist, or cure, the Strength Drain, I think it would make it more balanced. Like using "Lesser restoration" or succeed a save, for example. Or maybe you don't straight up DIE when your strength reaches 0. As things are now, I'm bolting next time I see one. They're literally not worth it.

Why 'Non-Evil' creatures only? Is there a good reason that an evil creature killed by a Shadow would not give rise to another Shadow?

Spell caster sidekick anyone

1/2 CR is on crack

There's nothing actually "making" it, it simply is there as a monster.

Quote from FFox1604 >>

Spell caster sidekick anyone

 Unfortunately you can't use this as a spellcaster normally, as it doesn't know any languages. Using this as a warrior though... chilling. You could give it a stagnant AC of 18, multiple strength drains, extra damage and the ability to heal. Scary stuff tbh 

if you hit a wraith or other ghostial entity with the str drain and reduce it's str to 0, will it die? RAW I would think so because the ability specifically says so, but idk if RAI it should