Now available on D&D Beyond, Kobold Press's Book of Ebon Tides takes you to the twilight domains of the Plane of Shadows. In this campaign setting, you'll explore the mysterious gloom that shadows the mortal realm. Though shadows are sometimes associated with darkness, the Shadow Realm can be full of joy and levity, as often as it is terrifying nightmares—for shadows are forever fleeting and changing.

Let's draw back the veil and discover what awaits you in this dangerous land of darkness!

• What Is the Book of Ebon Tides?
• Book of Ebon Tides Character Options
• A Dungeon Master's Guide to the Plane of Shadows

Get 14 Shadow Realm Adventures!

Also available from Kobold Press is Tales from the Shadows, a companion book to the Book of Ebon Tides. It includes fourteen self-contained adventures for characters level 1-8. Each of these adventures take place in the Plane of Shadows and provide more context to the locations and NPCs you'll find in the Book of Ebon Tides.

You can bundle these two books together and save money, allowing you to explore the mysteries of the shadows for less!

What Is the Book of Ebon Tides?

Artist: Marcel Mercado

Book of Ebon Tides beckons to those brave or foolish enough to traverse the evershifting Plane of Shadows. Within its pages, you'll uncover the history, denizens, and factions of this twilight domain—perhaps in a bit more detail than its enigmatic inhabitants would prefer.

What Is the Plane of Shadows?

The haunting landscapes and phantasmagoric cities of the Plane of Shadows exist on the periphery of the mortal world. Though the Plane of Shadows has existed for as long as the mortal realm, it is much less understood due to its impermanent, transitory properties.

While, in the mortal realm, mountains, rivers, forests, and cities tend to stay put, in the Plane of Shadows, the only constant is inconsistency.

Mountains are broken down to sand and swept away, forests rearrange themselves around shifting rivers, and sometimes even cities are moved from one location to another. The powers that create this chaos are known as the ebon tides—uncontrollable and unpredictable tides of shadow that reshape the realm.

Book of Ebon Tides Character Options

The People of the Plane of Shadows

Though it is a dangerous place, the Plane of Shadows is rife with various occupants. It is home to shadow-loving creatures, is a place of constant conflict for those looking to push back the darkness, and can even sweep mortals away from their proper place on the mortal plane.

• Bearfolk: Stalwart and formidable, Bearfolk are known for their strength and resilience. These ursine beings are deeply connected to nature and possess a strong sense of community. They are often guardians of the wilds and try to drive back the darkness that threatens their land's borders.
• Darakhul: The Darakhul are intelligent ghouls, cursed with eternal hunger for flesh. Despite their ghastly nature, Darakhul possess memories of their past lives, making some of them more sympathetic than your average ravenous undead.
• Shadow Fey: Existing on the cusp of light and dark, the Shadow Fey's beauty is matched only by their capriciousness. They are the most abundant people in the Shadow Realm and often belong to one of the shadow fey courts.
• Shadow Goblins: Small and cunning, Shadow Goblins thrive in the dark recesses of the Plane of Shadows. These goblins often act as scouts, spies, or thieves, using their knack for deception to prosper in a world where danger lurks in every shadow.
• Umbral Humans: The Plane of Shadows has corrupting effects on those from the mortal realm, but those that survive become Umbral Humans. These humans have adapted to their new environment, gaining resistance to the shadow and naturally enveloping themselves in darkness.
• Quickstep: Agile and fleet-footed, Quickstep are dexterous and devious creatures who serve as messengers, scouts, and assistants to the shadow fey courts.
• Ratatosk: Ratatosks are squirrel-like creatures known for their curiosity and agility. Skilled climbers and natural explorers, they serve as righteous guardians of the World Tree. Ratatosks that find themselves in the Shadow Realm are usually at odds with the plane's denizens, who don't often take as upfront a stance as the strongwilled squirrel folk.
• Spiritfarer Erina: Spiritfarer Erina were brought to the Shadow Realm to be advisors to the shadow fey courts. Their propensity to wander led them to explore the shadow roads and create their own paths using underground tunnels. It's said that some of these burrows even lead back to the mortal realm.
• Stygian Shade: Stygian Shades are spirits of creatures that arise from the waters of the River Styx as it winds its way through the Plane of Shadows. These shades struggle to remember who they are and strive to reclaim their identity.
• Sublime Ravenfolk: Sublime Ravenfolk are a cult of Ravenfolk who have started appearing along the shadow roads from the mortal lands. This mysterious sect of highly secretive creatures call themselves Seekers of the Sublime, and appear to be searching for the source of a mysterious psychic song.
• Unbound Satarre: Unbound Satarre are free-spirited and adventurous beings, unshackled by the constraints of any single realm. Their innate wanderlust drives them to explore the farthest reaches of the multiverse, including the Plane of Shadows and beyond.
• Wyrd Gnome: Wyrd Gnomes share the same knack for the peculiar and arcane as the rest of their kin. However, they are uniquely gifted with a prescience that can be strengthened when they are amongst communities of other Wyrd Gnomes.

New Subclasses

• Circle of Shadows Druid: Druids of the Circle of Shadows draw their power from the purifying dark. They are masters of shadow magic, able to manipulate shadows to obscure, protect, and attack. They can even take on an umbral form that makes them incorporeal shadows.
• College of Shadow Bard: Darkness invokes fear, and Bards from the College of Shadow weave tales and songs that draw upon the fear instilled by the Plane of Shadows. These bards are skilled at manipulating the emotions of others, using their abilities to frighten, deceive, or obfuscate.
• Keeper Domain Cleric: Clerics of the Keeper Domain are guardians of community, whether it's as small as an adventuring group or as large as a city. They are natural-born leaders, devoted to preserving the well-being of those they surround themselves with.
• Light Weaver Sorcerer: Light Weaver Sorcerers possess an innate ability to manipulate light. They can conjure brilliant illuminations or cast deep shadows, representing the cosmic balance wherein shadows can only exist if created by a source of light.
• Mother of Sorrows Warlock: Warlocks who serve the Mother of Sorrows draw their power from a patron steeped in grief and pestilence. These warlocks are imbued with the sorrowful might of their patron, able to doll out the poison that courses through their Mother's veins and inflict despair upon their enemies.
• Shadow Arcane Tradition Wizard: Wizards of the Shadow Arcane Tradition specialize in the study and manipulation of shadow magic, so much so that they have bound a shadowy symbiote to their form. This symbiote allows these wizards to cloak themselves in darkness, but they can no longer walk in the light as they once were able to.
• Shadow Domain Cleric: Shadow Domain Clerics are devoted to the flickering shades of gray that operate between light and dark. These roguish clerics can manipulate shadows to avoid detection, extend their reach, and even turn the shadows of their foes against them.
• Shadow Gnawer Barbarian: Shadow Gnawer Barbarians draw strength by consuming the raw shadow that makes up the plane. They harness the power they consume to obstruct their foes, navigate danger, and heal their vitality.
• Umbral Binder Rogue: Some Rogues hide in the shadows, Umbral Binder Rogues become one with the shadows. They possess the unique ability to bind themselves to the primeval darkness that suffuses the ghostly realm, enhancing their strikes and allowing them to flit around like a shadow.
• Way of the Prophet Monk: Monks who follow the Way of the Prophet are driven to spread the knowledge of their faith. They can infuse their strikes with their divine knowledge, command others to hear their words, and protect themselves and others they believe are worthy of their cause.

Umbral Magic

Harness the power of the shadows to weave illusions, manipulate darkness, and bend the minds of others! The Book of Ebon Tides includes 52 new spells used by the denizens of the Shadow Realm to overcome their foes.

This section of the book also details how shadow magic interacts with the environments of the Plane of Shadows and its contradictory force, radiant light.

A Dungeon Master's Guide to the Plane of Shadows

The Book of Ebon Tides gives Dungeon Masters everything they need to craft unforgettable adventures in the Shadow Realm. From detailed descriptions of the shifting landscapes to the intricate politics of the shadow fey courts, this book provides a rich tapestry of lore and adventure hooks to inspire your storytelling.

You'll also find 25 stat blocks of Shadow Realm native creatures. Featuring a mix of civilized creatures, like the Bearfolk Druid and Sable Elf, and monstrous entities, like the Memory Thief, you'll have what you need to run a variety of social and combat encounters.

In addition, you'll find 80 magical items for your players to uncover along their umbral journeys. These tantalizing treasures are imbued with the unique properties of shadow magic, offering both wonder and peril to those who dare to wield them.

Run Your Shadow Realm Campaign Easier With D&D Beyond

With a suite of Dungeon Master and player tools at your disposal, traversing the shadow roads has never been easier (though it still might be as dangerous). When you buy the Book of Ebon Tides on D&D Beyond, it will seamlessly integrate with:

• Character Sheets: Build characters fit for adventure in the Plane of Shadows with a couple of clicks! The character builder will guide you through each step to create your hero, and at the end, you'll have a fully automated character sheet that tracks your Hit Points, abilities, inventory, rolls dice, and does the math!  
• Encounters: Create the perfect encounter for your party! This free tool filters monsters by their type, CR, and preferred environment. Plus, it even calculates the encounter's difficulty based on your party! Then, when it's time to roll Initiative, the Initiative tracker keeps track of turns and Hit Points and allows you to roll straight from the monster's stat blocks!
• Maps: Maps is D&D Beyond's official Virtual Tabletop (VTT) and allows Master Tier subscribers to easily prep and run their sessions. You can add all the maps and tokens from the Book of Ebon Tides to your virtual play space, and when it's time to run encounters, invite your players with the click of a button! This VTT features fog of war, measurement, ping, and overlay tools, giving you and your party everything you need to get strategic with combat!

Where Will the Tides Carry You?

With Kobold Press's Book of Ebon Tides, you'll uncover a shadowy plane full of devious creatures, intricate lore, and unique mechanics. With thematic character options to fuel your imagination, exciting new spells and magical items to discover, and a whole plane's worth of locations and factions to deal with, untold adventures will be available at your fingertips.

So, grab your gateway to the Shadow Plane and unforgettable adventures today! The Book of Ebon Tides and Tales from the Shadows are now available on D&D Beyond. Save gold, make prep easier, and expedite evocative adventures by bundling them together for a discount!

Mike Bernier (@arcane_eye) is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his girlfriend, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.