Homebrew Shadar-kai Species Details

The shadar-kai are a people born from shadow and live an endless fight against despair, forcing them to live in the moment and seek small pleasures to keep them grounded. They live in the gloom of the Shadowfell, within lightless chasms, vast, empty plains, and distorted reflections of Prime Material cities. Because of their isolation and desperation for something new to reinvigorate them, the shadar-kai love anything bright and foreign to the Shadowfell, especially colorful art and music.

Children of Shadow

As the people who became the shadar-kai adapted to the Shadowfell, they became shorter and thinner over time, their complexion dulled, varying from alabaster to dark gray with hair like silver or obsidian and black eyes with glowing white, ovoid pupils. Their arms split into four and their ears and forehead became jagged with horn-like growths. Their otherworldly appearance is only accentuated by the unnatural movement of their shadow, which may move and grow with their emotional state.

Shadow Curse

The gloom of the Shadowfell is embedded into the very being of the shadar-kai. Even the few who do leave the Shadowfell fall victim to melancholy and despair that could lead to their death and the chance of a wraith emerging from their corpse.

An extreme lifestyle is the most common way for a shadar-kai to combat this. They live in the moment, using intense emotion to keep them grounded. Many of them decorate their bodies with tattoos and piercings or injure themselves so they can use the intense pain to escape the Shadowfell's curse. Additionally, shadar-kai communities tend to adopt a sport or activity that they center their culture around, including monster-wrangling, wrestling, skydiving, skating, and grafitti.

Shadar-kai Traits

Your shadar-kai character draws on the despair of the Shadowfell, whether they choose to or not.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your Wisdom score increases by 2.

Age

Shadar-kai reach physical maturity at the same age as humans, but their lifespan varies dramatically, as they can be killed by despair at any time. They are known to live to be 250 years old.

Alignment

The shadar-kai values self-expression and passion above all else, even when they're lacking it themselves. Because of this, they lean towards chaos.

Size

Shadar-kai range from 4 to 6 feet tall and typically have slim sickly-looking builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Superior Darkvision

 Accustomed to the endless darkness of the Shadowfell, you have vision akin to a drow, allowing you to see in dark and dim conditions better than most creatures who live in the light. 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 discern color in darkness.

Sunlight Sensitivity

You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

Shadowfell Native

You have advantage on Wisdom saving throws and are immune to the effects of Shadowfell Despair.

Shadow Stealth

While in dim light or darkness, you can take the Hide action as a bonus action.

Shadow Jaunt

As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see and become incorporeal in a wraith-like state until the start of your next turn. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Shadar-kai Weapon Training

 You are proficient with spiked chains.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write in Common and Undercommon.