What forms of magic oppose shadow in the Pathfinder RPG?

[Elijah Snow]

I'm developing a campaign in which some powerful creatures and their organization battle forces and magic of shadow that are trying to consume the material plane.

What forms of magic oppose shadow magic and the plane of shadow in Pathfinder and/or 3.5E?

[Jason Beardsley]

I once made a character that focused on [Light] spells, and I'll just say, even with splat books, it was difficult. You may have to look through those sources and develop something on your own. Perhaps you could start by making a Light domain? Just a thought..

[blackrose_angel]

i would say that the sun could be a good ideain my opinion.

[Elijah Snow]

The leaders of those who oppose the shadow are not good aligned, does that matter for a light or sun power?

[Jason Beardsley]

Im of the opinion that it's implied; however, it's your world. Have fun with it! :)

[Quandary]

Sun = Positive Energy in Pathfinder, BTW...

[Elijah Snow]

Quandary wrote:

Sun = Positive Energy in Pathfinder, BTW...

Can it negate shadow energy?

[Set]

Elijah Snow wrote:

The leaders of those who oppose the shadow are not good aligned, does that matter for a light or sun power?

Using the Pathfinder Sun Domain powers, not really. Using 3.5 kind of assumed that anyone with the Sun Domain was a positive energy channeler (with Forgotten Realms having an exception, IIRC, with a long-dead sun-god that wasn't terribly nice).

Given that this organization is one of your own making, they could be seen as Lawful (the orderly and unforgiving sun, drawing the line between day and night, and setting the pace of the seasons), Chaotic (the embodiment of the raging power of fire, source of both creativity and destruction), Good (source of all life, benevolent protector from the horrors that lurk in the night) or Evil (merciless bringer of death and destroyer of life-giving water, to a desert culture that embraces the night as a sweet merciful relief from the cruelty of the day). The shadow would be seen as the opposite, by sun-worshippers (chaotic, corrupting and eating away at the material world, lawful, sucking away creativity and the 'spark of life,' leaving everything flat and without color, bound ever in darkness, etc.).

A 'sun-god' in Golarion could even be one of the Old Cults, worshipping those great fiery entities that burn in the night sky, served by chaos angels who bestow gifts of purifying flame and uncaring destruction to those who propitiate the Cult of the End Times.

Sarenrae is the traditional 'sun-goddess,' and Desna is the goddess most affiliated with the stars, but there's plenty of room for whatever interpretations best fit your shadow-adversaries. The Scarred Lands is one setting that has a cruel entities tied to the sun (the Titan Thulkass) and a benevolent goddess of shadows (Drendari).

[Set]

Elijah Snow wrote:

Can it negate shadow energy?

Abadar is another good source of an 'anti-shadow' grouping. He's a god of truth (shadow being associated with lies and deception and distortions), law and solid construction (buildings, cities, etc., while shadows are seen as non-solid and shifting).

There are no gods that specifically have an 'anti-shadow' agenda, that I know of, although Sivanah, the goddess of illusion, might feel that a shadow-magic faction would be encroaching on her own territory.

The anti-shadow faction might even be a coalition, with servants of Abadar, Desna, Sarenrae and Sivanah united. Other gods, like Erastil, or even Asmodeus, might not be keen on threats to the order they represent, and some of their devout might be encouraged to work against the shadow (Erastil's clerics and druids seeing it as a threat against the communities they defend, Asmodeus' clergy just reacting against any *other* force that wants to conquer the world).

Zon-Kuthon has supposedly fallen into the thrall of 'the Outer Dark' anyway, so his people would be all, 'Yay, Shadow Imperium!'