|
I am a bit confused on how Shadow Walk works in terms of transportation and the end of the effect:
In the region of shadow, you move at a rate of 50 miles per hour, moving normally on the borders of the Plane of Shadow but much more rapidly relative to the Material Plane. Thus, you can use this spell to travel rapidly by stepping onto the Plane of Shadow, moving the desired distance, and then stepping back onto the Material Plane.
Because of the blurring of reality between the Plane of Shadow and the Material Plane, you can't make out details of the terrain or areas you pass over during transit, nor can you predict perfectly where your travel will end. It's impossible to judge distances accurately, making the spell virtually useless for scouting or spying. Furthermore, when the spell effect ends, you are shunted 1d10 x 100 feet in a random horizontal direction from your desired endpoint. If this would place you within a solid object, you are shunted 1d10 x 1,000 feet in the same direction. If this would still place you within a solid object, you (and any creatures with you) are shunted to the nearest empty space available, but the strain of this activity renders each creature fatigued (no save).
Shadow walk can also be used to travel to other planes that border on the Plane of Shadow, but this usage requires the transit of the Plane of Shadow to arrive at a border with another plane of reality. The transit of the Plane of Shadow requires 1d4 hours.
Any creatures touched by you when shadow walk is cast also make the transition to the borders of the Plane of Shadow.
They may opt to follow you, wander off through the plane, or stumble back into the Material Plane (50% chance for either of the latter results if they are lost or abandoned by you). Creatures unwilling to accompany you into the Plane of Shadow receive a Will saving throw, negating the effect if successful.
From what I am getting from this is two possibilities:
- If an 11th level Wizard casts this, the wizard has 11 hours of moving around in dim light. Once the 11 hours is up, the wizard is shunted 1d10 x 100 ft, as per the spell
- If an 11th level Wizard casts this, the wizard has 11 hours of moving around in dim light. Once the wizard finishes moving from one point to another, regardless of duration left, the wizard is shunted 1d10 x 100 ft, as per the spell
Which one is the correct way it that this works?
Moreover, if a wizard sucessfully uses this as an offensive action, does this mean that the enemy has to wait 11 hours to exit the Shadow Plane, as the spell is created by the wizard and that the wizard decides where to exit, similar to an offensive use of Plane Shift?
It is good for one trip up to 11 hours in duration. When cast, you and anyone else touched gets kicked to the Plane of Shadow. The spell effect ends when you exit the plane, which is also when you get shunted the random distance. You cannot re-enter the plane without casting the spell again.
If used offensively, the target gets a Will Save. If successful, it stays put. Otherwise you and it are standing in the Plane of Shadows. It could attack you, it could follow you, it could wander off, or you could abandon it. Should it become separated from you there's a 50% chance of it popping back into reality or wandering into the plane.
From what I can figure in the description, you must be at the border of the planes in order to actually leave the place. If you go deeper into the plane of Shadow they won't leave it again. Which seems... odd.
I wonder if it just means they can't leave until the spell ends? But then again, the 50% chance of returning or wandering makes me wonder. If it comes up as stumbling back into the Material Plane, is that immediately the case?
I'd rule, in my game, if used offensively there is a will save. If failed and the caster leaves the target behind, there's a 50% chance of popping right back in (with the shunting effect happening immediately) or the target is stuck in the plane for the duration of the spell and then gets shunted back into the Material Plane (though the originating point is up to me, based on how smart and scared the subject is, since they could get quite a distance away in the duration of the spell).
I wouldn't let the spell be used as a 50% chance of permanent banishment since that's quite powerful. Still, 11 hours and a maximum reappearance radius of 550 miles is impressively frustrating. I could see some bastard wizard running around and doing this to drunk peasants for fun (actually, that would be a fun villain, heh).
So with this, it seems that this is only effective when traversing through open fields with dim lighting, due to the risk of shunting. The intention of moving through shadows inside a cave or dungeon seems useless, especially when the area is a small, enclosed area.
No, you only have to cast the spell in an area of dim light. And you only have to worry about the shunting when you exit the spell - so safest to keep a 1000' radius from solid rock.
Ah, that is what I mean. The casting of it in dim lighting. Though with the traversing in the Shadow Plane, would there be any enemy encounters that would have the risk of harming the wizard, such as a shadow?
The spell does not call it out, but yes, the GM is more than justified in rolling random encounters (or just deciding on a reasonable encounter) for the Plane of Shadow. If you were going the full 11 hours, you'd probably hit every 2 or 3 spells.