Hello all and thanks for any and all input. My brain is probably making this more complicated than it needs to be.
*note* I don't own any pathfinder books and none of my old 3.5 books are helping me
So in attempting to write a fanfiction about a game I played over a decade ago I've realized I have an opportunity to make things awesome (iow: she has forgotten many details so will have to make them up!). One of the characters has an affinity for all things shadow. WHICH started me "researching" (ooh-shiny!).
here is my understanding:
I tried and tried to find a "shadow" elemental and didn't find any that really sat well with me. Then is struck me (no not very hard, thank you though for your concern) that if my understanding of the plane is correct then there will be..umbral..versions of regular elementals (perhaps called to that plane and trapped, or otherwise born there...however elementals are born). Fantastic! So on to research (ooh-shiny!).
The only consistent things I can find in regards to the plane of shadows and those native to it are: some type of shadow meld (% to miss) and cold.
YAY! my shadowfire elemental will have a cold attack instead of a heat attack...oh but wait then s/he is an ice elemental. CURSES! okay okay. I got this. only half the normal fire damage and add cold resistance/5 (smallguy doesn't need more than that surely). Hmm still feels off.
SO I hope you can see my problem. I've confused myself. Would a denizen of the plane of shadow be entirely thematic with no mechanical changes? Or perhaps just adding "shadow meld" and giving them a different costume (it is a black and white affair after all)? Because surely a fire that burns on the Shadow plane still burns, water will still drown you (unless you can breath it), earth still suffocate you, and air still...whatever air does (buffet you? no silly no a buffet you eat at but something your pounded by..wait..that sounded..sigh)
I apologize if this information is seeded here somewhere on the forums. I did search. I did see that there are books that may have answers, but I don't have them to verify (nor the funds to purchase them)
Thanks for any help given!
-red
d20pfsrd.com has lots of PF resources to check. On quick search, here's the planes in Pathfinder, also check on monster section and shadow spells, elsewhere on that site. Though I'm sure somebody else may pop-in this thread to give you the skinny. (I mostly homebrew and use a different version of the cosmos than the default game.)
I often create specific monsters with unique abilities that pertain to their environment, so your suggestion of umbral beings of elemental materials of the Shadow Plane having unique shadow related abilities makes perfect sense - it would be how I would custom design beings from there.
Thank you Gamer-printer! I appreciate your input! I have read the planes in pathfinder (and have deities and demigods 3.5...manual of the planes may be floating around in pdf form on my harddrive somewhere). i was looking for more concrete things. However You *kind* of said i'm on the right path =0) So maybe i'm not as far off base as I thought. I hadn't thought of looking up spells with the [shadow] descriptor, I was under the impression most were "illusion" spells but it's a place to get better ideas. Thank you very much!
I love homebrew! we homebrewed the hell out of 3.5 and had a blast. it lets you, as the player, feel more attached to your character. I don't know how a GM/DM feels about such things but I'd think it's pretty similar.
The shadow plane is also undead-themed. You can give you shafowflame elementals ability damage, a fear aura or Create Spawn :D
ooooo...create spawn of itself...could fit with any elemental really. All VERY good ideas!
On a sidenote, the d20pfsrd says the shadow plane is mildly neutral aligned. That would mean good, evil, chaos and law don't really matter to it's grand 'scheme' (though it's not a thinking being of course). Yet at it's "heart" is the negative energy plane which we assume is evil...but it's not evil either. I *like* that idea. Good/evil are what the intelligent beings bring to it. (given that more evil beings than good feel comfortable on the shadow plane...actually I don't think I've ever met a "good" necromancer...ever. They are a myth.)