The Shadow Weave

[heimdall]

Shar, being the godess of secrets, has mostly kept the secret of the Shadow Weave to herself.

Over the milennia some mortals, mainly her servants, have been allowed to discover the Shadow Weave, or have stumbled across it in thier researches.

(Per Forgotten Realms Campaign Settings, pg. 57)

Lately I've overheard many folks discussing the Shadow Weave rather freely. This is one of THE best kept secrets in the realms, and I would debate whether Elminster himself has heard more than the vaguest of rumors in regards to the Shadow Weave. Certainly the common low level adventuring mage/bard/'adventurer'...would have never heard of this in their meager travels.

Unless you have learned of it in game (through interactions with a DM, or a PC that 'would' have the knowledge to share) OR you happen to be a priest/priestess of Shar you would have no idea at all about the Shadow Weave's existance. (And if you were a follower of Shar that discussed it freely and openly you would find your access to tap the power of the Shadow Weave was turned off like a light switch.)

This also means that the spells regarding Shadow Magic should be avoided by those casters that would not have access to the Shadow Weave.

On a more general note....just because information is available in a sourcebook does not mean it is available to you for use as IC knowledge.

Thanks.

[Quadhund/Greenhouse]

Might I suggest attaching a lore check to the possibility of knowing something about the shadow weave? Obviously something very high (40s and 50s).

Oh and I love your signature

[Theo]

Hey, sometimes you just pick up a sourcebook and read about something and go "Hey, that sounds cool! I should bring this into my game!" without really thinking it through all that much.

But, hey, at least on this server every other person isn't claiming to have met Drizzt, right?

[soulfien]

no but they sure do defend him all the time! One of these days an evil drow needs to walk through Isinhold sporting 2 scimitars and just waste the town and all the adventurers who try to walk up and shake his hand.

[Theo]

There should never, ever be good drow on the server. It doesn't make good roleplay. It remakes a novel series most of us have already read.

[Quadhund/Greenhouse]

I remember the first time Hroth met Elminster.
Hroth: "Who is that guy?"
Vind: "That is Elminster. You know who he is right?"
Hroth: "Nope. And why is everyone fauning over him like a new babe?"
Vind: *Looks shocked*

*Moments later Elminster charges them with a quest to deliver a package to suzail*

Hroth: "And what are you going to pay us?"
*Everyone looks shocked*

[soulfien]

Hroth, got four letters for ya-

R O F L!!!!

That was great

[Theo]

Seriously, does that Elminster guy think he's so much better than everyone else that he doesn't have to pay them for delivery service? No, no way. I'd have to pay like 15 bucks for one-day shipping for NWN2. No way Elminster's getting off that easy.

[Kharn597]

Maybe add spellcraft check to that too? Have to use spellcraft normally to identify spells.

quadhund said:

Might I suggest attaching a lore check to the possibility of knowing something about the shadow weave? Obviously something very high (40s and 50s).

Oh and I love your signature

[soulfien]

how really involved is the shadow weave on this server?

NWN handles all magic the same and thus it's easy to simply have it not exist.

Besides, has Mystra ever denied access to the weave to Shar? Can't her followers still simply use the normal weave like everyone else or do Sharites get special privlages?

[Theo]

Mystra wouldn't deny access to magic to gods or entire religions, or it'd upset the balance of power and anger Ao. Or, at least, that's what the sourcebook that caused all this trouble in the first place said.

[soulfien]

and to my knowledge Shar has not forbidden her followers from using Mystra's weave. They'd be severely weakened if she had.

The Shadow Weave is not even close to being as powerful as Mystra's Weave.

[heimdall]

soulfien said:

how really involved is the shadow weave on this server?

NWN handles all magic the same and thus it's easy to simply have it not exist.

Besides, has Mystra ever denied access to the weave to Shar? Can't her followers still simply use the normal weave like everyone else or do Sharites get special privlages?

Obviously more involved than you are aware of. Or I wouldn't have brought it up at all now would I?

And who said anything about Mystra denying access to the weave to Shar? Mystra would only deny the use of the weave in a very extreme circumstance. Followers of Shar would have 'regular' access to the weave as well as the shadow weave. (or they would be stuck with a very limited selection of spells! )

Shar can certainly cut off access to the shadow weave though, which was what I had pointed out would happen if those with knowledge of the secret began frivolously spreading that knowledge around.

[Theo]

From how Magic of Faerun makes it out, though, she seems to want to make as many people use the Shadow Weave as possible. But I guess it's expected that the followers keep the Shadow Weave a secret.

[EDM Entori]

Actually in 1372(present date), the shadow weave, was reintroduced into an elven mythral in Everseka, at the defeat of the phareium. When at the same time the shade enclave of the nethril, came back out of the shadow plane, to fight the pharieum. The Return of the Archwizard series, troy denning. - so my character having served in everseka under his two archmage parents should know about it.

[TermaForever]

Entori knows everything....shoot he probably even knows the secret to Donald Trump's hair despite being on another world...

I personally never noticed any 'shadow weave' in nwn period the end...but then I don't know much about it either....I know very little about FR in general actually...

[heimdall]

See the thing is....Entori 'does not' know everything. Just because something is in a sourcebook (or some novel) somewhere does not automatically bestow a character with the knowledge. If Entori thinks he 'should' know something then Entori 'should' PM the DM team with his characters background and the team will decide if he would truly have access to such knowledge.

So at this point, no...Entori does 'not' know about the shadow weave. It will take a lot more convincing than "my character having served in everseka under his two archmage parents should know about it."

[TermaForever]

Sheesh I wasn't being serious...lighten up a little man . Breath the sweet smell of fresh baked cookies. Smell some roses.

.No one on this server knows 'everything', thats the beauty of it...if everyone knew everything life would kinda be dull. But instead we get to run around ignorant of the half the world so we get the precious moments where our character stands there and says 'well look at dat..."

[heimdall]

arakdemonblade said:

Sheesh I wasn't being serious...lighten up a little man . Breath the sweet smell of fresh baked cookies. Smell some roses.

*gives arakdemonblade the finger*

[EDM Entori]

heck I just tried to give Ent a background coming into the server. And the shadow weave was part of it. But I haven't read up to date on this and saw hemi's posts, so my Rping got ahead of me when duch saw me the other day he was like. your not an 'oracle' I just would personally thought it was a good twist for his character. Elven mages did introduce shadow magic to a mythral... but that was one mage. I just thought Ent should be privvy to a little higher info than the average mage. But since everyone goes around talking about the 'cone of cold spell' when I try to discribe it, heck whats the use. but maybe I'll write a bio and Pm it, see if I can get a background thats acceptable. I've got a good one going that I have portrayed in server. but you know... I'll get a writing.. night folks

ent

[DM Hawk]

arakdemonblade said:

Entori knows everything....shoot he probably even knows the secret to Donald Trump's hair despite being on another world...

In an episode of The Apprentice (before it went to cheese), The Donald got caught in a gust of wind that screwed up his hair even more...but it didn't fly off his head!

He then claimed it was real. The editors saw fit to include that in the episode. Take that as you will...


On the Shadow Weave and other things (faiths, dragons, demons, etc) - quite a few characters have spouted off intricate details even at level one. Usually a turn off for me. I don't care what your background is, no level one PC knows everything about everything.

That being said, I think it's ok if a character has a specific, narrow area of expertise beyond common knowledge if their intelligence and lore are strong at the beginning. However, that knowledge should be far from any sort of mastery.

My character may have learned more than the average fighter type might about some of these lofty things because of experiences had in game. I'll allow him to partake in a few 'lofty' conversations but usually from an uncertain point of view or to clarify a point here or there. Or at least I try to. Heh.

Background details are fine to shape the beginnng of your character. Roleplayed experiences in the game should define where and how he or she expands the depth and horizon of the character's awareness.



Mordenkainen's WHAT?!

[EDM Entori]

just curious where my character would stand now... hes obtained all the shadow conjurations and shadowsheild.... really curious where that would put in on the standpoint in lore, and what he would know to tell other wizards.

[EDM Neo]

Shadow conjurations and shadow shield are not shadow weave magic, they are illusion spells. The shadow weave is something entirly different, not in any way related. Unless a DM assigns a DC for a lore check to know about the shadow weave, or it's learned about first hand, I'd think that you wouldn't know anything more about it now then you did originally.

[eraldur]

Well, the Shadow weave is one of the best kept secrets out there, for one; you'd have to consider several implications in terms of Roleplay when your character begins to uncover the mysteries of the Shadow Weave. Shadow Weave users also suffer some disadvantages.

1) First, Shar (DM) has full control over the Shadow Weave and can isolate any creature from it or silence it entirely without any harm to herself. (I'd be careful in revealing the secrets of the Shadow Weave, Shar might be watching )

2) Second, the secrets of the Shadow Weave are disquieting and injurious to the mortal mind. Without assistance from Shar, a Shadow Weave user loses a bit of his or her mind.

3) Third, while the Weave serves equally well for any kind of spell, the Shadow Weave is best for spells that sap life or muddle the mind and senses, and is unsuited to spells that manipulate energy or matter- and cannot support any spell that produces light. (Means you have to self-restrict to cast "Shadow spells" and as its been said, "Shadow conjurations" are illusions)

4) Finally, the more familiar a mortal becomes with the secrets of the Shadow Weave, the more divorced she becomes from the Weave.

[moulinous]

"Shar, being the goddess of secrets, has MOSTLY kept the secret of the Shadow Weave to herself. Over the MILLENNIA some mortals, mainly her SERVANTS, have ben allowwed to discover the Shadow Weave."
pg57 FR Handbook

unless you are a follower of Shar, one of her favs and epic, do not think you would know anything about it is how i read it...*shrugs* could be wrong though as i aint a dm....

[eraldur]

The Shadow Weave

During the course of her eternal way with the goddess Selûne, the goddess Shar created the Shadow Weave in response to Selûne's creation of Mystra and the birth of the Weave. If the Weave is a loose mesh permeating reality, the Shadow Weave is the pattern formed by the negative space between the Weave's strands. It provides an alternative conduit and methodology for casting spells.

Shar, being the goddess of secret, has mostly kept the secret of the Shadow Weave to herself. Over the millennia some mortals, mainly her servants, have been allowed to discover the Shadow Weave or have stumbled across it in their researches.

Sources: Wikipedia, Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.

----

My opinion: It is plausible that your character might be "Hinted" that there is something else out there, might be DM supported interaction, or else, however I'd see the mastery of the Shadow Weave as being highly unplausible for your character to reach.

One of the reasons being that; it is unsupported in game via mechanics, could be seen as "cheesing" unless you'd have a Custom PrC', you cannot simulate the Shadow Weave spells in game.

I think it might be interesting Roleplay for your character the trying to "unlock" or pursue that research of that "something else" Out there that has you hinted there might be something out there, however I'd see your connection as unlikely to happen.

[vercingettorix]

Ya...from what I have gathered its exactly like Moulinous and a few others have said. Its a very closely guarded secret. I dont think you need to be necessarily epic to know it though. Dont her monks (Dark Moon) use the shadow weave?

[moulinous]

i disagree for the simple fact that unless you are a follower of Shar...then there is no rhyme or reason to even think there was something else....though with Entori being an elf...there is the Mythal which would seem much more plausible for an elf to search out Elven High Magic....if in a millennial only a handful of mortals found out, and they were Shars servants...well, seems highly unlikely a non archmage would have any inkling of it....

[eraldur]

moulinous said:

i disagree for the simple fact that unless you are a follower of Shar...then there is no rhyme or reason to even think there was something else....though with Entori being an elf...there is the Mythal which would seem much more plausible for an elf to search out Elven High Magic....if in a millennial only a handful of mortals found out, and they were Shars servants...well, seems highly unlikely a non archmage would have any inkling of it....

A matter of opinion, really. Nothing wrong with a mage having delusions of something else "Out there" but calling it the "Shadow Weave", is wrong, as long as he never unlocks the Shadow Weave, which my argument relies about, there's no harm in that sort of Roleplay.

[moulinous]

yes...but we are talking about the shadow weave so we are basically saying the same thing, no shadow weave knowledge and yes to something else....like the mythal or whatever....