The Shadar-kai and The Raven Queen in D&D's 'Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes'

[@dontmindme1681]

Eladrin: Elfiest Elves that ever Elfed. Shadar-Kai: Goth Elves Drow: BDSM Elves.

[@moiramain2k]

Wood/sylvan: hippie elves

[@frontierbrainrobby5449]

Sea: Surfer-bro Elves

[@thewonderfullymadejaraid7015]

Half elves: humanist elves that ever humanned

[@liv4themoments]

Pallid Elves: the most anti-social, loner basement elves that ever existed.

[@vlodislaw7972]

They looked at the Drow and said "Not edgy enough."

[@jgprickett]

Memo, Demo, Give me more Emo.

[@Darkwintre]

🤣

[@Bluecho4]

There's something heart-warming about a person who lives with an air of gloom and melancholy, yet still tries to seek happiness and nobility in their own way.

[@andrewb5164]

I like this story version about the Raven Queen and the Shadar-kai and it makes sense if people think of it. They were elves who sought to end the war with their people and return home only to be betrayed and cursed. It gives people a different look at the Raven Queen as a tragic character who wanted only what was good for her people only to have it back fire one them. I hope someone make a description about the Raven Queen as an elven woman in black dress with black wings on her back wearing a raven mask to befit her title. Beautiful, mysterious, and terrifying.

[@MrCosbySweaters]

You guys, it's happening. Sigil and the Lady of Pain have been name-dropped. I smell a Planescape campaign setting on the horizon.

[@BleakForest]

Considering the cosmic theme this book has I'd second that assumption.

[@FelineElaj]

Oh man, that would be awesome!

[@thesupermikey]

Yeah...I sure hate the play kremlinologist. It sure seems like they are setting up the next hardback to be a plane-jumping Sigil centric adventure.

[@Reoh0z]

Devs have occasionally been wearing planescape shirts on stream for months now too.

[@dun77741]

what time does he name drop Sigil?

[@inkblot6626]

I kind of want to play a campaign with an Eladrin warlock of Titania and a Shadar-Kai warlock of The Raven Queen both sent to the material plane to stop the evil that threatens all of the planes

[@play3rthr339]

Sounds like DnD version of Good Omens.

[@codasinger5298]

This guy is so well spoken. Like, he's awkward a little bit, but with the way he talks you can tell he spends all of his day writing

[@reubenfromow4854]

After a few drinks she became the Raving Queen

[@JoelGaller]

"We can excuse the fact that you slaughtered two yugoloths before you realized where you were, Outsider, but you pronounced the name of our fair city 'Sijil,' not 'Sigil,' and there can be no excuse for that!" -- Her Honor Rastina Tollin of the Guvners

[@FRD357]

Siggle*

[@elbentos7803]

The shadow of the Lady of Pain is slowly extending itself...

[@ataraxia7439]

[@ΝίκοςΚορόμπος-φ6λ]

Handle him over to the Red Death for execution by wyrm

[@TheHollowMoon]

"the Raving Queen": Wooooo! Partay Time! :D

[@LordOfBagels117]

My character in a friend's campaign is a half-elf Hexblade warlock, who's elf parent is a Shadar-Kai. Ironically, through a completely separate incident, he is working for the Raven Queen via the weapon of one of her previous agents.

[@LeonelGoulart]

I'm in love with Raven Queen's lore

[@dragon-wolf9916]

If you're a DM, just combine the best parts of both lores, or use whichever you prefer, after all, it's your setting, right? . . . and you knowing the origin of the Raven Queen doesn't mean the player characters know it. Keep her a mystery with whispered rumors and ancient tales which may be true . . . or not.

[@LeonelGoulart]

I'm doing it. Honestly, it was hard playing something related to her, there was ALMOS NOTHING about the goddess, but now I feel like there's a lot more and I can make my character's lore better with some few changes

[@MirasaurusRex]

I rolled a Kenku warlock and went with a hexblade and found out they usually served the raven queen by happenstance. I didn't even know she existed but it's perfect.

[@Arkatox]

Oh man, I’m so effing stoked for this book. So much fuel for my campaign ideas. :D

[@shaderunner8220]

Shadar-Kai's as a playable race? count me in!!! and "Elf-y" is my new favorite word. i was pretty sold on that last description of the Shadar-kai's though. The flamboyant gothic theme is right up my alley, and specially because i can bring it up anywhere instead of just a Strahd game.

[@abouttime837]

you know I’m really liking the idea of shadar kai being elves. with the feywild and the shadowfell being the closest planes to the material one having elves from each one seems fitting

[@WickedPrince3D]

It does sort of make sense since the Shadowfell is supposed to be a sort of dark mirror of the Feywild.

[@PartigradeCannon]

I played a Shadar-Kai circus performer. One of the more amusing bits was when the circus organizer whom I was interviewing was suggesting skin hanging (I forget if there's a more technical term for it), my response was basically "so like a weekend at grandma's?"

[@hyoomanmaol]

Regarding Mordenkainen's obsession with balance, it's also entirely possible that Mordenkainen is just full of crap, and that balance is irrelevant, and his own insane paranoid is driving that obsession. Just saying, don't put too much stock in the opinions of characters like Mordenkainen.

[@InquisitorThomas]

Max Bernhardt Mordenkainen is a relic from a period of D&D where Alignment was this really important and bizarrely esoteric thing (Look up how all the Alignments were defined in AD&D and try to figure out how you can make a compelling character who follows their Alignment) now that Alignment is more simple and less stupid Mordenkeinen does seem like an absolute nut job.

[@Arkatox]

It’s honestly up to the DM’s discretion. Literally everything down to the tiniest piece of lore is up to the DM’s discretion.

[@EricWalkerswildride]

I personally love the cosmic drama of this as opposed to the convoluted banality of Game of Thrones. It's not sustainable to twenty. Also it's better to have God's champion orientation in the upper middle levels to orient the adventure instead of dragging the game down in the quadruple crosses that just lead to just petty squabbling as the only choice for upper levels. Basically Dragonball Super is better than Dragonball GT

[@elbruces]

@@Arkatox Exactly, it's just another way of saying "do it however you want in your own campaign."

[@Greatermememan]

And I love what you guys are doing . Love d&d and wizards of the East coast.

[@shobruno]

Yo i need this lore videos more often... like im quite new to d&d (not to say completely) and finding all of this lore (being the lore of thins fan that i am) is awesome

[@1001Bastiano]

Can't wait to see how many, if any, of all these races getting talked about are available for player characters

[@TwistedTentacleInn]

I love the lore videos

[@blairbird8022]

I want to play a Shadar Kai in a Curse of Strahd campaign.

[@martinemcd5710]

Blair Bird I am right now just started and want to develop her well. Any thoughts/recommendations I'd love! :)

[@EmethMatthew]

Working for the Raven Queen to remove the challenger from her domains? He's even undead...

[@arturv.a.4542]

I will be rolling a Blood Hunter one. Though he will be learning of his ancestry throughout the campaign, even as his brother(another player) rolls as a Revived Rogue. We're quite hyped too

[@MirasaurusRex]

My kenku hexblade is in one right now, just finished session 2!

[@vecna2101]

So dark and edgy...

[@captcorajus]

I am seriously looking forward to this more than anything WOTC has released in years.

[@gravelrelevant6714]

Is Todd a Shadar-Kai ? He's so pale.

[@PaladinsFury]

Nah, he just lives in Seattle

[@thewonderfullymadejaraid7015]

@@PaladinsFury, they live in fire now

[@redtexan7053]

I do like that this gives something of a more original backstory for the Nagpa, rather than being just discount Skeksis.

[@kurosaki0046]

so, Raven Queen's origins got retconned as well?

[@Bluecho4]

From the way he described it, this origin is one story of many. It's an in-universe theory, because no one knows who the Raven Queen is, where she comes from, and what her goals are.

[@amccombs42]

@@Bluecho4 Help, please? I'm newish still to d&d. Are all the settings connected? I read that some mages, like Mordenkainen and Bigby, are from Oerth. Turns out Toril is in a solar system contained in this giant crystal sphere called the Realmsphere(Forgotten Realms) and Oerth is in a different solar system that's in a different crystal sphere called the Greysphere(Greyhawk, I guess?). Then there's the Krynnsphere which I think holds the Dragonlance setting. I also recently learned that Eberron actually exists within the Forgotten Realms just tucked away and hidden somewhere.(So I'm guessing it's in the Realmsphere.) And supposedly all of that exists on the prime material plane which is a part of the greater planar structure that is all under Lord Ao's influence. Please correct me anywhere that I'm wrong. But so where does Ravenloft fit into all of this? I thought that was where the Raven Queen was from, not Forgotten Realms. Halp? I'm so confused. I won't even try to fit Ravnica in but that one also raises questions that the offical setting book simply doesn't touch on. Edit: the worst part is that my friends that used to play 3.5 had me believing for years that all the settings were entirely independent and not actually interconnected Edit 2: do the crystal spheres and spelljammer ships even still exist since they haven't even been referenced since the early 90s? Edit 3: I just don't want to be confused anymore and I have no idea where to find all of the accurate lore on this

[@zecat3727]

@@amccombs42 The Raven Queen exists in most setting in some way or another, with some differences (for example, she is warring with Orcus instead of Venca in Forgotten Realms) but the main concept is the same. Greyhawk, Krynn and Forgotten realms are all connected, not certain about Ebberon but I think it is a part of Forgotten Realms. Ravnica Ravenloft, Mystara and all the other stuff are separate. And yes, the spelljammer ships will exist at some point in time (They may not have been invented yet in the setting, Spelljammer is for when you hit level 20 and are done with all the other stuff) All of the planet stuff exists on the prime material plane, it is under Lord Ao's control. Hope I cleared up some confusion even if I'm about 6 months late.

[@JohnCavalcante.Oficial]

@@amccombs42 The settings are independent. In AD&D, we had a Setting called Spelljammer, and another called Planescape. They basically tried to interconnect the setting and old players think of that as Canon. Ravenloft is in the Shadowfell.

[@ecchidragon8038]

@@JohnCavalcante.Oficial Nah... Ravenloft is a Demiplane ruled by the Dark Powers... A _really big_ Demiplane, but a Demiplane all the same. It's even _called_ The Demiplane of Dread. It's a separate thing that can show up/interesects *everywhere* ...

[@danielgoldberg2129]

Getting back into DnD after about 35 years off. 😆 I am making a Shadar-Kai Shadow Sorcerer. I wonder if you can give Dragon Breath to your summoned Hound? Seems like fun.

[@KillingRosie]

Take a shot every time Jeremy says "shadowfell".

[@Agreus-WolfsbaneYT]

I remember when in 4e they were more like human like and they were heavily tattooed and pierced and scarification but i like how they return to the fey ideal

[@BaldursPicketFence]

I am playing a Shadar Kai right now but my character doesn't know he's one. He was left to fend for himself in Waterdeep and grew up a Monk in the order of the Even Hand. He's about to get a rude awakening about his origins when he hits level 3...

[@andrewtempest2092]

Is Richmond from the IT Crowd a shadar-kai?

[@RocksYourFace44]

My thoughts exactly

[@Filip97X]

Damn nice story but wish they sticked with the story where she is killing the former god of death and undead as it made more sense why she hates most undead

[@marcloure]

And why other gods don't trust or like her

[@Filip97X]

Yep

[@zecat3727]

I'd just change it so that she had to kill the former god of undeath to ascend.

[@Almighty_Mage]

It can still fit in. Remember he said the the pre history was vague. Just say that when she marshaled her power she defeated the death god as part of the process.

[@hexnstuff6563]

Like, it's neat and all, but I personally prefer the Raven Queens original origin story. Seemed like a cooler idea to me her killing the former God of death and taking the role for herself. To me that made more sense when it comes to her hate of undeath from her time living with the God of death before she killed him

[@Ithiryn]

I think they probably gave her this backstory to make her existence compatable with Kelemvor's existance since he is the primary god of death in the main campaign setting, and killing the former god of death and taking his portfolio is also his thing. Two undead hating death gods existing in the same setting with a similarly themed backstory might be a little bit awkward.

[@HavardBlackmoor]

Nagpa are coming back? I love this race since it first appeared in Mystara.

[@malechvehas]

It's kinda weird especially because their default setting is the realms. So like how does this equate to Shar, the actual god of the shadow, from forgotten realms? The one who has her own split section of shadow magic users who also had a kingdom of shades that went into the shadowfell.

[@keithwinget526]

It's getting really crowded in the Shadowfell. Real estate prices are shooting up like crazy!

[@ZYR47]

Yeah, we got all the darklords and their lands relocated here. So we, uh, we build a shadow wall?

[@HeartOfTheEarth009]

Does the whole "Shadar-Kai look old in the Shadowfell" thing apply to their kids too? Are there a bunch of wizened Shadar-Kai toddlers running around?

[@mooxim]

So she's the god of the shadowfell and not the god of death or the dead anymore? That certainly explains how they're hoping to use both her and Kelemvor in the same setting.

[@TangEhuang]

always my favorite race and deity in dnd

[@VanisKira]

I'm gonna play a Shadar-kai Hexblade ^^

[@lolwutrly]

Danny Berrios you know there is a Raven Queen patron, right?

[@Bluecho4]

That's not official. Moreover, the official Hexblade write-up proposed the idea that the Shadowfell weapons were crafted _BY_ the Raven Queen. I'm inclined to believe that WotC changed their minds and just folded the Raven Queen into the Hexblade, until I hear otherwise. It would make sense for the Hexblade Patrons to be beings created to serve the Raven Queen. That way, she can have her Shadar-kai make Pacts with those weapons. Basically, the weapons are her lieutenants, who in turn pass orders along to their agents throughout the multiverse. It's also useful for the Raven Queen, since it makes these weapons (and their Warlocks) just independent enough that they can't be traced back to her so easily. Nobody _really_ knows who those sapient weapons actually work for - if anyone - let alone what their goals are. For a being like the Raven Queen, who is inscrutable, it fits very well.

[@VanisKira]

Yeah, that was exactly my thinking. Weapons like Blackrazor could be used to complete tasks that might otherwise seem evil for benevolent means without immediately seeming to be tied to the Raven Queen. Maybe Blackrazor collects souls, either evil ones to be destroyed/put to use or noble ones to serve as agents for the Queen. I haven't totally fleshed out my idea, but you basically nailed what I was thinking.

[@Otter34]

There's more to life than Absolute Value!

[@jordanbetteridge1598]

The Shadar-Kai are my favourite PC race.

[@theCosmicTony]

Negasonic Teenage Warhead = Shadar-kai that Jeremy would play. lol

[@bearVshark100]

Alan Rickman would have made a great Shadar-kai

[@Reoh0z]

Stop taunting me with planescape hints and bring it out already! haha.

[@WexMajor82]

Avariel? Fey'ri? Where are the missing Wild elves?

[@toonezon4836]

Did this book just rewrite the origin of The Raven Queen, or does she still have that connection to Nerul & being an ascended mortal who overthrew her evil predecessor?

[@majestyc0359]

Its a new origin for 5th ed., but you can use whatever you want for your campaign.

[@battyrae1398]

perfect for my edgy shadow sorcerer that i made purely for self indulgence.

[@K1LL14N]

The Raving Queen?

[@DSas2300]

With endless options for retcon!

[@robertblank5206]

I wonder about the Raven Queen maybe being a similar creature to Strahd von Zarovich, that she dies being betrayed and cannot pass on and creates in the mists her deathly deathly realm of the Citadel of Secrets. Her elven followers are cursed to eternal elderliness and her agents, the shadar-kai, are empowered to move back and forth from their domain of dread to bring her more secrets and lure in special adventurers for her own inscrutible reasons...

[@adrianobcavf]

They should write a book with general information about the campaimg settings of D&D. Like Eberron, Greyhawk, Dark Sun etc.

[@joluoto]

Birthright, Ravenloft, Spelljammer, Mystara, Planescape...etc.

[@pedrof6767]

Dragon Lance, Forgotten Realms, Rokugan...this is getting out hand

[@Owen-bk5fc]

Pedro F forgotten realms like the sword coast adventurer's guide? :P

[@stuartharam1742]

They did a good job of this in 3e with the Forgotten Realms Campaign guide and Faiths and Pantheons of the Forgotten Realms. I have the books and they're brilliant, even having a precursor to backgrounds with you having Languages, equipment and available feats based on where you are from.

[@vecna2101]

@@Owen-bk5fc Forgotten Realms are a huge setting, and it could have more than ten sourcebooks.

[@williamsexton1389]

Anyone else hoping for a Raven Queen Stat Block?

[@bacchus8081]

I'm just wondering how necrotic resistance is OP @ level 1 or 2?

[@sailor-hg]

Depends what else they have

[@Neverfate]

The Shadar-Kai in Unearthed Arcana would get resistance to all damage for a round when they used their teleport. I believe that is the feature that is being moved to 3rd level rather than the Necrotic resistance (as they didn't even have Necrotic resistance in the playtest)

[@LeonBarton]

yeah that struck me as odd, Aasimar have resistance to necrotic and radiant from level 1

[@abouttime837]

if you hear him again he says “also shadar kai have resistance to necrotic damage” which sounds separate from his previous point about the level 3 resistance, while the level 3 thing is resistance to many types of damage after teleporting (because they become spectral) which would be too good at these levels (when most classes other than the barbarian are supposed to be threatened within a hit or two)

[@demonspawn2578]

Drew Daily given that toll the dead is a cantrip, possibly quite a few

[@MrRydude17]

I wonder how the Orcs would feel about Shadar-Kai. If their rivalry with elves extends to “the least elf-like elves”, or if they’d think “These pasty boys are nothing like those other guys”

[@gyorgyor7765]

Ryan Brennan I think in general they don't occupy the same sorts of territory as High, Wild, and Wood Elves or even Drow so it would rarely come up. Same with Eladarin.

[@roswynn5484]

Okay so, I'd like to run Eberron, but I *love* the Raven Queen and I like the shadar-kai... how do I do it? 1. In Eberron there are no Corellon and Lolth, and there is no Arvandor either 2. There is no Shadowfell either, there are Mabar the eternal night (source of negative energy), and Dolurrh where souls go to slowly become nothing 3. There are elves and non-evil drow of various cultures, you can also put sea elves in the seas around the main elven continent, but where would Shadar-kai come from? 4. So where do the nagpa come from, either?

[@LethaL_DonkeY]

Sourcebooks are so expensive on the mobile app, i can't afford any of them. :(

[@Telleryn]

Makes me think of Kai from Lexx

[@castlewise]

Oh man, I want to play as a goth elf.

[@warhorseman8680]

Quick question. What about the information regarding Shadar-kai and Netheril. Would, with that freedom, some follow Shar and 'work' for her as well or something else?

[@h2_]

raven queen patron for warlocks, I wish it made it out of the unearthed arcana so bad

[@br0adsw0rd65]

Not sure yet if i like all that new shapeshifting themackground related to elves.

[@sclair2854]

Playable Modron race when?

[@InquisitorThomas]

S Clair On one hand that is theoretically a good idea since Modrons don’t have overly insane powers, but they also have Truesight which would basically ruin any potential plots involving creatures heavily reliant on their abilities to disguise themselves like Doppelgängers and Rakshasa.

[@Bluecho4]

I would rather generalize the Warforged into an overarching Android race. Some worlds in the Prime Material Plane see the rise of such beings, who are part of their world's variety of playable humanoid races. From there, some of them could worship Primus, and see the Modrons the same way organic mortals see angels. Warforged (or whatever you'd call them) being Clerics, or Devotion Paladins, or even have strange Warlock Pacts with powerful Modrons. A while ago, I was even toying with the idea of a Sorcerer origin involving being tied to the character having something mechanical about their bodies (clockwork heart, cybernetic implants, nanomachines, being an Android, or even having heavy alchemical augmentation). And that mixture of life and technology gives them the ability to use magic.

[@sclair2854]

I'd like Modrons to be to Warforged as Kenku are to Aarokokra

[@at-least-3-characters-]

It's got a specific spot on the schedule. That's when. Not a moment before, not a moment after.

[@keithwinget526]

Some day I want to run a Mechanus campaign in the style of the show "Reboot". Modrons really remind me a lot of the Binomes from that series.

[@robertblank5206]

The wizards who tried to drain her powers should have become sorrowsworn. That feels like a missed tie in opportunity. Nagpa are such great creatures it feels like a shame to make them throw away elements of the Raven Queen story...

[@beachnerbum710]

My PC became a Sorrow Sworn/Raven Herald at death as a chosen RQ follower. So this version of the RQ and the Shadar-Kai is a little weird to me. GM insisted "they aren't elves, closer to changed humans" as I played. The idea that the Shadar-Kai are adrenaline junkies and wildly emotional in order to survive life in the Shadowfell was fun to play. But in the end, you can homebrew them how ever you like.

[@jean-michaeldore3194]

very intéresting. I want to see this in the next tome of Mordenkainen.

[@wilhelmscream6919]

Shadar-kai referred to themselves as such even before the Raven Queen was formed ?

[@chad8767]

My DM is being very unique and having only the "Raven Queen" exist on the etherial plane. Still keeping the context of the Shadar-Kai giving gives to her, but it can go bad, and so my characters father was driven mad by the "Raven Queen" who is a lich and not ok with being a lich. Has led to already some amazing lore, where I still want to help that god, but know it is very very dangerous to do so.

[@chad8767]

also, A Shadar-Kai fighter/rogue is WAAAAAAY powerful!

[@alhezeite3352]

What to choose a class for Shadar-kai of a game in Adventure League?

[@66Roses]

Interesting change from previous editions becoming the goddess of death after defeating Nerull.

[@greglohman6750]

I am getting very concerned that this book will not be filled with modrons like I dreamed.

[@Agreus-WolfsbaneYT]

Who remembers when the raven queen was a goddess in 4e

[@David-su4is]

Is/has the Raven Queen warlock (going to) become cannon?

[@stephenalley5177]

Is anyone else seeing the Shadar-Kai as Vulcans?

[@cristiaolson7327]

I kind of love that the Nagpa are basically Skeksi from Dark Crystal. Just saying.

[@Hazmathavok1222]

Ngl I used this race as a kor in our MTG play threw...

[@thecinematiccrapalliance]

So how did she get the name "Raven" Queen? Or is that another juicy mystery?

[@pedrof6767]

she controls ravens xD

[@jcwijma1486]

Because ravens are her eyes and ears outside the tower that traps her on the Shadowfell. Also, ravens are scavengers who get the first pick after a major battlefield has claimed the lives of heroes, and this is how she claims their souls before other gods can, who have to wait until the fallen have been given a proper burial.

[@thecinematiccrapalliance]

Is that a description from 4e, or your interpretation? Makes sense, either way.

[@jcwijma1486]

A mixture of the lore as written, and the mythology she's loosely based upon. The Raven Queen was modeled after the Celtic trinity Goddess known as the Morrigan, who would harvest the souls of the fallen in a similar fashion, if they struck her fancy.

[@thecinematiccrapalliance]

Is that the same Morrigan from King Arther?

[@ciderdonuts]

No shadow curse is what is lame about these Shadar-Kai. That was such a unique character flaw. And I just don’t understand the old in Shadowfell young in PMP. But that’s fine

[@tb45g]

Raving queen 🎉

[@bsgaming3773]

This is awesome

[@lWeBeatIt278]

Will they make raven queen subclass for warlock a actual class?

[@jimihyrkas5173]

Cool. What about all the non-elven stuff?

[@MumboJ]

As much as I love the idea of a shadowfel counterpart to the feywild eladrin, did you have to trample all over the Raven Queen to do it? She's one of my favourite D&D gods, with the awesome backstory of slaying a god of death and claiming his divinity, and now she's just some undead elf queen? I mean, it can still be salvaged if you bring back some of her old backstory and merge it with the new one, especially if she becomes more like Sylvanas(Warcraft) in the process.

[@MirasaurusRex]

Lol, I was getting more Aszhara vibes with the dead elf queen with powerful mage underlings channeling power for her

[@amethystcraft8792]

Your channel is so good! :)

[@Malisteen]

1/long rest instead of 1/short rest feels like a bit of an unnecessary nerf to the SK teleport. Especially when the resistance was pushed to levle 3, and they also lost their bonus cantrip. Extended range does not make up for that. I'm also conflicted on the shift to Con from Cha. Cha definitely doesn't fit the more sombre, emotionally limited 5e Shadar-Kai the way it might have fit the 3e or 4e Shadar-Kai who were more personally expressive, actively rebelling against the soul draining influences on them. Which is ironic since 4e Shadar-Kai did not have a charisma boost either. But at the same time, the 'shadow magic' aspect of the Shadar-Kai is rather lacking from the racial abilities alone with the removed cantrip and less frequently usable teleport, and a cha boost would have helped them gain some of that back via synergy with classes like Shadow Sorcerer, Whispers Bard, or, especially, Hexblade Warlock. And I don't see anything in their description that would imply they were physically heartier than other elves. Quite the contrary, given the withered and aged true forms they display in their natural environment. Intelligence or Wisdom would probably have been better alternatives. Oh, well. That said, while they're not at all the Shadar-Kai I knew and loved in previous editions, they still seem pretty interesting conceptually. Hopefully their new lore gets expanded a bit in the future. I would especially love to see more of their modern relations with other elves, and what place half elves have in their society.

[@jgr7487]

what about the Lady of Pain?

[@joerpgs2582]

She's the rule or Sigil and has deity-level powers. People annoy her they start to spontaneously bleed or get banished to a mini-maze dimention

[@cryofpaine]

YAY Shadar-Kai!

[@HueGenex]

Aren't the shadow-kai curses humans? What is Gloomwrought and beyond? Lore?

[@jackjones298]

Pretty sure the Raven Queen™ is just another Palatine clone.

[@toshomni9478]

Well, if you are aiming to return to Arvandor I'd imagine that the Shadowfell would be a huge disappointment. Why would they even continue to serve the Raven Queen after that kind of fiasco?

[@manuelsaavedra8081]

Tosh Omni cause it wasn't her fault? Their Queen was fulfilling the promised until she was used like a car battery and killed. You would stick to your Queen after that

[@Bluecho4]

Many possible reasons, really. They loved her. They still think she could fulfill her promise. They'd been working for too long to give up. They had no where else to go. Out of spite against the ones who betrayed the Raven Queen. Take your pick.

[@AFTepes]

Well....the raven queen has her shadarkai who have fey ancestry ... So, that means shes not dead?? How would shadar kai have fey ancestry from her, if shes not alive?? Can fey ancestry be taken and given?

[@lordkira9791]

when I think of shadar kai I think of sith lords when super evil then I think of sidious when neutral or at least chaotic good at best, I think of darth revan

[@davidmontellano9655]

1.5 playback is needed

[@asaka616]

Is it just me or are there entirely too many elf subraces now?

[@InquisitorThomas]

I think the Eladrin and Shadar Kai are fine additions because they add some Feywild and Shadowfell based player races, I think the only other type of Elves left that I really want is the Sea Elves, if they add anything past that then their probably adding too many Elves.

[@AxiomofDiscord]

I find it amusing how much backstory D&D has yet most just homebrew a world and give everything its own backstory. I think ShadarKai might be better than Drow for my Dark Elf stand in that are called Shadowfey in my game. But either really works and fill the spot and I really don't have room for both in my game.

[@Agreus-WolfsbaneYT]

A shadar-kai paladin of the raven queen with a flaw that they hate followrrs of corellon but what what oath fit the gothic gloomy personality that is the shadar-kai. Maybe an oathbreaker?

[@shiekahfan01]

so this is the new lore???

[@JewishPharaoh]

Prefer the new Raven Queen lore.

[@EmethMatthew]

Prefer the old lore, but this has its own interesting points...

[@ryanflorian2047]

this is nice lore and all but... what spells do these things? is it a spell seed? is fey magic druidic or arcana? why did they feed off her rather than a wand with 50 charges or you know.. take a long rest lol.

[@djinnidungeneering]

I really likeed the 4e shader-kai, but I never thought of them as "gloomy". More the opposite, they exist in gloom by countering it with liveliness, because if there will weakened the fell would take them and they would fade from existence. I mean ya they ware mostly black, but they loved bright accents when they could get them. Its just hard to find them in the fell, and black brings out the accents the most. Are they dangerous, absolutely. are they scary ,yep. Are they mopy, only at first glance because those who lack a strong sense of self have a fate worse then death.

[@koiasi4036]

Finally, someone who said it. This whole thing has me so mad. Shadar-kai are not gloomy elves.... They're thrill seekers.

[@djinnidungeneering]

yet the new books have nothing about that, only that they dont fear death, because the raven queen reincarnates them(which is completely counter to there motives i 4e). and it says they are the opposite of eladrin, in that eladrin are full of emotion, and shadar kai are devoid of it. honestly, they seem like they striped them of everything that made them my favorite race. guess i'm going to have to homebrew a blend of their lore.

[@koiasi4036]

They did. I feel like they just wanted vampires to be a player race... without having to deal with the bloodlust that makes them too powerful to be so. I wouldn't have a problem with this race if they were a different race, but not Shadar-kai. They are the complete opposite of everything the Shadar-kai were and it's so infuriating. I don't even care that they made them elves, they were always fey, so I could get over that. But not even trying to preserve any of their essence that made the race what it was is completely alienating the player base who loved them so much.

[@djinnidungeneering]

well admittedly they had like no lore at all till 4e, but the culture they made in 4e was what made them great. but this lore looks like it was written by someone who only saw a picture of a shadar kai and knew they worshiped the raven queen and also only knew the raven queen was a god of death. im not a fan of the elf thing, but im fine with it since they are so far removed that they dont even consider themselves elves, it would have made them a cool parallel to eladrin, having the same thirst for life and eccentricness but on the opposite sides of light and dark.they could have at least had something about the crowing moots to show that they arnt just minions of death. in truth tho some of the things this added are actually like able, which is why i want to hybrid the lore instead of just using the 4e lore. it gives them a sense of being superstitions. but it still sad they lost the best parts