Shadar-Kai in 5e?

[DeWaf]

Hello everyone! I've been looking around these forums for the past couple of weeks, but only recently felt the need to create an account, in order to ask a question.

Thais question being:
How have you guys dealt with Shadar-Kai in your campaigns? (mechanically, rather than roleplaying-wise. Like, what powers and stat bonuses to give them.) It can be either as a playable, or non-playable race, just any ideas would be great! The reason being that I'm sending my players into the Shadowfell in our next session, and I want to give all the Shadar-Kai that are there a different feel to them, compared to the other, mostly natural races they've encountered thus far. This would most easily translate to powers and moves in combat, as that's really my players' biggest focus, (they're not all too focused on the roleplaying thus far :smallannoyed:)

Personally, I've considered having bonuses to them when bloodied, to reflect their reckless and dangerous nature. Or giving them dark, necrotic abilities like they had in 4e. I'm just entirely ensure how to balance/govern these powers.

Thoughts?


Also, I apologize if something similar has been discussed. If anything like that's happened before, in these forums or elsewhere, just give me a link and let me know!:smallbiggrin:

[WickerNipple]

I had no idea the Summon Emo joke in that other thread would be so successful!

[RazDelacroix]

If I wasn't about to hit the hay, I would have a proper write-up for you.

As it stands, here's the quick & dirty version for a Shadar-Kai.

Ability Increase: +1 Con & +1 Cha (toughing out the gloom if you will)

Necrotic Resistance.

Mist Step: For players, use once per day, recharge on a long rest.

Give'em a spiked chain and some spikey fun-armor bits and watch the rest of the fun sort itself out.

[WickerNipple]

If I wasn't about to hit the hay, I would have a proper write-up for you.

As it stands, here's the quick & dirty version for a Shadar-Kai.

Ability Increase: +1 Con & +1 Cha (toughing out the gloom if you will)

Necrotic Resistance.

Mist Step: For players, use once per day, recharge on a long rest.

Give'em a spiked chain and some spikey fun-armor bits and watch the rest of the fun sort itself out.

Eh, I feel like their stats are pretty known. They were a negative Con race in 3.5 and a 0 Con race in 4, giving them Con now would be a little wacky. They kinda have to be a ++ Dex race and then Wis/Int, I'm down for giving them a choice on the off-stat.

They should definitely have Misty Step 1x/Day. Excellent Darkvision. Perhaps racial Stealth.

[HoarsHalberd]

+2/+1 race with excellent dark vision: Svirfneblin. Racial ability: Advantage to stealth, so a racial proficiency in stealth maybe? And then maybe a Shadar-kai racial feat if you wanted.

Bound to the Shadow:

Grants the ability to use misty step 1/short rest. Grants advantages to hide checks in dim light or darkness.

[Silvercrys]

I would just nick the Eladrin stats from the DMG and refluff.
It's available as part of an excerpt here:
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/excerpt-creating-new-race

Could get away with swapping weapon proficiencies or dropping them for extended darkvision.

[PoeticDwarf]

+2 dex
one subrace with +1 int one subrace with +1 wis

once/day misty step.

Or just an Eladrin, to be honest.

[DeWaf]

Thanks all for the comments, I'm thinking I'll go with a con bonus, some sort of racial teleport ability, superior darkvision, and maybe extra HP than would normally be seen for monsters of that CR.


I'll see how that goes!

[RedMage125]

I pretty much transplanted them from 4e, but I've only been using them as NPCs/villains, and haven't had a player express interest in them.

I use stats for eladrin, but instead of Misty Step, they get Shadow Jaunt. Shadow Jaunt teleports half the distance of Misty Step, and leaves that target insubstantial (resistance to all damage except radiant and force) until the end of their next turn.