Shadow Walk: A Dangerous Plane Shift

[Ruethgar]

So, I've a tendency to make characters recently with a lot of shadow magic. Even when I could easily get more accurate 'normal' spells, I'll go shadow for the thematic. A prime example of this is Shadow Walk instead of Teleport. But I was wondering, how one might be able to use the spell as basically Plane Shift.

The Plane of Shadow is one of those places pretty explicitly connected to most all of the material planes. But I've searched before but can't seem to find a way to navigate to those other planes. The Astral has spells to navigate the pools, but some planes block you leaving by astral means, but rarely if ever, by shadow. Mundane methods of navigation would not work being a morphic plane and a lot of the mapping spells are snapshots, not dynamic maps. I would be willing to use Gramarie Mark II and snag a Stellar Cartographer for a dynamic map, but that's a fair few resources in a very different direction than I was want to go, plus the whole only a few miles on an infinite plane thing might be difficult to locate other planes.

TLDR: Is there a way to accurately navigate the plane of shadow to reach other planes?

[Gnaeus]

It looks to me like it is automatically included in the spell.

“ 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.”

It seems like a DM would have to be reading that with specific intent to mess with you or nerf the spell for that not to work. The morphic nature is why it could take one hour or 4.

[Tzardok]

It depends on how exactly your cosmology is built. In the basic Egyptian cosmology described in Deities and Demigods for example the Shadow connects the Material to the Twelve Hours of Night and can be used to travel between those two, but not to any of the other planes. In the canonical Great Wheel as described in the Manual of the Planes, on the other hand, the Shadow doesn't connect to any planes beyond the Material, but can instead be used to travel from cosmology to cosmology. In the version of the Great Wheel I use in my games, the Shadow reflects the whole multiverse and can be used to reach any of the "conventional" planes and maybe (on a case by case basis) the unconventional ones.

In short: ask your GM what role the Shadow plays in their cosmology.

[Maat Mons]

According to Manual of the Planes, the "rougher" regions of the Plane of Shadow contain Astral Portals. A Portal on the Plane of Shadow could potentially connect to any plane the Astral Plain touches. But any given Portal only connects the Plane of Shadow to one specific other plane.

Also according to Manual of the Planes, if you go looking for an Astral Portal, it takes 1d4 hours to find one. And the DM rolls randomly to determine which of the outer- or inner-planes it connects to. Assuming you have some way of figuring out where the Portal goes, you might then have to spend another 1d4 hours looking for a different one. And repeat this however many times it takes to get lucky and find one that leads where you wanted to go.

[Ruethgar]

I'm reading and re-reading that d4 hr to another plane bit and what screams out to me is that it doesn't say desired plane, or target plane, just 1d4hr and you reach a planar border. I could've swore there was a spell to find a specific portal, but all that a quick search came up with was PF's Locate (Nearest) Portal. I suppose I can boost my CL a bit by squeezing in Elder Giant Magic and Reserves of Strength to Scry for it, but with the morphic plane attribute... I'm just not sure I should reasonably be able to only scry once. I imagine it would be a lot more like marco-polo until I get within normal sensory range. Wouldn't be so bad I don't think and could make for some interesting travel story. Also, I get a free template for spending so much time in the plane of shadow right? I think it was Dark that did that but I'll have to double check.

Edit: There has to be a Ranger ACF/prestige class that lets you navigate a plane right? I would need a cohort or hired hand for that though.

[Tzardok]

Find the Path should be able to do that. Nothing in the description says that it is hindered by supernatural properties of the area the path cuts through, and I personally would rule that a planar border is a place on the same plane as you are, so the spell shouldn't have any problems with aiming.

[Ruethgar]

I completely missed that spell. So often just ignore many PHB spells apart from the basics and the gems like it’s counter Clairvoyance in Skyrim, but it would work well. Thank you. Little trouble getting it, but I’ll manage.

[Miss Disaster]

Depending upon the size of the planar intersection ... and whether such an intersection constitutes being a "major landmark" ... the lower level spell Lay of the Land (SpC p. 131) might be a better alternative than Find the Path.

A scroll of a Ranger's Lay of the Land spell (1st level) would be dirt cheap.

[Anthrowhale]

There is a level 6 Illusion(Shadow) mystery called "Voyage into Shadow" which is something like Shadow Walk++. You move twice as fast and with a DC 30 Knowledge[The Planes] check, you appear precisely where you want to go.

A mystery is nominally inaccessible to most characters, but any spellcaster with 7th level spells and a staff with the mystery could access it via the Channel Charge feat. Beguilers in particular have easy access because they get Use Magic Device on list.