Shadow Guardians from Races of Destiny

[redking]

I am surprised there is so little love for these guys. Here is the spell, edited with the relevant information from phantom guardians for clarity.


Shadow Guardians
(Races of Destiny, p. 168)

School: Illusion (Shadow)
Level: Sorcerer 5, Wizard 5
Components: V, S, M
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Effect: One shadowy semi-real figure/level
Duration: 1 hour/level
Saving Throw: Will disbelief (if interacted with)
Spell Resistance: No

This spell creates semi-real constructs resembling Small or Medium figures of a chosen humanoid race. Each shadow guardian is a partial embodiment of the illusion, giving it a modicum of physical substance. These figures can be dressed in any attire chosen by the caster during the casting of the spell.

The caster can provide each shadow guardian with brief orders during the spell's casting, such as "walk back and forth along that wall," "stand by this gate," or "attack anyone approaching within 30 feet". The orders can differ for each figure, but they cannot be modified after the spell is cast. Simple triggers that incite the shadow guardians to attack can also be set by the caster, such as "attack anyone not wearing these colors".

Shadow guardians have no special visual acuity— invisibility, disguises, and other forms of obfuscation can easily fool them. They deal standard damage. Against a creature that recognizes a shadow guardian as an illusion, it deals only 50% normal damage.

Shadow Guardian Stats:
Medium construct; HD 4d8; hp 18; Init +1; Spd 30 ft.; AC 17, touch 17, flat-footed 15; Base Atk +2; Grp +4; Atk +4 melee (1d8+2, weapon); AL N; SV Fort +2, Ref +4, Will +4; Str 14, Dex 14, Con —, Int —, Wis 14, Cha 1.

Unlike the figures created by the Phantom Guardians spell, Shadow Guardians are semi-real and can inflict damage, making them a more potent deterrent to would-be intruders.

Material Component: A piece of charcoal.

The constructs aren't super powerful, but at 1 shadowy construct per level, a 20th level spellcaster is creating 20 of these guys for 20 hours. You can saturate the battlefield field with them. They can be used as the first wave attackers for a doomed initial assault on castle walls.

What am I missing? Is there any way to make this spell more powerful?

[sleepyphoenixx]

For a 5th level slot i expect a little more than a bunch of useless minions that can't hit anything, fall over in a stiff breeze and have no special abilities.
The long duration is kind of pointless when they're bad at guarding things, can't be commanded after creation and the only way they live that long is if nothing attacks them.
At best they can serve as a minor speed bump to an enemy, but Wall of Stone does that better at the same level and is useful in a much larger variety of situations.

It's also not a summoning spell so you can't even improve the minions it creates in any meaningful way.

[RSGA]

I think there's the usual shadow shenanigans to make them more than 100% real if you make the save. Doesn't really help them live any longer with the whole 4d8 HP, but it's something.

[redking]

I can see use for the shadow guardians in scenarios like saturating the battlefield to gain flanking bonuses against enemies. Or using them in bottlenecks to slow down the enemy while you get out of dodge or prepare attacks. Although they are only partially real illusions made of shadowstuff, they explicitly have the construct type and can be used in battlefield scenarios against living creatures, like where the battlefield is affected by toxic clouds like stinking cloud.

Blockade and Control: Shadow Guardians can be used to create bottlenecks or chokepoints on the battlefield. This strategy works particularly well in urban environments, narrow corridors in dungeons, or natural passages in the wilderness. For example, guardians could be commanded to form a shield wall at a certain location, effectively blocking that path.

"Living" Barrier: Shadow Guardians can form a protective wall around less durable party members like wizards or archers. While the guardians can't completely stop incoming damage, they can significantly reduce it and prevent direct attacks on these more vulnerable party members.

Triggering Traps: Given their construct nature, Shadow Guardians can safely trigger traps from a distance. This can be very useful in dungeon exploration scenarios, where traps are commonplace.

Engage and Delay: Shadow Guardians can be used to engage enemies and slow their advance, buying time for the party to retreat or prepare a counter-attack. They can also cover an escape, attacking anyone who follows the party.

Dispersing Cloud Spells: Shadow Guardians can be extremely useful in scenarios where spells like Stinking Cloud, Cloudkill, or Fog Cloud are in play. Being immune to these effects due to their construct type, they can venture into these areas unharmed. They could be commanded to carry and scatter objects or materials that might dissipate these clouds faster, like wind fans or certain dispelling substances.

False Retreats: The guardians could be sent running in the opposite direction as if they're retreating, while the party prepares for a counterattack. Enemies who believe they've turned the tide of battle may follow, walking right into an ambush.

Combining with Terrain Altering Spells: Spells like Wall of Stone or Entangle can be used to manipulate the battlefield and trap or slow enemies. Once hindered, the Shadow Guardians can be released to harass and distract the enemies while the party uses ranged attacks or casts additional spells.

Setup for AoE Spells: The Shadow Guardians can be commanded to herd enemies into a compact area, setting them up for devastating area of effect (AoE) spells like Fireball, Cloudkill, or Cone of Cold.

Misdirection with Mirror Image/Disguise Self: By disguising oneself or one's allies to look like the Shadow Guardians (using Disguise Self, Alter Self, or Mirror Image spells), or vice versa, one can create confusion in enemy ranks as they try to figure out which targets are real and which are illusions.

Distraction for Traps: Use Shadow Guardians to guide enemies into traps that the party has set up. This could be natural traps in the environment or magical traps set by spells like Glyph of Warding.

Spell Combo Tactics: Combining the Shadow Guardians with a high-level spell like Time Stop could be devastating. The wizard could cast Time Stop, use the free turns to position the Shadow Guardians around enemies, and then end the Time Stop to let the Guardians engage the enemies.