Rokugan shadowlands - magic item use, ability damage, and others

[julio22]

Hi everyone.

I am playing a shugenja in a rokugan campaign and the DM stated that we will enter the shadowlands soon. It's D&D 3.5. I have a few questions:

1) Rules state that anyone attempting to cast a spell inside the shadowlands must succeed a spellcraft check DC 20+spell level. Failure not only means you lost the spell but that you also acquired taint - and that is one taint score for every 5 points below the DC you attempted the test!!! So attempting to cast one single spell can result in two or more taint scores, if you roll bad enough. We are in 2nd level so my chances aren't that high anyway. To make matters worse, there's no saving throw to avoid this taint and jade won't help either.

So I was thinking of ways to go around having to actually *cast* a spell - for example, using items such as scrolls and wands. Are they considered a 'casting spell'? To determine if I would be subject to this effect... To me, it makes sense to say that using a scroll or wand is not equivalent of casting a spell, since, for example, you use the item creator's caster level when determining the effects of the spell being activated and also that when you create these items, the spells are in fact stored there, you only need to complete its activation... Maybe it works differently for scrolls and wands? I am not sure, and couldn't find this info neither in Oriental Adventures or the Rokugan Campaing setting. The DM is resistant to allow this. But we agree that potions wouldn't have these restrictions.

2) Another thing we stumbled upon is that when you are 'infected' with the taint, you apply your taint score as a penalty to both constitution and wisdom! Sucks! Right, so would this ability score damage be healed normally by spells like restoration, the 4th-level spell (even if the taint score itself wouldn't be 'healed', but at least you could get your ability points back).

3) Finally, my character concept... After seeing these rules, I don't even think it's feasible. Originally, he would be this badass fighter/shugenja who wants to kick some shadowlands creature's ass in physical combat with a large weapon like a naginata or scythe, but with the assistance of certain spells such as Protection From Taint, Magical Weapon (to bypass Oni's DR), or using buffs as Bull's Strenght, etc. :D pretty much like an ordinary fighter/mage would do, but focused on defeating the shadowlands creatures. It's a kind of dark, edgy, facepaint character. To go around the shugenja multiclassing restrictions, I will get the feat 'Chosen by the Kami' on my 3rd character level, and I would prefer to have my shugenja levels two higher than my fighter levels (the maximum allowed by the chosen of the kami feat).

However, if spellcasting in the shadowlands is *that* risky, it might make this entire build unfeasible, at least until I reached mid to high levels and have a high enough spellcraft check (I'd be comfortable at a +15 total skill bonus or higher... ). Do you have any suggestions on that? Is it even worth trying? Are there any feats (aside from like, skill focus - spellcraft) or maybe prestige classes I could look for in order to play such a character? I know most of you think multiclassing sucks but I was so excited about this character concept that now I am trying to find ways into the system to play it...

Sorry for the super long post and thanks for reading this far. Any thoughts on any of these questions is welcome!