Shadar Kai Shadowcaster [ToM]

[Beelzebub1111]

I was thinking about making a Shadar-Kai (from Fiend Folio) Shadowcaster for "The Dragon" to my game's BBEG (Either an advanced nightwalker or a nightcrawler). He will be 16th level, but I'm not entirely sure I get the exact mechanics of shadow magic. Could somebody give me a quick summary?

I'm looking for ideas for builds as well.

[Optimystik]

It's a tad old, but this Guide to Shadow Magic might help.

SC seems to be pretty weak. The designer (under the username Mouseferatu) proposed some fixes that supposedly improve the class a great deal, or so I've heard. So read through, decide if your Dragon could use the boost, and act accordingly. The fix is quoted in the same link.

[Starbuck_II]

I was thinking about making a Shadar-Kai (from Fiend Folio) Shadowcaster for "The Dragon" to my game's BBEG (Either an advanced nightwalker or a nightcrawler). He will be 16th level, but I'm not entirely sure I get the exact mechanics of shadow magic. Could somebody give me a quick summary?

I'm looking for ideas for builds as well.

To sum up (read that above guide for indepth).

Mysteries (Shadowcasters cast mysteries, arcane abilities) are spell, spell-like or supernatural.
The type determines if it has concentration or ASF.

You have cantrips called fundamentals (each one usuable a limited times/day). Fundamentals are always supernatural.

When mysteries are cast as spells they are each 1/day
When mysteries are cast as spell-likes they are each 2/day
When mysteries are cast as supernatural they are each 3/day

Mysteries are ordered in paths (instead of magic schools)
Must known previous in a path before taking latter (no skipping 1st and getting 2nd).
Also must know 2 of one level to get higher level.
Jowever, when you gain access to higher grades, you don't have to take lower levels.
You can take a 4th level at 7 (because table says you now have access) even if don't have 2 3rd levels.

You can also learn the same mystery more than once increasing uses/day (they stack).

You gain bonus feats for every 2 paths known (meaning diversifying is good). Example, if I have at 2 1st levels:
Voice of shadow (from Apprentice-Ebon Whispers)
and
Carpet of Shadow (from Apprentice Dark Terrain).


Notes:
You are extremely limited in uses/day and known. Basically a Sorceror's Sorceror.

They have unique mysteries (not based on spells), but limited.

Now there are Pearls of power for mysteries (buy them as soon as you can) to shore up uses/day.

[Gametime]

Note that one of the main weaknesses of the Shadowcaster - low number of mysteries/day - is less of an issue for an NPC because they may only be involved in one fight per day.

The fix mentioned above also improves their access to the better mysteries, though, so it's still worth looking into, and the increase to longevity may be necessary if this BBEG is going to be one that the party repeatedly encounters within a short time frame.

[Fax Celestis]

I also recommend taking Shadow Weave Magic and going into Shadow Adept (from Player's Guide to Faerun). Shadow Weave Magic (and its subfeats Insidious/Pernicious/Tenacious Magic) apply to mysteries, and Shadow Adept advances your mysteries. Flavorful, mechanically solid, and interesting.

[gorfnab]

You could maybe look into some of the homebrew shadowcaster stuff here:Descent of Shadows: Project Shadow Returns. It even has a shadar kai racial substitution levels for shadowcaster. Also he is the link to Ari Marmell (aka Mouseferatu, the ToM author who created the shadowcaster) Shadowcaster Fix.