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Player's Option: Heroes of Shadow: A 4th Edition D&D Supplement by Wizards RPG Team
For heroes who bask in darkness.The Shadowfell is a cold, grim place through which the spirits of the dead must pass on their way to . . . wherever. Dark, evil things live there, suffused with the power of shadow. Some mortals in the natural world learn how to tap into this source. Assassins. Necromancers. Hexblades. By all accounts, a ruthless lot. However, not all beings that draw strength from the Shadowfell are vile, blackhearted fiends. A few even dare to call themselves heroes, using the power of darkness to fight darkness. Are they evil? No. Deeply disturbed and hounded by their own dark demons? You bet. Player’s Heroes of Shadow focuses on characters that fight evil in ways that make others cringe. In addition to exploring the nature of the shadow power source, this book presents races, classes, feats, powers, and other options aimed at players hungry to play the archetypal antihero with a dark edge.
Hardcover
First published March 15, 2011
36 people want to read
About the author
Mike Mearls
91 books59 followersMike Mearls is the dark hope of chaotic evil: young, handsome, well endowed in abilities and aptitudes, thoroughly wicked, depraved, and capricious. Whomever harms Mearls had better not brag of it in the presence of one who will inform the Demoness Lolth! Has been sent into this area to rebuild a force of men and humanoid fighters to gather loot and restore the Temple of Elemental Evil to its former glory. Of course, Mearls is but one of many so charged, but he is looked upon with special favor and expectation. He and his minions have been careful to raid far from this area, never nearer than three or four leagues, traveling on foot or being carried in wagons of the traders from Hommlet. None of the victims are ever left alive to tell the tale, and mysterious disappearances are all that can be remarked upon, for no trace of men, mounts, goods, wagons, or draft animals is ever found.
Evil to the core, Mearls is cunning, and if the situation appears in doubt, he will use bribery and honeyed words to sway the balance in his favor. He is not at all adverse to gaining new recruits of any sort, and will gladly accept adventurers into the ranks, but he will test and try them continually. Those who arouse suspicion will be quietly murdered in their sleep; those with too much promise will be likewise dealt with, for Mearls wants no potential usurpers or threats to his domination.
(Major points to anyone who gets the above reference)
When not cribbing the bios of well known AD&D 1st edition villains, I'm a game developer at Wizards of the Coast. I work on the Dungeons & Dragons paper and pencil RPG and the Dungeons & Dragons miniatures game.
Evil to the core, Mearls is cunning, and if the situation appears in doubt, he will use bribery and honeyed words to sway the balance in his favor. He is not at all adverse to gaining new recruits of any sort, and will gladly accept adventurers into the ranks, but he will test and try them continually. Those who arouse suspicion will be quietly murdered in their sleep; those with too much promise will be likewise dealt with, for Mearls wants no potential usurpers or threats to his domination.
(Major points to anyone who gets the above reference)
When not cribbing the bios of well known AD&D 1st edition villains, I'm a game developer at Wizards of the Coast. I work on the Dungeons & Dragons paper and pencil RPG and the Dungeons & Dragons miniatures game.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 8, 2011
Finally finished my second read-through of this book.
I like it. The new flavor of things, while incredibly morose, is something that I feel has been lacking from The Essentials line of D&D. For too long there has been no "dark side" of the game beyond what is fought in caverns and dungeons. Now players can taste it for themselves.
The most exciting classes are the vampire and the blackguard. Both of them are powerful and loaded with enough roleplaying possibilities to keep DMs and players happy.
Racially, I'm not a big fan of any of the new races available. They seem a little overpowered or a little too specific to certain shadow classes - much like how shardminds were geared almost solely towards psionics, vryloka and the other new races seem geared solely to this book. The possible exception to this is the Shade race, which would do well as any striker class.
I like it. The new flavor of things, while incredibly morose, is something that I feel has been lacking from The Essentials line of D&D. For too long there has been no "dark side" of the game beyond what is fought in caverns and dungeons. Now players can taste it for themselves.
The most exciting classes are the vampire and the blackguard. Both of them are powerful and loaded with enough roleplaying possibilities to keep DMs and players happy.
Racially, I'm not a big fan of any of the new races available. They seem a little overpowered or a little too specific to certain shadow classes - much like how shardminds were geared almost solely towards psionics, vryloka and the other new races seem geared solely to this book. The possible exception to this is the Shade race, which would do well as any striker class.
September 7, 2012
What could have been the best supplement ended up the worst.
The flavor in this book is great. But as this is a gaming book, the mechanics are the important part.
The Shadow power source gets one poorly-written class, and two poor subclasses.
There is literally no reason to play a Binder over a PH 1 Warlock. The Shadow options for other classes are weak, and with the exception of the Nethermancer, lame.
The Races are interesting flavor-wise, but unimaginative. Why must a Shade be a former human?
These are just some of the flaws this slightly-less-of-a-waste-of-paper-and-ink-than-Twilight contains.
The flavor in this book is great. But as this is a gaming book, the mechanics are the important part.
The Shadow power source gets one poorly-written class, and two poor subclasses.
There is literally no reason to play a Binder over a PH 1 Warlock. The Shadow options for other classes are weak, and with the exception of the Nethermancer, lame.
The Races are interesting flavor-wise, but unimaginative. Why must a Shade be a former human?
These are just some of the flaws this slightly-less-of-a-waste-of-paper-and-ink-than-Twilight contains.
July 20, 2025
This books is awesome. I have no idea why I only gave it 3 stars my first time around reading it. Really great/evocative classes that balance interesting mechanics with ease of use. The assassin is a bit OP, but not the end of the world.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews