Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

I am looking for some input around several spells gained from the Darkness domain. Namely, Conjure shadows, Call shadow pack and Shadow conjuration.

I am granted this domain by a non-evil god. Conjure shadows specifically states it is only known by those who have visited a temple of Shar. All three summons in these spells are undead and the first two spells have the Evil descriptor.

I also use a Shadow elemental summons which is visually identical to those created from the first and last spell. My intention was to play these spells as being illusory creations and other lesser shadow elementals. I have been approached IC twice about using these undead summons as it being an Evil act.

Any clarification would be welcome, I had hoped these spells would be the basis of my characters Thaumaturgist class and would like to know if what Im doing or planning is incorrect.

Edit: I should also point out I don't understand these spells being undead nor being evil.

Monster Manual wrote:Shadows are creatures of sentient darkness, hating life and light
with equal fervor.
...
Shadow
Medium Undead (Incorporeal)

Shadows are chaotic evil undead. The spells in question are summoning evil undead, they are not simply illusions. A shadow elemental is also an evil creature.

Unless your character is evil, he most likely wouldn't mess around with shadows.

Hmmm, interesting. There are Neutral deities such as Grumbar and Leira with Darkness as a domain. However, they do support evil Clerics so I guess the question would simply be if such a deity would grant a spell with the 'evil' descriptor or not. This would be a judgment for the DM Team I think.

A better question would be why Selune would sponsor the Darkness domain...

Every moon has a dark side?

There are several creatures that use the Shadow subtype, many are evil, some are undead and most are chaotic. The default choice in NWN was the evil undead variant.

Should this domain spell not be offered to non-evil gods then? I would have thought that they would simply have a less Evil variant, such as an illusory enemy, elemental, outsider or magical beast of shadow.

Considering the options available in other conjured allies (shadow elemental being the stand out), it doesn't strike me as a stretch to deal with them as if they were one of the other options until such time as someone has time to code it or add an alternative spell.

Edit: Edit: Nevermind

Generally you can't just interpret a spell to fit your needs, it is what it is. The darkness domain has a definite evil vibe to it as it's currently defined, so if your character isn't evil, maybe you should be looking at other domains?

There are many spells marked evil that are technically available to good divine spell casters. They simply don't use them. I would suggest it should be the same with domain spells.

With regards to summons, it might be a good idea to apply alignment restrictions In the same manner that other summons use. Except in this case, if you don't have a supported alignment, then you may not be able to summon anything (by design).

The darkness domain for Selune is actually very useful for those planning to become Silverstars, because it grants the blind-fighting feat which is a prerequisite. Now that's a mechanical reason, not an RP one and I would not necessarily be opposed to removing the darkness domain as one of Selune's granted domains, but that's a topic for a different thread.

The only spell I use from the darkness domain is Shadow Conjuration, Invisibility which I IC'ly play as "Selune controls the moon light and she can cause it not to fall on me if I ask". So far, no other player has given me any grief about it and I use it sparingly. For summons, I stick with the Chaotic Good Planar Ally options.

I will add illusions in the near future to the Shadow conjuration line.

They will have hitpoints and damage based on illusion focus, reflecting the % of real creature.

dedude wrote:A better question would be why Selune would sponsor the Darkness domain...

The answer is Heresy......

Selune does not have Darkness as one of her domains, according to Faiths & Pantheons (p. 55). This is an error and should be corrected IG and on the forum.

Tsidkenu wrote:Selune does not have Darkness as one of her domains, according to Faiths & Pantheons (p. 55). This is an error and should be corrected IG and on the forum.

Thank you!

And now I need to RCR a PC with Blindfight. Le Sigh.

Calodan wrote:And now I need to RCR a PC with Blindfight. Le Sigh.

At least you don't have to pay 50k for replacement spells!

dedude wrote:Shadows are chaotic evil undead. The spells in question are summoning evil undead, they are not simply illusions. A shadow elemental is also an evil creature.

Unless your character is evil, he most likely wouldn't mess around with shadows.

Huh... kind of makes it tricky for good-aligned shadowdancers, doesn't it? I knew there was a reason my CG SD never summoned his...