Shar, the Mistress of the Night

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Alignment: Neutral Evil
Domains: Cave, Darkness [Loss, Night, Shadow], Evil, Knowledge [Espionage], Madness [Insanity, Nightmare], Pride.
Favored Weapon: Chakram

After Lord Ao created the universe, the swirling chaos coalesced to form the twin deities Selune, a being of light and creation, and Shar, a power of darkness and destruction. Shar’s existence, paradoxically, is tied to the shrouded nothingness that existed prior to Ao’s act of creation. Shar reflects the primal dark, the flawless void erased at the beginning of time by a distant, unconcerned over deity. Her heart longs for a return to the calm of nonexistence, and she schemes from the shadows to tear down establishments, destroy order, and undermine all creation.

She is the goddess of darkness, not only as the absence of light but also as the metaphorical darkness that dwells in one’s heart, mind, and soul. The domain of the Mistress of the Night is not only that of dark places, but of deeds done under darkness, of secrets, loss, hidden pain, and wanting to forget. She is a Goddess of mourning, and the harbinger of the end of days. She is also the creator of the Shadow Weave, a dark counterpart and mockery the Weave controlled by Mystra, whom she despises, as she did the predecessors of Midnight who bore that mantle. She has also gained the portfolio of caverns and the underdark upon slaying Ibrandul, and seeks now to subsume much of the worship of underdark denizens away from the gods of the drow and duergar — putting her at emnity with their faiths as well.

Dogma: Reveal secrets only to fellow members of the faithful. Never follow hope or turn to promises of success. Quench the light of the moon (agents and items of Selune) whenever you find it, and hide from it when you cannot prevail. The dark is a time to act, not wait. It is forbidden to strive to better your lot in life or to plan ahead except when directly overseen by the faithful of the Dark Sister. Consorting with the faithful of good deities is a sin except in business dealings or to corrupt them from their beliefs. Obey ranking clergy unless it would result in your own death.

For Deific Obedience

Obedience: While moving through a crowd of people in the dark of night (at least six individuals), whisper a prayer to Shar so quietly that no one hears you. If you suspect a member of the crowd heard you, you must follow that individual and prick her with a poisoned needle or other sharp implement that your secret not be discovered. If you can’t locate a suitable crowd, dig a hole at least 6 inches deep in the ground, whisper your prayers into the hole, and bury the sound. Gain a +3 profane bonus on Bluff checks and on Diplomacy checks to gather information.

1: Secrets Discovered (Sp) comprehend languages 3/day, detect thoughts 2/day, or clairaudience/clairvoyance 1/day
2: All Who Live Suffer Loss (Su) You channel the despair and grief of Shar into a cloud of sadness that saps the will of those who oppose you. All foes within a 30-foot, cone-shaped burst are staggered for a number of rounds equal to your Hit Dice, and take a –1 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls. A successful Will saving throw (DC = 10 + 1/2 your Hit Dice + your Charisma modifier) negates this effect.
3: Sight of Perfect Night (Ex) All the training you have done in perfect darkness has left you with the uncanny ability to sense your surroundings even in the blackest night. You gain blindsense with a range of 20 feet. If you already have blindsense with a range of 20 feet or greater, instead increase the range of your blindsense by 10 feet.

Blackguard Oath

Blackguards who serve Shar are secretive and cunning. They prefer to strike from the shadows, even when the odds are already in their favor. They rely on traps, tricks, ambushes, and betrayal to weaken their foes. Their code reflects a cold and honest assessment of the human condition, and reflect their matron’s quest for entropy.

  • Innocence is ignorance, and ignorance is weakness. I will seek to shed my own ignorance, and perpetuate ignorance in my enemies.
  • I do not take credit, nor do I accept blame. I work always in the cover of the dark to achieve my goals.
  • Cold eyes, cold heart. All that live, suffer loss, and my enemies can expect no mercy from me as I usher them to their ending.
  • Everyone is expendable, and I will sacrifice them as necessary.
  • Each life I take shapes the future to my Dark Lady’s desires — another life closer to nothingness.

For Followers of Shar

Archetypes and Alternate Class Features: Monk of the Dark Moon† (Monk), Monk of the Eclipsing Moon† (Monk), Reaper of Secrets (Inquisitor), Umbral Stalker† (Inquisitor), Umbral Weaver† (Bard), Warrior of Darkness† (Antipaladin)

Specialty Priest: Nightcloak† (Cleric)

Feats: Conversion Channel, Dreamed Secrets (the additional spells are Shadow Weave spells), Fearsome Finish, Master of Knowledge, Shatter Resolve.

Magic Items: Obliviating Flail,

Prestige Classes: Arcane Devotee, Divine Champion, Divine Disciple, Divine Scion (Unchained), Divine Seeker, Shadow Adept, Umbral Court Agent† (Unchained)

Spells: False Alibi, Maddening Oubliette, Seer’s Bane, Spell Scourge

Traits: Consolation of Loss, Empty Heart, Eternal Understanding, Full Heart, Loreseeker, Secret Knowledge, Seer of Reality, Shadow Caster, Shadow Whispers, Thirst for Knowledge, Unhinged Mentality.

Unique Spell Rules

  • Armor of Darkness can be prepared as a 4th-level Antipaladin, Cleric, or Inquisitor spell
  • Darkbolt can be prepared as a 5th-level Cleric or Inquisitor spell

Unique Summon Rules