The Plane of Shadow is an ever-changing landscape of stark contrast. The sky is always black and the land a powdery white, with no shade or hue anywhere (except for subtle gray tones that hint at an object’s texture and depth). In one area, however, the line of stark delineation ripples and blurs—the Veil.
From a distance, the Veil looks like a small dust devil or smoke from a smoldering fire. But as one draws closer, it becomes clear that the Veil is even more ephemeral. It is a ripple in the air, a distortion through which colors appear to morph into their opposites and back again many times a second. Since the only two colors on the Plane of Shadow are black and white, this means that anything viewed through the Veil has a soft gray tone, almost like highly realistic drawings done in charcoal. Creatures native to the plane find this effect disturbing, even profane, and avoid it at all costs. Some of them believe that merely looking through the Veil can addle a person’s mind, making it difficult for him to make decisions or understand opposing concepts. Visitors are more likely to see it as a peculiar but intriguing natural wonder.
Initial Encounters: Roll on the Veil encounter table when the characters visit the location for the first time, or for the first time in over a year.
Veil Encounters
d% Encounter
| 01–15 |
1d3 shadows |
| 16–35 |
1 wraith |
| 36–60 |
1 shadow owlbear* |
| 61–85 |
1d4 dusk beasts* |
| 86–100 |
1 shadow gray render* |
* From Manual of the Planes
Subsequent Encounters: Once the characters clear outvthe area, on subsequent visits the chance of an encounter isvonly 10%. If the PCs fail to visit the location for more than a year, they must roll for encounters as if they had never visited the site.
Base Ability: You gain a +1 bonus on Hide checks.
Recharge Condition: Stand on the opposite side ofvthe Veil from an object or person. Using chalk, pencil, or charcoal, make as good a drawing as you’re able of what you see. Then look at the drawing through the Veil.
Higher-Order Ability: Once per day, as long as you arevwithin 10 feet of some sort of shadow, you can hide from view in the open without anything to actually hide behind.
You cannot, however, hide in your own shadow.
Higher-Order Uses: 5
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