We are coming close to the end of the series on the 8 paths of dragon magic, with only three left including this article. Now I should note that the Shrouded Path is probably my favourite of the eight. Also if every path has an opposite, simply by elimination then the opposite of the Shrouded Path is the Path of the Manifest Beast.
Shrouded path mages are probably treated with the most suspicion of any mages other than path of death mages. Many people seem to have an innate distrust of someone who can manipulate shadows and light with a hand motion. Of course this has forced many mages with these skills to only be able to find work from unsavoury types, further reinforcing the notions that they are usually thieves and criminals.
The first spell we will look at is Candle of Darkness, it is on the difficult end of tier 1 spells with an average casting time and minute long duration. Basically it acts like a candle with inverted effects spreading darkness. Clearly not a directly combat spell, but the potential this allows you, and possibly creating shadows to use with other spells. And you can either carry the Candle with you or leave it in place for varied utility. Higher tier versions of this spell could create multiple candles, have the candles last longer, or have a stronger effect.
Next we come to Cloaked in Shadow, which increases the difficulty of making shooting attacks against the caster. It doesn’t affect melee attacks or AOE spells. It is quick to cast and with average casting difficulty. Anything that makes it harder to get shot is helpful to any caster. Higher tier versions of this spell could increase the penalty to shooting, last longer or protect those around the caster as well.
Third we have Hand of Darkness, which lets you extinguish light sources up to a range of 40 meters. It is difficult to cast for a tier 1 spell, but is quick to cast. However it cannot affect magical light sources. A few castings of this spell can dramatically change a situation, and it has a certain theatrical flair to it. Higher tier versions of this spell could have increased range, affect multiple light sources, or extinguish magical light sources of lower tiers.
The last tier 1 spell for this post is Reach of Shadow, which lets you reach into one shadow and out another within 20 meters. Quick to cast and with average difficulty it can allow the caster to get up to many shenanigans and unlike some other spells it doesn’t require line of sight to the second shadow. Higher tier versions of this spell would likely either increase the range or allow two shadows to be linked and so items could be passed between or people reach through them for a brief period of time.
Now we move into tier 2 spells, starting with Shadowstep. Basically you step into one shadow and out another within 40 meters that you can see. With average casting difficulty and quick casting time, it provides significant mobility for the caster but can’t let you go through solid walls. Of course if that wall has a window or you can see over it that you can get past it. A tier 3 version could increase the range or allow you to basically link two shadows so that others as well as you could travel between them.
Awaken the shadow is the second tier 2 spell we are looking at. It lasts for 1 minute and is both easy and quick to cast. While active you can manipulate your shadow as long as it remains in contact with you. You can use it to grab things, try to trip people, shape it into a weapon basically whatever you can think of using your shadow for. Obviously this is most useful in situations where you are casting a large shadow as it gives you more to work with. A tier 3 version of this spell could either last longer, let you separate your shadow from you or use the spell on someone else.
Blade of Shadow is the tier 3 spell we will look at. Lasting one minute, it summons a blade of pure shadow that ignores all non-magical protection when being used to make attacks. Blades cannot parry it, shields cannot block it, and it passes through armour as if it was not there. Of course it also cannot defend the wielder from attacks. It could sever the bars of a jail cell or cut a meter into solid rock as well, as no non-magical substance can resist it.
For a hybrid spell, we have shadow wind which is a shrouded path 1/ path of the worldwind 1 spell. It does a mix of damage types with some armour piercing in a 5 meter cone and forces anyone damaged to be pushed back several meters. For a tier 2 spell it is somewhat difficult to cast and has an average casting time. With two different elemental damage types and an area effect it will rarely not be useful in combat, and under the right circumstances has a chance to push enemies off things. A higher tier version could hit a larger area, do more damage, push the targets farther, or make resisting the test more difficult.
The path focus of the Shrouded path basically causes you to have a permanent Cloak of Shadow, though the spell would stack with it. Making it difficult for any but the most skilled archers from hitting you. And with the way damage is calculated, reducing the level of success still reduces damage even if you get hit.
What did you think of the Shrouded Path? Is there a spell that you would want to make in this path? What is your favorite spell of those I listed? Come back next time as we look at the armies of the Delosian City States.
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