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Pass 2 (S43 texture): Zhentarim Viper promotion (Rank 3, iron viper amulet + poisoning manual), Compact Ranks 1 & 2 (Whispers of Iron / Iron Rebuke) from the infernal dream, poisoner's kit ("anthrax"), and the cold Bronze Blades refusal moment
Pass 2 (S50 texture): MAJOR — Shade reborn as a Wizard (header + Transformation section): bagpipes → Tome of Zariel's Lament, damage-type-swap signature, 66 HP, gleeful necromancer identity; add familiar Big Puss; Bound Grimoire pact item + Tempered Soul; S50 appearance
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''For a beginner-friendly player guide, see [[Shade/Player Guide]].''\n\n
''For a beginner-friendly player guide, see [[Shade/Player Guide]].''\n\n
== Shade ==
== Shade ==
Tiefling Bard
Tiefling Wizard (formerly Bard)


=== Personality ===
=== Personality ===
A charismatic bard whose family connections to Thundertree run deeper than expected.
A charismatic performer turned self-taught arcanist whose family connections to Thundertree run deeper than expected. Since her reforging in the Hells (see below) she has leaned into a gleefully amoral, experimental streak — "''Who knew being a bard didn't do shit?''" — testing her new necromancy on bound prisoners without much remorse.


=== Faction Membership ===
=== Faction Membership ===
* [[Zhentarim]] – Inducted in Session 06 with codename "Fang"; promoted to '''Viper''' (Rank 3) in [[Session 43 - The Council of Waterdeep|Session 43]], receiving an iron viper amulet and the ''Zhentarim Guide to Poisoning Friends and Foes''. As of S43 she is the highest-ranked faction member in the party (standing 21 with the Zhentarim).
* [[Zhentarim]] – Inducted in Session 06 with codename "Fang"; promoted to '''Viper''' (Rank 3) in [[Session 43 - The Council of Waterdeep|Session 43]], receiving an iron viper amulet and the ''Zhentarim Guide to Poisoning Friends and Foes''. As of S43 she is the highest-ranked faction member in the party (standing 21 with the Zhentarim).
* [[Pact with Lady Calera|The Compact]] – an infernal pact with [[Lady Calera]]; began advancing its "Compact" feat ranks in [[Session 43 - The Council of Waterdeep|Session 43]].
* [[Pact with Lady Calera|The Compact]] – an infernal pact with [[Lady Calera]] / the erinyes [[Zarchelia]]; began advancing its "Compact" feat ranks in [[Session 43 - The Council of Waterdeep|Session 43]] and was bound into [[A Compact of restoration and continuance]] after the party's death.
 
=== Transformation: Bard to Wizard (Session 50) ===
Reforged in the Hells after the party's death (see [[Session 50 - Reforged in Hell, the Voyage Home (2026-06-14)|Session 50]]), Shade emerged a '''wizard'''. As [[Zarchelia]] put it, "''the bagpipes seem to have changed, as you yourself have changed''": the [[Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament]] reshaped into a leather-bound '''Tome of Zariel's Lament''' (the same blood-red leather), now her spellbook. Her signature wizard ability lets her swap any spell's damage type for that of another spell of the same level recorded in the tome. She inscribed her full repertoire (~13,650 gp of materials) and, with the freed attunement slots letting her Amulet of Health settle in, jumped to 66 HP. She declares herself "''a master of the dead now''" and embraces necromancy — at one point draining a bound prisoner with Vampiric Touch to heal herself and reincarnating another "for practice."


=== Character Arc ===
=== Character Arc ===
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* '''Compact Ranks 1 & 2''' (gained S43): ''Whispers of Iron'' (advantage on Intimidation/Deception once per long rest) and ''Iron Rebuke'' (a reaction conjuring jagged iron shards — 2d10 piercing + 2d10 fire on a failed save). These powers manifested after a prophetic infernal dream of a furnace, the smell of iron and blood, and a quill scratching a binding contract.
* '''Compact Ranks 1 & 2''' (gained S43): ''Whispers of Iron'' (advantage on Intimidation/Deception once per long rest) and ''Iron Rebuke'' (a reaction conjuring jagged iron shards — 2d10 piercing + 2d10 fire on a failed save). These powers manifested after a prophetic infernal dream of a furnace, the smell of iron and blood, and a quill scratching a binding contract.
* Gained poisoner's-kit proficiency and signature poisons (a weapon-coating toxin and a thrown silencing powder) with the Viper promotion — which she jokingly calls "anthrax."
* Gained poisoner's-kit proficiency and signature poisons (a weapon-coating toxin and a thrown silencing powder) with the Viper promotion — which she jokingly calls "anthrax."
* Bears the [[Eye of Gilbraxis]] permanently in one eye socket; in S48 the Eye revealed it was a wizard before death and bonded into a necromancer's spellbook, foreshadowing her own turn to wizardry.
* Has notably strong infernal heritage — [[Arauthator]] sensed it as "''stronger… than from that other tiefling.''"
* Rebuilt as a wizard in [[Session 50 - Reforged in Hell, the Voyage Home (2026-06-14)|Session 50]]; received the '''Bound Grimoire''' pact item (Sleep / Mirror Image / Slow) and the universal '''[[Tempered Soul]]''' feat from signing [[A Compact of restoration and continuance|the Compact]].
=== Familiar: Big Puss ===
Shade's octopus familiar is named '''"Big Puss"''' — despite being the small Monster Manual octopus ("''it's how he feels on the inside… more of an attitude thing''"). Big Puss has a personality of his own: he finds new places "homey," brokered peace with a clutch of wild giant octopuses during the voyage home ("''We're friends. Friend-shaped. Here is some crabs''"), and even reunited with octopus "family."


=== Notable Moments ===
=== Notable Moments ===
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* [[Session 47 - The Sea of Moving Ice]]
* [[Session 47 - The Sea of Moving Ice]]
* [[Session 48 - Inside Oyaviggaton (2026.04.12)]]
* [[Session 48 - Inside Oyaviggaton (2026.04.12)]]
* [[Session 50 - Reforged in Hell, the Voyage Home (2026-06-14)]]


[[Category:Tiefling Bards]] [[Category:Campaign]]
[[Category:Tiefling Bards]] [[Category:Campaign]]

Revision as of 15:32, 18 June 2026

For a beginner-friendly player guide, see Shade/Player Guide.\n\n

Shade

Tiefling Wizard (formerly Bard)

Personality

A charismatic performer turned self-taught arcanist whose family connections to Thundertree run deeper than expected. Since her reforging in the Hells (see below) she has leaned into a gleefully amoral, experimental streak — "Who knew being a bard didn't do shit?" — testing her new necromancy on bound prisoners without much remorse.

Faction Membership

Transformation: Bard to Wizard (Session 50)

Reforged in the Hells after the party's death (see Session 50), Shade emerged a wizard. As Zarchelia put it, "the bagpipes seem to have changed, as you yourself have changed": the Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament reshaped into a leather-bound Tome of Zariel's Lament (the same blood-red leather), now her spellbook. Her signature wizard ability lets her swap any spell's damage type for that of another spell of the same level recorded in the tome. She inscribed her full repertoire (~13,650 gp of materials) and, with the freed attunement slots letting her Amulet of Health settle in, jumped to 66 HP. She declares herself "a master of the dead now" and embraces necromancy — at one point draining a bound prisoner with Vampiric Touch to heal herself and reincarnating another "for practice."

Character Arc

  • Daughter of Reidoth the Druid (revealed in Session 08)
  • Offered to immortalize Venomfang the green dragon in song
  • Previously had an encounter with a doppelganger named Verhys
  • Fireproof (revealed in Session 04)
  • Can commune with the dead, travels with ghostly companion Cooter (revealed in Session 04)
  • Compact Ranks 1 & 2 (gained S43): Whispers of Iron (advantage on Intimidation/Deception once per long rest) and Iron Rebuke (a reaction conjuring jagged iron shards — 2d10 piercing + 2d10 fire on a failed save). These powers manifested after a prophetic infernal dream of a furnace, the smell of iron and blood, and a quill scratching a binding contract.
  • Gained poisoner's-kit proficiency and signature poisons (a weapon-coating toxin and a thrown silencing powder) with the Viper promotion — which she jokingly calls "anthrax."
  • Bears the Eye of Gilbraxis permanently in one eye socket; in S48 the Eye revealed it was a wizard before death and bonded into a necromancer's spellbook, foreshadowing her own turn to wizardry.
  • Has notably strong infernal heritage — Arauthator sensed it as "stronger… than from that other tiefling."
  • Rebuilt as a wizard in Session 50; received the Bound Grimoire pact item (Sleep / Mirror Image / Slow) and the universal Tempered Soul feat from signing the Compact.

Familiar: Big Puss

Shade's octopus familiar is named "Big Puss" — despite being the small Monster Manual octopus ("it's how he feels on the inside… more of an attitude thing"). Big Puss has a personality of his own: he finds new places "homey," brokered peace with a clutch of wild giant octopuses during the voyage home ("We're friends. Friend-shaped. Here is some crabs"), and even reunited with octopus "family."

Notable Moments

During Session 42 - Bagpipes, Blood, and the Bronze Blades, Shade accepted the Bagpipes of Zariel's Lament from Lady Calera at the Waterdeep gala — an infernal instrument safe in her tiefling hands where it would damn a non-infernal wielder. Her first performance on them was the "Toot of the Fallen," an old tiefling heritage ballad (in her own parlance, tiefling songs are "toots"). The session also established Shade as a prolific writer of dragon-worship music: her hit "Ah Dang, Venomfang" is beloved among Cult of the Dragon cultists, and she performed it for the dying Lord Valtheran to coax the location of the Draakhorn out of him in his final moments.

In Session 43 - The Council of Waterdeep, Shade implanted the Eye of Gilbraxis in her own eye socket (see that page) and showed a cold, self-interested streak — refusing to lift a finger to help the Bronze Blades even as they were being overwhelmed in Garmok's Mine, standing in the doorway with "Except not us, buddy."

During Session 46 - Diggy Diggy Hole, Shade experienced profound mycelial-induced visions when exposed to Myconid rapport spores in Garmok's Mine. These hallucinogenic experiences revealed disturbing spectral imagery that may hold significance for future events.

Shade's mycelial vision - a spectral winged creature encountered during the rapport spore experience

Appearances

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