25 Shadow Plane Adventure Seeds

It may be getting lighter outside, but it’s getting darker in this month’s Adventure Seeds! For this month I went with adventures in, or involving the plane of shadow! Some settings have some established facts about what may exist on their own shadow plane, so I tried be sure to incorporate some of facts into the seeds.

My biggest challenge with this set was not just taking any idea and attaching “shadow-” to it. For example, why not just make a “Shadow Dragon” attacking the “Shadow Castle” and speaking about the “Shadow Gems”? You’ll notice a couple that walk this line, though I hope I was able to bring them back around with another part of the seed that is unique.

Not too many assumptions this time around; just that the plane of shadow is a different dimension/plane than the physical realm. It can be a dark copy of reality, some horror-filled landscape, a dull and dreary land devoid of joy, or anything in between! Use the context of each seed for an idea, and many should work whatever the case may be!

And lastly, if you enjoy our Adventure Seeds, why not upgrade from 25 to 30? Every month when we post our monthly Adventure Seeds article we post an additional 5 seeds over at our Patreon as a small way of saying thanks to those who support us! So if you want 5 more ideas for your adventures in the Shadow Plane (or just want to support us so we can keep giving you content), be sure to join!

And now here are the adventure seeds:

1. A merchant’s mirror is said to be magical and show you the future, but patrons just came screaming from his tent saying that they saw their friend pulled through by a shadowy double of himself. The merchant of course denies this and continues to sell people on telling their futures.
2. A thick miasma settled over and obscured a town in the last few weeks. Now that it has dispersed, the town and townsfolk are gone, but their shadows can still be seen moving about the area.
3. One of the main reasons to travel to the shadow plane is the Shadow Arena where people duel using their shadows. Wagers are encouraged and fights end with the loser’s shadow being destroyed, preventing them from ever leaving the shadow plane unless they can get their shadow back.
4. A plague has worked its way from the shadow plane into the physical world, spreading like a pox and covering people’s bodies in shadow even in broad daylight. Once a body has been completely covered it disappears and a stone heart with carved coordinates is left in its place.
5. Rumors are that a cloaked figure has been approaching worn and weary travelers and asking if they would like to live a life free of stress. Those who answer affirmatively have been taken and supposedly turn into mindless, undead servants while those who answer no find themselves at the hands of said servants.
6. In one of the royal crypts near the portal to the shadow plane, the shadows of the dead mingle about themselves talking of their past lives. Recently they have been disturbed by unruly adventurers, who they have pledged to kill and trap their shadows in with them.
7. A shard of physical darkness, called Shadowveil, is material that can be taken out of the shadow plane and used for weapons that sap the willpower of whoever they strike. Dark wizards protect the supply and threaten any who come near such a valuable resource.
8. On the shadow plane, those trained to sneak about learn to turn into a flat shadow and slip through cracks. Turns out a thieves guild led by a native of the plane has already mastered the secret and brought it to the physical realm where they can terrorize their targets.
9. The Shadow King demands to switch places with his physical counterpart and openly plots to lives as his shadow until he has a chance to assassinate him and take his place. A contingent of guards now follow the real king around, watching his shadow and all shadows for any signs of danger.
10. It has become more difficult to cross the Shadowsea, a slick, oily ocean that contains many deep, disturbed creates. Undead abominations have been floating out of the oily water to attack those on board vessels, flying through the air as though they were underwater.
11. Streaks of light pierce through the dark veil that covers the shadow plane. The normally apathetic residents of the plane are in a hurry now to both figure out the cause and the fix and the light tears their world asunder.
12. Creatures that spend too much time in the shadow plane tend to create new breeds. Shadow-infused orcs are now ravaging the countryside in the physical realm and burning the towns with flames made of shadow that won’t be put out by water.
13. The fabled Shadearmor has been found by a lich, giving them the ability to jump between shadows in the shadow plane, which is essentially anywhere. They have been slowly turning the realm into one of undeath as they terrorize in denizens and recruit them into their army.
14. As more visitors frequent the cities in the shadow plane, the more the dull and dreary inhabitants awaken to the energy of the other planes. The queen has felt her grasp on her people diminish and has ordered that no one else is allowed to leave until further notice.
15. Mindvoid, the name given to a town of people who have lost their mind, was recently bathed in holy light out of nowhere. In the aftermath, bodies were found strewn about and holy symbols of the gods of death and light are intermingled in the streets.
16. A dark fog has been spilling out of a cave on the physical realm, killing all the flora it touches. A dark warlock whose patron resides in the shadow plane is to blame, but finding her won’t be easy.
17. A lady of high elven descent resides at Duskburrow Keep; and has put out a call for brave adventurers from any plane. She wishes to pay them as mercenaries to dispatch her political rivals, who themselves are paying mercenaries to do their dirty work.
18. A friendly wizard has been offering travel packages to safely visit and tour different planes with no risk of harm. His latest venture has not yet returned even a week later, and there has been no sign of him or his customers.
19. Shadebeasts, amorphous creatures made of shadow, have been domesticated and trained to serve alongside their masters in the shadow plane. They are unable to be in direct sunlight of other planes lest they die, but a drow merchant trying to breed them and sell them to the subterranean races on the physical plane.
20. An order of blind monks taken up residency in the shadow plane, and new disciples must complete a perilous journey to learn from them. The start of this journey includes giving eyes, whether functional or not, to a giant vulture that eats them and promises to guide them along the way.
21. The Hall of the Cursed holds countless cursed weapons and armor. Any one can enter and take an item, knowing that they will endure its curse in exchange for the power it gives. Recently nearly all of them seem to have been taken by a single ogre who has figured out a loophole to avoid the curses.
22. Darklight Dungeon changes every night, making exploring it unpredictable and highly dangerous. It is filled with passages that cannot be lit by any means, and entering these shadows means appearing in different areas each time. Many get lost in the halls, adding to the potential treasure awaiting those brave or foolish enough to enter.
23. The Forgotten, the souls of those who got lost and abandoned on the material plane, roam looking for those who forgot about them. Recent mistakes of identity cause concern for those who are normally left alone by the souls.
24. Music fills the plane from seemingly nowhere, introducing a feeling of anxiety and dread in every living being. Each day the duration gets longer and longer and slowly the denizens are being driven mad from it.
25. Lightward, a staff that can absorb and then amplify light, has gone missing from The Gray Castle, the primary provider of holy light that protects against the shadow creatures of the plane. Without the staff these shadowy creatures can infiltrate the castle and fight against those who protect the plane from them.

Liked these? Be sure to check out past installments here! And as always, please let us know what type of adventure seeds you’d like to see next!

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