The Umbral

The Umbral, also called the Plane of Shadow, or the plane of decay, is a world in shades of gray, most color has been leached from the world, everything is dull and little color remains. The entirety of one's senses are dulled and faded while on the Umbral.

Away from the crumbling cities of the Umbral are gray forests and deep fogs faded stretches of brambles and murky swamps. The Umbral is dark and claustrophobic, oppressive by its very air.

The Umbral overlaps the Material Plane in much the same way as the plane of Faerie. Aside from the drab landscape, it appears similar to the Material Plane. Landmarks from the Material Plane are recognizable on the Umbral, but they are twisted and warped, distorted reflections of what exists on the Material Plane. Where a mountain stands on the Material Plane, the corresponding feature on the Umbral is a jagged rock outcropping that resembles a skull, a heap of rubble, or perhaps the crumbling ruin of a once-great castle. A forest on the Umbral is dark and twisted, its branches reaching out to snare travelers’ cloaks, and its roots coiling and buckling to trip those who pass by.

There are no Skylands in the Umbral, instead, their positions are matched by hovering mounds of obsidian, that float suspended at the center of where the Skylands float in the material plane. The larger the Skyland in the material, the larger the chunk of black crystal in the skies of the Umbral.

Shadow dragons and undead creatures haunt this bleak plane, as do other creatures that thrive in the gloom, including cloakers and darkmantles. Few people travel willingly into the Umbral, but there are a few lost secrets hidden in the gloom, keys to ancient power and wisdom and potent magical items.

Shadow Crossings

Similar to fey crossings, shadow crossings are locations where the veil between the Material Plane and the Umbral is so thin that creatures can walk from one plane to the other. A blot of shadow in the corner of a dusty crypt might be a shadow crossing, as might an open grave. Shadow crossings form in gloomy places where spirits or the stench of death lingers, such as battlefields, graveyards, and tombs. They manifest only in darkness, closing as soon as they feel a touch of light.

In remote corners of the Umbral, it is easy to reach horrific demiplanes ruled over by accursed beings of terrible evil. These are creatures that seek the Umbral to avoid the light, or that were imprisoned there by their rivals and enemies. The Shades, lords of the Umbral use these places as prisons for potential usurpers or powerful entities, such as Nakhotet, the vampire that turned Godwin Flamel and is believed to be the very first vampire.

These are dark places of horror and dread, places that have leeched between the planes through their dire influence and the astral travels of Orizon’s dreamers, spreading to become myths and stories of the dread beings that occupy these places.

Optional Rule: Umbral Despair

A melancholic atmosphere pervades the Shadowfell. Extended forays to this plane can afflict characters with despair, as reflected in this optional rule.

When you deem it appropriate, though usually not more than once per day, you can require a character not native to the Shadowfell to make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the character is affected by despair. Roll a d6 to determine the effects, using the Shadowfell Despair table. You can substitute different despair effects of your own creation

If a character is already suffering a despair effect and fails the saving throw, the new despair effect replaces the old one. After finishing a long rest, a character can attempt to overcome the despair with a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. (The DC is higher because it’s harder to shake off despair once it has taken hold.) On a successful save, the despair effect ends for that character. A calm emotions spell removes despair, as does any spell or other magical effects that remove a curse.

d6 Despair Effect 1-3 Apathy. The character has disadvantage on death saving throws and on Dexterity checks for initiative, and gains the following flaw: “I don’t believe I can make a difference to anyone or anything.” 4-5 Dread. The character has disadvantage on all saving throws and gains the following flaw: “I am convinced that this place is going to kill me.” 6 Madness. The character has disadvantage on ability checks and saving throws that use Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, and gains the following flaw: “I can’t tell what’s real anymore.”