Explore Magic: the Gathering's dual realm of fae in this rules expansion and campaign setting guide for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition

The Great Aurora

Lorwyn exists in perpetual midsummer and eternal daytime, though its denizens still operate on a daily cycle. The plane observes dawn, noon, and dusk, with no night, with its day beginning when the sun grazes the eastern horizon and ending as it grazes the western. But every 300 years, Lorwyn changed into Shadowmoor. Whereas Lorwyn was defined by its greenness, especially its forests, its dark reflection is practically devoid of green.

In contrast to its daytime aspect, the plane of Shadowmoor exists in perpetual dusk, where the sun is never directly visible, and the only light seems to come from unseen sources. Though the sun is always hidden behind a blanket of cloud, Shadowmoor still observes dawn, dusk, and night, albeit with no noon.

The former inhabitants of Lorwyn don't recall their previous lives and remember having always lived in Shadowmoor, but they have thoroughly altered by the tainted darkness covering Shadowmoor. In particular, the demeanor of each race has taken a turn for the worse. Further, creatures who are dormant in Lorwyn become active in Shadowmoor. Ouphes, korrigans, pucas, kelpies, scarecrows, and nightmarish, mythical beings that had slumbered beneath Lorwyn's surface reemerge in the ambient night.

The only race that remains the same is the faeries, because they are protected by the magic of the faerie queen Oona, and thus have remained mischievous and unpredictable.

Wilt Leaf Wood

Wilt-Leaf Wood is the sickly counterpart of the lush Gilt-Leaf Wood after Lorwyn's transformation into Shadowmoor through the Great Aurora.

The Murmuring Bosk

The Murmuring Bosk is a sacred treefolk grove. Almost all Lorwyn treefolk began their lives as normal trees in the Bosk, and after the "Rising", they gained the ability to walk freely. The ancient race gathered here to discuss various issues. While the trees cannot think, treefolk can empathically understand them as though they could, and archdruids are known to retrieve wisdom from its denizens' thousands of years of knowledge.

Wren's Run

Wren's Run is a mazelike stretch of the Great Forest, considered to be its finest hunting ground. Elvish packmasters stock Wren's Run with exotic prey from around the plane, and use it to ring in the coming-of-age hunts of young exquisite and perfect rank elves. Raven's Run is the gloomy and dangerous Shadowmoor counterpart of Wren's Run.

Shadowmoor Boggarts

After the Great Aurora, the boggart race diversifies even further, becoming a number of distinct subraces. Shadowmoor Boggarts change from troublesome tricksters to animalistic marauders; they live to eat and will consume anything they come across, organic or not. They are little more than beasts, and their language is rudimentary at best.

Shadowmoor boggarts come together in loose packs called gangs. Known boggart gangs include the Mudbrawler, the Tattermunge, the Scuzzback, the Bloodwort, and the Boartusk. They roam Shadowmoor's mountains and forests in search of food to sate their hunger.

Boggarts wear piecemeal armor scavenged from other races, sometimes nailed to their very bodies. Like their Lorwyn counterparts, they come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes but are uniformly more feral and sinister in appearance.

Several other creatures related to boggarts appear in Shadowmoor. Hobgoblins, or Hobs, have yellowish skin and ruddy hari. They are more civilized, living in hillside cottages and dressing in clean clothes in the manner of kithkin, though like most of their kind they can be very fierce if provoked. Redcaps are small in size, with pale skin, long noses, and huge eyes. They have only three digits on their hands and feet with only two toes. Their name comes from their habit of dying their caps red with the blood of their victims. Spriggans are small creatures with yellow-orange skin and pointed ears and noses. They possess the power to grow to gigantic sizes. Unlike most goblins, spriggans are forest-dwellers, though they are still motivated primarily by hunger. And finally stream hoppers are bizarre creatures with purple skin and only one eye, one arm, and one leg. They live near streams and cascades in Shadowmoor's jagged hills and are capable of leaping great distances.

Changeling

Changelings are a race of relatively harmless, semi-intelligent humanoids who can change their shape. Typically, this process is involuntary; they will instinctively mimic creatures they meet. A changeling's standard appearance is that of a squat, greenish-blue humanoid with slightly scaly skin, large eyes, a translucent body, and frequently a forked tail. No matter what shape a changeling takes, it always has its characteristic opalescent sheen and its translucent look to it.

Changelings have no culture per se. They don't have technology or art. They are creatures of high magic, but they don't have the wherewithal to forge an agenda as a race.

Changelings can be found all over Lorwyn, in every kind of terrain. They have no proper homeland, but they are associated with a mysterious cavern called Velis Vel, where they convene each year, and new changelings are created. When a changeling adopts a form no other changeling has taken, a rune appears in the caverns of Velis Vel to mark the event.

Duergar

Dwarves only appear after the Great Aurora, and are small, twisted, gnome-like creatures called Duergar. The duergars live isolated lives deep beneath the surface in vast mines and tunnels where they constantly toil in search of riches. Duergars are prodigious workers with long memories. Some still fulfill intricately detailed orders given decades, if not centuries, before.

Duergars are very different in appearance from most other dwarves. They have gnarled bodies with spindly limbs and oversized heads with bulbous noses and drooping ears. Duergars are bald and have no beards, though some have stubbly chins or wispy sideburns.

The duergars live so far underground that some are not even aware of the surface world or dismiss it as a myth, becoming angry or violent when their illusions are shattered. Some duergar communities are further up and open out to the surface, though, and are guarded by duergars who have grown too fat to squeeze through the deeper tunnels.

Elf

The elves of Lorwyn are the dominant race of the plane. They are tall and thin, have ram-like horns, and cloven, deer-like hooves in place of feet. Lorwyn's elves are distinguished by their cultivation of a white flower called moonglove, from which can be derived a potent poison. Lorwyn's elves view nature as "something to be improved, cultivated, and if necessary, rearranged."

Unlike other elves, they are a brutal race of supremacists who hide their savagery behind a facade of beauty and sophistication. They are obsessed with physical attractiveness to the point of writing laws concerning it, and believe that those who do not meet their standards of perfection, including other races, deserve nothing but extermination. The elves call these others eyeblights and hunt them often.

The elves divide themselves into numerous tribes and castes. The most powerful tribe is the Gilt Leaf. There are four castes, determined by an elf's measure of beauty and cunning. Any elf who possesses the minimum threshold of beauty and grace is granted the rank of faultless. Dignitaries, VIPs, and higher-level functionaries among elves attain the rank of immaculate. Lords of elvish hunting packs, also known as Packmasters, and important courtiers are granted exquisite rank. They have the privilege of being able to speak directly to, the highest rank; perfects. The perfect are elves so beautiful and so shrewd that they rule all other elves. There are only a few of these in the world. Perfects can kill those of low rank with impunity.

Faerie

No race on Lorwyn is more ubiquitous or mysterious than its faeries. They are diminutive humanoids with forms that vaguely resemble insects. The fae lead short, flitting lives in pursuit of gossip, diversions, and amusing intrigues. They love to have fun, revel in Lorwyn's eternal midsummer, and follow their whims. But faeries can also be carelessly cruel, capricious, and vindictive.

Faeries travel in small groups of three to six called cliques. They are led by Oona, the enigmatic Queen of the Fae, a flower-like being composed of thousands of petals, constantly budding tiny faerie children.

Lorwyn's faeries do not dream, instead harvesting the dreams of others and distilling these stolen dreams into sparkling energy they bring back to their queen, to both nourish and pollinate her.

Faeries are the only race of Lorwyn that is unaffected by the Great Aurora, retaining their nature, appearance, and devotion to their queen even in Shadowmoor.

Flamekin

Flamekin are elementals similar in size and shape to humans. Living in the mountains of Lorwyn, they are a passionate race of warriors and shamans who focus their inner flames into weapon form for battle. Flamekin are sworn enemies of the elves, who use their treefolk servants to suppress the flamekin and confine them to their mountain homes.

Flamekin resemble humans made of smooth, living black stone; their inner fires blaze through their crowns, joints, and shoulders. The fire comprising a flamekin’s body normally burns merely warm to the touch, allowing them to wear textiles and safely interact with non-flamekin. However, a flamekin can burn very hot when infused with mana or strong emotion.

A group of flamekin called the Brighthearth serve as emissaries of flamekin goodwill to other races, performing useful tasks that require fire, such as smithing. Flamekin are semi-nomadic, born out of a desire to explore new lands and experience life to the fullest. Each Flamekin embarks on a quest for self-actualization known as the Path of Flame, a process of physical and spiritual self-discovery that revolves around the fires that constantly burn upon their bodies. The Path is very dangerous, and very few flamekin see it to the end, especially since that end involves a fiery death. Advanced walkers of the Path of Flame, called soulstokes, balance on a thin edge between emotional enlightenment and sudden combustion.

Gwyllion

Hags are twisted creatures of magic that appear only in Shadowmoor. Shadowmoor legends say that swamp hags were previously goddesses who had watched over the woodland marshes. Once they fell from grace, they were twisted and transformed into grotesque huntresses who stalk swamps and forests for prey.

Gwyllions, on the other hand, are witchy creatures who were otherwise quite civilized. Gwyllions preyed on travelers who would dare cross through the rotting farmlands and bogs they call their home.

Kithkin

The kithkin of Lorwyn are a quick and agile race of small humanoids, with stout bodies and thick limbs. Their faces are round and almost pumpkin-like, with highly expressive features. Their society is based on a type of collective consciousness called the thoughtweft. The thoughtweft connects the kithkin by a kind of empathic web, allowing them to share their emotions and thoughts, making them very effective in battle cooperation. Thoughtweft-infused dances called "reels" are an elaborate affair among kithkin, serving to heighten and solidify the bonds of thoughtweft, and often practiced during holiday celebrations. The thoughtweft naturally binds kithkin together into tightly knit communities of villages and towns called clachans. The head of a clachan is called a cenn, or mayor. Known clachans include Kinsbaile, Burrenton, Goldmeadow, Cloverdell, and Dundoolin.

Kithkin are peaceful farmers but are fierce warriors when provoked. Kithkin knights and soldiers ride into battle on springjacks, which they also raise for their wool and meat. Kithkin ca also n be innovative builders and alchemists. Their magic is often powder-based.

Kithkin are generally quite superstitious. For example, a kithkin might wear a bit of silver on her knife hand when eating jackmutton, to prevent the rest of the herd from becoming nervous or irritable. Most of these superstitious practices fall somewhere between wise folk medicine and utter hogwash in terms of actual usefulness, but kithkin follow them faithfully. The kithkin also venerate the mysterious greater elementals of Lorwyn, beings that embody the abstract concepts and dreams. Everything that is of cultural importance, like stories and customs, are found in the Book of Kith and Kin.

Shadowmoor Merrow

After the Aurora, merrows became more fishlike in appearance. Overcome by covetousness, Shadowmoor merrows became murderous cutthroats and thieves who steal from the other races of Shadowmoor who live along the rivers, particularly the kithkin. As enormous symbols of power, giants evoke the most envy in merrows, and some spend weeks concocting plans to bring one down. Merrows believe that the blood and tissue of giants bring them strength, and some merrows carve jewelry, weapons, or even lairs from giants’ bones. Shadowmoor merrows have abandoned shaping the tides, leaving some rivers to dry up and others to flood, in some cases even inhabiting entire flooded clachans.

Merrow Traits

You have the following racial traits.

Creature Type. You are a Monstrosity.

Size. You are Medium.

Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Amphibious. You can breathe air and water.

Claws. You have sharp claws that you can use to make unarmed strikes. When you hit with them, the strike deals 1d6 + your Strength modifier slashing damage, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.

Fins and Spines. A creature that hits you with a melee attack while within 5 feet of you takes piercing damage equal to your proficiency bonus. In addition, a creature grappling or grappled by you takes piercing damage equal to your proficiency bonus at the start of each of your turns.

Judge of Currents. You can effortlessly navigate the Merrow Lanes, and have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks you make to navigate or track in bodies of water.

Swim Speed. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet. You can't use this swimming speed if you're wearing heavy armor.

Selkie

Present only in Shadowmoor, selkies are unusual merrows. Rather than fish, selkies' lower bodies resemble seals, giving them an appearance similar to centaurs. Selkies have six limbs: Two pairs of seal-like flippers on their lower bodies and two arms on their torso with flipper-like hands. Selkies' faces combine human and seal features; they have white eyes with no pupils and long, stringy black hair.

Selkies live in the network of rivers and ponds that stretch across Shadowmoor, but they feel as though they belong in more open waters like the oceans of other worlds, a feeling that gives them a wistful and tragic side. This makes some selkies cold and spiteful towards the land-dwellers who can travel as they please throughout the plane.

Selkies are masters of magic and divination. They are believed to have even seen Shadowmoor's destiny.

Treefolk Traits

You have the following racial traits.

Creature Type. You are a Plant.

Size. You are Medium.

Speed. Your walking speed is 30 feet.

Life Span. Over 1,000 years on average.

Natural Armor. Your bark-like skin provides you a base AC of 17 (your Dexterity modifier doesn't affect this number). You can't wear light, medium, or heavy armor, but if you are using a shield, you can apply the shield's bonus as normal.

Plant Camouflage. You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks you make to hide in forest terrain.

Speech of Leaf. You can communicate in a limited manner with trees. They can understand the meaning of your words, and you can empathically understand their emotions.

Tree Stride. As an action, you can use 10 feet of movement to magically step into a tree within 5 feet of you and emerge from a second tree you can see within 60 feet of the first tree, appearing in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the second tree. Both trees must be at least the same size as you.

You can use this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Treefolk Magic. You know the druidcraft cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast the detect poison and disease spell with this trait without requiring a material component. Starting at 5th level, you can cast the speak with plants spell with this trait. Once you cast detect poison and disease or speak with plants with this trait, you can't cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast either of those spells using any spell slots you have of the appropriate level.

Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells when you cast them with this trait (choose when you select this race).

Weakness to Fire. You have disadvantage on ability checks you make to avoid fire damage.

You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. When you hit with an attack using it, the target takes an extra 1d8 necrotic damage. If you hit a Plant creature or magical plant, it takes maximum extra damage. If you hit a plant that isn't a creature, such as a tree or shrub, it withers and dies.

Cauldron of Souls

Wondrous Item, Very Rare

These cauldrons are used by Gwyllions to keep their minions alive and well. A typical cauldron of souls is made of iron and embossed on the outside with depictions of gaunt humanoid faces. It is roughly 3 feet in diameter, has a 2-foot-wide mouth, and stands on four clawed feet. It weighs 80 pounds, and can hold up to 30 gallons of liquid. When found, a cauldron of souls is typically full of water, in which ghostly images of the dead can be seen.

The cauldron has 3 charges, and regains all expended charges daily at dawn. While touching it, you can use an action and expend 1 or more of its charges to cast either revivify (1 charge) or raise dead 3 charges.

Colfenor's Urn

Wondrous Item, Artifact

Colfenor was one of the most ancient treefolk of Lorwyn, and widely regarded as the wisest. Aside from his sapling, he was the last treefolk of the red yew species. While his sapling would live on to play a pivotal role in the events of the Great Aurora, Colfenor would sadly perish in a blaze before seeing it. His urn collects the ashes that remained, which are rumored to have power over life and death.

The urn has 3 charges. While holding it, you can use an action and expend 1 charge to cast true ressurection. To cast this spell this way, you must sprinkle some of the ash onto the corpse (or into the air if the original body no longer exists). When the last charge is expended, the urn shatters and the ash is scattered to the winds.

Dawnglow

Potion, Common

When you drinking this potion, it neutralizes any poisons and cures nonmagical diseases affecting you. It also closes all mortal wounds, but it doesn't restore missing body parts.

Deathrender

Weapon (Greatsword), Rare (Requires Attunement)

You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this magic weapon. Additionally, if you die while attuned to this magic weapon, the weapon casts reincarnate on you, fashioning a new body holding the weapon.

Diviner's Wand

Wand, Uncommon (Requires Attunement by a Wizard)

When you cast a divination spell using this wand as your spellcasting focus, you can fly up to a number of feet up to your speed. If you are in the air at the end of this movement, you fall if nothing is holding you aloft.

Elsewhere Flask

Wondrous Item, Artifact

The Elsewhere Flask is an item of powerful magic made by Oona, Queen of the Fae. It appears as a glass flask with a brass bottom stand, decorated with a red tassel tied around it, and stopped with a rough-hewn purple gemstone. According to legend, one night, Oona bottled the sky. The next night, she aligned the stars and released it.

While you are holding this flask at night, you can use your action to capture the stars of the night sky. Celestial bodies aren't actually affected, but they are magically invisible while captured in the flask. The stars remain in the flask until you use your action to release them back into the night sky.

While the stars are captured, you can use your action to re-align them, changing the season of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor, or affecting the aurora to force a transition between the two sides of the plane. The change takes affect once the stars are released back into the sky. This effect doesn't affect time, but rather the environment of the plane.

Using this magic item has a cumulative 10% chance to cause a Great Aurora (read more in chapter 1).

Merrow Spinebow

Weapon (Heavy Crossbow), Uncommon

This unique weapon can be used only by a Medium or larger creature that has a Strength of 18 or higher. The crossbow shoots bolts made of the bones of the whiskergill fish that deal piercing damage equal to 2d6 + the wielder's Strength modifier.

Steve Prescott

Lorwyn Creatures

Lorwyn Creatures (contd.)

Using a Stat Block

This chapter is a companion to the Monster Manual and adopts a similar presentation. Please read the introduction of the Monster Manual to familiarize yourself with how to read a stat block before proceeding.

Boggarts

Boggarts are Lorwyn-Shadowmoor's goblins (read more about boggarts in chapter 2). They often attack in groups; smart enough to set an ambush, but not nearly smart enough for more decisive tactics. As boggarts revel in sensations, pain means very little to them, and their belief in reincarnation means they don't fear death.

Boggart warrens and gangs are led by Aunties, who usually have some measure of magic at their disposal, despite not fully understanding how it works.

Changeling of Lorwyn

Unlike the changelings and shapeshifters of other planes, Lorwyn's changelings always retain their opalescent sheen, which prevents them from fully bleding in. Still, faeries have been known to kidnap kithkin children and replace them with changelings as a harmful prank.

Changelings are typically strange and curious creatures, more prone to mimic a new creature they meet than try to speak with it (read more about changelings in chapter 2).

Duergar

Duregar appear only in Shadowmoor, and live deep beneath the surface in subterranean caverns. They are very reclusive, and quick to attack intruders into their domain (read more about duergar in chapter 2).

Duergar are typically found as miners who might use the commoner stat block. Some duergar also practice hedge magic; these duergar might use the duergar of shadowmoor stat block with the druid's Spellcasting trait.

Faeries

The faeries of Lorwyn-Shadowmoor appear as insect-like sprites full of mischief. Their home is the hidden Glen Elendra, from where they scour the plane looking for dreams with which to pollinate Oona the faerie queen (read more about faeries) in chapter 2).

Flamekin

Flamekin are a race of fire elementals from the mountains around Lorwyn (read more about flamekin in chapter 2).

Hob

Hobs, or hobgoblins, are a type of boggart that only appears in Shadowmoor. They are similar to kithkin, or perhaps they mimic them, in their more organized society. They live in homes rather than bogs, and are known to farm fields and tend hearths. Despite this, their boggart nature shows true when intruders enter hob territories; the hobs are quick to take up arms against others.

Some hobs ride giant cicadas to get a better overview of their territories (use the stat block of giant wasp).

Kithkin

The kithkin are a diminutive and generally peaceful race of humanoids, similar to halflings of other planes (read more about kithkin in chapter 2).

Most kithkin would be simple farmers or springjack herders with the commoner stat block. Kithkin Billyriders are those who are soldiers or guards of clachans and douns and who defend their kin from elves and other assailants. Their mount of choice is the goat.

Noggles

Noggles are small creature that resemble anthropomorphic donkeys. They exist only in Shadowmoor, and have a penchant for taking things that don't belong to them (read more about noggles in chapter 2).

Ouphe

Ouphes are fey creatures a connection to the natural world, and are related to faeries. Most ouphes are asocial, and many are hostile toward artifice. They have a reputation for being extremely annoying. Ouphes can be found in both Lorwyn and Shadowmoor, though they are rare.

Selkie

Selkies are a kind of merrow that appears only in Shadowmoor. They are seal-like creatures who excel at divination magic (read more about selkies in chapter 2).

Selkies are unlikely to be interested in adventurers to Shadowmoor, but others might encourage a part to seek the selkie out, hoping to glean from it secrets or answers.

Spriggan

Spriggans are a type of boggart that appears only in Shadowmoor. They are small, yellow-skinned creatures that are constantly hungry and feeding. They are capable of using an innate magic to grow to enormous size.

Treefolk Shamans

Some treefolk are shamans who use their magic to aid themselves and others, called shamans. A treefolk shaman has the following additional trait.

Spellcasting. The treefolk casts one of the following spells, using Wisdom as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 15).

---

At will: detect poison and disease, druidcraft
2/day each: speak with animals, plant growth (as an action)
1/day: commune with nature (as an action)