The Cool Shadows Thread

[MoonHunter]

Or that your subconscious plays a part in a shadow's creation.

I tend to reject that on a general scale, as there isn't enough symbolism and mind challanges in the shadows when they arrive. And not enough nightmares out there.  

Now the subconcious does do most of the processing for shifts and such and some of it could slip in.

However, the travel metaphor would be different if they weren't independent to some degree.

[darciesdaddy]

On of my characters was very non-traditional. He spontaneously evolved when a Chaosite, wounded badly during the Patternfall War, left a lot of blood behind in just the right shadow. The shapeshifting properties of the blood allowed it to survive and grow, eventually achieving sentience. Part of it split off to become humanoid (my player), and the other part just kept on growing, absorbing everything in the entire Shadow, becoming an infinitely large organism, with organs the size of planets and a brain the size of a galaxy.  This was my character's 'brother' and personal Shadow.

Later on, I learned that my character was just a mobile construct created by the Shadow, and, in fact, the Shadow was actually my character.

[gabriel_ss4u]

Ya remember that Lankhmar City of Adventure module/map for AD&D?
(Have I written this on this site b4?)
The Map is awesome for a port city, and an idea of situating buildings, writing them in as you go, as it comes with a map you can update.
Ports of the Golden Circle or the Black Zone are interestingly fun to collect.

Within Chaos IMC, the elemental controlling Chaosians or Houses even, must have control of the best the Black Zone has in their element.
Designing those are fun too.
Many memorable shadows are also based off great existing stories, as stated by others on this thread. DragonLance, Dune, StarWars, Aliens/Predators, Comics, Greyhawke, Pern, White-wolf, Angels/Demons, Supers, you name it.
If the GM has a flow and feel for the realm/shadow it can transport the players to evenings of great adventure.

I created a mixed earth, with a balance of magic/technology, but low on each. Egypt was the greatest on the planet, but not the only great empire. I created it with waring-states/countries in mind. Shoguns in Japan, Gladiators in Rome, Natives in Americas (though slightly more advanced, spiritual shamans make up for lack of technology.) (magik)

My favorite is Avalon, based loosely off the idea from an Anime called Trinity Blood. (In it, the church held 1/2 of europe, and the methusulas
owned the other half. cool idea if you watch the series)
Corwin's angelic realm, based as the front forces against the nearest Chaos influence, which happens to be House Sepharoth, the dark angels of chaos.
Amid floating churches gleaming in the morning sky, Avalon's purpose is to protect their people from the dark forces which live at their borders.
Many Anime lends to good vs. evil idea.
Warrior Nuns and battle priests are lower forces but the brood of Corwin are the real stars of this stage.
Angelic warriors at their command, demons to fight, plots to uncover.
I love titles too, a great shadow is incomplete without great personalities/characters to populate them, and they all get cool titles.
again, sampling from anime or movies or books or comics or whatever.
Great Original ideas are hard to come by, but in a world of infinite possibilities, everything is original.


I like Warder's ideas within an idea, makes the mind race playing out possibilities in me kno'ggen.

I really dig the "blending disparate elements" mode of shadow creation: Civil War-era America with an overlay of near-Eastern Buddhist culture, ancient Greece with Lovecraftian horror entities, and the London of the roaring 1920’s combined with a punk rock sensibility are all fun possibilities to my mind.

Weilide; liked it so much I had to remind what you wrote, the idea of a blend like that is cool.

I liked the shadow-knitting of the underwaters and making it a quick travel through shadow, My elemental house of Chaos is similar to that in the Black Zone.
GM should have let you do it, though not so easily in the Golden circle, but it could be bought, and if it is, and allowed, it should not so easily be taken away, let the player enjoy their idea for a bit.