Shadow Meld

Ability Type: Spell, Difficulty 20
Provided By: Advanced Dark Magic

Spell Type: Elemental, Darkness
Form: Contained
Function: Movement, Utility
Power Cost: 2 to 6
Duration: Maintainable

A distant relative of Shadow Step, Shadow Meld works in a somewhat similar fashion – allowing its caster to step into one shadow and out of another. However rather than being an instantaneous transfer Shadow Meld allows its caster to linger in a private corner of the Elemental Plane of Darkness, 'swimming' from one dark place to the next – able to see out into the real world and chose when and where to emerge, so long as there is a patch of darkness. Although anyone within the shadow world can see out through any shadow, only a patch of darkness large enough to physically fit through can be used as a portal between the two worlds. Gravity has no effect in this half-real world, and the caster can move freely in any direction simply by willing it.

While hidden in this dark world the caster can be seen as a murky shape in any shadow that he looks out of, and he is vulnerable to Light or Psychic type attacks, taking twice normal damage from them. Other forms of damage cannot harm the caster however, and he cannot be reached physically except by someone else using Shadow Meld. If two users of the spell do encounter one another then they may interact normally and could feasibly even use physical force to eject each other from the shadow world.

While moving through darkness the caster cannot cast other magic and whilst he may maintain existing spells, magical effects other than Shadow Meld itself do not operate for as long he remains there. The caster may hear and speak to people in the normal world from the shadow world, but he cannot touch them or otherwise interact with them unless he moves into the normal world again. It is possible for the caster to bring objects or even other people with him, so long as he can find a large enough patch of darkness, but they can stay in the shadow world only as long as he remains in physical contact with them. Passengers cannot move through the darkness under their own power, but instead must rely on the caster to pull them along using the movement provided by the spell.

Anything or anyone that he brings with him and then loses contact with is expelled from the shadows at once – appearing from the nearest large enough patch of darkness back into the normal world. Additionally if the spell ends for any reason whilst the caster or any passengers are still in the shadow world then they are suddenly and violently ejected back into the normal world through the nearest patch of darkness. Anything or anyone ejected in either fashion takes the listed Ejection Shock.

Stealth Bonus: +6
Movement Through Darkness: 1 x Power
Ejection Shock: 2 x Power
Light and Psychic Damage Effect: +2 DC (versus anyone within the dark world)