'Dungeons & Dragons' Confirm Big Changes to a Popular Character Race

Dungeons & Dragons have made some big changes to a popular playable race.

D&D Beyond's YouTube channel is releasing weekly chats with Dungeons & Dragons franchise creative director Mike Mearls about some of the content in the upcoming Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes book. The new suppliment adds several playable character races, along with some additional lore about various conflicts that stretch across the D&D multiverse.

In the most recent video, Mearls talks about the Raven Queen, a relatively new addition to D&D lore. When first introduced as part of the 2008 Fourth Edition version of D&D, the Raven Queen was a new god of death, having slain the old god Nerull. However, D&D made some changes to the Raven Queen when they updated the game to its current Fifth Edition. Currently, the Raven Queen is the ruler of the Shadowfell, a bleak parallel plane. While not truly a god, the Raven Queen can grant her powers to followers and can also pluck individual souls from existence when they die, either to retain, resurrect, or study them on her whims.

As the ruler of the Shadowfell, the Raven Queen is also the ruler of the Shadar-Kai, a race of shadowy beings who made their home in that realm. The Shadar-kai were originally introduced as a playable race way back in 2000, and were popular for their ability to teleport away and turn incorporeal during combat. The Shadar-Kai were originally conceived as humans who were corrupted and changed by the energies in the Shadowfell. However, in the new video, Mearls now claims that the Shadar-Kai are actually a sub-race of elves who have changed due to their time living in the Shadowfell.

Fans who follow Dungeons & Dragons closely knew this change was coming. D&D introduced the Shadar-Kai as elves in a recent Unearthed Arcana package, which serves as a way to playtest potential rules and additions before they officially become canon. The Shadar-Kai are now presented as a parallel to the Eladrin, elves who live in the Feywild planes.

Mearls also noted that the Shadar-Kai's appearance changes depending on what plane they're currently on. In the "Material Plane" (aka, the physical realm in which humans and normal creatures live,) the Shadar-Kai resemble ageless elves. However, the Shadar-Kai's true forms as ancient, withered creatures are revealed when existing in the Shadowfell. For that reason, the Shadar-Kai often wear masks while spending time in the Shadowfell.

We'll see what other big changes are in store when Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes comes out on May 29th.