Shadow of Moil, from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, is an interesting spell that is confusingly worded. A lot of the context needed to understand how the spell works is not in the text. It’s in understanding how the rules around vision and obscurement work. Here’s the text of the spell as a starting point:
Flame-like shadows wreathe your body until the spell ends, causing you to become heavily obscured to others. The shadows turn dim light within 10 feet of you into darkness, and bright light in the same area to dim light.
Until the spell ends, you have resistance to radiant damage. In addition, whenever a creature within 10 feet of you hits you with an attack, the shadows lash out at that creature, dealing it 2d8 necrotic damage.
Shadows of Moil, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, p. 164
I think it’s easiest to understand the effects of Shadow of Moil by looking at the type of senses the observer has. What I have to say here is consistent with the guidance Jeremy Crawford has provided on this spell:
Shadow of Moil by Vision Type:
- Vision – A “normally” sighted character cannot see through any darkness created by this spell. The caster is fully obscured. If darkness is created, the viewer with regular vision cannot determine the caster’s exact location within a 10-foot radius.
- Darkvision and Devil’s Sight– The spell does not specify that this darkness is magical. If the effect is within the range of the viewer’s dark vision, they can see through the darkness. However, the target is still fully obscured, and is not visible. Attacks against the target are at disadvantage and spells and effects that require the target to be seen cannot target the caster.
- Blindsight – A creature with blindsight can see the caster as long as the caster is within range of their blindsight.
- Tremorsense – A creature with tremorsense can see the caster of Shadows of Moil as long as the caster is within range and in contact with the same surface as the observer.
- Truesight – The observer with truesight can see through the darkness if it is within range of their truesight. The full obscurement still prevents them from seeing the caster. Attacks against the target are at disadvantage and spells and effects that require the target to be seen cannot target the caster.
That’s all for now! Here are some great monsters to throw at players using Shadow of Moil.
1 Comment
Anonymous · August 23, 2024 at 2:06 pm
My 2 cents as a perspective to make things make sense thematically, mechanically and scientifically.
Black flames do exist in the real world, although they take chemicals that need to be combined in a specific way. Check that out online so you have an idea of what “shadow-like flames” could be like. Imagine a rock in a bonfire, and invert the colors for example. The rock is still obscured no matter what color the “flames.” I think the “flame-like” part of that might just refer to a shape in this case.
That being said, in my brain, I don’t think Shadow of Moil is creating shadow so much as removing light. THAT’S why it gives light a “level” of dimming around them. This would explain why they are obscured and Truesight can’t get through it. Light has to hit and reflect in some way for sight to be useful. If the light never gets to the object then you can’t “see” it. Just like radar jamming, just for your eyeballs. Something is absorbing light all around the caster and VERY little light is getting to the caster and getting back to the baddies eyeballs. This along with the constant motion that is related to the “flame-like” description, means that this is a non-magical obstruction that can’t be “seen” through because no light gets through or reflected off of these “flame-like phenomenon. Which is also why blindsight and tremor sense might be used since they don’t rely on “sight”
If you have a window that absorbs all light, you can’t see through it. It’s not illusion, it’s not shadow, it’s an absence of actual light. The REVERSE of a torch. Instead of creating light it’s eating it.
EDIT: Or a black hole. Light goes in and it doesn’t come out. You can’t see through it.