Shadowstaff

A shadowstaff was a unique immortal servant created by either Mystra or Azuth from a willing former mortal. In life shadowstaves were typically Magisters or devout worshipers of either deity.

Description
Shadowstaves typically appeared as either floating amorphous cloaked figures or shadowy humanlike forms. They often appeared by rising from seemingly solid objects such as stone floors, passing through small openings similar to wraiths. A shadowstaff could never become fully visible. They could darken their appearance at will, becoming practically invisible to most creatures while occupying dark or gloomy surroundings.

Combat
Shadowstaves were not undead and therefore could not be harmed or influenced by attacks designed for such creatures like turning, commanding, or using items such as holy water.

Shadowstaves could become completely insubstantial at will, passing through the smallest cracks and openings in any surface. While in this form both normal and magical fire or heat caused them greater harm. They could also not perform physical attacks while insubstantial.

While substantial, shadowstaves attacked with weapons they were proficient with or by shooting volleys of magic missiles from their fingertips. They could attack with a weapon in each hand or a weapon and magic simultaneously. The magic missiles were precisely controlled by the shadowstaff, allowing them to alter the harm they inflicted at will and to strike multiple targets at once. They also made use of any magic item they came across, inherently knowing all of its properties within minutes of first touching the item.

When encountering an enchanted staff, shadowstaves could "vanish" into the staff. While inside the staff they could heal themselves by taking charges from the staff. They remained undetected inside of the staff and could only be harmed if the staff was broken, resulting in their immediate destruction.

Shadowstaves could cast any spells they knew during their lifetime. These spells never needed to be rememorized in the traditional fashion. The spells did require the normal material components, but the shadowstaff could drain charges from magic items to use in place of the required material component instead.

Any item touched by a shadowstaff hovered in the air for up to ten minutes after being touched, allowing them to set traps with hidden floating weapons that could be dropped onto unsuspecting targets. However, this also prevent shadowstaves from ever throwing an object.

A shadowstaff could execute a special hold attack when touching a target. Doing so rendered them substantial for several minutes and unable to use their magic missiles during that time. Held targets remained in that condition for ten minutes unless struck by something.

Shadowstaves possessed stout resistance to all cold and electrical-based attacks. They were completely immune to life or energy draining attacks as well as enchantment, charm, and illusion spells. Psionics had no effect on them. Shadowstaves were also immune to all poisons, petrification, polymorph, and death magics.

At will a shadowstaff could make all magic items within radiate with white faerie fire that could last several hours.

A shadowstaff was completely immune to any attempt to control or influence their mind short of attempts made by divine intervention.

Habitat/Society
Shadowstaves enjoyed observing intelligent beings, often at the request of their deity. Due to a special tongues power granted by Azuth or Mystra, they were able to communicate with any creature or being.

A shadowstaff would never willingly attack another of its kind, though disagreements could certainly occur, typically over the best way to complete a task.

Not only did they retain all of the magical powers and intellect they possessed as mortals, shadowstaves experienced a deeper understanding of magic than they previously held.

Though the exact number and nature of the tasks performed by shadowstaves were known only by a few Magisters, their duties included supervising Magisterial duels to ensure they were not influenced by outside events. They also provided unique insight to mages and clergymen of Azuth or Mystra when they asked for guidance. Shadowstaves remained completely unseen most of the time, tasked to observe mortal mages and help them learn the responsibilities of using magic and goading them to pursue higher magic.

In certain areas of Faerûn shadowstaves took a more active role in their dealings. A fine example of this were the shadowstaves that often defended Aglarond and Rashemen from incursions from Thay in order to encourage the Red Wizards to develop stronger magic to defeat their foes. Shadowstaves performed similar behavior in the Dalelands with the Zhentarim. In Myth Drannor shadowstaves helped keep stronger denizens and demons imprisoned, allowing the inhabitants of the surrounding areas to devout the time and energy into magical research compared to just wasting their magical energy fighting monsters.

Shadowstaves could be slain, but most were able to easily avoid destruction while serving Mystra. Instead, their souls slowly faded away over the millennia until nothing remained. The experiences of a shadowstaff served as a collective source of knowledge for Mystra. In fact, Midnight used the extensive knowledge of the shadowstaves to mature and adapt into her role as the "new" goddess of magic.

Azuth and Mystra could contact and see through the eyes of any shadowstaff at will, but manifesting or speaking through a shadowstaff would destroy it and was done only under the most dire circumstances.

Ecology
Shadowstaves did not draw breath, require sleep or sustenance of any kind, and they did not breed. As the centuries passed it was common for shadowstaves to become weary with their existence and request that either Azuth or Mystra send them to oblivion or restore them to a new form. The gods were usually compassionate to their requests, though some of the shadowstaves memories were erased to protect vital divine secrets.

Shadowstaves could also become attached or infatuated with individuals with whom they spent an abundance of time.

Notable Shadowstaves

 * Tsanbrin Aulmeroevler