Silhouettes and the Plane of Shadows

[DtMK]

Ever since the mention of these quasi-elemental beings was first printed, people have wondered about their connection to Shadow Beasts or the Plane of Shadows, talked about in Rifters 20 and 28. I'm thinking of exploring their possible connections in an upcoming game, but has anyone else here explored the Silhouettes and their potential origins in games? Given their natural tendencies for magic, were the Shademen that devoured a race of magic users? Are they just another race that evolved but lost their origins? With their shadow nature, would they look at light and energy beings like the Bhlaze as natural enemies?

I know I can work something out for my own games, but I was wondering if anyone else has delved into the Silhouettes and their connection to the Shadow dimension in their games? I'd love to hear more, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

[DhAkael]

I've played around with the "Shadowmen" a few times, but haven't really developed anything beyond the very very very short blurb given in the original Phaseworld book.
I may need to at some point, but for now I just have it that they are up to something shadey

[DtMK]

There's a lot of possibilities with the Silhouettes, and Lord Gray seems interested in them as well. This tells me that the Silhouettes are somehow connected to the Plane, but even those currently in power don't know how, or how they can exist in sunlight without their powers being reduced. Was it a botched experiment? A long forgotten plan? An accident of fate?

One of my friends says he'd like to come into town and play a Silhouette mage who has come to learn more about his roots by learning everything he can about Shadow Magic. It would be interesting to see if anyone else has any ideas. For example, if the Silhouettes are partially elemental beings connected to the Plane of Shadow, wouldn't that give them the tendency to become warlocks of shadow? If that were the case, does this mean we have yet to see a minor or major elemental made of shadow? Or would the Black Entity spoken of in Rifts Index 1 be one such being? It was also weakened in daylight and absorbed P.P.E., so who knows?

[shiiv-a]

hmm .. shadow magic .. roaming the shadows and apart? .. even mention of Lord Grey?

methinks i hath removed Ebony the 'Dark' .. just in time. would find explaining HER difficult.

but then .. she IS difficult for me to understand, and I made her

[shiiv-a]

shadow warlocks are NB ...

shadow magic is one of the 'lost' types found in the library of ble-something ...

no insults meant to either system

[shiiv-a]

lol
just staing the obvious.
just don't have those 2 rifters so i can't read the articles.
besides i'm sure DtMK might recall my char

[drewkitty ~..~]

Ever since the mention of these quasi-elemental beings was first printed, people have wondered about their connection to Shadow Beasts or the Plane of Shadows, talked about in Rifters 20 and 28. I'm thinking of exploring their possible connections in an upcoming game, but has anyone else here explored the Silhouettes and their potential origins in games? Given their natural tendencies for magic, were the Shademen that devoured a race of magic users? Are they just another race that evolved but lost their origins? With their shadow nature, would they look at light and energy beings like the Bhlaze as natural enemies?

I know I can work something out for my own games, but I was wondering if anyone else has delved into the Silhouettes and their connection to the Shadow dimension in their games? I'd love to hear more, and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

I would have the Silhouettes changed from the time their ancestors left the plane of shadows, to be more physical then shadows, then shadow beasts/-men. With the "Hammer of the Forge" shademan char being more closely like the shadow beasts, then to Silhouettes.

While Silhouettes might have a knee jerk seeing bhlaze as natural enemies when first seen, but after that ....

[DtMK]

It also might beg to wonder if a Shadow Lord might have some kind of influence over Silhouettes, much like Hypnotic Suggestion or some other mind control power. Perhaps that's what caused their long forgotten exodus from the Plane of Shadows in the first place. Perhaps now they have no such limitation after centuries of freedom in this plane.

[DhAkael]

One thing that people have suggested is the Shadowmagic in one of the rifters (can't for life of me remeber issue #), and also the shadow-based talents used by Nightspawn -ahem I mean Nightbane, to flesh-out the Silhouette race.

One sorta unwritten but implied power I've always used for Silhouettes in my games (either as NPC's or when playing) is that they fully enter into the shadows and can even travel through them. Thus, if a shadow continues under a door or through a crack in a wall say, the Silhouette can walk through said shadow to the other side, even if the crack is only a few milimetres wide.

But heaven help the poor sott if someone hits them with a flashlight while doing so

[DhAkael]

One sorta unwritten but implied power I've always used for Silhouettes in my games (either as NPC's or when playing) is that they fully enter into the shadows and can even travel through them. Thus, if a shadow continues under a door or through a crack in a wall say, the Silhouette can walk through said shadow to the other side, even if the crack is only a few milimetres wide.
But heaven help the poor sott if someone hits them with a flashlight while doing so

Should i assume this ability applies to Solace?

How do you think he kept from being nabbed by the CSI's ?