{{short description|2011 role-playing game supplement}} {{Infobox book | name = Heroes of Shadow | image = File:Heroes of Shadow, role-playing supplement.jpg | caption = The front cover of Heroes of Shadow, illustrated by Christopher Moeller | authors = Mike Mearls, Claudio Pozas, Robert J. Schwalb | genre = Role-playing game | publisher = Wizards of the Coast | release_date = April 19th, 2011 | media_type = Print | pages = 160 | isbn = 978-0-7869-5745-3 | congress = | oclc = }}
'''''Heroes of Shadow''''' is a supplement to the 4th edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. This was the first post-Essentials Dungeons & Dragons release and the supplement was designed to be compatible with both the Essentials line and the base game.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dmsguild.com/product/148009/Players-Option-Heroes-of-Shadow-4e|title=Player's Option: Heroes of Shadow (4e) - Product History|last=Appelcline|first=Shannon|date=|website=Dungeon Masters Guild|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-11-13}}</ref>
== Contents == ''Heroes of Shadow'' is a 160-page supplement focusing on shadow themed classes, races and other options for players.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://archive.wizards.com/Dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd/products/dndacc/280880000|title=Heroes of Shadow: D&D Game Supplement, Player's Options|last=|first=|date=|website=Dungeons and Dragons|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104083925/http://archive.wizards.com/Dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd%2Fproducts%2Fdndacc%2F280880000|archive-date=2015-11-04|access-date=2019-11-13}}</ref>
Shannon Appelcline, author of ''Designers & Dragons'', wrote: "''Heroes of Shadow'' introduces a few classes who had been somewhat missing from D&D 4e. The ''assassin'' went MIA starting in AD&D second edition (1989-2000) [...]. It had returned in AD&D 3e (2000) as a prestige class, but wasn't in the core for 4e, appearing only in ''Dragon #379'' (September 2009). [...] The ''blackguard'' is an alternate paladin that's sort of evil. The idea of an anti-paladin dates back to an article called "Good Got You Down? Try This for Evil" in ''Dragon #39'' (July 1980). [...] However, anti-paladins had never before gotten official notice, and ''PHBR12: The Complete Paladin's Handbook'' (1994) even said 'we discourage the use of anti-paladins'. Now, ''Heroes of Shadow'' finally offered an official option".<ref name=":0" />
The table of contents lists the follow sections:<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rpggeek.com/image/2053249/players-option-heroes-shadow|title=Heroes of Shadow - Table of Contents Image|last=|first=|date=|website=RPGGeek|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-11-13}}</ref>
* Chapter 1: Into the Dark * Chapter 2: Shadow Class **Assassin **Paladin **Vampire **Warlock ** Other Classes * Chapter 3: Races of Shadow ** Revenant **Shade ** Vryloka **Dwarves **Eladrin **Elves **Halfings **Humans * Chapter 4: Shadow Options ** Paragon Paths ** Epic Destines ** Shadow Feat ** Equipment
Appelcline also highlighted the three new races for 4th edition: "None of them were particularly notable in the annals of D&D, but each had a bit of historical depth. The ''revenant'' had previously appeared in ''Dragon #376'' (June 2009). The ''shade'' was a popular D&D monster that dated back to ''Monster Manual II'' (1983). The ''vryloka'' was a breed of living vampires based on some of the same ideas as the vrykolaka from "Hearts of Darkness" in ''Dragon #126'' (October 1990)".<ref name=":0" />
==Publication history== On the development of this book, Senior Creative Art Director Jon Schindehette said the "''Heroes of Shadows'' game supplement focuses on the darker characters in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Now I’m not talking about villains, but rather those characters that call themselves heroes and use the power of the Shadowfell: dark, disturbed and perhaps even a little morally ambiguous at times, but heroes nonetheless".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd/drdd/20110413|title=Art of Shadow: Design & Development|last=Schindehette|first=Jon|date=April 13, 2011|website=Dungeons and Dragons|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151104091506/http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2Fdrdd%2F20110413|archive-date=November 4, 2015|access-date=November 13, 2019}}</ref>
''Heroes of Shadow'' was written by Mike Mearls with Claudio Pozas and Robert J. Schwalb. It was published on April 19, 2011 and was the first post-Essentials Dungeons & Dragons.<ref name=":1" /> Appelcline added that "the whole ''Essentials'' line trailed off entirely in 2011. The 'Class Compendium,' which was intended to bridge the core 4E rules with the ''Essentials'' variant, was canceled. After that, ''Essentials''-like books — starting with ''Heroes of Shadows'' (2011) — were returned to the more expensive hardcover format."<ref name="designers90s" />{{rp|197}}
Appelcline commented that with the fifth season of Encounters, ''Dark Legacy of Evard'' (2011, 13 weeks), "This Season told a ghost story that focusing on the Shadowfell and the related ''Heroes of Shadow'' (2011) release."<ref name="designers90s">{{Cite book|author=Shannon Appelcline|title=Designers & Dragons: The '90s|publisher=Evil Hat Productions|year=2014| isbn=978-1-61317-084-7}}</ref>{{rp|194}} In May 2011, ''The Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond'' was released and continued to expand on the themes established in ''Heroes of Shadow''.<ref name=":0" />
On April 28, 2015, ''Heroes of Shadow'' was re-released as a PDF.<ref name=":0" />
== Reception == ''Critical-Hits'' highlighted the fan confusion on if the book was part of the Essentials line or not: "If you were to ask me if the book Heroes of Shadow is an Essentials D&D product, I would say no on the principle that it does not say Essentials on the cover and that I have a pretty clear definition of what the product line was and entailed. However, I don’t feel that WotC has done a sufficient job making the definitions clear, and so I would say that this book very heavily favors Essentials content. [...] I think that what this book tells us about the direction for 4E D&D that WotC is taking is that new class design will be following the guidelines set forth in the Essentials products. New races, feats, items, and monsters all follow a new set of guidelines that came around mostly with Essentials, but I think the place we feel the difference the most, and the place where we really care, is in the design of classes".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://critical-hits.com/blog/2011/04/06/review-heroes-of-shadow/|title=Review: Heroes of Shadow|date=2011-04-07|website=Critical Hits|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-13}}</ref>
Appelcline emphasized that vampires as a class, and not as a race, was the most controversial element of ''Heroes of Shadow''. Appelcline pointed out that "the designers made this unusual choice because it allowed them to 'create a character that both captures the aspects of the iconic vampire, and feels like a vampire every round'. It also permitted players to mix various races with the vampire class. There was also a strong history of vampire classes in the D&D game, dating back to Dave Arneson's Blackmoor campaign".<ref name=":0" />
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151104083925/http://archive.wizards.com/Dnd/Product.aspx?x=dnd%2Fproducts%2Fdndacc%2F280880000 Wizards of the Coast Product Page] and book excerpts (via the Internet Archive): * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151110121230/http://archive.wizards.com/DnD/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2F4art%2F20110412 Art Galleries: Heroes of Shadow Art] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151104091506/http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2Fdrdd%2F20110413 Design & Development: Art of Shadow] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151104091505/http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2Fdrdd%2F20110330 Design & Development: Blackguard] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151104091505/http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2Fdrdd%2F20110406 Design & Development: Vampire] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151104091504/http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2F4ex%2F20110325 Heroes of Shadow Excerpts: Shadows Feats] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151104084733/http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2F4ex%2F20110321 Heroes of Shadow Excerpts: Shadows of Destiny] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151104084733/http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2F4ex%2F20110318 Heroes of Shadow Excerpts: Paragon Path] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151104084732/http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2F4ex%2F20110314 Heroes of Shadow Excerpts: Shadow Races] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151104084731/http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2F4ex%2F20110311 Heroes of Shadow Excerpts: Shadow Classes] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20151104084729/http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/Article.aspx?x=dnd%2F4ex%2F20110307 Heroes of Shadow Excerpts: Shadow Magic] {{D&D topics}}
Category:Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks Category:Role-playing game supplements introduced in 2011