Shadow Healing

[Harmonic]

I always thought corruption was more the realm of Fel, while insanity went with things like Saronite, and so on. It's hard to tell with shadow, because while attempting to find information, I've found -nothing- official on it. That's also somewhat frustrating.

[Grakor456]

Aye. Non-canonical, but not really troublesome. If people want to RP things out like in those guides, that's cool. Just know that it's not mandatory and someone else may be taking the idea in a different direction.

[Aphetoros]

I've always saw it as a less of... blocking compassion and kindness/emotions, but as more of a... I can't explain, so example.

A woman has trapped you in her home out of desperate reasons you don't know. She claims it is to save her family.

The Light-user wants to help her, compassion telling the character to ask about the situation and try to save her family.
The Shadow-user sees the logical, easy way to solve things. Kill her to escape. Proceed to give zero ****s.

[Rigley]

See, personally I don't believe the emotional deattachment needs to necessarily have anything specific as a side-effect of Shadow itself.

It could be that those with less emotional involvement are more attracted to the weightier offensive powers of the Shadow.

Or perhaps said use of those powers have brought them to become disaffected after inflicting so much pain on others.

/shrug.

[CappnRob]

THEN WE HAVE MATHEIU

WHO LIKE AN IDIOT USES SHADOW BUT TRIES TO MAINTAIN HIS COMPASSION AND HUMANITY

[Aphetoros]

I don't know where the fanon about shadow and emotions even came from...

[Harmonic]

I prefer to think of priests as a sort of Yin and Yang philosophy. One side is the darker nature, the other the lighter. It's not about good or evil, malicious intent, or anything like that, but more so about a sort of balance between Dark and light.

Even the brightest lights still make objects cast a shadow. Without one, there cannot be another, so even though they are different, one is mandatory to the other. Priests, in my opinion, are able to utilize this fact (In the case of holy light and shadow), and therefore manipulate both forms of the magic through their faith. If you believe in the light, and use it... you cast a shadow. You can use that shadow, or you can ignore it, but either way it doesn't mean you're a bad priest for it.

But that's my take on it.

[Aphetoros]

As said by D'ore, "Without the void, the Light cannot exist."

[LostStranger]

Spoiler:

Meanwhile, we have a game that essentially tells us the complete opposite. Priests are given both holy and shadow magic and are allowed to use both without restriction, with the exception of Shadowform shenanigans. We are given examples of characters that can use both freely. Holy and shadow are opposites in a similar sense that fire and frost are opposites, yet we let mages use both of those. Given that priest magic is the result of a priest extending his will to manipulate reality, I see nothing at all contradictory about a priest using both holy and shadow. If he knows how to use one, certainly he can figure out how to use the other.

...If we can consider it canon that the Kirin Tor was once averse to fire magic for its uncontrollable tendencies and reminiscence of wholeheartedly demonic arcana...

I might compare it to that, that although shadow magic was as naturally available to priestly studies as holy magic...

Spoiler:

Because I do not agree with the rules that have been picked for this server that religious powers are ambiguous and tied to game mechanics. Voodoo being a good example cannot be compared to shamanism, arcane or the standard divine balance of Light and Dark cause that's not what the faith is about even. To me, the detail that paladin's loose their powers if they stray sums faith in Warctaft up for me. Here you have my elaboration and that's off topic.

I will begin by noting that the only case paladins have been known to lose their powers is the plight of the Broken. There was also a situation where Tirion was "stripped" of his anointment in some sort of punitive ritual, out in the novels, but we know that didn't last.

Paladins left unable to cast their spells by acting out of their alignment is explicitly a D&D concept.

Moving swiftly forward, however...

...Regardless of what religious trappings a priest of a certain faith might have, what philosophies guide the use of their power, what words go into their prayers...

A priest is a priest is a priest. For the most part.

They all tap into the same modus operandi. The differences are only a more extreme cousin of the draenei vindicator's contrast to human/dwarf paladins.

Simply because they might refuse to use certain abilities out of principle, custom, or cultural stigma does not mean these abilities are any less under their umbrella.

Spoiler:

It could be that those with less emotional involvement are more attracted to the weightier offensive powers of the Shadow.

The idea that shadow magic effaces the emotions of its practitioners is something we totally made up as a community.

...At least, I think it was us, given that the earliest mention I can think to reference is Vrahn's guide to the dark arts.

Touching upon the actual topic, however...!

Something to consider is the destructive and parasitic inclinations of shadow magic.

While I would not be opposed to a variant, I can't think of a shadow spell in the game that heals without a steep price paid by someone else.

...After all, wasn't [Shadowmend] functionally replaced with vampiric DPS spells?

[Zhaei]

Yeah, there is a lot of self-healing in Shadow. Personally I would say it is possible, but very difficult and inefficient.

[LostStranger]

Spoiler:

As said by D'ore, "Without the void, the Light cannot exist."

...One potential justification for a member of the Church to wield shadow magic (because such religiously oriented intellectuals as priests are all about justification) could be that R'hllor business from George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.

Who can argue that it is the brightest lights that cast the blackest shadows?

I personally believe in the fanonical concept of transferring life in order to heal. Mixing up the recipient of the drain spell's recuperative effects to anyone but you.

Exempli gratia, you're playing an Affliction warlock and your party has captured an enemy, but one of your own has been wounded and doesn't seem like he's going to make it. Healthstones are not an option, and you have no healers that can get here fast enough to help. It's up to you.
What do you do?