Shadowheart/Romance

Overview

Approval

Disapproval

Banter

Location Remarks

Romance

Shadowheart can be romanced. The following sections explain Shadowheart's romance-specific storyline.

Storyline

Act One

Shadowheart, spending a quiet evening alone with the player character. She is hoping for a kiss.

Exclusionary choices

Although the player character is normally able to have the beginning stages of romance with two companions, if a romance is first started with Lae'zel this excludes the player character from starting a romance with Shadowheart - unless Lae'zel's romance is ended first. Otherwise, if Shadowheart is romanced first, a romance with Lae'zel can be started, too.

Tiefling party

At the tiefling party, if the player character has 20 or more approval with Shadowheart and has either not started any romance or is involved in no more than one other active romance, she invites them to "share a bottle" with her.

If the player character accepts, the rendezvous occurs later that night near a secluded waterfall away from camp. The conversation deepens their connection, and several dialogue options and skill checks follow. Exploring these fully reveals more of Shadowheart’s personality. Most choices do not affect approval, unless the player character abruptly ends the encounter. After the conversation, the scene fades and returns to a few hours later, showing the two lying on the ground, holding hands.

If the player chooses to stay with her through the night and passes a passive DC 5 Insight check, they realize she is expecting a kiss and can choose dialogue which leads to one. Failing the check does not lock the player out of her romance. Regardless of the outcome, the pair returns to camp together before dawn.

Shadowheart contemplates the previous night, her first spent being romanced by the player character.

The next day, the player character can speak with Shadowheart about the previous night. Her response varies depending on her approval level and on what did or did not occur during the encounter. If the player character failed the Insight check, she may express disappointment, admitting she was almost certain a kiss was coming. However, saying they wish they had kissed her allows the relationship to continue. Responding positively about their time together progresses the romance, while saying it was a mistake or that they got carried away ends it.

Missing a chance to connect

Alternatively, if Shadowheart’s approval reaches 40 or higher, a new dialogue option becomes available: "I can't help but feel like you and I might have missed a chance to connect. Truly connect." Choosing this initiates the same romantic scene, triggered on the next night when no other cutscenes are queued and the party begins a Long Rest. However, this option is impossible if any of the following conditions applies:

• The tiefling party already took place.
• The player character is already dating someone else.
• The player character is already partnered with someone else.
• The party has left Act Two.

Grymforge

In the Grymforge, the player character can find an Idol of Shar. Giving it to Shadowheart grants approval and a special dialogue with her.

Selûnite player character

If romanced by a Selûnite cleric, unique conversation options are available with Shadowheart. For example, if the Idol of Shar is given to her by a Selûnite cleric, a unique romance dialogue option can be chosen: "Kiss me like you hate me." One of her possible responses to this challenge includes teasing the player character with the promise of a kiss as she slowly circles them from behind, kissing them a few times on their backside, before finally sharing a passionate kiss face-to-face.

Act Two

In the Shadow-Cursed Lands, the player character can find a Night Orchid. Giving it to Shadowheart grants approval.

The Gauntlet of Shar is an important divergence in Shadowheart's romance. There, she has to decide how to deal with the Nightsong.

If Shadowheart accompanied the player character to the Shadowfell and decided Nightsong's fate, she speaks with the player character immediately afterward, and reflects on what just happened and, if romanced, on the nature of their relationship. This conversation can advance the romance to the Partnered stage or end the relationship, depending on how she dealt with the Nightsong.

• If she spared the Nightsong, she defies Shar's will and is abandoned by the goddess. She then admits in the conversation after leaving the Shadowfell that her relationship with the player character is something that she has consciously ignored in favor of her faith, and asks if they want to make that relationship more serious. She confesses her desire to be with the player "now and always," and asks if they feel the same.

• If she killed the Nightsong, she fulfills Shar's will and becomes a Dark Justiciar of the goddess. She then explains in the conversation after leaving the Shadowfell that she must fully devote herself to Shar, "leaving no room for others." However, she stays with the player character if they insist they still want to be with her.

Act Three

Selûnite

If the player previously learned that Shadowheart cannot swim and has 40 or more approval with her, she invites them to go swimming alone with her. After dialogue, the camera pans away as the two have sex.

After completing Shadowheart's personal quest at the House of Grief, Shadowheart asks the player character to come with her to a Selunite statue. Her dialogue there depends on how she dealt with her parents.

• If she chose to kill her parents, she grieves their loss.
• If she rescued them, she sobs that she does not deserve to be anyone's daughter for the actions she committed in Shar's name, only for her parents to reassure her that they love her and she will always be their daughter.

Either outcome gives the player character the option to comfort her with a hug.

Some time later, she talks about the future she hopes to have after getting rid of the Absolute.

If her parents were saved, she talks about her desire to live in a rural cottage surrounded by animals with the player character by her side.

Sharran

If Shadowheart killed the Nightsong, she becomes imbued with Shar's power and becomes noticeably colder and more distant. She informs the player character that Shar is her priority, but says her body is still at their disposal.

Later, she invites the player character to a Selûnite shrine. She reveals that she saved the blood that splattered on her clothing, body and hair from killing the Nightsong. Using it to desecrate the shrine, she relishes in the act.