It's not a shadow, it's a vampire with a shadow-like body. It has physical presence, as shown by the fact that they can steal etc.Doc wrote: If it is just a shadow.. that's akin to a wraith. So it's not that special really? Except that it can wield a weapon.. BUT... how does a -shadow-.. carry and wield a weapon?
As for them being something other than simply physical doubles of their masters, I went with the mythological idea of doppels which says they are like a shadow that follows the owner around. That's just one myth, of course, but I liked it and felt it also limits what they can do in RP too. Besides, it's too late to change them in RP terms, but they've always been able to steal, so it makes sense that they can hold weapons.