Blade of Darkness (5e Class)

Blade of Darkness

The orc band prepares a campfire after another successful caravan raid. Just as the leader is about to start the celebrations, the glowing blade slices his head clean off, and disappears just as fast as it appeared. One after one the orcs either drop down dead, silently disappear after backing too far into the shadows, or are blasted in the back with shards of pure darkness. The remaining ones stand back to back in a circle, waiting anxiously. The unseen assassin finally shows his face, two glowing eyes under a black cowl. His dark robe seems to melt in with the shadows, only the movement reveals its true shape. A split second later, shadows cover the remaining orcs, as screams of terror fill the air. Then silence.

You are one with the shadows. It doesn't matter whether they're innocent or guilty, weak or powerful, you'll kill anyone for pay. Your blade thirsts for blood, go and drink your fill.

Worshipers of Darkness

Blades of darkness are first and foremost cultists of the shadows themselves. Many of the arts mastered by these frightening assassins were developed by the Cult of Darkness, an ancient religious order that worshiped the shadows, both in the sense of the absence of light, like the shadows present in the material plane; and the true shadows, the substance of darkness existent in the realm of shadows, the Shadowfell. The belief of this cult placed both great respect and fear on the concept of darkness, specially on the idea of concealment, the property that truly awakens deep terror in one's mind.

Blades of Darkness master both shadows, natural and extra-planar, using the first to stealthily walk towards their targets, and the second to draw magical powers, infusing their blades with the essence of darkness, allowing them to deliver blows that not only tear the flesh apart, drawing a victim's blood, but also corrupt the target's body, like a supernatural poison, necrosing and tainting the open wound.

Gold and Blood

Aside from being masters of shadows, Blades of Darkness are also hired blades, mercenaries and assassins, carrying on missions in exchange for a high price of gold. Generally, those Blades of Darkness still tied to one of the cult's monasteries will receive their missions directly from the cult, that intermediates the contract and passes a percentage of the gold to the assassin. The gold retained by the cult is used to finance their own mysterious objectives. Completing a task is often a matter of life or death to the hired assassin, since the reputation of the clan is precious and they have no use for a member who can't complete his missions.

Creating a Blade of Darkness

When creating a Blade of Darkness, the most important question you must answer is: are you still tied to the monastery, cell or master who trained you, or are you a independent assassin. Blades who are still tied to a superior will usually be sent on missions by them, being sometimes released from their duties, enabling them to pursue their own objectives for a little while - but always ready for a calling of their masters. On the other hand, independent blades are free to choose their path, missions and goals, being often driven by high payment for their great abilities, but being careful to not reveal the true nature of their abilities - the cult often hunt and kill dissidents.

Also, this leads to another relevant background information about your character that must be decided: how did you learned your current skills and where did you learned them. Most Blades of Darkness will be trained by the cult, but there have been schisms through the years, and maybe they can be part of one of those clandestine clans; is also not unheard of Blades of Darkness that have been trained by another dissident, who decided to pass on their knowledge as a legacy to a future generation; also, it is possible that one could learn those skills by itself, either by finding secret texts of the cult, or by forming a connection with the darkness by themselves.

Quick Build

You can make a Blade of Darkness quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom and Constitution. Second, choose the Acolyte or the Criminal background. Third, choose a assassin's garb, a shortbow and 20 arrows, a burglar's pack, two daggers, a shortsword, and a memento of your first kill.

Class Features

As a blade of darkness you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per blade of darkness level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per blade of darkness level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light Armor
Weapons: Simple Weapons, shortsword
Tools: disguise kit, poisoner's kit, torturer's tools
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose any three skills

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• assassin garb and a shortbow with 20 arrows
• (a) Burglar's Pack or (b) Dungeoneer's Pack

Table: The blade of darkness

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Deathly Shadows	Dark Velocity
1st	+2	Dark Velocity, Deathly Shadows, Darkvision	1d6	10
2nd	+2	Assassinate	1d6	10
3rd	+2	Archetype feature	2d6	10
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	2d6	10
5th	+3	Uncanny Dodge	3d6	10
6th	+3	Cunning Action	3d6	15
7th	+3	Evasion	4d6	15
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	4d6	15
9th	+4	Roguish Archetype feature	5d6	15
10th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	5d6	20
11th	+4	Cloak of Shadows	6d6	20
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	6d6	20
13th	+5	Archetype feature	7d6	20
14th	+5	Blindsense	7d6	25
15th	+5	Death Strike	8d6	25
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	8d6	25
17th	+6	Archetype feature	9d6	25
18th	+6	Elusive	9d6	30
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	10d6	30
20th	+6	Stroke of Luck	10d6	30

Dark Velocity

Starting at 1st level, you can easily traverse the environment while clouded by darkness. When you start your turn in an area of dim light or darkness, you gain the following benefits:

• Your speed increases by 10 feet. This bonus increases when you reach certain Blade of Darkness levels, as shown in the Blade of Darkness table.

• Your jump distance is doubled.

• Your climbing speed is equal to your movement speed.

• When attempting to run, jump, slide, climb, swing or otherwise move athletically you can make any Strength (Athletics) check as a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check and vise versa.

Deathly Shadows

Beginning at 1st level, you know how to use the darkness to conceal your strikes, making them lethal. Once per turn, when you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to another creature that is also in an area of dim light or darkness and you hit with an attack. If both you and the attacked creature are in an area of darkness, you can change the extra damage type to necrotic.

The amount of the extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Deathly Shadows column of the Blade of Darkness table.

Darkvision

At 1st level, you gain darkvision out to a range of 30 feet, if you already have darkvision its range increases by 30ft.

Assassinate

At 2nd level, you are at your deadliest when you get the drop on your enemies. You have advantage on attack rolls against any creature that hasn't taken a turn in the combat yet. In addition, any hit you score against a creature that is surprised is a critical hit.

Blade of Darkness Archetype

At 3rd level, you choose an archetype that you emulate in the exercise of your blade of darkness abilities, such as Hired Killer or Shadow Cultist. Your archetype choice grants you features at 3rd level and then again at 9th, 13th, and 17th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Uncanny Dodge

Starting at 5th level, when an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack's damage against you.

Cunning Action

Starting at 6th level, your quick thinking and agility allow you to move and act quickly. You can take a bonus Action on each of your turns in combat. This action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.

Evasion

Beginning at 7th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon's fiery breath or an ice storm spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Cloak of Shadows

By 11th level, you have learned to become one with the shadows. When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become invisible. You remain invisible until you make an attack, cast a spell, or are in an area of bright light.

Blindsense

Starting at 14th level, if you are able to hear, you are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 10 feet of you.

Death Strike

Starting at 15th level, you become a master of instant death. When you attack and hit a creature that is surprised, it must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus). On a failed save, double the damage of your attack against the creature.

Elusive

Beginning at 18th level, you are so evasive that attackers rarely gain the upper hand against you. No attack roll has advantage against you while you aren't incapacitated.

Stroke of Luck

At 20th level, you have an uncanny knack for succeeding when you need to. If your attack misses a target within range, you can turn the miss into a hit. Alternatively, if you fail an ability check, you can treat the d20 roll as a 20.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Blade of Darkness Archetype

Hired Killer

Hired killers are the cult's elite soldiers, the cornerstone of the Blades of Darkness. These are the main source of income for the organization, which makes them valuable assets to their leaders. Hired killers are masters in the use of their blades, and emphasize the martial aspect of their training.

Martial Training

Starting at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with medium armor and with melee martial weapons that lack the heavy or the two-handed property. These weapons are considered to have the finesse property for you. In addition, you don't need to be in an area of dim light or darkness if you are attacking with a melee weapon, and standing within 5 feet of your target, since the target is covered by the shadow projected by your body.

Shadow Assassination

Starting at 3rd level, any creature that hasn't taken a turn in the combat yet is considered surprised. In addition, when you are hidden in an area of dim light or darkness from a creature that is also in an area of dim light or darkness and hit it with a melee weapon attack, that creature is considered to be surprised.

Cut Vein

Starting at 9th level, when you score a critical hit against a creature using a melee weapon that causes piercing or slashing damage, that creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier). On a failure, that creature loses 1d6 hit points, plus 1d6 at the end of each turn, as a result of bleeding. Creatures without blood are immune to this feature.

The bleeding stop if a creature succeeds on a Wisdom (Medicine) check to stabilize that creature. The target can also make another saving throw at the start of each turn, ending the bleeding on a success.

Counter Kill

At 13th level, you can quickly strike enemies who approach you. Creatures provoke an opportunity attack from you when they move 5 feet or more while within your reach.

Black Whirlwind

Starting at 17th level, when you reduce a creature to 0 hit points on your turn with a Deathly Shadow attack, you can move up to your speed and make one melee attack, without using an action.

Shadow Cultist

Shadow cultists are Blades of Darkness who emphasize the magical aspect of their training. They are acolytes, worshippers of the darkness, and they often have a deeper understanding of the objectives of the cult.

Spellcasting

Upon reaching 3rd level, the shadows give you the powers an individual like you would need to accomplish its goals.

Cantrip

You know a number of cantrips equal to the number shown in the Cantrip column in the Shadow Cultist table.

Spell Slots

The Shadow Cultist table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest. For example, if you know the 1st-level spell Armor of Agathys and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast Armor of Agathys using either slot.

Spell level

The Shadow Cultist can only cast spells on a level for which he has spell slots left and the spell slot level is shown in the spell slot table.

Preparing and Casting

You can know all spells of the Shadow Cultist spell list that equal or are smaller than your current spell level. You must prepare spells from that list to cast them. You can prepare a number of spells up to half of your Shadow Cultist level (rounded up) + your Wisdom modifier.

Spellcasting Ability

Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for your Shadow Cultist spells, since your magic draws on your worship of the shadows. You use your Wisdom whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Wisdom modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Shadow Cultist spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency modifier + your Wisdom modifier

Spell attack = your proficiency modifier + your Wisdom modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use a arcane focus as your spellcasting focus.

Dark Embrace

Also at 3rd level, you can conjure shadows. As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend a spell slot to conjure a sphere of shadow at a point you can see within 30 feet of you. The area inside the sphere is considered dim light. This sphere lasts for 1 minute, and any bright light inside the sphere becomes dim light. Once per turn while inside this sphere, you can each spend 5 feet of movement to teleport to any unoccupied space also inside a sphere.

The radius of this sphere depends on the level of the spell slot spent, being 10-foot radius with a 1st-level spell slot, plus 10 feet of radius for each spell slot level beyond 1st.

You can't have more than one sphere conjured this way at a time. If you summon a second sphere using this feature, the first sphere vanishes. If you move further than 120 feet from the sphere, it's duration ends.

Darkest Fear

Starting at 9th level, you can use your Action to attack the minds of all hostile creatures in the area of your Dark Embrace. They must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or become frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Dark Transport

Beginning at 13th level, when you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use a bonus action to teleport to an unoccupied space covered in dim light or darkness you can see within 120 feet.

Dark Erosion

Beginning at 17th level, hostile creatures within the area of your Dark Embrace have a penalty to AC and to all saving throws equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum 1).

Shadow Cultist Spell List

You prepare your Shadow Cultist spells from the list below.

Cantrips

blade ward, booming blade, friends, mage hand, message, minor illusionguidance, true strike, vicious mockery

1st Level

alarm, armor of agathys, arms of hadar charm person, color spray, comprehend languages, disguise self, grease, hunter's mark, jump, longstrider, silent image, snare

2nd Level

alter self, arms of hadar, blindness/deafness, blur, crown of madness, darkness, darkvision, invisibility, mirror image, misty step, shadow blade, spider climb, suggestion, web

3rd Level

blink, fear, feign death, haste, hunger of hadar, nondetection, phantom steed, speak with dead

4th Level

death ward, dimension door, black tentacles, greater invisibility, faithful hound, phantasmal killer, shadow of moil, staggering smite

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