Nightblade (5e Subclass)

Nightblade

Rogue Subclass

In the darkest corners of the world, where shadows meld with the silence, the Nightblades thrive. They are the whispered terror in the night, the cold dread that grips the hearts of the wicked. Cloaked in darkness, they move with the ghostly grace of a specter, unseen by all but the moon's watchful eye. Their presence is but a myth to some, a bedtime tale told to frighten the unruly into obedience. Yet, those who have felt the chill of their gaze know the truth of their existence.

The Nightblade is no mere assassin; they are the embodiment of fear itself, a silent predator whose very name evokes panic amongst those who dare whisper it. They do not merely take lives; they harvest the terror that precedes death, sowing dread like a farmer sows seeds. To cross a Nightblade is to dance with your own shadow, to feel the caress of death's hand upon your shoulder in every unlit corner.

Their art is one of precision and psychological warfare, wielding the darkness as both weapon and shield. To them, the battlefield is not a place of clashing steel and roaring spells, but a quiet, shadowy maze where the mind is the ultimate battleground. They strike not when their target is weakest, but when their fear is greatest, often leaving nothing but a whisper of their presence behind—a warning to those who follow.

The Nightblade's creed is simple: to become one with the shadows, to strike fear into the heart of darkness itself. They are the unseen, the unforgettable specter of death that haunts the guilty. In their world, the line between the hunter and the hunted is as thin as the blade they wield, and just as deadly. To meet a Nightblade in the dark is to meet your deepest fears—and to face them alone.

Shadow's Embrace

Starting at 3rd level, you have learned to meld with the darkness, using it as both armor and weapon. You gain the ability to cast the darkness spell once without using a spell slot, and you are able to see through the darkness you create with this ability. This feature can be used once, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Additionally, while you are within an area of dim light or darkness, you can use a bonus action to become invisible until the end of your next turn or until you attack, make a damage roll, or force someone to make a saving throw.

Terror's Mark

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to instill deep, unnerving fear in your foes, marking them as prey for your shadowy assault. As a bonus action, you can choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you and mark them with the essence of fear. The mark lasts for 1 minute or until you use this feature again. While marked, the target has disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened and you have advantage on attack rolls against them when you attack from an area of dim light or darkness. The first time you hit the marked target with an attack, it becomes frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Cloak of Shadows

By 7th level, your affinity with the darkness has deepened, granting you protection and empowering your strikes from within its veil. When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you gain the following benefits:

• Shadow Armor : Your connection with the shadows wraps around you, enhancing your defenses. You gain a +2 bonus to AC as long as you remain in dim light or darkness.
• Umbral Strike : Once per turn, when you hit a creature with an attack from an area of dim light or darkness, you can deal an extra 2d6 damage of the same type as the weapon you are using.

Veil of Fear

At 10th level, you have honed your ability to invoke terror to a terrifying degree, shrouding yourself in an aura of unrelenting dread. As an action, you can unleash a wave of primal fear in a 30-foot radius centered on yourself. Each creature of your choice within the radius must make a Wisdom saving throw against your rogue spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature becomes frightened of you for 1 minute. A frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Additionally, while this aura is active, whenever you hit a creature with a sneak attack, that creature becomes paralyzed with fear until the end of your next turn, in addition to taking the sneak attack damage.

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

Shadow Dominion

By reaching the 15th level, you have mastered the domain of shadows and fear, asserting your will over both with unparalleled authority. Your very essence has become intertwined with the darkness, granting you the following abilities :

• Master of Terror : Your ability to manipulate fear becomes even more potent. You can now use your Veil of Fear feature twice between rests, and the range increases to 60 feet. Additionally, creatures that fail their saving throw against your Veil of Fear are also subjected to a random psychological effect (such as paranoia, hallucinations, or a compulsion to flee), which lasts as long as the fear effect.

• Shadowform : As a bonus action, you can dissolve into shadows, gaining resistance to all damage except radiant and force damage, and the ability to move across any surface (including vertical surfaces and liquids) without falling during your move. This shadowform lasts for 1 minute or until you end it as a bonus action. While in this form, your attacks from the shadows deal an additional 1d8 necrotic damage. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

• Eternal Night : When you use your Shadow's Embrace feature, you can choose to create an aura of magical darkness that follows you, extending in a 15-foot radius around you for the duration. This darkness moves with you and is impenetrable to all except you, who can see normally within it. This enhancement to Shadow's Embrace uses its same usage count.

Knight of Nights

At 17th level, you have become the epitome of the shadowy assassin, a true predator at the peak of your power. Your mastery over fear, darkness, and death allows you to exploit the weaknesses of your enemies with supernatural efficiency. You gain the following abilities :

• Predatory Precision : When attacking a creature affected by your Terror's Mark or any fear effect you've caused, your strikes find the most vulnerable points. Your critical hit range against these creatures is 17-20, and your Sneak Attack damage against them increases by an additional 3d6.

• Shadow Step : You can now step from one shadow into another. As a bonus action, you can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your Dexterity modifier (minimum of twice). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

• Fear Incarnate : Your presence becomes so terrifying that enemies are paralyzed with fear. When you use your Veil of Fear, affected creatures are also stunned for the first turn they are frightened. Additionally, any creature that starts its turn frightened by you has its speed reduced to 0 for that turn, embodying the paralyzing fear you instill in your prey.

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