Phantom Thief, Variant (5e Subclass)

Phantom Thief

Rogue Subclass

In the moonlit streets of Marrowind City, whispers float on the wind like fallen leaves, telling tales of a shadow that walks unchallenged through locked doors and into the most guarded of vaults. They speak of the Phantom Thief, a figure as elusive as smoke and as enigmatic as the moon's hidden face. Cloaked in the velvet of night, the Thief moves with a grace that belies the mortal coil, their presence known only by the absence they leave behind.

To the rich and the powerful, the name evokes a shiver down the spine, a clutching fear for their treasures and secrets. For what use are locks and guards against one who can slip through the cracks of reality itself? Gold, jewels, and artifacts of ancient power—no prize is beyond their reach. But material wealth is but a trifle; the true allure lies in the intangible. Secrets whispered behind closed doors, the hidden fears of a heart, the skills that took a lifetime to master—all are but baubles in their collection.

Yet, who truly knows the purpose behind the Phantom Thief's pursuits? Is it the thrill of the heist, the lure of the challenge, or a grand design that would baffle even the most astute of minds? Some say they've glimpsed a smile beneath the shadow's hood, a gleam of amusement, or perhaps satisfaction, as though the world itself were but a game board, and its inhabitants, mere pieces to be played.

Rumors abound of their exploits, each more incredible than the last. A duke's safe, emptied in the blink of an eye; a tyrant's secrets laid bare for all to see; a masterpiece gone from under the noses of a hundred guards. And yet, for all the tales, no one can claim to have seen them, to know their true face. The Phantom Thief remains a mystery, a legend, a whisper on the wind that sends a thrill down the spine of the city.

Beware the shadows, the stories warn, for you never know when the Phantom Thief might come calling, leaving nothing but whispers and wonder in their wake.

Echoes of the Unseen

Starting at 3rd level, your mastery of stealth and subterfuge allows you to leave a mere echo of your presence, making your thefts and infiltrations the stuff of legends. You gain the following abilities :

• Shadow's Grace : You can attempt to hide even when you are only obscured by a creature that is at least one size larger than you or when only in partial cover. Additionally, when you are hidden from a creature and miss it with an attack, that attack doesn't reveal your position.

• Phantom's Reach : You've honed your skills in pilfering objects with such finesse that your victims rarely notice the theft. As a bonus action, you can make a Sleight of Hand check to take something from a creature, open an unlocked door or container, retrieve an item from your open inventory, or pour the contents out of a vial within 30 feet of you. You must have line of sight to the target, and the action must be something you can complete in a single action. This ability does not trigger attacks of opportunity.

• Mind's Whisper : Once per long rest, you can attempt to "borrow" a piece of knowledge or a skill from a creature. As an action, choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. The target must make an Intelligence saving throw against your Rogue spell save DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier). On a failed save, you "steal" knowledge of one language the creature knows, proficiency with one tool or weapon, or one skill in which the creature is proficient. You gain this knowledge or proficiency for 1 hour. The creature is unaware of this theft. You cannot use this feature again on the same creature until you finish a long rest.

Veil of the Charlatan

At 3rd level, you've refined the art of deception to such a degree that you can assume false identities and create believable facades with ease. You gain the following abilities :

• Master of Disguise : You can spend 1 hour and expend materials worth 25 gp to create a disguise kit that allows you to craft a disguise that will hold up to scrutiny, even under magical observation. While wearing a disguise created in this way, you have advantage on Deception and Performance checks made to maintain your disguise, and you can attempt to avert magical detection. When a spell or ability attempts to reveal your true form, the caster must make an Intelligence (Investigation) check against your Rogue spell save DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier).

• Silver Tongue : You have honed your ability to talk your way out of—or into—any situation. Whenever you make a Charisma (Deception) or Charisma (Persuasion) check, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.

• Identity Thief : Once per long rest, you can spend at least 1 minute observing or interacting with a creature to learn their mannerisms, use of language, and appearance. You can then, as part of donning a disguise, mimic this specific individual, granting you advantage on all Charisma (Deception) checks made to pass yourself off as this person. This effect lasts for 24 hours or until you choose to mimic a different individual. This does not confer any knowledge of passwords, secret handshakes, or other information the individual might know.

Whisper of Shadows

At 7th level, your connection to the shadows and the secrets they keep deepens, granting you unparalleled abilities to evade detection, glean information, and manipulate the environment to your advantage. You gain the following abilities:

• Shadowmeld : You can now use the Hide action as a bonus action on your turn, allowing you to vanish from sight more swiftly. Additionally, when in dim light or darkness, you can attempt to hide even when you are observed.

• Secrets of the Void : Your theft of knowledge becomes more profound. You can use your Mind's Whisper ability twice between long rests. Additionally, when you successfully use Mind's Whisper, you can choose to learn not just one, but two pieces of information (skills, languages, or tool proficiencies) from your target. You also gain a fleeting insight into one secret or personal memory the target holds, which could provide leverage, information, or simply insight into their character. This insight is vague and subject to the DM's discretion.

• Ephemeral Passage : Once per long rest, you can channel the essence of shadows to pass through walls or obstacles as if you were a ghost. As an action, you can move up to your speed without provoking opportunity attacks and can move through spaces as small as 1 inch without squeezing. During this movement, you can pass through solid objects but must end your move in an unoccupied space. This ability can be used to bypass physical barriers, slip into locked rooms, or escape danger, embodying the Phantom Thief's ethereal nature.

Cloak of Shadows

By 10th level, your affinity with the shadows and your ability to manipulate them to your advantage have reached new heights. You've learned to wrap the shadows around you and your allies, making your heists and escapes even more spectacular. You gain the following abilities :

• Veil of Obscurity : As an action, you can cause shadows to swirl around you, granting you and any allies within 10 feet of you invisibility for 1 minute. This invisibility ends if you or any affected ally attacks, casts a spell, or moves more than 30 feet away from you. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

• Shadowstep : You've learned to bend the shadows to your will, allowing for instantaneous travel. 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. After using Shadowstep, you have advantage on the first attack roll you make before the end of the turn. This ability can be used a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once) and is replenished after a long rest.

• Aura of Untraceability : Your mastery over shadows not only conceals, but it also erases signs of your passage. For you and your allies affected by Veil of Obscurity, no physical evidence of your passage is left in the area you traversed while invisible (footprints, displaced objects, etc.), and magical means of tracking you are thwarted for the duration of the invisibility.

Echo of the Untouchable

At 15th level, your mastery over stealth, combined with your ability to manipulate both shadows and perceptions, renders you nearly untouchable. You've honed your skills to such a degree that evading capture and slipping through defenses become almost second nature. You gain the following abilities :

• Imperceptible Movement: You can move through spaces occupied by enemies without provoking opportunity attacks, and your movement does not trigger traps or magical sensors designed to detect creatures. This ability allows you to navigate through enemy ranks and past security measures with ease, embodying the ghost-like presence you've cultivated.

• Borrowed Expertise : Your ability to "borrow" knowledge, skills, and memories from your targets has deepened. You may now use your Mind's Whisper ability an unlimited number of times between long rests. Furthermore, when you use Mind's Whisper, you can choose to "borrow" a feature from the target that is not a spell, supernatural ability, or class feature (such as darkvision, resistance to a type of damage, or an innate ability like a race's ability to breathe underwater). This borrowed feature lasts for 8 hours.

• Shadow Veil Escape : When you are hit by an attack or targeted by a spell that requires a Dexterity saving throw, you can use your reaction to become intangible, allowing the attack or spell to pass harmlessly through you. You can then teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space that you can see. This ability can be used a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once), and all expended uses are replenished after a long rest.

Master of Shadows and Secrets

By reaching level 18, you have become a paragon among thieves, a figure whispered about in tales that are half-believed to be myth. Your mastery over shadows, deception, and the art of the steal allows you to pull off feats that would be deemed impossible for others. You gain the following abilities :

• Shadow Dominion : Your command over shadows has reached its peak. You can now, as an action, create a zone of darkness in a 60-foot radius centered on a point you choose within sight. This darkness is magical and cannot be dispelled by light of lower than a 3rd-level spell. Within this zone, your abilities that rely on being unseen or in shadows are maximized, and you can see clearly. Allies within the zone gain the benefits of half cover. This zone lasts for 1 minute, or until you choose to end it (no action required). Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

• Ultimate Heist : Once per long rest, when attempting a theft, deception, or infiltration action that involves significant planning and skill (at the DM's discretion), you can declare an Ultimate Heist. For the next 10 minutes, you gain advantage on all Dexterity (Sleight of Hand), Dexterity (Stealth), Charisma (Deception), and Intelligence (Investigation) checks, and you can ignore up to three failures that would normally result in detection or failure of your task. This represents your preternatural ability to anticipate and counteract measures that would thwart anyone else.

• Aegis of Obscurity : You have perfected the art of erasing your presence not just from sight but from memory. Once per long rest, if you are seen during an infiltration or while committing a theft, you can force all witnesses to make an Intelligence saving throw against your Rogue spell save DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier). On a failed save, you erase all memory of your presence from the witnesses’ minds for the last hour, though they may retain a vague sense of unease. This does not affect physical evidence left behind.

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