Shadow Assassin (5e Class)

Shadow Assassin

Death Dealers

Those who specialize in the grim art of death are called shadow assassins. They tend to strike their foes from the shadows, and are known to be able to bend the power of the Shadowfell to their whim. They use these powers to inflict wounds on others, control shadows, and protect themselves. They can be greedy, cold-hearted, secretive, or practical, but regardless of how a shadow assassin acts, they all embrace darkness and misfortune as natural things in people's lives.

Creating a Shadow Assassin

How did you obtain your shadow powers and learn how to fight? Were you taught by a master of shadows or did you grow up embracing the shadows and training yourself? Why did you become a shadow assassin? Was it for power, revenge, a goal, or something else? Also, think about how open you are about your powers and abilities. Who do you wish to be?

Shadow Assassin by Will Crawford

Quick Build

You can make a shadow assassin quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the criminal background.

Class Features

As a Shadow Assassin you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords
Tools: Thieves' tools
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose 3 from Acrobatics, Deception, Intimidation, Investigation, Perception, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth

Equipment

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

• (a) a rapier or (b) a shortsword
• (a) a shortbow and quiver of 20 arrows or (b) a shortsword
• (a) a burglar's pack, (b) a dungeoneer's pack, or (c) an explorer's pack
• Leather armor, two daggers, and thieves' tools
• an arcane focus

Table: The Shadow Assassin

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Sneak Attack
1st	+2	Sneak Attack, Shadow Assassin Clan	1d6
2nd	+2	Cunning Action	1d6
3rd	+2	Archetype Feature, Shadow Step	1d6
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	1d6
5th	+3	Clan Feature	2d6
6th	+3	Imperial Vision	2d6
7th	+3	Evasion	2d6
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	3d6
9th	+4	Darkness Dominating	3d6
10th	+4	Clan Feature	3d6
11th	+4	Uncanny Dodge	4d6
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	4d6
13th	+5	Darkness Dominating (2)	4d6
14th	+5	Dark Velocity	5d6
15th	+5	Unseen	5d6
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	5d6
17th	+6	Clan Feature	6d6
18th	+6	Shadow Shift	6d6
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	6d6
20th	+6	Shadow Stalker	7d6

Sneak Attack

Beginning at 1st level, you know how to strike subtly and exploit a foe’s distraction. You can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have an advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon. You don’t need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it and you don’t have disadvantage on the attack roll. The amount of the extra damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Sneak Attack column of the Shadow Assassin table.

Shadow Assassin Clan

At 1st level, you choose an clan in which you have gotten your shadow assassin training. Your clan choice grants you features at 1st level and then again at 3rd, 5th, 10th, and 17th level.

Cunning Action

Starting at 2nd 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.

Shadow Step

Starting at 3rd level, you have figured out how to travel distance using the Shadowfell, and the shadows that smudge the barrier between the two planes. As a bonus action, you can teleport up to 30 feet, so long as you are in dim light or darkness, and your selected space is unoccupied, and in dim light or darkness. You then have an advantage on the first melee attack you make before the end of your turn.

Imperial Vision

Starting at 6th level, you can see through regular and magical darkness up to a range of 120 feet.

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.

Darkness Dominating

Starting at 9th level, you may cast the darkness spell without consuming a spell slot. You must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again. You must regain all uses of this feature after you finish a long rest. At 13th level, you gain an additional use of this feature.

Uncanny Dodge

Starting at 11th 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.

Dark Velocity

Starting at 14th level, the range of your Shadow Step feature becomes 90 feet.

Unseen

Starting at 15th level, you are now considered to be under the effects of nondetection at all times.

Shadow Shift

At 18th level, you have become so attuned to the shadowfell, that you can create small pools of shadows around yourself at will. You can now use Shadow Step in any lighting conditions, not just darkness.

Shadow Stalker

At 20th level, when you are in darkness, you may use your bonus action to become invisible. As long as you remain in darkness, or until you make an attack or cast a spell, you remain invisible.

Shadowmancer

Manipulating the shadows through magic, shadow assassins from this clan are master in using illusions and the power of the shadowfell to create a mantle of darkness while carrying out their assassination missions.

Shadowmancer Spellcasting

Shadow Assassin Level	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
			1st	2nd	3rd	4th
3rd	2	3	2	—	—	—
4th	2	4	3	—	—	—
5th	2	4	3	—	—	—
6th	2	4	3	—	—	—
7th	2	5	4	2	—	—
8th	2	6	4	2	—	—
9th	2	6	4	2	—	—
10th	3	7	4	3	—	—
11th	3	8	4	3	—	—
12th	3	8	4	3	—	—
13th	3	9	4	3	2	—
14th	3	10	4	3	2	—
15th	3	10	4	3	2	—
16th	3	11	4	3	3	—
17th	3	11	4	3	3	—
18th	3	11	4	3	3	—
19th	3	12	4	3	3	1
20th	3	13	4	3	3	1

Darkness Cloud

Starting at 1st level, you learn how to control the natural shadows around you. As an action, you can create a cloud of darkness on a point you can see within 30 feet, generating an area of shadows with 10-foot radius. The shadow persists for 1 minute and then disappear. You can't use this ability again for 1 minute. You can see normally through this shadow, regardless of your ability to see through darkness.

Spellcasting

You can call upon the spirits of the shadows to form together in the appearance of arcane magic which you can use to your advantage. You may use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus.

Cantrips

At 3rd level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the sorcerer spell list. You learn an additional sorcerer cantrip of your choice at 10th level.

Spell Slots

The Shadowmancer table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these sorcerer 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 burning hands and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast burning hands using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the sorcerer spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Shadowmancer table shows when you learn more sorcerer spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the sorcerer spells you know and replace it with another spell from the sorcerer spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your sorcerer spells. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a sorcerer spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your sorcerer spells.

Mystical Assassin

Starting at 5th level, you can make Sneak Attacks with spell attacks, in addition to finesse and ranged weapons, if the spell deals damage to the target. You may apply half the number of d6s listed on the Sneak Attack table (rounded up) to Sneak Attacks used in this way.

In addition, you can add your Charisma modifier to the damage rolls of your shadow assassin spells that require an attack roll against a single target.

Shadow Clone

Starting at 10th level, you can create an shadow clone of yourself as a reaction against danger or harm. When a creature makes an attack roll against you, you can use your reaction to jump back, letting only a shadow clone of you in your place. The attack automatically misses you, cutting through the shadow clone, and you can move 5 feet to any direction. This movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short rest or long rest, or until you spend a spell slot of 2nd-level or higher.

Doppelganger

Starting at 17th level, you can use your action to summon a duplicate of you, made of pure shadows. This works exactly as the spell simulacrum, but only lasting for 1 minute. Your doppelganger isn't able to use this feature.

Once you do this, you can't do it again until you finish a long rest.

Blade of Darkness

Warriors specialized in using the darkness as another weapon in their arsenal, the shadow assassins trained into the blade of darkness clan are dreadful warriors and combatants, using a special magic weapon to execute their opponents.

Second Wind

Starting at 1st level, you have a limited well of stamina that you can draw on to protect yourself from harm. On your turn, you can use a bonus action to gain hit points equal to 1d8 + half your shadow assassin level rounded down. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. At 3rd level, you may use Second Wind twice before needing to take a rest, and at 17th level, you may use Second Wind three times before needing to take a rest.

Martial Training

At 1st level, due to your training as a warrior, you gain proficiency with martial weapons, medium armors and shields. In addition, you have advantage in all checks made to craft weapons.

Shadow Blade

Starting at 3rd level, you can use the power within you, 25 gp worth of incense, and a symbol of darkness or holy symbol to bond with the blade over the course of 8 hours. At the end of the ceremony, the materials are consumed and the weapon becomes your shadow blade. You cannot be disarmed while you are wielding this weapon. You can use your bonus action conjure it to your side. This weapon counts as a magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage. You can't have more than one shadow blade at the same time. Furthermore, you roll a critical with a roll of 19-20 on the d20 with this weapon.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Fighting Style

Starting at 10th level, you may adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Archery. You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Defense. While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting. When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection. When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Shadow Warrior

At 17th level, as an action you can activate the power of the blade. For 1 minute, the blade grants you advantage on attack rolls made with it. You can use this feature once, regaining the ability to do so after completing a short or a long rest.

In addition, once in each of your turns, when you miss with an attack roll using the shadow blade on your turn, you can reroll it.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the shadow assassin class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 Dexterity and 13 Charisma.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the shadow assassin class, you gain the following proficiencies: light armor, simple weapons, thieves' tools.

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