Shadow Stalker (5e Class)

Shadow Lord(Variant)

Drawing Power from the Shadows

A death monarch is a mighty force to be reckoned with. They are cunning and dangerous spellcasters, knowledgeable and cautious masters of a specific type of necromantic study. They use their own essence to create a demiplane inside their shadows, made off the same material who forms the Shadowfell. The shadow of a death monarch is more than the mere absence of light, but the presence of the shadows of death itself. As a death monarch grew in power, so does its shadow domains, growing in size and in utility.

Masters of the Undead

The most terrifying aspect of the death monarch practice consists in its ability to use the shadows of living creatures as slaves. For some moments, the death monarch can corrupt the soul of a living creature with the shadow essence, creating creatures that are nothing but an echo of its former living self.

Creating a Death Monarch

In order to create a death monarch, you can answer a few questions. How did you begin your study in the shadow arts? Did you have a master, or you have always been alone, researching by yourself? Why did you begin your study of such a dark practice? You tried to overcome the death of a loved one by achieving the power to restore its body with the shadows? Are your pursuits in this art scientific in nature, being you a curious mind since your youth? Did you always wanted power, and the control over the dead is only a tool to accomplish your goals? Either way, the path of a death monarch is dangerous and grim, and only a disciplined or obsessive mind are capable of completing this journey.

Quick Build

You can make a demon hunter quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score followed by Dexterity or Constitution. Second, choose the sage or the haunted one background. Third, choose the leather armor, a mace, the arcane focus, and the dungeoneer's pack.

Class Features

As a Death Monarch: Shadow lord you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

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

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor, medium armor
Weapons: Scythes Whip, Simple weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Dexterity and Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Insight, Perception, Religion, Intimidation, Investigation, History and Stealth

Equipment

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

• (a) Scythe Whip or (b) light crossbow and a case with 20 bolts
• A spellcasting focus
• (a) Dungeoneer's Pack or (b) Explorer's Pack
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 2d4x10 gp in funds.

Table: The Death Monarch: Shadow lord

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Cantrips Known	Features	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
				1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+2	3	Shadow Servant, Monarch Dimension, Spellcasting	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	3	Shadow Extraction	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	4	Death Watch, Shadow Boon, Shadow Art	4	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	4	Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement	4	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	5	Silhouette Armaments, Monarch´s Hand	4	3	2	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+3	5	Shadow Art,	4	3	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+3	6	Clear mind, Shadow Exchange	4	3	3	1	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+3	6	Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement	4	3	3	2	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+4	7	Clear mind	4	3	3	3	1	—	—	—	—
10th	+4	7	Death's Gaze	4	3	3	3	2	—	—	—	—
11th	+4	8	Soul Harvest, Shadow Demon	4	3	3	3	2	1	—	—	—
12th	+4	8	Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement	4	3	3	3	2	1	—	—	—
13th	+5	8	—	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	—	—
14th	+5	8	Shadow Art	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	—	—
15th	+5	8	Nightmare	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	—
16th	+5	8	Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	—
17th	+6	8	Conflux	4	3	3	3	2	1	1	1	1
18th	+6	8	—	4	3	3	3	3	1	1	1	1
19th	+6	8	Ability Score Improvement, Ability Score Improvement	4	3	3	3	3	2	1	1	1
20th	+6	8	The Goal of Life is Death	4	3	3	3	3	2	2	1	1

Monarch Dimension

The monarch energy is vastly different from normal magical energy. Your energy is not pulled from the surrounding area or any of the material plane, but rather from its own unique dimension of shadows. This dimension houses your essence, your very being. It is empty, cold, and devoid of life. You gain the following benefits:

• You have control over your own dimension. you may open 5-foot gateway that lead to your dimension. This dimension can take any form you wish, these can be used to deposit anything you wish within your dimension. To withdraw something, one must simply think of the desired item and it shall appear slightly inside the portal, without spending an action. The dimension have 10 cubic foot per level you have on this class.
• You can store any shadow creature under your control in said dimension.these shadows do not occupy any space, but the dimension itself is composed of them.
• Your Shadows can never actually die, if a Shadow falls in battle or in any other fashion The Monarch can reassemble them after a period of time. The amount of time it takes to restore a shadow depends on the CR rating of the Shadow in question. Up to DM discretion

Shadow servants

You form a raven from the shadow. This Shadow Raven is small in size and has a number of hits equal to half of your maximum hits. It has a vulnerability to radiant damage. This Shadow Raven will behave like a servant and always follow your command. As long as the raven is within a mile of you, you can take full control of it. In this state, you share all it feelings and control his actions.

It will, however, always suggest good ideas on how to solve an issue

Starting at 1st level, you can use your bonus action to summon a Shadow Raven in an unoccupied space within 30 feet of you, You can communicate telepathically with it and it will always obey your commands.

Once , the Raven can:

• In combat the Raven rolls its own initiative and acts on its turn. A Raven cannot attack, but perform other actions as normal. As a reaction on the Raven's turn you can cast a touch spell through your Raven as long as you are within 100 feet of it.

• Merging into your own shadow, you gain darkvision with a range of 30 feet and a bonus to your passive Wisdom (Perception) score and Wisdom (Perception) checks, the bonus is equal to your Charisma modifier. In this state the Raven cannot be the target of any attack or other damaging effect; only you can cast spells on it.

You may use this trait a number of times equal your proficiency bonus.

At 3rd level, you can use your bonus action to command your Raven to hide into the shadows you can see within 100 feet. When you do so, you can use your action to see everything near that creature, similar to the arcane eye spell centered on the target. You can see through the shadow of that creature up to a range of 1000 miles.

At 11th level, your Raven offers a passive protection to you. Whenever it is merged with your own natural shadows, you can use your reaction to gain resistance to any type of damage. When you do so, your Raven receives the same amount of damage.

Spellcasting

You have begun your path to become a lesser divinity of death, controlling a type of magic that focus on aspects of necromancy.

Cantrips

At 1st level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the death monarch spell list. You learn additional death monarch cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Death Monarch table.

Spell Slots

The Death Monarch table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these death monarch 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 inflict wounds and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast inflict wounds using either slot.

At 1st level, you have a spellbook containing six 1st-level wizard spells of your choice. Your spellbook is the repository of the wizard spells you know, except your cantrips, which are fixed in your mind.

The spells that you add to your spellbook as you gain levels reflect the arcane research you conduct on your own, as well as intellectual breakthroughs you have had about the nature of the multiverse. You might find other spells during your adventures. You could discover a spell recorded on a scroll in an evil wizard's chest, for example, or in a dusty tome in an ancient library.

Copying a Spell into the Book.

When you find a wizard spell of 1st level or higher, you can add it to your spellbook if it is of a spell level you can prepare and if you can spare the time to decipher and copy it.

Copying a spell into your spellbook involves reproducing the basic form of the spell, then deciphering the unique system of notation used by the wizard who wrote it. You must practice the spell until you understand the sounds or gestures required, then transcribe it into your spellbook using your own notation.

For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp. The cost represents material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it. Once you have spent this time and money, you can prepare the spell just like your other spells.

Replacing the Book.

You can copy a spell from your own spellbook into another book-for example, if you want to make a backup copy of your spellbook. This is just like copying a new spell into your spellbook, but faster and easier, since you understand your own notation and already know how to cast the spell. You need spend only 1 hour and 10 gp for each level of the copied spell.

If you lose your spellbook, you can use the same procedure to transcribe the spells that you have prepared into a new spellbook. Filling out the remainder of your spellbook requires you to find new spells to do so, as normal. For this reason, many Shadow Stalkers keep backup spellbooks in a safe place.

The Book's Appearance.

Your spellbook is a unique compilation of spells, with its own decorative flourishes and margin notes. It might be a plain, functional leather volume that you received as a gift from your master, a finely bound gilt-edged tome you found in an ancient library or even a loose collection of notes scrounged together after you lost your previous spellbook in a mishap.

Preparing and Casting Spells

The Shadow Stalker table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your wizard 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.

You prepare the list of wizard spells that are available for you to cast. To do so, choose a number of wizard spells from your spellbook equal to your Intelligence modifier + your Shadow Stalker level (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

For example, if you're a 3rd-level Shadow Stalker, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With a Charisma of 16, your list of prepared spells can include six spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination, chosen from your spellbook. If you prepare the 1st-level spell magic missile, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn't remove it from your list of prepared spells.

You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of wizard spells requires time spent studying your spellbook and memorizing the incantations and gestures you must make to cast the spell: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.

Spellcasting Ability

Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your death monarch spells, since the power of your magic comes from your capacity of understanding the workings of the death in order to control it. 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 death monarch 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 death monarch spells.

Shadow Extraction

Starting at 2nd level, when one or more creatures are reduced to 0 hit points in the last 48 hours, you can use your bonus action to store the creatures' souls within your Monarch Dimension .

As an action, you can raise the shadow of the fallen entity stored within the dimension, a death echo of the former living creature of the following types: aberration, beast, dragon, giant, humanoid, or monstrosity. Roll initiative for the shadow extraction, which has its own turns. It obeys your verbal commands. The shadow creature has the same physical and mental capabilities, although it is undead. You can have a number of shadows equal to half your level * your Charisma modifier. You can return a shadow to your Monarch Dimension as an action.

Darkness Summoning

You have unlocked the ability to manipulate darkness near you. You can diminish the level of illumination in a 120 feet area of your choice. You can do it so at will. Once per short rest you can also cast the spell Darkness to a level equal to half of your level in this class (minimum 1)Ĥ

Shadow Art

At 3rd level, you can choose one shadow art that will define your death monarch practice. You can choose between the Shadow Magic or the Monarch Knight.

Your choice will give you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 10th and 14th levels.

Silhouette Armaments

At the 5th level, you now have the knowledge to attempt shadow extraction on objects. The object must be an armor, weapon or equipment, mundane or magical. When making a extraction on the object, the object is destroyed and you create a shadowy replica of that item. If the object is an weapon or armor, your shadow extractions are proficient with it. If the item requires attunement, this counts against your limit of attuned items. The item remains stored into your monarch's vault until you decide to use it on a shadow extraction, which can be decide on the moment you use that feature.

You can have a number of objects stored equal to your Charisma modifier.

Monarch´s Hand

At 5th level, you can manipulate your shadows as appendages and limbs, being able to extend them up to a range equal to 10 + (5 x Charisma modifier) feet gaining the following benefits:

• You can take any action on your turn that would require your hands using your monarch's hand instead, when using your Monarch's Hand, you use your Charisma, instead of Strength, for any Strength check you make.
• You can use your bonus action to make two attacks with your monarch's hand. Make a melee attack for each, causing 1d10 damage on a hit. You gain one additional attack at 11th level and another one at 17th level. The damage is necrotic.

Clear Mind

Starting at 7th level, your understanding of yourself and your surroundings is almost divine, you add your Charisma bonus to Wisdom saves

Reflexes of a nocturnal beast

At level 7, your perception of the world improves to unimaginable heights. You get additional reactions in an amount equal to half of your proficiency bonus.

Shadow Exchange

At level 7 as an action, or as a reaction in response to being hit by an attack, you can swap places with a shadow soldier that you can see. You cannot do this if there is an area where magic is denied, or if for some circumstance, the shadow is impossible to locate by any means - ex: If you are in the realms of places like limbo or hell or any astral plane for that matter, you cannot swap places with your shadow. You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus plus your intelligence bonus

at level 14 you can use this ability on any shadow regardless of distance.

Death's Gaze

Beginning at 10th level, you have acquired enough energy to become naturally terrifying, by flexing your monarch energy you attempt to intimidate any being, whether magically inclined or not. As an action, you can force one creature within 60 feet of you that can see you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. In addition, you can add your doubled proficiency bonus as a bonus to your Charisma (Intimidation) checks.

Soul Harvest

Starting at 11th level, by reaping life you are able to claim a fraction of those unfortunate creatures souls to regenerate your wounds and fortify your body. When you or any shadow under your control reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you or one shadow under your command of your choice gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier + your death monarch level (minimum of 1).

Shadow Demon

At 11th level, you learn how to warp your shadow with fiendish energy. You can spend two uses of your Shadow Servant feature to summon a shadow demon.

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

Nightmare

When you reach level 15, you can absorb the souls stored in your shadow vault. You can spend one use of shadow servant and 4 stored souls to gain 2 of the following benefits for 1 minute:

• You become one size larger.
• You gain fly speed of 30 ft (hover).
• You gain resistance to all types of damage.
• You gain a bonus of 3d8 to all your damage rolls for melee weapon attacks.

Conflux

Starting from 17th level, you may converge the material plane with your inner shadows. You turn the an area 60-foot sphere around you in a death dimension. All undead creatures under your control can teleport to any place within the sphere, up to a range equal to their movement speed.

At the beginning of your turn, both you and the undead creatures under your control regain a number of hit points equal to your Charisma modifier, and gain a bonus to their attacks and AC equal to your proficiency bonus.

This area lasts for 10 minutes. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

The Goal Of Life is Death

Starting at 20th level, should you perish, you will not fully die as long as your monarch dimension still exists. You can use one of these features once, being unable to do it again until you finish a long rest.

• You become able to enter in your dimension of shadows. You can cast demiplane, creating an opening to your monarch dimension.
• When you die, your soul is transferred to your monarch dimension, and you return on your next turn with all the benefits of having completed a short rest.

In addition, whenever you die without using this feature to return, your body will be replicated on your demiplane of shadows over the course of a week. The new body is physically identical to the original and has the same personality, memories, and abilities, but none of your equipment. Your physical remains, if they still exist, become inert and can’t thereafter be restored to life, since the your soul is in your body of shadows.

Shadow Arts

Shadow Magic

The death monarchs who follow the shadow art of Shadow Magic can extract the arcane power present in their victims as a fuel to their own spellcasting.

Diligent Apprentice

At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Arcana skill. You can add the double of your proficiency bonus if you already are proficient in it.

Dark Arcana

Starting at 3rd level, you can use the souls contained into your shadow dimension to create magical power. You can spend two souls the of your Shadow Extractions to create spell slots. The level of the spell slot created equals your proficiency bonus.

In addition, you learn one cantrip from the wizard spell list. You may spend a soul from your Shadow Extractions to replace this cantrip with another from the same spell list.

Book of Shadows

At 6th level, you learn how to create magical effects using your inner darkness, mimicking spells. The book contain two spells from the wizard spell list, and you can write new spells on this spell book, as if you were a wizard, spending the same time and gp, and using the same process. The highest level of spells that can be written on your book of shadows equal to the highest level of spell slot that you can create with your Dark Arcana.

You can prepare a number of spells equal to your Charisma modifier on this spell book.

To cast spells written on your book of shadows, you need to spend a spell slot of one level higher. For example, you need a 3rd-level spell slot to cast a 2nd-level spell.

When you cast a spell from your book of shadows, you are actually casting a shadow variant of that spell, which generate some variant effects. The spells are visually different: lighting become pure darkness, illusions always have a black aura surrounding them. All damage from the spells cast with this feature cause necrotic damage, instead of the regular damage, and any spells that change the appearance of a creature, object or place give advantage on saving throws for creatures trying to resist their effects.

Shadow Clone

At 14th level, you can craft a shadow version of yourself. You can cast simulacrum, without needing to offer any of the spell components. You can't have more than one simulacrum created by this feature at the same time. Once you summon your shadow clone, you can't do it again until you finish a long rest.

Monarch Knight

Armor of Shadows

Starting when you choose this shadow art at 3rd level, you learn how to cover yourself in your shadows for protection.

• You can summon your armor of shadows as a bonus action, and you gain an AC equal 11 + your Charisma modifier + your Dexterity modifier, if you are not using an armor or wielding a shield.
• Your armor of shadows give you resistance to necrotic damage and you gain, at the start of each of your turns, a number of temporary hit points equal to your character level.

• You can use your bonus action to make a shadow weapon appear from your armor of shadows. You can choose the form that this melee weapon takes each time you create it. You are proficient with it while you wield it, and you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of your Dexterity or Strength for your attack and damage rolls with it. Since the above weapon consists of a shadow, it is very light. This allows you to use a two-handed weapon with one hand. This weapon counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Your shadow weapon disappears if it is more than 5 feet away from you for 1 minute or more. It also disappears if you use this feature again, if you dismiss the weapon (no action required), or if you die.

Lurker in the Shadows

At 3rd level, while you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you gain advantage on your Dexterity (Stealth) checks. In addition, you can see in normal or magical darkness up to a range of 120 feet, if you already have dark vision, you add 120 ft to its radius.

shadow commander

Starting at 6th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, each time you take the Attack action on your turn.

Shadow Dancer

At 6th level, you gain the ability to step from one shadow into another. When you are in dim light or darkness, 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, or to the position of a shadow under your control.

In addition, you move freely trough shadows. In any area of dim light, darkness or covered in some type of shadows, you gain additional 10 feet of movement. You ignore difficult terrain under these circumstances and can walk through walls covered in shadows.

Corrupt Shadow

At 14th level, you can use your bonus action to enter the shadow of a creature you can see within 120 feet. The creature must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC, allowing you to enter on a failed save (creatures warded by a Protection from Evil and Good or Magic Circle spell are immune). While inside its shadow, you can't be target of attacks or spells, except spells or effects that target undead or are used to stop possession. While in its shadow,

When inside its shadow, you can drain its vitality. At the start of each of your turns, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature loses 1d8 + your Charisma modifier hit points, and you regain the same amount. If you reduce the creature to 0 hit points using this vitality drain, the creature becomes a shadow under your control for 24 hours on the start of your next turn. In each of its turns, the creature can use its action to make a Wisdom saving throw to try to expel you from its shadow.

In each of your turns, you can use your action to make a single attack with advantage against the creature, jump temporarily from its shadow to make an attack. You can exit its shadow as a bonus action.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the death monarch class, you must meet these prerequisites: 15 Charisma. or 17 Dexterity

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the death monarch class, you gain the following proficiencies: simple weapons and light armor.

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