The Shadow Dragon (5e Subclass)

The Shadow Dragon

Warlock Subclass

In the darkness of the plane where light is shunned and only cold embrace of the unknown goes without saying, powerful shadow dragons, that feasted upon the fears and souls of mortals that were unlucky to cross their path, emerge. Having lived for hundreds of years in the shadow plane, these colossi have been able to break into the material plane, seeking more power and methods of spreading their influence throughout the realm. Naturally, one of the methods is finding a warlock. Potentially, you.

First of all, choose your shadow dragon patron.

You can always create your own shadow dragon patron. Think about who that dragon was before transformation, what caused the transformation and what is his way of getting souls through your actions. Here are two examples that you can always use when creating your character, either as directly taking them as your patron or by developing your patron's concept using them:

Shalzri, the Stone-hearted One

A metallic dragon that once looked after a kobold community but whose heart got broken when the adventurers invaded the tribe and killed all of them, as well as almost killed him. The sorrow enveloped and dragged him into the shadow plane, corrupting his mind and how he views justice to the point where he seeks absolute revenge against everyone who dares to indulge themselves into crime. Any crime. With the absolute being a fate worse than death - destruction of the soul of the perpetrator.

Shalzri expects his warlocks to seek and uncompromisingly exterminate the scourge of embezzlers, thieves, murderers, poachers and creatures alike. He grants the power to carry his justice to his servants and those who they trust, allowing them, from his moral standpoint, to break some law in order to bring some law. For He is The Law.

Ymbontash, the False Hope Bringer

A chromatic dragon that before her transformation liked to trick the adventurers that planned to partake their first journey through shadow plane by giving them false advice that most commonly brought demise to the parties. One faithful day, though, a most cunning adventuring party tricked her into stepping inside shadow plane, where they subdued and restrained her, thus forcing her transformation. After she broke free, her vile mind combined with most unholy effects of shadows began to plot schemes most insidious. She is the one that pretends to be your friend. She is the one that comforts you in time uneasy. She is the one that gives hope. And she is the one who will shatter it into pieces, consuming you from the inside as you're blue.

Ymbontash expects her warlocks to be a little more silver-tongued and not just rushing ahead into a blunt battle. She instead seeks you making that person trust you first, possibly entrusting their life for you. Perhaps, you have become a folk hero? Good... now break the hopes and dreams with actions that doom them. The ideal betrayal is the one that brings despair, for it is the one that is just right for her harvesting... using your hands, of course.

Expanded Spell List

Your patron benevolently lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

Spell Level	Spells
1st	frost fingers, ice knife
2nd	blindness/deafness, wither and bloom
3rd	sleet storm, slow
4th	confusion, ice storm.
5th	contagion, modify memory

Darkness Within

Servant, have you ever looked inside darkness and felt blinded by it? Why am I asking? Just curious to know what one would feel when suddenly presented with darkness just like in my example.

At 1st level, you can call upon your patron's help, asking it to reveal pure darkness that shall blind anyone who sees it, be it a mortal or a devil. As an action, you can let the darkness of your patron manifest through your body, forcing creatures you choose in 15 feet of you to make a Constitution saving throw against your spell DC. If they fail, they are blinded until the end of your next turn, as their eyes try to understand what in whatever god's name they've just seen. Regardless of failing or succeeding on the saving throw, affected creatures have disadvantage on performing opportunity attacks until the end of your next turn. You can use this feature number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1). You restore the charges of this feature after a long rest.

"What goes better together than cold and dark?"

I can sense you are starting to feel a little bit more confident in presence of other mortals, servant. Perhaps, you've finally realized that the only power you should fear is the power that I possess and can use against you, if I'm angry... yet share, if I'm content with you.

Starting at 6th level, your sense and mind start to harden under direct influence of your patron. You are starting to feel much more courageous, granting you immunity to frightened condition. Additionally, you gain resistance to cold damage and whenever a creature within 30 feet of you (including yourself) takes cold or necrotic damage, you can use your reaction to heal that creature the amount of hit point equal to twice the damage taken (before applying resistances) + your Charisma modifier. You can use the reaction from this feature number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus. You restore all uses on a long rest.

Protected by your Master's Wings

I sense great danger is about to strike you and your party, servant. It is a pity thing to lose such an obedient servitor as you are, so let me cover you and your puny friends with my wings, just this once

At 10th level, you can plead your patron to protect you and your allies with cold, but at the same time loving (you, specifically... in a strange way) winged embrace. As an action, you can make willing allied creatures that are in 30 feet distance of you, including yourself, to become invisible, following the rules of Invisibility spell, as well as get benefits from pass without trace spell, both for one minute only. Concentrations are not needed. Patron warns you that it can only cover you for as long as you don't do harm or cast spells while coated within its wings, as if you or your party members do, it would immediately shatter patron's magic on all of the creatures under its protection. After one minute passes, your patron's intervention ends and spells' effects fade away. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

"I am the Darkness"

Your loyalty to me is without doubt... above average, servant. I suppose one deserves a gift, don't you think? Would you like but 0.1% of my true potential forever sealed inside you?

Starting at 14th level, you now have a small part of your patron's true power inside you, to which you can call upon whenever needed (and whenever you have charges, duh). With an action, you can let this power consume you for a duration period of 1 minute, making you look like some sort of a humanoid with distinct dragonic features coated in shadows, granting you the following abilities:

• You can now see 120 feet through regular and magical darkness as if it was bright light. If you already have Devil's Sight invocation, this feature instead allows to see additional 120 feet further;

• You gain flight speed of 30 feet;

• You produce thick magical darkness in a 10 feet orb radius, stretching in all directions, centred inside you;

• Creatures that start or/and end their turn inside the magical darkness you produce with this feature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell DC. Upon fail, they become frightened and paralyzed for the duration period of this feature or if they successfully snap out of it. They can repeat their saving throws at the end of their turn, ending the effect upon success;

• When you use this feature, you can choose creatures within 60 feet of you. Those that you choose are now granted Devil's Sight for the duration period of this feature. If they already have Devil's Sight invocation, this feature instead allows them to see additional 120 feet further.

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

5.00

(one vote)

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