Shadow Stitched

Rogues exposed to the multiverse quickly grasp the vast panoply of riches that could be theirs. And not just material goods. To those with the proper training or connection, a wealth of spiritual treasure is available in the form of creatures from other realities. These rogues learn how to summon these creatures’ essences by reaching through the dimensions. Once called, an extraplanar being can be quickly “stitched” to the rogue’s own shadow, giving the rogue new abilities drawn from across the multiverse.

A handful of spellcasters know the secret of dimensional travel. In return for service or another recompense, they may teach a rogue how to stitch the potential of an extraplanar entity to their souls. Newly Shadow-Stitched rogues are free to pursue their own interests, unless their patron requires a boon at some later date.

Other routes to becoming Shadow Stitched are also available. A rogue who finds a Path token might accidentally stumble onto the Path. Those who survive may return to their homes stitched to an anomalous entity snatched from a distant dimension

Released in the free preview of MCG's new book for 5e Path of the Planebreaker
Edited by Damp_Cloth

Extraplanar Shadow

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level choose an “extraplanar” creature. For the purposes of the Shadow Stitched class features, this creature can be any creature, such as a swarm of rats, a barbed devil, or a tyrannosaurus rex—even one that seems unlikely or that you’ve only heard of in stories. Your shadow is replaced with that creature’s shadow. If the creature is normally larger or smaller than you, your new stitched shadow shrinks or grows to approximate your actual size.

Your new shadow has a pseudo-life of its own. This is represented by your Stitched Life dice: a number of d6s equal to twice your proficiency bonus. They grant your stitched shadow various abilities, as detailed hereafter

Some actions taken by your stitched shadow expend the Stitched Life die they use, as specified in the feature’s description. You can’t use a feature if it requires you to use a die when all your dice are expended. You regain all your expended Stitched Life dice when you finish a long rest. In addition, as a bonus action, you can regain one expended Stitched Life die, but you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

When you reach certain levels in this class, the size of your Stitched Life dice increases at 5th level (d8), 11th level (d10), and 17th level (d12).

The stitched shadow abilities below use your Stitched Life dice:

Shadow’s Helping Hand. The quasi-real shadow can reach out and give you a hand with your tasks. If you fail an ability check using a skill or tool with which you have proficiency, you can roll one Stitched Life die and add the number rolled to the check, potentially turning failure into success. You expend the die only if the roll succeeds.

Shadow’s Stealthy Action. If you expend a Stitched Life die, you can use your bonus action to direct your shadow to perform one of the following tasks. Because it is a shadow, it can perform the task without being noticed if you succeed on a Sleight of Hand check contested by a given creature’s Perception check.

• Manipulate an object within 30 feet as if the shadow were you, such as opening or closing a door, picking up an object that weighs up to 10 pounds, stowing or retrieving an item (from your own equipment or from another creature in range), and so on.
• Use thieves’ tools to pick locks and disarm traps within 30 feet.

Once you expend the die to activate the shadow, the stitched shadow can continue taking these actions for up to 1 minute as long as you spend your bonus action each round to do so. It can’t move more than 30 feet from you.

Shadow’s Teeth. The quasi-real shadow can reach out and help you in combat. If you expend a Stitched Life die when you take the Attack action, you can roll the Stitched Life die and add the result to your attack roll. You can wait until after you roll the d20 before deciding whether to use the Stitched Life die, but you must decide before the GM says whether the roll succeeds or fails. You expend the die whether the attack succeeds or fails

Shadow Stitch

At 9th level you and your stitched shadow increasingly comingle in mind and soul, so much so that you can switch places with it. With no preparation, you can use your bonus action and expend a Stitched Life die to send your shadow racing to an unoccupied space within 60 feet that you can see. But when it arrives, it’s you. (When it arrives, you instantly teleport there with it.) You then have advantage on the first melee attack you make before the end of your turn.

You can choose to expend multiple Stitched Life dice at once when you use this ability. If you do, you can teleport an additional 60 feet for each extra die expended.

If you succeed on a Stealth check contested by a given creature’s Perception check, your shadow and you arrive at your destination unnoticed, as if you had moved there stealthily.

Shadow Glide

At 13th level when you expend a Stitched Life die, you can phase into your shadow, conferring upon you a partially intangible form. While you and your shadow are one, you have a flying speed of 10 feet (or 60 feet if you expend two Stitched Life dice instead of one when you activate this ability), you can hover, and attack rolls have disadvantage against you. You can also move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, but you take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside a creature or an object. You stay in this form for 10 minutes or until you lose concentration (as if you are concentrating on a spell). You can expend another Stitched Life die prior to the effect’s end as a free action on your turn to extend the duration by another 10 minutes, while you maintain concentration.

Manifest Monster

At 17th level, as a bonus action you can cause your shadow to become real, manifesting as the extraplanar creature you originally stitched to yourself in an unoccupied space next to you. The manifest monster has the stats of a challenge 7 creature or lower, as determined by the GM; however, it has the appearance of the entity you’ve always imagined it was.

The manifest monster is friendly to you and your companions and acts immediately after your turn. The creature obeys your intentions (no actions or commands are required by you).

When the monster makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, you can expend a Stitched Life die as your reaction to roll the die and add it to the monsters roll. You may use this reaction after the roll but before the GM decides whether it was a success or fail.

The creature disappears, becoming your stitched shadow again, when it drops to 0 hit points, 1 hour has passed, you use a bonus action to end the effect, or you expend all your Stitched Life dice.