"The Planes were formless and void, and the Darkness was over them. Then the first gods said, "Let there be light." And there was light, and the gods saw that the light was good; and they separated the light from the Darkness. And the Darkness? The Darkness resented it, and so bitterness and spite were born before time itself." - Count Veridian, host of the Darkness (deceased)

 

The Darkness is the original void before the coming of light which resulted in the creation of the Planes. It is the embodiment of chaos, evil, disorder and darkness. The Darkness is a formless force, described more as a power than a being. It is at best an unfocused mind in need of a host to shape its personality, although it sees itself as benign. The Darkness is an elemental force of chaos and creation that bestows its hosts with nearly limitless power, as well as allows them control over the veritable legion of Darklings. However powerful the Darkness is it still needs a host to survive in the Material Plane. Therefore, its power is restricted to the limitations of the host. Being chosen as host of the Darkness is an honor and a curse. The Darkness can grant its host universal power but can also consume the host in the midst of the chaos it craves so dearly.

Embrace the Darkness

Starting at 3rd level, you gain the ability to summon the Darkness as spectral tendrils of shadow that instill fear in your enemies and envelop you upon activation. The Darkness manifests itself in the form of eel-like heads that can devour enemies or rip them apart at your command. As a bonus action, dark tendrils appear behind you and rest on your back in a shadowy cloud that stretches to your heels. The tendrils have sleek, slimy faces with jagged teeth. Their eyes are white and resemble an eel head made of pure darkness. The dark tendrils last for 1 minute.

When you summon the dark tendrils, you can make a melee attack against one creature within 10 feet of you using the tendrils. On a hit, the target takes 1d8+ your charisma modifier in necrotic damage. When in dim light or darker the tendrils make their attacks with advantage. However, when in light that is brighter than dim light the tendrils have disadvantage on the attacks. At 10th level the damage dealt by your tendrils increases to 2d8 necrotic dmg.

You can summon the dark tendrils a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Servants of Darkness

At 3rd level, you gain the following feature. As host of the Darkness, you gain the service of three Darklings loyal to you and the Darkness. These Darklings can be attendants, messengers, pack mules, foot stools, distractions, murderers, thieves, etc. They will perform any task you ask of them to the best of their ability with no question or fear of their own lives. They look to you as the ultimate servant of the Darkness and consider your life to be more important than theirs. In Darkling culture, it is considered an honor to serve the Darkness and an even greater honor to die for the one chosen by the Darkness. 

The Darklings when summoned into the Material Plane are only as strong as the current host of the Darkness. The stronger the host gets, the stronger the Darklings become. At levels 6th, 10th, and 14th, the Darklings gain additional features described at the bottom of their stat block.

Darklings when in combat can be commanded using the rules listed below:

Your Darklings act independently of you, but they always obey your commands. In combat, they can all be commanded as an Action. The command must be given verbally in a language they understand. The commands can each be separate and specific to them as individuals, or a single command can be given that they all follow together. The Darklings do not roll Initiative. Instead, they take their actions immediately after your turn.

When A Darkling drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. Replacement Darklings can be summoned but only during a long rest.

As an action, while a Darkling is within 100 feet of you, you can see through its eyes and hear what it hears, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the Darkling has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.

As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your Darklings as long as they are within 5 feet of you. They disappear into The Darkness' dimension where they await your summons. As an action, while they're dismissed, you can cause them to reappear in any unoccupied space within 5 feet of you.

Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your Darkling can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your Darkling must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.

 

One with the Darkness

At 14th level, your Darklings gain the following feature. When a Darkling is summoned, you can choose an Eldritch Invocation from the Warlock class for it to know. If an invocation has a prerequisite, the Darkling must meet it to learn that invocation.

 

Devour Heart

Starting at 6th level, when a creature is killed by you and is within 10 feet of you, you can use your reaction to have the Darkness consume the creature's heart so long as it has one to be consumed. Upon consumption of the heart, you gain temporary hit points equal to 1d8 + your proficiency bonus. At 14th level you instead gain temporary hit points equal to 2d8 + your proficiency bonus.

Grasping Tendrils

Starting at 10th level, your tendrils of Darkness can now grapple and throw creatures. As a bonus action you can attempt to grapple a creature that is medium or smaller. Upon a successful grapple check you may choose to throw the creature up to 30 feet in any direction. Alternatively, if a creature leaves your space while the tendrils of Darkness are activated, you can use the Grasping Tendrils feature as a reaction.

Darkness Incarnate

Starting at 14th level, when you activate Embrace the Darkness you cause the following effect: Anyone within 60 ft. of you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to this feature for the next 24 hours. Additionally, the activation of Embrace the Darkness reduces natural light in a 60-foot radius sphere. Within that sphere, Bright Light becomes Dim Light, Dim Light becomes Normal Darkness, and Normal Darkness is unaffected. This feature has no effect on light from any magical source nor any additional effect on Darkvision.