Shadowcaster

The world is full of shadows, but each living creature possesses a form of inner light to ward against that ever-present darkness… all except shadowcasters. By trading away that piece of their spirit, shadowcasters have removed a limiter, allowing them to gain magical power rooted in the darkness; however, this trade also exposes them to otherworldly whispers from the realms of shadow.

Level 3: Shadow Savant

Choose two Wizard spells from the Illusion school, each of which must be 2nd level or lower. Add them to your spellbook for free.

In addition, whenever you gain access to a new level of spell slots in this class, you can add one Illusion spell of that level to your spellbook for free. The chosen spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Level 3: Shadow Familiar

 

You magically summon a Shadow Familiar, an extension of your own shadow that serves you faithfully. The shadow is friendly to you and your allies and obeys your commands. It vanishes if you die.

The Shadow in Combat

In combat, the shadow acts during your turn. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but it takes only the Dodge action unless you use a Bonus Action to command it to take another action in its stat block or any other action.

You can also sacrifice one of your attacks when you take the Attack action to command the shadow to take the Shade’s Strike action.

If you are incapacitated, the shadow acts on its own and isn’t limited to the Dodge action.

Restoring or Replacing the Shadow

If the shadow has died within the last hour, you can take a Magic action to touch it and expend a spell slot. The shadow returns to life after 1 minute with all its hit points restored.

Whenever you finish a long rest, you can summon a different shadow, which appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you. You choose its stat block and appearance. If you already have a shadow from this feature, the old one vanishes when the new one appears.

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Shadow Familiar

Medium Undead, Neutral

Armor Class = 11 + your Intelligence modifier
Hit Points = 5 + five times your Wizard level (the shadow has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your Wizard level)
Speed: 40 ft.

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12
Languages: Understands the languages you know
Challenge: — (PB equals your proficiency bonus)

Traits

• Umbral Bond. Add your proficiency bonus to any ability check or saving throw the shadow makes.

• Amorphous. The shadow can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.

• Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the shadow can take the Hide action as a Bonus Action. Its Stealth bonus also increases by your proficiency bonus.

• Sunlight Weakness. While in sunlight, the shadow has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws.

Actions

Shade’s Strike. Melee Spell Attack: Your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft.
Hit: 1d6 + 2 + your Intelligence modifier bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (your choice when you summon the familiar).

 

Level 6: Shadow Reservoir

Your own shadow whispers forbidden secrets, granting you access to spells and a hidden reserve of magical power.

Your shadow reservoir contains two spell slots whose levels, when added together, equal the highest spell level you can cast using your normal spell slots.
For example: if your highest spell level is 6th, your reservoir could hold one 5th-level slot and one 1st-level slot.

These reservoir slots do not require you to have the spells prepared. Once you expend these slots, you cannot regain them until you finish a long rest.

Spells cast from your shadow reservoir gain the Shadow trait, and affected creatures might be able to disbelieve them.

• Attack Rolls: If the spell requires an attack roll, use the higher of the target’s AC or their Wisdom saving throw DC.

• Saving Throws: If the spell requires a saving throw, the target uses its Wisdom saving throw or the spell’s normal saving throw—whichever is higher.

Each time a creature fails a saving throw against a spell cast from your reservoir, a faint tattoo of pure shadowstuff appears somewhere on your body, marking the deepening bond between you and the darkness.

Level 10: Improved Shadow Familiar

Your familiar grows in power through your deepened connection to the Shadowfell. It gains a +2 bonus to AC and the following attack:

Strength Drain. Melee Spell Attack: Your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature.
Hit: 2d6 + 2 + your Intelligence modifier necrotic damage.

The target’s attack bonus is reduced by 1d4 until the start of its next turn.

If a creature dies as a result of this attack, a new shadow rises from its corpse (using the Zombie stat block) under your command for 1 hour.
You can create only one such shadow at a time; if you create another, the previous one crumbles into dark mist.

Level 14: Umbral Incarnation

 

You call upon the full power of the Shadowfell, cloaking yourself in living shadow that empowers both you and your familiar.

Once per long rest, you can assume your Umbral Form as a Bonus Action. While in this form, you gain the following benefits for 1 minute:

• You gain a bonus to AC equal to your Intelligence modifier.

• You can teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is in dim light or darkness.

• While in this form, attacks made by your familiar reduce the target’s Wisdom saving throws by 2 until the start of your next turn.

The form ends early if you are knocked unconscious.