Shadow Thief

Shadow Thieves do not merely hide in darkness; they embrace it. By allowing shadow to seep into their flesh and spirit, they learn to step through gloom, strike with umbral echoes, and become little more than darkness given purpose. Such power always leaves a stain, but to a Shadow Thief, corruption is a small price to pay for the company of shadows.

Disclaimer: This subclass is a joint endeavour between myself and by user 23910, who came up with the original idea.

Shadow Corruption. Upon choosing this subclass at 3rd level, the taint of shadow seeps into your being and you generate 1 point of Corruption. Whenever you use a Shadow Thief feature or ability that generates Corruption at the end of your turn, you must add the relevant points to your Corruption Meter. Upon reaching each new Corruption Tier, you gain both its benefits and penalties, which must be added to your character sheet. Some effects will stack with those of previous Tiers as depicted in the Corruption Table. 

Corruption persists across both Short and Long Rests. You cannot willingly lower your Corruption except through the use of Shadow Recovery (see the feature, Cunning Shadow), after a Short or Long Rest, or through narrative options that may become available at the DM's discretion. Your Corruption can never decrease below a score of 1, unless a feature, action or narrative decision changes your minimum Corruption to a higher value. 

Corruption Table

• 1–24 - Untainted 
• 25–49 - Whispered
  • +1 to Dexterity d20 tests & Initiative rolls.
  • –1 to Constitution saving throws.
• 50–74 - Marked
  • +1 Dexterity (max 20); advantage on Stealth checks in dim light or darkness.
  • –1 to Wisdom saving throws; disadvantage on checks to resist fear or charm effects while in bright light.
• 75–99 - Hollowed
  • +2 Dexterity (max 22); once per short rest you can treat a failed Dexterity saving throw as a success.
  • –2 to Constitution; you regain only half hit points from any hit dice spent during short rests.

Due to restrictions within DnDBeyond, the Shadow Thief's Corruption score , as well as its benefits and penalties, will need to be tracked and edited manually. 

 

Level 3: Shade Shift

At 3rd level, you learn to slip through the spaces between light and dark. While you are in dim light or darkness, you can use a bonus action to teleport a number of feet equal to your Speed to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness.

Each use of Shade Shift generates 2 Corruption at the end of your turn. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Short or Long Rest. This feature improves at higher levels.

Level 3: Cunning Shadow

At 3rd level, the shadows regard you as a friend - or at least an ally - enhancing your sight while hiding you from the sight of others.

• You gain Darkvision with a range of 60 feet. If you already have Darkvision, increase its range by 60 feet (to a maximum of 120 feet).
• When you use your Cunning Action to Hide, you can attempt to hide even while lightly obscured by dim light.
• Shadow Recovery. After a Short or Long Rest spent entirely in dim light or darkness, you can attempt a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a success, you can reduce your Corruption by 1d6 + your Dexterity modifier down to your minimum Corruption score. On a failure you instead gain 1d4 Corruption as the shadows feed upon you, and you cannot attempt to use Shadow Recovery until finishing your next Long Rest.

Level 9: Shadow-Mark

At 9th level, darkness comes to your aid, even in the heat of battle. Once per turn, when you take the attack action with a melee weapon against a single creature you can see, you can Shadow-Mark your target. Immediately, two Shade-duplicates of yourself appear in the creature's space. A Shadow-Marked creature cannot hide from you and gains no benefit from the Invisible condition against you. The Shades remain for 1 minute, or until you successfully hit the target with a melee attack. Only one creature may be Shadow-Marked at a time, unless otherwise stated.

• A duplicate Shade is not a creature. It cannot grant advantage by flanking, cannot be targeted, does not occupy its space, and has no Armour Class or Hit Points and cannot move except with its target.
• If you successfully hit the Shadow-Marked creature, each Shade may also make one melee weapon attack against the same target using your ability modifier and proficiency to hit. On a hit, it deals damage equal to the same type and base damage as your main melee weapon. It gains no benefit from ability modifiers or other effects (unless otherwise stated), cannot trigger sneak, and is only considered magical if your weapon is already magical.
• If your attack is a critical hit, both Shades automatically hit, but they may only roll their base damage as normal. Once your Shades have made their attack rolls, they vanish.

You can use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all expended uses after finishing a Long Rest. Each use of Shadow-Mark generates 5 Corruption at the end of your turn.

Required by DnDBeyond

Required by DnDBeyond

Umbral Ambush

At 13th level, you are not merely an ally of the shadows, but a master. When using Shade Shift, the range increases to double your Speed. Additionally, when a creature you can see ends its turn within 5 feet of you and you are in dim light or darkness, you may use your reaction to Shade Shift. This reaction still expends a use of Shade Shift (which must be available), and generates Corruption as normal. 

Also at 13th level, when you use Shadow-Mark, you can add your Dexterity modifier to the damage roll of one of your Shades' attacks. Additionally, you can have multiple creatures Marked at the same time up to your proficiency bonus. The Corruption cost and all other requirements apply.

Required by DnDBeyond

Required by DnDBeyond

Level 17: Living Shadow

At 17th level, you can surrender yourself completely to the darkness that follows you. As a Bonus Action, or as part of the same bonus action as Shade Shift, you assume an Umbral Form for 1 minute. The form ends early if you are Incapacitated or if you choose to end it as a Free Action.

For the duration, you gain the following benefits:

• You can move through the spaces of other creatures, regardless of their size, and those spaces are not Difficult Terrain for you. If you end your turn in another creature's space, you are shunted to the nearest unoccupied space and take 1d10 force damage.
• At the start of each of your turns, you gain Temporary Hit Points equal to your Dexterity modifier plus your Proficiency Bonus.
• You can use Shade Shift without expending a use or gaining Corruption.
• Shadow-Mark does not generate Corruption, and your Shades' attacks add your Dexterity modifier to all their damage rolls. If your attack is a critical hit, so is your Shades' attacks.

When the form ends, you gain Corruption equal to your Rogue level.

Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a Long Rest.