Shadow Monarch

Inspired by Solo Leveling, the Shadow Monarch is a Rogue who turns defeated enemies into an army of loyal shadow soldiers.

Your defining power is Shadow Extraction. Each eligible fallen creature allows only three extraction attempts. Successfully extracted shadows preserve their original combat capabilities, except Legendary Actions. Stronger creatures require more space in your finite Shadow Pool, forcing you to choose between numerous weaker soldiers and a few powerful servants.

As your power grows, you learn to teleport through your soldiers and undergo the Shadow Monarch Transformation, enhancing your Dexterity, stealth, and precision. Your ultimate form surrounds you with shadow armor and empowers nearby soldiers with Necrotic damage and coordinated attacks against enemies you have wounded.

This unofficial homebrew subclass uses the 2024/5.5e Rogue and grants features at levels 3, 9, 13, and 17.

Shadow Extraction

You can extract the shadow of a fallen creature and bind it to your Shadow Pool, described in your Shadow Army feature.

Eligible Creatures. The creature must have died within the past 24 hours, and you must touch its corpse or identifiable physical remains. You need not have killed it. Summoned creatures, Constructs, and Undead are ineligible. A creature merely returned to another plane has not died and does not qualify. Shadows created by this subclass cannot be extracted.

The creature must have a Challenge Rating (CR). If it has no listed CR, the DM must assign one before you attempt extraction. Character level is not interchangeable with CR.

Extraction Attempt. Spend 1 uninterrupted minute touching the remains. At the end, make a Dexterity ability check and add your Proficiency Bonus once:

Extraction check = 1d20 + your Dexterity modifier + your Proficiency Bonus.

This check uses no skill or tool proficiency, so Expertise and Reliable Talent do not apply. Other effects that legally modify the check can apply. A natural 20 does not automatically succeed.

Creature CR	Extraction DC
0	10
⅛	11
¼	12
½	13
1 or higher	13 + the creature’s CR

For example, CR 3 requires DC 16, CR 9 requires DC 22, and CR 20 requires DC 33.

Three Attempts Only. Each creature permits a total of three extraction checks, shared across all users of this subclass. An attempt is spent when the check is rolled. Interrupting the minute before the roll does not spend an attempt. After three failures, that creature’s shadow becomes permanently unavailable. Resting or resurrecting and killing the same creature again does not reset its attempts.

Successful Extraction. On a success, add the shadow to your pool within its storage and shadow-count limits. You may immediately release existing shadows permanently to make room. If you cannot or choose not to make room, the extraction dissipates; the attempt remains spent.

A successfully extracted creature can never provide another shadow, even if its shadow is later released. Extraction creates a magical echo; it neither revives the original creature nor prevents its resurrection.

Shadow Army

Your extracted shadows become loyal soldiers, preserved within an extradimensional Shadow Pool.

Shadow Pool

Your pool has storage slots equal to twice your Rogue level. You can own a number of shadows no greater than your Rogue level.

Each shadow occupies slots equal to its original Challenge Rating, minimum 1. Shadows with CR 0, ⅛, ¼, or ½ each occupy 1 slot.

Your active shadows can occupy a combined number of slots no greater than your Rogue level—half your maximum storage capacity. Active shadows also occupy storage slots. Deploying a shadow does not free storage space.

For example, a level 9 Rogue has 18 storage slots and 9 active slots. You could store two CR 9 shadows but deploy only one at a time. Alternatively, you could deploy three CR 3 shadows.

Stored, destroyed, and exhausted shadows continue occupying their storage slots and counting toward your maximum number of shadows. Only Rogue levels increase these limits.

Stored shadows cannot act, perceive their surroundings, maintain Concentration, or be targeted by other creatures.

Preserved Statistics

Record the original creature’s normal, DM-approved stat block and equipment when you extract it. Temporary conditions, temporary Hit Points, ongoing spells, and external buffs affecting the original creature are not copied.

The shadow retains its original maximum Hit Points, Armor Class, ability scores, saving throws, skills, senses, speeds, languages, traits, feats, attacks, Multiattack, actions, Bonus Actions, Reactions, spellcasting, and other abilities.

Remove Legendary Actions and Legendary Resistance. Lair Actions and Regional Effects belonging to the original location are not recreated.

Use the shadow’s original attack bonuses and save DCs, not yours. It retains its original size and creature type. Its shadow appearance grants no additional resistances, immunities, or movement abilities.

The shadow is your ally, understands your commands, and is loyal to you. You control its decisions, subject to effects that normally restrict or override its actions.

Shadow Equipment

Each shadow manifests functional shadow copies of its original equipment, including magic equipment and established attunement. The original items remain with the corpse.

Copied equipment functions for that shadow but cannot be sold, harvested, transferred for another creature’s use, or supplied as another creature’s spell components. Removed copies vanish. Copied ammunition and thrown weapons persist long enough to resolve their attacks, then vanish.

Track charges for copied equipment and consumed items across summons. They recover when you finish a Long Rest, not when the shadow is resummoned.

Spells requiring material components must still have those components supplied; copied valuables do not provide free costly components. Separately acquired real equipment follows its normal rules and is not duplicated or replenished by this feature.

Summoning Shadows

As a Magic action, summon one or more stored shadows into separate unoccupied spaces you can see within 30 feet. Each space must accommodate its shadow.

The combined slot cost of all shadows active after summoning cannot exceed your active-slot capacity. You may dismiss existing shadows as part of this action before deploying replacements. An unsuccessful deployment spends no summon.

Each individual shadow has a number of summons equal to your Dexterity modifier, minimum 1. Establish this allowance when you finish a Long Rest. Summoning that shadow spends one of its uses. A shadow with no uses remaining cannot be summoned.

A newly extracted shadow begins with full Hit Points, unspent preserved resources, and its full summon allowance. Its first deployment still spends a summon. Extraction itself is not a deployment.

Changing your Dexterity between Long Rests does not refill existing summon counters.

A summoned shadow remains active until dismissed, destroyed, permanently released, or you die. Summoning requires no Concentration.

Dismissal and Permanent Release

As a Bonus Action, dismiss any number of active shadows into your pool. Dismissal preserves their current Hit Points and spent resources and refunds no summons.

As a Bonus Action, permanently release any number of owned shadows. Their storage slots become available immediately. A released shadow cannot be recovered. You may also release shadows during a successful extraction to make room, as described in Shadow Extraction.

Destruction and Rebuilding

When a shadow reaches 0 Hit Points or an effect would kill it, its manifestation dissolves and returns to your pool. It makes no Death Saving Throws.

If it has summons remaining, you can immediately rebuild it using your normal summoning action. This spends another summon and restores it to full Hit Points, removing conditions and effects affecting its former manifestation.

Rebuilding does not restore spent spell slots, limited-use abilities, equipment charges, or consumed shadow equipment.

Returning to the pool ends the shadow’s Concentration. Other spell effects follow their normal duration and ending rules.

Your death returns all active shadows to the pool. They cannot act until you return to life and summon them again. Becoming Incapacitated does not automatically dismiss them, but prevents you from issuing commands.

Turns and Commands

Each active shadow takes a separate turn immediately after yours, in an order you choose.

As a Bonus Action, mentally command any number of active shadows within 120 feet. You can give different instructions to different shadows, without requiring a shared language.

A commanded shadow can use its normal movement, actions, Bonus Actions, and Reactions until the start of your next turn.

Without a current command, a shadow takes only the Dodge action, uses no Bonus Actions or Reactions, and can move to avoid obvious danger. If it cannot Dodge, it takes no action. You choose its defensive movement.

Outside combat, a command can authorize a noncombat task for up to 1 hour, such as following, guarding, carrying, or scouting. Once combat begins, combat actions require your Bonus Action command.

Shadows use their own attack and damage rolls. Your Sneak Attack damage is not added to their attacks. A shadow can qualify as an ally for your Sneak Attack under the normal rules.

Recovery

When you finish a Long Rest, every owned shadow regains its full Hit Points, summon allowance, spell slots, limited-use abilities, and resources of copied equipment. Conditions affecting its manifestation are removed.

Dismissal, rebuilding, the shadow’s own rests, and its spells cannot replenish those spent resources before your Long Rest. Abilities normally recovered on a Short Rest instead recover when you finish a Long Rest.

Abilities with a Recharge die still recharge normally while the shadow is active. At-will abilities remain at will. Eligible healing and regeneration can restore an active shadow’s Hit Points. Stored shadows do not make Recharge rolls or regenerate.

Additional Creatures

Preserved abilities that summon, animate, duplicate, or create additional controlled creatures cannot bypass your army limits.

Each additional creature occupies storage and active slots equal to its own CR, minimum 1, and counts toward your maximum shadow count while it exists. If it cannot fit within all three limits, the creature-producing portion of the ability fails, but resources spent remain spent. The DM assigns a CR beforehand if none is listed.

Additional creatures follow your normal command rules. They disappear when their source shadow returns to the pool or is released, or when their creating effect normally ends. They cannot be extracted or permanently added to your pool.

For an effect producing multiple creatures, resolve them in an order you choose, stopping when capacity is exhausted.

Shadow Exchange

As a Bonus Action, teleport to an unoccupied space you can see within 5 feet of one of your active shadows within 60 feet of you.

The shadow must be on your plane of existence, and the destination must accommodate you. You arrive with the equipment you are wearing and carrying.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Proficiency Bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

This teleportation does not summon, dismiss, or rebuild the shadow and does not expend any of its summons. Stored shadows cannot serve as destinations.

This feature does not require dim light or darkness.

Shadow Monarch Transformation

Your body becomes infused with the Shadow Monarch’s power, granting the following permanent benefits.

Shadow Stealth. You gain a +5 bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

Shadow Dexterity. You gain a +5 bonus to Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks.

These flat bonuses stack with your normal skill modifiers. Expertise does not double them, and they apply even without proficiency in the respective skill.

Monarch’s Agility. Your Dexterity score increases by 2, to a maximum of 24. Apply this increase once when you gain this feature. If your Dexterity is 23, it becomes 24. If it is already 24 or higher, it remains unchanged.

Use your new Dexterity modifier normally, including for extraction checks. Your shadows’ summon allowances use the new modifier when they next replenish after your Long Rest.

These benefits require no activation, Concentration, or active shadow.

Shadow Monarch Full Form.

Your power manifests as shadow armor and a commanding presence. These benefits require no activation action, Concentration, or limited-use resource.

Shadow Armor

While at least one of your shadows is active, you gain a +5 bonus to your AC. While the space you occupy is Lightly or Heavily Obscured, this bonus becomes +8 instead. These bonuses do not add together.

This bonus applies to your existing AC, including while wearing armor. The shadow armor does not itself create obscurity.

The bonus changes immediately when your surroundings change and ends immediately when your last active shadow disappears. The shadow enabling this armor has no distance restriction.

Shadow Commander: Necrotic Strikes

Whenever one of your active shadows within 30 feet of you hits a target with an attack, you can cause that attack to deal an extra 2d6 Necrotic damage. Choose separately for each hit, without using an action or Reaction.

This applies to every qualifying hit, including attacks in Multiattack, spell attacks, and Opportunity Attacks. There is no once-per-turn limit. On a Critical Hit, roll 4d6 instead.

The bonus does not apply to effects that use only saving throws, automatic damage without attack rolls, or later recurring damage. Necrotic Resistance and Immunity apply normally.

Shadow Commander: Commander’s Presence

Whenever you personally deal damage to a creature, your active shadows within 30 feet of you gain Advantage on attack rolls against that creature until the start of your next turn.

You can affect multiple creatures. Damage dealt by your shadows or other allies does not trigger this benefit, and dealing 0 damage does not qualify.

The target need not be within 30 feet of you; the attacking shadow must be. Check the shadow’s distance when it makes each attack. For Necrotic Strikes, also check distance when damage is resolved.

Advantage follows its normal rules, including cancellation by Disadvantage.