Homebrew Class - Shadow Master v1.1

Shadow Master Class v1.1

Primary Ability: Charisma
HP Die: D8
Saving Throw Proficiencies: Charisma and Dexterity
Skill Proficiencies: Choose 2 - Acrobatics, Athletics, Deception, Intimidation, Perception, Survival or Stealth
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple and Martial Weapons
Armor Training: Light Armor

Level 1 Feature: Essence
"You gain access to a magical source of power within shadows to augment your capabilities"

You gain Essence Dice based on your PB + CHA mod. The scaling of your Essence Dice is detailed in the following:
Level 1-2 | D4
Level 3-4 | D6
Level 5-10 | D8
Level 11-16| D10
Level 17+ | D12
You regain all Essence Dice 1/long rest.

Level 1 Feature: Weapon Mastery

Your training with weapons allows you to use the mastery properties of two kinds of Simple or Martial weapons of your choice. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can practice weapon drills and change one of those weapon choices.

Level 1 Feature: Shadow Manifestation - Shade
"You obtain the most invaluable helpers that will stay by your side until you stop casting a shadow."

You gain 2 Shades that can manifest themselves in various ways. They can be described as additional shadows stretching from your body, tattoos that animate around your skin at will, a selection of marks on your body that come alive when commanded. They can be commanded in the following ways:

• Hidden Presence: While in dim light or non-magical darkness, you gain advantage to stealth checks as long as you have 1 Shade attached to you. Additionally, if you attack with the Invisible status active, you can expend 1 Essence Die to add the roll onto your attack roll. If it hits, you can expend an additional Essence Die to add the roll onto your damage roll. You also gain Darkvision for 60 ft while having a Shade attached to you.
• Shade Travel: You use an action to detach your Shade from your body. It is intangible and can enter spaces as small as 1 cm thick. Additionally it disappears after 10 minutes. While detached, it has your skills, modifiers, movement and proficiencies. It also acts during your turn by receiving your commands. It can freely move during your turn as far as 120 ft. away from you and returns to you after going beyond that limit. The Shade doesn't disappear if you reattach it by having it be within 5 ft. from you, costing no action. If targeted for an attack that deals radiant, fire, psychic, or force damage, it has an AC= 8 + CHA + PB. If hit by mentioned damage types, it disappears. Additionally, if put into magical darkness or absolute darkness, it disappears. You can only have up to your CHA mod amount of Shades detached from you at a time. While detached, you can do the following:
• Shadow Sense: You can ritual cast this ability to perceive through the senses of your Shade. You gain blindsight for 60 ft. and advantage on perception rolls. Alternatively, you can use your bonus action to consume 1 Essence Die to use this immediately for 1 minute.
• Shadow Step: Consume 1 Essence Die to use a bonus action to teleport up to 30 ft. to one of your Shades. The Shade you teleport to must have enough space for you to appear in. Once you reappear to your Shade, it reattaches to your body.

You regain all Shades 1/long rest. Also, you gain additional Shades at level 3, 7, 10, 14, 16.

Level 2 Feature: Shadow Manifestation - Augmentation

You can use a bonus action to augment the following by using your Shade. Each Augment only uses 1 Shade and cannot be used for other Manifestations. You must have at least 1 Shade 5 ft. near you to use one of the following Augments.

• Body: Augment your body to enhance your physical prowess. You have Advantage when it comes to STR/DEX Saving Throws, Athletics, and Acrobatics skill checks. As an reaction, expend 1 Essence Die and roll to add to the defined saving throws.
• Watchful Gaze: Additionally, as a bonus action, you can expend 1 Essence Die to target a creature 30 ft. from you. The target must make a WIS saving throw of a DC = 8 + CHA mod + PB. On a failed save, the target is now frightened by you. At the end of each of its turns, the Frightened target repeats the save, ending the effect on success, or after 1 minute passes.
• Weapon: Augment a weapon you are currently equipping and are proficient with. Your weapon can now deal psychic or necrotic damage if you choose to. In addition, as part of your Attack action, you can expend 1 Essence Die and roll to add to your damage roll.

Level 3 Feature: Shadow Master Subclass

You choose a Shadow Master subclass of your choice. Blade Aspect and Curse Walker will be available to choose from. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your subclass's features that are of the according level. Subclass Features are given at 3, 5, 9, 11, 17.

Level 4 Feature: Ability Score Improvement

You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify. You gain this feature again at Shadow Master Levels 8, 12, and 16.

Level 6 Feature: Expanded Shadow Manifestation - Augmentation

You gain the following augmentations

• Sight: Gain advantage on Perception checks and against being Blinded. Consume 2 Essence Dice to gain the effects of See Invisibility for 1 hour.
• Mind: Gain immunity to being Charmed and gain advantage to Investigation and Arcana checks. Expend 1 Essence Dice as a reaction and roll to add to INT/WIS Saving Throws.
• Shade: As part of the action to use Shade Travel, expend 1 Shade to augment the according Shade for 10 minutes. The Augmented Shade can now be used as a point of origin for
• Watchful Gaze. When using Shadow Step on the Augmented Shade, gain total Temp HP = Shadow Master Level + CHA mod. Additionally, expend 2 Essence Dice to gain the effects of the Invisibility Spell for 1 hour.

Level 7 Feature: Essence Proficiency

1/Short Rest, you can spend 10 minutes to regain half of your Essence Dice Total.

Level 13 Feature: Shadow Manifestation - Deadly Presence

CHA mod/Long Rest, you can use your Action to manifest an aura in a 30 ft. emanation originating from you for 1 minute. The area within the aura is considered as being under dim light. Targets within the aura have disadvantage to WIS saving throws. You can use your Attack Action to expend 2 Essence Dice and Shadow Step behind a target within your aura and make an attack, regardless if there is a Shade at that location or not. Additionally, the 2 Essence Dice are rolled to deal psychic or necrotic damage(your choice) to the target.

Level 15 Feature: Essence Recovery

Whenever you gain an Essence Die(Dice), regain HP equal to the total of Essence Dice gained + Shadow Master Level.

Level 19 Feature: Epic Boon

You gain an Epic Boon feat or another feat of your choice for which you qualify.

Level 20 Feature: Lord of Shadows

1/Long Rest you can use your Action to use Lord of Shadows feature for 10 minutes. You are able to manipulate and control Shades beyond your own. You gain the following benefits:

• As long as there is shadows nearby, you gain an additional 5 Shades for the duration which do not count against your maximum.
• All damage done by your Shadow Manifestations gain additional 3d10 psychic or necrotic damage(your choice).
• Add your CHA mod to your DEX/STR checks
• You can use your reaction to use Shadow Step when you take damage
• Gain resistance to Radiant, Necrotic, Psychic, Cold and Poison damage.
• Gain Immunity to being unwillingly forced into Prone or Moved.

Changelog v1.1

• Readjusted Class levels and Subclass Levels. There are now 7 Class Levels and 5 Subclass Levels. This change was made to match the standards to official classes
• ASI has been corrected. It was not meeting the same standard as official classes (my fault for working on this at 1 AM at the time).
• Shades (previously Shadows) have been renamed and adjusted the levels where one gains additional Shades. Also labeled them under Shadow Manifestations to future proof any abilities referencing them.
• Rearranged the abilities between Level 1 and 2 to make it a little less chunky in the beginning. 
• Removed Watchful Gaze from Level 1 and added it to the Expanded Shadow Manifestations Feat
• Moved Expanded Shadow Manifestations Feat to Level 6
• Moved the Essence Proficiency Feat to Level 7 and uses Essence Mastery's short rest Essence Die recovery instead.
• Created a new Shadow Manifestation, Deadly Presence, at Level 13
• Removed Essence Mastery and replaced it with Essence Recovery, just keeping the HP regain 

Dev Thoughts

Thanks to the feedback I've obtain through different channels, I was able to adjust this class to be more focused. A lot of the major changes had to do with the Shadow Companion (now just Shades). I created the creature stat block, so it isn't completely interactable. There still is some wording that probably needs to be rephrased but the idea is NOT to have this be a summoner class. Instead, a more diverse use of using the concept of shadows. Shadows by nature mimic life and the inanimate. It can be manipulated by the use of light and shapes. By its nature it is stuck in a single form but technically also formless. This vague concept is what I really want to drive home and use for the Class. I can eventually create a Summoner subclass, but it won't be the base.

Additionally, yes, this class is subclass dependent. I want each subclass to be what defines what the player does, allowing each subclass to not step on each other's toes and stand out on their own. I believe the classes that allow their subclass to breathe and express their flavor and usage freely without crossing each other to be the more likeable for me, so this is my design philosophy for this class.

Again, thanks for the feedback I received, hoping to hear more for this iteration and improve upon it. I will adjust the Blade Aspect subclass to match the changes here and post it soon.