Animated Shadow

Constructed Nature The Animated Shadow does not need air, food, drink, or sleep.

Shadow Theater Non-shadow creatures and objects cannot interact directly with the Animated Shadow but can do so via their shadow. When the Animated Shadow is attacked, it gains a cover bonus to its AC, as per the Contrast trait below. The attacker can move in a way as their shadow attacks the Animated Shadow but does so with Disadvantage. The Animated Shadow must also use this method to attack or otherwise interact with the world, but at no penalty.

Cast When adjacent to a humanoid the Animated Shadow can make a Dexterity (Stealth) check to attempt to pass itself off as a shadow of that creature. It can appear to be cast by any light source available. It receives a bonus to this check equal to its Proficiency Bonus.

Contrast If the Animated Shadow is in bright or dim light caused by its lantern, it’s speed increases by 10.

Penumbral Each level of lighting effects the Animated Shadow in a different way.

• Bright light: The Animated Shadow is as close to being physical as it can be. Its cover bonus to AC is half-cover (+2). Any creature it attacks has vulnerability to the damage of those attacks.
• Dim light: The Animated Shadow is only semi-physical and in its preferred state. Its cover bonus to AC is three quarters (+5). It has Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage.
• Darkness: The Animated Shadow is nearly non-existent. It becomes Invisible and loses all its Traits and Actions except for Constructed Nature and Change Lantern. The Animated Shadow also cannot be targeted for any reason. Any ability that can see through Darkness also sees through the Animated Shadow and thus does not reveal it. 

Lantern This ornate lantern has three settings -fully open, partially open, and closed- and is usually found in the partially open setting. The lantern does not cast light; it alters the level of light in the vicinity. Other light sources still cause shadows, but the lantern does not.

• When closed all light in a 60-foot radius is reduced to darkness.
• When partially open all light in a 30-foot radius is increased or decreased to dim light, and darkness for an additional 30 feet.
• When fully open all light in a 30-foot radius is adjusted to bright light and dim light for an additional 30 feet.

A light source other than the lantern which spans more than one light radius of the lantern has its light match each area, rather than one of them. It is an action to change the lantern's setting one step and it cannot be changed from fully open to closed or vice-versa. The Animated Shadow cannot exceed a range of 90 feet from the lantern. The lantern always has a shadow directly beneath it no matter what. The lantern cannot be extinguished. If the lantern is destroyed the Animated Shadow is set free and becomes an Untethered Shadow, subject to the following changes.

• No longer restricted to the area around the lantern
• Loses Damage Immunity: Psychic
• Loses Condition Immunity: Charmed, Frightened
• Loses Faster, Lantern, and Penumbra traits
• Loses Multiattack, and Lamp Lighter actions
• Alignment becomes Neutral
• Intelligence and Charisma scores increase to 7 as it develops a rudimentary sentience and personality
• Hit Dice increase to 20 and HP increases to 150 (20d10+40)
• Proficiency Bonus increases to +5
• Challenge increases to 13
• Gains the Absorb Shadow action. The Untethered Shadow can absorb the shadow of an unconscious, recently deceased, or otherwise helpless creature it is adjacent to. The victims shadow vanishes. The Untethered Shadow can expend the hit dice of the creature it is absorbing the shadow from to heal itself. It can absorb 2 HD for every action it spends absorbing, and each 2 HD absorbed gains the victim one level of exhaustion. Their shadow returns when all the exhaustion is removed. Greater Restoration will remove levels of exhaustion.

If the Animated Shadow is destroyed the lantern continues to act as a magical light source, retaining its three light level settings, and can cast Animate Objects 1/day. 

Multiattack When the Animated Shadow takes the Shadow Boxing action, it can make one additional attack.

Shadow Box Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 18 (3d8 + 5) force damage.

Lamp Lighter When sharing a square with, or adjacent to, the shadow of the lantern the Animated Shadow can use a bonus action to change the light level one step. The Animated Shadow cannot otherwise affect the lantern in any way.