School of Dark Arts

I great libraries of archmages and magical universities, deep in basements, hidden by shelves, and scaled behind magical wards are unspeakable arcana that any proper wizard knows is better off not being known about Blood magic, witchings, and infernal translations are dangers that hold tantalizing knowledge for those wizards bold enough to wade into the darkness.

Some of wizards of the School of Dark Arts look to master the most dangerous forces to serve as magical wardens. Others look into the shadows and see only a truth that most are too frightened to accept and the power it offers. Too often, earnest wizards step forward as well-intended former and find themselves become the terrifying latter, twisted by the knowledge they've unearthed.

Dark Artist

You are able to accrue power through your eldritch magics. Whenever you deal damage to a creature with a spell, you may gain an equal amount of dark energy. When you spend gold to copy a spell into your spellbook or use a valuable material component to cast a spell, you may spend your Dark Energy to reduce the required gold cost by an equal amount.

Unsealed power

Your delve into forbidden arcana is not without reason. Great power lies hidden, waiting for those to embrace it. When you cast a spell using a spell slot, you may cast at one level higher than the spell slot you spend. Your maximum HPs decrease by the spell's modified spell level. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier. You regain all uses and your maximum HPs are restored after completing a long rest.

Terrible cost

Dark magic takes a toll on those who would wield its power. As an action, draw on your own soul for power or perform a dark ritual. You may roll a d4 or d6 and lose HP equal to the number you rolled. You regain one expended spell slot of a level equal to or lower than HP lost. You may use this ability a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier. You regain all uses after completing a long rest.

Soul Shard

Beginning at 10th level, because of the danger dark magic, experienced practitioners find ways to protect themselves. After finishing a long rest, you may place a shard of your soul into a small trinket of your choice, which becomes magical. While the trinket is intact, when you are reduced to 0 HP, you may roll any number of unspent Hit Dice and recover that much HP. After recovering this way, the trinket shatters and becomes useless. If you create a soul shard trinket when you already have one, the stored soul migrates back to you and the first trinket loses its power.

Dark Lord

 Your study has allowed you a master's understanding of the dark arts. You gain both of the following abilities.

• Overwhelming power. When you use a spell slot to cast a spell, you may treat that spell being cast as being cast with a level 6 spell slot instead of the spell slot used.
• Price of Greatness. As an action, you may roll a d8 and lose HP equal to the amount rolled. You regain one expended spell slow of a level equal to or lower than the HP lost.

After using one of these abilities, you may not use that particular ability again until you finish a long rest.