The Shadow

You have stared into the dark abyss, only for it to look back and smile, welcoming you into its cold and godless embrace. Since the beginnings of time, these beings have lurked in the shadows just outside of mortal reach,  ever watchful, ever learning, ever hungering. The dark is their home, a home carved from the primal fear instilled into every mortal, a fear that steadily grows as the sun sets and the long claws of the dark creep ever closer to their heels. Such beings feast on fear and rejoice in despair, bestowing their followers with the power to harness this knowledge to instil further terror onto the world, a terror that shall produce an exquisite feast for their kind to consume. These pact-bound are chosen in moments of deepest fright, such as the one of fear felt when staring at the shimmering blade of an assassin as its cold steel is pressed against your skin, and in said moment they are given the choice to escape that fear and wield the power to instil it onto the source, for what is the morsel of fear this singular individual holds when compared to the banquet that they shall bring forth.

Beings of this ilk include nightmare goddess of Greyhawk known as Vara, The Dark Six of Eberron, The Night Serpent Dendar, and the Orcish God of Night Shargaas.

Expanded Spell List

1st-level Shadow feature

The Shadow lets you choose from an expanded list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.

Fathomless Expanded Spells

Spell Level	Spells
1st	Bane, Entangle (appears as shadowy tendrils)
2nd	Blindness/Deafness, Detect Thoughts
3rd	Slow, Bestow Curse
4th	Phantasmal Killer, Greater Invisibility
5th	Maelstrom (appears as whirlpool of darkness), Cone of Cold

Nightmarish Visage

1st-level Shadow feature

You bring forth the power of your dark patron. As a bonus action, you can transform for 1 minute or until you use a bonus action to deactivate the transformation. You gain the following benefits:

• As a bonus action, you may create a Dark Amalgam, an abstract construct of shadows that can take one of 3 forms (listed below). You may create a number of Amalgams equal to half your profficiency modifier (rounded down), and may only create one of each type at a time. If you attempt to create more Amalgams than the limit, you must choose one to dissipate. You may attack with an Amalgam as part of the same bonus action used to summon it.
• As a bonus action, you may command your Amalgams to attack. In addition, if a creature would leave the attack range of one of your Amalgams you may use your reaction to command it to perform an attack of opportunity.
• Any creature hit or affected by the Amalgams must make a Wisdom Saving Throw against your Spellsave DC or be frightened of you until the Amalgam dissipates. The creature may repeat the save at the end of each of its turns. On a success, they are no longer frightened.
• You are immune to the frightened condition.

When the transformation wears off or you deactivate it, all your Amalgams dissipate. You can transform a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

 

The appearance of your Nightmarish Visage can vary wildly, from a dark silhouette with a featureless face to a humanoid mass of writhing darkness. The appearance is tailor made to fit the necessity, all the better to haunt your foes with.

Dark Amalgams

Amalgam	ACTIVATION
Assault	The Amalgam takes a lethal form, such as a dark tendril with a deadly blade at its end or a shadowy hand grasping a scythe. Make a melee spell attack, originating from the Amalgam, at one creature or object within 10 feet of it. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 force damage.
Repelling	The Amalgam takes a brutish form, such as a violent beast's arm or a powerful tail. Make a melee spell attack, originating from the Amalgam, at one creature within 5 feet of the Amalgam. On a hit, the creature takes 1d4 force damage and is pushed 10 feet away from the Amalgam.
Entrap	The Amalgam takes a grasping form, such as the jaws of a hungry beast or a cold jailer's chain. If a creature ends its turn within 10 feet of the Amalgam it must make a Strength Saving Throw against your Spellsave DC. On a fail the creature is grappled by the Amalgam. A creature grappled by the Amalgam can use its action to make a Strength Check against your Spellsave DC. On a success, they are freed.

 

Peer into the Abyss

1st-level Shadow feature

When you take this pact, you gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision from another source, its range increases by 30 feet.

One with the Dark

6th-level Shadow Feature

As your pact strengthens, so does your connection to the shadows, as as the connection grows you find yourself able to freely traverse through them.

Once during each of your turns you can expend half your movement to teleport to an unoccupied space that is within a shadow, or within dim light or darkness within 60 feet of you. This movement cannot provoke attacks of opportunity.

In addition, you gain resistance to psychic damage.

At 14th level, you gain immunity to psychic damage caused by spells you cast and may use this feature to teleport to an unoccupied space within 5ft of a creature who is frightened you or a source you control.

Shear their Will

10th-level Shadow Feature

Your Mastery over terror and capacity to analyze a creature's every fear had opened new doors for you, allowing for further terror to be steeped into the mind of your foes.

Starting at 10th level, if a source you control would inflict the frightened condition onto a creature, you ignore any immunities they may have to the condition. Furthermore, whenever you or a source you control deal damage to a creature that is frightened of you, the creature takes an additional 1d8 psychic damage as their mind is sheared and their will is broken. This damage ignores any resistance a creature may have to psychic damage.

Thanatophobia

14th-level Shadow feature

Your dominion over shadows and the terror within them allows you to rip apart a creature's sanity, crippling them in ever present fear.

When a creature fails a Saving Throw against the frightened condition or if they fail a save to remove the condition, they take psychic damage equal to half your warlock level and have disadvantage on all attacks and ability checks while they are within 60ft of you. If they fail the saving throw by 5 or more they are instead paralyzed for the duration of the frightened condition as their fears overwhelm their minds and cause them to cry out in sheer terror.