Rogue: Dark Envoy (Grim Hollow)

DARK ENVOY MANEUVERS

The Saga of the Dark Envoy recalls the tale and exploits of Morgöng Shadestrider. Although a diplomat of no small talent, Morgöng excelled in ending problems before they began—often in complete silence and under the cover of darkness. While others in Kentigern’s company sought glory and honor, Morgöng accomplished their goals with subtlety and efficiency.

Practitioners of the Saga of the Dark Envoy employ the same discretion and ruthlessness. Such warriors enfeeble their opponents and strike in a hail of attacks to end fight ends as quickly as it began. Masters of this saga learn to manipulate shadows and illusions, ensuring enemies are too disoriented to strike back in the brief time they have left.

Maneuver Points

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn maneuvers that are fueled by special points called Maneuver Points.

Maneuvers. You learn three maneuvers of your choice, which are detailed under “Maneuvers” below. Many maneuvers enhance an attack in some way. You can use only one maneuver per attack.

You learn one additional maneuver of your choice at 6th, 10th, and 14th level. Each time you level up, you can also replace one maneuver you know with a different one.

Maneuver Points. You have six maneuver points, starting at level 3. Maneuver Points are expended when you use it, and the amount depends on the maneuver (listed next to the maneuver name). You regain all of your expended Maneuver Points when you finish a long rest.

You gain two Maneuver Points every level after 3rd, as listed in the table below.

Saving Throws. Some of your maneuvers require your target to make a saving throw to resist the maneuver’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Rogue Martial Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + Wisdom modifier 

Dark Envoy:

Rogue Level	Maneuver Points	Maneuvers Known
3rd	6	3
4th	8	3
5th	10	3
6th	12	3
7th	14	3
8th	16	3
9th	18	4
10th	20	4
11th	22	4
12th	24	4
13th	26	5
14th	28	5
15th	30	5
16th	32	5
17th	34	6
18th	36	6
19th	38	6
20th	40	6

 

 

Killer Instinct

3rd-level Dark Envoy feature

Your intimate familiarity with death has given you insight into how to quickly end the lives of your enemies. Your weapon attacks score a critical hit on a result of 19 or 20 on the d20 roll.

Deadly Focus

9th-level Dark Envoy feature

You can spend 1 minute patiently observing an area, tracking the movements of all creatures within it and readying yourself to eliminate them all in a single instant. You become focused and must concentrate to maintain your focus as if concentrating on a spell or maneuver. Your focus ends when you spend it, when you lose concentration, or after 10 minutes pass.

You can spend focus when you deal Sneak Attack damage on your turn (no action required). Until the end of your turn, you can deal extra damage using your Sneak Attack feature to any number of creatures, but only once per creature.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

Dark Envoy Maneuvers

The Saga of the Dark Envoy recalls the tale and exploits of Morgöng Shadestrider. Although a diplomat of no small talent, Morgöng excelled in ending problems before they began—often in complete silence and under the cover of darkness. While others in Kentigern’s company sought glory and honor, Morgöng accomplished their goals with subtlety and efficiency.

Practitioners of the Saga of the Dark Envoy employ the same discretion and ruthlessness. Such warriors enfeeble their opponents and strike in a hail of attacks to end fight ends as quickly as it began. Masters of this saga learn to manipulate shadows and illusions, ensuring enemies are too disoriented to strike back in the brief time they have left.

Blade of Obscuring Shadow (2 points)

You can use an action and spend 2 maneuver points to cause shadows to flow down the length of your weapon, ready to blind to your enemy’s eyes with your next strike. Make a single melee weapon attack or a ranged weapon attack with a thrown weapon against a creature. On a hit, the target suffers the weapon attack’s normal effects, and the creature is blind until the end of its next turn.

Caitiff’s Gambit (2 points)

When a creature within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack, you can use your reaction and spend 2 maneuver points to seize that moment of weakness. When you do, make a single weapon attack with advantage against the creature who was hit by the triggering attack.

Cunning Dodge (2 points)

You can use a bonus action and spend 2 maneuver points to take the Dodge action.

Cunning Plot (2 points)

You can use a bonus action and spend 2 maneuver points to take the Ready action.

Death’s Door (4 points)

You can use a bonus action and spend 4 points to become a conduit between the world of the living and the dead, allowing you to usher your enemies into the afterlife with greater speed. When you do, roll 5d6 and record the result as your threshold. Immediately after you deal damage to a creature with a weapon attack, if its current hit points are equal to or less than your threshold, the creature immediately dies and this maneuver ends.

 

Unless it ends early as a result of causing a creature to die, this maneuver lasts for 10 minutes or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell). Until this maneuver ends, roll 2d6 at the start of each of your turns and add it to your threshold.

Enshadowed Celerity (2 points)

When you make an initiative check, you can use your reaction and spend 2 maneuver points to move with supernatural speed. When you do, you add your proficiency bonus to the initiative check result and for the next 10 minutes your movement speeds increase by 10 feet.

Entropic Needle (5 points)

You can use an action and spend 5 maneuver points to choose a creature you can see within 60 feet. When you do, a needle of black miasma forms and shoots off in its direction. Make a weapon attack against the creature with the needle, which is a simple weapon that deals 1d4 piercing damage with the finesse and thrown weapon properties.

On a hit, the needle buries itself into the creature for 1 minute. Additionally, for the next minute, or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell), each time the creature takes damage from an attack it takes an additional 1d6 necrotic damage.

If the creature’s current hit points equal half or less than the creature’s maximum hit points, the additional damage increases to 2d6.

Felling Sweep (1 point)

You can use a bonus action and spend 1 or more maneuver points to sweep low to the ground, attempting to knock your enemies off balance. Choose a number of creatures within 5 feet of you up to the number of points you spent using this maneuver. Chosen creatures can be no larger than one size category larger than you. Each chosen creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw or fall prone.

Flickering Shadow Evasion (2 points)

When you are hit by a melee attack, you can use your reaction and spend 2 maneuver points to flicker out of the way of the attack. Your enemy strikes at your body, but their blade cuts through only shadows.

 

Make a Dexterity (Stealth) check. If the result of this check is higher than the aƩack roll of the creature that aƩacked you, the aƩack misses, and you can teleport up to 10 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.

Hail of Needles (5 points)

You can use an action and spend 5 maneuver points to cause nearby shadows to coalesce into a swarm of needles and rain down on your enemies. When you do, choose a point within 90 feet. Creatures within 10 feet of the chosen point must make a Dexterity saving throw. This saving throw is made with disadvantage if the creature is in dim light or darkness. On a failed saving throw, the creature takes 5d10 piercing damage. On a successful saving throw, the creature takes half as much damage.

Heart-stopping Strike (5 points)

When a creature starts its turn within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction and spend 5 maneuver points to lash out at it just before it acts, attempting to briefly stop its heart, or another vital organ. When you do, make a weapon attack against the creature. On a hit, your attack deals damage as normal and the creature must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, its turn immediately ends.

Mirror Blade Technique (3 points)

You can use an action and spend 3 maneuver points to conjure an illusory double of your blade, which strikes in unison with your own, and then vanishes. Make a single melee weapon attack or make a ranged weapon attack with a thrown weapon against a creature. This attack roll has advantage. If both rolls would hit the target, it takes an additional 3d6 cold damage.

Phantom Needles (4 points)

You can use an action and spend 3 maneuver points to cause shadows to coalesce around your hand, creating four long phantasmal needles. You make four weapon attacks, one with each of the needles, which count as simple weapons you are proficient in that deal 1 piercing damage and have the light, finesse, and thrown (30/60) properties.

If all four needles hit the same creature, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be pinned to the ground and fall prone or be pinned to a wall or solid surface it’s adjacent to and restrained until the start of your next turn.

Phantom Step (1 point)

You can use a bonus action and expend 1 maneuver point to walk with spectral grace, moving up to your movement speed. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks and you can move through creatures during this movement, provided you do not end your movement in the same space as a creature.

Shadow Army (2, 4, 6, or 8 points)

You can use an action and spend 2, 4, 6, or 8 maneuver points to summon one or more shadow copies of yourself. When you do, you create one shadow copy for every 2 maneuver points you spent. Each shadow copy appears in an unoccupied space of your choice within 60 feet. Your shadow copies exist for 1 minute or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell).

Your shadows have AC equal to your own, are the same size as you, and use your bonuses to ability checks and saving throws. If a shadow takes damage, roll 1d4. On a result of 1, the shadow is destroyed. Otherwise, the shadow takes no damage. Your shadows are immune to all conditions. If a creature within 5 feet of one of your shadows moves more than 5 feet away from one of your shadows, you can use your reaction to cause the shadow to make a single melee weapon attack against that creature. The shadow makes this attack using your attack bonus as if it were using a nonmagical copy of your weapon.

For the duration of the maneuver, you can use a bonus action on each of your turns to silently control the shadows, causing each one to move 30 feet in a direction of your choice and make one melee weapon attack against a creature within 5 feet of the shadow.

Shadow Striking Technique (2 points)

You can use a bonus action and spend 2 maneuver points to bind your weapon's shadow to the weapon itself for the next 10 minutes. During this time, your reach increases by 5 feet and your attacks with this weapon deal an additional 1d8 necrotic damage.

Shape of Darkness (6 points)

You can use an action and spend 6 points to make your body turn ethereal, transforming into pure darkness for 10 minutes. During this time, you gain the following benefits:

● You can see normally in darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet.

● You have resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

● While you are in dim light or darkness, you can use a bonus action on each of your turns to teleport to an unoccupied space in dim light or darkness within 30 feet

Tenebrous Step

13th-level Dark Envoy feature

When you start your turn in dim light or darkness, your speed increases by 10 feet until the end of your turn.

Improved Deadly Focus

17th-level Dark Envoy feature

You can gain focus for your Deadly Focus feature as an action instead of spending 1 minute to do so.