Way of Black

There are thought to be six inner planes intrinsically tied to the material plane:  the four elemental planes, the Positive Energy Plane, and the Negative Energy Plane.  While undead are suffused with energy from the Negative Energy Plane, living beings thought to be suffused with some small amount of energy originally from the Positive Energy Plane.  The Way of Black studies methods of ripping this energy straight from living bodies and using it to supplement one's own life force.  The Way of Black is typically viewed as an unscrupulous path, and its practitioners are often shunned by lawful societies.  Disciples of the Way of Black frequently consort with necromancers, blackguards and other ill-weavers with ties to undeath.

Way of Black Attunement

Starting at when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you can feel the positive energy that surrounds you as a sixth sense.  You can sense the presence of creatures that are not undead or constructs within 30 feet of you.  If you sense creatures in this way, you can use a bonus action to sense the exact locations of any creatures within the area.  This special sense can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.

Additionally, your are resistant to necrotic damage and immune to the paralyzed condition.

Harvest Life Force

Starting at 3rd level, as an action you can spend 1 or more ki points to drain the positive energy from a creature you can detect with your Way of Black Attunement feature.  The creature must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d8 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage increases by 1d8 for each additional ki point you spend.  You regain hit points equal to the damage dealt, or equal to the number of hit points the creature had remaining; whichever is smaller.

Harvest Vigor

Starting at 6th level, you can sap a creature's physical power and speed.  As a reaction when a creature you can detect with your Way of Black Attunement feature enters or starts its turn in a space within 5 feet of you, you can spend 3 ki points to force the creature to make a Constitution saving throw.  On a failed save, the creature takes 1d8 necrotic damage, and its Strength and Dexterity scores are reduced by 2 until it completes a short or long rest.  The target is stunned until its Dexterity score increases if the reduction reduces its Dexterity score to 0, and it dies if it reduces its Strength score to 0.  You gain temporary hit points which last until you complete a short or long rest equal to twice the damage dealt, or equal to the creature's Strength score before the reduction; whichever is smaller.

Infuse with Undeath

At 11th level, you can imbue the corpses of your foes with force drawn from the Negative Energy Plane.  When you kill a humanoid using your Harvest Life Force or Harvest Vigor feature, you can spend 2 or more ki points to channel negative energy into the void created by the drain on its life force.  At the start of your next turn, the target rises as a zombie that is under your command, following your verbal orders to the best of its ability.  If you spend 5 or more ki points and the target was CR 3 or higher, it instead rises as a ghoul.  If you spend 8 or more ki points and the target was CR 7 or higher, it instead rises as a wight.

You can maintain control over a number of undead equal to your Wisdom modifier, no more than 3 of which can be wights.  If you use this feature and the number of undead under your command exceeds your Wisdom modifier, you lose control over the last undead you created using this feature and it stops obeying your commands.

Wilting Strikes

Starting at 17th level, your strikes are suffused with negative energy.  When you hit a creature with an unarmed strike, you deal extra necrotic damage equal to your Wisdom modifier.