Circle of the Ten Shadows

The circle of ten shadows follows the teachings of the Ten Sacred Treasures, combining them with the magic of the shadows. It allows a follower of its teachings to summon companions to aid in battle and traversal, while also giving the user themselves some abilities too.

The Ten Shadows

A follower of the Ten Shadows Circle is taught of the ten different beasts, each representing a sacred treasure of ages, that reside in the darkness of the world.

You have different potential summons to call for, numbering 1 - 10. As a ritual, you may summon the next undefeated beast, starting at one. If you are able to subjugate them, then you may continue to summon that creature at a later time.

To subjugate a creature, you must be able to defeat it alone in combat. You may have assistance in defeating it, but should that helper enter death saves while the subjugated creature is in combat too, then you will loose subjugation over that creature.

Subjugated creatures may be summoned as a bonus action using charges of wildshape or a spell slots. You do so by making a shadow puppet mimicking the creature wanting to be summoned. Only one type of creature may be summoned at a time.

Shikigami

The ten shadow beasts are called 'shikigami'. The shikigama have the same proficiency bonus as you, which is used for attacks, saves, and skills. If you have a multiattack feature form another class, they gain it too.

You may use any combination of wild shapes and spell slots to summon the higher-costing shikigami, but the full cost must always be payed. Each level of spell slot counts as 1 (eg. LV.2 spell slot = 2 slots payed).

Shikigami take their turn immediately after their summoner, and may be directed on how to act on the start of their turn. If not instructed, they will act to defend their owner. If their owner is knocked unconscious, they are automatically dismissed.

The shikigami are, in order:

1. Divine Dogs (1 Wild Shape/Spell Slot):
   • 2 basic wolves. Both are summoned at once.
   • If 1 wolf dies, then the other may be summoned as a winter wolf until the next rest.
2. Nue (2 Wild Shape/Spell Slot):
   • Giant Eagle
   • You and other creatures are unable to ride Nue until you are level 8
   • Nue may deal lighting damage instead of any other it does.
3. Toad (1 Wild Shape/Spell Slot)
   • 6 Giant Frogs
   • Can only summon 1 frog at a time, up to 6
4. Great Serpent (2 Wild Shape/Spell Slot)
   • Giant Constrictor Snake
5. Max Elephant (5 Wild Shape/Spell Slot)
   • Elephant
6. Rabbit Escape (1 Wild Shape/Spell Slot)
   • 30 Rats (appear as rabbits)
   • can summon 5 at a time, with a maximum of 30
   • If a allied non-rabbit (rat) creatures provoke attacks of opportunity, a rabbit is within 5ft. of the attacking creature may instead be the one targeted for the attack.
7. Round Deer (3 Wild Shape/Spell Slot)
   • Unicron Statistics (appears as a deer)
   • Looses its legendary actions when summoned by user after being subjugated.
8. Piercing Ox (4 Wild Shape/Spell Slot)
   • Canoloth (appears as Ox)
9. Tiger Funeral (4 Wild Shape/Spell Slot)
   • Frost Salamander (appears as tiger)
10. Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga (10 Wild Shape/Spell Slot)
    • Nalfeshnee (Appears as a towering, muscular humanoid figure with four wings protruding from its eye sockets and a tail-like appendage extending from the back of its head. Hovering just above this is a large eight-handled wheel that rotates as Mahoraga responds to new stimuli.)
    • Looses its Demonic Restoration feature
    • If an attack is used against Mahoraga, in 2 turns time they will become immune to that attack and be completely unaffected by it from then on. If another creature uses the same attack, Mahoraga will be immune to that too (eg. a tiger using a claw attack will make Mahoraga immune against any other creatures with that attack).
    • If a creature is immune or resistant to an attack in Mahoraga's vicinity, in 2 turns Mahoraga will ignore those immunities and resistances with attacks they or their summon make.

Shadow Storage

You learn how to access some of the space from which your shikigami come from. You may treat your shadow as a storage space only you can access, capable of holding up to twice your weight in objects.

You are also able to store yourself in others' shadows, by using an action you may enter any shadow you have physical contact with. You will be able to only see what that shadow is touching, and cannot move outside the bounds of that shadow. However, if two shadows intersect, you are able to move between them. You are unable to breath while in shadows, and will need to resurface for air.

The Well's Unknown Abyss

You have learned how to twist the shadows together, combining their abilities into something greater than their parts. By increasing a shikigami's summon cost by 50% (rounded up)(Eg. 1 cost will become 2, 5 will become 8, etc...), you may bestow that summon with a trait of another tamed summon.

For example, a Toad may be given Nue's flight speed, or Piercing Ox may be given Round Deer's ability to cast cure wounds.

The exception to this is Mahoraga, who's adaption ability may not be granted to others, and will be lost if they are given any other trait.

Chimera Shadow Garden

By flooding an area with shadows, a follower of the Circle of Ten Shadows may achieve great power to almost guarantee victory of a fight, but at a cost and almost certain death should they fail to.

As an action, you may expend 5 levels worth spell slots to create a 40ft. diameter circle of darkness that covers the ground. At the beginning of your turn, you must expend an additional level of spell slot, plus 1 for each round its been active, to maintain Chimera Shadow Garden. If you do not pay the cost, you will be knocked unconscious. If you are unable to pay the cost, you will be put into death saving throws.

 While Chimera Shadow Garden is active however, any attack you or your shikigami make will always hit, regardless of armor class. Also, you are not limited to one type of shikigami active at a time, nor are you limited to summon only 1 shikigami at a time of of the same type (with the exception of Mahoraga). These effects may only occour within the boundary of Chimera Shadow Garden, and any attacks made towards creatures outside the area will be made normally, and only 1 type of shikigami may exist outside it, as per normal.