"Sovereign of the Fallen"

Your blood carries the will of a Monarch who rules over death itself — an ancient sovereign whose army sleeps within the shadows of the world. When awakened, that power stirs in you, granting strength drawn from the silence of the grave. You do not beg your shadows to serve; they kneel by instinct.

Whether your lineage descends from an ancient king, a god of death, or an entity beyond the mortal plane, you bear the right to command what others fear: the fallen.

 

Shadow Extraction

You utter the command that no mortal should know — the word of resurrection for the loyal dead. When a creature dies within 10 feet of you, you can use your reaction to attempt to extract its shadow, forcing its soul to obey your Monarch’s will.

Choose a creature that died within the last minute whose Challenge Rating is no higher than your proficiency bonus. The corpse must still be mostly intact. You speak your chosen command word, and on success, a Shadow Servant rises in its place — a weakened echo of the creature it once was.

The Shadow Servant retains the same creature type, size, and basic shape as in life, but its power is diminished:

• Its AC, attack rolls, saving throws, and ability scores are halved (rounded down).

• Its speed is reduced by 10 feet (minimum 10).

• Its maximum HP is equal to half its normal maximum HP.

• It loses any spellcasting, lair, or legendary abilities the original creature had.

• It deals half damage with its attacks (rounded down).

• It is undead and under your command, acting immediately after your turn.

• It understands your languages but cannot speak.

You can control one Shadow Servant at a time, plus one additional at 6th, 14th, and 18th level. If you exceed that limit, you must choose one existing servant to dissipate.

You can use Shadow Extraction once per long rest, and starting at 6th level, you regain one use after finishing a short rest.

• You gain proficiency in Intimidation.

• When you cast a spell that targets a creature, you can cause your aura to flare with an oppressive weight. The creature must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or have disadvantage on its next attack roll before the start of your next turn.
  You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum once), regaining all uses after a long rest.

 

Lord of the Abyss

Dark energy strengthens your bond to your shadows.

• You gain resistance to necrotic and cold damage.

• While you stand in dim light or darkness, you gain a +2 AC bonus against ranged attacks.

• When you deal necrotic damage with a spell, one of your Shadow Servants regains hit points equal to half that damage, round down (minimum of 1).

True Shadow Sovereign

You have ascended beyond mortality into the full mantle of a Monarch.

• You radiate an Umbral Dominion: while conscious, you emit dim violet-black light in a 20‑foot radius visible only to you and your shadows. Enemies within the area have disadvantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed by you.

• When you cast a spell of 1st level or higher, you may choose one of your Shadow Servants to echo the spell’s effect through itself, as if it originated from its position (once per turn).

You may use this feature once per long rest or expend 5 Sorcery Points to use it again. 

Shadow Master

Your mastery of the abyss allows you to fight as both commander and soldier — drifting through your own army’s shadows like a ghostly general.

• You can use your bonus action to instantly swap places with one of your Shadow Servants within 60 feet that you can see. Both you and the servant must occupy spaces large enough to fit you. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier per long rest.

• When you swap places with a servant, you gain advantage on the next melee or spell attack you make before the end of your turn, and the servant’s next attack deals bonus necrotic damage equal to your proficiency bonus.

• While you are within 30 feet of one or more active Shadow Servants, you have advantage on Dexterity saving throws — the shadows instinctively guide your steps and absorb stray blows.