Shade (5e Class)

Shade

Two very different characters briefly crossed paths on a fateful day. One was a monk, who wanted to teach others about being righteous and forgiving, while the other was a shade who only cared for himself. One walked the path of the light, while the other snuck his way into other people's hearts. Both had their places in society, but they means of obtaining their goals and their goals themselves were vastly different. So when they both met each other with each trying to recruit a prospective monk to their side, a fight was inevitable.

One With Darkness

Shades are martial artist who draws their power from their dark inner strength and Shadowfell. They use these powers to sap the strength of others, control shadows, and protect themselves. They can be greedy, cold-hearted, secretive, or practical, but regardless of how a shade acts, they all embrace darkness and misfortune as natural things in people's lives.

Creating a Shade

How did you obtain you shadow powers and martial arts? Were you taught by a master of shadows, did you become a monk but were eventually rejected because of your cold/dark heart or did you grow up embracing the shadows and training yourself? Why do you become a shade? Was it for power, revenge, a goal, or something else? Also think about how open about your powers and abilities you wish to be.

Quick Build

You can make a shade quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. Constitution is a good stat as well. Second, choose the hermit background.

A shade Source

Class Features

As a Shade you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Shade level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Shade level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: None
Weapons: Simple weapons, shortswords
Tools: Choose one type of artisan's tools or one musical instrument
Saving Throws: Wisdom, Intelligence
Skills: Choose three from Acrobatics, Deception, Insight, Investigation, Perception, Religion, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• one artisan's tools or musical instrument
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• If you are using starting wealth, you have 2d4 x 10 gp in funds.

Table: The Shade

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features	Shadow Fist Damage Die	Dusk Points	Dark Arts
1st	+2	Unarmored Defense, Dark Arts	—	—	+4
2nd	+2	Dusk Points, Eclipse	d6	2	+4
3rd	+2	Shadow Strike, Shadow Arts	d6	3	+4
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement	d6	4	+4
5th	+3	Extra Attack	d8	5	+6
6th	+3	Shadow-Empowered Strikes, Blink	d8	6	+6
7th	+3	Shadow Arts feature	d8	7	+6
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement	d8	8	+6
9th	+4	Tainted Body	d8	9	+8
10th	+4	Gilded Eyes	d8	10	+8
11th	+4	Dark Shield	d10	11	+8
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement	d10	12	+8
13th	+5	Shadow Arts feature	d10	13	+10
14th	+5	Corrupted Mind	d10	14	+10
15th	+5	Nullifier	d10	15	+10
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement	d10	16	+10
17th	+6	Veil of Shadow	d12	17	+12
18th	+6	Shadow Arts feature	d12	18	+12
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement	d12	19	+12
20th	+6	Coalesced Power	d12	20	+12

Unarmored Defense

Beginning at 1st level, while you are wearing no armor and not wielding a shield, your AC equals 10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Wisdom modifier.

Dark Arts

At 1st level, your martial arts has started to become brutal, as you will do anything to gain an advantage in battle.

You gain the following benefits while you are unarmed and you aren't wearing armor or wielding a shield:

• You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes.
• You can roll a d10 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike. Your unarmed attacks are unusually heavy and damaging, if an effect allows you to make an unarmored strike as a bonus action, you may not use this damage die for that unarmored strike.
• You can use a bonus action to make your unarmed strike deal 4 additional damage. This bonus damage increases as you gain levels as a shade, as shown in the Dark Arts column of the Shade table.

Dusk Points

Starting at 2nd level, your training allows you to harness the darkness inside of you. Your access to this energy is represented by a number of dusk points. Your shade level determines the number of points you have, as shown in the Dusk Points column of the Shade table.

When you spend a dusk point, it is unavailable until you finish a short or long rest, at the end of which you draw all of your expended dusk points back into yourself. You must spend at least 30 minutes of the rest meditating to regain your dusk points.

Some of your dusk point features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Dusk save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier

False Stamina

You can spend 1 or more dusk points as a bonus action to gain 4 times the dusk points spent temporary hit points for 1 minute.

Shadow Fist

When you hit with an unarmored strike, as a bonus action, you can spend 1 dusk point to make it deal an additional 3d6 necrotic damage. This die improves as you gain shade levels, as shown in the Shadow Fist Damage Die column of the Shade table.

Enfeeble

You can spend 1 dusk point when you hit with an unarmored strike to inflict a temporary status ailment upon the creature as a bonus action. On a failed Constitution saving throw versus your dusk save DC, the creature gains disadvantage on their next saving throw against magic until the start of your next turn.

Eclipse

At 2nd level, as a bonus action, you can spend 1 dusk point to make a 10ft sphere of magical darkness around you that only you may see through. It lasts until the start of your next turn, and you regain use this feature after you finish a short or long rest.

Shadow Strike

At 3rd level, you may use a bonus action to cover your fists in thin black smoke-like aura. Your unarmed strikes gain the ranged property of 40/120 feet and deal necrotic damage instead of bludgeoning damage until the start of the next turn.

Shadow Arts

At 3rd level, you pick an shadow art to specialize in out of Shadow Fiend, Harmonic Shade, or Shadow Fragment. You gain abilities based on your choice at 3rd level as well as levels 7, 13, and 17.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Shadow-Empowered Strikes

Starting at 6th level, your unarmed strikes count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Blink

At 6th level, you may spend 1 dusk point to move from a place that is currently in darkness to another place in darkness within 60 feet of you as a bonus action.

Tainted Body

At 9th level, you gain resistance to necrotic damage and are now immune to disease.

Gilded Eyes

At 10th level, you gain darkvision for 60 feet, and if you already have darkvision, the range is increased by an additional 30 feet.

Energy Shield

At 11th level, whenever you are damaged, you can spend 2 dusk points and use your reaction to gain resistance to one of the damage types that damaged you until the start of your next turn.

Hardened Mind

At 14th level, you gain advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma saving throws against magic.

Nullifier

At 15th level, you may spend 2 dusk points when you hit with an unarmored strike to empower your strike as a bonus action. On a failed Constitution saving throw versus you dusk save DC, the creature loses all their damage resistances and has their damage immunities turned into resistances until the start of your next turn.

Veil of Shadow

Starting at 17th level, you have unlocked a secret art, allowing you to draw on the powers of the Shadowfell to grant you a variety of boons for a short period of time. As a bonus action, you may spend 1 dusk point to activate this feature, granting you the following benefits for 1 minute or until you are knocked unconscious.

• Your AC increases by 1.
• Your unarmed strikes always act as if they have the benefits of the Shadow Strike feature.
• You ignore difficult terrain and your movement speed can not be reduced.

Once you use this feature, you can not use it again until after you finish a long rest.

Coalesced Power

At 20th level, when you roll for initiative and have no dusk points remaining, you regain 4 dusk points.

Shadow Fiend

Shadow fiends are those who have tried to emulate the power and ferocity of devils and demons. Many shades enter into pacts for this power, while others gain it naturally by intentionally or unintentionally having their shade powers warped by their personality or goals.

Flame Rebuke

Beginning at 3rd level, your attacks have taken on a fiery nature allowing you to burn your foes with your strikes even at a distance. Your attacks that necrotic damage may instead deal fire damage. Also, when you are damaged by a creature that you can see, you may spend 1 dusk point and use your reaction to make a flame infused unarmed strike with the ranged property of 30 feet. You deal fire damage with this attack instead of any other damage type.

Fiendish Nature

Beginning at 7th level, you have fully embraced your fiendish nature. You are now considered to be of fiend type, can now speak Abyssal and Infernal, and when you gain resistance to fire damage instead of necrotic damage when you gain your Tainted Body feature.

Protection Pact

Beginning at 13th level, you have signed a pact with a fiendish entity to grant you protection. You are now considered to be under the effects of nondetection at all times and may not be moved or teleported by a magical effect without your consent.

Soul Burn

Beginning at 18th level, you may empower an attack with black fire that burns your enemies very soul. As a bonus action when you hit with an unarmed strike, you may spend 3 dusk points to cover your attack in black flames. On a failed Constitution saving throw versus your dusk save DC, the creature takes half of the additional 3d10 necrotic and 3d10 fire damage, and does not take 1d10 fire and 1d10 necrotic damage at the start of their turn for 1 minute.

Harmonic Shade

The power of the harmonic shades is not for the faint of heart. They harbor both great darkness and great light within them, often struggling to keep the two powerful forces in check. Numerous shades have tried and failed to become harmonic shades, as one side, often dark, dwarfs the other in power. This often leads to harmonic shades' own power rebelling against them; if you are evil, your light power rebels against you and vice versa.

Harmonic shades who do manage to control their powers are able to use their powers to both protect and help their allies while also destroying their enemies.

Balance Swap

Beginning at 3rd level, your attacks very nature can swap between light and dark. Your attacks that deal necrotic damage may instead deal radiant damage. If you are within range of a friendly creature, you may make an attack action against the friendly creature. When you target this friendly creature, all your attacks hit it and your attacks heal the creature instead of dealing damage. Once you use this feature, you can not use it again until you finish a long rest.

Inner Light

Beginning at 3rd level, your dark powers as a shade have morphed to become part light and part darkness. Using the power of the light within you, you may spend 1 or more dusk points and touch a creature as a bonus action either granting them 4 times the dusk points spent temporary hit points for 1 minute or healing them for 1d4 hit points for each dusk point spent.

True Path

By 7th level, you have truly learned to follow the ways of the harmonic shade by allowing your inner light to guide you. When you make an ability check, an attack roll, or a saving throw and have disadvantage on the roll, you can spend 2 dusk points to cancel the disadvantage for that roll.

Hardened Body

Beginning at 13th level, your body has obtained protective light magic's. You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned, petrified, and blinded and you gain advantage on your next unarmed attack against a creature that attempts to poison, petrify, or blind you.

Equalizer

Beginning at 18th level, you may make an extremely powerful attack covered in swirling black and white mist. As a bonus action, when you hit with an unarmed strike, you may spend 4 dusk points to empower the strike with radiant and necrotic energy. On a successful Constitution saving throw versus your dusk save DC, the creature takes half of the additional 3d10 necrotic and 3d10 radiant damage and is not stunned until the start of your next turn.

Shadow Incarnate

Shadow incarnates are those who can not be seen and whose power and influence and power spreads far and wide. With unknown goals, power, and origin, next to nothing is truly known about them. These individuals rely on their secrecy, stealth, and powerful shadow powers to get them out of any bind.

Fragmented

Beginning at 3rd level, you can now leave shadow fragments of yourself scattered around. Whenever you use a bonus action in dim-light or darkness and move from the position you started your turn in, you may create a shadow replica in the place where you started your turn until the start of your next turn. This replica does not move, but when attacked, moved through, or moved with 5 feet of, it will make an unarmed attack against the target if you wish, using your Dexterity modifier for its attack and damage rolls as well as a d10 for its hit die.

One With Darkness

Beginning at 7th level, you may cover a creature in darkness. As an action, you may spend 1 dusk point to give a creature you touch advantage on Stealth checks and give other creature's disadvantage on Perception checks to see them in dim-light or darkness for 1 hour.

Consuming Shadows

Beginning at 13th level, you have learned to use the darkness inside you to infect others. As a bonus action, you may spend 1 dusk point to attempt to blind a creature within 30 feet of you. On a failed Constitution saving throw versus your dusk save DC, the creature becomes blinded for 1 minute. The creature may remake this saving throw at the end of every one of its turns.

Nightfall

Beginning at 18th level, you can create dark orbs using the power inside of you. As a action, you may create a floating orb of darkness within 60 feet of you for 3 dusk points. This orb lasts for 1 minute and effects creatures who start their turn with 5 feet of the orb. If a creature starts their turn within the orbs range, they must make a Constitution saving throw versus your dusk save DC to take half of the 5d10 necrotic damage and to not gain disadvantage on their attack rolls until the start of your next turn.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the shade class, you must meet these prerequisites: Dexterity of 13 and Wisdom of 15.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the shade class, you gain the following proficiencies: one artisan's tool or musical instrument and shortswords.

---

Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Classes