Shade

Shades aren't born, they're made. There is an ancient ritual where half the soul of supplicant is torn away and discarded. Shadow fills the void left by the tattered soul. Thus, one becomes a shade, caught in limbo between life and death. Though their tie to the mortal existence is substantially frayed, shades acquire some unique...boons. A shade’s lifespan extends far beyond what it natural (though they are in no way immortal) and their penumbral souls grant them an affinity for the powers of shadow.

The ruthless, the ambitious and the desperate seek out this unnatural ritual. To them, half their soul seems a small price to pay for the power one can gain from walking the Trail of Five Darknesses.

Shade Characteristics

Shades retain the physical appearance of who they were before they became a shade, but their appearance will become faded, their different hues becoming more subdued as though the same individual were being seen from behind tinted glass. These muted features mean that shades will never stand out in crowds and are difficult to remember. Occasionally, the physical characteristics of a shade will change when in the aftermath of the ritual. The color of their hair, skin, fur or scales may change, becoming anything from light gray to satin black. Their eyes might also change to become orbs of dull black, dark gray or even purple. Shades move like darkness itself; quickly, deftly and beneath notice.

When a creature loses half of its soul and becomes a shade, it loses much of past life, memory and emotions. A shade still feels love, hate, pride and shame, but they are muted and subdued, beneath a thick layer of darkness. As such, most shades are driven by cold calculation, ruthlessness and pure willpower, to a degree that most mortals could never hope to achieve. However, as a result shades are cursed with a pervading sense of ennui that only grows as they deepen their bond to shadow.

Shade Culture

The process of becoming a shade is often individual and unique. They are rare enough that communities of shades is virtually unheard of, except in legends of an ancient city of shades deep in the shadowfell. Shades that are discovered are chased out of decent communities, if they aren’t slain outright. Not only do folktales and myths prejudice villages and towns against shades, but their near total lack of conscience and loyalty is a real threat to those around them.

Decide how your character encountered the ritual and became a shade. Were you cursed soon after you were born because your parents failed to fulfill their oaths to a dark power? Or were you forced by an unscrupulous wizard to become a shade as part of an experiment? Or perhaps you rose through the ranks of a cult of cutthroats and assassins, undergoing the ritual when you were deemed worthy. Or maybe you were a wealthy man who, greedy for more power, scoured thousands of dark tomes in search of the ritual.

Shade Names:

Shades usually keep the names they held before the ritual, occasionally adopting aliases. For others the transformation is such a significant event (or their personalities are sufficiently altered) that they adopt a new name as part of the change.

Shade Traits

Your shade character has a number of traits in common with all other shades.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Origin Race. Choose any other race. You use that race when determining size, age, speed and language. You count as that race for the purpose of prerequisites.

Age. A Shade ages 1 year for every 10 they live. See the origin race age and multiply it by 10.

Alignment. As the soul is severed, all powerful emotions, loyalties and moral quandries subdued. Shades as a whole overwhelmingly tend towards neutral alignments

Size. See origin race

Speed. Add 5 feet to your origin race's base walking speed

Superior Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as though it were bright light, and in darkness as though it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of grey.

Just a Shadow. While in bright light your form wavers and you have disadvantage on Attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight. However, you do not suffer these disadvantages if you can somehow claim cover or obscurement from all bright light sources.

Frayed Mortality. You use hit die that are one size category smaller when rolling to recover hit points. For example, if you would normally roll d10's you would instead roll d8's.

One with Shadow. You can attempt to hide when you are only lightly obscured by any source, including creatures.

Practiced Sneak. You have proficiency in stealth

Languages. Common and one of your origin race's known languages

Subrace. Shade's don't have subraces per say, but the manner in which someone becomes a shade is very significant. Did they participate in the Or did they pursue nethermancy until they began to walk the Trail of Five Darknesses of their own volition?

Bound by Shadow

To a certain extent, you are bound by the ritual that transformed you into a shade. You didn't willingly split your soul. Even if you did pursue the shadow ritual, you tried to back out when it was already too late. Regardless, your connection to shadow is an innate, and at times unconscious, ability.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1

Molded by Darkness Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make using stealth. Additionally, you can hide as a bonus action.

Seeker of Darkness

You were one of those who sought of the powers of darkness of your own accord. Through study and mental facility you managed to uncover the doorway to the Trail of Five Darknesses and have begun to walk its path. Whether you pursued it out of desperation or ambition, the choice was your own. You have more control over your connection to shadow and its magic.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1

Seeker of Darkness. You have proficiency in arcana.

Shadow Caster. You can emit dim light in a 5 foot radius until the start of your next turn as a bonus action. Once you reach 3rd level you can cast the armor of agathys spell once per day as a 2nd-level spell. Once you reach 5th level, you can also cast the darkness spell once per day.