The Lingering Shade
Your patron is the Lingering Shade, a being that refuses
to pass on into the next life. Be it from sheer force of will, or some kind of arcane power, they linger in this world, looking to fulfill their own unknowable goals before their time runs out. Entities of this nature powerful enough to forge a pact include Larloch, the Shadow King; the archlich Acererak; the elves of the Undying Court; and especially mighty eidolons, death knights or dracoliches.
With a portion of their power, you can manipulate the darkness that resides within all places, and within all things, twisting and bending it to your will. While this power is great, it can be quick to overwhelm its users, and those who aren't strong enough to control their powers are lost as tortured, screaming beings made of pure shadow.
Expanded Spell List
The Lingering Shade lets you choose from an expanded
list of spells when you learn a warlock spell. The following spells are added to the warlock spell list for you.
Lingering Shade Expanded Spells
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | dissonant whispers, inflict wounds |
| 2nd | blindness/deafness, silence |
| 3rd | feign death, life transference |
| 4th | greater invisibility, phantasmal killer |
| 5th | cone of cold, mislead |
Dark Fragments
Starting at 1st level, your patron allows you to reach out beyond the veil of death, and manipulate the shadows your foes leave behind. Whenever a hostile creature of at least CR 1/8 within 60 feet of you is reduced to 0 hit points, a fragment of darkness appears and hovers gently in its space (if the creature occupied more than one space, you choose which space the fragment appears in). This fragment lasts for 1 minute, is incorporeal, and can't be interacted with or moved by other creatures.
These fragments do nothing on their own, but can be interacted with through your invocations and features.
Seething Heart
Also at 1st level, your patron has imbued you with a mote of darkness, which burns inside you, waiting for an outlet. When a creature within 60 feet of you that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to cause a burst of darkness to pour forth from your chest, striking out at them. The target takes necrotic damage equal to 1d10 + your warlock level and becomes frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
Alternatively, you can point towards a dark fragment within 60 feet of you as an action and cause it to rupture in a 10-foot radius. Creatures in the area must make a Wisdom saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. On a failed save, a creature either takes necrotic damage equal to 1d10 + your warlock level or becomes frightened of you until the end of your next turn (you choose when you rupture the fragment). The chosen fragment then fades.
Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Twisting Shadows
At 6th level, you disperse into a cloud of shadows to protect yourself from harm. When you would be subjected to an effect that targets an area, you can use your reaction to move up to half your speed. If at the end of the movement you are outside of the targeted area, you are unaffected by the triggering effect. If you end this movement in the same space of a dark fragment, you don't expend your use of this feature. That fragment then fades.
Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Reaching Darkness
At 10th level, you can reach through the shadows to pull your allies to safety. As an action, you can cause a fragment within 60 feet of you to pulse with energy. Choose a willing creature within 10 feet of that fragment. That creature is immediately teleported to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you, and the chosen fragment fades.
Twilight Assault
At 14th level, you can lash out with a burst of shadow energy as an action on your turn. Creatures of your choice within 30 feet of you must make a Wisdom saving throw, taking 6d10 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.
If this damage reduces a creature to 0 hit points by this feature, it creates a special dark fragment, which is fueled by the raw essence of your patron. This special fragment lasts for 24 hours, and doesn't fade when used by one of your other invocations or features.
Once you use this ability, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
Eldritch Invocations
At 2nd level, a warlock gains the Eldritch Invocations feature. Here are new options for that feature, in addition to the options in the Player's Handbook, that are designed for the Lingering Shade patron.
If an eldritch invocation has a prerequisite, you must meet it to learn the invocation. You can learn the invocation at the same time you meet its prerequisite. A level prerequisite refers to your level in this class.
Creeping Shroud
Prerequisite: The Lingering Shade patron
You can cast fog cloud without expending a spell slot. You can't do so again until you finish a long rest.
When you cast fog cloud this way, the cloud appears as a swirling mass of darkness. Any source of non-magical light inside the cloud is extinguished when the cloud appears. Additionally, if the cloud has a dark fragment inside its radius at the start of each of your turns, you can move it up to 10 feet in a direction of your choice along the ground.
Flickering Shadow
Prerequisite: The Lingering Shade patron
When you take the Dodge action on your turn, you flicker in and out of sight. When a creature misses an attack against you while you're dodging, you can move up to 10 feet without provoking attacks of opportunity immediately after their attack.
Shadow Spirit
Prerequisite: The Lingering Shade patron, Pact of the Chain feature
When you summon your familiar, you can have it appear as a shadow spirit. Your familiar retains its statistics except it is an undead, rather than a celestial, fey, or fiend, and appears to be made entirely of shadow, with burning red eyes, regardless of its form.
While the spirit is perched on your shoulder, your movement speed increases by 10 feet and you gain a bonus to your passive Wisdom (Perception) score and to Wisdom (Perception) checks. The bonus equals your Charisma modifier. While perched on your shoulder, the spirit can’t be targeted by any attack or other harmful effect; only you can cast spells on it; it can’t take damage; and it's incapacitated.
Shards of the Shattered
Prerequisite: The Lingering Shade patron, Pact of the Tome feature
As an action, you can close your Book of Shadows around a fragment of darkness, allowing you to gain an insight into the creature it came from. The fragment vanishes, and you learn basic information about the creature the fragment came from, such as a name, creature type, and other information. If it was an intelligent creature, you might also learn about its personality or notable life events.
Twilight Edge
Prerequisite: Pact of the Blade, The Lingering Shade patron
Whenever you create a weapon using your Pact of the Blade feature, you can choose to have it be consumed in shadow, and decorated with silver filigree. This weapon, or any ammunition fired from it, is silvered. Attacks made with this weapon deal an additional 1d4 necrotic damage.
Additionally, when you start your turn in a space containing a dark fragment, you can siphon it into your weapon, causing that fragment to fade. Until the end of your turn, attacks with this weapon deal an additional 1d4 necrotic damage, and the first time you hit a creature with a weapon attack on your turn, you become invisible to that creature until the start of your next turn, or until you attack it or force it to make a saving throw.
Umbra Step
Prerequisite: The Lingering Shade patron
While in dim light or darkness, you gain a bonus to your Dexterity (Stealth) checks equal to your Charisma modifier, as your patron weaves the shadows around you.
Additionally, you can't trigger floor-based traps and mechanisms, such as tripwires, pressure plates, or pitfalls, as you patron guides your steps.
Credits
- Created by u/Rain-Junkie. More of my work can be found here.
- Artwork by Alena Aenami.
- Made using GMBinder.
- Special thank you to the Discord of Many Things for all their help!
