Shade Guard by

# Shade Guard
And then I saw a magick most curious - a lantern glowing with darkness rather than light.  I could hardly make out its bearer, for she was clad in mail that verily seemed crafted from the blackest shadow - Eastern Approaches by Archmage Valenkova

The techniques used by shade guards originated among elite drow warriors, but have since spread to many hidden corners of the world.  These silent warriors arm and cloak themselves in shadow to lethal effect.

### Bonus Proficiency
At 3rd level, you gain proficiency in Stealth and add double your proficiency bonus to any checks made with that skill.

### Shadow Sight
At 3rd level, you can see clearly in darkness, both magical and nonmagical, to a distance of 120 feet.  You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

### Shade Leap
Starting at 3rd level, you can effortlessly flit from shadow to shadow.  While you are in dim light or darkness, you can teleport up to 15 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness.  This takes no action, but can be done only per round and on your turn.  You then have advantage on the first melee attack you make before the end of the turn.

If this attack is a critical hit, the target must make a Constitution saving throw against a DC of 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Strength or Dexterity modifier (your choice).  On a failure, it is blinded until the start of your next turn as shadows cover its eyes.

You can use this feature three times.  You regain any expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

### Umbral Armory
At 7th level, you can create equipment out of solid shadow.  When you are in dim light or darkness, you can spend a bonus action to craft armor and up to two weapons or a weapon and a shield.  The armor created is either light armor that provides an AC of 12 and weighs 5 lbs, medium armor that provides an AC of 15 and weighs 10 lbs, or heavy armor that provides an AC of 17 and weighs 20 lbs.    The heavy armor does not impose disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks or have a Strength requirement.  If you spend 1500 gold on components, you can perform a 1-hour ritual that permanently allows you to create heavy armor with an AC of 18.

The weapons created count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical weapons, and they are extremely light.  Ranged weapons you create generate their own ammunition.  After using the Attack action, you cannot create a shield on the same turn.

You can drain magical weapons and armor to create stronger shadow versions.  If you spend 1 hour on a ritual with a magical weapon, shield, or armor that does not require attunement, it becomes loses any + bonus it has. For example, Glamoured Studded Leather would lose its +1 bonus to AC.  Then, if you created shadow armor or a shadow shield, it would have a +1 bonus.  To create a shadow weapon with a bonus, you must drain a magic weapon.

Draining a single magic item gives a bonus to only a single piece of shadow equipment. Draining multiple magic items does not allow you to stack bonuses.

If you currently are able to create shadow equipment with a bonus, you can spend 1 hour on a ritual with a non-magical item of the corresponding type and transfer the bonus to the item, making it magical.

When you attune with a magic weapon, shield, or armor, you can make it shadow equipment that can be summoned and dismissed.  Armor that becomes shadow equipment this way does not give disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.  You cannot drain other magic items to enhance shadow equipment you have attuned to.

Instead of creating armor, a shield, or a weapon, you can create a single non-magical item size Medium or smaller, although this takes an action and not a bonus action to do so.  This includes items that are composed of many smaller items, like a bag of caltrops.  Any items you create that would normally generate light instead create darkness.  You cannot use any created items as components.

You can dismiss shadow equipment at any time (this takes no action).  You can have up to three pieces of shadow equipment created at a time.

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### Light-Bane Surge
At 10th level, when you use your Action Surge, you can instantly cast the Darkness spell without any components.  Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.

Starting at 18th level, even creatures normally able to see through magical darkness cannot see through the darkness created with this feature (although you still can).

### Superior Shadow Sight
Starting at 15th level, your ability to see in darkness becomes unmatched.  You can clearly see in magical and non-magical darkness up to the same range you could see in broad daylight, although it is still shades of grey.

### Silence of Dusk
At 18th level, when you use your Action Surge, you and your equipment become totally silent as if affected by the Silence spell until the end of your next turn.  Like the spell, this protects you from thunder damage, but you are not deafened and can still speak.

In addition, you can cast Pass Without Trace once without using any components.  When you cast it this way, it is not a concentration spell.  You regain the ability to use it when you finish a long rest.  Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.

> ##### Art Credit
> Joel Thomas                                         
Morgan Yun  
Nixell Cho  
>
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