The Stygian
A Stranger on the Wall
Beady bullets of sweat streamed down the king's head as his eyes darted unsteadily back and forth between the dark corners of the musty cellar, causing the crown of candles atop his head to sway uneasily with each turn. His mistress tightly clasped on his calloused hand as she howled in pain, stealing short unsteady breaths between each anguished wail. Despite her excruciating torment, he continued to peer anxiously into the black that laid just beyond the waning light of his candles. The midwife's encouraging words; the mistress's strained groans; the watching shadows; the king's pulsating heart, practically drumming against his chest; all fell silent when the infant cries of a newborn suddenly pierced the room. A hardy, perfect little girl.
For just a moment, the king's unceasing worries about the patches of darkness in the room dissipated, replaced by boundless jubilation and elation. Hands trembling, he gently removed his radiant crown and eagerly reached to greet his child for the first time—a motion cut short, for his fingers suddenly stilled and his body soon followed, toppling over like a statue. One with a strange, flawless cut at its neck.
As the room erupted into shrieks of terror when his lifeless head rolled onto the cobbles, a gaunt silhouette slithered from the baby's shadow onto the illuminated wall. Silently laying a grotesque finger on the child's lips to shush her, the figure slipped into her shadow as quickly as it had emerged—for this one now belonged to the Stygian.
The Otherking
Out of all the beings that watch from the stars, perhaps the most insidious is the one draped in a cloak tailored from endless secrets and darkness. From a palace hidden in the nebulous shadows of the cosmos, the Stygian pulls on invisible strings to make its chosen perform their part, maintaining a hidden yet significant rule from the shadows. The halls of its enigmatic castle are lined with the lost garments of dead kings, fateful letters soaked in blood and tears alike, weapons used to murder loved ones—trophies of empires laid to ruin by the mere tug of a puppeteer's string.
Usurpation Unseen
As no one can hide anything from their shadows, the Stygian is the wealthiest of all when it comes to information reserved for hushed voices and burnt letters. Somewhat of a loan shark for pilfered secrets, it is always willing to strike a deal to those desperate enough to seek its dark knowledge. Though, such furtive secrets demand a steep price with an exorbitant rate of interest, a heavy debt that few can ever pay.
As secrets the Stygian is ignorant of are impossibly rare, there exist alternate forms of payment for the Stygian's dark services. It may offer the assassination or ruination of certain targets as a step towards completing a debt, for organizations or entities that grow too powerful to be manipulated from the shadows is viewed as a threat to the Stygian's eternal rule. Throughout time, its invisible hand has orchestrated the fall of civilizations, the ushering in of dark ages, and the disappearances of many a dignitary.
A Toll Most Tenebrous
Backstabbers, infiltrators, blackmailers—these are the regular customers of the Stygian's services. Having dealt with such a nefarious crowd for eons, the Stygian's pact is an irrevocable contract with strict terms and severe constraints. Those who break it immediately know their nights are numbered, for nothing can hide from its own shadow.
The Stygian possesses the unique ability to render shades into existence, living shadows who serve as an extension of its will. Ever-watching overseers, they are both a gift and a curse to those who establish a pact with the Stygian. Those with the wisdom to stay within their pact's bounds form a deadly duo with their shade as their bond strengthens, while those unable to pay the debt or who violate the pact's terms find themselves subject to a much darker fate, often by the hand of their own shade.
While the Stygian's methods of punishment are as numerous as they are unknown, there is one that always seems to find its way in the ears of those who deal with the entity through frantic murmurs or ancient tomes, perhaps by design. Those who cross the Stygian have their souls swapped with that of a shade, doomed to live out the rest of their life stuck as a shadow. These wretched souls spend the rest of their miserable existences silently observing their lives being spent by a perfect mimic of themselves, unable to warn their loved ones that something much more insidious now inhabited their body. Some punished in this manner are eventually bound to other warlocks as shades, while the unlucky remain in the shadow for eternity—even after watching the life stolen from them; even after watching their loved ones perish one by one; even after watching themselves expire; even when their body is no more than a decaying mass of sinew and bone. There, they still remain, forgotten in a dark prison unseen by anyone else.
Otherworldly Patron
At 1st level, a warlock gains the Otherworldly Patron feature, which offers you the choice of a subclass. Here is an option for that feature: the Stygian.
You've entered an elaborate contract with an umbral being known as the Stygian, an incarnation of shadows banished from light that hones the most hideous secrets to be sharper than a blade in the dark. Whether you sought out its power or owe it an unspeakable debt, you've been bound to a living shadow, who threatens you and your foes alike with the terrifying fate of those who defy the Stygian's enigmatic will. 1st-level Stygian feature The Stygian 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. 1st-level Stygian feature You learn the gather gloom cantrip. It counts as a warlock cantrip for you, but it doesn't count against your number of cantrips known. Additionally, you gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision or the Devil's Sight eldritch invocation, its range increases by 30 feet. 1st-level Stygian feature Touched by the Stygian, your shadow has been given life as a shade, an inescapable warden that lurks behind your every step. As a bonus action, you can send it into the shadow of a creature or an object you can see within 30 feet of you. If the target is an unwilling creature that isn't unconscious, it must fail on a Charisma saving throw to be affected (whenever a feature from this subclass requires a saving throw, the DC is equal to your warlock spell save DC). The shade remains in the shadow until it possesses another shadow, until a number of hours equal to your proficiency bonus pass, or until you dismiss it as a bonus action, upon which it returns to possessing your shadow. If a creature's saving throw against the shade's possession is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to this feature for the next 24 hours. The shade is indistinguishable from an ordinary shadow while inactive, though its true nature can be revealed through magical means, a successful Perception check while it is in bright light, or if you command it to reveal itself. A creature can attempt to break the shade's possession after finding out its true nature by using an action to repeat the Charisma save. When inspecting a possessed shadow, a creature may notice disconcerting deformities, which you can choose or determine randomly by rolling on the Dark Distortions table which can be found later in this document. You can use the shade in the following ways:The Stygian
Expanded Spell List
Warlock Expanded Spells
Spell Level
Spells
1st
Dissonant Whispers, Magnify Gravity EGtW (appears as dark, grasping hands)
2nd
Pass without a Trace, Phantasmal Force
3rd
Meld into Stone (appears as becoming a shadow on stone), Nondetection
4th
Evard's Black Tentacles, Phantasmal Killer
5th
Maelstrom XGtE (appears as a churning abyss of darkness), Passwall (appears stepping into a shadow on the surface
Shaping Shadows
Sunless Stalker
Dance with Darkness
6th-level Stygian feature
Your patron grants you access to the unearthly void that lies beneath shadows. As a bonus action, you can cause a shadow within 5 feet of you or your shade to manifest dark hands, tendrils, or chains. The source of the shadow harmlessly sinks into its shadow and reappears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you or your shade unless it's an unwilling creature that isn't unconscious. If so, it must succeed a Strength saving throw or be forcefully dragged down, taking 2d6 necrotic damage.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Tracking Shadows
For simplicity's sake, assume the shadow of an object or creature lies on the surface directly beneath them unless otherwise specified or the situation would significantly change the location of their shadow, even if it's airborne. This means that the aforementioned feature has a limited horizontal but massive vertical range that depends on your DM's discretion.
It should also be noted that "a shadow within 5 feet of you or your shade" includes the space of your shadow and the space occupied by the shade. The shade also does not count toward a space's occupancy limit because it is a living shadow and does not take up physical space.
Malefic Haunt
6th-level Stygian feature
Those foolish enough to slumber in your shade's company often find not even their dreams can offer respite from its torment. As a reaction, you can choose to subject a creature to vivid nightmares if it falls unconscious while possessed by your shade and fails a Wisdom saving throw. Your shade can appear to the creature during these dreams, assuming any guise and voice. The creature experiences sleep paralysis for 6 seconds when it awakes, a frightening state of being unable to move, speak, or breathe that is ultimately harmless.
Shadow Puppets
10th-level Stygian feature
Your foes whisper in fear about when shadows betray their owners, an ominous symptom of the faceless visitor from the darkness. As a bonus action, you can command your shade to take the Attack action against a shadow within 10 feet of it. Your shade shares your weapon proficiencies and feats, can draw out the shadows of items stored in it to make weapon attacks, and its ability scores are equal to your Charisma score. Its true nature is revealed when it makes an attack against a shadow, appearing as a second, monstrous shadow.
Actions that your shade takes against shadows (which share the game statistics of their owners) are reflected in their sources. For example, a guard may be surprised to be lifted by the throat by a seemingly invisible force when your shade grapples his shadow, or to feel a laceration grow on his neck when your shade stabs his shadow with the shadow of a dagger. Damage dealt this way is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage, and also decreases the hit point maximum of the creature by that amount for the next 24 hours.
Twilight Terror
14th-level Stygian feature
Endless darkness streams from you like a roaring cascade, birthing the stuff of nightmares in your wake. As an action, you can release your shade to extend to a 15-foot triangle that originates from the creature it is possessing, growing as it devours the shadows of those in its path. For each shadow belonging to a creature in the area, the triangle enlarges by the length of the space occupied by the creature, the shadow consumed by the shade.
For example, a Medium creature caught in the area would extend it by 5 feet, while a Large creature would extend it by 10 feet because it occupies a 10-foot square. If extending the area causes the triangle to include more creatures, it continues to expand this way until no more shadows are left to engulf. Your shade maintains this form for 1 minute or until you dismiss it, giving you the following benefits:
- The shade remains stationary and cannot be moved at all.
- Creatures of your choice in the shade's area treat it as difficult terrain and can be targeted by your Malefic Haunt feature.
- Your shade can use your Shadow Puppets feature against any creature within its space and its unarmed strikes deal a number of d6 equal to the dimensions of the triangle it occupies divided by 10 in necrotic damage. Creatures your shade attacks against must succeed a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you until the end of their next turn.
- As an action, you can become invisible while you remain within the shade's area until you attack or cast a spell.
You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.
Additional Warlock Spells
This section presents a new cantrip used to manipulate the essence of darkness. It is available to the Stygian subclass found above in the document, as well as other spellcasting classes with the Dungeon Master's consent.
Gather Gloom
Illusion cantrip
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Up to 1 hour
You create one of the following magical effects within range, wielding tricks of the light and darkness to your advantage.
- You darken a light source to move it down a category of illumination, such as turning a bright light into a dim light.
- You cause shapes, symbols, or both to appear on an area of darkness or a shadow, spelling out words, creating images, or shaping patterns by using negative space or extending the darkness.
- You disjoint a shadow from its source, causing it double or half in size, freeze in place, or make movements that don't reflect those of its source.
If you cast this spell multiple times, you can have no more than two of its effects active at a time, and you can dismiss such an effect as an action.
Customizing Your Shade
This section gives players who make Stygian warlocks some suggestions on how to customize their shade to fit with their character. A shade usually resembles the shadow of a humanoid in every way except for a few features that are just... off. The Dark Distortion table offers some examples.
Dark Distortions
| d8 | Irregularity |
|---|---|
| 1 | Branching horns |
| 2 | Elongated limbs |
| 3 | Twisted visage |
| 4 | Gaping mouth |
| 5 | Following eyes |
| 6 | Skeletal figure |
| 7 | Crooked appendages |
| 8 | Streaming tears |
Also, consider the way your shade acts towards your character and others. While some may act as silent, subservient watchers, many shades often come with a distinct personality, even if they don't express it through words. The shade may be an identical reflection of its warlock or a complete opposite that never stops bickering with its host. Take this opportunity to fully realize how you want your shade to come into play and how it will complement your warlock. The Shady Behaviors table offers some examples.
Shady Behaviors
| d8 | Personality |
|---|---|
| 1 | An overprotective guardian, intimidating or eliminating any potential threats in advance |
| 2 | A mocking mime, using its flexibility to make gestures or images that poke fun at its host |
| 3 | A bloodthirsty warmonger, encouraging violence and bloodshed the moment any conflict arises |
| 4 | A pessimist who would tell its host to just give up and wait for death when any obstacle arises |
| 5 | A boasting braggart that often gloats about its achievements and feats as a war hero. Whether anything it says is true is questionable |
| 6 | A paranoid lunatic that is convinced that you are its shadow and that it is your host |
| 7 | A greedy kleptomaniac that has a peculiar love for storing gold and shiny trinkets |
| 8 | An upright yet stubborn zealot who adheres to a strict code of honor, justice, and righteousness |
Eldritch Invocation Options
When you choose eldritch invocations, you have access to these additional options.
Duskcaller
While you are in darkness, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses Charisma.
Eyes in the Dark
You can close your eyes for 6 seconds to sense the shadows of creatures to a distance of 10 feet, able to sense the positions of invisible creatures or ones behind walls in this range by tracking their shadows.
Umbral Shackles
As a bonus action, you can chain a creature you can see within 30 feet of you to the shadow of another creature within the same range, forcing them to make a Strength saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. On a failure, it cannot move more than 10 feet away from the creature it is bound to and is pulled to be within 10 feet of the creature if it is further from it when you use this invocation.
A creature affected by this can use its action to repeat the save, freeing itself on a success.
Once you use this invocation, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Dreadmonger
Prerequisite: Stygian patron
While you are assuming the perspective of your shade, you can cast the thaumaturgy cantrip from its position without a verbal component.
Black Armory
Prerequisite: Stygian patron, Pact of the Blade feature
The extradimensional space that your pact weapon is stored in can be your shade, whose carrying weight is not affected by your pact weapon.
Additionally, the first time each round that a creature is damaged by a weapon you drew from your shade in the same round, it must succeed a Constitution saving throw against your warlock spell save DC or be blinded until the end of its next turn.
Tenebrous Rally
Prerequisite: Stygian patron, Pact of the Chain feature
As a bonus action, you can contort your hands to cast a shadow resembling your familiar's silhouette on a surface within 120 feet of you. Your familiar appears from the shadow, teleporting there from its current location.
Additionally, your familiar has advantage on Stealth (Dexterity) checks when it is in dim light or darkness.
Dead King's Crown
Prerequisite: Stygian patron, Pact of the Talisman feature
As a bonus action, you can cause your shade to possess the shadow belonging to the wearer of your talisman.
Additionally, creatures possessed by your shade suffer a -2 penalty on their first attack roll against you each round.
Allegory of the Cave
Prerequisite: Stygian patron, Pact of the Tome feature
Whenever you store a page from your Book of Shadows in your shade, you can choose to have any illustrations or words on the page appear in your shade.
Additionally, you can choose to have your shade only appear to the creature it is possessing, remaining completely invisible and inaudible to any other creature.
Shadowboxer
Prerequisite: 10th level, Stygian patron
Whenever a creature's shadow moves out of your shade's attack range, it can consume your reaction to make an opportunity attack against that shadow.
Seized by Shadows
Prerequisite: 10th level, Stygian patron
As an action, you can temporarily imprison a humanoid in its shadow, offering an empty husk for your shade to inhabit. You force a creature within 5 feet of you or your shade to make a Charisma saving throw against your warlock spell save DC. On a failure, your shade possesses its body for up 1 minute while the creature's consciousness is locked inside the body's shadow.
Once you use this invocation, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Credits
Homebrew Designer - Piggby
Feedback - FogdaleArt Credits
Cover Art - Torvenius
Page 1 Art - Screenshot by SwimmingJunky
Page 2 Art - Bryan Sola
Page 3 Art (1) - Unknown Artist
Page 3 Art (2) - John Stanko
Page 4 Art - Darek Zabrocki
Page 5 Art - Magnus Creative
Page 6 Art - Unknown Artist
Blackthorn Dark Theme - blckthorn
