Totally NOT evil. Great power sometimes comes from horrible places. Who'd want to waste their lives reading books—learning magic the hard way? Just scheme up a way to take what you need from someone who won't miss it—ancient horrors don't guard their power nearly as well as you'd think!
Shadowmancers use Unspeakable Power from pacts with ancient entities to crush foes and bend the shadows to their will, and Master Shadow Minions—legions of shadowy minions to overwhelm adversaries.
Shadow Blast
(Necrotic cantrip) Action: (1/turn) Range: 8. Damage: 1d12+KEY. High Levels: +1d12 damage every 5 levels.
Summon Shadows
(Necrotic cantrip) Action: Summon a shadow minion within Reach 1 (max of INT or LVL minions). Action: (1/turn) Command ALL of your minions to move 6 then attack (Reach 1, 1d12 each). High Levels: +1 Reach every 5 levels.
Master of Darkness
Your Patron grants you knowledge of Necrotic cantrips and tier 1 spells.
Pilfered Power
You may steal power from your patron to cast tiered spells, always at the highest tier you have unlocked. You can do this DEX times before your patron takes notice. Each time you exceed this limit, your patron damages you for half your max HP. Resets on Safe Rest.
THE PACT IS SEALED
Choose a subclass and 1 Lesser Invocations.
Key Stat Increase
+1 INT or DEX.
A Gift from the Master
Choose 1 Greater Invocations.
Tier 2 Spells
You may now cast tier 2 spells; all of your spells are cast at this tier.
Upgraded Cantrips
Your cantrips grow stronger.
Secondary Stat Increase
+1 STR or WIL.
A Gift from the Master (2)
Choose a 2nd Greater Invocations.
Shadowmastery
Choose 1 Necrotic Utility Spell.
Subclass
Gain your Shadowmancer subclass feature.
Tier 3 Spells
You may now cast tier 3 spells; all of your spells are cast at this tier.
Key Stat Increase
+1 INT or DEX.
Lesser Invocation
Choose a 2nd Lesser Invocations.
Shadowmastery (2)
Choose a 2nd Necrotic Utility Spell.
A Gift from the Master (3)
Choose a 3rd Greater Invocations.
Secondary Stat Increase
+1 STR or WIL.
Tier 4 Spells
You may now cast tier 4 spells; all of your spells are cast at this tier.
Upgraded Cantrips
Your cantrips grow stronger.
Subclass
Gain your Shadowmancer subclass feature.
Lesser Invocation (2)
Choose a 3rd Lesser Invocations.
Greedy Pact
When you would take damage from Pilfered Power, make a STR save: 1–9: Suffer damage as normal. 10–19: Suffer only 10 HP of damage. 20+: Suffer no damage and cast the spell as if it were 1 tier higher.
Key Stat Increase
+1 INT or DEX.
Tier 5 Spells
You may now cast tier 5 spells; all of your spells are cast at this tier.
Secondary Stat Increase
+1 STR or WIL.
A Gift from the Master (4)
Choose a 4th Greater Invocations.
Shadowmastery (3)
You know all Necrotic Utility Spells.
Subclass
Gain your Shadowmancer subclass feature.
Upgraded Cantrips
Your cantrips grow stronger.
Tier 6 Spells
You may now cast tier 6 spells; all of your spells are cast at this tier.
Key Stat Increase
+1 INT or DEX.
Dire Shadows
Attacks against your shadow minions are made with disadvantage. They take no damage from successful saves.
Secondary Stat Increase
+1 STR or WIL.
A Gift from the Master (5)
Choose a 5th Greater Invocations.
Epic Boon
Choose an Epic Boon.
Tier 7 Spells
You may now cast tier 7 spells; all of your spells are cast at this tier.
Eldritch Usurper
+1 to any 2 of your stats. Whenever you summon a single shadow minion, summon 2 instead. They die only when they receive 12 or more damage at one time.
Upgraded Cantrips
Your cantrips grow stronger.
Lesser Invocations
Choose Lesser Shadow Invocations as you level up.
Abhorrent Speech
You can communicate with horrible creatures (aberrations, undead, etc.).
Beguiling Influence
(1/day) You may reroll an Influence check.
Blood Sight
(1/day) You may reroll an Examination check. Additionally, you can detect traces of blood on a surface, even after it has been cleaned.
Devoted Acolyte
Learn 2 of the following languages: Celestial, Draconic, Deep Speak, Infernal, or Primordial. Advantage on Lore checks related to those 2 languages.
Eldritch Sense
You can sense the presence of any shapechanger or creature concealed by magic while within 6 spaces of them.
Gaze of Two Minds
Touch a willing creature and perceive through its senses instead of your own for as long as you hold concentration.
Knowledge from Beyond
Whenever you fail an Insight or Arcana check, you may suffer 1 Wound to succeed instead.
My Favored Pet
One shadow minion can begrudgingly tolerate you outside of combat. It can (very creepily) do any menial task a below average commoner could.
Voice of the Dark
You can communicate telepathically with a humanoid within 6 spaces.
Whispers of the Grave
(1/day) You can ask a dead creature 3 yes/no questions. It can never be questioned this way again.
Greater Invocations
Choose Greater Shadow Invocations as you level up.
Armor of Shadows
Reduce all damage you receive by an amount equal to the number of minions you have.
Fiendish Boon
Increase your DEX or INT by 1. You have 1 fewer maximum Hit Dice.
Hungering Shadows
Whenever one of your shadows would crit, the next tiered spell you cast this encounter does not cost a use of Pilfered Power.
One with Shadows
Action: When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you may become Invisible until you move or attack.
Repelling Blast
When you hit a Medium or smaller creature with Shadow Blast, you can push the creature up to 2 spaces away from yourself.
Shadow Magus
Your minions gain +4 Reach and deal d10 damage instead.
Shadow Spear
Your Shadow Blast can target creatures twice as far away, it ignores cover, and you may attack Prone targets with advantage with it.
Shadow Rush
When your shadow minions attack, instead of rolling damage, you may have any of them deal the max amount, then die.
Shadow Warp
Action: Switch places with a creature within 12 spaces that has been dealt necrotic damage this turn.
Swarming Shadows
Whenever one of your shadows would crit, summon another shadow minion adjacent to the target.
Vengeful Blast
Whenever a minion dies, you may cast Shadow Blast as a reaction (even if you already cast it this turn).