Shadow-Haunted Rogue

Adventurers League Build Guide

A 1st-20th level build guide suitable for Adventurers League play

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. SHADOW-HAUNTED ROGUE
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 Shadow-Haunted Rogue
Adventurers League Build Guide

A 1st-20th level build guide suitable for Adventurers League play

Writing: David Friant and Doug Vehovec

Editing: Doug Vehovec
Layout and Design: Doug Vehovec

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2 SHADOW-HAUNTED ROGUE Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.

By Request
This character emerged through a request from one
of our Patreon supporters. The request was simple:
"How would you build a rogue with Shadow Magic
Sorcerous Origin multiclass?" This leaves a lot of
room for flexibility.
— Nerdarchy
the Player’s Handbook. Starting as a rogue gives
a character lots of skills and proficiencies. This
character's story lends itself to life as a rogue too.
There's definitely something odd going on with
their shadow, but just what isn't exactly clear. Yet.
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor

PHB +1 Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, long-

swords, rapiers, shortswords
Xanathar's Guide to Everything Tools: Thieves' tools
As always, to remain Adventurers League legal Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
we can only use one book other than the Player’s
Handbook. Since our request includes the Shadow Skills: Deception, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand,
Magic Sorcerous Origin inside Xanathar's Guide to Stealth
Everything, this will be our +1 book. As a bonus, Language: Thieves Cant
there's a rogue subclass in there ideal for a sorcer-
er multiclass to take advantage of that Charisma.
Step 3 — Ability Scores

Step-by-step character build guide STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
8 (-1) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 13 (+1) 10 (+0) 15 (+2)
Each step of the way, this guide will show you the
choices made that are significant to this character
build. Options that are of particular importance to Step 4 — Background
this character’s effectiveness are in bold. Haunted One
Skills: Arcana, Investigation
Languages: Undercommon
Step 1 — Race
Elf (drow) We had a lot of wiggle room with this request, and
Race option from the Player's Handbook. backgrounds are an awesome way to put a unique
spin on your character. So we went with Haunted
Leaning all the way into both the rogue's penchant One. An undead shadow drained this character's
for lurking in darkness and a Shadow Magic sorcer- Strength away, but they somehow returned to life.
er's affinity for gloom, a dark elf makes a perfect Their own shadow, however, was gone. But it was
choice for this shadowy sneaker. And mechanically, out there somewhere...
a drow's bonus to Dexterity and Charisma syncs
right up with the important ability scores for this
character. Step 5 — Class and Level Progression
Level Class Gains
Proficiencies 1 Rogue Skills — Persuasion, Sleight
Armor: None of Hand, Expertise — Deception,
Weapons: Rapiers, shortswords, hand crossbows Stealth

Tools: None 2 Sorcerer Sorcerous Origin — Shadow

Magic, Eyes of the Dark,
Skills: Perception Strength of the Grave,
Languages: Common, Elvish Spell — Green Flame Blade
3 Sorcerer Font of Magic

Step 2 — Class 4 Sorcerer Metamagic — Empower Spell,

Quickened Spell, Spell —
1st level Shadow Blade
Start with Rogue 5 Sorcerer Feat — Elven Accuracy
(+1 Intelligence)
For our first character class we choose rogue from 6 Rogue Cunning Action

Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only. SHADOW-HAUNTED ROGUE
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 7

Rogue Roguish Archetype —
Swashbuckler, Fancy Footwork, D&D Encounters
Rakish Audacity • The Roper Wrangler Monster BFF Series
8 Rogue Ability Score Improvement — • Kobold Cavalry Encounter
Dexterity +2
• The Hag's Apprentice Encounter
9 Rogue Uncanny Dodge
• Druid Circle from the Beyond
10 Rogue Expertise — Persuasion, Arcana
— Contains encounter ideas, new monsters and
11 Sorcerer a new druid Circle option for players
12 Sorcerer Hound of Ill Omen
13 Rogue Evasion
14 Rogue Ability Score Increase — Other Character Guides
Dexterity +2 • Mind Breaker Paladin Character Build Guide
15 Sorcerer • Zen Archery Master Character Build Guide
16 Sorcerer Ability Score Improvement — • Sewer Ninja Tortle Character Build Guide
Charisma +2
• Nature Possessed Warforged Character Build Guide
17 Rogue Panache
• Scaled Skald Character Build Guide
18 Rogue Ability Score Increase —
Charisma +2 • Quick Strike Character Build Guide
19 Rogue Reliable Talent • Night Parade Character Build Guid
20 Rogue Feat — Alert • Combat Medic Character Build Guide
• Ultimate Duelist Character Build Guide
• Justicar: Path of Justice Barbarian Character
Conclusion Build Guide
Final Ability Scores • Ultimate Spell Duelist Character Build Guide
• Extreme Adventurer Character Build Guide
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
• Whirling Devish
8 (-1) 20 (+5) 12 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 20 (+5)
• Library Agent Character Build Guide
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, long-
swords, rapiers, shortswords
Tools: Thieves' tools
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
Skills: Arcana, Deception, Investigation, Perception,
Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
Languages: Common, Elvish, Thieves Cant, Undercom-
mon

Further Resources
Character creation, build, roleplaying tips and
backstory elements are discussed in a video on
the Nerdarchy YouTube channel here. In the video
description, you can find a link to this character
build on D&D Beyond.

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For Dungeon Masters
We thought it would be fun and useful to take our
player character builds and create a version of them
as a creature stat block for Dungeon Masters.
This character can be used as an ally, villain, or color-
ful NPC to engage the adventurers in your own home
games. In the video linked above we discuss several
ways to use this character in your D&D games.
The shadow revenant is a lot different than our
usual creations. This creature inspired by the char-
acter build is no longer a humanoid, but an undead
creature.
A very specific kind of undead, the shadow revenant
enters the world after a non-evil humanoid is killed
from the Strength-draining attacks of a shadow.
During the small window of time (1d4 hours) before
a new shadow rises, if the corpse is reanimated,
the powerful corruption of shadow lingers and a
shadow revenant is created. The new creature has
no shadow, which still becomes an undead shadow
itself.
This evil creature is filled with hatred for all shad-
ows, driven mad by the suffusion of shadow energy
in its own undead form. This hatred is even more
intense for its own former shadow.
The shadow revenant's goal is to find the shadow
that rose after its death and obliterate it. In the
course of this pursuit, the shadow revenant is a
perilous enemy.
With the same Strength-draining power as the
shadow that killed it, the shadow revenant can
eradicate the shadow of a foe that falls to its at-
tacks, and any who witness such as horrific tab-
leau can be driven insane by the sight.
Shadow Revenant
Medium undead, chaotic evil
Armor Class 16 (studded leather armor)
Hit Points 135 (18d8 + 54)
Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS
15 (+2) 18 (+4) 16 (+3) 12 (+1) 12 (+1)
Saving Throws Dexterity +8, Intelligence +5
Skills Perception +9, Stealth +12
Damage Vulnerabilities Radiant
Damage Immunities Necrotic, Poison
Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Frightened, Petri-
fied, Poisoned
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 19
Not for resale. Permission granted to print or photocopy this document for personal use only.
Languages the languages it knew in life
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)
Devil's Sight. Magical darkness doesn't impede the
shadow revenant's darkvision.
Fed by the Shadow. While in dim light or darkness,
the shadow revenant has resistance to damage that
isn’t force, psychic, or radiant.
Shadow Blend. While in dim light or darkness, the
shadow revenant can use a bonus action to become
invisible, along with anything it is wearing or carrying.
The invisibility lasts until the shadow revenant uses
a bonus action to end it or until the shadow revenant
attacks, is in bright light, or is incapacitated.
Actions
Multiattack. The shadow revenant makes two Shad-
ow Blade attacks.
Shadow Blade. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit,
reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6 +4) piercing dam-
age plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. Unless the target
is immune to necrotic damage, the target’s Strength
score is reduced by 1d4 each time it is hit by this at-
tack. The target dies if its Strength is reduced to 0.
The reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or
long rest.
Reaction
Obliterate Shadow. The shadow revenant turns
their hatred of shadows on the corpse of one enemy
within 5 feet that dies from having their Strength re-
duced to 0 by the Shadow Blade. Using their reaction,
each creature of the shadow revenant’s choice that
is within 60 feet of it and able to see it must succeed
on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of
it for 1 minute. While frightened in this way, a crea-
ture is incapacitated, can’t understand what others
say, can’t read, and speaks only in gibberish; the DM
CHA controls the creature’s movement, which is erratic.
7 (-2)
A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end
of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a
success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or
the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the
shadow revenant’s Obliterate Shadow for the next 24
hours.
SHADOW-HAUNTED ROGUE
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