Roguish Archetype
Phantom
Phantoms are a sect of rogues devout to obtaining or exploiting the knowledge and power known only to the
spirits of the ether.
Often phantoms are born when a loved ones life is taken. In an attempt to stay in contact with their love the soon-to-be phantom delves deep into the arts of mediums and necromancers. They develop abilities which allow them to speak to, walk amongst, strike out against, or even imitate the spirits of the dead.
Phantom
| Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3 | Ethereal Animosity, Severance |
| 9 | Spectral Jaunt |
| 13 | Defile |
| 17 | Possession |
Ethereal Animosity
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain ethereal sight, allowing you to attack and see 60 feet into the Ethereal plane when you are on an Inner plane.
Severance
Also at 3rd level, you are capable of severing a creature's ties to the Inner planes for short periods of time. You can use your action to force a creature within reach to make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier). Failure results in the creature being shunted into the Ethereal plane taking necrotic damage equal to your Sneak Attack damage. Soulless creatures automatically succeed on the saving throw.
The creature may repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns. Succeeding on the saving throw, falling unconscious, or having its hit points reduced to 0, will all result in the creature returning to the plane it was on prior to this effect.
You must finish a short or long rest before you can use this part of the feature again.
Alternatively, you can use this feature to force a creature whom is possessing another to be purged from the host's body. You can use your action to force a possessing creature within reach to make a Charisma saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier). Upon failure, the creature is ejected into an unoccupied adjacent space within 5 feet and takes force damage equal to your Sneak Attack damage.
Spectral Jaunt
At 9th level, you can loosen the knot that binds you to your material body, allowing you to tread amongst the dead for brief, yet boundless moments. When you use your bonus action to do so on your turn, you become ethereal as per the etherealness spell. This effect lasts until you take an action, or until the end of your following turn. You must spend one full round on an Inner plane before you can use this feature to become ethereal again.
Defile
At 13th level, secrets held by death no longer elude you. You can cast the spell speak with dead an amount of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1), regaining all uses when you finish a long rest.
Furthermore, you may rip the face from a humanoid corpse as an action, taking it as your own for 24 hours or until you choose to dismiss the effect. While wearing another creatures face, your ruse is indiscernible to the casual observer. If a wary creature suspects something is amiss, you have advantage on any Charisma (Deception) checks relating to your appearance.
Possession
At 17th level, through observation and experience you've adapted the ghostly ability to tether your own soul to another's body. While ethereal, you can use your action to possess a creature you can see within 5 feet of you. The targeted creature must succeed on a Charisma saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) or be possessed by you; you then disappear, and the target is incapacitated and loses control of its body. You now control the body of the creature but this doesn't deprive the target of awareness.
You can't be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, and you retain your alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and any mental resistance or immunity (such as immunity to charm effects). You otherwise gain the possessed target's statistics, but don't gain access to the target's knowledge, class features, or proficiencies. When the possessed creature receives damage or healing from any source, you receive an equal amount. Soulless creatures automatically succeed on the saving throw.
A creature possessed may repeat the saving throw to regain control of its body at the start of each of your following turns. If the creature fails its saving throw three times, the possession lasts until the body of the creature drops to 0 hit points, you end it as a bonus action, or the possessed creature is targeted by the dispel evil and good spell. If the creature succeeds on its saving throw three times, the possession ends.
When your possession ends, the targeted creature becomes immune to it for 24 hours, you deal your Sneak Attack damage as necrotic damage to the creature, and you reappear in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the creature.
You must complete a short or long rest before you can use this feature again.
Credits
Created by Anthony Vallozzi, you can contact me on reddit as /u/ch33ri000z. You can find my work and follow me for updates at gmbinder.com.
Special thanks to everyone in the Discord of Many Things who assisted with so much, especially @Caim who helped reimagine the Severance feature.
Art in Order of Appearance
"Face Reaper" by JinMengYuan Shi
"Jace's Illusion Squad" by WotC artist Victor Adame