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Setting up a new character can be both exciting and daunting when looking over each and every option. Especially as the fifth edition ofDungeons & Dragonshas only continued to grow with thanks to the publication of more sourcebooks that bring new species and classes. And that’s exactly where a Shadow Magic Sorcerer draws its existence from.
In Xanathar’s Guide To Everything, the Sorcerer gains three additional subclasses, including this Shadow Magic variant. Move over always-angsty Rogue. There’s a new shadowy and mysterious option for players to choose from. But, in speaking about choices, what are your best options when picking this class?
Shadow Magic Sorcerer Features
As a Shadow Magic Sorcerer, you willgain five new abilitiesas you level up,as well as an improvementto one of your abilities,making for a total of six. The way they break down is:
1st Level
3rd Level
6th Level
14th
18th
Eyes of the Dark gives you Darkvision up to 120ftaway, and thenat third level, you have the ability to cast Darknesswith this feature. If you decide touse two Sorcery Pointswhen you cast it,you’re able to see through the magical darkness, giving you a massive advantage as most other creatures will not be able to peer through it.
Strength of the Grave gives you an opportunity to stay consciouswhen knocked down to zero hit points.Shadow Walk allows you to teleport up to 120 feet awayas a bonus action, so long as there is a shadow within range you may step into.
Though, the two biggest features here areHound of Ill Omen and Umbral Form.Hound of Ill Omen allows you to summon a Hound(based on a Dire Wolf’s stats) to the field as a bonus action, though you have touse three Sorcery Points to do this. The Hound will target whichever enemy you choose, but they know where this creature is,even if hidden, and they canmove through creatures and other obstacles.
And, once it’s within five feet of the intended target,they impose disadvantage on all saving throwsthe target would roll against your spells.
Umbral Form allows you to turn yourself into a shadow of a figure,making you resistant to all but two damage types: Force and Radiant. Like your Hound, you canalso move through creatures and objects. You spendsix Sorcery Pointsto do this andit lasts for one minute, which can be incredibly helpful in the heat of combat.
Best Species Options For A Shadow Magic Sorcerer
One of the first choices players usually consider is which species to play as.A variant human still remains one of the bestacross the board, but there are other species that pair very well with a Shadow Magic Sorcerer.An air genasiwill give you access to other Sorcerer spells that don’t count against your known total while giving you a damage resistance.
Other options includeastral elves, deep gnomes, dragonborn, drow, faeries, githyanki, half-elves, satyrs, warforged (if you can convince your dungeon master of your magic “lineage”), and yuan-ti.Below is a table that will go over each of these options in terms of their benefits to a Shadow Magic Sorcerer.
Though, as a basic rule of thumb, a species that helps youmax out your Charisma, or one thathelps you defensively, like adding to yourConstitutionorDexterity, can ultimately serve you and your character.
Your Dungeon Master (DM) may not allow you to be a Warforged, seeing as how theywouldn’t have a “bloodline"to explain how your character is a Sorcerer. As with all things,check with your DM first.
Air genasi
Monsters of the Multiverse
Astral elf
Deep gnomes
Half-elf (drow)
Best Ability Scores For A Shadow Magic Sorcerer
The name of the game for Shadow Magic Sorcerers isCharisma. This is yourSpellcasting Ability, so all of the magic that you use isreliant on your Charisma modifier. Naturally, the higher you can get this ability, the higher yourSpell Save DCis as well as yourSpell Attack modifier.
After that, depending on your playstyle and what you are looking to aid your character with, place your next highest stat ineither Constitution or Dexterity.
Your Constitution modifier will grant you additional health, which is particularly helpful with Sorcerers because you will be using a d6 to determine your hit points, the lowest possible option. So,without a high Constitution, you’ll be very squishy.
When you see d6, that is adice and its number of sides. Likewise, if you seea number before that, such as 2d6, that means two six-sided dice will be rolled.
As for Dexterity, having a higher modifier in thisincreases your Armor Class, or AC for short. Your AC is what’s used to calculate if a weapon or magic attack hits you. The lower the AC, the more you will be getting hit. The higher it is, then it will be harder to hit you, meaning that overallyou’ll be taking less damage.
After that, it’s up to your preferences. The skill that is theleast importantto your charactershould be your Strength. This is often a negative modifier for those who play Sorcerers, leaving any Strength-based rolls to other party members who rely on Strength, such as Barbarians and Fighters.
Best Spells For A Shadow Magic Sorcerer
Some of the best spells you can selectshould mix well with your Hound of Ill Omen. Now, granted, you ultimately can choose any spell that seems to work best for your character and their backstory, but if you want tomaximize your impact on any battle, having spells that force other creaturesto roll a saving throw at disadvantagemeans that you can turn the tide of battle even more than usual.
One nasty combo is to useBlindness/Deafness when you have your Hound of Ill Omen outand near your chosen enemy. Your Hound will give themdisadvantage on the Saving Throwthey need to make, of course, making it more likely that you can either blind or deafen your enemy.Choose Blindness. This will give your Hound, as well as your teammates,advantage on attack rolls against the enemy.
This also means that your foe will make their attacksat disadvantage. A real win/win combo that is sure to make your DM question everything.
You’ll also want to considerHold Person. All Sorcerers can, potentially, have a creature roll at disadvantage on this if theyHeighten the spellwith Sorcery Points. But thatonly applies to the initial roll, allowing you to successfully hold the person in question for one turn, but after that the dice decide how much longer they will be kept in place.
With your Hound of Ill Omen, that person will berolling at disadvantage against the spell each turn. They can still break free, but your Hound will make it much less likely that they will.
Hold Monster, which is a fifth level spell, is another stellar option for the same reason. Your Hound of Ill Omen will make it harder and harder for a Monster to break free. And, if you know you are going up against anything with alow Wisdom modifier, they are going to be paralyzed for a long time to come.
Paralyzed isa conditionin D&D. This means a creature isincapacitated, they automatically fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws, all attacks made against themare at advantage, and any successful melee attack (within five feet)is a critical hit.
After that, all of your other spells are truly up to you, but one more recommendation is for when you’re able to cast the most powerful, ninth level spells.Psychic Scream, from Xanathar’s Guide To Everything, has creatures of your choice rolling Intelligence Saving Throws. On a fail, they take a massive14d6 wroth of damage and are stunned.
With your Hound of Ill Omen, you can put a creature at disadvantage not just for the first roll,but every roll they make after that to end the stunned effect.
Best Feats For A Shadow Magic Sorcerer
Naturally, the most important thing to do isto get your Charisma as high as you canbefore the end of the campaign. If you didn’t roll well when determining your character’s stats, or used another form of stat building that didn’t get that modifier as high as you’d like, it is still your best optionto take the stat increasesyou get as you level up instead of feats.
But, if your Charisma is in a good place, or you still would rather grab some feats, here are some of thebest options for you to consider.
Cartomancer
Allows you to load a spell into a card once per long rest. You can then use that card,as a bonus action, allowing you to cast that spell. The spell must be one from your class, must have a casting time of one action, and be a spell level you have access to.
Inspiring leader
This makesexcellent use of your high Charisma. You take ten minutes to inspireup to six friendly creatures. In doing so,they gain temporary hit pointsequal to your level plus your Charisma modifier.
Metamagic adept
This will give you access toan additional form of Metamagicas well astwo additional Sorcery Points. However, those two points canonly be used for Metamagic, not giving yourself spell slots back or summoning your Hound.
Lucky
This feat is always good as it gives youthree d20’s, allowing you to re-roll whenever you choose, particularly when you roll low.
Skill expert
This allows you to adda new skillto your repertoire as well asgain expertise in a skillyou already have.
Spell sniper
While this won’t help with every spell,if you like making spell attack rolls, you’ll gain a handful of benefits. These are the ability todouble the range of a spell, ignore half and three-quarters cover, and tolearn a cantripfrom the Bard, Sorcerer, or Warlock spell list.
Telekinetic
You get to increase either your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma stat by one. It also gives youMage Hand, and if you already know it,you can increase its range by 30 feet. Plus you can attempt toshove or pull a target five feet. This can help allies reposition or put enemies in a harmful position.
