Nightstalker

## **Nightstalker**

The Nightstalker archetype emulates a unique form of shadow
magic, used to create shadowy familiars to accompany you in
battle. By walking this path, you learn to use your shadow
familiar like an extension of yourself, using them like a weapon
as you stalk through the dim forests and vast plains of the world,
searching for your prey. Your choice of familiar defines your
style of fighting, with each familiar playing a different role on the
hunt and on the battlefield.

 **Shadow Familiar**
At 3rd level, you gain the ability to summon a creature made from
shadow magic to serve you. As a bonus action on your turn, you
conjure or dismiss your shadow familiar, which takes the form of
a spectral creature. You choose the form you can create when you
first select this subclass.

When you conjure your shadow familiar, it appears in an
unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. As long as it is conjured,
you can forgo one or more of your attacks when you use the
Attack action to have your shadow familiar move and make
attacks of its own, which use your Ranger spell attack modifier
for their attack rolls. Your shadow familiar cannot move farther
than 120 feet away from you.
The three forms you can choose from are listed below:

**Cat.** Whenever you forgo an attack, you can have the cat move
up to 30 feet and attack a creature. On a hit, the attack deals 1d4 +
your Wisdom modifier slashing damage, and the next attack made
against that creature has advantage on the attack roll.
As an action, you can expend a ranger spell slot to infuse the
cat’s claws with poison and have it leap onto a target within 30
feet of it. That creature must succeed on a Constitution saving
throw against your Ranger spell save DC or be poisoned until the
end of your next turn and take 2d8 poison damage for a 1st level
spell slot, plus 1d8 for each spell level higher than 1st.

**Raven.** Whenever you forgo an attack, you can have the raven
fly up to 45 feet and attack a creature. On a hit, the attack deals
1d10 + your Wisdom modifier piercing damage.
As an action, you can expend a ranger spell slot to infuse the
raven with lightning and have it travel along a line 5 feet wide
and 20 feet long. Each creature in that line must succeed on a
Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 lightning damage for a 1st
level spell slot, plus 1d6 for each spell level higher than 1st.

**Wolf.** Whenever you forgo an attack, you can have the wolf
move up to 30 feet and attack a creature. On a hit, the attack deals
1d6 + your Wisdom modifier piercing damage, and the target has
disadvantage on its next attack roll.
As an action, you can expend a ranger spell slot to infuse the
wolf with primal ferocity and have it release a piercing howl.
Each creature of your choice within 30 feet of the wolf gains 1d6
temporary hit points for a 1st level spell slot, plus 1d6 for each
spell level higher than 1st. These temporary hit points last for 1
minute.

**Shadowy Transposition**
Starting at 7th level, whenever you activate the action of your
shadow familiar that requires you to expend a spell slot, you can
choose to swap positions with them before activating the ability.

 **Master of the Dark**
At 11th level, you can choose another form of shadow familiar
that you can create, choosing from the same three forms described
in the shadow familiar feature.

**Lord of the Night**
When you reach 15th level, you have gained much greater
power over your shadow familiar. When you activate the
action of your shadow familiar that requires you to expend
a spell slot, you can activate it as bonus action rather than
an action.
Additionally, once per long rest you can activate that
action without expending a spell slot.