Way of the Shadows

Not all monks seek the stillness of light. Some seek the stillness of darkness — the perfect quiet of a room where no one knows you are present. Monks who follow the Way of the Shadows study the art of disappearing, learning to move through the world unseen and unheard until the moment they choose otherwise.

This tradition holds that darkness is not the absence of something, but a presence in its own right — a medium that can be shaped, entered, and inhabited by those who understand it. Shadow monks learn to draw on that presence, bending it around themselves and others.

Those who walk this path are prized as infiltrators, scouts, and quiet problem-solvers. They are rarely the loudest voice in any gathering. They are more often the one sitting in the corner, watching the door, already knowing which way out they would take if they needed one.

Monk Level	Features
3rd	Shadow Arts
6th	Shadow Step
11th	Cloak of Shadows
17th	Opportunist

Subclass Features

Shadow Arts

3rd-level Way of the Shadows feature

You have learned to shape darkness using your ki. You can spend 1 ki point to cast minor illusion (no components required).

You can also spend 2 ki points to cast one of the following spells, requiring no components: darkness, darkvision, pass without trace, or silence.

Shadow Step

6th-level Way of the Shadows feature

When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use your bonus action to teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space you can see that is also in dim light or darkness. You have advantage on the first melee attack roll you make before the end of your turn after teleporting.

Cloak of Shadows

11th-level Way of the Shadows feature

When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become invisible. This invisibility lasts until you make an attack roll or cast a spell, or until you leave an area of dim light or darkness.

Opportunist

17th-level Way of the Shadows feature

You have developed an instinct for exploiting openings created by others. When a creature within 5 feet of you is hit by an attack made by a creature other than you, you can use your reaction to make one melee attack against that creature.