Shinigami

Shinigami

You have entered into a pact with a Shinigami, a spirit of death tasked with guiding lost souls or enforcing cosmic justice. This shinigami may be a powerful yokai or spectral entity that offers you the ability to command spirits, influence death, and wield necrotic magic. Your pact represents both a burden and a privilege, as the shinigami grants you powers over life and death—but with an expectation that you will serve their will in return.

Shinigami Spells

1st Level: False Life, Bane

2nd Level: Mirror Image, Gentle Repose

3rd Level: Animate Dead, Spirit Guardians

4th Level: Phantasmal Killer, Death Ward

5th Level: Danse Macabre, Wall of Force

Soul Reaper’s Mark

At 1st level your Shinigami Patron grants you the ability to mark the souls of your enemies for reaping, enhancing your necrotic powers. As a bonus action, you can mark a creature within 30 feet of you that you can see. Until the mark fades, you deal additional necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier whenever you hit the marked creature with a spell or weapon attack. The mark lasts for 1 minute or until the creature drops to 0 hit points. Usable a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, refreshing on a long rest.
Alternatively Instead of dealing additional damage, you can choose to gain temporary hit points equal to half the damage dealt each time you hit the marked creature.

Spectral Presence

At 6th level the shinigami’s power over the ethereal grants you control over spirits and the ability to phase between life and death. As a reaction when a creature within 30 feet of you dies, you can capture its departing soul and channel its essence. When you capture a soul this way, you gain resistance to necrotic and poison damage and advantage on death saving throws for 1 minute. While under this effect, you can use an action to ask the captured soul one question, which it answers to the best of its knowledge. Usable once per short or long rest. Alternatively instead of capturing the soul, you can call upon spectral guardians that linger for 1 minute, imposing disadvantage on attacks against you by undead or spirit-based enemies within 10 feet.

Death’s Mercy

At 10th level the shinigami grants you power over death’s grip, enabling you to control the boundary between life and death. You can use an action to stabilize a creature that is within 30 feet, even if they are already dead, preventing their soul from passing to the afterlife. If you reach them within 1 minute, you can cast Revivify without using a spell slot. When you use this ability on a creature, you gain temporary hit points equal to your warlock level. Usable once per long rest. Alternatively instead of stabilizing, you can choose to let a creature’s soul linger nearby, allowing them to continue acting for 1 additional round after death before they pass on. The creature has disadvantage on all rolls but can speak or interact.

Shinigami’s Final Judgment

At 14th level you are given the shinigami’s most powerful ability: to judge and reap souls directly. As an action, you can target a creature within 60 feet. The target must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or be cursed with imminent death. While cursed, the creature takes 4d10 necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns until it succeeds on a Charisma saving throw. Once the curse is broken, the target gains exhaustion level 1. Usable once per long rest. Alternatively Instead of a curse, you can call upon the shinigami to directly reap a soul, forcing a creature within 60 feet to make a Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature is reduced to 0 hit points; on a success, it takes 10d10 necrotic damage. Once used, this ability cannot be used again until you finish a long rest.

Invocations (Optional)

To further customize the Shinigami Warlock, you can create unique invocations that reflect the abilities of a soul reaper or spirit handler. Here are some possibilities: Invocation Ideas

Reaper’s Sight: You gain darkvision out to 120 feet. You can also see invisible creatures and spirits within 30 feet, provided they are undead or fiends.

Soul Chain: You can summon spectral chains to restrain a creature marked by Soul Reaper’s Mark. The creature must make a Strength saving throw or be restrained until the end of its next turn. Usable once per short rest.

Deathly Whispers: You can cast Speak with Dead at will, without expending a spell slot.

Specter’s Step: You can use Misty Step once per short rest, appearing in a burst of spectral energy.

Life’s Final Breath: When you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to cast False Life at 3rd level on yourself. Usable once per long rest.