Name & Title

Nocturnal, Lady of Shadows
Titles: Mistress of Mystery, The Unseen, Queen of Midnight

Domain & Influence

In your D&D world, Nocturnal is a Lesser Deity or Archfey who rules over Shadow, Secrets, and Fortune. She embodies the concept of hidden truths, the allure of darkness, and the delicate balance between luck and fate. Her influence touches thieves, spies, assassins, and anyone who thrives in secrecy.

• Alignment: Neutral (leans toward Neutral Evil in some interpretations)

• Portfolio: Shadows, Luck, Secrets, Night, Thieves

• Suggested Cleric Domains: Trickery, Twilight

• Warlock Patron: The Archfey or The Great Old One (customized as Nocturnal)

Appearance

Nocturnal manifests as a tall, elegant figure draped in flowing black silks, her face obscured by a hood or veil. Her eyes glow like silver moons, and her presence chills the air. She often appears as a raven, a shadowy silhouette, or a woman whose features shift like smoke.

Personality & Goals

• Mysterious and aloof: She rarely speaks directly, preferring riddles and whispers.

• Collector of secrets: Nocturnal hoards knowledge like treasure, trading it for favors.

• Balance of luck: She grants fortune to those who serve her but delights in irony—luck can turn at any moment.

Her ultimate goal is to expand the Evergloam, a shadowy realm between the Material Plane and the Feywild, where secrets and stolen things vanish forever.

Realm: The Evergloam

A twilight dimension of endless dusk, filled with shifting shadows, silent forests, and obsidian rivers. Time flows strangely here; travelers often lose hours or years. The Evergloam is home to:

• Shadow Ravens: Messengers and spies.

• Shadeborn: Fey creatures who serve Nocturnal.

• Lost Relics: Items stolen from the mortal world, now infused with shadow magic.

Followers & Worship

• Thieves’ Guilds often revere her as a patron of luck and secrecy.

• Spies and assassins whisper prayers before missions.

• Occultists seek her blessing for forbidden knowledge.

Her symbol: A crescent moon shrouded in black feathers.
Her holy days: The Night of Veils, when shadows grow long and secrets are revealed.

Boons & Pacts

• Warlocks: Pact of Shadows (custom feature granting invisibility and shadow teleportation).

• Clerics: Gain access to unique spells like Shadow Step, Veil of Silence, and Luck Twist.

• Rogues: Those who swear an oath to her may gain supernatural luck and shadow manipulation.

Adventure Hooks

1. The Stolen Moon: A piece of the moon has vanished, and Nocturnal’s cult is involved.

2. The Evergloam Rift: A portal to her realm is leaking shadows into the Material Plane.

3. The Price of Luck: A powerful thief owes Nocturnal a debt, and the PCs must collect.

Nocturnal

Medium fey (deity), neutral

Armor Class 24 (divine shadows)
Hit Points 555 (30d20 + 240)
Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (hover), teleport 120 ft.

STR 14 (+2) | DEX 28 (+9) | CON 26 (+8) | INT 22 (+6) | WIS 24 (+7) | CHA 30 (+10)

Saving Throws Dex +17, Con +16, Wis +15, Cha +18
Skills Deception +26, Insight +15, Perception +15, Sleight of Hand +17, Stealth +25
Damage Resistances acid, cold, lightning, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from magical weapons
Damage Immunities necrotic, radiant, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
Senses truesight 240 ft., passive Perception 25
Languages all, telepathy 240 ft.
Challenge 28 (120,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +8

Traits

Avatar of Shadow

Nocturnal exists partially within the Evergloam. She can move through creatures and objects as if they are difficult terrain. She takes 5 (1d10) force damage if she ends her turn inside an object.

Shroud of the Mistress

Dim light and darkness within 300 feet of Nocturnal become magical darkness under her control. She can see through it perfectly.

Luckweaver

Whenever a creature Nocturnal can see makes an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, she may impose advantage or disadvantage (her choice) without spending any action. She can affect each creature once per round.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day)

If Nocturnal fails a saving throw, she can choose to succeed instead.

Innate Spellcasting

Spellcasting Ability: Charisma (spell save DC 26, +18 to hit).
She casts the following spells innately without components:

At will: darkness, shadow blade (6th level), misty step, pass without trace, silence
3/day each: greater invisibility, modify memory, plane shift (self only), synaptic static
1/day each: foresight, power word stun, weird

Actions

Shadow Lash

Melee Spell Attack: +18 to hit, reach 15 ft.
Hit: 27 (5d6 + 10) necrotic damage, and the target’s shadow is tethered to her.
A tethered creature cannot benefit from invisibility or cover and has disadvantage on Dexterity saves. The tether lasts until dispelled (DC 22 Arcana check).

Hand of Night (Recharge 5–6)

Nocturnal targets up to three creatures she can see within 120 feet.
Each must make a DC 26 Wisdom saving throw or be pulled into the Evergloam. A creature trapped there is blinded, restrained, and takes 45 (10d8) psychic damage at the start of its turn.
It can repeat the save at the end of each turn, ending the effect on a success.

Veilsteal

Nocturnal touches one creature’s shadow. The target must succeed on a DC 26 Charisma save or lose one magical effect, spell, or resistance of Nocturnal’s choice.
She gains that effect for 1 hour.

Legendary Actions

Nocturnal can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one option can be used at a time, and only at the end of another creature’s turn.

Shadow Step

Nocturnal teleports up to 120 feet to a space in dim light or darkness.

Twist Fate

Force a creature she can see to reroll any die it rolled. She chooses which result stands.

Grasp of the Evergloam (Costs 2 actions)

A shadowy hand erupts under one creature within 60 ft.
DC 26 Dexterity save or take 22 (4d10) necrotic damage and be restrained until the end of its next turn.

Midnight Reap (Costs 3 actions)

A wave of darkness sweeps out 30 feet around her. Each hostile creature must make a DC 26 Con save or take 36 (8d8) necrotic damage and have its speed reduced to 0 until the end of its next turn.

Lair Actions (Evergloam Sanctum)

On initiative count 20 (losing ties), Nocturnal can use one of the following:

1. Steal the Light

All nonmagical light sources in the lair go out. Creatures without darkvision are blinded until initiative count 20 next round.

2. Shadow Duplicate

A clone of Nocturnal appears (AC 20, 100 HP). It mimics her actions but deals half damage. Lasts until destroyed.

3. Gravitational Night

A zone of crushing darkness forms in a 40‑ft sphere she can see.
Creatures entering or starting their turn there take 21 (6d6) force damage and must succeed on a DC 26 Strength save or be knocked prone.

Regional Effects

Nocturnal’s presence warps the world around her lair:

• Shadows move independently as if alive.

• Luck becomes unstable—creatures within 6 miles have disadvantage on their first d20 roll each dawn and advantage on their first d20 roll at dusk.

• Whispering ravens watch travelers and relay what they witness to Nocturnal.

If she dies, these effects fade over 1d10 days.