Shadow Beast

Medium fey, chaotic evil

Armor Class 15
Hit Points 112 (15d8 + 45)
Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
6 (-2) 20 (+5) 17 (+3) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 19 (+4)

Saving Throws Con +6, Wis +5
Skills Stealth +8
Damage Resistances acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, restrained
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
Languages Common, Elvish, Umbral, Void Speech
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3

SPECIAL TRAITS

  • Incorporeal Movement. The shadow beast can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
  • Magic Resistance. The shadow beast has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
  • Shadow Weapons. The shadow beast’s weapon attacks are magical. When the shadow beast hits with any weapon, the weapon deals an extra 2d6 necrotic damage (included in the attack).
  • Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the shadow beast has disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

ACTIONS

  • Multiattack. The shadow beast makes one Bite attack and two Claw attacks.
  • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.
  • Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d6 + 5) slashing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage.
  • Frightful Shadows (Recharge 5–6). The shadow beast releases a wave of shadows filled with frightening images of eyes, fangs, and other barely seen and terrifying beasts in a 30-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 42 (12d6) necrotic damage and is frightened for 1 minute. On a success, a creature takes half the damage and isn’t frightened. A frightened creature must take the Dash action and move away from the shadow beast by the safest available route on each of its turns, unless there is nowhere to move. A frightened creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

ABOUT

A mass of shadows and cloudstuff, never touching the ground, extends clawed hands as it reveals a glint of jagged teeth.

Called from the Void. Shadow beasts are thought to be the result of shadow fey dabbling in the magic of the Void, transforming the shadow fey into something wholly different. Almost shapeless and largely incorporeal, through an act of will they can form rough semblances of their old bodies when needed.

Hate the Past. The motivations of these creatures are inscrutable. They despise light and anything that reminds them of light or of their former existence. Beyond that, little is understood about them.

Cryptic Messages. Shadow beasts are seldom found in groups, but when they are, they seem to have no difficulty or reluctance about operating and fighting together. They have been known to deliver cryptic and threatening messages, but speaking is difficult for them. At times, they perform arcane rituals with the aid of evil humanoids and the use of dark materials. In these rituals, they sacrifice magical energies and life blood as well as the tears of innocents and the souls of the damned.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tome of Beasts 1 ©2023 Open Design LLC; Authors: Daniel Kahn, Jeff Lee, and Mike Welham.

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