Darkmantle, Trained

Small beast, unaligned

Armor Class 12
Hit Points 27 (5d6 + 10); Wound Threshold 7
Speed 10 ft., flight 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
18 (+4)	14 (+2)	14 (+2)	4 (-3)	12 (+1)	7 (-2)

Skills Perception +3, Stealth +4
Senses blindsight 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages –
Challenge 1 (200 XP)

SPECIAL TRAITS

• Echolocation. The darkmantle can’t use its blindsight while deafened.
• False Appearance. While the darkmantle remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from a cave formation such as a stalactite or stalagmite.

ACTIONS

• Crush. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) bludgeoning damage, and the darkmantle attaches to the target. If the target is Medium or smaller and the darkmantle has advantage on the attack roll, it attaches by engulfing the target’s head, and the target is also blinded and suffocating while the darkmantle is attached in this way. While attached to the target, the darkmantle can attack no other creature except the target but has advantage on its attack rolls. The darkmantle’s speed also becomes 0, it can’t benefit from any bonus to its speed, and it moves with the target. A creature can detach the darkmantle by making a successful DC 14 Strength check as an action. On its turn, the darkmantle can detach itself from the target by using 5 feet of movement.
• Darkness Aura (1/Day). A 15-foot radius of magical darkness extends out from the darkmantle, moves with it, and spreads around corners. The darkness lasts as long as the darkmantle maintains concentration, up to 10 minutes (as if concentrating on a spell). Darkvision can’t penetrate this darkness, and no natural light can illuminate it. If any of the darkness overlaps with an area of light created by a spell of 2nd level or lower, the spell creating the light is dispelled.

ABOUT

It’s possible to tame darkmantles. Their way of life naturally makes them effective sentinels, and this is how several societies in the Netherworld use them.

Once trained, a darkmantle is more aggressive than its wild counterpart, and may be taught to react to certain stimuli, so it will only attack specific individuals or in response to certain signals.

In the Netherworld, a darkmantle may be used as a guard animal or even a pet, in the same manner as a mastiff on the surface. In subterranean towns, it isn’t rare to find darkmantle trainers, or “mantlers” as they’re commonly called.

A rather young, frail, or untrained darkmantle will cost about 200 gp as a fair price. A trained darkmantle will cost double that, and “purebred” specimens with rare patterns or colors may be worth up to 1,000 gp!

In addition, these are prices for underdwellers.

A surface dweller can expect the price to be raised by 10 to 50 %, depending on their relations with the peoples of the Netherworld and the seller’s hostility toward the traveler’s kind.