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Image created by Gerald Williams, using Blue Willow AI

Myths & Monsters: Shroudwalker

 Name: Shroudwalker

Image created by Gerald Williams, using Blue Willow AI

Appearance: The Shroudwalker is a tall, gaunt humanoid figure covered in a tattered shroud or cloak that obscures its features. Its eyes glow with a sinister light, and it emits a chilling aura that can freeze its victims in terror.

Abilities: The Shroudwalker possesses a range of supernatural abilities, including the power to manipulate shadows and darkness, move silently, and phase through solid objects. It can also summon spectral apparitions to attack its foes and drain the life force of those it touches.

Weaknesses: The Shroudwalker is vulnerable to bright light, which can disorient and weaken it. It also has a weakness to silver, which can harm and potentially kill it.

Motivations: The Shroudwalker is a malevolent creature that delights in causing fear and suffering. It preys on unsuspecting travelers, lurking in the shadows and striking when they least expect it. It has no qualms about killing its victims or enslaving them as spectral thralls.

Habitat: The Shroudwalker can be found in dark, abandoned places like graveyards, ruins, and haunted forests. It prefers places where it can move unnoticed and strike from the shadows.

Modus Operandi: The Shroudwalker is a stealthy hunter that relies on surprise and deception to catch its prey. It will often wait for its victims to enter its lair before attacking, using its powers to isolate and disorient them. Once it has incapacitated its prey, it will drain their life force or turn them into spectral thralls to serve its twisted desires.

Origins: The origins of the Shroudwalker are shrouded in mystery and may vary depending on the folklore or legend. However, one possible theory is that the Shroudwalker was once a human or a creature that was cursed or transformed by dark magic or demonic influence.

According to some legends, the Shroudwalker was once a mortal who made a pact with a demon or devil in exchange for power and immortality. The demon granted the mortal's wish but twisted their body and soul, transforming them into a monstrous being with a shroud-like cloak that conceals their true form.

Other legends suggest that the Shroudwalker is a restless spirit or a malevolent entity that was conjured or summoned by a powerful sorcerer or necromancer. The entity was bound to the sorcerer's will and tasked with carrying out their dark bidding.

In some folklore, the Shroudwalker is associated with death or the afterlife, and is said to be the manifestation of a vengeful ghost or a malevolent spirit that was once human. The spirit is said to have been transformed into a monstrous form by the rage and resentment that consumed it in life.

Overall, the precise origins of the Shroudwalker may vary, but the common thread is that it was created or transformed by dark forces and is now a malevolent and powerful entity that preys upon the living.

QUICK Adventure Plot Ideas! March 2023

The plot adventure synopsis:

The party must uncover the truth behind a series of strange occurrences in a haunted mansion.

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Suggested Ideas:

1. The mansion is cursed, and the party must find a way to lift the curse before it claims more victims.
2. The ghost of a former owner of the mansion is haunting the place and is seeking revenge against those who wronged them.
3. The party must navigate a series of deadly traps and puzzles in the mansion to uncover its secrets.
4. The mansion is home to a powerful artifact, and the party must retrieve it while avoiding the mansion's ghostly inhabitants.
5. The party must confront a powerful undead sorcerer who is using the mansion as their base of operations.
6. The mansion is built over an ancient burial ground, and the restless spirits of the dead are causing the strange occurrences.
7. The party must explore the mansion's extensive library to find clues to its mysterious past.
8. The mansion's former owner was a notorious serial killer, and the party must uncover their identity to put their spirit to rest.
9. The mansion is the site of a long-forgotten magical ritual, and the party must uncover its purpose before it's too late.
10. The mansion's current owner is using the strange occurrences to scare away any potential buyers, and the party must uncover their scheme. (And they would have gotten away with it too if not for those pesky adventurers and their dire wolf companion!)

Myths & Monsters: Nyxian Shade

Introducing the "Nyxian Shade," a monstrous creature inspired by Greek mythology's primordial goddess of the night, Nyx.

The Nyxian Shade is a dark and shadowy creature that dwells in the darkest corners of the night. Its form is that of a large, serpentine beast with a body as black as the void and eyes that glow with an eerie, otherworldly light.

As a creature of the night, the Nyxian Shade is nearly invisible in darkness, and it preys upon unsuspecting victims who dare to wander too far from the safety of civilization. It is said to be able to move through shadows, slipping in and out of darkness with an almost supernatural grace.

Those who have encountered the Nyxian Shade describe it as a creature of immense power and malevolence, capable of draining the life force from its victims with a single touch. Its mere presence is said to bring a feeling of dread and unease to those nearby, and its hypnotic gaze can leave even the bravest of warriors trembling with fear.

Legends say that the only way to defeat the Nyxian Shade is to face it with an unbreakable will and a heart that burns with a fierce inner fire. But even then, it is said that the creature will never truly be defeated, for it is a being born from the very essence of the night itself.

Nyxian Shade

Large monstrosity, chaotic evil

Armor Class: 18 (natural armor)

Hit Points: 200 (16d10+112)

Speed: 50 ft., climb 40 ft.

Abilities:

STR: 20 (+5), DEX 22 (+6), CON 24 (+7), INT 18 (+4), WIS 20 (+5), CHA 16(+3) 

Skills: Stealth +13, Perception +10

Senses: darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 20

Languages: understands Abyssal and Common, but can't speak

Challenge Rating: 16 (15,000 XP)

Shadow Stealth. The Nyxian Shade can take the Hide action as a bonus action in dim light or darkness.

Incorporeal Movement. The Nyxian Shade 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.

Life Drain. Melee Weapon Attack: +12 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 26 (4d10 + 6) necrotic damage, and the target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.

Hypnotic Gaze. The Nyxian Shade's gaze can hypnotize a creature within 60 feet of it. The creature must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed for 1 minute. While charmed, the creature is incapacitated and has a speed of 0. The effect ends if the Nyxian Shade damages the creature, or if the creature takes damage from any source other than the Nyxian Shade.

Legendary Actions. The Nyxian Shade can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Nyxian Shade regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

1. Move. The Nyxian Shade moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

2. Life Drain (Costs 2 Actions). The Nyxian Shade uses its Life Drain.

3. Summon Shadows (Costs 3 Actions). The Nyxian Shade summons 1d4 shadow creatures that appear in unoccupied spaces within 60 feet of it. These shadow creatures are under the Nyxian Shade's control and act on its turn. They disappear after 1 minute or when reduced to 0 hit points.

There you have it! The Nyxian Shade is a formidable creature that should challenge even the most experienced adventurers.