Shadow*

A shadow can be difficult to see in dark or gloomy areas but stands out starkly in brightly illuminated places. They lurk in dark places, waiting for living prey to happen by. A shadow is 5 to 6 feet tall and is weightless. Shadows cannot speak intelligibly. Despite their strange nature and appearance, shadows are not undead monsters, and thus cannot be Turned by a Cleric.

A shadow's attack does 1d4 damage (from cold) and drains 1 point of Strength from the victim. Victims reduced to 2 or fewer points of Strength collapse and become unable to move; those reduced to 0 Strength die and rise as shadows a day later (at nightfall). Otherwise, Strength points lost to shadows are recovered at a rate of 1 point per turn.

Due to their incorporeal nature, shadows cannot be harmed by non-magical weapons.

Special Abilities

Strength Drain — Attack drains 1 point of Strength. Victims reduced to 2 or fewer points of Strength collapse and become unable to move; those reduced to 0 Strength die and rise as shadows a day later (at nightfall). Strength points lost are recovered at a rate of 1 point per turn.

Incorporeal — Cannot be harmed by non-magical weapons.

Not Undead — Despite their strange nature and appearance, shadows are not undead monsters, and thus cannot be Turned by a Cleric.

Shadows flitter about old ruins and dusty dungeons, seeking the living. Their ties to the negative material plane cause living things they hit in melee to lose a point of Str, Dex or Con. The attribute drained is random; but once determined further attacks by the same pack of shadows drain the same attribute until that statistic reaches zero—at which point the victim becomes a shadow under the control of the creature that drained the last point. Points drained, but not brought to nil, will return to the victim after about an hour, but some shadow attacks take longer to recover from.

Due to their partial immaterialness, they can only be hit by magic weapons or certain spells. Cold attacks are useless, as are sleep, hold, and spells that affect the mind. They are nearly undetectable in their normal conditions, requiring an 18 or better on a d20 to be aware of them before they attack. Infravision does not detect them as they do not radiate heat, but magical light is sufficient to reveal these horrors for what they are.

Some shadows attack victims in their sleep, giving them night-mares from which they never wake, as their physical forms are drained of life by the shadows' horrid ties to worlds beyond mundane reckoning.

Special Abilities

Attribute Drain — Melee hit drains 1 point of Str, Dex or Con (random, but same pack drains same attribute). Victim becomes a shadow under attacker's control if attribute reaches zero. Points return after about an hour if not reduced to nil.

Partial Immaterialness — Can only be hit by magic weapons (+1 or better) or certain spells.

Immunities — Immune to cold, poison, paralysation, sleep, charm, hold and other mental attacks.

Nearly Undetectable — Require an 18 or better on a d20 to be aware of them before they attack. Infravision does not detect them as they do not radiate heat, but magical light is sufficient to reveal these horrors.

Nightmare Attack — Some shadows attack victims in their sleep, giving them nightmares from which they never wake, as their physical forms are drained of life.