.The Night Beast
A Monster Preview from Legacy of the Dragons

Large Undead
Hit Dice: 14d12 (91 hp), dead 0
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 feet, fly 60 feet (perfect)
AC: 17 (–1 size, +2 Dexterity, +6 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+13
Attack: Claw +9 melee (2d4+2 plus energy drain)
Full Attack: 2 claws +9 melee (2d4+2 plus energy drain) and bite +3 melee (1d6+1 plus energy drain)
Space/Reach: 10 feet/10 feet (Face/Reach: 10 feet by 10 feet/10 feet)
Special Attacks: Choking darkness, death field, energy
drain, spells
Special Qualities: Amorphous, darkvision 60 feet, DR 10/good (or 20/+2), SR 20, sunlight vulnerability, undead traits
Saves: Fort +4, Ref +8, Will +14
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 14, Con –, Int 15, Wis 16, Cha 16
Skills: Balance +19, Intimidate +20, Listen +20, Search +19, Sneak* +19, Tumble +19
Feats: Combat Reflexes, Corrupt Mage, Flyby Attack, Iron
Will, Lightning Reflexes, Weapon Focus (claws)
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 10
Treasure: Standard
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: +4

Beings of pure, liquid shadow, night beasts are said to be intelligent shards of the raw stuff of the Dark. The monster appears as an amorphous cloud of dark material that drifts through the air and sometimes crawls along the ground. In battle, it manifests a leering, skull-like face and two long arms that end in jagged claws that can rend and tear their enemies.

A night beast is called into the world by a power-mad undead creature or an ambitious living creature that seeks to expand its might. By conducting a blasphemous ritual known as the Song of Infinite Dark, an undead creature unleashes its inner soul and binds it with the raw substance of the Dark. With the ritual complete, the creature transforms into a night beast. It retains any class levels it may have had, along with its memories. In its new form, it serves as an avatar of destruction, slaughtering all living things it encounters and leaving a trail of death in its wake. Simple plants turn brown and die at a night beast’s merest touch; an entire village can fall to this rampaging monster in the course of a night.

Litorians greatly fear these creatures, for they are a continuing menace on the plains the litorians call home. Many night beasts were once litorians who, after having been exiled from their tribes for some horrid crime, have returned as night beasts to exact their vengeance. While these monsters are found almost all over the world, nowhere are they as common as on the plains the litorians roam. In this region, night beasts maintain a tradition of approaching obvious outcasts and pariahs with an offer of tremendous power. They supply the secrets of the Song of Infinite Dark to such loners, hoping to corrupt them to the Dark with promises of great power and an opportunity to reap vengeance against their tribes. This act of recruitment is the only known case of a night beast communicating or working with living creatures.

Combat
A night beast is a cunning adversary that maximizes the use of its abilities to overcome its enemies. Driven by an unquenchable need to drain the life from all creatures, it is a vicious foe that grants no quarter.

A night beast uses its choking darkness ability against weaker creatures and those that have already suffered serious wounds. While this maneuver leaves the night beast vulnerable to attack, it can quickly overwhelm enemies that are on the verge of defeat. Its death field ability benefits nearby undead, causing many night beasts to collect undead allies as a coterie of servants. The creature considers these followers to be nothing more than disposable minions. It uses them to occupy opponents while it moves into position for an ambush or escapes from a powerful foe.

* Skills (Ex): A night beast is virtually impossible to see in areas of shadow or darkness. It gains a +10 racial bonus to all Sneak checks made to hide in areas that are dimly lit or darkened.

Choking Darkness (Ex): A night beast’s physical form is akin to liquid night, allowing it to grasp its opponents and drown them within its embrace. A night beast can opt to end its move in the same space as an opponent. If it completely covers its foe, the target takes 8d6 points of damage. A Fortitude save (DC 20) halves this damage. Using this ability counts as a standard action, since the beast must envelop the creatures trapped within it. A creature within this area gains a +2 competence bonus on all attacks against the beast. A creature within a night beast gains full concealment from those outside of it and a 30 percent concealment miss chance against those also caught in it.

Death Field (Su): The area around a night beast is permeated with negative energy. All living creatures within it lose their strength and stamina while undead ones grow stronger. All living creatures within a 30-foot radius of a night beast must make Fortitude saves (DC 20) or suffer a –2 penalty to Strength and Constitution for 1d10 minutes. Once a creature succeeds at a save against this effect, it does not need to check against that specific night beast’s death field again for 24 hours. Undead within this area gain a +2 profane bonus to Strength as the night beast’s aura fortifies their dark nature.

Energy Drain (Su): If a night beast hits an opponent with a claw attack or a bite attack, that opponent also receives one negative level. The Fortitude save DC to remove any negative levels a night beast inflicts is 20.

Spells: A night beast prepares and casts spell as a 7th-level magister.

Amorphous (Ex): As a free action, a night beast can shape its body so that the creature can pass through openings as small as 1 foot in diameter. However, it cannot use this ability to flatten out its body and thereby increase the space it occupies when using its choking darkness ability

Sunlight Vulnerability (Ex): Bright light burns a night beast like a devouring flame, blasting the inky darkness of its form into oblivion. A night beast takes 3d6 points of damage per round that it suffers full exposure to sunlight, either from the sun itself or a magical effect that duplicates the strength of the sun’s radiance.

Night Beast Characters
Many creatures that become night beasts have levels in magister or witch, since the process needed to become one of these monstrosities requires some research into and knowledge of arcane power. Night beasts gain levels just as they did in life.

Night Beast Encounter (EL 10)
The characters hear stories of a haunted, fortified mansion that stands in the woods outside town. Several investigators who sought to explore the place have failed to return. In truth, a night beast lairs within the place and preys on any creatures that visit the mansion. The building has many holes in its roof and walls due to age and neglect. To shield itself from the sun during daylight hours, the beast lurks in the space between the walls. From there, it preys on anyone foolish enough to enter its domain. It raps on the walls and floors to confuse and distract the characters, seeking to split them up in order to attack a lone target.

In addition to the obvious hazard posed by the night beast, the mansion is on the verge of collapse. The floorboards give way in some places, while a few hostile vermin lurk in dark corners. If the characters defeat the night beast, they find the treasures it has gathered, along with an old stash of coins and magic items left by the place’s previous owner, buried in the cellar.

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