[All Editions] Dark Stalkers and Dark Creepers

Mikaze · Mar 26, 2010

I've seen these guys around for so long, yet for the life of me I've never actually seen them used in adventures or heard any anecdotes of them ever turning up in anyone else's games except once in Shackled City, and that one had to be pointed out to me.

I used them for the first time in the last session of our Pathfinder campaign. Not as combatants, but rather as a merchant in Kaer Maga(or Mos Eisley) and his workers. (I'll go ahead and admit up front that he was essentially Merchant from Resident Evil 4. Yes, he did say "WELCOME!" and "What are ya sellin'?" Like you could resist doing it.)

None of the long time D&D players in the group recognized them for what they were either.

Looking back over every appearance they've had in the books that I own, they seem to have avoided any sort of fleshing out as far as cultural fluff or even motives besides yoinking stuff at night.

Have I just missed out on all of those details? Do they actually have a rich history in D&D? Have they seen much more use than I'm assuming?

I've always been a bit fond of them, partially because they were such blank slates with a strong visual theme, but I've been curious to know if there was more to them for some time now.

ruemere · Mar 26, 2010

Both critters are present in Paizo's Adventure Path Council of Thieves (and in their Bestiary, too).

Specifically, you should have a look at Mother of Flies.

Regards,
Ruemere

Barastrondo · Mar 26, 2010

My wife plays what is mechanically a shadar-kai assassin, but is within the context of the game world a human girl who was "stolen into Shadow" as a child, and who won her way free to the mortal world as a young woman. Her racial and class abilities have to do with her apprenticeship in the shadow of the world, but there's always the worry that the umbral things that took her away might return.

So I've got plans to use dark creepers, dark stalkers and the like, yes.

fanboy2000 · Mar 26, 2010

I used them recently. A few months ago, dark stalkers and dark creepers were stealing infants from various families and the PCs had find out who was doing it and how they were doing it. It was pretty interesting. No one recognized them, though.

Also, I used them when I ran the very first Shackled City adventure. That's were I first used them and started fleshing them out.

I suspect that their design space has been taken by other races, shadar-ki, evil fey, and the like.

Peraion Graufalke · Mar 26, 2010

Mikaze said:
Have I just missed out on all of those details? Do they actually have a rich history in D&D? Have they seen much more use than I'm assuming?

I've still got their write-up from the 1992 Fiend Folio MC (2E). Details? Rich history? Not really, at least back then, IMO. Their "Habitat/Society" entry begins with:

Little is known of the habits and organization of the dark creepers.

The whole entry could be summed up as: They live in darkness, in dark underground villages, centered around a dark pit, and their villages are cloaked in darkness.

Ironically, their death scenes are quite flashy.

When killed, the dark creeper spontaneously explodes in a flash of white-hot flame, blinding all creatures facing it within 10' for 1-6 turns unless a saving throw is made vs. magic.

Very fitting for chaotic neutral creatures. :lol:

Ketjak · Mar 27, 2010

Blast of light no longer:

Dark Creeper:
Killing Dark (when reduced to 0 hit points)
Close burst 1; targets enemies; each target is blinded (save ends). When slain, a dark creeper explodes in a spout of darkness.

Dark Stalker:
Killing Dark (when reduced to 0 hit points)
Close burst 1; targets enemies; each target is blinded (save ends). When slain, a dark stalker explodes in a spout of darkness.

- Ket

ruemere · Mar 27, 2010

Ketjak said:
Blast of light no longer:[...]

- Ket

How appropriate, significant and ironic at the same time. See below for Pathfinder PRD quotes.

Death Throes (Su) When a dark creeper is slain, its body combusts in a flash of bright white light, leaving its gear in a heap on the ground. All creatures within a 10-foot burst must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or be blinded for 1d6 rounds. Other dark creepers within 10 feet are automatically blinded for at least 1 round, due to their light blindness. The save is Constitution-based.

Death Throes (Su) When a dark stalker is slain, its body combusts in a flash of white-hot flame. This acts like a fireball that deals 3d6 points of fire damage to all creatures within a 20-foot-radius burst. A DC 15 Reflex save halves this damage. A dark stalker's gear and treasure are unaffected by this explosion. This save is Constitution-based.

Regards,
Ruemere

Celebrim · Mar 27, 2010

ruemere said:
How appropriate, significant and ironic at the same time. See below for Pathfinder PRD quotes.

Although I'm happy with my homebrew, that's almost enough to convert me over to Pathfinder.

Seriously, Dark Creepers are my favorite Underdark race because none of the other ones (with the exception of Mind Flayers, my second favorite) are creepy enough and mysterious enough to provide campaign level secrets. There are no 'Secrets of the Drow'. Everyone knows who the Drow are, and the excessive exposure has push them all the way to mundane and beyond. They are now well worn and overused tropes. They do not surprise or inspire fear. They inspire derision.

But Dark Creepers are strange, and that strangeness has never been explained better than in the 1e FF. There is alot of wierdness going on there, and a lots of capacity for numinous horror.

Plus, as CN, they operate in a space where they can go back and forth between enemy and ally as needed. I'm a big fan of that in a race.

the Jester · Mar 27, 2010

I have always loved dark creepers and dark stalkers. The FF was the newest D&D book available when I first got into D&D, and I lurved all the weirdo critters in it. (I think my first D&D encounter, or one of them, was with an algoid!) One of my Boy Scout buddies ran a dungeon while we were on a camping trip that I later expanded and tied dark creepers and stalkers to. I have used them a lot- I'm running a dungeon right now which has about half of one level ruled by dark ones.

I love the whole "steal your stuff and run away" thing that they do!

Lord Zack · Mar 27, 2010

They appeared in a Living Forgotten Realms adventure. You had to go down into the sewers where there was methane gas. So we had to deal with the darkness from the dark ones and we could use any fire attacks. It was pretty crazy, but we won eventually. One of the dark creepers actually got knocked into the water and floated away.