Magus Darkholme
First Post
The shadow serpent is a creature hailing from the shadow plane and was originally created by Shar herself.
All comments are welcome.
SHADOW SERPENT
Large outsider (evil)
Hit dice: 8d8+32 (68hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 60ft; climb 30ft
AC: 20 (-1size, +7dex, +4natural)
Attacks: Bite +8 melee
Damage: Bite 2d6+5+poison
Face/reach: 5ft by 10ft/5ft
Special attacks: Constrict, improved grab, spell-like abilities
Special qualities: Damage reduction 15/+1, SR 16, shadow fog, shadow sight, daylight vulnerability
Saves: Fort+10, ref+13, will+8
Abilities: Str 20, dex 25, con 18, int 12, wis 15, cha 13
Skills: Spot+20, listen+20, move silently+18, hide+9*, search+9
Feats: Combat reflexes, alertness, improved initiative
Climate/terrain: Any land and underground (mainly found in the shadow plane)
Organization: Solitary, pair, or squad (1-4 shadow serpents, plus 4-15 sharren clergy, and one 5th-8th level cleric of Shar)
Challenge rating: 12
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 9-12HD (large), 13-18HD (huge)
Shadow serpents hail from the plane of shadow and were originally created and bred by Shar herself. They are hunters to the extreme, even going out of their way to kill a creature just for the fun of listening to their screams.
Shadow serpents look like an over-sized cobra, with a thick body, and are comprised out of shadowstuff. All shadow serpents have either dark red or fiery yellow eyes.
Some priests and priestesses of the dark deity Shar summon shadow serpents to carry out murders and other foul deeds that need being done. Shadow serpents will only attack a cleric of Shar, or a shadow weave user, in self-defense; they feel a strange kinship toward these beings that they cannot explain.
Shadow serpents cannot speak, but all can understand common, abyssal, and infernal.
COMBAT
Shadow serpents use surprise attacks and ambushes when hunting. They try to find the most powerful creature in a group and take him out quickly through their spell-like abilities and constriction. If confronted by a group or powerful creatures, they will use their shadow fog ability to escape.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a shadow serpent must hit an opponent up to medium size with its bite attack. If it gets hold, then it can constrict.
Constrict (Ex): A shadow serpent deals 2d6+7 points of damage per round with a successful grapple check against medium-size or smaller creatures (the shadow serpent gets a +2 bonus to the grapple check). The constricted creature must succeed at a fortitude save (DC 19) or lose consciousness for as long as it remains in the coils and for 2d4 rounds thereafter. A person can free himself if (after he makes the fort save to keep from falling unconscious) he succeeds at an opposed grapple check, with a –2 penalty, against the shadow serpent.
Shadow Fog (Su): The shadow serpent can summon a veil of black mist, originating from the serpent, that expands to a radius of 30ft. No light can penetrate this veil, and darkvision is likewise useless. Creatures with blind sight are unaffected and a daylight spell cast by a cleric whose class level is 4 higher than the shadow serpents HD can dispel this ability.
Shadow serpents usually use this ability to escape.
Shadow Sight (Su): Shadow serpents can see in all forms of darkness, magical and natural.
Daylight Vulnerability (Su): When exposed to daylight, be it natural or magical, shadow serpents become stunned for 1 round, and receive a –1 to all attack rolls, saving throws, skill and ability checks, and they lose their +4 natural armor. Likewise, if the serpent does not leave the daylight area in 10 rounds, it will be utterly destroyed.
Spell-like Abilities: At Will – shadow walk, darkness, misdirection, scare, stinking cloud, hold person, flame arrow, Evard’s black tentacle, and shadow spray. 2/day – blindsight, shadow well, shadow hand, Mestil’s acid breath, wall of evil, and shadow conjuration. 1/day – shadow evocation, mislead, and shades.
These are as the spells cast by a 14th level sorcerer.
Save DC = 11 + spell level.
*Skills: All shadow serpents gain a +20 to their hide skill when in a shadowed area.
All comments are welcome.
SHADOW SERPENT
Large outsider (evil)
Hit dice: 8d8+32 (68hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 60ft; climb 30ft
AC: 20 (-1size, +7dex, +4natural)
Attacks: Bite +8 melee
Damage: Bite 2d6+5+poison
Face/reach: 5ft by 10ft/5ft
Special attacks: Constrict, improved grab, spell-like abilities
Special qualities: Damage reduction 15/+1, SR 16, shadow fog, shadow sight, daylight vulnerability
Saves: Fort+10, ref+13, will+8
Abilities: Str 20, dex 25, con 18, int 12, wis 15, cha 13
Skills: Spot+20, listen+20, move silently+18, hide+9*, search+9
Feats: Combat reflexes, alertness, improved initiative
Climate/terrain: Any land and underground (mainly found in the shadow plane)
Organization: Solitary, pair, or squad (1-4 shadow serpents, plus 4-15 sharren clergy, and one 5th-8th level cleric of Shar)
Challenge rating: 12
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always neutral evil
Advancement: 9-12HD (large), 13-18HD (huge)
Shadow serpents hail from the plane of shadow and were originally created and bred by Shar herself. They are hunters to the extreme, even going out of their way to kill a creature just for the fun of listening to their screams.
Shadow serpents look like an over-sized cobra, with a thick body, and are comprised out of shadowstuff. All shadow serpents have either dark red or fiery yellow eyes.
Some priests and priestesses of the dark deity Shar summon shadow serpents to carry out murders and other foul deeds that need being done. Shadow serpents will only attack a cleric of Shar, or a shadow weave user, in self-defense; they feel a strange kinship toward these beings that they cannot explain.
Shadow serpents cannot speak, but all can understand common, abyssal, and infernal.
COMBAT
Shadow serpents use surprise attacks and ambushes when hunting. They try to find the most powerful creature in a group and take him out quickly through their spell-like abilities and constriction. If confronted by a group or powerful creatures, they will use their shadow fog ability to escape.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a shadow serpent must hit an opponent up to medium size with its bite attack. If it gets hold, then it can constrict.
Constrict (Ex): A shadow serpent deals 2d6+7 points of damage per round with a successful grapple check against medium-size or smaller creatures (the shadow serpent gets a +2 bonus to the grapple check). The constricted creature must succeed at a fortitude save (DC 19) or lose consciousness for as long as it remains in the coils and for 2d4 rounds thereafter. A person can free himself if (after he makes the fort save to keep from falling unconscious) he succeeds at an opposed grapple check, with a –2 penalty, against the shadow serpent.
Shadow Fog (Su): The shadow serpent can summon a veil of black mist, originating from the serpent, that expands to a radius of 30ft. No light can penetrate this veil, and darkvision is likewise useless. Creatures with blind sight are unaffected and a daylight spell cast by a cleric whose class level is 4 higher than the shadow serpents HD can dispel this ability.
Shadow serpents usually use this ability to escape.
Shadow Sight (Su): Shadow serpents can see in all forms of darkness, magical and natural.
Daylight Vulnerability (Su): When exposed to daylight, be it natural or magical, shadow serpents become stunned for 1 round, and receive a –1 to all attack rolls, saving throws, skill and ability checks, and they lose their +4 natural armor. Likewise, if the serpent does not leave the daylight area in 10 rounds, it will be utterly destroyed.
Spell-like Abilities: At Will – shadow walk, darkness, misdirection, scare, stinking cloud, hold person, flame arrow, Evard’s black tentacle, and shadow spray. 2/day – blindsight, shadow well, shadow hand, Mestil’s acid breath, wall of evil, and shadow conjuration. 1/day – shadow evocation, mislead, and shades.
These are as the spells cast by a 14th level sorcerer.
Save DC = 11 + spell level.
*Skills: All shadow serpents gain a +20 to their hide skill when in a shadowed area.
