Man, looks like everyone [jdvn1 and fru] has deserted this thread.
Anyway, this creature I developed by seeing a picture which gave me the idea. The idea isn't so much the creature beneath the shadows, but I was thinking that while that could be anything, perhaps the shadows above could attack on their own.
Khad
Size/Type: Medium Aberration
Hit Dice: 6d8+12 (50 hp)
Initiative: +0
Speed: 40 ft, 40ft
Armor Class: 20 (+5 natural, +4 dex, +1 dodge), touch 15, flat-footed 64
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+8
Attack: Strand +8 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: Strand +8 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./10 ft.
Special Attacks: Improved Grab, Strand Frenzy, Weapon Wrap
Special Qualities: Body Wrap
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +5
Abilities: Str 19, Dex 19, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 16
Skills: Hide +17, Listen +11, Move Silently +13, Spot +11
Feats: Alertness, Dodge, Improved Grapple
Environment: Underground
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: Standard
Alignment: Always Lawful
Advancement: By character class
Level Adjustment: -
Khads appear as almost formless creatures of shadow, but in truth, they are quite solid and can be struck normally. This view is most frequent due to their rippling motions as they move.
When attached to a host, Khads appear as soft, beautifully woven black velvet cloaks imbued with the power of liquid shadows. Most of the time, they are still as if waiting, but once they sense danger or excitement, they begin to ripple, moving even if there is no wind in the air.
Khads attack with long strands which stretch out from their main bodies. If they strike, they hold on fast. They then use their frenzy ability on their target, attempting to strike the poor sod with as many attacks as they can get out.
Those the Khads choose to take as a Host are those who manage to live through their frenzy, with or without help of allies [even if the target cannot kill it alone, proving it is strong, it feels better knowing that the target has strong allies as well]. If a target manages to defeat it before the frenzy, it does not choose the person.
CREATION 'MYTH'
"When one asks where a Khad first came from - a silly question about ANY race or creature, if you ask me - I refer them to a story I once heard. Perhaps not true, but it is possibly just as true as any other myth and, in my opinion, seems the most likeliest of the myths.
"There was a young man who started off as a simple young man. He was a farmer, nothing more, nothing less. Adventuring was a far off thing which created legends that he heard over tankards of ale and while the stories always sounded glamorous, he had no aspirations whatsoever of becoming one.
"That all changed one night when enemies attacked during the night. They came up from the ground, destroying the crops he had helped so carefully to put in. The farm was destroyed, his family killed, the village annihilated, his friends eaten. How he managed to survive, he didn't know, but survive he did. Perhaps the Gods were keeping him alive to give him a chance for vengeance or perhaps they thought to use him in their own devices.
"At any rate, this young man began to hunt these creatures down. It was difficult for the inexperienced lad, but during his travels searching for them, he learned a few tricks of his own and each trick he learned, with every step he took, his innocence and niavete slowly disappeared.
"When he finally fought those creatures, he believed he could handle himself, but turns out he was wrong. He almost died right there, was almost killed on the spot, but he cried out to the Gods just before the last drop of blood fell from his torn apart body. 'Gods, help me!' he cried. 'Grant me your protection!' They did.
"He was fighting creatures of light and the Goddess of the Shadows answered his prayers. She brushed her lips upon his forehead and instantly, his shadow rose up from the ground and protected him. It was a shadow unlike any other, a shadow unbreachable by the light of the beings. He killed the being of light and though it had never been his plan, his heart was touched with evil.
"Though he didn't know it at the time, his village had been part of an evil that was spreading throughout the countryside and those beings of light were champions of good seeking to destroy said evil.
"You ask what happened to that evil?" The man smiled grimly. The shadows wrapped around his hands, a shadow the other could not see. A strand of shadow erupted from near his left shoulder and before the other man could react, pierced the forehead beneath the tip of the cowl.
His smile fell away.
"I have fallen into evil and have embraced it with my soul."
ECOLOGY
While according to the creation myth Khads were created by a Goddess in response to a plea, Khads have began to appear in numbers which bely that myth. It is still known, however, that Khads prefer the company of others and they believe that the best way to do so is to 'attach' themselves to others who share a similar view of the world as them. These views change from Khad to Khad and not all are as evil as the one in the creation myth.
Sometimes, Khads can be found while adventuring, though this is most infrequently the case. These Khads are the lonely Khads, the ones which have lost their friend/host and have found a place for themselves to survive, though few would truly call this 'living'. The most common tactic of these Khads is to stretch themselves out over some sort of entrance or hole. Creatures see darkness in the next room and while attempting to enter, walk directly into the Khad. In this case, it gains a free chance to grapple an opponent and it makes their lives easier.
Most of the time, however, Khads adopt a person as their host/friend. They do this by attaching themselves to the person's shadows, behaving exactly as if they were an ordinary shadow, lengthening when the sun is low and shortening when the sun is high. If they believe the target is compatible with them after examining them for some time, they let themselves be known to the person. This procedure has the effect of infusing the Khad with the person's shadows. If the Khad leaves, the person's shadow disappears. If not, the shadow remains within the Khad.
These bonds are usually tight and very hard to break. The Khad will never betray the one who it is bonded to and ware the host who tries to betray the Khad.
COMBAT
Body Wrap (Su):Khads can wrap themselves around the body of the host, protecting him from physical attacks, granting him a +4 enhancement bonus to Natural Armor. This also helps to wrap the person partly in shadow, granting him a +2 circumstance bonus to Hide checks.
Strand Frenzy (Su): Once per day, a Khad can go into a Strand Frenzy. The host loses all bonuses from the cloak as the Khad begins to circle around in the air. On the first round, the Khad may make a single normal attack. The second round, the Khad continues to spin faster, allowing it to make two normal attacks that round as a full-round action. Every round which passes adds an additional attack for the Khad. During this time, as the Khad increasingly becomes faster and more difficult to hit. Attacks seem to be deflected away from the Khad. On the first round, the Khad gains a +1 Deflection bonus to armor class. Every round thereafter, the Khad gains an additional +1 Deflection bonus. This ability lasts a number of rounds equal 3 + the Con mod of the Khad.
If this ability is used while grappled, the Khad can only make the attack roles upon the person it is currently being grappled to, though it retains the AC bonus against all opponents. The person being grappled is considered as being denied their Dexterity bonus to Armor.
Weapon Wrap (Su): Khads can wrap a part of their selves around the host's weapon, whether a pair of claws or a melee weapon. Ranged weapons do not count for this ability. They add an amount of damage to the attacks equal to their Strength modifier. Normal Khads deal an additional +4 damage with each hit.
SKILLS
Due to their shadowy nature, Khads gain a +4 racial bonus on Hide checks.
