Hi All,
A first post of a new monster, looking for your feedback. Please critique, and enjoy!
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Shadows grow and diminish as the creature advances. It is unclear where each begins and ends.
DIRE GLOOM CR 7
XP 3,200
CE Medium outsider (shadow)
Init +8; Senses Blindsense 120 ft.; Perception +19
DEFENSE
AC 20, touch 20, flat-footed 20 (+2 deflection, +4 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 shadow armor)
hp 85 (9d10+36 )
Fort +8, Ref +14 , Will +11
Defensive Abilities evasion, shadow dodge, uncanny dodge; DR 10/magic or brilliant energy; Resist acid 10, cold 10, sonic 10
Weaknesses sunlight powerlessness
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee slam +13/+8 (1d10 plus Str drain)
Special Attacks 1d4 Str drain, hijack shadow, shadow riposte, umbral blow
STATISTICS
Str 10, Dex 18, Con 14, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 15
Base Atk +9; CMB +9; CMD 23
Feats Alertness, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Stealthy, Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +16, Bluff +18, Escape Artist +18, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (planes) +14, Perception +19, Sense Motive +15, Stealth +26 (+18 in sunlight or daylight); Racial Modifiers Bluff +4, Intimidate +4, Perception +4, Stealth +8 (+0 in sunlight or daylight)
SQ shadow armor, shadow merge (5/day), umbral step
ECOLOGY
Environment any (material plane, Plane of Shadow)
Organization solitary or gang (2-4)
Treasure standard
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Shadow Armor (--): A dire gloom has a +3 shadow armor bonus to AC. Unlike armor and natural armor, shadow armor bonuses provide protection against both ranged and melee touch attacks. Ghost touch weapons provide no special benefit. The bonus stacks with armor and natural armor bonuses, among other types (dodge, deflection, etc.). Brilliant energy weapons ignore shadow armor bonuses, and creatures affected by faerie fire and glitterdust do not benefit from shadow armor. Light and continual light do not affect shadow armor, but full sunlight or a daylight spell will negate shadow armor bonuses.
Shadow Dodge (Ex): Any time a dire gloom is hit in combat, it can attempt a Bluff check against a DC equal to the attack roll. If it is successful, the attack misses. It can do this once per round.
Shadow Merge (Su): Once per day per 3 HD plus its Charisma bonus, a dire gloom can use shadow merge. This allows it to take one of the following actions:
-Hijack Shadow(Su): As a move action, the dire gloom can disappear into the Plane of Shadow through its foe's shadow. It is no longer on the material plane, and can remain there for up to 1 round per hit die. At any point, it can reappear as a swift action; it appears adjacent to the foe. The dire gloom can use its umbral blow or umbral step abilities if it has uses of shadow merge remaining. To hijack a shadow, it must succeed on a DC 25 Escape Artist check; failure expends a shadow merge use.
-Umbral Blow(Su): The dire gloom can use its foe's shadow against him. By using the full attack action, the dire gloom can make a single attack that ignores all but armor (but not shields) and natural armor bonuses. The attack deals 1d4 damage per level or hit die of the target; the target can attempt a Will save (DC 16) to take half damage. If the attack misses, it still expends a shadow merge use.
-Umbral Step(Su): By using the Plane of Shadow, the dire gloom can move 20 feet per hit die in any direction, from one area of shadows to another. It must begin and end its transit in shadow; if it cannot do so, the travel fails, and it still expends a shadow merge use. The dire gloom can bypass physical obstacles such as locked doors, but cannot transit force effects such as a wall of force.
Shadow Riposte (Ex): When a dire gloom successfully avoids an attack with its shadow dodge ability, it can take an attack of opportunity against his attacker. The attacker is considered flat-footed against this attack. The attack counts against the dire gloom's attacks of opportunity for that round, and it can only target adjacent enemies; ranged attacks and reach attacks that miss do not trigger the shadow riposte.
Sunlight Powerlessness (Ex): A dire gloom caught in sunlight or daylight cannot attack and is staggered. It also loses its +8 racial bonus to Stealth.
Dire glooms are often mistaken for some of the incorporeal undead, but they are corporeal outsiders from the Plane of Shadow. They take advantage of their special qualities to deceive and kill, and are happy to be mistaken for shadows or wraiths.
Very cool. I started eye rolling when I assumed this was going to be a rewrite of a shadow demon or some such, but was plesantly surprised to find something... solid?
The only critique I have is the umbral blow ability. I feel that the damage should be based on the gloom's hd, not the target's. It feels off that a CR 7 creature has an attack that can't guarantee a kill on a level 1 commoner.
Thanks, Rawhead. That's a good criticism about the umbral blow. I didn't want to make it based on the gloom's hit die, because the idea was that it is using its foe's shadow against them, therefore, I thought it should be tied into the victim's hit die. On the other hand, I didn't want damage like a d6 or higher that would more likely take out that commoner, because the dire gloom could potentially wipe out any level character, assuming good damage rolls and a failed save.
Perhaps a solution or compromise would be the d4 per target's hit die, plus one point per hit die of the gloom? That way you'd get the gloom's strength in there as well, and it could advance as the creature did.
I like the flavor you're trying to give the attack. How about no chance to reduce damage with a save, as an attack roll already needs to be made, but have the damage be 1d4+cha/target's level. Then include a secondary effect that they need to save against, such as blind, sleep or sickened?
One additional question, why does armor protect a person on a strike from their shadow? If the shadow's attacking, I would assume it's incoporeal and would use touch AC.
Its actually not incorporeal; more like insubstantial. I don't know if that's a contradiction, but its like its substance *is* shadow - slight but there. So I didn't want to go strictly with a touch AC, because that would mean dodge, deflection bonuses, and others, would apply; I didn't want that. How do you dodge your own shadow? And deflection doesn't depend upon light, but shadow does. I only have armor, sans shields, and natural armor count, because the idea is the closeness of the shadow to the person; armor worn (not carried) and natural armor seemed to be more 'of the person' and would thus defend against the shadow attack, the umbral blow. Its sort of like the touch attack that isn't a touch attack.
Its also why, with the gloom's shadow armor, that ghost touch weapons offer no special benefit, but that bonus is eliminated by sunlight or the indicated spells.
That's a good point about both a save and an attack roll. I don't know if having both nerfs the ability too much; possibly. I thought that since the attack scaled with the character's own hit dice, a save ought to be allowed. If you key it off the character's own Cha bonus, you'll really hammer high-level bards, sorcerers, maybe paladins; anyone who's got good Charisma. Not sure I want that; although it could be interesting: strong personality, strong shadow personality... have to give that more of a think. As for a secondary effect, I can see something fear-related in there; like shaken or frightened, maybe even panicked. I don't think blindness works as well, though it does make sense; but I don't think sickened is the way to go.
Fair enough. I was more curious about the motivation behind the decision to allow armor more than actually questioning the decision.
Sorry, I meant + the gloom's cha mod.
I only offered sickened as an option because I kind of like the idea of something so often overlooked, yet so much a part of a person turning on that person would have some serious psychic feedback, and sickened was the first thing that popped into my head. I think shaken might be a better fit, as you suggested.
No worries. The armor thing made sense to me at the time, and I had to think about it for it to still make sense ;-).
If it was the gloom's Cha bonus, are you suggesting at each d4? My guess is you mean 1d4 per hit die, plus the gloom's Cha bonus (once, on top of it all)? That could work out, too.
I could see sickened working, but that to me is more of a physical thing, rather than the mental thing that goes along with fear. Not that you can't be sick with fear, though...
I was thinking cha/die, but that would become stupidly OP pretty quickly.
Thanks again, Rawhead. I've got this update to the Umbral Blow:
-Umbral Blow(Su): The dire gloom can use its foe's shadow against him. By using the full attack action, the dire gloom can make a single attack that ignores all but armor (but not shields) and natural armor bonuses. The attack deals 1d4 damage per level or hit die of the target, plus one point per the gloom's hit dice; it also leaves the target frightened. A successful Will save (DC 16) leaves the target with half damage and shaken. If the attack misses, it still expends a shadow merge use.
I've still got concerns about the ability being underpowered. Having both an attack roll and a saving throw against the damage severely hinders the attack's ability to do meaningful damage, especially since the attack uses a limited resource.
I suggest going with the standard damage/level die for spells and abilities of this level, d6, and using only an attack roll or a save to do damage. With the bonus damage from the Gloom's HD, this pushes the damage against a 7th level party higher than fireball, but with the trade off of only targeting one PC. (7th level fireball average damage = 24.5, Umbral Blow vs. a 7th level character average damage = 33.5)
For ease of mechanics, I also suggest using flat-footed AC if you use an attack roll. It makes it easier on the DM when using this ability, as there will not be yet another AC to keep track of for each PC.
I still like the Will save vs frightened.
How about this:
-Umbral Blow(Su): The dire gloom can use its foe's shadow against him. The umbral blow is a full-round action which deals 1d6 damage per level or hit die of the target, plus one point per the gloom's hit dice; it also leaves the target frightened. A successful Will save (DC 16) leaves the target with half damage and shaken. This counts as one use of shadow merge. A target can only be the subject of umbral blow once per day.
I see your point with the AC, but I think its better without an attack roll, as you suggested. But I've limited it to once a day per target; I think the ability to do this multiple times to one foe would be too much. Your basic, non-advanced dire gloom gets 5 uses per day out of shadow merge, all of which could be umbral blows; that's pretty devastating, I think. Against a 20th level character that's 100d6+45. Ouch.
Do you think a target should stay frightened and not shaken if it makes the save? I think that's too much.
Reduced to shaken is a good call.
I think that the Gloom shouldn't be able to use the ability again against someone who saved, as that person has already thrown off most of the Gloom's influence. The damage against a 20th level character is pretty high, but the odds of that 20th level character not making a DC 16 save are low. Hell, the odds of a 7th level PC making a DC 16 save aren't usually going to be that bad (20% odds with a low will save and a wis of 10). You could also give the Umbral Blow a breath weapon-like cool down.
Also, how long does frightened last after a failed save, and shaken on a successful?
Sounds good. Refined further:
-Umbral Blow(Su): The dire gloom can use its foe's shadow against him. The umbral blow is a full-round action which deals 1d6 damage per level or hit die of the target, plus one point per the gloom's hit dice; it also leaves the target frightened. A successful Will save (DC 16) leaves the target with half damage and shaken. Fear effects have a duration of 2 rounds per the gloom's hit dice. The umbral blow counts as one use of shadow merge. A target can only take damage from the umbral blow once per day.
That's an excessive amount of fear time. Considering that frightened effectively removes party members from the fight, having it last 18 rounds is really punishing.
Taking the example of the ghost, a dice roll is usually more appropriate. 2d4 or 1d6+1 rounds would be more than enough to get that character out of the way, while still being likely that he or she will be able to rejoin the fight.
On other abilities that cause a lesser effect on a passed saving throw usually only cause that effect for a single round. Example: Cause Fear
I'm inclined to agree with you, but for argument's sake, what about remove fear? It is a first level spell; would that be sufficient? By the time the party is strong enough to encounter a dire gloom, the cleric's or bard's spell will also be able to affect more than one PC.
If not, what about one round per hit die for the frightened condition, and one round per point of the gloom's Charisma bonus for the shaken?
That's assuming the cleric has it memorized, and that the affected party member(s) are within range. There's still decent odds that the fear effect will have an impact on the party.
However, having just reread the Frightful Presence rules, I don't see any problem with a much longer duration, so I suppose the 2/Gloom HD is fine. I'd add a dice roll, but that's because I like glaring menacingly at my players while I roll handfuls of dice.
True, but them's the breaks. Heh. Glare menacingly and roll dice anyway.