Shadow Wight
Medium Undead, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class: 13 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points: 45 (7d8 + 14)
Speed: 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Challenge Rating: 1/2 (100 XP)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 16 | 14 | 10 | 13 | 12 |
Saving Throws: Dexterity +5, Constitution +4, Wisdom +3
Skills: Stealth +7, Perception +3, Intimidation +3
Damage Vulnerabilities: Radiant damage
Damage Resistances: Necrotic damage; Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non-magical attacks
Damage Immunities: Poison damage; Psychic damage
Condition Immunities: Charmed; Frightened; Poisoned
Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 13; Tremorsense 30 ft.
Languages: Understands Common and Abyssal but cannot speak.
Spellcasting
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Actions & Abilities
Shadow Claw: **Type:** Melee Weapon Attack
**Attack:** +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
**Hit:** 1d6 + 2 necrotic damage. The target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes an additional 1d4 necrotic damage and suffers disadvantage on its attack rolls until the end of its next turn.
Umbral Ambush: **Type:** Stealth Action
The Shadow Wight can use its bonus action to take the Hide action while in dim light or darkness. If it successfully hides, it gains advantage on its next Shadow Claw attack.
Aura of Despair (Recharge 5-6): **Type:** Area Effect
The Shadow Wight can emanate an aura of despair that affects all creatures within 10 feet. Each creature must make a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw at the start of its turn or suffer disadvantage on their next ability check and saving throw until the end of their next turn.
Dodge: The Shadow Wight uses its action to dodge, giving attackers disadvantage on attacks against it until the start of its next turn.
Evasion in Shadows: When in dim light or darkness, the Shadow Wight can move into the shadows, making it harder to target. It gains advantage on Dexterity saving throws while in this environment, reflecting its stealthy, shadow-dwelling nature.
Appearance
In the dim, chilling light, the Shadow Wight stands between 5 to 6 feet tall, its gaunt, elongated form casting a haunting silhouette against the stark white backdrop. Embraced by an aura of despair, the creature’s wiry build suggests both frailty and predatory grace. Its posture is slightly hunched, as if weighed down by eternal sorrow, and the deliberate slink of its movement hints at an underlying menace.
The skin of the Shadow Wight is a deep, obsidian hue, woven together with whispers of iridescent purples and blues that flicker like twilight constellations. This striking coloration emphasizes its connection to the shadows, making it appear as if it might dissolve into darkness at any moment. The surface is smooth yet unsettlingly oily, reminiscent of smoke curling around a distant flame, with patches of charred ash accentuating its eerie presence.
Its face is a chilling representation of anguish; sunken cheeks and a hollowed visage create an unsettling mask of despair. The creature’s bright azure eyes shine like ghostly lanterns, piercing through the darkness with an otherworldly glow, while its mouth is a grim cavern lined with sharp, uneven teeth—each grin a reminder of its dreadful existence. The expression varies between anguished sorrow and predatory delight, hinting at its tragic origins and fearsome capabilities.
The Shadow Wight’s limbs are notably elongated and spindly, tipped with cruel claws that glint menacingly in the faint light. Each finger is tapered, designed for rending flesh, while its legs, thin yet powerful, combine agility with strength, allowing it to navigate the shadows with lethal precision. Together, these limbs give it a serpentine grace, as if it flows seamlessly through the darkness, striking from the unseen.
As the Wight glides effortlessly across the ground, a faint, pulsating glow emanates from arcane sigils etched into the remnants of its tattered robe, each symbol glowing ominously as if imbued with dark knowledge. Surrounding the creature is a swirling mist of shadows, creating an ethereal aura that draws warmth from the air. This palpable chill adds to its haunting presence, amplifying the weight of despair that seems to resonate with every movement.
The overall essence of the Shadow Wight paints a vivid picture of tragedy, loss, and dark power, capturing the imagination as it haunts the silent corridors of the Temple of Shadows. The interplay of its haunting colors, textures, and bioluminescent features creates an arresting visual, instilling both fear and fascination—the perfect embodiment of shadowed longing cloaked in despair.
Tactical Information
Tactical Information for Shadow Wight Behavior
Behavior in Day-to-Day Life:
In the perpetual twilight of the Temple of Shadows, the Shadow Wight exists as both hunter and haunt. It haunts the dim recesses of the temple, lingering in the areas where the light barely reaches. Unlike its living counterparts, the Wight possesses an insatiable hunger, driven by a gnawing desire to reclaim what it has lost—the life force of the living. Its world, a tapestry of shadows, tends to breed a morose temperament, steeped in bitterness for its abandoned ambitions.
The Wight seldom interacts socially with other denizens of darkness; its only companions are the spectral remnants, the Shadow Assassins, with whom it shares a tacit understanding rooted in their common origins and singular goal: draining vitality from intruders. The Wight uses subtle gestures and a lingering gaze to direct its allies in silent coordination while stalking the temple’s corridors. Its motivation is clear—sustain its own essence by feeding on hope and vitality, projecting an aura that induces despair in its victims.
When not preying on unlucky adventurers, the Shadow Wight slinks away to quieter corners, replenishing its stolen vitality by absorbing the residual energies of the temple, learning and lamenting the history of the place and the unattained power it once sought. It moves like a whisper of wind, a flicker at the edge of sight, fully embracing the shadows that cling to it as if they were remnants of its past.
Combat Behavior:
When the time for conflict arises, the Shadow Wight emerges with a predatory grace, utilizing the darkness not only as a cloak but as a weapon. It prefers to initiate combat with stealth, lurking just out of sight until the opportune moment arises. When it strikes, it targets the weakest or most isolated member of a party, capitalizing on their confusion and the ensuing panic.
The Shadow Wight employs cunning strategies, often flanking its foes in cooperation with its Shadow Assassin allies, enhancing their effectiveness through combined flank and ambush tactics. Its Shadow Claw becomes a relentless tool of destruction, dealing necrotic damage that leaves lingering effects on those it strikes. The Wight understands that the essence of despair is its ally—it serves to weaken opponents, granting it an advantage in combat.
During intense encounters, it will not shy from the use of its Shadow Drain ability, seeking to siphon off the life force of those who threaten it. Should the tide of battle turn against the Wight, it is no coward—wielding its Evasion in Shadows ability, if perceived as overwhelmed, it will slip back into the darkness, using its heightened agility to avoid fire and regroup.
If the combat begins to surpass its abilities to manage or if significant injuries begin to stack, it may redirect its efforts to demoralizing the party through the Aura of Despair, allowing its radiant dread to undo the morale of even the most stalwart heroes. This supply of fear not only demores its foes but reinforces the Wight’s belief in its dominion over the shadowy realm it inhabits.
Roleplay/Narrative Interactions:
In the absence of battle, the Shadow Wight becomes an enigmatic presence, a combination of malice and melancholic wisdom. It is not a mindless fiend; beneath its twisted exterior lies a flicker of its forsaken humanity, making initial encounters eerie yet layered with the echoes of its past ambitions. When confronted by adventurers, the Wight may attempt to use intimidation rather than outright aggression, seeking to instill fear and confusion in its prey.
If approached with diplomacy, the Shadow Wight may initially respond to queries with a chilling silence, communicating in a low whisper that ebbs and flows like an unsettling breeze. It may ruminate on the futility of existence, speaking in riddles and metaphors that echo its tragic tale, weaving the lore of the temple and its ruined aspirations into its discourse. However, sowing doubt and despair is its primary objective, and as such, it may not be inclined to bargain—or may do so only to exploit weaknesses.
Attempts to bribe the Wight with offerings of power may elicit a cynical response, seeing any gesture as proof of the endless cycle of ambition and despair it has faced. Should it be cornered or threatened directly, the Shadow Wight is more likely to retreat into the shadows than engage in a futile fight against overwhelming odds. It would rather become an insidious legend than risk destruction, ultimately preserving its essence to haunt the temple’s halls for more unwary souls seeking glory.
Through clever storytelling, the Shadow Wight can serve as a haunting reminder of the expensive price of ambition, forever a guardian of the darkness with a fragile heart yearning for redemption that it will never attain.
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