Nightgaunt — Faceless Hunter of the Dreamlands
A faceless winged hunter that seizes sleepers and travellers, carries them into the dark and torments captives with its prehensile tail.
The Nightgaunt is a lean black humanoid with bat-like wings, horns, a long tail and no face at all. It has no visible eyes, mouth or nostrils, yet perceives its surroundings in every direction and needs no air. Nightgaunts haunt high mountains, dream-realms and lightless places where they can seize prey and carry it away before anyone understands what happened.
At a Glance
Run It Tonight
The nightgaunt should not open by dealing damage. It drops from darkness, grabs one character and immediately flies away. The danger becomes separation, altitude and whatever waits at the place where the nightgaunt intends to leave its captive.
Rules by Edition
Nightgaunt
Medium Monstrosity, typically Chaotic Neutral
AC 16; Initiative +3 (13)
HP 60 (8d8 + 24)
Speed 30 ft., Fly 40 ft.
18 (+4)
16 (+3)
16 (+3)
5 (−3)
14 (+2)
10 (+0)
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +7
Immunities Cold; Blinded
Senses Blindsight 120 ft.; Passive Perception 14
Languages understands Aklo but can’t speak
CR 4 (1,100 XP); PB +2
Traits
Faceless. The nightgaunt has no need to breathe and is immune to gaze effects, inhaled poisons and effects that depend on scent.
All-Around Perception. The nightgaunt can’t be Surprised by a creature it can perceive and has Advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks.
Carry Off. The nightgaunt can fly at full Speed while Grappling one Medium or smaller creature.
Actions
Multiattack. The nightgaunt makes two Claw attacks.
Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) Slashing damage, and a Medium or smaller target can be Grappled (escape DC 14).
Tail Tickle. One creature Grappled by the nightgaunt makes a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, it has the Poisoned condition and can’t take Reactions until the end of its next turn.
Bonus Action
Snatch and Rise. The nightgaunt moves up to half its Fly Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks from a creature it is Grappling.
Nightgaunt
Medium monstrosity, chaotic neutral
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 60 (8d8 + 24)
Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft.
18 (+4)
16 (+3)
16 (+3)
5 (−3)
14 (+2)
10 (+0)
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +7
Damage Immunities cold
Condition Immunities blinded
Senses blindsight 120 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages understands Aklo but can’t speak
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)
Traits
Faceless. The nightgaunt does not breathe and is immune to gaze attacks, inhaled poisons and scent-dependent effects.
Carry Off. The nightgaunt can fly at full speed while grappling one Medium or smaller creature.
Actions
Multiattack. The nightgaunt makes two claw attacks.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage, and a Medium or smaller creature can be grappled (escape DC 14).
Tickle. A grappled creature must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned and unable to take reactions until the end of its next turn.
Nightgaunt CR 4
XP 1,200
CN Medium monstrous humanoid (extraplanar)
Init +6; Senses all-around vision, blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +6
Defense
AC 18, touch 13, flat-footed 15 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +5 natural)
hp 37 (5d10+10)
Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +6
Defensive Abilities faceless; Immune cold, gaze attacks, inhaled poison, scent-based attacks
Offense
Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (average)
Melee 2 claws +9 (1d6+4 plus grab)
Special Attacks clutches, tickle
Statistics
Str 18, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 5, Wis 14, Cha 11
Base Atk +5; CMB +9 (+17 grapple); CMD 22
Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes
Skills Fly +7, Perception +6, Stealth +11; Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth
Languages Aklo (can’t speak)
SQ no breath
Special Abilities
Clutches (Ex). The nightgaunt gains a +4 racial bonus on grapple combat maneuver checks. It can fly at full Speed while moving itself and a Grappled target.
Faceless (Ex). The creature perceives in all directions despite having no face, is immune to gaze attacks, does not breathe and is immune to inhaled and scent-based effects.
Tickle (Ex). As a swift action, the nightgaunt uses its tail against a Grappled or helpless foe. The target must succeed on a DC 14 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round.
Ecology
Environment any mountains (Dimension of Dreams)
Organization solitary, pair, flight (3–12) or colony
Treasure none
Nightgaunt
Medium Monstrous Humanoid (Extraplanar)
Hit Dice 5d8+10 (32 hp)
Initiative +6
Speed 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 40 ft. (average)
Armor Class 18 (+2 Dex, +1 dodge, +5 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple +5/+9
Attack claw +9 melee (1d6+4 plus improved grab)
Full Attack 2 claws +9 melee (1d6+4 plus improved grab)
Special Attacks clutches, tickle
Special Qualities all-around vision, blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., no breath, cold immunity, faceless
Saves Fort +3, Ref +8, Will +6
Abilities Str 18, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 5, Wis 14, Cha 11
Skills Hide +11, Listen +6, Move Silently +11, Spot +6
Feats Dodge, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes
Environment dream-realm mountains
Organization solitary, pair, flight or colony
Challenge Rating 4
Treasure none
Alignment usually chaotic neutral
Compatibility Note
This 3.5e block converts the open Pathfinder chassis into 3.5e terminology.
Behaviour
Nightgaunts are silent and difficult to interpret because they have no facial expression and rarely communicate in any familiar way. They prefer capture to killing. A nightgaunt may carry a victim for miles, torment them in flight, then abandon them somewhere dangerous instead of feeding immediately.
They also serve as guards, scouts and unwilling transport for stronger Dreamlands powers. Such service can last long after the original master is gone.
Signs Before Initiative
- A traveller vanishes from camp without blood or footprints leading away.
- Wing marks appear in snow on a cliff too steep for anything to land.
- A captive returns with bruises from being held but no bite wounds.
- Something black crosses the stars without reflecting moonlight.
- A ruined shrine remains guarded centuries after its cult disappeared.
- Shantaks refuse to approach one particular mountain valley.
If Violence Starts
The nightgaunt grabs, climbs and separates. It does not want to remain on the ground trading blows. Several nightgaunts divide a group by carrying different characters in different directions, creating a rescue problem rather than a conventional melee.
Counterplay
Prevent the grapple or stop the ascent. Forced movement, restraints, flight and ranged attacks become much more important once a character is airborne. Because the creature has no need to breathe and no conventional face, poison gas, suffocation and gaze effects are poor choices.
Cold is similarly ineffective in the PF1e tradition and modern compatibility versions.
Nightgaunts and Shantaks
Shantaks are famously terrified of nightgaunts despite being much larger. The reason need not be obvious to mortal observers. A single nightgaunt silhouette can therefore change the behaviour of an entire shantak flock and provide clever parties with leverage against a creature they could not otherwise control.
Using a Nightgaunt in an Encounter
The empty bedroll. A sleeper disappears from a guarded camp without a sound.
The obsolete guardian. A nightgaunt still protects the entrance to a shrine whose purpose was forgotten centuries ago.
The frightened mount. A shantak refuses to continue toward Leng because a nightgaunt colony occupies the next pass.
The carried message. A captive is deliberately dropped alive near the party with a symbol tied around one wrist.
Related Creatures and Places
Nightgaunts are strongly associated with the Plateau of Leng, Shantaks and other Dreamlands creatures in the World Bestiary.
Rules Sources and Licensing
The Pathfinder 1e Nightgaunt derives from Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 4, © 2013 Paizo Publishing, LLC, and provides the open mechanical anchor for this page.
The 5.5e/2024 and 5e/2014 panels are original compatibility adaptations. The D&D 3.5e block translates the open Pathfinder chassis into 3.5e terminology. Literary description has been newly written rather than reproduced from source fiction.
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