Buy me a coffeeDark Scourge: The Plague-Wrought Harbinger
“Unleash the terror of the Dark Scourge—an unstoppable poison master who strikes from the shadows and leaves devastation in its wake!”
The Dark Scourge is a towering, ominous figure standing nearly seven feet tall, draped in layers of thick, black leather that creaks as it moves. Its pallid, sickly skin contrasts sharply with the fiery glow of its eyes, which gleam with a cruel intelligence. A skullcap covers its head, and a sinister mask conceals its nose and mouth, adding to its intimidating presence. Its long, slender limbs move with unnerving fluidity, and its sharp fingers are often stained with the remains of its latest poison brew.
The Dark Scourge is a solitary and obsessive creature, driven by a relentless pursuit of mastering toxins and poisons. Unlike its dark folk kin, it finds no joy in treasure or wealth, instead surrounding itself with venomous plants and creatures, often keeping prisoners as test subjects. Its behavior is cold, calculating, and sadistic—preferring to torment and cripple its victims rather than kill outright, savoring the chaos and suffering it inflicts. It will stalk its prey, using stealth and deception, until the time is right to incapacitate them with a lethal concoction of poisonous gas sprayed from its hands.
Dark Scourges dwell in the shadowy recesses of the world—deep, forgotten caverns, forsaken underground laboratories, or isolated lairs hidden beneath the earth. These environments offer the perfect solitude for their toxic experiments, far from the prying eyes of others. The stench of decay and chemicals often hangs in the air around their lairs, a warning of the dangers that await inside.
Their modus operandi revolves around meticulous planning and the use of their poison-laden arsenal. They strike swiftly, spraying their miasma to disorient and paralyze their victims, capturing those they deem useful for experimentation. A Dark Scourge’s preferred method of attack involves ambushes and surprise, using darkness to its advantage and leaving behind a trail of suffering and confusion. In battle, it relies on sneak attacks, poison-coated weapons, and its ability to vanish into the shadows.
Motivated by an insatiable desire to perfect its craft, the Dark Scourge is driven by a need to create more potent and refined poisons. It seeks out rare toxins, experimenting on captured creatures or even sentient beings to push the limits of its alchemical expertise. While it shows no love for treasure, it values its creations deeply, occasionally selling its concoctions to dark folk or other nefarious parties. Yet, despite its cold professionalism, a Dark Scourge is not above cruelty and will often delight in the suffering of its test subjects, seeing them as little more than tools in its twisted experiments.
Dark Scourge 5e
Dark Scourge Pathfinder
Dark Scourge
Medium humanoid (dark folk), chaotic evil
Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
Hit Points 84 (8d8 + 48)
Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 (+2) | 20 (+5) | 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 14 (+2) |
4o mini
Saving Throws Dex +8, Con +7, Wis +4
Skills Stealth +11, Perception +4, Investigation +6, Arcana +6
Damage Resistances Poison
Senses Darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 14
Languages Common, Dark Folk, Undercommon
Challenge 6 (2,300 XP)
TRAITS
Poison Immunity. The Dark Scourge is immune to all poisons and toxins, including magical ones. It can’t be poisoned.
See in Darkness. The Dark Scourge can see in magical and non-magical darkness without penalty.
Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the Dark Scourge can take the Hide action as a bonus action.
Death Throes. When the Dark Scourge is reduced to 0 hit points, it releases a cloud of poisonous gas in a 15-foot radius. Each creature in the area must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned and suffer the poisoned condition for 1 minute. A poisoned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The Dark Scourge makes two attacks: one with its Short Sword and one with Poison Spray.
Short Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target.
Hit: 10 (1d6 + 5) piercing damage, plus 7 (2d6) poison damage, and the target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute.
Poison Spray (Recharge 5–6). The Dark Scourge sprays a 15-foot cone of poisonous gas. Each creature in the area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 22 (4d10) poison damage, and becomes poisoned for 1 minute. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and isn’t poisoned.
Sneak Attack (1/Turn). If the Dark Scourge has advantage on the attack roll, it can deal an additional 14 (4d6) poison damage on a successful Short Sword attack.
Toxic Dart (Recharge 6). The Dark Scourge fires a dart laced with poison. Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, range 20/60 ft., one target.
Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) piercing damage, plus 7 (2d6) poison damage. The target must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute.
SPELL-LIKE ABILITIES
The Dark Scourge can cast the following spells, using Charisma as its spellcasting modifier (spell save DC 15, +7 to hit with spell attacks):
- At will: Darkness, Detect Magic
- 3/day each: Stinking Cloud, Ghoul Touch
- 1/day each: Poison Spray (as a spell), Blight
BONUS ACTIONS
Poison Master. The Dark Scourge can apply poison to a weapon as a bonus action. Additionally, poisons crafted by the Dark Scourge have a +2 bonus to their DC, and creatures poisoned by its poisons have disadvantage on saving throws to resist the poison’s effects.
TACTICS & STRATEGY
- Stealth and Ambush: The Dark Scourge is a master of stealth and thrives in the shadows. It will often begin combat by hiding in darkness or dim light, using Shadow Stealth to gain advantage on its first attack. It prefers to ambush weaker enemies or break into groups using Poison Spray and Sneak Attack to quickly incapacitate one or two targets.
- Use of Poison: The Dark Scourge is not just a brute fighter; it’s a calculated and precise killer. It prefers to slowly wear down its opponents with poison, using Poison Spray and Toxic Dart from a distance, and Short Sword for up-close attacks. When engaging multiple enemies, Stinking Cloud can be used to disorient and disable enemies while the Dark Scourge maneuvers into a more advantageous position.
- Death Throes: If a Dark Scourge is on the brink of death, it will fight to the bitter end, using Death Throes to poison nearby foes as a last-ditch effort to escape or take down as many as possible.
- Hit and Run: If wounded, the Dark Scourge will try to disengage, using Shadow Stealth and Poison Spray to disorient opponents while it retreats to safety or attempts to regroup for another strike.
ENVIRONMENT AND LAYER
Dark Scourges make their homes in secluded, dark lairs—deep caves, forgotten underground laboratories, or abandoned crypts. Their dens are filled with venomous plants, toxic chemicals, and imprisoned creatures used for testing their poisons. The lair is often built in such a way that the environment itself aids the Dark Scourge’s abilities, with natural shadows and pockets of darkness providing ample cover for stealthy movement. Their lairs also contain a variety of poisons and alchemical concoctions, which they will use as both weapons and experiments.
MOTIVATION & BEHAVIOR
The Dark Scourge is driven by a relentless obsession with the art of poisoning and alchemy. It seeks to perfect and create more deadly toxins, often conducting cruel and unethical experiments on living creatures. It shows little regard for life, viewing others as mere subjects for its experiments. While it lacks any interest in wealth or treasure, it may form temporary alliances with other dark folk or factions in exchange for rare ingredients or the opportunity to create more potent poisons.
Though solitary by nature, Dark Scourges are sometimes hired as mercenaries or assassins, providing their poisonous expertise for high-paying clients. When given the opportunity, they relish in tormenting others, drawing out the suffering of their victims with slow-acting poisons or debilitating gasses.
TREASURE
Dark Scourges typically carry a Masterwork Short Sword, 4 doses of Black Smear (injury poison), and alchemical tools for creating poisons. They may also hoard various poisonous ingredients, books on alchemy, and dark magical artifacts of particular value to them.
Dark scourge
A tall, thin humanoid emerges from the shadows, wrapped head to toe in thick leather. A skullcap covers its head and a mask covers its nose and mouth, but its eyes are fiery and its skin has a pallid hue.
Taken from the Creature Codex
Dark scourges are odd offshoots of the dark folk that possess an incredible affinity for poisons. They are immune to venom and toxins of all kinds and can spray a sickening miasma from the palms of their hands. This gas is pleasantly sweet in aroma but causes rapid disorientation, spasms and partial paralysis. Most dark scourges much prefer to torment than to kill, and may capture debilitated enemies for use as test subjects.
Dark scourges are typically born from dark stalker parents; although they breed true, few dark scourges are able to pull themselves away from their obsessions to mate. Their abilities make them both feared and valued in dark folk communities. They have little of the love for treasure that motivates their lesser kin, preferring to spend their lives perfecting the art of brewing poison. A dark scourge typically lives alone with no company except for venomous animals and plants kept as specimens and prisoners used as guinea pigs. They do sell their creations to their fellows, however, and may be found on especially interesting or valuable missions to disable and distract guards.
A dark scourge stands nearly seven feet tall and weighs 150 pounds. Although they do not possess the taboo against removing clothing that dark creepers do, most dark scourges prefer to cover most of their bodies in leather. Their characteristic masks are predominately used for intimidation; being immune to poison, dark scourges have no need to protect themselves from inhalants.
Dark Scourge CR 6
XP 2,400
CE Medium humanoid (dark folk)
Init +5; Senses see in darkness, Perception +14
Defense
AC 21, touch 16, flat-footed 15(+5 Dex, +3 armor, +1 dodge, +2 natural)
hp 67 (9d8+27)
Fort +6, Ref +11, Will +3
Immune poison
Weakness light blindness
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee short sword +11/+6 (1d6+2 plus poison/19-20)
Special Attacks death throes, poison spray, sneak attack +3d6
Spell-like Abilities CL 9th, concentration +11 (+15 casting defensively)At will—darkness, detect magic3/day—ghoul touch (DC 14)1/day—poison (DC 16), stinking cloud (DC 15)
Statistics
Str 15, Dex 20, Con 17, Int 14, Wis 11, Cha 14
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 24
Feats Blind-fight,Combat Casting, Dodge, Skill Focus (Craft: alchemy), Weapon Finesse
Skills Climb +16, Craft (alchemy) +16, Heal +7, Perception +14, Stealth +16; Racial Modifiers +4Climb, +4 Perception, +4 Stealth
Languages Common, Dark Folk, Undercommon
SQ poison master
Ecology
Environment undergroundOrganization solitary, pair or troupe (1 plus 2-6 dark creepers and 1-2 dark stalkers)
Treasure NPC gear (short sword, masterwork studded leather, 4 doses black smear, other treasure)
Special Abilities
- Death Throes (Su) When a dark scourge is slain, it explodes in a cloud of poisonous gas, affecting all creatures in a 20 ft. radius as per its poison spray ability. The explosion does not effect the dark scourge’s gear.
- Poison Master (Su) A dark scourge can apply poison to a weapon as a swift action. In addition, all manufactured poisons used by a dark scourge gain a +2 bonus to their DC. Dark scourges usually carry black smear—injury; save Fort DC 17; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Str; cure 1 save.
- Poison Spray (Ex) Three times per day as a standard action, a dark scourge can spray a 15 foot cone of poison. Vapors of Mattoon—inhaled; save Fort DC 17; frequency 1/round for 4 rounds; effect sickened 1 minute plus 1d3 Dex; cure 2 saves. The save DC is Constitution based.
- See in Darkness (Su) A dark scourge can see perfectly in darkness of all kinds, including that created by a deeper darkness spell.