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Nightwalker

Nightwalker
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Appearance: The Nightwalker, an ominous entity of the Plane of Shadow, manifests as an immense, shadowy figure, standing over 20 feet tall. Its form is shrouded in inky darkness, with only faint, malevolent gleams revealing its humanoid shape. Sinister tendrils of shadow writhe around it, embodying the very essence of darkness.

Behavior: Nightwalkers are relentless and malevolent beings, driven by an insatiable hunger for life force. They exhibit an eerie intelligence, stalking their prey with an almost supernatural patience. Silent and foreboding, Nightwalkers are known for the terror they instill, using the very fear they evoke as a weapon against those who dare cross their shadowy path.

Habitat: Native to the Plane of Shadow, Nightwalkers often find themselves summoned to the Material Plane through dark rituals or planar disturbances. In their natural habitat, they dwell amidst the eternal twilight of the shadowy realm, where their shadowy form seamlessly blends with the obsidian landscapes.

Modus Operandi: Nightwalkers excel at hunting down living creatures, drawn to the warmth of life like moths to a flame. They traverse the Plane of Shadow and the Material Plane, leaving an aura of death and decay in their wake. Nightwalkers are relentless pursuers, tracking their prey through both the physical and ethereal realms, using their incorporeal nature to slip through barriers.

Motivation: The Nightwalker’s motivation is primal and simple: to consume the life force of the living. It is an embodiment of the entropy and darkness that exists beyond the mortal realm. Whether summoned by dark rituals or emerging from planar disturbances, the Nightwalker’s motivation is driven by an insatiable thirst for the life essence it craves, leaving desolation in its wake.


  • Nightwalker 5e
  • Nightwalker Pathfinder
Nightwalker 2
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Huge Elemental (Undead), Neutral Evil

Armor Class 19 (natural armor)
Hit Points 367 (21d12 + 189)
Speed 50 ft., Fly 50 ft. (Hover)


STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
26 (+8)14 (+2)28 (+9)10 (+0)14 (+2)18 (+4)

Saving Throws Str +14, Con +15
Damage Immunities Necrotic, Poison
Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Poisoned
Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Truesight 60 ft., Passive Perception 12
Languages Abyssal, Common, Primordial
Challenge 20 (25,000 XP)


Death Shroud. Creatures within 10 feet of the Nightwalker have disadvantage on saving throws against its frightful presence.

Innate Spellcasting. The Nightwalker’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 19). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

  • At will: darkness, detect magic
  • 3/day each: plane shift, teleport

Shadow Form. The Nightwalker can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Void Siphon. Whenever the Nightwalker damages a creature with its Life Drain, it gains temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt.


Actions

Multiattack. The Nightwalker makes three attacks: one with its Life Drain and two with its Shadowy Tentacles.

Life Drain. Melee Spell Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 55 (10d10) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 19 Constitution saving throw or its hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.

Shadowy Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 20 (3d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage plus 13 (3d8) necrotic damage.


Legendary Actions

The Nightwalker can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The Nightwalker regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

  • Move. The Nightwalker moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
  • Life Drain (Costs 2 Actions). The Nightwalker uses its Life Drain.
  • Shadowy Sweep (Costs 2 Actions). The Nightwalker makes a Shadowy Tentacles attack.
Nightwalker 1
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This towering, night-black giant has demonic features, including a huge pair of ram-like horns. Its arms end in massive blades.

Nightwalker CR 16

XP 76,800
CE Huge undead (extraplanar, nightshade)
Init +2; Senses darksense, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, detect magic; Perception +29
Aura desecrating aura (30 ft.)

DEFENSE

AC 31, touch 10, flat-footed 29 (+2 Dex, +21 natural, –2 size)
hp 241 (21d8+147)
Fort +14, Ref +11, Will +19
DR 15/good and silver; Immune cold, undead traits; SR 27
Weaknesses light aversion

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft.
Melee 2 claws* +28 (3d6+15/19–20 plus 4d6 cold)
Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft.
Special Attacks channel energy (8d6, DC 29, 8/day), fear gaze, swift sundering
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 16th; concentration +21)

Constant—air walkdetect magicmagic fang
At will—contagion (DC 19), deeper darknessgreater dispel magicunholy blight (DC 19)
3/day—confusion (DC 19), hastehold monster (DC 20), invisibility, quickened unholy blight (DC 19)
1/day—cone of cold (DC 20), finger of death (DC 22), plane shift (DC 22), summon (level 7, 4 greater shadows)

STATISTICS

Str 35, Dex 14, Con —, Int 20, Wis 21, Cha 21
Base Atk +15; CMB* +29; CMD 41
Feats Combat Expertise, Command Undead, Greater Sunder, Greater Vital Strike, Improved Critical (claws), Improved Disarm, Improved Sunder, Improved Vital Strike, Power Attack, Quicken Spell-Like Ability (unholy blight), Vital Strike
Skills Intimidate +29, Knowledge (arcana) +29, Knowledge (planes) +26, Knowledge (religion) +29, Perception +29, Sense Motive +29, Spellcraft +29, Stealth +18 (+26 in darkness), Swim +33; Racial Modifiers +8 Stealth in dim light and darkness
Languages Abyssal, Common, Infernal; telepathy 100 ft.

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Fear Gaze (Su)

Cower in fear for 1 round, 30 feet, Will DC 25 negates. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Swift Sundering (Su)

A nightwalker can make a sunder attempt as a swift action with one of its claws.

ECOLOGY

Environment any (Negative Energy Plane)
Organization solitary, pair, or gang (3–4)
Treasure standard

The most commonly encountered nightshade is the giant-like nightwalker. This powerful foe leads armies of undead against the living, but unlike most mortal generals the nightwalker is not content to stand back and observe the battles from safety. The undead creature is ever eager to put its tactics and plans to the test itself, and takes part in battles in every possible occurrence save for those that the creature has determined are self-destructive. This is not to say that the nightwalker never sacrifices its troops to gain a tactical advantage—just that these attacks are the only ones the monster feels no urge to participate in directly.

Nightwalkers enjoy inflicting despair before death, particularly by destroying valued objects or murdering loved ones before delivering the final blow to a foe.

A nightwalker is 20 feet tall and weighs 5,000 pounds.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary 2, © 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Jason Bulmahn, Adam Daigle, Graeme Davis, Crystal Frasier, Joshua J. Frost, Tim Hitchcock, Brandon Hodge, James Jacobs, Steve Kenson, Hal MacLean, Martin Mason, Rob McCreary, Erik Mona, Jason Nelson, Patrick Renie, Sean K Reynolds, F. Wesley Schneider, Owen K.C. Stephens, James L. Sutter, Russ Taylor, and Greg A. Vaughan, based on material by Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.

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