Ephemeral Hangman (CR 7)
Large Aberration (Extraplanar)
Alignment: Always chaotic evil
Initiative: +7 (+3 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative); Senses: blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 60 ft., Listen +9, and Spot +9
AC: 20 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +8 natural), touch 2, flat-footed 17
Hit Dice: 11d8+55 (104 hp)
Fort +8, Ref +6, Will +9
Speed: 30 ft.
Space: 10 ft./10 ft. (20 ft. with tendrils in shadowy illumination or darkness)
Base Attack +8; Grapple +18
Attack: Tendril +14
Full Attack: 4 tendrils +14 and bite +11 melee
Damage: Tendrils 1d8+6 plus slow, bite 2d6+3 plus slow
Special Attacks/Actions: Constrict 1d8+6 plus slow, improved grab, slow
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 16, Con 20, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 16
Special Qualities: regeneration 5, shadow pocket, step into shadow
Feats: Alertness; Improved Initiative; Multiattack; Weapon Focus (tendril)
Skills: Hide +9*, Listen +9, Move Silently +13, and Spot +9
Advancement: 12-22 HD (large); 23-33 HD (Huge)
Climate/Terrain: Any underground or urban
Organization: Solitary
Treasure/Possessions: None
Source:
Tome of Magic
Constrict (Ex): On a successful grapple check, an ephemeral hangman deals 1d8+6 points of damage.
Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a hangman must hit a creature at least one size smaller than itself with its tendril attack. It can then attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. If it wins the grapple check, it establishes a hold and transfers the opponent to its mouth as a free action, automatically dealing bite damage. Alternatively, it can choose to constrict.
Regeneration: In areas of darkness or shadowy illumination, only spells with the light descriptor and searing light deal normal damage to an ephemeral hangman. If it loses a limb or a body part, the lost portion regrows in 3d6 minutes. The creature can reattach the severed member instantly by holding it to the stump. In areas of bright light, its regeneration ceases to function, and all attacks do normal damage.
Shadow Pocket (Su): In areas of darkness or shadowy illumination, an ephemeral hangman can fit into a space seemingly too small for it. It can fit into a single 5-foot square without taking any penalties for squeezing. It can squeeze into an even smaller space, down to a 2-1/2-foot square, but doing this imposes the standard penalties for squeezing through a space. When using its shadow pocket ability, an ephemeral hangman gains a +4 circumstance bonus on Hide checks (nor factored into the statistics block).
If an ephemeral hangman is ever exposed to light brighter than torchlight or a light spell while using its shadow pocket ability, it is immediately shunted to the nearest open space large enough to hold it, taking 1d6 points of damage for every 5 feet so moved.
Step into Shadow (Su): In areas of darkness or shadowy illumination, three times per day an ephemeral hangman can use step into shadow as a shadowcaster of 11th level.
Slow (Su): Anyone who is struck or grappled by an ephemeral hangman must make a DC 18 Will save or be slowed, the spell, for 2d6 rounds. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Skills: An ephemeral hangman has a +8 racial bonus Hide and Move Silently checks. It has a +4 circumstance bonus on Hide checks when making use of its shadow pocket ability.
An ephemeral hangman is an ambush hunter. It prefers to lurk in dark areas that would ordinarily be too small for a creature of its size to enter, and then strike at unsuspecting prey. It dislikes bright light, which prevents it from using its regeneration, shadow pocket, and shadow step abilities, and it flees if confronted with sunlight or spells such as daylight.
Extraplanar Subtype
A subtype applied to any creature when it is on a plane other than its native plane. A creature that travels the planes can gain or lose this subtype as it goes from plane to plane. This book assumes that encounters with creatures take place on the Material Plane, and every creature whose native plane is not the Material Plane has the extraplanar subtype (but would not have when on its home plane). An extraplanar creatures usually has a home plane mentioned in its description. These home planes are taken from the Great Wheel cosmology of the D&D game (see Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). If your campaign uses a different cosmology, you will need to assign different home planes to extraplanar creatures.
Creatures not labeled as extraplanar are natives of the Material Plane, and they gain the extraplanar subtype if they leave the Material Plane. No creature has the extraplanar subtype when it is on a transitive plane; the transitive planes in the D&D cosmology are the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, and the Plane of Shadow.