Dragon Shadow

Dragon Shadow Troop (Swarm; CR 12)

Pure Evil - Huge - Dragon


Lore:	Know (Arcana)
27		44
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

17


Perception:
29	+19
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

Standard Senses
Blindsense 60 ft.

Movement Types:

Greater Flight 30 ft.

Defense

AC

32

Man Def

31

Monster Health
578	289	22
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+9
Refl:	+9
Will:	+14

Strong Against:

(Swarm Role) Hardened (½ damage): slashing (physical, common), piercing (physical, common)
(Swarm Role) Immune (no effect): Critical Hits and Flanking
(Swarm Role) Immune (no effect): Any attack that targets Maneuver Defense
(Swarm Role) Immune (no effect): Any spell that targets a specific number of creatures, except mind-affecting spells (if this creature has an Int score).
(Dragon 1) Immune (no effect): magical sleep (drowsy, sluggish, asleep), paralyzed, stunned
(Dragon 2) Immune (no effect): sonic (energy, common)
(Dragon 3) Immune (no effect): fear
Immune (no effect): Sonic (energy, common) damage
Immune (no effect): Negative (energy, uncommon) damage

Weak Against:

(Swarm Role) Vulnerable (1.5x damage): area of effect spells (including Channel Divinity)

Offense


Size:	Huge
30 ft.		15 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+19

Man Off

+19

Action

0

Points

(Component Creatures: 15 ft. / 15 ft.)

Standard Attack (Melee):

1x Darkswarm (Swarm -- Auto-Hit) (3d8+9/19-20 x2)
as negative (energy, uncommon)

Full Attack (Melee):

3x Darkswarm (Swarm -- Auto-Hit) (3d8+13/19-20 x2)
as negative (energy, uncommon)

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

1

STR

20

DEX

10

CON

17

INT

15

WIS

16

CHA

Skills:

Perception: 19
Stealth: 23
All other skills: 14 (no ranks)

Languages: Draconic, Fuligin, Common

Feats:

Special Abilities

Art of Darkness (Su) Always On, Special

If targeted by (or included in) a Negative Energy (energy, uncommon) attack from a black dragon, Dragon Shadows are not harmed (they are immune to negative energy). Instead, until the end of their next turn, they gain a negative energy damage bonus to their Darkswarm attack damage equal to the CR of the dragon which subjected them to negative energy. This damage is added to their normal damage for purposes of overcoming Energy Resistance. Negative energy from any source other than a black dragon does not trigger this ability.

Madness (Su; Swarm Role) Auto Upon Successful Attack

Dragon Shadows in troops fill the minds of those they envelop with a dizzying array of sounds, images and sensations, making it difficult to discern reality from illusion. This is a mind-affecting effect, though even creatures normally immune to such effects will become dazzled while in the same square as a Dragon Shadow Troop.

Any living creature that takes damage from a creature with the madness ability must make a Fortitude save, DC 22, or become Baffled. If the creature makes the save, they are instead Dazzled. If they take damage on any following round while still Baffled or Dazzled, they must make another DC 22 Fortitude save, or move up one on the Status Array. While sharing a space with the troop, you cannot get rid of the Dazzled condition. At the end of any round in which you are not inside a troop's space, you may make another DC 22 Fortitude save to attempt to move down one step on the status array. (While outside of the troop's space, you cannot go up on the status array if you fail the save, you simply remain at the status you currently have.)

Dazzled ==> Baffled ==> Confused

In addition, spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a troop requires a Caster Check against the troop's Maneuver Defense (DC 31). Finally, any skill checks that involve patience or concentration have their DC's increased by +5 while sharing space with a troop.

Sum of the Parts (Ex; Swarm Role) Always On

Swarms, troops, and hordes follow the squeezing rules based on their component creature size, NOT the size of the swarm, troop, or horde as a whole. This means these groups of creatures can easily move through doorways that are sized appropriately to their component creature sizes. They can even stop in such spaces without suffering squeezing penalties. In such cases, the swarm's shape is unaffected, except that its space excludes any blocked spaces. That is, its space doesn't deform into a non-square shape, it's just treated as not occupying any blocked spaces within its space. This means it cannot threaten through blocked spaces, since it isn't technically occupying them.

Multiple swarms, troops, and hordes can share the same squares without squeezing or movement penalties. They can move through, and even stop on top of (or within) the spaces of other swarms, troops, or hordes.

Swarms, troops, and hordes can also move over, through, and into spaces occupied by enemy creatures without provoking attacks of opportunity, even if they pass through or leave a threatened square. Furthermore, creatures inside the space of a swarm, troop, or horde are treated as flanked while they remain in that space (though this doesn't usually matter much, since swarms, troops, and hordes automatically hit with their attacks).

Finally, a maximum of two swarms, troops, or hordes can attack a single given creature in a round, even if more than two swarms, troops, or hordes are threatening that creature. There simply isn't enough surface area of the enemy creature for more attacks to be inflicted.

Dragon Shadow Troop

This creature possesses the Swarm role, and therefore counts as 2 monsters for purposes of encounter size, XP award, and treasure.

This monster frequently has the Swarm role, but may be set to different roles if desired.

Dragon Shadows are the Henchmen for Black Dragons, but they may be encountered on their own as well. Regardless of how you meet them, they are potent and dangerous foes. They are often encountered in large numbers, as Black Dragons 'collect' them as trophies, status symbols, playthings, and servants.

Dragon Shadows are the partially vanquished shadow-forms of black dragons. These miasmic terrors will eventually re-form into their corporeal bodies, becoming full black dragons again, given 10 or 15 years to recover from whatever event pushed them to this state. Since they are frequently encountered in numbers, they are frequently troops, with all the hazards and terrors of that state.

Frequently, Dragon Shadows will be found in the company of a black dragon. These are typically the siblings of the dragon, or other nearby rivals, that the surviving black dragon has beaten nearly to death, and now keeps around as testaments to its power and mercy. The dragon will sometimes use rituals to mentally enslave the Dragon Shadows, binding them into service even after they reform into full dragons. Other times, the dragon will simply kill the reformed dragons as soon as they re-form.

Dragon Shadows are powerful adversaries, even without a dragon's assistance. They are clouds of negative energy with a powerful intelligence driving them.

Combat Tactics

Dragon Shadows need to be adjacent to (or if organized as a troop) in the same space, engulfing a target, to do anything to that target. They are intelligent and cruel, but also arrogant and overconfident, so they will not run away from a fight. They will, however, make use of their environment, triggering any lair defenses they might have, or manipulating prey into chasing it to a better locale to fight.

If there is a black dragon about, the Dragon Shadows will target the most heavily armored characters and ignore the unarmored types. If they are in troop form, and there is no dragon about, they will spread their attacks out, maximizing their madness effect, but trying to keep everyone enveloped. If they have any other role and there is no dragon to aid them, they will attack intelligently, using their flight to maneuver above their foes if possible, and they will retreat from losing battles without hesitation, usually to go report to a black dragon they owe fealty to.

Note that multiple troops can move into, stop and occupy spaces that other troops occupy. However, no more than two troops can inflict damage or effects on a single target in a given round.

Out of Combat

Dragon Shadows are the remains of Black Dragons, and if they manage to slip away from the control of a Black Dragon, they are always working to get back to that exalted draconic state. No one knows exactly what condenses a Dragon Shadow back into a Dragon, but they are always striving toward that goal.

Rewards

XP: 38,400 (Swarm role included.)

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 38,625 gp. (Swarm role and Dragon bonus included, which is 3 greater than normal for this CR.)

Weight: 240 lbs. Volume: 9.6 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)