Diminutive Undead (Swarm)

Hit Dice: 30d12+120 (315 hp)

Initiative: +15

Speed: 5 ft. (1 square), fly 100 ft. (good)

Armor Class: 40 (+4 size, +7 Dex, +4 profane, +15 insight), touch 40, flat-footed 33

Base Attack/Grapple: +15/—

Attack: Swarm (6d6+4 plus poison plus energy drain plus magic drain)

Full Attack: Swarm (6d6+4 plus poison plus energy drain plus magic drain)

Space/Reach: 30 ft./0 ft.

Special Attacks: Defiling aura, distraction, energy drain, magic drain, spell-like abilities, poison, summon undead, wounding

Special Qualities: Aversion to daylight, blindsense 60 ft., damage reduction 15/silver and magic, darkvision 120 ft., fast healing 15, half damage from slashing and piercing, immunity to cold, low-light vision,spell resistance 34, swarm traits, telepathy 100 ft, tremorsense 60 ft., turn resistance 15, undead traits,

Saves: Fort +20, Ref +21, Will +27

Abilities: Str 11, Dex 25, Con —, Int 24, Wis 23, Cha 26

Skills: Bluff +24, Concentration +41, Diplomacy +41, Hide +40, Intimidate +24,Knowledge (arcana, the planes, religion) +40, Listen +51, Move Silently +40, Search +40, Sense Motive +39, Spellcraft +40, Spot +51, Survival +39 (+41 following tracks)

Feats: Ability Focus (magic drain), Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Great Fortitude, Improved Initiative, Mobility, Quicken Spell-like Ability (greater dispel magic)

Epic Feats : Blinding Speed, Epic Fortitude, Superior Initiative, Tenacious Magic (unholy aura)

Environment: Plane of Shadow

Organization: Solitary or flight (2–4 swarms)

Challenge Rating: 20

Treasure: None

Alignment: Always chaotic evil

Advancement: None

 

Nightshades are powerful undead composed of equal parts darkness and absolute evil.

Nightshades can read and understand all forms of communication; however, they communicate with others by telepathy.

A nightflyer looks like a gigantic swarm of bats, and measures about 30 feet in diameter.

It is a single identity which oftten reforms to gargantuan forms of living creatures.

Combat

A nightflyer seeks to surround and attack any living prey it encounters. It starts with a massive spell assault and closes in to kill as many enemies as possible. The nightflyer wreaks a terrible havoc to any creature whose space it occupies at the end of its move.

A nightflyers’s attack are treated as epic weapons for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

 

Aversion to Daylight (Ex): If exposed to natural daylight (not merely a daylight spell), nightshades take a –8 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, and skill checks.

Blindsense (Ex): A nirghtflyer notices and locates creatures within 60 feet. Opponents still have total concealment against the bat swarm (but swarm attacks ignore concealment).

Defiling Aura (Su): Nightflyers radiate a 40-foot radius emanation of utter evil, imbuing their surroundings with negative energy and granting the following benefits: All undead within 40 feet of the nightshade (including the creature itself) gain a +4 profane bonus on attack rolls, damage rolls, saving throws, AC, the DC of any spell-like abilities, and +4 hit points per HD. Charisma checks made to turn undead within this area take a –9 penalty.

A nightflyer’s defiling presence cannot be dispelled except by a dispel evil spell or similar effect heightened to at least 9th level. If the effect is dispelled, the nightshade can resume it as a free action on its next turn. Its defiling presence is not suppressed if it enters a consecrated or hallowed area, and a nightflyer’s presence suppresses the consecrated or hallowed effect if the nightshade makes a successful level check against a DC of 10 + the caster level of consecrate or hallow effect.

Distraction (Ex): Any living creature that begins its turn with a nightflyer in its space must succeed on a DC 25 Fortitude save or be nauseated for 1 round. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Energy Drain (Su): Living creatures inside the space of a nightflyer gain two negative levels each round. The DC is 33 for the Fortitude save to remove a negative level. The save DC is Charisma-based.

For each such negative level bestowed, the nightflyer gains 5 temporary hit points.

Fast Healing (Ex): Nightflyers gain fast healing equal to one-half their racial HD when in areas of dim or no illumination.

Magic Drain (Su): A nightflyer can weaken magic armor, weapons, and shields by touch. The targeted item must be in the same space as the nightflyer and succeed on a DC 42 Fortitude save or lose 1 point of its enhancement bonus. The save DC is Charisma-based. An item that loses its entire enhancement bonus becomes merely a masterwork item and loses any special abilities (such as flaming) as well. Casting dispel evil heightened to 9th level upon the item reverses the effect of the magic drain, provided this occurs within a number of days after the attack equal to the caster’s level and the caster succeeds on a DC 42 caster level check.

Nighthide (Ex): A nightflyer adds its Charisma bonus as an insight bonus to AC.

Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 25, initial and secondary damage 3d6 Str. The save DC is Constitution-based.

Spell-Like Abilities: At will—contagion (DC 32), deeper darkness, detect magic, greater dispel magic, haste, see invisibility, unhallow, unholy blight (DC 33); 3/day—cone of cold (DC 34), confusion (DC 33), hold monster (DC 34), horrid wilting (DC 37), unholy aura * (DC 37), waves of exhaustion (DC 36); 1/day—finger of death (DC 36), mass hold monster (DC 38), plane shift (DC 34). Caster level 30th. The save DCs are Charisma-based.

Summon Undead (Su): A nightflyer can summon undead creatures once per night: 13–24 shadows, 5–14 greater shadows, or 4–9 dread wraiths. The undead arrive in 1d10 rounds and serve for 1 hour or until released.

Turn Resistance (Ex): Nightflyers cannot be turned or rebuked on the Plane of Shadow or when on any plane with the minor or major negative-dominant trait. Under any other circumstances epic nightshades receive turning resistance equal to their Charisma bonus.

Wounding (Ex): Any living creature damaged by a nightflyer continues to bleed, losing 1 constitution point per round thereafter. Multiple wounds do not result in cumulative bleeding loss. The bleeding can be stopped by a DC 33 Heal check or the application of a heal spell or some other strong healing magic.

Undead Traits: Immune to poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, disease, death, effects, mind-affecting effects, and any effect requiring a Fortitude save unless it also works on objects. Not subject to critical hits, subdual damage, ability damage, ability drain, or energy drain. Negative energy heals. Not at risk of death from massive damage, but destroyed at 0 hit points or less. Darkvision 60 ft. Cannot be raised; resurrection works only if creature is willing.

Skills: A nightflyer has a +12 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks. These bonuses are lost if its blindsense is negated.

*= For this spell-like ability only, the swarm is considered to be only one target.