Shadow Demons Shadow Demon Lore Arcana DC 10: Shadow demons are highly regarded as demonic servants, less for their abilities than for the ease of defending against them when they slip their leash, as simple light will typically suffice to cow or even destroy them. The secrets of their creation are carefully guarded, however, as one given a ready source of demonic essence could in theory spawn legions of its own kind at terrifying speed. Arcana DC 25: When demons are destroyed outside their home plane, in the normal course of things their raw essence spills forth from their ruptured forms and drains through the sieve of the planar barrier, first to the Astral Sea and eventually arriving in the Abyss where it can reform. By chance or artifice, however, sometimes this essence is bound to a mass of elemental shadow, preventing its passage and trapping it in an agonizing liminal state, one which eventually culminates with its metamorphosis into a shadow demon. Shadow Demon Scrabbler Tactics Shadow demon scrabblers retreat and take immediate cover if forced into an area of bright light, then begin to carve away at it, first using their Group Attack at full force. If they are reliably successful in this, they split into successively smaller groups to try to cut away at the light faster. Once an area of bright light is reduced to a 15 foot radius, half the group begins diving into the area to attack, then retreating back to safety before ending their turn, focusing on a single target not protected by allies to minimize attacks of opportunity. Shadow Demon Scrabbler Small fiend (demon)/undead, chaotic evil Armor Class 12 Hit Points 16 (3d6 + 6) Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 1 (-5) 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 6 (-2) 13 (+1) 11 (+0) Damage Vulnerabilities Radiant Damage Immunities Cold, Lightning, Poison Senses Darkvision 120 ft. (penetrates Magical Darkness), Passive Perception 11 Languages Abyssal, Telepathy 120 ft. Challenge M4 (220 XP) Minion. If the creature takes damage from an attack or as the result of a failed saving throw, its hit points are reduced to 0. If the creature takes damage from another effect, it dies if the damage equals or exceeds its hit point maximum, otherwise it takes no damage. Fleeting Shadow. While in Bright Light, the demon is Blinded. If it ends its turn in an area of Bright Light, it dies. Actions Lightsbane Assault (Group Attack). Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 5 necrotic damage. This attack can target an area of Bright Light in the demon's reach (AC 10, or equal to the spell caster's Save DC if the light is produced by a spell). An area of light hit with this attack has the radius it projects from its source reduced by 5 feet. Shadow Teleport. The demon teleports up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space of Dim Light or Darkness that it can see.
Shadow Demon Soulcarver Tactics Soulcarvers use their Shredding Swoop whenever available, passing through as many creatures as possible but prioritizing those carrying light, and attempting to grapple and drag creatures not carrying light away from their allies while it recharges. If fighting without any demonic allies, they use their Sudden Disappearance whenever available, otherwise reserving their reaction for Shifting Shadows once allies start to fall. Creating a Shadow Demon A demon that is destroyed outside its home plane while within 10 feet of a mass of shadowstuff must make a DC 20 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the shadowstuff molds into a translucent, ephemeral egg that hatches into a Shadow Demon Soulcarver after 1d4 months. While it lives, the bound demon can't be revived. Shadow Demon Soulcarver Medium fiend (demon)/undead, chaotic evil Armor Class 13 Hit Points 91 (14d8 + 28) Speed fly 40 ft. (hover) STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 1 (-5) 17 (+3) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 13 (+1) 19 (+4) Saving Throws DEX +5, CHA +4 Skills Intimidation +6, Stealth +7 Damage Vulnerabilities Radiant Damage Resistances All but Radiant while in Dim Light or Darkness Condition Immunities Exhaustion, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained Senses Darkvision 120 ft. (penetrates magical darkness), Passive Perception 11 Languages Abyssal, Telepathy 120 ft. Challenge 4 (1,100 XP) Dread Presence. At the beginning of each of the demon's turns, it may reveal its presence to each creature within 60 feet that it is Hidden from. If it does, each of those creatures must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be Frightened until the beginning of the demon's next turn. Light-Repulsed. At the end of each creature's turn, if the demon is in Bright Light it takes 7 (2d6) radiant damage, releases any creatures grappled by it, and is pushed 10 feet away from the nearest source of Bright Light. Actions Multattack. The demon makes two attacks with its Light-Rending Claws, one of which it may replace with a use of its Plunging Grasp. Light-Rending Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (2d6 + 3) necrotic damage. This attack can target an area of Bright Light in the demon's reach (AC 10, or equal to the spell caster's Save DC if the light is produced by a spell). An area of light hit with this attack has the radius it projects from its source reduced by 5 feet. Plunging Grasp. One creature within 5 feet of the demon must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 7 (2d6) necrotic damage and is grappled (escape DC 13) as the demon plunges its spectral claws into the creature's chest. A creature that starts its turn grappled in this way takes 7 (2d6) necrotic damage and is Frightened until the beginning of its next turn. Shredding Swoop (Recharge 5-6). Until the end of its turn, the demon can move through creatures and objects as though they were difficult terrain, and may make an attack at advantage with its Light-Rending Claws against each target it passes through. Reactions Shifting Shadows. As a reaction when a fiend it can see dies within 60 feet, the demon summons three Shadow Demon Scrabblers in unoccupied spaces it can see within 20 feet of the fallen fiend. Sudden Disappearance. As a reaction when the demon ends its turn in Dim Light or Darkness, the demon attempts to Hide and may do so without obscurement.
Art Credits Shadow's Verdict by Lius Lasahido Thirsting Shade by Igor Kieryluk Bisk, Goblin King by Rae Elderidge I've Got a Subreddit! Want more monsters like this? Come check out r/bettermonsters, where I post all my work. Don't see something there? Drop a request and I'll usually get it to you within a day if I've got something on hand, and I'll shoot you a message when it's ready if not. Creative Consultants Free Pizza Kestrel The Part Where I Shill My Patreon Want to support the creation of content like this? I post new monsters with lore and tactics to my patreon five times a week, joining the more than 1300 already there, indexed in a big PDF along with formats for Foundry and 5eTools.