Darkling

This hideous grey brute can easily be mistaken for a troll. But the similarity stops there. A sharp intelligence resides behind its eyes and in its menace. A crude, dark grey stone battleaxe is its favored weapon of torment.

Darkling CR 6

XP 2,400
CE Large fey (extraplanar)
Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision; Perception +15

DEFENSE

AC 19, touch 12, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +7 natural, -1 size)
hp 75 (10d6+40); blood healing
Fort +6; Ref +10; Will +9
DR 10/cold iron; Resist cold 5

OFFENSE

Speed 40 ft.
Melee +1 feystone battleaxe +11 (2d8+8), claw +7 (1d6+4)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft.
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 5th; concentration +5)

At willzone of silence (20 ft. radius)
3/day—flicker, snow spray (DC 13)

STATISTICS

Str 26, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 15, Cha 11
Base Atk +5; CMB +14 (+13 with battle axe, +16 sunder, +19 sunder with battleaxe); CMD 27 (29 vs. sunder)
Feats Cleave, Improved Sunder, Lunge, Power Attack (-2/+4), Ability Focus (snow spray)B, Toughness
Skills Climb +21, Knowledge (planes) +12, Perception +15, Sense Motive +15, Stealth +12 (+16 in dim light or darkness); Racial Modifiers +4 to Stealth in dim light or darkness
Languages Sylvan; telepathy 100 ft.
SQ planar knowledgeable

SPECIAL ABILITIES

Blood Healing (Su)

If a darkling spends a move action licking the blood of a recent victim off its stone battleaxe or its claws, it gains fast healing 3 for 2 rounds. A darkling can heal up to a maximum of 20 hp/day (double its current HD) in this manner. This action does not provoke an attack of opportunity.

Feystone Battleaxe

A darkling wields crude tools made from stone and worked in a way that only the fey know how. A mundane large feystone battleaxe cost 10 gp, weights 18 lbs, grants a -2 penalty on attacks, grants a +2 bonus when attempting to sunder, deals 2d8-1+Str modifier damage, deals double damage on a critical hit, has a hardness of 7, and has 7 hp.

Flicker (Sp)

A darkling can turn invisible for 1 round as a swift action. The spell-like ability ends if the darkling attacks any creature (see invisibility). This ability is the equivalent of a 1st-level spell.

Planar Knowledge (Ex)

Knowledge (planes) is a class skill for a darkling. Knowledge (local) is not a class skill.

Snow Spray (Sp)

A 30 ft cone of snow sprays out from a darkling’s fingertips. All creatures within the area of effect take 5d4 points of cold damage and are entangled for 1 round. Creatures that succeeds a Reflex save (DC 13) take half damage and are not entangled. The DC for this ability is Charisma-based. This ability is the equivalent of a 1st-level spell.

ECOLOGY

Environment cold forest (Plane of Shadows)
Organization solitary, pair, fear (1-2 plus 4-8 dull mites)
Treasure standard (+1 feystone battleaxe, other treasure)

When parents warn their children about evil fey that will steal them and eat their eyes, they are describing the darkling. Named for the darkness in its heart as well as the dark maliciousness by which it kills and thrives, a darkling enjoys the taste of blood of anything it has wounded. When it licks the blood of its victim from its feystone battleaxe, the victim’s life comes rushing into the darkling’s body closing any wounds it sustained. For this reason, a darkling will keep a creature alive in its lair to supply it with healing blood.

A darkling stands about 8 feet tall and weighs about 600 pounds.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Book of Beasts: Monsters of the Shadow Plane © 2012, Jon Brazer Enterprises. Author: Dale C. McCoy, Jr.

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