ShadowgarmThis amorphous creature loosely resembles a cross between a large snake and an insect. It has black oily skin, and parts of its very flesh blend seamlessly into the shadows. Its constantly moving, writhing form makes it difficult to identify from a distance.Shadowgarm CR 2Source Pathfinder #25: The Bastards of Erebus pg. 80
XP 600
NE Medium aberration (extraplanar)
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent; Perception +6DefenseAC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 armor, +2 Dex)
hp 19 (3d8+6)
Fort +3, Ref +5, Will +5
Defensive Abilities feather fall, shadow blend; SR 7
Weaknesses light fixationOffenseSpeed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
Melee 3 claws +4 (1d4+2 plus shadow slime)StatisticsStr 14, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 5, Wis 14, Cha 11
Base Atk +2; CMB +4; CMD 16
Feats Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes
Skills Climb +14, Perception +6, Stealth +6 (+10 in dim light); Racial Modifiers +4 Stealth in dim lightEcologyEnvironment any (Plane of Shadow)
Organization solitary or gathering (2-12)
Treasure noneSpecial AbilitiesFeather Fall (Ex) A shadowgarm’s body is both light and consists of numerous folds of thin flesh. Although it cannot fly, a falling shadowgarm always descends as if under the effects of a feather fall spell, and thus never takes falling damage.
Light Fixation (Su) Although a shadowgarm is not particularly harmed by bright light, it prefers dim lighting. Magical light, on the other hand, causes a shadowgarm to grow slow and lethargic. Whenever a shadowgarm is within an area of bright light that is magically created, it is staggered.
Shadow Blend (Su) In conditions of dim light, a shadowgarm’s outline wavers and blends with the surrounding shadows, granting it concealment (20% miss chance) even if its opponents are capable of seeing clearly in dim light.
Shadow Slime (Su) A shadowgarm is coated with a thin layer of oily black slime. Whenever it strikes a foe, it transfers a swath of this cold black slime onto the creature struck. This slime causes a growing numbness and lethargy in the bodies of those it coats. Each time a creature takes damage from a shadowgarm’s claws, the creature struck must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or take a cumulative –2 penalty to its Dexterity score. A creature whose total Dexterity penalty equals its Dexterity score is paralyzed and blinded as long as the penalty remains in effect. All accrued Dexterity penalties fade an hour after the last time the victim was affected by shadow slime, but any new shadow slime resets the recovery period. Exposure to bright light of any sort causes the Dexterity penalty to lessen by 2 points per round until all of the shadow slime is effectively “burned away” by the light. A shadowgarm is immune to the effects of its shadow slime and the shadow slime of other shadowgarms. The save DC is Constitution-based.DescriptionShadowgarms are strange monsters from the Plane of Shadow, where they function as lowly predators and pests somewhat akin to the Material Plane’s coyotes, leopards, and similar hunting mammals. Yet to a creature unfamiliar with the workings of the Plane of Shadow, the shadowgarm is a hideous and frightening beast. Generally lairing in ruined sections of towns or dead-end alleys clogged with refuse during the day, they come out at night to prey upon creatures that stray too far from the safety of light. These aberrant predators “leak” into the Material Plane anywhere the Plane of Shadow’s influence is strong. Small groups of shadowgarms are occasionally seen lurking in old graveyards where undead (particularly shadows) are known to reside, and anywhere that has strong traditions of shadow magic tends to have a healthy population of shadowgarms lurking in out-of-the-way areas as well.
The typical shadowgarm measures about 4-1/2 feet long and weighs approximately 90 pounds, their bodies being strangely light, composed of a spongy dark matter and seemingly wisps of shadow itself. Some, however, grow to be much larger, though shadowgarms of all sizes prove especially adept at blending in among the shadows and detritus of their hunting grounds or crawling into crevices it seems creatures of their size would not be able to squeeze.
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