Umbral ShepherdThis mass of shadow possesses a horrific demon face. Several writhing tentacles sprout from its grublike body.Umbral Shepherd CR 5Source Inner Sea Bestiary pg. 53
XP 1,600
LE Medium outsider (incorporeal)
Init +6; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +10DefenseAC 14, touch 14, flat-footed 12 (+2 deflection, +2 Dex)
hp 39 (6d10+6)
Fort +3, Ref +9, Will +8
Defensive Abilities incorporeal
Weaknesses light sensitivity, planeboundOffenseSpeed 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (perfect)
Melee touch +8 (shadow touch or possession)StatisticsStr —, Dex 14, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 13, Cha 15
Base Atk +6; CMB +8; CMD 20 (can’t be tripped)
Feats Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Lightning Reflexes
Skills Bluff +10, Disguise +11, Fly +14, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (planes) +11, Knowledge (religion) +11, Perception +10, Sense Motive +10, Stealth +11
Languages Common, Infernal, ShadowtongueEcologyEnvironment any (Plane of Shadow)
Organization solitary, pair, or choir (3–12)
Treasure noneSpecial AbilitiesPlanebound (Ex) An umbral shepherd is inherently tied to the Plane of Shadow, and can’t survive for long on any other plane without a host body. Each round that an umbral shepherd is on another plane without a host body, it takes 1d6 points of damage.
Possession (Su) An umbral shepherd can possess a host body as if using magic jar, save that if its host body is killed while possessed, the shepherd dies as well. An umbral shepherd can attempt a possession anytime it succeeds at a touch attack, even while already in a host body. If the touched creature fails a DC 15 Will save, it becomes possessed. Possession by an umbral shepherd takes a toll on its host body, which takes 1 point of Constitution drain every month it is so possessed. Abandoning a host body requires the umbral shepherd to either take a standard action (to appear in a square adjacent to the host) or make a successful possession attempt on a new host. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Shadow Touch (Su) An umbral shepherd that succeeds at a touch attack can attempt to dissolve a portion of the victim’s flesh into shadow, which then dissipates, dealing 1d4 points of Constitution damage. Victims that succeed at a DC 15 Fortitude save take half damage. The umbral shepherd can use this ability even while possessing a host body. The save DC is Charisma-based.DescriptionUmbral shepherds are parasitic entities eternally devoted to Zon-Kuthon. Brought forth onto Golarion primarily by the shadowcallers of Pangolais in Nidal, the evil creatures relish the chance to infest host bodies and use these vessels to further the work of their dark master. Those infested by such creatures are identifiable primarily by their pure-black eyes and fervor for the Midnight Lord, as well as the slow decay of their bodies. Umbral shepherds also serve as specialized torturers, with their ability to create bloodless cavities and tunnels through a prisoner’s body with a touch of their horrible, burrowing tentacles.
Whether Zon-Kuthon created the umbral shepherds or simply discovered and adopted them into his faith is unclear, but the shadowy parasites are irreversibly linked to both him and their home plane. Though they lust for the chance to spread their worship elsewhere, exposure to the light and energy of other planes is extremely harmful to them, thus necessitating the use of host bodies. Umbral shepherds value their hosts as vehicles but ultimately see them as disposable, knowing that without powerful magic their vessels will gradually sicken and die. An umbral shepherd that believes its vessel is close to death almost always abandons it rather than risking death itself, and usually transfers to a new host.
In their natural state, umbral shepherds are shaped like limbless, demon-faced humans made of coherent shadow, and are capable of spawning any number of tentacles of varying sizes. Some religious scholars believe that the first Joyful Things may have been attempts by Kuthites to change themselves into something closer to the shepherds, yet this remains the unsubstantiated speculation of outsiders.
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