Soul-Eater Shade

Saves: Agility +7, Willpower +7

Proficiencies: Stealth +8

Senses: Sees normally in total darkness, Smells fear within 60 feet

Shadow-Sunk. In dim light or darkness the shade is effectively invisible until it attacks; attacks against it suffer Disadvantage. In bright light it is fully visible, its movement drops to 20 ft., and it loses this trait's benefits.

Feeds on Fear. Whenever an enemy within 30 feet fails a save against fear or a Morale check, the shade regains 1d8 Vitality and grows visibly darker and more solid.

Half Here. The shade reduces all ballistic, las, slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage by 4. Sanctified, psychic, warp, and fire attacks ignore this reduction. At 0 Vitality it is banished rather than slain. It does not make Morale checks and is immune to fear and Suppression.

Draining Touch. Melee Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2d8 + 2 psychic damage and the target makes a Willpower Save DC 13 or is Frightened until the end of its next turn, its resolve visibly draining.

Terror Blossom. One creature within 30 feet sees its worst fear take shape in the dark. The target makes a Willpower Save DC 13 or is Frightened and Exposed until the end of its next turn.

Flow Between. The shade moves up to 30 feet from one area of shadow to another without crossing the lit space between. It cannot use this action while in bright light.

Morale: Does not make Morale checks (daemonic nature). When starved or burned it withdraws into darkness — it does not flee so much as wait, and it remembers who frightened it.

Tactics: Kill the lights first — narratively or literally. It picks the most frightened character and keeps returning to them, because they taste best. The party's real weapons are illumination, discipline, and faith; a character with a steady will can genuinely starve it.

Loot / Evidence / Hooks: Its victims are found unmarked, faces fixed mid-scream; the pattern of where they fell maps the shade's hunting ground and, at its center, its nest of old dark.

A Soul-Eater Shade is a shadow predator that feeds on will and panic, thinning its prey's courage before it ever touches their flesh. Victims are found unmarked, faces fixed in the expression of the last thing they could not stop imagining.

Use this enemy for stalking horror in darkness — a fight against something the party mostly cannot see, which gets stronger the more scared they get.

Moderate durability, stealth in shadow, fear-feeding attacks, Willpower pressure over wounds, resistant to mundane harm, weak in strong light and against steady minds.

Shadow-Sunk. In dim light or darkness it is effectively invisible until it attacks; bright light burns it visible and slows it.

Feeds on Fear. Gains vigor whenever an enemy within 30 feet fails a fear or Morale check; it grows darker and more solid as it feeds.

Half Here. Reduces mundane damage; sanctified, psychic, or flame-based attacks bypass this.

Draining Touch. Melee attack against will rather than flesh: the target saves or is Shaken and drained of resolve.

Terror Blossom. One target sees its worst fear in the dark: save or become Frightened and Exposed until its next turn.

Flow Between. Moves 30 feet from shadow to shadow without crossing the lit space between.

Morale: Withdraws into darkness when starved or burned; it does not flee so much as wait, and it remembers who frightened it.

Tactics: Kill the lights first — narratively or literally. It picks the most frightened character and returns to them, because they taste best. The party's real weapons are illumination, discipline, and faith; let a character with a steady will genuinely starve it.

Full Stat Block Priority: Medium