[ACKS Monster] Cloaker

CLOAKER

% In Lair: 40%

Dungeon: Solitary (1)/Rack (1d4)

Wilderness: Solitary (1)/Rack (1d2)

Alignment: Chaotic

Movement: 10' (3')

Fly: 150' (50')

AC: 6

Hit Dice: 6**

Attacks: 2 (tails) or 1 (bite)

Damage: 1d6/1d6

Save: F6

Morale: 0

TT: H

XP: 820

When resting or lying in wait, these creatures are almost impossible to distinguish from common black cloaks (the cloaker's ivory claws look very much like bone clasps).

When it unfurls itself and moves to attack, however, its true nature becomes all too obvious. At this point, its white underside is clear and the monster’s face is fully visible. This face, with the glow of its two piercing, red eyes and the needle-like fangs that line its mouth, is a truly horrible sight. At this point, the monster also uncurls the whip-like tail at its trailing edge and begins to swish it back and forth in anticipation.

Cloakers receive a +3 bonus to surprise rolls. If an attack roll is successful, a cloaker engulfs its prey within its folds. Any creature that falls victim to this attack is all but helpless and can be bitten easily (no roll required) for 1d4 points of damage and their target is grappled. Shields offer no protection from such attacks. Any attacks made on the cloaker inflict half their damage to the cloaker and the other half to the trapped victim. Area effect spells, such as fireball, cause full damage to both the monster and its victim.

A cloaker can emit a dangerous subsonic moan as an attack. By changing the frequency, the cloaker can cause one of four effects. Cloakers are immune to these sonic, mind-affecting attacks. Unless otherwise specified, a creature that successfully saves against one of these effects cannot be affected by the same moan effect from the same cloaker for 24 hours. If a cloaker moans, it can not use it's bite attack in the same round.

Unnerve: Anyone within a 60' spread automatically takes a -2 penalty on attack and damage rolls. There is no save against this attack.

Fear: Anyone within a 30' spread must succeed on a save vs. spells or flee in terror for 2 rounds.

Nausea: Anyone in a 30' cone must succeed on a Save vs. Poison or be overcome by nausea and weakness. Affected characters fall prone and become nauseated for 1d4+1 rounds. During this time, those who fail their saving throws are unable to act in any manner.

Stupor: A single creature within 30' of the cloaker must succeed on a Save vs. Spells or be affected as a hold person spell for 5 rounds. Even after a successful save, the creature must repeat the save if the cloaker uses this effect again.

Each of the various effects of the cloaker’s moan can be defeated by the use of a neutralize poison spell on a victim.

Cloakers also have the power to manipulate shadows. Known as shadow shifting, this power can be used in a number of ways, but in only one particular manner at any given time. The cloaker can employ its shadow shifting ability to obscure its opponents’ vision, thus bettering its Armor Class to 9. Or, the creature can produce precise images from the shadows that can be used to trick its adversaries. One common means of employing these images is to create a duplicate of the cloaker to draw away enemy attacks. If this method of shadow shifting is employed, it can be treated as a mirror image spell that creates 1d4+2 images. Otherwise, the shadows can be considered to be similar to a phantasmal force force spell.

The thought processes of cloakers are utterly alien to most other life forms. As such, they can only be communicated with by mages who have devoted long hours to training their minds in the arcane discipline necessary to understand these creatures.