Amorphous - Shapechanger. The fiend form is a mixture of a solid frame and a continuos mist of darkness which emanates from it. What at some point appears solid at other times is gelatinous, gaseous or ethereal. It can mold itself into appearing as other creatures or even the mocking visage of certain humanoids, however, its shadow nature and bestial traits always remain. The beast can change its size to Medium or Huge at will.
Dark Presence. When in sunlight the beast is immaterial, it cannot attack or be attacked, however, it dons an ethereal form that can be faintly perceived and can still communicate. While in this form the beast can be Medium size or smaller. (Emotion Consumer, Mind Intrusion and Whispers of Sin are disabled when in sunlight)
Emotion Consumer. Whenever the beast starts its turn within a range on 300 ft. of any creature affected by Malice it regains 2d10 + 5 hit points per creature affected.
Inscrutable. The fiend is immune to any effect that would sense its emotions or read its thoughts, as well as any divination spell that it refuses. Wisdom (Insight) checks made to ascertain the fiend's intentions or sincerity have disadvantage.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the Beast od Darkness fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Weapons. The Beast of Darkness' weapon attacks are magical.
Mind Intrusion. The fiend can innately cast the Detect Thoughts spell (DC 21), requiring no components.
Superior Shadow Stealth. While in dim light or darkness, the beast can take the Hide action as a bonus action, and it also rolls Stealth Checks with Advantage.
Walk on Shadow. The fiend can stand on difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check as long as they are in dim light or darker.
Whispers of Sin. The beast's focus its gaze on one creature within 60 feet, and fills its mind with past actions and thoughts which the creature regrets the most. Until the beast focuses its sight on another creature the target has disadvantage on all saving throws. At the start of each of its turns, the beast decides which creature to focus on.
Multiattack. The beast can use its Inspire Malice. It then can either: make two bite attacks, one bite attack and two claw attacks, or 3 claw attacks.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft., one creature. Hit: 18 (2d10 + 8) slashing damage plus 16 (5d6) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 21 Strength saving throw or be knocked prone.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +16, reach 10 (20) ft., one creature. The beast can use either its corporeal claws, or temporary appendiges that spring out from any part of its body, which extend to attack with a greater reach. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 8) slashing damage plus 6 (2d6) necrotic damage.
Inspire Malice. Up to 6 creatures of the fiends choice within 120 ft. of it must succeed on a DC 21 Wisdom saving throw or become affected by Malice for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success (Greater Restoration would also cure the effect). If the effect ends for the creature, it is immune to the beast's Inspire Malice for the next 24 hours.
A creature affected by Malice suffers one of the following conditions (roll a d6, reroll duplicates):
- Blinding Hate. A creature affected by Hate cannot distinguish between friend and foe. It can only use its action to make melee attacks against the nearest creature. Its attacks become Reckless giving them advantage (however attacks against them will also have advantage until the start of their next turn).
- Debilitating Lust. A creature affected by Lust is sickeningly drawn to another creature it would find attractive. The creature cannot take actions and must use its movement (halved) to move towards the target of their lust.
- Closing Despair. A creature affected by Despair looses all hope and will to fight. The creature becomes Stunned, and it takes 3d6 Psychic damage at the start of each of their turns while its affected.
- Unnerving Fright. A creature affected by Fright perceives every creature in the field as nightmarish foe. The creature acts as if affected by the Confusion spell.
- Foolish Resolve. A creature affected by Resolve believes the sacrifice of their body necessary for victory. The creature must use its movement to get as close to the Beast of Darkness as possible. Then, every time an adjacent ally suffers damage half of it is shared with the affected creature.
- Willful Denial. A creature affected by Denial becomes blinded to the presence of any hostile creature on the field. The creature makes attack rolls with disadvantage and the first attack that lands against them each round while the effect is active becomes a critical hit.
Mind Break. (Recharge 5-6). The fiend magically emits an aura of negative psychic energy in a 60-foot cone. Images filled with death, pain and despair catering to each individual creature's deepest fears pierces through their minds. Each creature in that area must succeed on a DC 23 Charisma saving throw or take 71 (20d6) psychic damage, or half as much on a successful save. Any creature that fails this effect 3 times becomes charmed by the Beast of Darkness for the next 24 hours, obeying their every command.
Attack of Opportunity. If a creature exists the fiends reach it can use its reaction to do a melee attack. 10 ft. reach - Bite attack
Grasping Claw. If a creature exists the fiends extended reach it can use its reaction to do a melee attack. 20 ft. reach Claw attack. The fiend can forgo dealing damage with this attack and instead grapple the target (escape DC 21). The target is restrained, it hovers 5 ft. above the ground and is immediately pulled 10 ft. closer to the Beast. A target grappled in this manner suffers 2d6 extra necrotic damage from the Flesh Drain action.
Flesh Drain. A tendril of darkness lashes out against a target and tries to leech its life essence. The beast chooses a target within 10 feet of it who must make a DC 21 Constitution saving throw suffering 3d6 + 8 necrotic damage on a fail, or half as much on a success The fiend regains hit points equal to half the amount of necrotic damage dealt.
Teleport. When in dim light or darkness the fiend can teleport to an unoccupied space it can see, also in dim light or darkness, in a 60ft. range.
Claws. (Costs 2 Actions). The fiend makes 3 claw attacks.
The Weight of Sin (Costs 2 Actions). The creature affected by the Whispers of Sin ability must make a DC 21 Intelligence saving throw. On a fail the creature suffers 3d10 + 8 psychic damage. On a success the Whispers of Sin effect ends and this creature can no longer be targeted by it for the next 24 hours.
Crushing Bite (Costs 3 Actions). The beast makes 1 Bite attack. If the beast is Hidden the target takes an additional 5d10 piercing damage plus 5d6 necrotic damage.
Description
In a world filled with unique and dark magics few horrors compare to that of the Beast of Darkness. Born of tragedy and trauma, it is the manifestation of the malice, regret and hate and bloodlust that filled one of the most powerful mortals ever to walk the earth. As such the Beast of Darkness wishes nothing more than to corrupt and spread despair around the land.
Whenever the convition of a great hero dwindles the Beast of Darkness is not far behind. It whispers on the ear of those that have face atrocities, and whose quest for vengeance, be they noble or petty, drive a burning passion that could be stirred to darkness.
The Beast of Darkness seldom shows itself to many. It prefers to stalk from the shadow and promise power and carnage, to those it finds more susceptible and capable of great destruction. However, no bargain with the beast is never free, and any attempt to reject or cast it aside only fills the fiend with more excitement, as the prospect of a more tragic and heart-wrenching downfall only seems the more delicious.
The beast is capable of morphing its body in all shapes and sizes, it uses this mock and terrorize its victims. Should it ever appear as it is what would be seen is the shape of a large lupine like beast, its fur pitch black, with a terrifying 3 ft. wide mouth, covered in rows of razor sharp fangs. Its eyes a lightning-like red glowing marks, that shines brighter with its rage. When its full form is revealed, its fur flows like smoke and the ethereal nature of the darkness of its body twist and turns, expanding and contracting.
Even though its fiendish in nature, it has no qualms in lending its strength to destroy its own kin. Whatever its host despises the most fills the beast with macabre glee as they destroy it with their combined strength. Whenever a creature accepts its gifts of power and wrath the beast knows it is one step closer to their complete corruption and the rampage that will ensue.
When the beast is in its lair its power allows it to create breaches into the Feywild. These portals open at random and drag some creature to the Material Plane. Whatever comes out is usually no match for the beast, who destroys and consumes them for sustenance. Should the creatures that come out be intelligent the beast takes extra delight in breaking their minds before its meal.
Because of its overwhelming fantastical presense where ever the beast wonders the lines between planes weekend. This normally leads to an abundance of small and tiny fey and fiends creatures that stroll around the area looking for some innocent, or not so innocent fun. The beast usually pays them no mind, or mingles among them as a way to conceal its true nature. More powerful fiends and fey recognize the occurrence as the result of some great power and prefer to steer clear of the area. Some stubborn or foolish enough try to crossover and further their own agendas, these creatures are never heard from again.
Lair and Lair Actions
The Beast of Darkness is a roaming fiendish spirit, its nomad nature prevents it from having a traditional lair as its always moving following heroes. However, should the heroes decide to confront the Beast of Darkness , or should it decide to present itself, the mere act of it fully materializing would transform the surround area, be it forest, cave or city, into a temporary lair. Everywhere in a 300 foot radius from the fiends spawning point would be covered in ethereal darkness (every light source that is inside the lair has its normal illumination radius reduce by half).
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Beast of Darkness can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; it can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:
Absolute Darkness. Any light effect, magical or otherwise, is extinguished and the area around the beast (30 ft.) is considered magical darkness. The effect disappears when the fiend uses another lair action or when the it dies.
Shadow Double. The Beast of Darkness creates an illusory duplicate of himself, which appears in his own space and lasts until initiative count 20 of the next round. On his turn, the Beast of Darkness can move the illusory duplicate a distance equal to his walking speed (no action required). The first time a creature or object interacts physically with the Beast of Darkness (for example, by hitting him with an attack), there is a 50 percent chance that the illusory duplicate is being affected, not the Beast of Darkness himself, in which case the illusion disappears.
Underworld Beckons. Dark grasping spectral arms, tentacles and maws manifest in a 30-foot radius centered on a point on the ground that the fiend can see within 120 feet of it. That area becomes difficult terrain, and each creature there must succeed on a DC 17 Dextery saving throw or suffer 4d6 necrotic damage on a fail, or half as much on a save. Any creature that starts its turn or enters the area for the first time must also make the saving throw. The effect disappears when the fiend uses another lair action or when the it dies.
Summon Fey (2 times per day). A portal to the Feywild forcibly opened and a number of fey creatures are dragged inside the lair. Make a player roll on the table to determine which creature(s) appear. The creature(s) enter the initiative order, and if they are willfully strong enough they will assit the party against the Beast of Darkness. Immediately after they appear they must also roll against the Inspire Malice ability.
Roll a d6. On a 1-2, 2 Dryad and a good-aligned Minotaur (with a +1 greataxe) are summoned; On a 3-4, 1 Unicorn and 1 Satyr are summoned; On a 5, 1 Summer Eladrin and 2 Sprites are summoned; And on a 6, 1 Autumn Eladrin is summoned.
Summon Fiend (Once per day). The Beast of Darkness summons 1d6 Shadow Demons to fight alongside it. A summoned demon appears in an unoccupied space within 120 feet of the fiend and acts as an ally of it. It remains until it or the beast dies, until the beast dismisses it as an action.
Regional Effects:
The region where the Beast of Darkness is present is warped by the fiend's rnagic creating one or more of the following effects:
- For 5 miles around where the beast is any non magical light ilummination radius is reduced by half.
- Where ever the Beast of Darkness has been around a confluence of very minor fey and fiendish creatures follows suit. The sightings and rumors about these types of creatures become more common in the area.
- If the fiend stays for a long time near a populated area acts of violence, hate and malice would, over time, become more prevalent, coming even from people whose nature would normally go against such acts.
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