AC
14
Natural Armor
Initiative
+4 (14)
HP
32
(5d6 + 15)
Speed
10 ft., Fly 60 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| STR | 9 | −1 | −1 |
| DEX | 18 | +4 | +6 |
| CON | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| INT | 5 | −3 | −3 |
| WIS | 14 | +2 | +4 |
| CHA | 8 | −1 | −1 |
Skills
Perception +4, Stealth +6
Resistances
Lightning, Necrotic
Immunities
Thunder; Frightened
Gear
None
Senses
Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 14
Languages
Abyssal understands but cannot speak it
CR
1 (XP 200, or 200 in lair; PB +2)
Traits
Storm Glide. The Cloud Stalker ignores difficult terrain caused by storms, wind, or magical weather effects.
Ambusher. During the first round of combat, the Cloud Stalker has advantage on attack rolls against creatures it surprises.
Blood Sense. The Cloud Stalker can sense the presence of living creatures within 100 feet, even through walls or magical darkness.
Actions
Multiattack. The Cloud Stalker makes two attacks: one with its Talons and one with its Beak.
Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) slashing damage.
Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage.
Screech (Recharge 5–6). The Cloud Stalker emits a blood-curdling screech. All creatures of its choice within 30 feet must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of their next turn.
Bonus Actions
Swift Retreat. When reduced below half its maximum HP, the Cloud Stalker can Dash as a bonus action.
Reactions
Sudden Gust. When targeted by a ranged attack, the Cloud Stalker can impose disadvantage on the attack roll by buffeting the air with its wings.
Description
In the shadow-choked reaches above Sanctuary’s tainted wastelands, the Cloud Stalker—known among scholars as the Bloodhawk—soars as more than a mere predator. It is a living echo of the world’s deepest wounds, a harbinger of doom, and a reminder that the boundaries between mortal, angel, and demon are forever frayed.
According to the oldest Vizjerei grimoires and oral traditions of the Urehian tribes, Cloud Stalkers were not always twisted or supernatural. Before the Eternal Conflict spilled its celestial blood into the mortal realm, these birds were simply storm-feathered raptors riding the winds. But when the battle between Heaven and Hell shattered the sky, the blood of a thousand angels rained down, mingling with the essence of primal earth. Where that blood seeped deepest, the Cloud Stalkers were reborn—infused with fragments of angelic memory, but warped by the corruption of Sanctuary and the malice of demonkind. Each Bloodhawk is said to carry within its heart a splinter of celestial agony, forever twisting its nature.
Their feathers are not merely crimson, but shimmer with a spectral, almost prismatic radiance that shifts in the presence of strong magic or mortal suffering. When a Cloud Stalker unfurls its wings, motes of red and violet light flicker across its span, casting ominous patterns on the ground. Their eyes burn with an uncanny light, capable of seeing both the life-forces of the living and the lingering echoes of the dead. It is said that to meet a Cloud Stalker’s gaze is to feel the weight of every soul lost in battle.
Chroniclers of the Horadrim recount tales of Bloodhawks circling above sites of great violence—ancient battlefields, cursed ruins, and the forsaken towers of the Borderlands—drawn by the suffering imprinted upon the land. Some believe that these raptors are psychopomps for the damned, harvesting not just the flesh of the fallen, but the very memories and regrets that linger after death. Their screeches are infamous: haunting, echoing for miles, and stirring nightmares in all who hear them. The sound is said to awaken the guilt and fear buried in the hearts of mortals—echoes of the ancient sins that gave birth to the Bloodhawk itself.
While hunters and villagers fear them as dire omens—bringers of plague, death, and storms—certain demon-worshipping sects and spirit cults revere them as sacred. To some, the finding of a Bloodhawk feather marks one as chosen by fate: either as a future victim, or as a soul anointed for a dark purpose. In rare instances, mad prophets claim to have received visions from the Cloud Stalkers—fragmentary glimpses of the Eternal Conflict, or warnings of coming calamities—though such visions inevitably come at a cost: insanity, possession, or a slow wasting away as the Bloodhawk’s curse takes hold.
Lair and Lair Actions
A Cloud Stalker’s lair is a wind-scoured aerie perched atop a jagged spire or within the collapsed uppermost chamber of a ruined cathedral. Bones of prey litter the rocky floor, intermingled with odd trinkets charged with residual magic—amulets, shards of crystal, and weathered relics. The air is thin, electric, and filled with a constant, unsettling keening, as if the very wind mourns those claimed by the Bloodhawk. Runes scratched into stone radiate faint necrotic energy, warning intruders of the predator’s dominion.
Lair Actions (Initiative Count 20, losing ties).
- Shriek of the Winds. The Cloud Stalker unleashes a supernatural screech. All creatures within 60 feet must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened until the end of their next turn.
- Lightning Draft. Whirlwinds stir, allowing the Cloud Stalker to move up to half its fly speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
- Shroud of Mist. The aerie is briefly shrouded in thick mist, granting the Cloud Stalker advantage on Stealth checks until the start of its next turn.
Regional Effects.
- The skies within 1 mile of the lair are perpetually stormy, with sudden squalls and thunder.
- Birds and lesser flying creatures avoid the region.
- At night, an eerie crimson glow sometimes pulses from the heights, visible from miles away.
Previous Versions
| Name | Date Modified | Views | Adds | Version | Actions |
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1/25/2026 4:29:43 PM
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20
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0
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1
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Coming Soon
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4/28/2026 2:55:27 PM
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7
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0
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1.5
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Coming Soon
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6/8/2026 3:06:46 PM
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4
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2
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2.0
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Coming Soon
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