Shadow Pack - WIP adversary group (Patreon)

One of the many fun things about designing adversaries is making groups of foes that synergize together to make a greater threat.

During the Creature Con panel where I talked about designing adversaries, I created a rough draft of an adversary inspired by this piece called "Shrouded Beast" by artist Tania Herrero, from her Monstrous Menagerie - Stock Art Set #1.

I really liked the ideas I was playing with there, so I decided to go ahead and make several more adversaries in that vein to make for an Umbral Hunting Pack group.

Here are the current drafts of those Daggerheart-compatible adversaries:

Umbral Huntmaster
Tier 1 Leader
A living shadow commanding shadowy canines like a hunting pack.
Motives & Tactics: claim shadow trophies, wreath skeletons in shadow, coordinate hounds with pack maneuvers
Difficulty: 13 | Thresholds: 7/ 14 | HP: 7 | Stress: 5
ATK: +3 | Shadow Whip: Very Close | 1d10 +3 phy

Experience: Enshrouded +2, Hunter +3

FEATURES 
Umbral Form - Passive: The Umbral Huntmaster has +2 difficulty if completely covered in shadow, but they are Vulnerable while exposed to source of extremely bright light (daylight or a large magical light).

Shadow Pack - Action: Spend a Fear to summon an Umbral Hound, who appears from the edge of a shadow within Close distance and immediately takes the spotlight.
Unleash the Hounds - Action: Spend 2 Fear to spotlight the Umbral Huntmaster and up to 2d4 allies with Far range.

Loyal Beasts - Reaction: When Umbral Huntmaster would take damage, mark a Stress to make an ally within Very Close take the damage instead.

Shadow Trophy – Reaction: When an ally with a shadow token moves to within Melee of the Huntmaster, the Huntmaster may mark a Stress to consume the that token. Gain 2 Fear. A PC whose shadow is consumed this way loses a Hope and cannot clear Shadowless until their next rest.

Umbral Hound
Tier 1 Skulk
A shadow-drenched canine skeleton, always hungry for the shadows of the living.
Motives & Tactics: consume shadows, isolate prey, obscure hunting grounds, strike from the darkness
Difficulty: 12 | Thresholds: 5/9 | HP: 4 | Stress: 3
ATK: +2 | Shrouded Bite: Melee | 1d6 +2 phy

Experience: Enshrouded +2

FEATURES
Shadow Step - Passive: The hound may move from one shadow to another within Close range as if they were adjacent.

Hungry Darkness - Passive: Place a shadow token on umbral hound for each shadow they have stolen this scene, and clear one shadow token any time the hound loses a shadow. The hound gains a bonus to attack rolls equal to the number of shadow tokens they possess.

Capture Shadow - Action: Make an attack against a target within Melee range. On a success, spend a Fear to force the target to make a Presence Reaction Roll. On a failure, the beast steals their shadow and the target becomes Shadowless. While Shadowless, a creature is Vulnerable. A creature regains their shadow and clears Shadowless if the hound is defeated or suffers Severe damage, or when the target has their next rest.

Keep-away - Reaction: When a PC moves into melee range with the hound, if the shrouded beast has at least one shadow token, they may mark a Stress to move up to a close distance.

Umbral Howler
Tier 1 Support
A loud canine skeleton draped in shadow, with a howl that shatters the spirit.
Motives & Tactics: consume shadows, dishearten prey, follow the pack
Difficulty: 13 | Thresholds: 5/9 | HP: 3 | Stress: 3
ATK: +0 | Heartbreaking Howl: Close | 1d8 +1 mag

Experience: Enshrouded +2, Frightening +2

FEATURES
Shadow Step - Passive: The umbral hound may move from one shadow to another within Close range as if they were adjacent.

Ear-splitting Voice – Action: Mark a Stress to make a Hearthbreaking Howl attack against any number of targets within Close range. Each target the Howler succeeds against must mark a Stress.

Umbral Mastiff
Tier 1 Bruiser
A large, shadow-drenched skeletal canine with soul-rending claws, always hungry and never satisfied.
Motives & Tactics: rend shadows, protect pack, topple prey

Difficulty: 12 | Thresholds: 7/14 | HP: 6 | Stress: 3
ATK: -1 | Shadowed Bite & Claws Bite: Melee | 1d8 +2 phy

Experience: Enshrouded +2, Aggressive +2

FEATURES
Shadow Bound - Passive: The umbral mastiff may mark a Stress to move from one shadow to another within Close range as if they were adjacent.

Rend Soul - Action: Make an attack against a target within Melee. On a success, spend a Fear as the mastiff bites and tears at the target’s soul, dealing 1d10+1 direct magic damage. A Shadowless target takes double damage from this attack.

Pack Protector – Reaction: When an ally within Very Close would take damage, mark a Stress to move the mastiff into melee with the ally and take the damage instead.

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Art by Tania Herrero, used with permission.

This text is not official content of Darrington Press or Critical Role and does not represent the opinions or stances of anyone other than Mike themself. This product includes materials from the Daggerheart System Reference Document 1.0, © Critical Role, LLC. under the terms of the Darrington Press Community Gaming (DPCGL) License. More information can be found at https://www.daggerheart.com. There are no previous modifications by others.