Monster: Shutai

Shutai

Armour Class: 5

Hit Dice: 1/2*

Move: 150' (50') (special)

Attacks: 1

Damage: Special

No. Appearing: 4-16

Save As: M1

Morale: 9

Treasure Type: Nil

Alignment: Chaotic

XP Value: 6

Strange, small entities, shutai glide swiftly across any and all possible surfaces; living shadow-shapes, like lacy and baroque silhouettes of teardrop cutouts that slide and swarm towards any available targets. Those who find themselves attacked by shutai slowly lose their own shadow and a portion of their own self along with it.

Shutai “attack” by attacking a shadow cast by an individual; as a shutai comes into contact with a shadow, it draws away some of that shadow's substance into its own lacy patterns. This attack inflicts 1-3 hit points of “damage” but does not cause injury – however, if the total of “damage” dealt by shutai should match or exceed the victim's current hit point total, the victim's shadow has been completely consumed. The shadow damage -- if one's shadow is not devoured -- "heals" over the course of an hour.

A shadowless victim is at -1 to all actions and saves and is listless, unable to innovate or act on their own initiative, and must be coaxed into action by others. A shadow may be restored by the same means used to lift curses or cure magical disease. Shutai take damage from spells, and from magical or silver weapons.