The following is a 3.5e conversion of a monster from Tom Moldvay’s article “Out of the Shadows …” from Dragon 162, part of a long-running series in which he converted many undead monsters from folklore into AD&D terms.
This wretched apparition appears to be a pale, shadowy man dressed in the tattered garb of a serf.
Male human commoner 1
NE Medium undead (extraplanar)
Init +0; Senses darkvision 60 ft., scent; Listen +5, Spot +5
Languages Common
AC 10, touch 10, flat-footed 10
hp 32 (5 HD); shadow blend
Immune undead traits
Resist turn resistance +2
Fort +1, Ref +1, Will +3
Weakness sunlight powerlessness
Spd 30 ft. (6 squares)
Melee slam +3 (blood drain)
Space 5 ft.; Reach 5 ft.
Base Atk +2; Grp +2
Atk Options blood drain
Abilities Str 13, Dex 10, Con –, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 12
Feats Alertness, Stealthy
Skills Jump +5, Hide +2, Listen +5, Move Silently +2, Spot +5
Blood Drain (Ex) A skotos peasant’s slam attack drains blood from a living victim. Each successful slam deals 1d4 Constitution drain and the skotos gains 5 temporary hit points.
Shadow Blend (Su) In any condition of illumination other than full daylight, a skotos peasant can disappear into the shadows, giving it total concealment. Artificial illumination, even a light or continual flame spell, does not negate this ability. A daylight spell, however, will.
Sunlight Powerlessness (Ex) Skotos peasants are powerless in natural sunlight (not merely a daylight spell) and flee from it. A skotos peasant caught in sunlight cannot attack and can take only a single move action or standard action in a round.
Skotos peasants are spirits that have broken free of the netherworld and now roam the world of the living as undead. While their appearance suggests that they are incorporeal, skotos peasants have corporeal bodies and can be harmed by physical attacks.
The skotos peasant had the following ability scores before racial adjustments and Hit Dice ability score increases: Str 13, Dex 10, Con 9, Int 11, Wis 8, Cha 12.
Skotos creatures form hunting packs to better swarm over their prey. A skotos creature is drawn by fresh blood, which it consumes; as it absorbs the blood, it grows stronger. Skotos creatures encountered during or immediately after a bloody conflict will be so frenzied by the sight of blood that they will make no attempt at concealment, immediately attacking any living creature in sight. Intelligent prey is, however, preferred.
“Skotos” is an acquired template that can be added to any intelligent, evil-aligned humanoid, monstrous humanoid, or giant.
Challenge Rating: As base creature +3.
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to undead and it gains the extraplanar subtype. It retains any subtypes except alignment subtypes and subtypes that indicate kind. It uses all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
AC: Though a skotos creature may appear to wear armor, it cannot use and does not benefit from any manufactured armor or shields.
Hit Dice: Drop any Hit Dice from class levels (to a minimum of 1), add 4 Hit Dice, and raise them to d12s.
Saves: Base save bonuses are Fort +1/3 HD, Ref +1/3 HD, and Will +1/2 HD + 2.
Attacks: The creature loses all its attacks and gains a slam attack that it can use once per round.
Damage: A skotos creature’s slam attack deals no damage but drains blood from a living victim.
Base Attack: A skotos has a base attack bonus equal to 1/2 its Hit Dice.
Special Attacks: A skotos creature retains the base creature’s special attacks and gains the following special attack.
Blood Drain (Ex) Each hit from a skotos creature’s slam attack deals Constitution drain based on the creature's size, according to the table below. On each such successful attack, the skotos gains 5 temporary hit points.
| Size | Drain |
|---|---|
| Diminutive | 1 |
| Tiny | 1d2 |
| Small | 1d3 |
| Medium | 1d4 |
| Large | 1d6 |
| Huge | 1d8 |
| Gargantuan | 2d6 |
| Colossal | 2d8 |
Abilities: As an undead creature, a skotos creature has no Constitution score.
Special Qualities: A skotos creature gains the following special qualities.
Scent (Ex) A skotos creature can detect approaching enemies, sniff out hidden foes, and track by sense of smell.
Shadow Blend (Su) In any condition of illumination other than full daylight, a skotos creature can disappear into the shadows, giving it total concealment. Artificial illumination, even a light or continual flame spell, does not negate this ability. A daylight spell, however, will.
Sunlight Powerlessness (Ex) Skotos are powerless in natural sunlight (not merely a daylight spell) and flee from it. A skotos creature caught in sunlight cannot attack and can take only a single move action or standard action in a round.
Turn Resistance (Ex) A skotos creature has +2 turn resistance.
Advancement: None.
Level Adjustment: –.
Creatures with this template form roving bands that haunt the edges of civilization. Smaller groups gathered in dungeons might consist of up to ten individuals, while truly large bands of two dozen or more may lurk in desolate wildernesses.
Gang (EL 7–9): A small group of 4 to 7 fugitive skotos peasants hide out in a dark, overgrown wood on the edge of a small hamlet.
As escaped undead from the netherworlds, creatures with this template have no natural ecology. They subsist on the blood of living creatures.
Environment: Though they have escaped the netherworld, creatures with this template generally inhabit places that remind them of it. Subterranean caverns and tunnels are preferred, although skotos bands will sometimes roam wilderness wastelands at night.
Typical Physical Characteristics: Skotos creatures look like pale, shadowy versions of normal beings.
Creatures with this template usually roam in bands composed of similar races and alignments, though different beings may band together in their common goal of feeding upon the living.
Alignment: Creatures with this template can be of any evil alignment, for only evil creatures would voluntarily leave the afterlife to prey upon the living.
Creatures with this template have no use for treasure.