Variant Choking Shades

AC 18, touch 18, flat-footed 13 (+3 deflection, +4 Dex, +1 dodge)

hp 52 (7d8+21)

Fort +5, Ref +8, Will +7

Immune undead traits

Speed fly 40 ft. (perfect)

Melee 2 incorporeal touches +9 touch (2d6 negative energy plus desperation)

Special Attacks create spawn, gravedust

CMB +9 CMD 23

Str —,, Dex 19,, Con —,, Int 6,, Wis 15,, Cha 17

Base Atk +5

Feats Ability Focus (desperation) , Dodge , Improved Initiative , Lightning Reflexes

Skills Fly +12, Perception +12, Stealth +14

Languages Common

Create Spawn (Su) A humanoid creature killed by suffocation resulting from a choking shade’s gravedust attack rises as a choking spirit in 1d4 rounds.

Desperation (Su) A choking shade exudes an aura of desperation associated with its suffocating death, causing all creatures within 30 feet to become shaken as long as they remain in this area. A creature struck by the shade’s incorporeal touch must also save against this effect. Once a creature is affected, it remains shaken as long as it remains within 30 feet of the choking shade. This fear effect does not stack with other fear effects. A successful DC 17 Will save negates the effect. This is a mind-affecting fear effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Gravedust (Su) As a standard action, a choking shade can enter the lungs of an adjacent living creature that is under the influence of a fear effect (such as the effect brought on by its desperation aura), bringing with it the dust of the grave. The victim can resist this attack with a successful DC 16 Fortitude save, and the choking shade is instantly expelled from a victim’s lungs as soon as the victim is no longer under the effect of a fear effect (for example, because the victim has left the radius of the choking shade’s aura or succeeded on the Will save). Until that point, the victim is prevented from breathing or speaking while the undead occupies its lungs. A creature can attempt to cough the shade out of its lungs on its turn as a standard action, but it must succeed at a DC 16 Fortitude save to do so. See the Environmental Rules for how long a victim can hold its breath and the consequences of eventual suffocation.

Susceptible to Wind (Ex) A choking shade is treated as a Tiny corporeal creature for the purposes of determining the effects high wind has upon it.