Nightshade [Mystara]

Nightshades are death-spreading beings of the Negative Energy Plane that, like undead, reach the Prime only when a powerful sorcerer summons them. All are jet black and eyeless, wrapped in cold air that smells of a winter grave. They see invisible things and detect magic at will, read any language or magical writing, and talk only by telepathy to each other and their summoners. Everyone else is prey, and prey is never spoken to.

They attack strangers on sight, usually at night. Daylight gives them -4 to hit but does nothing else. Their stealth grants surprise bonuses (see each type), but each one chills the air in a 60-foot radius, even through stone or earth, and anyone who has felt it before is never surprised more easily than normal by them again. The cold also withers all consumables within 60 feet, no save: food, water, holy water, potions, oils and ointments become useless, though not toxic.

Any hit from a natural attack is poisonous: save vs. poison at -2 or die.

At will, one per round, they use charm person, haste, darkness, invisibility, confusion, hold person, cloudkill, cause disease and dispel magic, plus finger of death once daily, at caster level equal to Hit Dice; using one forbids a melee attack that round. Every four hours they can summon undead (75% chance), which arrive in 1d10 rounds, type rolled on 1d8.

Only +3 weapons or spells of 6th level or higher harm them. They are immune to poison, petrification, illusion, charm, hold and cold, take half damage from dragon breath (a quarter, rounded up, on a successful save), and are turned as 'special'.

The Negative Plane sustains them; they visit the Ethereal freely but need summoning to reach the Prime. Each has Intelligence and Wisdom of 19, partly drawn from the summoner, whose knowledge of people, places and things it shares, and it schemes through servants, usually undead. Solitary, they keep no mates or kin but favor undead. Sages suggest they form from energy released when many undead are destroyed, or that blackballs are their eggs or young. A few evil wizards of 16th level or higher guard the summoning spell, which calls one nightshade and must be cast in total darkness, deep underground or under a new moon.

On the Prime a nightshade kills or drives off everything around it. It swallows its treasure to carry it, scorning coins in favor of gems, jewelry, art and magic looted from victims.

A jet-black worm like a purple worm, about 100 feet in length and 10-15 feet thick, it burrows up beneath prey for -2 on their surprise (unless the chill warns them). Its 2d10 bite carries the -2 death poison and swallows on an unmodified 19-20; swallowed victims lose a level per round unless guarded by protection from evil or negative plane protection. Its 2d4 tail sting's poison is saved against at -4. Once per turn, instead of attacking, it can shrink a foe to 20% size as a reversed enlarge at 8th level (save vs. spell negates), then swallows that foe on 15-20.

A 20-foot black giant that lurks in darkness (-2 to opponents' surprise). Its two fists deal 3d10 each plus the death poison, and crush the target's shield, then armor, unless the item saves vs. crushing blow, magic items adding their bonus. It can grab any weapon or magic item except an artifact (a hit is needed if someone holds it) and flatten it between its palms, no save, doing nothing else that round. Instead of attacking it can gaze at one foe within 60 feet: a failed save vs. spell inflicts a curse of -4 to attacks and saves until dispel evil or remove curse (caster of 15th level or higher) lifts it. A cursed victim cannot be cursed again until freed.

This giant black bat spans 50 feet and opens with a dive that inflicts -6 on surprise (unless the chill is recognized). The dive is a charge: it gains +2 to hit, its AC worsens by 1, and foes gain 2 on initiative. It has no poison; instead its victims save vs. spell or become charmed giant bats, as polymorph other, until dispelled. Attacking at -4, it can strike a shield or weapon to drain one point of enchantment, restorable by dispel evil within as many days as the caster's level.