CR 5 – Undead – Kobayashi Shade
**Tier 2 play**
**Monster Name:** Kobayashi Shade
**Size, Type, Alignment:** Medium, Undead, Chaotic Neutral
**Core Stats:** Armor Class (AC) 15, Hit Points (HP) 85, Speed 30 ft.
**Ability Scores:**
Strength 12 (+1),
Dexterity 16 (+3),
Constitution 14 (+2),
Intelligence 10 (+0),
Wisdom 15 (+2),
Charisma 18 (+4)
**Proficiencies:** Saving Throws: Wisdom +5, Charisma +7; Skills: Stealth +6, Persuasion +7
Damage Resistances: Necrotic, Psychic; Damage Immunities: Poison; Condition Immunities: Charmed, Frightened
**Senses:** Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12
**Languages:** Common, understands Celestial but cannot speak
**Challenge Rating (CR):** 5
**Special Abilities:**
– **Shadow Step:** The Kobayashi Shade can teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space in dim light or darkness as a bonus action.
– **Haunting Presence:** Creatures within 10 feet of the Kobayashi Shade must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of their next turn.
**Actions:**
– **Multiattack:** The Kobayashi Shade makes two attacks with its Shadow Grasp.
– **Shadow Grasp:** +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 14 (2d8 + 5) necrotic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or have their maximum hit points reduced by the amount of necrotic damage taken until they finish a long rest.
– **Whispers of the Lost (Recharge 5-6):** The Kobayashi Shade emits a chilling wail. Each creature within a 30-foot radius must make a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) psychic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Creatures that fail the save are also stunned until the end of their next turn.
**Description:** The Kobayashi Shade is the restless spirit of a once-vibrant individual who vanished under mysterious circumstances. Cloaked in swirling shadows, it embodies the sorrow and confusion of its lost life. The Shade uses its teleportation abilities to outmaneuver foes, striking from the darkness while instilling fear with its haunting presence. It often lingers in places where it felt most alive, seeking to draw others into its eternal despair, hoping to find a kindred spirit or perhaps a way to resolve its own tragic fate.