Cloaker

Cloakers were intelligent creatures that dwelt underground and resembled large flying manta rays when active. At rest, they looked like a black cloak, hence their name.

Biology
Cloakers communicated through a subsonic moan, inaudible to most creatures, that could travel up to. They were capable of increasing the intensity of their moans as a defense mechanism, rendering them audible, and causing foes to feel a mixture of fear and nausea. The highest intensity of this subsonic moan was capable of causing an effect akin to hold person on an individual with. However, these sounds could not penetrate dense materials, such as stone.

Personality
Cloakers were xenophobic and reclusive. They were reputed to worship ancient Elder Evils and noisome Old Gods. The goals of the cloakers were unknown, but these creatures were undeniably evil and sought to eliminate mortals from the world.

Their minds and thoughts were so alien that it was said no one could communicate with them.

Abilities
Some cloakers were known to be capable of manipulating the shadows around them, though a light spell would easily render them blind and incapable of using this ability. Others expressed the ability to conjure up to three illusory duplicates of themselves that copied their movements, but could only do so in an area of darkness.

Combat
Cloakers generally either waited in ambush for their prey, or stalked them from a safe distance. Once an opportune moment presented itself the cloaker would unfurl its fins and attempt to engulf their prey within them. Once a cloaker had entrapped its prey in this manner, they would use their long whip-like tail to defend itself from any creatures that might try to intervene.

Sub-Species

 * Cloaker lord: a larger and more powerful species that had the innate power to dominate normal cloakers.
 * Snow cloaker: a species of white-skinned cloakers that were endemic to the glacial lake Llashloch in High Ice. Their bodies were adapted to the severe cold of the region and their population was notably small.

Society
Cloakers were generally reclusive creatures, though older ones were known to coerce small groups of humans, goblins, and drow into doing their bidding; however, derro and quaggoths were the most commonly seen servants of older cloakers. At times cloakers were even known to be worshiped by tribes as a sort of god. On occasion, one or more cloaker lords would draw together a population of cloakers to form a city, and despite their generally reclusive nature, cloaker communities were surprisingly social, with the creatures forming odd social cliques, castes, and roles for themselves. They appeared to greatly care about popularity, with the most popular cloakers being those which were larger, had darker coloration, or kept the most "pets" in the form of enslaved darkmantles, lurkers, or humanoids.

Cloakers did not venerate any deity.

Some believed that cloakers were related to creatures known as trappers. Scholars also believed that they may have been an asexual species, but there was no definitive proof of this and cloakers had been observed to appear to court others of their kind within cloaker settlements. It was known, however, that a cloaker lord was capable of spawning cloakers as a byproduct of their own asexual reproduction.

Homelands
Cloakers&mdash;or at least their ancestors&mdash;were believed to have originated in the Plane of Shadow. In Faerûn, many were known to inhabit the Underdark, either alone or in settlements like Cloakerhaven or Rringlor Noroth, though scholars believed that cloakers may have once built and inhabited the ruined Underdark city of Ikemmu.

Other cloakers were known to inhabit the Shadow Swamp, acting as warlords over lesser creatures in the plane of shadow such as the ghirrash and khumat. Beyond that plane, they could be found in the Domains of Dread.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Curse of the Azure Bonds • Dungeon #20, "The Ship Of Night" • Dark and Hidden Ways • Polyhedron #87, "Eye of the Leviathan" • Dungeon #70, "Ssscaly Thingsss" • City of the Spider Queen • Out of the Abyss • Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage
 * Hordes of Dragonspear
 * Comics
 * Dead of Night
 * Video Games
 * Menzoberranzan • Warriors of Waterdeep
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * It's All in the Blood • Blood Above, Blood Below • The Tower of Ahghairon
 * Card Games
 * AD&D Trading Cards
 * AD&D Trading Cards