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A nightwalker was a type of nightshade, a sentient undead monster from the Plane of Shadow, also known as the Shadowfell. It was unnatural and malicious, and it took delight in the corruption and suffering of others. It was a creature of both death and shadows and had enormous powers over darkness.[3][2]

A nightwalker...but I have never seen nor heard of one so large. Terror lives in its eyes, and death in its hands. This foe is beyond your companions, perhaps beyond even me. They are lost, human, as is the battle.

Description[]

Nightwalkers were the shades of extremely strong-willed and evil mortals whose ancient and unyielding will and malice allowed them to hold their corporeal shape.[2] A nightwalker's body looked as if it was made of shadow-stuff, with a vaguely humanoid form. They were about the size of a house, but were usually no taller than 20 ft (6,100 mm), and their bodies were smooth and hairless.[3]

Origins[]

Some scholars stated that nightwalkers actually originated from the Negative Energy plane. Whenever an unworthy being attempted to tap into that plane of existence, there was a chance they would be killed outright, or (more unfortunately) sucked within and replaced with a nightwalker. The number of nightwalkers in the Shadowfell could be attributed to the connection between it and the Negative Energy plane.[1]

Abilities[]

Nightwalkers were capable of transforming humans they killed into bodaks through use of an arcane ritual that warped the void energies of the Shadowfell. This ritual would not work on any other plane.[2]

History[]

A nightwalker appeared in the middle of the Shadowstorm in Ordulin on Nightal 6, in the Year of Lightning Storms, 1374 DR.[5]

Notable Nightwalkers[]

Appendix[]

Appearances[]

Novels
CondemnationThe Orc KingShadowrealmThe Ghost KingUnholy
Video Games
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance IINeverwinter Nights series (Neverwinter Nights 2Tyrants of the Moonsea)

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford (May 29, 2018). Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes. Edited by Kim Mohan, Michele Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 216. ISBN 978-0786966240.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 197. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 195–197. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  4. John Nephew, John Terra, Skip Williams, Teeuwynn Woodruff (1994). Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 83–84. ISBN 1-56076-875-4.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Paul S. Kemp (December 2008). Shadowrealm. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 247. ISBN 978-0786948639.
  6. Richard Baker, Ed Bonny, Travis Stout (February 2005). Lost Empires of Faerûn. Edited by Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 64–65. ISBN 0-7869-3654-1.
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