Grave Stalker

Medium undead, chaotic evil

Grave stalkers are what happens when a corpse reanimates in an area of high Void concentration. Unlike the mindless shambling corpse, a grave stalker retains a feral cunning --- not intelligence, exactly, but a predator's instinct sharpened to a razor edge. They are fast, quiet, and patient. Their bodies are lean and desiccated, their fingers elongated into bony claws, and their jaws distend to an impossible width when they feed. Grave stalkers are drawn to the smell of blood and the warmth of the living. They hunt alone or in small packs of 2-4, preferring to stalk their prey through darkness before attacking from ambush.

Armor Class:13

Hit Points:36 (8d8)

Speed:35 ft, climb 20 ft

Challenge:CR 2

STR

14 (+2)

DEX

16 (+3)

CON

10 (+0)

INT

7 (-2)

WIS

12 (+1)

CHA

6 (-2)

Skills:Stealth +5, Perception +3

Damage Immunities:Poison

Condition Immunities:Exhaustion, poisoned

Senses:Darkvision 60 ft, passive Perception 13

Fear Check:DC 12 Wisdom save when first encountered.

Traits

Keen Smell. The grave stalker has advantage on Perception checks that rely on smell.

Cunning Ambush. If the grave stalker surprises a creature and hits it with an attack during the first round of combat, the target takes an extra 7 (2d6) damage from the attack.

Spider Climb. The grave stalker can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing an ability check.

Actions

Multiattack. The grave stalker makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.

Bite. Melee: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) piercing damage. If the target is a living creature, the grave stalker regains HP equal to half the damage dealt.

Claws. Melee: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) slashing damage. If the target is a creature other than an elf or undead, it must succeed on a DC 12 CON save or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns.