Ythéra Remnant

Medium Aberration (Extraplanar, Shadow)

Hit Dice: 8d8+8 (44 hp)
Initiative: +6
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), glide 20 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 18 (+2 Dex, +6 deflection), touch 18, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +6/+6
Attack: Touch of Reduction +8 melee touch (see text)
Full Attack: Touch of Reduction +8 melee touch
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: touch of reduction, partial phasing, unraveling gaze, shadow genesis
Special Qualities: damage reduction 5/magic, incorporeal instability, shadow affinity, reduction resilience, spell resistance 16
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +4, Will +9
Abilities: Str —, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 18
Skills: Concentration +12, Hide +17, Knowledge (the planes) +13, Listen +14, Move Silently +17, Spot +14
Feats: Ability Focus (touch of reduction), Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Environment: Shadow Plane or Ythéra ruins (particularly eastern bayous)
Organization: Solitary or pair
Challenge Rating: 6
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 9–12 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: —

A Ythéra Remnant appears as a vaguely humanoid silhouette whose edges refuse to remain fixed. Its form seems to thin and thicken depending on the angle of observation, as though portions of it are being quietly removed and then imperfectly restored. Its shadow does not remain bound beneath it, but instead drifts with subtle independence, occasionally lagging behind or anticipating movement in ways that unsettle even experienced observers.

These beings are not undead, though they are often mistaken for such by those encountering them for the first time. They are the incomplete result of the Ythéra’s final transformation, entities that have undergone significant reduction without fully passing beyond material existence. They exist in a state of tension, partially anchored to reality while simultaneously drawn toward Shadow, and this instability defines both their abilities and their presence.

Touch of Reduction (Su): A Ythéra Remnant’s touch does not deal conventional damage. Instead, a successful melee touch attack forces the target to succeed on a DC 16 Fortitude save or suffer 1d4 points of ability damage to Strength or Dexterity (chosen by the Remnant). If a creature is reduced to 0 Strength by this effect, it collapses into a thin, unmoving silhouette and dies at the end of its next turn. In addition, the target takes a –1 penalty on attack rolls and skill checks for 1 minute as portions of their physical capability are subtly removed. This is a supernatural effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.

Shadow Genesis (Su): Any living creature slain by a Ythéra Remnant rises as a standard Shadow (MM p. 221) in 1d4 rounds. The newly created Shadow is not under the Remnant’s control, but it remains within the area, drawn to the same subtle currents of reduction that birthed it. These Shadows often behave erratically, as though influenced by something beyond simple hunger.

Partial Phasing (Su): As a move action, a Ythéra Remnant may partially shift into Shadow, gaining a 20% miss chance against all attacks for 3 rounds. During this time, its form becomes indistinct and blurred, as though parts of it no longer fully occupy the same space as the attacker.

Unraveling Gaze (Su): Once every 1d4 rounds, the Remnant may fix its attention upon a single creature within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Will save or take a –2 penalty to Will saves and Concentration checks for 5 rounds as their thoughts are subtly diminished and simplified. Creatures that fail this save twice within 24 hours also suffer mild perceptual erosion, taking a –1 penalty on Spot and Listen checks for the same duration.

Incorporeal Instability (Ex): A Ythéra Remnant is not fully incorporeal, but its body is partially reduced. It takes only half damage from nonmagical weapons, and magical weapons deal full damage. Force effects and ghost touch weapons affect it normally. It cannot pass through solid objects, but may move across surfaces with unnatural ease, as though friction itself has been diminished.

Shadow Affinity (Ex): Within areas of dim light or shadowy illumination, a Ythéra Remnant gains a +2 bonus to AC and saving throws. In bright light, it takes a –1 penalty on attack rolls and saving throws, as its form becomes more defined and less stable.

Reduction Resilience (Ex): The Remnant is immune to ability drain and death effects. It has already lost too much of itself for such effects to fully apply.

A Ythéra Remnant does not behave like a predator in the traditional sense. It does not hunt for sustenance, nor does it display overt aggression unless disturbed. Instead, it drifts through environments touched by Shadow, interacting with the world in subtle and often unsettling ways. Objects may feel lighter or less substantial after its passing, and those who encounter it frequently report a lingering sense that something has been taken, though they cannot identify what.

Combat with a Ythéra Remnant is disorienting rather than overtly lethal. It favors brief engagements, applying its reduction effects before withdrawing, often slipping partially into Shadow to avoid retaliation. It rarely fights to the death, not out of self-preservation in the usual sense, but because its existence is already tenuous, and prolonged conflict risks further destabilization.

Scholars who have studied these entities believe them to be the remnants of individuals who advanced far along the Ythéra path but failed to complete the final transition. They are neither alive nor dead, neither fully present nor entirely gone, and in their incomplete state they embody the central tragedy of their kind: the attempt to refine existence beyond the point at which anything meaningful remains.

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Greater Ythéra Remnant
Medium Aberration (Extraplanar, Shadow)
Hit Dice: 10d8+20 (65 hp)
Initiative: +7
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares), glide 30 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 20 (+3 Dex, +7 deflection), touch 20, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +7/+7
Attack: Touch of Reduction +10 melee touch
Full Attack: Touch of Reduction +10 melee touch
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: touch of reduction, partial phasing, unraveling gaze, subtractive field, shadow genesis
Special Qualities: damage reduction 10/magic, incorporeal instability, shadow affinity, reduction resilience, spell resistance 18
Saves: Fort +5, Ref +6, Will +11
Abilities: Str —, Dex 17, Con 14, Int 15, Wis 18, Cha 20
Skills: Concentration +15, Hide +19, Knowledge (the planes) +15, Listen +16, Move Silently +19, Spot +16
Feats: Ability Focus (touch of reduction), Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse, Dodge
Environment: Shadow Plane or Ythéra ruins
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 8
Treasure: None
Alignment: Usually neutral
Advancement: 11–14 HD (Medium)
Level Adjustment: —

Subtractive Field (Su): A Greater Ythéra Remnant constantly emits a 10-foot-radius aura in which reality is subtly diminished. Creatures within the area take a –1 penalty on all rolls, and light sources are reduced in effectiveness by half. This is a continuous supernatural effect.

Shadow Genesis (Su): Any living creature slain by a Greater Ythéra Remnant rises as a standard Shadow (MM p. 221) in 1d4 rounds. These Shadows manifest more coherently than those created by lesser Remnants and gain a +2 bonus on attack rolls for 1 minute after forming, as though briefly aligned with the reducing force that created them.

The Greater Remnants represent those who came closest to completing the Ythéra transformation without fully disappearing. Their presence is more pronounced, and the distortion of reality around them is correspondingly stronger. In their proximity, the world feels thinner, quieter, and less certain, as though it were on the verge of yielding to something that cannot be seen but is nonetheless present.

These entities rarely move with purpose in any conventional sense, yet their presence is often felt before they are seen, and their passing leaves behind an impression that is difficult to articulate but impossible to ignore. In them, one glimpses not merely the fate of a people, but the consequence of a truth pursued beyond the limits of what can be endured.