Shadow

Three levels:

Level	Type	Effective CR	Recommended numbers
Shadow-touched	Minion	+9	3 is a decent fight, 6 is a bit tough, 10 is trouble
Shadow-infused	Elite	+13	1 is a decent fight, 2 is tough, 3 is trouble
Void-sworn	Boss	+17	1 is trouble

Shadow-Touched

The creature has a gray pallor. Its hair or fur, if any, tends toward dark and drab colors. Its eyes darken to nearly black. Its shadow seems more intense, despite the fact that ambient light levels are noticeably lower in its vicinity.

+100% to max HP
+2 to all saving throws, attack rolls, skill checks, spellcasting checks, spell DC's
Once/rd, add 10 shadow damage to any successful damaging attack or spell
See through all darkness, including magical
When standing in darkness or dimness, gain Fast Healing 10%/rd
Resist (shadow)

Shadow-Infused

Shadows gather around the creature, curling around it like living tendrils, which protect the creature, but can also quest out to attack its enemies. Its eyes are pools of blackness, its voice resonates with an otherwordly bass. All light seems to pour into the creature, whereupon it is extinguished.

+200% to max HP
+5 to all saving throws, attack rolls, skill checks, spellcasting checks, spell DC's
Once/rd, add 20 shadow damage to any successful damaging attack or spell
See through all darkness, including magical
When standing in darkness or dimness, gain Fast Healing 10%/rd
Immune to shadow damage
Vulnerable to radiant damage
Special powers
- Darkness: At-will, bonus action, centered circle 3; area is pitch black, even to natural darkvision.
- Gloom: At-will, bonus action, centered circle 20; area's light level decreases by one step (daylight -> bright light, bright light -> dimness, dimness -> darkness).
Legendary actions (can use each one once per turn as immediate action)
- Cloak of Shadows: 50% chance to negate any harmful attack or spell
- Dark Tentacles: Grapple target within 5 squares (Str/Dex DC 20 ends). Target is immobilized, and suffers 2d10 shadow damage per round.
- Shadow Jump: Teleport up to 10 squares; target location must be in dimness or darkness.

Void-Sworn

The creature seems comprised entirely of shadow, save for a dull, ultraviolet aura around its body, and two (or more) piercing, violet eyes. Light, hope, joy, and warmth seem to fall into its event horizon, erased from the universe.

+300%
+5 to all saving throws, attack rolls, skill checks, spellcasting checks, spell DC's
Advantage to all saving throws, attack rolls, skill checks, spellcasting checks, spell DC's
Can add 20 shadow damage to any attack or spell 3 times/rd. If it does not possess this many attacks per round, it may combine multiple uses on a single attack.
See through all darkness, including magical
When standing in darkness or dimness, gain Fast Healing 10%/rd
Immune to shadow damage
Vulnerable to radiant damage
Emanations
- Gloom: Automatic once/rd, centered circle 20; area's light level decreases by one step (daylight -> bright light, bright light -> dimness, dimness -> darkness).
- Void Zone: Automatic emanation 3; area is pitch black, even to natural darkvision. Creatures suffer 40 shadow damage on turn start in area (Fort DC 22 half). If they reach 0 HP in the area, they become shadow-infused, and are dominated by the Void-Swarn. Killing the Void-Swarn ends its thrall over them, and removes their shadow infusion, but returns them to a dying state.
Legendary actions
- Cloak of Shadows: At-will, immediate; 50% chance to negate any harmful attack or spell. Can use any number of times per round.
- Dark Tentacles: Grapple target within 10 squares (Str/Dex DC 22 ends). Target is immobilized. On turn start, target suffers 2d10 shadow damage and is pulled in 5 squares. Can use once per round per target within reach.
- Shadow Jump: Teleport up to 20 squares; target location must be in dimness or darkness. Can use once per round per opponent.

Artifice

Three types:

Lesser items can be used by anyone with appropriate proficiencies (i.e. a gun requires martial ranged weapons), and have charges
Greater items are more powerful, have more charges, but have a malfunction chance when used by non-artificers
Superior items are very powerful, and self-renewing, but have a very high malfunction chance when used by non-artificers

Challenge notes:

Minion types should have 1 offensive lesser item and 1 defensive lesser item
Elites should have what minions have, plus a greater item
Bosses should have what elites have, plus one superior, and an Energy Pack (see list of superior items)

Loot notes:

Lesser items should drop with 1d6 units of ammo remaining
Greater items should drop with 1d3 units of ammo remaining

Lesser Items

Offensive

Item	Quality	Description
Steam Cannon	Rare	Martial ranged weapon, heavy, two-handed, 2d10 piercing damage, range 50, reload as move action (ammo: cannonballs)
Phlogiston Thrower	Rare	At-will, std, cone 5; inflicts 8d6 fire damage, plus half on turn start for 3 rds (ammo: phlogiston containers)
Lightning Gun	Rare	At-will, std, line 20; inflicts 6d8 lightning damage plus stun 1 rd (Con DC 16 negates).
Freeze Ray	Rare	At-will, std, range 10; subject is frozen (Con DC 16 ends), then chilled (-50% movement, disadvantage to Dex saves) (Con DC 16 ends)
Arcane Bomb	Rare	At-will, std, range 10, burst 2; inflicts 5d4+5 force damage to each target, and also dispels as the 3rd-level spell Dispel Magic (casting modifier +8). Note: not a launcher, just loose ammo, i.e. grenades.

Defensive

Item	Quality	Description
Personal Shield Generator	Rare	Proficiency as a light shield or buckler. When activated, it generates a magical barrier, which provides +1 AC. Also, each time you are struck for damage (the attack must be comprised of matter or energy), you may spend 1 ammo to gain Resistance to that attack.
Rapid Relocator	Rare	Belt attachment. Devices senses imminent danger and activates dimensional folding algorithms, albeit with little time to calculate destination. Just prior to being hit by an attack or spell, wearer can spend 1 ammo to teleport to a random safe location within 8 squares (roll 1d8 for cardinal direction and another d8 for number of squares)
Cloaking Device	Rare	Cloak augment. When activated, the cloak projects an image to any onlooker of whatever is visible on your opposite side, making you effectively invisible, as the spell Greater Invisibility. Burns 1 ammo per round in which you move at more than 50% speed, or take any attack or cast a spell.
Tactical Analysis Unit	Rare	Visor/eye augment. When activated, it analyzes your attacker's strengths and weaknesses, and uses their body language to predict attacks before they occur. As an immediate action, you may spend 1 ammo to force disadvantage on an attacker, or to gain advantage to a saving throw.

Greater Items

Item	Quality	Description
Mass Modification Harness	Very Rare	This suit of armor otherwise functions as chain mail. However, when activated, it can be quite powerful indeed. It has the power to modify your mass by a factor of 50 in either direction, and can effect those changes at lightning speed. Thus, you might leap upward, decreasing your mass so that your leap takes you high into the sky, only to increase it as you fall down upon an enemy. There are a variety of uses, but here are a few: - Train Punch: at-will, std, melee attack; you punch, and your fist hits with the momentum of a speeding train, inflicting 2d12+40 bludgeoning damage. Costs 1 ammo. - Leap-and-crush: at-will, move and std; you leap up to 50 squares, and when you land, you inflict 4d12+60 bludgeoning damage on anyone in your target square, and a burst 2 for half that. To hit the exact square, roll a ranged attack against AC 10, with a -1 for every 5 squares you're traveling. If you miss, uses the grenadelike scatter chart from the Arcane Bomb. Costs 2 ammo. - Absorb impact: at-will, immediate; upon being struck by a physical attack (made of matter or energy), you increase your mass significantly to better absorb it. You suffer only 20% of the damage. Costs 2 ammo. - more TBD
Personal Tank	Very Rare	Vehicle. This vehicle is about the size of a standard wagon, and allows a single pilot to ride in it, fully enclosed. It moves at a speed of 40 feet per round (though, on a well-crafted road going straight, it can hit up to 30 mph), can pivot in place, and has the following traits: - 200 hit points - Hardness 10 (attacks inflicting less than 10 damage inflict 0 damage) - Construct traits - Narrow arrow-slit-like visors allow pilot to see surroundings, can shoot small ranged weapons (hand crossbow, pistol) through, can cast spells outward, and can only be hit himself with a called shot with a 90% miss chance. - Squish: During move action, tank can drive over medium or smaller targets, inflicting 8d6 crushing damage (Dex DC 16 to avoid) - Cannon: At-will, std, range 40, burst 3, consumes 1 ammo; 8d6 fire damage (Dex DC 18 half). - Flame Jets: At-will, bonus, close burst 2, consumes 1 ammo; 4d6 fire damage plus push 2. - Rocket Boost: At-will, bonus, consumes 1 ammo; movement speed is doubled for one round. Squish DC increased to 20.
Power Armor	Very Rare	Personal vehicle, medium size. I mean, it's an iron man suit, let's face it. mechanically, it operates more like a suit of armor, as you can use your own weapons and spells while wearing it. - Has 150 of its own hit points. All attacks go to the suit, not you, until these hit points are exhausted. At 0 HP, it can still do all the stuff below. - Grants AC 18 - Empower Melee: Immediate, augments a melee attack, granting +20 damage. Costs 1 ammo. - Mana Boost: Bonus action once/rd, costs 1 ammo; you may cast any sorcerer spell up to 5th level. (In the hands of PCs, you choose 5 spells, one of each level, but as a DM, just do whatever. Maybe make a note of which spell each one has when you cast it.) When casting 1st-4th level spells, they are empowered to 5th level. - Auto-Repair: Passive (can be toggled off). Each round, on turn start, armor is healed of 15 damage (costs 1 ammo).

Superior Items

Item	Quality	Description
Energy Pack	Very Rare	A compact reactor generating magical energy for the most powerful Artifice devices, this can take many forms, such as a heavy backpacks, a module installed in a vehicle, a load carried in a cart. Generally, it's too heavy for all but the strongest to carry alone for long. Energy Packs generate power in perpetuity, but they have a certain maximum capacity, and otherwise regenerate slowly. In other words, they're rechargable ammo batteries. - A typical energy pack has a capacity of 25, and recharges with a long rest.
Arcane Engine	Legendary	A complex, heavy device, loaded with delicate and rare arcane components, which can, when supplied with adequate magical energy, duplicate magical effects at the direction of non-spellcaster. Of course, its complexity is such that only a master Artificer can direct it without chance of failure; anyone else has a 10% chance per spell level of a mishap. - Cast Spell: At-will, costs 1 ammo per spell level; you duplicate any wizard or sorcerer spell. The required action to cast is the same as that spell. If your Artificer level is lower than the Wizard level required to cast, or if you are not an Artificer at all, you suffer a 10% chance per spell level of a mishap (yes, cantrips can't misfire). Otherwise, the spell goes off as if a wizard of your level cast it. - Mishaps: when a mishap occurs, roll 1d4: - 1- Arcane explosion: close burst 5, 10 force damage per spell level (Dex DC 18 half) plus push 5, plus the Arcane Engine is damaged and unusable until repaired by a master artificer. The spell is lost. - 2- Miscast: the spell is replaced with a different spell of the same level. The DM chooses the spell, and chooses how it is targeted, generally with the aim of thwarting the PCs. - 3- Infinite Loop: the spell works, but the engine is stuck casting the same spell over and over every round until its pack is expended. - 4- Internal Damage: the spell fails, and the internal workings are damaged such that the engine cannot cast that spell again. Requires a master artificer to fix.
Technological Terror	Legendary	A massive, hulking mechanical man. This huge construct can either operate at the direction of one holding its control harness (as an independent construct), or, said controller can climb inside its head, enjoying total protection from the outside world, directing its actions from within. Of course, such a powerful automaton is not easy to control, and only a master artificer can do so. A lesser artificer will be resisted by the automaton, as it cannot be the Maker if it lacks the Maker's skill. - 500 hit points - Gargantuan - Construct traits - Hardness 10 - Movement 50-ft - Melee attacks: with one standard action, the Terror can attack with both fists (or held weapons, and with one stomp) - Fist: Range 10-20 ft; its fists extend on long pistons, smashing into their target(s) for 4d8+20 bludgeoning damage each, with a +12 bonus to hit. Can attack the same or different targets, but cannot target within 10-ft reach. - Stomp: Close burst 1; its leg pistons rapidly compress, then extend, causing damage from their explosive extension, as well as falling damage from the Terror itself. Inflicts 6d8+30 bludgeoning damage to everyone within 5 feet of the Terror. - Bonus actions: - Arcane Missiles: At-will, bonus, range 20; fires 3 missiles, each targeting independently (but can focus on one target if desired). Missiles hit unerringly for 2d10+5 force damage. A Shield spell will block them, as will a Personal Shield Generator. - Consume Metal: At-will, bonus, 20-ft reach; the Terror grabs and consumes a nearby object made primarily of metal, healing it based on the object's size (Tiny: 10 hp, Small: 25 hp, Medium: 50 hp, Large: 100 hp, Huge: too large to eat, but can rip off 8 Large chunks) - Sound Blaster: At-will, bonus, 50-ft cone; the Terror does not typically speak, but it has a voice, which humans perceive as an incredibly loud, dissonant, metallic screech, that tends to disrupt crystalline bonds. Inflicts 6d6 sonic damage to all in area, and has the effect of a Shatter spell on objects. - Eye Lasers: At-will, bonus, two 40-ft rays; each ray inflicts 4d6 fire damage.