Description:
The Gloomcaller Shade is a corpse-shrouded spirit that whispers despair. Its presence is never random. It only appears when a city, fort, or kingdom is fated to fall. Soldiers speak of hearing its voice in the still hours before dawn, a rasping chant that drains courage and saps hope. Few see it directly, but its shadow stretches across banners, walls, and graves, leaving a cold awareness that something greater than steel and stone has already doomed the defenders.
Resistance: Half damage from non-magical weapons due to partial corporeality.
Vulnerable to any Spells or Effects that can apply to undead.
If destroyed in the physical realm or banished, it returns to the spirit realm and may not reappear for one year.
Can will itself back to the spirit realm at any time but may not return for at least one year.
Ferocity: 1
Size: Medium
Movement: 12, unhindered by terrain or obstacles.
Armor: —
HP: 11
MONSTER ATTACKS
d6 Attacks:
1: Whisper of Despair: All within 10 meters range must make a Fear roll
2: Clutching Grave-Shroud : Everyone within 4 meters takes 1d6 damage as ghostly wrappings constrict them.
3: Shadow Spread: The Shade expands emits a 20-meter diameter cloud of gloom centered on itself. Visibility drops to a 2 meter radius within the cloud until dispersed.
4: Death Omen: One PC feels their heart stop for an instant; they must roll WIL or fall Prone, gasping.
5: Grave’s Kiss: One PC touched by the Shade ages one step older permanently. Characters aged beyond Old must retire as soon as it is feasible to do so. – 2 CON, – 1 AGL in addition to Old.
6: Call of the Fallen: 1d4 Skeletons rise from the ground under the Shade’s control, acting on the same initiative card. They disappear when the Shade is dispatched.
SIGNS AND PORTENTS IN FANTASY RPGs
One of the most powerful tools a Game Master can use is foreshadowing. Signs and omens enrich a campaign world, hint at dangers to come, and build suspense without giving everything away. The Gloomcaller Shade embodies this idea—it’s not just a monster to fight, but a symbol. If the players see one, they know a great doom lies just over the horizon.
Signs as Storytelling Tools. In both fiction and tabletop games, signs work best when they’re layered. A single raven perched on a wall might be unsettling, but three ravens that always seem to follow the party feels fated. These little touches let the world whisper to the players, encouraging them to lean forward in their chairs and ask, “What does it mean?”
Portents in Play. RPGs thrive on choice, and omens are most effective when they create tension rather than certainty. If the players hear the Gloomcaller’s whispers, they shouldn’t automatically know which stronghold will fall—only that one nearby is doomed. This uncertainty drives them to investigate, to plan, or even to despair. The Shade becomes a living foreshadowing device, its presence reshaping how players approach the game.
From Sign to Story. Best of all, portents create opportunities for deeper roleplay. Does the superstitious warrior refuse to march once the Shade is seen? Does the pragmatic wizard insist the omen is just a trick of fear? By weaving signs into the fabric of your adventures, you give your players more than a fight. You give them a chance to wrestle with fate itself.
When signs and portents stir in your world, let your players wonder. Let them dread. Let them hope. And when the Gloomcaller Shade drifts into view, they’ll know in their bones that the story has reached a turning point.
This Supplement was created under Fria Ligan AB’s Dragonbane Third Party Supplement License.
Thank you for being here with me today. I appreciate you. Keep it real, but please strive for positivity, too. Please embrace the things that bring you the most joy in your life.
Jeff's Game Box 