Greater Creature of Darkness

This spell creates a mobile, bipedal, upright “shadow person” that resembles a human in form. It floats, “walking” about at MV 12 without actually touching surfaces, and can be controlled by the caster from afar (to the limits of the spell's range), going where the caster cannot or dare not go. Observers cannot see through the smoke like body of this construct, and it quenches magical light and continual light on contact without being itself affected.

A greater creature of darkness can achieve semi-solidity and can carry items of not more than 20 pounds weight. Thus, it can deliver items, wield magical items or regular weapons in combat, and even deliver the touch-discharged spells cast by its caster as if its hands were the caster's own. (All these activities are at the caster's THAC0, but with a -3 penalty to attack rolls.) The construct is not sentient, but is controlled by the will of the caster, who can dimly see through illusory eyes that the shadow person does not, in fact, possess. (The caster cannot hear, smell, taste, or feel textures through the shadow person.)

Gaze attacks (such as the petrifying glare of a basilisk) cannot harm the caster through the shadow eyes, but the caster in turn cannot see through the construct well enough to read, see expressions, or even to recognize friends by their features – although gestures can be discerned. The shadow person can open doors (so long as doing so does not require pushing more than 20 pounds of dead weight), unlock things, point at objects or give directions, and conceal the identity of beings by enveloping them.

If the caster wishes to harm a living being that physically moves into a greater creature of darkness, the caster can make the “shadow person” hit once per round with any one weapon or magical item it carries, or launch a touch-delivered spell attack through the construct for full possible damage. A creature can freely enter or leave a greater creature of darkness effect, though the effect moves with them if its caster desires. The “shadow person” is not dispelled by the entry and exit of other beings. Those entering the shadow can see through it as if its gloom did not exist. Further, they are cloaked by it – to a limit of four small-sized (or smaller) creatures, two man-sized creatures, or one larger than man-sized creature. The darkness expands to cover their bodies and conceal their identities (even several beings at once, although if they move more than 20 feet apart, the construct stays with only one of them).

A caster wearing his or her own greater creature of darkness receives the following benefits: concealment of identity, immunity to blinding or hypnotic lights (including magical effects) and all illusions (including attacks such as shadow monsters). It has two additional powers, but the caster exhausts the spell by calling on either of them. It can act as a feather fall or it can allow the caster to levitate for up to four consecutive rounds.

The material components are a strand of spiderwebs, a pinch of soot or pitch, a piece of shell, beak, or bone that has been dyed black or blackened in a fire, and a black feather, scale, clump of fur, or piece of skin from any flying creature.

Rumors persist that those who know a secret variant of this spell can use one additional power of a greater creature of darkness. If it touches a foe they wish to harm, they can sacrifice some of their own hit points, and instantly deal their opponent double that number of points of damage as a flesh-eating, corrosive attack (no saving throw).