Manual of the Planes

dull black orbs that reflect nolight at all. Ecalypses donot neigh or whinnybut emit low, rumblinggrowls andsnorts. They communicatetelepathicallywith one anotherand with theirriders, but neverwith strangers.CombatAn ecalypse fightsby kicking andstamping with itshooves, which coalescefrom theshadowy mist justlong enough todeliver crushingblows. If the tide ofbattle turns againstit, it becomes incorporealand flees.Spell-Like Abilities:At will—findthe path, shadowwalk; 3/day—repulsion;1/day—planeshift (self and rideronly). These abilitiesare as the spellscast by a 15th-levelsorcerer (save DC =12 + spell level).Discorporate (Su): Anecalypse can become incorporeal as a standard action. Inthis state, it can be harmed only by other incorporealcreatures, +1 or better magic weapons, or magic, with a50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporealsource. It can pass through solid objects at will andalways moves silently. Its AC changes to 14 (–1 size, +3Dex, +2 deflection). Its hooves deliver incorporeal touchattacks that ignore natural armor, armor, and shields, andattack with a +13 bonus, dealing 1d8 points of damage.Shadow Blend (Su): During any conditions otherthan full daylight, an ecalypse can disappear into theshadows, giving it nine-tenths concealment. Artificialillumination, even a light or continual flame spell, does notnegate this ability. A daylight spell, however, will.Ecalypses as MountsAn ecalypse loathes the saddle, but it accepts a rider whocan break its wild nature. To make the attempt, the prospectiverider must first climb atop the creature’s back,either by pinning it in a grapple or by using magic torestrain it somehow. Then the rider must succeed at aRide check (DC 30) tostay atop the ecalypseas it bucks wildly (witha –5 penalty on Ridechecks made whenriding bareback). Afailed check results inthe rider being thrown—which provokes an attackof opportunity from theecalypse—and taking 1d6points of damage, landingprone next to the beast.Depending on the circumstances,the ecalypseeither flees incorporeallyor attacks.If the ecalypse is brokenby a rider, it communicateswillingly and serves as loyallyas a typical horse. For thatrider only, the –5 penalty onbareback Ride checks nolonger applies, and theecalypse’s ability tobecome incorporealaffects the rider aswell. An ecalypse canfight while carrying arider, but the rider cannotalso fight withoutmaking a successful Ridecheck (see Ride, page 72in the Player’s Handbook).Some riders simplydominate an ecalypsemagically and ride it with a saddle, but thecreature’s abilities don’t extend to the rider in that case.The ecalypse resists magical control any way it can.UMBRAL BANYANUmbral banyans are the dark trees at the heart of many adangerous forest. They blend in with other trees, stranglingintruders with shadowy nooses that drop from theforest canopy.Though it lies perpetually in shadow, an umbralbanyan otherwise looks just like the surrounding trees,only larger. Its massive root-and-trunk system can cover athousand square feet or more, and its branches form analmost impenetrable ceiling 20 feet above the forest floor.Concealed among the branches are tendrils of inkyblackness that slither around unwary victims, pullingthem away from the ground and constricting them. Oncethe umbral banyan has strangled a victim, the tendrilstoss the body among the exposed roots, where it decaysand provides fertilizer for the tree.Umbral banyans can speak Sylvan but rarely choose todo so.Illus. by M. CavottaCHAPTER 9:MONSTERS171