Skulkers

Haggard and dirty, his clothes jagged and torn, a mixture between a young scarecrow and the crows it was supposed to scare.

- Leonora Carrington, The Stone Door

Orcs live for battle, Hobgoblins for conquest, and Gnolls for chaos-worship. Skulkers pick through what's left. 

Skulkers are willowy, vaguely avian humanoids who live in ruins and survive on what they scavenge. They wear leather lashed with rags and telescopic goggles to magnify their vision. It is common for skulkers darken their beaks with charcoal to prevent reflecting light.

They perch on broken columns in the rubble of bygone metropoli, bows at the ready, scanning for unsuspecting adventurers laden with treasure. 

They rummage through dungeons with brutal efficiency, black fingers searching in the dark, loot stored in voluminous cloth so as not to make noise when jostled in their sacks. A trail of rooms left behind like prey stripped to the bone. 

Skulkers are, in spite of their gawky appearance, incredibly agile. The way they move during ambush is somewhere between spec ops team and and an acrobat troupe: fast-roping from the ceiling, tic-tacing off walls, and bouncing and tumbling over one with like dust bunnies avoiding the broom. 

When skulkers fight, they typically do so for any combination of the following reasons: 

• Stabbing someone makes them more willing to give up their stuff.
• It’s easier to steal from the dead than the living.
• They're worried you'll steal from them or take their as-yet-undiscovered treasure.

If you speak their language and prove you're not a threat, they're more than happy to trade with you. Their prices are always exorbitant and they expect full payment up front. That being said, there is a 1:6 chance a skulker will place absurd value on an innocuous item in the PCs' possession, and will stop at nothing to get it.

Leaders are chosen by lottery every new moon. It is believed the most fortunate are best suited to lead. Cheating, however, is tacitly accepted. Skulkers understand pragmatism to be more reliable than luck. 

Skulkers

HD: 1 

AC: 6 

Attacks: short sword or bow (1d6) 

Move: 120'(40') run or climb with a grappling hook 

Morale: 6 

Alignment: Chaotic 

No. Appearing: 2d6 (6d6) 

• 4:6 chance to surprise
• 3:6 chance to successfully steal from a surprised or otherwise unsuspecting character. On a 6, the attempt is detected. PCs who have something stolen from them will realize after 1d6 rounds that their pack feels lighter than before.
• Nimble evasive maneuvers allow skulkers to retreat at full speed without the AC penalty.

Skulkers are tricky and crafty, but not in the way of kobolds and goblins. They don't prepare elaborate deathtraps or build fortifications, but rather rely on shock tactics, kiting, and hit-and-runs. They act exactly as cautious as new players but with better coordination. 

A pair of skulkers tethered with a chain run to either flank and clothesline the party. Skulker archers suspend from the ceiling, firing arrows from the beyond the reach of torchlight. Bolas, garrotes, nets soaked in oil. 

Skulkers are sometimes found with one or more of the following items: 

• Smoke powder. Fine black dust that billows in smoky plumes when thrown. Can be thrown in a cloud to obscure vision in a 20' radius, or tossed in someones face to blind them for 2d6 rounds. Skulkers are unaffected by the smoke. 
• Bone needle. Victim saves vs. paralysis or the part of the body stuck by the needle is immobilized. The next round the victim must save again or become completely paralyzed until the needle is removed. 
• Thread snare. A tiny bundle of string pierced by a silver pin. Releases a web spell where thrown. Skulkers tend to tie these to arrows and throwing knives. 
• Well-dark. An inky substance kept in small ceramic vials. A puddle creates a shallow portable hole, large enough for a skulker to hide in preparation for an ambush. The puddle dissolves after 10 minutes or when exposed to bright light.