The gloomrider wears a battered, black duster that bears a moist sheen; the mucus coating the gunslinger’s chalky skin saturates the fabric and exudes a cloying scent, not unlike sweet tobacco. Its ‘fingers’, a squirm of four tendrils, anxiously twitch a mere breath away from the butt of twin revolvers in slaad-skin holsters. These strange shooting irons bear cylinders of scintillating crystals and spit chunks of chaos-spawned stone. The drifter’s face consists of a single orifice that serves as the mouth, nose, and sensory organ. More small tendrils spiral from the opening, petrified back in the general shape of a head. Thankfully, the gloomstalkers wide-brimmed hat usually obscures the unsettling visage. The rest of the uninvited horror’s attire matches its profession with a fancy vest covered with deep-speech sigils, black trousers, naga-hide boots, and spurs crafted from dead stars. The last accessory makes their every step jangle with soul-jarring tones not born of this sphere.

Pale Rider. Servants of primal madness, the gloomriders cut across the prime material planes spreading madness and fostering depravity. Their appearance on the prairie starts with distant, eerie visitations to spur rumor and speculation. Once enough mortal creatures speak of the mysterious creatures, their psychic turmoil provides a strong enough tether for gloomriders to fully manifest. Wagon trains are terrorized until their oxen’s hearts give out, and some of the wainwrights' too. Stagecoaches are riddled with bullets, and their occupants’ minds riven with psychic assault. Lone travelers disappear entirely. When the terror reaches a fever pitch, a posse of gloomriders will start cutting down entire towns. If they aren’t dealt with soon enough, the radiating anguish and anxiety rips open portals to other planes already consumed by chaos, or even the Far Realms. With their job finished, the gloomriders gallop off to the next unlucky plane.

Gloomrider

Medium aberration, chaotic neutral

Armor Class 18 (natural armor)

Hit Points 104 (16d8 + 32)

Speed 30ft

Str 16 Dex 20 Con 15 Int 15 Wis 17 Cha 18

Saving Throws Dex +10, Con +7

Skills Perception +8, Stealth +10, Survival +8

Damage Resistances: fire, psychic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks Damage Immunities acid, cold

Condition Immunities blinded, charmed

Senses blindsight 60 ft., darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 18

Languages Deep Speech, Primordial, telepathy 120 ft..

Challenge 13 (10,000 XP)

Innate Spellcasting (1/Day).

The gloomrider can innately cast Planeshift (Self and mount only), requiring no material components. Its innate spellcasting ability is Charisma.

Magic Resistance.

The gloomrider has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Mounted Horror.

Whenever the gloomrider is mounted, it provides the following effects:

• It can force an attack targeted at its mount to target it instead.

• If the gloomrider's mount is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity save to take only half damage, it takes no damage if it succeeds and half damage if it fails.

Regeneration.

The gloomrider regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point.

Wild Necromancy.

Every time the gloomrider kills a creature, roll on the Wild Surge table and apply the results.

Actions

Multiattack.

The gloomrider makes three attacks.

Pistol Whip.

Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6+3) bludgeoning damage and 10 (3d6) psychic damage. The creature must succeed on a DC 17 Intelligence saving throw or subtract 1d4 from the next saving throw it makes before the end of the gloomrider's next turn.

Chaotic Carbine.

Ranged Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, range 80/240 ft., one target. Hit: 14(2d8+5) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) psychic damage. If the target is a creature, it must succeed on a DC 17 Charisma or be affected by the spell Crown of Madness until the end of its next turn. This effect does not require the gloomrider to maintain concentration.

Dreadful Presence.

Each creature of the gloomrider's choice that is within 120 feet of the gloomrider and aware of it must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. If a creautre fails this save by 5 or more, they also take 22 (4d10) psychic damage. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the gloomrider's Dreadful Presence for the next 24 hours.