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The cloaker regularly emits a subsonic
moaning. This moaning can cause several
effects at the pleasure of the monster. The
lowest level of moaning, and the one occurring
when the party enters, causes nervousness
and unease, and will eventually numb
the minds of those who listen to it for
extended periods of time.

The slaves have been exposed to the
sound long enough to become numbed, and
will not react to the party in any way. Only
a neutralize poison spell will cure the effects
of the mind-numbing. Otherwise, the slaves
remain mind-numb for a week.

The cloaker is clinging to the west wall
among other cloaks and blankets. It looks
like a semi-circular cape with a long macelike
tail, and has 2 claws at the ends of the
cape. Upon its back are many round, black,
button-like eyespots. When the cloaker conceals
its tail and claws it is hard to distinguish
it from a real cloak. A cloaker has no
head, but it has a mouth in the middle of its
belly and 2 red, glowing eyespots that
appear to be eyes. Because a cloaker has so
many eyespots it has no effective rear to
attack.

Cloakers attack by flying at their victim
and enveloping the character in their folds
on a successful roll to hit. An enveloped
character cannot fight as his arms are
pinned to his side. The cloaker then attacks
any characters trying to rescue their friend
with its tail, striking twice each round. The
tail is AC 1 and can take 16 points of damage
before it is cut off. At the same time, it
bites its enwrapped victim for 1-4 points of
damage plus the base AC of the character
each round. Attacks with a weapon against
a cloaker who has enveloped a character
cause 1/2 damage to the cloaker and 1/2
damage to the victim. Fire attacks do full
<fire> damage to both the cloaker and its victim.

Cloakers use their subsonic moaning
powers to subdue their opponents before
they attack. The cloaker may not bite and
moan at the same time. Cloakers can vary
the intensity of their moaning and thus alter
its effects. 

* The lowest intensity will cause
nervousness to all characters within 80 feet,
and causes the characters to FIGHT at -2 to hit.

** The 2nd level of intensity causes fear, as
per the fear spell, to all creatures within 30'
who fail to save vs. Spells. This effect
only lasts for 2 turns. 

*** The next level of
intensity has an AREA of effect that is a cone
30 feet long and 20 feet wide at its open end.
Anyone caught within the cone must save
vs. Poison or be helpless due to nausea and
retching for 2-5 rounds, similar to a stinking cloud spell. 

**** The final intensity can only be
used against 1 person at a time. It acts as a
hold person spell and its effects last 5
rounds. Stone blocks the effects of the
moaning.

A cloaker also has the power to manipulate
shadows and will throw them across its
opponent’s faces or surround itself with
shadow, thus giving it an effective AC of 1.
The shadow manipulation is so precise, it
can even create images out of shadows and
often creates doubles of itself which are
treated like a mirror image spell.

The cloaker will allow the party to enter
the room and approach within 30 feet, then
it will change its moan to induce fear. Next it
will cause weakness and the hold its victim
and attack, throwing shadows across the
faces of its opponents. If seriously hurt
(more than 2/3 of its HP gone)
it will create doubles and flit off into the
shadows.

Near the west door is a hobgoblin sergeant
standing slack-jawed and staring. He
was sent to check an the slaves, but had not
been warned of the effects of prolonged
exposure to the moaning of the cloaker.
Now he has become mind-numbed. He is
wearing a cloak of protection +2 which he
stole from one of the new slaves, but he is
unaware of its abilities.

Cloaker: AC3 body/1 tail; MV1”/15”; HD
6; hp 33; #AT 2 + special; D 1-6 each +
special
THACO 13
XP 614
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>>26.