Thunderlash

Born as a monastic scholar devoted to understanding the ephemeral nature of consciousness, Thunderlash achieved a twisted enlightenment when a lightning strike during meditation shattered their mortal coil, fragmenting their spirit across the boundary between life and death. Rather than accept dissolution into the void, they discovered they could anchor themselves to the physical world by inhabiting animal flesh, wearing the skins of beasts like garments to maintain corporeal presence and continue their forbidden research into the nature of identity and form. Bound by the rigid doctrines of their former order—now perverted into a lawful pursuit of dominion through ritualistic possession—Thunderlash became something neither living nor fully deceased, a ghost trapped in an endless cycle of inhabitation and abandonment. The involuntary twitching that mars their borrowed frames is the mark of their fractured essence, a constant reminder that no vessel can truly contain what they have become; each spasm reveals the discord between spirit and flesh, the ghost and the skin. They now wander at the behest of the spectral collective, enforcing the laws of the dead through disciplined violence and meticulous control, their monastic training transformed into a sinister methodology for extraction and replacement. Other spirits whisper of Thunderlash with both reverence and dread, for they alone have mastered the profane art of persistence, refusing to fade despite the fundamental wrongness of their existence.

Strength

14, modifier +2

Dexterity

18, modifier +4

Constitution

18, modifier +4

Intelligence

16, modifier +3

Wisdom

20, modifier +5

Charisma

12, modifier +1

Spectral Strike

Thunderlash makes a melee attack with a spectral fist, dealing 2d10 necrotic damage on a hit.

Possess Skin

Thunderlash can attempt to possess a creature's skin. The target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw or become incapacitated for 1 minute.

Twitching Manifestation

As a bonus action, Thunderlash can cause their borrowed skin to twitch violently, forcing all creatures within 10 ft. to make a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or take 3d6 psychic damage and be frightened until the end of their next turn.

Ritual of Control

Thunderlash spends 1 minute performing a ritual to bind a spirit to an animal skin. The target spirit must succeed on a DC 18 Charisma saving throw or be bound for 24 hours.

Ethereal Presence

Thunderlash can move through solid objects and creatures as if they were difficult terrain.

Skinwalker

When inhabiting an animal's skin, Thunderlash gains advantage on stealth checks and can mimic the animal's abilities.

strength

+6

dexterity

+8

constitution

+8

wisdom

+9

Necrotic

Poison