Machin Shin, is there a D&D equivalent?

[Traab]

For those who dont know, here is a description.

Machin Shin, literally black wind in the Old Tongue, is a force that hunts the Ways for anything that is alive. Machin Shin will attempt to attack and devour any creature it encounters, including Shadowspawn. The exact nature of the black wind is not understood completely, though it is known that it will consume the soul of any creature unfortunate enough to be caught by it. Unless it is pulled away, the soulless body of a victim will be subsequently mutilated and destroyed by the entity. Before encountering Machin Shin, travelers within the Ways may feel a slight breeze upon their skin, an abnormal event within the Ways where there should be no movement of air. As it approaches closer the sound of wind will increase to a roar and at its closest a traveler will begin to hear the crazed voices of the consumed souls of Machin Shin's previous victims. These voices will project the anticipation and vivid description of horrific violence. Potential victims who are able to escape from the entity with their lives are often driven insane after exposure to these voices. The Black Wind doesn't appear to think or be sentient in any way.

Can anyone think of anything In any bestiary of any version of the games that might be like this? If not, how would you stat this and where would you put it?

[Lucid]

Though it's an intelligent undead, the Dream Vestige from Libris Mortis seems similar.

A mighty river of fog streams forward like an evil waterfall, swollen with storm and spray. Accompanying the shape is a susurrus of dreamlike voices that murmur, cry, and rail against some terrible fate. Slender tendrils of mist extend from the mass, patting and feeling for sustenance.

The original dream vestige was born from the nightmares of an entire city, as all of its citizens died in cursed sleep (a curse that some attribute to Orcus). Since then, that creature has spawned itself many times over.
A dream vestige is a hunter; it hunts for other creatures to incorporate into itself—mind and body, living or undead. Thus, even the undying have cause to fear a dream vestige, which preys on its own. It stalks prey on rooftops, behind walls, or under floors, unseen by its victims. A sudden visceral dread (its frightful presence ability) heralds the creature’s arrival, at which time the whispers, moans, and lamenting of its subsumed victims becomes audibly apparent.

[Traab]

Though it's an intelligent undead, the Dream Vestige from Libris Mortis seems similar.

Damn, thats. . . really close. I mean, it SAYS the Shin is unintelligent, but I dont think anyone is on record as having tried to talk to it. Heh. Its basically just, "Oh %$# there it is! RUN FOR THE NEAREST GATE!" And they either make it to the gate and escape, or die screaming.

[runeghost]

There was a "Black Wind" monster in one of the original Arduin books, just stats and a minimal description, but it was the first thing that popped into my mind when I read the WoT. I'll see if I can find it in my books when I get home this evening.

[Traab]

If anyone wants to create a monster like this, keep in mind that its probably an epic level encounter considering the thing can devour armies and literally everyone is terrified of it in the series. That being said, I didnt read the entire series, so for all I know rand hit it with a bar of balefire the size of the aiel wastes in book 10 or whatever, and obliterated it retroactively from time before it was created or something. But yeah, major high end thing.

[TuggyNE]

I think I've seen a statting of it in Homebrew. Oh yeah, here it is.

If anyone wants to create a monster like this, keep in mind that its probably an epic level encounter considering the thing can devour armies and literally everyone is terrified of it in the series. That being said, I didnt read the entire series, so for all I know rand hit it with a bar of balefire the size of the aiel wastes in book 10 or whatever, and obliterated it retroactively from time before it was created or something. But yeah, major high end thing.

Spoiler: Having read all the series

Show

Perhaps surprisingly, Machin Shin still exists. Rand didn't do anything to it.

[CodeRed]

Damn, thats. . . really close. I mean, it SAYS the Shin is unintelligent, but I dont think anyone is on record as having tried to talk to it. Heh. Its basically just, "Oh %$# there it is! RUN FOR THE NEAREST GATE!" And they either make it to the gate and escape, or die screaming.

Being a WoT-head myself, I would actually say that a dream vestige created by the nightmares of a whole city of people sounds a lot more like Mashadar than Machin Shin. Also, Mashadar makes people it touches into zombies in some cases, so that works even better for an intelligent undead. Padan Fain or something like him would definitely be a pretty epic encounter both in coolness factor and CR.

As a DM, Machin Shin to me is not a monster encounter. It's more like an environmental effect. You don't fight it, you try to out run it or you die, simple as that. It's pretty much just the literal embodiment of evil and even evil creatures like Trollocs die immediately at it's touch... That's pretty damn hardcore right there.

[ReaderAt2046]

Damn, thats. . . really close. I mean, it SAYS the Shin is unintelligent, but I dont think anyone is on record as having tried to talk to it. Heh. Its basically just, "Oh %$# there it is! RUN FOR THE NEAREST GATE!" And they either make it to the gate and escape, or die screaming.

It's definitely intelligent, given that it meets one of the creepier villians and makes friends with him later in the series.

[Traab]

Being a WoT-head myself, I would actually say that a dream vestige created by the nightmares of a whole city of people sounds a lot more like Mashadar than Machin Shin. Also, Mashadar makes people it touches into zombies in some cases, so that works even better for an intelligent undead. Padan Fain or something like him would definitely be a pretty epic encounter both in coolness factor and CR.

As a DM, Machin Shin to me is not a monster encounter. It's more like an environmental effect. You don't fight it, you try to out run it or you die, simple as that. It's pretty much just the literal embodiment of evil and even evil creatures like Trollocs die immediately at it's touch... That's pretty damn hardcore right there.

Hmm, good point. Dont forget the added scary factor of mashadar where everything in the city is cursed by it. Even carrying out a random pebble could see you driven crazy and has some sort of absurdly high check to remove it considering what it took to cure mat.

[One Step Two]

Interestingly, there was a printed Wheel of Time D20 built on 3.0, it's terribly dated, and not the best representation in some ways, but I think it's rather neat.

Machin Shin is described as follows:

Machin Shin moves at a speed of 30 feet, and covers and area 30 feet across. As it approaches, allow charactes a Listen check (DC 15) to hear the whisper of its breeze. Heroes Fleeing Machin Shin may be able to escape it: Each round that they stay beyond it's grasp, Machin Shin has a cumulative 10% chance of losing them. (01-10 after 1 round, 01-20 after 2 round, and so on). Should it catch one character, it will pause until it has devoured her before pursuing the remaining characters.
A character caught within Machin Shin must make a Will save (DC 20) each round or suffer a permanent drain of 1d4 points of Wisdom and 1d4 points of Intelligence. When either ability is reduced to 0, the character is a soul-less husk completely devoured by Machin Shin.
Machin Shin is a phenomenon, not a creature. Physical Attacks cannot harm it, and no weave of the One Power has ever been proven to damage or even slow it.
Note to GMs: Machin Shin can easily destroy an entire party. As in the novels, it may best serve as a device to keep heroes on their toes when in the Ways, rather than being treated as an actual encoutner.

[runeghost]

I finally found the relevant Arduin book while doing some holiday cleaning. From Welcome to Skull Tower: The Arduin Grimoire, Vol II. by David Hargrave (1978):

BLACK WIND: HD:10 AC 2+2 Speed: 24" (air only) Dext: 24 Number: Always alone Looks: a 20' diameter fog of shifting shadows, lit by constant small blue crackling lightning bolt. Kind of like a small thunderhead. Attacks: 1 envelopment per melee turn, however, it can envelope any amount that will fit within itself. Those thus enveloped suffer two attacks: the 1st at dexterity 24 is psychic, and if the victim invades the body and takes it over, forever making it alien (with a mind link to its "parent"). The second attack comes at dexterity 29 and only if the psychic attack fails. This one is numbing cold of 4D8 in intensity, for all inside it (the cold damage is not divided up, but it that strong to each [person!). Notes: This alien being is 100% impervious to all except technological energy weapons, sonic attacks or paralysis which does 4D6 damage to it and slows it by one-third (one time only).

It's not identical, by any means, but close enough that I can't help but wonder if Robert Jordan did some old-school D&D gaming back in the day.

[The_Snark]

It's not identical, by any means, but close enough that I can't help but wonder if Robert Jordan did some old-school D&D gaming back in the day.

He did, actually. The foreword to the WoT RPG (mentioned above) includes a brief account of how he used to DM for his son & son's friends when they were young.