Shadowmane

The Shadowmane is a creature in Genesis: Part 2.

Dossier
"Now that is one formidable looking predator. I think it's some kind of chimera -- part cat, part spiny tropical fish, all trouble. It seems to have unusually good camouflaging abilities, too. What would you name something like that? How about...'shadowmane'? HLNA Shadowmane Dossier sound.ogg"

Behavior
Shadowmane travels either alone, or in groups up to 3. They can pack up with other Shadowmane in close enough range, but the highest level male will always be the alpha of the pack. If they find a target, they will chase after it, teleporting and shocking it. The shock will dismount survivors off of their mounts when given the chance. When it reaches nighttime, most will cloak with invisibility akin to the, but perfectly invisible to the eye, the only thing you can identify them by are glowing footprints corresponding to the gender of the Shadowmane wherever they walk. When provoked in this state, they will have no problem uncloaking to lash out at the target. Though during the day, Shadowmane will rest for the majority of the time the sun is up, but this does not stop them from being just as dangerous at day as they are at night.

Appearance
The Shadowmane is feline in appearance, and bears a strong resemblance to Lions. Shadowmane have a frill, which is more pronounced among males, the male's frill bear a resemblance to the Lionfish, and Catfish, making it look semi-aquatic. It also features a small finned tail which presumably helps make them a good swimmer. In darker places, Shadowmane will have spots on it where it will glow like an Aberrant creature.

Color Scheme and Regions
Male=

Female=

Passive


All Shadowmanes have a varying amount of natural armor, and this effect takes the place of a saddle. The strength of the Shadowmane's natural armor is dependent on its base level after taming or from birth, before any experience points are gained to increase maximum level; with higher base levels generally having higher armor ratings. Due to this natural armor, Shadowmanes can be surprisingly tanky for their size, as most other tames require special saddles, looted or crafted from blueprints obtained from Supply Crates, to match or surpass the cat's resistances. The armor rating is capped at 80.0, and it is not inherited from parents after breeding (a high enough base level in the offspring, however, will guarantee reaching the armor cap regardless).



Aside from the natural armor rating, Shadowmanes come equipped with a special debuff to compliment their resistances:. This debuff is applied to any attackers that land a hit on it for 7 seconds stacking up to 5 times, appearing as a pink cloud shrouding the victim. The poison does two things: slowly damages the victim for 10 damage a second, and decreases the damage dealt by their attacks by 15% (not affected by stacks). It is one of the few status effects that can be afflicted to both Bosses and Titans.

The damage over time applied to aggressors is useful in long-term engagements, but not nearly as useful as bleeds like Gnashed, or reflection damage from the Kentrosaurus or Arthropleura; dealing a far lower percentage of health loss than its competitors, but it can stack alongside these effects for added damage, landing it a useful spot as a support debuff in team strategy situations. Strangely enough the damage dealt also produces a knockback effect against smaller targets as well, each time the damage ticks. By far the more useful half of Thornmail Poison, however, is the damage reduction it applies to enemy attacks, capable of heavily nerfing what would otherwise be very serious blows, reducing even the damage from percentage-based special attacks (such as the 's Fire Breath).



Further complimenting their natural armor and Thornmail debuff, just like the Spinosaurus, Shadowmanes also have access to the Hydrated buff: increasing their Speed, Health Regeneration, and Damage constantly while in contact with water, and for 30 seconds after leaving it. Alongside the Hydration buff, the Shadowmane, despite having an oxygen stat that its base levels are wastefully drained into (but does not appear within the level-up point options), does not utilize the oxygen stat and just like the Baryonyx: is incapable of drowning (apparently breathing underwater with the gills on its neck). Lastly, Shadowmanes have access to the Pack Leader buff, which is applied to the highest leveled male within a certain radius, with at least one other allied Shadowmane nearby, regardless of whether it's a male or female. Pack Leader, unlike Pack Mate, is a constant passive buff to the alpha male, as long as he remains nearby to an allied female.

Combat
This section describes how to fight against the Shadowmane.

General
Similarly to the, the Shadowmane stalks players using its invisibility, the only two distinct ways to tell if it's stalking someone is via its pawprint, or the distinct faint sound it makes. The Shadowmanes invisibility is almost perfect, unlike the.

Dangers
Shadowmanes are stealthy pack hunters with the capability to teleport to their targets and stun dinos, which will dismount riders. The highest level also gets an alpha boost akin to the Allosaurus, and when factoring in a likely mate boost for the whole pack, they can deal a high amount of damage. All of these factors can make a survivor's first encounter against them to be catastrophic as several tames can not match up to a pack of Shadowmanes, and none of them can escape once the rampage has started.

Weaknesses
A single Shadowmane is much less threatening without a pack as their damage drops considerably without a mate boost and alpha bonus, but they can still stun dinos to disrupt the player's control of the fight. They are also incapable of targeting players some distance in the air beyond their teleport range, and since the Federation Tek Suit is provided to all survivors, it is easy for survivors to use this to their advantage to pick them off or escape a tight spot.

There are some attacks from other creatures that can bypass the Shadowmane's armor. Some include a mek's attacks that somehow deal full damage when they are alone and potentially a stegosaurus with the sharpened plate mode since it can ignore saddle armor.

Strategy
The Shadowmane usually spawn in groups of two to three, making it difficult to engage without many casualties. Running from aggressive Shadowmanes is also not a viable option, as their teleport allows them to keep up with a sprinting survivor easily- even with the benefits of tek gear equipped. Their warp distance seems to be most effective on ground and in water. At a certain point in the sky they cannot follow and will quickly de-aggro. If you're still using the basic Federation Tek Suit, take to the skies above all else to get away or to shoot from afar.

Weaponry
Relying on a powerful ridden tame such as a Rex to take down a group of Shadowmanes is a poor choice since they are capable of stunning a Rex and dismounting the rider. The same goes for essentially any other creature. With this in mind, using a group of tames such as Allosaurus can be more effective, though a dismounted player is at the Shadowmane's mercy if they are in the fray.

Supporting some tanky tames from afar with a ranged weapon such as the Tek Bow or Fabricated Sniper Rifle will ensure the player's safety while dealing optimal damage to take down Shadowmanes.

Taming
For general information about domesticating a wild creature see Taming.

Shadowmanes are tamed non-violently, rather than through the usual methods.

Shadowmanes are inactive during the day, and can be seen resting. To tame the creature, you need a filled with 0.5+ weight fish of any kind (Take more than  you think you will need its better to have too much fish than not enough). Larger fish WILL tame faster. With the basket in the last slot of your hotbar, carefully approach the Shadowmane while it is asleep (the creature is aggressive) and feed it. When you approach it, it must be from it's behind or back. If you approach it from the front, it will aggro. Be mindful of other aggressive dinos which will either target the survivor or Shadowmane. It's not yet certain which variable is true, but either the level of the fish or the size of the fish determines how much taming affinity it provides; the larger and/or higher level the fish, the more affinity provided. You will need many filled fish baskets for the tame, so prepare ahead of time.

To reduce the chance of it detecting you, wear a full set of and crouch towards it while its resting (Use  if possible before attempting in order to deter aggro from the area's several insects.) Try to approach from its sides or rear when approaching with the fish basket to further reduce being detected. If it wakes up while you are close, immediately try to sprint away as the Shadowmane takes a few moments before grabbing any aggro. Be careful if there are other Shadowmanes, as even one Shadowmane being alerted will wake the entire pack up. It's advised to clear out unwanted creatures, including other Shadowmanes, before initiating the tame; they will aggro onto most herbivores such as Stegosaurus and Pachyrhinosaurus, as well as small creatures and corpses.

As soon as it feeds, it will immediately walk elsewhere (they become invisible). Keeping track with the Taming tracking system is vital, as you don't want to be too close when they break out of stealth. If Shadowmane attacks a player, all taming progress is NOT lost and taming effectiveness is NOT reset, although, taming progress resets to 0% when you wake it up even if it doesn't follow you. However, they can attack other creatures without losing taming progress, but lone Shadowmanes are likely to die if they attack a pack of Stegos.

The Shadowmane is quite variable in its resting times, though if there is nothing in the area to attract their attention, they seem to rest for at least 20 seconds. It's important to be close enough to capitalize on these resting periods, but far enough away to not get its attention at unwanted times.

Tip: As of right now they seem to keep the resources they gather from dead creatures around them. By bringing them enough victims to feed on they will become encumbered and unable to act, making taming a much easier task. Ovis are an excellent creature to feed it if you have enough disposable sheep, since they harvest for very heavy pelt and can encumber the creature very quickly. Building gates around them to prevent them from walking away invisible is also a good strategy.

You could also build a trap out of stone with doorframes 2 high, and ramps on the bottom for you to get in, because if you walk from the ground to a foundation it seems like that wakes it up. You would want to lure it by gaining aggro and then make it teleport in, and net gun it. Make sure to clear the area while it is netted to make sure it doesn't teleport out. This makes sure that when it goes invisible, it won’t wander off to somewhere dangerous.

Roles

 * Combat Specialist: Whether it's for PvE or PvP, despite their smaller size, Shadowmanes bring big benefits to the table, and are a must-have for many a combat endeavor. Their unique cocktail of potent stats, passives, and abilities allow them to fill a wide variety of niches to the benefit of any tribe that takes the time to properly tame and breed these vicious chimeric carnivores. With the added benefit of Mutagen being accessible in their native map, Shadowmanes can quickly take a top-tier position among your collection of tames.
 * Damage Dealer: Although their base damage of 35 seems rather meager, when their high stat gains, Mate-Boost, and Pack Mate buff from a male's roar is taken into account, coupled with their swift attack speed; Shadowmanes can manage a surprisingly effective DPS rating that can put them on par with a Rex (albeit their attack radius is small by comparison). Secondly their access to the Hydrated buff from a quick dip in water can turn this already effective killing machine into a true meat grinder; capable of quickly slaughtering some of even the hardiest of opponents. Along with their various special attacks and abilities, Shadowmanes can prove a formidable foe to your many enemies, wild or tamed alike (Level primarily Damage, and some Health).
 * Support Tank: With their relatively smaller size, it might first be hard to imagine the Shadowmane performing as a tank, let alone arguably better than their potential as damage dealers, but appearances can be deceiving. Fully leveled with a health pool that can compete with a Reaper, and sporting natural armor that's roughly 3x more protective than the average saddle, Shadowmanes can take an absolute beating and keep on going. The real kicker that cements their place as a top-tier tank is not so much their stats and armor, but more so their Thornmail Poison. Passively applied to attackers for seven seconds after contact, and able to stack its effects up to 5 times, Thornmail Poison simultaneously damages opponents over time, and greatly reduces the damage they deal with their attacks. Not only can this cripple the attack power of the average overland opponent, but Thornmail Poison also applies to Bosses and Titans, even reducing the damage output of percentage-based special attacks like the Dragon's fire breath. With the inclusion of a mate-boosted male to provide their Roar Boosted buff to nearby allies, Shadowmanes excel in this role (Level primarily Health. For Boss fights, pair a small pride with other Bossing tames such as Rexes, Yutyrannus, Mammoths, and Deinonychus).
 * Stealth Tactician: With their ability to turn perfectly invisible, and a mate-boosted female's ability to apply the Cloaked status effect to other tames, Shadowmanes can very easily be used for dirty tricks and unfair advantages in the world of tribal warfare. Ambushes can be planned and placed, and an entire war party can sneak up unseen. Naturally this also makes the Shadowmane a natural-born scout, and with their jumping prowess and masterful mobility on land or sea, they're equipped to scope out and survey nearly any enemy position, and make a clean getaway when required.
 * All-Terrain Transport: The Shadowmane has amazing mobility perks, possessing formidable maneuverability on land, astonishing jumping prowess, and surprising speed in the water, on par with even the . Its ability to handle nearly any terrain with ease is arguably matched by the ease with which it handles the threats found in them; more than capable of defending itself and its rider against most, and certainly capable of fleeing or outright avoiding what threats it can't altogether. Caution should still be taken while underwater as Electrophorus can shock to hinder its movement and Cnidaria can permanently stun lock the Shadowmane until death. It is advised to use the dash to attack them first if attacking them is a necessity. Otherwise, avoid confrontation. Aside from making one of the best personal transports around, the Shadowmane is capable of carrying two more passengers behind the rider, similar to the Gallimimus; and more often than not has the Weight gain percentages to handle the load with ease.
 * Artifact Retrieval: With its potent mix of combat, stealth, and all-terrain capability, the Shadowmane makes for an outright masterful cave delver to retrieve Artifacts for their respective boss fights, provided it can fit in whatever cave the artifact is in. Its Shadow Cloak ability is perhaps the most useful tool at its disposal for this role, as it can quite literally sneak in, grab the artifact, and slink back out of the cave without even drawing the aggression of a single enemy creature (to ensure 100% invisibility uptime, ride a female and bring a male with her, and use her group-applied Cloaked ability, so when you dismount her you stay invisible and won't reveal your presence). The Shadowmane can take even the most difficult and grueling of caves, like The Caverns of Lost Hope, and turn it into a walk in the park.

Notes/Trivia

 * Shadowmanes are not truly invisible sporting a glow representative of their genders and footprints appear as they move
 * Followers like Chibis or HLN-A will remain visible possibly giving away a Player's location
 * Shadowmanes are one of the creatures whose gender can easily be differentiated by its appearance, the other being the.
 * The design of the Shadowmane appears to be a twist on the real-life lionfish. It has physical anatomy very similar to a lion, while at the same time bearing the fins/barbs of a lionfish as its "mane", as well as other fish-like features on its body.
 * The Shadowmane's design also resembles the Mishipeshu or Underwater Panther of the Anishinaabe.
 * This makes them the Sixth hybrid in the game, along with the, , , , and . (Eighth if you count event tames like , and ).
 * The code name for the Shadowmane is Lionfish Lion.
 * The Shadowmane, the and the  are the only creatures with the ability to camouflage.
 * The Thornmail Poison is reminiscent of Lionfish as they use poison barbs to deter and even kill potential predators.
 * The Shadowmane may also be partially inspired by Displacer Beast from the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons & Dragons. Displacer Beasts resemble cats with alien tentacles, and are capable of optical camouflage. however, displacer beasts dp this by making it look like they're a few feet away from where they actually are, "displacing" their appearance, but not fully going invisible