Star Wars Universe Roleplaying Game

Shyrack

Shyracks are bat-like predators that infest caves, ruins, and shadowed structures across the galaxy. With wide, leathery wings and a brutal hunting instinct, they are often mistaken for harmless wildlife until they strike from above.

Shyracks rely on speed, height, and confusion rather than endurance. They cling to ceilings, roost in broken rafters, and drop into combat when prey is distracted or clustered. Their attacks come in sudden bursts—talons raking for purchase, then a vicious bite meant to tear and punish before they retreat back into darkness.

A Shyrack’s most infamous weapon is its sonic screech: a concentrated blast of sound that rattles nerves and scrambles coordination. In enclosed spaces it becomes a battlefield control tool, turning tight corridors into chaos and forcing intruders to spread out or fall apart.

While a lone Shyrack is a manageable threat, a roost is a nightmare. The combination of flight, darkness, and disorienting noise makes them ideal guardians for forgotten places—whether nature put them there or someone decided they were a useful ‘security system.’

Wildlife encounters in SWURPG hit different than firefights. Shyrack doesn’t “hold ground” or “follow orders” — it follows instinct: territory, hunger, fear, or protection of a nest. Run it like a living threat: ambush angles, terrain advantage, and a clear “what it wants” that drives its choices every round.

Recommended Level Range: 2–4  |  Difficulty Rating (DR): 1.5

Shyrack Stat Block (SWURPG)

Shyrack in Play

Shyracks prefer vertical, confined environments: caves, reactor shafts, ruins, and maintenance tunnels. They begin encounters clinging to ceilings or high ledges, waiting until the party is bunched up or focused elsewhere before swooping in.

They strike fast, then reposition. A Shyrack typically opens with Talons to rake and disrupt, then follows with its stronger Bite when it can commit safely. After attacking, it uses flight and height to avoid being surrounded and to force the party to spend actions repositioning.

Once per Short Rest, a Shyrack uses Sonic Screech when multiple enemies are within the cone or when it needs to create space. The goal is not to win a stand-up fight—it’s to break formation, isolate a target, and keep the heroes reacting while the Shyrack controls the angles.

If the party forces it into open terrain with no ceiling cover or denies it altitude, the Shyrack retreats into darkness and returns only if it can regain an ambush position.

Adventure Hooks Featuring Shyrack

• Echoes in the Dark: Mining tunnels have gone silent after workers report piercing screams and shadows moving overhead.
• Ruins from Above: Ancient ruins believed to be safe prove otherwise when Shyracks drop from the ceilings during exploration.
• The Nesting Spire: A communications tower has become a Shyrack roost, and maintenance crews refuse to climb it after repeated attacks.

To explore more creatures, return to the Creatures & Wildlife index and expand your roster with additional predators, pests, pack hunters, and megafauna.