True Ghoul
The Underdark ghouls in this module rule a territory called the White Kingdom, a realm of great savagery and power. They are often called shadow ghouls or the Children of Nerull, and they are more dangerous and potent than the common AD&D® ghoul.
Unless indicated otherwise, true ghouls fit the description provided here. Priests, officers, and nobles have extended statistics and improved Armor Classes as noted in the text; in all other respects, they match the description below.
True ghoul: INT average-genius (8-16 AL NE; AC 3; MV 12; HD 4+4; THAC0 15; #A'P 3 or l; Dmg ld6/ld6/ ld8 or by weapon type; SA paralyza-tion (lasts 2<16+6 rounds), grave-rot (see below SD immune to sleep, charm, hold, fear, poison, pa1·alysis, death magic, and cold-based attacks; turned as wraiths; SZ M; ML 18; XP 1,400; DRAGON Magazine #252.
True ghouls speak their native tongue (usually Duergar, Morwen, Svirfneblin, or Cyric) as well as Undercommon and Ghoulish.
The claws and fangs of true ghouls are covered with filth and carrion. Creatures wounded by the ghouls must make a saving throw vs. poison or succumb to Grave Rot.
True ghoul priests drain one point of Strength by touch (as per shadow). Priests of 5th level or higher can Animate Dead once/week, with no limit to the number of undead they may ultimately control.
True ghoul nobles have all the abilities of priests save spell use but may cast Summon Shadow once/day (as an 8th-level caster). Any slain ghoul noble who makes a save vs. death magic immediately becomes a Spectre with 8+3 HD.
True ghouls prefer Ghoul Light to other forms of illumination.
True ghouls are sometimes accompanied by spy devices called the Eyes of the King.
True Ghoul Footsoldiers (turned as ghasts) True Ghoul Officers (turned as wraiths) True Ghoul UnderPriests: True ghoul underpriests (3): as other true ghouls; HD 4+4; hp 26, 23, 21; THAC0 15; SA paralysis, spells, Stl·ength drain; SD turned as mummies; XP 2,000. Spells: cause light wounds, dark-ness.The piece of paper hadn’t been there a moment before; indeed, the paper seemed to be pulling smoke out of the air, becoming more and more concrete with each passing second. Pelagast snatched at it quickly, lest the fully formed note catch fire and be reduced to the smoke that had formed it.
The paper was still hot - he almost dropped it back into the brazier - but its smoky characters resolved themselves into letters. He recognized the handwriting as that of one of his colleagues, a fellow given to long absences in the pursuit of knowledge, one Wrennar the Laughing Mage. The message read thus:
"Learned colleagues and fellow necromages of the Bemmean council, I send you greetings from the underworld, and a report of the recent disruptions here. The objects of my study for the last year and more have been ghouls, ghasts, and a previously unknown ruling ghoul type, the shadow ghoul, a subtype that has formed a society among the ghouls. Among the races of the The Deep, these master ghouls are sometimes called the noble ghouls, or true ghouls. Their existence has shed much light on the formation and abilities of ghouls and ghoul-kind. Allow me to report to you the workings of this distinctly dangerous form of undead."
My investigations began in the winter of 3812 by the Bemmean Reckoning, for I had required the entire summer to locate a group of at least marginally competent sellswords willing to take a chance in the deepest reaches of the The Deep. Our travels continued without incident until the twenty-third march below ground. Shortly after the first rest, we heard a sound like the dry rasp of insect wings- though we did not yet know it, it was a sound we would soon dread, for it was the sound of ghouls on the march.1
Within a minute, they were upon us, a swarm of wasted creatures with lambent eyes, the first ghouls we met in the Lands Below. Balint, our priest of Ouroboros, stepped forward to turn them aside, brandishing his serpent staff. The ghouls seemed reluctant to recognize the serpent-god's power, but after Balint hurled a few choice scriptures their way, they turned and retreated to the side of the passage as might be expected.2
We forged ahead, but I could not resist examining these creatures as we passed. More than that, I weighed the odds of successfully capturing an intact specimen. With my mercenary companions, the odds seem slim. Furthermore, the ghouls were not as I had been taught, bestial, lumpy forms bereft of intelligence. Indeed, several of them carried weapons and all of them wore clothing. Though much of the clothing was tattered or worn, the weapons were in good repair.3 Though the accouterments were surprising and at odds with what I thought I knew, the ghouls' distinguishing physical features were as I expected: forked tongues, hairy, doglike legs, and pointed or even ragged ears. A few of the older ghouls could be distinguished by their bald heads.4
Only scant seconds after we had passed them by, the ghouls rushed us in a body. Balint and the others were caught completely by surprise, but I had watched the undead things suspiciously and was ready for the attack. Invoking the elemental power of Osti's fire to destroy their front rank with a breath of flame, I gave my companions enough time to prepare a defense. Once the ghoul’s first momentum was lost, we soon sent the rest of the pack howling into the darkness. Nevertheless, the entire incident was disturbing. Ghouls are among the easiest undead to turn or even to destroy utterly. How had these resisted? The question would not be answered for some days. We pushed the issue aside and set up camp.
Our rest was disturbed by the screams of Mandac, one of our younger warriors. He had been scratched in the fight a few hours ago, and already the wound showed signs of infection; red lines spread from the scab along the veins toward his heart.5 Balint performed a healing ritual, checked the wounds for signs of similar problems, and then returned to sleep. By morning, Mandac's tracery of red lines had receded, and Balint reassured the warrior that such infections were rarely serious.
The next march we met and spoke with a small party of Derro; they approached us with open hands from the shadows, and we had fought enough the day before. The degenerate dwarves warned us that the border of a ghoul “kingdom” lay just ahead - the Derro themselves were returning from a trade mission there and had just recently passed a checkpoint marked by the gnawed bones of a dozen Morwen. My companions and I were amazed that anyone could trade with such grave-robbing filth, but we did our best to disguise our reactions. We believed that ghouls put little or no value on anything other than meat, grave goods, and a few shiny baubles. Why trade with them at all? But regardless, we spoke to the Derro, listening to their tales of a ghoul kingdom and a nation of the undead.6 Perhaps they were merely telling us stories to scare surface dwellers, or perhaps they hoped for some fee or trophy from us, but their stories did little but confuse. Balint asked the Derro how the ghouls resisted his turning efforts, but they could tell us nothing. Given their consort with dark powers themselves, perhaps this should not be too surprising.
Not long after our meeting with the Derro, we met our second group of ghouls, just as they had warned us. However, we were traveling quite stealthily at this point, covered by invisibility and priestly wardings, we caught them off-guard and chanced upon them as they fed. Two sentries stood watch while the rest slowly stripped the meat from a paralyzed victim! Our attack caught them completely by surprise and threw their vile feast into a quick retreat. The victim had been gnawed to the bone; we buried him as best we could under the circumstances, piling rocks to make a simple cairn and blessing the ground he lay on to prevent the undead from returning to finish their meal.
We met ghouls again after we had given up counting days; instead, we counted marches, though Balint argued that we should refer to them as "rests" instead, since we did not always march. In either case, on our twenty-second march, we learned at last all we wanted to know about them: their use of tools, their resistance to turning, their "kingdom" and trade with other races, and the method of their creation. The answer to the last seems to be the key to understanding the life cycles of not only shadow ghouls, but also of common ghouls and ghasts. But I've gotten ahead of the tale. First, the tale of how our expedition found what it sought.
We had continued beyond the ghoul "border crossing" - the Morwen bones were there, just as the Derro had claimed - for two marches when we saw the first sign of civilization: a set of three sentries, armored in ill-kept chain and armed with spears. One of them had spotted our advance, for we had grown tired of marching in darkness and had lit a lantern. The ghouls had a lantern as well, though it was unlit. I convinced Balint and the warriors to keep their weapons sheathed and approached the sentries with open hands, speaking in the Undercommon I had mastered for the trip. As I suspected, they answered me, saying, "Welcome to the Great Army of the Ghouls. We are soldiers of Murliss, the Lady of Worms and general of this army. Who are you? What do you bring us?"
I admit I was a little taken aback hearing such fine speech from a reeking, split-tongued creature clearly meant for the grave years ago. But I rallied and spoke, "We are dwellers from the surface, come to learn the language and customs of the ghouls in return for precious gifts and magics." I made a little bow, as a mage should to an inferior.
"You'd best see the general, then," he said. "I am Surnliven, lieutenant of the second cohort. I give you my safe conduct into the camp to see the general."
"I see. And how can I trust this assurance?" He straightened into a perfectly straight, military posture. "A ghoul’s word is his bond. I swear by my king that you will suffer no indignity at the hands of my troops."
I motioned my marching companions forward. I told them that we were entering the ghoul camp under the protection of a safe conduct, and that there we would meet and bargain with the ghouls for permission to enter their kingdom. They seemed suspicious; indeed, they opposed the idea, but I calmed their fears by mentioning that I could always teleport us out of harm's way. I neglected to mention that this spell would not be enough to transport all of us.
I couldn't have been more mistaken about the size of the ghoul army. The darkness and silence of the ghoul camp had fooled me: we walked for fully ten minutes past row after row of ghouls preparing weapons, eating, herding prisoners (food?), and praying under the direction of a white-clad priest of Arabis, God of death, travel, and wisdom. I had expected the Lieutenant's boast to reveal little more than a patrol in force. The army we passed through numbered in the thousands. The darkness made an exact estimate impossible.
At last we came to a tent of spider silk, doubtless plundered from the Morwen. Two finely outfitted guards in plate and full helms stood outside, though they stepped aside at a world from our escort. Within stood a ghoul regaled in black with a horned headdress and a wicked sword with a wavy blade. "I am Murliss, leader of this host. What do you bring me?" If it had not been for the pallor of her skin, I might have mistaken the figure before me for a knight of the surface world, so noble was her bearing and manner.8
"Ourselves and our strong swords, if you require mercenaries," I said.
The general waved the offer away. "What do you know of the city of Glimmerfell?"
"I have never heard of it," I said, truthfully. "But know that I am a wizard of Bemmea, and I have much to offer you. These soldiers behind me, for instance, will make good allies, and my knowledge of spellcraft is considerable. All I ask in return is the freedom to study your armies, your customs, and your soldiers." I heard a brief scuffle behind me as Balint protested, but I didn't tum to look. It was too late to turn back. Besides, my stone skin spell would protect me from the first of my mercenaries' blows, if they objected to my throwing in our lot with these ghouls.
"Your followers are already mine by virtue of their presence within my army's grasp. And if you are as ignorant of my enemies as you claim, I have little use for your either, surface mage." The ghoul calmly raised a goblet in my direction. "But I'm always looking for new recruits."
"Your lieutenant guaranteed our safe conduct," I said, making my words bolder than I felt.
"Is this true, Surnliven?" asked the general.
"Indeed, it is, general," said the lieutenant, saluting. "I personally guaranteed their safe passage into the camp," he smiled. "I said nothing of the trip out."
The general motioned to his soldiers. We turned to face them and heard the cry of a thousand hungry throats from without the tent. I had been outsmarted by a ghoul. I suspected it would be an embarrassing death.
Listen closely: the transition from life to death is a path strewn with hazards, as the recent attempt at lichdom by Dragos the Mad showed. The great advantage of the shadow ghouls is that they have mastered portions of this path, and they help their future companions along it. This is not to say that all risks are circumvented. Creatures slain by a ghoul are often driven mad by the experience; they lose all memories of their former lives, indeed lose all their higher faculties, and become merely raving, fleshing-eating undead. These are the lesser or common ghouls.
But these sad husks are not the only possible result of a ghoul's transformation. Those who survive the transition into undeath with their faculties intact are in all ways stronger than their lesser kin. These few retain the intelligence and cunning of ghasts, and their link to the shadow plane that grants them power is stronger, allowing them to paralyze elves as well as other humanoids. But even ghasts are not the highest form of ghouldom; to enter that state requires help or a force of sheer will that ghasts rarely possess.
Long after the fight at the camp, I was able to observe the birth of a fledgling shadow ghoul. The prey - a young Svirfneblin male-had been run down by a pack of shadow ghoul nobles and their retainers, dragged to complete exhaustion, and then brought before a priest of Nerull.9 Gnomes and dwarves were prized by shadow ghouls as breeding stock, because their small frames require less food than elven, orc, or human bodies do.10
The creature touched by a ghoul priest always become infected with a condition the ghouls call grave rot.11 The resulting transformation is quite different from the creation of a common ghoul or ghast. First, the shadow ghoul is constantly attended by one of its fellows, who seems to provide an anchor point to strengthen the developing link to the elemental planes that power the undead. Though the transforming ghoul cannot see, it can hear even more keenly than normal; even spoken voices seem to thunder in its head. The subject retains its intelligence and its memories, far more than one might expect.12 It also gains some control over its link to the plane of Shadow.13 In fact, many humans retain the power of their former, breathing lives when they enter the ranks of the ghouls, just as many wizards retain their power when embraced by a vampire." The slow ebbing of bodily feeling continues until one is paralyzed, unable to do more than listen to the drone and feel heat and breath leave the body. Then, a black nectar is forced into the dead subject's mouth, and a power from without animates the limbs, restoring feeling, sight, and the ability to move though not to breathe. The sensation of is quite remarkable, like an infusion of poppy nectar or the application of lotus powder to the lips - a jolt of primal energy animates the limbs. Priests, however, suffer a noticeable decline after the change - not only have they been denied the promised afterlife, but they have become what many of them abhor.15 Unlike lesser ghouls or ghasts, true ghouls emit no stench of death or decay, and they have fashioned a civilization of sorts here in the The Deep.
The transition to ghouldom is much easier for humans, dwarves, gnomes, and the humanoid species than it is for elves, half-elves, and Morwen.16 In general, however, any sentient, warm-blooded creature capable of magic can be transformed into a ghoul. As ghouls age, their original species becomes less and less obvious, and their similarity to other ghouls grow.
A ghoul's touch is the source of its power.17 All ghouls, even the lesser ones and the newly created, can paralyze their prey, allowing them to feast on still-living flesh. Some can paralyze elves, some can mimic the effect of a Chill Touch spell, and the greatest among them can command shadows, inflict grave rot, and even command other undead. These powers are all derive from the ghoul's link to the Negative material plane.18 The link of common ghouls to this plane is weak, and thus their paralyzation ability is likewise weak. The link of ghasts is stronger, so their ability to paralyze elves is greater as well. However, the vile grave-stench of shared by common ghouls and ghasts is entirely absent in shadow ghouls. This is because the imperfect link of the two lesser species permits their bodies to decay over time, eventually collapsing altogether, while shadow ghoul's perfect link to the Negative plane permits their bodies to be entirely preserved from corruption. Any source of contagion and rot is kept from them and focused on their enemies.19
This new race of ghouls is the greatest discovery of my journey, and indeed of my career in necromancy. I maintain that the ghouls commonly found on the surface world are pale reflections of the true ghoul race, for the ghouls of the The Deep are intelligent, obey the social ladder common to civilized races, and worship their own gods. Indeed, shadow ghouls are quite religious, for they see the survival of their intelligence as a gift from Nerull. Without his blessing, they believe, they would sink to the realm of common ghouls. As a result, all ghouls show some degree of piety, if only by uttering Nerull's name before they feed, or as a battle cry.20
Preliminary research indicates that a true ghoul who is slain might still survive if its planar link is strong enough, becoming a spectre.21 This almost always means that the ghoul is a true ghoul and a noble; weaker shadow ghouls do not survive the transformation, presumably because too little of their substance has been replaced by shadow flesh. More research is necessary before I can verify this hypothesis; unfortunately, obtaining willing experimental subjects among the shadow ghoul nobility has proven more difficult than anticipated.
When I awoke from the transformation - for surely, dear reader, by now you have guessed that I have joined the Elect Nobles of the Great and Potent Kingdom of White Bone - I was lying on a simple tombstone graven into the cavern floor, meant to represent my mortal life, cast off and beneath me. As a ghoul, I would soon be expected to build a tomb of my own, for my final rest, though it might be centuries in coming. I could not yet read the tombstone's text, but it was surely mine.22 I had entered with all my faculties intact, and indeed even my wizard’s gift had not abandoned me. I endeavored, with more fervor than ever, to continue my research into the nature of the ghouls' undead state and into their secular state, a realm of simple needs and complex hierarchies.
The Kingdom of the Ghouls, sometimes called the White Kingdom, is both a city and a series of settlements in The Deep. Ruled by their founder and his small court, the city has expanded at the expense of other races of The Deep, especially the Morwen and the Svirfneblin, whose dead can be transformed to swell the ghoul army's ranks. Why do undead creatures need a city? For many reasons, but chief among them are the common defense and the need for workshops to construct automata.23 Fearsome as ghouls are, they are social creatures, depending on one another for survival in the hostile environs of The Deep. In addition, their city contains many areas where the ghouls can build their war machines; these labors may require months of work and the industry of hundreds of priests, flesh-shapers, and necromancers. These war machines help defend the ghoul's city and attack their neighbors' cities.
The kingdom lies near the Cloaker Rift - a landmark surely as familiar to those who have traveled extensively in the Lands Below as the Vault of the Morwen. There, between cavern and rift the two races exist in a fragile coexistence. Indeed, the Cloakers and the ghouls have joined together in an alliance against their mutual enemies. Normally, the proud ghouls would disdain any such alliance, but even ghouls have enemies they fear. In the case of the shadow ghouls, the enemies they fear are few. Their greatest foes are the Kuo-toans, who are immune to the ghoul's paralyzation ability and whose icthyoid bodies cannot be transformed into ghoul-flesh. In return, the psionically-immune ghouls assist the Cloakers against their foes, the Illithids.
The White Kingdom is lit by an unusual form of illumination called ghoul-light. This yellowish-green light is shed by special lanterns; it is a weak glow that discomfits Morwen but does not eliminate infravision. In addition, legends say that it reveals all hidden things to ghoul eyes, even those on another plane or hidden behind thin screens or barriers.24 The secret of manufacturing the special oils that create ghoul-light lanterns are closely guarded by the ghoul priests and unknown to other races. Indeed, it seems that the priests among the ghouls are the secret masters of the kingdom, for rarely do the nobles lead a simple raid - much less lead an army to war - without the backing of the priests.
The priests, while they are always eager for both sacrifices to their gods and new converts, are rarely found at the front lines. They prefer to work from just beyond the front, choosing some to be transformed into more ghoul soldiers, others to serve the ghoul armies as fodder. I have seen the priests' ceremonies, clouded in smoke and harsh incense, preparing to ease the transition from life to unlife.25 To prevent a creature infected with grave rot from becoming a shadow ghoul, they either make sure it is quickly devoured (within 24 hours) or ensure that it is not attended by a spirit guide, leaving the body to linger and grow mad on the path between life and death.
Contrariwise, when they wish to strengthen the link to the shadow plane, they burn special gutting candles around the body until it rises. The ceremony is named the Chant of Flickering Hours after these lights, and after the flickering spark of the new ghoul's mind as it struggles to retain some memories while accommodating new appetites. Young ghouls are generally fed cooked meat for the first few weeks of their lives to ease the transition to an exclusively carnivorous diet; this behavior has never been recorded among surface ghouls.
These creatures were as distant from their surface-dwelling cousins as the Morwen are from the grey elves. Indeed, I was later to learn, they disdain their brutish relations, considering them distant kin at best, and embarrassing kin-folk at that. Having had a chance to compare the two at closer quarters, I am inclined to agree.26
All this information took me months of diligent investigation to ferret out: questioning the priests, speaking to the nobles (though not all answered), and generally annoying all who would suffer my inquiries. Perhaps I eventually grew too zealous in my search for the source of the kingdom's power, for one day, as I was dissecting and noting the degree of mummification in the form of a partially transformed goblin-ghoul. I received an unexpected visitor: a metallic herald of the realm's king. The figure was clad entirely in plate armor, well-oiled and coated in a layer of black enamel.27 My indiscrete inquiries had aroused the notice of the king, and he requestioned my presence in Blackgate Palace.
I had long desired an audience with King Doresain, founder and tyrant of the realm, but so far I had been unable to obtain one. I donned my best robes, called Balint, my ghast servant, to attend me, and made my way to the center of the necropolis. I was told that he permitted no conflict among his subjects (an assertion I was later to discover false28), and thus I felt safe approaching his palace. Its appearance did not inspire as much confidence: Blackgate teeters nigh on the edge of an abyss. The main gate was under the watchful eye of two strange devas - winged but black as pitch. Perhaps they were spirits; no one could ever quite explain their origins to my satisfaction.
Beyond the portal, past the gatekeeper, my armored companion left me. I was handed to the care of a rosewater-scented chamberlain, though he seemed to have few words for me. "Follow me," he said, "and say nothing until you are addressed." Down black passages, I was brought into the coldest halls of the palace.
The halls leading to the audience chamber were cold and drafty; my ghoul guide, of course, did not feel the chill, but my newer flesh still remembered chills. The king himself sat in a hall limned in ghoul-light and surrounded by a set of floating skulls. I had heard of these: they were said to be the ensorcelled heads of wizards who had displeased him. I resolved to be careful, bowed deeply, and waited for the king to speak.
He took his time examining me, sending a small fiery bat closer to me. I had heard of these creatures and had even seen them from a distance - small green comets flitting through the darkness. Called the Eyes of the King, they are enchanted spies their liege used to keep watch on his distant servants and armies. Though they resemble bats constantly engulfed in green faerie fire, it is said that the king sees everything their eyes see.29 I fidgeted until the thing disappeared down the hall.
The king spoke: "You are the first surface dweller in many years to stand before me. Tell me, are there many more of your kind who might come to visit."
"Yes, there are, " I said. "In my breathing life, I was a wizard of a city of wizards. Many of them are curious about your realms. Surely they would come if you offered them an invitation and a chance at new knowledge." I considered that perhaps, with the help of a few members of the Council, it would not be too difficult to seize power here and take the riches of the ghouls for ourselves.
The king did not notice my treacherous thoughts. "Arrange it," he said. His hollow eye sockets turned away to contemplate the flickering of his skull-servants. I had half a hundred questions - about the mechanisms of paralysis, about my own growing and disquieting desire to possess grave goods30 - but the eldest of the ghouls had no time for them, or for me.
And so, before I close this missive, a last request. The king has invited you to come attend upon him and dine at the heart of this fabulous kingdom. Please do attend. The meal wouldn't be the same without you.
Your devoted Servant,
Wrennar the Laughing Ghoul
1 Large groups of ghouls can march in almost complete silence; they do not breathe, and they prepare their weapons and armor for silent movement. When they march, only the vibration of their footfalls and the rush of air past their bodies marks their passage. This increases their chance of obtaining surprise to 1-4. When moving alone, a shadow ghoul has a 20% chance to move silently.
2 Shadow ghouls are difficult to get rid of; they are turned as wraiths. Protection from evil has no effect on shadow ghouls, even when strengthened with cold iron. All physical attacks against shadow ghouls inflict only half normal damage, as they are already dead and are well-protected by their undead state. They are immune or resistant to any form of charm, mental or psionic control, and ESP. They have 4+4 HD, rather than a ghast's standard 4 or a ghoul's 2. Shadow ghouls move at 12, are armor class 3, and enjoy Fanatical morale (17-18). They are worth 1,400 experience points.
3 Like ghasts, shadow ghouls can use weapons. When they fight unarmed, they inflict d6/d6/d8 with their claws and teeth. Common ghouls are too stupid to do more than rend and claw. While shadow ghouls prefer to use forged weapons in hand-to-hand combat, they may also attack with claws and teeth, and with these natural weapons each attack offers a chance of paralysis (saving throw applies). Creatures paralyzed by a true ghoul remain paralyzed for 6+2d6 rounds rather than the usual d6+2 of common ghouls or the d6+4 of ghasts.
4 The lack of new growth leads to complete baldness, though younger ghouls may retain thinning hair for years with proper care. Indeed, some nobles among the shadow ghouls wear wigs made of human or Morwen hair. These wigs fool some observers but can be detected by anyone within 10 feet who makes a successful Wisdom check.
5 All ghouls keep their teeth and claws full of the filth of carrion or the grave. Likewise, they keep their weapons smeared with charnel filth as a result, they spread numerous diseases. After each battle with ghouls, creatures wounded by the ghouls must make a saving throw vs. poison. Those who fail lose d6 hp each day until the disease is cured or until they make a constitution check with a -4 penalty.
In the case of those injured by shadow ghouls, victims who fail are infected with ghoul-rot and begin the slow transformation into ghouls.
6 Ghouls have overwhelming effects on surrounding communities of creatures. They eat until all major sentient and animal species are exterminated or driven away, and they transform humans, Derro, halflings, and half-elves into ghouls, increasing the hunger of the ghoul community.
Underground and surface communities faced with armies of ghouls sometimes take to burning their dead and killing their wounded, to prevent ghouls from appearing among them.
7 The ghoul's diet is a subject of considerable interest; few undead need to eat in the usual sense, digesting and excreting. A ghoul's feeding is more spiritual than physical. While it must eat, just as vampires do, a ghoul is nourished by the link to the flesh of sentient creatures, not by blood. If ghouls do not eat, they cannot heal their wounds. In addition, prolonged lack of sentient flesh breaks the strength of the ghoul's undead state, eventually returning the ghoul to a purely animal cunning. For ghouls to retain their intelligence over time, they must feast on the brains of sentient creatures.
8 Ghoul nobles have all of the abilities of priests except spell use and may summon shadows once per day (as an 8th-level caster). They have 8+8 HD, AC or 2 or better, and often use magical weapons. They are turned as vampires.
Ghoul royalty cannot animate dead or summon shadows as their nobles do, but they can create automata, golems, special wizard eyes (like the Eyes of the King), and necromantic siege engines, huge constructs that resemble fused flesh golems. Shadow ghoul royalty may also eat the knowledge of any creature they devour whole, from liches to dead adventurers - this grants them spell ability equal to the highest-level creature whose brain they have devoured. They have 12+12 HD, an AC of -2 or higher, and always employ magical armor and weapons. Ghoul kings, queens, and emperors are turned as Special undead. Nobles are worth 6,000 experience points (plus 1,000 per level over 4th), while royalty is worth 14,000.
9 The ghouls' patron god is Nerull, the deity of death and decay. Though the god is known to spurn the prayers and offerings of almost all sentient creatures, for some reason he accepts the devotion of the ghouls. Whether this is because his cold heart actually feels some warmth for the ghouls and their kin or because he finds them pitiful, and amusing is a matter of speculation among ghoul theologians.
Shadow ghouls are led by two classes, priests and nobles, which are often at odds with each other. The powerful clerical leaders can create zombies and skeletons; the ghoul nobles lead most raiding parties and armies. Wizards among shadow ghouls generally arise among the priesthood but are occasionally found among the nobility as well.
The touch of a ghoul priest always drains 1 point of Strength, even when striking normally with a paralyzing claw. Great priests of 5th level and higher can animate dead once per week, with no limit to the number of undead they may ultimately control; high priests can fuse these dead into necromantic siege engines and conveyances of as many HD as they have levels. Priests range in ability from 1st to 11th level; they have 4+4 HD until they reach 4th level. Thereafter they gain 1+1 HD for each additional level they attain. Thus, for example, a 7th-level priest would have 7+7 HD. Priests are all turned as mummies, regardless of level. They are worth 3,000 experience points, plus 1,000 per level over 4th.
10 Small gnomes and dwarves transformed into ghouls retain their size but gain all normal shadow ghoul, ghast, or common ghoul abilities. In some instances, these smaller ghouls are trained as bat-riders, soaring through caverns as couriers and scouts on the backs of enormous mobats.
11 While the true ghoul priests are indeed largely responsible for the maintenance and multiplication of the line, the mechanism by which they passed on the closer planar connection of the shadow ghoul was a secret for many years. It is apparent to any observer that the priests' touch inflicts a deadly disease; the shadow ghoul, duergar, and Morwen call this disease grave rot. This rotting disease superficially resembles that caused by a mummy's touch, but it serves another purpose, which is the simple heart of the shadow ghoul's secret. Unlike other undead, they do not need to kill their victims to multiply. Instead, ghoul-rot transforms living flesh into the undead flesh of the ghoul. The victim never dies and is reborn, as is a vampire or a zombie. Instead, living flesh is slowly but inexorably replaced by shadow material, the source of undead power. Much as shades, ghouls derive their power entirely from this shadow-flesh.
The role of grave-rot also explains the existence of lesser forms of shadow ghoul. If the grave-rot process is disturbed (for instance, by the death of the intended target), a ghoul or ghast is created from the flawed vessel.
The power and influence of the ghoul priests comes from the magical disease or curse they carry. This disease is grave-rot; anyone killed by a priest in combat become a ghoul after a number of hours equal to the victim's level. The victim must make a saving throw vs. death magic; if it succeeds, he becomes a shadow ghoul. If it fails, he must make a system shock roll. If the system shock roll succeeds, he becomes aghast in a number of days equal to his level or Hit Dice. If it fails, he becomes a lesser ghoul in number of days equal to victim's level or Hit Dice.
12 Common ghouls have a low intelligence (5-7), ghasts retain fragmentary memories and much intelligence (11-12), and shadow ghouls retain all memories and generally become more intelligent (15-18). However, all creatures transformed into ghouls gain chaotic evil or neutral evil alignments.
13 This control over the shadow link is limited to ghoul priests and wizards.
14 Characters of any level retain that level as ghouls and may continue to advance as members of the class. All kit, racial, and subclass bonuses are lost, however, with the exception of necromancer specialty wizards, who retain all their benefits.
Shadow ghouls can gain levels as do living things, strengthened by an ever-growing link to the plane of Shadow. They may be fighters, priests, thieves, or mages but may not be members of sub-class other than necromancer. They are limited to 9th level in all the classes available to them except priests, who may attain 11th level.
15 Few gods embrace undead worshipers, and thus priests lose a level and lose all access to spells above second level when they become ghouls. However, gods of death usually take up the sponsorship of any such priest who embraces a new faith.
16 The human transition to ghouldom is much easier than that of most other races except dwarves, whose high Constitution makes the shift bearable. Elves, however, perhaps because of their unsleeping minds, suffer greatly during the change and rarely become more than mere ghasts. They suffer a -4 penalty to all saving throws and ability checks related to the change into undeath. Half-elves suffer a -2 penalty, and gnomes and halflings gain no benefit except as provided by their Constitution.
In The Deep, the most common prey of ghouls are Morwen, Svirfneblin, dwarves, and Derro, but any warm-blooded creature can be made into a ghoul.
17 Why touch? Elves are immune to the touch of lesser or common ghouls for the same reason they are immune to charm and sleep spells; the ghoul-touch is a type of glamour that paralyzes through suggestion and enchantment, rather than through any toxin or life-draining effect.
18 Some would argue the proper plane is that of Shadow; the correct answer is unclear.
19 Dagros the Mad has suggested that a ghoul's stench is due to the decay and absorption of rotting meat. This may be so, but it leaves the shadow ghouls' lack of odor unexplained. Dagros also suggested that the stench rather than touch is the medium of its paralyzation, but he also suggested this of troglodytes. A few members of the Academy maintain that the two influences work in concert. More study is required.
20 In other realms, the ghouls pay homage to Orcus, Bane, Arabis, and to other powers of death, decay, darkness, and evil. Ghouls are as undiscriminating in their choice of patrons as they are in their choice of meats.
21 Any slain true ghoul noble who makes a saving throw vs. death magic immediately becomes a spectre, gaining 1 additional Hit Die and becoming more difficult to turn.
22 Ghouls speak a language of their own, Ghoulish, which they slowly "remember" in the first weeks after they awake from the transformation to undeath. It is thought that the knowledge is imparted to the ghouls either by the plane of Shadow or by some god residing there who created the ghouls. The transfer's principles are still unclear.
23 Ghoul priests and mages are experts at constructing, commanding, and destroying magical golems of all types, especially those of stone and bone. They have a love for automatons of all kinds, and they are experts at constructing new types of both servants powered by necromantic magic and at golem manufacture.
In addition, they have perfected a sort of undead siege engine called the ghoul war machine. This unholy contraption is composed of the fused remains of 40 or more zombified creatures; their flesh is magically melded to gather around a central beam to create a living battering ram. The flesh is then hardened to the consistency of soft stone; the result is a heavy, durable engine capable of battering down stone portals, gates, and obstacles of all kinds, as well as serving as a bridge over small chasms (up to 15 feet wide).
The creature has 40 legs and can be ridden comfortably by as many as four riders. (INT semi- (2-4 AL N; AC 2; MV 9; HD 16; THAC0 5; #AT 1; Dmg 2d20; SA crush, trample; SD immune to mind-affecting spells; SZ G (30' long, 9' tall ML 18; XP 10,000 each). It can be turned as "Special" undead, and it can crush foes. If a ghoul battering ram strikes a foe with a natural 20, it destroys all items carried by the target unless they save versus a crushing blow at -5. When the ram strikes a foe, he must make an ability check equal to half his Strength (percentile Strength counts as 19 for this calculation). If the check fails, the victim suffers an additional 2d10 hp damage as the ram tramples him.
24 The magical, yellowish-green ghoul light is quite distinctive, a phosphorescent glow the color of marsh gas and rot. This light reveals hidden things and dispels illusions of all kinds; in a way, it is the reverse of true seeing. invisible, ethereal, and shadowed creatures all become visible in ghoul-light, as do creatures cloaked in illusion or altered forms even lycanthropes. It inflicts the same penalties on Morwen as a continual light spell.
25 Since shadow ghouls are created by their priests, the priests' control over ghoulish politics is considerable. They can breed new generations to support a war effort and create new worshipers for their god, or they can slow the transformation and prevent a body from becoming a shadow ghoul, leaving it to fall into the madness and decay of the ghasts and common ghouls.
26 Ghouls are quite dangerous to other races of the The Deep, as they can overwhelm most living races with sheer numbers. If ghouls ever expand their numbers too far, they might be able to besiege and conquer a city stronghold of one of the major races and then convert many of the dead to their own cause, to take the next city. Despite the severity of this threat, in general, living races tend to treat the ghouls as a form of rot that must be contained. The reason is simple; none of them can afford the losses they might incur in an all-out assault against the ghoul capital. Even if they wiped out the ghouls, they might leave themselves easy prey for another inimical Deep species.
27 This figure was surely a helmed horror or similar automaton, for the ghoul-king does not trust his subjects and grants many tasks to the dozens of machines that inhabit the palace. The shadow ghoul nobles emulate this fashion, though few are able to construct or purchase such servants.
28 When there are too many of the undead and not enough living things for them to feed on, the ghouls enter a frenzy of madness, killing and slaying one another until their numbers are reduced to a level their environment can sustain.
29 The king of the ghouls commands a special form of magical scrying that no other race of The Deep can match. The Eyes of the King are difficult to avoid or lose once they find an intruder; they flit through darkness almost more quickly than the eye can follow. They are said to patrol regular routes on the borders of the ghouls' kingdom.
Each Eye acts as a wizard eye of unlimited distance and duration. Only the king and perhaps the priests understand the spell that creates them. Others who claim to know the secret have been driven insane when they attempt to duplicate the spell's effect.
30 Ghouls develop a fetish for death and things of the grave; generally, this desire seems to be a sort of nesting principle, as they construct elaborate tombs for themselves. Far from feeling immortal as vampires do, most shadow ghouls seem to know instinctively that they will die again. Their time as ghouls merely gives them the opportunity to gather memento moris.
In practice, this love for grave goods gives shadow ghouls treasure types B, T, R, S, and T. Nobles also gain Q x 3, X, and Y.
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