Ghost (/ɡəʊst/)
Sometimes the Dead Don't Stay Dead
A transparent, humanoid form (ghosts often appear as they did in life).
A ghost is the soul of a once-living creature, bound to haunt a specific location, creature, or object that held significance to it in its life.
Unfinished Business. A ghost yearns to complete some unresolved task from its life. It might seek to avenge its own death, fulfill an oath, or relay a message to a loved one. A ghost might not realize that it has died and continue the everyday routine of its life. Others are driven by wickedness or spite, as with a ghost that refuses to rest until every member of a certain family or organization is dead.
The surest way to rid an area of a ghost is to resolve its unfinished business. A ghost can be destroyed more easily by invoking a weakness tied to its former life. The ghost of a person tortured to death might be killed again by the implements of that torture. The ghost of a gardener might become more vulnerable when exposed to a potent floral fragrance.
Ghostly Manifestations. Sensations of profound sadness, loneliness, and unfulfilled yearning emanate from places where ghostly hauntings occur. Strange sounds or unnatural silences create an unsettling atmosphere. Cold spots settle in rooms that have roaring fires. A choking stench might seep into the area, inanimate objects might move of their own accord, and corpses might rise from the grave. The ghost has no control over these manifestations; they simply occur.
Undead Nature. A ghost doesn't require air, food, drink, or sleep.
The Menagerie helped one in the Outding Refuge Church, Kyleanna Heyton.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Ghosts were the souls of a deceased sentient creature that had been bound to haunt a specific area, object, or creature that held significance to them when they were alive.
Often this state of existence was because of a soul having been horrendously evil in life, their deaths being tremendously emotional, being denied a proper burial, or because they had unfinished business.
“Heed me – ghosts sob and carry on about omens and portents, but in truth, they are only clamoring for attention so someone will respect their grief, yes. Death... does little for their manners... or their etiquette.”
Description
These spirits typically resembled how they had in life. However, some ghosts had an altered appearance due to the nature of their demise. Others were known to be capable of changing their appearance to suit their current disposition. Often this altered appearance was due to the alignment they had in life.Varieties
Blueflame ghost:
a spirit trapped within a blueflame magic item.Doomsphere:
the ghost of a beholder.Ghost Brute:
the ghost of an animal, plant, or magical beast that was stuck to the Prime Material plane.Ghost dragon:
the ghost of a dragon.Ghost mount:
a variety of ghost unique to the land of Zakhara. In life, they were mounted animals who had been mistreated.Keening spirit:
the ghost of an evil-aligned female elf.Pasocada ghost:
the ghost of a humanoid who died in the Pasocada Basin and was not given a proper burial.Spectral harpist:
the ghost of a Master Harper who died before they could complete their mission.Watchghost
Biological Traits
Being a form of undead, ghosts had no need for the air, food, drink, or sleep that they formerly required in life. They moved about by flying. Having incorporeal bodies, they could pass through solid objects. Some were known to use this phasing ability to surprise enemies. When moving they made no noise.
Behaviour
Personality
A ghost's behavior was typically similar to the personality they had in life. But in some cases, their personalities were altered by the process of death. The "unfinished business" that drove ghosts varied widely. Some might seek to fulfill an oath, others to relay a message to a loved one, while some might simply desire to have their death avenged. They also tended to get enraged whenever items their bodies were buried with were stolen and would stop at nothing to get them back. Evil-aligned ghosts were said to hate goodness and all forms of life, being driven by a sense of wickedness and spite. As well as a desire to end the lives of other creatures, in particular those responsible for or connected to its death. Sometimes ghosts were unaware that they had died and thus would continually act out the daily routine they had in life. Sometimes ghosts only had fragmented memories of their life.Combat
Anything they possessed when they manifested was ethereal, possessing the ghost touch property. These were often things they were buried with. If someone were to take the original material item that a ghost's copy was based on, then the ethereal copy would fade away.Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Homelands
Ghosts were known to occur in any type of region, but they were most often found haunting areas at night. Ghosts typically were tied to and haunted the area in which they died, though there were a few mobile forces of them. Sailors who died out at sea alongside their vessel could potentially manifest upon an incorporeal reflection of it. Places haunted by ghosts tended to emanate sensations of profound sadness, loneliness, and unfulfilled desires. Haunted locations often had certain areas where there were strange noises, an unnatural silence, an unnatural feeling of cold, or inanimate objects moving around. Though such manifestations would be due to the ghost's presence, the spirit did not intentionally manifest them and it had no control over them. In Cormanthyr, the ghosts of many elves and dwarves haunted the ruins of the Old Elven Court. Unusually for a non-abandoned city, ghosts were a somewhat common sight in Velen. Besides the Prime Material plane, ghosts were often known to be found in the Shadowfell, including the Domains of Dread, such as Barovia.Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Benign Powers
- Ethereal: Ghosts were capable of phasing between the Ethereal Plane and the Prime Material plane. They could also see 60 feet (18 meters) into one plane whilst standing in the other. Even when manifested on the Prime Material, a ghost was still partially within the Ethereal plane.
- Incorporeal (Spells): Ghosts were resistant to all spells based around acid, fire, lightning, and thunder. They were also immune to spells based around cold, necrotic energy, or poison. Prior to the Spellplague, it was impossible to harm them with spells of any kind unless one was in an ethereal state.
- Incorporeal (Weapons): When it came to weapons, ghosts could only be harmed by those that were enchanted, made of silver, or had the ghost touch property. They could also be harmed by holy water while in their semi-material form. Many also had some form of weakness tied to their former life — the ghost of a tortured person could be harmed by the implements that had been used to torture them.
- Putting to Rest: However, some ghosts were so strongly tied to the Prime Material that they would always reform a few days following being destroyed by any of the aforementioned means. Thus, the only surefire way to permanently rid an area of a ghost was by resolving the spirit's unfinished business.
Offensive Powers
Horrifying Visage: These undead spirits exuded a supernatural sense of fear in all non-undead creatures within 60 feet (18 meters) of them. This sense of fear caused creatures to flee and sometimes the fear would be so great that their bodies would age by ten to forty years. As this fear was supernaturally provoked, even the most courageous of creatures could be affected. This aging effect could be reversed with greater restoration, but only if done within twenty-four hours.- Possession: Ghosts were capable of possessing the body of any humanoid that they could see within 5 feet (1.5 meters) of them. Doing so made the creature incapacitated and fully under the control of the spirit. Besides killing the possessed, a ghost could be expelled from their body by means of the spells turn undead or dispel evil and good. Once free, it was impossible for a creature to be possessed by a ghost for the following twenty-four hours.
- Magic Jar: Prior to the Spellplague, ghosts were more well known to use an ability similar to the spell magic jar on victims within 60 yards (55 meters) of them rather than possession.
- Moan of Fear: Prior to the Spellplague, many ghosts were capable of emitting a moan that provoked a fear effect in living creatures. Telekinesis: Prior to the Spellplague, some ghosts were known to be capable of a form of telekinesis.
- Touch: Their most direct offensive ability was a sort of withering touch that imparted necrotic energy onto a target. Alternatively, some ghosts possessed a touch that would drain creatures of their life energy, much like a wraith.
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Like many types of undead, ghosts knew all languages that they had known in life.
Historical Figures
Notable Ghosts (Toril)
- Fastred, the ghost of an infamous bandit chieftain who haunted the Vast Swamp.
- Elena, an ancient elven ghost who was roaming the halls of Dwarven Dungeons under the ruins of Myth Drannor circa 1369 DR.
- Mirror, a paladin that manifested in the Sunrise Mountains in Thay.
- The White Lady, the spirit of Lac Dinneshere that brought individuals to their doom within its icy waters.
Common Myths and Legends
The Church of Myrkul believed that annually, unseen ghosts rose from the essences of all dead bodies on the Day of the Dead and then sought out their ancestors. They believed that these ghosts would then deliver a message or warning through some non-verbal means, or just simply observe.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Relationships
Some ghosts were willing to work with or for other creatures if they believed that doing so could help them achieve their desires. They were often seen in the company of flameskulls, larva mages, rot harbingers, and spectres. Besides mere creatures, some ghosts acted as servants of deities, such as Kiaransalee. The ghosts of diligent priests of Moradin were said to haunt certain trails, old abandoned delves, and mountain passes — in these places they would appear before lost dwarves or the allies of dwarves, especially during harsh weather, and guide them along a safe route to either their destination or some form of refuge.Sources
Source(s):
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Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Exnihilia, Inmortui, Exspiravit, Ghost
Origin/Ancestry
Undead (Incorporeal Ghost)
Conservation Status
Depends.
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
5E Statistics
Ghost
| Size | Medium |
| Type | Undead |
| Alignment | Anyl |
| Challenge Rating | 4 |
General Information
| Movement | Flying |
| Vision | Darkvision |
| Diet | None |
| Homeland(s) | The Fugue Plane, Prime Material Plane, and Shadowfell (Formerly: The Plane of Shadow) |
| Language(s) | Any languages it knew in life |
| Subraces | Witch light, Death's Candle |
| Favored Climate | Any |
| Favored Terrain | Any |
Session Reports
See Also: Ghost on Forgotten Realms Wiki