Ghoul (/ghūl/)
The Cannibalistic Dead
An emaciated, roughly humanoid creature with an almost-hairless mottled, decaying hide stretched tight over its bones. It has the sharp teeth of a carnivore and sunken eyes that burn as if they were hot coals.
Ghouls were undead humanoids who devoured the flesh of corpses. Ghouls roam the night in packs, driven by an insatiable hunger for humanoid flesh.
Devourers of Flesh. Like maggots or carrion beetles, ghouls thrive in places rank with decay and death. A ghoul haunts a place where it can gorge on dead flesh and decomposing organs. When it can't feed on the dead, it pursues living creatures and attempts to make corpses of them. Though they gain no nourishment from the corpses they devour, ghouls are driven by an unending hunger that compels them to consume. A ghoul's undead flesh never rots, and this monster can persist in a crypt or tomb for untold ages without feeding.
Abyssal Origins. Ghouls trace their origins to the Abyss. Doresain, the first of their kind, was an elf worshiper of Orcus. Turning against his own people, he feasted on humanoid flesh to honor the Demon Prince of Undeath. As a reward for his service, Orcus transformed Doresain into the first ghoul. Doresain served Orcus faithfully in the Abyss, creating ghouls from the demon lord's other servants until an incursion by Yeenoghu, the demonic Gnoll Lord, robbed Doresain of his abyssal domain. When Orcus would not intervene on his behalf, Doresain turned to the elf gods for salvation, and they took pity on him and helped him escape certain destruction. Since then, elves have been immune to the ghouls' paralytic touch.
Ghasts. Orcus sometimes infuses a ghoul with a stronger dose of abyssal energy, making a ghast. Whereas ghouls are little more than savage beasts, a ghast is cunning and can inspire a pack of ghouls to follow its commands.
“Endless hunger for the flesh of the living, never sated, no matter how much it consumes—that is the dismal unlife of a ghoul.”
Basic Information
Anatomy
An emaciated, roughly humanoid creature with an almost-hairless mottled, decaying hide stretched tight over its bones. It has the sharp teeth of a carnivore and sunken eyes that burn as if they were hot coals.
Description
A ghoul appeared as an emaciated, roughly humanoid creature with an almost-hairless mottled, decaying hide stretched tight over its bones. It had the sharp teeth of a carnivore and sunken eyes that burned as if they were hot coals.Variants
Aside from the standard ghoul, a number of other varieties existed:Abyssal ghoul
An extraplanar ghoul with fiendish characteristics that made them far more formidable.Flesh seeker
A subtype of ghoul arose from the bodies of Orcus worshipers in the period between the Spellplague and the Second Sundering..Ghast
A more powerful breed of ghoul, distinguished by its foul stench.Gravetouched ghoul
These ghouls were said to have been blessed by the King of Ghouls upon their return from the dead, and were thus more powerful than common ghouls. While standard ghouls lost all of their abilities from their previous life, gravetouched ghouls retained most of their former selves, albeit enhanced by the transformation into an undead creature.Lacedon
An aquatic breed of ghoul, powerful swimmers that lurked near reefs, waiting to prey on stranded vessels.Plaguechanged ghoul
A ghoul-like undead that had been killed and then animated by the energies of the Spellplague.Stench ghoul
An intelligent and horribly smelling subtype of ghoul that arose from the bodies of cannibalistic humanoids in the period between the Spellplague and the Second Sundering.Genetics and Reproduction
Creation
It was believed that a living man or woman who'd tasted the flesh of people would rise again as ghouls after they died. This was not proven, but it fitted their cannibalistic behavior. However, others believed that anyone who indulged in extreme debauchery and evil could become a ghoul after death. Whatever the truth, it was clear that any humanoid who was bitten by a ghoul, contracted ghoul fever, and died of it would inevitably rise as a ghoul themselves the following night, at midnight. Unless they were blessed or blessed and resurrected by a cleric before they could turn. The new-risen ghoul lost all the skills and powers it had in life. Their minds became warped, turning them feral yet cunning and hungry for living flesh, becoming in all ways like another ghoul. They were not bound to serve other ghouls, however. A more experienced or powerful victim would instead became a ghast.Ecology and Habitats
Favored climate: Any Climate
Favored terrain: Any Terrain
Homelands
Along with many other kinds of undead, ghouls were known to hunt within the Battle of Bones in the Western Heartlands by the mid–14 century DR. Ghouls also dwelled inside the House of Stone on the edge of the Ardeep Forest. Beyond the Prime Material plane, ghouls could be found in the Domains of Dread.Dietary Needs and Habits
Ghouls had a terrible hunger for carrion. They not only ate the dead, but also preyed on the living. They lurked in graveyards and on battlefields, wherever their foul food was plentiful and the air was thick with the smell of death.
Behaviour
Combat
Ghouls sought to ambush and surprise unwary victims wherever they could, usually hiding behind gravestones or in shallow graves they could swiftly burst out of. Once up close, they would slash at victims with their filthy claws and fangs.Additional Information
Social Structure
Ghouls hunted alone, in gangs of up to four, or packs of seven to twelve members.
Uses, Products & Exploitation
Harvesting
Instructions
Instructions: Because this creature is an Undead, the player should roll a Arcana Check using the DCs in the table below. On a success, the player is able to harvest the item. On a failure, the item cannot be harvested (either because the character is not skilled enough, or because the item is ruined). The DM should note that many of the items have an expiration, and can not be sold or used after the expiration has passed.
| DC | Item | Description | Value | Weight | Expiration | Crafting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Ghoul Claws (x2) | A ghoul's claws are covered in a numbing paralytic, which makes their claws useful. Harvesting the claws incorrectly can destroy the paralytic. Some alchemists, artificers and other spellcasters can use these claws in the craft. | 10 gp | 6 lb. | ∞ | Paralyzing Dust |
| 20 | Ghoul Skin | A ghoul's skin must be harvested with great care, as the decaying flesh does not hold together well. The flesh is used by alchemists and those that study undead. | 40 gp | 12 lb. | 7 days | Bag of Colding |
This kind of creature may carry some coins. This kind of creature may have a small hoard.
This creature produces 2-12 pieces of Harvested Meat, weight total of 8-48 lb. DC: 5, Expire: 1 day, Value: 4-24 sp The meat of an undead creature, if any still exists, is decayed, rotten and often riddled with disease. Eating the meat can cause serious illness, and even death. Dungeon Master's discretion.
Average Intelligence
Low (7)
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Abilities
Ghouls could paralyze their victims with a claw or bite wound, though elves were immune. Paralysis lasted at least a dozen seconds and up to half a minute. Like most types of undead, ghouls were immune to mind affecting spells, such as sleep. The bite of a ghoul also inflicted a terrible disease, ghoul fever, deteriorating health and agility within a day. Any who died from the illness rose as a ghoul at midnight.Civilization and Culture
Courtship Ideals
Relationships
Some ghouls acted as servants of the deity Kiaransalee.Major Language Groups and Dialects
Languages
Ghouls spoke whatever languages they'd known in life, typically Common.Sources
Source(s):
- Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 315–316. ISBN 978-0786965614.
- Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 274–275. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
- Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 265–267. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
- Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), pp. 373–374. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
- Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 103. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
- Ossian Studios (August 2019). Designed by Luke Scull. Neverwinter Nights: Tyrants of the Moonsea. Beamdog.
- R.A. Salvatore (October 1991). Canticle. (TSR, Inc.), chap. 17, p. 221. ISBN 1-5607-6119-9.
- Ossian Studios (June 2018). Neverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford. Beamdog.
- Christopher Perkins, Will Doyle, Steve Winter (September 19, 2017). Tomb of Annihilation. Edited by Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 240–241. ISBN 978-0-7869-6610-3.
- R.A. Salvatore (July 2012). Neverwinter. (Wizards of the Coast). ISBN 0-7869-6027-2.
- Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 309–310. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- Erik Scott de Bie (2011). Gates of Neverdeath. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 11.
- Richard Baker, Matt Forbeck, Sean K. Reynolds (May 2003). Unapproachable East. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 66–67. ISBN 0-7869-2881-6.
- James Wyatt, Rob Heinsoo (February 2001). Monster Compendium: Monsters of Faerûn. Edited by Duane Maxwell. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 85. ISBN 0-7869-1832-2.
- Andy Collins, James Wyatt, and Skip Williams (November 2003). Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 197–198. ISBN 0-7869-2884-0.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Scientific Name
Exnihilia, Inmortui, Animatum, Cadaverus (Rapax)
Origin/Ancestry
Undead (Corporeal Corpse| Mindless Ghoul)
Lifespan
Undead
Conservation Status
None. Most civilized nations outlaw such necromancy and request a "kill on sight" to all such undead.
Average Height
4'5" - 6'
Average Weight
120 - 200 lb.
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
5E Statistics
Ghoul
| Size | Medium |
| Type | Undead |
| Alignment | Chaotic Evil |
| Challenge Rating | 1 |
General Information
| Vision | Darkvision |
| Language(s) | Usually Common |
| Favored Climate | Any |
| Favored Terrain | Any |
Appearance
| Average Height | 6' |
| Average Weight | 200 lbs. |
| Distinctions | Paralysis |
See Also: Ghoul on Forgotten Realms Wiki