Ladies in White

Basic Information

Anatomy

Ladies in White possess translucent, ghostly forms that are shrouded in flowing, tattered white garments. Their appearance can subtly shift with emotions, darkening in moments of intensity or softening in times of benevolence. They are incorporeal, allowing them to pass through solid objects and turn invisible at will. If visible, their eyes emit an otherworldly glow, capable of conveying a wide range of emotions, and they can manifest and disappear at will, leaving behind an air of melancholy or uncertainty.

Genetics and Reproduction

When a woman meets a terrible, tragic end, often through murder or betrayal by loved ones, their lingering sorrow and anguish can give rise to a Lady in White. Additionally, their touch can inflict great sorrow on their victims and drain their life force. If a female dies to this touch, their soul manifests as a Lady in White.

Ecology and Habitats

Ladies in White are typically found in the locations where they met their tragic ends. These include settings like abandoned buildings, dark alleyways, old estates, or natural spots like forests and riversides. These locations are often dark and eerie, with a melancholic atmosphere that suits the spirits' haunting nature.
In these places of habitation, Ladies in White interact with their surroundings in significant ways. They leave haunting residues, manifesting as ghostly apparitions, residual emotions, or echoes of their past experiences. They can provide memories and clues about their tragic deaths. Furthermore, the spirits themselves often appear at these sites, seeking to communicate, reveal truths, or relive their tragic moments, leading to interactions that range from peaceful and sorrowful to deceptive and menacing. The environments tied to Ladies in White can also undergo transformations, becoming haunted or cursed.

Behaviour

Ladies in White do not typically exhibit social behaviors toward others of their kind, as their creation is unique to the circumstances of their tragic deaths. However, they may share a mutual understanding or empathy with other spectral entities who have similar origins, possibly collaborating to achieve shared goals, seek justice, or unravel mysteries.
Ladies in White may respond to perceived threats or entities seeking to harm them with a range of behaviors. These behaviors can vary from avoidance and evasion to employing their supernatural abilities to defend themselves. Some Ladies in White may also harbor malevolent intentions, using their powers to retaliate against those who threaten them.
Ladies in White's interactions with living beings are multifaceted and context-dependent. They may seek to communicate their sorrow or reveal the truth about their deaths, often with the intention of involving the living in quests for justice or redemption. Alternatively, some may use deception or malevolence to drain the life force of living beings, leading to dire consequences for their prey.

Additional Information

Average Intelligence

Ladies in White are not bound by the constraints of physical biology, and their intelligence can range from human-level intelligence, reflecting their past life experiences, to supernatural or otherworldly intelligence.
Their intelligence often plays a significant role in their interactions with other creatures and the unfolding of their stories. Some Ladies in White may use their intelligence to communicate complex emotions and information, while others may employ cunning and strategy if their motivations are more malevolent.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Their spectral perception allows them to see the spirit world and supernatural phenomena, detect other spirits, and perceive magical auras and invisible entities. They possess heightened emotional empathy, enabling them to sense and understand the inner emotions of living beings, influencing their interactions and decisions.
Additionally, Ladies in White have the power to tap into residual memories and emotions tied to their tragic pasts, offering insights and clues to those who seek to uncover their stories. Their keen spectral awareness allows them to detect the presence of otherworldly beings, identify magical disturbances, and sense spiritual anomalies, making them valuable sources of information in the realm of the paranormal.

Civilization and Culture

Common Dress Code

They are typically adorned in flowing, tattered white garments that appear as if suspended in an otherworldly breeze. These ethereal white garments are an integral part of their haunting and mournful aura, billowing and floating around them as they move.

Common Taboos

When encountering a Lady in White, people should approach with respect and empathy, seeking her consent before attempting to communicate. Those communicating should show considerable active empathy, avoid aggression, and consider honoring her requests while also making thoughtful moral decisions. Given the potential for deception, caution and discernment are advised to uncover the truth behind their appearances.

Common Myths and Legends

The Mourning of Eldertown

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Specters

Scientific Name

Kingdom: Mortisanimus
Phylum: Phantasmagoria
Class: Melancholia
Order: Lamentales
Family: Spectralidae
Genus: Mournicus
Species: Tragica

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

The forms that Ladies in White take are ethereal and translucent. Their spectral appearances exhibit variations in translucency and luminosity based on their emotional state. In moments of heightened emotion or malevolence, their forms may darken or become more pronounced, while in moments of serenity or benevolence, they might appear softer and more subdued.

Related Myths

• Myth of the Newmonts
• The Mourning of Eldertown

This creature follows harvesting rules. Creature specific harvesting can be found here.

Homebrew

Lady in White CR: 2

Medium undead, any alignment

Armor Class: 12

Hit Points: 49 11d8

Speed: 0 ft , fly: 30 ft

STR

6 -2

DEX

14 +2

CON

10 +0

INT

10 +0

WIS

10 +0

CHA

18 +4

Skills: Performance +6

Damage Resistances: Acid, Fire, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks

Damage Immunities: Cold, Necrotic, Poison

Condition Immunities: Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10

Languages: Only languages it knew in life

Challenge Rating: 2 ( 450 XP)

Proficiency Bonus: +2

Incorporeal Movement. The lady in white can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 1d10 force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Actions

Grasp. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 1d4+2 necrotic damage, and, if the target is a Large or smaller humanoid, the lady in white attaches to it. The lady in white attaches to the target’s back, where it is unable to see the lady in white. The lady in white can detach itself by spending 5 feet of its movement. A creature, other than the target, can take its action to detach the lady in white by succeeding on a DC 14 Strength check.
Inflict Sorrow. The lady in white makes one grasp attack against the target to which it is attached. If the attack hits, the target’s Charisma score is reduced by 1d4 . The target dies if this reduces its Charisma to 0. Otherwise, the reduction lasts until the target finishes a short or long rest. If a female humanoid dies from this attack, a new lady in white rises from the corpse 1d4 hours later.
Invisibility. The lady in white turns invisible until it attacks, or until its concentration ends (as if concentrating on a spell).
Corpse Revealed. The lady in white does away with her living disguise and reveals her undead state. Each non-undead creature within 50 feet of the lady that can see her must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a target’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the target is immune to the lady’s Corpse Revealed for the next 24 hours.

Tragic Apparitions. The spirit of a woman who met a terrible, tragic end, often through murder at the hands of loved ones, a lady in white wanders near the place where she died.
Unpredictable Encounters. Encounters with ladies in white vary markedly. The only consistent details are the general appearance of the ladies—that they seem to be living women when first encountered—and the fact that they rarely appear in front of more than a few people at once. Though the ladies in white often appear confused or lost, some do so to deceive and lead people into danger. Some will change their appearance suddenly, revealing the injuries from which they died and frightening people into the path of some hazard.
Signs of the Past. Some ladies in white do no more than ask for directions or an escort home, disappearing along the route. Their sudden departure is usually accompanied by a scream at the location where their lives came to an end, but they otherwise cause their escorts no harm. The most frightening and well-known encounters with ladies in white are when their appearances reveal the ones who killed them.
Undead Nature. The lady in white doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.