Racked Spirit

A racked spirit appears exactly as it did at death, only faintly see-through, since part of it remains on the Ethereal Plane. Any race can produce one, but the most common are dwarven banshees, born when a dwarf abandons the purpose that defined its life.

These spirits seek out happy people and wreck their lives with a string of 'bad luck.' Then they appear to the ruined victim offering help in return for a service, always one that betrays the victim's deepest convictions. Refusal brings the spirit down on them to drain their life. Accepting and acting against their own beliefs turns them into full racked spirits when they die.

Its chilling touch deals 1d6, even to creatures immune to cold, and drains one energy level. The chill damage heals normally, but lost experience must be earned anew or restored with restoration. A victim drained of all levels becomes a lesser spirit at half its former level, without psionics, enslaved to the racked spirit that killed it, and freed only when that spirit is destroyed.

Psionically it wields mind link and psionic blast, contact, ego whip, mind thrust, id insinuation, inflict pain, false sensory input, repugnance, empathy, telepathic projection, truthear and life detection, plus telekinesis with molecular manipulation and soften, and aura sight.

Only +1 or better magic weapons, creatures of 5 or more Hit Dice, or beings with magical abilities can harm it. It ignores sleep, charm, hold, cold spells, poison and paralysis. Holy water burns it for 2d4, and raise dead destroys it if it fails a save vs. spell.

Racked spirits wander freely wherever they wish and never keep company with one another.

As with most undead, they play no role in the natural world.