Spectre

People often take a spectre for a ghost or haunt, since its form is faint and see-through. Unlike most undead it keeps its old face and the clothes it wore, so friends from its former life, or anyone holding a portrait of it, can still recognize who it was.

Spectres dwell mainly on the Negative Material Plane, so creatures of the Prime Material Plane can harm them only with magical weapons. Sunlight weakens that link to the negative plane and leaves a spectre powerless.

Its icy touch deals 1-8 damage and strips away two levels. Anyone whose life energy is drained away completely rises as a full-strength spectre, enslaved to the one that killed it. The victim's personality is lost entirely, and the new spectre may end up stronger or weaker than the person was, depending on former class and level.

Cold-based spells, hold, charm and sleep have no effect, nor do poisons or paralyzation. A splash of holy water burns it for 2-8 damage. A raise dead spell seems to undo its undeath: the spectre must save vs. spell or be destroyed at once.

Most spectres are loners. Occasionally a strong or lucky one drains enough mortals to gather a band. This leader, the master spectre, always has maximum hit points per die; the rest are its followers. The master rarely fights in person and sends the others to make the kill. Anyone slain by a follower also serves the master, not the follower. If the master is destroyed, every follower is freed to roam and try to become a master itself.

Both light and life remind spectres of what they lost, and they hate both. They lurk only in the darkest, most forsaken places: ruins abandoned for ages, dungeons, sewers deep below cities. Despite folklore, undeath does not dull their minds. They stay clever and rational, plan their attacks, resent everyone who can still live and truly die, and are as good as vampires at hiding from ordinary folk. A character turned into a spectre can almost never be restored; doing so requires a special quest.

The origin of the first spectre is a mystery. Beyond the facts above, nothing about them is known with confidence.