Creature Templates: G

While it's best to create custom ghosts to fill an adventure's specific needs, you can also use the following guidelines to turn existing living creatures into ghosts.

First, increase the creature's level by 2 and change its statistics as follows.

• Increase AC, saves, Perception DCs, and skill modifiers by 2. Increase the most appropriate melee attack modifier by 4 to become ghostly hand (described below), and other attack modifiers by 2.
• A ghost has a Strength modifier of –5 and a Constitution modifier of +0.
• Do not modify the ghost's Hit Points due to its new level.

Darkvision

Site Bound A typical ghost can stray only a short distance from where it was killed or the place it haunts. A typical limit is 120 feet. Some ghosts are instead bound to a room, building, item, or creature that was special to it rather than a location.

Negative Healing

Rejuvenation (divine, necromancy) When a ghost is destroyed, it re-forms after 2d4 days within the location it's bound to, fully healed. A ghost can be permanently destroyed only if someone determines the reason for its existence and sets right whatever prevents the spirit from resting.

Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious

Resistances all damage 5 (except force, ghost touch, or positive; double resistance to non-magical). This resistance increases to 10 at 9th level and 15 at 16th level.

Fly Speed equal to its Speed

Ghostly Hand All ghosts have a ghostly hand unarmed attack that deals negative damage. It typically has the agile, finesse, and magical traits. Some ghosts wield ghostly memories of weapons they held in life, but the effect is the same.

Corrupting Gaze [>>] The ghost stares at a creature it can see within 30 feet. The target takes 1d6 negative damage + 1d6 per 2 levels with a basic Will save. A creature that fails its save is also stupefied 1 for 1 minute.

Draining Touch [>>] With a touch, the ghost attempts to drain a living creature's life force. It makes a ghostly hand Strike but deals no damage on a hit. Instead, the target becomes drained 1 for 1 day, and the ghost regains HP equal to half its own level.

Frightful Moan [>>] (auditory, divine, emotion, enchantment, fear, mental) The ghost laments its fate, forcing each living creature within 30 feet to attempt a Will save. On a failure, a creature becomes frightened 2 (or frightened 3 on a critical failure). On a success, a creature is temporarily immune to this ghost's frightful moan for 1 minute.

Inhabit Object [>] The ghost possesses an object of size Large or smaller within 20 feet, making it an animated object (pages 20–21). This animated object's level can be no higher than the ghost's level – 2. If the target object is being held by a creature, the bearer can attempt a Will save to prevent the possession. This possession ends when the object is destroyed or the ghost leaves it. At this point, the ghost reappears in the object's square and can't Inhabit an Object again for 1d4 rounds.

Malevolent Possession [>>] The ghost attempts to possess an adjacent corporeal creature. This has the same effect as the possession spell, except since the ghost doesn't have a physical body, it is unaffected by that restriction of the spell.

Telekinetic Assault [>>] (divine, evocation) The ghost cries out in pain and anguish as small objects and debris fly about in a 30-foot emanation. Creatures in this area take 1d6 bludgeoning damage + 1d6 per 2 levels, subject to a basic Reflex save.

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The ephemeral form of a ghostly creature lets it pass through solid objects and float in the air. For simplicity, a creature with these adjustments isn't truly incorporeal, nor does it necessarily return after being destroyed.

• Add the ghost, spirit, and undead traits.
• Add the Necril language.
• Add the following immunities: death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious.
• Add the following weaknesses, with a value based on the creature's level: force, ghost touch, positive.
• If the creature can't fly, change its highest Speed to a fly Speed. Remove all other Speeds.
• The damage of the creature's physical Strikes changes to negative damage, and those Strikes are magical.

• Add the following abilities.

Darkvision

Negative Healing

Ghostly Passage [>] The creature Flies and, during this movement, can pass through walls, creatures, and other material obstacles as though incorporeal. It must begin and end its movement outside of any physical obstacles, and passing through solid material is difficult terrain.

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You can turn a living creature into a ghoul by completing the following steps. When creating a ghast, double these numerical adjustments. The monsters in this section are built from the ground up, so their numbers don't match these guidelines exactly. Custom-building ghouls is recommended if you have time, using the special abilities listed here but creating the other statistics to match what you want the ghoul to be.

First, increase the creature's level by 1 and change its statistics as follows.

• Increase its AC, attack bonuses, DCs, saving throws, and skill modifiers by 1.
• Increase its damage with Strikes and other offensive abilities by 1. If the creature is limited in how often it can use an ability (such as a breath weapon), increase the damage by 2 instead.

Darkvision

Negative Healing

Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious

Claws If the creature had hands, it gains a claw Strike (an agile unarmed attack that deals slashing damage plus paralysis). If it had any agile attacks, the damage dealt by its claws should be roughly the same as the damage dealt by those attacks. If it had only non-agile attacks, its claws should deal three-quarters that damage.

Jaws If the creature had a mouth, it gains a jaws Strike (an unarmed attack that deals slashing damage plus ghoul fever and paralysis). The damage amount should be the same as the creature's non-agile attacks.

Consume Flesh [>] (manipulate) Requirements The ghoul is adjacent to the corpse of a creature that died within the last hour. Effect The ghoul devours a chunk of the corpse and regains 1d6 Hit Points plus 1d6 for every 2 levels it has. It can regain Hit Points from any given corpse only once.

Ghoul Fever Saving Throw Fortitude; Stage 1 carrier with no ill effect (1 day); Stage 2 2d6 negative damage and regains half as many Hit Points from all healing (1 day); Stage 3 as stage 2 (1 day); Stage 4 2d6 negative damage and gains no benefit from healing (1 day); Stage 5 as stage 4 (1 day); Stage 6 dead, and rises as a ghoul the next midnight

Paralysis (incapacitation, occult, necromancy) Any living, non-elf creature hit by a ghoul's attack must succeed at a Fortitude save or become paralyzed. It can attempt a new save at the end of each of its turns, and the DC cumulatively decreases by 1 on each such save.

Swift Leap [>] (move) The ghoul jumps up to half its Speed. This movement doesn't trigger reactions.

Stench (aura, olfactory) 10 feet A creature entering the aura or starting its turn in the aura must succeed at a Fortitude save (use a DC based on the monster's level) or become sickened 1 (plus slowed 1 as long as it's sickened on a critical failure). While within the aura, the creature takes a –2 circumstance penalty to saves against disease and to recover from the sickened condition. A creature that succeeds at its save is temporarily immune for 1 minute.

Claws and Jaws As ghoul, but apply ghast fever instead of ghoul fever.

Consume Flesh [>] As ghoul, but it regains 1d6 additional Hit Points.

Ghast Fever Saving Throw Fortitude; Stage 1 carrier with no ill effect (1 day); Stage 2 3d8 negative damage and regains half as many Hit Points from all healing (1 day); Stage 3 as stage 2 (1 day); Stage 4 3d8 negative damage and gains no benefit from healing (1 day); Stage 5 as stage 4 (1 day); Stage 6 dead, and rises as a ghast the next midnight

Paralysis (incapacitation, occult, necromancy) As ghoul, but elves are not immune.

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Ghoul creatures are typically hairless and gaunt with blue or purple skin and pointed ears.

• Add the ghoul and undead traits.
• Add the following immunities: death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, unconscious.
• Decrease all saving throw modifiers by 1.
• Add the paralysis ability to the creature's jaws, fangs, or similar unarmed attack. If the creature doesn't have one, add one with the same attack and damage as its strongest melee attack.

• Add the following abilities.

Darkvision

Negative Healing

Paralysis (occult, necromancy) When the creature gets a critical hit with its jaws against a living, non-elf foe of the creature's level or lower, the foe is paralyzed until the end of the foe's next turn.

Swift Leap [>] (move) The creature jumps up to half its Speed. This movement doesn't trigger reactions.

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Change the human trait to gnome.

• Add Gnomish and Sylvan to the NPC's languages.
• Add low-light vision.

Low-Light Vision

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Change the human trait to goblin.

• Add Goblin to the NPC's languages.
• Add darkvision.

Darkvision

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You can turn an existing, living creature into a graveknight by completing the following steps. It's best to build a graveknight from scratch, but if you don't have the time, simply apply the template. A creature should be at least level 5 before being converted to a graveknight.

Increase the creature's level by 1 and change its statistics as follows.

• Increase its attack rolls, AC, saving throws, Perception and skills by 1, its HP by 5, and its Strike damage by 1.

Darkvision

Negative Healing

Rejuvenation (divine, necromancy) When a graveknight is destroyed, its armor rebuilds its body over the course of 1d10 days—or more quickly if the armor is worn by a living host (see Graveknight Armor, in Lore). If the body is destroyed before then, the process restarts. A graveknight can only be permanently destroyed by obliterating its armor (such as with disintegrate), transporting it to the Positive Energy Plane, or throwing it into the heart of a volcano.

Immunities death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious, plus one energy type (the same chosen for ruinous weapons below).

Sacrilegious Aura (abjuration, aura, divine, evil) 30 feet. When a creature in the aura uses a positive spell or ability, the graveknight automatically attempts to counteract it, with the listed counteract modifier.

Devastating Blast [>>] (arcane, evocation) The graveknight unleashes a 30-foot cone of energy. Creatures in the area take 1d12 damage, plus an additional 1d12 damage for every two levels the graveknight has (basic Reflex save). The graveknight can use this ability once every 1d4 rounds. This energy damage is of the same type as that of its ruinous weapons (see below); Devastating Blast gains the associated energy trait.

Phantom Mount [>>>] (arcane, conjuration, summoned) The graveknight summons a supernatural mount as per phantom steed, heightened to a level equal to half the graveknight's level. Unlike phantom steed, the steed's AC and saving throw bonuses are all 4 lower than the graveknight's, and the steed has one-third the graveknight's Hit Points (rounded down). If the steed is destroyed, the graveknight must wait 1 hour before using this ability again.

Ruinous Weapons At the time of its creation, a graveknight chooses one of the following energy types that was relevant to its life or death: acid, cold, electricity, or fire. Any weapon the graveknight wields gains the effects of the caustic, frost, shock, or flaming weapon rune, respectively, in addition to a +1 striking weapon rune. If the graveknight is 14th level or higher, its weapons instead gain the effects of the greater versions of both of these runes.

Weapon Master The graveknight has access to the critical specialization effects of any weapons it wields.

Betrayed Revivification The graveknight died after being deeply betrayed. Instead of being immune to a type of energy damage, it is immune to mental damage, its weapons deal 1d6 additional mental damage, and its Devastating Blast deals mental damage with a Will saving throw instead of Reflex.

Create Grave Squire The graveknight can gift a piece of its armor to a willing ally, which becomes its grave squire. The graveknight can communicate telepathically with its squire at any distance, see through the squire's senses, and cast suggestion as a divine innate spell through the telepathic link at will; the squire treats its degree of success as one step worse. If the graveknight's main armor is destroyed, the squire's piece expands to cover the squire's body over 1d10 days, after which point it becomes the graveknight's new body. The graveknight can have only one squire at a time, and must recover the gifted piece of armor if it wishes to create a new squire.

Dark Deliverance The graveknight has positive resistance equal to its level.

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