AC 11
HP 58 (13d8; bloodied 29)
Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft.
Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 11
Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder; damage from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed , fatigue , frightened , grappled , paralyzed , petrified , poisoned , prone , restrained
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages the languages it spoke in life
Ethereal Sight. The ghost can see into both the Material and Ethereal Plane.
Incorporeal. The ghost can move through creatures and objects. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Undead Nature. A ghost doesn’t require air, sustenance, or sleep.
Unquiet Spirit. If defeated in combat, the ghost returns in 24 hours. It can be put to rest permanently only by finding and casting remove curse on its remains or by resolving the unfinished business that keeps it from journeying to the afterlife.
ACTIONS
Withering Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (4d6 + 3) necrotic damage. If the target is frightened , it is magically aged 1d4 x 10 years. The aging effect can be reversed with a greater restoration spell.
Ethereal Jaunt. The ghost magically shifts from the Material Plane to the Ethereal Plane or vice versa. If it wishes, it can be visible to creatures on one plane while on the other.
Horrifying Visage. Each non-undead creature within 60 feet and on the same plane of existence that can see the ghost makes a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw . On a failure, a creature is frightened for 1 minute. A frightened creature repeats the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, it is immune to this ghost’s Horrifying Visage for 24 hours.
Possession (Recharge 6). One humanoid within 5 feet makes a DC 13 Charisma saving throw . On a failure, it is possessed by the ghost. The possessed creature is unconscious . The ghost enters the creature’s body and takes control of it. The ghost can be targeted only by effects that turn undead, and it retains its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. It grants its host body immunity to being charmed and frightened . It otherwise uses the possessed creature’s statistics and actions instead of its own. It doesn’t gain access to the creature’s memories but does gain access to proficiencies, nonmagical class features and traits, and nonmagical actions. It can't use limited-used abilities or class traits that require spending a resource. The possession ends after 24 hours, when the body drops to 0 hit points, when the ghost ends it as a bonus action, or when the ghost is turned or affected by dispel evil and good or a similar effect. Additionally, the possessed creature repeats its saving throw whenever it takes damage. When the possession ends, the ghost reappears in a space within 5 feet of the body. A creature is immune to this ghost’s Possession for 24 hours after succeeding on its saving throw or after the possession ends.
REACTIONS
Horrifying Visage. If the ghost takes damage from an attack or spell, it uses Horrifying Visage.
Combat
The ghost tries to possess a creature, not always with hostile intent. If it’s attacked while possessing a creature, it fights back with the possessed creature’s weapons. If it fails to possess a creature and is attacked, it uses its Horrifying Visage (as a reaction if possible) and then makes withering touch attacks against frightened enemies. If reduced to 40 hit points or fewer, it retreats to the Ethereal Plane.
Ghostly Unfinished Business
1 Bringing a living person to justice
2 Finding and properly burying the ghost’s remains
3 Exposing the crime of a historical person or clearing the ghost’s name
4 Passing on a message or item to a family member
5 Performing a duty the ghost failed to complete
6–8 The ghost is beyond reason and can’t be put to rest by completing its unfinished business
Legends and Lore
With an Arcana or Religion check, characters can learn the following:
DC 10 Ghosts are the spirits of humanoids who died under tragic circumstances. They can’t find rest until their unfinished business is resolved.
DC 15 Because ghosts have no physical bodies, mundane weapons can’t hurt them. Magic is the only way to reliably harm a ghost.
DC 20 Ghosts can enter and take control of a living person’s body. Divine magic can force a ghost to release its hold, and harming the possessed creature’s body can drive it out, as well.
VARIANTS: OTHER GHOST ABILITIES
Different ghosts have different abilities. You can give a ghost one or more of the actions below, in addition to its other actions.
Drain Heat. The ghost magically drains the heat from a 15-foot-radius area around it. Each creature in the area makes a DC 13 Constitution saving throw , taking 17 (5d6) cold damage on a failure or half damage on a success. A creature reduced to 0 hit points by this damage can’t regain hit points until the start of the ghost’s next turn.
Pyrokinesis. The ghost magically ignites up to three flammable, unattended, nonmagical objects it can see within 30 feet. Each creature within 5 feet of an object when it ignites makes a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw , taking 7 (2d6) fire damage on a failure or half damage on a success.
Spew Ectoplasm. The ghost vomits a spray of ectoplasm in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in the area makes a DC 13 Constitution saving throw . On a success, the creature is rattled until the end of its next turn. On a failure, the creature is poisoned for 1 minute. The creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Telekinetic Shove. The ghost targets one Large or smaller creature within 60 feet. The target makes a DC 13 Strength saving throw . On a failure, the ghost magically moves the target up to 30 feet in any direction, including upward. If the target strikes an object, such as a wall, it takes 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage and falls prone . If the target would strike another creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or take the same damage and be knocked prone.
A ghost is the soul of a deceased humanoid tied to a specific location, item, or creature, doomed to haunt them until their spirit is laid to rest. The focus of a ghost’s haunting is almost always something or someone that was significant to them in life.
Emotionally Bound. A ghost might be tied to the place where they lived or died, a ring from their betrothed, or the person who betrayed them. Whatever form it takes, the bond represents the ghost’s grief or anger regarding their death, and the ghost can’t find peace until those emotions are resolved. The ghost may need to see that their house is cared for, their beloved’s ring returned, or their killer brought to justice before they can move on. The ghost may not even be aware they are dead and might lash out at anyone who forces them to face the reality of their situation.
Haunting Presence. A ghost often unintentionally affects the area around the focus of their haunting. A ghost’s presence might manifest as disembodied weeping, walls that bleed, or objects moving about on their own.
Wilderness or Underground Behavior
1 Tries to silently lead you to its forgotten bones; attacks if you don't follow
2 Silently re-enacts the battle in which it died
3 Speaks to you as if you are someone it knew in life: attacks if you answer improperly
4 Is indistinguishable from a living mortal until it attacks
5 Appears and disappears several times before attacking
6 Stares at you with pain-filled eyes; speaks only while possessing a living body
Settlement Behavior
1 Standing in a deserted lane as if waiting for someone
2 Trying to sell seafood
3 Beheaded, riddled with arrows, or beset with plague
4 Always runs out the same door, screaming for help, and then disappears
5 Dressed like a bride or bridegroom
6 Attacks lone travelers at night
1 An unsettling feeling of sadness
2 The air here is ice cold
3 Mist obscures the ground
4 Minor apparitions: unexplained knocking sounds, things falling over, etc.
5 A scream or loud laughter
6 Nonmagical flames flicker and go out, and magical light dims
Ghosts can be found anywhere mortals have died.
CR 3–4 ghost
Treasure wedding ring or signet ring bearing a family crest (75 gp), personal letters
CR 5–10 vengeful ghost ; 2 ghosts ; ghost with banshee or wraith ; ghost with 1d6 shadows or specters
Treasure gold locket containing a portrait (250 gp), hilt of a broken shortsword (when wielded, a ghostly blade appears: it acts as a 1 shortsword that deals force damage instead of piercing damage)