Ghost

'Ghosts are the spirits of humans who were either so greatly evil in life or whose deaths were so unusually emotional they have been cursed with the gift of undead status. Thus, they roam about at night or in places of darkness. These spirits hate goodness and life, hungering to draw the living essences from the living.

As ghosts are non-corporeal (ethereal), they are usually encountered only by creatures in a like state, although they can be seen by non-ethereal creatures. The supernatural power of a ghost is such, however, that the mere sight of one causes any lesser humanoid being to age and flee in panic.

In most cases, a ghost is confined to a small physical area, which the ghost haunts. Those who have heard stories of a haunted area can thus attempt to avoid it for their own safety. In rare circumstances, more than one ghost will haunt the same location, such as the haunted ship -- a vessel lost at sea, now ethereal and crewed entirely by ghosts.

A ghost often has a specific purpose in its haunting, sometimes trying to "get even" for something that happened during the ghost's life. The ghost, in its resentment toward all life, becomes an evil creature intent on destruction and suffering.

Another common reason for an individual to become a ghost is the denial of a proper burial. A ghost might inhabit the area near its body, waiting for a passerby to promise to bury the remains. In such cases, a ghost may be overcome by those who might be no match for it in combat simply by setting right whatever events led to the attainment of the ghost's undead status.

Any creatures within 60 yards of a ghost is subject to attack by magic jar. If the ghost fails to magic jar its chosen victim, it will then semi-materialize in order to attack by touch. Such strikes will also age an opponent. If the ghost fails to become semi-material it can only be combated by another in the Ethereal Plane. Any human or demi-human killed by a ghost is drained of its life essence and is forever dead.

Note: Ghosts originally appeared in this form in the 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual for the AD&D game from TSR. Their use here is for the purposes of providing context for the campaign only.