Physical Death and Ghosts

with a different trait after being killed by a medusa.

A ghost’s trait should be chosen by the Dungeon Master to reflect something in the creature’s life or nature. Rarely is a ghost’s trait something repulsive to it or against its moral character. For example, a good cleric is not likely to gain a scent trait for rotting meat, and a teetotaler paladin is not likely to gain a thirst trait for strong wine.

PHYSICAL DEATH AND GHOSTS

In order to become a ghost, a creature must be of a type that has the right kind of soul (such as humanoid).

Otherwise, the creature must be under the effects of magic that prevents a dead creature’s soul from immediately entering the Veil of Souls (such as the ghost lock spell). Ten minutes after the creature dies—whether by age, disease, magic, or battle—its soul appears on the Ethereal Plane. The soul hovers on the Ethereal

Plane, and if the creature does not wish to remain as a ghost, it is carried off by the Ethereal Current, which takes it across the Veil of Souls into the True Afterlife.

If the creature chooses to remain on this side of the

Veil of Souls instead of passing on, it exists as an ethereal ghost, and the character immediately gains the ghost template (and if the ghost gains levels, these levels must be in the eidolon or eidoloncer class—see later in this chapter). A newly formed ethereal ghost has 1 hit point. It retains all of its normal abilities, but loses all prepared spells, unused spell slots, remaining daily uses of magical powers (such as wild shape), and so on. Ghosts in an ethereal state may move in any direction on the Ethereal Plane at their normal speed and are subject to all rules pertaining to ethereal creatures (they can be seen with see invisibility, they are subject to force effects, and so on). Ghosts and other creatures on the Ethereal Plane heal normally from rest and recover spells and special ability uses at the same rate as living characters, so some ghosts choose to wait there for a few days before returning to the Material Plane so they are not so vulnerable. Others seek out safe havens in the city, such as the Hall of Farewell (see Chapter 2: The City of Manifest), where ghosts may manifest without fear of attack.

If a new ghost still in its ethereal state wishes to return to the Material Plane, it may attempt a Wisdom check (DC 16) as soon as it appears on the Ethereal Plane, and every minute thereafter, until it succeeds. Once the creature succeeds, it is forced out of the Ethereal Plane and manifests as an incorporeal ghost on the Material Plane. Any spells or effects on the creature’s physical body or mind are not carried over to the manifested ghost. Long-term magic that affects a body, such as bestow curse, resumes its effects on the creature if it is ever raised from the dead.

Normally, a manifested ghost appears as it did when it died, complete with apparent wounds in its translucent body (see the Faces of Death sidebar). These wounds cause the ghost no discomfort but cannot be

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THE ETHEREAL CURRENT

The Ethereal Plane is not a static, quiet place. The soul of any person who dies first appears as a ghost on the Ethereal Plane, so the place is constantly moving with spirits (both the ghosts of intelligent humanoids and the souls of other types of creatures) on their way to the True Afterlife. Most make this journey with the help of the Ethereal Current, a supernatural force that pushes ghosts toward the Veil of Souls. Likened by some to a strong wind or a powerful water current, the Ethereal Current allows ghosts to travel hundreds of miles in a second, but only in the direction of the Veil of Souls. This allows ghosts to reach the True Afterlife without being preyed upon by ethereal monsters. The Ethereal Current is omnipresent on the Ethereal Plane, and by default begins carrying ghosts toward the True Afterlife as soon as they appear on the Ethereal Plane. What separates intelligent humanoids—who can choose to remain in the Ethereal Plane as ghosts—from other creatures is the ability to resist the Ethereal Current.

Some people who wish to become ghosts but who die far from the Veil of Souls choose to be conveyed toward the Veil (and Manifest) by the Ethereal Current, rather than immediately manifesting on the Material Plane. It is the most rapid method of reaching the city (and it avoids predators indigenous to the Ethereal Plane), but it does have risk. Ethereal ghosts ride the Current until they are just short of the Veil itself, then try to “jump out” at the last moment. This requires a Wisdom check (DC 10). Success means the ghost is free of the Ethereal Current and is on the Ethereal Plane in some random place within the Manifest Ward, and it can manifest on the Material Plane in the normal fashion (as if it had just died). Failure means the ghost misjudged the strength of the current and is pushed into the True Afterlife.

CREATING A GHOST ABOVE 1ST LEVEL

When creating a ghost character of higher than 1st level, assume the ghost has a disturbing appearance. Only in unusual circumstances does an adventurer character die in such a manner as to warrant a normal appearance, and a player who wants to run such a character should have a very good explanation for those circumstances. Players may choose an appearance category that is worse than disturbing, of course.

THE DEATH OF ELVES

Rather than passing to the True Afterlife, elves (including halfelves) who die and choose not to become ghosts join with one of the spirit trees that encircle the city of Manifest. The elf is drawn to a tree of similar alignment and becomes a part of the tree’s entourage of resting souls. In all other respects, an elf who has passed on is the same as any other creature; bringing an elf back from the dead is no more difficult than reviving a dead human. More information on spirit trees, their abilities, and their guardians can be found in Chapter 5: Monsters. pqqqqrs