Hello there! I’m having trouble deciding if I want to use a plain ghost, a specter, or a poltergiest in a dungeon. Here’s a general overview:
The group will come upon a crumbling castle in search of clues as part of the campaign. They would come into the throne room and see a skeleton dutifully wearing a crown, and a ghost (specter/poltergiest/etc) would appear and welcome the to relax and feast. This being said, it’s apparent the king doesn’t really know he’s dead, and is stuck in a loop.
Ultimately, the ghost king would be fairly neutral until a choice is made by the players, one of two ways. If the players accept, the hall would come alive with many other ghost, who seem to be stuck in the loop too, acting as they’re feasting at the tables, or aimlessly milling about.
Or, a player attacks, and combat starts with two stone golems who are masquerading as statues come to life as well as fighting an angry ghost.
I’m not sure what level I’ll be starting the campaign at, and this dungeon is a little further down the line. Suggestions?
I would decide on the fly when I get there. If it's not happening that session put a place holder in and decide when you get to that session. use tools like donjons to calculate encounter difficulty etc... Make it challenging as you feel is warranted.
For spirits that are "stuck in the loop", a normal ghost would be best I believe. However, should combat start and the ghost turn hostile, you could easily make them into a specter and have them remain so until the characters are dead or he can calm down and return to the loop, turning back into a ghost. Maybe many of the ghosts are that way, but maybe those that died in particularly horrific ways are simply specters through and through (the ghostly staff doesn't acknowledge the specters as monsters beyond mentioning that so and so won't come from their quarters due to illness or something like that). There's so many ways this can go that it depends more on the tone you're trying to set than the mechanics of any of these monsters. Go with what helps the mood of the session. Are they clearing the ghosts out, looking for treasure, trying to uncover the castle's past and secrets? Are you going for adventure or horror? Decisions based on that will get you far.
If attacked I would do both. But this sounds great. Maybe use a ghost and put powers of the other two into that one. Since he would be a custom monster.
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Hello there! I’m having trouble deciding if I want to use a plain ghost, a specter, or a poltergiest in a dungeon. Here’s a general overview:
The group will come upon a crumbling castle in search of clues as part of the campaign. They would come into the throne room and see a skeleton dutifully wearing a crown, and a ghost (specter/poltergiest/etc) would appear and welcome the to relax and feast. This being said, it’s apparent the king doesn’t really know he’s dead, and is stuck in a loop.
Ultimately, the ghost king would be fairly neutral until a choice is made by the players, one of two ways. If the players accept, the hall would come alive with many other ghost, who seem to be stuck in the loop too, acting as they’re feasting at the tables, or aimlessly milling about.
Or, a player attacks, and combat starts with two stone golems who are masquerading as statues come to life as well as fighting an angry ghost.
I’m not sure what level I’ll be starting the campaign at, and this dungeon is a little further down the line. Suggestions?
I would decide on the fly when I get there. If it's not happening that session put a place holder in and decide when you get to that session. use tools like donjons to calculate encounter difficulty etc... Make it challenging as you feel is warranted.
https://donjon.bin.sh/5e/calc/enc_size.html
For spirits that are "stuck in the loop", a normal ghost would be best I believe. However, should combat start and the ghost turn hostile, you could easily make them into a specter and have them remain so until the characters are dead or he can calm down and return to the loop, turning back into a ghost. Maybe many of the ghosts are that way, but maybe those that died in particularly horrific ways are simply specters through and through (the ghostly staff doesn't acknowledge the specters as monsters beyond mentioning that so and so won't come from their quarters due to illness or something like that). There's so many ways this can go that it depends more on the tone you're trying to set than the mechanics of any of these monsters. Go with what helps the mood of the session. Are they clearing the ghosts out, looking for treasure, trying to uncover the castle's past and secrets? Are you going for adventure or horror? Decisions based on that will get you far.
#OpenDnD. #DnDBegone
If attacked I would do both. But this sounds great. Maybe use a ghost and put powers of the other two into that one. Since he would be a custom monster.