Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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Hello, I have been searching for some kind of definitive take on this, but I'm not finding clarity in discussion. Can "spectral" or "incorporeal" creatures pick up/manipulate objects or use physical weapons? For example, could a group of specters haunting an old fort still equipped with siege weapons use them to attack approaching creatures? Without any explicit statements in the rules texts, I'm guessing it's the DM's call ... "Incorporeal" is only used to describe that movement trait rather than dictate anything else about how the creature operates. Thanks! T
They absolutely can. The trait says that they "can move through other creatures and objects". It's is their choice to move through things.
As an example of this exact thing, the Poltergeist has an attack right in their stat block called "Object Slam" that deals bludgeoning damage.
Personally, I would say no from a flavor standpoint, even though the rules don't prohibit it. The idea of these creatures is that they are not corporal, and them picking up objects kind of shatters that idea.
And yet you can hit them with pieces of wood/metal enough times and kill/disperse/destroy/whatever them.
Generally the rules describe how something deviates from what you can expect. So if a create deviates from the expected need to breath, a stat block will cover that. If it has the additional ability of flight that deviates from the expectation of not being able to fly, it states that.
If a creature was unable to interact with the physical world, something you'd expect it to normally be able to do, the creature would have a feature stating as such.
Note, this is not a "the rules don't say I can't" explanation
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I don't see why not since one of their schtick is often to manipulate or knock objects to frighten others... 😋
Indeed, in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, there are a couple of Specters.
Careful! The following text is related to that adventure:
According to that adventure, they can smash plates, break beer barrels, pull out a chair, take coats when folks come in from the rain, lock doors, etc.