Armor Class
12
Hit Points
22
(5d8)
Speed
30 ft.
STR
13
(+1)
DEX
15
(+2)
CON
10
(+0)
INT
7
(-2)
WIS
10
(+0)
CHA
6
(-2)
Damage Immunities
Poison
Condition Immunities
Charmed, Exhaustion, Poisoned
Senses
Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10
Languages
Common
Challenge
1 (200 XP)
Proficiency Bonus
+2
Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (2d6 + 2) piercing damage.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) slashing damage. If the target is a creature other than an elf or undead, it must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
Description
With their razor-sharp teeth and jagged claws, ghouls roam the night in packs, driven by an insatiable hunger for humanoid flesh.
Describe the following to your players to provide better immersion - (show, don't tell during their first encounter):
This foul medium creature appears more or less humanoid; but has mottled, decaying flesh drawn tight across clearly visible bones. It is mostly hairless, has a carnivore’s sharp teeth and jagged claws. Its eyes burn like hot coals in their sunken sockets.
In addition, you might want to allow them an Intelligence - Religion check to know the following (accumulated - a roll of 25 or above would know all):
DC5 (very easy): attacks with a bite or a claw
DC10 (easy): its claw attack can cause paralyzation
DC15 (medium): does not have any damage resistances nor damage vulnerabilities
DC20 (hard): attacking the creature with poison has no effect
DC25 (very hard): immune to being charmed, exhaustion, and poisoned - additionally that it has darkvision out to 60'
Why are elves immune to its paralysis?
I think in D&D lore, the first ghoul is or was a elf. (Lord Doresain or something like that)
one on one a ghoul will get claped by the players but in a swarm of ghouls the players will get claped
Tradition, mostly.
It literally says why in the description...
As tempting as it is throw a lot of these guys at my level 9 party, the DC 10 con save while not a hard save at all...if you have 4-6 ghouls forcing you to make it every round it only takes a few bad rolls...
Half-elves don't get the immunity, correct? It's a strictly mythical and supernatural perk, so that makes sense to me.
I would think they would lose that perk since they are half elf and half something else
Hello internet, help me
Do ghouls need to breathe air to survive?
Ghouls are classified as undead the description for undead creatures in the monsters manual "Undead nature: The undead to not require air, food, drink, or sleep."
I know but Ghouls and Ghasts are the only undead creatures that do not have this in description...
I like ghouls. They are simple enough to just be “fast zombies” if that’s what you want them for, but the Orcus association leaves the door open to some interesting occult uses.
They are as likely to be created by a necromancer or cult ritual, as to rise “spontaneously” from the taint of some gluttony, cannibalism, or the Abyss.
The really important this to remember about ghouls (as with skeletons) is that they are technically sentient, in fact about as smart as orcs.
How much does ghoul blood sell for?
No idea, but it sounds like an alchemical component, so I’d make it a multiple of alchemist’s supplies.
An alchemist or necromancer might pay 1d4 * 50 GP for a gallon of it (roughly the amount in a medium sized ghoul). Anyone else regards it as worthless, and possibly disgusting.
in D&D lore, the god of the ghouls owes the elven gods a debt
it's not proficient with its bite? or isn't adding its DEX bonus to hit but is to damage? would it not be a STR attack making it +3 to hit and +1 to damage?
You were correct the first time, they are not proficient in their own bite attack. It’s a quirk of Ghouls and Ghasts, and an exception to the rule that creatures are proficient in their own natural attacks. (Sage Advice addressed the issue).
The common races (humans, dwarves etc) are just not built for biting. Even with sharp teeth and exaggerated jaws, lunging in face first is an awkward motion. Even a vampire has problems with it’s bite attack. Although it does get its proficiency bonus, it can only target creatures it has already charmed or grappled.
Cool
Just a quick addition to this post, the difference in attack rolls is to encourage DMs to attack with ghouls as they traditionally would.
A ghoul should attack with its claws as base, until it manages to paralyze a foe. From there, it has advantage on attack rolls, and attacks within 5 feet are automatically critical hits. This means that a ghoul can use its bite more effectively, with the advantage helping to mitigate the poor attack bonus, and the increased damage multiplying dramatically, since it will be a critical hit automatically. Basically:
Claws to incapacitate targets, Bite to finish them off. Hope that helps :)