Incomplete Presence on the Material Plane. The wraith can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. The inside of a body or object is generally dark, so they may use this to escape the powerlessness inflicted by daylight.
- They can only make their attack once per minute
- They can only be attacked by a given person once per minute
- although they move and fly freely.
Sunlight Weakness. They are found only in dark and gloomy places, for they have no power in full sunlight.
If somehow trapped in daylight they can most certainly be permanently slain.
Negative Planar Entity. They exist more strongly on the negative material plane than this one, and that intense absence in the material plane that holds them Here gives them numerous defenses:
- Immune to non-treated weaponry
- Immune to the following things that impair a physical body:
Poison and Cold damage, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Paralyzed, Exhaustion, and being knocked Unconscious. - While in theory one might Grapple what's left of its existence, do you really want to touch it?
- Immune to the following magics: Sleep, Charm and the Charmed condition, Hold (person/monster), or Cold based spells.
- With so little mind tied to this plane they Resist Psychic damage.
- Resist damage by silvered weapons
- They take Full damage from magical weapons
- If ever someone with a Raise Dead or similar spell uses that sort of positive energy against them, they will be utterly destroyed as the rift allowing their existence in the mortal plane is healed.
- If subjected to what would provoke Dying it becomes simply Dead.
Draining Life Energy. A wraith's corrupting touch has the ability to drain life energy in the form of memories and experience. The victim can feel power, health, and knowledge slip from their body into the negative plane.
They must roll one of their own hit dice and immediately lose that many hit points + their CON modifier.
They also immediately lose any class abilities tied to the current level that has been lost, and may lose 1 point of their proficiency bonus if the slipping memories (level tier) applied that. Roll percentile dice for how far along in the previous experience level their XP is now set to; they will need to relearn their skills.
Chilling Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 4 (1d6) cold damage plus see Draining Life Energy in the traits.
Description
There is no way to know if the wraith gains anything from its attack, for none who may have heard the voice of one has survived to tell. Rumors persist of wizards who held off a pack of 2-12 of them, or paladins who took holy blade to ruin one, but surely such are bardic tales.
Nor is anything known about what allows the negative plane to leak through in such a manner, much less how it keeps enough awareness to continue its hunt. Priests who study the undead believe the wraith was a victim itself - a survivor near some planar breach, and might be hunting for its own memories, an impossible task.
Nonetheless what is known is that they are drawn to vivid life - likely to strike the most experienced member of any band unlucky enough to find them, and these spirits have enough experience to flee into the mists or ground if confronted with something that could slay them.
If successfully destroyed or chased away from a place it has been haunting, such a Wraith has a considerable chance (1 in 4) of having left behind the ruint bodies of less skilled or lucky adventurers.
Such are skewed toward the sorts of things adventurers would keep - gold or electrum favored over silver or especially copper, but a strong chance of some gems or jewelry or expensive but small trade-goods. While there is some possibility of a few magic items, there is no likelihood of there being any magic weapons - or else these of the past would have survived their encounter.
Illustration by Donald C. Sutherland III for Monster Manual, AD&D original edition
Comments