Homebrew Ghost (Balanced) Species Details

Not just evil and overpowered

Not every spirit seeks revenge and not every death means a deep heaviness of heart. Life as an echo among the living is a sharp-edged fate for many and a trigger of many a sorrow, but the free spirits and ever-curious explorers see the positive of their new life.

When you start your adventure, this is where your character's perspective on the condition counts. Is your character struggling with their condition, seeking resolution or redemption and pondering their life with a body, do they wanna find their origin and get revenge for their awakening or are they enjoying their permeable form and delighting in their role as poltergeist and prankster. 

Your death is an important component of you and is just as much a part of your character. For each spirit, the previous real life reverberates differently. Depending on the cruelty of the passing or the beauty of your life, the echo in the soul is different. Some tremble when the flashbacks of their tragedy catch up with them. Others enjoy their presence all the more for it. A few see this form as a chance to finally live. And still others lead the same life as before, only half transparent.

Community, reputation and danger

Most ghosts know about the dangerousness of their "relatives" and the skepticism with which earthly beings meet them. Therefore, most ghosts hide their shape and live like phantoms among the living or secluded in small communities deep in no man's land, where they live like boring little villages. Only the lack of any food supply might be noticed by attentive travelers, otherwise these communities are extremely peaceful and relaxed.

But every now and then, half life tears at the patience of individuals and the corruption of death grips at their humanity. At such moments, a spirit can lose all decency and resemble the monstrosities that humans so fear.
If this thirst for revenge lasts too long, a spirit can lose its connection to the last bit of soul and with it its existence as a spirit.
The life of ghosts can be extinguished by external means, but the ghost can also end its own existence. The final peace with death, the surrender to hate or simply the completion of the last task can finally let the soul rest. Not all spirits long for death, but all know about their balancing act between the inclination to life and their belonging to the grave.

 

Origins (roll a d6 or choose your way)

• 1: Servant

  • A powerful force brought you back to this world with a mission. Whether as servants, for a great adventure, a dark deed or as mere research. The connection still exists today and your master always has his hands in your spirit.

• 2: Free Servant

  • Your life began in bondage, but now you are free. Your connection has long been sly and you are a free spirit. At least it seems so...

• 3: One last Order

  • You just couldn't leave this world yet without getting it done. To see your true love once again, to deliver one last message, to complete one last task. Decide what has bound your spirit to this world. 

• 4: The clueless one

  • Sometimes life knows no reason but chaos. You have awakened with your old body and know neither the reasons nor the possibility. You decide whether you want to search for them or accept the chaos.

• 5: Malfunction

  • A wrong elixir, an aborted resurrection spell, a divine interference: you were stopped on your way back to real life. The procedure has dug deep into your optics and some aspects of you are almost corporeal again, others nebulous and ghostly.

• 6: Unlimited Power

  • No error, no chaos, no outside interference. Your spirit form is the pure product of your will and abilities. Whether together or with other powerful people, you have consciously left your physical form behind and chosen this form as the version of life.

 

 

Ghost (Balanced) Traits

Ghosts have the following traits.

Age & Creature Typ

A spirit in itself knows no death by aging, since they are eternally the physical state they were when they died. However, with time, its grip on half life may weaken. 

Your creature type is undead.

Ability Score Increase.

Increase one stat of your choice by 1 and another by 2.

Size and Alignment

When you create your ghost, choose a existing race from which you derive the most corporal traits. The ghost is a reflection of the soul, so you can take inspirations from their physical body, but also create the image of themselves they've always felt. 

Darkvision

Your eyes have seen the darkness of death, earthly darkness is no match for them. You have Darkvision up to 70ft.

Ghostly Body

Body Type

In the normal state, the spirit resembles its old body, but semitransparent and always surrounded by delicate veils of the beyond, which emerge from their bodies or circle around them. Optionally, the traces of the manner of death can also be seen (sword wounds, decapitations, burn scars).
As a bonus action, the veils can be suppressed and an apparent physicality can be simulated. In this state it is impossible to see through you with a fleeting glance, yet you always radiate a certain coldness and you quickly disappear from people's memory.
However, with a Wisdom check of 17, NPCs can see through this masquerade.
This form dissipates when you cast spells, attack, or use a feature of your ghost body.

Beneficial

• You know the "Chill Touch" Cantrip. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it.
• You have a flying speed of 30 ft., but can only hover up to 5 ft., which will use your bonus action. To fly higher, you need to wear no armor and/or weapons.
• Your unarmed strikes deal necrotic damage.
• You are resistent to slashing, bludgeoning, piercing and poison damage (from non-magical weapons) and against being poisoned.
• You can move through small objects, but for every 5ft. you move through thicker objects (walls, doors etc.) you have to make a charisma saving throw or take 1d4 force damage.
• You don't have to drink, eat or sleep - but you need to meditate 6h each day.
• While in visible Ghost Form you have advantage in Intimidation.

Disadvantageous

• You are weak to radiant damage.
• You cannot be healed by physical means (elixirs, herbs, bandages).
• You cannot step on hallowed ground or magically blessed areas without getting disadvantage to all your non-magical attacks.
• To carry weapons, armor and other earthly things you need a special concentration. This concentration does not use up your concentration for spells, but also needs to be checked in the same situations. If you fail, those belongings pass through you.
• While you act as a living being, you have disadvantage in Performance.