Homebrew Ghost Species Details

Ghosts are flickering remnants of their past lives, appearing as they did before death, however they are now transparent and have a coloured tinge to them that drowns out all colour of their body. This tint varies in tone for multiple reasons, From pure white of those that died peacefully to red of those dying in a fire, blue if water was their ending or yellow if thunder.

Ghosts are very different from most of the undead: the difference to the lich is that they didn't ask for becoming undead, at least not directly. Mummies also have a mission to fulfill, but their corpse got conserved by some mean. Zombies lost their will and are forced to submit to other beings. Ghosts died and lost their body, but the will to fulfill their last pendant was so intense that death could not take their spirit: Ghosts are basically coming to terms with death and rejecting it, just to get a second chance.

Most ghost's appearance tends to reflect how it died. For example, a ghost that had drowned in a previous life may be dripping with glowing water droplets that disappear as soon as they hit the ground. A ghost that died in battle may still have the wounds it sustained in life- open and flowing with silver blood. A ghost that died while sleeping will keep its eyes closed, but will see perfectly.

Similarly, if the ghost instead is more transfixed by guilt or regret at its previous life it is instead wrapped in ethereal chains. This is because the image of a ghost is controlled by its own mental state and such transduction with death or regret manifests in its image on the Material Plane.

It is possible for ghosts to be completely free of regret or transfixed by its death, but it would mean that the only thing tying it to the Material Plane is the ghost's own willpower, which makes its bond to the Material Plane weaker than the other two types of ghosts. This ghosts tend to disappear soon after being formed.

Ghost Traits

Death is less permanent than you think.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2 and either Intelligence or Wisdom score increases by 1.

Age

A ghost can "live" for a very long time as they can remain on the Material Plane as long as their willpower allows them, though they usually pass on after they fulfill a goal they could not accomplish in life.

Size

Ghosts have no weight and are as tall as they were in life. Your size is usually Medium, although small ghosts are frequent.

Undead nature

You do not require air, food, drink or sleep. You have resistance to poison damage, bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from non magical weapons, being poisoned and diseases. You can't use armor of any kind, with your AC being 10 + your charisma modifier + your constitution modifier.
Ethereal Form. You can cast the spell etherealness once per long rest only on yourself, but you can't carry your equipment and your speed is reduced to 10 feet. It lasts 5 minutes and requires you to hold concentration at least once every 30 seconds. Ending your turn in a square occupied by an object or creature causes you to be pushed to the nearest unoccupied square and take 5d10 force damage. Your spellcasting ability to use this trait is Wisdom.

Languages

You can write, read and speak common and one other language of choice.

Armor

You can't use armor of any kind with your AC being 10 + your charisma modifier + your constitution modifier.

Speed

Your speed is 30 feet. You always hover 1 feet over the ground, but can't fly. If you end your turn more than 1 feet over the ground, you start falling.

Alignment

 Trying to complete the pendant goal they have, most ghosts have a lawful neutral alignement. Anyway, it is not unheard of Chaotic ghosts. Although ghosts tend to retain the moral alignement they had in life, it is not rare that some of them change alignement into good or evil, specially those with goals with extreme moral charge, like domination of nations, discovery of cures or important secrets; or vengeance