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.
If the ghost is still coming to terms with its death, it's appearance may 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.
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.
Ghost Traits
Ghost TraitsFloating
You can float no more than 5 feet off the ground
Before Death
You were living once. As such you gain ability score increases, speed, alignment and size of your form before death. However, as a ghost, you lose the traits that your race may have had when you were alive- for example, an Elf Ghost has none of the Elf race traits; just ability score increases. You still have a physical presence- meaning physical weapons affect you as they would for any other race.
Undead Nature
Your creature type is humanoid and undead. You do not require air, food, drink or sleep. You are immune to poison, being poisoned and diseases. Due to your lack of a physical body, you are immune to the state of exhaustion.
Ethereal Form
You may move through objects and creatures as if they were difficult terrain. Ending your turn in a square occupied by an object or creature causes you to be pushed to the nearest unoccupied square and take 1d10 force damage.
Possession
You gain the ability to possess a humanoid within 5 feet of you. The humanoid must succeed a Charisma saving throw or become possessed. You then disappear, and the target is incapacitated and loses control of its body. You now control the body but you can't deprive the possessed target of awareness. You can't be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that turn undead, and you retain your alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores. You otherwise use the possessed target's statistics but you don't gain access to the target's knowledge, class features, or proficiencies. The possession lasts until the body drops to 0 hit points, you end it as a bonus action, or you are turned or forced out by an effect like the dispel evil and good spell. When the possession ends, you reappear in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the body. The target is immune to your Possession for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving throw or after the possession ends. You regain use of this trait once you have completed a long rest.
Leaving The Material Plane
As a bonus action, you may step into the Ethereal Plane, becoming incorporeal. While incorporeal, you lose the ability to realize any physical actions, such as basic/weapon attacks, and you become resistant to non-magical damage from creatures in the material plane. As a bonus action, or if reduced to 0 hit points you re-enter the Material Plane.
Will To Remain
You have advantage in death saving throws. Being hit while you have 0 hit points does not result in failed saves unless the attack is magical.
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