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Documentation Area

Document Path: /doc/monsters/ghost

Name:
	Ghost  (Undead Creature)

Stats:
	No. Appearing  : 1
	Climate/Terrain: Any
	Frequency      : Very rare
	Organization   : Solitary
	Activity Cycle : Night
	Diet           : None

Description:
	Ghosts are the spirits of humans who were either so greatly evil in
	life or whose deaths were so unusally emotional they have been cursed
	with the gift of undead status. Thus, they roam about at night or in
	places of darkness. These spirits hate goodness and life, hungering to
	draw the living essences from the living.

Combat:
	As ghosts are non-corporeal (etheral), they are usually encountered
	only by creatures in a like state, although they can be seen by non-
	ethereal creatures. The supernatural power of a ghost is such, however,
	that the mere sight of one is likely to causes any humanoid being to
	age 10 years and flee in panic for 2-12 turns. Priests above 6th level
	are immune to this effect and all other humanoids above 8th level are
	relatively secure from acting like this.

	Any creature within 60 yards of a ghost is subject to attack by a magic
	jar. If the ghost fails to magic jar its chosen victim, it will then
	semi-materialize in order to attack by touch. Semi-materialized ghosts
	can be struck only by silver (half damage) or magical weapons (full
	damage). If they strike an opponent it ages him 10-40 years. Note that
	ghosts can be attacked with spells only by creatures who are in an
	ethereal state. Any human or demi-human killed by a ghost is drained of
	its life essence and is forever dead.

	If the ghost fails to become semi-material it can only be combatted by
	another in the ethereal plance. Ghosts can be turned by clerics after
	reaching 7th le-vel and can be damaged by holy water in their semi-ma-
	terial form.

Habitat/Society:
	In most cases, a ghost is confined to a small physical area, which the
	ghost haunts. Those who have heard stories of a haunted area can thus
	attempt to avoid it for their own safety.

	A ghost often has a specific purpose in its haunting, sometimes trying
	to 'get even' for something that happened during the ghost's life. Thus
	a woman who was jilted by a lover, and then committed suicide, might
	become a ghost and haunt the couple's secret trysting place. Similarly,
	a man who failed at business might appear each night at his storefront
	or, perhaps, at that of a former competitor.

	Another common reason for an individual to become a ghost is the denial
	of proper burial. A ghost might inhabit the area near its body, waiting
	for a passerby to promise to bury the remains. The ghost, in its re-
	sentment toward all life, becomes an evil creature intent on destruc-
	tion and suffering.

	In rare circumstances, more than one ghost will haunt the same loca-
	tion. The classic example of this is the haunted ship, a vessel, lost
	at sea, now etheral and crewed entirely by ghosts. These ships are most
	often encountered in the presence of St. Elmo's fire, an electrical
	discharge that causes mysterious lights to appear in the rigging of a
	ship.

	In many cases, a ghost can be overcome by those who might be no match
	for it in combat simply by setting right whatever events led to the at-
	tainment of the ghost's undead status. For example, a young woman who
	was betrayed and murdered by someone who pretended to love her might be
	freed from her curse if the cad were humiliated and ruined. In many ca-
	ses, however, a ghost's revenge will be far more demanding, often en-
	ding in the death of the offender.

Ecology:
	The dreadful fear caused by the ghost, which ages a victim 10 years, is
	not well understood by the common man, who often ascribes it to the
	fact that a ghost is 'dead'. If this were the case, then certainly
	skeletons and zombies would have the same effect, which they do not.

	Common folklore further confuses this fact by relating details of the
	ghost's physical form: the classic example of which is the headless
	horseman, thought by many to be particularly frightening simply because
	he had no head. Under this belief, one could face a ghost if only one
	had the courage to stand up to him. Such a mistaken impression has cost
	many lives over the years. Actually, the fear is caused by the super-
	natural power of the ghost, and has nothing whatsoever to do with
	courage.