Letholdus (3.5e NPC)
| Male Paladin 9 Ghost | |
| LG Medium Undead | |
| Init/Senses | +3/Listen +3, Spot +6 |
| AC | +15 (+20 vs. ethereal), touch +15 (+13 vs. ethereal), flat-footed +10 (+17 vs. ethereal) |
| hp | 55 (9 HD) |
| Fort/Ref/Will | +6/+6/+6 |
| Speed | 30 ft. (6 squares) flying |
| Base Atk/Grp | +9/+4/+13 |
| Special Actions | Frightful Moan (Su), Horrific Appearance (Su), Manifestation (Su), all Saving Throw DCs 19 |
| Abilities | Str 18, Dex 16, Con -, Int 11, Wis 17, Cha 21 |
| SQ | Aura of Good, Detect Evil, Smite Evil 2/day, Divine Grace, Lay on Hands, Aura of Courage, Divine Health, Turn Undead, Remove Disease (1/week) |
| Feats | Two-Weapon Fighting, Two-Weapon Defense, Power Attack, Weapon Focus (Longsword), Improved Unarmed Strike |
| Skills | Diplomacy +12, Ride +10, Sense Motive +9, Use Magic Device +7 |
| Advancement | — |
| Possessions | +1 Demon Bane longsword (+3 and 2d6 extra damage vs. Demons), +1 masterwork short sword, breastplate+2 Invulnerability (DR 5/magic), wand of Detect Magic (11 charges left) |
Background[edit]
Letholdus was sent into a small town to investigate reports about a haunted house. He boldly entered the location and was able to kill its current inhabitant, a Babau demon accidentally summoned by Dringle, the now deceased original owner of the house.
When searching the house he discovered Dringle's diary and the open portal in the basement. Since there was no obvious way to close the portal he left the house and visited the local temple to seek guidance. He prayed to Heironeous and had a talk with the local cleric, Father Sertan. From the diary they concluded that there must be some device which keeps the portal open as long as it is on a foreign plane. So the plan of action was to go through the portal, find the device and bring it back to the basement. But, sadly, there were only vague hints on how to identify this device.
After Letholdus went back into the house and crossed the portal, he searched the cave on the other side for the device. He found a crystal which matched the few known characteristics of the device, but this turned out to be a Magic Jar containing the life force of a demon, banished inside as a punishment.
Letholdus recognized his error and managed to crush the crystal just as the demon tried to possess his body. The demon succeeded in taking over Letholdus' body, but as there was nowhere for Letholdus' soul to go, both souls remained in the body, quarreling for control over it. Most of the time the demon wins this quarrel, but when the demon is distracted or resting, Letholdus is sometimes able to take over for a limited time.
Realizing his situation, and the danger his possessed body would pose to the town, Letholdus used one of the phases when he had control over his body to kill himself.
But Letholdus' ordeal was still not over. His failed quest and the sacrilege of suicide lead to the creation of a Ghost, which was still home to the two life forces of Letholdus and the demon. As before, the demon was in control most of the time, but the Ghost was bound to Letholdus' breastplate armor and had only a small possible operation radius. So at least, Letholdus succeeded in protecting the townsfolk.
Current Situation[edit]
Letholdus' body is still where he killed himself, leaning against a bookcase in the upper level of Dringle's house. All his physical possessions are still located on his body. His breastplate is partially removed and it is quite obvious that he killed himself with his short sword.
Normally the Ghost stands beside the body in ethereal form. When he notices someone entering the room he will use Manifestation and become visible. If your story does not require a specific action you may use the table below to randomly select an action. If the Ghost receives damage, or if the party somehow manage to irritate the demon you should roll again or consider a "mood change".
The Ghost has the ethereal forms of Letholdus' weapons and can use them in combat, but the demon will avoid using the Demon Bane longswotrd, unless he identifies one of his opponents as a demon.
When Letholdus is in control he tries to warn the characters ("Run you fools, while you still can", "I cannot help you here", "Beware of HIM!"), while the demon usually attacks. If the characters show some competence, by staying and surviving some rounds, he tries to give hints that the characters may try to complete his mission ("Read the diary", "Talk with Father Sertan", "Be careful in the basement", "The portal leads to the Abyss, it must be closed").
If he suspects that the characters (or one of them) have an ignoble motivation he also will attack with everything he has available.
In one topic Letholdus and the demon have the same opinion, if someone tries to steal Letholdus' material possessions, or handles his body impiously, the Ghost will attack furiously. If the Ghost is destroyed without closing the portal it will reform in 1d4 days (or earlier) near the breastplate and will attack anyone nearby.
If the party manages to close the portal, and can tell the Ghost about it, Letholdus will gain control, thank the characters and designate them as rightful heirs to his wordly possessions. Then the Ghost will dissolve and Letholdus can finally rest in peace. The demon's life force will be destroyed.
If Letholdus' corpse is subject to a Speak with Dead spell by a generally good and lawful caster it won't try to resist (otherwise it's Will Save is +6) and will be cooperative. Its answers will normally be clear and helpful, especially if the questions indicate that the party wants to close the gate. This can be a good opportunity to tell the party some of the background story.
Remember that the corpse knows nothing about the Ghost, specifically it does not know exactly what to do to put it to rest, but it knows that Letholdus' self imposed quest was to close the portal and that he was possessed by a demon at the time of his death. Since the spell targets Letholdus' soul imprint, the demon does not have any power over it.
| d% roll | Action |
|---|---|
| 01 - 60 | Demon has control, Ghost attacks (usually) for 1d6 rounds |
| 61 - 85 | Personalities fight for control, Ghost does nothing, roll again next round |
| 86 - 00 | Letholdus has control for 1d3 rounds |
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