Living Ghost (3.5e Template)
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Living Ghost[edit]
Living Ghosts are an exceedingly rare kind of ghosts who are as close to life as they are to death. Living Ghosts are such incredibly that they are mostly unheard of. At a glance, Living Ghosts appear deceptively alive, and are therefore very difficult to recognize even if you are aware of them.
- This template is recommended to be used along with the variant rule Ghost Features.
Creating a Living Ghost[edit]
Living Ghost is an acquired template, which can be applied on any living creature (any creature which is not an undead, elemental or construct) (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A Living Ghost uses all of the base creature's statistics, abilities and special abilities of the except as noted here.
Size and Type[edit]
The creature’s type changes to Undead. They gain the subtypes Augmented and Unliving. Don't recalculate the creature’s base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.
Hit Dice[edit]
Increase all current and future Hit Dice to d12s.
Speed[edit]
See the base speed multiplier in the table under 'Aging'.
Armor Class[edit]
See in the table under 'Aging'.
Attack[edit]
A Living Ghost retains all the attacks of the base creature.
Full Attack[edit]
A Living Ghost fighting without weapons would use their natural attacks (if they have any), though they generally prefer to use their spell-like abilities in combat and only use physical attacks as a last resort.
Special Attacks[edit]
A Living Ghost retains all the special attacks of the base creature.
Special Qualities[edit]
A Living Ghost retains all the special qualities of the base creature, and also receives those described below. By age category, those are the qualities of a novice Living Ghost.
Rejuvenation (Su): It is difficult to destroy a Living Ghost through mere combat: the “destroyed” Living Ghost will reform in 2d8 days. Only the destruction of their soul can prevent their rejuvenation.
Turn Immunity (Ex): Living Ghosts are completely immune to any and all turning effects. They cannot be turned, rebuked, commanded or bolstered (the latter is unnecessary anyway).
Spectral Senses (Ex): Living Ghosts can naturally perceive the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, and vice versa. They can also see perfectly regardless of the illumination level. Additionally, if they had any defect to their senses while they were alive, they no longer suffer from it.
Gravitational Independency (Ex): Similarly to normal ghosts, Living Ghosts are not subject to gravity. They have flight speed equal to twice their land speed, with perfect maneuverability. Living Ghosts are also able to walk on any solid/liquid surface as though gravity were directed to it.
Healing Factor (Ex): Living Ghosts possess a potent healing factor, able to quickly heal any damage. They have fast healing 1, and restore 1 point of ability damage per minute and 1 point of drained ability per hour. They also can regenerate lost body parts. However, they can still be destroyed (though temporarily, see "Rejuvenation"), if reduced to -10 or minus their HD hit points, the lower of the two.
Resistances: Living Ghosts have resistance 10 to cold and resistance 5 to electricity and fire and also have spell resistance equal to 10 + their HD.
Half-Alive, Half-Dead: Living Ghosts are healed by both positive and negative energy. They also are not in burst danger from positive energy or in withering danger from negative energy.
Earthbound (Ex): Unlike normal ghosts, Living Ghosts naturally exist on the Material Plane, though they can still cross into the Ethereal Plane on different levels, at will. For the purpose of planer banishment, Living Ghosts are considered native to the Material Plane.
Selective Corporeality (Ex): Unlike most ghosts, Living Ghosts are naturally corporeal; though, they can become incorporeal at will. They can stay incorporeal for as long as they want.
Selective Visibility (Ex): Unlike most ghosts, Living Ghosts are naturally visible; albeit, they can become invisible at will. While invisible, they gain a +20 bonus on Move Silently and Hide checks.
Spell-Like Abilities: At Will: Chill Touch, Daze Monster, Dimension Door, Ghost Sound, Telekinesis. Their caster level is equal to 4 + HD, and the spellcasting ability is Charisma.
Undead Traits: While Living Ghosts can blend in among the living far easier than most ghosts and other undead creatures, they are still undead and thus have the following traits:
- Living Ghosts have a significantly lower core temperature than the base creature; while they aren't icy cold, the difference can still be noticed via prolonged physical contact. Living Ghosts also lack vital signs such as heartbeat. A successful Medical check at dc 10 will expose their undead nature.
- Living Ghosts are still dead, thus don't age naturally. Like normal ghosts, they can alter their appearance to some degree, including changing their seeming age.
- Living Ghosts are still ghosts and as such require no sleep, sustenance or oxygen. However, unlike normal ghosts they can eat and breathe if they so desire.
- Living ghosts are immune to energy drain and unholy damage.
Aging: Just like normal ghosts, Living Ghosts become more powerful the longer they exist. This process is often referred to as aging. All the statistics regarding aging are concluded in the following table:
| Category | Age (Years) 2 | Str Bonus |
Dex Bonus |
Con Bonus |
Int Bonus |
Wis Bonus |
Cha Bonus |
Natural AC Bonus |
Base Speed Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novice | 0–99 | +6 | +2 | +4 | +2 | +4 | +2 | +2 | 1.5 |
| Experienced | 100–799 | +12 | +4 | +8 | +4 | +6 | +4 | +4 | 2 |
| Expert | 800–2999 | +18 | +8 | +12 | +6 | +8 | +6 | +6 | 4 |
| Elder | 3000–9999 | +24 | +12 | +16 | +8 | +10 | +8 | +8 | 8 |
| Superior | 10000+ | +30 | +16 | +20 | +10 | +12 | +10 | +10 | 12 |
| |||||||||
Experienced: A Living Ghost that has existed for a while and has learned a few tricks.
- Their elemental resistance improves to 15 to cold, 10 to electricity and fire and 5 to acid.
- They gain the ability Possession. This ability functions similarly to the spell Magic Jar (caster level 4 + their HD), except that it does not require a receptacle.
- Experienced living ghosts gain both Blight, Cause Fear, Charm Monster, Confusion, Detect Thoughts and Sleep as spell-like abilities that can be used at will.
Expert: A Living Ghost that has existed for centuries and learned how to defend themselves, as well as tricks that can really terrify the living.
- Their spell resistance improves to 15 + HD.
- Their elemental resistance improves to 20 to cold, 15 to electricity and fire and 10 to acid.
- Their Possession ability improves and they can now possess ghosts (but not living ghosts).
- Their healing factor improves to fast healing 5, and restore 1 point of ability damage per round, and 1 point of drained ability per minute.
- Expert living ghosts gain both Darkness, Disguise Self, Minor Creation, Modify Memory, Persistent Image, Probe Thoughts, Programmed Image, Remove Emotion and Teleport (no mishap) as spell-like abilities that can be used at will.
Elder: An old and very experienced Living Ghost which is respected as well as feared by any aware of their true nature, since no mortal is crazy enough to face their wrath.
- Their elemental resistance improves to 30 to cold, 20 to electricity and fire and 15 to acid.
- They gain the ability Life Sense: it functions similarly to blindsight however only detects the location of living creatures within range. The ability's range is 120 feet.
- The caster level for Greater Telekinesis improves into 20 or the living ghost’s Hit Dice, whichever is higher.
- Elder living ghosts receive Antipathy, Brain Spider, Deeper Darkness, Deep Slumber, Dominate Monster, Geas/Quest, Greater Telekinesis, Insanity, Major Creation, Project Image, Sympathy and Ventriloquism as spell-like abilities that can be used at will.
Superior: Among the scariest and most dangerous entities around. Even the bravest and most powerful heroes usually consider knowingly facing a superior Living Ghost to be a total madness.
- Their spell resistance improves to 20 + HD.
- Their elemental resistance improves to immunity to cold, 30 to electricity and fire and 20 to acid.
- Their Possession ability improves and they can now possess living ghosts of lower age categories.
- The range of their Life Sense ability increases from 120 feet to 300 feet. They gain Blindsense out to 150 feet and Blindsight out to 30 feet, as well as a +6 bonus on all Spot and Listen checks.
- Superior Living Ghosts receive Call Lightning Storm, Control Weather, Chain Lightning, Control Winds, Fog Cloud, Greater Teleport, Sleet Storm and Whirlwind as spell-like abilities that can be used at will.
- Superior Living Ghosts gain the ability to moderately warp reality. They receive Limited Wish as a spell-like ability that can be used once per encounter per HD.
Abilities[edit]
See in the table under 'Aging'.
Skills[edit]
Living Ghosts receive a +6 bonus on Acrobatics checks. Experienced/Expert/Elder/Superior gain a +2/+4/+6/+8 bonus, respectively, on Knowledge (Arcana) and Knowledge (Religion) checks.
Feats[edit]
Living Ghosts gain the feats Alertness, Combat Reflexes, Diehard, Dodge, Eschew Materials, Endurance, Flyby Attack, Iron Will and Track, even if the base creature doesn't meet the prerequisites.
Environment[edit]
Any, usually same as the base creature. Living Ghosts often attempt to remain near where they used to live, but tend to keep their distance and minimize contact with the living.
Organization[edit]
Living Ghosts are such exceedingly rare that they almost never encounter other Living Ghosts unless they came back together. Thus, they have no society to speak.
Challenge Rating[edit]
Novice +2, Experienced +4, Expert +8, Elder +16, Superior +24 (overlapping)
Treasure[edit]
Between 1/4 and 5 times the regular for the base creature. Depending on their age and exact personality, Living Ghosts may possess little belongings or a vast hoard.
Alignment[edit]
Any. Living Ghosts possess an unusual kind of undeath, which doesn't corrupt them as itself. Living Ghosts also seldom go vengeful, and even if they do, this isn't as bad as this is with normal ghosts.
Advancement[edit]
By HD or by class, whichever is appropriate.
Level Adjustment[edit]
Novice +6.
Living Ghosts Lore[edit]
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (arcana) can research the Living Ghosts to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
|---|---|
| 5 | Living Ghosts are a special and very rare kind of ghosts. They can blend in among the living with ease. |
| 10 | Living Ghosts are as close to life as they are to death, which makes them phenomenally difficult to vanquish, even more so than normal ghosts. |
| 15 | Unlike normal ghosts, Living Ghosts are tangible and normal-looking. The only telltale signs that they are not alive are their lower core temperature and lack of heartbeat. |
| 20 | Rumors about a specific person who is told to be a Living Ghost and their location. |
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