Living Ghost (3.5e Template)
Living Ghost
3e Summary::Occasionally, people that died before their time are allowed to come back to the world as living ghosts, to live, in some way, the life they have lost. Living ghosts are extremely rare; the odds someone will be allowed to return as living ghost are about one to million (1/1000000).
- This template is recommended to be used along with the variant rule Ghost Features.
Creating a Living Ghost
"Living Ghost" is an acquired template that can be applied on any sentient being with a soul (referred to hereafter as the base creature). A living ghost uses all the base creature’s statistics, abilities and special abilities except as noted here.
Size and Type
The creature’s type changes to Undead. They gain the Augmented and Unliving subtypes. Do not recalculate the creature’s base attack bonus, saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.
Hit Dice
All current and future racial Hit Dice become d20s.
Speed
See the base speed multiplier in the table under 'Aging'.
Armor Class
See in the table under 'Aging'.
Attack
A living ghost retains all the attacks of the base creature. They also acquire a secondary slam attack that deals 1d6 + (their strength modifier, never negative) hit points damage.
Full Attack
A living ghost fighting without weapons would use their slam attack along with any natural attack they retain from their mortal life. They also use their supernatural powers.
Special Attacks
A living ghost retains all the special attacks of the base creature. In addition, if they so desire, they can make any of their naturel attacks deal negative damage.
Special Qualities
A living ghost retains all the special qualities of the base creature, and also gains those described below. By age category, those are the qualities of a novice living ghost.
Rejuvenation (Su): Just like with ordinary ghosts, it’s difficult to destroy a living ghost through simple combat: the “destroyed” living ghost will reform in 2d8 hours. Due to their earthbound nature, living ghosts cannot be disposed of by any mean short of the destruction of their soul (as ghosts are, in fact, souls with baggage).
Turn Immunity (Ex): Unlike most ghosts, living ghosts are completely immune to being turned.
Ghost Vision (Ex): Living ghosts can see perfectly regardless of the illumination level. They can naturally perceive the Ethereal Plane. Moreover, if a living ghost had any defect to their senses while they were alive, they no longer suffer from it.
Earthbound (Ex): Unlike most ghosts, living ghosts naturally exist on the Material Plane. However, they can cross into the Ethereal Plane, on different levels, at will.
Selective Corporeality (Ex): Unlike most ghosts, living ghosts are naturally corporeal. They can however become intangible at will. They can stay intangible as long as long as they want.
Selective Visibility (Ex): Unlike most ghosts, living ghosts are naturally visible. They can become invisible at will, and, while invisible, gain a +20 bonus on Move Silently and Hide checks.
Gravitational Independency (Ex): Much like normal ghosts, living ghosts aren't subject to gravity. They have flight speed equal to twice their land speed, at perfect maneuverability. They can walk on any solid/liquid surface as if gravity were directed to it.
Healing Factor (Ex): Living ghosts possess a very potent healing factor and can quickly heal any harm; they have fast healing 5, restore 1 point of ability damage per round and 1 point of drained ability per minute. If a living ghost loses any body part, even ones that are vital for mortals and whose loss is normally fatal (heart, head, etc.), these regrow in 1d4 minutes. However, they are still destroyed (although only temporarily, see under "Rejuvenation") if they are 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. They also have spell resistance equal to 10 + their HD.
Half-Alive, Half-Dead: Living ghosts are healed by both positive and negative energy, and aren't in burst danger from positive energy or in withering danger from negative energy.
Spell-Like Abilities: At Will- Dimension Door, Ghost Sound, Open/Close, Telekinesis. General caster level is 4.
Undead Characteristics: While living ghosts can blend in among the living far easier than most ghosts and other undead creatures, they are still undead and as such have the following characteristics:
- Living ghosts' body temperature is considerably lower than the normal for its old race. Although they are not freezing cold, the temperature difference is sufficient to be noticed via prolonged physical contact. Moreover, living ghosts' heart doesn't beat, and therefore they have no pulse. A successful Medical check at dc 10 will expose their undead nature.
- Living ghosts are still technically dead and therefore forever stuck in the age they died at and can never age even by magical means. On the long term, it will be noticed by people who know them.
- Living ghosts are still ghosts and therefore require no sleep, sustenance or oxygen, but unlike normal ghosts they can eat and breathe if they so desire.
- Living ghosts are immune to energy drain and unholy damage. Furthermore, unlike most undead, they don't suffer extra damage from holy sources.
Aging: As known to all (or, at least, anyone that knows something legit about ghosts), the longer a ghost remains active, the more powerful they become. This applies for living ghosts as well, and, as they are considerably more powerful than normal ghosts, the results can be very impressive; the most powerful living ghosts are equivalent in power to minor deities. The process is generally referred to as aging. Of course, as undead, living ghosts cannot actually age; this so-called aging instead represents both the chronological age and the overall experience of the living ghost. This isn't carved in stone, though; every week the living ghost invests in training its powers shortens the time until it will automatically achieve the next age category by 1 decade. 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 | 0–100 | +6 | +2 | +4 | +2 | +4 | +2 | +2 | 2 |
| Experienced | 101–800 | +12 | +4 | +8 | +4 | +6 | +4 | +4 | 4 |
| Expert | 801–3000 | +20 | +8 | +12 | +6 | +8 | +6 | +6 | 10 |
| Elder | 3001–9999 | +30 | +20 | +18 | +8 | +10 | +8 | +8 | 20 |
| Superior | 10000+ | +40 | +30 | +30 | +10 | +12 | +10 | +10 | 40 |
- 1. Bonuses from different age categories overlap, don't stack.
- 2. Years as a living ghost.
Experienced: A living ghost that exists for a while and has learned a few tricks.
- Their elemental resistance improves to 20 cold, 10 electricity and fire and 5 acid.
- Dimension door improves into Teleport (only for distance. There is no chance for Mishap).
- They gain the ability Possession. This ability works similarly to a magic jar spell (caster level 10 or the living ghost’s Hit Dice, whichever is higher), except that it does not require a receptacle.
- Experienced living ghosts gain the spell-like abilities Detect Thoughts and Telepathic Bond, which can all be used at will. General caster level improves into 10.
Expert: A living ghost that has existed for centuries and learned how to defend themselves, as well as tricks that can terrify the living.
- Their spell resistance improves to 20 + HD.
- Their elemental resistance improves to 30 cold, 20 electricity and fire and 10 acid.
- Their Teleport ability improves into Greater Teleport.
- Their Possession ability improves and they can now possess ghosts (but not living ghosts).
- Their Telekinesis ability improves into Greater Telekinesis (aka Advanced Telekinesis) (caster level 16 or the living ghost’s Hit Dice, whichever is higher).
- Expert living ghosts gain the spell-like abilities Darkness, Disguise Self, Minor Creation (the creation doesn't disappear), Persistent Image, Probe Thoughts and Programmed Image, which can be used at will. General caster level improves into 16.
Elder: An old and experienced living ghost that is both respected and feared by those who are aware of their true nature, as no mortal is crazy enough to face their wrath.
- Their spell resistance improves to 30 + HD.
- Their elemental resistance improves to 40 cold, 30 electricity and fire and 20 acid.
- They gain the ability Life Sense: this works 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 gain the spell-like abilities Brain Spider, Daylight, Deeper Darkness, Major Creation (the creation doesn't disappear), Project Image and Ventriloquism, which can all be used at will. General caster level improves into 20.
Superior: Amongst the scariest and most dangerous beings 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 into spell immunity/epic.
- Their elemental resistance improves into immunity to acid, cold, electricity and fire.
- Their Possession ability improves and they can now possess living ghosts of lower age categories.
- The caster level for Greater Telekinesis improves into 30 or the living ghost’s Hit Dice, whichever is higher, and the weight limit is canceled.
- The range of their Life Sense ability increase from 120 feet to 300 feet. They also gain Blindsense out to 300 feet and Blindsight out to 60 feet, as well as a +6 bonus on all Spot and Listen checks.
- Their Greater Teleport ability improves into Unbounded Teleportation.
- They gain the reality warping ability: the exact effects are similar to the spell-like ability Limited Wish that can be used once per encounter per HD. General caster level improves into 30.
Abilities
See in the table under 'Aging'.
Skills
As living ghosts don't need to breathe, they gain a +6 bonus on all Swim checks. Their independence from gravity grants them a +6 bonus on all Athletics checks. Experienced/Expert/Elder/Superior gain a +4/+10/+16/+22 bonus, respectively, on Knowledge (Arcana) and Knowledge (Religion) checks.
Feats
A living ghost gains Endurance, Diehard and Iron Will, even if they don't meet their prerequisites.
Environment
Any, but usually the normal for their old race.
Organization
Living ghosts are so rare that they almost never meet others of their kind unless they came back together.
Challenge Rating
Novice +4, Experienced +8, Expert +16, Elder +24, Superior +36
Treasure
Generally like the Base Creature, however not always.
Alignment
Rare among undead, becoming a living ghost has no dependence or effect on alignment. Moreover, living ghosts seldom go vengeful, and even if they do, this isn't as bad as this is with regular ghosts.
Advancement
As the Base creature.
Level Adjustment
Novice +6. Just develop it from there.
Living Ghosts Lore
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 type of ghosts. |
| 10 | Sometimes, people who died before their time are allowed to come back to the world as living ghosts. |
| 15 | Describe the living ghost's Undead Characteristics. |
| 20 | Rumors about specific person that been told to be a living ghost and their location. |
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