A Ghoul is an undead creature that can be encountered in the Spelljammer campaign setting.[1][2]
Overview[]
Ghouls were once living humans and other humanoids who have been transformed into feral undead creatures compelled to feed on the decaying flesh of corpses.[2]
Description[]
Ghouls are vaguely recognizable as once having been living humans or other humanoid creatures, but have since become horribly disfigured by their transformation. Their tongues have become long and tough, perfectly adapted to licking the marrow from cracked bones, while their teeth have become sharp and elongated, and their nails have grown strong and sharp like claws.[2]
Personality[]
Although their transformation into an undead creature has deranged and destroyed their minds, ghouls are terrible cunning, which allows them to hunt prey quite effectively. Their appetites become debased and they delight in revolting and loathsome things.[2]
Combat[]
Ghouls attack by clawing at their prey with their filthy nails and biting with their sharp fang-like teeth. Their touch can cause humans and other humanoids (including dwarves, gnomes, half-elves, and halflings, but excluding elves) to become paralyzed, which can last between 3 to 8 minutes or until negated by a priest.
Any humans or humanoids (except elves) killed by a ghoulish attack will become ghouls unless blessed (or blessed and then resurrected). Obviously, this will also be avoided if a victim is completely devoured by the ghouls.
As undead creatures, ghouls are not affected by sleep and charm spells. They can be turned by any priest and a magic circle of protection from evil will keep ghouls completely at bay.[2]
Society[]
As with all undead, ghouls and ghasts are perfectly adapted to wildspace - they have little in the way of air requirements[3] and while they are driven to consume flesh, they do not actually need it to survive. Ghouls and ghasts are perfectly capable of surviving in the void or on some airless planetoid for centuries without a steady diet of flesh; however they are compelled to consume flesh if it somehow becomes available (such as some luckless spacefaring explorer wandering by).
Such spelljamming vessels that are crewed by ghouls will be commanded by ghasts and will operate as merciless marauders; their sole purpose to hunt down and consume flesh and to add to their numbers. A ghoul ship can have as many as three times the standard number of crew. The ship's atmosphere will have a charnel odor, and though breathable, it will be stale.[1]
Ghast[]
Ghasts are completely indistinguishable from normal ghouls, but are far more deadlier and cunning than their lesser kin. When a combined pack of ghouls and ghasts attack, it will quickly become evident that ghasts are present because they exude a carrion stench which can cause retching and nausea in opponents within 10-feet of them.
Ghasts share the ghoulish ability to paralyze their prey, but their attack is so potent that it may even affect elves. The paralysis caused by a ghast will last between 5 and 10 minutes, or until negated by a remove paralysis spell. As undead, ghasts are unaffected by sleep and charm spells, and although they can be harmed by any sort of weapon, ghasts are especially vulnerable to weapons made of cold iron. Most experienced priests can turn ghasts, but they can only be held at bay by a magic circle of protection from evil if it was cast in conjunction with cold iron (such as a circle of powdered iron or an iron ring).[2]
Lacedon[]
A Lacedon is an aquatic ghoul, and can sometimes be found near marine ghosts, particularly ghost ships. Lacedons are less common than ghouls because of the fewer corpses available for them to feed on, but they can often be found swarming around recent shipwrecks in rivers, lakes, and oceans.[2]
Signature Spelljammers[]
Ghouls and ghasts can be found on any derelict vessel that becomes available, though they are most often found on old tradesmen, hammerships, and squid ships. There is even an unconfirmed report of a dwarven citadel entirely overrun by ghouls and led by a particularly powerful ghast.[1]
Appendix[]
External Links[]
- Ghoul article at the Forgotten Realms Wiki, a wiki for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting.
- Ghoul article at the Chronicles of Astinus, a wiki for the Dragonlance campaign setting.
- Ghoul article at the Eberron Wiki, a wiki for the Eberron campaign setting.
- Ghoul article at Greyhawkonline.com, a wiki for the Greyhawk campaign setting.
- Ghoul article at the Dungeons and Dragons Lore Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from every edition.
- Ghoul article at the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Wiki, a wiki for official Dungeons & Dragons content from 2nd edition AD&D.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jeff Grubb, AD&D Adventures in Space, Lorebook of the Void, 1989, (TSR Inc.), Ghouls and Ghasts section, chapter 3 Spacefarers, page 63
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Tim Beach et al, Monstrous Manual, 1993, (TSR Inc.), Ghoul entry, page 131
- ↑ Jeff Grubb, AD&D Adventures in Space, Lorebook of the Void, 1989, (TSR Inc.), Undead section, chapter 3 Spacefarers, page 62