Wraith
Ghostly spirit barred from the afterlife because of their corruption. An undead.
Imagine black, jawless skull. From it, heavy, eerie fog pours out. Ornate discolored torn robes and scarves dangle from it like inhabited by an invisible body. A cruel, silver dagger peaks from a sleeve, clenched by bony fingers.
Veteran figther, Hatred of the living, Villainous arrogance.
| HD: 4 | Armor: none |
| Hit it: hard | Dodge it: hard |
| Move: fast |
It is immune to nonmagical damage, being grappled or petrified (because it is ethereal), as well as poison and exhaustion (because it is undead). It doesn’t need to eat, breathe, sleep.
It can see in the dark, and be very good at any dark task master in its life.
However, direct sunlight makes it lose all resistances and immunities.
Out of combat, it can cast forbidden curse magic.
Attacks (1/round)
Cursed Silver Dagger. The wraith makes a melee attack (1D6). On a hit, the creature is cursed.
Drain Life. A nearby wounded creature must make a save or take damage (1D8) and lose 2 points of Fortitude. For a brief moment, it sees through the veil to the underworld.
Spellcasting. Conjure Fog, One Random Spell
Unsettle the Dead. A specter rises from a nearby dead body and serves the wraith.
Random Encounter
- Monster: 1 wraith & 1D6 specters
- Lair: The cursed tomb of a disgraced hero, filled with 1D4 treasures, 1D4 of which are cursed.
OR
Omen: All lights are snuffed by a cold wind. - Spoor: A dead body, murdered in cold blood. Has 1 valuable thing on it. Will rise as a specter in 1D4 minutes.
- Tracks: Where the bone-chilling wind goes.
- Trace: [rumor] Tales of a cursed artifact of power, once held by the kings of old.
- Trace: Temperature colder than normal.
D6 What the Monster Wants
- Retrieve a powerful artifact which would allow it or its master to rule the world.
- Is mad, haunting its crypt, babbling about enemies that are long dead.
- Murder, as all life is an insult. Each moonless night.
- Claim a castle or a keep for itself.
- Pursue its forbidden, dangerous studies. Recreate its decadent life with a court of specters.
- Train an apprentice in the dark arts, so it can achieve what it couldn’t in life.
Summoning the Spirit
If you know the spell Occult Consultation, you can alter it in such a way for a minimum of 4 Spell Dice:
Summon Wraith
R: Touch D: Sigil
When you cast this spell, you must name a humanoid who died evil and corrupted and claimed some sort of power during its lifetime. It appears before you in a cloud of dark smoke, hostile and ready to kill you, but will submit if you own a great treasure that belonged to it in its life. If you were ever to lose the treasure, the wraith would disappear and drag you to the underworld with it.
DM Notes
DnD’s wraith is not much more than a glorified specter, and does not translate much into the amazingness that are Tolkien’s. I also really love the version (and illustration!) found in Michael Prescott’s Trilemma Adventure Bestiary. Now wraiths can wield cursed weapons and cast spells if you want.