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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

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There is a Legacy version here.

PFS StandardGhost Mage

A wizard who died with work incomplete might become a ghost mage.

Recall Knowledge - Undead (Religion): DC 27
Unspecific Lore: DC 25
Specific Lore: DC 22

Elite | Normal | Weak
Proficiency without Level

Ghost MageCreature 10

Medium Ghost Incorporeal Spirit Undead Unholy 
Source Monster Core pg. 161
Perception +7; darkvision
Languages Common, Draconic
Skills Arcana +12, Intimidation +12, Stealth +11
Str -5, Dex +3, Con +0, Int +6, Wis +3, Cha +6
Site Bound
AC 17; Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +12
HP 135 (rejuvenation, void healing); Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious; Resistances all damage 10 (except force, ghost touch, spirit, or vitality; double resistance vs. non-magical)
Rejuvenation (divine) Completing the ghost mage's project allows it to move on to the afterlife.
Speed fly 25 feet
Melee [one-action] ghostly hand +11 [+7/+3] (agile, finesse, magical), Damage 2d8+12 voidArcane Innate Spells DC 19, attack +13; 5th hallucination, howling blizzard; 4th suggestion, vision of death; 3rd blindness, dispel magic, veil of privacy; 2nd telekinetic maneuver (×2); 1st enfeeble (×2); Cantrips (5th) detect magic, figment, prestidigitation, read aura, telekinetic hand
Frightful Moan [one-action] (auditory, divine, emotion, fear, mental) DC 19Telekinetic Assault [two-actions] (divine) 6d6 bludgeoning, DC 19

Sidebar - Advice and Rules Building Ghosts

Note that the ghost mage is built from the ground up, rather than by applying the ghost rules to a once-living creature, so its numbers don't exactly match the values listed under Creating a Ghost. This is usually the better way to go if you have the time, as it allows you to hand-craft a ghost for the situation.

All Monsters in "Ghost"

NameLevel
Ghost Commoner4
Ghost Mage10
Ghost Pirate8
Hungry Ghost6

Ghost

Source Monster Core pg. 160
When some mortals die through tragic circumstances or without closure, their souls can linger and haunt a locale significant to them in life.

Creating a Ghost

You can also use the following guidelines to turn living creatures into ghosts. Increase the creature's level by 2 and change its statistics as follows.
  • Increase AC, saves, Perception, DCs, and skill modifiers by 2. Increase the most appropriate melee attack modifier by 4 to become ghostly hand (described below), and increase all other attack modifiers by 2.
  • A ghost has a Strength modifier of –5 and a Constitution modifier of +0.
  • Do not modify the ghost's Hit Points due to its new level.

Ghost Abilities

A ghost gains the ghost, incorporeal, spirit, and undead traits. Many become unholy. The base creature loses any traits that represented its life as a living creature, such as human and humanoid, and any abilities or traits that rely on it being a living, corporeal creature. You might also need to adjust some abilities that conflict with the theme of a ghost. All ghosts gain the following abilities.

Darkvision
Site Bound A typical ghost can stray only a short distance from where it was killed or the place it haunts. A typical limit is 120 feet. Some ghosts are instead bound to a room, building, item, or creature that was special to it rather than a location.
Rejuvenation (divine) When a ghost is destroyed, it re-forms after 2d4 days within the location it's bound to, fully healed. A ghost can be permanently destroyed only if someone sets right whatever prevents the spirit from resting.
Void Healing
Immunities bleed, death effects, disease, paralyzed, poison, precision, unconscious Resistances all damage 5 (except force, ghost touch, spirit, or vitality; double resistance to non-magical). This resistance increases to 10 at 9th level and 15 at 16th level.
Fly Speed equal to its Speed
Ghostly Hand All ghosts have a ghostly hand unarmed attack that deals void damage. It typically has the agile, finesse, and magical traits. Some ghosts wield ghostly memories of weapons they held in life, but the effect is the same.

Special Abilities

Select one or two of the following abilities, or potentially three if the ghost is 9th level or higher. These should relate to the ghost's death or its history. You can also create new abilities or adapt those from monsters or classes. For DCs, use the high spell DC of the ghost's level.

Corrupting Gaze [two-actions] The ghost stares at a creature it can see within 30 feet. The target takes 1d6 void damage plus 1d6 for every 2 levels the ghost has with a basic Will save. A creature that fails its save is also stupefied 1 for 1 minute.
Draining Touch [two-actions] With a touch, the ghost attempts to drain a living creature's life force. It makes a ghostly hand Strike but deals no damage on a hit. Instead, the target becomes drained 1 for 1 day, and the ghost regains HP equal to half its own level.
Frightful Moan [one-action] (auditory, divine, emotion, fear, mental) The ghost laments its fate, forcing each living creature within 30 feet to attempt a Will save. On a failure, a creature becomes frightened 2 (or frightened 3 on a critical failure). On a success, a creature is temporarily immune to this ghost's frightful moan for 1 minute.
Inhabit Object [one-action] The ghost possesses an object of size Large or smaller within 20 feet, making it an animated object. This animated object's level can be no higher than the ghost's level – 2. If the target object is being held by a creature, the bearer can attempt a Will save to prevent the possession. This possession ends when the object is destroyed or the ghost leaves it. At this point, the ghost reappears in the object's square and can't Inhabit an Object again for 1d4 rounds.
Malevolent Possession [two-actions] The ghost attempts to possess an adjacent corporeal creature. This has the same effect as the possession spell, except since the ghost doesn't have a physical body, it is unaffected by that restriction of the spell.
Telekinetic Assault [two-actions] (divine) The ghost cries out in pain and anguish as small objects and debris fly about in a 30-foot emanation. Creatures in this area take 1d6 bludgeoning damage + 1d6 per 2 levels the ghost has, with a basic Reflex save.