Ghosts

Names: Ghosts retain the names of their former lives, often used in hushed whispers and local legends (e.g., “The Lady in White,” “Admiral Vancroft”).

General Lore: Ghosts are the lingering remnants of souls that refuse to pass on, often bound to the mortal world by an overwhelming trauma, an unfulfilled duty, a burning desire for vengeance, or an agonizing guilt that occurred at the moment of death. They are incorporeal, unable to interact with the physical world except through their unique, often terrifying, powers.

Each Ghost is defined by its tragedy and the specific “mooring”—the person, object, or location—to which it is eternally tethered. Their existence is one of endless repetition, reliving their final moments or haunting the site of their demise, spreading despair, fear, and sometimes, a chilling touch that ages the living.

Ghosts appear as translucent, ephemeral versions of their living selves, often wearing the spectral remnants of the clothing they died in. Their appearance frequently mirrors the manner of their death: they may be dripping with spectral blood, scarred by fire, or marked by the wound that killed them.

They are typically visible, though shimmering and semi-transparent, and often radiate a palpable aura of coldness and profound sorrow. Their forms are not solid, allowing them to pass through walls, floors, and living creatures. They usually lack the strength to physically attack but compensate with potent psychic and fear-based abilities, such as the terrifying Horrifying Visage or the chilling Corrupting Touch.

Ghosts have no society in the traditional sense, as they are individual echoes of past misery. Their existence is focused entirely on fulfilling the emotional need that keeps them bound to the world.

Occasionally, a location saturated with great tragedy (like a sunken ship or a site of massacre) may host multiple Ghosts. These spectral residents do not cooperate, but simply exist alongside one another, each trapped in its own isolated cycle of eternal regret and malice. Powerful necromancers or dark cults sometimes attempt to lure or bind Ghosts to serve as guardians, but their emotional instability makes them unpredictable servants.

Ghosts interact with the living world only to express their tragic emotions or to seek fulfillment of their haunting compulsion.

Living Mortals: Are viewed with a bitter envy, as they possess the life and warmth the Ghost can never regain. Ghosts seek to instill their own misery, fear, or despair into the living, often driving them away or inflicting psychological terror.

Necromancers and Evil Cults: These groups may attempt to capture, compel, or communicate with Ghosts, either to exploit their localized powers or to glean forgotten secrets.

Other Undead: Ghosts are often indifferent to physical undead, as they do not compete for physical resources. They may be manipulated by highly intelligent undead (Vampires) if the undead's goals align with the Ghost's eternal vengeance or tragedy.

Ghosts are driven by overwhelming emotion rather than moral philosophy, but their actions are almost always destructive, leading most to be Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil. A Ghost driven solely by guilt or the need for a specific ritual to be completed might be closer to True Neutral, but even these are dangerously unpredictable.

Religion is irrelevant to a Ghost, as their very existence is a rejection of the natural cycle of death and the judgment of the gods. Their focus is solely on their mortal existence's unfinished business, not divine affairs.

Ghosts are a common opponent for adventurers. They are rarely encountered on the road, but are the primary antagonists within haunted ruins, manors, castles, and crypts.

Adventurers are typically hired to investigate a haunting and must resolve the Ghost's enduring condition. This requires more than just combat; the party must often uncover the Ghost's identity and the reason for its binding, which may necessitate performing a ritual, exposing a hidden murder, or reuniting a lost object with the Ghost's remains to finally allow the spirit to find peace.

Source: https://pathfinderwiki.com/wiki/Ghost