Ghoul

Ghoul (CR 5)

Chaotic Evil - Medium - Undead

Lore:	Know (Religion)
10		25
Basic DC		Full DC

Initiative

10

Perception:
21	+11
Passive	Active

Ambush:

10+

on a d20

Senses:

• Standard Senses
• Darkvision 60 ft.

Movement Types:

• Walk 30 ft.

Defense

AC

21

Man Def

20

Monster Health
71	35	7
Hit Points	Bloodied	Hit Dice

Saving Throws
Fort:	+3
Refl:	+3
Will:	+8

Strong Against:

• ER 7/positive (energy, uncommon)
• (Undead 1) Immune (no effect): diseases (infected, diseased, blighted), poisons (tainted, poisoned, blighted), ability damage (dilution, damage, drain), and essence damage (suppression, omission, destruction)
• (Undead 2) Immune (no effect): bleeds (bruised, bleed, ruptured), fatigued, exhausted
• (Undead 3) Immune (no effect): magical sleep (drowsy, sluggish, asleep), paralyzed, stunned
• (Undead 4) Immune (no effect): any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects, or is harmless)

Weak Against:

Offense

Size:	Medium
5 ft.		5 ft.
Space		Reach

To-Hit

+8

Man Off

+8

Action

0

Points

Standard Attack (Melee):

• 1x Salivating Bite +8 (1d10+6/x2)
  as crushing (physical, common)
  plus Paralysis and Disease

Full Attack (Melee):

• 1x Salivating Bite +8 (1d10+6/x2)
  as crushing (physical, common)
  plus Paralysis and Disease
• 2x Twisted Claws +8 (1d6+2/x2)
  as piercing (physical, common)
  plus Paralysis

Standard Attack (Ranged):

Full Attack (Ranged):

Siege Damage: Not siege capable

Statistics

13

STR

15

DEX

—

CON

15

INT

14

WIS

14

CHA

Skills:

• Perception: 11
• Stealth: 8
• All other skills: 3 (no ranks)

Languages: Onundur, Thanic, Necril, Common

Feats:

Special Abilities

Paralysis (Su) Auto after successful attack

Creatures damaged by a ghoul's natural attacks must make a successful DC 17 Fortitude save or be immobilized (cannot leave current space except by teleport or forced movement). A creature cannot be affected by a paralysis effect more than once per round (i.e. they do not stack). At the end of each of their turns thereafter, they must make another Fortitude save. If a second DC 17 save is unsuccessful, the condition worsens to paralyzed. The affected creature gets a new save at the end of each of their turns. A save after paralysis reverts to immobilized; another save after that reverts to the slowed condition. Array: Slowed → Immobilized → Paralyzed

Disease (Su) Auto after successful attack

Any time a creature is bitten by a ghoul, they must make a Fort save, DC 17, or contract the Ghoul Fever disease: Ghoul Fever    (Injury vector; Diseased intensity) Save: Fort DC 17;     Frequency: 1/day for 3 days Effect: 1d3 DEX damage per interval Fruition: target dies, and becomes a ghoul of the same type which caused the disease Fruition Duration: permanent A humanoid who dies of ghoul fever rises as a ghoul at the next midnight. A humanoid who becomes a ghoul in this way retains none of the abilities it possessed in life. It is not under the control of any other ghouls, but it hungers for the flesh of the living and behaves like a normal ghoul in all respects.

Ghoul

Ghouls are emaciated and pale humanoids, their skin stretched taut over their skeletal frames. Their eyes appear larger than normal, and their hair is wispy and thin. Unlike magically reanimated undead such as skeletons and zombies, ghouls are not able to reintegrate themselves after being slain. However, ghouls do not age, and will live forever if they manage to avoid being hacked to bits by some overzealous barbarian with a great axe. Curiously, ghouls can completely regenerate all injuries after a full night's rest, even regrowing lost limbs. This odd power of regeneration requires sleep, however, and gives them no advantage in combat.

Ghouls are spawned from the corpses of living humanoids slain by other ghouls, which raises the question of where the first ghoul came from, and if it is still around. The ghoul race's requirement of living humanoid victims to "reproduce" doesn't appear to have hampered their growth as a species.

The most defining characteristic of ghouls is their hunger. They are constantly and unendingly hungry for meat of any kind. Ghouls will also eat vegetables, plants, rocks, or anything else that they can fit into their mouths, but vastly prefer meat, whether fresh or not-so-fresh, over anything else. Sadly, no amount of eating will ever satiate them, and they can quite literally eat forever, always yearning for more. In fact, watching a ghoul eat, you can actually see their frustration at not being able to eat faster.

Another interesting fact about ghouls is they are very intelligent. They live in communities, cooperate with one another, and will even, at times, interact (relatively) peacefully with other races (although their aching hunger often makes this very uncomfortable for them). Vampires and Liches in particular find ghouls useful neighbors.

Ghouls who live more than a decade or two tend to pick up several languages, and retain any languages they knew when they were alive. Many ghouls also share a secret sign language, which is unique to each ghoul community, but allows the ghouls to communicate while preparing to ambush prey. Ghouls also use the sign language as a way to hide their own intellect from the living races, preferring that they be forever underestimated by the day-dwellers.

Combat Tactics

Given the choice, ghouls will eat carrion rather than tackling live prey, but since they are always insatiably hungry, ghouls are also very proficient (and prolific) hunters. They will set ambushes, even making odd sounds to attract the curious. They prefer to hunt along the outskirts of villages and towns to try to draw out farmers, children or even small parties of town defenders.

Ghouls will seek to paralyze all their intended prey and then begin feasting on their flesh (it is irrelevant that the prey might still be alive). They will utilize their numbers to good advantage, ganging up on foes who are particularly resistant to the paralysis until they are subdued, seeking out flanks, etc.

Ghouls are very driven by their hunger, but also consider their unlife something worth preserving, so they will retreat from losing fights if it seems practical. However, ghouls defending their community from intruders will always fight to the death.

Out of Combat

Immortality: While ghouls will never die naturally due to aging, starvation or other humanoid infirmities, they are susceptible to permanent death through trauma. If a ghoul is reduced to 0 or fewer hit points, it dies. Injured ghouls will heal over time much like a humanoid, and negative energy will magically repair injuries the way a healing spell would regenerate a humanoid. Resurrection (Cleric Spell) will bring the person who once lived in the body of the ghoul back to life, destroying the necromantic bond on its corpse. However, the resurrected human will have ghoul fever when it comes back to life, with the possibility of dying and becoming a ghoul again if the disease is left to run its course.

Rewards

XP: 1,600

Treasure: Sellable Goods worth 1,625 gp.

Weight: 50 lbs.     Volume: 2 cu. ft.

Optional Treasure Rules: Roll a d20 on Table 1 below once per encounter (NOT per creature). Any items discovered are in addition to the normal treasure for the encounter.

Table 1: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 10	Nothing Found
11 - 14	1 Languid Remnant (tier 1)
15 - 17	1 Pale Remnant (tier 2)
18 - 19	1 Bright Remnant (tier 3)
20	Roll on Table 2
###	Nothing to see here!
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 2: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Languid Remnants (tier 1)
6 - 10	3 Pale Remnants (tier 2)
11 - 14	1 Intense Remnant (tier 4)
15 - 17	1 Blazing Remnant (tier 5)
18 - 19	1 Vital Remnant (tier 6)
20	Roll on Table 3
###	Or here. Move along.

Table 3: Remnant(s) Found
1 - 5	3 Bright Remnants (tier 3)
6 - 8	3 Intense Remnants (tier 4)
9 - 11	3 Blazing Remnants (tier 5)
12 - 14	3 Vital Remnants (tier 6)
15 - 17	1 Prime Remnant (tier 7)
18 - 19	1 Mythic Remnant (tier 8)
20	1 Empyrean Remnant (tier 9)