FREQUENCY: Rare (the most
desolate of places, tombs and dungeons)
FREQUENCY: Rare
([Cold Wilderness Mountains])
FREQUENCY: Rare ([Temperate
Wilderness Mountains], [Temperate Wilderness Swamp])
FREQUENCY: Rare
([Tropical Wilderness Mountains], [Tropical Wilderness Swamp])
FREQUENCY:
Uncommon ([Dungeon Level VII])
NO. APPEARING: 1-6
ARMOR CLASS: 2
MOVE: 15"/30" (MC: B) <P30>
HIT DICE: 7 + 3
% IN LAIR: 20% (1 Spectre:
steppe, TPL30:5th, REF3.67)
TREASURE TYPE: [Q] (x 3),
[X], [Y]
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 ~ 13
DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy
drain (2 levels)
SPECIAL DEFENSES: Hit only
by magic weapons, partial magic and spell resistance
MAGIC RESISTANCE: See below
INTELLIGENCE: High
ALIGNMENT: Lawful evil
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: VII |
1650 + 10
Creature
Notes (REF5)
Spectres are very powerful
undead humans whose primary existence is
on the -NMP-.
Spectres hount the most
desolate of places, tombs and dungeons. They hate sunlight and living things.
Daylight makes
them powerless. Life makes
them lament their unlife.
A
spectre's chilling touch causes 1-8 HP
of damage and drains 2 life energy levels
from an opponent,
the latter due to the negative
force of the
spectre. Thus, an 11th level
character, or an 11 hit dice creature, struck by a
spectre would suffer 1-8
HP of damage plus loss in level ability, hit
dice, etc. Such loss is
permanent, but characters can regain lost levels
through continued acquisition
of experience points, of course. Certain
magic might restore lost
levels as well.
Spectres are not affected
by sleep, charm, hold, or cold-based spells.
Poison or paralyzation do
not harm spectres. Holy water causes a spectre
to suffer 2-8 hit points
of damage for every vial-full which hits it. A raise
dead spell will destroy
a spectre unless it makes its saving throw versus
magic. Any human totally
drained of life energy by a spectre becomes a
half-strength spectre under
the control of the spectre which drained him.
ADQ: Can dwarves,
gnomes, half-elves,
half-orcs, or hobbits become
spectres?
ADA: Half-elves and
half-orcs can; the
others can't. Only human
or part-human
characters can become spectres.
(Polyhedron #16)
SA:
Light & the Undead
The Ecology of the Spectre <Necrology?>
Oshin-san, the venerable
recluse from
the holy mountain
Ichiyama, bowed to
the imperial councilors
who had gathered
to hear her speak. Sitting
down on
the fine cushions provided,
her hand
absently stroked the rich
embroidery
that covered the silk. "Much
like I used
to have?" she mused, her
mind wandering.
Attentive faces studied
her wrinkled
one. She pushed a
wisp of gray hair out
of her eyes, and began.
"You wish to know about spectres.
I
have gained some insight
into their
ways, it is true. A result
of long hours of
meditation && prayer."
She paused,
and wet her lips from the
cup of tea
that had been placed by
her side. "I
have even confronted two
spectres at
once, and dealt with them
without
assistance from anyone."
A respectful murmur ran through
the room. When it died down,
Oshin
continued. "Spectres are
Evil things,
clinging to unlife because
of their consuming
hatred for life itself.
"Because of this hatred,
spectres contain
more of the negative energy
which
{animates
undead} than most of their
kind. They are more powerful
and
harder to destroy. And they
are not
content simply to hate.
More intelligent <encounter reaction note>
than most undead, they act
on their ill will
for the living, sometimes
planning
ways to destroy life. They
can be wily
foes!"
Heads nodded in agreement.
"But I
get ahead of myself. First,
to review the
common knowledge about spectres:
"They prefer to haunt desolate
and
uninhabited places, for
they would
rather avoid life even while
harboring
their hatred for it. They
hate sunlight, <hatred = negative TALK modifier>
for though it does not physically
hurt
them, the positive energy
embodied in
it makes them powerless.
"A spectre's touch is chill,
for the negative
energy which gives it form
drains
energy and life from whatever
the
undead creature touches.
Any human drained
completely of life energy
by a
spectre becomes a half-strength
spectre
under its control.
"But I understand you are
mostly concerned
with how to fight spectres?"
she
addressed her listeners.
zb
Voices murmured in the affirmative.
"Well, then . . ." Oshin
considered for a
moment. "Spectres are harmed
by holy
water or magical weapons
because they
unbind the negative energy
which gives
a spectre its form. These
undead are
immune to sleep, charm,
hold, or coldbased
spells. Nor does poison
or paralysis
harm a spectre, since it
does not
have enough of a physical
form to feel
those effects. A raise dead
spell cast on
one destroys it completely.
"Now, I have discovered
some other
things through meditation
that may
prove instructive to you."
She smiled
slightly at her listeners,
the picture of
the beneficent recluse.
?Spectres can be
slain completely if they
are attacked
and fought on the Negative
Energy
Plane. They are found on
no other
planes, by the way, than
the Prime
Material and the Negative
Energy
Planes.
?It is not widely known
that a spectre
is bound to the place where
it met its
death. It cannot leave that
area, so you
need not fear its pursuit
over a very
great distance.,?
Oshin nodded sagely, accepted
her pay
ment, and was relieved when
the journey
back to Ichiyama was complete.
<symbol>
It was only a matter of time
before
the spectre came to visit
Oshin. Every
few months it stopped by
to report on
the progress of its plans
and to find out
what it could about worldly
events
from the old woman.
This time it was startled
and angered
to learn of her lecture
at the capital.
?What do you mean, you told
them all
about us?? rasped the disembodied
voice of Tanomitsu Mitsuro.
The spectre
loomed threateningly over
Oshin ?
who glowered at the transparent
figure
in return.
?No need to exercise your
foul temper
on me!? she snapped. ?I
helped your
cause, Mitsuro, and you
owe me your
thanks!?
?What I mean is this: I
told them a pack
of lies, and they believed
every word of it!
Well, the common information
I had to
tell the truth about. About
holy water,
and your feelings toward
life ? things
like that. But then,,, she
smiled conspiratorily,
?I told them what I?d learned
in
meditation. Meditation!?
Oshin laughed.
The spectre didn?t smile.
?What sort
of things??
?For instance, I told them
you exist on
the Negative Energy Plane,
and can be
killed there. They believed
that! They
don?t realize that just
because you consist
of negative energy, you
don?t have
to be on the Negative Energy
Plane. The
fools don?t even know it?s
impossible for
anything to exist there.
?They also believed me when
I said
the only other plane spectres
are found
on is the Prime Material.
Your jaunts to
the Negative Quasi-Planes
should
remain a secret for some
time, I should
think.?
Mitsuro raised a spectral
eyebrow.
?Not bad.?
?It gets better. I didn?t
mention a word
about physical remains,
and they didn?t
ask. Not even the clerics
there realized
that resurrection, raise,
or reincarnation
cast on a spectre?s physical
remains
will destroy the spectre
because it is
reabsorbed into the returning
soul ?
even if the revival itself
fails. That?s why
raise dead cast on your
spectral form
works ? it forces you to
go search for
your body, and dissipates
your negative
energy in the process!?
?I said you are tied to
the place you
died, and they bought that,
too. It
should take them some time
to realize
that spectres are powerful
enough and
intelligent enough to go
anywhere they
choose ? even though you
stay in one
place out of habit. It?ll
be some time
before before they realize
only one
spectre is creating these
lesser spectres
around the country.,?
Oshin clapped her hands
in amusement.
?Oh! And the half-strength
spectres!
The imperial councilors
are
content now, certain that
a halfstrength
spectre can only create
a spectre
half as strong as itself
? that is, a
quarter-strength spectre.
They think
they need only worry about
weaker
and weaker spectres! Fools!
I didn?t tell
them that the life-draining
process
leaves so much negative
energy in its
wake that half-strength
is as weak as a
spectre can be. Otherwise
it just isn?t a
spectre anymore, is it,
Mitsuro??
The spectre regarded Oshin
in grudging
amazement.
--
1. A spectre's touch
does 1d8 points
of damage, and drains 2
levels of life
energy. Any human victim
completely
drained of life becomes
a half-strength
spectre under command of
the one that
slew it. Half-strength spectres
have
these statistics: AC 6;
MV 12?/24? ; HD
3 + 3; # AT 1; Dmg 1d4;
AL LE; SA, SD as
regular spectre.
2. When a person is
drained of life
by a spectre, his body does
not vanish
into thin air. Rather, the
corpse
remains, the soul leaves,
and the negative
part of the being that is
jealous and
hateful of life takes form
as a spectre.
Only humans can become spectres.
Other races drained of life
by a spectre
simply die.
This can also occur spontaneously
when an evil or hateful
NPC of Lawful
Evil alignment dies. If
that NPC has sufficient
motivation (in the DM?s
judgment),
he may return to haunt the
living as an
undead spectre. The NPC
should make a
saving throw vs. death magic.
If successful,
he becomes a spectre.
3. If the clerical
ceremony eternal rest is cast on a spectre's physical
remains, that spectre is
destroyed. No
such ceremony spell is currently
available
to OA characters,
but DMs may wish to make
similar ceremony
spells available to shukenja
and
sohei characters.
4. In a case where
the spectre?s physical
remains have been destroyed
through accident or intent
(such as cremation),
a spectre can only be
destroyed by slaying the
undead creature,
or casting raise dead on
its spectral
form.
5. A spectre is the
embodiment of negative
energy. Its form is transparent
and
can move through material
objects without
difficulty. It is affected
by gravity only
in a limited way, and can
appear to float,
fly, and rise or sink through
ceilings and
floors. It retains these
movement abilities
even when exposed to sunlight.
Unlike a
ghost, however, a spectre
cannot fade
completely from sight, since
it is not usually
capable of phasing out of
the Prime
Material Plane.
6.
Some spectres are drawn to the
Negative Quasi-Planes because
of the concentration
of negative energy found
there. The spectres capable
of going to
that plane are generally
those whose
earthly remains have been
destroyed and
who have no overriding personal
reason
to remain on the Prime Material
Plane.
Spectres are not normally
planar travelers,
and once they reach the
Negative
Quasi-Planes they usually
stay there.
Q: The Monster Manual
says that
spectres are totally powerless
in
sunlight.
What does this mean in
game terms?
A: A spectre cannot drain
levels or inflict
damage when exposed to natural
sunlight
or its magical equivalent,
such as light
produced by a sun blade
(continual light,
although quite bright, is
not equal to full
daylight). Spectres will
flee from sunlight
whenever they encounter
it, and will
never enter it willingly.
Spectres regain
their powers immediately
upon leaving
direct sunlight.
(138.12)