Spectre 7 (21)

Lost Company Press

Ethereal beings trapped between life and death, Spectres are sorrowful echoes of a person's dark past and unresolved emotions. They can be identified by a faint luminous glow and an unsettling chill. Announcing their presence with a melancholy wail, they drift through walls and objects effortlessly, ignoring most physical barriers.

Motive: To cause despair and drain life energy

Environment: Haunted locations, graveyards, and ancient battlefields (Underground)

Health: 21

Damage: 7 points

Armor: 2

Movement: Immediate

Modifications: Speed defense as level 8 due to incorporeal nature; Intimidation and mental effects as level 8; Detecting living creatures as level 8

Combat: A Spectre's touch drains the warmth and vitality from living beings, causing not only physical harm but also casting a pall of despair on the victim. On a failed Intellect defense roll (difficulty 4), the Spectre's touch causes its victim to gain an asset on their next attack due to the surge of fear and desperation.

• Soul Siphon: Upon a successful touch attack, the Spectre can also choose to heal by 2 points, representing the life force it siphons from its victim.
• Phase: The Spectre can move through solid objects as though they are not there. This can be used once every two rounds to either avoid an attack or to move to an advantageous posiition.
• Wail of the Forsaken: As an action, the Spectre lets out a horrifying wail that affects all creatures within short range. Affected targets must succeed an Intellect defense roll (difficulty 4) or be stunned for one round.

Interactions: Spectres are often drawn to individuals who show strong emotions. Some can be bargained with if a character discerns their unresolved earthly business, but most are beyond reason or respite.

Uses: A desperate scholar has unwittingly summoned a Spectre in his quest for forbidden knowledge, now it haunts the halls of his library, seeking to quench all life within its reach.

Loot: Spectres sometimes leave behind a wisp of their essence, which can be used by the wise or the foolhardy to commune with the dead or empower necromantic rituals.

GM Intrusion: As a character attacks, the Spectre momentarily takes on the appearance of a loved one from the character's past, causing the character to hesitate and miss their next turn due to emotional conflict.