Spirits
Echoes of Rage and Regret
Spirits are the echoes and imprints of the deceased that refuse to pass due to unbearable grief, unfinished purpose, or wrathful vengeance. A Spirit forms when a soul is anchored to the Mortal Realm by dreadful purpose, rather than being carried peacefully upon the Styx to the Great Beyond. Existing neither truly in death nor in life, the spirit is a hollow echo of its former self. Spirits are classified according to strength of will of the deceased and the forcefullness of the anguish that binds the soul to the mortal plane.
| Spirit | Embodiment | Manifestation | What Binds Them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shadow | Fragment of a Sin-Stained Soul | Corrupted shadows that drown out light | Sin or moral corruption |
| Specter | Fragment of a Soul Shattered by Trauma | Mindless haunting in broken loops | A violent or interrupted death |
| Banshee | Spirit of Betrayal and Grief | Wailing mourner who radiates unbearable sorrow | A personal betrayal |
| Revenant | Soul Burning with Vengeance | Lucid, relentless hunter inhabiting a corpse | Unresolved injustice |
| Ghost | Soul Bound by Memory and Regret | Reenacting lost moments, fixated on people or places | A memory too painful to release |
| Wraith | Malignant Core of Condensed Evil | Powerful shadow-form that enslaves or absorbs other spirits | Hunger for power and dominion |
From Shadows and Specters to Banshees, Ghosts, Revenants, and Wraiths, spirits bring grief, vengeance, and corruption to life across Dungeons & Dragons, 5E, Pathfinder, and fantasy RPGs.
Shadows
A Shadow is the cast-off remnant of a soul too vile to pass cleanly into death. While the rest of the spirit is swept down the Styx, the Shadow lingers behind like a stain - alive with jealousy, hunger, and spite. Shadows are drawn to extinguish warmth, light, and life, which they revile above all.
Shadow Lore
- Shadows are drawn to those with strong convictions, pure hearts, or hopeful dreams—things they once lacked, and now despise.
- The more light a creature brings into the world, the more their shadow twists in ways it should not.
- In cursed places, one’s own shadow may rebel, tearing itself free to plot its former owner's downfall.
Shadow Statblock
Shadow
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Undead (Spirit, Shadow)
AC 12 Initiative +2 (12)
HP 27 (5d8 + 5)
Speed 30 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 6 | -2 | -2 |
| Dex | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Con | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 6 | -2 | -2 |
| Wis | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Cha | 14 | +2 | +2 |
Skills Stealth +4
Vulnerabilities Radiant
Resistances Acid, Fire, Lightning, Thunder
Immunities Cold, Necrotic, Poison; Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10
Languages Telepathy 60 ft.
CR 1/2 (100 XP; PB +2)
Actions
Shadow's Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 5 (1d6 + 2) necrotic damage and 3 (1d6) cold damage.
Drain Strength. The shadow attempts to magically drain the strength from a creature it can see within 5 feet. The creature must make a DC 10 Constitution save. On a failure, the creature takes 7 (2d6) necrotic damage and is Weakened (save ends at end of turn) for 1 minute (save ends at end of turn). On a success, the creature takes half damage instead. A weakened creature deals half damage with its spells and attacks and has disadvantage on Strength ability checks and saving throws.
Bonus Actions
Shadow Invisibility (Recharge 4-6). The shadow casts Invisibility on itself if it is in dim light or darkness.
Specters
A Specter is a soul fragment, splintered by violence or unendurable pain. Lacking the memory of a Ghost or the malignant will of a Wraith, it drifts through the world in spasms of confusion and malice.
Specter Lore
- Specters often haunt the place of their death, reenacting their final moments in endless, distorted loops.
- Some say Specters are the result of improperly performed death rites, or when a soul is interrupted in its crossing.
- Though easily dismissed alone, swarms of Specters can overwhelm the mind, drowning victims in secondhand terror.
Specter Statblock
Specter
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Undead (Spirit, Specter)
AC 12 Initiative +2 (12)
HP 22 (5d8)
Speed 5 ft., fly 50 ft.(hover)
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 1 | -5 | -5 |
| Dex | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Con | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Wis | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Cha | 14 | +2 | +2 |
Resistances Acid, Bludgeoning, Fire, Lightning, Piercing, Slashing, Thunder
Immunities Cold, Necrotic, Poison; Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10
Languages Telepathy 60 ft.
CR 1 (200 XP; PB +2)
Traits
Twisted Mind. If the specter succeeds on a Wisdom, Intelligence, or Charisma saving throw against a spell or effect then it may reflect the effect back at its source. The original source of the spell or effect must make the save as if it were a target of the spell or effect.
Actions
Spectral Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 9 (2d6 + 2) necrotic damage and 3 (1d6) cold damage.
Reactions
Spirit Flicker (Recharge 4-6). When the specter is hit by an attack it flickers and teleports up to 30 feet away (including into an object).
Banshees
A Banshee is a mournful spirit borne of overwhelming tragedy, sorrow, and betrayal. In life, the spirit loved too deeply and lost too dearly. Many Banshees are spirits of women who were betrayed by a loved one, though not exclusively. The mournful wail of a banshee is often enough to drag the souls of the weak-willed directly into death and chill the minds of even the strong-of-heart.
Banshee Lore
- The keening of a Banshee is said to carry across the River of the Dead, heralding death before it arrives.
- In some cultures, Banshees are seen not as monsters but as messengers that warn those fated to die.
- A Banshee’s presence carries a dread silence that can be physically painful to break
Banshee Statblock
Banshee
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Undead (Spirit, Banshee)
AC 11 Initiative +1 (11)
HP 85 (19d8)
Speed 5 ft., fly 40 ft.(hover)
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 1 | -5 | -5 |
| Dex | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Con | 10 | +0 | +2 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 11 | +0 | +0 |
| Wis | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Cha | 18 | +4 | +4 |
Resistances Acid, Bludgeoning, Fire, Lightning, Piercing, Slashing, Thunder
Immunities Cold, Necrotic, Poison; Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 10
Languages Telepathy 60 ft.
CR 4 (1,100 XP; PB +2)
Actions
Horrifying Lament. Ranged Spell Attack: +6 to hit, range 30ft., one target. Hit 28 (7d6 + 4) psychic damage. On a hit, the target is Frightened until the end of its next turn.
Mind-Shattering Scream (Recharge 5-6). The banshee releases a mind-shattering scream. All other creatures within 30 ft that can hear the banshee must make a DC 14 Intelligence saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes 14 (4d6) psychic damage and is Stunned until the end of its next turn. On a success, a creature takes half damage and is not Stunned. Creatures that are Frightened have disadvantage on this save.
Bonus Actions
Spirit Step (1/day). The banshee uses Dash and Disengage. Any creature that it moves through this turn takes 7 (3d4) cold damage.
Revenants
A Revenant is a soul fueled not by sorrow, but by rage. It rises not to haunt the world, but to correct a single, searing injustice. It remembers how it died and who is to blame, and will not rest until vengeance is taken. Revenants are not mindless: they are deliberate, relentless, and terrifyingly lucid. If their quarry is powerful, Revenants are known to assemble a posse of lesser undead to support their relentless quest.
Revenant Lore
- A Revenant rises in its original body—but if destroyed, it finds another, which slowly reshapes to resemble the first.
- A Revenant will not rest until the injustice that binds it to life has been righted by its own hands. Even if its killer has long since died, the Revenant will only rest when it has spilled the blood of the offender's descendants, disciples, or legacy
- Some Revenants are given leave by divine forces, but others tear themselves out of the River of Death through raw will, dragging pieces of the underworld with them.
Revenant Statblock
Revenant
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Undead (Spirit, Revenant)
AC 13 Initiative +2 (12)
HP 119 (14d8 + 56)
Speed 30 ft.
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 18 | +4 | +4 |
| Dex | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Con | 18 | +4 | +6 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Wis | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| Cha | 18 | +4 | +4 |
Resistances Acid, Fire, Lightning, Thunder
Immunities Cold, Necrotic, Poison; Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 13
Languages Telepathy 60 ft.
CR 5 (1,800 XP; PB +2)
Actions
Multiattack. The revenant makes two Vengeful Strike attacks.
Vengeful Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 11 (2d6 + 4) slashing damage and 7 (2d6) cold damage.
Bonus Actions
Cursed Wounds. Immediately after hitting with an attack, the revenant converts all of that attack's damage to necrotic damage and forces the target to make a DC 14 Charisma save. On a failure, the target is cursed and its maximum hit points are reduced by the necrotic damage taken. The target dies and reanimates as a Zombie under the control of the revenant if this damage leaves it with 0 hit points.
Flesh Puppets (Recharge 4-6). The revenant uses dark necromancy to resurrect the corpse of a nearby creature of CR 2 or less. The creature acts in initiative immediately after the revenant and obeys the commands of the revenant (no action required). The flesh puppet has the same statistics as when the creature was living except it is now Undead, or uses the statistics of a Skeleton, Zombie, or Ghoul. When the flesh puppet dies, the corpse is mangled beyond repair and is turned into a pile of viscera.
Reactions
Soul Chill. Whenever a creature within 50 feet that the revenant can see fails a saving throw, the revenant can attempt to leech away a portion of its spirit. The creature must succeed on a DC 14 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, it gains one level of Exhaustion.
Ghosts
Ghosts are spirits that died with memories too painful to release. They are not held by hatred or vengeance, but by the sorrowful weight of what they recall. Lives cut too short, loved ones left behind, and truths unsaid. These souls haunt the world not because they won’t move on, but because their memories won’t let them.
Unlike the shattered fragments of a Specter, a Ghost is whole - but trapped in an endless loop of remembrance. It relives its death again and again, clinging to names, moments, and gestures long lost. Some lash out when disturbed. Others seek comfort in the living, drawn to those who carry echoes of their own regret.
Ghost Lore
- Ghosts are animated by memory, often reenacting scenes from their lives with eerie accuracy or speaking in riddles drawn from personal history.
- They often fixate on objects, people, or places tied to their strongest memories: an heirloom locket, a family home, or the battlefield where they fell.
- Their presence distorts time and perception, as their pain bleeds into the world. Dreams fray, names slip, and voices echo from forgotten places.
Ghost Statblocks
Ghost
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Undead (Spirit, Ghost)
AC 11 Initiative +1 (11)
HP 49 (9d8 + 9)
Speed 5 ft., fly 40 ft.(hover)
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 5 | -3 | -3 |
| Dex | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Con | 12 | +1 | +3 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 10 | +0 | +0 |
| Wis | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Cha | 18 | +4 | +4 |
Resistances Acid, Bludgeoning, Fire, Lightning, Piercing, Slashing, Thunder
Immunities Cold, Necrotic, Poison; Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 11
Languages Telepathy 60 ft.
CR 4 (1,100 XP; PB +2)
Actions
Ghostly Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 18 (4d6 + 4) necrotic damage and 14 (4d6) cold damage.
Possession (Recharge 6). The ghost attempts to possess a creature within 15 feet. The target must make a DC 14 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the target is Cursed. The ghost may only have one such curse active at a time. While the curse persists, the ghost is Invisible and cannot be targeted by any attack, spell, or effect unless it specifically targets Undead. Also, the target is under the effect of the Dominate Person spell, except that the target does not repeat the saving throw whenever it takes damage. If the spell ends while the curse is active, the target becomes afflicted by the spell again on its next turn. The curse may be broken by dealing damage to the ghost or by sprinkling holy water on the target.
Bonus Actions
Modify Memory. Immediately after hitting with an attack, the ghost attempts to reshape that creature's memories. The creature must succeed on a DC 12 Intelligence saving throw or be affected as if by the Modify Memory spell. A creature that succeeds on the save is immune to this effect for 24 hours.
Reactions
Soul Chill. Whenever a creature within 40 feet that the ghost can see fails a saving throw, the ghost can attempt to leech away a portion of its spirit. The creature must succeed on a DC 14 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, it gains one level of Exhaustion.
Wraiths
When a soul steeped in malice dies, it may resist the pull of the Styx. Caught in the cold eddies of that underworld current, its will festers. Twisting and swelling, it draws in the remnants of other damned spirits. Layer by layer, a powerful Wraith forms: a cursed vortex of souls too vile to cross over.
Unlike the scattered fragments of a Specter or Shadow, a Wraith is cohesive and cunning. Its presence dims light, drains warmth, and enslaves lesser spirits to serve as extensions of its will.
Wraith Lore
- Though formed of countless fragmented spirits, at the core of the Wraith is a singular evil spirit clinging to un-life
- Unlike Ghosts, who cling to memory, Wraiths cling to power
- Wraiths are drawn to places where evil lingers, especially where other spirits might be harvested
Wraith Statblocks
Wraith
Wraith
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Undead (Spirit, Wraith)
AC 13 Initiative +3 (13)
HP 67 (9d8 + 27)
Speed 5 ft., fly 60 ft.(hover)
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 6 | -2 | -2 |
| Dex | 16 | +3 | +3 |
| Con | 16 | +3 | +5 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Wis | 14 | +2 | +2 |
| Cha | 18 | +4 | +4 |
Resistances Acid, Bludgeoning, Fire, Lightning, Piercing, Slashing, Thunder
Immunities Cold, Necrotic, Poison; Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12
Languages Telepathy 60 ft.
CR 5 (1,800 XP; PB +2)
Traits
Endless Servitude. When a living ally the wraith can see is reduced to 0 hp, that ally immediately becomes a Zombie or Skeleton under the wraith's control, acting at initiative count 0.
Actions
Multiattack. The wraith makes two Splinter Soul attacks. It may replace one attack with a use of its Feed on Light.
Splinter Soul. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 11 (2d6 + 4) necrotic damage and 7 (2d6) cold damage.
Feed on Light (1/day). The wraith extinguishes all mundane and magical light sources created from spell effects of 3rd level or lower within 30 feet. If it does so, it gains 10 temp hp for each such light source extinguished.
Devour Soul (Recharge 5-6). The wraith targets one creature it can see within 30 feet of it that is not a Construct or an Undead. The creature must succeed on a DC 12 Charisma saving throw or take 24 (7d6) necrotic damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, it dies and immediately rises as a Ghoul under the wraith's control.
Wraith Shadelord
When the spirit of the wraith is particularly evil it can attract such a dense miasma of negative energy that a Wraith Shadelord forms.
Wraith Shadelord
Summoned with Foe FoundryMedium Undead (Spirit, Wraith)
AC 13 Initiative +6 (16)
HP 123 (13d8 + 65)
Speed 5 ft., fly 60 ft.(hover)
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Str | 6 | -2 | -2 |
| Dex | 17 | +3 | +3 |
| Con | 20 | +5 | +8 |
| Mod | Save | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Int | 12 | +1 | +1 |
| Wis | 15 | +2 | +5 |
| Cha | 20 | +5 | +8 |
Resistances Acid, Bludgeoning, Fire, Lightning, Piercing, Slashing, Thunder
Immunities Cold, Necrotic, Poison; Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained, Unconscious
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 12
Languages Telepathy 60 ft.
CR 8 (3,900 XP; PB +3)
Traits
Legendary Prowess (3/day). The wraith can choose to succeed on a saving throw or ability check instead of failing. When it does so, it takes 5 force damage.
Actions
Splinter Soul. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 12 (2d6 + 5) necrotic damage and 3 (1d6) cold damage.
Shadow Rift (Recharge 5-6). The wraith magically creates a Medium Shadow Rift Token (AC/DC 13, 2 Charges) at an unoccupied space it can see within 30 feet. Each turn that the rift is active, on initiative count 0, 10 (4d4) Skeleton arrive to aid the summoner and join combat at initiative count 0. On their first turn, the Skeleton use their movement and action to arrive on the battlefield in unoccupied spaces within 30 feet of the summoner. They then act normally on subsequent turns.
Bonus Actions
Cursed Wounds. Immediately after hitting with an attack, the wraith converts all of that attack's damage to necrotic damage and forces the target to make a DC 16 Charisma save. On a failure, the target is cursed and its maximum hit points are reduced by the necrotic damage taken. The target dies and reanimates as a Zombie under the control of the wraith if this damage leaves it with 0 hit points.
Flesh Puppets (1/day). The wraith uses dark necromancy to resurrect the corpse of a nearby creature of CR 3 or less. The creature acts in initiative immediately after the wraith and obeys the commands of the wraith (no action required). The flesh puppet has the same statistics as when the creature was living except it is now Undead, or uses the statistics of a Skeleton, Zombie, or Ghoul. When the flesh puppet dies, the corpse is mangled beyond repair and is turned into a pile of viscera.
Legendary Actions (3)
Attack. The wraith makes a Splinter Soul attack.
Move. The wraith moves up to its speed.
Recharge. The wraith uses or attempts to recharge one of its Recharge abilities. It can't take this action again until the start of its next turn.
Spirit and Ghost Encounters
- A torch sputters in a narrow hallway as the party's shadows stretch and split. One or more of them peel off the wall as a Shadow and attack their sources.
- A group of guards lie dead in a torchlit room, killed by unseen assailants. If the sputtering torch extinguishes, 1d4 Shadow take form and lunge from the darkness.
- As the party rests, each member begins hearing faint whispers in their native language: fragments of dying thoughts, regrets, and fears. A Specter drifts unseen nearby, trying to feed on emotional weakness. Unless acknowledged, it becomes violent.
- The party finds a wounded guard calling for help. If healed or aided, the figure flickers and reveals it is a Specter repeating its death throes. The act of kindness awakens its fragmented mind, and it lashes out in panic unless calmed.
- In a ruined bedchamber, a Banshee cradles a bundle of bones in a broken cradle. She demands the party sing her child back to sleep.
- The party discovers a group of fresh corpses, faces frozen in abject horror, with no obvious cause of death. The looters were attempting to break into the tomb of a vain Banshee and abscond with her enchanted silver mirror.
- A Revenant and its posse (3d6 Skeleton, Zombie, and/or Ghoul) shambles into a tavern mid-conversation, points at a party member, and declares "You ride with a murderer! I will have justice".
- A cloaked figure on a skeletal steed blocks a mountain pass. The Revenant demands information on the whereabouts of "Thalrus Vall" and will not let the PCs pass unless they comply. Thalrus is someone connected to one or more of the PCs.
- A cracked mirror in a ruin shows a sobbing party member’s reflection. The Ghost inside demands that the PC remember the name of someone they failed, or it will trap them in the glass to join in its ghostly penance.
- A Ghost blocks the only path forward, whispering “I must not be forgotten.” The spirit demands someone speak its name in order to pass.
- The air grows thin and cold as the party enters a forgotten tomb. One of them stumbles, but their Shadow doesn’t get up, rising instead as the herald of the Wraith within. The herald demands a blood sacrifice for its master.
- A crypt door swings open as if pushed from within. The Wraith Shadelord within does not attack immediately. It offers the most ambitious PC power if they take their place beside it.
Spirit and Ghost Adventures
- The last monk of an ancient priestly order tasked with protecting a holy site asks the party for help. The holy site is a vault of powerful cursed relics protected by holy flames. The flames are about to fail, and when they do, waves of Shadows will seize the cursed relics.
- A collapsed mining town lies silent beneath a blanket of ash. At night, the wind carries faint cries and the dying breaths of trapped workers. The Specters below won’t rest until they are named and buried, but the local baron insists the disaster never happened. The party is approached by the widows of the dead miners asking for help putting their slain kin to rest.
- For the last twelve full moons, a Banshee has let out a terrible, prophetic wail. And each morning, someone in the hamlet is discovered dead. The local village chief implores the party to put an end to her village's curse.
- The party finds a hanged man swinging gently in the breeze on a gallows tree. It looks like an entire family was executed here. The hanged man calls out and begs the party the cut him down, for the Revenant has unfinished business with a powerful Noble who had his entire family executed
- A wealthy merchant hires the party to clear a curse from an inherited estate that he needs to sell immediately to cover some debts. Each year, on the anniversary of her betrayal, a Banshee manifests and wails about her betrayal, forcing the Ghost of the lover who spurned her to beg forgiveness for hours on end. The anniversary is in three days...
- Three hundred years ago, a merciless tyrant was betrayed by his underlings. The tyrants corpse, as well as all of his ill-gotten cursed treasure, was entombed within his palatial crypt in the center of a wealthy trading city. The spirit of the tyrant rises each century as a Wraith Shadelord and wreaks havoc on the city. The mayor hires the party to put an end to the curse and promises them the tyrant's hoard, as well as a hefty payment for successful work.