Ghouls

Ghouls are undead that haunt graveyards and eat corpses. Legend holds that the first ghouls were either cannibalistic humans whose unnatural hunger dragged them back from death or humans who in life fed on the rotting remains of their kin and died (and were reborn) from the foul disease – the true source of these undead scavengers is unclear.

Undead are once-living creatures animated by spiritual or supernatural forces.

They have darkvision.

Undead have immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms).

They have immunity to bleed, death effects, disease, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning.

Undead are not subject to nonlethal damage, ability drain, or energy drain. They are immune to damage to their physical ability scores, as well as to exhaustion and fatigue effects.

They cannot heal damage on their own if they are unintelligent, although they can be healed. Negative energy (such as an inflict spell) can heal undead creatures. They may heal fast regardless of the creature’s intelligence.

They have immunity to any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless).

Undead are not at risk of death from massive damage, but are immediately destroyed when reduced to 0 hit points.

They are not affected by raise dead or reincarnate spells or abilities. Resurrection and true resurrection can affect undead creatures. These spells turn undead creatures back into the living creatures they were before becoming undead.

Undead do not breathe, eat, or sleep.

A ghoul’s bite is contaminated with ghoul fever. A humanoid who dies of ghoul fever rises as a ghoul at the next midnight. A humanoid who rises as 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. More powerful humanoids rise as ghasts.

Ghouls lurk on the edges of civilization (in or near cemeteries or in city sewers) where they can find ample supplies of their favorite food. Though they prefer rotting bodies and often bury their victims for a while to improve their taste, they eat fresh kills if they are hungry enough. Though most surface ghouls live primitively, rumors speak of ghouls cities deep underground led by priests who worship ancient cruel gods or strange demon lords of hunger. These “civilized” ghouls are no less horrific in their eating habits, and in fact the concept of a well-laid ghoul banquet table is perhaps even more horrifying than the concept of taking a meal fresh from the coffin.

A ghoul’s bite and claws can render the victim immobile. Paralyzed creatures cannot move, speak, or take any physical actions. The creature is rooted to the spot, frozen and helpless. Paralysis works on the body, and a creature may resist it. Unlike hold person and similar effects, paralysis cannot be broken and runs its full duration. A winged creature flying in the air at the time it is paralyzed cannot flap its wings and falls. A swimmer can’t swim and may drown. Elves are immune to this effect.

Ghouls are less easily affected by clerics or paladins. They resist the effects of channel energy, including effects that rely on the use of channel energy (such as the Command Undead feat).

Ghasts

Ghasts are fiercer and more powerful that ordinary ghouls. A ghast’s paralysis even affects elves. Ghasts roam in packs of their own kind or lead groups of common ghouls. The stink of death and corruption surrounding these creatures is overwhelming.

Ghasts secrete an oily chemical that nearly every other creature finds offensive. All living creatures (except those that exude such stench) near a ghast may be sickened. Creatures that successfully resist the stench cannot be affected by the same ghast’s stench for a day. A delay poison or neutralize poison spell removes the effect from the sickened creature. Creatures with immunity to poison are unaffected, and creatures resistant to poison apply that against the stench.