monster Ghoul
Ghoul
“Meet the ghoul: a ravenous undead predator driven by an insatiable hunger for flesh—what dark secrets are they hiding?”
Ghouls are horrifying, gaunt figures resembling emaciated humanoids, typically standing between 5 and 6 feet tall. Their skin, a pallid grayish hue, is stretched taut over sunken bones, giving them a skeletal appearance that enhances their grotesque allure. Their eyes, wide and bloodshot, shimmer with a frenzied desperation, reflecting an insatiable craving for flesh. Jagged teeth protrude from their mouths, stained from countless feedings, while elongated fingers end in sharp claws, remnants of a savage existence. The air around them is thick with the fetid stench of decay, a constant reminder of their unholy hunger.
Behavior:
Ghouls display erratic and compulsive behaviors driven by an overwhelming need to consume flesh. They often pace restlessly, their hunger forcing them to seek out their next meal—fresh, warm flesh. When not hunting, they engage in ritualistic behaviors, obsessively grooming their claws or hoarding scraps of meat in hidden caches. In groups, their interactions can be chaotic, with ghouls competing for dominance or access to the freshest corpses, leading to violent disputes. Their communication is often guttural and frantic, expressing both desperation and excitement when they catch a whiff of potential prey.
Habitat:
Ghouls thrive in urban decay and desolate landscapes, frequently found in graveyards, abandoned buildings, and festering sewers, where they can indulge their cravings away from prying eyes. They often make their lairs in dark, dank corners of crypts or among the remains of the dead, creating a gruesome sanctum filled with remnants of past meals. These lairs are littered with bones and rotting flesh, reminders of their last indulgences, serving as both a testament to their insatiable hunger and a chilling warning to the living.
Modus Operandi:
Ghouls approach their hunts with predatory cunning, relying on stealth and patience to wait for the perfect moment to strike. When they detect potential victims, their excitement escalates, often leading to reckless pursuit driven by their overwhelming need to satiate their hunger. Upon incapacitating their prey, they descend into a frenzied state of consumption, devouring flesh with ravenous abandon, often losing themselves in the ecstasy of the moment. They may then retreat to their lairs to hoard the remaining flesh, preserving it for later use, much like creatures that stockpile resources.
Motivation:
The relentless craving for flesh compels ghouls to seek out fresh corpses and living beings alike. This insatiable hunger is not just for sustenance but also serves as a twisted source of pleasure, as each feeding moment brings euphoric highs that temporarily alleviate their constant yearning. Additionally, ghouls spread their curse through bites, hoping to convert the living into fellow ghouls, ensuring their survival and perpetuating their horrifying cycle of consumption. Ultimately, their existence is a nightmarish loop of cravings, indulgence, and grotesque pleasure derived from feeding on flesh, forever trapped in their ghastly desires.
Ghoul 5.5e / 2024
Ghoul Pathfinder
Ghoul
Medium Undead, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 12
Initiative +2 (12)
Hit Points 22 (5d8)
Speed 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 (+1) | 15 (+2) | 10 (+0) | 7 (−2) | 10 (+0) | 6 (−2) |
Immunities Poison; Charmed, Exhaustion, Poisoned
Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 10
Languages Common
Challenge 1 (200 XP) Proficiency Bonus +2
Actions
Multiattack. The ghoul makes two Bite attacks.
Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) Piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) Necrotic damage.
Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +4, reach 5 ft. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) Slashing damage. If the target is neither an Undead nor an elf, it makes a DC 10 Constitution saving throw; on a failure, it is Paralyzed until the end of its next turn.
Description
Ghouls are grotesque, ravenous undead that once lived as humanoids. Their existence is marked by a maddening craving for flesh, driving them to horrific acts in their search for sustenance. Emaciated and hollow-eyed, ghouls embody despair and frenzy, their very being consumed by the need to feed. In combat, they attack with manic energy, relishing each moment of feeding and exhibiting behaviors reminiscent of an addiction. Their surroundings reflect their twisted nature—abandoned graveyards and dark corners of civilization where the stench of decay and desperation reigns. Every encounter with a ghoul is a reminder of the thin line between life and the horrific existence of undeath.
Ghoul
This humanoid creature has long, sharp teeth, and its pallid flesh is stretched tightly over its starved frame.
Ghoul CR 1
XP 400
CE Medium undead
Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +7
DEFENSE
AC 14, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+2 Dex, +2 natural)
hp 13 (2d8+4)
Fort +2, Ref +2, Will +5
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2; Immune undead traits
OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee bite +3 (1d6+1 plus disease and paralysis) and 2 claws +3 (1d6+1 plus paralysis)
Special Attacks paralysis (1d4+1 rounds, DC 13, elves are immune to this effect)
STATISTICS
Str 13, Dex 15, Con —, Int 13, Wis 14, Cha 14
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 14
Feats Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +4, Climb +6, Perception +7, Stealth +7, Swim +3
Languages Common
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Disease (Su)
Ghoul Fever: Bite—injury; save Fort DC 13; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Con and 1d3 Dex damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Charisma-based.
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. A humanoid of 4 Hit Dice or more rises as a ghast.
ECOLOGY
Environment any land
Organization solitary, gang (2–4), or pack (7–12)
Treasure standard
Ghouls are undead that haunt graveyards and eat corpses. Legends hold 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.
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 ghoul 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.
The typical ghoul is assumed to have come from a Medium humanoid like a human, half-elf, dwarf, or elf. Yet some humanoids have remarkably different characteristics that make these ghouls more or less powerful.
Feats for Ghouls
The following feats are intended to be used by ghouls (including ghasts and lacedons), but could make interesting options for many other types of undead as well.
Brain Eater: You gain some of the skills and knowledge of a consumed foe by eating its brain.
Civilized Ghoulishness: Although undead, you can easily pass as living.
Warren Digger: You can burrow through soil and dirt.
Variants
Ghul (Undead Jann, CR 5)
Great Ghul (Undead Efreet, CR 6)
Larger Ghouls: A giant that succumbs to ghoul fever retains its larger size, its higher natural armor bonus, and all of its racial Hit Dice, but is otherwise treated as a ghoul advanced to its new Hit Dice and size.
Smaller Ghouls: Small humanoids who become ghouls have 1 HD and all of the appropriate bonuses and penalties for dropping from Medium to Small size (–4 Str, +2 Dex, +1 size bonus on attack rolls and to AC, reduced natural attack damage, etc.). A Small ghoul is CR 1/2.
Unusual Ghouls: Some humanoids transformed into ghouls have unusual advantages.
- Boggard, Merfolk: These races always spawn into lacedons.
- Bugbear, Lizardfolk, Troglodyte: These races always spawn into ghasts.
- Ettin: An ettin ghoul has two bite attacks, in addition to being advanced to Large size and 10 HD.
- Fire Giant: A fire giant ghoul gains the fire subtype.
- Frost Giant: A frost giant ghoul gains the cold subtype.
- Lycanthrope: While a ghoul cannot become a lycanthrope, a living lycanthrope who succumbs to ghoul fever could rise as a ghoul. In most cases, this transformation removes the lycanthropic curse, resulting in a standard ghoul, but in rare events the resulting monster is a true ghoul lycanthrope. To create stats for such a creature, simply apply the lycanthrope template to a ghoul—this is an exception to the general rule that you can normally only add the lycanthrope template to a humanoid.
Section 15: Copyright Notice
Classic Horrors Revisited. Copyright 2009, Paizo Publishing, LLC; Authors: James Jacobs, Rob McCreary, F. Wesley Schneider
GHOUL LORE
Originally posted by Eric Cagle
Evandar_TAybara of the Wizards Community forums.
Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Religion) can learn more ghouls. When a character makes a successful skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs.
| DC | Result |
| 12 | Ghouls are undead who feast upon corpses and carrion. They are tough and intelligent creatures. This reveals all undead traits. |
| 17 | The bite of a ghoul infects the victim with a horrible disease called ghoul fever. Those who die from this disease rise again to become a ghoul themselves. |
| 22 | The bite or touch of a ghoul causes Paralysis in its victim. |
| 27 | There are other variations of ghouls, including the aquatic lacedon and the more powerful Ghast. |