Buy me a coffeeDuppy, “The Restless Shade”
“The Duppy: A soul-stealing Caribbean phantom that stalks the night—hide your spirit or be dragged beyond the grave!”
A duppy rarely has a single form. It manifests as a shifting silhouette, flickering between wisps of shadow, translucent human-like figures, or grotesque reflections of its former self—sometimes missing eyes, with mouths stitched shut, or skin that seems to writhe like smoke. Its presence is always heralded by unnatural cold, the scent of earth, rot, or burnt herbs, and silence that smothers even insect sounds.
Behaviour
Cunning and sadistic, a duppy prefers psychological torment over brute force. It delights in isolating victims, sowing paranoia and fear through whispers, hallucinations, and subtle disturbances. It may mimic voices, appear in dreams, or rearrange objects to make its victims question their sanity. Duppies are most active at night and fade with the first rays of dawn.
Habitat
Duppies are most often found in places of spiritual disruption—graveyards, ruins, unmarked burial grounds, or near silk cotton trees, which are said to be portals to the spirit world. They also haunt homes where the dead were mistreated, forgotten, or summoned. These spirits avoid sanctified ground but may linger at its borders, waiting for someone to stray.
Modus Operandi
A duppy first harasses a target with subtle supernatural events: whispers, shifting shadows, sleep paralysis, or night terrors. As fear grows, it escalates to fright-inducing illusions, psychic damage, and sometimes possession. Rarely engaging in open combat, it uses hit-and-run tactics, slipping into the Ethereal Plane or vanishing into darkness after a single strike. Its strength increases in proportion to its victim’s fear.
Motivation
Duppies are driven by unfinished business, revenge, or a denial of death. Many were betrayed, murdered, or improperly buried, their spirits enraged at being forgotten. Others are conjured intentionally by dark practitioners to act as guardians, curses, or messengers. A duppy desires acknowledgment, vengeance, or release—but in its corrupted state, it often brings only suffering. Some can be put to rest through rituals of atonement or by fulfilling the wishes they died with. Most, however, crave only the continued torment of the living.
Duppy 5e
Duppy, Pathfinder
Duppy
Medium Undead, Chaotic Evil
Armor Class 15 (Incorporeal Form)
Hit Points 97 (13d8 + 39)
Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 (−2) | 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 14 (+2) | 17 (+3) | 20 (+5) |
Saving Throws Wis +6, Cha +8
Skills Stealth +8, Insight +6, Deception +8, Arcana +5
Damage Resistances Acid, Fire, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Nonmagical Attacks
Damage Immunities Cold, Necrotic, Poison
Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained
Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 13
Languages Common, Infernal, plus any languages it knew in life
Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +3
Traits
Incorporeal Movement.
The duppy can move through creatures and solid objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Fear Feeder.
Whenever a creature within 30 feet of the duppy is frightened, the duppy regains 5 hit points at the start of its turn and has advantage on attack rolls against that creature.
Haunting Presence (Recharge 5–6).
As a bonus action, the duppy becomes invisible and can move through walls and barriers for 1 minute. While this ability is active, any hostile creature that starts its turn within 10 feet of the duppy must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of its next turn.
Ethereal Slip (Recharge 4–6).
As a reaction when damaged, the duppy phases into the Ethereal Plane, reappearing up to 60 feet away in a space it can see. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks.
Spellcasting
The duppy is a Charisma-based spellcaster (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). It requires no material components.
- At will: Thaumaturgy, Minor Illusion, Mage Hand
- 3/day each: Phantasmal Force, Suggestion, Darkness
- 1/day each: Dream, Fear, Shadow of Moil
Actions
Soul Claw. Melee Spell Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature.
Hit: 17 (3d6 + 5) necrotic damage. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of its next turn.
Possess Body (Recharge 6).
The duppy targets one incapacitated or unconscious humanoid within 5 feet. The target must succeed on a DC 16 Charisma saving throw or become possessed for up to 1 minute. While possessed:
- The duppy controls the target’s body but does not access its memories.
- The possession ends if the host drops to 0 hit points, the duration expires, or the remove curse, greater restoration, or dispel evil and good spell is cast on the target.
Only one creature can be possessed at a time.
Tactics
- Ambush Tactics: The duppy prefers to stalk its prey unseen, using Minor Illusion and Thaumaturgy to isolate and disorient targets before attacking.
- Fear Synergy: It opens with Fear or Phantasmal Force to frighten enemies, then focuses its attacks on frightened creatures to maximize its regeneration and combat advantage.
- Hit and Fade: When threatened, it uses Ethereal Slip to reposition or escape, often returning invisibly using Haunting Presence to resume its attack.
Lore
Duppies are born from souls that die in anguish, betrayal, or without proper rites. Bound to the mortal world by grief and fury, they haunt the places of their death or those responsible for their unrest. Feared across the Caribbean, duppies thrive on terror and grief, growing stronger in places thick with emotion or spiritual imbalance.
They are particularly vulnerable to rituals of burial, salt, lime, or powerful prayers. Those who know the old ways can ward off a duppy—but few have the courage to stand their ground when one appears.
Duppy
This floating, ghostly humanoid wears a cowl, but the face beneath it is a blend of human and animal, radiating hatred and fury. Transparent, canine shapes twine around its legs.
Source Isles of the Shackles pg. 48
Orginally posted in Archives of Nethys
A duppy is the spirit of a cruel and brutal sailor who died by violence on land, away from his ship and crew, and thus was unable to receive a proper burial at sea. While its ghostly form is evidence enough of its twisted hatred, a duppy also possesses power over a pack of faithful, otherworldly hounds that share in their master’s malignance.
Duppies typically seek out sailors and pirates to exact their vengeance on, seeking to inflict great violence on those living creatures who remind them of what they lost in life. For this reason, duppies are most often found in seaside towns or nearby beaches, and settlements that rely on the ocean know to fear and hate these ghastly beings.
The presence of a duppy is often preceded by the distant sound of unearthly howling. While a duppy’s incorporeal form ensures that it cannot be captured via mundane means, those who do manage to trick a duppy into a trap are wise to keep the horror confined until day, when its otherworldly abilities are hindered and it can be more easily defeated. However, few creatures can muster powers strong enough to cage a duppy, whose hounds confound enemies and allow the ghostly monster to attack victims from all sides.
| Duppy CR 7 |
| XP 3,200 CE Medium undead (incorporeal) Init +10; Senses Darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +14 Aura unnatural aura (30 ft.) |
| Defense |
| AC 20, touch 20, flat-footed 14 (+4 deflection, +6 Dexterity) hp 76 (9d8+36) Fort +7, Ref +11, Will +8 Defensive Abilities Channel Resistance +2, incorporeal; Immune undead traits Weaknesses resurrection vulnerability, sunlight powerlessness |
| Offense |
| Speed fly 40 ft. (perfect) Melee incorporeal touch +12 (2d8 negative energy plus 1d6 Strength drain) Special Attacks ravenous hounds |
| Statistics |
| Strength -, Dexterity 22, Constitution -, Intelligence 13, Wisdom 15, Charisma 19 Base Atk +6; CMB +12; CMD 26 Feats Flyby Attack, Improved Initiative, Lightning Reflexes, Lunge, Step Up Skills Fly +26, Intimidate +16, Perception +14, Sense Motive +14, Stealth +18 Languages Common, Polyglot |
| Special Abilities |
| Ravenous Hounds (Sp) Once per day as a standard action, a duppy can bring into being a pack of incorporeal hounds for 1d4+3 rounds. The ravenous hounds attack as a single unit, have a +11 attack bonus, deal 2d6+3 points of force damage on a successful hit, and threaten a critical hit on a natural 20. This ability is otherwise identical to mage’s sword (CL 7th). Resurrection Vulnerability (Su) A raise dead or similar spell cast on a duppy destroys it (Will negates). Using the spell in this way does not require a material component. Strength Drain (Su) Creatures hit by a duppy’s touch attack must succeed at a DC 18 Fortitude save or take 1d6 points of Strength drain. On each successful attack, the duppy gains 5 temporary hit points. The save DC is Charisma-based. |
| Ecology |
| Environment warm coastal regions Organization solitary, pair, or pack (3-8) Treasure none |