Death

Ghosts

Ten minutes after the humanoid creature dies—whether by age, disease, magic, or battle—its soul appears on the Ethereal Plane. The soul hovers on the Ethereal Plane, and if the creature does not wish to remain as a ghost (see ghost transformation), it is carried off by the Ethereal Current, which
takes it across the Veil of Souls into the True Afterlife.

If the creature chooses to remain on this side of the Veil of Souls instead of passing on, it exists as an ethereal ghost, and the character immediately gains the ghost transformation. A newly formed ethereal ghost has 1 hit point. It retains all of its normal abilities, but loses all prepared spells, unused spell slots, remaining daily uses of magical powers (such as wild shape), and so on. Ghosts in an ethereal state may move in any direction on the Ethereal Plane at their normal speed and are subject to all rules pertaining to ethereal creatures (they can be seen with see invisibility, they are subject to force effects, and so on). Ghosts and other creatures on the Ethereal Plane heal normally from rest and recover spells and special ability uses at the same rate as living characters, so some ghosts choose to wait there for a few days before returning to the Material Plane so they are not so vulnerable.

If a new ghost still in its ethereal state wishes to return to the Material Plane, it may attempt a Wisdom check (DC 16) as soon as it appears on the Ethereal Plane, and every minute thereafter, until it succeeds. Once the creature succeeds, it is forced out of the Ethereal Plane and manifests as an incorporeal ghost on the Material Plane. Any spells or effects on the creature’s physical body or mind are not carried over to the manifested ghost. Long-term magic that affects a body, such as bestow curse, resumes its effects on the creature if it is ever raised from the dead.

True Death

The person can still be brought back from the dead in the normal manner (raise dead works if the body is still available, and so on), and spells exist that can bring a person back from the dead as a ghost rather than as a living person.

Soul Harmony

Most of the trauma involved in being restored to life stems from the disruption of the soul’s connection to the afterlife. If the soul or ghost of a deceased creature is nearby, this aspect of the trauma is mitigated.

When raise dead or resurrection is cast within the Manifest Ward, the creature is restored to life as normal, but without the usual penalties associated with the spells. Specifically:

• The creature does not suffer the -4 penalty to attack rolls, saving throws, and ability checks imposed by raise dead.
• All other effects of the spell remain unchanged, including the requirement for the soul’s consent, the creature being restored with only 1 hit point, and the inability of the spell to cure magical diseases or other lingering conditions.

This unique property of the Manifest Ward (see “Manifest” in the Library) allows for a less traumatic return to life while adhering to the rules and limitations of the spells.

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