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Astral Ghosts are the spiritual essences of intelligent beings who, for one reason or another, have been stripped of their physical form but retain control over thier spiritual form on the astral plane. This condition may result if a soul cord is cut when a character is under the effects of Astral Projection, or the results of a psionic Sever. It is also the first step in becoming a lemure or quasit.
An Astral ghost greatly resembles its corporeal form in life, but its spiritual form is somewhat insubstantial and ghost like and may or may not look slightly differently form the physical form. (if late in the process of turning to a lemure, character may look very tortured and distorted as charisma during this gestation period drops weekly.)
"Astral Ghost" is an acquired template that can be added to any aberration, animal, dragon, giant, humanoid, magical beast, or monstrous humanoid, but not plant. The creature (referred to hereafter as the base creature) must have Wisdom and Charisma scores of at least 6.
Astral ghosts use all the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here.
The creature’s type changes to undead and outsider ,(astral based). It also
gains the incorporeal
subtype.
Hit points remain the same except bonuses for constitution are lost and any bonuses for high wisdom is used in its place.
Astral Ghosts have a fly speed equal to their movement on the astral plane, unless the base creature has a higher fly speed, with perfect maneuverability.
Natural armor is the same as the base creature’s but applies only to astral encounters. When the astral ghost manifests (see below), its natural armor bonus is +0, but it gains a deflection bonus equal to its Charisma modifier or +1, whichever is higher.
A ghost retains all the attacks of the base creature, although those relying on physical contact do not affect creatures that are not astral.
A ghost retains all the attacks of the base creature, although those relying on physical contact do not affect creatures that are not astral.
Against astral creatures, an Astral ghost uses the base creature’s damage values. Against nonastral creatures, theAstral ghost usually cannot deal physical damage at all but can use its special attacks, if any, when it manifests (see below).
A ghost retains all the special attacks of the base creature, although those relying on physical contact do not affect nonethereal creatures.
An Astral Ghost can LEARN the Manifestation ability (see below) and may take other ghost related feats with practice and as feats become available.
Every astral ghost has this ability although when first transformed to Astral Ghost it may take practice to master and often doesnt manifest itself for a short while. A ghost dwells on the Astral Plane and, just as with an ethereal creature, it cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When a ghost manifests, it partly enters the Material Plane and becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane. A manifested ghost can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, or spells, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source. A manifested ghost can pass through non-living solid objects at will, and its own attacks pass through armor. A manifested ghost always moves silently. A manifested ghost can strike with its touch attack or with a ghost touch weapon (see Ghostly Equipment, below). A manifested ghost remains partially on the Astral Plane, where is it not incorporeal. A manifested ghost can be attacked by opponents on either the Material Plane or the Astral Plane. The ghost’s incorporeality helps protect it from foes on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Astral Plane.
When a spellcasting ghost is not manifested and is on the Ethereal Plane, its spells cannot affect targets on the Material Plane, but they work normally against astral targets. When a spellcasting ghost manifests, its spells continue to affect atral targets and can affect targets on the Material Plane normally unless the spells rely on touch. A manifested ghost’s touch spells don’t work on nonethereal targets.
Unlike a Ghost, ehe Astral ghost has only one home plane - the Astral Plane. It is not considered extraplanar when on this plane but is considered extraplanar when on the Material Plane.
The ghost also gains a manifestation ability plus one to three other special attacks as described below. The save DC against a special attack is equal to 10 + ½ ghost’s HD + ghost’s Cha modifier unless otherwise noted.
The following feats can be taken in place of other feats as a character gains feats from class or levels..
With practice and an open feat slot, a ghost can learn to possess. Once per round, an astral ghost can merge its body with a creature on the Material Plane. This ability is similar to a magic jar spell (caster level 10th or the ghost’s Hit Dice, whichever is higher), except that it does not require a receptacle. To use this ability, the ghost must be manifested and it must try move into the target’s space; moving into the target’s space to use the posession ability does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The target can resist the attack with a successful Will save (DC 15 + ghost’s Cha modifier). A creature that successfully saves is immune to that same ghost’s posession for 24 hours, and the ghost cannot enter the target’s space. If the save fails, the ghost vanishes into the target’s body.
With much practice (and an open feat slot), an Astral ghost can gain this feat to use telekinesis as a standard action (caster level 12th or equal to the ghost’s HD, whichever is higher). When a ghost uses this power, it must wait 1d4 rounds before using it again.
A ghost that hits a living target with its incorporeal touch attack deals an additional 1d6 points of damage. .
Prerequisite: 3 other ghost feats. In most cases, it’s difficult to destroy these ghosts through simple combat: The "destroyed" spirit will often restore itself in 2d4 days. Save for Inprimsonment type spells, even the most powerful destructive spells are usually only temporary solutions. A ghost that would otherwise be destroyed returns to its old haunts with a successful level check (1d20 + ghost’s HD) against DC 10 + the level of the being struck the killing attack. As a rule, the only way to get rid of a ghost for sure is to determine the reason for its existence and set right whatever prevents it from resting in peace. The exact means varies with each spirit and may require a good deal of research.
The following feats are evil in nature:
A ghost that hits a living target with its incorporeal touch attack drains 1d4 points from any one ability score it selects. On each such successful attack, the ghost heals 5 points of damage to itself.
The following feats are reserved to those that have been tortured in the process used to create them:
A ghost can emit a frightful moan as a standard action. All living creatures within a 30-foot spread must succeed on a Will save or become panicked for 2d4 rounds. This is a sonic necromantic mind-affecting fear effect. A creature that successfully saves against the moan cannot be affected by the same ghost’s moan for 24 hours.
Any living creature within 60 feet that views a ghost must succeed on a Fortitude save or immediately take 1d4 points of Strength damage, 1d4 points of Dexterity damage, and 1d4 points of Constitution damage. A creature that successfully saves against this effect cannot be affected by the same ghost’s horrific appearance for 24 hours
An Astral ghost has +6 turn resistance.
Same as the base creature, except that the ghost has no Constitution score, and its Charisma score increases by +4.
Ghosts have a +8 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Search, and Spot checks. Otherwise same as the base creature.
Any.
Same as the base creature +3.
When an astral ghost forms, all its equipment and carried items does not become astral. In order for non magical items to be carried by the ghost, a Nystal's Magic Aura or Astral Form spell must be cast upon it. Magical items may be worn by the ghost but they must first be transported PHYSICALLY to the astral plane.Such equipment works normally on the Astral Plane but passes harmlessly through material objects or creatures. A weapon of +1 or better magical enhancement, however, can harm material creatures when the ghost manifests, but any such attack has a 50% chance to fail unless the weapon is a ghost touch weapon (just as magic weapons can fail to harm the ghost).
The original material items remain behind, just as the astral ghost’s physical remains do. This loss invariably angers the ghost, who stops at nothing to return the item to its possession.