Phantoms

O, answer me:

Let me not burst in ignorance! but tell,

Why thy canoniz'd bones, hears'd in death,

Have burst their cerements! why the sepulchre,

Wherein we saw thee quietly inurn'd.

Hath op'd his ponderous and marble jaws,

To cast thee up again

- William Shakespeare, Hamlet 1.4

Spirits from the beyond returned. Ghosts and apparitions echoing mortal coils they've once worn. Phantoms are beings whose soul have been denied death and now exist to roam the earth, seeking their own personal goals and trying to readjust to the world they've returned to.

Returned From The Grave

In truth, there is no definitive way on how phantoms return from the afterlife. From cursed souls forced to live beyond their intended lifespans, to byproducts of a lich's evil machinism, phantoms appear from many circumstances and very rarely are they replicable.

From the many possibilities that allow for phantoms to be created, here are some examples:

  • Duty Bound. These souls have an affair that keeps them existing until it is settled.
  • Escapists. Those who have found a method to overcome death, usually through magical or divine means.
  • Automatons. The first born, these are souls who did not exist before and were made artificially through the use of dark magics.
  • Cursed wanderers. Those destined to roam the earth until their curse ends.

Coexisting With The Living

Most phantoms have uneasy lives. Because of their ominous nature, they rarely go back to civilization, fearing to be mistaken for more nefarious types of undead. This often leads to most phantoms lingering in lesser clusters of civilisation such as graveyards, dungeons, or abandoned monuments.

Of note there exist rare cases where phantoms return to live with their former families, this usually happens when descendants exist or belong to races whose lifespans are extensive. (As is the case with elves or dwarves).

Views On Unlife

The transition into death is harsh as it strips the individual of many characteristics, including touch, taste and smell. It's not uncommon the trauma of going from death to reawakening in a new world.

It's a major factor that leaves most phantoms with troubled personalities. Wherein they gain the habbits of carrying grudges, be fearful of their surroundings and become deeply depressed.

The aforementioned is not defining however.

Unlife provides many opportunities and phantoms could be just as high spirited as mortal characters.

Phantoms could be joyful over their immortality, take up new identities, watch history as it unravels, make ammends for past actions and do much more.

Phantom Traits

Ability Score Increase. You gain no ability scores, this happens because phantoms carry few of their attributes in death.

Age. Immortal, phantoms can live as much as they want. Exceptions being those who are bound by a cause or master.

Alignment. The alignments of Phantoms vary immensely. Alignment could be based on the alignments of their former race, their transformation into a phantom or former alignment.

Size. Your size is equal to before you died.

Speed. Your flying and walking speed is 30 feet. You can only attack and cast spells while hovering up to 5 feet from the floor, going higher means you're unable to maintain physical form. Flying causes anything you are wearing or carrying to fall off.

Darkvision. You can see up to 60 feet in darkness with a teal tint.

Ethereal Sight. You can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when in the Material Plane, and vice versa.

Incorporeal Movement. You can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object.

Etherealness. As a bonus action you can enter and leave the Ethereal plane for 1 minute but cannot take any creatures with you nor can you attack while there. You can receive attacks of opportunity when trying to enter the Ethereal Plane. This trait can only be used once per day.

Incorporeal body. Your spectral form grants you benefits and flaws that are not typically present in mortals, this reflects on the following traits:

  • You cannot receive healing except from short rests or long rests.

  • You can also heal yourself by casting a necrotic spell on yourself that isn't a cantrip.

  • Your body doesn't need air or nourishment and thus you don't need to eat, drink, or breathe.

  • You are immune to disease.

  • Immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

  • Resistance to Necrotic damage.

  • To accomplish a long rest you do not sleep. Instead you can choose to do eight hours of light activity.

Languages. You keep any languages you knew in life.