The Undead, painted for this archive

Phantom

Creature, The Undead

The weakest non-corporeal undead, shadowy robed figures from the lower planes of the underworld that envy the living. A phantom's painless passing touch drains life force and grants it enough substance to strangle or claw; black magicians use them as spies, assassins and guards.

From the book

Phantoms are the weakest of the non-corporeal undead and usually live in the lower planes of the underworld. They look like shadowy human figures, often clad in ghostly robes or other garments. Formless themselves, they are bitterly jealous of living, solid creatures and attack most of them on sight, trying to drain their life essence.

Because they are insubstantial, phantoms must first become partly solid before they can do real harm. They do this by touching, in fact passing through, a victim. The touch is painless and leaves no mark, but it steals a little life force and gives the phantom some substance, after which it can strangle or rake with claw-like nails. In play that first touch drains 1 hit point per level of the victim and lends the phantom that level for 24 hours, unless necromancy makes the gain permanent.

Black magicians often use phantoms as spies, assassins and guards. A phantom summoned by a black magician takes its substance from its summoner and does not need to feed first, as described under the spell Phantom in The Arcanum. Phantoms cannot bear strong light and see badly by day, but fire, cold, lightning, poison, control spells and ordinary weapons have no effect on them. Strong light forces a phantom to save vs WILL or withdraw from it, yet it can see in the dark and senses invisible, ethereal and astral beings within 20 feet. Whatever level it borrows, it is turned as a 10th level creature.

At a glance

Habitat: Normally the lower planes of the underworld
Appearance: Shadowy humanoid, often in ghostly robes
Behavior: Jealous of the living; attacks most living creatures on sight to drain their life essence
Attacks: Must first 'touch' (pass through) a victim, painlessly draining some life force and gaining partial solidity; then strangles or rakes with claw-like nails
Summoning: Phantoms summoned by a black magician gain corporeality from the summoner (see spell 'Phantom' in The Arcanum)
Uses: Spies, assassins and guards for practitioners of black magic
Weaknesses: Cannot tolerate strong light; see poorly by day
Immunities: Fire, cold, lightning, poisons, control spells, non-magical weapons
Height/Length: 6 ft.
Weight: 0
STR: 17
SPD: 19
DEX: 16
CON: 16
INT: 16
WILL: 14
CHA: 2
PER: 19
Level: Takes on its victim's level; turned as 10th level
Alignment: Chaotic Evil
Damage: Strangle: 1-8 per round, or Claws: 1-8 each; its first attack drains the victim of 1 h.p. for each of the victim's levels
Special Attributes: Immune to non-magical weapons, control spells and elemental attacks; night vision; strong light forces it to save vs WILL or withdraw from the light source; senses invisible, ethereal and astral presences within 20 ft.
Armor: Unarmored
Hit Points: 30-40
Comments: Its first attack drains the victim of 1 h.p. for each of the victim's levels, giving the Phantom that victim's level and some bodily substance; unless necromancy makes this lasting, it fades after 24 hours and the Phantom is non-corporeal again; whatever level it takes on, it is always turned as 10th level