Wraith

Wraith

Creature Type: Undead

Environment: Any

Attack: Incorporeal touch

Special Qualities: Constitution drain, create spawn, incorporeal, +2 turn resistance

Organization: Solitary or gang (2-5)

Only the bravest of heroes - or at least, the most prepared and well-equipped - will dare to hunt down wraiths. These hellspawned creatures are not the usual dimwitted undead foes like unto skeletons or zombies. Despite their undead state, they are more intelligent than the typical commoner - or typical adventurer, for that matter. They stand out as one of most intelligent undead creatures short of liches.

For most adventurers, the wraith is the first incorporeal creature that they face. This creature pays no heed to the toughest armors, and even the most well-crafted swords and arrows do little to affect it. It is naturally immune to wide range of spells and attacks, thanks to the "virtue" of being undead. Wraiths phase in and out of this plane, venturing into the ethereal plane for short time in order to pass through doors or to harry opponents with an attack or two, before making a sudden disappearance.

Most adventurers have never dealt with attacks that cause Constitution damage, which is at least as deadly as regular damage, and much more difficult and expensive to heal than any poison. And so the typical group of heroes encountering a pair of wraiths for the first time is ill prepared for the fight. Sadly, these same ill-prepared adventurers usually end up increasing the wraith population of Xen'drik when they fall.

How to overcome such foes? Fighting characters should invest in ghost touch weapons when they can find or afford them, as these weapons are the only implements that can reliably strike at these ghostly creatures. Equally important, they must watch closely for any sign that a wraith is marshalling the dark will to begin a Constitution-draining attack. If they notice in time, the bets are to either get out of the way quickly, or raise a shield or weapon to block the attack. For arcane characters, magic missile is the most effective and most available solution. Meanwhile, a cleric hero should be prepared with plenty of restoration spells for the inevitable Constitution damage.