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Specters (also spelled spectres) were undead, incorporeal creatures that resembled ghosts.[3]

Description[]

A specter appeared as a humanoid, with a mostly transparent and faintly luminous form. They looked much as they did in life, though the injuries that caused their violent deaths were visible on many specimen and could be recognized by someone who knew what the person looked like.[3]

They were about the same size as a humanoid but weightless.[3]

Personality[]

They had a hatred for all living things but retained their minds and capability to think.[3]

Combat[]

A specter's touch wasn't only painful; it also drained the life energy from living creatures. The life energy had an invigorating effect on specters, and when the life energy of a creature was drained empty, the creature—only in the case of a humanoid—turned into a new specter enslaved by its creator.[3]

As a general rule, they attacked their prey by moving through solid objects, including walls, ceilings, or even the ground.[3]

They were generally encountered in a number of less than a dozen.[3]

They were powerless in natural sunlight to the point of fleeing from it.[3]

Related Race[]

A specter was a type of undead that was categorized as a spectral creature. When someone tried to create a spectral creature out of a humanoid, instead of another sort of creature, the result was a specter. Unlike humanoid specters, other spectral creatures were capable of creating and enslaving other spectral creatures, or specters,[6] out of other lifeforms than humanoids.[3]

History[]

The shadow dragons of Clan Jaezred conquered the drow city of Chaulssin and transformed its citizens into creatures of shadow,[7] among others spectral creatures.[8] Given that drow were humanoids,[9] the results were specters.[10]

By 634 DR, the descendants of these drow overthrew their slavers and killed them. The shadow dragons were then turned into spectral creatures themselves.[7]

These drow descendants later succeeded at turning some of them into drow-dragons.[11] A special kind of magic they mastered was to turn their breath weapon into one that created spectral creatures on killing their target with it.[12] Used on humanoids, it created a specter.[10]

Variants[]

Aquatic spectre
Also known as sea spectres,[13] were spectres that dwelled in bodies of water.[13][14]

Ecology[]

Habitats[]

Beyond the Prime Material plane, spectres could be found in the Domains of Dread[15] and in Palpitatia the 241st layer of the Abyss.[16]

In Cormanthyr, the specters of many elves and dwarves haunted the ruins of the Old Elven Court.[17]

Relationships[]

A specter-haunted place and the vicinity of a specter was cold, though in no harmful way.[3] Animals also refused to get into the vicinity of a specter and suffered from uncontrollable fear when forced to go near one.[3]

Being a type of undead connected to negative energy, specters acted as servants of the deities Jergal[18] and Kiaransalee.[19]

Appendix[]

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

Adventures
Desert of DesolationNightmare KeepDungeon #19: "House of Cards"Dungeon #21: "Jammin"Undermountain: Maddgoth's CastleHellgate KeepThe Rise of TiamatStorm King's Thunder
Novels
Storm of the DeadMaestro
Comic Books
Referenced only
The Forbidden Sands of Anauroch (#2)
Video Games
Pool of RadianceTreasures of the Savage FrontierDungeon HackPool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth DrannorIdle Champions of the Forgotten RealmsNeverwinter Nights: Darkness over Daggerford
Card Games
AD&D Trading CardsSpellfire: Master the Magic
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
Oubliette of Fort Iron

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 279. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 244. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 232. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  4. Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 323. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
  5. Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 89. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  6. Eric L. Boyd, Eytan Bernstein (August 2006). Dragons of Faerûn. Edited by Beth Griese, Cindi Rice, Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 109–110. ISBN 0-7869-3923-0.
  7. 7.0 7.1 Eric L. Boyd (2007-04-25). Dragons of Faerûn, Part 3: City of Wyrmshadows (Zipped PDF). Web Enhancement for Dragons of Faerûn. Wizards of the Coast. p. 2. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2009-10-07.
  8. Eric L. Boyd, Eytan Bernstein (August 2006). Dragons of Faerûn. Edited by Beth Griese, Cindi Rice, Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 110. ISBN 0-7869-3923-0.
  9. Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 102. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Eric L. Boyd, Eytan Bernstein (August 2006). Dragons of Faerûn. Edited by Beth Griese, Cindi Rice, Kim Mohan. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 109. ISBN 0-7869-3923-0.
  11. Eric L. Boyd (2007-04-25). Dragons of Faerûn, Part 3: City of Wyrmshadows (Zipped PDF). Web Enhancement for Dragons of Faerûn. Wizards of the Coast. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2009-10-07.
  12. Eric L. Boyd (2007-04-25). Dragons of Faerûn, Part 3: City of Wyrmshadows (Zipped PDF). Web Enhancement for Dragons of Faerûn. Wizards of the Coast. p. 6. Archived from the original on 2016-11-01. Retrieved on 2009-10-07.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Roger N. Bert & Tom Nolan (June 1997). Descent into the Deep. Living City (RPGA), p. 8.
  14. Tom Nolan (May 2001). A Night at Sharkey's Bar and Grill. Living City (RPGA), p. 8.
  15. William W. Connors (1996). Monstrous Compendium - Ravenloft Appendices I & II. (TSR, Inc.), p. 70. ISBN 0786903929.
  16. Carl Sargent (May 1992). Monster Mythology. (TSR, Inc), p. 53. ISBN 1-5607-6362-0.
  17. Steven E. Schend and Kevin Melka (1998). Cormanthyr: Empire of the Elves. (TSR, Inc), p. 107. ISBN 0-7069-0761-4.
  18. Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 32. ISBN 978-0786906574.
  19. Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 24. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
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