I like making sunlight have the effect of rendering apparitions completely intangible and invisible. Essentially rendering them unable to interact with the physical world in any way until the sets or thy return to a dark place. It also makes it to where these things can move around completely undetected during the day, at the cost of being useless until nightfall.
This gives me an idea for a one-shot or mini-series. The PCs are playing characters that have already died and are Ghosts, Specters, Shades, or other apparitions that have been trapped in a Demi Plane by BBG that consumes souls. The players have to find a way to escape the from their extraplanar prison, defeat the thing that has trapped them there, and make it to their afterlife.
Turning unruly player characters into specters or poltergeists is always a fun tactic. Basically a shittier, more restrictive spectator mode for the unimaginative and dull. But never, EVER make the mistake of doing it to an experienced game-fudger.
Great video AJ. Your pointing out that the Specter is deeper than a mere shadowy monster is gold. When a PC in my campaign becomes an undead, I allow him to keep his original mind. I do tell them that they will become just like all the other monsters of their status over time. Specters are no different. The party is lugging around the slain PC's body, the PC is following as a Specter. I allow communication in the same ways you do but I also include allowing telepathy of both magical and psionic origin to allow it too. Usually, the cure for Specter status involves nothing short of a wish... which leads to a side-quest for one of the arch-mages who are rumored to have the spell or to one of the elemental planes to find a genie to petition. My players are usually lucky enough (or gamed for often enough) to have at least one ring or special sword with at least one emergency wish stored in it. My players did one creative deal with a Subdiaboli (my form of Teifling, created over a decade before Planescape was a thing) Necromancer. "Your friend is a negative soul, out of balance. You are very fortunate to have come to me, for my necromancy is grey. Let me use his body to create a flesh golem of sorts. He must surrender to my crafts, so I can infuse him in black crystals. I will need your Holy Avenger and Beads of Kharma for its divine enchantments to infuse upon in white crystals. I will need about a pint of blood from each of you, to be infused in the golem right before animating it. That Green Dragon Scale shield, I will need it to infuse nature upon the golem. That Ring of Regeneration, that will help me bring it life. That Rod of Resurrection, I must grind it up and season the golem's flesh with it. That Helm of Telepathy, I will need to use it to plate the skull and weave into the spine so the body can communicate with its separate components and eventually fuse. I will need that sack of gems as payment for my time and materials I will need to put in. Your returned friend will be more or less as he once was, cosmetically and personality. He will be a flesh golem of sorts. In time, he may even have his life force go from Specter to Soul once again should he ever be inconvenienced with death again." The quote is actually a paraphrase, it's been over a decade. I was expecting the players to reject it, the cost was high and no guarantee it would be a great result. They not only paid but offered so much more that it hurt them in hopes they bring back their Specter'd comrade back to his former glory and bring him back faster. I was and always will be a sucker for heroic sacrifice in my stories, even if it was more or less fiscal. Original plan: Slightly altered Flesh Golem with the mind of the PC, looking like a Frankenstein's Monster version of the PC. Also, percentage roll should he be killed if he becomes a Specter or goes to the afterlife as a Soul... 1% Not-A-Specter per month not killed (100 months alive for 100% chance to not-be-a-Specter when killed). What they got: The PC restored with lightly visible scars with his body being as it was while bolstered with Flesh Golem abilities, all healing is regeneration (save for "original" Golem state scars), and 1HP per round regeneration. His life force was restored to Soul upon animation, the crystals inside him fused right away. He became immune to undead status (becoming undead) and necrotic damage. The Necromancer as so pleased that his experiment was a wild success because of the party giving him so much more to work with, I granted the party his status as "Allied at a cost"... an upgrade from "Aloof but transactional". That was the best you could get with that Necromancer. He was friendly as his personality, but his true motives were extremely selfish. He wasn't evil in alignment because he was altruistic in some ways for logical reasons and he was capable of empathy... kind of a non-sociopathic businessman or lawyer that goes over the line pretty often. That player character was their best front-line fighting guy, a two-weapon melee guy. His style disallowed heavy armor but he was the best at dealing damage... also the unofficial party leader. Once he became what was now like the "I, Frankenstein" movie version of what he was, the missions became epic. I wish that movie was out during the time we were gaming, I could have made a great mission based upon that... but I won't rant that direction. ...can I put you in a time machine and have you game with us? All I need is more Elirium-115 and a repair to the Flux Capacitor.
I've played in one game where there was a Spector that was the head librarian at a magical library. It basically just read books for centuries and drained the life from anyone that damages books or makes too much noise. Cool dude if you know how to behave in place of learning.
My Warlock/Philosopher did that very thing AJ,......it managed to converse with one over 600 years dead. I not only learned a ton of ancient lore about the area i was in but i was able to use my magic to free it eventually. The reward was an old deep dragons hoard left behind after its owner died of old age. A great amount of treasure including unique spellbooks from a variety of underdark races was found,including the ultra rare RockSeers,a form of elf thats very tall and pale like an albino! Great video and equally great artwork on this one thanks kiwi!
So what happens when you plane shift a specter to their afterlife plane? Does the spell just not work? Do they immediately go their afterlife? If so are they judged based solely on their actions while alive or does their actions committed while they were a specter count?
Hey AJ, I should have known when you said in the Scarecrow video. When it dies have a Specter raise out of the body. Thanks AJ for the Scarecrow & Specter videos & have a great day.
Not gonna lie. Incorporeal undead are just plain creepy. Ghosts who retain their sanity aren't so bad, insane or malicious ghosts are a nightmare to deal with in older editions of DnD, spectres are a terrifying demonstration of when a soul gets stripped of its sanity, identity and purpose, and wraiths are a possible terrifying outcome of when someone of the caliber of Lavrentiy Beria dies and is refused entrance to Hell. Destroying a spectre is a merciful act, as you are freeing it from its wretched existence. Think of it as euthanasia for an undead.
What would be a good start for an undead professor who has not noticed or is unbothered by undead status? The whole not needing to eat bathed or sleep?
Ethereal rage incarnate. The specter from the movie "Mama" was a good example. Enraged at the death of her newborn, she flings herself from a cliff, breaking her body. Now she yearns to covet kidnapped living youths to keep as her own. I love it when Specters team up with other intelligent undead like mummies, vampires or liches. It's always good to have a powerful malevolent incorporeal ally in your corner when do-gooder adventurers break into your lair.
My party had to clear out an undead infested castle of a wizard. For some backstory, the wizards fought in a war a short while ago amongst themselves. This was one of the battlefields of that war and the PC's were the first ones to have the will and resources to clear it out, and were hired to do so. (Part of the payment is they got to keep the castle) To this point it was mostly skeletons, zombies and whatever magical defenses were left over. This whole time they would consistantly take necrotic damage. More damage, the closer to the center of the castle. They chose wisely to assault it during the day, and when they reached the inside of the study. It was empty with a large window, sunlight pouring in... Then they looked up, and there are 8 specters hungerily staring at them, they start to descend but recoil from the light as if it burned, but with no lasting effect. 2 of them went to close the drapes, as the barbarian ran to tear them down. It was one of the most badass incorporeal fights i have ever seen as the party desperately try to keep the drapes open to maintain some sanctuary from the 8 specters. Cause there was no way they could fight that many as 4 lvl6 characters, and not join the ranks of the undead, especially not with the 'radiation' damage they had been taking. After they had cleared it out they found the old master of the castle was a ghost bound to the place, he functioned thereafter as a advisor of sorts. I had a lot of fun running that session, and my players loved it.
My players just murder hoboed an exposition NPC because he had nice loots and they didnt like the way he had failed to give them some of the information for a mission they were on. it kind of sidetracked the future progress of the adventure so i was wondering what to do with them.... Now i know ^_^ side note.... the NPC was a Giant.... Giant Specter with a complex win con that they have to figure out over several sessions of trying not to die. This will be fun, actions bring consequences
I wonder if it would be possible to help one of them move on? Some way to save them from eternal torment, such as opening a portal to one of the Outer Planes. Maybe if you used a spell to bring them back to life, and then they died again would they end up becoming an evil apparition again? Or would they have a second chance at a true afterlife?
Idea for a specter. You enter an abandoned laboratory of a mad scientist and are met with the scientist as a specter and he explains he’s hiding from his creations. Deeper in you meet with a horribly grotesque looking specter of a failed biological experiment that was terminated immediately by the scientist and ended up killing him out of rage for having ruined its life and thus turning him into one, but is still intelligent enough for you to side with either in their eternal game of cat and mouse for the reward of potential treasure and/or forgotten knowledge
Kudos to you for a video well done!!! Ahh, I remember SPECTER: the SPecial Executive Counterintelligence Terrorism Extortion Revenge!!! Whoops, wrong movie. My bad. Hey, did you know that specters cannot lie... if they do, you can see right through them!!! Especially if it's a specter lion. What did the ghost say about my jokes: "BOOO"!!! Oh well (how deep?), once again, keep up the great work you do for this channel!!!!
boy the last group i introduced to 1st addition D&D were so upset when they suffered from the level drain attack and the level loss was permanent until they earned the exp back no long rest to help seemed a bit disturbing to them not that i blame them
SOMETIMES GHOST/SPECTRAL DRAGONS!! also at least one version of the shadow dragon or similar dragon type of dragon i know of likely eats the spectres they make with their breath weapons and such given at least a version of them eat undead as a favoured prey including ghosts and spectres and such
I remember fighting something similar in the palace in LOZ Majora’s Mask. You had to burn the curtains and use the reflection of the Mirror Shield to weaken or solidify them.
Normal human move was 12” base or 120 yards per round (which was a full minute) or 12 yards per segment (the 6 second block we call rounds now). When 3e came out the designers rounded that down to the nearest multiple of 10, ie 30 feet per round. So, an old school movement rate of 24” is equivalent to 60 feet per round. Far as I know, that fundamental hasn’t changed since.
I think that's why it's important for DMs to create graded encounters and modify modules so the character mercilessly overwhelmed (unless the did something super dumb) and the player enjoy the game and learn from experience. The fun thing about role play games is that you can take a moment to consider things and remember past lessons.
Specter of the past like you enter into a new living place and you see a woman who looks like your dead mom. Aka casting out devils and you get rid of your sadness until it either re enters or you fight it off lol
I would say if they had something to focus on they could hold on to their sanity for longer. But the problem is their state of being is, in itself, traumatizing. They will turn evil eventually as their growing madness will rob them of everything they still possess. Remember that this is a horrific existence and you would be doing them a favor by ending their endless torment. If anything they may attack just so you have no reason to not end them. If you want one that is an ally then part of their service should probably include looking for ways to help them move on.
AJ This video is awsome but I think you should look for a more fitting opening cinematic for you undead videos. Also does anybody else think that the 5E specter looks like the Library Ghost from Ghostbusters?
they ARE the library ghost from Ghostbusters,"ten people witnessed a free-floating, full-torso, vaporous apparition. It blew books off shelves from twenty feet away!". Also yeah, I do need a better undead intro.
For ghosts. Specters are a special case as something else is deliberately keeping them from moving on. I suppose if they were being kept there by a spell of a powerful wizard then it would require some anchor for the spell. But beings like gods, demon lords, ect, obviously have greater command over these forces then a wizard and as such can just curse you on a whim.
I got two old mighty max mini toys one of Norman I use as a barbarian or ranger.and what looks like a swordwraith but ain't it's something else but they were originally from mighty max toy like
Do you have any vids for oldheads like me thinking of going 5th ed? I stopped following as "2.5" was hitting the scene ( also known as the "DM's Option" supplements. If you don't, might be worth doing
The mere existence of ghosts and specters feels like a bug in the system. How could there be an existence separate from the cosmic flow of souls? If they are truly trapped, i.e. even a god couldn't help them if they wanted to, and only the complete destruction of the individual can bring an end to its suffering, then my question is; how can this happen, and if gods actually can do something about it, why don't they try to recruit these forlorn souls with the promise of salvation instead of only equipping their followers with the power to destroy them? Seems like an untapped pool of petitioners that's just being left to fester until they become a danger to the living and must be eradicated.
@@lordnul1708 Big fan of the Belvedere Single Estate stuff. Truly sinister in their waterlike drinkability. Possibly distilled by an alchemist with knowledge of Transmutation.
'they all become evil even in the best circusmtances' bullshit reason to make them a monster in dnd, rule 45. everything always becomes evil no matter what cause reasons .
They go mad. If they refuse to drain then the lack of almost all engagement in a world they know is there drives them nutty. If they do drain then eventually they see the living as a means to stave off the horrifying reality of their existence. In both cases all they were is broken down until all moral fiber is gone and all that remains is a kind of functional madness where they obsess over what they lost. They are evil. Not always by choice, but it doesn't matter. One way or another they no longer care about doing what is right and only what makes them feel anything at all, but especially if it makes them feel good.
I agree. There is no reason they have to become evil. Moral agency has to be a primary principle of any universe that I want any part of. You can torture a person to admit to anything, and to do almost anything, but that doesn't make them evil. Why can't a specter choose to be like Dexter, wandering the city streets at night, draining the life of murderers and evil doers. That would actually be a far more interesting monster.
Is it me, or did 5E change the Wraith and Spectre around? Not really a critique but it seems like what a spectre was in older editions seems to be what a Wraith does now.
Hey Aj, I have two questions for you if you happen to see this. First would the Lady of Pain create a warlock pact similar to a business transaction? Something like you do (blank) objective I give you (X) amount power. No worship, no reverence, just a simple trade. Also would the Claw of the Revenancer be a balanced item for a PC to have? Great video btw. A third question just came to mind, if a 14th level necromancer uses its command undead ability on a vampire spawn and the vampire fails it's save who now has complete control of the spawn? The necromancer or the true vampire?
I am unfamiliar with the claw. Lady of pain never grants power to others. The Vampire master could contest the spell casters spell save DC to issue a command to the spawn, but the magic would still be in place unless dispelled.
@@AJPickett My dear sir you are correct, did you know of the warcraft magic is nanomachines joke ? -from here the comment -if it is true DnD is a literal play with living pieces by hiperadvanced human/alien take your pick ,,player,, ( translation i like folklore to bits but i'm a science fiction nerd so i have it hard with fantasy so thiz ..is my way around the problem strange hamm^_^).
Specters are a tough one to customize, since ghosts get most of the personalization. You've put me in mind of some kind of soul-stealing House of Mirrors, with the specters of previous adventurers trapped in the mirrors and trying to pull the characters in. Not necessarily Fun House-style wall-to-wall mirrors, but a castle hall hung with ornate, framed mirrors close enough to reflect off of each other. The mirror specters can jump from mirror, to any other mirror reflecting it for their movement. I'm not sure how you would work the "pulling characters in" mechanic, but you might have all their actions be mirrored left/ right, forcing players to fight at disadvantage until they succeed at a Wisdom check to figure it out. Think, the Psycho Mantis battle in Metal Gear Solid. If you did include Fun House-style mirrors, then you could incorporate all sorts of weird stretching and compression of the characters and environment. You were cautioning people about giving specters reach attacks, but it would be a way to amp up the specters to make them more challenging for a higher-level party. What else could you do with specters? Maybe some City of Specters on the Ethereal plane that they get called to, either periodically, or as their eventual fate, containing channels to the Negative Energy plane and Plane of Shadows? Despite the name, its populated by specters, poltergeists, ghosts, shadows, and all forms of incorporeal undead.
For the mirror thing I would have it be a soul sucking illusion. Don't tell them what is going on. Just roll. Failure is their mind gets sucked in and failure to escape in time(be generous with the limit) will kill them by trapping their soul. But those who resist can help. Maybe because they can communicate through the mirror as it is the focus. But not neccessary to have anyone pass resisting the illusion. Be a great way to have an adventure in an area that realistically shouldn't have much in it for them to do. And if nobody passes now they think they really got sucked into a mirror...until the end.
I came back to this video because I’m in a very undead populated campaign mode for a few low level PCs and I legitimately have no idea how but my dislike icon was lit up. This has been corrected. All I can think of is maybe bumping my phone at an inopportune time because there’s only one lore video I was terribly disappointed in on this channel and it definitely wasn’t this one.
AJ Pickett I wasn’t sure so I went and looked. I think based on a few comments already on it and your acknowledgement to those posts I decided it wasn’t necessary for me to. It was the Dustmen video, for clarification, I hadn’t hit dislike on that one either and that’s the only one I feel were I going to, I would have.
@@macguyverbond7480 Yeah, that one was a swing and a miss, hence why I have not made any more of the Planescape faction vids. But, you gotta keep pushing and trying new things in order to grow and learn. :)
@@tatsusama3192 I've been great. Better than great. I found the love of my life. I'm steady on my job and I have a house. Things have been amazing. How about you my friend?
I have a whole bunch (1 or two boxes worth) of old Dungeon and Dragon magazines from the late 80's and early 90's. They are not in the best condition, but their content is all still accessible. If anyone (AJ Pickett in particular), is willing to pay for shipping, I am willing to send them for free. They have been sitting in one garage or another since 1998. The covers of the Dragon Magazines were mostly removed/separated from the magazines, on purpose by myself 25 years ago when I thought (for some idiotic reason) that the covers would become collectable. That is what I mean by saying the magazines are not in great condition. I think the Dungeon magazines are in better condition. If no one takes me up on the offer, no offense, they can sit in my garage another couple of decades:)
On the border realm where the dead walk endlessly they can still see and hear things in the world of the living though if their wisdom is too low the words they will hear will all be backwards or reversed or messed up in some way it could be a complete gibberish to the person remember that they don't actually see the world of the living they see a cloudy hazy foggy representation of it they do not see it as is
Just wanted to remind you to upload not only the new videos to sound cloud hehe Maybe adding an old one with every new one? Eventually your SC will catch up if you do that
I don't like scenarios in D&D where moral agency is completely removed. There is no reason specters have to always become evil. Moral agency needs to be a primary principle of any universe that I want any part of, even in gaming. You can torture a person to admit to anything, and to do almost anything, but that doesn't make them evil. Why can't a specter choose to be like Dexter, wandering the city streets at night, draining the life of murderers and evil doers. A creature capable of that would be very interesting monster. Imagine a group of adventurers tasked by a noble man (who is actually a thieves guild leader) to eliminate this specter preying on people on the streets, only to find that the specter is only attacking bad guys. Than the party has to decide if they will actually kill it and collect the reward, or let it continue it existence, or maybe even find what is preventing it from passing to the next life and freeing it.
If I set you on fire, its going to be hard to act like your body is not being BBQ'ed... Undead are literally coursing with negative energy, entropy and decay power their metabolism, and its a nasty form of existence, the best undead can hope for is to be numb and unfeeling, because every other sensation they have is most likely going to be agony and torment. Try not sleeping for a while and see how that affects your mood... Undead don't sleep, so whatever mortal mind they have left is simply going to get broken by that alone.
Hmmm, I have a video on various types of Undead Dragons, though I can't recall if it includes the Specter specifically. There is also my recent video on the lesser Plume Drakes, which are like little dragon breath specters.
@@AJPickett Thanks I will check thanks. I am looking for information about them as I am including them into my Dragon of Vacari series I am working on,
Yea I have noticed that within a few hours of posting; there is always a hater. I saw your comment and thought yea. Seems like someone has got a grudge against the all mighty glue stick. They see me rolling. They be hatin'! Keep up the good work AJ. Your narrative skills are exceptional!
![Gucci Mane & Sexyy Red - You Don't Love Me [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/j7IBqyFKT4c/mqdefault.jpg)
I like making sunlight have the effect of rendering apparitions completely intangible and invisible. Essentially rendering them unable to interact with the physical world in any way until the sets or thy return to a dark place. It also makes it to where these things can move around completely undetected during the day, at the cost of being useless until nightfall.
This gives me an idea for a one-shot or mini-series. The PCs are playing characters that have already died and are Ghosts, Specters, Shades, or other apparitions that have been trapped in a Demi Plane by BBG that consumes souls. The players have to find a way to escape the from their extraplanar prison, defeat the thing that has trapped them there, and make it to their afterlife.
Ghostbuster says "I ain't afraid of no ghost!"
Specter replies "I ain't no ghost."
Ghostbuster responds "Oh, shit!" :)
I homebrew that incorporeal undead are actually immune to non magical physical damage
Turning unruly player characters into specters or poltergeists is always a fun tactic. Basically a shittier, more restrictive spectator mode for the unimaginative and dull.
But never, EVER make the mistake of doing it to an experienced game-fudger.
I had a ghost artificer as an npc in one of my games. He was a shop keeper and craved human interaction hence the very cheap items
Another great character possibility for your Roper and Piercer comic....an undead corrupt cop....."In-SPECTER-gadget!" 😊
lol! Nice.
Great video AJ. Your pointing out that the Specter is deeper than a mere shadowy monster is gold. When a PC in my campaign becomes an undead, I allow him to keep his original mind. I do tell them that they will become just like all the other monsters of their status over time. Specters are no different. The party is lugging around the slain PC's body, the PC is following as a Specter. I allow communication in the same ways you do but I also include allowing telepathy of both magical and psionic origin to allow it too. Usually, the cure for Specter status involves nothing short of a wish... which leads to a side-quest for one of the arch-mages who are rumored to have the spell or to one of the elemental planes to find a genie to petition. My players are usually lucky enough (or gamed for often enough) to have at least one ring or special sword with at least one emergency wish stored in it.
My players did one creative deal with a Subdiaboli (my form of Teifling, created over a decade before Planescape was a thing) Necromancer. "Your friend is a negative soul, out of balance. You are very fortunate to have come to me, for my necromancy is grey. Let me use his body to create a flesh golem of sorts. He must surrender to my crafts, so I can infuse him in black crystals. I will need your Holy Avenger and Beads of Kharma for its divine enchantments to infuse upon in white crystals. I will need about a pint of blood from each of you, to be infused in the golem right before animating it. That Green Dragon Scale shield, I will need it to infuse nature upon the golem. That Ring of Regeneration, that will help me bring it life. That Rod of Resurrection, I must grind it up and season the golem's flesh with it. That Helm of Telepathy, I will need to use it to plate the skull and weave into the spine so the body can communicate with its separate components and eventually fuse. I will need that sack of gems as payment for my time and materials I will need to put in. Your returned friend will be more or less as he once was, cosmetically and personality. He will be a flesh golem of sorts. In time, he may even have his life force go from Specter to Soul once again should he ever be inconvenienced with death again." The quote is actually a paraphrase, it's been over a decade. I was expecting the players to reject it, the cost was high and no guarantee it would be a great result. They not only paid but offered so much more that it hurt them in hopes they bring back their Specter'd comrade back to his former glory and bring him back faster. I was and always will be a sucker for heroic sacrifice in my stories, even if it was more or less fiscal.
Original plan: Slightly altered Flesh Golem with the mind of the PC, looking like a Frankenstein's Monster version of the PC. Also, percentage roll should he be killed if he becomes a Specter or goes to the afterlife as a Soul... 1% Not-A-Specter per month not killed (100 months alive for 100% chance to not-be-a-Specter when killed).
What they got: The PC restored with lightly visible scars with his body being as it was while bolstered with Flesh Golem abilities, all healing is regeneration (save for "original" Golem state scars), and 1HP per round regeneration. His life force was restored to Soul upon animation, the crystals inside him fused right away. He became immune to undead status (becoming undead) and necrotic damage. The Necromancer as so pleased that his experiment was a wild success because of the party giving him so much more to work with, I granted the party his status as "Allied at a cost"... an upgrade from "Aloof but transactional". That was the best you could get with that Necromancer. He was friendly as his personality, but his true motives were extremely selfish. He wasn't evil in alignment because he was altruistic in some ways for logical reasons and he was capable of empathy... kind of a non-sociopathic businessman or lawyer that goes over the line pretty often.
That player character was their best front-line fighting guy, a two-weapon melee guy. His style disallowed heavy armor but he was the best at dealing damage... also the unofficial party leader. Once he became what was now like the "I, Frankenstein" movie version of what he was, the missions became epic. I wish that movie was out during the time we were gaming, I could have made a great mission based upon that... but I won't rant that direction.
...can I put you in a time machine and have you game with us? All I need is more Elirium-115 and a repair to the Flux Capacitor.
I've played in one game where there was a Spector that was the head librarian at a magical library. It basically just read books for centuries and drained the life from anyone that damages books or makes too much noise.
Cool dude if you know how to behave in place of learning.
My favorite "stage 2" monster. Stick it inside an undead group for a low level party and watch em freak when they thought it was all over.
That's the spirit!
I am loving these spooky ecologies we are getting even though it isn't October. It doesn't need to be October for spookiness.
My Warlock/Philosopher did that very thing AJ,......it managed to converse with one over 600 years dead. I not only learned a ton of ancient lore about the area i was in but i was able to use my magic to free it eventually. The reward was an old deep dragons hoard left behind after its owner died of old age. A great amount of treasure including unique spellbooks from a variety of underdark races was found,including the ultra rare RockSeers,a form of elf thats very tall and pale like an albino! Great video and equally great artwork on this one thanks kiwi!
So what happens when you plane shift a specter to their afterlife plane? Does the spell just not work? Do they immediately go their afterlife? If so are they judged based solely on their actions while alive or does their actions committed while they were a specter count?
I don't know, I suspect resurrection works on Specters though.
My day got better, this is the one time I want to learn something new XD
👻
Hey AJ, I should have known when you said in the Scarecrow video. When it dies have a Specter raise out of the body.
Thanks AJ for the Scarecrow & Specter videos & have a great day.
It’s always a highlight of my day when I see my notification tab update. Thanks AJ!
Specter, truly, becoming one is a fate worse than death...
I like the idea of an npc Spector that is in decline over the length of a campaign, or one that only becomes hostile when you go to leave.
Necromancers best scout. That can single handly turn the tide of battle
3:50 “Get the salt and lighter fluid, Sammy.”
Great show.
Not gonna lie. Incorporeal undead are just plain creepy. Ghosts who retain their sanity aren't so bad, insane or malicious ghosts are a nightmare to deal with in older editions of DnD, spectres are a terrifying demonstration of when a soul gets stripped of its sanity, identity and purpose, and wraiths are a possible terrifying outcome of when someone of the caliber of Lavrentiy Beria dies and is refused entrance to Hell.
Destroying a spectre is a merciful act, as you are freeing it from its wretched existence. Think of it as euthanasia for an undead.
So Drow children probably ask for a pet Spector I would guess. Just a thought.
The girl ask for a spider. The boy gets a kick in the balls because he dared to ask for something
What would be a good start for an undead professor who has not noticed or is unbothered by undead status? The whole not needing to eat bathed or sleep?
Wight
Ethereal rage incarnate. The specter from the movie "Mama" was a good example. Enraged at the death of her newborn, she flings herself from a cliff, breaking her body. Now she yearns to covet kidnapped living youths to keep as her own. I love it when Specters team up with other intelligent undead like mummies, vampires or liches. It's always good to have a powerful malevolent incorporeal ally in your corner when do-gooder adventurers break into your lair.
Mama was a great movie
A lost soul, with a single goal. To feel, to see, and laugh. For ever de nighed. A worst fate for when the end is nigh.
My party had to clear out an undead infested castle of a wizard. For some backstory, the wizards fought in a war a short while ago amongst themselves. This was one of the battlefields of that war and the PC's were the first ones to have the will and resources to clear it out, and were hired to do so. (Part of the payment is they got to keep the castle)
To this point it was mostly skeletons, zombies and whatever magical defenses were left over.
This whole time they would consistantly take necrotic damage. More damage, the closer to the center of the castle.
They chose wisely to assault it during the day, and when they reached the inside of the study. It was empty with a large window, sunlight pouring in...
Then they looked up, and there are 8 specters hungerily staring at them, they start to descend but recoil from the light as if it burned, but with no lasting effect. 2 of them went to close the drapes, as the barbarian ran to tear them down.
It was one of the most badass incorporeal fights i have ever seen as the party desperately try to keep the drapes open to maintain some sanctuary from the 8 specters. Cause there was no way they could fight that many as 4 lvl6 characters, and not join the ranks of the undead, especially not with the 'radiation' damage they had been taking.
After they had cleared it out they found the old master of the castle was a ghost bound to the place, he functioned thereafter as a advisor of sorts.
I had a lot of fun running that session, and my players loved it.
That is fantastic dramatic tension, I am stealing it.
My players just murder hoboed an exposition NPC because he had nice loots and they didnt like the way he had failed to give them some of the information for a mission they were on.
it kind of sidetracked the future progress of the adventure so i was wondering what to do with them.... Now i know ^_^
side note.... the NPC was a Giant.... Giant Specter with a complex win con that they have to figure out over several sessions of trying not to die.
This will be fun, actions bring consequences
You can't see it but I am saluting you with my coffee.
Have you ever considered doing a playlist/series for Undead and Necromancers the way that you have for Demons?
As a new DM this video is perfect for helping me understand some monsters I have planned! Great work and super easy to listen to
Glad to help!
I wonder if it would be possible to help one of them move on? Some way to save them from eternal torment, such as opening a portal to one of the Outer Planes. Maybe if you used a spell to bring them back to life, and then they died again would they end up becoming an evil apparition again? Or would they have a second chance at a true afterlife?
Hmmm, I think that might work, bring them back to life and then they can try again.
Oooh, that's a good explanation of the whole "hate the living" trope
Totally... and transitioned it from trope to be understandable.
Idea for a specter. You enter an abandoned laboratory of a mad scientist and are met with the scientist as a specter and he explains he’s hiding from his creations. Deeper in you meet with a horribly grotesque looking specter of a failed biological experiment that was terminated immediately by the scientist and ended up killing him out of rage for having ruined its life and thus turning him into one, but is still intelligent enough for you to side with either in their eternal game of cat and mouse for the reward of potential treasure and/or forgotten knowledge
Nice
Kudos to you for a video well done!!! Ahh, I remember SPECTER: the SPecial Executive Counterintelligence Terrorism Extortion Revenge!!! Whoops, wrong movie. My bad. Hey, did you know that specters cannot lie... if they do, you can see right through them!!! Especially if it's a specter lion. What did the ghost say about my jokes: "BOOO"!!! Oh well (how deep?), once again, keep up the great work you do for this channel!!!!
boy the last group i introduced to 1st addition D&D were so upset when they suffered from the level drain attack and the level loss was permanent until they earned the exp back no long rest to help seemed a bit disturbing to them not that i blame them
Another fantastic classic monster and one the players are almost never ready for
Your Spector against mine, fantastic video! :)
Here wuz Seamus!
Seamus wuz late!
Seamus is sorry.
Seamus is forgiven.
@@Im-Not-a-Dog
Seamus is loved and forgiven.
Also, hello new Mikma.
@@That80sGuy1972 Seamus gonna cry happy tears
I find the veracity of your statement HIGHLY suspect! 🤔🤔🤔
SOMETIMES GHOST/SPECTRAL DRAGONS!!
also at least one version of the shadow dragon or similar dragon type of dragon i know of likely eats the spectres they make with their breath weapons and such given at least a version of them eat undead as a favoured prey including ghosts and spectres and such
Thank you so much for these videos! You've given me so many ideas for my campaign hehe.
all the art and images used in this one are awesome!
I remember fighting something similar in the palace in LOZ Majora’s Mask. You had to burn the curtains and use the reflection of the Mirror Shield to weaken or solidify them.
Normal human move was 12” base or 120 yards per round (which was a full minute) or 12 yards per segment (the 6 second block we call rounds now). When 3e came out the designers rounded that down to the nearest multiple of 10, ie 30 feet per round. So, an old school movement rate of 24” is equivalent to 60 feet per round. Far as I know, that fundamental hasn’t changed since.
Thanks Ted!
I'd instantly die in a campaign full of undead. How do you remember what is what.
Honestly, info just sticks over time.
I think that's why it's important for DMs to create graded encounters and modify modules so the character mercilessly overwhelmed (unless the did something super dumb) and the player enjoy the game and learn from experience. The fun thing about role play games is that you can take a moment to consider things and remember past lessons.
Specter of the past like you enter into a new living place and you see a woman who looks like your dead mom. Aka casting out devils and you get rid of your sadness until it either re enters or you fight it off lol
So would it be possible to run into a friendly specter if it hadn't been dead long enough to turn evil?
Yes, but it is rare that their death doesn't inflict SERIOUS mental trauma.
@@AJPickettWell yeah they might be traumatized but they could still be friendly it would add to the RP
Jasper the Amicable Specter
I would say if they had something to focus on they could hold on to their sanity for longer. But the problem is their state of being is, in itself, traumatizing. They will turn evil eventually as their growing madness will rob them of everything they still possess. Remember that this is a horrific existence and you would be doing them a favor by ending their endless torment. If anything they may attack just so you have no reason to not end them. If you want one that is an ally then part of their service should probably include looking for ways to help them move on.
@@jacobfreeman5444 I see a friendly one as more a way to get info on the killer or as a quest npc who asks them to help it move on
AJ This video is awsome but I think you should look for a more fitting opening cinematic for you undead videos. Also does anybody else think that the 5E specter looks like the Library Ghost from Ghostbusters?
they ARE the library ghost from Ghostbusters,"ten people witnessed a free-floating, full-torso, vaporous apparition. It blew books off shelves from twenty feet away!". Also yeah, I do need a better undead intro.
New magic item idea bois... Spectre Scepter... Spawn a Spectre to serve you.
Is there no way for a Specter to be redeemed? Can a Paladin or a Priest do something about their oblivion, or are they truly cursed to wander forever?
I don't think there's an official way to but Homebrew is half the fun of the game
He says around the 3 minute mark that destroying the thing that anchors them to the material plane frees them and moving them out of the area does too
For ghosts. Specters are a special case as something else is deliberately keeping them from moving on. I suppose if they were being kept there by a spell of a powerful wizard then it would require some anchor for the spell. But beings like gods, demon lords, ect, obviously have greater command over these forces then a wizard and as such can just curse you on a whim.
I believe he mentioned that the only way to "free" a specter is to straight-up destroy it. Their only release is the release of oblivion.
I got two old mighty max mini toys one of Norman I use as a barbarian or ranger.and what looks like a swordwraith but ain't it's something else but they were originally from mighty max toy like
Do you have any vids for oldheads like me thinking of going 5th ed? I stopped following as "2.5" was hitting the scene ( also known as the "DM's Option" supplements. If you don't, might be worth doing
10:34 this one looks kind of cute and curious rather than horrifying.
It is burning down an Orphanage, but yeah.
I think I saw one of these in Skyrim on my Nintendo switch, oh wait, that was a Wraith, never mind.
I video on Myrkul and/or Cyric would be awesome. :)
The mere existence of ghosts and specters feels like a bug in the system.
How could there be an existence separate from the cosmic flow of souls?
If they are truly trapped, i.e. even a god couldn't help them if they wanted to, and only the complete destruction of the individual can bring an end to its suffering, then my question is; how can this happen, and if gods actually can do something about it, why don't they try to recruit these forlorn souls with the promise of salvation instead of only equipping their followers with the power to destroy them?
Seems like an untapped pool of petitioners that's just being left to fester until they become a danger to the living and must be eradicated.
0:56 Dan Akroid's gonna sue!
Why you think I plug his vodka in my livestream?
@@AJPickett His vodka sucks, though the bottle is very useful for stylish Molotovs.
@@MrBendylaw you can also repurpose the bottle for better vodka in general.
@@lordnul1708 Big fan of the Belvedere Single Estate stuff. Truly sinister in their waterlike drinkability. Possibly distilled by an alchemist with knowledge of Transmutation.
0:13 that's a MTG card background isn't it. Interesting.
Yeah, I freely use MTG art as it is basically WoTC promotion anyway.
Ghostbusters reference ☑️👍🏻
Specter-cular video!
Get me an empty bottle. I’m about to end this specter’s whole career, Zelda style.
Good video AJ
'they all become evil even in the best circusmtances'
bullshit reason to make them a monster in dnd, rule 45. everything always becomes evil no matter what cause reasons .
Tad Dad the handbook is just paladin propaganda
Fiending for the life energy of other beings like a junkie jonesing for his pipe has a tendency to do that to a being.
They go mad. If they refuse to drain then the lack of almost all engagement in a world they know is there drives them nutty. If they do drain then eventually they see the living as a means to stave off the horrifying reality of their existence. In both cases all they were is broken down until all moral fiber is gone and all that remains is a kind of functional madness where they obsess over what they lost. They are evil. Not always by choice, but it doesn't matter. One way or another they no longer care about doing what is right and only what makes them feel anything at all, but especially if it makes them feel good.
I agree. There is no reason they have to become evil. Moral agency has to be a primary principle of any universe that I want any part of. You can torture a person to admit to anything, and to do almost anything, but that doesn't make them evil. Why can't a specter choose to be like Dexter, wandering the city streets at night, draining the life of murderers and evil doers. That would actually be a far more interesting monster.
Is it me, or did 5E change the Wraith and Spectre around? Not really a critique but it seems like what a spectre was in older editions seems to be what a Wraith does now.
Hey Aj, I have two questions for you if you happen to see this. First would the Lady of Pain create a warlock pact similar to a business transaction? Something like you do (blank) objective I give you (X) amount power. No worship, no reverence, just a simple trade. Also would the Claw of the Revenancer be a balanced item for a PC to have?
Great video btw.
A third question just came to mind, if a 14th level necromancer uses its command undead ability on a vampire spawn and the vampire fails it's save who now has complete control of the spawn? The necromancer or the true vampire?
I should probably have mentioned the Claw has been scaled for 5e by the our GM.
I am unfamiliar with the claw. Lady of pain never grants power to others. The Vampire master could contest the spell casters spell save DC to issue a command to the spawn, but the magic would still be in place unless dispelled.
@@AJPickett have you seen the Baldur's Gate 3 trailer?
5e did Specters dirty artwise, they look kinda silly
true
The world is a toy, nanomachines
We are composed of organic nanomachines.
@@AJPickett My dear sir you are correct, did you know of the warcraft magic is nanomachines joke ? -from here the comment -if it is true DnD is a literal play with living pieces by hiperadvanced human/alien take your pick ,,player,, ( translation i like folklore to bits but i'm a science fiction nerd so i have it hard with fantasy so thiz ..is my way around the problem strange hamm^_^).
Specters are a tough one to customize, since ghosts get most of the personalization. You've put me in mind of some kind of soul-stealing House of Mirrors, with the specters of previous adventurers trapped in the mirrors and trying to pull the characters in. Not necessarily Fun House-style wall-to-wall mirrors, but a castle hall hung with ornate, framed mirrors close enough to reflect off of each other. The mirror specters can jump from mirror, to any other mirror reflecting it for their movement. I'm not sure how you would work the "pulling characters in" mechanic, but you might have all their actions be mirrored left/ right, forcing players to fight at disadvantage until they succeed at a Wisdom check to figure it out. Think, the Psycho Mantis battle in Metal Gear Solid. If you did include Fun House-style mirrors, then you could incorporate all sorts of weird stretching and compression of the characters and environment. You were cautioning people about giving specters reach attacks, but it would be a way to amp up the specters to make them more challenging for a higher-level party.
What else could you do with specters? Maybe some City of Specters on the Ethereal plane that they get called to, either periodically, or as their eventual fate, containing channels to the Negative Energy plane and Plane of Shadows? Despite the name, its populated by specters, poltergeists, ghosts, shadows, and all forms of incorporeal undead.
For the mirror thing I would have it be a soul sucking illusion. Don't tell them what is going on. Just roll. Failure is their mind gets sucked in and failure to escape in time(be generous with the limit) will kill them by trapping their soul. But those who resist can help. Maybe because they can communicate through the mirror as it is the focus. But not neccessary to have anyone pass resisting the illusion. Be a great way to have an adventure in an area that realistically shouldn't have much in it for them to do. And if nobody passes now they think they really got sucked into a mirror...until the end.
They become DMs...
I came back to this video because I’m in a very undead populated campaign mode for a few low level PCs and I legitimately have no idea how but my dislike icon was lit up. This has been corrected.
All I can think of is maybe bumping my phone at an inopportune time because there’s only one lore video I was terribly disappointed in on this channel and it definitely wasn’t this one.
Thanks :) Did you leave a comment on the video you were disappointed in?
AJ Pickett I wasn’t sure so I went and looked. I think based on a few comments already on it and your acknowledgement to those posts I decided it wasn’t necessary for me to.
It was the Dustmen video, for clarification, I hadn’t hit dislike on that one either and that’s the only one I feel were I going to, I would have.
@@macguyverbond7480 Yeah, that one was a swing and a miss, hence why I have not made any more of the Planescape faction vids. But, you gotta keep pushing and trying new things in order to grow and learn. :)
AJ Pickett For sure!
7:04 Nope
Tag!
@@dr.calibrations7984 haha, Been awhile, homie. How have you been?
@@tatsusama3192
I've been great. Better than great. I found the love of my life. I'm steady on my job and I have a house. Things have been amazing. How about you my friend?
Do some intro like for the demogorgon !
Or like that tale for the marilith where they open the portal and the group tries to close it
I just re-watched the demogorgon vid last night :)
Can a spectre turn invisible like a ghost?
No, they don't even have any stealth or hide bonus, and they can't hide inside solid objects without taking damage each round they stay in there.
I have a whole bunch (1 or two boxes worth) of old Dungeon and Dragon magazines from the late 80's and early 90's. They are not in the best condition, but their content is all still accessible. If anyone (AJ Pickett in particular), is willing to pay for shipping, I am willing to send them for free. They have been sitting in one garage or another since 1998. The covers of the Dragon Magazines were mostly removed/separated from the magazines, on purpose by myself 25 years ago when I thought (for some idiotic reason) that the covers would become collectable. That is what I mean by saying the magazines are not in great condition. I think the Dungeon magazines are in better condition. If no one takes me up on the offer, no offense, they can sit in my garage another couple of decades:)
On the border realm where the dead walk endlessly they can still see and hear things in the world of the living though if their wisdom is too low the words they will hear will all be backwards or reversed or messed up in some way it could be a complete gibberish to the person remember that they don't actually see the world of the living they see a cloudy hazy foggy representation of it they do not see it as is
Did the video skip and go to a different topic @3:46?
Nope, just clunky writing by me, sorry.
Just wanted to remind you to upload not only the new videos to sound cloud hehe
Maybe adding an old one with every new one? Eventually your SC will catch up if you do that
Guess I will have to pay for an account, as I will quickly fill up the free minutes.
@@AJPickett ohhh, I didn't know it was a paid service, but now that I think about it I don't remember seeing adds
*rattles patreon cup*
@@AJPickett well, I just started working, so now I won't feel guilty for doing it.
SPOOKY
I don't like scenarios in D&D where moral agency is completely removed. There is no reason specters have to always become evil. Moral agency needs to be a primary principle of any universe that I want any part of, even in gaming. You can torture a person to admit to anything, and to do almost anything, but that doesn't make them evil. Why can't a specter choose to be like Dexter, wandering the city streets at night, draining the life of murderers and evil doers. A creature capable of that would be very interesting monster. Imagine a group of adventurers tasked by a noble man (who is actually a thieves guild leader) to eliminate this specter preying on people on the streets, only to find that the specter is only attacking bad guys. Than the party has to decide if they will actually kill it and collect the reward, or let it continue it existence, or maybe even find what is preventing it from passing to the next life and freeing it.
If I set you on fire, its going to be hard to act like your body is not being BBQ'ed... Undead are literally coursing with negative energy, entropy and decay power their metabolism, and its a nasty form of existence, the best undead can hope for is to be numb and unfeeling, because every other sensation they have is most likely going to be agony and torment. Try not sleeping for a while and see how that affects your mood... Undead don't sleep, so whatever mortal mind they have left is simply going to get broken by that alone.
That could be one that was formed recently and still is trying to hold on to its morals
I am looking for a video on specter dragons, do you know of anyone that has one and one that is not connected to a game. Thaks.
Hmmm, I have a video on various types of Undead Dragons, though I can't recall if it includes the Specter specifically. There is also my recent video on the lesser Plume Drakes, which are like little dragon breath specters.
@@AJPickett Thanks I will check thanks. I am looking for information about them as I am including them into my Dragon of Vacari series I am working on,
sweet
Specteral Treant!
Ghost peppers :)
Ghost Tree
@@AJPickett Carolina Reapers
Deadly Nightshade.
@@AJPickett ah... Trinidad Scorpion Chilies
Great video AJ . the one dislike must be a angry ex .
Yea I have noticed that within a few hours of posting; there is always a hater.
I saw your comment and thought yea. Seems like someone has got a grudge against the all mighty glue stick.
They see me rolling. They be hatin'!
Keep up the good work AJ. Your narrative skills are exceptional!
I'd be sad if they stopped watching my vids.
@@AJPickett best attitude every
Haha. Roll on brother. Roll on!
James Lindsay
и снова накрутка просмотра и комментария для алгоритмов ;) ! лайк прилагается 3