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Message: <blockquote data-quote="gamerprinter" data-source="post: 4852916" data-attributes="member: 50895">from a Dragon Magazine halloween edition.I don't remember which Dragon magazine issue it was, but it was definitely a Halloween issue (I always only purchased the Halloween edition of Dragon magazine, when I did buy them.) There was an article about "Shadow Ghouls", apparently first created by a powerful Lich (Cult of the White Bat, if I remember right), where Shadow Ghouls retained their previous intelligence, class, feats and skills they had while living. Once bitten by a ghoul, a Shadow Ghoul could play "mentor", and help guide the recently ghoul bitten in the transition to undead status. After the period of mentorship, which lasts until completely converted to Ghoul status, then the afflicted person makes a saving throw to see whether they've lost their mind and become a standard ghoul. If they make their save (?) then though they have ghoul form, they retain their previous intelligence and become a member of the Shadow Ghoul army. Not only do shadow ghouls retain their class, they can continue to rise in levels with experience - as if they were still alive. Shadow Ghouls only help those afflicted that seem usable candidates for the Shadow Ghoul Army - mostly being spellcasters or having some unique talent usable by them. All others are allowed normal transition without "mentorship" to normal ghoul status. The Army of Shadow Ghouls, work to invade worlds, take captives, create enslaved living females to produce children as both a food source and possible add-on to the Shadow Ghoul army. Of course too many Shadow Ghouls would prove unsustainable, so the "mentored" conversion is only applied to the most advantageous new members. I've always thought this kind of ghoul was extra "scary and thought provoking" for a D&D scenario. GP</blockquote>

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