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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Cleon" data-source="post: 5186145" data-attributes="member: 57383">Challenge rating 4 seems fair. I think they're probably a little bigger than an average human.A ghula stands between 6 and 7 feet tall and weighs about 250 pounds. That suits me.Ghula speak Common and Abyssal, plus one elemental language (Aquan, Auran, Ignan, or Terran). Before I start on that, there's one other thing I'd like to sort out.Should we have clerics be able to turn these things like in Moldvay's version? I think there is some justification for it, since I remember one Sinbad tale where he wrote out passages from the Koran to keep away evil spirits, but I don't like the idea of clerics destroying them with turn attempts.Instead, I fancy having them be repelled by holy items or prayer, similar to how a holy symbol affects a vampire. Something like the following:Fear of Sanctity: Ghula have a pathological terror of holy objects, places and phrases. These things don't harm the ghula — they merely keep it at bay. Ghula will refuse to enter sanctified ground, and recoil from any creature that is reciting prayers (requires a DC15 Knowledge (religion) check) or strongly presenting a holy symbol. Holding a ghula at bay in this fashion takes a standard action each  round. A recoiling ghula must stay at least 5 feet away from the praying or symbol-holding creature, and cannot touch or make melee attacks against the creature. The recoiling ghula can attempt a DC20 Will save to overcome its terror, but can only make one attempt per encounter. If it succeeds at the Will save, the ghula can enter the sanctified ground or attack the creature holding it at bay, but is shaken for the remainder of the encounter. If it fails the Will save it becomes frightened and flees for X minutes. Getting back to the description and flavour text, how about this:A horribly ugly creature built like a lean and sinewy human, with massive spade-like hands and thick, dirt encrusted nails. Some of its features are disturbingly animalistic - large yellow eyes like a lion, hooflike feet, and a hyena's ears and fangs. Its skin is the color of red desert sand, brown soil and gray ash, mixed together in splotches and spots.Ghula are man-eating genies that have been exiled to the Prime Material Plane. They are mostly found in desert wildernesses and lurking around  graveyards. Some efreet and dao keep ghula as slaves or servants, but the majority of other genies regard ghula as despised outcasts.The name "ghula" is feminine; not because ghula are all female but  because both male and female often disguise themselves as women. They  find this is an excellent way to deceive their victims.Ghula are adept shapeshifters, able to take on the appearance of almost any living creature. Their favorite form is a hyena - either regular sized or giant. Ghula can also turn invisible in an instant and have minor power of illusion. Ghula can not plane shift like most other genies. These genies  love the taste of humanoid flesh and spend most of their time plotting how to acquire it. A few "civilized" ghula like finely cooked humanoid meat, but the  majority eat it raw. Their commonest tactic is to disguise themselves as a friendly stranger and try to tempt a  victim to a lonely spot with the promise of fine dining, pleasure or  treasure. Another favorite ploy is to lure lost travelers deep into the desert using illusory fires and sounds. Ghula often dig up graves to eat the recently interned and steal the gravegoods. They also break into tombs, but only in search for treasure. They have no more interest in eating an old, decaying corpse than a lion would.In its natural form, a typical ghula stands between 6 and 7 feet tall and weighs about 250 pounds.Ghula speak Common and Abyssal, plus one elemental language (Aquan,  Auran, Ignan, or Terran).</blockquote>

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