howandwhy99
Adventurer
So wights and wraiths are naturally made from the remains of really, really evil people and they are created whenever one kills another person. It does sound rather contradictory. What if these were both true, but they were less frequent monsters? We could also make transformations, usually due to everyone dying, less likely even for NPCs. This could result in a suitable and sustainable demographic.
I like how these creatures are consumed by hatred (probably of the living) and the resulting poor impulse control is characterized by a Wisdom penalty. I'd keep this a penalty and allow most other scores to carryover from their originals in life. After all, this appears to be an anti-humanoid effect / magical disease or curse. It usually doesn't work on burrowing moles and badgers or passing birds and cattle.
What if the undead wraith or wight only occurred due to having lost its very soul? What it does to others when it drains them of all life energy? People can sell their souls or have them destroyed, yet live on due to magic for time.
One very important consideration not in D&D for some time is the difference between Permanent Level Loss & Temporary Level Loss. Temporary drains, like a vampire sucking out a victim's blood/life, will heal naturally given enough time. Perhaps weeks, but you will get better. Permanent drains require divine or arcane magical intervention. Like the loss of an arm or eye it won't just grow back without some special power.
Gaining power (not simply hit point healing) does make a lot of sense for level draining enemies. This may be more or less permanent or be temporary depending on the type of creature drained, the type of draining (permanent or temporary), but all should likely diminish in time as that is one of the characteristics of undeath.
EDIT - These creatures will eventually cease to exist, if they don't keep sucking the life out of passersby.
As to spawning new wights or wraiths, only total level loss, something that usually requires their allies ditching them or a TPK, will result in a new level draining undead according to monster type.
All Hit Point loss seems temporary, but permanent would be a big deal. Losing levels is that big deal wrapped in with the loss of the justification for those hit points too. It isn't just losing health, but everything a creature has learned in how to keep itself alive longer in a fight.
Level Draining includes Hit Point loss beyond whatever possible other attack may have caused it, but this additional HP loss is by each victim's Hit Die. Fighters lose 1d10 per level lost. Wizards only 1d4. So a living creatures might (and usually does) have levels left over even when it reaches zero hit points in a fight against wights.
Even if attacks like a wight's claws cause normal damage, it might be a good idea to have all the drain effects require a saving throw. Wraiths, of course, are more deadly then wights. Their only ability to harm is the level drain as they're incorporeal and their icy claws reach into your chest cavity ignoring your steel shield and armor. It doesn't have to deal damage to affect you. This is another reason to put in place saves as a mitigating factor.
Losing levels wasn't so much of a bookkeeping pain as it has been in recent D&D. Cross-referencing perquisites across every ability sucks and wastes a lot of time. It's a lot easier simply going "I can't use anything marked 4th or 5th level on my sheet" and then only for class abilities. Everything else unattributed to class is not affected.
BASIC DESCRIPTIONS
Wights: Twisted humanoids overcome by negative material plane undeath (and perhaps soul-less). They usually reside in bunches depending upon the history of the original wight's success in draining intruders to its realm (perhaps a small, dark and gloomy territory). They are almost always in their lair 70% (one part of the territory) and are only found outside when their is no sunlight. They are harmed by silver or magical attacks, but resistant to normal ones. They are humanoid average intelligence, so likely retain their whatever intelligence they had in life, but this is now cruel and twisted by hate of the living. They have some undead magical resistance, mainly mind affecting and cold-based spells due to not being alive. They are not harmed by poisons or paralyzations either, but susceptible to magical weapons like holy water.
Wraiths: Their packs are not quite as large as wights and they are not usually found in their lairs ~25%. I'd say wraiths are akin to wights, but are incorporeal, so only take 1/2 damage and then only from silver weapons. Magical still do full. They are negative material beings existing upon the Ethereal plane and fully manifested on the Prime Material. They are utterly powerless in sunlight and seek to avoid it. (It may be possible this can destroy them) They have the same magical and weapon resistances as wights. Humanoids drained of all life (levels) by a wraith becomes a wraith (but I would say it's a wight first unless the body is destroyed)
Wraiths are very intelligent, so maybe not every creature can sustain unlife after their body is destroyed? Perhaps they must make a save or something like a system shock roll. They are also a full Hit Die & 1 Ac tougher than wights, so ... are these averages and on average they're tougher due to the resulting averages from those who can make the roll's DC?
I like how these creatures are consumed by hatred (probably of the living) and the resulting poor impulse control is characterized by a Wisdom penalty. I'd keep this a penalty and allow most other scores to carryover from their originals in life. After all, this appears to be an anti-humanoid effect / magical disease or curse. It usually doesn't work on burrowing moles and badgers or passing birds and cattle.
What if the undead wraith or wight only occurred due to having lost its very soul? What it does to others when it drains them of all life energy? People can sell their souls or have them destroyed, yet live on due to magic for time.
One very important consideration not in D&D for some time is the difference between Permanent Level Loss & Temporary Level Loss. Temporary drains, like a vampire sucking out a victim's blood/life, will heal naturally given enough time. Perhaps weeks, but you will get better. Permanent drains require divine or arcane magical intervention. Like the loss of an arm or eye it won't just grow back without some special power.
Gaining power (not simply hit point healing) does make a lot of sense for level draining enemies. This may be more or less permanent or be temporary depending on the type of creature drained, the type of draining (permanent or temporary), but all should likely diminish in time as that is one of the characteristics of undeath.
EDIT - These creatures will eventually cease to exist, if they don't keep sucking the life out of passersby.
As to spawning new wights or wraiths, only total level loss, something that usually requires their allies ditching them or a TPK, will result in a new level draining undead according to monster type.
All Hit Point loss seems temporary, but permanent would be a big deal. Losing levels is that big deal wrapped in with the loss of the justification for those hit points too. It isn't just losing health, but everything a creature has learned in how to keep itself alive longer in a fight.
Level Draining includes Hit Point loss beyond whatever possible other attack may have caused it, but this additional HP loss is by each victim's Hit Die. Fighters lose 1d10 per level lost. Wizards only 1d4. So a living creatures might (and usually does) have levels left over even when it reaches zero hit points in a fight against wights.
Even if attacks like a wight's claws cause normal damage, it might be a good idea to have all the drain effects require a saving throw. Wraiths, of course, are more deadly then wights. Their only ability to harm is the level drain as they're incorporeal and their icy claws reach into your chest cavity ignoring your steel shield and armor. It doesn't have to deal damage to affect you. This is another reason to put in place saves as a mitigating factor.
Losing levels wasn't so much of a bookkeeping pain as it has been in recent D&D. Cross-referencing perquisites across every ability sucks and wastes a lot of time. It's a lot easier simply going "I can't use anything marked 4th or 5th level on my sheet" and then only for class abilities. Everything else unattributed to class is not affected.
BASIC DESCRIPTIONS
Wights: Twisted humanoids overcome by negative material plane undeath (and perhaps soul-less). They usually reside in bunches depending upon the history of the original wight's success in draining intruders to its realm (perhaps a small, dark and gloomy territory). They are almost always in their lair 70% (one part of the territory) and are only found outside when their is no sunlight. They are harmed by silver or magical attacks, but resistant to normal ones. They are humanoid average intelligence, so likely retain their whatever intelligence they had in life, but this is now cruel and twisted by hate of the living. They have some undead magical resistance, mainly mind affecting and cold-based spells due to not being alive. They are not harmed by poisons or paralyzations either, but susceptible to magical weapons like holy water.
Wraiths: Their packs are not quite as large as wights and they are not usually found in their lairs ~25%. I'd say wraiths are akin to wights, but are incorporeal, so only take 1/2 damage and then only from silver weapons. Magical still do full. They are negative material beings existing upon the Ethereal plane and fully manifested on the Prime Material. They are utterly powerless in sunlight and seek to avoid it. (It may be possible this can destroy them) They have the same magical and weapon resistances as wights. Humanoids drained of all life (levels) by a wraith becomes a wraith (but I would say it's a wight first unless the body is destroyed)
Wraiths are very intelligent, so maybe not every creature can sustain unlife after their body is destroyed? Perhaps they must make a save or something like a system shock roll. They are also a full Hit Die & 1 Ac tougher than wights, so ... are these averages and on average they're tougher due to the resulting averages from those who can make the roll's DC?
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