D&D 5E Wights....problem with RaW...

[Casimir Liber]

I just ran an encounter from ToA that had "tomb dwarves" stated as wights. They were wearing masks that looked like the green yawning devil (classic from Tomb of Horrors) so I had them "suck" your life-spirit out with that creepy gaping mouth.

It can be anything you want it to be.

that is evocative and really cool

 

[Casimir Liber]

Old level drain sucked big time, but I haven't found anything that replaces it with the same amount of utter fear for facing such opponents without borking the system. Maybe some form of exhaustion on top of the HP max reduction...

In mine have incorporated draining levels of exhaustion, restorable only by by Lesser Restoration (1-2 lvls) or Greater Restoration (3+ lvls)

See

Level Draining: D&D 5e Undead Homebrew Throwback – Flutes Loot

Dive into the classic level drain effects of undead creatures from past editions of D&D, and learn ways to implement it in gritty 5e games.

www.flutesloot.com

 

[Casimir Liber]

even with it they are a shadow of 2e... level drain could make PCs fear them no matter what

Level Draining: D&D 5e Undead Homebrew Throwback – Flutes Loot

Dive into the classic level drain effects of undead creatures from past editions of D&D, and learn ways to implement it in gritty 5e games.

www.flutesloot.com

 

[Mannahnin]

Yes, but as GM4P already said, it doesn't actually specify how it's delivered other than it's melee... although even if it did say that it was with a claw, I wouldn't see any problem narrating it as done with the weapon.

Sure. I'm always happy to re-skin stuff.

Although I like the implicit world details here. If players/PCs know that undead need to physically touch them to energy drain them, they can make decisions and try to employ tactics around that. In my 5TD & B/X mashup, the first time low level PCs encountered a wight in its tomb, one tried to grapple and pin its arms so it couldn't touch them (at least for a round or two), and I was happy to give them a chance to do that.

 

[Casimir Liber]

I just ran an encounter from ToA that had "tomb dwarves" stated as wights. They were wearing masks that looked like the green yawning devil (classic from Tomb of Horrors) so I had them "suck" your life-spirit out with that creepy gaping mouth.

It can be anything you want it to be.

So funnily enough, I'd reskinned sowpig as a wight in Thither and used her draining attack as a breath weapon as she is masked while DMing witchlight tonight

 

[Plaguescarred]

A wight is not an incorporeal undead like Tolkien's Oathbreaker Dead Men of Dunharrow, they are corporeal undead that can wield weapon like any other creatures capable of it. RAW Life Drain is a different melee weapon attack ability than longsword but nothing prevent you from reflavoring it from its hand to its blade instead.

Personally, i prefer it is delivered through its touch, it makes it more distinctive between other attacks.

 

[Casimir Liber]

A wight is not an incorporeal undead like Tolkien's Oathbreaker Dead Men of Dunharrow, they are corporeal undead that can wield weapon like any other creatures capable of it. RAW Life Drain is a different melee weapon attack ability than longsword but nothing prevent you from reflavoring it from its hand to its blade instead.

Personally, i prefer it is delivered through its touch, it makes it more distinctive between other attacks.

I've never considered them incorporeal. Very solid. I find describing a black vapour emanating off them evocative...and the players get (rightfully) scared of it. Builds up tension.

 

[Mannahnin]

I've never considered them incorporeal. Very solid. I find describing a black vapour emanating off them evocative...and the players get (rightfully) scared of it. Builds up tension.

Nice.

In my old-school game I signpost my level draining undead with an unnatural chill in the area around them, a general aura of death and lack of insect or plant life near their tomb/residence, etc. Sometimes with dessicated corpses nearby.

 

[Stormonu]

Isn't there a wight attack in a barrow just outside the Shire in The Fellowship? It's not in the movie due to pacing, but as I recall the hobbits make the mistake of making camp in an old barrow and get attacked there.

I prefer my wights to be unarmed, but if I did use them with weapons at all, I wouldn't hesitate to allow them to channel the attack through the weapon (as some sort of undead attunement to the item, so they couldn't do it with just any blade, nor could the PCs benefit if they picked them up later).

 

[Knight_Marshal]

You can flavor it in many ways from being able to do it with anything they are holding to touching you and the life force leaves you and goes into their eyes or mouth.

I call it wight privilege.

 

[Plaguescarred]

I've never considered them incorporeal. Very solid. I find describing a black vapour emanating off them evocative...and the players get (rightfully) scared of it. Builds up tension.

Oh you mean Barrow-wights? Yeah they are not incorporeal i was thinking of other undeads in LoTR.

''The barrow-wights are evil spirits that are inhabiting dead bones, and are found in the Barrow-downs of Eriador. ''

 

[Casimir Liber]

I just remembered - I was watching "Legends of Vox Machina" and they had that thing where undead were attacking people and they'd get this black goo oozing from them, and I was thinking, "Hell yeah! Great way to depict lvl/energy/ability drain!!" too.

 

[Lanefan]

I've never considered them incorporeal. Very solid.

In 1e Wights were visually indistinguishable from Zombies, which is what made them a real threat - you'd wade into combat expecting pushover Zombies and get a hella surprise when these much-tougher things started whacking your levels out of you.

 

[Mannahnin]

In 1e Wights were visually indistinguishable from Zombies, which is what made them a real threat - you'd wade into combat expecting pushover Zombies and get a hella surprise when these much-tougher things started whacking your levels out of you.

Which seems like a pretty classic screwjob from Gary's more adversarial days.

 

[jgsugden]

1e Wights were visually indistinguishable from Zombies, which is what made them a real threat - you'd wade into combat expecting pushover Zombies and get a hella surprise when these much-tougher things started whacking your levels out of you.

If you mean AD&D, the wight was not described physically in text. All we had to go on was the picture:

That picture did not have a normal human face, was hunched, and had definite claws. To me, that picture did not match the description of the zombie. I don't recall ever seimng

 

[Mannahnin]

If you mean AD&D, the wight was not described physically in text. All we had to go on was the picture: View attachment 157259

That picture did not have a normal human face, was hunched, and had definite claws. To me, that picture did not match the description of the zombie. I don't recall ever seimng

They're both described as corporeal corpses, and while the MM doesn't specify one way or another, the idea that they basically both just look like animate dead people is stated explicitly in at least a couple of modules, to my recollection.

 

[jgsugden]

They're both described as corporeal corpses, and while the MM doesn't specify one way or another, the idea that they basically both just look like animate dead people is stated explicitly in at least a couple of modules, to my recollection.

The wight description doesn't use that terminology, but does say they're undead humans (similar to how ghouls are described)

I'd be interested in seeing any of those module references. As it conflicts with the artwork representations, it surprises me. Anyone know where any of those statements are?

 

[Mannahnin]

The wight description doesn't use that terminology, but does say they're undead humans (similar to how ghouls are described)

I'd be interested in seeing any of those module references. As it conflicts with the artwork representations, it surprises me. Anyone know where any of those statements are?

Trying to recall specific references. Is there one in B2? I'm pretty sure I recall one in Caverns of Thracia.

@Lanefan , do you have any more specific recollections?

 

[Lanefan]

Trying to recall specific references. Is there one in B2? I'm pretty sure I recall one in Caverns of Thracia.

@Lanefan , do you have any more specific recollections?

I've seen it referenced, that wights and zombies are indistinguishable, but I'm really not sure where now. Not in B2 - there's loads of zombies in that but I don't recall any wights or other level-drainers. There's a bunch of wights in Tomb of the Lizard King, maybe it was there?

Thinking about it, I suspect it does come from a module...but which one?

 

[jgsugden]

Trying to recall specific references. Is there one in B2? I'm pretty sure I recall one in Caverns of Thracia...

I didn't see it in a quick skim through the books. B2 isn't AD&D - Keep on the Borderlands is Basic. And there is no reference there.

A google search isn't turning up anything either. Are you sure it was in a product and not just the interpretation of your group?