Geists

History:
Geists were once like most other spirits, malevolent. Manifesting only because of a grudge or regret powerful
enough to disturb the Blessed Sleep, which bonded their essence to the world of the living, making them a
creature no longer alive or dead. Some geists still retain this malevolence·, but these malevolent spirits are
counterbalanced by many benevolent and neutral geists. Geists take many forms, some are protective spirits
of ancestors, from nurturing apparitions of family members who have passed on to inscrutable ghosts who
seem to want to continue whatever duty they had in life, while others are vengeful creatures bent on resolving
conflicts they couldn't resolve in life.

Material and Immaterial. Geists exist in the space between the material and Ethereal realms, so to varying
degrees they possess qualities of both worlds. Thus some are able to walk through walls and then slash open
throats. Others use the beliefs of the living against them; victims believe in the spirit so completely that they
harm themselves with the power of their own mind. Some use fear to literally scare the victim to death. Some
spirits use cold to freeze opponents or reduce their temperatures down to hypothermic levels when humans
become lost on the moors or wander too far into the bogs. Other, more powerful ghosts use their force of will
or emotion to condense matter (called ectoplasm) around their hands or weapons for a split second when they
attack. Some use psychokinetic power to wrap objects around them (e.g., brambles, chains, spikes, glass,
etc.), and then wield them against their foes.

Design Note: If you choose to be a geist that was once a living race you do not benefit from any of that
races racial abilities, such as traits, movement speed, size, ability score increases, etc.

Geist Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 2, and your Wisdom increases by 1. However,
your Strength score decreases by 2, and your Dexterity decreases by 1.

Age. Geists don't age, as a form of undead without a physical body they can last for as long as they continue
to hold onto this realm of the living but most will dissipate after about a 1000 years.

Alignment. Geists tend to retain the alignment they had in their life or be within one factor of their original
alignment.

Size. The height of a geist varies based on the geist's original race, however, your size is Medium.

Speed. You have a base walking speed of 30 feet.

Ethereal. Your ethereal form grants you a host of benefits. Your Armor Class is calculated using your
Intelligence instead of your Dexterity. While unarmored your Armor Class is equal to 10 + your Intelligence
modifier. You are resistant to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage. In addition, you may
free swap your walking speed for a hover speed equal to your walking speed.

Ethereal Sight. A geist can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice
versa. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim
light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Ghostly Touch. A geist does not use physical strength to lift objects due to their form, instead, they use their
influence over the ethereal. You may use your Intelligence score in place of your Strength or Dexterity scores
and may manipulate objects you can see within 5 feet of you. You would make an Intelligence (Athletics)
check to grapple a target instead of a Strength (Athletics).

Incorporeal Movement. Like most spectral undead, physical structures do not impede you. You can move
through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. You take 1d10 force damage if you end
your turn inside an object.

Poltergeist. You know the thaumaturgy cantrip. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
Possession. You gain the ability to possess a humanoid within 5 feet of you. The humanoid must succeed a
Charisma saving throw or become possessed. You then disappear, and the target is incapacitated and loses
control of its body. You now control the body but you can't deprive the possessed target of awareness. You
can't be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that turn undead, and you retains your
alignment, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores. You otherwise uses the possessed target's statistics
but doesn't gain access to the target's knowledge, class features, or proficiencies. The possession lasts until
the body drops to 0 hit points, you end it as a bonus action or reaction, or you are turned or forced out by an
effect like the dispel evil and good spell. When the possession ends, you reappear in an unoccupied space
within 5 feet of the body. The target is immune to your Possession for 24 hours after succeeding on the saving
throw or after the possession ends. You regain use of this trait once you have completed a long rest.

Restless. You don’t need to sleep. Instead, you reconnect to the energies that sustain you, remaining
semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. While doing this, you dream in a fashion; such dreams are actually the pull
toward the Ether. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of
sleep.

Undead Nature. Your creature type is undead. As a form of undead, you are not healed by healing spells and
other effects that would target humanoids. If you die, you are sent to the astral plane for 1 day and then
return to where you died. In addition, you don't require air, food, drink, or sleep.

Unholy Nature. While your form grants you a host of benefits it has a number of flaws as well. You have
disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity saving throws. Your hit point maximum decreases by 1, and it
decreases by 1 every time you gain a level. You are forbidden from entering consecrated ground areas such as
temples and shrines, or passing over a circle of salt. In addition, you are vulnerability to radiant damage.

Languages. You are able to speak, read and write Common and one extra language of your choice. This is
usually one of the languages you knew before death.

Indefinite Madness. As a type of ghost, the process of returning to the realm of the living has taken its toll on
you. As such you have been afflicted with one of the following indefinite madness. This madness cannot be
cured.

d12 Flaws
The character feels compelled to repeat a specific activity over and over, such as washing
1
hands, touching things, praying, or counting coins.
The character suffers from partial amnesia. The character knows who he or she is and retains
2 racial traits and class features, but doesn't recognize other people or remember anything that
happened before the madness took effect.
3 I keep whatever I find.
I try to become more like someone else I know-adopting his or her style of dress, mannerisms,
4
and name.
5 I must bend the truth, exaggerate, or outright lie to be interesting to other people.
6 Achieving my goal is the only thing of interest to me, and I'll ignore everything else to pursue it.
7 I find it hard to care about anything that goes on around me.
8 I don't like the way people judge me all the time.
9 I am the smartest, wisest, strongest, fastest, and most beautiful person I know.
I am convinced that powerful enemies are hunting me, and their agents are everywhere I go. I
10
am sure they're watching me all the time.
11 I can't take anything seriously. The more serious the situation, the funnier I find it.
12 I've discovered that I really like killing people.