Ghoul (Dungeons & Dragons)
Encyclopedia
For the generic mythological creature, see Ghoul
.
In the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game, ghouls are monstrous, undead
humans who reek of carrion
.
(1974), where they were described as being able to paralyze anyone they touch.
The lacedon, or aquatic ghoul, is introduced in Supplement II: Blackmoor
(1975).
The Ghouls of Yanaidar appeared in Supplement IV: Gods, Demigods, Heroes (1976).
Several creatures similar to ghouls appeared in Dragon
#138 (October 1988), including the baka, the black annis, the callicantzari and great callicantzari, the gelloudes, the ghula, the spirit-ghoul, and the wendigo.
(1977, 1981, 1983). The ghoul was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game
set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).
The vapor ghoul appears in the module Thunderdelve Mountain
(1985), and later in the Creature Catalogue (1986) as the "vapour ghoul". The elder ghoul appear in the Creature Catalogue (1986) and the Creature Catalog (1993).
The goop ghoul appears in Dragon #198 (October 1993). The ghoul undead dragon and ghast undead dragon appear in Dragon #234 (October 1996).
The true ghoul and the true ghoul noble are introduced in Dungeon
#70 (September 1998), in the article "Kingdom of the Ghouls." The ghoul was detailed in Dragon #252 (October 1998), in the "Ecology of the Ghoul".
The elevated ghoul appears in Return to White Plume Mountain (1999).
A variant ghoul (jikiniki) appeared in Oriental Adventures (2001).
The abyssal ghoul was introduced in the Forgotten Realms
supplement City of the Spider Queen
(2002), and then appeared in the Fiend Folio
(2003).
Savage Species (2003) presented the ghoul as both a race and a playable class.
The ghoul creature template appeared in Dragon #307 (May 2003), and included the ghoulish harpy as a sample creature.
The fleshvigor ghoul for the Ghostwalk
campaign setting appears in Dragon #315 (January 2004). The nether hound ghoul for the Forgotten Realms setting appears in Dragon #322 (August 2004).
The ghoul and ghast were presented as player character classes in Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead
(2004).
The true ghoul reappears in Dungeon #129 (December 2005) in the adventure "A Gathering of Winds," as part of the "Age of Worms
" Adventure Path
.
are immune. Aside from the standard variety, a number of other forms of ghoul exist.
characteristics that make them far more formidable than their cousins.
touch. It resembles very closely its undead
cousins, but is far more deadly and cunning. Like ghouls, ghasts speak whatever language they did in life (usually Common). They are chaotic evil in alignment.
upon their return from the dead, and are thus more powerful than common ghouls. While standard ghouls lose all of their abilities from their previous life, gravetouched ghouls retain most of their former selves, albeit enhanced by the transformation into an undead creature.
, a troll
, and a ghoul. It appears to be a hobgoblin, but paralyzes with a touch and regenerates.
.
Ghoul
A ghoul is a folkloric monster associated with graveyards and consuming human flesh, often classified as undead. The oldest surviving literature that mention ghouls is likely One Thousand and One Nights...
.
In the Dungeons and Dragons roleplaying game, ghouls are monstrous, undead
Undead (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, undead is a classification of monsters that can be encountered by player characters. Undead creatures are most often once-living creatures, which have been animated by spiritual or supernatural forces....
humans who reek of carrion
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...
.
Dungeons & Dragons (1974-1976)
The ghoul was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the Dungeons & Dragons "white box" setDungeons & Dragons (1974)
The original Dungeons & Dragons boxed set by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson was published by TSR, Inc. in 1974. It initially included the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game...
(1974), where they were described as being able to paralyze anyone they touch.
The lacedon, or aquatic ghoul, is introduced in Supplement II: Blackmoor
Blackmoor (supplement)
Blackmoor is a supplementary rulebook for the original edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game written by Dave Arneson...
(1975).
The Ghouls of Yanaidar appeared in Supplement IV: Gods, Demigods, Heroes (1976).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition (1977-1988)
The ghoul appears in the first edition Monster Manual (1977), where it is described as an undead creature, once human, who feeds on corpses. The ghast is also introduced in this book, and is said to be indistinguishable from a ghoul except for its carrion stench which causes retching and nausea.Several creatures similar to ghouls appeared in Dragon
Dragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#138 (October 1988), including the baka, the black annis, the callicantzari and great callicantzari, the gelloudes, the ghula, the spirit-ghoul, and the wendigo.
Dungeons & Dragons (1977-1999)
This edition of the D&D game included its own version of the ghoul, in the Dungeons & Dragons Basic SetDungeons & Dragons Basic Set
The original Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set boxed set was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1977, and comprised a separate edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, distinct from the first edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game, which was initially published in the same...
(1977, 1981, 1983). The ghoul was also later featured in the Dungeons & Dragons Game
Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991 boxed set)
The New Easy to Master Dungeons & Dragons Game is an accessory for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, published in 1991....
set (1991), the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game set (1994), and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game set (1999).
The vapor ghoul appears in the module Thunderdelve Mountain
Thunderdelve Mountain
Thunderdelve Mountain is an adventure module published in 1985 for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Plot summary:Thunderdelve Mountain is a solo scenario for a midlevel dwarf player character, and involves a mission to defeat a red dragon in its own lair...
(1985), and later in the Creature Catalogue (1986) as the "vapour ghoul". The elder ghoul appear in the Creature Catalogue (1986) and the Creature Catalog (1993).
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition (1989-1999)
The ghoul, ghast, and lacedon appear first in the Monstrous Compendium Volume One (1989), and are reprinted in the Monstrous Manual (1993).The goop ghoul appears in Dragon #198 (October 1993). The ghoul undead dragon and ghast undead dragon appear in Dragon #234 (October 1996).
The true ghoul and the true ghoul noble are introduced in Dungeon
Dungeon (magazine)
Dungeon Adventures, or simply Dungeon, was a magazine targeting consumers of role-playing games, particularly Dungeons & Dragons. It was first published by TSR, Inc. in 1986 as a bimonthly periodical. It went monthly in May 2003 and ceased print publication altogether in September 2007 with Issue 150...
#70 (September 1998), in the article "Kingdom of the Ghouls." The ghoul was detailed in Dragon #252 (October 1998), in the "Ecology of the Ghoul".
The elevated ghoul appears in Return to White Plume Mountain (1999).
Dungeons & Dragons 3.0 edition (2000-2002)
The ghoul, ghast, and lacedon appear in the Monster Manual for this edition (2000).A variant ghoul (jikiniki) appeared in Oriental Adventures (2001).
The abyssal ghoul was introduced in the Forgotten Realms
Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setting for his childhood stories...
supplement City of the Spider Queen
City of the Spider Queen
City of the Spider Queen is an adventure module for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game.-Plot summary:...
(2002), and then appeared in the Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio
Fiend Folio is the title shared by three products published for successive editions of the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...
(2003).
Savage Species (2003) presented the ghoul as both a race and a playable class.
The ghoul creature template appeared in Dragon #307 (May 2003), and included the ghoulish harpy as a sample creature.
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 edition (2003-2007)
The ghoul, ghast, and lacedon appear in the revised Monster Manual for this edition (2003).The fleshvigor ghoul for the Ghostwalk
Ghostwalk
Ghostwalk is a book that introduced a campaign setting for the 3rd edition of the Dungeons & Dragons game, similar to Forgotten Realms or Dragonlance...
campaign setting appears in Dragon #315 (January 2004). The nether hound ghoul for the Forgotten Realms setting appears in Dragon #322 (August 2004).
The ghoul and ghast were presented as player character classes in Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead
Libris Mortis
Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead is a book which is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game...
(2004).
The true ghoul reappears in Dungeon #129 (December 2005) in the adventure "A Gathering of Winds," as part of the "Age of Worms
Age of Worms
In the World of Greyhawk campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, the Age of Worms is an age of darkness and despair heard of only in ancient prophecies...
" Adventure Path
Adventure Path
Adventure Paths are serial adventures for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game. Though originally applied to the series of Third Edition modules beginning with The Sunless Citadel, the phrase has more recently come to apply nearly exclusively to several lengthy series, each consisting of...
.
Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition (2008-)
The ghoul appears in the Monster Manual for this edition (2008), including the horde ghoul, the abyssal ghoul, the abyssal ghoul hungerer, and the abyssal ghoul myrmidon.Description
A ghoul is said to be created on the death of a man or woman who savored the taste of flesh. They not only eat the dead, but also prey on the unwary living. Likewise, a ghast is supposedly made while someone dies during the act of cannibalism. Ghouls can paralyze their victims with a touch, though elvesElf (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, elves are a fictional humanoid race that is one of the primary races available for play as player characters. Elves are renowned for their grace and mastery of magic and weapons such as the sword and bow...
are immune. Aside from the standard variety, a number of other forms of ghoul exist.
Abyssal ghoul
These extraplanar versions of the standard ghoul have fiendishFiend (Dungeons & Dragons)
Fiends is a term used in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game to refer to any malicious otherworldly creatures within the Dungeons & Dragons universe. These include various races of demons and devils that are of an evil alignment and hail from the Lower Planes...
characteristics that make them far more formidable than their cousins.
Ghast
The ghast is similar to the ghoul, but is distinguished by its monstrously foul and supernaturally nauseating stench. It is also more powerful than a standard ghoul; even elves can fall victim to a ghast's paralyticParalysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
touch. It resembles very closely its undead
Undead (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, undead is a classification of monsters that can be encountered by player characters. Undead creatures are most often once-living creatures, which have been animated by spiritual or supernatural forces....
cousins, but is far more deadly and cunning. Like ghouls, ghasts speak whatever language they did in life (usually Common). They are chaotic evil in alignment.
Ghoulish and ghastly creatures
These are creatures which possess the ghoulish or ghastly template, which in effect makes them non-human versions of ghouls and ghasts.Gravetouched ghoul
These ghouls are said to have been blessed by the King of GhoulsKing of Ghouls
The King of Ghouls is a malevolent undead creature turned demigod created for the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy role-playing game. He is sometimes known as "Doresain."-Publication history:...
upon their return from the dead, and are thus more powerful than common ghouls. While standard ghouls lose all of their abilities from their previous life, gravetouched ghouls retain most of their former selves, albeit enhanced by the transformation into an undead creature.
Lacedon
A lacedon is the aquatic version of the standard ghoul. Save for the fact that they are powerful swimmers, Lacedons are identical to standard ghouls. They are said to lurk near reefs, waiting to prey on stranded vessels.Thoul
A thoul is a sorcerous crossbreed between a hobgoblinHobgoblin (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy roleplaying game, hobgoblins are a larger, stronger, smarter and more menacing form of goblins. They are smaller and weaker than bugbears, but better organized. Hobgoblins are humanoids that stand nearly 6'6" tall on average, a little taller than orcs...
, a troll
Troll (Dungeons & Dragons)
Trolls are fictional monsters in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game. Dungeon Masters can use them as enemies or allies of the player characters.-Publication history:...
, and a ghoul. It appears to be a hobgoblin, but paralyzes with a touch and regenerates.
True ghoul
A civilized form of ghoul, these creatures lack the savage nature of their standard counterparts, and often live together in underground cities which approximate human civilization. An example of such a society can be found in the World of Greyhawk's version of the White KingdomWhite Kingdom
The White Kingdom is a layer of the Abyss in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game ruled by Doresain, also known as the King of Ghouls...
.