What is a Hungry Ghost in Pathfinder 2e?
What is a Hungry Ghost in Pathfinder 2e? Hungry ghosts arise from those who didn’t receive proper burials or whose graves were neglected. They are not bound to a site or item but are compelled to see opportunities to commit good deeds in hopes of gaining favors that can aid them in achieving a final rest. Their need to feed on living energy often conflicts with this goal, however.
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Table of Contents
Ravenous Undoing
In each 24-hour period, the hungry ghost must use Feed on the Living to consume 30 HP any HP the ghost would gain count toward this total, even if the ghost has enough HP that they don’t actually regain the full amount. If the ghost hasn’t consumed enough HP, they mindlessly and recklessly feed on any living creature they come across until satiated.
Rejuvenation
When destroyed, hungry ghosts reform after 2d4 days fully healed at whatever location they were at when last destroyed. They’re only permanently destroyed when they have been given a proper burial, have had their grave cleaned and maintained for at least a year, or have been judged to be redeemed by Pharasma
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Feed on the Living
The hungry ghost touches a creature in reach. If the target is a living creature it takes damage from the ghost’s ghostly touch with a DC 24 Fortitude save. If the ghost is in their living visage they can disguise Feed on the Living as a benign touch and delay the effects for 1 minute while keeping the target unaware of the effect. A creature can be affected by only one delayed Feed on the Living at a time and if the ghost loses their living visage during that minute the Feed on the Living is lost.
Critical Success – The target’s life energy overpowers the ghost. The hungry ghost takes 5 positive damage, and the target is unaffected.
Success – The target takes half damage, and the hungry ghost regains HP equal to the damage dealt.
Failure – The target takes full damage and is enfeebled 1 for 1 minute and the hungry ghost regains HP equal to the damage dealt.
Critical Failure – The target takes double damage and is enfeebled 2 for 1 minute and the hungry ghost regains HP equal to the damage dealt.
Cold Spot
Ghosts are often associated with unnatural cold, and one of the first signs of a ghostly presence is an uncanny cold spot in the air. The air within 5 feet of the ghost is supernaturally cold. Characters that enter or begin their turn in the ghost’s aura take 1d6 cold damage per 3 levels the ghost has basic Fortitude save.
Need more stats?
If you want the full stats of this creature go here: https://2e.aonprd.com/Monsters.aspx?ID=1863
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Adventure Ideas
The Forsaken Shrine
In a small village, the local shrine dedicated to appeasing the spirits of the deceased has fallen into disrepair due to years of neglect. The villagers now speak in hushed tones of a hungry ghost that has begun to terrorize them. The adventurers are approached by the village elder, who implores them to help restore the shrine and perform the necessary rituals to lay the hungry ghost to rest. In doing so, the adventurers will not only save the village but also help the tormented spirit find peace.
A Ghost’s Redemption
The adventurers come across a hungry ghost who is desperately trying to atone for its past misdeeds. The spirit reveals that it was once a cruel and heartless individual, and it now seeks to perform acts of kindness to balance the scales. The adventurers must aid the hungry ghost in completing these good deeds while protecting it from the temptation to feed on the living, ultimately helping it find the redemption it so desperately seeks.
The Unmarked Grave
While exploring an ancient battlefield, the adventurers stumble upon a restless hungry ghost that has been haunting the site for centuries. The ghost informs the adventurers that its remains were never properly buried, and it cannot find peace until its body is laid to rest. The adventurers must locate the unmarked grave amidst the chaos of the battlefield and perform the necessary rites to help the spirit finally achieve eternal rest.
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About the Author:
Dwight Scull has been playing tabletop role-playing games (starting with Dungeons and Dragons 3.5) back in 2001. He started being a dungeon master around 2005.
He loves to play many different types of TTRPGs, including Pathfinder, GURPS, Shadowrun, Vampire: The Masquerade, Mage: The Ascension (and other White Wolf Games), Nights Black Agents, and others.
Fan of mysteries, light horror, co-op board games, true crime, sci-fi, and fantasy.
