HALF-GHOULS
The half-ghoul can be a human devolving into a Ghoul (through a curse or family lineage) or a Ghoul attaining a degree of humanity. Half-Ghouls must be Neutral or Chaotic but even Neutral Half-Ghouls can be Turned by Clerics and are affected by spells like Protection from Chaos or Protection from Undead (but with unusual effects, see below).
Character Advancement
Half-ghouls can be Fighters or Clerics (or alternatively Monks using Expanded Lore character classes) but can only advance to 6th level.
Partially-undead
Half-ghouls are partially-undead and are immune to Sleep, Charm, ESP and non-magical poison. The paralysing abilities of other ghouls do not affect them. They have underground vision to 30’.
They repel the living: ordinary humanoids experience -2 on Reaction Checks with half-ghouls.
Half-Ghouls may be turned by Clerics but instead of fleeing/ they gain Trauma. They also gain Trauma from crossing the barrier of a Protection from Chaos/Undead spell.
They repel the living: ordinary humanoids experience -2 on Reaction Checks with half-ghouls.
Half-Ghouls may be turned by Clerics but instead of fleeing/ they gain Trauma. They also gain Trauma from crossing the barrier of a Protection from Chaos/Undead spell.
Healing and Feeding
Half-ghouls do not heal normally and cannot receive healing magic or benefit from Healing Potions or binding wounds.
In order to heal they must eat the warm flesh of a sentient humanoid (died within 1d6 hours) or the sanctified flesh of a humanoid buried in holy ground. Each such meal heals 1 HP (recently dead) or 1d6 HP (sanctified).
In order to treat Fatal Wounds, a medic must feed a Half-Ghoul living flesh or blood: in effect, the medic must take 1d6 damage to offer the Half-Ghoul a saving throw to remove the Fatal Wound.
In order to heal they must eat the warm flesh of a sentient humanoid (died within 1d6 hours) or the sanctified flesh of a humanoid buried in holy ground. Each such meal heals 1 HP (recently dead) or 1d6 HP (sanctified).
In order to treat Fatal Wounds, a medic must feed a Half-Ghoul living flesh or blood: in effect, the medic must take 1d6 damage to offer the Half-Ghoul a saving throw to remove the Fatal Wound.
Claws, Weapons and Armour
Half-Ghouls can wield weapons but they can also attack with their claws for 1d6 damage and choose to paralyse a humanoid victim they hit (although this causes the half-ghoul to gain 1 Trauma and the victim may Save vs Paralysis).
The player can decide to use the paralysing power after rolling To Hit but before rolling damage. It is possible for the damage to kill the enemy but the Trauma is still gained for activating the ghoulish power.
Half-ghouls naturally enjoy Armour Class 6 [13] but can wear armour too: they enjoy the better of the two protections, not both.
Saving Throws
Half-Ghouls are immune to normal poison and paralysis from other Ghouls.
Languages
Half-Ghouls can communicate with other Ghouls.
Trauma
Half-Ghouls start with 1d6 Trauma and gain 1d6 Trauma whenever all their Trauma is removed (see Arnold Kemp’s Death, Dismemberment & Insanity rules). Half-Ghouls gain Trauma from being Turned by a Cleric (1 for a normal turning, 2 for a D), from crossing the barrier of Protection from Chaos or Protection from Undead, from using their Paralysis power and 1d6 Trauma for each week they go without flesh.
Half-Ghouls do not gain Trauma from sighting Undead, being poisoned or interacting with corpses, body parts or filth.
Half-Ghouls remove Trauma by discovering details of their human identity, participating in distinctively human activities and discovering human emotions and relationships. The Referee may reward roleplaying with the removal of Trauma.
Crypts are a Safe Haven for Half-Ghouls and they remove Trauma quickly there but risk ‘retirement’ (i.e. they become a full Ghoul and lose their human identity).
Half-Ghouls do not gain Trauma from sighting Undead, being poisoned or interacting with corpses, body parts or filth.
Half-Ghouls remove Trauma by discovering details of their human identity, participating in distinctively human activities and discovering human emotions and relationships. The Referee may reward roleplaying with the removal of Trauma.
Crypts are a Safe Haven for Half-Ghouls and they remove Trauma quickly there but risk ‘retirement’ (i.e. they become a full Ghoul and lose their human identity).
