Lingering Waif

Small undead, any alignment

Armor Class 15 (see Sympathetic Armor)
Hit Points 70 (20d6)
Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
4 (-3)	14 (+2)	10 (+0)	9 (-1)	13 (+1)	17 (+3)

Damage Resistances acid, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons
Damage Immunities cold, necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages the languages it knew in life
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Special Traits

• Aura of Abandonment. Any humanoid that starts its turn within 60 feet of the waif must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw, or become charmed. The charmed creature perceives adult humanoids as hostile and malevolent. At the end of each of its turns, an adult charmed humanoid can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. If an adult creature succeeds on its saving throw, it is immune to this waif ‘s Aura of Abandonment for the next 24 hours. The effect can be removed by a dispel evil and good spell or similar effect. It ends for all creatures affected by this waif ‘s Aura of Abandonment, if the waif ‘s unfinished business is resolved. Simply destroying the waif is not enough to break the effect.
• Ethereal Sight. The waif can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.
• Incorporeal Movement. The waif can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
• Sympathetic Armor. The waif adds its Charisma modifier to its armor class.

Actions

• Blood-Chilling Touch. Melee Spell Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (3d6 + 3) necrotic damage.
• Etherealness. The waif enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can’t affect, or be affected by, anything on the other plane.

Reactions

• Desperate Scream (Recharge 5-6). When the waif is targeted by an attack, harmful spell, or similar ability, it can emit an ear-piercing scream that resonates with a wave of psychic energy. Each creature within 30 feet of the waif, that can hear it, must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 22 (5d8) psychic damage and is stunned until the end of their next turn. On a success, the creature takes half as much damage and isn’t stunned.

About

The souls of those who died from neglect or abandonment, lingering waifs project a feeling of mistrust towards adults-those who should have cared for it in life-transforming them, in the minds of those affected, into the evil monsters they appeared as to the waif. The influence of a waif can cause children to become reclusive, or flee their homes, perhaps becoming waifs in turn. While an adult will cease to be affected once the ghost is put to rest, a child might never fully recover.

A waif ‘s tether to the world of the living typically revolves around its guardians, whether it be avenging itself upon its abusers, or seeking to reunite with absent parents.