Philosopher’s Ghost

Half fire and half ooze, a philosopher’s ghost is a bubbling, burning, highly corrosive creature that can make the tallest tower tumble into ruin-if properly directed.

Medium ooze, unaligned

Armor Class 13
Hit Points 77 (14d8 + 14)
Speed 40 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
9 (-1) 17 (+3) 12 (+1) 2 (-4) 10 (+0) 6 (-2)

Damage Resistances acid, cold; slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities fire, poison
Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, exhaustion, frightened, prone
Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 10
Languages
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Special Traits

  • Illumination. The philosopher’s ghost sheds bright light in a 20-foot-radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet.
  • Ooze Nature. A philosopher’s ghost doesn’t require sleep.
  • Persistent Burning Form. The philosopher’s ghost can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. A creature that touches the ghost or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 5 (1d10) fire damage. In addition, the philosopher’s ghost can enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there. The first time it enters a creature’s space on a turn, that target takes 5 (1d10) fire damage and catches fire; until a creature takes an action to douse the fire, the target takes 5 (1d10) fire damage at the start of each of its turns.
  • Siege Monster. The philosopher’s ghost deals double damage to objects and structures.
  • Water Vulnerability. If completely immersed in water, a philosopher’s ghost’s movement halves each round until it stops moving completely, becoming incapacitated, and contact with it no longer causes damage. As soon as any portion of it is exposed to the air again, it resumes moving at full speed.

Actions

  • Multiattack. The philosopher’s ghost makes two burning touch attacks.
  • Burning Touch. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) fire damage. If the target is a creature, it suffers a burning lesion, taking 2 (1d4) fire damage at the start of each of its turns. Any creature can take an action to soothe the burning lesion with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check. The lesion is also soothed if the target receives magical healing.

About

The result of an alchemical process, a philosopher’s ghost can appear as an ooze which glows a faint, eerie green in darkness, or as a vaguely-humanoid, green, sparking flame. It is especially drawn to movement, pursuing moving creatures to the exclusion of all else.

Powerful and Difficult to Harness. Notoriously difficult to control, the unexpected creation of a philosopher’s ghost spells disaster for the alchemist and, in all likelihood, anyone nearby as well. The creature burns its way through wooden structures with great speed, and, over time, even metal is melted by its heat.

Alchemical Nightmare. Among alchemical circles, the only known remedy for a rampaging philosopher’s ghost is complete immersion in water-even then it can spontaneously reignite and wreak further havoc long afterward when exposed to the air again.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Creature Codex. © 2018 Open Design LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Dan Dillon, Richard Green, James Haeck, Chris Harris, Jeremy Hochhalter, James Introcaso, Chris Lockey, Shawn Merwin, and Jon Sawatsky.