If a spellcaster becomes a ghost does he retain the ability to cast spells? I was going to make a human ghost as an npc and didn't know if it would work.
If a spellcaster becomes a ghost does he retain the ability to cast spells? I was going to make a human ghost as an npc and didn't know if it would work.
Ghost: "ghost retains all the base creature's statistics and special abilities except as noted here."
Spells are not listed, so I assume it retains the ability.
However, it is incorporeal. As such, it is incapable of manipulating material or focus components.
It could be argued that a spell cast by an incorporeal creature has the same effect on a corporeal target as a corporeal spell cast on it. (half damage or 50% failure chance) This isn't explicit, but it's not unreasonable given how incorporeal and ethereal are kind of all twisted up.
Thanks. I figured the way to get around the focus and material componants was that it it died with them so it would have them. The 50% miss for spell is a good idea.
If they become spectres or something similar. The spellcasting ability goes away.
Wasn't there some kind of spellcasting ghost in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting?
Yes. Ghosts, like Liches or Werewolves, are a template that is designed to be applied to NPCs with Class Levels. It works better for some Classes than others though, like Sorcerers or Clerics.
If you want to go ahead with using a Wizard for the Base Class then may I recommend Spell Mastery as one of the feats. It's one of the only ways to help explain continued spell use in his/her undead state. Granted, it ends up limiting the number of spells the Wizard-Ghost will have access to but that just means the Ghost will need to get creative.
Sebastian gives one good example to help you get an idea of how to design such an NPC. Another good example can be found in Carrion Crown 1: The Haunting of Harrowstone.
I would imagine that if the wizard died in possession of his spellbook we would have access to it as long as it wasn't removed from his body.
Mage Hand or Prestidigitation to turn pages and scribe spells. Eschew Materials to avoid material components. If you need to lug the book around, floating disk will do or telekinesis (if you want to go all out).
Incorporeal and Ethereal are very distinct. Ghosts reside on the Material Plane and thus are not Ethereal. They just don't have corporeal bodies, and are thus incorporeal.
Incorporeal: Creatures with the incorporeal condition do not have a physical body. Incorporeal creatures are immune to all nonmagical attack forms. Incorporeal creatures take half damage (50%) from magic weapons, spells, spell-like effects, and supernatural effects. Incorporeal creatures take full damage from other incorporeal creatures and effects, as well as all force effects
An ethereal creature is invisible, insubstantial, and capable of moving in any direction, even up or down, albeit at half normal speed. As an insubstantial creature, you can move through solid objects, including living creatures. An ethereal creature can see and hear on the Material Plane, but everything looks gray and ephemeral. Sight and hearing onto the Material Plane are limited to 60 feet.
Force effects and abjurations affect an ethereal creature normally. Their effects extend onto the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, but not vice versa. An ethereal creature can't attack material creatures, and spells you cast while ethereal affect only other ethereal things. Certain material creatures or objects have attacks or effects that work on the Ethereal Plane.
The two have some similarities, but are very distinct. I'd not rule (and have not in the past) that ghosts only do 50% damage to material creature. It makes their attacks kind of useless if you do and would warrant a lower CR adjustment.
That said, as a creature on the Prime, their spells and effects originate from the Prime and should affect creatures on the Prime as normal.