Using Ghosts

[Tinalles]

I don't understand how to use ghosts as a monster. They've got that rejuvenation ability which renders them basically undestroyable without dealing with the situation that's holding them back, so canny parties who do their research never bother fighting the ghost: they just find out what it wants, then go deal with that situation.

It can easily take a couple of hours to stat up an NPC, including applying the ghost template. If all the ghost's going to do is serve as a plot hook, spending all that time working up stats for it feels like a waste. I could just as easily have scribbled down some estimates of social skills and a save DC for its frightful moan and left it at that.

What other approaches should I try?

[Charon's Little Helper]

Just have them call The Ghostbusters?

[Bob Bob Bob]

Ghosts are pretty explicitly not something you just throw at the party. If you want an incorporeal undead for the players to fight, wraith are a much better choice. The fact that Rejuvenation ends "The exact means varies with each spirit and may require a good deal of research, and should be created specifically for each different ghost by the GM." means every Ghost requires that the GM craft that singular creature specifically. Ghosts aren't a monster, they're a plot hook.

[Petty Alchemy]

Ghosts can simply attack, they don't have to banter.

Maybe they've been cheated before by the living that promised to put their soul to rest. Maybe the PCs have somewhere to be right now and don't have time to solve their murder mystery. Etc etc.

[DM_Blake]

Petty Alchemy wrote:

Ghosts can simply attack, they don't have to banter.

Maybe they've been cheated before by the living that promised to put their soul to rest. Maybe the PCs have somewhere to be right now and don't have time to solve their murder mystery. Etc etc.

True, but if the PCs decide the DO want to stop and play Dr. Venkman to the ghost, then you as the GM should have a solution for them to figure out, or some kind of rails to take them away from their ghostbusting.

[lemeres]

The easiest way to force the PCs to actually deal with the ghost in combat is to leave the key evidence inside the ghost's territory.

Ghosts tend to haunt around the place they died. Murders tend to happen outside the public view. Ergo, it is entirely likely that no one knows the whole story unless they investigate the crime scene. If you use guerrilla tactics (which is easier when walls and floors are not a 'thing'), you can hound the party for a good part of their search through the area.

Can you use a spring attack with the draining touch, allowing it to heal and deal ability score damage? That will have players paranoid, readying actions to attack so they are winning the DPS vs heal race.

Also, you do not need to have the ghosts speak...but a picture can be worth a thousand words. Do not underestimate how much a good description of the spirit can give away. Just be sure to verbally emphasize the details so that the players realize that it is actually important, rather than just window dressing.