Ghoul & Ghast

The Ghoul; a staple of fantasy tabletop gaming for probably as long as the zombie has been a staple of the horror genre. This classic creature at its base can serve as a early challenge for a beginning party. What it lacks in damage it more than makes up for with some debilitating abilities.

Swift Leap, though limited in use, can serve as a reminder to the party fighter that the ghoul is not a mindless creature, as it does not trigger reactions. Consume Flesh doesn't explicitly state that a ghoul can't feast on its fallen allies, and I do recommend doing so when you run it. This tactic adds to the desperate, cannabalistic gruesome behavior that sets them apart from other undead. Ghoul Fever can be a significantly harmful condition, especially given that low level parties are already somewhat strapped for healing; cutting that in half can at the very least severely slow the players down. The added benefit, from a story perspective, is that low level parties may face off against fallen compatriots should they face off and lose against a ghoul pack.

Paralysis is straightforward and, more fortuitously, is something that can make it easier to critically strike players, thereby making up for low innate damage dice.

Combine these factors and the ghoul can be a formidable opponent up through level three. Better yet, the ghoul comes with optional rules for creating ghouls from any living creature. Should you find yourself wanting for options, take a swing at creating a ghoul (or ghast) out of something scarier such as a giant. Perhaps you wish to terrify your players and remind them that your world is not always fun and games. Make a whole ghoul troop or ghoul swarm akin to something out of that scene from World War Z! Terrible movie, awesome inspiration.

The ghoul provides some lasting utility in addition to serving as a great entry level creature to an undead-hunting campaign. Mix and match them with classics like liches and zombies for maximum effect.

Hook 1 (Max) - Ghastly Tragedy

A great tragedy had befallen the local mining town, their shafts collapsed trapping many workers inside. It's been over two weeks and the community still hasn't managed to open the closed passageways; the only sign of life from their efforts is occasionally uncovering a crushed, unrecognizable corpse.

As everyone started to lose hope in the survival of the trapped miners, shadowy figures started stalking the night. Graves in the cemetery have been found dug up at dawn. People are terrified.

What is actually happening? The miners have found a way out, although this was only after nearly succumbing to hunger, thereafter they resorted to desperate measures. They still do not completely grasp the full extent of their transformation, although they are fully aware that they are indeed no longer fully human and, as such, they wish to spare their loved ones from any pain they would no doubt feel upon seeing them in their current state.

Hook 2 (Nemanja) - The Creature of Weissendorf

Entire herds of sheep have been disappearing overnight from the far-off colony of Weissendorf. Those brave enough to follow the massive tracks leading away into the hills easily find the perpetrator; a massive, ghoulified cyclops. While the undead giant is a massive threat on his own, fresh claw marks clearly show that whatever infected him with ghoul fever was at least twice the size. How such a massive predator could hide on the tiny, rocky island Weissendorf lies on is a mystery in and of itself.

Hook 3 (TJ) - Crisis in Haverdale

Nobody in the town of Haverdale knows what to do. Raet, the town surgeon, is deathly ill and will not make it through the night. The bite on his hand has festered rapidly, growing rot at a rate that no one has yet seen. As the men of the town attempted to wrangle the mangy dog menacing Haverdale's streets, several of them, including Raet, were bitten. While some of them recovered, the rabies treatments Raet tried on himself and two others has not improved their condition, and they are now too ill for Raet to devise anything else. The mayor has sent to Kingsport for another surgeon with all haste. Come nightfall, however, it will be too late and Haverdale will have more than a sickly surgeon to worry about...