Boo!

: A Ghost-Themed Homebrew
Content Pack
Location: The Haunted NPC: The Ghost Hunter 1

Details. Emeric Specter (NG halfling commoner) is a ghost

House hunter who travels the land in search of restless spirits who
Details need aid to find peace and pass on to the next life. He lives on
Climate. The weather around the house is dark and rainy, the generosity of strangers, performing odd jobs in exchange
with a perennial fog that never seems to quite burn away. The for room and board wherever he journeys.
wind howls during storms, which bring chilling rain and thick Emeric wasn't always passionate about ghosts. That
clouds of fog. The interior of the house has a chill that living changed when his village was attacked by a dangerous spirit
creatures can't ever seem to shake off, plus a regular windy —the ghost of a young woman who had died in a tragic
draft with no apparent source. accident. Emeric, a bookish, compassionate young halfling,
Terrain. The house is tucked away in a wooded area, and spent days researching and investigating the circumstances.
may be bordered by an old cemetery, an abandoned shrine or He eventually learned that the young woman had been in love
chapel, muddy hills, a swamp, and/or an old, faded dirt road with a man who had died in the same accident. She had been
that leads unwary souls to the house through the nearby unable to move on because she had never been able to tell
forest. him how she felt.
With the aid of a local priest, Emeric was able to arrange
Inhabitants for the man's spirit to be summoned, and for the two spirits to
Beasts. Bats, cats, snakes, spiders, rats, and ravens may finally confess their love for each other. With her unfinished
dwell here, either in the spaces between the walls or below business complete, the young woman's ghost was able to
the floorboards, in the cracks of the cellar, or in the drafty move on.
lofts of the upper floors. Emeric isn't a typical ghost hunter—instead of relying on
Constructs. Haunted items can gain the properties of magic or weapons, he relies on his knowledge, his
constructs, including animated armors, carionettes, flying compassion, and his wits to help the restless dead find peace.
swords, rugs of somthering, or (outdoors) scarecrows. Resonance. Emeric should make the players feel amused
Oozes. The malevolence that lingers in the house might (due to this eccentric hobbies, appearance, and tastes),
take corporeal form, assuming the shape of a black pudding, grateful (due to his genuine efforts to assist the players), and
gray ooze, or ochre jelly. endearing (due to his dedication to completing his mission
Plants. Twisted or haunted plants may grow in the house's despite his lack of special powers or skills.)
gardens or cellar, such as an awakened tree, needle blights, Emotions. The emotions that Emeric feels most are
twig blights, vine blights, shriekers, or violet fungi. usually curiosity, delight, caution, suspicion, glumness,
Undead. Noncorporeal undead are the home's fascination, satisfaction, and excitement.
predominant residents, including ghosts, poltergeists, Motivations. When Emeric does something, it's usually to
shadows, specters, vampiric mists, and wraiths. help someone in a tight spot, or to uncover new knowledge
about a subject that's fascinated him.
Prompts Morale. In a fight, Emeric would first attempt to mediate a
Out of the Storm. A sudden and severe tempest forces the peace, but would try to flee if combat seemed unavoidable.
players to seek protection from the elements. Inspirations. Ray Stantz (Ghostbusters), Fred Jones
A Shadow in the Window. A shadow can be seen waving (Scooby Doo), Doc Brown (Back to the Future)
frantically from a window, but then swiftly disappears.
Developments
Encounter: The Phantom
Messages From Beyond. Strange messages—written in Traveler 1

blood, oil, or condensation—begin appearing on the walls,

mirrors, or windows of the house. In this encounter for characters of any level, the players
Plunged Into Darkness. Every candle, fire, or other encounter a young woman while traveling through an isolated
source of illumination is suddenly extinguished! woodland area with no clear roads or paths. The young
woman is dressed in tattered clothes and seems to be in
Discoveries distress.
Murder Most Foul. The house was the site of a series of As the players approach, the young woman asks for their
grisly murders long ago—and the bodies are still hidden aid. She explains that she was on her way to visit her
somewhere nearby. grandfather's grave, but has lost her way. She asks if the
Friendly Apparitions. The spirits in the house are friendly, players would be willing to escort her there, especially
not hostile—and they're trying to deliver a warning about non- because she's heard rumors of wolves or other dangerous
supernatural threat! beasts in the area nearby.

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used
are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
 If the players agree to let the young woman travel with them,
she shares stories of her grandfather's life, including how he Quest: Unfinished
cared for her, taught her, and entertained her as a child. She
adds that, when he died, she tried to visit his grave every year Business
to fulfill a promise that she had made to him, but that she In this adventure for five 3rd-level characters, the PCs are
hasn't visited his grave in a while. invited to an isolated mansion owned by an eccentric scholar.
As they travel, she points out a grove of white lilies growing There, they must uncover the secret of the spirit that's
in a bramble patch in a steep gully, noting that white lilies haunted the manor—before they're sealed beneath the
were her grandfather's favorite plant. She asks if the players house's foundations forever.
would be willing to descend into the gully, gather the lillies, This adventure can take place in any isolated location
and place them on her grandfather's grave for her. (She within a fantasy-inspired campaign. Feel free to change the
declines to hold them herself.) names of people and places to fit your campaign as
As the group travels, a chill wind blows and the woman necessary.
shivers, obviously cold and uncomfortable. She casts a
longing, noticeable look at any of the players who are wearing Background
warmer clothing, but doesn't ask explicitly for help. If any Several months ago, Mortimer Wakefield (LG human
player offers her warmer clothing, she is gracious and commoner), a scholar of historic oddities and eccentricities,
grateful. received word that his (newly deceased) great-aunt's will
As the players near the grave, the woman disappears— deeded his woodland manor to him. After packing his
along with any article of clothing she was given by the belongings, Mortimer relocated to the manor, hoping to use
players. If the players continue on, they find two graves: one its isolation as a means to refocus his attention on drafting
engraved with the name of the woman's grandfather, and one his historic treatise.
engraved with the woman's name. (Any borrowed article of Among the possessions his great-aunt had deeded to
clothing can be found draped over the woman's grave.) Mortimer was a small, innocuous brass locket, which
The grandfather appears to have died of old age. The Mortimer found waiting for him on the kitchen table
woman died at the age she appeared to be when she met the alongside a note from his great-aunt inviting him to wear it.
players. Her gravestone indicates that she was "taken from Unbeknownst to Mortimer, however, the locket contained the
her family too soon," and places her death at a date sixty spirit of a demon—a demon that had possessed his great-aunt
years prior. for years, forcing her to perform horrible acts.
If the players place the white lilies on the grandfather's With the locket around his neck, Mortimer unwittingly
grave, they can find a glittering, glass-like lily on the woman's resumed his great-aunt's atrocities. Each time he fell asleep,
grave: a charm of bless. (This is a gift from the young the demon within assumed control of his body, kidnapping
woman's ghost.) townsfolk from the nearby village and locking them in the
maze of secret chambers and passages that his great-aunt
Encounter: The Undying had built beneath the manor. Though the demon's prisoners
always sought to escape, its sadistic traps inevitably left them
Village 2
mutilated and dead. Through it all, Mortimer himself has
In this encounter for characters of any level, the players come remained blessedly, yet tragically ignorant of the prisoners
upon an isolated village while traveling on the road. The locked below his new home.
village has a tavern, inn, and assorted shops, and the villagers In the time since he moved to the manor, a ghost has begun
are glad to do business with the players. The villagers, to haunt Mortimer, disturbing him greatly. The spirit—the
however, are oddly secretive and distant, and repeatedly warn ghost of a young woman with mutilated features and her
the players that they'll want to be gone before nightfall. (If the tongue removed—routinely manifests in ways that horrify and
players ask why, the villagers refuse to elaborate.) surprise him, leaving him unable to focus on his manuscript.
After dusk, each villager loses all awareness and sense of In the past few weeks, the spirit's activities have grown
self, entering a mad rage. Every villager begins to increasingly physical, flinging books, dishes, and other items
murderously attack the others—as well as any characters that throughout the manor, leaving Mortimer fearful that the
remain within the village. poltergeist means to do him harm—or even kill him.
The villagers are corporeal spirits, cursed to repeat this Unwilling to abandon the manor and his manuscript,
bloody melee once every fortnight. If any outsider is slain Mortimer has turned to desperate measures—inviting the
during the villagers' rage, their spirit becomes a permanent players to journey to his home and banish the spirit. In
part of the village thereafter. exchange, he promises a reward of one hundred gold pieces,
The village and its members disappear at dawn, leaving plus a choice of one of the magical items that he has
behind a quiet, empty road. accumulated over his years of research and travel.
Scene 1: Arrival at the Manor
In this scene, the players arrive at the manor, which includes
a three-story main house, a shed, an overgrown garden, and a
carriage-house (housing Mortimer's horse).

2
This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used
are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Mortimer greets them at the door, thanking them for making Scene 3: The Locked Chamber
the journey and welcoming them inside. (The players
immediately notice that he has dark circles under his eyes, At the bottom of the slide is a 20-foot-wide square stone
and seems to be fighting off sleep. This is an artifact of the chamber bereft of any decoration or furnishings, save for two
demon's nightly activities—while it doesn't currently have a low-burning torches in sconces that cast the room in dim,
prisoner beneath the house, it's recently been stalking a eerie light. The room contains the following details when the
potential target in the nearby village. In addition to his players first enter:
scholar's robes, the players can also notice that Mortimer is a stone door on the far side of the room
wearing a tarnished silver locket around his neck.) a keyhole carved into the stone beside the door
After offering and serving the players coffee—during which a dark, 4-inch-wide hole carved into the stone beside the
he shows off a portion of his household collection, including a keyhole
gauntlet of dismissal that can cast dispel evil and good twice
per day—Mortimer can share the information in Background A character who puts their hand ten inches into the hole
above, as well as the following additional information in can feel a rough-carved stone button at the bottom of the
response to the players' questions: chamber. Pressing the button causes the following events to
The ghost has never spoken to him, but occasionally happen:
makes a terrible gurgling noise. A manacle slams shut around the character's hand,
The ghost most frequently manifests at the top of the preventing it from being withdrawn. (The character can
servants' staircase on the second floor. (Mortimer has break the manacle and withdraw their hand with an action
made it a habit to avoid that area whenever possible.) and a successful DC 20 Strength check.)
The ghost has only ever appeared to Mortimer during the A timer begins to audibly tick, beginning a 1 tick per
day. (He insists that he always "sleeps like a baby" at night. second and speeding up every round.
If asked about his sleep-deprived appearance, he A stone panel on the floor opens, revealing a stone
helplessly suggests that it's simply due to stress.) trapdoor.
Mortimer has always heard rumors that his great-aunt's
manor was full of hidden doors and secret passages, but The timer counts down until the door is opened or 1
he never managed to successfully find any himself. minute (10 rounds) passes. When 1 minute has passed, a
weighted blade within the wall slices down on the character's
Scene 2: Investigating the Servants' imprisoned hand, dealing 4d10 slashing damage.
Staircase Opening the trapdoor reveals a six-foot wide, six-foot deep
stone compartment beneath the room. The compartment is
When the players arrive at the top of the servants' staircase, filled with still, green-tinged liquid. A copper key lies at the
they can observe the following details: base of the compartment.
The liquid is acid. A creature that enters the acid for the
The air is noticeably colder close to a particular painting first time on a turn takes 4d6 acid damage, and takes 4d6
of a sailing ship. acid damage at the start of each turn that it remains in the
The dust on the floorboards is noticeably undisturbed in acid.
this area, except for the floor immediately beneath that Turning the key in the keyhole causes the stone door to
painting. open, leading to the next chamber.
A slight draft can be felt coming from the wall behind the
painting. Scene 4: The Ashen Furnace
The landing is lit by a trio of oil lamps. A fourth oil lamp,
adjacent to the painting, is unlit. The next chamber is a 20-foot-wide square stone chamber.
The floor is covered in ash and soot, and six-inch open stone
The painting is bolted to the wall and cannot be removed pipes line the walls, facing outward into the room. A stone
without destroying the painting altogether. The wall behind door stands at the opposite side, beside a keyhole.
the painting is a secret door, which can be identified with a Littering the ash and soot are the scorched bones of three
DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check. humanoids.
The players can activate the mechanism to open the secret A cursory inspection of the pipes along the walls reveals
door by pulling the mount for the unlit oil lamp downward. that a small titanium key lies along the bottom of one of the
(Inspection of that lamp reveals that it lacks a compartment pipes.
for the storage of oil and is, in fact, nonfunctional.) When a character picks up the key, three burning specters
Behind the hidden door lies a secret stone staircase that manifest from the scorched bones and attack. (Each burning
descends into darkness. (Mortimer declines to descend the specter has the statistics of a specter, but deals fire damage
staircase.) instead of necrotic damage. Additionally, each burning
When all of the players have descended at least ten feet specter has the following feature: "Aversion of Fire. If the
into the staircase, it magically transmutes into a slick metal specter takes fire damage, it has disadvantage on attack rolls
slide, causing any creatures atop it to slide fifty feet to the and ability checks until the end of its next turn.")
chamber at the bottom. When the players reach the bottom, a Turning the key in the keyhole causes the stone door to
heavy stone block slams into place to over the slide's exit, open, leading to the next chamber.
sealing the players inside.
When the staircase transmutes into a slide, the secret door
above closes as well.
3
This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used
are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
Scene 5: The Tar Pit If the players defeat the demon without killing Mortimer, he
is horrified to learn of his possession, as well as his great-
The next chamber is a 20-foot-wide square stone chamber, aunt's proclivities. He asks the players if they would assist
with a 10-foot-wide pit occupying the center of the room. A him in clearing out the dungeons below—both to destroy the
stone door stands at the opposite side, beside a keyhole. demon's traps and to give its victims a proper burial.
The pit has numerous small black-stained holes along its
sides and is filled with thick, black, solidified tar. The half- Acknowledgments
decayed corpse of a young woman can be seen on its hands 1 Generated with the assistance of ChatGPT.
and knees in the pit, the lower half of her body—including the 2 Inspired by the village of Hinderstrap from The Wheel of
right half of her face and open mouth—submerged and locked
in the hardened tar. Her left hand has been chopped off below Time.
the wrist, and her skin bears numerous gouges and wounds.
(Inspection of the body reveals a pose suggesting that she
was reaching her right arm into a hole at the center of the
pit.)
If the characters inspect the corpse, an ethereal blue light
fills the room and the young woman's ghost—matching the
description given by Mortimer earlier—appears in the room.
She cannot speak, but can confirm the following information
through simple body language:
She was a prisoner of Mortimer's, kidnapped from the
nearby town.
She does not believe that Mortimer is doing this willingly,
and believes that he is being controlled in some way.
She wants to help the characters escape.
If the characters secure her assistance in escaping, the
ghost walks through the left-side wall, away from the door. As
she does, the characters hear a distant stone grinding. The
characters can locate and open a secret door here with a
successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check (made
with advantage if the characters saw the ghost walk through
the wall), or after 1 minute of searching the right area.
The secret door leads to an old staircase leading up, back
to the main house.
Scene 6: The Confrontation
When the characters emerge from the basement, they are
met by Mortimer. (Since their descent, the sun has set,
allowing the demon to seize control.)
The demon, speaking in an echoing, twisted voice,
congratulates them on their escape, but warns them that it
cannot allow them to escape. It conjures shadowy wings and
a shadowy spear, assuming the statistics of a cambion (MM
p. 36), and declares its intent to knock them unconscious,
separate them, and entrap them in other chambers beneath
the manor for its own amusements.
The demon makes no secret of its hold over Mortimer's
mind and Mortimer's own ignorance and innocence. It
proudly reminisces of the wicked deeds it executed using
Mortimer's great-aunt, and of the great complex it
constructed for the extraction of pain and trauma from its
victims. It proceeds to mock the players, taunting them for
their inability to defeat it without killing Mortimer as well.
The players can defeat the demon without killing Mortimer
by removing the locket from his person—either by making a
successful disarm attempt (DMG p. 271) after grappling him,
or by removing it from Mortimer's unconscious body.
Alternatively, the players might exorcise and then dismiss the
demon by retrieving the gauntlet of dismissal from its display
case in Mortimer's dining room and wielding it as a weapon.

This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used
are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.