Lingering Spirit
Medium undead, any alignment
Not all undead are hostile. Lingering spirits are the souls of the dead who have not passed on --- trapped by the broken threshold between life and whatever comes after. Most linger near the place they died or a location of deep emotional significance. They appear as translucent, faintly luminous figures, often confused, grieving, or simply repeating the last moments of their life in an endless loop. Some retain enough awareness to communicate, though their speech is often fragmented and difficult to follow. Lingering spirits are not inherently dangerous, but they can become violent if threatened, if their anchor is disturbed, or if they mistake a living person for someone from their past.
Armor Class:11
Hit Points:22 (5d8)
Speed:0 ft, fly 30 ft (hover)
Challenge:CR 1/2
STR
1 (-5)
DEX
12 (+1)
CON
10 (+0)
INT
10 (+0)
WIS
12 (+1)
CHA
14 (+2)
Damage Resistances:Acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Damage Immunities:Necrotic, poison
Condition Immunities:Charmed, exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained
Senses:Darkvision 60 ft, passive Perception 11
Traits
Incorporeal Movement. The spirit can move through other creatures and objects as difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Anchored. The spirit cannot move more than 300 feet from its anchor (a location, object, or person tied to its former life). If forced beyond this range, it is pulled back at the start of its next turn.
Non-Hostile (Conditional). The spirit does not attack unless provoked. Provocation includes: attacking the spirit, disturbing its anchor, or failing a DC 12 CHA (Persuasion) check when attempting to communicate (a failure does not automatically provoke, but repeated failures may).
Actions
Chilling Touch. Melee spell attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft. Hit: 7 (2d4 + 2) cold damage.
Mournful Wail (Recharge 5-6). Each creature within 20 feet must succeed on a DC 12 WIS save or be frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the save at the end of each of its turns. This is an involuntary expression of grief, not a deliberate attack.