Ghouls are a common and somewhat feared foe in dungeons across the world. Springing spontaneously from any member of a 'PC-sized' humanoid race that knowingly commits cannibalism ghouls never the less have a fairly standard appearance and abilities, looking like partially rotted corpses with razor sharp blackened teeth, blood red eyes, slightly pointed ears, and claws on the tips of their fingers. This is true for all but a handful, most of whom are PCs who were **** into committing cannibalism, whose appearances do not change when they become a ghoul except their teeth and fingernails growing razor sharp, their eyes turning red, and in some but not all cases growing small points on their ears.

It is claimed by some that 'Ghouls' were originally a 'Rotten' Easter Egg hidden in the game's code when it first went live, and they didn't start appearing in dungeons till AFTER a few PCs committed cannibalism and 'turned'. Most religions assert a version of this claim, that the presence of ghouls in the dungeons of the world is an act of vengeance against the >Insert name of race your faith hates here.< who were the first to commit cannibalism when the game world began. A few faiths, particularly that of Lorchos, Anari, and Helia, say that it, though the majority of their worshipers are of the same race, was a party of humans stuck in a mountain pass who were the first to commit cannibalism, and the presence of ghouls and the results of people who engage in that practice being that you become one, is their god's curse on one of his first clerics who was part of the party and led the others to **** and consume a young acolyte traveling with them.

Only two faiths claim that the 'Curse of Cannibalism' is actually a blessing, those of Armok and Urkis, God of Blood and The Undead respectively. Both state that in the early days of the world one of their priests/priestesses consumed the flesh of an enemy (s)he had killed as an act of devotion to his/her god, and the god was so pleased by this that he blessed him/her with becoming the first ghoul. The story differs in a few particulars, most notably the race and gender of the first ghoul and the class and race of their victim, but follows the same general narrative otherwise, including that both were 'Priest/Priestess' characters, both fought with a bastard sword even though that is not their god's sacred weapon, and both knocked the victim **** and took them back to their temple where they sacrificed him and ate his liver with fava beans and a bottle of red wine. (Though not Chianti in ether story, and the two differ on the type other than it was a red, in Armok's version being a Merlot, while Urkis' texts say a Cabernet Sauvignon.) Religious scholars are fairly certain that one of the two stories is untrue, if either of them are, and both faiths have been known to go to war over the validity of their version of the scripture, both believing that the other stole and corrupted their own faith's text.

Whatever the truth of the source of Ghoul, weather they were lurking in the dungeons of the world from the moment the game went live, or they were a 'Rotten' Easter Egg, or a curse or blessing from a god: they mechanically have the following statistics and options.

RACE ABILITIES

Base

Common Undead Traits:
1: Harmed by Positive Energy, Healed by Negative Energy.
2: CON is 'race locked' and cannot be increased with stat points earned from leveling.
3: Does not need to breathe in order to 'live' and cannot be 'Suffocated' or 'Drowned', but must still breath to speak, rendering such creatures without lungs* mute. If intelligent they may still be able to communicate through gesture, writing, or codes.
*(Like Skeletons, Corpse Fires, (Lesser) Ghosts, and Crawling Hands.)
4: Does not need to, and cannot if they want to, enter the state of 'Sleep', nor can they be put to sleep magically or with ****. Because they cannot sleep 'Dream' effects also are ineffective for/on/against them. Their FATIGUE track is set to 0% permanently.
5: Can see clearly in any level of darkness.
6: Immune to 'poison' damage that is not also Acid, Alkaloid/Alkaline, Salt, or Caustic damage.

(Designer's Footnote: Almost all poisons except Nurotoxins, Necrotizers, and Sedatives ARE

also Acid, Alkaloid/Alkaline, Salt, or Caustic Damage: this ability was much more significant

before we divided up poison types, I suggest to simplify the ability we change it to specify what

types they ARE immune to, rather than are not.)

Ghoul's Touch: Spend 10 Mana when making an attack with claws or teeth on a living target: causes PARALYSIS 100% of the time minus target's CON score. If this ability fails to work on a target that target becomes immune to your Ghoul Touch for the next 24 hours, but not that of other Ghouls.
Ghoul Hunger: Must consume >fresh raw meat< to reduce HUNGER: however does not die if HUNGER reaches 100%, pass out if HUNGER reaches 90%, or gain the Nauseated condition if HUNGER reaches 80%.

However, when their HUNGER exceeds their Highest of INT, WIS, or CHA, they become animalistic and savage, attacking in mindless rage, gaining the 'Frenzied' condition, and consuming raw flesh at the earliest opportunity unless attacked. Ghouls with Class Levels do not become animalistic when their HUNGER exceeds their highest mental stat. Ghouls that are a permanent part of a Retinue can be trained over time to have greater intellect and control when in the grip of 'Frenzy'.<
Ghoul Thirst: Must consume some version of >Fouled Water< to reduce THIRST: however does not pass out if THIRST reaches 90%, or gain the Nauseated condition if THIRST reaches 80%. They will however die if THIRST reaches 100%, becoming a >Desiccated Corpse< type Container for whatever Treasure would normally be dropped at that juncture. Their THIRST track also increases at >1/3< the normal rate, as their bodily processes are no longer biological in nature.
Holy Vulnerability: you take X3 damage from HOLY attacks and weapons.

Level 5 Race Expansion Options:

This is the basic choice faced by all ghoul characters that succeed at making it past what for 'heroes' these days is supposed to be the 'tutorial' phase of the game. Though you get options to recombine later on when you chose these two paths you in some cases are making a fundamental decision about where you wish to go and what you wish to be, often times semi blindly.

Ghast: The chance of your Ghoul Touch ability to paralyze increases to ([140% + LVL%] - Target's CON)

Sea Ghoul: You gain the ability to swim as swiftly as your full MV score and can speak clearly under water. As an additional benefit from now on you gain the option of spawning in >the shallows of the nearest large body of water< in addition to any other spawn zones open to you.

Level 20 Race Expansion Options:

Here is where you get into choices that will REALLY define you, until now the option to re-merge has always been on the table, but after this some instances don't allow recombining at all, or some only part way, and none of them will ever allow you to pick up EVERYTHING that opens to you here.

Ghast:

Sea Ghast: Gain both the abilities of a Sea Ghoul and a Ghast.
(The chance of your Ghoul Touch ability to paralyze increases to ([140% + LVL%] - Target's CON), AND you gain the ability to swim as swiftly as your full MV score and can speak clearly under water. As an additional benefit from now on you gain the option of spawning in >the shallows of the nearest large body of water< in addition to any other spawn zones open to you.)

Ghastly Dark Mage: Increase your Base MP Score by 5, granting (LVL X 5) additional MP.

Battle Hardened Ghast: Increase your Base HP Score by 5, granting (LVL X 5) additional HP.

Sea Ghoul:

Sea Ghast: Gain both the abilities of a Sea Ghoul and a Ghast.
(The chance of your Ghoul Touch ability to paralyze increases to ([140% + LVL%] - Target's CON), AND you gain the ability to swim as swiftly as your full MV score and can speak clearly under water.)

Swift Sea Ghoul: Your MV increases by (1 X LVL) for the purposes of your swimming speed. As an additional benefit from now on you gain the option of spawning in >the deep ocean< in addition to any other spawn zones open to you.

Shark Ghoul: You can smell blood in the water at a range of (Your LVL) miles and track it to it's source. As an additional benefit from now on you spawn in the ocean.

Level 50 Race Expansion Options:

Here is where the really WEIRD shit starts entering the picture, and for now it is the last time you get to make a new race option choice, but see the sub page for some 'tentative notes' from the designers (A.K.A. Me.) on some of the things they are thinking about rolling out when they finally 'bust 100' on the Level Cap and people can take the last race upgrade before 200, which if the present pace of upgrades to the level cap continue will effectively never come.

Sea Ghast:

Swift Sea Ghast: In addition to the powers you already have you gain an increase to our MV of (1 X LVL) for the purposes of your swimming speed. As an additional benefit from now on you gain the option of spawning in >the ocean< in addition to any other spawn zones open to you >including those granted by the previous iteration of this ability<.

Battle Hardened Sea Ghast: In addition to the powers you already have you gain an increase to your Base HP Score by 5, granting (LVL X 5) additional HP.

Laceodon: You gain the ability to climb over coral, sandstone, timber, cloth, and rope surfaces at a speed equal to (MV X 0.5). As an additional benefit from now on you gain the option of spawning in >the deep ocean< in addition to any other spawn zones open to you >including those granted by the previous iteration of this ability<.

Draguar: Paralysis inflicted by your 'Ghoul's Touch' ability now is permanent unless dispelled and grants the victim the ability to survive indefinitely without HUNGER or the need to breathe. They also cannot 'Drown' while the paralysis lasts.

Ghastly Dark Mage:

Ghastlier Dark Mage: The Base MP bonus from your previous evolution goes up by +5 increasing to (LVL X 10) MP.

Deathlock: If you are not a spell casting class you gain (Your Level / 5) spells available to a sorcerer of your level which base off your 'CHA' score.
If you are a spell casting class it allows you to learn (Your Level / 5) spells from any one other class which have the ****, Necromancy, Dark, Blood, Sacrifice, and/or Pain keywords.

Battle Hardened Ghast:

Battle Hardened Sea Ghast: In addition to the powers you already have you gain those of a Sea Ghoul.
(You gain the ability to swim as swiftly as your full MV score and can speak clearly under water. As an additional benefit from now on you gain the option of spawning in >the shallows of the nearest large body of water< in addition to any other spawn zones open to you.)

Grizzled Veteran Ghast: The Base HP bonus from your previous evolution goes up by +5 increasing to (LVL X 10) HP.

Black Chase Ghast: In addition to the powers you already have your "Ghoul's Touch" ability's 24 hour cool down when it fails against a target decreases to 1 hour. As an additional benefit from now on you gain the option of spawning in >The Black Chase< in addition to any other spawn zones open to you.

Swift Sea Ghoul:

Swift Sea Ghast: In addition to the powers you already have you gain the abilities of a Ghast.
(The chance of your Ghoul Touch ability to paralyze increases to ([140% + LVL%] - Target's CON)...)

Sunken Legionary: You may now swim full speed at any amount of encumbrance short of 'crippling', which at that and higher amounts have 1/100th the normal effects on you. (Note that this has no effect on other modes of movement, you should still be cautious about encumbrance.)

Merfolk Slayer Ghoul: You gain a bonus on attack and damage results against Merfolk, Tritons, Nauga, and other Aquatic PC races. This bonus is equal to (Your Level / 5), but is applied AFTER talismans, spells, armor, and other penalties to attack and/or damage results.

Shark Ghoul:

Gormigand: You gain more shark-like features, including the ability to dive to depths that are normally deadly to humanoids, a dorsal fin sprouting from your back which can disguise you, and a much larger mouth with pearly white shark like teeth, increasing your bite damage. You also gain an increased speed when tracking blood in the water back to it's source, being able to travel at half again your MV while tracking.

Hell Eyes Shark Ghoul: You gain the ability to use an effect like your "Ghoul's Touch" ability as a ranged effect! By meeting the eyes of any target you could normally effect with your "Ghoul's Touch" ability with your own gaze you may pay 10 Mana and attempt to Paralyze them. Best of all uses of this 'Hell Eyes' special ability and your "Ghoul's Touch" racial ability both stack and do not interfere with each other, if you have failed to effect a target with 'Hell Eyes' in the past 24 hours they are not immune to your "Ghoul's Touch" and vice versa!

That's all out of me for now, and I think this page is basically complete.