Questions about Ghouls

[Longman]

No. The Core rules clearly say the ghoul must land an attack to trigger the effect.

The situation is a bit different with some energy draining undead, who will drain energy just by being touched, unless you make your save. But ghoul paralysis is not that bad.

Maybe the ghouls have some kind of necro-toxin in claws and fangs? The same that eventually leads to ghoul fever, if you're really unlucky?

That's how I imagine it, anyway.

[Sir Daggerford]

Maybe the ghouls have some kind of necro-toxin in claws and fangs? The same that eventually leads to ghoul fever, if you're really unlucky?

I will second that. That's how I describe it in my campaigns.

[Woe]

Sounds too rational to me. Personally, I think that when a ghoul ruptures the skin of a human, the evil necromagic of Myrkul seeps into and ruins the soul of all but the most stalwart of humans.

Or maybe it's duergar nanobots.

[Longman]

Another question - why do they have those tongues?

Also - do they breed? Or sleep?

And, do they have a sense of taste and smell, given that their nasal structure is gone.

What do you guys think?

[Blood axe]

Another question - why do they have those tongues?

Also - do they breed? Or sleep?

And, do they have a sense of taste and smell, given that their nasal structure is gone.

What do you guys think?

Traditionally I always thought Ghouls were living beings that ate human flesh.

Im thinking D&D Ghouls are different- UnDead. So no breathing, sleeping, or breeding.
If slain by Ghoul fever 'rises' as a Ghoul later. Thats how they make new Ghouls.

Elves are immune to Ghoul paralysis- not sure the story behind that.

[Longman]

Gygax explained the elf immunity as being a product of their close affinity with the positive plane. The ghouls draw energy from the negative plane so therefore the elves' positive nature gets them off the hook.

If I was developing a really serious rationale, I'd say that all ghouls were once human and their power only affects other humans. Dwarves, elves, halflings, should be equally immune. It's a human disease.

I mean, who ever heard of a dwarf ghoul?

Here's a picture of one, but it looks kinda wrong to me somehow. In my mind ghouls should be former humans.

[Sir Daggerford]

In my own campaigns, I rarely use the Elven immunity to ghoul paralysis. I usually allow ghouls to affect all intelligent humanoid races. Though, to be fair, in most of my games ghouls aren't undead. They are a race of humanoid monstrosities created by a magical disease, which can spread through their bite and claws (if they don't end up eating their victims). Fairly different than the take on them in retro clones and the game systems they're based on.

[Blood axe]

I like the Elf immunity to Ghoul paralysis. But I don't have demi-human Ghouls. I keep it a human disease, like Lycanthropy. No Halfling werewolves!

[Sir Daggerford]

I keep lycanthropy as a human-only disease in my campaigns as well. To some extent, it the reason I houserule ghouls the way I do. I like having some sort of magical creature-spread disease that doesn't just effect humans.

It's also fun to throw experienced players off. They come in expected ghouls to be the same thing as always, and they get something completely different. Won't be turning these ghouls, I'm afraid (my evil GM side comes out sometimes ).

Totally a personal preference thing though. Ymmv.

[Longman]

Thanks for the responses, Daggerford and Blood Axe. Ghouls are clearly different to other undead. It's up to the GM to determine exactly what that means, I guess.

Would "Cure Disease" the spell, be able to cure a ghoul? Like the zombies in I am Legend (Will Smith) were able to be cured, in the end?

I have never thought about it before but it has come up in my PbP and I am considering letting the spell work. It would be very neat, from a plot perspective.