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Wraith

• Size: Medium
• Type: Undead
• Alignment: Neutral Evil
• AC: 13
• Initiative: +4 (14)
• HP: 80 (9d8 + 36)
• Speed: 5 ft, Fly 60 ft. (hover)

ATTR	VAL	MOD	SAVE
STR	6	-2	-2
DEX	16	+3	+3
CON	18	+4	+4
INT	12	+1	+1
WIS	14	+2	+2
CHA	15	+2	+2

• Skills: None listed
• Resistances: Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, Slashing (from nonmagical attacks)
• Immunities: Necrotic, Poison; Charmed, Exhaustion, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained
• Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 12
• Languages: Common plus one other language
• CR: 5 (XP 1,800; PB +3)

Traits

Incorporeal Movement. The wraith can move through other creatures and objects as if they were Difficult Terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) Force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the wraith has Disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls.

Actions

Life Drain. Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 21 (4d8 + 3) Necrotic damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or its Hit Point maximum decreases by an amount equal to the damage taken. If this attack reduces a Humanoid's Hit Point maximum to 0, the Humanoid dies and rises as a Wraith under this wraith's control 1 minute later.

Bonus Actions

Create Specter. The wraith targets a Humanoid within 10 feet of itself that died violently within the last minute. The target's spirit rises as a Specter in the space of its corpse or in the nearest unoccupied space. The specter is under the wraith's control. The wraith can have no more than seven specters under its control at a time.

Lore & Background

Wraiths are incorporeal undead created from the souls of individuals who died while consumed by intense hatred, betrayal, or desire for revenge. These malevolent spirits retain the memories and personalities they possessed in life, but their emotions become amplified and twisted by their undead state. Wraiths are driven by an overwhelming need to spread the suffering they experienced, seeking to drain the life force from living creatures and create more of their kind.

Bound to the locations where they died or places of intense emotional significance, wraiths manifest as dark, shadowy figures that radiate cold and despair. They possess intimate knowledge of their haunting grounds and often use this familiarity to their advantage when stalking prey. Their incorporeal nature allows them to phase through solid matter while their life-draining touch can instantly create new wraiths from their victims.

Combat Tactics

Wraiths are intelligent predators that use their incorporeal nature and life drain abilities to devastating effect against living opponents. They employ hit-and-run tactics, phasing through walls and obstacles to appear where enemies least expect them. Their primary goal is to drain life energy while avoiding damage from magical weapons and spells that can harm incorporeal undead.

In combat, wraiths focus on isolating individual targets, particularly those who appear physically robust or emotionally vulnerable. They use their incorporeal movement to bypass armor and defenses while positioning themselves for life drain attacks. When threatened by magic or magical weapons, wraiths retreat through solid matter to reposition or escape entirely.

Encounter Ideas

1. The Vengeful Spirit A wraith seeks revenge against the descendants of those who wronged it in life, systematically hunting down family members while the party becomes involved through family connections or moral obligations to protect the innocent.

2. The Haunted Fortress A wraith controls an ancient stronghold, using its incorporeal nature to manipulate the environment while commanding lesser undead creatures. The party must navigate both physical and supernatural challenges to confront the wraith.

3. The Life Force Epidemic Multiple wraiths coordinate their life-draining activities, creating a supernatural plague that weakens entire communities while building armies of lesser wraiths from their victims.

4. The Bound Guardian A wraith was magically bound to protect a specific location or artifact, but the binding is weakening or being corrupted. The party must either strengthen the magical compulsion, destroy the wraith, or relocate what it guards.

Environmental Effects

• Cold Aura: The wraith's presence causes noticeable temperature drops and creates patches of supernatural frost
• Despair Zone: Areas where wraiths dwell become psychologically oppressive, affecting morale and mental state
• Life Drain Residue: Places where wraiths have fed show signs of withered plant life and spiritual corruption
• Incorporeal Disturbance: The boundary between material and ethereal planes becomes unstable near wraiths

Treasure

• Soul Crystals (500-2000 gp): Crystallized life energy that can be used in necromantic magic or life-restoration rituals
• Spectral Essence (300-1200 gp): Concentrated incorporeal energy valuable for creating magical items that affect spirits
• Ancient Regalia (varies): Items from the wraith's mortal existence, often including jewelry, weapons, or documents of historical significance
• Life Force Fragments (200-800 gp): Pieces of drained vitality that retain magical properties useful in healing or enhancement magic
• Binding Components (100-600 gp): Materials used in rituals to control or banish incorporeal undead creatures

Plot Hooks

1. The Eternal Grudge A wraith's vendetta spans multiple generations, requiring the party to uncover historical injustices while protecting current targets from supernatural revenge that refuses to acknowledge the passage of time.

2. The Wraith Army A powerful wraith builds a force of lesser incorporeal undead to accomplish goals from its mortal existence, requiring the party to disrupt its recruitment efforts while dealing with increasingly organized supernatural threats.

3. The Life Energy Crisis Wraiths begin systematically draining life force from specific populations, creating a supernatural emergency that requires both immediate intervention and long-term solutions to prevent further outbreaks.

4. The Redemption Possibility A wraith claims to seek release from its incorporeal existence, asking for help in resolving the emotional turmoil that binds it to undeath while the party must determine whether such redemption is achievable or merely another form of manipulation.