What's the best way to do ghouls, Veeky Forums?
We know they eat corpses. Optionally, they can shape-shift into the last person they ate. And that's about it, the rest is up to our imagination.
Hard mode - they are sapient and coexist with vampires and werewolfs
Zombies+.
Ghouls should be a threat to a normal person, but still nothing but the lowest tier of semi-intelligent undead. We're talking about the kind that vampires treat with scorn, like nobles would treat garbagemen.
Vampires drink the wine of humanity, ghouls eat the discarded pomace.
In D&D, there's Regular Ghouls, Chosen by their Deity version, Ghastlies, True Ghouls, Blood Ghouls and a few others. They're actually quite diverse.
Infiltrate normal society, attacking at night to get their feed and possibly a new cover if they think they're going to get caught.
Absolute majority of ghouls are mindless nocturnal creatures that dig up burials and if particular hungry they even kill a living human who was unfortunate enough to wonder into an old graveyard at night.
But then there are the Ghoul Princes. Some say they are born when a ghoul eats a kind and holy heart. Some say they are ghouls that feasted on a brain of a madman. Either way, they are as smart as a human and one of the toughest, fastest and strongest undead creatures out there.
...
Flesh-Eater Courts from AoS.
Delusional hunched semi-vampires that thing they they are noble knights as they eat the flesh of their foes.
To make matters worse, this special ghouls learn to hide in the shadows, make no sound, imitate voices of humans and animals, shape-shift into those they recently devoured and commune with scavenger animals. Those who choose to stay feral quickly gain control of the lesser ghouls. Those who venture on into the lands of the living learn to take on a human appearance.
Though not inherently evil, a lot of Ghoul Princes quickly learn that it so much easier to create corpses rather than waiting for them to appear naturally.
Interestingly enough, Ghouls are natural enemies of all other undead.
Reasons for that are quite simple - ghouls feast on the dead, gaining strength and nourishment.
Now, when a ghoul devours and undead, they gain ten times as much of both, with a flavor that a Ghoul Prince once described as "to die for".
This simple fact led to many different developments over the ages.
Vampire Counts hunting down Ghouls in a large scale purge, courts of Ghoul Princes coming together to ravage ancient Mummy tombs and even exceptional heroic Ghouls joining forces with the living to destroy a powerful evil Lich
That's some good worldbuilding. If I put ghouls in anything I make, I'll use yours.
Ghouls are intelligent. They have their own language.They have a King, and so a kingdom. They know the secret paths between graveyards. The only eat dead flesh and corpses, which make them an enemy of other corporeal undead. You can be turned into one from eating corpses.
glad you enjoyed it user. Trying to figure out a dark fantasy setting that I personally would enjoy
Did a quick sketch of a lesser ghoul while writing that up
Ghouls are scary because of the 'there but for the grace of god go I' factor. You start eating human corpses, you risk becoming a ghoul. Most ghouls get that way because of desperate times and desperate measures, ending some in a weird grey area where they are not quite alive but also not quite undead either. Their humanity and their sanity slipping away.
The dangerous ones are the sick bastards who become ghouls on PURPOSE. They usually have a screw loose, but some people look at the "immortality" and strength of ghouls as a boon rather than a curse. So not only are they nasty people to start with, but if you are doing ti on purpose there are ways to keep your mind after the fact. A ghoul with all of the intelligence and personality of a serial killer, and probably a body count to match.
>What's the best way to do ghouls, Veeky Forums?
I like what Warcraft and interestingly enough; Darkest Dungeon, did with them: They're just a more advanced, 'naturalized' type of Zombie that's become more than the sum of it's original animation and has developed into an independent, evil, ravenous, unnatural creature.
Like, a Ghoul isn't just some dumb, drooling, brainless zombie that can be turned or controlled by any 2 bit priest or necromancer: Ghouls are ravenous, agile, and possess a feral animalistic cunning, they have long sharp claws, brute strength, and are aware of the numerous diseases and infections they can cause to enemies. They're also extremely persistent and agile at times: climbing, taking great vertical leaps, and making very basic but effective plans. Ghouls are even clever enough to rile up hordes of zombies and skeletons and will change their posture so as to 'disguise' themselves among the lesser undead- getting in close to surprise unsuspecting, inexperienced, undead-hunters.
Another thing I like is people not 'strictly' knowing how Ghouls are made or where they come from, even necromancers are stumped: does a regular zombie just eat enough and evolve into one? Does it require some specific process where a living person 'becomes' one after cannibalism? Is it some kind of curse? Such a mystery is of vital importance to both those who hunt them and those who wish to control them, but it remains a mystery!
I honestly prefer the Lovecraft ghouls. Was also kinda interesting seeing them aid Carter in his fight against the slavers of Leng and the Moon Beasts
I dislike games with a million closely related creatures with using what are essentially synonyms to describe them each as a unique entity.
The best way to do Ghouls is to make them the only or major type of kind of undead. They have some powers of a typical zombie, some of a vampire. They're a flesh eating, blood drinking corpse person that can drain life from humans.
Maybe keep in mummies as powerful cursed undead and skeletons as silly summons and sidekicks that can be created by good or evil wizards.
What are Lovecraft ghouls like?
super adorable and helpful
Gross, vicious, and variably intelligent. They've got their own system of hierarchy/honor that they stick to and can be reasoned with if you get on their good side. Despite all that, they spend most of their time eating corpses and people who stumble across them. They create changelings like fairies as well.
Lovecraft's ghouls can also tunnel into the Dreamlands and other Mythos authors imply they can use this to travel through time and space also
I was listening to 'Pickmans Model' at work last week so I had a good lol at your pic.
I like it when Ghouls aren't technically undead, but kind of straddle the line between dead and alive. I like it when they are basically living cannibals with some kind of supernatural ability like increased toughness or alacrity, sneakiness, or capacity to "infect" people with ghouldom.
Imagine say, 28 Days Later being a Ghoul vs your typical Zombie. Similar kinds of behaviors but nuanced, important differences.
I wanna introduce some new players to the undead. I was thinking they could encounter a group of zombies that roam with a ghoul that has a bloated HP pool. That is a fair challenge for 1st and 2nd level players right?
That's some good shit right there user, wish I could draw like that
Maybe Im just being a brainlet but "ghoul" is too much of a broad concept for me to describe as a singular creature, I feel like "ghoul" is a mora of a catchall term that could be applied to anything that is undead and prefers eating rotting flesh.
I do ghouls like the Flood from Halo. They're flesh-hungry, quick, warped, violent zombies, all able to be controlled by a single hive-mind.
They're what becomes of humans who ate the dead's flesh after they die. A very poor man's version of lichdom. They're very vain people.
They use mirrors to steal normal human's features and look less repulsive. They may use their grotesque charm to enthrall masterless zombies. Their hair is the only thing that keeps growing and doesn't naturally decompose, to cut it breaks any charm the ghoul has cast and makes it as innofensive as a regular zombie.
Here's a more detailed look on my idea of Lesser Ghouls:
-They are smaller than an average human and much lighter. They posses a cat-like dexterity and a surprising amount of arm strength
-They do not bleed. Their skin and flesh are tough and they do not flinch when receiving normal damage. Any damage they receive will regenerate in a couple hours/days.
-They die if their brain is destroyed. When damaged by fire they feel intense pain and will not be able to regenerate for a long time. If a ghoul is hungry he can't regenerate and becomes much slower.
-Their two greatest assets are their claws and teeth. Their arms and claws are designed to dig into the cold earth and thus posses great strength. Their teeth and jaws can cut flesh and break bone with a terrifying ease
-Their minds are purely bestial. During day they sleep inside the earth, at night they get out to look for corpses to eat. Normally, they will avoid the living but if hungry and presented with an opportunity they will kill.
>they are sapient
Can they speak?
Corpses that have been possessed by powerful spirits rather than raised by necromancers. They're intelligent, malevolent, retain the ability to use armor and weapons, and can sense life from kilometers away. More powerful undeath spirits might even be able to modify the body in various ways.
Vampires, but actually horrifying. Can have great magical powers but need to eat progressively more flesh and become progressively less human. They need to feed on the near-live flesh of humans (or other mortal races if you have those) in order to stave off ravenous insanity. They can't preserve it or stockpile it except by keeping a larder of slaves. If they eat, they have to kill.
>If they eat, they have to kill.
It would be better if it was the opposite. They can gorge on flesh that's alive, but dead flesh isn't as good so they keep their victims conscious through supernatural means, beyond the point that their body should've expired from severe trauma.