| Other Names | None |
| Climate/Terrain | Any |
| Frequency | Rare |
| Organization | Group |
| Activity Cycle | Any |
| Diet | None |
A wraith appears as a translucent, barely visible wisphy shape with a vaguely humanoid shape. The creature seems vaporous, almost smoky. In dark lighting conditions, the creature’s vaporous form seems to glow slightly.
A wraith can pass through objects easily and they have been seen to float through walls, floors and doors as if they were not there.
A wraith is as ephemeral as smoke and this insubstantial nature makes them very dangerous in battle. Normal weapons will pass through a wraith with no effect. A blade or an arrow will pass through them and do no damage. Certain enchanted weapons can hit a wraith.
Likewise, the wraith’s ability to pass through solid objects means that armor is useless against it. The wraith attacks by physically touching its opponent and its outstretched claw will pass through armor as if it was not there. The touch of a wraith feels icy cold and causes a numbing paralysis. A hit against an arm or a leg would render that limb paralyzed. Strikes to the torso make breathing difficult and slow the victim. Strikes against the head cause disorientation and severe headaches.
All of this makes the wraith a fearsome foe, but there are ways to fight a wraith.
First, wraiths loathe and fear drellisian crystals and the light of a drellisian crystal can be used to keep a wraith at bay.
While many spells will not affect a wraith due to its nature, a few spells are useful. Fire and lightning have some limited effect. Any spell which affects the air (wind spells and such) can push a wraith away.
Wraiths are typically encountered in remote places, often the ruins of castles, ancient crypts, forgotten graveyards and so forth. There have also been encounters in caves, swamps and large forests. The creatures tends to avoid cities and other places with lots of living people.
Very little is known about the wraith and no formal studies have yet been conducted. There are many theories about where wraiths come from. Some scholars and wizards believe that a wraith may be produced when powerful magic goes awry. Others believe they are visitors from another plane of existence. No one knows for sure.
The wraith does not seem to interact with the world in any meaningful way. It does not eat or breath or excrete. It does not reproduce. It does not consume the flesh of those it kills.
Wraiths go by many names - ghost, spirit, phantom, apparition, spectre, spook, haunt, apparition, shade and many more. But they are all essentially the same creature.
This website was last updated March 31, 2026. Copyright 1990-2026 David M. Roomes.