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A wraith was an undead creature born of evil and darkness, despising light and all living things.[3]

Death. We are death shrouded in darkness. Sweet, sweet darkness.
— The wraith that took the form of Brenna Graycloak.[7]

Description[]

Wraiths were powerless in natural sunlight, appearing as a sinister, spectral figure robed in darkness. They had no visual features or appendages, except for their glowing red eyes.[3]

Abilities[]

They could drain the life from living creatures, turning them into new wraiths upon death.[3]

Wraiths became far weaker when under the exposure of full sunlight.[5][3]

Like many undead, wraiths possessed a chilling touch. However, these beings were most similar in nature to the undead known as wights. Both could drain creatures of their life energy and could only be harmed by either silver or enchanted weaponry.[5]

History[]

In 1479 DR,[8] wraiths, moon wraiths, and wisp wraiths could be found in the company of Shadovar.[9]

Variants[]

Moon Wraiths
A crescent-shaped wraith that arose from lycanthropes who had died while in the midst of transforming.[10] They used hit-and-run tactics, flying through their enemies in a crescent arc as often as they could.[11] They were more powerful when under the light of the moon or stars.[10][11]
Wisp Wraiths
A type of wraith that resulted from humanoids killed by a wraith failing to form correctly into a true wraith.[10] These were weaker than other types of wraith. They typically crowded around their opponents, using their necrotic powers to slow them down.[11]

Ecology[]

Habitats[]

Though they could be found on the Prime Material plane, wraiths were far more prominent in the Negative Energy plane. They were typically encountered in places that were dark and gloomy, away from the debilitating rays of the sun.[5] Beyond that, they could be found in the Domains of Dread.[12][13]

Relationships[]

Being a type of undead connected to Negative Energy plane, wraiths acted as servants of the deities Jergal,[14] Kiaransalee,[15] and the Chultan demigod Eshowdow.[16]

Usage[]

Some were known to use the dust left behind by destroyed wraiths as a material component for the spell wraithform.[17] This wraith residue was a shadowy ichor, sometimes used in creation of magic items, and sold for over 370 gold coins per a single pouch.[18]

Notable Wraiths[]

Appendix[]

See Also[]

Appearances[]

Adventures
Desert of DesolationHouse of CardsNightmare KeepThe Twilight TombPool of Radiance: Attack on Myth DrannorCity of the Spider QueenThe Rise of TiamatOut of the AbyssCurse of Strahd
Novels
Red MagicSwordmageTangled WebsUndead
Referenced only
The Fanged Crown
Video Games
Icewind DalePool of RadiancePool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth DrannorPools of DarknessSpelljammer: Pirates of RealmspaceTreasures of the Savage FrontierBaldur's Gate II: Shadows of AmnBaldur's Gate: Siege of DragonspearDungeon HackEye of the Beholder III: Assault on Myth DrannorNeverwinter Nights 2Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of ZehirIdle Champions of the Forgotten RealmsForgotten Realms: Unlimited AdventuresBaldur's Gate III
Referenced only
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate
Card Games
AD&D Trading Cards
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
The Trials of Mount Tiamat

Further Reading[]

Gallery[]

External links[]

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following links do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki, nor does any lore presented necessarily adhere to established canon.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 302. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  2. Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 266. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 257–258. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  4. Doug Stewart (June 1993). Monstrous Manual. (TSR, Inc), p. 365. ISBN 1-5607-6619-0.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 102. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  6. Monte Cook and William W. Connors (December 7, 1998). The Inner Planes. Edited by Michele Carter and Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 66. ISBN 0-7869-0736-3.
  7. Jean Rabe (December 1991). Red Magic. (TSR, Inc.), p. 231. ISBN 1-56076-118-0.
  8. Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 12. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
  9. Matt Sernett, Erik Scott de Bie, Ari Marmell (August 2011). Neverwinter Campaign Setting. Edited by Tanis O'Connor. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 113. ISBN 0-7869-5814-6.
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Bruce R. Cordell, Eytan Bernstein, Brian R. James (January 2009). Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 193. ISBN 0786950692.
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 Bruce R. Cordell, Eytan Bernstein, Brian R. James (January 2009). Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 192. ISBN 0786950692.
  12. William W. Connors (1996). Monstrous Compendium - Ravenloft Appendices I & II. (TSR, Inc.), p. 70. ISBN 0786903929.
  13. Kirk Botulla, Shane Hensley, Nicky Rea, Teeuwynn Woodruff (1994). Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness. Edited by William W. Connors. (TSR, Inc.), p. 8. ISBN 1-56076-914-9.
  14. Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 32. ISBN 978-0786906574.
  15. Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 24. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
  16. Eric L. Boyd (September 1997). Powers & Pantheons. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 81. ISBN 978-0786906574.
  17. Vince Garcia (July 1989). “Variety, the Spice of Magic”. In Roger E. Moore ed. Dragon #147 (TSR, Inc.), p. 25.
  18. Ossian Studios (April 2009). Designed by Luke Scull. Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate. Atari.
  19. Christopher Perkins, Adam Lee, Richard Whitters (September 1, 2015). Out of the Abyss. Edited by Jeremy Crawford. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 37–38. ISBN 978-0-7869-6581-6.
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