Draft:Spectre

Omega 0.90.4

A spectre is a flying undead creature with life-draining touch attacks, displayed as a grey S. It is a fixed opponent in the Coliseum and a potential source of remains that can become a cloak of negative-energy protection.

Encounter	Level	HP	Attack strength	Armor class	Base damage	Kill XP
Ordinary spectre	5	75	20	20	20	200
Fixed arena spectre	5	125	40	20	30	200

Generation

Spectres occur in sufficiently strong random-monster pools, wilderness encounters, the Astral Plane and summons. The Coliseum supplies a named, strengthened spectre after the manticore in its fixed sequence. That arena construction is distinct from ordinary random generation.

A spectre named ... can instead be a deceased historical adventurer with recorded level 7 through 11. Such a resident combines a spectre's identity with historical combat behavior and does not necessarily retain the ordinary creature's flight or draining melee.

An ordinary spectre can carry zero to two random items. It has no fixed starting cloak. The arena's fixed challenger does not receive the ordinary random-inventory allocation, but does receive the arena's disposable garage-door opener.

Combat

Spectres use spirit movement through obstacles and attack three times in their normal tactical sequence. Each successful touch deals ordinary damage and attempts life drain with strength 5. Without negative-energy immunity, that drain either removes five current Strength and Constitution or removes five character levels with associated HP. Either can be fatal.

They are immune to poison, fear and sleep, but not to ordinary physical damage. Unlike a ghost, a spectre is a direct melee threat rather than a source of fear-inducing moans. It has no separate spellcasting or ranged-attack ability.

Remains and strategy

Its spectre's veil can be transmuted by Ambrosias into a +5 cloak of negimmunity for 400 Au. The veil is a corpse product, not an equippable protective cloak in its original state. Eating it gives no food or immunity benefit.

Prepare negative-energy protection before the arena match or another deliberate close fight. Ordinary weapons can hurt a spectre, but merely reducing its physical damage leaves the drain intact. Ranged attacks exploit its lack of a ranged response; account for its ability to approach through walls rather than trusting a closed door to hold it.

The spectre is less durable than a vampire lord and can yield the same alchemical product, but it is not a safe substitute for an unprotected character. A single successful drain may exceed the levels or attributes a young adventurer can afford to lose.