The Ghūl are a race of humanoids residing both in the Dreamlands and the Waking World. The Ghūl are a race of scavengers, who travel through uninhabited spaces, or dwell in the outskirts of or underneath human society—in mausoleums, tunnels and the like. They are necrophagic--consuming corpses and carrion for survival. Such feeding behavior even extends to anthropophagy, the consumption of human meat, or necro-cannibalism, the consumption of their own dead. To the Ghūl, the practice of eating the dead is not only a matter of survival, but a spiritual act.
Personality:
The Ghūl are a nomadic race, itinerant craftsmen and laborers who maintain a nomadic existence due to their need to remain separate from human society. While they exist in a variety of camps, they maintain strong familial units. Extended familial networks offer unwaivering support in camps which can reach between 19 and 30 families, congregating and camping together. Moments of crisis, celebration and mourning draw large assemblies of Ghūl. Funerals especially bring together large crowds, who may or may not be related to the deceased. They come to express their respect for the deceased, and dine on the body together with the family.
Physical Description:
The Ghūl, in their natural form, are hairless semi-humans with canine faces and slumping forms. Their flesh ranges from white to a greenish gray tone with a rubbery texture. They are gaunt to the point of emaciation and semi-quadrupedal, but approximately the same height as an average human when standing on their hind legs. Their hands and feet are paw-like with long hyena nails. Amongst their own race, the Ghūl don't bother with clothing.
That being said, a Ghūl has the ability to take on the appearance of any Small or Medium humanoid race which it has regularly fed upon. Many Ghūl will take the form of a race nearby their camp, easing any necessary interaction. This alternate form makes them appear as they would if born into the race they are impersonating, and they will always return to the same form when imitating that specific race. Some will remain in these alternate forms for a lifetime, without ever reverting to their natural form, wearing clothing and styles typical of the race they masquerade as.
Waking World:
The Ghūl exist both in the Dreamlands and the Waking World. Children born in the Waking World have a Dreamland form, but they are also able to enter the Dreamlands in their waking form. Children born in the Dreamlands do not have a waking form, but they are able to enter the Waking World in their dream form.
Relations:
The Ghūl are generally respectful of living creatures, but are often considered to be unpleasant companions. That being said, their social isolation from other races has actually increased their contact, intermarriage and identification with itinerant clans of other races. This means there are several Ghūl camps with similar cultural patterns to other nomadic camps living on the periphery of the societies of a variety of races.
Alignment:
Like Humans, Ghūl tend toward no particular alignment, not even neutrality.
Religion:
While Ghūl, like humans, practice a variety of religions, the act of eating flesh is defined as a spiritual act within whatever religion they choose.
Languages:
The Ghūl speak Ghouleh, a disgusting gibbering and meeping cries, although most speak Dream Common, and those who regularly live in the Waking World are able to learn and use the languages known to Humans.
Names:
Ghūl have a variety of familial names, and often trace their lineage back to legendary Ghūl and other legendary figures. This name is passed down, with each familial name holding special meanings and honors. For their personal name, Ghūl often take the name of the first individual they partake in eating. Since a Ghūl may eat the corpse from any race or background, their names can be highly varied.
Ghūl Racial Traits
- Medium: As Medium creatures, humans have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Ghūl base land speed is 30 feet.
- Alternate Form (Su): A Ghūl has the ability to assume one or more specific alternate forms. This ability works much like the polymorph spell cast on itself, except that a Ghūl does not regain hit points for changing form, the transformation lasts until the Ghūl decides to return to their original form, and any individual Ghūl can assume forms no larger than Medium. Further, the Ghūl is limited to the forms which have been recently digested, and appears only to be a member of the race (as the form cannot be specified). Duration factor increases by one each time that race is eaten within a week prior to attempting the Alternate Form.
- Darkvision (Ex): A Ghūl can see in the dark up to 60 feet. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and Ghūl can function just fine with no light at all.
- +2 racial bonus on Craft checks.
- +1 racial bonus on Hide checks, which improves to +2 underground.
- 1 extra feat at 1st level.
- 4 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point at each additional level.
- Automatic Language: Ghouleh. Bonus Languages: Any Earth-based language, Dream Common, Undercommon. A Ghūl can also learn the language of any race which they have digested.
- Favored Class: Any. When determining whether a multiclass a Ghūl takes an experience point penalty, their highest-level class does not count.
Ghūl Subraces:
