Quiritatio Phasmatis

The banshee in Irish Gælic, is called 'bane sidhe'. She wails outside the door of someone who is about to die.

The banshee or groaning spirit, is the spirit of an evil female elf -- a very rare thing indeed. Banshee hate the living, finding their presence painful, and seek to harm whomever they meet.

Banshees appear as floating, luminous phantasms of their former selves. Their image glows brightly at night, but is transparent in sunlight (60% invisible). Most banshees are old and withered, but a few (10%) who died young retain their former beauty. The hair of a groaning spirit is wild and unkempt. Her dress is usually tattered rags. Her face is a mask of pain and anguish, but hatred and ire burns brightly in her eyes. Banshees frequently cry out in pain -- hence their name.

Banshees are formidable opponents. The mere sight of one causes fear. Those who fail must flee in terror and are 50% likely to drop any items they were carrying in their hands.

A banshee's most dreaded weapon is its wail or keen. Any creature within 30 feet of a groaning spirit when she keens could succumb to her death magic. Those who do succumb, die immediately, their faces contorted in horror.

Fortunately, groaning spirits can keen just once per day, and then only at night. The touch of a groaning spirit causes immediate mortal damage.

Banshees are non-corporeal and invulnerable to common weapons.

In addition, groaning spirits are highly resistant to magic (50%). They are fully immune to charm, sleep, and hold spells and to cold- and electricity-based attacks. Holy water causes damage if broken upon them.

A dispel evil spell will kill a groaning spirit. A banshee is turned as a "special" undead.

Banshees can sense the presence of living creatures up to five miles away. Any creature that remains within five miles of a groaning spirit lair is sure to be attacked when night falls. The nature of this attack varies with the victim. Beasts and less threatening characters are killed via a touch.

When attacking, the groaning spirit attacks at night with her wail. If anyone survives, she then retreats to her lair. Thereafter, each night, the groaning spirit returns to wail again. This routine is repeated until all of the victims are dead or have left the groaning spirit's domain, or until the groaning spirit is slain.