Ghosttype

Ghosttype is a fictional elemental category used in various fantasy settings to classify entities and abilities tied to the ethereal, incorporeal, or spectral realm. It encompasses creatures that can phase through matter, manipulate spectral energy, or influence minds and emotions.

In game systems or lore that employ Ghosttype, these powers interact with other types through a ruleset of strengths, weaknesses, and immunities. Ghosttype attacks commonly bypass some forms of physical defense or barriers, while some anti-ghost defenses rely on light, sacred artifacts, or material restraints that bind spirits. Many settings grant Ghosttype creatures partial or full immunity to mundane physical harm, reflecting their intangible nature.

Typical Ghosttype forms include apparitions, wraiths, banshees, poltergeists, and revenants. Common abilities include intangibility, possession, spectral blasts, haunting, and the manipulation of memories or emotions. Some Ghosttype beings can inhabit or manipulate objects, creating cursed items or haunting locations.

The Ghosttype concept is often used to explore themes such as memory, grief, and the boundary between life and death. In fiction and games, it can serve as a narrative tool to introduce non-physical threats and to contrast mortal power with spiritual influence.

Some settings distinguish subtypes within Ghosttype, such as Pure Ghosts that cannot affect the physical world directly and are bound to the living world by unfinished business, versus bound spirits that interact more readily with material objects. Alignments of Ghosttype entities vary, ranging from benevolent guides to malevolent entities.

See also: Ethereal type, Spirit energy, Haunting.