Are Ghouls and Ghasts affected by sunlight?
Are Ghouls and Ghasts vulnerable/sensitive to or affected by sunlight at all?
It says nothing in the Monster Manual, but they are undead, and I seem to recall that being a thing in previous editions.
dnd-5e undead
edited Nov 12 at 3:08
V2Blast
19.6k355121
asked Nov 11 at 11:23
Smirk
116110
add a comment |
Are Ghouls and Ghasts vulnerable/sensitive to or affected by sunlight at all?
It says nothing in the Monster Manual, but they are undead, and I seem to recall that being a thing in previous editions.
dnd-5e undead
edited Nov 12 at 3:08
V2Blast
19.6k355121
asked Nov 11 at 11:23
Smirk
116110
add a comment |
Are Ghouls and Ghasts vulnerable/sensitive to or affected by sunlight at all?
It says nothing in the Monster Manual, but they are undead, and I seem to recall that being a thing in previous editions.
dnd-5e undead
edited Nov 12 at 3:08
V2Blast
19.6k355121
asked Nov 11 at 11:23
Smirk
116110
Are Ghouls and Ghasts vulnerable/sensitive to or affected by sunlight at all?
It says nothing in the Monster Manual, but they are undead, and I seem to recall that being a thing in previous editions.
dnd-5e undead
dnd-5e undead
edited Nov 12 at 3:08
V2Blast
19.6k355121
asked Nov 11 at 11:23
Smirk
116110
edited Nov 12 at 3:08
V2Blast
19.6k355121
asked Nov 11 at 11:23
Smirk
116110
edited Nov 12 at 3:08
V2Blast
19.6k355121
edited Nov 12 at 3:08
V2Blast
19.6k355121
edited Nov 12 at 3:08
V2Blast
19.6k355121
19.6k355121
asked Nov 11 at 11:23
Smirk
116110
asked Nov 11 at 11:23
Smirk
116110
asked Nov 11 at 11:23
Smirk
116110
116110
add a comment |
add a comment |
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
No, ghouls and ghasts are not vulnerable to sunlight
Nothing in the monster entries for ghouls or ghasts mentions any kind of sensitivity or vulnerability to sunlight, and there are no universally applicable rules which would imply as much. We only note that "ghouls roam the night in packs", from which we can infer that these kinds of creatures are primarily nocturnal - which would make sense for a creature which can see in the dark, giving it an advantage over most of its humanoid prey.
Many magical effects which are thematically based on sunlight - such as the spell Sunbeam - are especially effective against undead creatures, so you could construe that as a kind of vulnerability to sunlight which is shared amongst all undead. Ordinarily, though, ghouls/ghasts are not hindered by lighting of any kind.
As you later recalled, ghouls are put at a mechanical disadvantage by light in the rules of Chainmail - where Wights (and Ghouls) subtract 1 from all die rolls while in "full light". This weakness is however not mentioned in OD&D's Book II: Monsters & Treasure, and doesn't seem to have resurfaced since - there's no mention of such a weakness in the 1e AD&D Monster Manual entries for them, nor the 3.5e ghoul/ghast entry (or the general undead traits in that edition).
answered Nov 11 at 11:41
Carcer
21.4k261118
2
@András -- while not relevant to the tag, It might clear up the OP's apperant confusion between Sunlight sensitivity and Radiant Energy sensitivity. Except for vampires, undead have never been affected by sunlight.
– ravery
Nov 11 at 13:46
@ravery don't forget shadows. They don't take damage, but they get disadvantage on everything while in sunlight.
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 18:34
1
@ravery Shadows are undead in the edition they originally appeared in.
– SevenSidedDie♦
Nov 11 at 18:50
@SevenSidedDie great minds think alike? :D
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 19:31
1
"I'm not sure where you got the impression these monsters were vulnerable to sunlight in earlier editions. There's no mention of such a weakness in the 3.5e ghoul/ghast entry or the general undead traits, nor in the 1e AD&D Monster Manual entries for them." - I stand corrected. Only in Chainmail did they have a disadvantage in sunlight (not that I ever played Chainmail, I'm not quite that old). I misremembered.
– Smirk
Nov 19 at 15:55
|
show 2 more comments
Your Answer
StackExchange.ifUsing("editor", function ()
return StackExchange.using("mathjaxEditing", function ()
StackExchange.MarkdownEditor.creationCallbacks.add(function (editor, postfix)
StackExchange.mathjaxEditing.prepareWmdForMathJax(editor, postfix, [["\$", "\$"]]);
);
);
, "mathjax-editing");
StackExchange.ready(function()
var channelOptions =
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "122"
;
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
createEditor();
);
else
createEditor();
);
function createEditor()
StackExchange.prepareEditor(
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader:
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
,
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
);
);
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f135320%2fare-ghouls-and-ghasts-affected-by-sunlight%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
1 Answer
1
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
No, ghouls and ghasts are not vulnerable to sunlight
Nothing in the monster entries for ghouls or ghasts mentions any kind of sensitivity or vulnerability to sunlight, and there are no universally applicable rules which would imply as much. We only note that "ghouls roam the night in packs", from which we can infer that these kinds of creatures are primarily nocturnal - which would make sense for a creature which can see in the dark, giving it an advantage over most of its humanoid prey.
Many magical effects which are thematically based on sunlight - such as the spell Sunbeam - are especially effective against undead creatures, so you could construe that as a kind of vulnerability to sunlight which is shared amongst all undead. Ordinarily, though, ghouls/ghasts are not hindered by lighting of any kind.
As you later recalled, ghouls are put at a mechanical disadvantage by light in the rules of Chainmail - where Wights (and Ghouls) subtract 1 from all die rolls while in "full light". This weakness is however not mentioned in OD&D's Book II: Monsters & Treasure, and doesn't seem to have resurfaced since - there's no mention of such a weakness in the 1e AD&D Monster Manual entries for them, nor the 3.5e ghoul/ghast entry (or the general undead traits in that edition).
answered Nov 11 at 11:41
Carcer
21.4k261118
2
@András -- while not relevant to the tag, It might clear up the OP's apperant confusion between Sunlight sensitivity and Radiant Energy sensitivity. Except for vampires, undead have never been affected by sunlight.
– ravery
Nov 11 at 13:46
@ravery don't forget shadows. They don't take damage, but they get disadvantage on everything while in sunlight.
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 18:34
1
@ravery Shadows are undead in the edition they originally appeared in.
– SevenSidedDie♦
Nov 11 at 18:50
@SevenSidedDie great minds think alike? :D
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 19:31
1
"I'm not sure where you got the impression these monsters were vulnerable to sunlight in earlier editions. There's no mention of such a weakness in the 3.5e ghoul/ghast entry or the general undead traits, nor in the 1e AD&D Monster Manual entries for them." - I stand corrected. Only in Chainmail did they have a disadvantage in sunlight (not that I ever played Chainmail, I'm not quite that old). I misremembered.
– Smirk
Nov 19 at 15:55
|
show 2 more comments
No, ghouls and ghasts are not vulnerable to sunlight
Nothing in the monster entries for ghouls or ghasts mentions any kind of sensitivity or vulnerability to sunlight, and there are no universally applicable rules which would imply as much. We only note that "ghouls roam the night in packs", from which we can infer that these kinds of creatures are primarily nocturnal - which would make sense for a creature which can see in the dark, giving it an advantage over most of its humanoid prey.
Many magical effects which are thematically based on sunlight - such as the spell Sunbeam - are especially effective against undead creatures, so you could construe that as a kind of vulnerability to sunlight which is shared amongst all undead. Ordinarily, though, ghouls/ghasts are not hindered by lighting of any kind.
As you later recalled, ghouls are put at a mechanical disadvantage by light in the rules of Chainmail - where Wights (and Ghouls) subtract 1 from all die rolls while in "full light". This weakness is however not mentioned in OD&D's Book II: Monsters & Treasure, and doesn't seem to have resurfaced since - there's no mention of such a weakness in the 1e AD&D Monster Manual entries for them, nor the 3.5e ghoul/ghast entry (or the general undead traits in that edition).
answered Nov 11 at 11:41
Carcer
21.4k261118
2
@András -- while not relevant to the tag, It might clear up the OP's apperant confusion between Sunlight sensitivity and Radiant Energy sensitivity. Except for vampires, undead have never been affected by sunlight.
– ravery
Nov 11 at 13:46
@ravery don't forget shadows. They don't take damage, but they get disadvantage on everything while in sunlight.
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 18:34
1
@ravery Shadows are undead in the edition they originally appeared in.
– SevenSidedDie♦
Nov 11 at 18:50
@SevenSidedDie great minds think alike? :D
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 19:31
1
"I'm not sure where you got the impression these monsters were vulnerable to sunlight in earlier editions. There's no mention of such a weakness in the 3.5e ghoul/ghast entry or the general undead traits, nor in the 1e AD&D Monster Manual entries for them." - I stand corrected. Only in Chainmail did they have a disadvantage in sunlight (not that I ever played Chainmail, I'm not quite that old). I misremembered.
– Smirk
Nov 19 at 15:55
|
show 2 more comments
No, ghouls and ghasts are not vulnerable to sunlight
Nothing in the monster entries for ghouls or ghasts mentions any kind of sensitivity or vulnerability to sunlight, and there are no universally applicable rules which would imply as much. We only note that "ghouls roam the night in packs", from which we can infer that these kinds of creatures are primarily nocturnal - which would make sense for a creature which can see in the dark, giving it an advantage over most of its humanoid prey.
Many magical effects which are thematically based on sunlight - such as the spell Sunbeam - are especially effective against undead creatures, so you could construe that as a kind of vulnerability to sunlight which is shared amongst all undead. Ordinarily, though, ghouls/ghasts are not hindered by lighting of any kind.
As you later recalled, ghouls are put at a mechanical disadvantage by light in the rules of Chainmail - where Wights (and Ghouls) subtract 1 from all die rolls while in "full light". This weakness is however not mentioned in OD&D's Book II: Monsters & Treasure, and doesn't seem to have resurfaced since - there's no mention of such a weakness in the 1e AD&D Monster Manual entries for them, nor the 3.5e ghoul/ghast entry (or the general undead traits in that edition).
answered Nov 11 at 11:41
Carcer
21.4k261118
No, ghouls and ghasts are not vulnerable to sunlight
Nothing in the monster entries for ghouls or ghasts mentions any kind of sensitivity or vulnerability to sunlight, and there are no universally applicable rules which would imply as much. We only note that "ghouls roam the night in packs", from which we can infer that these kinds of creatures are primarily nocturnal - which would make sense for a creature which can see in the dark, giving it an advantage over most of its humanoid prey.
Many magical effects which are thematically based on sunlight - such as the spell Sunbeam - are especially effective against undead creatures, so you could construe that as a kind of vulnerability to sunlight which is shared amongst all undead. Ordinarily, though, ghouls/ghasts are not hindered by lighting of any kind.
As you later recalled, ghouls are put at a mechanical disadvantage by light in the rules of Chainmail - where Wights (and Ghouls) subtract 1 from all die rolls while in "full light". This weakness is however not mentioned in OD&D's Book II: Monsters & Treasure, and doesn't seem to have resurfaced since - there's no mention of such a weakness in the 1e AD&D Monster Manual entries for them, nor the 3.5e ghoul/ghast entry (or the general undead traits in that edition).
answered Nov 11 at 11:41
Carcer
21.4k261118
edited Nov 19 at 19:35
answered Nov 11 at 11:41
Carcer
21.4k261118
answered Nov 11 at 11:41
Carcer
21.4k261118
answered Nov 11 at 11:41
Carcer
21.4k261118
21.4k261118
2
@András -- while not relevant to the tag, It might clear up the OP's apperant confusion between Sunlight sensitivity and Radiant Energy sensitivity. Except for vampires, undead have never been affected by sunlight.
– ravery
Nov 11 at 13:46
@ravery don't forget shadows. They don't take damage, but they get disadvantage on everything while in sunlight.
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 18:34
1
@ravery Shadows are undead in the edition they originally appeared in.
– SevenSidedDie♦
Nov 11 at 18:50
@SevenSidedDie great minds think alike? :D
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 19:31
1
"I'm not sure where you got the impression these monsters were vulnerable to sunlight in earlier editions. There's no mention of such a weakness in the 3.5e ghoul/ghast entry or the general undead traits, nor in the 1e AD&D Monster Manual entries for them." - I stand corrected. Only in Chainmail did they have a disadvantage in sunlight (not that I ever played Chainmail, I'm not quite that old). I misremembered.
– Smirk
Nov 19 at 15:55
|
show 2 more comments
2
@András -- while not relevant to the tag, It might clear up the OP's apperant confusion between Sunlight sensitivity and Radiant Energy sensitivity. Except for vampires, undead have never been affected by sunlight.
– ravery
Nov 11 at 13:46
@ravery don't forget shadows. They don't take damage, but they get disadvantage on everything while in sunlight.
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 18:34
1
@ravery Shadows are undead in the edition they originally appeared in.
– SevenSidedDie♦
Nov 11 at 18:50
@SevenSidedDie great minds think alike? :D
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 19:31
1
"I'm not sure where you got the impression these monsters were vulnerable to sunlight in earlier editions. There's no mention of such a weakness in the 3.5e ghoul/ghast entry or the general undead traits, nor in the 1e AD&D Monster Manual entries for them." - I stand corrected. Only in Chainmail did they have a disadvantage in sunlight (not that I ever played Chainmail, I'm not quite that old). I misremembered.
– Smirk
Nov 19 at 15:55
2
2
@András -- while not relevant to the tag, It might clear up the OP's apperant confusion between Sunlight sensitivity and Radiant Energy sensitivity. Except for vampires, undead have never been affected by sunlight.
– ravery
Nov 11 at 13:46
@András -- while not relevant to the tag, It might clear up the OP's apperant confusion between Sunlight sensitivity and Radiant Energy sensitivity. Except for vampires, undead have never been affected by sunlight.
– ravery
Nov 11 at 13:46
@ravery don't forget shadows. They don't take damage, but they get disadvantage on everything while in sunlight.
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 18:34
@ravery don't forget shadows. They don't take damage, but they get disadvantage on everything while in sunlight.
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 18:34
1
1
@ravery Shadows are undead in the edition they originally appeared in.
– SevenSidedDie♦
Nov 11 at 18:50
@ravery Shadows are undead in the edition they originally appeared in.
– SevenSidedDie♦
Nov 11 at 18:50
@SevenSidedDie great minds think alike? :D
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 19:31
@SevenSidedDie great minds think alike? :D
– PixelMaster
Nov 11 at 19:31
1
1
"I'm not sure where you got the impression these monsters were vulnerable to sunlight in earlier editions. There's no mention of such a weakness in the 3.5e ghoul/ghast entry or the general undead traits, nor in the 1e AD&D Monster Manual entries for them." - I stand corrected. Only in Chainmail did they have a disadvantage in sunlight (not that I ever played Chainmail, I'm not quite that old). I misremembered.
– Smirk
Nov 19 at 15:55
"I'm not sure where you got the impression these monsters were vulnerable to sunlight in earlier editions. There's no mention of such a weakness in the 3.5e ghoul/ghast entry or the general undead traits, nor in the 1e AD&D Monster Manual entries for them." - I stand corrected. Only in Chainmail did they have a disadvantage in sunlight (not that I ever played Chainmail, I'm not quite that old). I misremembered.
– Smirk
Nov 19 at 15:55
|
show 2 more comments
Thanks for contributing an answer to Role-playing Games Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
Use MathJax to format equations. MathJax reference.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Some of your past answers have not been well-received, and you're in danger of being blocked from answering.
Please pay close attention to the following guidance:
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function ()
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2frpg.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f135320%2fare-ghouls-and-ghasts-affected-by-sunlight%23new-answer', 'question_page');
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function ()
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
);
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
