Editing Spectre (section)

==Dungeons & Dragons==
In [[Dungeons & Dragons]], the Spectre has historically taken the European spelling; 4e-5e has gone more 'mrrrken, for whatever reason. However you spell it this is just a powerful [[Wraith]] with twice the energy-drain. As late as 1977, Eric Holmes acknowledged that this was the ''ring''-wraith, the "[[Nazgul]] of [[Tolkien]]" - ''i.e.'', as with the [[Balrog]], the Lawyers had told TSR to file off those serials. If a Spectre kills you, you become a weakened Spectre yourself - heavily implied, that your undead spirit takes Wraith stats.

It arose in the first [[Monster Manual]] and the Eric Holmes 1977 box-set: the one bundled with [[In Search of the Unknown|B1]], rather than with [[Keep on the Borderlands|B2]]. In those ancient days, Holmes implied you could turn them on an 11-12 roll on 2d6 (=1 in 12, yay math) at fifth level; [[Advanced Dungeons & Dragons|AD&D]]'s "Matrix for Clerics Affecting Undead" (''DMG'' matrix "III.") agreed, but boosting to 20 on a d20.

The Spectre ''will'' fuck up your party at 6th level, so one of them is a boss monster in [[X3: Curse of Xanathon]]. At higher level, the ''Restoration'' spell takes the edge off. At 6th (rather, ''4th'') the local priests can probably hook you up if you'd got the damage in the course of doing good - completing X3 assuredly counts.

How a Spectre doesn't just sail into town one night and make a Wraithopolis under his command is a problem that must be solved by any worldbuilder. Having them all as Nazgûl subject to a Dark Lord's command, which cannot exist independently, was Tolkien's solution (also the Nazgûl could only infect someone else with a Morgûl Blade which you can't exactly order on Amazon). In the [[Mystara|Known World]] of the Expert series, that is more-or-less what one Spectre crew sets out to DO in one setpiece of [[Desert Nomads series|X10]].

===Gallery===
<gallery>
Spectre MM 1e.jpg|1e
Spectre Monster card.jpg
Spectre MCV1.jpg|2e
Spectre MM 2e.png
spectre MCR2.jpg
spectre GH3.jpg
Spectre 3e.jpg|3e
Specter 4e.jpg|4e
Specter 5e.jpg|5e
Spectre B1.png|Pathfinder
</gallery>