D&D 5E Poltergeist the Invisible Flyer

[cooperjer]

One of the interesting creatures I ran across regarding hiding and invisibility is the poltergeist. The poltergeist is a variant of the specter. The poltergeist is invisible. It has a fly speed with hover. It has a forceful slam (melee weapon attack), and a telekinetic thrust (action). It has a dex bonus of +2 and no skills.

I put this creature into a dungeon recently and I'm wondering how the PCs will detect and interact with it. What is used to detect this creature when a PC enters the room that it's located in? It cannot be seen, but maybe it's heard. If it's heard then the only thing heard is the wisps of it's ghostly clothes moving past each other or possibly a clearing of it's ghostly throat?

My current thought is to use the creatures passive stealth score (12) to represent how easy it is to detect. I believe my PCs passive perceptions are all above that value, so it should be a non-issue, but if one character does not have that high of a score would they be able to detect the poltergeist after it makes an attack? It seems clear that if the poltergeist makes a melee weapon attack then the creature that was attacked is aware of the poltergeists location; however, if the poltergeist uses its telekinetic thrust, then it does not make an attack and is thus not revealed.

How would you use the poltergeist in your game and what clearly allows the PCs to detect it?

 

[UselessTriviaMan]

 

[iserith]

One of the interesting creatures I ran across regarding hiding and invisibility is the poltergeist. The poltergeist is a variant of the specter. The poltergeist is invisible. It has a fly speed with hover. It has a forceful slam (melee weapon attack), and a telekinetic thrust (action). It has a dex bonus of +2 and no skills.

I put this creature into a dungeon recently and I'm wondering how the PCs will detect and interact with it. What is used to detect this creature when a PC enters the room that it's located in? It cannot be seen, but maybe it's heard. If it's heard then the only thing heard is the wisps of it's ghostly clothes moving past each other or possibly a clearing of it's ghostly throat?

My current thought is to use the creatures passive stealth score (12) to represent how easy it is to detect. I believe my PCs passive perceptions are all above that value, so it should be a non-issue, but if one character does not have that high of a score would they be able to detect the poltergeist after it makes an attack? It seems clear that if the poltergeist makes a melee weapon attack then the creature that was attacked is aware of the poltergeists location; however, if the poltergeist uses its telekinetic thrust, then it does not make an attack and is thus not revealed.

How would you use the poltergeist in your game and what clearly allows the PCs to detect it?

First, I telegraph their existence in some fashion appropriate to the location. Stuff moves around. Noises with no obvious source. The fighter's breath fogs up when he talks. A corpse of a person that looks like he or she died suddenly - wide eyes signifying surprise and alarm. This is all part of the DM describing the environment. The players may have their characters take action in light of this that will reveal more information to which checks, passive or otherwise, may apply depending on what the players describe they want to do.

Once a poltergeist attacks with a forceful slam, then I think it's no longer hidden. The source of the attack is somewhat obvious even if it can't be seen. If the attack is "indirect," such as from a telekinetic thrust, I think it's reasonable to say that the poltergeist is still hidden. This means the PCs will have to take action to reveal their hidden assailant, likely via the Search action or spells like see invisibility.'

Here is a short-form scenario where I use poltergeists: Quiet Please!

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

How would you use the poltergeist in your game and what clearly allows the PCs to detect it?

Honestly, I'd probably do the Ghostbusters thing and give it an erratically-visible manifestation: flickering images.

For something genuinely invisible, like an Invisible Servant, which isn't trying to hide, I'd just tell the PCs that it's obvious to their trained warrior minds where the thing is clearly standing as it ladles out soup or whatever it's doing. An Invisible Servant which isn't doing anything at all, on the other hand, has no chance of being detected by a normal human being. It's an inert invisible force.

I could play Poltergeists the same way, but I probably wouldn't just because the MM image of a Poltergeist reminds me of Ghostbusters II.