Spirits

Spirits are ethereal Undead that seem to resemble various once living beings, though whether they are actually the souls of the departed or something other is open to speculation. A Ghost, the most commonly seen Spirit, arises when the circumstances surrounding a person’s death cause some part of his or her soul to remain near the place of death. The most common reason is that the person was not buried properly – either not in consecrated ground, without the correct funerary rites, or both. Sometimes a Ghost may also arise because a person died with some great task unfulfilled, or was murdered by a killer who is still at large.

One of the more mischievous types of Spirit are the Poltergeists. They generally seek to frighten the living by tossing objects about and making a nuisance of themselves. The most frightening, though, are the Spectres. Spectres are in many ways the malevolent counterparts of Ghosts and they seldom wish the living any good. The majority of Spectres remain behind due to being the victims of a horrible curse or by being an oath-breaker or other form of traitor. They are angry beings, full of malice for the living and despair at their own state.

Spirit Hosts are sometimes raised for war by powerful Vampires (and certain particularly evil Necromancers). These are made up of a mixture of Ghosts and Spectres. Spectres are particularly favoured for this task, since they can inflict significant damage on the enemy, but most Spirit Hosts are rounded out by a fair number of Ghosts. Although Ghosts cannot harm the living directly, they are capable of forcing their enemies to flee in fear, and that can be almost as useful on the battlefield.

Many Spirits are unable to stray far from their place of death, though the precise distance they can wander is enormously varied, depending on such factors as the Willpower of the Spirit when alive, the number of years since its death, and how determined it is to achieve its release.

The dead do not rest easy in the Old World. The various Spirits of the dead often return to haunt the lands of the living. Some seek only release, while others hate the living with such passion that they give themselves over to evil.

Source

 * Warhammer Fantasy RPG 2nd ED -- Old World Bestiary (pg. 64-65, 109).