“The Lamplighter’s tale includes everything you’d expect; love, loss and a tragic end. Ghosts don’t bloom from happy soil, after all.

The long and short of it is that the lamplighter weren’t a handsome fella, in truth he was downright hideous. Still, his family raised him lovingly and despite being bullied most of his life the boy kept bitterness at bay. As a man, he took up the position his specter’s know by now. The night streets were quiet and that lessened the chances of him being harassed. The darkness also hid his features, though he wore a cloak and wide-brimmed hat too. He also fancied himself a bit of a savior, staving off the darkness with his little light. A right good man, the lamplighter. How bright he burned on the inside.

Now he burns bright on the outside; a charred and broken skeleton in a flaking coat.

One night he came across some drunks accosting a lady of the evening. Drove them off with his pole, he did. The harlot gasped at first seeing her rescuer’s face but was drawn to the soul beneath it. Now, the lamplighter didn’t think he’d ever have a woman fall for him, but there she was. The pair visited one another night after night, month after month. The man used his meager pay to buy her hours. Eventually, they made plans to purchase the lady's contract from her pimp, leave the city, start somewhere fresh hand in hand. A good dream that. What a nightmare it became. The blackheart who held sway over the harlot didn’t fancy letting her go; "what sort of example would that give to the other girls?" he said. He took the lamplighter’s offered coin, though, before beating him senseless and tossing him out in the street.

It took days for the lamplighter to recover and by the time he returned to his lover’s brothel she was dead. By her own hand or by the pimp's, I don’t rightly reckon we’ll ever know. The lamplighter didn’t care how for he knew who to blame. Under the cover of night he doused the brothel in lamp oil, and his body too. Then the lamplighter forced his way inside, taunted the blackheart into a face to face confrontation, and lit himself ablaze. Oh, that house of ill-repute went up like a tumbleweed tossed on the campfire, killing everyone inside. The flames didn’t’ stop there, neither. By sunup four blocks were reduced to burnt bones amid blackened timbers and smoldering cinders. A good deal of the rest of the district was damaged too.

Folks built over the ruins, of course. A few times, truth be told. Every decade or so a mysterious blaze erupts where the brothel once stood and rapidly gets out of control. Now, I’ll give you one guess who’s behind that.”

-Fossor Carvilius Graeme

The Lamplighter

Medium undead, chaotic evil

Armor Class 13

Hit Points 59 (9d8 + 18)

Speed 0ft

Flight 40ft (hover)

Str 7 Dex 16 Con 15 Int 10 Wis 12 Cha 16

Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion, Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified, Poisoned, Prone, Restrained

Damage Immunities Fire, Necrotic, Poison

Damage Resistances Acid, Cold, Lightning, Thunder; Bludgeoning, Piercing, And Slashing From Nonmagical Weapons

Senses darksight 60ft, passive Perception 11

Languages common

Challenge 7 (2900 XP)

Immolating Aura:

The lamplighter can activate or deactivate this feature as a bonus action. While active, the aura deals 5 fire damage to any creature that starts its turn within 30 feet of the ghost.

Ethereal Sight:

The ghost can see 60 ft. into the Ethereal Plane when it is on the Material Plane, and vice versa.

Illumination:

The lamplighter glows as per a torch at all times.

Incorporeal Movement:

The ghost can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force damage if it ends its turn inside an object.

Sunlight Hypersensitivity:

The lamplighter takes 5 radiant damage when it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

Actions

Multiattack

The lamplighter can make one pole attack and use igniting gaze once as one action.

Pole:

Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d6+3) necrotic damage and 9 (2d8) fire damage.

Etherealness:

The ghost enters the Ethereal Plane from the Material Plane, or vice versa. It is visible on the Material Plane while it is in the Border Ethereal, and vice versa, yet it can't affect or be affected by anything on the other plane.

Igniting Gaze:

One creature that the lamplighter can see within 60 feet of it must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature explodes, is reduced to 0 hit points, and deals 3d10 fire damage to all creatures within 5ft. Creatures immune to fire automatically succeed on this save.