Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The “Ghost” most B/X DMs remember running — an aging touch that spares elves and dwarves — was never printed in the 1981 Expert rulebook, and the real B/X undead threat, the Spectre, is worse for your fighters in 2026.
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I ran a Ghost with an aging touch for forty years — humans afraid of it, elves and dwarves barely bothered, fighters more scared of it than casters. Went back to check the actual 1981 Expert rulebook for this video and that monster isn't in it. What's on page X39 instead is the Spectre: no aging, no racial exception, straight two-level drain the second it touches you. This one covers where my Ghost actually came from (BECMI's Haunt, AD&D 1e's Monster Manual), what's really in B/X, and why the Spectre's level drain hits a fighter harder — and faster — than it hits a caster.
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
Join The Tavern’s Discord Server (It's Free):
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Buy me a Beer!
ko-fi.com/tenkar
00:00:00 - Running the B/X Ghost Wrong for 40 Years
00:01:10 - The Classic D&D Aging House Rule We All Inherited
00:02:40 - Fact-Checking Expert Page X39: Where is the Ghost?
00:03:03 - The B/X Spectre: Silver Does Jack and Shite
00:04:10 - How 1st Edition AD&D Ruined Our B/X Monster Memory
00:05:25 - The Rules Cyclopedia and the BECMI Ghost Outlier
00:06:12 - Why the B/X Spectre is Actually Meaner Than a Ghost
00:07:22 - Asymmetry of Pain: Fighter vs. Magic-User Level Drains
00:08:49 - The True Origin of the Elven Aging Resistance Math
00:09:28 - Level Drain Rules for Name Level (Level 9+) Play
00:10:38 - Stop Running Monsters From Memory: Check the Book!
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Master Minion: terrytaylor113, blahlbinoa, DeanSals1, dmakron, agilemonk6305, matthewsherman1183, DanTesch, douglaspearson9552, HalflingTorchbearer, murseoftheyear , tireddaddyof4267, yardofguiness
Super Minion: Indigo Ro, DM Raptor, SinnerElla, Ryan Nilsson, Erik Wahlberg, Donalds Angry, COS Crafts, maxnomicon, Midnight Green, Rich3rd, Gladstone Pinheiro, Cecilia Souza, Joe Stone, boss bully boy, Marcelo Correia, Richard Hooper, ᄃΉΣMIᄃΛᄂᄃӨᄃӨПЦƬ, T Flo_Ijimisan, LawDawg, Unscripted ＆ Unchained, JimothyTimothy, Eupolemos, Jay, Martin Penny, im cafferty, Chris Burkhart, Douglas Pearson, Curt Gould, Matthew Sherman
#OSR #DnD #BXDnD #TTRPG #TenkarsTavern #Spectre #UndeadDnD
The “Ghost” most B/X DMs remember running — an aging touch that spares elves and dwarves — was never printed in the 1981 Expert rulebook, and the real B/X undead threat, the Spectre, is worse for your fighters in 2026.
🔥 JOIN THE MINIONS: youtube.com/@TenkarsTavern/join
I ran a Ghost with an aging touch for forty years — humans afraid of it, elves and dwarves barely bothered, fighters more scared of it than casters. Went back to check the actual 1981 Expert rulebook for this video and that monster isn't in it. What's on page X39 instead is the Spectre: no aging, no racial exception, straight two-level drain the second it touches you. This one covers where my Ghost actually came from (BECMI's Haunt, AD&D 1e's Monster Manual), what's really in B/X, and why the Spectre's level drain hits a fighter harder — and faster — than it hits a caster.
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
Join The Tavern’s Discord Server (It's Free):
discord.gg/fReGmuD
Buy me a Beer!
ko-fi.com/tenkar
00:00:00 - Running the B/X Ghost Wrong for 40 Years
00:01:10 - The Classic D&D Aging House Rule We All Inherited
00:02:40 - Fact-Checking Expert Page X39: Where is the Ghost?
00:03:03 - The B/X Spectre: Silver Does Jack and Shite
00:04:10 - How 1st Edition AD&D Ruined Our B/X Monster Memory
00:05:25 - The Rules Cyclopedia and the BECMI Ghost Outlier
00:06:12 - Why the B/X Spectre is Actually Meaner Than a Ghost
00:07:22 - Asymmetry of Pain: Fighter vs. Magic-User Level Drains
00:08:49 - The True Origin of the Elven Aging Resistance Math
00:09:28 - Level Drain Rules for Name Level (Level 9+) Play
00:10:38 - Stop Running Monsters From Memory: Check the Book!
The Tavern uses affiliate links - using our affiliate links supports the channel without costing you anything extra.
Humble Bundle: humblebundleinc.sjv.io/da4WJ2
The Tavern’s Amazon Storefront: amzn.to/41Jm0oG
DriveThruRPG: drivethrurpg.com/en/?affiliate_id=1446
Fantasy Grounds VTT: affiliates.fantasygrounds.com/388855/15958
The Tavern uses Restream for its livestreams and its long-form videos. You can too! restream.io/join/g5Qpgr
The Tavern uses ClipGOAT to create its shorts. You can use it too!
clipgoat.com/?ref=erik
The Tavern also uses VidIQ: vidiq.com/TenkarsTavern
Master Minion: terrytaylor113, blahlbinoa, DeanSals1, dmakron, agilemonk6305, matthewsherman1183, DanTesch, douglaspearson9552, HalflingTorchbearer, murseoftheyear , tireddaddyof4267, yardofguiness
Super Minion: Indigo Ro, DM Raptor, SinnerElla, Ryan Nilsson, Erik Wahlberg, Donalds Angry, COS Crafts, maxnomicon, Midnight Green, Rich3rd, Gladstone Pinheiro, Cecilia Souza, Joe Stone, boss bully boy, Marcelo Correia, Richard Hooper, ᄃΉΣMIᄃΛᄂᄃӨᄃӨПЦƬ, T Flo_Ijimisan, LawDawg, Unscripted ＆ Unchained, JimothyTimothy, Eupolemos, Jay, Martin Penny, im cafferty, Chris Burkhart, Douglas Pearson, Curt Gould, Matthew Sherman
#OSR #DnD #BXDnD #TTRPG #TenkarsTavern #Spectre #UndeadDnD
