Gnolls have always been one of my favorite races, so it was very interesting to work on Yeenoghu, although I’m a bigger fan of Gorellik. I drew upon a lot of sources for this, including Dragon #63, so I’ve updated the Shoosuva to 2nd Edition. I’ll have to make a Monstrous Compendium sheet for it at some point.
Yeenoghu (PDF Version)
(The Demon Prince of Gnolls, Beast of Butchery, the Ruler of Ruin, He Who Receives Fealty from the King of Ghouls, Demon Lord of Ghouls)
Lesser Power of the Abyss, CE
Portfolio: Gnolls, butchery, ghouls, paralysis
Aliases: None
Domain Name: 422nd Layer/the Seeping Woods
Superior: None
Allies: Doresain
Foes: Baphomet, Gorellik, Refnara, Vaprak, the Jotunbrud
Symbol: Triple-headed flail
Wor. Align.: LE, NE, CE
Yeenoghu (yee-NO-goo) is the very model of the ambitious heights powerful tanar’ri can achieve. Through ancient alliances, magical rituals, and the slow poaching of followers from the old gnoll pantheon, the Beast of Butchery has managed to achieve the ranking of Lesser Power and subvert the worship of the vast majority of gnoll-kind, and in doing so gained the title of the Demon Prince of Gnolls. He has also added ghoul-kind and paralysis to his portfolios through his conquest of the White Realm and the capitulation of the nearly-divine Doresain, King of Ghouls. He rules his realm in the Abyss from an enormous mountain of cracked bones, while ever questing for greater influence and aims to one day be the first demonic lord to achieve the level of a Greater Power. His titles also reflect the drive he instills in his followers to violently and destructively take what they wish from the world.
Yeenoghu long ago turned his back on the normal interests of most tanar’ri, desiring instead worship and influence on the Prime Material. As a demon lord, he is part of no pantheon, and brooks no polytheism from his followers. He does not associate with most other powers or tanar’ri lords out of disdain and dislike, preferring to plot the theft of their followers. His only known current ally is Doresain, the King of Ghouls, who swore fealty to the Beast of Butchery after the Demon Prince led an invasion into the White Realm, the king’s abyssal realm. Doresain does not like this arrangement, however, and is likely to take any safe opportunity to free himself from under Yeenoghu’s thumb that comes along. He fears the power of the Demon Prince of Gnolls and is not likely to take any overt or covert actions against him unless the chances of success are extremely good. The Ruler of Ruin has had other allies in the past as well. In particular, he used to work closely with Baphomet, the Lord of Minotaurs; however, the two have now been at war for millennia. The cause of their conflict has been forgotten by both gods, but planar sages believe it the result of a joint invasion of a world on the Prime Material Plane that resulted in failure, with both blaming the other for the loss. As a result, followers of both gods have extremely poor relations even in the best of circumstances.
Other enemies of the Demon Prince of Gnolls are the remnants of the old gnollish pantheon, Gorellik and Refnara. Neither has yet succumbed to death through the loss of worshippers, but the same cannot be said of other, now forgotten minor deities. Both powers hate Yeenoghu with incredible fervor, but neither is willing to work with others to bring down the tanar’ri usurper. Each still has small power bases left in various crystal spheres, and the Beast of Butchery is ever searching for them so he can finally whip them out. Yeenoghu also dislikes the Jotunbrud, for similar reasons to the old gnollish pantheon. While gnolls and giants do not get along, gnolls do find the giantish gods admirable and worthy of worship; as such, Yeenoghu sees them as threats to his power, and is ever encouraging his followers to cleanse their worlds of gnolls who follow the Jotunbrud. Similarly, Vaprak and Yeenoghu have mutual animosity as both gnolls and ogres find the other races’ patron admirable and the Ruler of Ruin grants his priest some power over trolls.
As an interloper deity, Yeenoghu does not feature in ancient gnoll mythologies, and his origins are mysterious. Some sages speculate that he was a mortal gnoll who managed to elevate himself to ranks of tanar’ri, while others believe he is little different from most of the other demon princes who worked their way up from the lowest abyssal ranks. Recently, however, he has been spreading stories amongst his priests that he created the gnollish race by feeding demons to hyaenodons, who then birthed the first gnolls. The likely reason for this is to cement his power amongst his chosen people, as one of the reasons he was able to subvert followers away from Gorellik and the old gnollish pantheon was due to their lack of participation in gnoll creation myths. In addition to the concocted creation myth, individual tribes tend to have their own mythological cycles featuring the Demon Prince of Gnolls and serve to reinforce his teachings.
Despite being a lesser power, Yeenoghu is still a tanar’ri, and has not yet managed to gain the ability to send his avatars directly to the Prime Material. As such, he frequently must make deals with mortal wizards to gain the use of their gate magic; of course, he is not above using trickery or coercion to gain their cooperation. Due to his lack of access to the Prime Material, he is constantly seeking magical items that will allow him to send avatars wherever he pleases. He has been able to devise a special form of servant, the shoosuva, and a spell that can summon them to serve his needs of having direct agents amongst his followers.
Yeenoghu’s Avatar (Fighter 28, Priest 17, Wizard 12)
Yeenoghu appears as a tall, skeletal humanoid with a hyena-like head. His torso is canine in form, and his long arms and legs end in paws rather than hands and feet, although this does not prevent him from grasping objects. His skin is smooth and grey, with the only hair on his body being a mangy, putrid yellow mane extending from his head to the middle of his back. He draws his priest spells from the spheres of all, animal, charm, chaos, combat, elemental earth, guardian, healing, necromantic, protection, summoning, sun (reversed), and he can cast wizard spells from the schools of necromancy and enchantment/charm.
AC 0; MV 15; HP 156; THAC0 -7; #AT 5/2
Dmg 3d6 + 12 (triple headed flail +3, +7 Str, +2 spec. bonus in flail)
MR 20%; SZ L (12 feet)
Str 19, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 18
Spells P: 9/9/8/7/5/3/2, W: 4/4/4/4/4/1
Saves PPDM 3; RSW 5; PP 4; BW 4; Sp 6
Special Att/Def: Yeenoghu wields the Triple Flail, a seven foot long flail +3 with three adamantite chains topped by spiked metal balls. Every time the Ruler of Ruin strikes with this weapon, three attack rolls are rolled, one for each spiked ball. The first hit deals 3d6 damage, the second causes fear (as the wand) unless the victim makes a successful saving throw versus spell, and the third causes confusion unless a separate saving throw versus spell is made. In the latter two cases, only the Beast of Butchery’s Strength bonus is applied as damage.
Yeenoghu can use darkness, 15′ radius and infravision at will. He can cast hold person, hold monster, and paralyzation three times per day each, and fear (as wand), fly, invisibility, and polymorph self once per day each. Once per day, he can summon 3d8 gnolls (or 2d8 flinds) and 2d6 ghouls (or 1d6 ghasts) once per day each. As a tanar’ri, Yeenoghu is immune to electrical attacks, nonmagical weapons, poison, and nonmagical fire. He takes half damage from magical fire, cold, silver weapons, and gaseous attacks.
Other Manifestations
Yeenoghu actively instructs his priests through direct telepathy. However, he will also manifest as sickly yellow-green light, called ghoul-light, that appears around objects of importance or in a direction he wishes his followers to go (cave mouths, ruined building entrances, etc.). Occasionally, the Ruler of Ruin will endow a follower ghast-stench that lasts for 3d6 turns and affects any creature that does not worship him. He will also send his favored servants, the shoosuvas (see below), to directly instruct, lead, or punish his priests. A priest may also call upon the Beast of Butchery for direct aid, whereupon a shoosuva may be sent to assist the priest; there is a base 2% chance per caster level that the priest will be heard. The priest may add half his Wisdom score to the roll as well. The shoosuva will only remain for one round per caster level, and will require rotten flesh as payment for the service it renders.
Yeenoghu is served primarily by gnolls, flinds, ghouls, ghasts, ghoul lords, shadow ghouls, and the gnoll-ghouls known as the shoosuvas (a gnoll term meaning “the returned”). These undead creatures are the undead manifestations of powerful gnoll shamans and priests. He also has a small number of tanar’ri servitors, primarily bar-lgura and cambions. He displays his favor through the discovery of destroyed relics of Gorellik, Refnara, and the Jotunbrud, fresh cracked and gnawed bones where there shouldn’t be any, and inexplicably paralyzed prey animals. He displays his displeasure through a sudden and painful paralysis of his priests and their followers, as well as pervasive and overpowering ghast-stench (no follower of the Beast of Butchery is immune under any circumstance, and all saves are made at -4; non-followers are affected as if it were normal ghast-stench).
The Church
Clergy: Clerics, specialty priests, crusaders, shamans, witch doctors
Clergy’s Align.: LE, NE, CE
Turn Undead: C: No, SP: No, Cru: No, Sha: No, WD: No
Cmnd. Undead: C: Yes, SP: Yes (special), Cru: No, Sha: No, WD: No
All clerics (including multiclassed fighter/clerics), specialty priests, crusaders, shamans, and witch doctors of Yeenoghu receive religion (gnoll) as a bonus nonweapon proficiency.
Yeenoghu is the primary deity worshipped by gnolls throughout the known spheres, having successfully supplanted other deities such as Gorellik and Refnara in the vast majority of gnoll tribes long ago. Those gnolls who follow other deities hate and despise the Demon Prince of Gnolls as a usurper and false god. Gnoll tribes that follow Yeenoghu feel similarly about the followers of other gods, and immediate battle is nearly inevitable when such groups encounter each other. Outside of gnolls, Yeenoghu is worshipped by the most organized and intelligent of ghoul-kind, particularly ghasts, ghoul lords, and shadow ghouls. He is known to ghoul-kind as He Who Receives Fealty from the King of Ghouls and the Demon Lord of Ghouls. Yeenoghu’s church accepts members from other races as well, especially humans and humanoids; occasionally ogres and trolls will take up worship of the Beast of Butchery, but they only rarely become part of the formal clergy.
Temples dedicated to the Demon Prince of Gnolls are virtually always found underground. Such cave-temples are rarely modified to any great degree, although they will include superficial decorations and trophies. Cave temples will usually have a slightly bowl-shaped altar upon which sacrifices are placed. Altars typically have two small firepits on either side as well, and are used in rituals and ceremonies. Ruined and desecrated temples to other gods are also occasionally re-sanctified to Yeenoghu, most often by ghoul-kind. Gnollish temples are 80% likely to be guarded by 2–8 ghouls, 30% likely to be guarded by 1–2 ghasts, and 45% likely to be guarded by 1–3 trolls. No temple will have all three types of guardians, and any temple with two types (no more than 15% of all temples with guardians) will always combine ghouls with one of the other two.
Novices in the service of the Beast of Butchery are known derisively as Runts, and full priests are known as Ruinators. Specialty priests are called ghoulmasters. The hierarchy of the church is generally fairly loose, with the strongest priest maintaining dominance by force; in the majority of cases, these high priests are flinds. Such high priests typically take custom titles of their own devising, designed to increase their own fearsome reputation. Gnolls (60%) and flinds (22%) make up the vast majority of Yeenoghu’s priesthood, with far lesser numbers of ghoul-kind, particularly ghasts (8%) and shadow ghouls (5%), with smaller numbers of ghouls (1%) and ghoul lords (1%). There are a smattering of humans (2%) and other humanoids (1%) in the clergy as well. Females (10%) are rare in the priesthood, as the Ruler of Ruin has little respect for their gender. Clerics (28%), shamans (28%), and ghoulmasters (28%) make up equal portions of the priesthood, with much smaller percentages of witch doctors (8%), fighter/clerics, and crusaders (4%).
Dogma: Slaughter and butcher your foes. Spread the influence of the Beast of Butchery and convert other gnolls to his worship. Oppose gnolls who follow other gods, particularly Gorellik and giantish gods. Emulate the strength and savagery of the ghoulish undead. Take what you will from the world. Lesser races are fit for little besides slavery. Work with other powerful races when necessary or advantageous, but feast upon them if food is in short supply. Show no mercy to enemies of the tribe. Eliminate minotaurs whenever you encounter them.
Day-to-Day Activities: Yeenoghu’s clergy must encourage their tribes to make raids and warfare upon nearby races. They must particularly encourage the defeat and destruction of gnoll tribes who follow Gorellik, Refnara, or various giant gods. In tribes with flind priesthoods, the general structure of the group will be much more organized and the battle tactics used will be much more sophisticated. The priests must pray at least every other night for guidance and messages from their deity. After a week without contacting Yeenoghu, the priest has a cumulative 2% chance per day of receiving some sort of retribution from the Beast of Butchery, most commonly a visit from a Shoosuva. This does not apply if there is some valid reason for not contacting the deity, such as travelling in the phlogiston.
Important Ceremonies/Holy Days: Once per month, on the night of the third quarter moon, priests must make a sacrifice of blood to the Beast of Butchery. Priests prefer sacrifices that are their clan totem (if it is a creature), followed by gnoll followers of other gods, weaker humanoids (and humans), stronger humanoids and giants, and finally, if no others can be had, weak members of the tribe. Once ritually slaughtered, the priests offer the blood of the victim to their lord, which they believe strengthens and nourishes him, by slowly pouring it into the small firepits on either side of the altar. After the blood sacrifice, the priests feast on the raw flesh in emulation of ghouls. The gnolls believe that this act makes them stronger and more worthy of the power bestowed by the Demon Prince of Gnolls.
Major Centers of Worship: There are a great many minor temples dedicated to Yeenoghu throughout the known spheres. One fairly well known temple is the Halls of Butchery, located in the city of Highport, on the Pomarj peninsula on Oerth. There are sister-temples located within the fortresses of the Blue Eye gnoll tribe and the Victorious flind tribe in the central Pomarj. Rumors out of the UnderOerth indicate there may be a vast city of ghouls located near the Sunless Sea that is lead directly by King of Ghouls himself (or perhaps an avatar or a powerful ghoul acting directly on his behalf); the rumors indicate there is a temple there that may be dedicated to Yeenoghu under a different name. There are also persistent rumors of a major temple located under the Stonelands on the world of Toril. In Wildspace, most gnolls and flinds set up mobile temples within their preferred spelljamming vessels, the Triop. One feared ship of this type is known as Fleshfeast, and haunts some of the most popular trade lanes in the Grinder in Greyspace. It is captained by Harrekh, a 9th level flind ghoulmaster. He is known to have at least three ghouls in his crew, as well as two lesser flind clerics.
Affiliated Orders: The Claws of Butchery are elite groups of tribeless flinds that seek out gnolls and flinds who worship gods other than Yeenoghu in order to slay the leaders and force them to convert to the Ruler of Ruin’s service. They are composed primarily of crusaders (the vast majority of crusaders in Yeenoghu’s service) and fighter/clerics. Each group operates independently of the others, and can be found in most worlds with sizable flind and gnoll populations. One group is known to operate a Triop vessel throughout the Arcane Inner Flow and the Radiant Triangle, and it is believed they were responsible for the wholesale slaughter of a gnoll enclave that worshipped Karontor in the Grinder in 589CY.
Priestly Vestments: Gnollish priests of Yeenoghu wear tunics or robes of muddy yellow whenever possible. Since they rarely make their own clothing, the quality and condition of these garments vary wildly, and in many cases were another color before being died or bleached to the appropriate color. They typically decorate the garment with the bones of dead enemies and victims, favoring hollowed out finger and toe bones. Such bones are also frequently used in hair decoration. If the bones can be painted or dies in alternating muddy yellow and dark red, so much the better. Ghoul-kind prefer to wear the black and green of the King of Ghouls when possibly, in the cut and style favored by whatever race they were in life. In rare cases, ghoul-kin will wear similar attire to gnollish priests; in such cases, it is likely the ghouls have never heard of Doresain, King of Ghouls. Priests of other races wear similar raiment as gnolls, although the garments will always be much finer and cleaner. The holy symbols used by all priests will be either a full sized white flail, a miniature white flail (in both cases triple headed flails are preferred but not necessary), or the dried and desiccated hand of a ghoul.
Adventuring Garb: Gnolls and flinds use the best armor and equipment they can scavenge after raids and battles. Being some of the most influential members of their tribes, they usually get second pick of treasure, after the chieftain and his personal guards (unless the priests are the leaders of the tribe). In this regard, they generally resemble all the other gnolls in a pack; however, they will always have small bones from sacrifices braided into their manes and will wear their holy symbols prominently, and so can be identified by anyone familiar with gnollish religion. Ghoul-kind are more likely to have formal battle gear, and frequently include additional clothing that displays the colors of the King of Ghouls.
Specialty Priests (Ghoulmasters)
Requirements: Strength 11, Wisdom 9
Prime Req.: Wisdom
Alignment: LE, CE
Weapons: Any
Armor: Any
Major Spheres: All, animal, charm, chaos, combat, elemental earth, necromantic, protection, summoning
Minor Spheres: Guardian, healing, sun (reversed)
Magical Items: Same as clerics
Req. Profs: Flail, artistic ability (bone carving)
Bonus Profs: Wild fighting (PHBR10)
- Ghoulmasters must be gnolls, flinds, or ghasts, shadow ghouls, ghoul lords, or humans.
- Ghoulmasters are not allowed to multiclass.
- Ghoulmasters command ghouls, ghasts, and other related undead as if they were two levels higher.
- Ghoulmasters are immune to the paralyzing touch of ghouls and ghasts, as well as magic that duplicates such.
- Ghoulmasters gain a +1 bonus to their saving throws against paralyzation magic and attacks. They gain an additional +1 bonus for every three levels they attain beyond first, to a maximum bonus of +3 at 10th level.
- At 2nd level, ghoulmasters can cast ghoul touch (as the 2nd-level wizard spell) once per day.
- At 3rd level, ghoulmasters can maintain permanent control over one ghoul per two levels.
- At 5th level, ghoulmasters who have more than 20 hit points can create shoosuva talisman (as the 4th-level priest spell) once per week.
- At 6th level, ghoulmasters can cast ghastly hands (as the 3rd-level wizard spell) once per day.
- At 8th level, ghoulmasters can cast ghoul creation (as the 4th-level priest spell) once per month.
- At 9th level, ghoulmasters can maintain permanent control over one ghast per two levels. They may not control a ghast and a ghoul for the same two-level slot.
- At 10th level, ghoulmasters can cast ghast creation (as the 5th-level wizard spell) once per month.
- At 12th level, ghoulmasters can cast ghoul gauntlet (as the 6th-level wizard spell) once per day.
Yeenoghan Spells
In addition to the spells listed below, priests of the Ruler of Ruin may cast the 2nd-level priest spell resist turning, detailed in the Priest’s Spell Compendium Vol.II, the 2nd-level wizard spell ghoul touch (as a 2nd-level priest spell), detailed in the Wizard’s Spell Compendium Vol.II, the 2nd-level wizard spell protection from paralysis (as a 2nd-level priest spell), detailed in the Wizard’s Spell Compendium Vol.III, and the 3rd-level wizard spell ghastly hands (as a 3rd-level priest spell), detailed in the Wizard’s Spell Compendium Vol.II.
2nd Level
Charm Troll (Pr 2; Enchantment/Charm)
Sphere: Charm
Range: 80 yds.
Components: V, S
Duration: Special
Casting Time: 5
Area of Effect: 1 troll
Saving Throw: Neg.
This spell affects any single troll it is cast upon. The troll receives a saving throw vs. spell to avoid the effect, with any adjustment due to Wisdom (see Table 5 in the PHB). If the troll receives damage from the caster’s group in the same round the charm is cast, an additional bonus of +1 per hit point of damage received is added to the victim’s saving throw.
If the spell recipient fails his saving throw, he regards the caster as a trusted friend and ally to be heeded and protected. The spell does not enable the caster to control the charmed troll as if it were an automaton, but any word or action of the caster is viewed in the most favorable way. Thus, a charmed troll would not obey a suicide command, but he might believe the caster if assured that the only chance to save the caster’s life is for the person to hold back an onrushing red dragon for “just a minute or two.” Note also that the spell does not endow the caster with linguistic capabilities beyond those he normally possesses (i.e., he must speak the victim’s language to communicate his commands).
The duration of the spell is a function of the charmed troll’s Intelligence and is tied to the saving throw. The spell can be broken if a successful saving throw is rolled, and this saving throw is checked on a periodic basis, according to the troll’s Intelligence (see the following table). If the caster harms, or attempts to harm, the charmed troll by some overt action, or if a dispel magic spell is successfully cast upon the charmed troll, the charm spell is broken.
If two or more charm effects simultaneously affect a creature, the result is decided by the DM. This could range from one effect being clearly dominant, to the subject being torn by conflicting desires, to new saving throws that could negate both spells.
Note that the subject has full memory of the events that took place while he was charmed.
Intelligence Score Time Between Checks
3 or less 3 months
4–6 2 months
7–9 1 month
10–12 3 weeks
13–14 2 weeks
15–16 1 week
17 3 days
18 2 days
19 or more 1 day
The time between checks is the time period during which the check occurs. When to roll the check during this tune is determined (randomly or by selection) by the DM. The roll is made secretly.
4th Level
Create Shoosuva Talisman (Pr 4; Necromancy)
Sphere: Creation, Necromantic
Range: 0
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Permanent
Casting Time: 1 hour
Area of Effect: 1 talisman
Saving Throw: None
This spell allows a priest to create a special talisman that allows them to gate in a shoosuva, one of Yeenoghu’s unique servants. So long as the caster is a devoted follower of the Beast of Butchery, the shoosuva will immediately attack any enemies of the priest or assist in any duty that will further the goals of the Demon Prince of Gnolls.
The talisman enchanted by this spell is shaped like a miniature hyena skull, and must be carved from the bones of a dead gnoll or ghoul priest. Any single corpse can produce 5–10 such talismans. To carve the talisman, the priest must make a successful artistic ability (bone carving) proficiency check, and then must immediately cast this spell, curse and putrefy food and drink upon the skull carving. Upon completion, the carving will take on a sickly yellow-green hue (but not a glow), and may be used as a holy symbol.
When the priest desires the service of a shoosuva, he throws the talisman to the ground while shouting a request for aid to Yeenoghu (“Oh great Yeenoghu, Demon Prince of Gnolls, Beast of Butchery, and Ruler of Ruin, please send aid to your unworthy servant”), and a shoosuva will gate in the following round. The talisman must make a saving throw versus crushing blow (as bone) after the spell takes effect; if it makes the save, it can be reused after one week. If it fails, it shatters into dust, but the shoosuva is still summoned. The ghoul-gnoll will stay for up to one hour plus one round per level of the priest. At the expiration of the spell, the body of the shoosuva will dissipate and its spirit will return to the Abyss to be formed into another shoosuva. If slain, its body crumbles to dust while its spirit returns to Yeenoghu’s realm. Priests who summon a shoosuva must reward it with rotting carrion; the preferred method is to cast putrefy food and drink upon the corpse of one of the ghoul-gnoll’s victims.
A priest may have any number of talismans at a time, but can only summon one shoosuva every four rounds, and still needs to repay each for their service with a full helping of rotting flesh. The shoosuvas are not under the control of the priest in any way, and all other gnolls are so scared of them that they will obey its commands without hesitation. However, only if the priest fails to feed it or summons it for trivial matters will it attack the caster. This spell can only be cast by powerful priests who have at least 20 hit points.
Shoosuva: AC 3; MV 15; HD 6; THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg 1d10+5; SA creeping paralysis; SD special; SW holy water; MR 30% (special); SZ L (6′ high at the shoulder); ML Elite (13–14); Int Very (11–12); AL CE; XP 1,400.
Notes: A shoosuva appears as a huge, emaciated hyaenodon, glowing with a phosphorescent yellow light, similar in intensity to the light spell. During the time it is present on the Prime Material plane, the shoosuva is able to call upon any gnoll within hearing distance (120 feet), and such “summoned” gnolls will obey the shoosuva’s every command to the death.
SA—The bite of a shoosuva causes a slow-acting paralysis in victims who fail a save vs. paralyzation. Each round they are affected, they suffer a cumulative -1 to their movement rate and attack rolls. When the victim’s movement rate drops to zero, their bodies are completely paralyzed except for basic life functions (breathing, etc.). Magic that removes paralysis can be used to counteract the effect, but dispel magic has no effect. The spell uses the character’s movement rate at the point of being bitten to determine how long until total paralysis sets in. Divesting of equipment or using magic that speeds the user has no effect on this onset time.
SD—Shoosuvas are immune to mind-affecting spells and psionics. In addition, they have 30% magic resistance against spells with heat, cold, electrical, or gaseous effects. They can only be harmed by magical or silver weapons. They can be turned as Special undead.
SW—Shoosuvas can be damaged by holy water. They take 2d4 points of damage per vial.
Ghoul Creation (Pr 4; Necromancy)
Sphere: Necromantic
Range: Touch
Components: V, S, M
Duration: Instantaneous
Casting Time: 1 turn
Area of Effect: 1 corpse
Saving Throw: None
The ghoul creation can be cast only on a properly prepared corpse; the spell creates one ghoul. The corpse must make a successful saving throw vs. death magic or be utterly destroyed by the process.
The resulting ghoul is normal for its type in every way (see the Monstrous Manual Tome). When first created, the ghoul is subservient to the caster. This may change if the creature is not well treated or its needs are not supplied.
The body must be soaked with a special liquid that costs 200 gp to produce. The soaking process takes a full hour. The casting of the ghoul creation spell must be preceded by a curse, and during the casting must be within the effects of a chant and a prayer spell.
Under major centers of worship, were you referencing the White Kingdom Doresain created in a long-ago Dragon magazine?
Oops. On second thought, it was a Dungeon adventure, wasn’t it?
Correct, Kingdom of the Ghouls from Dungeon #70.