Spirits of the Earth

Spirits are under used in DnD. Oriental adventures used them more. I want spirits to be a standard type of creature. I like the idea of petty bad spirits in dungeons and haunted places. I may do more on this detailing types and abilities but this is a kit for quick basic spirit building. A few spells to interact with spirits and dreams like Oriental adventures have and you have a whole dimension of information, threats and fun ahead of you. I want more of this in my games so I can have a specialist shaman with lots of uses not in most games.

D12 Common Spirit Types
1 Animal Spirits - shape shifting animals, familiars, beast lords
2 Plant Spirits - herbs, trees, forests, grassland, flower
3 Water Spirits - creeks, wells, rivers, ponds, lakes, oceans
4 Weather Spirits - breeze, wind, storms, fog, rain, drought
5 Land Spirits - hills, mounds, rocks, mountains, fields, caves
6 Sylvan Spirits - faerie and elven and other humanoids from the other side
7 Elemental Spirits - classical and other beings that inhabit fundamental materials
8 Dead Spirits - spirits of deceased often killed tragically or not buried or wronged
9 Animus Spirits - dwell in the spirit world never having a body or might occupy material objects
10 Dream Spirits - formed from dreamlands and nightmares or illusions form a life of their own
11 Malevolent Spirits - spirits of devils or demons, may animate undead, seduce humans or possess
12 Benevolent Spirits - spirits from heavens which protect, guide, aid and advise humans

Power Gradients
Petty Spirits - spirit equivalent of vermin like rats or fleas or fragments of greater spirits
Lesser Spirits - animal, tree or dead person spirits, als barn, mine, roof, creek or well spirits
Major Spirits - important local ruling spirits like hills, river or local spirit rulers
Greater Spirits - are demi gods, tribal ancestors, beast lords, lake or mountain region spirits

Sizes
Petty spirit forms are usually small animal or typically hand sized or less than knee height
Lesser spirits often assume human child or adult or medium animal
Major spirits can assume many forms depending on mood or situation including large animals
Greater spirits can assume many forms including titanic forms on occasions

Stats
Petty HD d4 AC+d4 Att 1d4 may require iron, silver, certain wood or blessed items to hit
Lesser HD d8 AC+d6 Att 1d6 or weapon may require +1 weapons to hit
Major HD 3+d8 x d8 AC2+d10 Att d4 each d3+1 d6 +2 weapon required to hit
Greater HD d6x10 d8 AC d10+10 Att d4+2 each 2d6 x d6 +3 required to hit

PowersAll spirits may become intangible and invisible and can see the mundane world while in spirit form. Many may travel to the deeper spirit world and other planes but the petty ones are mostly too scared of bigger spirits or do so only to be desperate. Many spirits are bound to a location or thing like a tree or a grave or a idol or a cave. Most spirits if destroyed reform over time but destroying the thing they are bound to may prevent their return or banish to the spirit world or take time to reform. A shaman or great spirit might help such a spirit find a new form. Major and great spirits may perform many shaman actions like exorcisms, binding or banishing or destroying spirits.

Spirits are vulnerable to spells that target alignment and may dislike blessings and other magics. Turning may effect certain spirits certainly those who wee once living. Many elves and animal spirits were possibly once humans who did not go to the netherworld or heavens and walk the world transformed by spirit lords.

Petty usually have a small annoying ability like dousing flame, bad smell, spoil food, scare horse, sour milk or a zero level cantrip spell they can use many times a day
Lesser often have spells like a wizard, druid or priest and many have a character class abilities
Major often have spells of level equal to HD or many magical spell like powers as a petty god
Greater spirits are lesser deities with many spells and powers and hard to kill or drive away

Some earthbound spirits become permanently embodied in matter and no longer can travel through the spirit world or the faerie worlds. They no longer turn immaterial or invisible. They can be struck by normal weapons and their bodies can be killed sending their souls away for rebirth. This is the origin of many monsters and races. Cross breeding with humans or banishment are most common reasons. You could surprise adventurers with spirit kobolds who still have fantastic abilities or perhaps the shaman or witch doctor are actually spirit versions of a race.

Major and great spirits may build lairs in pocket dimensions and other lesser or petty spirits might dwell in them like a hill elf mound where kings were buried is now an elf feast hall. The elf king has many servants and a beautiful daughter....

Spirits and those descended from them like player elves might find such secret areas, You may not realise they are unmappable or make no sense at first many being bigger on the inside.

Spirits fit into the divine hierarchy often administering territories allocated by heaves or gods in a kind of cosmic feudalism or celestial bureaucracy. Spirits of all types like offerings and gifts and worship. Spirits rejecting this might be banished to the mortal realm.

Uses In GamePetty hauntings and phenomena
Magic items like mushrooms that let you see spirits
Spirits in bottles bound long ago
Spirits in items like swords or paintings or idols
Mentalists, exorcists, mediums and other interesting npcs
Communicating with spirits for information
Foes to fight or helpers of your enemies
Spirits might need help or be convinced to leave humans alone
Spirits might need help to recover items, their jobs, deal with bad spirits
Petty spirits might warn monsters and be found in dungeons and graveyards
Have a dry historic setting with spirit world incursions for most magic, monsters and dungeons