Preta

Referred to in English parlance as a “hungry ghost”, the preta is rather a very solid, corporeal creature. A popular concept in several Oriental religions, preta are considered to be the reincarnated spirits of deceitful and corrupt people, doomed to seek the refuse of the Earth as punishment. In reality, they are typically born from slop magic, or magical refuse left behind without proper dispersal and left to ferment in unsanitary conditions. They are perpetually hungry and attracted to dirty things such as excrement, mud, and even sick people (though they do not, as is popularly believed, eat dead bodies, as the amount of flesh weighs them down and can cause their stomachs to burst). A preta looks much like a desiccated, bloated corpse of grey-green colour, with little to no hair and broken, stained teeth; it can also use illusion magic to take on the appearance of a foul man or woman (hence the religious association). Attacks from preta are typically not directly fatal, but can spread illness in their bites. It’s best to be rid of them immediately; they are sensitive to extreme heat and cold, and can be made to gorge themselves to death as well. Their stomach is their weak point, as it contains all of the undigested things they eat.