Shh! Did you hear that?
I've been on a recent kick to add supernatural elements to Aeon Adventure but to do it in a way that doesn't break pulp conventions or horror conventions. Recently it came to me to create a method for creating Ghosts for a particularly occult-drenched campaign that I am ramping up.
Where do we go when we die? Nobody knows. Least of all the ghosts. For one reason or another, they are tied to some piece of unfinished business here on earth that keeps them from moving on to their reward. They linger here and cause trouble for the living because they cannot rest or because the living irritate them beyond endurance. Various occult agencies know how to deal with these pests but the bulk of humanity has a harder time with these spectral troublemakers. Well-meaning folks like the White College try to help the unfortunate souls while groups like Ghostbreakers International and the Covenant usually blast first and ask questions later. Bad folks like The Ubiquitous Dragon and Baron Saturday have found reliable ways to enslave ghosts and put them to work as near-perfect spies.
How to build a ghost
Create an ordinary Inspired character.
*The Character will have the Stalwart Knack Heightened Senses for free. The only catch is that they cannot actually turn it off. Prolonged contact with too much stimulus can cause loss of temporary willpower or may even provoke a homicidal reaction from the ghost in question
*Ghosts are intangible all the time. In order to manifest and make things happen in the material world, they must have Psychic Hand, Teledigitation, or MindHammer. (Since this costs Inspiration, Ghosts must become very choosy about what actions they do with their limited command of the physical realm.)
*Ghosts can be harmed by psychic or telekinetic attacks (which only cause bashing damage) or they may be harmed by tellurically charged items, like say a "Magick" sword. (either Bashing or Lethal at the ST discretion) or concentrated Z-rays (Always lethal)
*Ghosts always have an obsession derangement. If their Vice comes into play in conjunction with the obsession then the willpower expenditure is doubled.
*Ghosts always have Cloud the Mind in effect on them. Assume a stealth dice pool of at least 6 unless you choose to buy more. In fact, it works in reverse for them. they have to expend Inspiration in order become visible and obvious to normal persons. The only exception to this is characters who possess the Knack Telluric Resonance. Characters with this knack can always see ghosts. Ghost are also noticeably colder than their surroundings so characters with Aetheric Vision will spot them too, as a person-shaped cold spot.
*Other appropriate mesmerist knacks Include:
Thermal manipulation (cold spots and sudden freezing temperatures)
Cloak of dread (For scaring the shit out of the pesky breathers)
Evil eye (A good general sort of cursing knack)
Flame conjuration (for the ghost with a penchant for fires, semi-common among poltergeist lore.)
Psychic control ( a way to possess a physical body again)
Psychic Assault,*(my own home-brew knack, since it creates derangement's in targets, it could be used to simulate a number of ghostly effects such as freaky emotional vibes, horrifying hallucinations, monkeying with a target's dreams or even to facilitate possession as above. "I don't understand! There was blood all over this wall. You believe me don't you?")
Create an ordinary Inspired character.
*The Character will have the Stalwart Knack Heightened Senses for free. The only catch is that they cannot actually turn it off. Prolonged contact with too much stimulus can cause loss of temporary willpower or may even provoke a homicidal reaction from the ghost in question
*Ghosts are intangible all the time. In order to manifest and make things happen in the material world, they must have Psychic Hand, Teledigitation, or MindHammer. (Since this costs Inspiration, Ghosts must become very choosy about what actions they do with their limited command of the physical realm.)
*Ghosts can be harmed by psychic or telekinetic attacks (which only cause bashing damage) or they may be harmed by tellurically charged items, like say a "Magick" sword. (either Bashing or Lethal at the ST discretion) or concentrated Z-rays (Always lethal)
*Ghosts always have an obsession derangement. If their Vice comes into play in conjunction with the obsession then the willpower expenditure is doubled.
*Ghosts always have Cloud the Mind in effect on them. Assume a stealth dice pool of at least 6 unless you choose to buy more. In fact, it works in reverse for them. they have to expend Inspiration in order become visible and obvious to normal persons. The only exception to this is characters who possess the Knack Telluric Resonance. Characters with this knack can always see ghosts. Ghost are also noticeably colder than their surroundings so characters with Aetheric Vision will spot them too, as a person-shaped cold spot.
*Other appropriate mesmerist knacks Include:
Thermal manipulation (cold spots and sudden freezing temperatures)
Cloak of dread (For scaring the shit out of the pesky breathers)
Evil eye (A good general sort of cursing knack)
Flame conjuration (for the ghost with a penchant for fires, semi-common among poltergeist lore.)
Psychic control ( a way to possess a physical body again)
Psychic Assault,*(my own home-brew knack, since it creates derangement's in targets, it could be used to simulate a number of ghostly effects such as freaky emotional vibes, horrifying hallucinations, monkeying with a target's dreams or even to facilitate possession as above. "I don't understand! There was blood all over this wall. You believe me don't you?")
Ghosts as Player Characters
it is, of course, possible to make a ghost of a former PC or create a character that is a Ghost at the beginning of a chronicle. ST's must remember that causing problems for the player is going to be difficult and that players might get a bit frustrated by the limited amount of interaction they can do with the world around them. but that's the price you pay to stop worrying about death. Make sure the players pick a good obsession to keep them in play. Unfinished business is the only thing that is keeping them bound to this mortal coil. It might also be the only thing binding them to the party and their goals. So if the object of the obsession goes in one direction and the party goes in another. Then it is splitsville. The ghost can't really choose otherwise.
it is, of course, possible to make a ghost of a former PC or create a character that is a Ghost at the beginning of a chronicle. ST's must remember that causing problems for the player is going to be difficult and that players might get a bit frustrated by the limited amount of interaction they can do with the world around them. but that's the price you pay to stop worrying about death. Make sure the players pick a good obsession to keep them in play. Unfinished business is the only thing that is keeping them bound to this mortal coil. It might also be the only thing binding them to the party and their goals. So if the object of the obsession goes in one direction and the party goes in another. Then it is splitsville. The ghost can't really choose otherwise.
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