Ghosts in Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel RPG

Train of Ghosts

Ghost
-9 Drawback (Unwilling Ghost)

Supernatural Form: Def. Not Human -2
FFS +2
 [Attractiveness -2]**
Uncontrollable Power -5
Reduced Dmg: Everything / 10 +50
Physical Disability: Imprisoned - Specific -50
Invisible +20
Physical Disability: Intangible -20
Immortal 0
Total Cost -9

The Ghost is physically and Astrally limited to a specific locale, such as a house, room, or even bottle (in the case of a djinn, which is what any Supernatural that can cast spells would be if contained in a lamp, bottle, et.al.). Critters like Bigfoot are akin, as they might be "Contained" to "Wildlands" or "Swamps in Florida," but at a reduced Drawback point total. If the Ghost tries to traverse beyond the boundaries of the specific locale, he finds himself teleported somewhere randomly back into his confined space.

Imprisoned is a new Drawback at three levels: Regional (-10), Area (-20), and Specific (-50). Regional includes large-scale regions, such as "Mid-South," "Tri-State area," or "The Pine Barrens;" Area is more enclosed, such as a city block, a neighborhood, a named mall or shopping center (usually abandoned or unoccupied) and its parking lot, a certain road; and Specific is a confined area, such as a bottle, room, or house.

I created two new Physical Disabilities, as even the 8-point maximum was not enough to cover our Astral issue; after all, a quadriplegic has at least some technological and/or magical means of overcoming her Drawback. The point here is that our ghost is an unwilling one, perhaps the victim of a spell like Soul Reave (Monster Smackdown, p.122) which, at PL 10 with no QuickCast, is unlikely.

Intangible encompasses the inability to handle objects, speak or communicate with others, or even walk on solid floors (if you want to get deep in the weeds). The -20 offsets the +20 Invisibility Ghosts are forced to take, which is a Drawback in this case. -20 is also suggested for debilitating issues like Autism, et.al., as the effects are much the same. In fact, the stepped system should work for MLS, et.al., without the need for new additions, specifically addressing them.*

There are a lot of new Qualities and Drawbacks, as well as Spells and Supernatural Abilities, associated with spirits in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel TTRPG that I developed using the Cinematic UniSystem, as well as my own house brew. I'll be posting a lot of them for Halloween. Already, there is Restore Soul (MB, p.71) and Spirit Calling (Magic Box, p.73-74), along with a couple, few others.

Scoobies are likely to find Unwilling Ghosts sympathetic to their attempts to dispel the Damned, and may even be the focus of their investigation. Sadly, without the help of some major magickery, releasing the Unwilling Ghost does not resurrect the dead.

Ghost
17-point Quality (Willing)

Supernatural Form: Dual -1
FFS +1 (in Supernatural Form)
 [Attractiveness (in Supernatural Form) -1]**
Reduced Damage: Everything / 2 +5
Invisibility +20
Major Vuln. Silver (WPRx5 LP) -3
Minor Vuln. Religious Ritual/Symbols (2xWPR) -2
Major Vuln. Circle of Binding -3
Minor Vuln. Spirit Calling (Need 2 SL to Resist) -2
Minor Supernatural Attack (2d10 LP, Close) Chill Touch +4

This is more Supernatural as Superhero than canon, although the TV shows used the same device ad nauseam, and we are playing Cinematic UniSystem. If you forego the Vulnerabilities, the TC is 24. But, again, that's total superhero using the Supernatural as the source of its powers, which kind of misses the purpose and flavor of the game. However, even I might allow such a thing, if you want to pay 24 points for it.

Further development will include an Astral Projection variation of the willing Ghost. 

Happy Halloween!

UPDATE: I got Ghosts of Albion, which has a lot of these rules I covered for Halloween, so I may revisit these as I learn more.

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* I don't mean to be tone-deaf, but inclusive.
** Keep in mind that we use FRIGHT, FEAR, SHOCK (FFS) rolls instead of ATTractiveness as our Fear system, so even though I'm listing the ATT penalties, that's just the critter's appearance; instead, that penalty is added to the critter's FFS, which is subtracted from the Frightened character's FEAR test. Ukkleh people scare me, too, but that whole system just seems r*cist. We can't be r*cist at ukkleh people anymore; they just ukkleh.

© The Weirding, 2024