Jump to content

Is there a predefined ability for channelling spirits?


Mzimwi

Recommended Posts

As in a kind of voluntary possession, where you let the spirit speak through you. The kind of thing that oracles (in the African sense) and spirit diviners do, go into a trance, then any spirit in the area can enter your body and speak or write. It's a mix plus and minus, in that the character is readily subject to possession, but doesn't lose full control. Actually, any rules for possession would be helpful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had a character in one of my games who had a similar power to the one described – that he could channel spirits who could then talk/write/act using his body. The power was built using multiform – in this case, his physical stat.s did not change, but his various forms had different skills, knowledge and even magical powers … plus potentially, complications. As a limitation the multiform had the limitations: extra time (it took time for him to call the spirits) and focus (in his case, remains or artifacts associated with the spirit, plus a drum) and side effect on an EGO roll (If he failed the roll, he lost control of the spirit which took over his body). Now in this case, he could only channel the spirits of known ancestors  - that he had remains or an artifact for – so it was easy to prebuild the alternate forms. This approach to channeling lets the character actually access and use the skills and powers of the spirits: potentially a powerful and always a very flexible build.

 

If I understand you rightly, you want to be able to channel any spirit in the area. In this case, it becomes a bit more complicated. I can think of several approaches.

 

First and simplest, just stick the multiform into a VPP. This lets you make up any alternate “mental form” you like, but has several problems. First off, multiform is a special power and under normal circumstances should not be used in power frameworks without GM permission. Secondly, this makes for an insanely cheap and powerful ability (which is why it would not normally be permitted). I’d regard that as giant, red, blinking stop sign. It might still be OK, but you’d need to fence it around with some severe limitations. This also requires the GM to be able to make up appropriate spirits on the fly.

 

The second approach is use multiform and just build some generic spirits (warrior, wanderer, merchant, mage, etc) with skill such as AK:home region, rather than AK: Upper Nubia and so on.

 

Third approach – if all you want is communication from the spirits, not actual skills/powers, is to just use retrocognition – that lets you find out what happened in the past – and simply define the limit of what can be known as “what is known by the spirits”. I’d be inclined to add the talent “Cramming” which gives you rapid access to a low level of expertise with any studied skill – in this case, allowing access to skills known by the spirit – such as a language.

 

cheers, Mark

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe this will raise your spirits:

 

Spirit Medium: (Total: 20 Active Cost, 3 Real Cost) Mind Link , Specific Group of Minds: Spirits in the vicinity, No LOS Needed (20 Active Points); Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout use of Constant Power (0 DCV; Character is totally unaware of nearby events; -1 1/2), Extra Time (5 Minutes, Only to Activate, Character May Take No Other Actions, -1 1/4), No Conscious Control (Only Effects cannot be controlled; -1), Limited Class Of Minds [subset of a class] (-1/2), No Range (-1/2), Perceivable (-1/2), Stops Working If Mentalist Is Stunned (-1/2), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) (Real Cost: 3)

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says if you don't think that medium is well done, just change the channel

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Multiform is an interesting way to play it: basically psychic multiforming, so the only change is mental and spiritual.

 

The mind link idea has potential as well, as it simulates a lot of the ideas behind mediums: the spirits have to be willing and local.  It also has the advantage of being under greater control of the GM: you can only connect to the spirits that he decides are present and wiling to work with you.  I like either one a lot, and wish I'd included the mind link idea in my Codex!  Maybe next edition :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's the thing about Hero - you can't necessarily say something like "I want spirit channeling" and grab a predetermined ability that works thus and so and like this. You have to decide what that MEANS for your game world or your character and then build the ability or abilities that do that.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

SATOR AREPO TENET OPERA ROTAS

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You could even do it as a PRE based Skill. Just as Streetwise, High Society, and Bureaucracy, are Skills for dealing with certain kinds of people, and Animal Handler is a Skill for dealing with creatures who don't usually count a "people," there could be a similar Skill for dealing with entities who are "not Beast, not God, and yet not Man."

 

It should probably be paired with some kind of Enhanced Sense, however, since it would be hard to communicate with something without being aware of it.

 

edit: regarding the Multiform option -

There's a rule called the "Absolute Effect Rule" that may apply. Because covering EVERY contingency in Hero can run into a point of diminishing returns, and Hero doesn't really "do" absolutes by default, this rule allows that if you have created a Power that covers the great majority of cases, the rest can be assumed; a sort of "that's enough, stop counting" rule. In this case, if you buy Multiform with "enough" different forms - and "enough" is a judgment call from the person running the game - you can rule it allows any form that meets the parameters (in this case, to become a person with whatever Skills and Powers the possessing spirit should have.)

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

the palindromedary asks where L. Marcus went

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As others have noted, "spirit channeling" is really an sfx rather than a Power per se; figure out what game effect(s) the channeling has, and then build that.

 

If the spirits just give information, it's probably easiest to treat them as Contacts. If they actually give the medium skills or abilities they don't normally have - particularly combat skills - then Multiform or some kind of VPP is probably your best bet.

 

Closest example I can offer is a mambo (voodoo priestess) character I once built for an urban fantasy game. Her schtick is she can be possessed by various loa (spirits), each of which gives her a set of abilities along with a specific Side Effect (always occurs). I built it as a VPP with the slots grouped together by loa. I'll try to post it, but I'll warn you it looks pretty confusing since HD won't let you put lists inside a Framework. When she invokes a particular loa, she "activates" all that loa's slots and only those slots, along with the identified Side Effect. It was a pain-in-the-butt to build, but it played really well in game.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cost   Powers                                                                               END


51      Loa Posession Powers:  Variable Power Pool (Magic), 40 base + 50 control cost, Powers Can Be Changed As A Half-Phase Action (+½) (77 Active Points); Limited Special Effect Loa Possession (-1); all slots Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼)                                           


0        1) Agassou - Protect Self:  Resistant Protection (8 PD/8 ED/5 Mental Defense/5 Power Defense) (Protect Carried Items) (49 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) Real Cost: 22              0


                   Notes:  Side Effect - Cannot Harm Any Living Creature


0        2) Agassou - Protect Others:  Barrier 8 PD/8 ED, 4 BODY (up to 4m long, 2m tall, and ½m thick), Dismissable, Affects Desolidified Spirits (+¼) (50 Active Points); No Range (-½), Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout use of Constant Power (½ DCV; -½), Costs Endurance (to maintain; -½), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) Real Cost: 13                                        5


 


0        3) Ayezan - Exorcise Spirits:  Dispel Spirits 13d6, Affects Desolidified Spirits (+¼) (49 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) Real Cost: 22                            5


                                  Notes:  Side Effect: Code vs. Hurting Anyone


0        4) Ayezan - Purify Area:  Dispel Spirits 9d6, Affects Desolidified Spirits (+¼), Explosion (+½) (47 Active Points); No Range (-½), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) Real Cost: 17          5


0        5) Ayezan - Entrap Spirits:  Entangle 3d6, 6 PD/3 ED, Works Against EGO, Not STR (+0), Alternate Combat Value (uses OMCV against DMCV; +¼) (47 Active Points); Limited Power Only vs. Spirits (-1 ½), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) Real Cost: 12                            5


0        6) Ayezan - Bar Spirits:  Barrier 8 PD/8 ED, 2 BODY (up to 4m long, 2m tall, and ½m thick), Affects Desolidified Spirits (+¼), Cannot Be Escaped With Teleportation (+¼) (49 Active Points); Only Works Against Spirits (-¾), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Limited Range (12m; -¼), Incantations (-¼) Real Cost: 15   5


 


0        7) Dumballah - Service of Serpents:  Mind Control 10d6 (Snakes class of minds) (50 Active Points); Limited Power Only Versus Seprpents (-1 ½), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) Real Cost: 13              5


            Notes:  Side Effect: Can't Speak, Just Makes Hissing Noises


0        8) Dumballah - Protection From Venoms:  Life Support  (Immunity: Snake Venoms) (3 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) Real Cost: 1                              0


0        9) Dumballah - Constrictor Strength:  +20 STR (20 Active Points); Only To Grab/Squeeze (-1), No Figured Characteristics (-½), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) Real Cost: 5            2


0        10) Dumballah - Spitting Blindness:  Sight Group Flash 8d6 (40 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Limited Range 4m (-¼), Incantations (-¼) Real Cost: 16                                4


 


0        11) Erzulie - Love & Beauty:  (Total: 48 Active Cost, 18 Real Cost) +10 PRE (10 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 4) plus +2/+2d6 Striking Appearance (vs. all characters) (6 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 3) plus +2 with all Interaction Skills (8 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 3) plus +3 DCV (15 Active Points); Conditional Power Only vs. Men (-½), Conditional Power Mental/Emotion Based (-½), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 5) plus +3 DMCV (9 Active Points); Conditional Power Only vs. Men (-½), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 3) Real Cost: 18                       0


          Notes:  Skin Turns Pale. Rivalry with all women, especially attractive ones.


0        12) Erzulie - Do As I Ask:  Mind Control 10d6 (Human class of minds) (50 Active Points); Conditional Power Only vs. Men (-½), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) Real Cost: 18 5


 


0        13) Ogou - Body Of Iron:  (Total: 50 Active Cost, 22 Real Cost) +15 STR (15 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 7) plus +10 CON (10 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 4) plus +20 STUN (10 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 4) plus Resistant Protection (5 PD/5 ED) (15 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 7) Real Cost: 22                                                                                                 1


          Notes:  Side Effects: Love To Fight, Drink & Smoke (in that order); Drained 6d6 STUN After Possession Ends


0        14) Ogou - Warrior's Fists:  (Total: 39 Active Cost, 17 Real Cost) Hand-To-Hand Attack +3d6 (15 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-¼), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 6) plus +3 with HTH Combat (24 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 11) Real Cost: 17            1


 


0        15) Papa Legba - See The Unseen:  (Total: 48 Active Cost, 21 Real Cost) Detect Magic 14-/12- (Sight Group), Discriminatory, Analyze, Perceive into Astral dimension, Tracking (24 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 11) plus +2 PER with all Sense Groups (6 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 3) plus Nightvision (5 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 2) plus Mental Awareness (5 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 2) plus +2 versus Range Modifier for Hearing Group (3 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) (Real Cost: 1) plus KS: Everything Known To The Spirit World (5 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) 14- (Real Cost: 2) Real Cost: 21                                              0


            Notes:  Side Effect: Sores all over body, hunchback posture.


0        16) Papa Legba - Call The Loa:  Summon 160-point Spirits, Loyal (+½) (48 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-½), Gestures (Requires both hands; -½), Incantations (-¼) Real Cost: 21                                               5


Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

The easiest way to model a spirit medium ability that i can think of is a thusly:

 

Mind Link: this represents the ability to communicate with nearby spirits. build it with a limited group of beings (spirits) one at a time. no consciouss control is a dangerous limitation to use here, but many untrained mediums start out with this.

 

Telepathy: similar to mind link, but goes a step further into being able to force a spirit into communication.

 

Mind Scan: this ability represents an advanced medium who can contact spirits from a great distance. add extra-dimensional to the mix and the medium gains the ability to contact spirits who have already passed beyond the veil between this world and the next.

 

Vulnerability: many mediums have a vulnerability to Telepathy and Mind Control when spirit entities try to contact them or attempt possession. theses individuals must go through great lengths to ward their minds against such assaults and those who fail to learn this essential skill oftentimes are driven insane by the cacopheny of spirit voices in their heads before they have the chance to buy off the disadvantage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 10 months later...

Closest example I can offer is a mambo (voodoo priestess) character I once built for an urban fantasy game. Her schtick is she can be possessed by various loa (spirits),

I'm sure that's 90% of what the Loa do for the mambo.

 

Possession is nine tenths of the Loa.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The palindromedary says I stole that line from Bonewits.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is like a year old, but I've just seen it.  And questions like this come up often enough.

 

"Spirit channeling" can mean anything.  There's not a predetermined ability for it, because each person is going to visualize something different.  Since the HERO system has basically unlimited genres and campaign settings it can be used for, spirit channeling in one campaign might be very different from another campaign.  In an X-Files type campaign, it will be weird and creepy, but still questionable as to whether it is even supernatural.  In a Call of Cthulhu game, spirit channeling is probably incredibly dangerous, but would still have little combat effect.  In a comic book, it probably gives tremendous power, putting you in a Scarlet Witch category where the channeler might be able to take on an entire team of characters.

 

For something like the X-Files, a simple Detect and a KS or two might work.

Detect: Plot details

KS: Stuff I shouldn't be able to know, 11-.

 

This character says she "talks to the spirits", and seems to know important details about what is going on.  She knows people's names before she meets them.  She drops vague and cryptic hints about things that are happening.  "Your boss, Mr. Johnson, he got a coffee cup on his desk that says 'World's Greatest Dad', doesn't he?  You can tell ol' Bedulah, she already know de truth."

 

That's all you really need.  The character can go into her little trance thing, rock back and forth, speak in another voice, and then when she opens her eyes, she makes a skill roll and the GM tells the player some information.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...