Making a friendly (sorta) Ghost NPC

[Tanis Frey]

I am going to import a NPC from a novel into my Urban Fantasy Game.  Book series: Incarnations of Immortality  Character: Molly the ghost First Book Appearance: On a Pale Horse

In the novel, Molly is a ghost that was "imported" to a west coast US city to be a tourist attraction.  She is originally from Ireland and was a street vender during the 1800's when she lived.  She became a ghost and a mage in the early 1900 relocated her to the west coast city where the novel starts.  In the novel if someone interactes with her, they would die with the next few days.  Interaction means talking to or trying to attack and not just watching her pass by.  Molly is aware of this curse and tries to not interact with the living.........she is a good ghost as much as she can help it.

 

In Game term she has powers: Fading and Ghostly Form as written for the Ghost in Hero System Bestiary.  Since she is friendly and not trying to harm the living most of the other ghost powers will not be replicated upon her character sheet.
I will be adding  Extra-Dimensional Movement, She can move between the world of ghosts and the human world at will.  she can go anywhere if the ghost world but is locked to appearing on a random street Buffalo, NY. A simple 30 active point power.

Phycological Completion: Always pushing her ghostly cart and trying to sell her wares.  (VC,Total)
Phycological Completion: Cannot step on Hallowed Ground (UC, Moderate)
Negative Reputation:  a ghost that causes people other to be unluckily (Infrequency)

The death curse will be down graded to mere Unluck imposed on others.  I am thinking a Transform, Major 1d6 (Affects Physical World +2, 0 END Cost +1/2)(35 Active)(Limited Target only adds Unluck -1/4, Extra Time (1 turn, voice only) -1/2)

I want the transform to occur every segment if someone tries touches her but to only happen once per turn if they are only talking and I would like the effect to last days as it slowly fades.  Any other advantages or limits can you suggest.

[unclevlad]

Sounds like you have most of it.

 

What's the point of her being around?

 

Forget Transform.  Just...don't.  Someone talks to her?  BAM!  Unluck becomes a temporary Complication.  I don't care about the points, just the situational aspects, and how MUCH Unluck we're talking about.  it's 100% plot device.  Plot Device does not need formal translation...just how it is gonna work.  I would say, unluck for *days* would potentially be really harsh.  Now...you do need a situational definition, so rather than lasting days, I'd maybe do something like 3 (?) incidents, so it doesn't just happen at any old time, it's when it'll matter.  (IIRC, it hit at a REALLY bad time for the victim in the book...but haven't read it in several decades.)  Activation roll...12-, maybe 13-?  If the activation doesn't go off, well, lucky guy.  Still counts as an incident...so no one's entirely sure when it'll be over, or if she's really unlucky at all.  

[Tanis Frey]

I am worried because she will be the groups first problem to deal with.  She will be only witness to a supernatural crime that they will be assigned to solve.  If they do things correctly she may become a contact/ally for the future.



Additional Completion:  Accidental change: will become solid when she becomes frightened/attacked.  (uncommon, 8-)

[LoneWolf]

From the sounds of it she is more a plot device than anything.   If so don’t worry about writing her ups.  If I remember the series correctly she could only interact with people who were going to encounter death.   As long as there is a dead body in the future the curse would be fulfilled.  

[DentArthurDent]

Since she is an NPC, I’d allow a lot more rule-bending than usual. I’d consider Variable Limitation 1) Extra Time (1 Turn, voice only) or 2) only if “attacked”

 

This might work since Hero considers just about every unwanted interaction to be an attack, subject to DCV or MDCV.