Ghostly Possession

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

You could call the corpse remaining as either a Distinctive Feature or Physical Limitation on the "vehicle", since leaving "evidence" laying around generally isn't seen as a bonus...

[Dust Raven]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

You could call the corpse remaining as either a Distinctive Feature or Physical Limitation on the "vehicle"' date=' since leaving "evidence" laying around generally isn't seen as a bonus...[/quote']

 

Nor is it inherently a limitation worth extra points. By default, all Powers (more or less) leave evidence of their use. You don't get a Limitation because your EB leaves gaping holes in things when you use it for example. The corpse "appearing" is just part of the SFX of dismissing the Vehicle (if you use the Summon Vehicle method) or switching back to the base form (if you use the Multiform method), just like the corpse "disappearing" is SFX when you use either method.

[SirViss]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Dust Raven & Dr. Anomaly: You guys have a point, so I would suggest to go for a custom Limitation: Requires Corpse, instead of defining as a Focus of somekind, probably worth -¼ or - ½ (depending on how often the spirit would stumble upon a corpse). Making an expendable Focus implies that you won't find a corpse after your done with the possession. and anyother type of focus you sorta have to have it around so that someone can take it away or destroy it.

 

(I hope I am making somekind of sense.)

[Weldun]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

I know clinging has been suggested already, but I've successfully played a character with this very power.

 

Clinging, affects physical, only to hold onto host (-1)

Affects physical world on STR, linked to clinging. (Remember that in this edition you can link to a lesser power, if it makes sense.)

Susc: When Corpse takes damage.

Clairsentience (all senses), no range, blackout, only what corpse would have sensed if alive (reduced version of "only through the senses of others" at -¼). Again, linked to the clinging.

Regen without the self only. (In fact, I had corpse only. Some people die messily.)

 

My char also had the ability to access the memories of the corpse.

Retrocognition for above clairsentience, only for events experienced by corspse (-½).

 

Yes, sometimes a "power" (in terms of effect) may seem to be a kludge, but the "power" to possess the recently dead actually confers several abilities, thus many powers in game terms.

 

Well, there's my 5 cents (Inflation, don'cha know?)

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

In the situation where a ghost animates a corpse I always wonder why it isn't simply a matter of switching off an always on Desolid with a VPP to provide added physical attributes from the corpse.

 

So if the ghost has 10 STR and animates a giant with STR 25 then the VPP needs to provide +15 STR.

 

The VPP would also have to provide BODY and when that BODY was depleted then the corpse was damaged so badly that the animation fails - it also means that a huge attack might actually disrupt the spirit before it goes desolid again.

 

 

Doc

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Does the ghost take damage that the corpse takes or does she just animate it? If it were me (and it isn't so feel free to ignore this), I would just buy it as a naked advantage on STR (give the ghost a 25 starting STR to match anyone she might pick up).

 

For 25 STR: Affects Real World (+2), Invisible to sight (+½; visible to mental and touch), 0 END (+½), Only to animate corpses (-1), Limited to STR corpse had when alive (-½), and if appropriate Feedback: Takes same damage as corpse (-1) and/or Side Effect: PER rolls, DEX, and SPD only as good as that of corpse (-½)

Active cost:75, Real Cost:25 to 19 points

 

You might want to throw Clinging in there too as mentioned above to stay with the corpse.

 

__________________________________________________________

"The rich scare me. They can already evade taxes." - Grim Reaper

[Robyn]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

You might want to throw Clinging in there too as mentioned above to stay with the corpse.

 

Is there some way the character could be treated as armor for the corpse, or vice versa, such that they would automatically split and share all damage and knockback?

[TheRavenIs]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

This is going to be a bit wacky' date=' but what about Multiform with an OIF (not expendable) and make it a 1 Charge (Recoverable) [Continuous?'].

 

See the OIF is for the fact that you can use any corpse (hopefully your character doesn't find too many of those around ). The Recoverable Charge is the fact that he has to have a corpse in his "possession" to use the power. When he stops using the power the "charge" is dropped on the scene. He he reuse the same corpse to use the power again, if it is still in a fit state for use.

 

I know it is a bit backwards, but it's an idea.

 

 

I owe you rep....a nice elegant way to do it. Consider this stolen for use at a later time.

[Weldun]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Actually, a friend of mine came up with this rather elegant solution.

 

A multiform VPP, and EDM, usable against others.

The defense against the EDM (as required by usable as attack) would be if the target's attributes and abilities could not be copied by the multiform provided by the VPP.

 

This is a solution for generic possession, but with a few disads, and maybe the retrocognitive version of the clairvoyance power I described above (indeed, retrocog only), you could easily adapt this to your own idea.

 

NOTE: The EDM is to remove the original body from play. It's sends it's target into a pocket dimension.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Hmmm. Suppose the possessed body gets injured while the ghost is possessing it. When the ghost vacates the body, I'm assuming the "possessed person", by the game mechanics, returns from the pocket dimension. That person won't be injured. How does that mesh with their body having been damaged while they were possessed?

 

If all damage done to them automatically heals when the possession ends, then that puts the kibosh on one of the classic dilemas when dealing with possession: "Oh, my gosh! Dr. Roberts has been possessed by the spirit of the crypt and is trying to kill us! How do we defend ourselves and stop the spirit without killing poor Dr. Roberts' body?!?" The answer in this situation would seem to be: kill it, because it's not the real body, and when the possession ends, the Doctor should pop back into existence safe & sound.

[Weldun]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Hmmm. Suppose the possessed body gets injured while the ghost is possessing it. When the ghost vacates the body' date=' I'm assuming the "possessed person", by the game mechanics, returns from the pocket dimension. [b']That[/b] person won't be injured. How does that mesh with their body having been damaged while they were possessed?

 

If all damage done to them automatically heals when the possession ends, then that puts the kibosh on one of the classic dilemas when dealing with possession: "Oh, my gosh! Dr. Roberts has been possessed by the spirit of the crypt and is trying to kill us! How do we defend ourselves and stop the spirit without killing poor Dr. Roberts' body?!?" The answer in this situation would seem to be: kill it, because it's not the real body, and when the possession ends, the Doctor should pop back into existence safe & sound.

Define a backlash effect for the physical rules of the pocket dimension. Simple, but good job picking up that oversight.

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Is there some way the character could be treated as armor for the corpse' date=' or vice versa, such that they would automatically split and share all damage and knockback?[/quote']

 

Sure, use the Feedback limitation mentioned above to simulate that they both take damage. Then buy either an Aid to PD/ED, Affects Real World, only vs. possessed corpse. Or maybe just Armor, Useable by Other, Affects Real World, only vs. possessed corpse.

 

_______________________________________________________

The one part of the Poltergeist movie that was not made up was the part where the developer just builds over the graves...

[Cwylric]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Anyway, here's (predictably) how I'd build it:

 

Possess The Recently Dead: Variable Power Pool (possession pool), 50 base + 12 control cost, No Skill Roll Required (+1) (100 Active Points); Limited Class Of Powers Available (Multiform only, physical stats must match those corpse possessed while living; -1); all slots OAF Bulky Expendable (Very Difficult to obtain new Focus; -2) Real Cost: 62

 

Just adjust the size of the pool for the expected value of the Multiforms needed for the campaign.

 

I like this. I came up with a couple of variations, over the weekend. One of them I'll talk about later, but the other was quite similar to this. I think I like your version better, though - it just seems a bit more elegant.

 

I could have gone with 1 Recoverable Charge instead of a difficult to obtain expendible focus' date=' but I don't see the character carrying corpses around "just in case" and I feel the rules for Focus cover this better than Charges do. Also, while the corpse does in fact still exist when the possession is over, it's not exactly "recently dead" anymore and likely can't be reanimated (I could be wrong, but I don't see this ghost jumping around in corpses like drama major in wardrobe.[/quote']

 

Huh... You know, I never really thought about it like that before. I was concerned that several variations I had come up with didn't quite work, because the body ended up gone. As you pointed out, however, the fact that a Focus can no longer be used for the Power does not necessarily mean that it is gone - just that it cannot be used as a Focus, any more. In other words, it seems legitimate to rule that an "expended" Focus has simply lost its utility as a Focus - not that it has been destroyed (I don't have any books handy, so I may be missing some technical point, here, but as a GM, I'd allow that reasoning.) That makes the whole Expendable Focus idea useful for any of several variations I came up with. As you said, once the corpse has been animated for a while, it is no longer "recent" and, thus, no longer eligible as a Focus.

 

Also' date=' each Multiform should have Accidental Change to base form when the possessed corpse is dying. This will be worth 0 points because it's just as much an advantage as it is a disadvantage (it keeps the ghost from being destroyed if the possessed body is killed while it's still in there).[/quote']

 

Yup, I agree.

 

The fact the body "vanishes" is just SFX. It doesn't really vanish' date=' the ghost possesses it. It's the SFX of the Multiform.[/quote']

 

I do have a little problem with that idea, though. If you extend it to apply to other Powers, you could run into some real abuse. In general, SFX should not have a major impact on the world - and having something disappear is definitely a major impact. The fact that the body is no longer inhabited does not change that fact that it is a tangible physical object that affects the world (if only as a clue, for example). Having it vanish, almost as an after-thought, to act as the SFX for what is basically a shapeshifting-sort-of Power, seems kind of sketchy, to me.

 

Anyway, I came up with another idea, as I mentioned earlier: Resurrection, with a Limitation that makes it temporary and another that prevents it from working on Mind and Spirit (remember that Hero, through Transform etc., defines a character as being composed of Body, Mind, and Spirit). Basically, this brings the body back as an empty shell, with 0 Intelligence, Ego, and (I presume) Presence. Now, add a helping of Mind Link (group: resurrected bodies), Clairsentience (blackout, see through others senses, no range, etc.), and (*sigh*) Clinging, and you're covered. Actually, Weldun's list is similar to the one I came up with (other than the STR and Susc, which would not really be necessary), i.e.

 

Clinging, affects physical, only to hold onto host (-1)

Affects physical world on STR, linked to clinging. (Remember that in this edition you can link to a lesser power, if it makes sense.)

Susc: When Corpse takes damage.

Clairsentience (all senses), no range, blackout, only what corpse would have sensed if alive (reduced version of "only through the senses of others" at -¼). Again, linked to the clinging.

Regen without the self only. (In fact, I had corpse only. Some people die messily.)

 

No body in two places at once, no disintegrating body when it dies again, no problematic Summons in a situation when nothing is actually being called up, and no illegal dead-to-alive Transform. And the Desolidified spirit ends up in the body, where she would be, so that she is subject to mental damage, while the body sucks up any physical damage.

 

There are also a few other fringe benefits. First, if the Mind Link is broadened, it can be used on other people (useful, since this may be her only means of chatting with her buddies). Second, this construct provides an easy means to define "exorcism": since all of the other Powers would be bought with no range, breaking the Clinging effect will cause all of them to crumble (and I imagine it would be some sort of Ego-based, rather the Strength-based Clinging, to give the proper effect). Third, the Healing that forms the base of Resurrection allows her to patch up a body that (as Weldun pointed out) might have died messily. That was part of the original image, i.e. that the possessed body appears as it did in life, so that she can finish the hosts work.

 

There is one catch: the Mind Link would allow her to give the body orders, since it has no Intelligence or Ego. Unfortunately, this means that anyone could theoretically give the body orders. Haven't quite figured out how to get around that one, yet...

 

Anyway, these are, in my mind, the two strongest options, so far. I'll just pick one over the next few days, and write it up - I still have a lot of other stuff to work on, for the campaign, and this one character has already had more the her fair share of my time. When I do, I'll probably post it here, when I get the chance.

[Weldun]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Actually, in my framework, the body is animated in a marionette-like fashion by the expedient of the "affects physical world" on the strength. Now while this means that the strength of the possessed might be higher or lower than the original, this is a possession after all. There's nothing saying that that shouldn't be the case. Just remember that your effective strength is reduced by the amount required to carry the body. Effectively, the corpse has a minimum strength requirement.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dust Raven

The fact the body "vanishes" is just SFX. It doesn't really vanish, the ghost possesses it. It's the SFX of the Multiform.

 

 

I do have a little problem with that idea, though. If you extend it to apply to other Powers, you could run into some real abuse. In general, SFX should not have a major impact on the world - and having something disappear is definitely a major impact. The fact that the body is no longer inhabited does not change that fact that it is a tangible physical object that affects the world (if only as a clue, for example). Having it vanish, almost as an after-thought, to act as the SFX for what is basically a shapeshifting-sort-of Power, seems kind of sketchy, to me.

 

I don't think of it as an afterthought. It's actually a fairly common element in this kind of SFX. It's no different than a character buying an EB for his ability to use any handy pick-up-able object and use it an an effective thrown weapon. There is no additional power that makes the objects "vanish" while it's being used this way, nor is there a power that makes it "reappear" after it's used. There isn't even a convoluted Teleport UAA that moves the objects from near the character to near the target of the EB. It's just happens based on the SFX. Same thing with the Multiform/"vanishing" corpse.

 

I do agree there are some major implications concerning the sudden loss of a massive chunk of evidence, but I don't think it's something that's worth paying extra for. There are pros and cons to this that could easily balance things out (the corpse is missing, completely throwing off the murder invistation, which prevents both the proper authorities and the player characters from examining the corpse for clues, and might draw the attention of the authorities to the player characters should they be aware there's a corpse up and walking around looking for it's killer).

 

There's also the possibility the character might just show up for an evening of adventure already possessing a corpse he "dug up somewhere" and the rest of group thinks better of asking about it.

[caris]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

I do have a little problem with that idea' date=' though. If you extend it to apply to other Powers, you could run into some real abuse. In general, SFX should not have a major impact on the world - and having something disappear is definitely a major impact. The fact that the body is no longer inhabited does not change that fact that it is a tangible physical object that affects the world (if only as a clue, for example). Having it vanish, almost as an after-thought, to act as the SFX for what is basically a shapeshifting-sort-of Power, seems kind of sketchy, to me.[/quote']

 

I think that you are overthinking this. The build Dust Raven is using is just a variant on the Summoning builds that are official for Mechanon and Takofanes. In both cases, the mechanics "Summon" is being used for what is effectively a transformational power. (Both create either robots or undead from available materials.)

 

Is there potential for abuse or complications? Yes, but that tends to happen with a lot (if not really most builds), and it is the responsiblity of the players and the GM to work out how to handle these things to prevent them from being a problem. Now, it sounds like this is primairly intended to be an NPC. So the key here is to remember the mantra of Steve's responses in the Hero System Question Forum (paraphrased): use your "common sense, dramatic sense and game balance". Do not have the character use the power in a way that would violate either of the last two for you and your players.

 

Some additional things to add to the build that might make things easier for you to deal with conceptually are:

 

EDM UAA and an Attack Power with variable special effect to put the appropriate types of damage on to the characters host corpse after the posession is over

 

Alter the VPP to be able to do the above

 

Power Skill (depending on how free you are with its uses)

[Cwylric]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Okay, I think I finally have this Corpse Possession thing licked. I had come up with a really nifty construct using Resurrection, Aid Body (in place of Healing, so that the Body fades away, creating a built-in time limit), and Mind Link/Clairsentience/Clinging-based possession; however, the cost was way too high, mostly because of the need to put Affects Physical World on everything. This made me realize that, to be cost effective, the Power construct had to focus on the spirit, not the corpse. Pity, really. My original plan felt a lot more accurate and opened up some interesting ideas, vis-a-vis exorcism, gradual deterioration, keeping both bodies in one place, etc. Oh, well.

 

Anyway, this is what I finally settled on. It still achieves most of what I wanted to do and does so at a much more sensible price - more in keeping with how strong the character intuitively feels, as compared to her peers.

 

Corpse Possession: 50-point VPP + 25-point Control Cost (75 Active Points)

- Limited Class (-1/2): Multiform Only

- No Choice Regarding How Powers Change (-1/2): Multiform Attributes Based Strictly on Merger of Spirit and Corpse Attributes (see below)

- Bulky Expendable (Very Difficult to Recover) OIF: Recently Slain "Corpse of Opportunity" (-1 1/2)

- Nonpersistent (-1/4)

Real Cost: 57 (50 + 7, with total Limitation of 2 3/4 on Control Cost)

 

As you can see, this is similar to what Dust Raven was talking about, with a few changes:

 

1) I can't see allowing Multiform as a Very Limited Class, since, in theory, it gives access to many other Powers when piped through a VPP. This isn't a big problem, in this case, due to the other Limitations, but it could easily be abused, without them. Thus, as a general rule, I'm calling this -1/2, instead of -1; however...

 

2) ...this is balanced out by the -1/2 Limitation for the character having no control over the attributes that arise (since they are based on the corpse). Same -1 total, when the smoke clears, but this just seems neater and less likely to cause trouble if some other player wants to stick Multiform in a VPP without a Limitation like this.

 

3) I ditched the "No Skill Roll Required", because this should be tricky to do when under pressure. If the character tries to possess a corpse in the middle of battle, she needs to make a skill roll.

 

4) Given that any "corpse of opportunity" can be used, I have to call this an OIF, not an OAF (see the notes about "objects of opportunity", under the Focus rules).

 

5) I was a bit unsure about the Expendable Focus being Very Difficult to Recover, at first, but finally decided that DR was right about this one. If any old corpse would do, then I might have to knock it down to just Difficult; however, because the body must be very recent and relatively intact, Very Difficult probably makes more sense.

 

6) I added Nonpersistent to give the possession an effective time limit. If the character loses consciousness (gets knocked out, goes to sleep, or whatever), the effect ends.

 

Okay, so how does all of this work, in the game? Basically, the spirit must occupy the same space as a recently deceased, more or less intact corpse, to make use of the "Focus". Because this Focus is Expendable, it effectively disappears (to simulate the spirit entering the body and taking it over, as opposed to creating a new one).

 

Once the "possession" kicks in, the Multiform power causes the spirit to mimic the deceased (incidentally, losing Desolidification, Invisibility, etc.). The merged Multiform can be quickly built, using the following basic rules:

- It has the INT, EGO, and PRE of the spirit and all of the other Characteristics of the deceased.

- Skills are those of the spirit but are based on the new Characteristic scores.

- Powers are those of the deceased, although the spirit may have trouble using them, if the proper knowledge is not available (this can be simulated by placing Activation Roll Limitations on problematic powers, but, of course, Powers that already require skill rolls can probably not be used at all).

 

Because the Focus is Expendable, the spirit can only make one such "change", per corpse. The Multiform still costs no END but, because it is Nonpersistent, it fails once the character loses consciousness. This means that the character will always be working against a dramatic deadline: she must do everything that she needs to do before she passes out from exhaustion or is knocked out in some other manner.

 

As a special effect, the body reappears when the Power is done, but, since it can no longer be used as a Focus, the rules for Expendability are still satisfied.

 

For those who are interested, the character's other ghostly Powers include:

 

31...EC: Spirit Form

39...a - Desolidification: Vulnerable to Magic, 0 END (+1/2),

...........Persistent (+1/2), Inherent (+1/4), Always On (-1/2)

24...b - Invisibility: Sight and Hearing Sense Groups, 0 END (+1/2),

...........Persistent (+1/2), Inherent (+1/4), Always On (-1/2), Fringe

...........Effect: Slight "warping" in space and cool patch

31...c - Life Support: Total and Immortal, Inherent (+1/4)

15...Flight: 6", Usable Underwater (+1/4)

5....Infrared Perception (Sight)

5....Nightvision

---

150 Total

 

Since the character is effectively mute, she may end up taking Mind Link, as well. She will probably buy back Running and Swimming, since it seems sensible that Flight would be her only form of movement. She is going to need the points, anyway, since the Powers noted above, plus the VPP, plus her Characteristics (relatively modest, at around 49 points) currently come to 256 in a 250-point campaign (and she still has no Skills)... In a pinch, I might reduce the VPP to 40, instead of 50, given that she will mostly be possessing relatively normal people, anyway (and, thus, wasting lots of points, most of the time).

 

Just about there (finally)!

[Cwylric]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

I came up with a slight variation on the Corpse Possession VPP from my last post. Two things had been bugging me, and I figured out how to solve them both at once.

 

1) The Multiform's Active Points are limited to 50, since that is the size of the VPP. As stands, however, the Multiform is only using 18 Real Points (50 with -1 1/2 for OIF and -1/4 for Nonpersistent = 18). This means that 32 points are basically being wasted.

 

2) Anything that kills the Body will kill the spirit. I would rather that the death of the body expel the spirit, unless the damage is really catastrophic. In other words, the spirit should take all of the STUN damage, to represent mental shock, but less BODY damage.

 

So, here's the fix for both. The VPP should also automatically include the following Power:

 

Healing 4d6 for Body, Time Delay (+1/4), OIF as for VPP Control (-1 1/2), Linked to Multiform (-1/2), Self Only (-1/2). Active Points = 50. Real Points out of pool = 14.

 

The Time Delay causes the Power to kick in once, just as the Multiform is shutting down, healing 4d6 points worth of Body on the spirit.

 

This change requires that the Nonpersistent (-1/4) Limitation be moved off of the Control Cost, since it now only affects the Multiform slot. It does not change the final cost of the VPP, though (a 25-point Control Cost, with a -2 1/2 Limitation total, is still 7 points).

 

As you can see, this solves both problems, at least to a degree:

 

1) It uses up 14 more points from the pool so that fewer are being wasted.

 

2) It makes it much less likely that the spirit will be killed by an attack that kills the body (although she may still end up heavily stunned and could be annihilated by a really terrible attack).

 

I suppose I could throw in another Linked and Delayed Healing that works on STUN (there are still 18 points left in the VPP, after all), but I kind of like the idea of the spirit getting staggered by the trauma of yet another death.

[Doc Democracy]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Corpse Possession: 50-point VPP + 25-point Control Cost (75 Active Points)

- Limited Class (-1/2): Multiform Only

- No Choice Regarding How Powers Change (-1/2): Multiform Attributes Based Strictly on Merger of Spirit and Corpse Attributes (see below)

- Bulky Expendable (Very Difficult to Recover) OIF: Recently Slain "Corpse of Opportunity" (-1 1/2)

- Nonpersistent (-1/4)

Real Cost: 57 (50 + 7, with total Limitation of 2 3/4 on Control Cost)

 

 

 

How anal is the game about foci? I almost never invoke focus damage rules as a GM - just one too many things to consider usually. In this case I might warn the player that I am inclined to think seriously about it.

 

The OIF will be the focus for attacks and thus will degrade substantially over time and I'm not sure that you have any defences that will work for the focus. Are you planning on running two BODY totals - it didn't seem so from your post though that could also solve the problem of kicked out or killed. If the focus is destroyed before the ghost is killed then the spirit becomes free again.

 

You could also have a BODY pool in the VPP that represents the 'tie' to the BODY. Once the BODY pool is overcome then the spirit is expelled - whether or not the focus is destroyed. That amount of the VPP would be unavailable until the BODY was healed.

 

 

You'll have to let us know how it plays - the true test of any construct.

 

 

Doc

[DangerousDan]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Yup, as I mentioned in my earlier post, I thought of that. The corpse-to-dust end result is not what I had in mind, though. I may still fall back on it, but, for now, I want to try to stick to the original picture.

 

As I see it, treating the corpse as an expendable focus does not necessarily mean that it must be destroyed by use, but does mean that you cannot use it again. Under this interpretation, when you stopped possessing a corpse, it would simply collapse. However, once you released it, you would never be able to reposess that specific body. As with anything, this requires GM approval.

[Cwylric]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

How anal is the game about foci? I almost never invoke focus damage rules as a GM - just one too many things to consider usually. In this case I might warn the player that I am inclined to think seriously about it.

 

The OIF will be the focus for attacks and thus will degrade substantially over time and I'm not sure that you have any defences that will work for the focus. Are you planning on running two BODY totals - it didn't seem so from your post though that could also solve the problem of kicked out or killed. If the focus is destroyed before the ghost is killed then the spirit becomes free again.

 

You could also have a BODY pool in the VPP that represents the 'tie' to the BODY. Once the BODY pool is overcome then the spirit is expelled - whether or not the focus is destroyed. That amount of the VPP would be unavailable until the BODY was healed.

 

Doc

 

As it turns out, damage to the Focus, once the Power kicks in, is irrelevant.

 

In game terms, the Expendable Focus vanishes, and the character assumes a new form, via Multiform (in which she can be damaged, just like any other character). There is no more Focus to damage. This is no different from a spell component being used up for a Multiform spell, for example (remember that, once activated, the Multiform effect will last, with or without the Focus, until the character changes back to normal - although no further changes will be possible, thereafter, since the Focus has been expended).

 

In story terms, the character possesses the corpse - no actual destruction or shapechange occurs. This is, basically, the special effect and "real world" rationale for the construct.

 

Of course, the corpse-Focus can be damaged before it is possessed, which may prevent possession from working (decapitation, for example, causes the VPP to fail). And, if it is damaged after the possession is over, it does not really matter, since it has effectively been "expended" as a Focus and cannot be used, again, anyway.

 

It's weird, but it works. Believe me, I had a little trouble getting my mind around some of this, at first, too, but it really does seem to be the best way to simulate the efffect.

 

Anyway, see my next, rather lengthy post, for more on this.

[Cwylric]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Well, here is my "final" write-up for the Corpse Possession construct (assuming that no problems arise). Note that I have added some features to provide extra flavor and utility and to use up the remainder of the Pool.

 

 

Corpse Possession:

Variable Power Pool, with 50-point Pool and 25-point Control Cost (75 Active Points); Limited Class (see below; -½), Character Has No Choice Regarding How Powers Change (see below; -½), Bulky Expendable Very Difficult to Recover OIF (recently slain corpse of opportunity; -1½). Total cost: 57 points.

 

As noted above, the character has no control over the sort of Powers that use the VPP. They are always as follows:

 

- Multiform (assume form, worth no more than 250 points, that physically mimics corpse but retains possessor's mental attributes) (50 Active Points); Bulky Expendable Very Difficult to Recover OIF (recently slain corpse of opportunity; -1½), Nonpersistent (-¼). Total cost: 18 points.

 

- Clairsentience (Sight Group and Normal Hearing), with Retrocognition (45 Active Points); Linked to Multiform (-½), Bulky Expendable Very Difficult to Recover OIF (recently slain corpse of opportunity; -1½), Blackout (-½), Fixed Perception Point (-1), Only Through the Senses of Others (-½), No Conscious Control (only to experience last few seconds of deceased's life, through his senses, and only at GM's discretion; -2). Total cost: 6 points.

 

- Telepathy (Recently Deceased mind class) 10d6 (50 Active Points); Linked to Multiform (-½), Bulky Expendable Very Difficult to Recover OIF (recently slain corpse of opportunity; -1½), No Conscious Control (only to get burst of recent memories from deceased, including important personal facts, central to his vision of himself; -1). Total cost: 12 points.

 

- Healing 4d6 BODY, Time Delay (activates once, just as Multiform shuts down and possessor returns to her own body; +¼) (50 Active Points); Linked to Multiform (-½), Bulky Expendable Very Difficult to Recover OIF (recently slain corpse of opportunity; -1½), Self Only (-½). Total cost: 14 points.

 

Note that this is considered to be a Limited Class of Powers, rather than a Very Limited Class, since Multiform, in a VPP, can give the character indirect access to numerous abilities with divergent special effects. In any event, the total Limitation is increased by Character Has No Choice Regarding How Powers Change, so that the two, together, are worth -1.

 

 

The Multiform allows the character to assume the physical form of the deceased, while retaining her own mental abilities. In game terms, this means that the new form can be quickly built, using the following guidelines:

 

- Use the INT, EGO, and PRE of the possessor and all of the other Characteristics of the deceased. If the SPD of the deceased is less than that of the possessor, average the two, rounding up. If enough Character Points are available, the form's final STR and CON scores should be increased by +5 each.

 

- Use the Skills of the possessor, but base them on the new Characteristic scores, as appropriate.

 

- Use the Perks of the deceased but only when they still make sense (GM's discretion).

 

- Use the mental Talents and Disadvantages of the possessor and the physical Talents and Disadvantages of the deceased (GM's discretion).

 

- Use the Powers of the deceased. Note, however, that the possessor may have trouble using them, if the proper knowledge is not accessible. This can be simulated by placing Activation Roll Limitations on problematic Powers, although Powers that already require Skill Rolls can probably not be used at all.

 

- If not enough Character Points are available in the Multiform to mimic an especially tough being, reduce the attributes, in the following manner and order:

1. Drop the +5 STR.

2. Drop the +5 CON.

3. Reduce each Power by about 10% to 15%, starting with the most expensive and working down to the least. For this purpose, any Characteristic score over 20 counts as a Power. If the form is still too expensive, repeat this step.

 

 

This is how the entire package actually functions, in the game:

 

1. The possessor touches the corpse or, in the case of a desolidified possessor, occupies the same space as the corpse, effectively merging with it. Note that the body cannot have been dead for more than six hours, and, if has been dead for more than three hours, the Power may fail (see below). Furthermore, while the body can be damaged, it must be relatively intact. Although limbs may be missing, the torso and head must be more or less whole and fully connected (decapitation prevents any possibility of the Power working).

 

2. If the body has been dead for less than three hours and the possession occurs under non-stressful conditions (i.e. out of combat), then no Skill Roll is required to activate the Variable Power Pool. If the possession occurs under stressful conditions (e.g. in combat), or if the body has been dead for three or more hours, then a Possession Skill Roll is required. This works just like any normal VPP Skill Roll, which means that a rather sizable penalty applies, due to the large number of Active Points being changed. Furthermore, an extra penalty applies, if the body has been dead for three or more hours: -1 per full half hour, after three hours. Remember that the roll always fails after six hours.

(Sidenote: For obvious reasons, the character may wish to take this VPP with the No Skill Roll Required (+1) Advantage, which raises the Active Points from 75 to 100 and the final cost from 57 to 64. Even in this case, however, a Skill Roll is still required if the body has been dead for three or more hours. Due to the Advantage, the penalty for such a roll is based strictly on time and is unaffected by the number of Active Points being changed.)

 

3. All four of the Linked Powers kick in at the same time, more or less, as follows:

 

- The Multiform allows the possessor to take over the body, effectively healing it of most injuries and causing it to return to a semblance of normal life. In game terms, what actually happens is that the possessor takes on a new form, which is a merged version of both, as previously described. Since this is a Multiform, the only damage that the final form will retain is that suffered by the possessor, not the corpse. Because the body acts an Expendable Focus, it effectively disappears (to simulate the possessor entering the body and taking it over, as opposed to creating a new one). In story terms, the possessor does not mimic the body and destroy it - she actually inhabits it, as a special effect of the Multiform and its various Limitations.

 

- As the possessor enters the body, she may experience a momentary flash of insight, as simulated by the Retrocognitive Clairsentience. Because of the -2 No Conscious Control Limitation, the possessor has no control over this - whether or not it occurs is entirely up to the GM. If it does occur, then the possessor experiences the last few seconds of the deceased's life, as if through the victim's own senses. If the death occurred very recently (within the last five minutes), then the vision is crystal clear, since the body's brain cells can be accessed directly. After that, the vision becomes less and less clear, since the brain requires more and more "rebuilding", from scratch, losing its stored information, in the process. Up to about three hours, the information becomes increasingly vague but is still somewhat reliable. After that, it degrades rapidly, to the point of becoming almost useless. Note that, because of the Blackout Limitation, the possessor is very vulnerable during the transition, since she has no access to her own senses. Given the nature of the transfer, the GM may rule that this occurs even if the Clairsentience Power does not kick in fully (the possessor simply experiences a moment of unsettling blackness). One way or the other, the character's senses are cut off from the world for at least one full phase.

 

- As the possessor enters the body, she may experience a momentary flash of insight, as simulated by the Telepathy Power. Because of the -1 No Conscious Control Limitation, the possessor can choose whether or not this aspect kicks in, but she has no control over how it works. It always scans the deceased's memory, picking up a vague awareness of the personal facts that he considers to be most central to his vision of himself (name, family, recent concerns, and so forth). As usual, the Telepathy Effects chart determines the maximum extent of the information that can be obtained, but the GM ultimately determines what sort of tidbits arise, within these parameters. As with the Clairsentience effect, the information can only be fully trusted when the death has occurred very recently (within the last five minutes), since the body's brain cells can be accessed directly. After that, the scan becomes less and less clear, since the brain requires more and more "rebuilding", from scratch, losing its stored information, in the process. Up to about three hours, the information becomes increasingly vague but is still fairly reliable (if patchy). After that, it degrades rapidly, to the point of becoming almost useless.

 

- Finally, the Healing Power kicks in; however, it does nothing at the time. Because of the Time Delay Advantage, it only activates once the Multiform fails, causing the possessor to return to her normal form. At this time, the possessor instantly regains 4d6 Character Points worth of BODY. This has been added to simulate the fact that serious damage to the possessed body does not necessarily translate into serious damage to the possessor. Light damage has no effect on the possessor, and even the death of the body will usually only expel the possessor, with light damage (trauma). Only catastrophic damage is likely to kill the body and the possessor. Note that, because the activation of Multiform effectively causes the loss of all of the possessor's other Powers (including this one), the Healing effect works only once and, then, only because of the Time Delay. In effect, it has been activated at the same time as the Multiform, while it is still available, but has no tangible benefit until later.

 

4. The END cost of all four Powers, which must be paid for at once, is 14. If the possessor does not have enough END, parts of the Power fail, in the following order: Telepathy (5 END), then Healing (5 END), then Clairsentience (4 END). The Multiform costs no END, so it always functions, as long as any required Skill Roll succeeds. Note that the Telepathy and Healing Powers are optional, so the possessor need not activate them; however, in the latter case, especially, it would be foolish not to do so. Since the GM controls the Clairsentience effect, the possessor has little choice about its activation.

 

 

Once all of the Powers have activated and the possessor is in control of the new form, she treats it as her own body in every respect. She can change back, giving up control of the body, at any time. Barring that, she retains the new form until she loses consciousness. Because of the Nonpersistent Limitation on the Multiform, the Power fails as soon as the possessor falls asleep or is otherwise knocked out.

 

The moment the possessor returns to her normal form, she regains 4d6 Character Points worth of BODY, as previously described. She does not regain any STUN, however, so the death of the body will probably render her senseless for a while. The body "reappears", as a special effect of the Power, in whatever condition the possessor left it (not necessarily the condition in which she found it). Because this "Focus" is considered to be Expendable, it can no longer be used with this Power construct - each body can only ever be possessed once. Thus, the rules for Expendability are satisfied, without the actual destruction of the body.

[Cwylric]

Echo (Part 1)

 

I thought some people might be a little curious to see what all of this stuff about a Corpse Possession Power was in aid of, so here is the Background for the character who is actually using it. Be warned - this is kind of a long post. In fact, I'll probably end up splitting it in two. Anyway, without further ado...

 

 

Code Name: Echo

Secret Identity: Dr. Sarah Kimberly Brennan

Origin: Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA

Occupation: Researcher

Gender: Female

Skin: Fair (dusting of freckles)

Eyes: Bright blue (glasses)

Hair: Light brown, longish and slightly wavy

Height: 1.6 m (5'3")

Weight: 49 kg (108 lbs.)

Build: Willowy

Birthdate: January 10, 1979

Other Description: All of the above describes Sarah's appearance in life. She is now invisible and incorporeal, lacking any measurable mass. To a person who can somehow view her incorporeal form, she still appears something like this, but more idealized, with completely unblemished, translucent flesh and glowing eyes, which lack pupils.

 

Carolyn entered her own small apartment almost hesitantly, as if unsure what would be there to greet her. Naturally, there was no one present. Or, at least, no one she could see.

 

"Sarah?" She probably didn't need to say it out loud, but knowing that the alternative might actually work was just too unsettling. "Sarah, are you here?"

 

Carolyn sensed what the answer would be, even before it entered her mind, as the air around her grew still and cold. Nevertheless, the alien presence, whispering through her thoughts, without ever touching her ears, startled her, as it always did.

 

"i am here"

 

Carolyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm her nerves. "You were right. I gave the police the information, anonymously, and they looked where you said. There was... a man. A dead man. And they found the gun, just where you said it would be. I think they're going to arrest Carl."

 

"good"

 

Yes, good, but... "Sarah, how did you know all of that?" She blurted it out, sounding more nervous - maybe more accusatory - than she had intended. "You weren't... I mean, you didn't have anything to do with it, did you?"

 

"are you asking if i killed the man ... or if I framed Carl"

 

Carolyn's eyes widened, and the situation suddenly felt even less safe. "No! No, I didn't mean that! I just meant... Sarah... Carl didn't kill you, did he?"

 

"no"

 

That was something, at least. "Then, how..."

 

"you would be amazed at what you can see when no one knows you are looking"

 

"Right... of course." Carolyn suddenly realized that the door was still open. She backed against it, closing it, and put her keys in her purse. She bit her lip, as she pondered her next move. She had stalled long enough. She had to know.

 

"Sarah, what are you? Are you some kind of angel?"

 

"hardly"

 

Was there the shadow of a mirthless laugh in the reply? Surely, she couldn't be...? No, try a safer route, first. "Sarah, are you dead?"

 

"i am not alive"

 

That wasn't much of an answer, but she decided to run with it. "So, you're... like, a ghost? Why don't you... well... go into the light?"

 

"there is no light for me ... no light at all"

 

"So... you're in Purgatory, then?"

 

"i would have said hell"

 

"But, you're talking with me, so... I mean, you can't be in Hell, right?"

 

"i am everywhere but am seen by no one ... I hear all but am never heard ... i can only touch the world through the window of death ... i am alone as no one has ever been alone ... what would you call it"

 

"You... you can talk with me..."

 

"you are special ... there are so few like you"

 

A short, sharp laugh, escaped Carolyn's lips, before she could stifle it. "There's nothing special about me."

 

"you would be surprised"

 

Carolyn frowned and thought about this for a moment. Sarah had already said far more about herself than usual, without really explaining anything at all. Carolyn stalled, as she tried to think her way through to what she really wanted to know. "Anyway, I can't imagine that you would do anything to deserve going to Hell."

 

"i would not have thought so either ... but here we are"

 

Was that bitterness? Resignation? Maybe this was getting somewhere, after all. "Sarah, is that why you do this? I mean, come to people and try to fix their lives? Are you trying to... do penance?"

 

"not really ... you have it backwards"

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"i help others do penance when they are no longer in a position to do it themselves ... it is the least i can do for the service they render"

 

"You mean... other ghosts?"

 

"not exactly"

 

Carloyn frowned again. She was missing something, here, although she was also starting to get the sense that she might be happier that way. Finally, she sighed, and wandered toward her bedroom to change. "I don't understand."

 

The presence did not follow her, so she never heard the answer.

 

"i pray that you never have to"

[Cwylric]

Echo (Part 2)

 

Echo's Background (continued)

 

It could be said that Sarah Brennan came by her connection with death honestly.

 

As a child, she was intelligent, sensitive, and perceptive, beyond her years, but she did not always make friends easily. For a few weeks, while she was spending the summer with her uncle and aunt, near Boston, she had a very good friend, in the form of a boy, named Cody. Oddly enough, no one else ever seemed to meet him, and he vanished shortly after the skeleton of a long-dead murder victim turned up. Of course, he was probably just an imaginary friend.

 

Later, Sarah woke up, one night, to find her grandfather sitting at the end of her bed. She had a long talk with him about all the things she planned to do with her life (an interesting list, given her youth and imagination), and he gave her loving encouragement. She found out the next day that her grandfather had died, in the hospital, a few minutes before the conversation. Of course, it was probably all just a wonderful dream.

 

Finally, when Sarah was in her teens, she was involved in a boating accident and, technically, drowned. For a couple of minutes, she was dead, but, afterwards, she remembered watching her father drag her own body ashore and resuscitate it. Of course, this was probably just a hallucination, caused by her brain's oxygen starvation.

 

In any event, Sarah studied biochemistry, neurology, and psychology, in university. Intrigued by what had happened to her, she began to focus on Near Death Experiences, examining them from both a physiological and psychological perspective. She never really came to any firm conclusions about life-after-death, but her work generated several useful insights into the way the body and mind experience and deal with the process of dying.

 

While working as a researcher, Sarah was approached by Dr. Peter Corrigan, who had heard of her work and invited her to join him in an unsual venture. Project Osiris was aimed at finding ways to extend life and resuscitate those who were on the verge of death. Corrigan believed that Sarah's NDE research might be useful, particularly in the latter context. Once Sarah got a look at the impressive facilities that would be at her disposal, she could hardly turn him down. The only aspect of the offer that gave her pause was the high level of secrecy it entailed - a seemingly needless precaution, considering the nature of their research.

 

For several months, Sarah continued her work, under the auspices of Osiris. During this time, she and Dr. Corrigan developed a casual romantic relationship, and she grew to trust him, nearly as much as she respected his brilliance. Eventually, he revealed one of Osiris' strangest secrets to her: one part of the project involved research into astral projection (an idea that Sarah had never given much credence). Sarah became actively involved, with Dr. Corrigan, in researching a combination of electronic and chemical stimulus that could, theoretically, encourage astral projection.

 

At the time, Sarah believed that they were simply trying to pin down the aspects of the mind that expressed the illusion of astral projection, as a window into NDEs - she did not believe in the phenomenon's physical reality. Eventually, however, when she conducted several tests on herself, she began to change her mind. While she was never able to project fully, she did seem to have testable, if vague, episodes of limited clairsentience. Corrigan was ecstatic with her progress, and Sarah was only too happy to please him.

 

Finally, late one night, when Sarah was pouring over some notes, Corrigan charged into her office, clearly excited about some breakthrough. He said that he had discovered a flaw in their methodology and that a few small changes might produce improved results. Since no one else was there, he hoped that Sarah would not mind playing test-subject, again - especially, since she had shown so much more potential than the others. She agreed, and the experiment began. Unfortunately, while she was "going under," there was a power surge, and she lost consciousness completely.

 

###

 

When the woman came to, she found herself being dragged out of an unknown car, on an unknown stretch of road, by a complete stranger. She had clearly been in some sort of automobile accident, but she could not remember it. Indeed, she could not even remember her own name and had to discover what it was - Ellen Anderson - by looking at her driver's license.

 

The doctor's said that Ellen had amnesia but was otherwise in surprisingly good condition, considering the severity of the accident. Her boyfriend, Ryan Fuller, showed up, and the doctors allowed her to go with him, in hopes that familiar locations and faces would jog her memory. This turned out to be a forlorn hope: nothing seemed familiar, at all.

 

To make matters worse, later that day, Ellen overheard a telephone call that seemed to indicate her boyfriend was involved in some sort of insurance scam and that her accident may not have been so accidental, after all. She tried to get more information, but Fuller discovered what she was up to. In the resulting scuffle, he hit her over the head, intending only to knock her out. Unfortunately, although the injury was not severe, Ellen passed out and died... again.

 

###

 

As she felt "her" body surrendering to death, Sarah finally began to realize who she really was. She seemed to be a disembodied spirit, and, somehow, she had possessed the body of Ellen Anderson, when that poor woman died in the car accident. Her memories were still vague, but she remembered enough to know that Ryan Fuller had to pay for his crimes. Animating the recent corpse of a gunned-down drug dealer, in the morgue, Sarah was able to fully investigate Fuller and use her unique knowledge to frighten him into foolish actions (including an attempt to murder her most recent body). Ultimately, Fuller ended up in a shoot-out, with a police officer. When he died, Sarah had a brand new body.

 

Now, Sarah had a chance to return to Osiris and find out what had happened. This proved to be more difficult than she had anticipated, due to the secrecy of the project and the fact that her new body was completely unknown to anyone involved. Eventually, however, she was able to contact Dr. Corrigan and convince him of her true identity. His news was as terrible as she had feared: she had been electrocuted, during the power surge, and suffered terrible brain damage, dying only a few hours later. Somehow, something in the experiment had allowed her astral form to escape and survive the death of her body. He would do everything in his power to help her adjust to her new existence. In the meantime, it would be very helpful to the project if she would agree to being studied...

 

At first, Sarah went along with this, and it gave her a chance to explore the limits of her power - and her curse. Something about the whole situation felt wrong, though. If nothing else, Sarah began to wonder how the Project had such ready access to fresh corpses for her to possess. As a result, she decided not to tell anyone about one aspect of her power - the fact that, between possessions, she still retained full awareness, as a disembodied, invisible, and completely mobile spirit.

 

By taking advantage of this trait, Sarah was able to delve more deeply into Osiris, and what she found horrified her. It appeared that Osiris was part of a secret espionage operation. One of their goals was, in fact, to extend life - for a select few - but a more immediate one was to discover how to create undetectable astral spies. On a purely personal note, it began to look increasingly unlikely that Sarah had been chosen for the project strictly because of her knowledge. Corrigan had researched her past very carefully and decided that she was a prime candidate for experimentation. Worst of all, it began to look increasingly unlikely that the power surge was an accident; in fact, the physical death of the subject may have been the "small change" in methodology that Corrigan had recognized as a necessity for success.

 

In her latest body, Sarah tried to confront Dr. Corrigan with her information but simply ended up fighting with his guards, after being lured into a strange room she did not recognize. She was not even particularly worried, when she died, this time. That changed, however, when she discovered that she was trapped in the room. Corrigan had figured out the true extent of her powers and had prepared a little surprise for her.

 

Sarah spent the next few days, trapped in what amounted to a spiritual cell, while the Osiris scientists attempted to study her. Fortunately, one of these scientists had, in fact, been replaced by Changeling, a spy from the Aegis Foundation. Changeling freed Sarah and offered to take her back to the Foundation, where they would help her figure out what to do with her unlife.

 

Sarah had other plans, however. Furious at Corrigan and revolted by her own existence, Sarah attempted to destroy the institute and, using advanced technology, herself with it. She was successful in the former attempt, but failed dismally in the latter. As the building burned to the ground, around her, Sarah did not feel pain or approaching oblivion or anything at all - not even satisfaction. She simply continued to exist. Lacking any other options, she went with Changeling and joined the Aegis Foundation as a probationary member.

 

Since that time, Echo, as Sarah is sometimes known, has proven herself to be an effective, if unsettling, member of the team. She still has a somewhat fatalistic attitude, but she has found some meaning, in her life, by tying up the loose ends for the deceased people whose bodies she briefly borrows and by trying to help their families, as best she can. Having said this, such incidents are relatively uncommon, and Sarah has been spending more and more time as a disembodied spirit. Her allies fear that she is losing touch with the world - and, worse, that she is losing the capacity to care about it.

 

In the meantime, there are signs that the Osiris Project, like its namesake, may have avoided final death. Although numerous vital records and pieces of equipment were lost, many of the researchers survived, and they are being encouraged, persuaded, or coerced to continue their work by their hidden patrons. There is even some possibility that Peter Corrigan is alive. Sarah was almost certain that he died in the fire, but a badly scarred individual, matching his description, was recently spotted in South America by a Foundation agent. Should Sarah come into contact with him or his associates, again, the meeting is unlikely to go well for anyone.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Ghostly Possession

 

Wow! Massively detailed background. I only skimmed through it but what I read was good. I'm looking forward to seeing Echo's stats.