One of my players wants to play a ghost

[John515]

One of my players wants to be a ghost who is searching for the person who killed him, as well as bring evildoers to justice as a "superhero". I've got some ideas as to how to deal w/a character like this, but I would like your input as well.

 

His character concept is that he will be permanently Desolid and will have in array of Telekinetic abilities to affect the material world with. I'm still a little leery of that, but I'm not ready to squash it yet-his backstory is pretty good and he's a good roleplayer in general.

 

Your thoughts, please? How would you deal with a character like this in your game?

[Trebuchet]

While this kind of thing can potentially lead to major abuses, if he's a good role-player and you trust him not to abuse it why not give it a shot? Tell him up front it's provisional and if it doesn't work out he'll have to use a different character.

 

If he has to buy "Affects Real World" on all his powers that ought to keep him from getting too grossly powerful. Subtle might be better.

[OddHat]

He'll be invulnerable except when facing foes with ADSO and/or mental powers, but that's true of any Desolid character. If he also has invisibility he might be even nastier. On the other hand, the rare foe who can hurt him can probably kill him; Mentalists and Magicians will be able to deal with him, as will demons and other supernatural types. I'd allow it. You'll need to make sure that he's hunted by at least one group (Demon, The Crowns of Krym, Talisman, PSI, etc.) that can seriously threaten him. He should buy Regeneration with the Resurection and Can Heal Limbs options so he can keep coming back (25 total points), or buy sufficient Armor or DCV levels to keep himself "alive."

[Guest Keneton]

Before I make a comment I need more info. Assuming Champions due to the thread, but is this a team game or a solo hero?

Campaign or serial?

 

Power level (dark champions etc...)

 

Please advice and I will give you an opinion. Thanks in advance.

 

BTW: Trebuchet gives good advice in general, so I agree with his initial call. I just want to be sure of the facts before I commit a hard opinion.

 

 

[DoctorItron]

I think such a character is okay, but remember:

 

1) Affects Physical World is a +2 advantage. 20 STR telekinesis will cost 90 active points, as much as an 18d6 energy blast. So? The ghost character may not be able to affect many villains with his powers. Make sure the player really understands this going into the game.

 

2) Many villains will never be able to affect the ghost. This means your "villain ambushes the PCs, knocks them all out, captures them" scenarios work best with mentalist and magical villains.

 

Ghost characters are similar to "immense defense, very weak attack" characters. If you think a character with 50 PD, 50 ED, and measly attacks could fit into your game, then the ghost can, too.

[Insaniac99]

alternatively, you could just make the "ghost" character invincible to physical, but have Energy still effect him as in "the energy rushing through him delivers a system shock and take away stun"

 

then the player with GM aproval just tkae either Desolid, only vs PD or a 75% (or 100% for extra with GMA) damage reduction and then he is immune to Physical but affected by energy, with a good reason, and a cool concept.

[Zed-F]

If you find that that character concept just doesn't work well for his character, or he can't build the character he wants with the number of points available, there's always the option of posession.

 

You can do a lot if you are willing to take time and use the cumulative advantage. Check out Zardoz on the following link to see how efficient you can make things.

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6160&perpage=50&pagenumber=3

 

Your ghost character could purchase multiform and have 2 forms: one for while he's a disembodied ghost, and one for while he's posessing someone. The ghost form would have desolid always on and so forth as described above, and a low-level cumulative mind control suitable for controlling a human host (which most of the time would just be a normal person.) Once the human is mind-controlled, you could use the multiform power to switch into a corporeal form, with the special effect of posessing the person you just mind controlled. The multiform would of course have reversion on it, so that if the host was knocked out/killed, the ghost would automatically revert to desolid form. Of course, you'd probably want higher STUN on the ghost form, so that he could go posess another body in relatively short order if that happened...

[John515]

Wow! Thanks for all the help so far! Keep it coming!!

 

Thanks for the input thus far, everyone! Please feel free to continue your suggestions! Here's some more info for you:

 

The ghost character will likely include invisibility as a power, though I will likely limit it somehow (perhaps high END cost? ideas, anyone)

 

I plan to introduce some very powerful mystic villians (like The "Big T"), so my player will soon have that to look forward to....

 

Power level: 200+150.

 

Team game, sort of a graphic novel setting/atmosphere

 

I figuered the Affects Solid advantage on everything would keep him in check to some extent, but I will be looking very hard at the final draft of his character sheet.

 

I will almost certainly make him take some sort of vulnerability to some energy types, just to keep him honest

[winterhawk]

There are a couple of precidents in comics for this...one of which is one of my favorites, Jim Corrigan aka The Spectre.

 

If your player is a good roleplayer, then there are some good opportunities here. Remind him constantly that he is a ghost. No earthly pleasures. No eating, drinking, smelling the flowers, etc. If he has DNPCs, make it so they can't see him. His wife is getting remarried, his friends mourn him, kids don't remember him, etc.

 

I would pay attention to the sheet, however. If this guy is the least bit of a munchkin, there are plenty of opportunities for point-crunching.

[MoonHunter]

A disad or two that might help

 

Powers are only part of the equasions. The rest is how his ghostly state effects him and how the world effects it.

 

First: Effected by Folk/ Common Magic 20 pts Com-total

This means anyone with a Ouiju board can summon him, a line of common table salt can prevent his crossing, that a chanting individual with a bundle of burning sage can keep him out of a building. Blessed firecrackers act as 2x stun and dazzle to him.

 

Second: Monitored by "PTB" Assume that some low level spirit of a super natural buracracy (Celestrial/ Demonic/ Other) is watching what the character does to make sure that it is not breaking the rules.

 

Second and a half: Vunerability to Agent of PTB (uncommon x2). This allows the PTB's enforcers (or heck his case worker) to make sure he toes the line.

 

*******

 

Remember that once you have dead people active in your campaign, you are going to have to invest a little work in what happens in the beyond. So it will increase the amount of world creation you need to do.

 

In addition, he will set the precedence for all other ghosts/ spectres in the campaign. So he becomes the template for what other players will expect in a powerful ghost.

 

*********

On last one that is an open option:

 

Hunted by Previous foes of the "Ghost of Vengence". Our hero is probably not the first ghost of vengence. I am sure those "stopped" by previous ghosts of vengence, have invested some time and effort in how to "get back" at the ghost of vengence. These people don't know he is not the ghost of vengence that once tortured them.

[levi]

I love these boards sometimes!

 

To address the issue of making this character cost effective he could go the Martial Artist with Al On Desolid and STR that affects the real world (20 STR = 60 AP).

Remember that PRE does not have to be purchased to affect the real world to scare the bejesus out of someone.

 

I had a character named Nightwraith like this...after watching the movie Ghost (with Patrick, Whoopi and Demi) no one ever let me play him unfortunately.

[JohnTaber]

Hi John515,

 

Sounds like you have an inkling of this effect. Let me relate a quick stroy...

 

In my 200+150 Champs campaign I have a new PC with Desolid, Invis, and Flight but it is not something that is on all the time. The effect is that the PC turns into air. The player could only make it to ONE session then a personal matter came up. Even after 1 session I could tell this was a very unbalancing combination. The PC was essentially completely undetectable. It was very powerful. He followed the PC around and they had no clue he was present. Be VERY careful allowing this in any combination even with good players. I know this sounds mean but in my case I am actually contemplating asking the player to come up with another idea. It will make it tough to run many types of adventures...and forget having villains try to escape unless the plan is really intricate...careful.

[pinecone]

I used to play a Ghost char on occaision and the warnings are good. I took the lim Vuln Necromantic magic x2 effects (includes mind controll, mind scan mental illusions etc...) to cover the " So, how do we handle a ghost?" issues in part. I played him as an agent buster/scout...with the side job of "Destroyer of Desolid villians" I took the desolid as REnd>0 ,Persistant, Vari-special effects. I was a mentalist/MA my ma was 20 Strength vs solid, Boxing for a 8D6 uppercut and 20 more strength that did not effect the real world my mentalist stuff was Images and mental illustions but I had to "manifest" ie: turn solid to use them. Oh and a change environment:Classic haunted location effects ,always on...after all any place I was, is by definition "haunted" I did use Invisability and a small TK (IPE) and the combo is hard to handle so do show care. But if the player is not a power mad fiend it will likely be "OK"....

[John515]

More ideas! You guys are da' greatest!

 

Oh yes, more stuff from the boardmongers. Thanks! Some more ideas for this ghost player:

 

One of the members of the team is a big celebrity hero who has put out a "call to arms" to form the team. Since "Poltergeist" is one of the respondees he will be known as a member of the team (he won't look at all like his former, living self, however). Knowing this, villians who try anything in their area will have to be prepared to deal with a hero like this, so I figure that all but the most foolish will plan around it to minimize the threat he may present to their dastardly plans. Super agencies will surely have gear to affect desolid at least some of the time. Mentalists will have little or no trouble. Cults, mystics and the like will certainly be ready as well (especially the "Big T"...boyohboyohboy I can't wait!).

 

Keep the input coming, folks. You are making my first campaign in many years MUCH easier. You all rock!

[Balok]

Ways to deal with such a character:

 

First, if he's really got the power *all the time*, he has to be it Inherent, I believe. Otherwise it can be Dispelled. That costs.

 

Second, make sure that if he selects a "Hunted", you evaluate the value properly. For example, PRIMUS would be less powerful, because it can't do much to him (unless you say they've got agents who can affect supernatural characters). In other words, the relative strength of opponents should be evaluated within the context of the character's natural state.

 

Third, misdirection works well. The genius supervillain could hire an actor who looks like his killer to lure him away from the scene of the real crime. This is an alternative to preparing some means of dealing with him. The degree to which it will be effective depends on whether his backstory includes psych lims that compel him to seek out his killer.

 

Unless he destroys his killer the first time he encounters him, that killer will be able to prepare for him. A staple of comics is that the opponent comes back over and over again, better prepared each time. So the first time, the ghost puts a hurting on him and he does a nickle upstate (after all, it's hard to charge him with murder when his victim is demonstrably alive -- a good defense attorney will be able to plead him down). When he comes back, he'll have contacted an evil wizard or something, and he'll be ready...

[Hugh Neilson]

Originally posted by Balok

Ways to deal with such a character:

 

Unless he destroys his killer the first time he encounters him, that killer will be able to prepare for him. A staple of comics is that the opponent comes back over and over again, better prepared each time. So the first time, the ghost puts a hurting on him and he does a nickle upstate (after all, it's hard to charge him with murder when his victim is demonstrably alive -- a good defense attorney will be able to plead him down). When he comes back, he'll have contacted an evil wizard or something, and he'll be ready...

 

Better yet, set him up to destroy his killer first time.

 

If you can come back as a ghost...