Ghosts

Spirits who refuse the embrace of Su-Lan may linger as undead spirits called Ghosts. These incorporeal beings often linger near their place of death or bind themselves to items or people from their life, unwilling to leave. Shaman may occasionally make arrangements with such spirits, or bind them forcibly into service.

Without the aid of a shaman, it is often challenging for a ghost to manifest itself in the Mortal Realm. It takes a certain amount of power to manifest, so the vast majority of existing ghosts will never be able to do so freely. Weak ghosts in particular are rarely self-possessed enough to try - often they are simple shades or echoes of who they were in life, caught reliving a particular moment that led to their unfinished business. However, there are places where the barrier between the Spirit and Mortal Realms is weakened, known as Hallows, where even the most fragile of ghosts can be seen walking the world once more.

Template Bonuses

• Immune to Death Magic, Poison, Disease, Mind-controlling effects, and non-lethal damage
• If reduced to 0 Health while manifested, most ghosts will be properly destroyed. However, some ghosts are powerful enough to anchor themselves with a Fetish - an item of particular import to a ghost during its life - that their energy is drawn to, allowing a ghost to reform after a time. Destroying such an item will prevent the ghost's return. A ghost may flee back into the Spirit Realm as a Free Action, but retains its current amount of health when doing so.
• Soul Manifest: This ability enables ghosts to project the essence of their souls across the barrier between the Spirit Realm and the Mortal Realm to walk the physical world once more. Weak ghosts (Rank 1-2) generally cannot manifest themselves, however, within a Hallow manifestation is significantly easier to achieve. Within a Hallow, Rank 1-2 spirits may manifest after ten minutes of concentration and the time it takes for higher ranked spirits to manifest is reduced by 1 step (Full > Standard > Move > Fast).

Ghosts

Rank 1

Apparition

An ill-defined figure appearing as though out of thin air. It can do little more than gesture and make noise… but that’s often enough cause for alarm.

Rank 2

Poltergeist

Disembodied spirits that can touch and manipulate the world across the Veil between life and death, Poltergeists are often blamed for violent actions, such as throwing stones or setting fire to clothing and furniture without other known causes. Poltergeist encounters are sporadic and unpredictable.

Rank 3

Shade

Shades retain some knowledge of their past lives, appearing in death just as they did in life - with the same equipment, though not necessarily as much in the skill department. They often retain some inherent memory of the skills they had in life, though it is often impaired by the fog of death and the passage of time.

Rank 4

Phantom

Powerful spirits of powerful mortals, these ghosts are able to wield magic to a small degree.

Rank 5

Haunt

Some of the most powerful ghosts, these undead are as dangerous as they are versatile.