Ghost Traits

Ghosts have Attributes similar to living

characters, but they are abbreviated to the
three general categories of Power, Finesse
and Resistance. Power represents a ghosts
ability to affect its environment, from
throwing objects to opening and slamming
doors. Finesse represents a ghosts capability
in interacting with or manipulating elements
of its environment, from noticing the
intrusions of trespassers into its home to
terrifying someone with horrifying illusions.
Resistance represents a ghosts ability to
withstand forces that could banish or destroy
it, from prayers to exorcisms to physical
attacks with blessed objects.
These Attributes can potentially range from 1
to 10, although only very old and powerful
ghosts have traits higher than 5.
Ghosts do not have Skills or Merits unless
they possess a living body (see Numina,
below). Nor do they have a Size trait in the
conventional sense. A ghost is a being of
ephemera, a sort of spiritual matter. As such,
it has a body of sorts, but one that is
insubstantial to material beings and things.
For the purposes of forming this spiritual
body, or Corpus, a ghosts Size is the same
as it was at the time of death (5 for an adult
human). Rather than Health, a ghost has
Corpus dots that represent its spiritual
essence. Corpus dots equal a ghosts
Resistance + Size.
The only weapons with which a mortal can
affect a ghosts Corpus are blessed or
enchanted. Blessed items, bearing holy
power, deliver aggravated damage to ghosts
(see Blessed Items, below). Some
enchanted items (such as an ensorcelled
baseball bat) might inflict bashing wounds,
while others (a bewitched sword) could inflict
lethal.
A ghosts Defense is applied against another
ghosts assault. Its Defense trait is equal to
its Power or Finesse, whichever is higher.
When ghosts or other spirits engage one
another in combat, they deliver bashing
damage (unless they have
Numina that allows them to inflict lethal or
aggravated damage). Roll Power + Finesse.
Each success delivers one point of bashing
damage to the targets Corpus. A ghosts
Defense is applied against another ghosts
assault.
Ghosts regenerate Corpus in the same
amount of time that mortals heal damage

(see p. 175). If a ghost suffers as many

points of aggravated damage as it has
Corpus dots, the ghost is destroyed. Ghosts
have other traits similar to a mortals. A
ghosts Initiative is equal to its Finesse +
Resistance. Its Speed is equal to its Power +
Finesse + 10 (species factor).
Ghosts have a Morality score and Virtues and
Vices just like living characters do, reflecting
spirits sense of morality at the time of
death. Ghosts are subject to degeneration
just like mortals are (see Chapter 4:
Advantages, p. 91), but unlike mortals, they
cannot increase their Mortality scores. A
ghost cannot grow or improve, only decline
over the course of time.
Ghosts also possess a Willpower score
(Power + Resistance) and Willpower points
may be used for them just as they are for
mortals. Ghosts regain Willpower by acting in
accordance with their Virtues and Vices, just
as living characters do. Additionally, they
automatically regain one point of spent
Willpower at the start of each day.
Finally, ghosts have Essence points that are
spent to activate their Numina. Most ghosts
can have up to 10
Essence points (truly old ghosts can have
even more).
Ghosts regain spent Essence at the rate of
one per day when near their anchors. They
can also regain Essence whenever they are
remembered by the living, such as when
someone lays flowers on their graves or
even more potent if their ghostly form is
identified by a living person.
The Storyteller awards Essence whenever he
thinks an appropriate instance of momento
mori occurs.
Manifestations
When a ghost wishes to interact with mortals
or the physical world it must manifest,
focusing its energies into a form just
substantial enough to allow it a discernible
presence. A ghostly manifestation doesnt
necessarily have to be visible. A sentient
ghost can choose to manifest invisibly if it
wishes, but its presence still leaves traces
that mortals can detect. Examples of
invisible ghostly manifestation include cold
spots, strange or intense odors and
heightened magnetic fields.
Some areas are more conducive to
supernatural energies than others. A
graveyard is an extremely easy place for a

ghost to manifest, while a laboratory often

isnt. As a rule of thumb, locations where
mortals frequently express powerful
emotions love, anger, sadness, fear
create conditions that allow a ghost easier
access to the physical world. Sterile,
emotionless places, or remote areas that
have experienced little or no human emotion
make it very difficult for a ghost to appear.
Curiously, the presence of mortals creates a
cumulative effect that actually inhibits the
manifestation of ghosts. This is apparently a
phenomenon unique to the modern, scientific
era, in which adults are conditioned to
disbelieve instances of supernatural activity.
The more people gathered in a particular
location, the harder it is for a ghost to
manifest.
Manifestation requires a successful Power +
Finesse roll. Positive or negative modifiers
may apply, depending on the location (see
chart). If there is more than one mortal
present, each person after the first imposes
a -1 modifier to the roll. (This last penalty
does not apply to other supernatural beings
or creatures in the ghosts locale.
Their numbers do not affect a ghosts ability
to manifest.) If the roll succeeds, the ghost
can manifest for the duration of the scene if
it wishes. It can make itself visible or
invisible at will, and can de-manifest at any
time. If the roll fails, the ghost does not
manifest and loses one Willpower point. The
ghost can continue to attempt to manifest as
long as it has at least one Willpower point
remaining.
If it exhausts all its Willpower it cannot
attempt to manifest again until the following
day.
Once a ghost has manifested it can attempt
to interact with the physical world by
communicating with any mortals present
(see Communication, below), or by drawing
on its Numina.
Communication
Interaction with the living is difficult for
ghosts, even under the best of conditions.
Without the proper Numina, a manifested
ghost has no voice. It can form words with its
mouth and hope a mortal witness can read
lips, or it can try to get its message across
with gestures. Complicated gestures like sign
language are very difficult for ghosts to
perform, as they have a hard time
translating their thoughts into physical

motion. Make a Finesse roll for any such

attempt with a -1 modifier for each decade
that a ghost has been dead. If the roll fails,
the spirit is simply unable to envision the
right signs and gestures to get its point
across. Simple gestures (motioning a mortal
to follow, pointing to a hidden object) do not
require a Finesse roll.
Ghosts with the proper Numina can
communicate with mortals in a variety of
ways, from speaking directly to writing on
objects to imparting visions.
Manifestation Modifiers
Location Modifier
Graveyard +3
Battlefield +3
Church +2
Hospital +2
Historic building (100+ years old) +2
Old building (50-100 years old) +1
Handmade structure (wooden bridge, shed)
+1
Parking lot -1
Modern commercial building (grocery store,
mall) -1
Modern industrial building -2
Modern laboratory -3
Numina
Ghosts have a number of powers at their
disposal to interact with or manipulate the
physical world. These powers, called Numina
(singular: Numen), range from terrifying
auras to outright possession of living bodies.
The type of Numina a ghost has depends on
its nature and personality, its goals and on
the circumstances of its death.
The number of powers it has depends on its
age. As a general rule, a ghost has one
Numen per 10 years since its death. Thus, a
ghost thats been dead for 30 years can have
up to three Numina. Of course, exceptions
are possible in the case of exceptionally
potent or willful spirits. When designing your
own ghosts, assign whatever Numina you
feel are appropriate to a spirit and to the
kind of story you want to tell.
The following are examples of Numina that
ghosts can have, along with their costs and
effects.
Feel free to use these as guidelines to create
your own, or alter them as you see fit to suit
the needs of your game.
Animal Control

The ghost is able to exert its will over an

animal, controlling it completely. Spend one
Essence and roll
Power + Finesse, subtracting the animals
Resolve from the dice pool. Success means
the ghost is able to command the animal to
perform any task the spirit desires, to the
limit of the animals physical abilities. The
ghost can control the animal for the duration
of the scene if desired. A ghost can control a
number of animals simultaneously (so long
as it has sufficient Essence) equal to its
Finesse trait.
Clairvoyance
The ghost can speak to mortals through the
body of another living person. Roll Power +
Finesse, with the subjects Resolve
subtracted from the dice pool as a penalty.
If the victim is a willing participant, no roll is
made. If the ghost fails, no communication is
possible. If the ghost wins, it can speak using
the victims vocal cords for a single turn.
At the end of the turn the victim suffers a
single point of bashing damage due to the
strain of contact. If the ghost wishes to
continue speaking through the medium, a
further Power + Finesse roll must be made
each turn. The medium continues to suffer
an additional point of bashing damage at the
end of each turn of communication. If the
medium is rendered unconscious, no further
contact is possible.
Compulsion
The ghost is able to exert its will over a living
person, commanding him to perform actions
like a puppet. Spend one Essence point and
roll Power + Finesse in a contested roll
versus the victims Resolve + Composure. If
the ghost fails or ties the roll (or the mortal
wins), the victim is unaffected. If the ghost
wins the roll, it seizes control of the victim
and can command him to perform any acts
the spirit desires, within the victims
capabilities. The victim can attempt to throw
off the ghosts control each successive turn
with another contested roll. Use the victims
own dice pools to determine the outcome of
his actions. The ghost can compel a number
of victims simultaneously (so long as it has
sufficient Essence) equal to its Finesse trait.
Ghost Sign

The ghost is capable of creating messages or

images in malleable forms of media. Spend
one Essence point and roll Power + Finesse.
If the roll fails, nothing happens. If the roll
succeeds, the ghost can create a single
message or image. A sentence can be
written in the steam condensed on a mirror.
A ghostly statement can be heard amid the
static of an audio tape. Or an image can be
superimposed on a frame of camera film or
videotape.
Ghost Speech
The ghost is capable of speaking directly to
mortals when it manifests. Spend one
Essence point and roll Power + Finesse. If the
roll succeeds, the ghost can utter a single
sentence.
Magnetic Disruption
The ghosts manifestation causes electronic
equipment to malfunction due to an intense
magnetic distortion. No roll is required. If the
ghost manifests successfully it disrupts
electronics within a number of yards equal to
its Power trait.
Radios, TVs and telephones emit static.
Appliances stop working. Lights go out.
Videotapes and camera film is erased/
exposed, ruining any captured images.
Phantasm
The ghost has the power to create illusory
images. Spend one Essence point and roll
Power + Finesse. A negative modifier may be
applied to the roll depending on the size and
complexity of the illusion. Mimicking a
persons voice alone or creating a distinctive
smell (like perfume) doesnt incur any
negative modifiers, but creating the illusion
of a person might be subject to a -1 penalty.
Creating the illusion of a specific person
(down to patterns of speech and
mannerisms) that a witness knows might call
for a -2 penalty.
Creating a complex illusion that seems to
have physical substance (the witness is
convinced that he can touch the illusion
and it feels solid) incurs a -3 or more severe
penalty. Small, subtle illusions are generally
much more effective than large, overt ones.
This power can work on only one victim at a
time. Other mortals in the subjects vicinity
do not see what he does. When a subject
witnesses an illusion, roll Wits + Composure
(or the Storyteller may allow Composure to

be replaced by Occult if your character is

aware of ghostly activity). If the roll
generates as many or more successes than
were achieved in the phantasm roll, the
victim recognizes that the image cant be
real. If the phantasm roll wins, the subject
believes the illusion is genuine, but another
Wits + Composure (or Occult) roll is made for
him in each successive turn to attempt to
see through the power.
A ghost can maintain only one illusion at a
time, and each illusion remains for the
duration of the scene unless dispelled.
Possession
The ghost may attempt to possess a living
human being and control his or her body for
a short time. Spend one Essence point and
roll Power + Finesse in a contested roll
versus the victims Resolve + Composure. If
the ghost wins, it gains control of the victims
body for the duration of a single scene. Use
the victims available traits (except Willpower
points, which are equal to the ghosts current
Willpower points) and dice pools for any
action the ghost wishes to take. If the mortal
wins or ties the roll, the spirit fails its
possession attempt. As long as the ghost has
Essence points remaining it can continue to
make possession attempts against a target.
If a possessed body is killed or knocked
unconscious, the ghost is forced out and
must possess another victim if it still wishes
to act.
Attacks using a blessed object against a
ghost in possession of a living body damage
the ghosts Corpus instead of its physical
host. (For more information see Blessed
Items, below.)
Telekinesis
The ghost can manipulate physical objects as
though it had a pair of physical hands. It can
pick up objects, throw them, open and close
doors and windows, write messages
basically anything a mortal can do with his
hands Spend one Essence point and roll
Power + Finesse. The number of successes
rolled determines the ghosts relative
Strength when attempting to lift and/or move
an object (see Chapter 2: Attributes, p. 47,
for more details on lifting/moving objects). If
the successes rolled are equal to the
Strength needed to lift an object, the ghost
can move it up to one yard. Each extra
success allows the ghost to move the object
an additional yard. If the ghost wishes to hurl

an object at someone and enough successes

are rolled to lift the object (and reach the
target), the total number of telekinesis
successes is rolled as a dice pool in an attack
against the target.
Alternately, the ghost can make a direct
attack on a victim, using its raw power to
inflict cuts, bruises and bites on the victims
body. Treat this as a normal attack with a -3
modifier.
The attack ignores the targets Defense trait,
any available cover and any armor worn
(unless the armor is supernatural in nature).
Terrify
The ghost has the power to strike terror in
the hearts of mortals who witness its
manifestation. Roll Power + Finesse in a
contested roll against the Resolve +
Composure of each mortal who witnesses the
ghosts manifestation firsthand.
(If a crowd witnesses it, roll the highest
Resolve + Composure in the crowd for the
whole group.) If the ghost loses or ties,
mortals in the area are unaffected and are
immune to uses of this power for the
remainder of the scene. Perhaps their
subconscious minds wont allow them to
recognize the spirit, or they mistake the
intended frightening image for something
else such as a hallucination or trick of the
light.
Mortals who lose flee from the spirit and will
not return to the haunted area for at least
one day.
Banshee Wail
The ghost creates an earsplitting scream that
deafens anyone nearby. Spend one point of
Essence and roll Power + Finesse. Anyone
within 20 yards of the ghost must succeed on
a Resolve + Stamina roll the number of
successes gained, or be stunned for one turn
(see the World of Darkness Rulebook, p.
167). Characters that are stunned by the wail
also suffer a 3 penalty to any Perception
checks that rely on hearing for the remainder
of the scene.
Chain of Death
This Numen is a powerful addition to Corpse
Ride. Chain of Death allows a ghost currently
using the Corpse Ride Numen to transfer its
consciousness to any of its victims corpses.
The ghost-ridden body must touch the

targeted corpse to use this Numen. It costs

three Essence per jump.

Corpse Ride
This Numen allows a ghost to possess a dead
body rather than a living host. The ghost
spends three Essence and possesses the
body automatically over the course of a
single hour. This results in a zombie-like
hybrid that allows the ghost a physical
presence out of Twilight without needing to
manifest. See the zombies sidebar for more
information on zombie traits and rules. The
ghost must expend an additional Essence
each hour to maintain its hold over rotting
flesh. If the possessed body is destroyed, the
ghost is forced back into Twilight.
Zombies
Zombies retain the characteristics of the
corpse from which they were made, with the
following modifications:
Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina ratings are
all reduced by one dot, to a minimum of one.
All other Attributes are reduced to a single
dot.
Zombies possess only very basic problemsolving skills and can only communicate
through moans and rasps. All Mental or
Social Skill rolls are considered unskilled
attempts and zombies may not have more
than one dot in any Skill from either of those
Skill sets.
Physical Skills remain unchanged. The
exception is that any Physical Skill dice pool
that includes an Attribute other than
Strength, Dexterity, or Stamina is considered
unskilled.
Fire deals aggravated damage to zombies; all
other weapons deal bashing. Zombies dont
suffer wound penalties and can only be
defeated by filling their Health tracks with
aggravated damage. The bodies of the dead
are also immune to any sort of poison or
disease. Zombies dont heal and may not be
repaired.
Zombies raised by a Sin-Eater channeling
appropriate Numina remain active until the
following dusk or dawn, whichever comes
first. Zombies follow the commands of the
Sin-Eater and attempt to work on her behalf
even when she is incapacitated or out of

range of communication. For whatever

reason, zombies raised through channeled
Numen possess an intense hatred for the
living and will attack them on sight, unless
ordered otherwise by the Sin-Eater.
A zombie created by a ghost using either the
Corpse Ride or Chain of Death Numina is
slightly more intelligent than those raised by
Sin-Eaters. The ghost possessing the corpse
may substitute its Power + Finesse dice pool
for any Mental Skill roll and ignore the
unskilled penalty.
Raising a zombie is a Synergy sin and
requires a roll for degeneration for Sin-Eaters
of Synergy 8 or higher (roll four dice).
Dement
This power assaults a persons mind with a
cavalcade of nightmarish imagery, breaking
down the victims sanity in the process. Such
images are often personal and culled from
the targets own memory. The ghost doesnt
itself control these images, and in fact
doesnt know what they are the victims
own mind draws up the mental torture. The
ghost can, however, use some of its own
memory and history to affect the victim, thus
furthering the visions of terror. Spend one
Essence and roll Power + Finesse ver-sus the
targets Intelligence + Composure. Success
indicates that the victim gains a mild
derangement (of the ghosts choice) for a
number of days equal to the ghosts
successes gained.
Dissembling Guise
This Numen draws on the memories of a
manifested ghosts target to give it the
features of a loved one that has passed on.
Spend a point of Essence and roll Power +
Finesse. With success, the manifested ghost
takes on the appearance of a dead friend or
family member of the target. This false
countenance visible to everyone carries
a subtle compulsion that exploits the
emotions of the target, making him unwilling
to harm (or countenance harm being done
to) the ghost or the ghosts anchor. The
target may spend a point of Willpower to
overcome this effect for one turn or can roll
Resolve + Composure successes gained on
the Numen roll, to negate the effect
completely.
Harrow

Some ghosts have adopted a certain

emotional state, such as terror, hate, or
despair, as part of their nature. This Numen
allows them to act as emotional plaguebearers, infecting others with an
overpowering wave of their passion. To use
this power, spend a point of Essence and roll
the ghosts Power + Finesse, contested by
the victims Resolve + Composure + Psyche.
If the ghost wins the contest, the target is
overwhelmed by the relevant emotional
state for a number of turns equal to the
number of successes the spirit gained.
Left-Handed Spanner
This Numen temporarily disables a specific
technological object, such as a cell phone,
computer, or automobile engine. The
malfunction has no apparent external cause.
In truth, the ghost using the Numen has
overloaded the object with spiritual energy,
thus causing its breakdown. The ghost
expends a point of Essence and focuses on
the object to disable it. The object ceases to
work for a number of turns equal to the
successes rolled. Valid pieces of technology
that can be overcome include anything
manufactured by industrial means with at
least three separate parts: a gun is valid, but
a hinge or syringe is not. The object cannot
be larger than the ghost, but a discernible
part of a complex machine may also be
targeted. A ghost could affect the engine of a
car, for example, but not the entire
automobile.
Looking Glass
This Numen allows the ghost to project its
image in glass, mirrors, and other reflective
surfaces
without
an
actual
physical
manifestation. Spend one Essence and roll
Power + Finesse. With success, the image of
the ghost appears in the reflective surface.
Any Numina that require the ghost to
manifest but dont have physical effects can
be
enacted
through
the
projection
(Dissembling Guise, for example). In
addition, if anyone stares into the reflective
surface containing the projection and speaks
the name of the ghost aloud three times, the
ghost may physically manifest without a roll
and is refunded the point of Essence spent to
activate this Numen.
Mechanical Possession

This Numen allows a ghost to take control of

a machine or vehicle within 30 yards of one
of its anchors. By spending one Essence
point, the ghost may operate the machine
for the duration of a scene the ghost can
turn the machine off or on and control any
moving parts, though it cannot alter
electrical flow. A ghost using this Numen to
operate a car, for instance, would have to
physically manipulate the radio knob to
switch stations or turn the ignition switch to
start the car. The ghost may make Finesse
rolls in lieu of Drive in order to operate a
moving vehicle, including all driving, control
and crash rolls.
One Step Behind
This Numen allows the ghost to bind a bit of
itself to the target, creating a temporary
living anchor. The ghost spends three
Essence and rolls Power + Finesse versus the
Resolve + Psyche of its target. If the ghost
wins the contest, the target becomes a living
anchor for the duration of the scene. The
ghost may extend the effect of the Numen
by spending a point of Essence at the end of
the scene and for every hour that passes
thereafter. Ghosts can make this effect
permanent by investing a point of corpus
into the bond. This permanently reduces the
corpus of the ghost by one (and some SinEaters claim this was how the first geists
were born). Once formed, only an exorcism
can sever the bond between a ghost and its
target. Ghosts may only have one living
fetter at a time.
Plasticity
The ghost uses this Numen to mold hands,
faces, and other body parts out of solid,
material objects as though they were soft as
clay. Spend one point of Essence and roll
Power + Finesse. With success, the ghost
creates a body part that seems to stretch out
from a solid surface. A pair of arms might
reach out from the wall, a face could push its
way out of the ceiling, or more disturbing
pieces of anatomy might bubble up from the
surface of a table. The ghost can manipulate
its creations as though they were part of its
corpus, making attacks (which cause bashing
damage) that use the ghosts dice pool or
just moving them around a room to cause
panic in onlookers. If a plasticized body part
takes even a single point of damage, the
surface returns to its original appearance.

This Numen persists for one scene, or until

the ghost has manifested and subsequently
lost a number of creations equal to its
corpus. Ghosts may only create and maintain
one body part at a time.
Speed
This Numen confers uncanny swiftness upon
the ghost, allowing it to move at a much
more rapid pace than usual. The ghost may
spend two points of Essence to move at
twice its normal Speed for the duration of the
scene. If the ghost spends an additional two
points of Essence (for a total of four), the
ghosts Speed triples for the duration of the
scene. This Numen may affect the physical
form of a manifested ghost, but not a
physical anchor.
The following Numina are uncommon or rare,
but theoretically available to all ghosts.
Some require others Numina as prerequisites
as noted.
DEAD EYES
Prerequisite: Materialize, Intruder or
Revenant.
Through the reflexive expenditure of two
points of Essence, the intruder/revenant can
see ghosts for a scene.
DEAD SKIN
Prerequisite: Intruder or Revenant.
Through the reflexive expenditure of one
Willpower point and one Essence point, the
embodied ghost enters Twilight and becomes
incorporeal like a ghost for (Composure or
Resilience) turns. It remains visible in the
material world as a blurred apparition. Both
intruders and basic revenants can be harmed
as ghosts by holy or enchanted weapons
while dematerialized.
This Numen may be used to evade an attack
that cant harm beings in Twilight, provided
the revenant perceives the attack.
FLIGHT OF SHADOWS
While ghosts can walk through solid matter,
they generally must move in a manner
similar to the living. By spending one
Essence point per day (or five turns for
revenants) on this Numen, however, a ghost
can hover or fly at its ground speed, out to
the limits of its anchors. Its Corpus or
animating power blurs behind it in trailing
wisps of darkness.

HALLOWED PASSION
Prerequisite: Impassioned Soul.
The ghost has devoted one of its Passions to
a task given to it by one of the Arisen. It is no
longer vulnerable to holy weapons, and
whenever it takes an action in direct support
of its assigned Passion that requires a roll,
the target number is reduced by -1. The
ghost cannot knowingly take actions that
directly contradict this Passion, whether by
choice or compelled by magic.
IMPASSIONED SOUL
Prerequisite: Untethered.
Some ghosts are driven by a need to
accomplish something, an obsession that
transcends attachment to people, things, or
places. Accordingly, such an apparition lose
its anchors, Morality, degeneration-induced
derangements, Virtues, Vice, and one dot of
Resilience (or Composure for Lucid Dead).
Instead, the ghosts personality is wholly
ruled and supernaturally fueled by up to
three Passions: clearly defined goals such as
Avenge my death or Obey Imhotep.
Whenever the ghost successfully takes any
action that makes progress toward resolving
a Passion (as per resolving an anchor; World
of Darkness, p. 213), roll a variable number
of dice: one (related to goal), two (some
progress), three (significant progress), four
(nearing completion), or five (completed).
Each success restores one point of Essence.
Ten Willpower points can be cumulatively
spent for a ghost to form a new Passion after
one resolves.
The power and freedom of Passions comes at
a price.
The ghost gains 10 dots of permanent
Essence and loses one dot per week that
passes without a Passion roll being made for
it (or per day for a revenant). Such losses are
permanent, and the ghost fades into the
great beyond upon reaching zero. Unlike with
spirits, this trait only functions to track the
ghosts dissolution. A ghost with Passions
must pursue them relentlessly or burn out its
existence.
INSPIRATION
Prerequisite: Impassioned Soul.
Pay one Essence point, and roll (Power +
Resistance) or (Presence + Resolve),
contested by the targets (Composure +
Resolve) or (Power + Resistance). For each
success remaining, the target feels one of

the ghosts Passions for one turn. While

afflicted with a Passion, one Willpower point
must be paid for the target, or he acts to
fulfill that Passion in the most expedient and
effective manner possible. If the victim
surrenders to the Passion, his actions receive
a +2 bonus.
INTRUDER
Prerequisite: Lucid Dead.
The ghost can steal a dead body to inhabit
as a Lifeless revenant, and she need not
have any special association with the corpse.
She no longer needs to manifest or use
Numina to interact with the physical world,
but is largely cut off from perceiving or
interacting with other ghosts. However, she
can only enter with the assistance of
external magic or specific conjunctions of
Fate. The intruder uses the victims Physical
Attributes,
Size, Speed, species factor, appropriate
Merits (e.g., Striking Looks, Giant), and any
other traits specifically associated with the
body.
Intruders cant heal their stolen flesh without
Numina.
If ones body is destroyed, she is spiritually
ejected with full Corpus and continues to
exist as a ghost, but loses all her Willpower
and Essence from shock and pain and must
wait for a new opportunity to take a body.
These body snatchers gain Impassioned
Soul, Siphon, Untethered, Will From Power,
and three other Numina for free as part of
acquiring this Numen, but they lose a dot of
Wits. While an intruder doesnt risk Essence
loss for not pursuing her Passions, her player
must pay one Willpower point and one
Essence point each day at sunrise for the
character or she loses one dot of permanent
Essence. Moreover, these ghosts cant hold
more points of Essence than their permanent
rating.
Unlike standard revenants, intruders also
remain vulnerable to holy weapons and
exorcisms.
LUCID DEAD
The ghost experiences a miraculous personal
revelation that restores some of her
humanity. She loses her basic ghost
Attributes and regains the Attributes, Skills,
and Merits she possessed at her time of
death. She likely possesses the Untethered
Numen. She can regain Morality through

good deeds like a mortal, but she cannot

raise it by any other means. Ten cumulative
points of Essence may be spent for her to
form a new anchor from a valid target in her
immediate presence, to a maximum of
(Morality + Composure) anchors.
The changes to a Lucid Dead ghosts traits
alter the dice pools for manifestation
(Presence + Wits, Presence rating
determines detail of manifestation), resisting
abjurations and exorcisms (Resolve +
Composure), and using basic Numina: Animal
Control and Ghost Speech (Presence + Wits,
max of Wits rating animals controlled);
Clairvoyance, Compulsion and Possession
(Presence + Resolve); Ghost Sign, Magnetic
Disruption and Telekinesis (Dexterity +
Presence); Ghost Speech (Presence + Wits);
Phantasm (Manipulation + Subterfuge); and
Terrify (Presence + Intimidation).
Lucid Dead ghosts have enough personality
to make playable characters. They gain and
spend experience as mortals, but may also
pay 15 experience points apiece for
additional Numina. Starting Lucid Dead
characters follow mortal character creation
rules, adding three other Numina and two
anchors.
MADDENING
Prerequisite: Terrify.
Whenever the ghosts manifestation or
undead revenant body scares mortals away
using the Terrify Numen, victims develop a
derangement for one month chosen by the
Storyteller (usually a phobia or avoidance of
ghosts). Further exposure during this time
means their players must choose a severe
derangement and the duration resets.
OLD SOUL
The ghost gains Age as a supernatural
advantage trait with one dot for each century
that passed since its death (maximum Age
10). With Age 6 or higher, the ghosts
Attributes (and/or Skills if it has them) may
be raised to a maximum of its Age. The ghost
also gains additional capacity to hold
Essence points equal to (10 + [Age x 2]).
Furthermore, whenever a dice pool is rolled
for the apparition to defensively contest a
supernatural power, add a bonus equal to
the ghosts Age (unless the dice pool already
includes supernatural advantage). Time fogs
the past and fades human mores, however,
so apply the ghosts Age as a penalty to rolls

for the spirit to memorize or recall

information, or to resist degeneration. This
penalty can explicitly reduce degeneration
checks to a chance roll.
PHANTOM ARSENAL
Through the expenditure of two Essence
points per scene, the ghost can grow horrible
claws or barbs or other such weapons out of
its Corpus or revenant body. Its unarmed
attacks gain a +1 bonus and inflict lethal
damage, adding the 9-Again rule to each
strike. Ghosts with the Telekinesis Numen
can apply their Phantom Arsenal benefits
when directly assaulting with psychic force.
PYROKINESIS
The ghost can start small fires within two
yards, with its player spending two Essence
points and rolling (Power + Finesse),
applying manifestation modifiers. Success
causes a torch-sized flame with candle heat
to flash into existence at the desired
location. The supernatural fire may be any
color and extinguishes itself after a turn; any
secondary fires started as a result burn
normally.
REGENERATION
One Essence point can be reflexively spent
for the ghost to heal one point of bashing
damage to its Corpus or its revenant body.
Reflexively spending one Willpower per
scene allows the same Essence expenditure
to heal lethal or aggravated damage.
REVENANT
The ghost physically enters its own corpse or
another corpse that is one of its anchors and
becomes one of the Lifeless. It gains one of
the following Attribute dot modifications:
(+1 Power and Resilience; 1 Finesse) or (+1
Strength, Stamina, Presence, and Resolve; 1
Wits). It no longer needs to manifest or use
Numina to interact with the physical world,
but it is largely cut off from perceiving or
interacting with other ghosts. Its body is a
mobile anchor allowing it to travel through
the living world.
Revenants cant heal without Numina. They
can mimic life to pass for human (heartbeat,
regular breathing, etc.) by spending two
Essence points, unless their bodies were
embalmed. In general, revenants cannot
return back to being ghosts and endure only
so long as their bodies do. Revenants gain

immunity to special harm from abjurations,

exorcisms, and holy weapons. They also gain
Will From Power and three additional Numina
for free as part of their embodiment. Finally,
they may also add Impassioned Soul and
Untethered for free as a package deal, and
most do since ghosts willing to inhabit a
corpse generally want mobility. (More
information on revenants can be found on
pp. 33-39 of World of Darkness:
Antagonists.)
SIPHON
The ghost can drain the psychic energy of
other ghosts via a successful skin-to-skin
touch. Roll the Numen users (Power +
Resistance) or (Intelligence + Presence) in a
contested roll against the targets (Power +
Resistance) or (Resolve + Composure). Every
remaining success transfers two Essence
points from the victim to the attacker. If the
victim runs out of Essence, each success
drains one Willpower point and gives the
attacking ghost two Essence points.
If the ghost is in a position to touch a living
being (such as a revenant attacking a
mortal), draining away the last of the
victims Willpower allows each success to
inflict one point of automatic lethal damage
to restore two Essence points.
SPECTRAL TOUGHNESS
The ghost doesnt suffer wound penalties or
risk falling unconscious when its Corpus fills
with bashing or lethal damage. It continues
on in the face of injury until aggravated
damage destroys it completely. For a
revenant, this invulnerability also includes
suffering bashing damage from bullets, but
its last five points of aggravated damage
remove one limb each and finally the
creatures head until it falls apart completely.
SPIRIT PROWESS
Up to five points of Essence can be
reflexively and cumulatively spent to
augment the ghosts Corpus (or revenant
body) for a scene. One dot per point may be
added to any combination of the ghosts
Power, Finesse, Resilience, Strength,
Dexterity, or Stamina. A reflexive
expenditure of one Willpower point
reallocates the bonus among Attributes.
Adding to Power or Finesse does not increase
a ghosts Defense.

STALKER
After an expenditure of five Essence points
and one
Willpower point, the ghost can choose a
person it has observed and make her a new
anchor, even if she isnt present currently.
The ghost can only gain one anchor this way
at a time; reactivation resets the target. The
target must be someone the ghost has
demonstrated strong feelings for or
reasonably could develop such for (such as a
girl meeting the victim profile of a dead
serial killer).
STOLEN PILLARS
Prerequisites: Siphon, Lucid Dead.
The ghost is treated as one of the Lifeless
and may use Siphon to attack corporeal
targets while manifested. Whenever it feeds
on a mummy, it can drain a specific type of
Pillar in lieu of Willpower.
Stolen points may give the ghost one dot of
that
Pillar (maximum ), but these dots bleed off
at the rate of one per week and dont come
with points (or a means to gain any).
Upon gaining any Pillar rating, the ghost may
manifest soul Affinities just like a mummy,
provided the ghost meets the Pillar
minimums. If the ghosts stolen
Pillar rating drops below an Affinitys
minimum, that power goes dormant until the
ghost can again feed on one of the Arisen.
The Storyteller should prohibit ghosts from

purchasing Affinities that dont do anything

useful for them.
TWILIGHT ABDUCTION
The ghost can attempt to drag victims within
one yard into an incorporeal state, allowing it
to freely interact with the target where other
mortals cannot see or help. Spend three
Essence points, and roll the ghosts (Power +
Finesse) or (Presence + Wits), applying
manifestation location modifiers. The target
resists with a roll of (Resolve + Composure +
Supernatural Tolerance). If the ghost wins,
shadows drag the mortal and his worn
possessions through a sudden imploding tear
in space. In an instant, the rift closes, and
the mortal enters Twilight for one hour per
remaining success. He rematerializes more
quietly, excepting his screams and sobs.
Should he die in Twilight, his body does not
return; he likely becomes a ghost.
UNTETHERED
The unusually intrepid ghost can travel
beyond its anchors, though Willpower may
be spent for it to snap back to their relative
safety or to recover Essence. While away
from its anchors, the ghost cant heal by any
means and suffers one automatic point of
aggravated damage each day (unless it also
has Impassioned Soul).
WILL FROM POWER
The ghost may spend three points of Essence
reflexively to regain one Willpower point.