[Index]

GHOSTS4 (12)

Cypher Bestiary

Lingering spirits of the deceased can manifest in various forms and interact with the physical world, often striking fear in normal creatures. Some ghosts are just memory fragments, while others are fully sapient.

Health: 12

Damage Inflicted: Moderate wound

Movement: Short; can move through solid objects of up to level 7 at will

Modifications: Stealth as level 7; intimidation and frightening as level 6

Combat: A ghost's touch inflicts inflicts damage and deals 3 additional Speed damage to a target (ignores armor) from the supernatural cold.

A given ghost may also enjoy one or more of the following traits.

GM Intrusion: The character is grabbed by ghostly hands that pull them violently against the ceiling before releasing them to fall back to the floor; the character takes a moderate wound (ignores armor).

GM Intrusion: The character is physically pulled into another time for one or more rounds, seeing things as they were when the ghost was alive, followed by a traumatic event the ghost experienced, possibly their death.

GM Intrusion: The ghost attempts to possess the character, who can resist with an Intellect defense roll. While possessed, the character acts just like the ghost did when it was alive.

GM Intrusion: A character who succeeds on expelling a possessing ghost takes on traits of the ghost who they thought they expelled.

THE ESSENCE OF GHOSTS

The most important thing about ghosts is that they have unfinished business. Ghosts can be defeated, but unless the actual remains of the person who died—or the focus of the haunting, such as a brooch, gun, painting, or other object—is found and destroyed, a ghost may well return. Ghosts may also stop haunting if their unfinished business is finished by someone else.

INITIAL INTERACTION

A ghost may not be in full control of their actions, either because they are not fully sapient, or because rage and loss drive them to extremes.

d00 Interaction
01-03 Prone to sudden violence
04-06 Lonely and wants to talk
07-09 Doesn't know they're dead
10-12 Asks for help
13-15 Rages against the living
16-18 Crying, nearly inconsolable
19-21 Contemptuous of the living
22-24 Surprised and afraid
25-27 Curious and questioning
28-30 Curious about how they died
31-33 Wants to be remembered
34-36 Mischievous to malicious
37-39 Mute but aggressive
40-42 Playful
43-45 Stern and unapproving
46-48 Exacting and careful
49-51 Reveals a sought-for location
52-54 Life-draining screams
55-57 Stuck in a loop ending in death
58-60 Chants and prays
61-63 Becomes more real as music plays
64-66 Aggressive, seeks destruction
67-69 Quiet and respectful until provoked
70-72 Offers small sums of currency
73-75 Offers to help
76-78 Drunken singing
79-81 Suspicious of strangers
82-84 Angry and resentful
85-87 Yearns for contact with substance
88-90 Shows off knowledge and wit
91-93 Confused about everything
94-96 Tries to hide/run away
97-99 Protective of haunted location
00 Commands obedience

INITIAL MANIFESTATION

When a ghost first makes themself known to the living, their appearance may take one of the following forms, even if they later take on a more traditional shape in which to interact.

d00 Manifestation
01-03 Footsteps on the stair
04-06 Pale face in the window
07-09 Piano plays itself
10-12 Animated child's doll
13-15 Scratching behind the wall
16-18 Possessed cat
19-21 Plunging temperature
22-24 Possessed ant/termite colony
25-27 Ghostly skeletal figure
28-30 Preserved head in sealed jar
31-33 Full spectral figure
34-36 Animated shovel
37-39 Portrait manifests hands
40-42 Bouncing ball
43-45 Shadowy specter
46-48 Live electricity
49-51 Ghostly howls
52-54 Starts with glowing footsteps
55-57 Faceless haunt in coat
58-60 Figure visible at a distance
61-63 Animate formal dress/suit
64-66 Moves and throws objects
67-69 Animated weapon
70-72 Ominous silhouette
73-75 Extra PC shadow
76-78 Made of water
79-81 Vapor in human shape
82-84 Reflection in mirror
85-87 Whispers on the wind
88-90 Text appears in an old journal
91-93 Pile of animate coins
94-96 Taxidermized beast
97-99 Ashen humanoid shape
00 Hovering sphere of fire

MOTIVE AND/OR UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Ghosts won't go until they finish what death interrupted or deal with the issue their deaths caused.

d00 Motive/Unfinished Business
01-03 Assassinate a rival
04-06 Get revenge on their murderer
07-09 Escape the asylum
10-12 Finish an epic poem/novel/painting
13-15 Find their own remains
16-18 Get a message to their children
19-21 Profess love to the one who got away
22-24 Deliver one last package
25-27 See the sun rise one last time
28-30 Find lost cat
31-33 Touch down on the moon
34-36 Dig the well
37-39 Recover stolen artwork
40-42 Locate a misplaced ring
43-45 Gain deserved recognition
46-48 Restore a decrepit home/vehicle
49-51 Reunite with beloved
52-54 Cross the sea
55-57 Have someone alive learn their name
58-60 Warn past self of future danger
61-63 Dance one last time
64-66 Play games at the arcade
67-69 Slay a great enemy/beast
70-72 Complete unfinished heist
73-75 Kill a PC
76-78 Find hidden treasure
79-81 Locate downed plane/blimp/craft
82-84 Seek justice for the wronged
85-87 Make sure a secret is kept
88-90 End a generations-long war/feud
91-93 Apologize for bad actions
94-96 Guard a door/corridor/grave
97-00 Create a new realm

POSSESSING GHOSTS

Some ghosts can possess their victims. A ghost with this ability can attempt to possess a target within immediate range. The target is possessed on a failed Intellect defense roll, whereupon the ghost's form is subsumed into the target. A possessed victim can act normally the first round they're possessed. In the second and all subsequent rounds, the possessing ghost can control the actions of the host, but the possessed host can attempt an Intellect defense roll about once each minute and, if successful, throw the ghost out. If a ghost is so expelled, they become inactive for several hours.

Far below the ancient castle, whispers slither through mysterious vaults. Legends tell of a restless spirit, a ghostly figure draped in chains and hooks, who wanders the depths. Every dark of the moon, the ghost emerges, seeking something or someone they can no longer recall.

GHOST NAMES

Ghosts were people (or some other kind of creature) once and may still answer to their original names. Options include: Micah, Naomi Tenny, Agnes Hyuk, Aiko Dalisay, Alia Husain, Anaya Heath, Clement Pierce, Elton Wick, Iapetus, Ishani Ward, Nobuo, Prudence, Sabina Fairchild, Megan Mayumi, Vicente Mandes, Enoch, Ephraim Slater, Ezra Atalar, Han Weisheng, Arjun Rose, Bragi, Rowland Novikov

WORLDLY POSESSIONS

A ghost usually doesn't carry objects, though some might be associated with a valuable keepsake (like an amulet showing the face of a loved one) that has value equal to an expensive or very expensive item.

BEFORE THEY DIED

Who was the ghost before they died? Roll or choose an option.

d00 Ghost
01-03 Automotive mechanic
04-06 Medieval noble
07-09 Pianist/bard
10-12 Drowning victim
13-15 Careworn peasant
16-18 Aged grandma
19-21 Young woman
22-24 Courier
25-27 Lost child
28-30 Homemaker
31-33 Astronaut
34-36 Homesteader
37-39 Painter
40-42 Teacher
43-45 Doctor
46-48 Electrician
49-51 Pet animal
52-54 Woman in white
55-57 Phantom hitchhiker
58-60 Priest
61-63 Jilted lover
64-66 Angry teen
67-69 Soldier/knight
70-72 Criminal
73-75 Looks like a PC
76-78 Sailor/pirate
79-81 Pilot
82-84 Writer
85-87 Wizard/magician
88-90 Queen/king/leader
91-93 Banker
94-96 An actual elephant
97-99 Firefighter
00 Dead god

Adventure Seed: The characters, thinking that their destruction of a magical talisman linked to a ghost will end the haunting, actually further empower the ghost because the talisman was holding the spirit back.