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Ghosts

Powers ♦ Relations with other species ♦ Roles
After death, some people linger on as phantoms in the mortal world, unable to move on and find peace. They appear in the same clothes that they were wearing when they died, and their physical appearance never changes. A ghost is typically tied to the place of their death, although they can learn to wander further afield. Lacking any physical form, they find it difficult to interact with the physical world and often lead a lonely existence if there are no other supernatural types around who can see them.

Some linger on to watch their loved ones live out their lives, others with a sense that there is something they need to do but they don't know what. Only when the ghost feels ready to move on will a door open to allow them to pass on beyond the mortal realm. That is, assuming they are not dragged away by darker forces first.

Unfinished business
Every ghost, whether they know it or not, has some unfinished business that is preventing them from moving on. Often this is some kind of emotional trauma and there are some ghosts who never resolve their problems, dooming them to wander the earth eternally. Some ghosts manage to find some sort of satisfactory existence without moving on, and so choose not to address their unfinished business.

Mediums specialize in helping ghosts to move on. However, anyone who can interact with a ghost can potentially help them.

The Door
Every ghost has their own personal Door, which will appear under three circumstances:

1) They have just died.
2) They are ready to move on.
3) They are being exorcised.

The Door looks completely ordinary and will vary in appearance depending on the individual. Light may be visible around the hinges. What people see when they open the door also varies. Sometimes it's the light at the end of a tunnel. Sometimes a red corridor. Sometimes endless blackness. Sometimes a familiar place from the ghost's life e.g. a hallway from their childhood home, a train platform they used to take to work every day etc.

If a ghost who has just died chooses not to open the Door, it will disappear. The Door will reappear for the ghost when they are ready to move on. If they again choose not to open or pass through the Door, the Men with Sticks and Rope will appear to make them pass on by force. They can be banished by closing the Door, but may continue to hunt the wayward ghost later on.

A ghost who is being exorcised will see their Door reappear and will also have to contend with a powerful gale that will force them through the Door. The exorcist may be helped by the Men with Sticks and Rope.

Anchors
Some ghosts choose a particular person or a small group of people to be their anchors, drawing comfort and energy from their presence. Anchors are people that a ghost has a strong emotional connection with. Because ghosts don't have physical bodies, the only way for them to feel connected to the world is through emotional or mental stimulation. That emotional connection comes from the gradual development of a relationship.

There is no ritual or solemn declaration involved in becoming an anchor. It really is about the power of friendship. Stronger and more long-lasting relationships help make a ghost more powerful and better able to interact with the world in general.

Anchor relationships must be positive because the ghost needs to feel safe, comfortable and confident in order to have control over their powers. Of course, any relationship can go sour. If things get shaky, the ghost's powers will get shakier too. Sometimes ghosts can become unhealthily attached to their anchor. While anchor relationships normally do the anchor no harm, ghosts who become emotionally dependent on their anchor may literally sap their energy.

Anchors cannot be other ghosts. They can be any other type.

You know that you're an anchor if you...

• Would rush to save your ghost friend from any trouble.
• Would be devastated if they died for real.
• Are the person they confide in about their fears or worries.
• Feel a deep and strong attachment to them.

Powers
Strength: 0-1 | Magic: 0-7

The first challenge every ghost faces is to interact with the physical world at all. They must learn to manifest in order to be seen and heard by others, and then to make themselves go beyond their initial haunts (usually the place where they died).

Their powers are very much emotionally based e.g. an angry or unstable ghost will find their powers going out of control. An experienced ghost who has learned to manifest and focus their will can achieve a great deal. The more they interact with others, the better able they are to interact with the world in general; the relationships they form can boost and support their abilities. For that reason, ghosts who have anchors are better able to develop their powers. Conversely, if they feel lonely, scared, lacking in confidence or just plain miserable, they will lose their ability to interact with the physical world.

Strengths
All ghosts have the following abilities:

• Usually invisible, must manifest in order to be seen by supernatural types.
• When a ghost manifests, they project their form into a physical space, becoming visible to supernatural types and each other.
• Intangible: can phase through solid objects, and cannot be touched or physically harmed by others.
• Can haunt the location of their death. Usually this means giving sensitive people a funny feeling.

Ghosts must have an anchor in order to learn the following abilities:

• Can touch and interact with physical objects to a limited extent, if they concentrate.
• Can travel beyond their initial haunt.
• Can teleport at will. When a distressed ghost teleports, they will typically find themselves back at the place of their death.
• Telekinesis: can learn to move objects at will. Emotional distress can cause a ghost to make lights flicker, knock objects over, etc.
• Can mess around with electronics and attempt to communicate through them e.g. radio static, "possessing" inanimate objects such as mobile phones.
• Can experience what another person is feeling by touching them. Works best if they have a strong relationship with the other person (usually their anchor).
• Can possess animals for a brief period, causing them to behave strangely and often violently.
• Can possess a living human being, usually for only a few minutes. This can be with permission or by force. A ghost who possesses a living person for too long may drain them of life altogether.
• Can haunt people in various ways e.g. giving them nightmares, creating illusions, lowering the temperature.
• Can sap a person's energy through touch.

Weaknesses
• Powers fluctuate depending on emotional state.
• Weaker/less emotionally stable without an anchor.
• Can be exorcised, banished or trapped by magic.
• Cannot cross lines made of salt or running water. (They may be able to bypass these barriers by teleporting, but with difficulty. The river Thames, for example, is an insurmountable barrier to most ghosts.)

Relations with other species
Fae: Some fae are naturally attuned to the dead and can choose to interact with them. For a ghost this can be a good or bad thing, as these fae often have magic that can affect a ghost and they tend to outclass them. Beware of fae who devour souls: they exist and they can trick you into being lunch. Fae themselves do not become ghosts.
Ghosts: Oddly enough, ghosts cannot automatically see or interact with each other. Being a ghost is a lonely existence. They can see and interact under the following circumstances: 1) both ghosts are manifested and one of them has wandered into the other's haunt; 2) a medium or someone else with magical power puts them in touch; 3) they are in a place or situation where there is a lot of magical/supernatural activity going on. Once ghosts have made contact, they can physically interact, but they cannot make each other feel either pleasure or pain. They just feel cold.
Humans: Humans who have passed away make up the majority of ghosts, and yet humans themselves cannot see or commune with them without help. If a ghost wants to communicate with their human loved ones, they will have to go to a medium or other supernatural type to help them. They can of course decide to haunt the human instead, but humans don't tend to enjoy that.
Meta Humans: Most meta humans are not very good at seeing or communicating with ghosts, unless their power is specifically connected to sensing the dead. There are exceptions to this: for example, a ghost who has strong ties to one area may be able to manifest themselves strongly enough that meta humans can see them too. This is why you should never invite a meta human to a haunted house.
Shapeshifters: Shapeshifters can see and communicate with a manifested ghost, and their animal senses make them a little more attuned to ghostly activity. They tend to have little knowledge of ghosts in general, however, and are quite fearful of them.
Vampires: Vampires are fellow dead creatures and are able to see ghosts more easily than others (it takes less effort for a ghost to manifest themselves before a vampire). In this way, vampires can be surprisingly good companions for a ghost, as they are easy to talk to and vampires cannot prey on them. On the other hand, a person who was killed by a vampire may choose to haunt them in revenge.
Werewolves: Werewolves can see and communicate with a manifested ghost, and their animal senses make them a little more attuned to ghostly activity. Often ghosts are glad just to find someone to talk to, even if that person does turn into a raging beast once a month. On the plus side, a werewolf can't hurt a ghost.
Witches: Witches are particularly sensitive to ghosts and may be able to sense a presence even when the ghost has not manifested. Mediums are usually witches, and are capable of summoning, banishing or exorcising a ghost. A medium is usually a ghost's friend in need, as they can help them to pass on, but if a witch views a ghost as a threat, that's when they start getting their exorcism tools out and exorcism is never pleasant for a ghost.

Roles
Because a ghost's existence is inherently solitary, they must seek out other supernatural types in order to find a community to belong to. There are no ghost-specific roles or factions.

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