Page 211 - World of Darkness

over his kids can jump from one child to another, even if duration of the scene if it wishes. It can make itself visible
they are on opposite sides of the world. or invisible at will, and can de-manifest at any time. If the
If a ghost’s anchors are altered (subjected to sanctifi- roll fails, the ghost does not manifest and loses one Will-
cation or exorcism — see “Dealing with Ghosts”) or de- power point. The ghost can continue to attempt to mani-
stroyed, the ghost can no longer remain in the physical fest as long as it has at least one Willpower point remain-
world. It passes on into the spirit realm and cannot re- ing. If it exhausts all its Willpower it cannot attempt to
turn. manifest again until the following day.
Once a ghost has manifested it can attempt to inter-
Manifestations act with the physical world by communicating with any

When a ghost wishes to interact with mortals or the mortals present (see “Communication,” below), or by
physical world it must manifest, focusing its energies into drawing on its Numina.
a form just substantial enough to allow it a discernible
presence. A ghostly manifestation doesn’t necessarily have Communication
to be visible. A sentient ghost can choose to manifest in- Interaction with the living is difficult for ghosts, even
visibly if it wishes, but its presence still leaves traces that under the best of conditions. Without the proper Numina,
mortals can detect. Examples of invisible ghostly mani- a manifested ghost has no voice. It can form words with
festation include cold spots, strange or intense odors and its mouth and hope a mortal witness can read lips, or it
heightened magnetic fields. can try to get its message across with gestures. Compli-
Some areas are more conducive to supernatural ener- cated gestures like sign language are very difficult for ghosts
gies than others. A graveyard is an extremely easy place to perform, as they have a hard time translating their
for a ghost to manifest, while a laboratory often isn’t. As a thoughts into physical motion. Make a Finesse roll for any
rule of thumb, locations where mortals frequently express such attempt with a -1 modifier for each decade that a
powerful emotions — love, anger, sadness, fear — create ghost has been dead. If the roll fails, the spirit is simply
conditions that allow a ghost easier access to the physical unable to envision the right signs and gestures to get its
world. Sterile, emotionless places, or remote areas that point across. Simple gestures (motioning a mortal to fol-
have experienced little or no human emotion make it very low, pointing to a hidden object) do not require a Finesse
difficult for a ghost to appear. roll.
Curiously, the presence of mortals creates a cumula- Ghosts with the proper Numina can communicate
tive effect that actually inhibits the manifestation of with mortals in a variety of ways, from speaking directly
ghosts. This is apparently a phenomenon unique to the to writing on objects to imparting visions.
modern, scientific era, in which adults are conditioned to
disbelieve instances of supernatural activity. The more Numina
people gathered in a particular location, the harder it is
for a ghost to manifest. Ghosts have a number of powers at their disposal to
Manifestation requires a successful Power + Finesse interact with or manipulate the physical world. These
roll. Positive or negative modifiers may apply, depending powers, called Numina (singular: Numen), range from
on the location (see chart). If there is more than one terrifying auras to outright possession of living bodies. The
mortal present, each person after the first imposes a -1 type of Numina a ghost has depends on its nature and
modifier to the roll. (This last penalty does not apply to personality, its goals and on the circumstances of its death.
other supernatural beings or creatures in the ghost’s lo- The number of powers it has depends on its age. As a
cale. Their numbers do not affect a ghost’s ability to mani- general rule, a ghost has one Numen per 10 years since its
fest.) If the roll succeeds, the ghost can manifest for the death. Thus, a ghost that’s been dead for 30 years can have
up to three Numina. Of course, exceptions are
possible in the case of exceptionally potent or will-
Manifestation Modifiers ful spirits. When designing your own ghosts, as-
sign whatever Numina you feel are appropriate to
Location Modifier a spirit and to the kind of story you want to tell.
Graveyard +3
The following are examples of Numina that
Battlefield +3 ghosts can have, along with their costs and effects.
Church +2
Feel free to use these as guidelines to create your
Hospital +2 own, or alter them as you see fit to suit the needs
Historic building (100+ years old) +2
of your game.
Old building (50-100 years old) +1
Handmade structure (wooden bridge, shed) +1 Animal Control
Parking lot -1
Modern commercial building (grocery store, mall) -1 The ghost is able to exert its will over an animal,
Modern industrial building -2 controlling it completely. Spend one Essence and roll
Modern laboratory -3 Power + Finesse, subtracting the animal’s Resolve from

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Chapter 8- STORYTELLING