Page 215 - World of Darkness

Exceptional Success: The ghost is completely over- chanted items are among the only means by which a physi-
awed by your character’s faith or capability. The ghost is cal attack can harm a manifested spirit. Damage comes
forced to de-manifest and cannot manifest again anywhere from the faith invested in the object rather than from the
until the following day. force of the swing.
A blessed or sacred object can be anything from an
Exorcisms ancient wooden cross to a well-worn Qu’ran to a set of
Exorcisms are special rites of sanctification that popu- Buddhist prayer beads. Blessed items have a ranking from
lar myth has relegated to cases of demonic possession, but 1 to 5, representing the weight of belief imbued in them.
they in fact can be used to uproot and banish any form of Truly blessed items in the modern world are almost al-
spirit from the physical world. Like an abjuration, an ex- ways relics from older, more superstitious times. Such rel-
orcism is more about the person who performs the rite ics cannot be crafted intentionally. Their blessing is a
than the words spoken, and is primarily a contest of wills mysterious power afforded by faith. It is entirely up to the
between mortal and spirit. A character who performs an Storyteller to determine if an item is blessed or not. A
exorcism wants a minimum Morality of 8 and a minimum cross that was carried for years by a saintly missionary might
Occult or Academics (Religion) of 3 to avoid incurring come to possess an aura of faith, while a book used by a
penalties on the exorcism roll. For every dot of Morality popular preacher on a nationally televised show might
below 8 or Skill below 3, a -1 penalty is suffered. For every never acquire such resonance. It is impossible to predict
dot of Morality above 8 or Skill above 3, a +1 bonus is where faith will flower into physical manifestation. Like-
gained. wise, it’s hard for mere mortals to know whether or not a
An exorcism is a contested and extended action, with holy relic is infused with faith until it’s tested against the
each roll representing five minutes of incantation and supernatural. Certain supernatural creatures can some-
prayer. Roll Resolve + Composure for the character per- times sense a divine aura, but mortals have no such capa-
forming the exorcism, and the ghost’s Power + Resistance. bility.
On each roll, the side with the most successes (regardless To use a blessed item on a manifested ghost, make a
of total successes achieved) causes the other to lose one normal attack roll as you would with a mundane weapon,
point of Willpower. The exorcism rolls continue until the but instead of adding a damage rating as bonus dice, add
character voluntarily abandons the attempt or one side the item’s blessing rating to your dice pool. If the attack
runs out of Willpower. If the character runs out of Will- hits, each success inflicts a point of aggravated damage.
power, he falls into a catatonic state, ravaged both physi- Example: Father Thomas wields a blessed rosary (3
cally and emotionally. If the ghost runs out of Willpower, dots), with which he lashes out at an apparition. His player
it is unable to maintain its hold on its anchor(s) and is rolls Strength 2 + Weaponry 1 + three dice for the blessed
banished from the physical realm, never to return. power of the item. The apparition’s Defense of 2 is sub-
If neither side gets any successes or both sides get the tracted from the dice pool, leaving four dice. The result is 4,
same number of successes in a roll, the battle continues 6, 8, 9 — two successes, inflicting two aggravated wounds
for another five minutes with no one losing Willpower. to the apparition.
If multiple people participate in an exorcism, treat Blessed items that aren’t made to be used in combat
the effort like teamwork (p. 134). One participant is the do not suffer the usual -1 penalty that improvised weap-
primary, and all secondaries may or may not contribute ons normally do (see p. 136). Their power comes from
bonuses to the primary’s roll in each stage of the rite. The the faith they project, not from their sturdiness or utility.
primary loses all Willpower for his “side.”
Dramatic Failure: Your character (or the ghost) suf- Types of Ghosts
fers a terrible shock that reverberates to the core of his
being. A -2 penalty is imposed on his next roll. The following are examples of general types of ghosts
Failure: Your character (or the ghost) comes up short that you can include in your stories. Each profile has its
in the battle of wills. own unique set of abilities. They’re listed in general order
Success: Your character (or the ghost) has energy and of power and rarity.
determination. The opponent loses one Willpower point
if you get the most successes. Apparition
Exceptional Success: Your character (or the ghost) Background: Apparitions are the most common form
likely inflicts a crippling blow against the opposition’s faith of spirit, encountered in haunted places across the world.
or conviction. If you get the most successes, the opponent Typically the spirit of someone who met a sudden or vio-
loses two Willpower points instead of one. lent death, or a lost soul that has become trapped in this
world, an apparition has the power to terrify any mortals
Blessed Items who encounter it.
Like prayers or rites, blessed or sanctified objects that Description: Apparitions can come in many forms,
are infused with faith can be used to physically disrupt a from shifting wisps of light to human forms nearly indis-
ghost, damaging or destroying it utterly. Blessed or en- tinguishable from the living. These spirits can bear tell-

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Chapter 8- STORYTELLING