Page 75 - Hunter the Vigil - Mortal Remains

CHAPTER THREE: GHOSTWALKERS

Resistance to damage. Ghostwalkers can resist damage The problem lies in power level, and the effect a Sin-Eater
by spending Willpower to make their ectoplasm fill can have on a ghost story. Sin-Eater abilities that involve ghosts
wounds. This causes a visible, smoky white effect. are nothing short of remarkable. Any ghostwalker can trivialize
Damage stopped by ectoplasm is not gone, but is filled even the best-planned chronicle once she gets involved with a
in and does not cause a wound penalty. This damage ghost story. Ghostwalkers also tend to be very powerful, more
can be overridden by other types of damage, and the than most hunters. A power discrepancy will be apparent
same health level cannot be stopped by ectoplasm twice. between third-tier hunters and Sin-Eaters, even more than
At the end of the scene, damage filled with ectoplasm other World of Darkness games.
becomes Bashing. By spending 1 Willpower Point, a The question is how to make it work. And, the answer is
ghostwalker can fill in all health levels from a single carefully. A Storyteller can use Plasm management to keep Sin-
attack with ectoplasm, subject to the above limits. Eaters somewhat in check, since it’s not the easiest resource to
find, and many Sin-Eater powers, including all their strongest
Restore Willpower. A ghostwalker can restore ones, require Plasm in large amounts. If she wishes to tinker
Willpower by drawing ectoplasm from haunted places, with systems, a Storyteller could allow Sin-Eaters to hold less
or consuming fallen ghosts. Drawing ectoplasm from a Plasm per Psyche dot, more in line with other supernatural
haunted location restores one to five Willpower Points creatures, or disallow certain Manifestations, such as Boneyard,
depending on intensity of the haunt, and consuming which exacerbates the power difference.
a ghost restores an amount equal to the ghost’s health Ultimately, combining Hunter and Geist can work, but
track. Resolving a ghost so they pass on into peace will first and foremost it would require buy-in from the players,
restore all Willpower for any ghostwalker involved.
and preparedness from the Storyteller. It is as difficult from
Affect Ghosts. Ghostwalkers can bleed ectoplasm a mechanical perspective as it is easy from a story perspective.
onto a ghost to make it aware of its surroundings, and The group must decide if the fun of exploring such a union is
cognizant of its situation. This lasts a scene and costs a worth the trouble the power disparities may bring.
point of Willpower. If not, Geist could still be usable for short encounters to
flesh out a hunt that involves a ghostwalker. And, Geist or
Open Avernian Gates. The haunted can also bleed Hunter players may want to try walking in the other’s shoes
ectoplasm onto the Avernian Gates to open them. To for a while. The only difference being that hunters are better
do so costs a point of Willpower. organized, and each compact and conspiracy offers a unique
perspective on the haunted, one that may put both groups at
Ghostly Senses. Ghostwalkers can see and hear ghosts odds with one another.
at all times, and can physically interact with them for
a scene by spending Willpower. They can also sense a
ghost’s use of powers, and see the Avernian Gates. The Compacts
haunted cannot ignore ghosts without concentration.

Assess Mortality. When a ghostwalker looks at any Ashwood Abbey
human, she can see if that person is going to die soon,
and get an idea of his general health at a simple glance. Ghostwalkers present a moral dilemma for Ashwood Ab-
Dead creatures, like vampires and zombies, are obvious bey. Compared to nearly any other monster they encounter, the
to the haunted. haunted really know how to party. Their resilience allows some
of them to enjoy incredible drug-fueled parties that would kill
Enhance Dread Powers. Ghostwalkers can use objects any normal human. Most importantly, though, revenants seem
linked to sites where death is present to enhance their to have a fun approach to the world. They speak of living life
Dread Powers. A kitchen knife used in a murder, for and having fun — everything the Abbey doesn’t expect a death-
example, can be used to enhance a Dread Power to kill oriented creature to do.
— usually by adding dice to use it. Add between 1 and 3 On the other hand, ghostwalkers are also interesting to
dice, depending on the raw amount of death associated hunt. They can come back from the dead and be hunted again.
with the item. Something close by when a murder They can also take enormous amounts of punishment, prolong-
happened is +1, a murder weapon might be +2, whereas ing a hunt, and their tendency to bleed ectoplasm makes for
an item used repeatedly in a serial killing might be +3. one hell of a show. Assuming a hunter knows where they are —
Reading about these ghostwalker abilities may tempt and if he can isolate them and ensure there’s no ghosts around
Storytellers to cross Hunter and Geist over more directly, possibly to help — ghostwalker powers are more like fighting a werewolf
even in a shared chronicle. Thematically, this is very sound; than anything else.
Sin-Eaters (e.g. what a hunter refers to as a “ghostwalker”) are Unfortunately, the Abbey hasn’t gotten the hint that ghost-
essentially hunters in a ghost story. They are far better prepared walkers are exceptionally dangerous. Killing one and keeping it
for dealing with ghosts, and can add elements to a ghost story around to hunt again when it rises from the dead may sound
that are nearly impossible to do with mortal hunters. like a good plan, but just about the time it does return to life

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