Spirits

From: Majordomo <major_at_hops.wharton.upenn.edu>
Date: Fri, 18 Nov 1994 16:33:24 +0800

        I am following this brief message with a long discussion that I wrote for the rq4 list, that is basically an attempt to show how I think spirits should be organised in the rules. I apologise to all those that are seeing it twice, especially as I have not revised it, but the thread came up here, so I go with it (apologies to Loren who wants to remove RQ rules specific discussion from this forum).

        Anyway, I would prefer to have spirits defined in game terms as attributes plus a list of abilities, and then any taxonomy be made up using that standard format, rather than confusing species with ability.

        To give an example - an animal spirit shouldn't be called an intellect spirit, or power spirit, or whatever. It is an animal spirit, and in game terms it is a spirit with fixed Int, POW, and certain abilities.

        One more brief topical comment - I think ghosts are spirits the dead that are bound to the material plane. I think that all Spirits of the Dead can engage in spirit combat, and possess if they win, but most are prevented because they do not live on the mortal plane - they need Visibility spells, or some other magic (eg Axis Mundi), to allow them to contact the mortal plane (and fight its residents, if that is what they want). A shamans spirit differs only in that he can voluntarily travel to the spirit plane, and his fetch keeps the body empty for his return. A ghost does not normally have abilities that normal spirits of the dead do not, but it does live on the mundane plane.

        Cheers
                Dave

        Spirits
        
        *** Paragraphs that begin with an asterisk represent editorial comment 
        where I attempt to explain my intentions.
        

• my intention with this way of presenting the familiar RQ3 spirits is to avoid an organised taxonomy of spirits like the RQ3 one, and to concentrate on saying what spirits can do in game terms rather than classification. My impression is that in RQ3 most of the more important spirits are either special species (like nymphs or ghouls) or fit into the cult spirit of demon categories of the Creatures book, rather than the more limited types. The intent is to encourage some individuality among spirits, and some creativity, and to make spirits encounters more of a special event. This is not intended to be something useful in this form, but a direction for further work to take.

        Spirits are, in the broadest use of the term, creatures without permanent SIZ (though some of them are able to create temporary bodies). There are many specific varieties, though many special types are covered separately, including Nymphs, Elementals, and Ghosts.

        Spirits can have any other combination of attributes. There are spirits with normal INT, Fixed INT, and no INT. Most have POW, but not all (though all must have magic points).

        There are many spirits that can not be so easily classified, in fact many spirits are individuals. To describe a spirit, in addition to its attributes, its spells, and its skills (none of which are possessed by all spirits), you must also describe what abilities it possesses, or what abilities can be used by a binder.

• The Spirit Lore skill from RQ4 is intended to be used. Instead of the game master and the players both talking about spirits drawn from the small list in the Creatures book, the GM creates spirits as he wants, and the player characters are assumed to know about them if their Spirit Lore warrants. Many spirits are associated with a particular area. They may be spirits of a place, or of creatures that live in a particular place. Such an area is called a domain, and often spirits are only able to use particular powers within their domain. Some spirits are so closely associated with their domain that they lose magic points when they leave their domain, or can only regenerate them within their domain. For most spirits a domain is defined geographically, but not always. For some spirits the domain is defined as a particular element, for some a particular community.

        Common abilities
        

magic point donation - the magic points of some spirits can be used by the binder to power their own spells.
NB correspond to RQ3 POW spirits.         

spell knowledge - some spirits allow the binder to use the spirits spells. NB correspond to RQ3 Intellect spirits.

casting magic - many spirits are capable of casting magic, and can be forced to cast magic for their binder. NB correspond to RQ3 Magic spirits.

• These three abilities might be generally removed, and made properties of the binding object instead as in RQ:AIG, or properties of the magical link with the spirit (for allied spirits and familiars).

Possession - overt possession of target on a sucessful spirit combat.

Visibility - can manifest as a discorporate spirit on the mundane plain without magical assistance.

Spells - a spirit can know any spells available to complete creatures, including being initiated and knowing divine magic. It is unusual for spirits to be able to attain ranks above initiate in a cult, and most spirits must have a physical body before they are able to cast ritual magic.

        Spirits cannot be forced to cast ritual magic using Dominate, Command, or Control, but they can be bargained with or otherwise convinced.

        Unusual abilities
        

• standard RQ3 set. All these abilities are possessed by some spirit in the RQ3 Creatures book.

Passions - on a sucessful spirit combat, covert possession with some special psychological or emotional effect, eg fear, madness, pain.         

Disease - the spirit is associated with a particular disease. Spirit combat to cause disease is MP vs. Appropriate attribute, and results in covert possession causing disease.         

Elemental body - capable of forming an body, equivalent to an elemental of the appropriate type. Typically this has an MP cost of 1mp per cubic meter of elemental SIZ, but the body may be formed as part of the summoning ritual.         

Solid body - some spirits can create temporary bodies for themselves, which seem in all respects as normal creatures except for their temporary nature. Some spirits may even be able to create more than one different body for themselves, or change the appearance or SIZ of their bodies.         

Healing - some spirits have special powers against disease. This give them the automatic ability to engage any spirit that is causing disease in spirit combat. They can also add their POW as a bonus to any one roll against any disease, including naturally occuring ones. If there is normally no chance to throw off the disease, the chance is the spirits POW.         

Spell teaching - some spirits teach a spell that they know to someone who can overcome them in spirit combat. One form of the ability is a spirit that will teach one point of the spell for each round that it is beaten. Another is the spirit that teaches a spell when it is beaten completely.

• the first description is from the 'Getting spirit magic' section of Vikings (players book pg 37), and also Land of Ninja, and I like it a lot more than the second, which is the standard RQ3 way.

Creature control - many spirits are able to control particular sorts of incomplete creature. This typically costs 1 mp, lasts for an hour, and cannot be resisted. This is often restricted to either creatures from the spirits domain, or a specific species. ** This ability is possessed by RQ3 Nymphs. I think that many animal spirits, and spirits of place of whatever form, may have it. It is an esy ability to abuse, so there should perhaps be some sort of limit on it. I envisage misuse of it as having dire emotional and spiritual effects, but that is not something that can be put into the rules easily.

The abilities from here on are from a variety of sources, including Viking and Land of Ninja, isolated examples in various supplements, and other places.

Intercede - some spirits can intercede in spirit combat, some for a specific person, some for a
group, some for an area. If an interceded person is attacked in spirit combat, the Interceding spirit can choose to engage it instead.         

Curse - some spirits can curse people with bad luck. A given spirit can only curse in specic ways. A curse usually takes the form of things that could easily occur, such as milk souring, illness, lamed animals, blunt tools. Some spirits can only curse in their domain.

Bless - conversely, some spirits can cause good luck or help. This usually takes the form of preventing common accidents from ocurring. Such spirits can usually also prevent curses cast by less powerful spirits. Again, spirits can usually only assist in certain ways, and are often retricted to helping within a specific domain.

Effect Environment - some spirits have a specific effect on the environment when they manifest on the mundane plain. Examples include locally affecting the weather, or strange smells or sounds, or general distortions of the senses. More powerful spirits have more widespread effects. It ranges from the subtle (the fresh rain smell that accompanies hellions) to the extreme (the temporary winter for miles around that accompanies Inora, the Ice Maiden).         

Search - some spirits are able to find things. Typically this only extends to a specific domain.

Chaotic features - some spirits possess chaotic features. If the feature in question requires a material body, then it is only useful when the spirit possesses someone.

Special spirit combat - spirits exist with many unusual abilities in spirit combat. They include the ability to remove POW or other attributes instead of magic points, to steal magic points and use them themselves, to cause hit point damage, or many other abilities. Some can attack more than one person at once, sometimes even dozens.

        Sometimes such abilities
are only useable against specific targets. Many cult spirits of reprisal have such abilities - sometimes useable only against initiates, sometimes more generally useful.

Spiritual weapons - some spirits seem to possess spiritual weapons, that appear to be used in a similar manner to physical weapons, but that cause magic point damage or other spirit combat damage.

        How such weapons are created or obtained is unknown, but the answer seems to lie on the hero plane rather than the spirit plane.

Skills - while any spirit with INT can learn skills, sometimes there are spirits who have gain skills magically, often as part of their nature, such as the household spirit who is at least competent at household tasks.

Languages - many spirits have magical powers of speech. For example they may be able to talk to animals or plants. When a powerful spirit speaks a sacred language (such as the elemental tongues) they can be magically understood by appropriate creatures.

• OK, I just made it up, there is no particular gloranthan evidence for it. I like it.

Common spirit types
* taken straight from RQ3.

Spirits of the Dead - the dead usually retain all spell knowledge, and retain skill knowledge initially, though they often eventually forget it. They also gain the ability of Possession.

Ghosts - a ghost is bound to retain on Earth for some reason, either magic or some reason connected to its death. It is bound to a particular domain, unable to leave it, and gains the power of visibility. Some ghosts may have other powers.         

Passion spirits - many spirits exist whose sole ability is to incite a particular passion. Fear, Pain, and Madness, are the best known. Such spirits are believed to be created by powerful displays of emotion. Usually they have only POW, and no other attributes. There are several well known types, with distinctive and well known appearances.

        The best known are Fear spirits, which appear as pale skeletal figures peering out of a well of blackness, Pain spirits, which appear as a pulsing spot that is painful to look at, and Madness spirits, which appear as a swirl in space, with a giggling or screaming face in the centre.

• As suggested in the Daily, there are lots to be added to this list. Spirits of anger, lust, berserk frenzy, meekness, and all sorts of other things are possible.

Nymphs - nymphs are spirits of a particular natural domain. Most of them possess the ability to form a temporary body, of elemental body, and of creature control for all creatures native to their domain. Most also have spells, frequently they are quite competent magicians. The most common varieties of nymphs are detailed separately. They are usually female.

Examples of other spirit types
* the sort of thing I would like to see.

Dehori - the large family of darkness spirits descended from Dehore. They are associated with darkness cults. They typically have spells that they could gain from Darkness cults, and commonly possess abilities of possession, fear passion, and creation of a shade body. Many always have a shade body.

Plant spirits - most plant spirits do not possess an INT, and so cannot cast spells. They do provide magic point donation.

Animal spirits - animal spirits usually have only fixed INT, and so do not know spells. Many have the power of creature control over creatures of the same type, though.

Wyters - these are spirits that arise from a community. They often have abilities to protect their community, such as Intercede.

• and this could go on for a while - Kolating, Shanassee, Luxites, ghouls, chon-chons, wraiths, regimental spirits, einherjar, household spirits, Krarshtides, spirits of learning, etc. But you get the idea.

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