Possession
Rule, Optional rules
Restless spirits and, more often, demons drawn by careless black magic may try to take over a mortal body; the victim resists with a save vs Will, and a failure hands the character to the judge until exorcised.
From the book
Every demon, and some spirits, can possess a mortal body, and even animals, objects or buildings. Demons seldom possess objects, but spirit possession in the form of hauntings and poltergeists is common. Often the spirit cannot or will not pass on, especially after a violent or unjust death, and lingers where it died until avenged. Gentle spirits may ask the living for help; malign or desperate ones try to seize a body.
Demonic possession almost always follows contact with the lower planes. The usual victims are dabblers in Black Magic: a flawed circle of protection, a scroll spell gone wrong, or merely reading a cursed old book can draw demons, with a 1-10% chance in such cases.
The target resists with a save vs WILL. Success sends the entity to another victim or back home, as the Game Judge decides. Failure means possession. Demons have a 20% chance of possessing in numbers, with d20 for how many and 2d8 for their level and whether minor, lesser or greater.
The Judge plays a possessed character, all the time or only when the entity takes over, and may keep it secret from the other players with notes or whispers. Only a successful exorcism, one per entity, returns the character to the player.
At a glance
- Chance from black-magic mishaps
- 1-10%
- Resist
- Save vs WILL; success sends the entity elsewhere or home
- Multiple demonic possession
- 20% chance; 1d20 presences, 2d8 for level/type (minor, lesser, greater demon)
- Effect
- Game Judge plays the possessed character (secretly if desired)
- Cure
- Successful exorcism (one per possessing entity)