Paranormal Rules/Campaign

[Greasy]

Is there a book or book series that covers rules of the paranormal? I'm running a campaign and my party is roughly level 3. I want to throw in a campaign hook with a lesser demon, but I need a way for it to not slaughter my party out right.

Also, since my entire campaign is undead/demon/paranormal/insect based, I'd like the players to have options other than combat and typical clerical stuff. You know, like rituals they can perform, exorcisions, provisions such as salt lines blah blah blah.

Not asking for you guys to give me direct rules (Although some help would be appreciated) just general resources. I own roughly have of the Wizards of the Coast collection (All cores and completes, but not campaign setting specifics like Forgotten Realms or Eberron).

Any ideas?

[Analytica]

The book Heroes of Horror might be of help to you here. Think also BoVD/BoED may have exorcism-type things.

[Greasy]

The book Heroes of Horror might be of help to you here. Think also BoVD/BoED may have exorcism-type things.

I have the BoVD and BoED, and they certainly have some interesting stuff in them that I'm definitely using. I've become curious to Heroes of Horror, but I just figured that had generic class building things, and not so much theory crafting and oddball trinkets/spells.

Regardless, worth a look?

[Phelix-Mu]

Heroes of Horror is definitely worth a look. If you want an interesting twist on Taint, try hybriding the taint from HoH with that described in the Oriental Adventures books. Combining the akuma from OA with some interesting (and hyped-up) taint variations made for a very dangerous, but very interesting, high-level campaign that I once ran. The party was Good to LN/CN, though, so I didn't have to worry too much about anyone more than dipping their toes in the corruption benefits pool.

I'd also suggest a gander at Libris Mortis. Some really nice details on undead and variants of some of the classic undead types. Unkillable, fast zombies for the win! :smallcool:

Finally, Heroes of Horror goes into the Oneiromancy stuff, involving dreams. I preferred the older stuff from the 3.0 Manual of the Planes involving the dreamscapes and such, and much of that was carried over into the newer rules. Interactive dreams, semi-real dreams, collective dreamscapes, these are all pretty cool things to explore for a paranormal campaign. Lucid Dreaming from MotP can make for some cool stuff, and some of the dream related spells from HoH are pretty neat. Consider adding in the various grades of quori from the Eberron books, is totally a great way to go (mmm....kalaraq quori...delicious).

Last but not least, a touch of binding from Tome of Magic, or psionics from Expanded Psionics Handbook, are both appropriate, and if you jazz up the mindbending flavor, can add a lot to an atmosphere of the weird and unexplained (especially as both psionics and binding share few or no visual aspects in common with normal magic, aside from the direct effects).

[Greasy]

Heroes of Horror is definitely worth a look. If you want an interesting twist on Taint, try hybriding the taint from HoH with that described in the Oriental Adventures books. Combining the akuma from OA with some interesting (and hyped-up) taint variations made for a very dangerous, but very interesting, high-level campaign that I once ran. The party was Good to LN/CN, though, so I didn't have to worry too much about anyone more than dipping their toes in the corruption benefits pool.

I'd also suggest a gander at Libris Mortis. Some really nice details on undead and variants of some of the classic undead types. Unkillable, fast zombies for the win! :smallcool:

Finally, Heroes of Horror goes into the Oneiromancy stuff, involving dreams. I preferred the older stuff from the 3.0 Manual of the Planes involving the dreamscapes and such, and much of that was carried over into the newer rules. Interactive dreams, semi-real dreams, collective dreamscapes, these are all pretty cool things to explore for a paranormal campaign. Lucid Dreaming from MotP can make for some cool stuff, and some of the dream related spells from HoH are pretty neat. Consider adding in the various grades of quori from the Eberron books, is totally a great way to go (mmm....kalaraq quori...delicious).

Last but not least, a touch of binding from Tome of Magic, or psionics from Expanded Psionics Handbook, are both appropriate, and if you jazz up the mindbending flavor, can add a lot to an atmosphere of the weird and unexplained (especially as both psionics and binding share few or no visual aspects in common with normal magic, aside from the direct effects).Guessing I'll definitely grab HoH, Oriental Adventure sounds interesting. That covers rules for more abstract spirits?

[Phelix-Mu]

Akuma were mostly corporeal, but there were some spirit creatures in the OA setting, from what I recall. If you want more abstract stuff, I'd advise a look at the quori and the inspired from Eberron, which are cool psionic entities with lots of flavor, fluff easily repurposed. You can add the phantom template (MM4 or 5, IIRC) to give something the option to become incorporeal. Vivacious creature template also makes something incorporeal, and gives a number of other interesting positive energy-themed abilities.

Finally, a plug for wendigos, which I think were from Fiend Folio. Lots of flavor, very creepy creature concept, and some nice mechanics. And they're fey, which is a nice twist, since they act a lot like undead.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I've got a section in my Wu Jen Handbook that talks about what a creature with the [spirit] subtype is.

Might be helpful.

[Afool]

May I suggest looking at the Dresden Files? It has not-a-small amount of information on summoning rituals and potential uses of summoned spirits or fey (and demons/devils; they generally have the info you want, or can get it faster, but there's always that price :smallwink: ).

The rituals mentioned in the books generally revolve around circles, control of power (magical), and strength of will.

Circles:
The circle(s) (which are very, very rarely only formed mentally by only the most disciplined and desperate) are used to focus and contain the power of the binder and the binded for whatever purpose the binder has for the ritual. Quality Circles are generally built using ornate (and expensive) and/or symbolic materials that are relevant to the bound creature/spirit/horror/what-cha-ma-call-it and/or the binder. General rule of thumb is, the better the circle, the better the binding (also, unless it is really creature specific or fragile, circles are reusable, though they may need to be maintained).

Power:
In the Dresdenverse, those who are doing bindings almost certainly have magical ability of some sort, either specializing in binding or being a wizard (think only being able to use conjuration [calling] vs. having relevant levels in the class wizard). Beings with magical ability draw their power from a well within them or without them (generally their emotions (e.g. being angry gives more power, but you're angry so you have less control, unless your cool like that) or some sort of sponsored power (pact with the fey, demons, heavenly beings, eldritch horrors (which are a HUGE no-no in the Dresdenverse) etc.), and use this well of power to create the binding which is tested by the summoned creature to see if they can break their bonds.

Will:
Strength of Will... this part's a bit trickier. Simply put, this comes up a few different ways. It can represent how powerful your power is (.. it makes sense in context, I promise), it can occur in keeping your concentration during the makings of the ritual and/or it's execution. It could be as simple (or complicated) as contesting your will against the bound being to make it do what you want or be dominated by it in turn.

Oh and there's one last part I forgot, the summoning ritual itself. Now this is generally simply in concept as it boils down to two parts; The Name and The Bait. It can be as safe as placing some pizza in a circle and whispering a fairy's name to as dangerous as calling the Eldest Aspect of Winter to answer the question of how to kill an Immortal.

[Mutazoia]

Seriously? Nobody's mentioned Ravenloft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravenloft) yet?? This is tailor made for what you are looking to do.

[buttcyst]

I'm also surprised nobody has mentioned ghostwalk for the various ghostly things in there or savage species for some of the undead templates, SS even gives a way for you to turn normal monsters from any of the MMs and re-template them into almost any subtype. saw libris mortis and BoVD up there, lords of madness could prove to be a neat dip into the macabre, it's about aberrations, but, they tend to push the unreal and supernatural.

[Phelix-Mu]

I'm also surprised nobody has mentioned ghostwalk for the various ghostly things in there or savage species for some of the undead templates, SS even gives a way for you to turn normal monsters from any of the MMs and re-template them into almost any subtype. saw libris mortis and BoVD up there, lords of madness could prove to be a neat dip into the macabre, it's about aberrations, but, they tend to push the unreal and supernatural.

Ooh, from Lords of Madness, the OP may want to look into the tsochar. Invasion of the body snatchers? Yay! They are like symbiotes that hijack other creature's bodies, which could be the secret behind a whole bunch of paranormal things going on.

Also, the loumarra from Fiendish Codex I are a type of incorporeal demons from the Abyss that possess people and drive them mad. Never used them, but they have a lot of flavor.

[Mutazoia]

There's also a 3rd party 2e book called Lich Lords....