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View Full Version : Roleplaying You're now a ghost! ...Now what?



The Fury
2017-12-21, 08:57 PM
If your character were to die and manifest as a ghost how would you deal with this? Is being a ghost terrible or awesome? Would you try to continue going on adventures? Would you try to get brought back to life?

To put any system-dependent questions to rest, let's assume that it's classic ghost-rules-- you can be seen and heard, you can fly through walls and stuff, but you can't pick things up or otherwise interact with physical objects. Except maybe after some special training, like Patrick Swayze.

BWR
2017-12-22, 02:26 AM
I'd float around a bit and feel all angsty, then give up and fade away.

noob
2017-12-22, 02:40 AM
Currently my only character in a rpg is in dnd3.5
So that character would get level adjustment which would make it useless very quickly.

hymer
2017-12-22, 02:40 AM
It depends rather on the character and the campaign, but my initial reaction is to retire the character. It died, time to move on. If this is some sort of transition period until I can get the PC ressed, I'd be more likely to bear with it, but I'd want to get it over with as fast as possible. I might even sit out a few sessions until my character got back.
I've sometimes played characters who are extremely determined, and such a character I'd be willing to bear with it for a bit. At least it fits that these people don't just go gently into that good night.

All in all, if I want to walk through walls, I'll make a character that can walk through walls. Some players really like GMs shaking things up in a manner such as this, but I'm not one of them.

Satinavian
2017-12-22, 02:44 AM
That very much depends on the character (religion, life goals, social bonds... ) and also depends on how ghosts work in that particular world.

But most would at first try to understand their new existence better, fresh up on ghost lore, get to know and explore new abilities, try to become aware of new dangers (preferrable before exposure) and then plan ahead.


At least some would welcome the change as some kind of super powered immortality, at least some others would try to end this existence as soon as possible to reach the afterlife they believe in. Characters trying to get back to life would be a minority, but they also exist.

Kitten Champion
2017-12-22, 04:01 AM
To me it would depend on whether or not my ghost PC would contribute to the narrative in any real way. Like, my character's death providing motivation for a new branch for the story to take and my ghost's presence can help facilitate that. That could be cool, particularly if it's not really going to be all that meaningful to roll up a new character at the point of the game. Plus in most games there are ways to actually threaten/limit ghosts available, which allows for an element of continued risk to my character.

What I wouldn't want - even unintentionally - is to end up as a Mxyzptlk-esque figure who just trolls the experience from a position of invincibility and boredom.

Frozen_Feet
2017-12-22, 04:36 AM
If your character were to die and manifest as a ghost how would you deal with this? Is being a ghost terrible or awesome? Would you try to continue going on adventures? Would you try to get brought back to life?

I've ran several games which started with all the PCs having died and become ghosts. I've also played Bleach-themed freeforms for years, so my own number of ghostly PCs is pretty high up there.

How the characters have dealt with it has varied immensely. A lot of it depends on a character's beliefs and upbringing.

To answer your question of whether being a ghost is awesome or terrifying, you need to look up what feeling of awe actually means. Because in addition to (current) positive usage of "awesome", it also lends itself to (current) negative use of "awfull". These used to be synonymous.

Becoming a ghost may be nice due to functional supernatural powers, but it's also a source of raw, cosmic horror if you think of all implications.

Like, if I were to die and become a ghost:

1) this would mean that despite prior absence of evidence, existence after death is a whole thing. Hence all stories of ghosts have to now be reconsider for what they tell of real ghosts.
2) a common vein in most ghost stories is that a person becomes a ghost due to lingering hang-ups or being improperly buried. The implication of this is that I'm unable to go to proper afterlife because I failed at life or my relatives failed me in death. Which is, you know, really nice deal and all.
3) ghosts are or become *******s. The implication being that I will sooner or later go haunt and harass people who were important to me in life, either due to my ghostly existence driving me nuts or because of my own pettiness. Again, reeaaally nice.
4) people don't have history of coming back from the dead, so I have little reason to presume my new half-assed existence is something easily reversible, or that I can do anything myself to reverse it.

Pleh
2017-12-22, 06:59 PM
Currently my only character in a rpg is in dnd3.5
So that character would get level adjustment which would make it useless very quickly.

Not if you use the class template (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040117a) so you can take your ghost levels over time.

SirBellias
2017-12-22, 08:13 PM
The mad scientist Webley would be ecstatic for a good half hour or so, then get bored and possess his minions so he can keep working.

Draugves would be very confused if she came back at all, and would probably spend several years in quiet contemplation if there was no one she knew around that was knowledgeable in these things. Proper deliberation is key to good decision making.

Lyla would be terrified, as she had not gone to the afterlife she was promised with no clue as to why.

On average, my characters would associate becoming a ghost with being a bad thing. I'd be surprised if this happened to any of them, because I haven't seen the DMs around me do much besides "you're dead, what now?"

As a player I'd probably want to roll a new character and let the DM NPC them if they really wanted said character to hang around. I've got too many characters and not time to play as it is, so a couple deaths every now and again never hurt anyone.

noob
2017-12-23, 01:52 AM
Not if you use the class template (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040117a) so you can take your ghost levels over time.

Works only if you have la buyoff else you will still lost caster levels by taking levels in that class.

Jormengand
2017-12-23, 05:55 AM
I will be both angry and vengeful, and will retain all of my spellcasting powers (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0163.html). :vaarsuvius:

Mastikator
2017-12-23, 06:00 AM
My character wouldn't become a ghost "just cuz", there'd be a reason. An objective for the character to achieve. I would either collaborate with the DM to make one up- one that can and eventually WILL be achieved. Or I would make a new character.

BeerMug Paladin
2017-12-27, 03:28 AM
Standard ghost rules?

How's this. I presumably have some skills most normal people do not. Skills useful for acquiring vast sums of wealth.

Find someone to become a vessel for possession.
Go on wacky adventures together.
Get raised(?).

Of course a good character would work out some kind of deal directly, up-front and honest, probably manifesting and attempting to speak to a lot of different NPCs before finding one willing. Work out some kind of time-share deal with the body and talk to the host about any issues they may have with the arrangement, should any crop up.

An evil character would probably go find some haven of drug abuse and target someone with a weak will, find out everything they can about them and their life and just possess them after breaking them further. To make the possession more convenient and easier.

Vogie
2017-12-27, 10:19 AM
If someone wanted to continue a character while a ghost I would certainly consider:

Have other party members roll other ghosts to join them in a small side adventure.
Find a Medium (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/occultAdventures/classes/medium.html)- Basically, a roll a fairly bland "new" character is a medium who can channel the preexisting character at times. If not playing Pathfinder, I'd port the class.
Make them a Geist - Not so much porting over the White Wolf game class, but getting the feel of it, including changing the character's abilities based on the way the original player died.
Keep them in a noncombat role, and alter the encounters slightly - Less Dragons, more Dungeons, and a focus on a Metal-Gear/Dishonored style Stealth. The ghost player will have to act as distraction and scout, constantly making sure the PCs won't be overwhelmed with an encounter group that is too large for them. This would take a very specific type of roleplayer, though.
Redefine the Ghost abilities into a support role - By expanding Ghost abilities into a theme, then you can give the ghost player a way to attach themselves to an existing player. This could be passive or active, and you could tap into the Phantom's abilities from the Pathfinder Spiritualist (http://paizo.com/pathfinderRPG/prd/occultAdventures/classes/spiritualist.html).

TeChameleon
2017-12-29, 02:30 AM
Gavin Fireborne, my immortal pyromancer wizard, would likely be very confused once he eventually noticed, given the whole 'immortality' thing. Then, in all probability, shrug and continue on as he was, since, well, keeping spellcasting abilities and all would mean that all that really changed for him would be taking half damage from most attacks. It's not like he had an afterlife he expected to get to, and given that his 'social life' consists of occasionally being dragged out of his lab by other party members to dispose of flammable evil, it's not like being dead is going to put much of a crimp in it.

Kaptin Keen
2017-12-29, 02:38 AM
Well - I didn't roll a ghost, so a ghost isn't the character I want to play. Unless resurrection was shortly incoming, I'd reroll a character I wanted to play.

The Fury
2017-12-29, 02:54 PM
Standard ghost rules?

How's this. I presumably have some skills most normal people do not. Skills useful for acquiring vast sums of wealth.

Find someone to become a vessel for possession.
Go on wacky adventures together.
Get raised(?).

Of course a good character would work out some kind of deal directly, up-front and honest, probably manifesting and attempting to speak to a lot of different NPCs before finding one willing. Work out some kind of time-share deal with the body and talk to the host about any issues they may have with the arrangement, should any crop up.


I imagine that would go down a little like sharing a car with a sibling or a room mate.

"OK, so here's the ground rules-- I get my body on weekends and make sure you bring it back with full hit points when you're done."

"Sure!"

a few weeks later...

"What the hell, ghost! I was supposed to have my body for the weekend! You left me S.O.L.!"

"What are you talking about? I only had it Friday night!"

"Friday night is part of the weekend!"

"No, it's not."

"And why am I missing fingers?"

"Oh those... they were like that when I got there."