MetaMythos - RPG Campaign and World Design

RuneQuest Companion SRD - The Spirit World

Defining a Spirit

A spirit lacks STR, CON, DEX and SIZ. Instead, the spirit has only INT, POW and CHA. Most importantly, a spirit can only be harmed by spells or magical effects that affect one of these Characteristics or are otherwise designed to be effective against spirits. Normal weapons are designed to deal damage on a physical body and thus are entirely useless against a spirit. Note that all spirits derive their Attributes in a different manner from corporeal beings:

Combat Actions (CA): The number of Combat Actions a spirit can perform is determined by its INT Characteristic, rather than its DEX Characteristic. Spirits gain an equal number of Reactions, just like corporeal creatures.

Damage Modifier (DM): A spirit’s Damage Modifier can perform is determined by its CHA+POW Characteristics, rather than its STR+SIZ Characteristics.

Hit Points (HP): Rather than determine hit points by location, a spirit simply has a total number of hit points equal to its POW Characteristic. It is never necessary to roll for a spirit’s hit location (it effectively only has one location).

Strike Rank (SR): A spirit’s Strike Rank is determined by adding its INT+CHA Characteristics together, rather than its INT+DEX Characteristics. Also, note that this total is not halved.

Movement: A spirit’s Movement is equal to its POW in metres. Spirits are generally extremely fast compared to corporeal creatures. They may also float or fly at their whim and may also move through solid nonliving objects freely.

Additional spirit effects:

• The only Basic skills a spirit possesses are Dodge (20+INT), Evaluate, Influence, Lore (Animal, Plant, Spirit World and World), Perception, Persistence (20+POW), Sing, Stealth (20+INT) and Unarmed (CHA). It may also have specific Weapon skills, in which case these will be based on CHA+INT (for close combat weapons) or INT (for ranged weapons).
• Only magical damage or damage originating from the spirit world can harm spirits. Spirits cannot suffer injuries from normal sources. Once their hit points reach zero, they are dissipated, perhaps permanently. Spirits regain hit points at the same rate as they regain Magic Points.
• The spirit always inflicts only its Damage Modifier to a target (to a minimum of one point of damage).
• Spirits are unaffected by any effect that requires a Resilience test, including diseases, poisons and spells with the Resist (Resilience) trait.
• Spirits are usually invisible to corporeal creatures, though not to each other. Most, but not all spirits, can become visible however. Regardless of whether or not the spirit is visible, any creature it attacks will be aware of the attack, even if the attack failed.

Spirit Combat

Spirits versus Spirits

The following should be borne in mind when spirits engage in combat in the spirit world:

• Spirits attack, parry, dodge and basically fight just like their corporeal counterparts, though many of their Attributes and skills are determined differently.
• Regardless of the apparent weapon used, a spiritual attack is made of the spirit’s own willpower, rather than metal or wood as a real weapon is. As such it always inflicts only its Damage Modifier to a target (minimum of one point of damage).
• Armour is of no use in the spirit world and the damage of an attack will not be reduced by any apparent armour.
• All spirit critical hits simply do maximum possible damage for their Damage Modifier and fumbles are simply failed attacks.
• Spirits attack, parry, dodge and basically fight just like their corporeal counterparts, though many of their Attributes and skills are determined differently.
• Spirits do not suffer injuries, though they will be dissipated if their hit points are reduced to zero.
• Spirits do suffer from Knockback but only if a blow exceeds their POW (rather than their SIZ).

Spirits versus Corporeal Characters

Spirits attacking corporeal characters do so normally.

• When attacking a corporeal creature, a spirit is still in the spirit world. It is the corporeal being’s soul that is being attacked rather than its physical form. As such, the spirit is not affected by any environmental modifiers.
• Regardless of the apparent weapon used, a spiritual attack is made of the spirit’s own willpower, rather than metal or wood as a real weapon is. As such it always inflicts only its Damage Modifier to a target (minimum of one point of damage).
• Spirit attacks may not be parried (except with magical weapons) but may be dodged normally.
• Spirit attacks ignore armour (though magical armour will work normally).
• While the damage is done to a corporeal being’s soul, it is reflected immediately on its body. Thus very real wounds will appear to reflect the spirit’s attacks.

Corporeal Characters versus Spirits

• Spirits are usually invisible to corporeal creatures and make no sound, though many of them have a distinct smell or sensation that accompanies their manifestation. As such, corporeal opponents unable to pierce this invisibility will take a -40% penalty to their attacks.
• Only magical weapons or weapons that are specifically designed to attack spirits may harm spirits. If a weapon has been enchanted with a Rune Magic spell like Bladesharp, only the additional damage is magical and therefore this is the only damage that will harm the spirit.
• Precise attacks will not work against spirits.
• Spells that cause magical damage, or spells specifically designed to attack spirits, may also harm spirits. However, if the spell requires a target, the spellcaster must be able to see the spirit. Spells with the Touch trait will not work against spirits, unless the character somehow enables his hand to enter the spirit world.

New Rune Magic Spells

Spirit Bane

Casting Time 2, Duration 10, Magnitude 3, Touch Runes: Spirit , Earth

Cast on an item (normally a missile or close combat weapon), this spell allows it to temporarily exist both in the real world and the spirit world. As such, the item can affect (and be affected by) spirits. This makes Spirit Bane an invaluable spell for those who would fight ghosts, wraiths and other incorporeal entities.

Spirit Screen

Casting Time 2, Duration 10, Magnitude 1, Progressive, Touch Rune: Spirit

This Rune Magic spell provides the recipient with spiritual armour to protect him from attacks by spirits. Each point of the spell’s Magnitude provides one armour point on all locations that only applies against attacks from incorporeal creatures (such as ghosts and wraiths).

In addition, Spirit Screen allows a character to parry spirit attacks and also renders a recipient immune to spiritual domination (though it will not dislodge a currently dominating spirit).

Dissipated Spirits

Spirits that reach zero hit points are dissipated. This dissipation is either permanent or temporary, dependent on the type of spirit. Permanently dissipated spirits are destroyed.

Temporarily dissipated spirits, cannot be permanently destroyed through combat. When dissipated, the spirit will reform in a number of hours equal to its POW. The reformed spirit will have one hit point and will regain its hit points normally.

Possession

In order to possess a corporeal creature, a spirit must possess either the Covert or Dominant Possession traits. It must also be within touching distance of the target, as the process of possession will cause the spirit to inhabit or ‘ride’ the target’s corporeal body.

Possession is an opposed Persistence test which takes one Combat Action to complete. Either party may spend Magic Points to gain a +5% bonus to the test per Magic Point spent.

If the spirit wins the opposed test, it possesses the target creature.

If the target wins the opposed test, it resists the possession and will also realise that it has thrown off some kind of attack against its mind.

Dominant Possession

The target is fully aware that its body has been taken over but it is also absolutely helpless, unable to take any action at all, a prisoner in its own body. The possessor is in complete control, though it does not have access to any of the memories, skills or magic of the possessed.

If viewed magically, it is an Easy (+20%) Perception test to tell that a person is dominantly possessed.

Covert Possession

The possessed will not even know that he is possessed unless the spirit chooses to inform him or others impart the knowledge to him. Though the covertly possessing entity does not control the body’s actions, it is not without its influence.

A covertly possessing spirit may apply its POW as a bonus or penalty to any skill test the possessed makes.

If viewed magically, it is a Hard(-40%) Perception test to tell that a person is covertly possessed.

Spirit Creatures

Disease Spirit

As long as the disease spirit is possessing a creature, the possessed will be forced to make Resilience tests to resist the effects of the disease. However, the disease cannot be thrown off until the disease spirit is ousted.

Also, the spirit will nearly always choose to apply its POW as a penalty to the possessed’s Resilience tests. If the possessed dies while being possessed by a disease spirit, there is a percentage chance equal to the spirit’s POW that it will arise as a new disease spirit in 2D6 hours.

Ghost

Ghosts found on the material plane are always tethered to a specific place, object or person and cannot stray far from whatever it is they are tied to. Even when in command of a possessed body, the ghost remains tied to the same specific place, object or person and may not leave. The exact distance from its anchor point a ghost can venture varies with each ghost but as a rule of thumb they will not be able to move further than their POW x 10 in metres from the anchor.

Wraith