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The appeal of documentary-style films for gamers is that they can continue the illusion of hyper-reality by using it as a prop in a role-playing game. Since films like Cloverfield, The Blair Witch Project, and Paranormal Activity all use the premise that the "events really happened," it's just a matter of playing excerpts from the DVD for the players.
Paranormal Activity, the most recent docu-style ghost movie, can be a perfect vehicle to kick off a ghost-hunting campaign. See my review of the movie here.
This article contains spoilers. Seriously, I dissect the movie in very specific detail, so if you don't want it spoiled look elsewhere.
The easiest way to use the movie, once it comes out on DVD, is to play pieces of it, if not the whole movie, for the players (who are watching it in character). This is a continuation of a cycle, of a young woman possessed by a demonic spirit that ultimately destroys her. The demon in question could find an innocent non-player character (NPC) who asks for their help, or worse it could be one of the player characters (PC).
The demonologist referenced in the film, Dr. Abrams, was out of the country. Perhaps the PCs are working with Dr. Abrams during the events of the film, only to discover what happened when he returns to the states. Implicated by guilt, they help track down patterns for where the demon will strike again.
Dr. Frederichs, a psychic, might be an acquaintance of one of the PCs, even a relative. Stumped by the events that take place in the film and traumatized by his failure to help, Frederichs is wracked with nightmares. One of the PCs could be a client of Dr. Frederichs…or even BE Dr. Frederichs.
Eventually, the PCs will have to face down the demon itself. In a lot of ways, Micah's reaction is reflective of skeptical PCs who refuse to see a paranormal threat as dangerous because they "know how to deal with it." How the PCs deal with such a threat is largely based on what the game master determines will work against the demon. As an invisible, bodiless spirit that comes and goes at will, nothing seems capable of stopping it. Paranormal Activity posits that an exorcist might help, but we never know for sure.
The demon in the movie uses two tactics: telekinetic attacks and possession. The telekinetic attacks are used primarily to frighten, although they can also be used to trip, drag, shove and even "bite" characters. Possession is how the demon commits murder; the possessed person remembers none of it, putting the unwilling murder vehicle in an awkward position to say the least.
For game masters, the biggest challenge is that logical PCs will not simply go along with things. Depending on the campaign style, they might fight back in the following ways:
- SUPERHEROIC: The PCs become ethereal or non-corporeal and fight the thing on its own turf.
- HORROR: The PCs investigate the origins of the demon and learn its vulnerability (silver, a special prayer, etc.) and must use it to combat the demon as it attacks them.
- INVESTIGATIVE: The PCs are there to record the demon, not defeat it, so that they can hand the information over to a news organization, a paranormal web site, or a secret government agency. The PCs' goal is not to defeat the demon but to record as much of the attacks as they are able to survive.
As you can see, Paranormal Activity will give you a lot to chew on. It's also a great tutorial on how to craft a haunting encounter for your campaign.
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To represent the slow degradation of the demon's influence, you can use taint. When it first attaches itself to a person, that person acquires 1d3 points of taint. The demon can then manifest at any time in that person's life, usualy precipitated by an event like a new home. For every 24 hours spent in a tainted home, a character must make a Will saving throw. The base DC is 10, +5 for every consecutive 24 hours of exposure. If the character fails his saving throw, his taint score increases by 1. Holy items, like crosses, provide seven days of protection against taint. As an item absorbs taint, it darkens, softens, and gradually rots away over seven days. During that time, it absorbs all taint to which the carrier is exposed. A character’s taint score applies as a penalty to his Constitution and Wisdom scores. Thus a character with a 16 Constitution and a 14 Wisdom who acquires a taint score of 4 has an effective Constitution of 12 and an effective Wisdom of 10. These penalties reflect the taint’s impact on the character’s physical and mental health. Though it reduces ability scores, the effect of taint is not treated as ability damage, ability drain, or any other penalty to an ability score that can be removed by magic. A character who has lost 25% of his Constitution to taint is mildly tainted. She experiences night terrors. A sleeping character wakes after a few hours of sleep, usually screaming in terror. Pulse and breathing are rapid, pupils are dilated, and hair stands on end. The character is confused and hard to calm down. Night terrors are similar to ordinary nightmares, but much more intense and disruptive. A character who has lost 50% of his Constitution to taint is moderately tainted. She experiences somnabulism (sleepwalking). As with night terrors, this behavior occurs in the first few hours of sleep. An episode may last up to 30 minutes. During the episode, the character’s face is blank and staring, and she can be roused only with difficulty. Once awake, she recalls nothing of the activity. A character who has lost 75% of his Constitution to taint is severely tainted. The victim can now be possessed by a vrock ghost. Ghost Demon (Vrock) (CR 11, HD 10d12) Spell-Like Abilities: At will: mirror image, telekinesis (DC 18), greater teleport (self plus 50 pounds of objects only); 1/day: heroism. Caster level 12th. The save DCs are Charisma-based. Telepathy (Su): Vrocks can communicate telepathically with any creature within 100 feet that has a language. Possession (Su): Once per round, as an attack action, a vrock ghost can merge with a living creature and seize control of its body. To use this ability, the ghost must first enter the target’s fighting space; doing so does not provoke attacks of opportunity. The target can resist the ghost’s attempt at possession with a successful Will save (DC 10 + ghost’s Hit Dice + ghost’s Charisma modifier). If the save succeeds, the ghost is rebuffed and pushed into an adjacent square. A target that successfully saves cannot be possessed by that ghost for one day, and the ghost cannot again enter the target’s fighting space during that time. If the save fails, the ghost vanishes into the target’s body and takes control of it. A possessed creature gains the ghost’s Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, allegiances, skills, and feats. The possessed creature retains its Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, type, hit points, massive damage threshold, grapple check modifier, fighting space, reach, Reputation bonus, and extraordinary abilities. It loses access to any spell-like abilities, supernatural abilities, action points, and mental abilities (including prepared spells and knowledge gained from life experiences). While possessing a host creature, the ghost loses its supernatural or extraordinary abilities except for its turn resistance. The possessed creature’s original spirit instantly reinstates itself if the vrock ghost is turned, destroyed, or otherwise dislodged from its host. A vrock ghost can leave its host as a free action, if it so chooses. Any attack that deals massive damage on the host’s body allows the host another Will save to oust the vrock ghost and regain control of its body (whether or not the massive damage Fortitude save succeeds). Corrupting Touch (Su): A vrock ghost that hits a living target with its incorporeal touch attack deals 1d6 points of damage. Against ethereal opponents, it adds its Strength modifier to attack and damage rolls. Against nonethereal opponents, it adds its Dexterity modifier to attack rolls only. Frightful Moan (Su): A vrock ghost can emit a frightful moan as a standard action. All living creatures within a 30-foot spread must succeed on a Will save or become panicked for 2d4 rounds. This is a sonic necromantic mind-affecting fear effect. A creature that successfully saves against the moan cannot be affected by the same vrock ghost’s moan for 24 hours. Manifestation (Su): A vrock ghost dwells on the Ethereal Plane and, as an ethereal creature, it cannot affect or be affected by anything in the material world. When a vrock ghost manifests, it partly enters the Material Plane and becomes visible but incorporeal on the Material Plane. A manifested vrock ghost can be harmed only by other incorporeal creatures, magic weapons, or spells, with a 50% chance to ignore any damage from a corporeal source. A manifested vrock ghost can pass through solid objects at will, and its own attacks pass through armor. A manifested vrock ghost always moves silently. A manifested vrock ghost can strike with its touch attack. A manifested vrock ghost remains partially on the Ethereal Plane, where is it not incorporeal. A manifested vrock ghost can be attacked by opponents on either the Material Plane or the Ethereal Plane. The vrock ghost’s incorporeality helps protect it from foes on the Material Plane, but not from foes on the Ethereal Plane. Rejuvenation (Su): In most cases, it’s difficult to destroy a vrock ghost through simple combat: The "destroyed" ghost will often restore itself in 2d4 days. Even the most powerful spells are usually only temporary solutions. A vrock ghost that would otherwise be destroyed returns to its old haunts with a successful level check (1d20 + vrock ghost’s HD) against DC 16. As a rule, the only way to get rid of a vrock ghost for sure is to determine the reason for its existence and set right whatever prevents it from resting in peace. The exact means varies with each ghost and may require a good deal of research.
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Comments
you know that i really want to see paranormal activty cux it looks like a really cool horror movie. i saw the um trailor and it is so cool.
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