Happy Friday the 13th! Have some Ghosts!

[Eisenfaust]

I need more scream in my steam! So here are my house rules to add ghosts to the tabletop for IHMN. You can also find them in the latest post at my blog, "Dispatches from the Rim." Here's a direct link:

http://bit.ly/18rgZ5N

I've also attached it as a PDF below.

Ghosts in ‘In Her Majesty’s Name’

Some arcane practitioners have learned to summon spirits to aid them on the battlefield. The  ethereal nature of these ghosts presents quite a problem for their opponents: How do you stop something you can’t touch until it lays hands on you to kill you?

To control a spirit on the battlefield, the arcanist must possess some kind of personal token of the spirit, often a remnant of its physical body. These anchors are often the bones of the deceased, but may take other forms in the case of spirits not originating as humans. One example is the banshee, or bane sidhe, a fey spirit whose wail spells death.

While physical combat with a manifest spirit will temporarily slow or disrupt a spirit or ghost, the only way to permanently dispel it is to destroy its anchor, whatever the arcanist is using to compel the spirit to fight.

Type	Pluck	FV	SV	Speed	Armor	Cost	Talents & Powers	Basic Equipment
Ghost	4+	+2	0	0	8	35+MP	Ethereal*, Terrifying, up to 30 points of Mystical Powers	Claws (fighting knife)

Ghosts may exchange their weaponry for monstrous fangs (sword, +1 points) or a scythe (halberd, +3 points) .

* Unique skill (15 pts). Ghosts move up to 6”, ignoring all intervening terrain. (Ghosts may run.) Ethereal figures cannot be targeted by physical shooting attacks. They can, however, be targeted by arcane powers that operate during the shooting phase, like spitfire.

Ghosts fight normally in base-to-base contact. If a ghost is hit and fails its pluck roll, however, it is only Knocked Down. Only destroying the ghost’s anchor will see it removed from the table.

A ghost’s anchor must be destroyed in close combat, because there are often extra steps involved besides just physical damage (salting the bones, sanctifying/desecrating the site or similar). Unless otherwise specified, anchors have an armor value of 9 and a pluck of 5+. Once the anchor is destroyed, the ghost is immediately removed from play.

As long as a company has one member possessing Mystical Powers, even if from a reliquary, it may utilize ghosts. A ghost and its anchor are deployed together simultaneously. Anchors do not move once deployed. No arcane practitioner or company may utilize more than three ghosts in any one encounter. Removal of all arcane practitioners from play has no effect on ghosts.

I'm anxious to hear your feedback. Thanks!

[shadowking1957]

I like that lots of thought and a cool idea super stuff, thank you

[Eisenfaust]

Thanks, Tony! I think it provides some good strategic options too.

[Craig]

I'd cut back a bit on the mystical powers. We gave Akhenaton 30 points because he is a reincarnated pharaoh, similarly the Dragon Lady is a world-class sorceress.
For an ordinary ghost I'd recommend 15 points at most... 

[Eisenfaust]

Good point, Craig. I mainly lest that in as an upper limit so people could use it to turn this generic template into different, specific ghosts. but yeah, that is pretty high, you're right. Any other suggestions, Craig?

[Eisenfaust]

I don't want to drop its Mystical Powers lower than 21, because I want it to be able to have spitfire, which is what I would use to make it a banshee.

[Craig]

Any other suggestions, Craig?

You know that I don't like to interfere overmuch, so no

[Eisenfaust]

Well, your kind words and encouragement are much appreciated. Thank you for linking it on the IHMN blog.Your gentlemanly reticence toward "interfering" speaks volumes about the good quality of your character, especially after allowing all of us to meddle in the field you and Charles have so carefully cultivated.

[Craig]

we just dug the field over and mulched it with plenty of manure... 

[Eisenfaust]

we just dug the field over and mulched it with plenty of manure... 

[Conquistador]

I don't know (only read the rules) but it does seem unbalanced.

Only one way to kill it, (move to location probably across table to possibly achieve that,) it is melee capable and possibly ranged combat capable (Spitfire is essentially a ranged mystical weapon IIRC,) can tie up critical melee specialists in combat by being persistently staying in combat wearing down said figure with no hope that the melee specialist can directly kill it in melee, it can't be killed by non-mystical powered ranged fire.

Place the anchor at table's edge covered by melee or ranged combat figure and let the slip loose the ghosts of war...

I really need to think about this because I have not played the rules yet but it strikes me as unintentionally min-max'ed at first glance.  I suppose it could just a Yeti in play (difficult to kill, high priced, melee specialist,) where you need an appropriate "rock, paper, scissors" team member to counter it.  Or was that Glock, Paper, Scissors?       

Gracias,

Glenn

[Eisenfaust]

Glenn, while there's only one way to kill the ghost, that's not the only way to stop it. It can knocked down in melee -- it then needs to succeed in a pluck roll to even "stand up" the next turn. It is vulnerable to mystical powers. Plus it is vulnerable if its anchor is attacked -- a static target with no innate active defenses.

It is certainly meant more for its narrative effect than to be a regular part of a balanced company, but that is why it costs a pretty penny. Adding a power like spitfire nearly doubles its cost -- making a banshee nearly a fifth the budget of a starting company (250 suggested points). A "run of the mill" ghost would have no offensive weaponry other than its claws. While it can't be targeted in the shooting phase, it can't shoot either.

What would be fun to do next is come up with some weird science created to counter a ghost's advantages -- ethereal nature, mobility, and getting to its anchor. A steampunk version of the Ghostbusters ... I suppose I just found my next project.

[Conquistador]

Glenn, while there's only one way to kill the ghost, that's not the only way to stop it. It can knocked down in melee -- it then needs to succeed in a pluck roll to even "stand up" the next turn. It is vulnerable to mystical powers. Plus it is vulnerable if its anchor is attacked -- a static target with no innate active defenses.

Ah!  As Grue says, "Light Bulb!"

Lesson learned, 1) Have a mystical power character in the party (or a way to cancel said powers.)

Gracias,

Glenn

[Conquistador]

<snip>

It is certainly meant more for its narrative effect than to be a regular part of a balanced company, but that is why it costs a pretty penny. Adding a power like spitfire nearly doubles its cost -- making a banshee nearly a fifth the budget of a starting company (250 suggested points). A "run of the mill" ghost would have no offensive weaponry other than its claws. While it can't be targeted in the shooting phase, it can't shoot either.
<snip>

Have yet to build/cost a party yet so that is why I tried to caveat all my comments...

How many characters do most people have in a party, I wonder.  I would think 20% is pretty hight for one member of the party.  Do you have to "summon" (or other mechanism) a ghost like creature or does it start on the board with the party?

Can you lose control?  A good (but dangerous) counter might be to cause the Ghost to be come a loose cannon...

Gracias,

Glenn


Gracias,

Glenn

[Conquistador]

<snip>

What would be fun to do next is come up with some weird science created to counter a ghost's advantages -- ethereal nature, mobility, and getting to its anchor. A steampunk version of the Ghostbusters ... I suppose I just found my next project.

 

How about something to temporarily lock in place for a turn or two?

Or something to cause it to "solidify" for a turn?

Or make it "blink out" for a turn?

In many skirmish games a turn or two (like with a  heavy weapon jammed) can be critical - "Bugs, millions of them, coming over the wall, LT!"

Gracias,

Glenn

"Killing" the ghost might not be necessary if it could be cancelled/immobilized at a key moment.

Gracias,

Glenn