Source Horror Adventures pg. 30
Whether it’s an actual spirit or an alternate personality, another mind vies with you for control of your body.
CatalystAn evil spirit, soul, or personality—hereafter referred to as a spirit—has taken up residence within your body.
ProgressionThe corruption progresses when you give up control to use the spirit’s power. Like a medium’s spirits, the spirit possessing you can give you more power when you give it influence (this doesn’t interact with medium spirits; the influence is separate). Each day at sunrise, the number of points of influence the spirit has over you returns to 1. The spirit gains 1 point of influence whenever you fall asleep (or perform your daily rest) or become confused, dazed, frightened, panicked, or stunned. You lose any immunity to confusion, daze, fear, and stun.
When the spirit has at least 3 points of influence, you have visible difficulty controlling your body, and you shift back and forth between your own personality and a blend with the spirit. When the spirit has 5 points of influence, you must attempt a Will save (DC = 15 + your manifestation level). If you succeed, influence drops to 4 points; otherwise, the corruption progresses to the next stage. If you must attempt this saving throw again before the next sunrise, the DC increases by 2 for every previous attempt.
Corruption Stage 1: The first time you fail, you move one step closer to the spirit’s alignment (GM’s choice) and the spirit controls your actions until the next sunrise.
Corruption Stage 2: The second time you fail, your alignment changes to match the spirit’s, the spirit controls your actions until the next sunrise, and you have lapses of control and personality regardless of influence.
Corruption Stage 3: The third time you fail the saving throw, the spirit steals full control of your body and you become an NPC under the GM’s control. This NPC has the possessed corruption with you as the possessing spirit.
Removing the CorruptionEnding a possession corruption usually requires you to be targeted with dispel evil or cast out while you stand inside a magic circle against evil turned inward as a trap. The spirit uses your Will save modifier without any of your penalties, and its effective caster level is equal to your character level + your possessed manifestation level.
However, since the method of possession varies from case to case, a particular possession might require other means of removal, such as undergoing therapy or fulfilling the spirit’s unfinished business.
ManifestationsThe following are manifestations of the possessed corruption.
Blurred SoulSource Horror Adventures pg. 30
The possessing spirit confounds targeted magic.
Prerequisite: Manifestation level 5th.
Gift: Spells that affect a limited number of targets can fail when targeting you unless the caster selects you as two separate targets. Against such spells that target you only once, you have an amount of spell resistance equal to 11 + double your manifestation level. A spellcaster who finishes casting a spell that targets you only once and succeeds at a caster level check against your spell resistance notices the interference and can attempt a DC 25 Spellcraft check to realize she needs to target you twice to circumvent it with future spells.
Stain: You cringe from symbols of benevolent magic. Any ally attempting to cast a touch spell on you must succeed at a touch attack. You can spend a move action steadying yourself to allow allies to touch you without a touch attack for 1 round. If the spirit has 3 or more points of influence over you, you must attempt saving throws against harmless spells cast by allies (but not yourself ), and you no longer count as willing.
Contaminated PersonalitySource Horror Adventures pg. 30
Your mind fractures in the struggle against the spirit.
Prerequisite: Manifestation level 4th.
Gift: You gain a +2 bonus to your Charisma score while the possessing spirit has 4 or more points of influence over you.
Stain: You adopt the spirit’s mannerisms, disturbing others and making it harder to disguise the possession. You take a –4 penalty on Diplomacy and Disguise checks.
Hateful VoicesSource Horror Adventures pg. 30
Paranoid whispers constantly mingle with your own thoughts.
Gift: You gain a +4 bonus on Perception checks and Sense Motive checks to see through disguises, notice when a creature is under an enchantment, and act on the surprise round.
Stain: Whenever a character you consider an ally or friend betrays or disappoints you, even if the disappointment is completely innocent, you unknowingly mutter (Perception DC 15 for others to hear) about how that character was an enemy all along and must be made to pay. As long as the spirit has 3 or more points of influence, you gain no benefit from another creature’s aid another attempts.
Temporary ClaritySource Horror Adventures pg. 30
You channel all your negative emotions into the spirit.
Gift: Once per day, without spending an action, you can sublimate all of your negative thoughts into the spirit to clear your mind in response to gaining one of the following conditions: dazed, frightened, panicked, shaken, staggered, and stunned. You ignore the effects of that particular instance of that condition for a number of minutes equal to your manifestation level (if you suffer from that condition from another source, it applies normally). This time still counts against the condition’s duration. Once the duration expires, the possessing spirit gains 1 point of influence over you.
Stain: You make the spirit more powerful by feeding it your darkest thoughts. Whenever you fall asleep (or perform your daily rest), the spirit gains 2 points of influence over you rather than 1 point, and at sunrise, the number of points of influence the spirit has over you changes to 2.
Traitorous HandSource Horror Adventures pg. 31
The spirit focuses on one hand.
Gift: A number of times per day equal to your manifestation level, you can use traitorous hand to make a touch attack that confounds foes with the spirit’s influence. The target is nauseated for 1 round per point of influence the spirit has over you (Will negates). Even if the target succeeds, it can’t make attacks of opportunity for 1 round. A creature affected by this ability becomes immune for 24 hours.
Stain: You take a –2 penalty on attack rolls and Dexterity-based checks involving your hands. Whenever you become dazed or stunned, if the spirit has 3 or more points of influence over you after adding the point, the hand attacks you (or a vulnerable ally, GM’s discretion) with a held item or unarmed strike as if proficient, dealing damage equal to 1d8 + your Strength modifier (regardless of the held item).
Two MindsSource Horror Adventures pg. 31
The spirit suffers no rivals.
Gift: The extra mind provides a reserve of willpower against mental attacks. You gain a +2 bonus on saves against mind-affecting effects; if you fail, you can give the spirit 1 point of influence over you to reroll the save without using an action. If you do, you must accept the result of the second roll and can’t reroll. These benefits don’t apply against this corruption.
Stain: A cacophony of thoughts distracts you. Roll twice on initiative checks and take the lower result. You also take a –2 penalty on concentration checks. At manifestation level 3rd, the penalty changes to –4.
UnrestrainedSource Horror Adventures pg. 31
The spirit resists physical restraint.
Gift: You gain a +2 bonus on Acrobatics, Climb, Fly, and Swim checks. You can give the spirit 1 point of influence as a swift action to gain the benefits of freedom of movement for 1 round. At manifestation level 3rd, the bonuses increase to +4.
Stain: Objects you wear and carry slip from your grasp and fall from your pockets, or suddenly pelt creatures that have acted in an unhelpful manner toward you. It takes you a standard action to retrieve a stored item, and whenever you drop or lose hold of an item, it lands 10 feet away in a random direction. You take a –2 penalty on saving throws and to your CMD against attacks and effects that would disarm you or steal from you. At manifestation level 3rd, the penalty changes to –4.
Violent WillSource Horror Adventures pg. 31
The spirit uses your body as a conduit to unleash forceful energy.
Prerequisite: Manifestation level 5th, unrestrained, weightlessness.
Gift: You can give the possessing spirit 1 point of influence over you to use telekinesis (as per the spell) with a caster level equal to your character level.
Stain: Whenever you become confused, dazed, frightened, panicked, or stunned, the possessing spirit blames your allies for failing you. It unleashes a forceful version of telekinesis at your nearest ally, either hurling the largest possible nearby object at her or, if there are no objects to hurl, hurling the ally against a hard surface.
WeightlessnessSource Horror Adventures pg. 31
The possessing spirit’s influence causes you to nearly float.
Prerequisite: Unrestrained.
Gift: You can use feather fall and jump at will as spell-like abilities. You can give the possessing spirit 1 point of influence over you to use levitate or spider climb as a spell-like ability. In all cases, your caster level is equal to your character level and the spell-like ability can target only you.
Stain: You take a –4 penalty on saving throws and to your CMD against attacks and effects that would move or trip you, as well as on all combat maneuver checks except those made to escape a grapple. At manifestation level 3rd, the penalty changes to –6.
|