GHEIST

“Hunger and cold. A pit in the stomach that remains unfilled after each meal. A thirst left unquenched after countless waterskins drained. Chilblains that numb from the elbows to the fingertips, freezing to the touch despite the closest source of flame.

This curse cuts through my flesh and twists my very soul. There is a hungering pit in my stomach that I can’t shake. I know the ritual was a success. I feel the Witch-God Famine’s power in my blood, but there’s something… else… out there, lurking in the grim. I know I am tied to it. I can feel the hunger that comes from That Dark Place. It festers inside of me, like a ball of writhing worms in my stomach.

I cannot give into it. If the beast that urges me into that dark place is some Gluttonous thing, then I will be its foil. I will not let that darkness inside of me.

The Grimoire speaks of my condition. It calls us ‘Gheist’, a word from a Grimm language lost to the Tempest. It doesn’t matter what it’s origin, these people, the Gheist, are the ones who stood beside me and helped me share this burden. But I can’t go back. Their suffering is their own, now. They knew the cost to be paid. I have to stop that Hungering Thing, for should its ravenous maw escape the Grimm, I cannot say how the Mortal Breeds will fare.

I am no longer Aelthen. I am gheist… And I am so, so hungry.

~ Last Journal entry,  Erasmus of Valgast

N.B. ~ Erasmus’s body was never recovered after his ascension.

Costuming Difficulty: Hard

Description

Driven by an uncontrollable hunger and desire to fill a cold emptiness, the gheist are a breed born from a supernatural affliction. The curse of the gheist manifests similarly within all of the afflicted, but some are more able to resist its transformations. Identifying a gheist can be difficult: most gheist would rather the world not know of their condition, and therefore hide their blackened, dead flesh behind gauze, masks, or hoods. Some lucky few simply do not manifest such malformations, but instead take on twisted perceptions or modes of thought.

Gheist always begin their life as another breed, and, through the curse, become gheist. This transformation can completely strip their previous identities: twisting their bodies and minds into the hollow husks of cold and hunger that are often the subject of fearful tales uttered by the common folk. Rarely, gheist simply appear as a Thrylossi or Aelthen might, with only vague peculiarities to betray their true nature to the particularly perceptive around them.

Gheist often resemble what a lost mountaintop traveler might appear: frost-bitten fingers and extremities, gaunt cheeks, protruding ribs from hunger, eyes milky white and deadened. Be that as it may, they are still very much alive, even if they might well look undead at cursory inspection. The gheist curse manifests within every known breed, and is widely believed to be irreversible.

Revenant

When discussing the gheist, the themes of hunger and cold are common, but the less discussed theme is control. Most gheist have limited control over their existence, all but ruled by their guttural hunger and the desire to feel “warmth” again, despite even a raging bonfire failing to give even a moment's respite. To most gheist, this is what rules their day to day lives. The curse has re-written their lives to revolve around those concepts, but the same is not true for the Revenant.

The revenants are, for lack of a better description, gheist who have absolute control over their curse. They are able to twist its profane curse in a way that other gheist cannot hope for, and what allows a revenant to be able to do so is unknown.

Most revenants are found near the ruins of the Lost Expedition of Leonholdt. It is believed by many scholars that they are somehow spiritually connected to the site of their curse, and are drawn to return there, even when passing through the spirit realms. Their control comes at a cost, however, as control over their hunger forces them deeper and deeper into a pit of famine. They tend to be lumbering and sluggish despite their immense powers granted to them by their control over their curse.

Poltergheist

Poltergheist are the polar opposite to the Revenant: while a Revenant has control over their ability to twist the powers that contain the darkness within themselves, poltergheist do not make any such attempt to do so, often reveling in the transformation, and pushing the limits of the curse to take on ever more grotesque mockeries of mortality. Their curse manifests as a powerful transformation, beginning the moment the sun hides away beyond the horizon, stripping the last vestiges of the living flesh away, leaving only spirit.
        

During the night, poltergheist are known to be exceptionally difficult to kill, due to their intangible forms. While in this ghostly state, blades, arrows and spells pass harmlessly through their incorporeal bodies, often to the delight of the poltergheist, who often utters a skittering curse or baleful laugh before descending upon the enemy so foolish to attempt the poltergheist harm.

Challenges

General

Lost Life (Variable): [Repped, Read Description] Lost in the depths of time and memory the past life of the gheist is but a half remembered dream. This gheist cannot Cross-Breed. However, they may choose a physical [Repped] challenge from a single specific breed and earn that amount of Advantage points for Lost Life instead. Any [Repped] tags the disadvantage has is also applied to Lost Life. For instance, if the  Ætori Aelthen “Burning Gaze” breed disadvantage is taken,  Lost Life will be [Repped, Eye Color] and award 4 points.

Unholy Flesh (1): Being born of death and a dismaying curse, gheist naturally tend to detest hallowed ground. While within, the ‘effects’ of the curse is alleviated, but for a breed born of half-death and curses, this isn’t exactly a comfortable thing. Character gains the Corrupted Soul Flaw from the Character Options Chapter as a Breed Challenge.

Gaunt (1): [Repped]Barely hanging on to what half life they can, the mortal body of the gheist wears its wounds plainly, and is loath to let them go. Gheists tend to be very gaunt, with sunken eyes, cheeks, and pronounced (deeply shaded) bones. They bruise easily, and often bear bruised splotches on their bodies.

Black Nails (1): [Repped]Whether blackened from the grave soil they rose from, an unsavory meal, the cruel nails of the gheist are a gruesome sight. This gheist has conspicuously long claws at the end of their fingers.

Frostbite (1): [Repped]Some gheist have blackened flesh at the ends of their extremities: fingernails, nose tips and ears are often darkened bruise-like purple or burnt black. The gheist must rep frostbitten extremities with either makeup, cloth coverings, or prosthetics.

Shroud of the Veil (2): [Repped] Many gheist have a skull and fur pelt that has been marked by strange symbols. The symbols are often unique to each gheist. Most shrouds are worn on the head, but some wear their shroud on their shoulders, belts, or hands. Despite appearing like a garment, the gheist's shroud is a manifestation of the gheist's spirit. They must always wear their shroud on their person.

From the Grave (3): Gheist are partially dead, some might even say undead, you are part of the population that tends towards the latter. This character has zero death timer, thus when they reach the end of their dying timer, they immediately turn into a Spirit. Note: This may not be taken with any Character Options that increase or alter the death timer.

Ghoulish (3): The taste of flesh drives you in a way that nothing else does. When taking a healing effect from any other source other than Consume, the gheist heals 1 instead.

Thy Flesh Consumed (3): The gheist does not gain nourishment from traditional food and must regularly consume flesh from sapient, humanoid creatures. Once per Long Rest the gheist must feed on a sapient humanoid creature using the Consume Breed Advantage, if they don’t, upon their next long rest they are Inherently Drained by Hunger until they use the Consume Breed Advantage successfully. While drained in this way the gheist may still use the Consume Breed Advantage. This Challenge is mutually exclusive with Appetite for Thy Kin. The gheist must take the Consume advantage if this challenge is taken.

Curse of Erasmus (4): As the Grimm swept across the land, and the Lion’s rage nipped at Erasmus’s heels, he invoked the power demanded of him by the Mother of Suffering. His ascension cost his followers greatly. This sacrifice would come to be known as the Curse of Erasmus, and those faithful to the young Witch God’s creed would bear it eternally. The character gains the Inherent Hollow Type, as outlined in the Rulebook. If for any reason the character loses the Hollow Type, they also lose the Breed points gained here, and any associated Perks. This flaw cannot be taken in conjunction with From Dusk ‘till Dawn.

Dead Eyes (4): [Repped, Eye Color] While still half-living, decomposition can take even to the youngest of the gheist. Milky or white eyes are a common sight among them. Scleral contacts are not allowed for safety reasons.

Appetite for Thy Kin (5): Cursed from beyond the veil, the gheist only gains nourishment from the members of their breed. Once per long rest the gheist must feed on a member of their own breed ( a creature sharing the same breed qualifiers they have) using the Consume Breed Advantage, if they don’t, upon their next long rest they are Inherently Drained by Hunger until they use the Consume Breed Advantage successfully on a creature that is from their breed. While drained in this way the gheist may still use the Consume Breed Advantage. This Challenge is mutually exclusive with Thy Flesh Consumed. The gheist must take the Consume advantage if this challenge is taken.

Ashes to Ashes (7): It is said that most monsters that go bump in the night can be staved off by the swinging of a burning torch or the promise of a Sourcerer’s conflagration. This is especially true for the gheist. The gheist has Inherent Vulnerability to Flame, and also takes a Short Taint by Flame when they take flame damage. 

Revenant

Grave of the First Expedition (1): Most Revenants are claimed by the plane that they are reborn on, always calling them back for their blessed sleep. The Character has the Landbonded Flaw from the Character Options Chapter as a Breed Challenge.

Profane Existence (2): Some Revenants in their path of redemption have been cursed by the very gods they wish to appease. The Character has the Divine Vulnerability Flaw from the Character Options Chapter as a Breed Challenge.

Shadowed Presence (3): The curse of the revenant is one of the spirit, severing the connection with the divine, casting the poor creature afflicted by it into eternal shadow. The character cannot receive healing except by the Blood, Ice, Darkness, Agony, Hunger, or Poison accents. Unaccented Healing this character receives is limited to a maximum of one healing per Effect.

Shroud of the Death Knight: (4) [Repped, Head]  Revenants do not choose to don the cursed helm of the Revenant- the blackened helm is formed from the shattered ice and remnants of their anguished soul. The Revenant must wear a metal helmet or mask. For the purposes of other Advantages, Shroud of the Death Knight counts as Shroud of the Veil. If the character removes the helm for any reason, the character loses access to all breed advantages until it is replaced. A character wearing Shroud of the Death Knight earns armor points for the helmet as usual.

Famine (8): “Arrows rained down from the Leonholdt forces guarding the fortress. They bounced and clinked against Kaleg’s armor, his breaths slow and labored, but determined. Slow and methodical steps carried him forward. There was a gnawing, endless pit in his stomach that demanded its fill. It would be full soon, for a short while, at least.” The Revenant is Inherently Slowed.  

Poltergheist

From Dusk till Dawn (10): Cursed to walk the night as a half dead apparition, the Poltergheist’s true form is only apparent after the sun goes down, remaining otherwise inconspicuous during the day.

The Poltergheist’s Breed Advantages only exist during the night time (7pm to 7am). During the day (7am-7pm) this Character cannot use any Breed Advantages (Or other benefits purchased with Breed Points).  In addition, the poltergheist do not rep any of the following poltergheist Breed Advantages and Disadvantages during the day: Frostbite, Gaunt, Black Nails, Shroud of the Veil, Hidden Shroud, or Dead Eyes. A poltergheist must represent all other Breed Challenges taken by this character.

During the night, your form and all items you are carrying become slightly out of phase. During this time moving objects becomes harder, and you can only use weapons and armor you were carrying or wearing when you transformed. You cannot move the bodies of other characters, nor can you move game objects that are less than a foot in length, such as treasure, puzzles, written props, and the like. You cannot loot corpses or pick up treasure in the form of coins or tags. You cannot carry plot items such as boxes of food, weapons, or written text props. You can still use spells and skills like First Aid on other characters. You can move doors, furniture, blankets, and similar non-game objects in the environment. You can move food and drink. You can open chests, but you cannot take anything small inside them. Additionally, during this time the character gains the Inherent Hollow Type, as outlined in chapter 3.

In addition, all poltergheist are inherently Vulnerable to the Madness accent, owing to their death like state.

The poltergheist must take any combination of the following traits adding up to at least five points. A player may choose to represent additional traits, but will not gain additional benefit for doing so.

Frostbite (1): [Repped] Some poltergheist have blackened flesh at the ends of their extremities: fingernails, nose tips and ears are often darkened bruise-like purple or burnt black.

Gaunt (1): [Repped] Poltergheists tend to be very gaunt, with sunken eyes, cheeks, and pronounced (deeply shaded) bones. They bruise easily, and often bear bruised splotches on their bodies.

Black Nails (1): [Repped] Some Poltergheists have conspicuously long ( 1”+) claws at the end of their fingers.

Rattlechains (3): [Repped] The poltergheist have chains, locks, keys, and shackles that adorn their ghostly bodies. They can wear shackles on their wrists that have short hanging chains, or crossed chains across their bodies. They may not be hidden beneath clothing.

Ghost Light (3): [Repped] Magical lanterns are a common sight clinging to the bodies of the Gheist. Whether they be former aelflame, or simply lanterns picked up and carried, some Poltergheist are covered in them regardless.

Tattered Remnants (4): [Repped] The poltergheist is completely adorned with the trappings of their previous life. This requires the player to wear torn clothes and rags that cover at least 90% of their body.

Dead Eyes (4): [Repped, Eye Color] Milky or white eyes are a common sight among Poltergheist. Scleral contacts may not be worn for safety reasons.

Advantages

General

Restless Dead (1): Being only partially mortal, gheist often shrug off wounds that would instantly slay even the most hardy of warriors. The Geist gains the Will to Live character option.

Life Before Death (1): Some gheist have manifested traits from their former lives, either by luck or sheer force of will. For all effects, the gheist also counts as a one other breed. The challenge Lost Life must be selected for this Advantage to become available to the gheist, and the breed that Lost Life’s challenge came from is the breed that gheist counts as.

Shroud’s Protection (2): While the Gheist is wearing their Shroud of the Veil conspicuously, the gheist may receive a Protect vs. Ice at the end of a Short Rest.

Ravenous (2): Some gheist find no succor in the flesh of others, but have a mindless need to consume all those around them. The gheist may use the Consume ability once more per Short Rest, this use expends a Spike. The gheist must take the Consume advantage for this to become available.

Touch of the Grave (3): The bitter cold that consumes the spirit of the gheist is sometimes passed onto their foes, a strange supernatural chill that can freeze even the heartiest individual’s bones. The gheist may replace the accent on a melee delivered blow with the accent Ice, at-will. This can be used in conjunction with other powers.

Shroud of the Dead (3): The shroud commonly worn by the gheist is rumored to both be a part of them and also a form of protection, keeping the gheist “alive” such that it may spread its curse to others before being hunted down and put out if it, and everyone else’s, misery. The Shroud of the Veil, if worn on the head, and conspicuously visible, is considered 3 points of Natural Armor. The gheist must take the Shroud of the Veil  challenge for this to become available.

Taste the Mind (3): “Lokor stood watching the gheist consume the wretched bandit they had just felled together, and waited. Soon, Hrothgar’s head snapped up, blood still streaming from his decayed lips, eyes faintly glowing, and he murmured: “This way, the camp, it’s way.” before stalking off into the snowy night.” 

When using Consume Breed Advantage, the gheist gains the Taste the Mind power below.

Hidden Shroud (4): “The reclusive hermit Kepesca was once rumored to be a witch, dealing in many a totem, trinket, and potion. However, the wiley woman concealed her true nature out in the open, among the many dangling baubles strung about her hut.” 

The gheist’s shroud manifests as either a small fetish, trinket or momento that is easily concealable, but must be marked with strange symbols and carried on their person. The gheist no longer needs to wear their shroud out in the open for the benefits of Shroud of the Veil or Shroud of the Dead. Otherwise, it functions exactly the same as Shroud of the Veil. The gheist must take the Shroud of the Veil advantage for this to become available.

In addition, on completion of each Long Rest, the Gheist my Resist a single effect with the accent “Fear.”

Cannibalistic Consumption (5): Gheist, cursed spirits and broken flesh, are commonly known as “eaters of the dead”, devouring whole individuals in a single sitting. The gheist gains the Consume power below:

Revenant

Eater of the Dead (1): When the Lost Expedition’s food stores ran out, and the creatures from the Grim began encroaching, it was the revenants who first expanded their appetites into the… less savory. The Revenant’s Consume power may have its call altered to “Shatter Corpse to Undead, Heal Three to Self.”

Singular Purpose (3): Cursed as they are, most gheist are at the whims of their afflictions. Revenants, however, have honed themselves against the whispers in their mind: self imposed or otherwise. The Character has the Bloody Minded Perk as a Breed Advantage from the Character Options Chapter.

Blood Bulwark (3): It is rumored that Erasmus survived an onslaught of ghouls for three days, feasting only on the corpses of his fallen gheist brethren. Once per Short Rest, When using the Consume Breed Advantage, any Healing that goes over the Characters Maximum Life Points is converted to Barrier, up to the gheist’s maximum Barrier.

Unstoppable Force (4): Inhuman monsters of immeasurable strength, the revenant may break down doors and other objects barring their way with little effort.

Inevitable (8): Some revenants are able to empower their very stride with that of their Curse, and in doing so, not even the strongest of arcane shackles may slow their advance. The character has Inherent Resistance to Root Effects. This will last until the character has resisted a number of these Effects equal to their Maximum Life Points, and only refreshes at the beginning of each event.  This advantage is only available to purchase if the Revenant has taken the Famine Disadvantage.

Poltergheist

Wail of the Banshee (1): While poltergheist are barely tolerated at the best of times, when they pass across the final time, they become a true menace, the cursed spirit unbound. When the poltergheist dies the final time, they can immediately take the Banshee Role under the guidance of Staff. They will be released for one final life to attempt to right the wrongs that caused their death, and can only be put to rest by fulfilling a specific requirement, which will be negotiated between the character and Staff at the time of their last death.

Haunt (1): The poltergheist has found a home, of sorts, or at least a place she feels comfortable enough to rest. They gain the Bolt Hole Perk as a Breed Advantage from the Character Options Chapter.

Ethereal Jaunt (3): The physical form of some poltergheists can be made completely intangible for a short period of time during which physical attacks and spells pass right through their ghostly form. The poltergheist gains the Ethereal Jaunt power below.

Claws of the Abyss (5): Cold, transparent, and lifeless, but no less capable of drawing the life out of another, the hands of a poltergheist are potent weapons. A poltergheist that has taken the Black Nails Breed Challenge may use natural weapons. These must be boffer-safe representations of claws and must be approved by plot. These weapons cannot be dropped or removed, although they can be tucked away when not in combat in order to do other things with the hands. Sharp claws will count as Short Swords and the character will be automatically proficient. These weapons must be built to be under 36” long. In addition, the poltergheist may add the “by Darkness”, accent to any melee attack with these claws.

Creature of the Night (9): During the night (7pm to 7am), the poltergheist becomes ephemeral causing them to be more difficult to hit. Once per Short Rest they may Counter any Packet or Weapon Attack by calling “Counter, Phase.”