Haunt

A haunt is the spirit of someone who died with a vital task undone, and its only aim is to seize a living body, finish the job, and earn its rest. It can appear as a hovering, glowing ball of light, indistinguishable from a will-o-wisp, or as a hazy, translucent copy of its old body that is easily mistaken for a groaning spirit, spectre or ghost. Switching forms takes one round. Where its statistics are split by a slash, the first figure is its natural state and the second a possessed victim.

A haunt cannot stray more than 60 yards from where it died, an area called its domain, unless it is riding a stolen body. It attacks without thought, always choosing the first human or demihuman to enter, and keeps at it until it succeeds or the victim leaves.

Each touch drains 2 points of Dexterity, bringing the usual penalties for lost Dexterity along with spreading numbness. At 0 Dexterity the haunt slides into the body and takes control, and the victim's Dexterity snaps back to its usual score. The spirit then uses the body to finish its task, which may or may not be dangerous. When it is done, the haunt departs to its rest and the victim, now at Dexterity 3, regains control, recovering 1 point per turn of complete rest. If the possessed body is killed, the haunt begins haunting the place where that body fell.

A haunt whose alignment is opposite the victim's (good against evil) tries to strangle him with his own hands, starting the round after possession unless his arms are held. Damage starts at 1 point and doubles each round (2, 4 and so on) until the victim dies or the haunt is driven out.

Attacks on a possessed character hurt the body normally. The haunt will fight with the host's weapons and armor but cannot use anything needing special knowledge, such as spells, scrolls or rings. The only safe cures are hold person, which ejects the haunt unless it saves vs. paralyzation, and dispel evil (or dispel good), which destroys it permanently.

Tied to its death site, a haunt cannot be turned. In its natural state only silver or magical weapons and fire affect it. Weapons do just 1 point of damage plus any magical bonus; ordinary fire does 1 point per round, while magical fire deals full damage. At 0 hit points it can no longer hold its form and fades, only to re-form a week later and resume haunting until its task is done.

The unfinished business always springs from strong motives such as love, hate, greed or revenge. Completing it may demand long journeys, and the haunt drives its host relentlessly, ignoring food and sleep. About 10% remember something of their old lives and can be reasoned with; many of these regret preying on the living but cannot resist the pull of their task.

Haunts cling to the world by willpower alone. They own no treasure except what relates to their quest, and humans and demihumans are their only prey.