Models for Certain Ghostly Forms for Dead PCs
Posted: Mon May 23, 2022 6:43 pm
Death isn't the end, or supposedly it isn't.
Currently, being dead and as a spirit allows a player creative freedom over how they can present their spirit. I love the idea of making a character who is simply a spirit and who wanders around--but you can't leave the area the body is in, which isn't what this post is about. I thoroughly enjoyed being a spirit as one of my characters and presented a situation situation to one of the server's spirit callers where the character's spirit was essentially being corrupted and might have potentially changed into a hostile spirit--forever denying a return to the world of the living. Without altering any mechanics to being a spirit, I would like to suggest that in ghostly form, a player can choose a ghostly appearance through the crafting menu potentially. There exist a few models related to the list below on what types of spirits you may encounter or may be. As fun as it is to visualize a character's spirit as something other than a glowing, floating ball; it does somewhat detract for when a spirit is changing into one of the more hostile spirits, or is a hostile spirit, or if certain ghostly forms are to look very distinct from a humanoid-ish appearance.
I do understand that such a suggestion may not seem worthwhile since there are no active spirit characters and that the interest is niche, but I believe that a simple visual alteration might open the door for players to be more willing to engage in spirit-related roleplay for a time, even if brief before a revival. A change in visual appearance can help invoke reflection on a character. It allows for players to consider how their character lives/lived and what they might appear as in a ghostly form. Would their actions make them more like a revenant or a wraith? Would their beliefs make them obsessed with certain locations/people?
The quote below is regarding how to handle being a ghost on the server. The creativity and potential for story is there if a player takes the initiative, and an altered appearance can support the narrative and development being presented.
Currently, being dead and as a spirit allows a player creative freedom over how they can present their spirit. I love the idea of making a character who is simply a spirit and who wanders around--but you can't leave the area the body is in, which isn't what this post is about. I thoroughly enjoyed being a spirit as one of my characters and presented a situation situation to one of the server's spirit callers where the character's spirit was essentially being corrupted and might have potentially changed into a hostile spirit--forever denying a return to the world of the living. Without altering any mechanics to being a spirit, I would like to suggest that in ghostly form, a player can choose a ghostly appearance through the crafting menu potentially. There exist a few models related to the list below on what types of spirits you may encounter or may be. As fun as it is to visualize a character's spirit as something other than a glowing, floating ball; it does somewhat detract for when a spirit is changing into one of the more hostile spirits, or is a hostile spirit, or if certain ghostly forms are to look very distinct from a humanoid-ish appearance.
I do understand that such a suggestion may not seem worthwhile since there are no active spirit characters and that the interest is niche, but I believe that a simple visual alteration might open the door for players to be more willing to engage in spirit-related roleplay for a time, even if brief before a revival. A change in visual appearance can help invoke reflection on a character. It allows for players to consider how their character lives/lived and what they might appear as in a ghostly form. Would their actions make them more like a revenant or a wraith? Would their beliefs make them obsessed with certain locations/people?
The quote below is regarding how to handle being a ghost on the server. The creativity and potential for story is there if a player takes the initiative, and an altered appearance can support the narrative and development being presented.
You are free to interpret your ghost however you like. Most ghosts are consumed by a single obsession and there are some archetypes you can draw from:
Familial Apparition - You seek to say goodbye to a love or family member, or want to see them do something important to you both. Sometimes you try to guide them to hidden riches.
Historical Apparition - Unaware you are dead, you haunt a familiar site as though you are alive, often disapproving of intruders.
Lost Apparition - Unsure of where you are or why, you try to find answers. You have a strong curiosity towards other consciousnesses.
Imprint - Barely reactive towards the living, you try to go through a pattern of activity over and again.
Fetch - Your spirit is looking for security. You briefly touch a twin or partner, conveying your distress or death. You might also try to lure others to your corpse, seeking burial.
Extracelestial - You seek out someone sensitive to your presence, to guide and protect. You are particularly keen to have them avoid your fatal mistake.
Poltergeist - Filled with frustration that the living don't seem to notice you, you try to force them to recognize your presence.
Revenant - Consumed by vengeance, you seek to kill or make others kill your nemesis (at least, if you didn't confuse them for someone else).
Penitent - Consumed by remorse, you seek to right one last wrong or make others do it for you.
Clinger - Fearful of the afterlife you seek to escape your final rest by hiding in the shadow of the living. Your lack of nerve tends to be unnerving.
Wraith - Full of anger or pain, you accept no logic or reason from the living, seeking only to be rid of them. Bloodily, if possible.
Disembodied One - Having lost your home you seek a new body and attempt to possess weak-minded victims.
Allip - Maddened by your experiences, you seek to madden the living as well. Through seductive whispers or terrifying cries you tempt them to join you in death.
Thought Spirit - You enter the thoughts of someone you had strong feelings to, most likely loyalty or hate, and stay there to offer comment on their life until cast out.