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Old 02-11-2021, 09:06 AM   #1
jason taylor
 
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Default Ghostly Guardians

Here is a thought. Suppose it is posited that a spirit, say an ancestor of the PC comes back in the form of a pet, personal weapon or tool, etc with or without the PC's knowledge, as a guardian of that PC.

I'm really not sure where I am going with this other than that it is an interesting idea. There will have to be a write up. With sense of duty obviously. The physical traits will be assumed to be those it comes back with. Add magic to taste.
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Old 02-11-2021, 02:59 PM   #2
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Default Re: Ghostly Guardians

It would likely be a Secret Ally or Secret Patron.
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Old 02-11-2021, 08:08 PM   #3
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Default Re: Ghostly Guardians

Isn't there an owl like that in Creatures of the Night?
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Old 02-12-2021, 03:10 PM   #4
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Default Re: Ghostly Guardians

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Originally Posted by Inky View Post
Isn't there an owl like that in Creatures of the Night?
I remember an animated film kind of like that but it may not be the one you are thinking of and it doesn't have quite what I was thinking.

The doll in Gurps Russia is close to what I have in mind.
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Old 02-12-2021, 07:58 PM   #5
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Default Re: Ghostly Guardians

Not a film, there's a GURPS booklet called Creatures of the Night (four, actually, but I don't at this moment remember which one had the Guardian Owl). I haven't seen GURPS Russia so I couldn't comment on that.
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Old 02-12-2021, 08:51 PM   #6
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Default Re: Ghostly Guardians

If it comes back as something inanimate - like a tool or weapon or suit of armor - I'd suggest not statting it up as an Ally, as that way lies broken builds - it's more likely a Gadget. An exception might be for purposes of having an ability with Granted by Familiar*, in which case having the inanimate object as an Always Available Ally could be worth [1]. Going off of DF9, it would be [1.2], rounded up to to [2], for being built on up to 5% of the character's points ([0.2]), being always available (x4), and having Special Abilities (+50%). Given an inanimate object basically serves to do nothing beyond granting you the abilities, however, I'd be inclined to round it down. Regardless, the object would protect the character via defensive traits possessed (in GURPS terms) by the character (with Gadget Limitations or Granted by Familiar) - probably subtle ones, like Luck/Serendipity, but that's hardly the limit. This represents the spirit working in various ways on the character's behalf.

If it's a pet, I'd be inclined to setup the bulk of its abilities behind some sort of trigger, like danger to the character or similar. Alternate Form may be appropriate (albeit probably without an actual change in physical form) here. Basically, the pet is typically a more-or-less normal animal, perhaps a bit more intelligent and loyal to its owner than is typical. When triggered, however, its intelligence jumps to some semblance of who it was in life and it gains special abilities to assist it in protecting its descendent. The character may still have defensive traits with Granted by Familiar, of course.


*This does bring up a possible issue. Granted by Familiar is a full -40%, but an Ally need simply be conscious (and not mystically cut-off from you) for you to have access to the ability. Compared to a Gadget - which needs to be fairly vulnerable for -40%, and the character must keep it on his person for it to work - an Ally is more useful and generally less vulnerable. -40% may be too much of a discount... but I digress.
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Old 02-13-2021, 07:39 PM   #7
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Default Re: Ghostly Guardians

Quote:
Originally Posted by Inky View Post
Not a film, there's a GURPS booklet called Creatures of the Night (four, actually, but I don't at this moment remember which one had the Guardian Owl). I haven't seen GURPS Russia so I couldn't comment on that.
Guardian Owl is in Creatures of the Night, Vol. 1. The Guardian Doll is thought to be "imaginary friend" but in reality can behave like the toys in Toy Story protecting their owner form kidnappes and like. Despite their size they can kill armed men.
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Old 02-14-2021, 04:05 AM   #8
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Default Re: Ghostly Guardians

As others have posited earlier, it largely depends on what you want to do overall. GURPS CLASSIC VOODOO has rules for Guardian Spirits that are either loa or are spirits called Genii.

In one campaign I ran, the one player had a wedding band that used to belong to her Grandfather. When the grandfather died, his spirit resided within the ring and acted as her ally/advisor for which my wife LOVED having around. He could scout things out in the mundane world without being seen, and often was on hand to offer advice where/when needed (or even when NOT needed!). It used the rules for "Ghosts" from GURPS CLASSIC SPIRITS.

So, a lot of what you're asking largely depends upon what you want to do overall.

What I LOVED about GURPS CLASSIC VOODOO that can't be replicated in GURPS 4e was the fact that Ghosts can possess the living under certain circumstances, and to this day, my one player remains scared of Ghosts. Why? He was possessed by a ghost who in turn, jammed his foot to the floor accelerator of a car (the player character was driving) and then tried to HIT innocent children. The player character wrested control of his body at the last instant and then avoided the attempted homicide. His character was STILL charged with attempted murder and because of the racial elements involved, the neighborhood tried to get him charged with racially motivated murder.

Sometimes, rather than try to build things via GURPS 4e rules/guidelines, I simply port the original 3e rules/guidelines for monsters and take it from there.

Good luck with what you're planning on doing, and if it were me? I'd simply treat the "guardian" as an ally gained in play. Yes, it increases the value of the player character - but it wasn't one the player originally opted for. If the ally was gained as a result of role playing - then it should be simply the logical result of such role playing.

For example? As a child, the player character had good memories of the grandparents. The Grandmother is still alive, and the player - constantly makes it a point to show up at the grave site of the grandfather on his birthday. Often, when troubled, the character visits the site and talks to her grandfather to get her troubles to be less overwhelming in her mind. One day, the Grandmother turns over the ring to her granddaughter saying "this was your Grandfather's, I hope that maybe someday you find a man worth marrying and give it to him." Next time she shows up at her grandfather's grave, she's really lost emotionally, and confides her pain and sorrow at the death of her Grandmother. She had placed the ring on a chain and wore it as a necklace, fingering it as she spoke, and next thing she knows, she feels a sense of love, of comfort, and can smell the tobacco smoke of the pipe he used to smoke.

This is all stuff that can occur without intent of the player to milk it for a reward, but does it in character because that's what she does in real life. That I was running a campaign that was "Modern Fantasy" and things just came together. Want to know how to make a homeowner outraged? Be a mage casting Stone Missile spells against an enemy in the house, only to have those stone missiles miss and hit the dry walls behind the enemy. Conclusion? Never use a material weapon against an insubstantial foe.

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Old 02-14-2021, 11:27 AM   #9
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Default Re: Ghostly Guardians

Yeah, the ghosts of Voodoo were quite powerful in their own way. In 4e, they would be ~500 CP templates.
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Old 02-14-2021, 11:46 AM   #10
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Default Re: Ghostly Guardians

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Yeah, the ghosts of Voodoo were quite powerful in their own way. In 4e, they would be ~500 CP templates.
Sadly, the possession rules from VOODOO can't be 100% replicated.
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