Few ghost stories contain any fights with the ghost... It is the encounter itself, the terror involved in meeting a spirit from the grave, that makes the ghost story a recurring part of our mythology."

As Janet opened the door, a chill ran down her spine. The aura of ruin filled her senses as she looked over the entrance before her. Through the darkness, she saw an empty room, a blanket stuffed in one corner. There weren't any chairs covered in bedsheets or cobwebs stretching from wall to wall. It was an ordinary room, dark and musty, but no ghosts. She took a step in and it struck her something was just not right...

It was then that the door slammed shut behind her.

Ghosts exist in the stories of every culture and are an undeniable part of our own myths. Unfortunately, in many role-playing games, they are reduced to yet another bad guy to he fought and destroyed. Few ghost stories contain any actual fights with the ghost. More often, the ghost is left alone or exorcised. It is the encounter itself, the terror involved in meeting a spirit from the grave, that makes the ghost story a recurring part of our mythology.

The haunting - while perhaps not as exotic as a mummy or a vampire - is part of almost every human culture and as such, can instill terror in the bravest of people. The key is tapping into that horror through realistic - hauntings. This article uses information from parapsychology to explore the world of ghosts and hauntings.

Parapsychology

Parapsychology is a relatively recent field developed to study the paranormal, including hatintings, psychic powers and other unexplained Thenomena. They do not study UFOs, vampires or werewolves. Parapsychologists are trained fore'most in the art of deception so that they can bet ter recognize fakes.

Therefore, a parapsychologist in a campaign would have a good chance of seeing through sleight of hand attempts, detecting pickpockets, noticing tricks and traps and identifying different types of hauntings and psychic powers. It would be considered overall to be a difficult discipline.

Clairvoyants and Psychokinetics

The classifications of psychic powers used by parapsychologists is important to understanding how the living may interact with hauntings. The important powers in terms of this article are clairvoyants and psychokinetics, as well as latent abilities, which may work differently in your garric universe. Latent abilities are psychic powers that an individual is not aware of and has not taken control of.

Clairvoyants are attuned to the spiritual plane, They can locate people from touching something the person used a lot, see spirits and auras, and sometimes look into the future. Their powers of detection are great, but latent clairvoyants will mostly see things they don't want to detect, such as feeling the pain of a friend, seeing the future death of a loved one, or viewing the ghost of a relative who has just died.

Psychokinetics, also known as telekinetics, are able to affect matter, moving it and shaping it to their will. Some are limited to affecting the temperature of things while others can only move small objects. Latent psychokinetic individuals tend to create poltergeist activity when they are under great duress.

Anatomy of a Haunting "Real Life" Ghosts to Enhance Your Campaign

Introduction
Types Of Hauntings
Haunted Places
Ghostbusting and Exorcisms