Before exploring the different locales that hauntings can take place, it is important to understand the types of hauntings that can occur. The classifications used have been altered slightly from the parapsychological text in which they were found.

There are three basic types of hauntings: Ghosts, Apparitions and Poltergeists.

Ghosts

Ghosts are sentient, and thus the rarest of the three kinds of hauntings. These are the spirits of the deceased who, for whatever reason, have not left this world. As such, they are often intelligent, resourceful and powerful individuals.

Some ghosts are able to possess people for limited periods of time for whatever purpose. They are most often invisible to the living (except clairvoyants who are able to see them), appearing for limited times only when certain people come close.

To do so, they must use energy from around them, making the area they inhabit drop rapidly in temperature. They can become corporeal for a very limited time, but this drains them terribly and sometimes creates a frost on the ground around them. In both cases, they only become visible for individuals who they believe can help them, or clairvoyants.

There are three distinct kinds of ghosts: ignorant, impassioned and fearful. Ignorant ghosts are the spirits of those who do not realize they are dead. These souls are very likely to interact with humans as if they were alive and will be quite distraught when people run in fear. The best way to get rid of an ignorant ghost is to calmly explain to it that it is dead and should move on.

Impassioned ghosts are here for a special purpose. This is the most common kind of spirit in most role-playing games, since it offers the most roleplaying possibilities. The ghost's goal could be to protect a loved one from danger, to prevent a location from being destroyed, or to actually perform some deed. As the ghost is no longer corporeal, it probably will require some aid in this respect (i.e.: the player characters). Once their task is completed, they cease to haunt this world.

Fearful ghosts are the most dangerous spirits one can encounter. They know they are dead and but want to change that. They work to restore themselves by either possessing someone with a weak spirit that they can conquer, or causing evil so that their spirit remains restless, In any case, they are cunning and vicious. Thankfully, they are also extremely rare.

Apparitions

Likened to tape recordings, apparitions are psychic recordings. There is no intelligence to them and they are not interactive. A clairvoyant sometimes triggers them when they enter the area, but occasionally normal people can see them. The apparition will usually appear as a ghostly recreation of a dramatic moment, such as a violent murder or a loud argument, and will most likely last only a minute or two. Some apparitions are more mundane, involving a person walking by or an individual simply standing.

Apparitions can be photographed. Getting rid of one requires stronger psychic energy to erase the recording. Sometimes the energy dies away when the event the apparition is tied to is resolved, though this is not common.

Poltergeists

Poltergeist, which means playful spirit, is not in fact a spirit at all. According to a recent theory, they are manifestations of latent psychokinetic abilities in individuals under extreme stress, most often teenagers. They are nevertheless part of this discussion, as they are linked with ghosts in most mythologies.

Usually, poltergeist activity is not dangerous, involving books falling off of shelves, furniture being moved and lights turning on and off. Occasionally, however, things get dangerous and burn marks appear on furniture, water pours from ceilings onto people, and items are thrown across the room at people. While such activity is usually random, enemies of the focus individual (around whom most of the activity occurs) will often suffer the brunt of any damage that occurs.

Exorcisms to rid a household of a poltergeist usually add stress to the situation and exacerbate the problem. The real key is to de-escalate the situation and allow other avenues for dealing with stress and possibly developing the latent psychokinetic abilities of the individual in question. Control of these powers will eliminate poltergeist activity.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere of a haunting adventure is crucial to its Success. While there are many physical and psychological tricks to presenting the horror, such as candles for lighting and spooky mood music, perhaps the most important. key is the description of the location the characters are investigating.

The location should be at least a dozen years old, preferably a hundred or more. Hauntings are usually linked with some ancient event and ghosts are usually from another time, though modem hauntings are possible. In any case, an older location gives the aura of decay, which is important to any haunting adventure. Overgrown bushes, peeling paint and rotting wood contribute to such an aura.

If the haunting is a ghost, the personality of that ghost should be represented through the location. If it is an angry ghost haunting a house, the floors will be treacherous and danger will lurk everywhere. Similarly, if the ghost is sad, grays will predominate and a sullen aura will cover the location.

The aura of a hauntings by an apparition should link with the apparition itself. For example, if the apparition is of a child killed brutally by its father, some trace of the child's existence should remain, such as a ball or a teddy bear. Picking up this item could trigger the apparition. Poltergeist activity, as noted above, will tend to occur in locations of high stress. This could be a conservative home where a rebellious teenager is being repressed or in a business office where multi-million dollar deals are made. In these cases, the poltergeist activity creates the atmosphere of the adventure. If the poltergeist is dangerous, perhaps a knife flying from nowhere will evoke the right feeling in the characters. If not, books dropping from shelves at tense moments will intensify the excitement.

For a great article on using physical and psychological techniques to create an aura of horror, see the article "Up Against the Wall, Suckers!" by John Tynes in SHADIS Presents #19.5.

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

Introduction
Types Of Hauntings
Haunted Places
Ghostbusting and Exorcisms