• A Touch of Death

Just as a necromancer may exert mastery over the Shadowlands , so too can some ghosts exert themselves in the mortal world. Whereas obvious displays of ghostly power such as bleeding walls or disembodied moans certainly won’t be mistaken, some ghostly abilities exert subtle effects that aren’t easily recognized.

A necromancer sensitized to the residue of the dead, though, can feel whether an object has been touched by a ghost or sense the recent passage of a wraith.

System

The necromancer simply touches a person or object that he suspects is a victim of ghostly influence. The player rolls Perception + Awareness (difficulty 6). If successful, the necromancer can determine whether a ghost has exerted any sort of power on the subject, or even crossed nearby, to the duration detailed below.

Successes

• 1 success Last turn; detect use of ghostly powers
• 2 successes Last three turns; detect use of ghostly powers
• 3 successes Last hour; detect ghost’s touch and use of ghostly powers
• 4 successes Last day; detect ghost’s touch and use of ghostly powers
• 5 successes Last week; detect nearby passage of ghost, ghost’s touch, and use of ghostly powers

On a failure, the necromancer receives no impressions. A botch reveals a misleading answer (an object may seem tinged with ghostly power when it’s not, or vice versa). Should the necromancer succeed in detection while touching an object or person that a ghost is possessing, he immediately becomes aware that the ghost is still inside. The impression gained in such a case is sufficient to count as an image of the spirit for purposes of the The Sepulchre Path powers, so the Kindred may be able to (for example) immediately command a ghost to exit a person whom it possesses.