Séance Rules
A séance is a ritual used to communicate with spiritual forces. While mainly used to contact the departed, a séance can also be used to connect with celestials and fiends, as well as elemental and fey spirits. In order to conduct a séance, a spellcaster or power manifester must open itself to being inhabited by the spirit, or have an object, such as a spirit board, for the spirit to interact. A séance poses intrinsic risk to its participants. With the proper tools, non magical creatures can entice the attention of the spirits, but the chance for failure and disaster are much greater for them.
Enticing a Spirit
For a séance to have a reasonable chance for success, the sought spirit must be offered something to seize its attention. The most commonly used object to entice a spirit is a personal belonging; this is used especially in communicating with the dead and undead. Offerings of incense, provisions, and other objects valuable to the specific spirit can work well for enticing celestials, fey, and fiends. Other offerings may work, as determined by the DM for a particular spirit.
Open Enticement
A séance can be held with a general offering that could appeal to more than one spirit. This presents a serious risk of enticing the wrong spirit, especially a naturally hostile one that may be seeking a victim.
Modifiers
The following spells / objects may be used before or during the séance to change qualities of the séance.
- Banishment. You may cast banishment on an object a spirit is possessing or in the area that you know a spirit is lingering. If the spirit fails the Charisma saving throw, it is dismissed.
- Hallow. If the spell Hallow has been cast on an area, and the undead creature type has not been excluded from the list of forbidden creature types, a séance cannot be performed in that area nor can any spirit enter that area.
- Magic Circle. Casting Magic Circle prevents a possessed creature from entering or leaving the circle.
- Spirit Ward. If the power Spirit Ward is used to target an area, it acts like the spell Magic Circle. If used to ward a structure, it acts like the spell Hallow.
- Holy Water. Splashing Holy Water on a possessed creature allows it to immediately make a possession saving throw. Submerging a creature in Holy Water allows that creature to make a save at the start of each of its turns (every 6 seconds) with advantage, unless the possessing creature has a clause that prevents this.
- Psychic Static. If the power Psychic Static is manifested as a psionic suppression field and covers each host of the séance, then the séance ends immediately with all spirits dismissed.
- Antimagic Field. If the spell Antimagic Field is cast and covers each host of the séance, then the séance ends immediately with all spirits dismissed.
- Sacred Incense (200 GP or 1 Common Divine Essence, 2 Uncommon Curative Reagents + 2 hours crafting 15 DC). If Scared Incense is lit during the séance, all hosts and participants have advantage on any séance related checks or saving throws.
- Religious Symbol (100 GP). A religious object or item bearing a religious symbol can be used as an action to free a creature from possession. It can only be used by a creature faithful to the religion represented, and the object or item is destroyed upon use. An individual religion can only be invoked once per séance.
- Infernal Focus. An Infernal Focus is any infernal trinket or tome that either has connections to the infernal planes or instructions for how to contact demons. This can be used in a séance to allow for demons to be contacted, understanding that this is much more dangerous than most spirits of the ethereal plane.
- Fae Focus. A Fae Focus is any kind of pixie dust, faerie wing, or other object with connection to the feywilds. This can be used in a séance to allow for fae creatures to be contacted, understanding that this is much more unpredictable than most spirits of the ethereal plane.
- Celestial Focus. A Celestial Focus is either a rare religious text or divine relic, or other object with connection to the celestial planes. This can be used in a séance to allow for celestials to be contacted, understanding that this is much more dangerous than most spirits of the ethereal plane.
Conducting the Séance
To perform a séance, first divide any attendees into either “host” or “participant”. A “host” is any creature that opens the channel to the spirits and allows them to feed off their energy to communicate; they are the ones who command the séance and are at highest risk of possession. To qualify as a host a creature, the creature must meet one of the following requirements:
- be a Cleric, Occultist, Bard, or Wizard with access to at least 1 first level or higher divination spell
- be a power manifester with access to the Clairesentience discipline.
- have proficiency in Occult Tools.
There can be any number of hosts in a séance, but it is unwise to have more hosts than necessary due to the inherent risks hosts face. A “participant” is a creature that can also interact with the spirits summoned in the séance, but faces significantly less risk at the cost of little authority over the spirits summoned.
Once the hosts and participants are selected, the next step is to make sure the offerings, spells, and objects desired before the séance are in place. Many entities in the ethereal plane will take notice of a séance as a chance to enter the living world or possess a powerful host; be prepared to meet a hostile spirit, and understand that even offerings tailored to specific creatures do not ensure a safe séance.
After all preparations are done, the séance may begin. To successfully open a connection to a spirit entity, the hosts of the séance must succeed on a DC 30 check using their power or spell attack modifier. Only one host needs to succeed on this check for the séance to successfully start, and all hosts may roll. If any host expends a spell slot of 3rd level or higher or at least 5 power points, all hosts gain a +8 bonus to this roll. Providing a valid general offering further increases the chance of successfully opening a connection by +5. If the host isn’t a spellcaster or power manifester, they can use a séance tool such as a spirit board, spirit box, or tarot cards to contact a spirit, allowing the host to add their Charisma bonus to the check. Finally, the check is made with a +1 bonus for each attendees in the séance, up to a maximum of +5.
If this check succeeds, a connection is made and contact can begin. Only one spirit per host can use the connection at a time. If the séance was conducted in hopes of contacting a specific spirit, the DM may use the offering(s), area the séance is being conducted at, and power level of the spirit as ways to measure the chance of immediate success. If an object of importance or relevance to the spirit is used, then it is usually assured that the spirit will try to make contact if it is able. If the area the séance is performed is either one the spirit had a connection to or where it died, then even weak mundane spirits are able to use the connection unless magically restrained. If the spirit is a powerful entity then it will usually be able to use the connection first. If the spirit is weak, then even if the offering and area are perfect then more powerful opportunistic spirits may be able to reach the opening first.
Once it is decided what spirit first uses the connection, the method of communication is decided. A host or participant may offer themselves up to be possessed by a spirit willingly; though obviously risky, this allows for the most natural and easy method of communication. If the spirit does not possess a creature, it may communicate through common Occult tools such as a spirit board or spirit box. A host may attempt to force the spirit to inhabit a specific attendee by making a spell/power attack roll against the spirit’s possession save DC, or 15 if it doesn’t have one. If successful, the target creature makes a saving throw against the possession as normal and the spirit remains trapped in the body for 1 minute.
Each minute, the séance host(s) or participants can ask the spirit a question. The spirit is forced to answer, but it may answer in any way it pleases. Each creature can only guarantee an answer each minute, otherwise the spirit can choose to ignore questioning. A séance host can attempt to force a spirit to answer a question honestly by making a spell/power attack check contested by the spirit’s deception check.
An enticed spirit’s attitude is neutral if it was provided with an appropriate offering, though there is a risk of finding a hostile spirit no matter what offering is used. If an attendee has a strong, friendly bond with the spirit, its attitude may be friendly as decided by the DM.
The séance will last for a number of minutes equal to the highest host’s spellcasting or manifesting ability modifier (minimum of 1 minute) or until the spirit is dismissed. If a spirit isn’t dismissed, it will linger in the area and may attack. If every host agrees, then the séance can progress past this limit, though each additional minute spent conducting the séance inflicts a level of exhaustion on all hosts.
Once each minute, a spirit with the ability to possess a creature can attempt to possess a creature. If the target of possession is a participant, the participant has advantage on the saving throw to resist possession, as long as the séance hasn’t failed. A host can choose to make the saving throw for the participant, but this must be decided at the start of the séance.
At the end of each minute during the séance, a new check against a DC of 20 must be made to continue the séance, using the same modifiers as the séance’s beginning. On a failed check, the séance fails and the spirit is freed and can choose to linger in the area; a hostile spirit is likely to attack or harass the séance members. Once a spirit is dismissed then a new one will typically take its place. It's common for séances to cycle through different spirits until a desired one is found, just as it is common for hostile spirits to pretend to be the spirit the attendees are looking for.
Dismissing the Spirit
In the best case, the spirit departs amicably of its own will. In any case where the spirit does not willingly depart, all hosts must use their action to dismiss the spirit; at least one host must succeed on a power/manifestation check against the spirit’s CR or 15, whichever is higher. The host gains a +1 bonus for each attendee (to a maximum of +5) and a +2 bonus if using a spirit board or similar tool. If any host is incapacitated or possessed, then a spirit cannot be dismissed without magic. The dismissal function of the Dispel Evil and Good spell will also dismiss a spirit without a save. As an action, a host may attempt to free any attendee from possession by making a save against the spirit’s possession save DC using their own modifiers. If they succeed, the possessed creature is freed and may not be possessed again for one round. If the spirit isn’t properly dismissed by the end of the séance, it can choose to linger and can attack without the ability for it to be dismissed non magically.
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