Oct 5: The Crawlspace Ghost

It seems that ghosts, sometimes called "paranormal entities" by folks trying to sound scientific, require psychic energy from the living to still affect the solid world of the living. Hence the reason that they like scaring people all the time. In game terms, that means anytime a Character fails a Nerve Draw, the encountered spirit gains a card for a STAT that it can use throughout the session. If during the course of a game a ghost can possess the body of a living Character in a battle of Mental STATS, two victories on Mental Draws versus the target's successive failures. The possessed Character will remain so until a Luck at 1 Draw is made or until sunlight touches him.

 
More broadly, when it comes to the issue of individuals passed on into an afterlife, the producers of Crawlspace, like everybody else in the world, can only guess on the matter. In game terms, that means that the author/GM is free to ignore any suggestions here-- ghost story crafting is a very personal art. But that doesn't stop us from forming opinions and making generalizations about it anyway. One rule of thumb seems to be that it is better to be alive than dead. This is probably why all "manifestations" look so awful when the viewing see them. Assembled here are some categories somewhat agreed upon by various paranormal investigators (well script-writers, really).

The Newly Arrived
Most often this out of body consciousness has recently died and is unaware that it has died. It actually may have died sometime ago. These may include cast members as well, if the GM is clever enough to incorporate them into the story-- the Director should note, this sort of movie is only clever for one watching by the audience.

Indignant
 This ghost realizes that it has moved on from the mortal coil, but has no idea, or inclination, to go anywhere else. Quit often they stick to areas where their family's bloodline is strong. Some like to act as guardian angels, others want to find a newborn to slip into and be reborn.

Resident
 This spirit is most likely tied to a locale, but more importantly to the event of its death. They tend to be the strongest encountered and have an agenda. Of course this agenda can't be communicated directly, so to things are going to go convoluted quickly, is usually an understatement.

Marauder
Often called a poltergeist, sometimes something much more than that. This displaced soul is usually a harbinger of ill times about to occur. Whether it is bringing them or not is not exactly decided.