Haunt (HB)

Haunts are entities that lack a body of their own. Such entities live within corporeal forms they create themselves, which they tend to call "Vessels". An uncommon occurrence around Zamanora, most people will nevertheless encounter several throughout their lifetime; some, not even that. While they may, in cases, be incorporated into a community, they seldom stay in the same place for long. The origin of these entities is a matter of some debate. Some claim they are souls, lingering in the Real even after the death of their mortal self. Others think that they manifest through the belief of common folk; a village's remembrance of a renowned, reclusive hunter, a grandmother's cautionary tale of a predatory spook, brought into reality through the dwellers' imagination.

In their true form, Haunts are bodiless entities. When a Haunt first manifests it does so within a mundane object which acts as its temporary Vessel. This can be anything from a doll, to a scarecrow, to an empty suit of armor, or even, in more unfortunate situations, less convenient objects like a sword, a boot, or a spoon. Some scholars even claim that numerous sentient items are in fact the Vessels of unlucky Haunts, who remained incapable of escaping that first receptacle. In most cases, however, a Haunt will eventually abandon their first Vessel for a more convenient form; most usually one of its own design.

At the moment of its manifestation, a Haunt may already possess some memories—either real or fabricated—or suffer from complete amnesia. This state of uncertainty is a cause of severe confusion for Haunts, as they awaken with no way of innately knowing where they come from and why they came to be. Even worse, they cannot determine if those memories, or lack thereof, are the remnant of a previous life on the Real, or the figment of someone's imagination. Many Haunts thus dedicate their lifetime to researching their own past, trying to trace their existence to something tangible. In Zamanora, where history is kept in oral tales, and only rarely written down, this is a thankless, grueling task. Most Haunts eventually abandon their search, unable to discover the true essence of their past.

This lack of a concrete sense of their past selves, joined with the practical need of crafting and maintaining a Vessel, sees many Haunts gravitate towards artisanal exploits, especially those related to craftsmanship. Through their Vessels, Haunts not only ensure their continued existence, but also express the identity they have created for themselves. The necessity of maintaining a sturdy, durable Vessel molds Haunts into excellent craftsmen, capable of creating all sorts of wondrous things. After all, without a shell, a naked Haunt will drift away into nothingness within days, and no stories mention such an entity ever returning to the world.

On rare occasions, a Haunt's willpower may expand to overwhelming heights. These Haunts are typically ancient, having persisted for hundreds or thousands of years, amassing power all the while. In even more exceptional cases, a newly formed Haunt may coalesce already possessing such force, a frightening prospect for a creature with such fragmented memories. Haunts like these cannot be contained within a normal Vessel. Instead, their consciousness expands, spreading to inhabit an entire building, a copse of trees, even a whole village. As their essence spreads thin, such Haunts are in a constant state of struggle, balancing between the perils of expanding to the point of dissipation or imploding under the weight of their own presence. Places occupied by these entities are particularly dangerous, as the Haunt will try to eject or eradicate any creature that threatens that fine balance.

On rare occasions, a Haunt's willpower may expand to overwhelming heights. These Haunts are typically ancient, having persisted for hundreds or thousands of years, amassing power all the while. In even more exceptional cases, a newly formed Haunt may coalesce already possessing such force, a frightening prospect for a creature with such fragmented memories. Haunts like these cannot be contained within a normal Vessel. Instead, their consciousness expands, spreading to inhabit an entire building, a copse of trees, even a whole village. As their essence spreads thin, such Haunts are in a constant state of struggle, balancing between the perils of expanding to the point of dissipation or imploding under the weight of their own presence. Places occupied by these entities are particularly dangerous, as the Haunt will try to eject or eradicate any creature that threatens that fine balance.

Humanoid (Spirit)

Medium (4-7 feet tall) or Small (2-4 feet tall), depending on your Vessel

25-35

Your Vessel was created to be resilient and durable, represented by the following benefits:

• You have Advantage on saving throws against being Poisoned, and you have Resistance to Poison damage.
• You don't need to eat, drink, or breathe.
• You are immune to disease.
• You don't need to sleep, and magic can't put you to sleep.

As a Haunt, you have a corporeal form for as long as you inhabit a Vessel. You can exit your Vessel at any time as a Magic Action, but you must spend 1 minute to inhabit a Vessel again. When you exit your Vessel, you appear in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of it. The Storyteller rolls 2d12 and adds your character level to the result. This roll is hidden and the result represents how many hours you have until you must inhabit a new Vessel. If you do not enter a new Vessel within that time, you fade out of existence, unable to sustain your form. Any inanimate object can function as a Vessel, but unless bipedal in shape, it limits your abilities accordingly. Your base AC without a Vessel is 5, you have 1 Hit Point and any amount of damage will cause your ultimate death. While in this form, your creature type is Fey (spirit), you gain incorporeal movement, but you cannot use any features other than your Haunt traits.

Before you roll a Death Saving Throw you can choose to exit your Vessel instead and gain the effects of your Bodiless Entity trait. When you choose to abandon your Vessel in this way, your old Vessel is immediately destroyed. Each time you attempt to inhabit a mundane object rather than a Vessel of your own creation, you must make a Death Saving Throw. On a failure, you do not inhabit the object.

As a being that has a loose grasp on reality, you have the ability to perceive ethereal creatures and objects. As a Magic Action, you can see into the Ethereal Plane up to a range of 30 feet for 10 minutes. During that time, you may attempt to interact with something on the Ethereal Plane. When you do so, roll a d20. On a 1-9 you fail to interact with it and you can't try to interact with it again for the next 24 hours. On a 10-20, you can interact with it as if you were both on the same plane of existence for the next minute. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a Long Rest.

To create a Vessel, you must spend the time shown on the Haunt Vessels table, working without interruption for up to 8 hours per day. You must also pay the specified cost to purchase supplies. Additionally, due to their intricate nature, Vessels cannot be outfitted with armor. Instead, your AC is calculated solely based on your Vessel's AC from the Haunt Vessels table below. You can still add your Dexterity modifier to it and use shields. Sometimes in its adventures, a Haunt may stumble upon exotic materials of exceptional rarity that would be perfect for a Vessel. Such materials may be anything from ironwood, to true ice or the scales of a Balaur.

Haunt Vessels Table:

Haunt Vessels Table (Exotic):