This is the sum total Rule Text I have on the Ghost edge for DLR:
quote:
Ghost
Requirements: Seasoned, Harrowed
The Harrowed decides if he is corporeal or incorporeal at the beginning of each of his actions. He must remain in that state until his next action—he cannot attack and then go incorporeal.
While ghosted, the deader is intangible, though he is still visible and magical attacks affect him normally. The Harrowed may remain ghosted as long as he continues to concentrate. If he suffers damage while in this state, he must make a Spirit roll or become tangible once more.
It is, as you can see, rather useless for answering questions, as it doesn't talk about corner cases at all.
However, the edge has changed in Deadlands:Noir and Deadlands: Hell on Earth Reloaded.
quote:
Ghost
Requirements: Heroic, Harrowed
The character decides if he is corporeal or incorporeal at the beginning of each of his actions. He must remain in that state until his next action—he can’t attack and then go ethereal. While ghosted, the Harrowed is intangible, though he is still visible and magical attacks affect him normally.
The deader may remain ghosted as long as he wishes, but it requires concentration, which saddles him with a –1 to other skill rolls. If he somehow suffers damage, say from a magical or supernatural attack while in this state, he must make a Spirit roll or immediately become tangible.
Notice the Rank increase in the requirements, as well as the addition of the penalty. This is consistent across both DL:HOER and DL:N, which tells me that this is some errata for this particular ability. I'm certain they did this because, as written, Ghost is too good an Edge. Every Harrowed PC I've had in my games has taken it. That's the mark of something overpowered.
The only real guidance I have on how Ghost works is the Intangibility power from the Savage Worlds: Deluxe book, which is what I've been basing my rulings regarding the power on up to this point.
quote:
Intangibility
Rank: Heroic
Power Points: 5
Range: Touch
Duration: 3 (2/round)
Trappings: Ghost form, body of shadow, gaseous transformation.
With a successful arcane skill roll, the user becomes incorporeal. He is unable to affect the physical world, and it in turn cannot affect him. He can travel through walls, and non-magical weapons pass straight through him. Any items carried at the time of casting are also incorporeal.
While incorporeal, the mage may affect other incorporeal beings (including himself), and he is still susceptible to magic attacks, including physical powers, such as bolt, and magic items.
The character may not become corporeal while within someone or something. If that occurs, the caster is instantly shunted to the nearest open space, and he is Shaken.
Notice that Intangibility is
also a Heroic-level power, and has both a high Power Point cost and a high Maintenance cost.
The official forums are little help, either. The answer is, basically, "It depends on the trappings." This is unhelpful and answers nothing
Quite frankly, I am getting a bit fed up dealing with Ghost. I am at the point where I am seriously contemplating adopting the version of the Edge from DL:N/DL:HOER (meaning none of the PCs who have it would qualify for it, and would need to choose a new Edge to replace it), or just flat-out bringing the banhammer down on it as a power available to PCs
at all.
Clearly, something need to be done before I pull my hair out over this.
So. Here is my offer to you, players with Ghost. Do you want to keep the Edge? If you do, then we are going to need to discuss what the trappings of the Ghost ability are and what limitations are going to be imposed on the power to bring it down to something that is reasonable for a Seasoned-Rank edge. Do you not want to deal with limitations on the Edge? Then you are going to need to switch it out for a different edge.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:02, Sat 07 Mar 2015.
