Lost Souls Adventures in the Afterlife By Joe Williams & Kathleen Williams Additonal Material by Richard Sanders • Todd Downing • Samantha Downing • Allan McComas Boneworld chapter by Richard Sanders 1999 and 2007 revisions by Joe Williams Copyright ©1991, 1992, 1994, 1999, 2007 by Joe Williams Lost Souls by Joe Williams & Kathleen Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Visit www.hauntedattic.org/hauntedattic.org for more information. Email me at: [email protected] First Edition, 1991 Second Edition, 1992 Cemetery Plots, 1994 Table of Contents 8 Gear ................................... 123 15 Haunted Places ........... 208 Consistency of Items .................. 123 A World of Spirits ........................ 208 Player’s Section Gear ................................................... 124 Scarum & Fraidy’s Three Ring Ghostly Animals ........................... 125 Circus ................................................ 208 Creating Weapons ....................... 126 Lost Souls at the Museum ....... 210 1 Introduction ........................ 3 Special Items ................................. 129 School of the Damned ................ 212 Journey To Limbo ..............................3 Alcatraz ............................................ 215 Overview ...............................................4 Cassandra’s House of Apports ..... 215 Hampton Court ............................. 216 2 Character Creation ............ 7 Widowmaker Ranch ................... 217 Referee's Section The Hospital of Horror .............. 218 Outline of Character Creation ......7 Theatre Royal ................................ 220 Profession .............................................7 Camp Foxglove .............................. 221 Lost Soul Type ....................................8 9 The Afterworld .............. 135 Abilities ..................................................8 About the Afterlife ...................... 135 Other Information .......................... 10 Outer Planes .................................. 140 16 Haunted Vehicles ....... 223 Visage................................................... 12 Realms.............................................. 142 From Here to There .................... 223 Powers ................................................ 12 Gates ................................................. 143 Flight 401 ........................................ 223 Sanctum .............................................. 13 The Mentor .................................... 143 The Spirit of St. Louis ................. 224 Character Background ................. 14 Hindenberg ..................................... 225 Flying Dutchman .......................... 225 10 Running the Game ..... 145 U Boat U-65 .................................... 226 3 Professions ....................... 23 Adventures ..................................... 146 The Titanic ...................................... 226 A to Z .................................................... 23 Adventure Ideas .......................... 148 Bonnie & Clyde Death Car ....... 227 Campaigning in the Afterlife .. 149 Sim’s Carriage ................................ 228 4 Lost Soul Types ............... 49 Narrator Tips ................................ 151 Ghost Cart ........................................ 228 A to Z .................................................... 49 Role Playing Horror ................... 152 Orient Express ............................... 229 The Appeal of Horror ................ 153 Trolley No. 13 ................................ 230 5 How to Play ....................... 61 Creating Horror ........................... 155 Humor .............................................. 157 Game Basics ...................................... 61 17 Boneworld .................... 231 Play Sequence .................................. 62 Background .................................... 231 Using Attributes & Skills ............. 63 11 Non-Player Characters . 159 Denizens of Boneworld ............. 232 The Roll Required .......................... 65 Running NPCs ............................... 159 The Skeletal Legion of Count Roll Shorthand ................................. 67 Creating NPCs ............................... 160 Monterrant ..................................... 233 Adjusting the ART .......................... 67 Bone Weapons .............................. 235 Special Ability Rolls ....................... 68 12 Supernatural NPCs .... 163 Ossia .................................................. 235 Inspiration Points........................... 69 Demons ............................................ 183 Uses for Boneworld .................... 237 Karma .................................................. 70 Will To Live ....................................... 71 18 Fears ............................... 238 Hazards ............................................... 73 13 Living NPCs .................. 185 A Ghostly Bar ................................. 238 Combat ................................................ 74 Seeing Ghosts ................................ 185 The Staff ........................................... 239 Other Human NPCs .................... 191 The Gang .......................................... 242 6 Abilities .............................. 81 Introduction ...................................... 81 14 Famous NPCs ............... 194 Afterlife-styles of the Rich and A to Z .................................................... 82 Famous ............................................ 194 7 Supernatural Powers .... 93 Power Descriptions ....................... 93 Powers List ........................................ 94 Chapter 1 Introduction Journey To Limbo The Facts of Life & Death The nagging sound of sirens still rings in your Granny fondly pats your shoulder. “Don’t ears as you float down a long tunnel. The walls of worry, dear. You’ll make wonderful pond scum, the tunnel swirl around you like the clouds of a and the experience will do you good. I spent many hurricane, yet there is no wind, only an unrelenting incarnations as an intestinal parasite, and now look force that pulls you forward. A sense of unease at me!” builds in you, until a familiar figure steps out of the You fall to your knees, blubbering that you glow at the tunnel’s end. It’s your dear old granny! didn’t mean to cross the street against the light, but You’re so pleased to see her that you only vaguely you were in a hurry, and everyone else was doing remember that she’s been dead for ten years. it. It isn’t fair that you got nailed instead of “Yumyums!” she shouts, greeting you with a someone who really deserved to die. childhood nickname you haven’t heard in ages. You “You mean you perished in an accident?” feel absurdly safe as she beckons you out of the You nod weakly. tunnel and into a wide, white room. Soft clouds “I thought I sensed the Will to Live in you!” form over-stuffed chairs and low coffee tables. On Quickly she consults the last row of figures. “I’ve the tables are old issues of National Geographic and made an awful mistake, Yumyums. I was so excited Boy’s Life. to see you that I forgot to check the schedule. You Granny wears white robes and under one arm see dear, it wasn’t your time. You aren’t slated to she carries a slate inscribed with numbers. “Now visit us until they pay off the national debt.” let’s see if you’ve been behaving yourself.” She Your heart fills with sudden hope. Why, if peruses the column of figures. “Tsk, tsk, Yumyums. current politics are any indication, you might live You’ve been rather slack in collecting Karma. In forever! Now they’ll have to send you back. You’ll fact, at your current level, you’ll be reincarnated as get a second chance to do good deeds, collect more something between a worm and pond scum. I told Karma, and avoid being reborn as pond scum. your mother to keep an eye on you, but would she What a golden opportunity! listen? Oh, no. She knew how to raise her child . .” Suddenly, it hits you—this is no dream! The last thing you remember is crossing the street A Last Chance against the light and a horrible screeching of brakes. Then the tunnel—the light—and your dear, Granny shakes her head. “Now Yumyums, this departed grandmother. It all adds up to one isn’t a Frank Capra movie. Dead is dead, and there’s terrible conclusion. You never made it across the no going back to that used-up bag of bones you road! used to be. But you can still earn Karma. “You see, you can’t be reincarnated until your Will To Live is totally gone, and because you died so suddenly yours is still strong. You’d be surprised how often this happens. The afterlife is full of 3 3 Chapter 1: Introduction people like you, lost souls unable to let go of their lives. Perhaps you can help one another. Requirements “You must return now to the world of the living, and set right the unfinished business that To enjoy Lost Souls , you will need: still holds you to the earth. Only then can you grow and find peace.” • The Lost Souls rulebook. • Paper (graph paper is good for sketching maps). A Final Warning • Pencils & erasers. • Character sheets copied from the one Taking you by the hand, Granny leads you provided in this book. down a cloudy corridor. “Now, I can’t go with you, • Percentile dice (also called d100). but I can give you some advice. Stay clear of evil • At least one six-sided die (d6). spirits who have given up the search for Karma. They’ve grown powerful feeding off the Will To Live