Possession Rules


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


Friend wants to know about any PF (or even maybe any 3PP) rules for possession by spirits or fiends.

He heard there was an older module that had something. Someone said there might be something in the new Occult book. But he might also be willing to try any other products.

You folks have any suggestions?


Nobody remembers the old module with possession rules?


Ok, so I don't know about any modules, as I don't use them myself. That said,some ghosts in PF have an ability called Malevolence. Essentially, it acts as the magic jar spell, except that it doesn't require a gem to shift souls in and out of, and doesn't eject the other persons soul when possessed.

Also, recently in the Occult handbook line, they've created a possession spell, which is basically a tweaked magic jar.

Hope that helps.


Possession rules in Occult Adventures


Occult Adventures has these possession rules. Now, to use them you either have a spellcaster cast possession or magic jar, or you can have a creature that is able to possess creatures such as Shadow Demons, Ghosts, Belier Devils, Bhuta (Limited to animals), Dybbuk, Formian Queens (limited to formians), Astral Dragons, Psychementals, Tulpa, or a Vishap.

Paizo Employee Creative Director

We first took a stab at expanded possession rules in Pathifnder way back in Pathfinder #28, The Inferno Syndrome.

As folks mention above, Occult Adventures has more recent rules for this.


The Vile Book of Darkness from Dungeons and Dragons is backwards compatible with Pathfinder rules and has extensive rules on possession. I'm using them currently in my Curse of the Crimson Throne campaign.

Lantern Lodge

If you are ready to go on the road of 3pp, Green's ronin advanced Bestiary Pathfinder edition have some nice template for demonic and daemonic possession.

Dark Archive

Pathfinder LO Special Edition, PF Special Edition Subscriber

Magic Jar spell is how most things use possession in pathfinder, at least before occult came out, i have no idea how occult handles it now.

For ghost and demons using possession by means of magic jar you just ignore the soul swap aspect of it and the material jar or gem that holds the soul or what not.


Shadowlords wrote:

Magic Jar spell is how most things use possession in pathfinder, at least before occult came out, i have no idea how occult handles it now.

For ghost and demons using possession by means of magic jar you just ignore the soul swap aspect of it and the material jar or gem that holds the soul or what not.

Occult added a new spell (Possession), which acts very similar to magic jar... but without the weirdness of needing a gem and jumping around bodies and works how it works with monsters and then provided rules to say what actually is carried over to the body your possessing when it comes to stats. And then suggests that whenever the game would give a monster magic jar, give them possession instead.


thx guys


The only problem with the Possession spells is that you cannot access a creature's special abilities. Not even Greater Possession allows you to do that.

You would think that possessing a dragon would allow you to use the breath weapon -_-;


You don't need these abilities to practice thread necromancy.


How do you exorcise a possessing creature? I would say dismissal or banishment should force them to save or be forced out. Maybe allow dispel (alignment) would work if they are the right alignment as well.


Yqatuba wrote:
How do you exorcise a possessing creature? I would say dismissal or banishment should force them to save or be forced out. Maybe allow dispel (alignment) would work if they are the right alignment as well.

Protection from Alignment would gives another save. You can also immobilize the target and just wait until possesion duration ends. You may also use mental attacks to make the possessing creature to give up and flee.

Dismissal, Banishment and Dispel Alignment would work only if the possessor is a creature from another plane.

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