Haunts - PC makes the Perception check to notice...now what?


Rules Questions


Hi everyone, I'm still pretty new to being a GM and will be starting RotR soon. Everyone in the group is pretty seasoned with Pathfinders and I'm the rookie. Currently reading over the AP, and haunts are confusing the heck out of me.

So if the PCs make the 'notice' check, what then?
Does the PC get to make an action/move during that surprise round?
Once activated, can you move 'out of range' to deactivate?
- If so, is it spent until the next day or does it re-activate?

Thanks, and any links to previous threads are also greatly appreciated


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber; Pathfinder Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

You can find more rules on Haunts in the GameMastery Guide, which can also be found online here. Perhaps that will help your understanding? It's likely goes into more detail than an adventure module would.

The haunt rules were also expanded upon in the Occult Adventures book. Those rules can also be found online here (scroll down to CLARIFYING HAUNTS).

If you read those two sources and still don't get it, we'll help you to the best of our ability.


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My homemade haunt cheat sheet. FYI, there's this and a ton of good stuff over in the RotRL forum.

1. Before a haunt begins to manifest, the only way to detect it is with Detect undead or Detect alignment at a -4 penalty vs. the Notice DC.
2. Once a haunt is triggered, a surprise round instantly begins. PCs who succeed on the Notice DC can act during this surprise round.
3. The haunt acts on Initiative rank 10; prior to this point, positive energy applied to the haunt (via channelled energy, cure spells, etc.) can damage the haunt’s hit points, and it doesn’t receive a Will save to lessen this damage; attacks that require a successful attack roll must hit AC 10. Unless the haunt has a special weakness, this is the only way to reduce its hit points.
4. If the haunt’s hit points are reduced to zero, it is neutralized (if this happens before Initiative rank 10 in the surprise round, it does not manifest).
5. A neutralized haunt is not destroyed, and can reset after a set amount of time with a DC 10 caster level check (if failed, it must wait that amount of time before trying again).
6. Some haunts are persistent, and continue into regular rounds, triggering once per round on Initiative rank 10.
7. All primary effects created by a haunt are mind-affecting fear effects, even those that produce physical effects.


And check the Carrion Crown AP thread for a (sometimes heated) discussion about haunts including tips from the designer.

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