Soon my players will enter the mansion. Before, I wanted to clarify some doubts about haunts. The first time they manifest themselves, is it possible to destroy them? Even if they pass the perception chek, should they be able to react in the surprise round?
How do they destroy the haunts that affect the player? Would you have to sprinkle it with holy water for example? Or cast a curing spell on the player?
Do the haunts always manifest in the same room?
Thank you.
Yes, if the PCs notice the haunt before it fully manifest they may act (channel positive energy, run out the room, whatever).
As for destroying them, you need to use positive energy, in any form (channeled energy, cure spells, holy water) - they are affected as if they were undead. Haunts have hit points, and f they reduced to 0, they are neutralized (but not destroyed, they may manifest again later). If the huant has immediate duration, it can only be affected on the surprise round. If it has longer duration, it can be affected as long as it persists. They don't get Will saves to resist efects of positive energy. Note that the positive energy needs to be applied to damage the undead not to heal the living.
The haunts in the Foxglove Manor are written to manifest in specific rooms, usually where there are some specific items linked to Iesha or Foxgloves (painting, scarf, book etc.), but it's not a general rule.
There are mobile haunts, but ones in Foxglove Manor are all stationary.
|
One more note. All haunts are fear effects so characters who have bonuses to saves vs. fear (like bravery for fighters) get those bonuses versus the effects of haunts.
Also, paladins are immune to the immediate effects of haunts. Secondary effects I believe, like the haunt setting the room on fire and said paladin suffocating etc.. are fair game.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Here's the Haunts Cheat Sheet I prepared for Chapter 2 . . .
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.