GBI Boston

My general philosophy on the die rolling in this game...do what you need to do, be as outrageous as you need to be, and we'll play it out in a truly cinematic fashion.

Don't sweat it too much, you will be hauling unlicensed particle accelerators on your backs, there WILL be property damage.

Character Generation

Character Definitions

Ghostbusters have four Traits: Brains, Muscle, Moves, and Cool.

Each Trait is assigned a numerical value. The higher number a Trait is, the better a character does when using it. You have twelve (12) points to allot among your Ghostbusters’s Traits. You must assign at least one point to each Trait, and you may not assign more than five points to any one Trait.

Brains: Brains shows how smart your Ghostbuster is. Very smart people (Brains/5 or more) can do calculus in their heads, write computer programs which work the first time they run, and speak foreign languages like a native. Bozos like to watch Lost in Space reruns on TV without realizing its a rerun.

Muscle: Muscle tells how strong your Ghostbuster is. Strong Ghostbusters (Muscle/5 or more) can rip phone books in half, intimidate puny characters at a glance, bite the caps off beer bottles, or throw bureaucrats into the garbage. Weaklings get their tongues caught on postage stamps.

[B]Moves[/B]

Moves determines how dexterous and physically adept your Ghostbuster is. Ghostbusters with decent Moves scores are better at shooting guns, catching baseballs dodging or throwing rocks, observing, picking locks, juggling, driving, and creeping a long ledges. They like to flirt, they like disguises and they like to dress up. Maladroits get personal things caught in their zippers.

[B]Cool[/B]

Cool people are bold, brave, and brassy. Cool people have aplomb - they don’t scare themselves into useless activity, and they know their own capacities with a Cool/5, you maintain your pace, even if you show up at a black-tie ball in a chicken suit. On the other hand, a Ghostbuster with Cool/1 calls the FBI when his toilet backs up.

Next, skills...or in our line of work, Talents. In Ghostbusters, unlike real life, characters can do a lot of cool things and get away with it, usually. Smart folks know lots of stuff about lots of stuff, Strong folks gots lots of Muscles, Quick folks gots Moves, and Fonzie, well, he's got Cool.

If you want your Ghostbuster to have a Talent not on this list, why not talk it over with me first? I'm your friend. You know I am.

I'm sure I'll be reasonable about it.

Oh. You get four Talents, one per Trait. If you have a Trait of five (5) or above, you get second Talent for that Trait. Talents are the Trait Level Plus 3 - a Trait of 3 would give you a Talent of 6.

[B]Brains[/B]

Here is a short list of Brains Talents: Accounting, Anthropology, Archaeology, Astronomy, Biology, Botany, Bureaucratics, Chemistry, Deduce, Electronics, Electrical Repair, Geology, Guess, Hair Styling, History, Journalism, Library Science, Linguistics, Mathematics, Mechanical Repair, Medicine, Occult, Parapsychology, Physics, Psychoanalysis, Soap Opera Romances, Sports Facts, Zoology

[B]Muscle[/B]

Here's a list of a Muscles Talents: Brawl, Break Things, Climb, Gobble Food, Grapple, Intimidate, Jump, Kick Things Over, Lift, Rip Things Open, Run, Swim, Wrestle

[B]Moves[/B]

A Ghostbuster could have one of the following Moves Talents: Attract Attention, Balance, Breakdance, Catch, Disguise, Dodge, Drive Vehicle, Fire Weapon, Gossip, Hide, Listen, Make Music, Pick Pocket, Seduce, See, Sleight of Hand, Sneak, Sniff, Strut, Throw

[B]Cool[/B]

Here are some Cool-type Talents: Bargain, Bluff, Borrow, Browbeat, Charm, Convince, Fast Talk, Orate, Play Poker, Play Stock Market, Raise Children, Tell Fibs

Finally, tipping the dice in your favor - you, as new Ghostbusters, each start with 20 Brownie Points. After that, you'll earn Brownie Points as rewards when they succeed at their mission or achieve Goals.

It's nice to get recognition for a job well done, you know?

When the Ghostbusters are doing badly, they lose Brownie points and receive parking tickets, abusive calls from their creditors, and long stays in the hospital.

Brownie Points are more than measurements of how well your character’s doing, however. To some extent, Brownie Points let you rewrite the script - to have your characters attempt incredible feats or bail themselves out of terrible jams.

You spend your Brownie Points to increase your character's chances of succeeding at difficult tasks. For each Brownie Point you spend, you can roll one additional die when your character is attempting to use a Trait or Talent. You have to decide to spend the Brownie Points before your roll; you cannot use them to reroll failed dice.

Brownie Points can also be used to cut down the bad effects when your character is hurt. For example, if he or she has to go to a hospital, each Brownie Point you spend at the time of the accident reduces hospital time by a week.

lf your character does something that is amazingly stupid – that should, by all rights, mean his immediate and permanent extinction – the Ghostmaster can, instead of crushing him like a grape, allow your character to spend Brownie points to avoid the fate he or she so richly deserves.

lf you ever find that you have 30 Brownie points you don't know what to do with, you can buy an additional point to add to one of your Traits (This option is available only if your Ghostmaster agrees).

I don't think we'll get that far - but you never know.

Oh! Last thing - Goals.

Each Ghostbuster has a goal: sex, soulless science, fame, serving humanity, or Money. This provides a focus and direction of sorts for the character to follow - Venkman was after sex, Egon, after soulless science, Ray, serving humanity, Janine, her goal was Egon, etc. Pick something that seems to fit where you want to take your character...and we're off to the races!

Questions? Post your characters and their background! I'll set the IC thread up in a while!

[B][I]The Ghostbusters Guide to Spud Definition:[/I][/B]

[B]Class I[/B]: These are undeveloped forms, insubstantial and difficult to see. Interaction with environment is limited and enigmatic (e.g., spectral lights, voices and sounds, ectoplasmic vapors, etc.). Simple application of a proton pack beam is normally effective.

[B]Class II[/B]: Manifestations focused in this time and space, Class II ghosts and up can physically manipulate things in this world. These forms are vague, inconsistent, or incomplete (e.g., floating sheets, ghostly hands, animated lips, etc.) Althought a proton pack beam is normally effective, some Class II ghosts have the capacity to return attacks.

[B]Class III[/B]: Anonymous Hauntings. Distinct human form and personality is evident, but former identity (i.e., as a living being) is not established. If established, ghost is reassigned as Class IV. Often difficult to deal with, Class III ghosts generally possess sophisticated means of defense.

[B]Class IV[/B]: Identity established. Distinct human form and personality with known identity, such as General Custer or Cleopatra. Economic disposal methods include research into the background of said entity, as well as possible communication with it.

[B]Class V[/B]: These are ectoplasmic manifestations of definite but non-human form. Speculation includes the theory that Class V's are formed from emotionally-charged events or as side effects from ritual summonings. (The spud Peter Venkman talks about so much was a by-product of the rituals that a cult held in the Sedgewick basement.) These typically require extensive proton pack implementation to eradicate.

[B]Class VI[/B]: Ghosts from lower life forms. A giant penguin was once seen attacking a mugger in Central Park. Later it was discovered that the penguin was a ghost. Unique solutions are often required to handle these entities, including research into habitats, allergies, natural enemies, etc.

[B]Class VII[/B]: Metaspectres. Obsessively malevolent, exceptionally powerful, and exhibiting control over subordinate forms, such entities are potentially very dangerous. These are often identified by primitive cultures as "Demons". Entitles which fit this classification include Gozer and Zuul. Neutralizing them is usually a problematical undertaking at best. Most standard procedures are futile. The most realistic plan is to take measures to prevent these things from entering the sphere of influence in the first place.

[CENTER]GHOSTLY TRAITS:[/CENTER]

[B]Free Floating[/B]: A ghost that moves about at will, with no regard to buildings, people, or time and space, as we know it. Sometimes just called "free".

Focused: The ghost is tied to the specific locale in which it first appeared and cannot stray from it.

[B]Full Torso[/B]: Some ghosts have full torsos, some have arms and legs, and some have no head and the like. Full torso apparitions are relatively rare - many hauntings are indistinct below the chest.

[B]Repeater[/B]: May refer to a self-regenerating P.K.E. force (Common with ritually-summoned spooks.) or to a spook with obsessive repetitious behavior patterns (I.E., Always manifesting at a certain place and time). Even when the ghost can be captured or eliminated, some agency continues to produce successive hauntings. Such ghosts reappear periodically until the source can be disabled.

[B]Vapor or Mist[/B]: A common but imprecise term, it may refer to a Class I or II entity, or any insubstantial haunting.

• * * * * *

Interesting Books you might want to take with you...

[I]Fredde’s Big Book Of Occult Lore

[I]Ghostbusters Handbook[/I] (by Stafford, Petersen and Willis)

Roylance’s Guide To Secret Societies And Sects

Spates Catalogue of Nameless Horrors And What To Do About Them

The Leon Zundinger's Guide to Magicians, Martyrs and Madmen

Tobin’s Spirit Guide [/I]

EQUIPMENT

[B][CENTER]PKE Meter[/CENTER][/B]

The P.K.E. Meter works similarly to a EMF Detector or a Gas Detector, it is designed specifically to locate P.K.E. (Psychokinetic Energy) in an area, it is set to register P.K.E. due to this being the substance that makes up most paranormal entities.

The P.K.E. Meter tells the operator if an entity is in the area through both indication of its arms with blinking indicator lights, but also through the LED readout screen. The P.K.E. Meter also informs the operator of the ghost's classification, and how strong it is. The P.K.E. Meter's power source is a pair of standard AA batteries.

One interesting premise of the P.K.E. Meter is that it can be used to track human biorhythms for use in locating missing humans. However these readings are weaker due to this not being the P.K.E. Meter's primary function. The meters can be adjusted to pick up the location of the Proton Pack.

How to Read a P.K.E. Meter: A P.K.E. Meter measures the Psychokinetic energy in the current area. In order to correctly assess the reading, you must view this guide.

PKE is quite similar in behavior to fluids - it will follow, most typically, the path of least resistance to the lowest point, or to a most attractive point. An area of high PKE does not necessarily indicate spectral activity, though spooks, spirits and other creatures with sensitivity to this energy will tend to be attracted to such areas.

001 - 050 Null zone for PKE 051 - 200 Unusually low background PKE Activity 201 - 300 Normal Background PKE Activity 301 - 450 Low-grade Trouble, typically Levels I - III 451 - 550 Level IV Spectral Presence, definite unease 551 - 750 Level V Presence 751 - 900 Level VI, Cats and Dogs Living Together, Mass Hysteria 901 - 1000 Level VII, Deific Influence

Now that you know how to correctly process the information, now you need to know some other tips. If the meter is reading very close in between 300-305, you may be picking up a trail of a ghoul that was already in your area. In other words, you are seeing his residual traces.

If you are reading anywhere from a 550-750 when a ghost is present, you are looking at a Class V apparition, a ghost not to be taken lightly.

Safety Precautions: There is only one warning about the P.K.E. Meter that should be taken very seriously:

Overload: It is not uncommon for a P.K.E. Meter to overload.

This ranges from mild electric shock, to a slight burning of skin and even self-destruct. The P.K.E. Meter is by far the most fragile and sensitive piece of equipment, so treat it carefully.

• * * * * *

[B][CENTER]The Proton Pack[/CENTER][/B]

The Proton Pack is the most powerful tool that the Ghostbusters carry on a daily basis, equipped with a power source that has a half life of 5000 years it is not prone to running out of power. (Ghostbusters II) However, it must be recharged at times.

The Proton Pack is an Unlicensed Nuclear Accelerator Backpack that consists of raw nuclear energy and Protons. The Proton Pack is mounted onto an Army issue A.L.I.C.E. Pack Frame with adjustable shoulder and kidney straps and belt, the Proton Pack consists of two parts: The Nuclear Accelerator Backpack (Proton Pack, Positron Collider, Cyclotron.) and Particle Thrower (Proton Gun, Ion Wand, Ion Cannon, Neutrona Wand.). Once you turn the Proton Pack on, you can also switch on the Particle Thrower.

The Accelerator accelerates the Protons from the Cyclotron on the pack into the Particle Thrower, and you get an extremely powerful but destructive particle stream that consists of Protons and raw nuclear energy. This is capable of entangling a ghost against its will (An excellent way to think of the particle stream would be as a lasso for ghosts.).

All ghosts are made up of Psychokinetic Energy (Which consists of Electrons, Neutrons, and the infamous substance known as "Ectoplasm".). The Electron is one of three elements in an Atom (The other two being the Proton and the Neutron.). Electrons carry a negative charge (As does Ectoplasm.), whereas a Neutron has no charge and a Proton has a positive charge. Negative energy is no match for positive energy. When a person fires the particle stream at a ghost, the ghost will become entangled in the stream and will become trapped (Unless the spirit is more powerful and so the power in the stream will have to be increased accordingly.).

The Particle Thrower also features a control for stream length. This proves invaluable when tracking a ghost that floats. The Proton Pack can disintegrate a paper cup, cut through steel, chop down big trees, and blast a dam. The particle stream is harmless to humans on low power. It was later discovered that particle streams could be adjusted to simulate sunlight, in order to vaporize Vampires, and temporarily transform werewolves back into their human form until the next full moon; To permanently cure a werewolf, Wolfsbane Soup is needed.

The Proton Pack has two settings:

Setting 1: Attack. Generates the most energetic stream of particles, expressly designed to weaken an entity's psychokinetic energy and it's connection to our time-space continuum (referred to officially as "Ectopresence") The GBI pack is set to still emit a weak Confinement field even in Attack mode--GBI Case File GBNY-1986-4/405 (code name "RoboBuster") demonstrates the necessity of not using a "pure" Attack mode.

Setting 2: Confinement. Generates a positively charged "cage" around the entity being confined; however, the Confinement is only effective if the entity's Ectopresence has been reduced to a valence of zero--otherwise it can easily break the Confinement stream. Once Confined, standard procedure is to capture the entity in a Ghost Trap.

Safety Precautions: There are two warnings about the Proton Pack that should be taken very seriously: Do not cross the streams: This process is extremely dangerous as it causes Total Protonic Reversal, which results in the molecules of any nearby person to explode at the speed of light. Information on this situation is sketchy due to the rarity of it ever happening, it has only occurred once where those participating have survived. Please refer to the case where the Ghostbusters fought Gozer for more details.

Do not allow the pack to overheat: This in some ways is similar to Total Protonic Reversal, however on a more limited scale. It is however still extremely dangerous and it is rare for a person in the vicinity to survive a blast caused by overheating. A standard radius of destruction from four Proton Packs has been estimated as a quarter of a mile. There are twenty seconds at maximum boost before the Proton Packs overload.

Optional Extras: Rifle Scope. [I](Ghostbusters Animated series, episode: Take Two)[/I]

[B][I]The Ghost Trap[/I][/B]

The Ghost Trap has been described as a miniature Ecto Containment Unit. It utilizes the same basic design as it's larger counterpart; a series of lasers designed specifically for the incarceration of spirits, however the overall size and power of an entity can determine how many entities can be contained in one ghost trap. The smaller the entities, the more can be contained in the trap. But the bigger the ghost, the less spirits can be contained. When two or more ghosts are trapped together, their molecules merge and cannot be separated without releasing both.

The Trap is an Electromagnetic Field Generator that is encased in an extremely strong and powerful Steel Grid and the EMF draws ghosts into the trap. The Trap is connected to a six to eight feet cable, which is connected to a "Stomp-on Pedal". The Cable Wire can be worn on a tiny hook/notch on the standard issue pistol belt. The ghost trap is operated as follows, one team member holds the spirit in a confinement stream, and a second team member rolls a standard Ghost Trap under the spirit. The Trap operator must shout "Trap Open!" He then activates the Stomp-on Pedal, activating the first stage if the trap. The Trap, now open is ready to receive the ghostly prisoner. The Trap operator then presses the Stomp-on Pedal once more to activate the EMF, the ghost is then sucked into the Trap and the Trap is then closed by removal of the Trap operator's foot from the pedal.

The Trap also runs on a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 48 Hours. So after trapping a ghost, be sure to get to the division headquarters as soon as possible, so you can contain the ghost in the Ecto Containment Unit and recharge the Trap's battery.

Safety Precautions: There are three warnings about the Ghost Trap that should be taken very seriously:

1) Do not look into the trap: It is not stated what exactly would happen if a human were to look into a Ghost Trap, however it is believed by most that the glare could cause eye damage and even blindness.

2) Do not overload the trap: Ghost Traps are extremely small pieces of equipment, and can only contain a certain amount of P.K.E., even if it is from a number of small ghosts. Generally the overloaded Trap would explode, then releasing its contents. Also only a certain number of ghosts can be contained in a Ghost Trap.

3) Do not forget to recharge the trap: This is extremely important, a Ghost Trap must be at 100% charge to work at peak efficiency. If a Trap is at less then 100% charge when it leaves the division headquarters then it is at risk of loosing it's charge when in operation, resulting in a similar explosion to a overload.