Wenn Dir die "Cleric Only" Lösungsstrategie, die Paizo vorschläg, nicht gefällt, kannst Du die natürlich nach eigenem Ermessen anpassen. Open Grave, zwar für 4E erschienen, liefert da ein paar gute Lösungsansätze. (Bedenke jedoch, dass es der Ansatz der 4E ist, dass jeder SC jederzeit - fast - alles kann, und dass niemals ein SC entweder in Vormachtsstellung oder außen vor gelassen wird. Das ist bei der 3.5 nicht so, wie Du weißt.)
Spoiler (Anzeigen)When adding hauntings to an adventure, you can treat them as atmosphere, traps or hazards, terrain, or skill challenges. Each of these four types of hauntings is discussed below.
(A) Hauntings as Atmosphere
Hauntings need not require specific rules or dice rolling—they serve well as atmospheric detail in your
setting descriptions. A haunting can engage any of the senses: the witness might see a ghostly figure,smell a whiff of perfume, hear muffled weeping, or feel the grasp of a cold hand. A haunting might drop the temperature, whip up impossible winds, or instill emotions.
(B) Hauntings as Traps or Hazards
Hauntings can function as traps or hazards, depending on whether they were put in place with the express purpose of causing harm to others. Like other dangers of this sort, these hauntings can be spotted with passive or active Perception checks. Their presence can also be detected with Insight checks, because the supernatural energy produced by a haunting can be palpable. On a successful check, the character feels an instinctive sense of unease suggesting the presence of something malign and uncanny.
(...) Countermeasures [Beispiele]
- [Level 1 Obstacle] Any character who is a member of a divine class and approaches to within 2 squares of the hazard can disable it by succeeding on a DC 15 Religion check as a standard action.
- [Level 15 Obstacle] A character who is a member of a divine class and approaches within 2 squares of the coffi n can disable the trap by succeeding on a DC 18 Religion check as a standard action. (Alternative für selbe Haunt-as-Trap: ) A character who is adjacent to the trap can pry open the coffin lid with a successful DC 18 Athletics check as a standard action and reduce the brittle bones inside to inert shards (AC 5;
Fortitude 10; Reflex 5; hp 40).
Haunting traps and hazards follow the Dungeon Master’s Guide guidelines (pages 85–87). Damage
dealt by such a trap or hazard is either psychic or necrotic in nature—gruesome visions and other horrifying
sensory input deal psychic damage, while dangers laden with energy antithetical to life deal
necrotic damage. Frequently, these hauntings stun or immobilize their victims as well.
Disabling a haunting trap is accomplished using the Religion skill, not the Thievery skill. The character
uses knowledge of faith to recite simple prayers of protection, which can confuse or even exorcise the
haunting.
A disabled haunting trap remains inactive for the rest of the encounter, or until the characters leave the
area, whichever comes last. It then reestablishes itself, its undead nature having never truly passed from the
haunted area.
Das ist schon mal gut. Nicht nur der Kleriker, sonder jeder mit Zugang zu göttlicher Magie kann hier was bewirken.
Aber die beste Lösung ist ein "Haunting" als Fertigkeitenherausforderung zu gestalten.
Spoiler (Anzeigen)(C) Hauntings as Skill Challenges
Certain ghostly entities lack creature statistics and can’t be fought. Instead, the obstacles they pose are
best resolved as skill challenges. A classic example is the haunting spirit that can be put to rest by the solution
of a mystery.
The Girl in the Cornerstone Level 7
Skill Challenge XP 1,500
The chapel is empty, its worshipers driven out by ghastly
visions. You enter and approach the altar. Hovering over it is
the translucent figure of a bleeding child, her face gripped by
inexpressible sorrow.
The characters probe the secrets of a haunted temple. The
investigation starts with the structure, then moves on to
interactions with suspects.
Complexity Special (meeting all victory conditions before 3
failures; see Victory)
Primary Skills Dungeoneering or Thievery, Intimidate,
Religion
Other Skills Insight, Thievery
Victory The PCs must succeed at locating the remains of the
girl, reconsecrating the temple, and getting the killer to
confess. When all this is achieved, the soul of the victim is
put to rest.
Defeat The killer flees the area, or a similar event occurs
that makes it impossible to achieve the victory conditions.
Dungeoneering or Thievery DC 14 (2 successes satisfies
one of the victory conditions)
Secret compartments riddle the recently constructed
chapel (first success). Its hollow cornerstone contains the
bones of a girl (second success).
Intimidate DC 19 (2 successes satisfies one of the victory
conditions)
Confronted with suspicions, the builder of the chapel
confesses to being a death cultist. He killed the girl and
secretly placed her in the chapel foundation to dedicate it
to evil.
Religion DC 19 (1 success satisfies one of the victory
conditions)
After the bones are found, the characters give the girl
a proper burial and reconsecrate the temple, so that its
parishioners can use it again.
Insight DC 19 (0 successes, but succeeding on this skill
check grants a +2 bonus to subsequent Intimidate checks
during the challenge)
You interview several local citizens, particularly those
involved in the construction of the chapel. Some of them,
appearing normal and pleasant, seem suspiciously evasive.
Thievery DC 14 (0 successes, but finding the weapon allows
the PCs to negate one failure during the Intimidate section
of the skill challenge. Failure leads to a fight between
the character who attempted the skill check and a single
undead foe, acting as a servitor and a guardian for the
cultists—both combatants are roughly the same level as the
party.)
The characters find the bloody knives used in the
murder, hidden in a root cellar. They can use it as damning
evidence of the builder’s crime.