This is a tricky one.
NPC Idea: One of the Player Characters has picked up a very subtle tag-along. It’s very subtle at first. The temperature around the character is a little colder. Things get moved a bit from where the character thought they were.
It starts to progress for the PC. One morning the character notices a few gray hairs. Then the temperature is noticeably colder around them. Soon, other members of the group start getting a case of the wigguns around the character. One day, the character hears a faint voice that no one else can hear.
Eventually the voice grows a bit louder. The character catches a glimpse of an outline out of the corner of their eye for just a second. Other characters begin to notice changes in the character’s appearance. Other characters begin to notice things moving, sounds that don’t seem to have an origin, and can sometimes see their breath in the cold air around the character.
Maybe this ghost the PC has picked up is friendly? It can’t help that its presence has an unintended side effect on the character. Maybe the spirit is truly malevolent? Perhaps someone the character killed in the past? The Game Master has lots of options.
This character idea works well for fantasy RPGs and even more modern horror games. I love pulling these kinds of things on Call of Cthulhu characters. I think it would also be a good hook/plot to throw into Monster of the Week.
Thanks for stopping by. Whew! Lots going on right now. Have a good one!
Jeff's Game Box 