Haunts

The Bound are not merely people possessed by the dead. A Sin-Eater’s geist is a conduit through which she can draw on the power of the Underworld itself. She unleashes tendrils of Plasm that take physical form as bleeding walls, flying knives, and skeletal apparitions. She lays deadly curses, draws her geist into her flesh to transform her body, or infuses her voice with the keening wails of the dead.

All Haunts draw their power from the Underworld, the Sin-Eater (or her geist) weaving Plasm into a form that befits the Haunt, whether that’s invisible strings that fling objects around a room, or black-iron talons wrapped around her fingers. How visible the effects are depend on the Sin-Eater. Once she releases the power of the Haunt, the Plasm dissipates. Other Sin-Eaters cannot consume it.

Haunts

• Dot Rating: Each Haunt is rated from 1 to 5 dots.
  
• Dice Pool: A Haunt’s dice pool is always Synergy + Haunt. Unlocking the Haunt with a Key adds that Key’s Unlock Attribute to the dice pool (p. 121).
• Plasm Cost: Using a Haunt costs Plasm, the amount dependent on the effect the Sin-Eater desires. The Sin-Eater cannot add Plasm to the basic effect of an already-active Haunt.
• Enhancements: Higher dot levels of Haunts offer Enhancements to the base effect for additional Plasm. Unless otherwise specified, Enhancements may be added to an already-active Haunt. Unless otherwise specified, applying an Enhancement is a Reflexive action.
• Duration: The Haunt’s effects, including all Enhancements, end when the Condition created by the Haunt does.
• Pick and Choose: A Sin-Eater does not have to spend Plasm on every level of a Haunt. If she only wants the effect of Rage ••••, she does not have to use any of the effects of Rage •• or •••.
• Per Turn Limit: Haunts that cost more Plasm than the Sin-Eater can spend in a turn require her to spend the Plasm over a number of consecutive turns. Only roll to activate the Haunt after spending all the Plasm.
  

Learning Haunts
A Sin-Eater gains her first Haunts when she accepts the Bargain. The fusion of human and geist presents a certain affinity for some means of manipulating the power of the Underworld, and the knowledge of how to draw on that power is almost instinctive. Once he knows a Haunt, the Bound can develop his talents naturally, coming up with new ways to manipulate Plasm.

Unlocking new Haunts isn’t as easy, however. That knowledge comes from the Underworld itself, and the Sin-Eater has to explore the lands of the dead in order to find it. Sometimes the means of unlocking a new Haunt is on a scroll lost in a Dominion, other times it requires the Sin-Eater snatching a key out of one of the rivers of the dead. The means of developing those Haunts that resonate with her Burden are often easier for her to find than others; one of the Bereaved can find a means to unlock the Curse far easier than one of the Abiding. The means of discovering a new Haunt is specific to the Bound themselves; what works for one will not work for another.

The good news, as far as the Bound are concerned, is that a Sin-Eater only has to do that once per Haunt. Once she knows the basics, she can develop new techniques on her own through a mixture of practice and instinct.

Supernatural Conflict
Sin-Eaters mostly interact with ghosts, but they’re not the only creatures in the world that deal with the dead — and some of those creatures have their own agenda for the Unbound, too. Some Haunts use a character’s Synergy as part of a contested roll; when they are unleashed against other supernatural creatures instead use the closest equivalent — a werewolf’s Primal Urge, or a Promethean’s Azoth. This only applies to contested rolls, not when Synergy is subtracted from the Haunt’s dice pool.

The same protection applies to Sin-Eaters when they would be the victim of a supernatural power. Add Synergy to all contested dice pools that use a supernatural
power Trait.

Clash of Wills
When two Sin-Eaters bring their geists’ powers to bear against one another, it’s not always clear which ability trumps another. Likewise, a Haunt’s power may have effects that oppose the effects of a vampire’s Discipline or a mage’s spells. When the effects of two supernatural abilities clash in this way, it’s a Clash of Wills.

Each player involved rolls their character’s Haunt + Synergy, or Ceremony dice pool. Whoever scores the most successes wins; their power takes effect as normal while the conflicting abilities fail. Characters can only spend Willpower on the clash roll if they’re both physically present and aware that two abilities are in conflict. Other supernatural creatures have their own dice pools for clashes, detailed in their respective books. 

Long-lasting effects have a level of supernatural endurance, per the following table.

Duration Modifiers