The Possessed

Lemm came walking back into town three days after he went missing. His shirt was torn, and there was dirt on his palms and cheeks, but that wasn't what seemed so off-putting about him. He'd always been a shy young man, slow of speech with a wandering gaze. But those who greeted him felt the words die on their lips as he walked past. Something looked back at them from Lemm's gaze... something that hadn't been there when he'd gone missing.

The Roundtree brothers were gathered round a toss table when one of their cohorts elbowed them. Jakhar Tallgrass pointed at Lemm as he came down the street. Mire Roundtree sniggered, straightening up and putting a swagger into his walk. His brother Denkh held out a hand to stop him, but held his silence. Something wasn't right, he knew that as sure as he knew his own name, but he didn't want to look a fool. Not just because one farm boy came back to town even after they'd given him a kicking.

"You should have stayed where we left you, Lemm," Mire called out, his voice full of false cheer. Lemm stopped, and looked at him. Denkh felt a chill go up his back. There was no fear in the farm boy's face. Not even apprehension. He looked at Mire the way a man might look at a curious insect.

"Lemm," he said slowly, as if tasting his own name. Then he smiled, and there was something... off in it. Something that made the rest of Mire's cohorts reach for their knives, and take a step back. "So that's what he calls himself. Thank you, he wouldn't tell me his name."

"I don't know what kind of dross you're on about-" Mire snarled, grabbing Lemm by the collar of his shirt. Before he could say anything, Lemm put a hand to Mire's head, and something passed between them. A shadowy something that ran down Mire's face, burrowing into his pores, sliding into his ears, filling his nose, and pushing into his eyes. Mire screamed, throwing himself away from Lemm.

"A gift," Lemm called after the fleeing Mire. Then he laughed, and the rest of the Roundtree gang took to their heels. That wasn't Lemm anymore, and none of them wanted to know what was wearing the farm boy's skin.

Playing A Possessed

The idea behind a Possessed is pretty straightforward. Whoever your character is, they are possessed by some variety of entity. They might have made a deal with a devil, or been offered up to a demon as a child when they were raised in a cult. They might have been on death's door, and been offered the touch of an angel to get back up and keep fighting. Perhaps a powerful necromancer poured their soul into a cursed ring, and this just happens to be the person who picked it up and put it on. At the end of the day, the basic idea is the same; something is inside your character's body with them, and it is (at least in part) where they draw their power and unique abilities from.

Certain classes seem to be a natural fit for a Possessed. After all, a sorcerer whose magic comes directly from the being sharing their body is easy to envision. So is a warlock whose patron takes them over to experience the world from a mortal perspective, or a paladin who bonded with a celestial being, and now the two of them venture out to dispense justice.

However, a Possessed can fit a wide variety of different classes and concepts.

As I mentioned in 50 Shades of Rage, a barbarian might have the souls of their ancestors infuse them when they rage to grant them power. A ranger might be infused with the power of a forest spirit, whispering in their ear to give them an edge in combat against favored foes. A fighter might have been born weak and sickly, but the restless soul of a great warrior possessing him lends strength to his limbs, and skill to hands that have never touched a sword before now.

As concepts go, it's extremely flexible!

What I recommend for a Possessed is that you ask yourself a few basic questions. Those are:

1. Who Was This Character? Were they a commoner, a bandit, a noble, or something else entirely?

2. What Possessed Them? It's important to understand what, exactly, is living inside the character's skin. For those looking for inspiration, 13 Fiends: A Baker's Dozen of Devils might be a good place to start!

3. How Did It Happen? Did your character willingly invite this spirit into themselves? Did it claim their body against their will? Was it through some kind of obscure rite? Was your character gravely injured, and the spirit took over their body while they were in a coma, or near to death? You might find some additional inspiration in 100 Cults to Encounter!

4. How Much of Your Character is Left? A Possessed can take many different forms. In some cases the spirit may be hidden most of the time, only coming out during moments where it's compelled to, or when the host can't restrain it (such as during a barbarian's rage, or when a paladin uses their smite), and in other times it might be the one in the driver's seat. Sometimes it might be somewhere in the middle, giving you a Jekyll and Hyde style relationship where the two have to learn to work together.

Whether you are looking to add a unique touch to your character, explain strange powers, or you just want to provide serious motivation for their actions (the selfish, grizzled mercenary suddenly becomes a do-gooder because he has a literal angel on his shoulder giving him more power to fight its evil foes), give the Possessed a try in your next campaign!

Looking For Even More Content?

That's all for this installment of my Unusual Character Concepts series! Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For even more of my work, check out my full Vocal archive. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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