As the title says. And especially in D&D, where turn undead or hitting a ghost with magic weapons are both options once players know what they're dealing with. But I'm paradoxically interested in non-D&D approaches, on the assumption someone has to be approaching it differently. I'd like to open with a situation that doesn't immediately drop into combat rounds.
Non combat poltergeist actions.
I love horror flicks, and I get lots of GM inspiration from the scenes leading up to the monster's arrival. Wanna watch a great haunting? Watch the coming of Jacob Marley in Christmas Carol.
The door knocker becomes Marley's face.
Marley's chains are heard dragging up the stairs.
Marley bangs on the door, but with the force of ten men.
The door swings open, and winter rushes in.
Marley walks in, dragging his heavy chains.
But he cannot speak.
Marley must unwrap a bandage around his head, and his jaw drops open...like a corpse.
For me, OD&D is fantasy horror. I am all about magical monsters being supernatural, otherworldly and infused with the same reality bending power we see in movies.
For me, a dungeon is a haunted house.
Use fear of the unknown. What ever haunt you use don't show the monster right away, don't name it to the players, and don't play it exactly by the Monster Manual stats.
I remember when the D&D Fiend Folio first came out. Lots of new undead monsters that all looked like a skeleton in a hooded robe. Suddenly the players didn't know exactly what they were up against. It made those encounters scary.
I dig into old folklore and books of ghost stories for a lot of inspiration. Often, even if the ghost is "killed" with the usual holy water, magic weapons, turn undead, it will return later until the proper actions are taken to permanently remove the spirit. What is needed often depends on the history of the haunt.
I also like the twist of ghosts not looking like ghosts, but looking like flesh and blood people. Until something is a bit "off". Leave the players to come up with their own explanations...
Quote from: Dave R;929257As the title says. And especially in D&D, where turn undead or hitting a ghost with magic weapons are both options once players know what they're dealing with. But I'm paradoxically interested in non-D&D approaches, on the assumption someone has to be approaching it differently. I'd like to open with a situation that doesn't immediately drop into combat rounds.
Approach it as a mystery to be solved, instead of a combat encounter.
Maybe also read up on some modern accounts of 'real' hauntings. A lot of the purportedly true ghost stories I've read/heard are really weird... not outright scary so much as eerie/creepy, and often only realized in hindsight. Verbatim they don't work so well for movies or games, but they might give some ideas to tweak more traditional fare.
The movie Lake Mungo kinda has that feel. No overt horrors but it's strange... and sad. I think it helps to work in a bit of regret and sorrow.
There are also plenty of tales where the haunting isn't really a ghost, or not just a ghost... like in The Shining, or a movie I watched recently, The House On Pine Street... also the book, The Little Stranger. People psychically activating situations in a way that can't necessarily be fought in a straightforward manner.
Quote from: Ratman_tf;929313Approach it as a mystery to be solved, instead of a combat encounter.
Have a look at the board game Mysterium.
If we are talking sentient undead, then its important to focus on what the ghost wants to achieve, and what level of power does it have to achieve its goals. Does the ghost need anything from the PCs? Does it have an agenda?
The Chill RPG did a good job with Ghost powers, specifically giving them several non-combat abilities they could use to affect the environment and make things unpleasant or dangerous (but not outright deadly) for the PCs.
On the non-D&D front, one of the best haunting adventures is "Music from a Darkened Room" for Delta Green. Even if you don't ever use it, it is full of creepy event to steal outright or just get your imagination going. As a bonus, it is even a free PDF download (http://www.delta-green.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Music-from-a-Darkened-Room.pdf).
It might even be possible to re-skin it as a D&D adventure. It's pure supernatural horror with none of the sci-fi elements of Lovecraft. It's a story of witchcraft, ghosts and a house where too many horrible things have happened.
EDIT: Also, as it is BRP, the stats and HP are just about ready to slide into a D&D game.
In my D&D games, I almost always have actual "ghosts" feature motivations and some story related to their 'haunting' of a place. So PCs can get rid of the ghost by the typical D&D means, OR they can try to bring the entity to some modicum of 'rest' by resolving whatever it has left hanging from the circumstances of its mortal life or (usually tragic) death.
Check out Van Richten's Guide to Ghosts from the Ravenloft line. It has some good ideas.
As for combat being the answer: Anybody remember the answer to "What happens if you nuke Cthulhu?"