Holy Smokes! I almost went on to the Combat rules for my Ghostbusters RPG fan project without covering a very important element of the Entity Analysis Form that I am personally quite proud of.
Let's look at different aspect of Ghostbusting...
You will notice that underneath the space left for an image of the paranormal entity (Visual Evidence) there is a section for information about a post-living being's pre-ghost state.
A major part of my most successful Ghostbusters RPG sessions has been when the ghosts need not be busted. Sometimes, they can be helped.
If you recall, one of the Descriptors in the post on the CDI System was 'Terminal'. Terminal indicates a ghost that can be assisted or [more rarely] made to move on to the 'next world'. Quite often, especially in the case of Class IV entities, intense mental or emotional trauma keeps the ghost attached to our material plane. To coin a phrase, the entity has Unfinished Business in the physical world.
Essentially, the spirit's continuing existence in our time/space continuum is self inflicted and sustained by some feeling of anguish and turmoil. If the entity can overcome this psychological/emotional state it will pass from this dimension to some other wherein it's PKE will no longer experience the unpleasantness of being in between realities.
Sometimes it's a Ghostbusters job to blast, snare, and trap a ghost. Sometimes it falls upon a team of Ghostbusters to help a harrowed 'soul' come to terms with or overcome whatever is eating them up 'inside' so they can leave this world behind and continue on to their next adventure.
To this end, it is sometimes vital to record the following:
Mortal Identity: When was this individual while they were among the living?
Cause of Death: Often a hint to what ties them to the physical world or a clue to the nature of their abilities. The ghost of Captain William Warms died sometime after being accused of negligence in the shipboard fire that claimed 137 lives. He returns as a Fire Ghost. Who could have seen that coming?
Next of Kin: Who did the deceased leave behind? Often someone connected to the life of the nearly departed can help them to realize it's OK to let go and leave this mortal coil completely. Don't hang here on our account!
Place of Origin: Good for records and sometimes relevant, this could be where the ghost's living self was born or - as is often the case - the place they thought of as home. It could be where they grew up, living most of their life, or where they died. The latter would make it the ghost's Place of Origin more so than the living person's.
As you can see, this is immediately followed by Case Notes; information on the case and the entity involved that may be relevant to understanding its thoughts, motives, abilities, and possibly why it is here. In instances with many [though not all] Class IV ghosts, research surrounding their lives and/or deaths can help immensely and would be recorded in this section.
Asphalt Annie
The Ghost of 'Annie's Road' in Totowa, NJ
Alrighty, on to Combat unless something else comes up to further delay our...what's this now? Art...punk? Muhuwahahahaha! Oh good grief. You D&D guys kill me! Anyway, more Ghostbusters up next...
AD
Barking Alien
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