Interacting with ghosts?

[Cadd]

In the game I'm about to kick off, one of the players are kicking around an idea of playing an Emissary of Cerberus/Garm, essentially a local "deputy" that Cerberus sends after people mucking around with the dead (mostly necromancers) and occasionally regular ghosts.

In order to physically interact with ghosts in the mortal world, OW p56 says three things are required: Some form of magic, knowing the ghosts name, and speaking that name out loud.

Would it be cheapening things too much to allow the power Ghost Speaker to also allow physical interaction with ghosts, thus bypassing the necessity of knowing its name? Of course, they would be able to affect the user physically as well, with no need to further materialize.

[Taran]

I thought that's what ghost speaker was for.  The down-side of ghost speaker is you don't have any control over what ghosts you encounter.  Ghosts recognize you and may seek you out, talking to you at inopportune times or distracting you or asking you to do things for you. Even if you find the ghost you want It doesn't mean they'll co-operate with you.  It depends on a contact roll

Having a ghosts name and summoning them might be better for certain situations like if you want to interrogate them and find out specific info.

[Dr.FunLove]

Why not just have the character have Sponsored Magic and have the evothaum be ectomancy or necromancy?

[Haru]

Ghost Speaker is exactly for that: speaking with ghosts. I would probably have you take another [-1] power in order to be able to directly act on ghosts the way you describe. Maybe a "Marked by Power (Cerberus)" sort of thing, which doesn't give you a bonus in social actions, but on interacting with ghosts, AND it makes direct interaction with ghosts possible.

You might also consider an item of power for a character like this, that would grant him the powers you describe.

[Dr.FunLove]

@Haru
Good call on the Marked for Power - the extra bonus to social rolls might help!

[Cadd]

Thanks for the input, I'll discuss with the player (who is even newer to the system than I am, unfortunately) and see what we'll come up with.
From the suggestions here, I take it there are essentially these options:
Sponsored magic - this will most likely not be used, as the player doesn't want to play a spellcaster.
Ghost Speaker, possibly with an upgrade
A "reworked" Marked by Power that give this ability instead of its usual social effects.

Would you all agree that a -1 refresh cost (either as an upgrade or rolled into an existing power) would be appropriate, and not too cheap?

[Haru]

I would think [-1] would be more than enough. You could achieve the same by invoking the high concept of "Emissary of Cerberus", I think. And it could also be compelled to be attacked by ghosts. The power would just be a permanently spent fate point to invoke the high concept. At least that's how I always interpret the refresh cost, and it works most of the time.

If you go with the Marked by Power option, I would take Ghost Speaker as well, I think it only makes sense as a package deal. If you only had MbP, you'd not be able to see the ghosts or talk to them, and sometimes a peaceful solution might be preferable.

[Dr.FunLove]

@Cadd
If not Sponsored Magic then pretty much what Haru is saying. If the character is supposed to be something akin to a deputized psychopomp then the Item of Power suggestion from Haru might also be a good idea.

So, as a sample:
Marked For Power (Cerebrus/Garm) [-1]
Ghost Speaker [-1]
Item of Power [Varies]

What's the refresh level you're playing at?

[Sanctaphrax]

Here's a Power from the list that you might find useful.

DUAL NATURE [-0]
Description: You are solid to both ghosts and men, like a cat.
Musts: A character must possess the Ghost Speaker power in order to use this one. This power is not compatible with Spirit Form.
Skills Affected: Many.
Effects:
Dual Nature. Your body is solid to both material and immaterial objects. You may interact normally with characters that have the Spirit Form power and other incorporeal things. This also allows such things to interact normally with you, so be careful around violently-inclined spirits.

[Cadd]

@Dr.FunLove: The exakt level isn't established yet (we're doing that this weekend when we sit down for city creation and character finalization. Most like Feet in the Water, possibly Up to the Waist.

@Sanctaphrax: Wow, thank you! That one seems perfect! I'll probably (strongly) suggest Marked by Power, Ghost Speaker and Dual Nature for him, and we'll see what else he'll grab! An IoP is definitely an option aswell.

I want to have a clear picture of what kind of powers are needed for the concept, so I can present the player with good options to chose from!