Técnicas e instrumentos de recolección de datos, validez y

Excerpted from Rifts® Dimension Book 10: Hades

What can one say about a specter that serves as a harbinger of death and wails so that all may anticipate its coming?

The Banshee is a P.P.E. vampire that relies on predatory in-stinct and a sixth sense to find her prey. Although legends some-time attribute her mournful wail with the power to paralyze or kill, the Banshee is not that hands-on or murderous. In truth, this Lesser Demon is a psychic scavenger whose clairvoyant abilities enable her to sense the likelihood of death, and like a vulture, is drawn by the psychic scent of death and waits for it to come.

At the instant of death, the Potential Psychic Energy (P.P.E.) of all living creatures surges, doubling in magnitude, and then drifts away, ultimately drawn into ley lines. This is what the Banshee is waiting for – the moment of death. At that instant, when the P.P.E. doubles and vacates the body of the deceased, the Banshee is there to drink it in like sweet nectar, devouring the life energy in a matter of seconds. The creature does not use the energy for magic or any other purpose but to feed. To this demon, Potential Psychic Energy is food, plain and simple, and the Banshee’s famous wail is really a cry of hunger, excitement and anticipation as she waits for her coming meal.

The Banshee is an impatient and eternally hungry creature, so when the ailing or injured individual hangs onto life, refusing to give up the ghost, the Banshee’s wailing is cries of frustration and the agony of waiting. A way to announce her disfavor, and in so doing, inadvertently serve as a harbinger of death. If a death doesn’t occur within 10 hours, the miserable creature begins to moan and radiate an empathic field that creates a sensation of despair and sorrow. This powerful, undirected Empathic Trans-mission affects everybody within a 60 foot (18.3 m) radius of the creature. The sorrow of a Banshee is not born from sympathy, but self-pity, for the foul being is sad only because she can’t wait to feast on the life energy of the living. The wail is a long, deep, mournful howl that can make a person’s blood turn cold, and makes everybody who hears it nervous and on edge, especially if they know the source is a Banshee.

A Banshee leaves when the person(s) dies, or if she senses that the ailing person(s) she expected to die has taken a turn for the better and death is not going to come any time soon. However, a Banshee may wait as long as six weeks, especially if she senses a great deal of Potential Psychic Energy. Should the ailing individ-ual recover, the Banshee lets loose one last groan and departs to search for death elsewhere. Thus, the presence of a Banshee does not automatically mean death or tragedy is inevitable, but it does mean that there is a very real possibility, usually occurring within 72 hours of the Banshee’s arrival. Note: A Banshee never kills, and must wait until the moment of death without intervention on her part. A Banshee can be driven away by exorcism, or intensely strong emotions of love, or by psionic combat.

Banshees are spirit-like beings whose natural state is invis-ible. Those with the power to see the invisible can see them, but to most others they are nothing more than a disembodied sound and puff of wind. They are vulnerable to psionics and can be contacted or attacked via Telepathy, Empathy, Empathic Trans-mission, Bio-Manipulation (they are invisible but exist in the physical plane), attacks from Astral Travelers, Astral Golem, Ex-orcism and Ectop lasm. Banshees are also vulnerable to spells of Exorcism, Banishment, Constrain Being, Commune with Spirits, Summon Lesser Being, Mental Blast, Desiccate the Supernatural, and magic weapons, and they cannot enter magic sanctums or circles of protection.

A Banshee appears as a monstrous howling face made of crim-son flames and surrounded by wisps of energy or as a ghostly hag, clad in a shroud, her lower body trailing off into a mist.

Game Master Note: A Banshee can be an excellent means of creating a sense of impending danger and suspense for the player characters, as a Banshee may follow them around as they prepare for a mission or battle, or a visit to Hades!

Banshees

Alignment: Miscreant (100%).

Attributes: I.Q. 2D6, M.E. 1D6, M.A. 1D6, P.S. 1D6, P.P. 3D6, P.E. 1D6, P.B. 1D6, Spd 4D6.

M.D.C.: 1D6x10+50. (On S.D.C. worlds the Banshee has 4D6+32 Hit Points, 1D6x10 S.D.C., and is impervious to or-dinary weapons, energy blasts and most super abilities.) Size: 6-10 feet tall (1.8 to 3 m) and has no measurable weight in

its spirit form.

Horror Factor: 14 P.P.E.: 2D6+2

Disposition: Selfish and hungry.

Life Span: Immortal until slain.

Natural Abilities: Ethereal, which means the demon can walk through solid matter, like walls, and physical attacks, like bullets, fire and energy blasts, do no damage; they pass right through. Vulnerable only to psionic attacks and magic, includ-ing magic weapons and Techno-Wizard weapons that fire TK rounds or magical bolts of energy.

Hovers and floats above the ground up to 100 feet (30.5 m) high. Teleport self only, up to 2000 miles (3200 km), but only when going to a new feeding site. Natural state is invisible and cannot make itself visible. Natural Empathy: Automatically senses emotions as well as sickness and death (costs no I.S.P.).

Natural Empathic Transmission of Sorrow: Radiates in a 60 foot (18.3 m) area around the Banshee, costs no I.S.P. (auto-matic); mortals save as normal vs psionic attack from sorrow/

despair. Also see psionics.

O.C.C. & Skills: None, animal-like predator.

Level of Experience: 1D4 on average or as set by the Game Master for NPCs. Not available as a player character.

Attacks per Melee: Three attacks per melee against Astral Trav-elers only. Otherwise, it can only attack on the physical plane with Empathic Transmission once per melee round. Note: At-tacks only if it feels threatened.

Mega-Damage: Little on the physical plane, where the Ban-shee’s only means of attack is Empathic Transmission (used in self-defense only) and its own Aura of Sorrow. On the Astral Plane or against Astral attackers, the Banshee can inflict 1D6 Hit Point damage per punch, kick or bite.

Bonuses: Impervious to heat, fire and toxic gases, though magic versions do full damage.

Vulnerabilities: Psionics, exorcism, magic spells, and magic weaponry.

Magic: None.

Psionics: I.S.P.: 100. Abilities include: Clairvoyance (4), Psy-chic Diagnosis (4), Sense Magic (3), Empathy (4), and Em-pathic Transmission (6). The latter is the only way it can at-tack a creature of flesh and blood. Equal to 5th level strength.

Considered a Major Psionic.

Habitat: Hades, Rifts Earth, other Earth dimensions, the Three Galaxies, the Palladium World, and other places scattered across the Megaverse.

Banshees are commonplace on Rifts Earth, especially at war zones and places where the innocent are persecuted, en-slaved, tortured, imprisoned and slain. It is interesting to note that when one Banshee has staked out squatter’s rights on one specific individual, other Banshees respect that claim and will not challenge it. However, if numerous people are hurt, sick or could die from some impending catastrophe or attack, then swarms of Banshees may appear, each claiming an individ-ual for themselves and following them wherever they go. A

“gathering” of Banshees is uncommon except in Hades and at places where death is frequent or occurs en masse. However, Banshees typically travel, hunt and feed as lone individuals or small groups (2D4).

Allies and Alliances: None, per se.

Rivals & Enemies: None, per se.

Note: It is fairly difficult and pointless to kill a Banshee, for they simply wait for death, they do not cause it. Consequently, it is far easier to chase the creature away than kill it.