Spirits (Magic Vegas)

v60e Chapter 2 continued
=== Spirits ===
Spirits exist by default in an insubstantial state, and most are neutral toward magicians, but each tradition has a collection of Allied Spirits who understand its language, and these can be safely summoned with no Ward. A neutral spirit summoned without a Ward will be safe on a positive reaction roll and might be induced to alliance with a bribe. Because an Allied Spirit is nominally willing to serve, Bind represents a negotiation for how much service, with a bonus of +10 (only +5 for Djinn – see below), but Bind always takes a parameter penalty equal to the ST of the spirit, just like Fetish does. Except for Eidolons who are already bound to objects, without a reasonable terminal condition such as the passage of a year, even Allied Spirits are rarely willing to become Fetishes or enter a Spirit Trap: Forfeit the Allied Spirit bonus retroactively; if that reduces the margin of success for Bind to zero, then the spirit is free of obligation. With no other terminal condition, a Fetish fails when every magician involved in its creation is dead, so in order to make a truly permanent Fetish, Entomb one of the participants. 
Magery confers the ability to sense spirits. In the case of physically manifest spirits or those subject to a ritual of Embody, Fetish, or Spirit Trap, he can tell the spirit is present by sight or touch (even through thin fabric) as if a glow or chill, though he can’t necessarily tell which of those rituals is in effect or what kind of spirit he’s dealing with unless he casts See the True Face. In the case of an insubstantial spirit, he can sense its presence, but he can’t localize it without Blind Fighting or the ritual See Invisible. Spirits which possess a material host aren’t visible to Magery, but the ritual Aura Reading can identify this condition or that of a Spirit Slave. 
Some spirits, especially the most potent, are unique and can’t be summoned without a specific symbol (similar to a path symbol, but only to summon that spirit), and even when summoned may be unable to answer if already engaged by another magician. Most spirits are generic, meaning they belong to a genre of like kind (like centaurs or selkies), and while they can be summoned individually, a ritual can also specify any available spirit of that kind, or one with certain traits (increases Complexity parameter, and the GM could rule that no match is available). If a magician has bound a spirit for services, then he’ll likely want to summon that individual when the time comes to redeem one, or save it in a Spirit Trap (using up a service in itself) to avoid any need to summon again. A ritual kit is sufficient to summon generic spirits, and the procedure is easy enough that a skilled magician can do so quickly even in unconsecrated space. 
Because it determines the difficulty for relevant rituals, ST is the most important statistic for a spirit and also equals its MV in immaterial form. Treat its other main attributes as 8 plus ST/5; for instance, a spirit of ST 40 would also have DX, IQ, and HT 16, yielding MV 8 if able to materialize. Most also use this formula for ST when physically manifest; full ST applies only when immaterial (as in contests with other spirits in like state). A spirit also has points equal to ST for supernatural powers and/or mental traits like skills and Talent, or else it has a signature power with special mechanics but still rated by ST, and the bearer of a Fetish can compel it to use these powers (or truthfully answer questions with its skills). In addition, most types of spirit can materialize, possess a living host, or animate a corpse. However, any spirit which can affect material reality must roll against Will less the usual penalty when Skeptics are aware, but it can use Extra Effort (1FP/turn) for +4. 
Material spirits have Injury Tolerance (Homogeneous), and they can have disadvantages worth points up to twice ST to pay for positive traits of their material forms; the most potent spirits have the most serious weaknesses such as Dread or Vulnerability. Their solid forms are also Fragile (Unnatural), except that being “killed” just forces them back into intangible form until they heal, though they can then be killed by anything which can harm them in that state (other spirits or Ghost Sword ritual). A spirit which animates its corpse is similar, except that it changes Injury Tolerance (No Blood, No Vitals, Unliving) and adds High Pain Threshold. Should the corpse be severely damaged, the spirit can’t animate it until repaired (with Surgery). Traits of the corpse itself, such as Bad Smell and Hideous Appearance caused by deterioration, provide no points for advantages. Spirits which possess a host can imbue it with traits worth points equal to ST, in which case count negative traits as Temporary Disadvantage limitations. Regardless of how it interacts with the world, animation or materialization, doing so costs 1FP/hr just like any normal activity, even if no other activity is involved. Those who materialize typically do so with the clothing styles of their heyday; any other equipment must be Cosmic Signature Gear (or illusory, or powers with a Gadget limitation). 
In order to secure the cooperation of a spirit who is not an Ally or Contact, a magician must Bind it for services. In order subsequently to redeem a service, the magician must Summon the spirit again, unless he stored it in a Spirit Trap, but getting it into the trap costs a service. As an Ally (or Enemy), treat a spirit of ST 10 as if it were 50% of the character’s point value, a spirit of ST 15 as 75%, a spirit of ST 25 as 100%, and a spirit of ST 40 as 150% (could also be a Patron). For Djinn, because of their wider range of powers, treat their ST as 5 higher, but treat powerless Eidolons as 5 lower (just 25% of the character’s point value for ST 10). A spirit Ally with availability 15 is present when available; otherwise it must be summoned by ritual (the enhancement Summonable isn’t required). Ghosts can be any type of spirit below, but as spirits of deceased humans, they have skills representing human experience (including Expert in the events of their own lives) and can therefore be Contacts instead of Allies. 
The bearer of a Fetish can compel the spirit within without redeeming a service, but some Fetishes have capabilities useful when they act independently, notably Poltergeist and Embodied Sphinx. A spirit Ally tied to a Fetish is a Potential Advantage, half price, or the relationship might be represented as a Claim to Hospitality if no danger is involved. Consider a Poltergeist: As a Fetish in a witch’s broom, it can only move the broom, but were it free, it could move any object. The witch can grasp her broom and order it to bear her aloft, but when it is beyond reach she can only ask nicely for it to come to hand, making a reaction check. As the relationship grows more comfortable, she can represent that as a Claim to Hospitality and call upon it to perform safe tasks like sweeping, but if it will fight for her (as a quarterstaff wielded with superhuman strength), then it’s a Potential Ally. A skilled Eidolon tied to a Fetish acts as a consultant answering any question put to it directly, but with Claim to Hospitality, it will volunteer information on its own initiative. For 2 points, Claim to Hospitality covers multiple Fetishes. 
If active in the world over time, a spirit can acquire assets and associates, especially if it can appear human and take a mortal identity, but social traits never count against the point budget determined by that spirit’s ST unless they have a magical aspect (Summonable Allies or Social Modular Abilities). They’re not “protected” with points, either, so if a spirit is stuck in a Spirit Trap until its Contacts age and die, that’s too bad. If a magician exerts influence over a spirit who has such traits, then he must pay for those traits himself in the degree to which this influence grants access, for instance if he Binds a spirit to service and commands it sign over power of attorney for the assets it accumulated under mortal guise, then he must pay for the additional Wealth. 
==== Taxonomy ====
Cacodemon: Malevolent spirits who can take possession of a human host (or animal), Cacodemons ruthlessly push their borrowed flesh beyond its normal capacity or even contort it unnaturally, heedless of the damage. Game-mechanically, the advantages they imbue always come with the Temporary Disadvantage Terminally Ill (just a month). Count any use as a full day toward the 30-day maximum; a magician who offers his own body to host a Cacodemon fulfilling a service on his behalf knows that the desperate act will take a toll, and he entrusts all decisions to the spirit. Because a spirit can’t perform magic rituals, even while possessing a magician, the likely volunteer is a magician who isn’t very proficient with them, such as a specialist in the Path of Heroes. Model a standing arrangement with a powerful Cacodemon as Patron, always available but with Minimal Intervention because the only aid it provides is possessing this spirit warrior, at his peril. 
	Djinn: Catch-all category for spirits which exhibit a wide range of useful powers such as blessings or curses, illusions or even genuine conjuration, and shapeshifting of their material forms. Some are inimical and the balance are fickle and callous at best. They demand dear sacrifices from any who would bribe them to service (double price, represented by a lower bonus to Bind), but their powers make them desirable for Fetishes. 
	Dryads: Spirits of specific places, hence useless for Fetishes, but they can do nigh anything within their realm (Modular Ability with points equal to rated ST instead of the usual powers; materialize, possess a host, or animate a corpse while not using the Modular Ability). Pay half-price for a Dryad Ally (as a Potential Advantage because it can’t leave). If a holy site really can heal the sick, it’s because of a beneficent Dryad. 
Eidolons: Powerless spirits, the most common. They have no supernatural powers except a Perk at most, to generate a chill, moan, signature scent, or candle-like flicker of light (for 1 FP). They’re tied to some physical object; a craft spirit is present in any Very Fine hand-made item, and a ghost may be trapped in a memento of sentimental value (such as the remains of its physical vessel). They’re happy to transform these objects into Fetishes indefinitely, but these can only provide energy or sustain rituals. Eidolons not bound by a Fetish ritual can be summoned from their vessels to spy, but they suffer -5 ST (hence -1 to other attributes) for every hour disembodied. 
	Familiars: Telepathic spirits with the ability to possess animals. The telepathy is “racial” encompassing Allied Spirits of the same tradition, up to ST/5 miles (for which calculation reduce ST by points the Familiar has in mental traits like skills, if any). Even in a Fetish, a Familiar enables a magician to coordinate other spirits, and as an Ally it extends its telepathic ability to the magician and enables the purchase of discounted Magery (Granted by Familiar) so long as the Familiar keeps a steady host, but in this case Ally takes the limitation Sympathy. Changing hosts interrupts bonus Magery for a month. 
Monsters: Potent spirits which manifest physically in clearly non-human form but with full ST; the ones that have human proportions are giants. Different traditions have different genre of Monsters as Allied Spirits, each with characteristic abilities. One Classical example is the fury, manifest as a grotesque fire-breathing beast which can track like a hound, and another is the cyclops, a one-eyed giant with Talent for Armory and Combat Engineering. 
Nymphs: Weak spirits (ST 10) which materialize to interact with humans. They’re magnetically attractive and enjoy performing, carousing, and taking human lovers (though spirits can’t procreate with humans, whatever legend may say to the contrary). The archetype is Beautiful with Classic Features (Greek), Extreme Sexual Dimorphism, Flexible, Lecherousness and Compulsive Carousing on 12, Carousing 10, Dancing 11, Erotic Art 12, Housekeeping 10, Savoir-Faire (Servant) 10, Sex Appeal 13, and Singing 11; variants lack the looks and enjoy different (but always mundane) activities such as craftsmanship, mining, or housekeeping. A magician can have such spirits as household staff (consistent with Status) represented by a Claim to Hospitality instead of Ally. 
Parasites: Minor malevolent spirits capable of a benign sort of Possession, benign in the sense that they can’t control the actions of a host, but they do cause disease, modeled as a Toxic Attack with a point value equal to the spirit’s ST/5. For instance, a mere ST 10 Parasite (base -5 points as an Enemy) could be potentially fatal to a man of average ST and HT, inflicting a point of damage with Onset (1 week), Resistible (HT-5), Cycles (Daily ×21), and Symptoms (HT-2 and Nausea). A slightly stronger Parasite would take a month to run its course, Resistable only for the latter half. Of course, exorcising a Parasite ends its cycle prematurely. 
Patrons: Not quite potent enough to be path-gods, these are the greatest spirits accessible to the Path of Allies. That makes them both desirable and difficult to summon, and they’re all unique. If they’re available and a magician (or coven) can pull off the ritual, then they’re happy to help, mostly by instruction, but if the matter is grave, they may unleash their full might. Patrons can be summoned only by their allied traditions and have such ST as to be functionally immune to Bind. 
Poltergeists: Even while insubstantial, these spirits can move material things as directed, which looks like telekinesis to anyone who can’t see spirits, though game-mechanically their power is Lifting ST that can Affect Substantial (for which purpose reduce ST by points the Poltergeist has in mental traits like skills, but with no such traits, it can be a Mindless Minion). If made into a Fetish, a Poltergeist can move the object in which it resides, like a flying carpet or broom (72mph with ST 30, for 175# rider). In a weapon, add the Poltergeist’s ST/5 to the wielder’s damage, or if it acts independently, use thrust damage for the Poltergeist’s ST, for it’s close enough to collision damage. 
Sphinxes: Spirits subject to the ritual Embody, animating statues with potentially superhuman strength. Their power is True Faith, protection against non-allied spirits that never degrades, radius ST/5 yards (for which calculation reduce ST by points the Sphinx has in mental traits). Spirits with greater ST can overcome its protection, but the Sphinx can use Extra Effort to increase its effective ST for this purpose for a minute, 1 FP per 5 ST. As a Fetish, the Sphinx itself can sustain Embody, a basic 25-point template with Doesn’t Breathe, Doesn’t Eat or Drink, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerance (No Blood), Pressure Support (Alternate Ability Vacuum Support), Numb, Unhealing, Brawling DX+2. Conventional materials are listed under the summary below, and Morphology Metatraits also affect point value. A magician with skill 12 can reasonably expect to produce a 50-point vessel that can withstand a single Skeptic; each further skill level increases point value by 10 or soaks more Skepticism. A winged vessel too dense for Flight can do it anyway, but not for long (Costs FP). 
Totems: Whereas a familiar can possess an animal and make it sapient, these animal spirits possess humans and make them beast-like, a work-around for the rule against exotic advantages. This is a benign form of Possession, meaning that the Totem doesn’t control the actions of its host (and therefore can’t use its mental traits). As an Ally always available, the cost is slightly less than the value of imbued traits, accounting for the possibility that the spirit be exorcised. The traits provided typically include a Perk, Good with Animals of their species (and Call of the Wild for undomesticated species), animal adaptations such keen senses, mobility, physical attributes, and may include Spirit Empathy (Aspected to Allied Spirits of the same tradition). The traits can even include physiological changes like Fur or Sharp Teeth, but anything so obvious and strange may be inhibited by Skepticism (roll against the Totem’s Will less the Skepticism penalty). Drawbacks, modeled as limitations like Nuisance Effect or Temporary Disadvantage, always include distinguishable animal mannerisms (at the Quirk level) and Stress Atavism with Bestial, along with Corrupting toward the Mark of Power for the tradition with which they’re associated (check daily when conferred traits actually manifest), but they may extend to mentality or behaviors like eating raw meat or going Berserk. Other appropriate limitations include anything suggested by folklore such as the Viking bear-shirt (Gadget). 
Wights: Ghosts who can animate their own corpses, to which they are tied like Eidolons. Characteristic traits depend on the tradition, if any, in which the spirit Believed during life. Most are human, but some are animals. 
Spirit			Summary	Spirit			Summary	Interaction	Powers			for Fetish	Powers			for Fetish
	Cacodemon 	Possess 	Skills			Only 	Empower			a human host, taking a toll on his health
	Djinn 	Materialize	Wide			Range 	Expensive			Ally/Fetish because of wide range of powers
	Dryad 	Any 	Modular			Ability	Can’t			travel (Ally as Potential Advantage)
	Eidolon 	None 	Skills			Only 	Cheapest			Ally or Fetish to sustain rituals (no renewal)
	Familiar 	Possess 	Telepathy 	Beast			possession, raise Magery as Ally
	Monster 	Materialize	Characteristic	Various			types, combat powers per tradition lore
	Nymph 	Materialize	Skills			Only 	Mundane			tasks (Claim to Hospitality instead of Ally)
	Parasite 	Possess 	Skills			Only 	Possession			causes disease, but Parasite doesn’t control
	Patron 	Any 	NA 	Most			powerful, but can’t be bound
	Poltergeist	Special 	Move			Objects	Doesn’t			manifest, but can move objects while immaterial
	Sphinx 	Vessel			below	Natural			Ward	True			Faith, subject to the ritual Embody
	Totem 	Possess 	Skills			Only 	Grant			animal traits through benign possession
	Wight 	Animate 	Skills			Only 	Ghost			animates own corpse
Vessel material for Embodied Sphinx:
Clay (-15): DR 1, Injury Tolerance (Homogeneous), Fragile (Brittle), Mute, Weakness (2d/hr immersion)
Stone (+50): As clay with DR +4, Pressure Support 2, Sealed, Striking Surface, no Weakness, Doesn’t Float
Metal (+85): As stone with DR +4 more but not Fragile
Wood (+25): DR 2 (Semi-Ablative), Injury Tolerance (Homogenous), Mute, Striking Surface
===== Examples =====
Bag Hag: This malevolent ST 15 Djinn (base -5-point Enemy) has 45# Cosmic Payload (and Gizmo as power stunt); a Fetish typically takes the form of a container to hide the conjuration from Skeptics ($4,000). Physically manifest, the Ugly Hunchback has Brawling, Stealth, and Wrestling 13 plus a bag from which she conjures not only gizmos but also Nightmares (automatic control failure) as a gadget-based mêlée Affliction and Compulsive Behavior. A non-allied Sphinx Fetish is sufficient to prevent this hag from manifesting nightly for to drive her sleeping victim mad. 
Brazen Head: This ST 15 Eidolon Fetish is an animatronic skull. It has a Photographic Memory, a Perk to interact with the mechanism yielding canned answers (yes, no, depends, and unknown), and these skills at 9, net 19 to recall facts pertaining to them: Expert (Natural Philosophy), Fortune-Telling (Astrology), Geography (World), Research, and Theology (Comparative). Furthermore, from default it has net 15 to recall facts pertaining to most other academic subjects such as History and Literature. Counting the goofy contraption, this Fetish costs $2,000. 
Centaur: This ST 20 to 25 Monster (base cost ±5 as Ally/Enemy) manifests with IQ -1, 4 Legs, Enhanced Move, Hooves, Weak Arms (per the limitation on Extra Arms) and Weak Bite, and its human torso counts as Dead Weight. Typical skills include Armory 12 at TL2, Brawling 16, Bow 13, Naturalist 12, Soldier 10, Spear 13, and Stealth 12. 
Croc: Hermetic magicians have no Armor ritual within their tradition as formulated below, but they can get a comparable benefit from this ST 10 Totem (base 2-point Ally): DR 6 (Flexible, No Armor) and Nictitating Membrane 3, Good with Crocodiles including Call of the Wild, Cold-Blooded (50°F), Corrupting, Habit (crocodile mannerisms), and Mild Stress Atavism on 15 (Berserk and Bestial when affected). Cost for a potion of Summon in conjunction with service due: $300 per dose. 
Cu Sith: The fairy hound is a ST 15 Monster (base cost 3 as an Ally). It has Brawling and Wrestling 13, Stealth and Tracking 11, and the Perks Teamwork and Natural Camouflage. When manifest, it takes the form of a mottled green dog (Quadruped) with Blunt Claws and Sharp Teeth (with Born Biter), Discriminatory Smell (raising Tracking to 14), Fur, and half a level of Enhanced Move. The camo applies in its immaterial form, a slight benefit against those who can See Invisible. 
Destructive Muse: This ST 30 Parasite can kill (base -10 points as an Enemy), but its victim will go out in a blaze of glory. Toxic Attack for 1 point of damage, Resistable at -5, with 31 daily Cycles. When it has cost the victim a third of his HP, the first Symptoms kick in, the advantage Versatile and disadvantage Workaholic (but only for creative endeavors). A few days later at half HP, the victim gains a Minor Destiny to change the culture through art, together with Euphoria (except that creative skills are unpenalized). When he drops to ⅓HP, he’s at HT -5 (only to resist further cycles/death) but Hard to Subdue +2, with the inspiring fire of Megalomania; even as he falls into negative HP he’ll pursue his magnum opus in creative bliss, oblivious to his demise. 
Everpipe: This ST 10 Djinn (base 3-point Ally) conjures smoke as from the burning of herbs such as tobacco, marijuana, poppy, or coca, with a tell-tale glow as if combustion actually occurred. Game Mechanically this is a potential level of Create (Small Category, Reliable +6, Reduced Fatigue -2, Reduced Time with All-Out Concentrate, and Nuisance: Glow) with a 1-point Creation Pool, allowing a pall of exhaled smoke to build up before the Djinn allows some to expire in favor of the next drag. Physically manifest, she has Alternate Form as a Body of Air (actually smoke) and takes human form mainly to get high on her own supply (Addiction), with Classic Features (Heroine Chic), skill 10 Carousing and Merchant (specialized for drug dealing), Accented proficiency in a spoken language descended from her tradition, and a double Creation Pool to support a power stunt of creating the actual herbs. Her Fetish ($2,000) is a boon to magicians who make use of Mystic’s Stupor.
Founder: The ghost of the company’s founder is a ST 25 Eidolon, but what matters is his effective Merchant skill 21 – the old boy’s still got it (base cost 4 points as a Contact). His painting dominates the boardroom, and directors swear its eyes follow them. Actual skills Merchant 20 (plus its defaults as calculated from 17) and Expert 12 in his own biography, which counts as an assisting skill for Merchant, typically good for +1. 
Gargoyle: Here’s an iconic sample Sphinx with ST 15 (base cost 3 points as an Ally) in a stone vessel with Crushing Striker (tail), Flight (Cannot Hover, Costs FP, Winged), and Hideous appearance. It spends 2 FP to launch and another per minute airborne. Made with skill 17 in Path of Allies, it can move under the observation of 3-4 Skeptics. The price is $2,000 for a ST 15 Sphinx Fetish plus $1,500 for Embody (per Appendix II) and $500 for an Eidolon Fetish to sustain that ritual without forfeiting the benefit of True Faith. 
Gertie: There’s a ghost in the machine, a ST 15 Poltergeist (base cost 1½ points as a potential Ally) inhabiting a 1972 Oldsmobile 442 Supersport. She has Driving 13 counting her Equipment Bond, leaving ST 10 to operate the car as if a normal person were at the wheel. The price for this Fetish is $2k plus that of the classic itself, depending on its condition, ideally accompanied by Eidolon Fetishes sustaining rituals of Great Gas Mileage, Perfect Control, and Supercharge, and $200 per service to command her to operate the car independently. 
Hellhound: Here’s a sample fury, an Allied Spirit of the Classical tradition, with ST 25 (base cost 5 points as an Ally), Burning Attack 5d (Jet, Costs FP), Innate Attack 14, and the ability to materialize with Blunt Claws, DR 9 (No Armor, Tough Skin), Discriminatory Smell, Enhanced Move (net 39mph, Temporary Disadvantage: Horizontal), Sharp Teeth (with Born Biter from GURPS Martial Arts, p. 115), Gigantism, Monstrous Appearance, No Fine Manipulators, and Brawling 15. Defenses are effective against handguns and decent against civilian rifles but not automatic fire. In spite of the name, a hellhound is big enough to ride and doesn’t look like a dog. The bearer of a Fetish with this Monster ($8,000) can invoke its fiery breath. 
	Hobby: Here’s another sample Sphinx with ST 10 (base cost 2 points as an Ally), with a child’s wooden rocking horse to Embody it (Size -1). Made with skill 12, the vessel is Quadrupedal with ST +3 (No Fine Manipulators), Enhanced Move, and Can’t Wear Armor (limitation to DR). It can go off its rocker and bear a 60-pound rider at 16mph when nobody else is watching. $2,500. 
Ifrit: Here’s an archetypal fire Djinn with ST 35 (base cost 10 points as an Ally), Illusion, Snatcher (No Magic, Non-Unique, Prep 10min, Unsupported, alternate to Illusion), Visualization (Cursing +10, alternate to Illusion), Illusion Art 14, and the ability to materialize in imposing fashion with ST+2 (Gigantism), Alternate Form (Body of Fire), Attractive Classic Features (Arab), Cosmic Module (Skill), Cosmic Potential Signature Gear (Huge Scimitar) with Weapon Bond and Weapon Master (Gadget), DR 5 (No Armor, Tough Skin), Rapier Wit (Words of Power +10, alternate to ST), Super Memorization 2 (Language – pick it up from a phrase), Broadsword net 17 with Reach Mastery, Bad Luck, Dread the Seal, Selfish, and Constant Dependency on fire (a burning candle or cigar will do – treat as common). The bearer of this ifrit’s Fetish ($64,000) can invoke its powers of conjuration, cursing, and illusion; with a power stunt, it can alternately bless, conjure larger objects and illusions, or conjure such dangerous things as flame (Burning Attack) or stinging insects (Drifting Toxic Bombardment). With favorable defaults and true proficiency in one skill at a time, this ancient spirit is surprisingly competent in the modern world. Potent Greek daimones, Hindu rukshasa, and Japanese oni have similar traits. 
Joe: Here’s a sample ST 10 “safe” Cacodemon (base cost 2 points as an Ally). Because the only advantage he imbues is Talent, ineligible for limitations like Terminally Ill, he doesn’t harm hosts directly, merely hijacking their bodies to continue the war, long since ended, in which he died. He has Expert (Own Biography) 10, Guns (Rifle) DX+3 or +4, Hiking HT+1, Soldier 12, Stealth DX+1, Wrestling DX+2 (including the imbued Talent), and a Weapon Bond for the rifle he wielded in life. In this case, Expert counts as an assisting skill for Possession of his own descendants, one of whom is a magician who might voluntarily host his grandfather when an heirloom rifle helps more than a ritual. $100 per service (and $200 per elixir of Summon).
Leader of the Pack: This ST 25 Monster has a base cost of 5 as an Ally, and it has Allies in turn, a couple of the Cu Sith described above (Mindless Minions), plus Leadership and Small Unit Tactics 12. The owner of its Fetish ($8,000 hunting horn) can command its fairy hounds (fatiguing power stunt to make them Summonable). When manifest, its pack grows to 10 hounds, and it has a Penetrating Call and antlers (a Large Piercing Striker on its Head, facing Front). Otherwise it looks like a man, but it has severe handicaps Bloodlust 12, Dread of Running Water, and Vulnerability to Iron, and it is the linchpin of the pack with One-Way Sympathy (banish the Leader, banish minions). 
Leprechaun: Here’s a variant Nymph with Altered Time Rate (Leatherwork Only hence Non-Combat), Compulsive Mischief 15, Dwarfism (SM -3), Carousing 10, Leatherworking (Shoes) 13, Traps 9. Variations on the theme substitute other trade skills, like Housekeeping for a brownie. 
Onnamushi: This ST 10 Djinn (base 2-point Ally) is the ghost of a feudal Japanese warrior woman who can conjure a late katana of Very Fine steel, Fine Balance, and Presentation quality (Cosmic Signature Gear). She has Tactics 12 and dim recall of her long lost life (Expert 8), manifesting with Weapon Master for her conjured sword, effective skill 18 to wield it (1d+6/cut), samurai haramaki armor (DR 4) also of Presentation quality except the underlayer (more Signature Gear), Code of Honor (Bushido), and Dread of ofuda (scroll with the name of a Shinto spirit). The bearer of her Fetish can wield her sword and with the aid of a Familiar solicit her tactical advice. Yes, a $2,000 Fetish can conjure a $5,000 sword, but bear in mind that this charm requires annual renewal and that magic doesn’t stack, hence no benefit from Weapon Blessing or Ghost Weapon. 
Neighbor from Hell: Here’s a ST 25 Cacodemon (base cost -10 points as an Enemy) lurking within an elderly woman who lives next door to a magician who botched a ritual, which is why those irritating Monotheists are right! It has Brawling/Jumping DX+4, Climbing/Wrestling DX+3, Acrobatics DX+2, Throwing DX-1, and access to her skills and personal details, keeping its head down until the moment comes to loose its wrath upon its neighbor, and it can call upon enhanced abilities 30 times before it kills its host: Lifting/Striking ST +8 (Unsupported), Clinging, Fangs, Hard to Subdue +7, High Pain Threshold, and Injury Tolerance (Unbreakable Bones) with a Nuisance Effect encompassing Unnatural Features like fangs, pupilless eyes, and a growly voice. Although the turbocharge is killing her, while under its effects this granny is superhumanly powerful, capable of unnatural movement, and seemingly indifferent to injury, barring Skepticism. If its present host expires, the Cacodemon will move into her yapping little dog. 
Perfectly Normal Pet: Here’s a ST 10 Wight animating a dog (base cost 2 points as an Ally). It has Brawling 12, Tracking 12, and never deteriorates (Unaging), but it can’t approach within 20’ of a crucifix (Dread). 
Púca: Here’s a sample fairy capable of illusion and shapeshifting. It has ST 20 (base cost 5 points as an Ally), Illusion (Visual), Visualization (Blessing Only, Alternate Ability to Illusion), and the ability to materialize with Alternate Form (Pony), Attractive Classic Features (Irish), Good with Horses, Dread (Iron), and Unnatural Feature (Tail). Feel free to swap the pony form for some other domesticated animal (cat, dog, rabbit), a fox in the case of kitsune (with Japanese features instead of Irish), or a cobra in the case of Naga (with Indic features). The bearer of a Fetish with this Djinn ($8,000) can invoke its illusions or blessing and force it to spend Fatigue for power stunts, handy for a ritualist whose repertoire lacks magical disguise. 
Recrudescent Champion: Here’s a sample ST 40 Cacodemon, costing 20 points as a Patron if always available with Minimal Intervention. When called upon, it possesses a spirit warrior who wields its Gadget (a Unique weapon of meteoric iron, nigh Unbreakable but Can Be Stolen, likely set with gems, Fetishes to sustain personal enhancements upon the bearer), conferring Supernatural Durability plus 2 Extra Attacks per turn with its favored weapon. It has the appropriate skill for that weapon at DX+6, Expert skill for its own long history at 14, as well as Tactics 18 and Acrobatics, Brawling, Riding (Horse), and Wrestling at DX+4. 
Rooster: With Alternate Form, this ST 25 Sphinx (base 5-point Ally) only gets the benefit of ST 10 to calculate its radius of protection, but in Totem form it confers Acute Vision +3, Charisma, Empathy, Good with Cocks, Penetrating Call, Special Exercises for Visualization as an Alternate Ability to Empathy, Versatile and Spirit Empathy (Aspected to Taoist spirits) as additional alternates, with Corrupting and Temporary Disadvantages Chummy, Gluttony, Habit (Rooster Mannerisms), and Mild Stress Atavism on 15 with Bestial. The owner of a rooster Fetish ($8,000) can either rely upon the protection of a Sphinx or consult with it, through the agency of a familiar, on its feelings for people. 
Sacred Well: There is no ritual to neutralize poison. A magician himself may be able to expel it with Body Control from the Path of Heroes, but there’s no simple option for patients under his care. Dose can deal with long-term effects of chronic exposure like cirrhosis and emphysema, but it takes too long to handle the acute phase. Vigor and some totems improve resistance, but none provide immunity. Soothe can keep the victim comfortable and Wisdom can clear his head while Succor and Esoteric Medicine heal hit points, but that takes hours, so if damage accrues fast enough, there’s no hope but a Dryad like this one, with ST 25 (base cost 2½ points as an Ally). She must configure her Modular Ability as a beneficial Affliction (Advantage: Immunity Perk for specific pathogen, Affects Substantial, Duration ×1k, Reach 1). Of course she can also configure Healing for a specific disease or Affliction (but not injury; that would cost too many points). The spirit doesn’t care to be taken for granted and expects a sacrifice equal to two month’s cost of living from any supplicant, and a thief who dredges the well may find himself subject to a deadly Toxic Attack. Skepticism will protect him, probably. Although she can manifest, the lady of the well prefers animal hosts when she interacts with the world, conferring intellect, Acrobatics DX+1, Brawling DX+3, Gesture 16, Soldier 12, Stealth DX+2, and Wrestling DX+2 (and Diagnosis 16). 
Silver Hand: Here’s another sample Poltergeist Fetish, an articulated prosthetic metal hand with ST 10, a Mitigator for One Hand (plus base cost 1 point as a Potential Ally). The bearer controls it as if it were natural (subject to the spirit’s DX 10 or twice its ST 10), and if an Ally, it can detach to act independently on his behalf as well. While it may not be strong enough to bear him aloft, on a skateboard it can pull him 24mph. 
Speaking Stone: This Fetish incorporates a ST 25 Eidolon advisor ($4,000) with Intuition and Alternate Abilities Common Sense, Danger Sense, Fashion Sense, and Sensitivity, plus Psychology and Detect Lies 12. It throbs to warn of danger, deceit, dumb decisions, or fashion faux pas which it can clarify through the intermediacy of a familiar. If it does so on its own initiative, that’s a Claim to Hospitality. 
Vampire: Here’s a sample ST 15 Wight (base cost 3 points as an Ally but still only -5 as an Enemy), animating its corpse with Blessed (Heroic ST), DR 1 (Tough Skin), Fangs, Infravision, Silence, Draining (Human Blood), and Nocturnal. A likely skillset for a former small-time hood includes Brawling and Wrestling 13, Guns (Pistol) and Stealth 12, Observation and Streetwise 11, with naught but hazy recall of its own miserable life (no Expert skill). Draining applies only while the corpse is animate, which will typically be when a magician summons it for a service ($200) with a goblet of blood handy, though if it must hunt to feed, it has no means to keep the victim from noticing or remembering the attack. Stronger vampires have such abilities along with power to preserve their corpses and cloud the minds of prey, balanced by severe supernatural disadvantages. 
Werewolf: Here’s a sample Wolf Totem with ST 25, costing 20 points as an Ally if always available. It has two sets of advantages, a subtle set with psychological drawbacks and a set of physiological “wolf man” advantages that manifest uncontrollably with supernatural drawbacks. The first set of advantages has limitations Corrupting, Gadget (wolf pelt), Quirk-level Lunacy, and Temporary Disadvantages Habit (wolf-like mannerisms), and Mild Stress Atavism including Bestial on 15: Per +2, Good with Wolves including Call of the Wild, High-Frequency Hearing, Penetrating Call, and Discriminatory Smell with Alternate Abilities Parabolic Hearing 3, Spirit Empathy (Aspected: Allied Spirits of the same tradition), and Very Fit. Note that a ST 15 wolf totem could provide all of these abilities, but the second set adds visible advantages with further limitations Uncontrollable Trigger (Atavism/Lunacy) and Temporary Disadvantages Susceptible to Wolvesbane and Vulnerable to Silver: Blunt Claws (Affects Insubstantial up to 5d), Enhanced Move (Temporary Disadvantage: Horizontal), Sharp Teeth including Born Biter, and Thick Fur with DR 1 and Natural Camouflage in shadow. The host can assume wolf-man form voluntarily but may also do so unintentionally while utilizing enhanced senses and automatically on nights of the full moon. At a distance, he might elude Skepticism. 
Wilbur: His ancient Name impronounceable, folks refer to this ST 30 Eidolon as Wilbur (base 5-point Ally or 3-point Contact). As the ghost of a master – and somewhat grumpy about it – he’s forgotten more than most magicians ever learn, so he can assist rituals and teach by means of Hallucination sustained on the owner of his vessel. Wilbur’s bound to his portable ritual kit, so for the low, low price of just ten kilobucks, you too can have a virtual coach with Ritual Magic 18 and effective Symbol-Drawing 18 with all non-Horror paths, Illusion Art, Religious Ritual, Teaching, and Expert 12 (for his own biography and tradition). 
Wyvern: This ST 35 Monster (base 10-point Ally, double as Enemy) manifests with Sharp Claws and Teeth, Flexible, a Piercing tail Striker with Strong Venom, Scales with DR 7 (No Armor, Tough Skin), Winged Flight (Cannot Hover) with half a level of Enhanced Move, Ham-Fisted Feet Manipulators (as the limitation for Extra Arms), and Severe Stress Atavism most of the time (control roll 6), with skills including Brawling, Dropping, Flight, Intimidation, Mount, and Wrestling 18. Nose to tail, it’s over 20’ long (Reach 2), and it can fly 45mph with a lightly-equipped rider.
===== Twin Souls =====
A spirit can have an Ally (or Ally Group) as a power when appropriate, for instance a Monster can have combat abilities consistent with its legend, and that could include commanding a force. However, Eidolons can’t have any power that affects the material world, and that includes an Ally that could do so on its behalf, and no spirit can have an Ally of greater ST (so you can’t have a cheap Ally that just commands a more powerful Ally on your behalf). Summonable is an appropriate enhancement or power stunt, and one-way Sympathy is an appropriate limitation when the Ally is just a manifestation of the summoner’s power. If the wielder of a Fetish is to command Allies of the spirit within, then they must be Minions, typically Mindless which isn’t appropriate for all spirits but works for Parasites, Poltergeists, and some Monsters. 
===== Djinn Powers =====
Signature powers of Djinn are especially flexible, which is why their service is more costly than that of other spirits. Shapeshifting their physical forms is straightforward, and so is the power of Illusion (though it can also be modeled as any advantage with the limitation Glamor, and Telekinesis can give it substance). Luck powers take Luck (or Super Luck), Serendipity, and Visualization with the modifier Blessing or Cursing. The latter is especially valuable in the case of resistance rolls when the Rule of 16 would kick in, but remember that magic doesn’t stack. For instance, a character who benefits from Borrow skill, a +4 bonus, cannot get a further bonus to the same skill from Visualization with Blessing.
Conjuration is more challenging to model because the archetypal trait, Snatcher, is so expensive. Fortunately, there are cheaper, limited alternatives including various forms of Innate Attack (conjuring flame or other elements), Summonable Allies, Gizmo, and Payload with the enhancement Cosmic. To conjure a specific thing, Signature Gear with the same enhancement can be especially cheap, or for a strong Djinn especially impressive – imagine the ghost of a tank commander who can conjure a ghostly tank! A truly versatile power of Conjuration does require Snatcher, but that’s an 80-point advantage, beyond the point budget of ST 35 Djinn without limitations, but large, heavy, and durable items require enhancements! To make it work, you’ll need to be familiar with the rule for Power Stunts, especially Temporary Enhancements (GURPS Powers, p. 172). Snatcher can’t conjure animals, spirits, people, or anything in the immediate possession of same. Thus for instance it could take an unattended airplane from its hangar (subject to Skepticism) but couldn’t take an occupied plane potentially dropping passengers to their deaths. It can’t conjure Fetishes (because of the spirits within) but could swipe charms or elixirs. Limitations make it affordable, and since the conjured items last indefinitely, those which affect activation (like Unsupported or Preparation Required) are better than those which affect maintenance (like Costs Fatigue or Temporary Disadvantage). The following Accessibility limitations are worth -10% apiece: 
Facsimile: This is like a restrictive variant of the enhancement Creation because it doesn’t alleviate penalties to conjure rare, bizarre, or indistinct items, but the conjuration is a copy, never quite exact, a fact discernable by analysis with appropriate skills, and its quality is a level lower than the original (so it never comes with a craft spirit). Because Djinn can’t channel, they must have the following limitation in conjunction: 
No Magic: You can’t conjure elixirs or charms, broadly defined to include anything referenced by an on-going ritual, including its subject, a mixer (smartphone running a GUMI), or targeting aid (magic to affect the bearer). Ritual paraphernalia isn’t necessarily magic, but most able magicians subject their tools to such effects as Clean, Loyal Item, or Mystic Mark. 
World-Linked: You can only conjure items from Midgard, from one specific Otherworld, or in the Local variant, the world which you presently inhabit. 
Behind the Curtain: Totem Math
Totems confer powers, which are like normal advantages except that they can be exotic and have modifiers and Alternate Abilities that wouldn’t make sense for a normal human. Any negative traits imposed by possession count as Temporary Disadvantage limitations to the powers, and these always include a Habit Quirk (species mannerisms) for -1% and some level of Stress Atavism with Bestial for -7% in the mildest case. These don’t make much difference on their own, but Totems are also Corrupting (-20%), and a Gadget is usually justifiable in the form of some representation of the totem species such as a pelt or carving, or aught else implied by the tradition’s lore, typically worth -40%. This passes the threshold which reduces the cost of a 15-point advantage, of which there are many, to just 5, meaning that it costs only 1 point as an Alternate Ability. After deducting a point for the mandatory Perk, Good with Totem Species, even a mere ST 10 Totem could confer a 5-point advantage with 4 alternates, which is how a Totem that costs 8 points as an Ally (Always Available) confers advantages, duly limited, whose base costs total 75! 
Totems also have abilities of their own, and these often duplicate the abilities they can confer, which would be expensive unless they are Alternate Abilities to Possession itself. For instance, a mere ST 10 Fox Totem with 10 points for individual traits could have Discriminatory Smell, which normally costs 15, as as Alternate to Possession for just 3. When riding its host, it loses this ability itself but confers it, or effectively transfers it, to the host for 5 points, duly limited as described above.