How are Ghouls Made?

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Scriven
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How are Ghouls Made?

Post by Scriven » Thu Jul 03, 2014 4:06 pm

Gonna show my ignorance here, but . . . how exactly are ghouls made? What effects the transformation from a human being into a ghoul? I know that there is a certain "pedagogical" aspect to this (e.g. "The Lesson" painting in "Pickman's Model"), but above and beyond that, how does it happen? Can anybody point me to some useful resources? Sorry if this is old hat -- I just haven't seen a satisfactory answer yet. Help, please?
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Re: How are Ghouls Made?

Post by Nvision » Thu Jul 03, 2014 6:31 pm

From what I've read, it's a mix of hanging around with them, and sharing their food. They also do the changeling act swapping babies for their own, which would suggest they can reproduce, but still bolster their numbers with "converts." Delta Green has some writing about it being a prion-based disease, which has interesting implications...

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Re: How are Ghouls Made?

Post by fox01313 » Sat Jul 12, 2014 4:03 am

From the great reference Keeper Companion I, the mythos tome of Cult de Ghouls also will give a benefit of accelerating the transformation from human to ghoul. As the ghouls, I believe can align themselves with various great old ones, they could get help from one priest/avatar of that group to change someone though you could also find a way in some kind of believed narrative that they get slowly corrupted in the Dreamlands in contact with a ghoul though I'd imagine anyone with darker tendencies hanging around graveyards might just wind up as one. Again much easier to do this with an NPC & there could be other spells/artifacts for it too.

Now if you're like me & you wind up in one game where a player often will want to become a ghoul once they start getting exposed to the ghouls then it could get messy but the ghoul is fairly low on the mythos ladder of meanies so getting to change to one should be common enough that a crafty keeper can come up with some ways that make sense.
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Re: How are Ghouls Made?

Post by Wordcraftian » Sat Sep 13, 2014 4:36 am

I've always played it as a transformative disease that takes hold of an individual who habitually consumes the raw flesh of human dead. The process is sped up if the corpse they are eating has been embalmed.

Just my spin on it.
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Re: How are Ghouls Made?

Post by Keeper Jon » Thu Sep 18, 2014 2:36 am

Wordcraftian wrote:I've always played it as a transformative disease that takes hold of an individual who habitually consumes the raw flesh of human dead. The process is sped up if the corpse they are eating has been embalmed.

Just my spin on it.
I like it. I may try to play with this notion in a scenario someday.

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Re: How are Ghouls Made?

Post by Wordcraftian » Thu Sep 18, 2014 5:38 am

Keeper Jon wrote:
Wordcraftian wrote:I've always played it as a transformative disease that takes hold of an individual who habitually consumes the raw flesh of human dead. The process is sped up if the corpse they are eating has been embalmed.

Just my spin on it.
I like it. I may try to play with this notion in a scenario someday.
It's been a fun idea to handle; One of the founders of a secret society I invented became a ghoul this way. Of course, only the most esteemed members of the organization are privy to this information. All most people know is that he was a somewhat eccentric man who vanished inexplicably one day after exhibiting strange behavior (even for him)... He was seen frequenting a local cemetery late at night and having midnight picnics with odd looking strangers.

Not a unique idea, I'll admit. But I like the flavor a secret background with ghoul involvement adds to an already shady organization.
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