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Plasm and its variants can affect not only LIVING aura's, but the energies of astral space, as well. For short-term exposures and effects such as spells, etc., this functions exactly as a Background Count, for longer-term effects such as Quickened or Anchored spells, Initiatory Group Astral Links, Wards, Hermetic Circles/Shamanic Lodges, etc., the background count must have existed long enough to create a Haunt to affect them.

Each 2 Force Units of Plasm creates a 1 point Background Count in a spherical area with a radius of about an old US Foot per "Force Unit". The Background Count drops 1 pt per additional foot from the edges of the "core" area outward. This applies both to raw ectoplasmic masses and to ghosts and other ectoplasm-based creatures. For spell purposes, this functions as an "aligned" background count benefitting necromantic magics and Ghostly Powers, and penalizing all other uses of astral energy. ICly, this generally manifests as an astral haze or fog in the area of the ectoplasm.

Locations where any ectoplasmic energy source remains stable enough so that it maintains at least SOME Ectoplasmic Background count through daily (etc.) fluctuations of ectoplasmic force for an entire lunar month (New Moon to New Moon) MAY become tainted enough to damage the actual fabric of astral space. Test After each month of CONTINUOUS Plasm-background-count, rolling (LOWEST PBC) vs. (HIGHEST* PBC). The Haunt Strength = Successes/2.

* If testing for increases in the strength of an existing Haunt, SUBTRACT the Haunt Strength from this number, rather than adding it as would normally be the effect of a Haunt.

Note that the formation of a Haunt automatically descrates Holy Ground, and that the limit of the Haunt is the limit of the CORE area of an ectoplasmic mass's background count effect. The Haunt will remain at LEAST at this strength until ALL the ectoplasmic taint is removed from an area and KEPT out for another full lunar month, at which point it will begin to fade at 1 pt per lunar month until gone. The Haunt will not normally increase its strength unless new force is added to the ectoplasmic mass within its core, in which case, the strength is recalculated from scratch, though the Force added to ghosts remaining continuously within the Haunts Bounds can increase the Force of the plasmic mass, of course.

For Quickened or Anchored spells, Wards, Initiatory Group Astral Links, and Hermetic Circles/Shamanic Lodges (etc.), one point of Force is Tainted per "Solar Event" (Sunrise or sunset) up to the Areas Haunt Strength. This tainting does not normally prevent the Astral connection from FUNCTIONING, but Necromancers (or ghosts) skilled in Soulstealing may make a Soulstealing test to use the tainted Force to THEIR advantage, up to and including forcing an Opposed Willpower Test against the Magician astrally tied to the tainted astral connection to Influence their actions.

When plasmic energies are strong enough to form a Haunt, they actively damage the Astral Plane as well. This damage is recorded with a Damage Track, just as Vehicles and Decks use. Like these other inanimate objects, Astral Plane damage is physical only, thus it corresponds to the Aura Cohesion Damage Track.

Any time a living being enters a Haunt, or normal or Necromantic Magic is used within it, the Haunt rolls (Haunt Strength) vs. (6 - Cacophony Rating from dmg). Successes indicate that an effect similar to Bedlam occurs: for (HS) × (Succ.) Minutes, illusory ghostly manifestations like those suffered by a Bedlam Victim flood the area, causing Tgt# modifications as for Bedlam, but using the Haunt Strength instead of Cacophony Rtg to determine the modifiers.

Should such an appalling thing ever manifest, a Strength 10+ Haunt would actually realign that space in the material world to function according to the hyper-entropic laws that govern ectoplasm. Because it has exceeded the Astral Damage condition monitor, it suffers effects equivalent to the Soulwound and Plasmorphosis a living aura takes: the Soulwound effect applies to ANYTHING within the Haunt, and it becomes a Fovae (Described in FASA's Aztlan Supplement: Any being with a normal Astral Contact is affected as if outside Earth's Atmosphere). Note that Deathbound and/or Hellbound Necromancers do NOT suffer from the Soulwound effect, and may cast Necromantic Spells without penalty, but should they attempt NORMAL magic, they are affected just like any other Magician. While the CREATION of such a hell-on-earth may well form the goal of the Dark Master of a Hellbound Necromancer's Circle, it is NOT recommended that the GM allow such places to form, unless the runners SERIOUSLY hose up. Such a place would be a disaster on par with the horrors of Bug City. Possible, and perhaps a good epic backdrop, but NOT something that should ever be allowed regularly or lightly.

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