PKE Levels

(cribbed from Page 64, A Guide to Apparitions and Supernatural Phenomena, Dr. Egon Spengler)

Typically, the 'strength' of any single paranormal phenomenon can be measured in terms of the psychokinetic energy it emits (PKE). This energy is detectable as an psychomagnetheric wavelength anomoly through the use of certain instruments, and particularly sensitive individuals can see, feel, hear, smell, or taste environmental differences caused by rising PKE levels in the environment. While PKE levels vary from entity to entity and occurrence to occurrence, standard classification of anomoly levels can help to give some idea of what sort of entity is at work.

Psychokinetic Energy Levels

Energy Level	Short Name	Description
Level 0	Residual	Residual PKE energy can be felt by sensitives even in circumstances where normal observation does not elicit noticeable effects. As there have been approximately 108 billion human deaths measured throughout the span of time, most places are known to generate residual PKE traces, particularly if they are in centers of high population or focuses of public attention.
Level 1	Echo	Areas of high concentrations of supernatural occurrences typically register as a Class 1 phenomenon even when an active entity is not directly at work. In areas where an entity is working, this may register as signs of mild psychokinetic effects in the environment, such as objects abruptly moving out of place or arranging themselves, temperature differences, and peculiar sensory effects. Individual Level 1 entities are usually manifestations of animal spirits or low-level spontaneous entities, and typically follow set patterns of behavior that equate to their behavior in life or shortly before death, or are focused on very simple tasks and goals. They are typically not very dangerous, but are usually signs of a more powerful entity at work.
Level 2	Haunt	Level 2 entities are capable of limited interaction with the living, including brief manifestations and effects of highly limited scope. They are often incapable of complex communication or behavior, and usually are actually localized phenomena of a larger problem. Examples of Level 2 phenomena include temporary reanimation of unsouled corpses, activation of machinery, items that take on an animalistic life, or spirits that briefly manifest out of reaction to environmental stimuli. Level 2 entities are usually tied to a very limited area, usually the place where they died or feel the closest connection to, or where they were created by a stronger entity.
Level 3	Spirit	Level 3 entities are moderately powerful withinin a limited scope of activity, and can readily manifest themselves and exhibit signs of their past behavior. Some class 3 entities are capable of limited sentience, although attempting to question them can be hazardous to the incautious investigator. Level 3 phenomena can include the animation and reshaping of items not normally meant for animation, the creation of small physical embodiments of spectral energy that can interact with the living world, the ability to harm the living through direct contact, and general operation and control of a limited area.
Level 4	Ghost	Most sentient spiritual entities that are capable of extended communication and awareness are at least Level 4 entities, and may be capable of prolonged manifestation or activity. They usually have a broader range and can usually roam freely within a generally defined area, and can manifest a wide range of limited effects, or more powerful effects within a limited scope. Examples of Level 4 phenomena include temporary possession of living entities, possession and animation of objects, manipulation of and control over objects, hypnotism, damaging ranged attacks, generation of high levels of sensory stimuli, and the ability to control localized lower-level phenomena and entities.
Level 5	Entity	Level 5 entities are usually responsible for prolonged hauntings of an area, although some are free-roaming and can create lesser mischief over a much broader scale. Usually, however, this manner of entity is generated by the death of a particularly willful individual, especially those indoctrinated in occult practices, and should be approached with caution. Class 5s affixed to a general area usually have the ability to create, control, or manipulate lesser entities and phenomena within a broad scope, and typical extended hauntings revolve around the permanent residence of at least one Level 5 or higher entity.
Level 6	Demon	While the term 'demon' is not technically accurate, as Level 6 refers to a wide range of very strong paranormal phenomena that may or may not necessarily generate from astral or abyssal territories, this does refer to powerful supernatural entities that one should treat with extreme caution, as they usually are able to generate lesser phenomena seemingly at will and usually are not tied to a specific location. Those tied to a physical form are extremely powerful but are usually banished once the form is successfully dispersed or destroyed; those tied to an overall area are usually anchored to a physical point that was very important to them in life, to give them more power over the living world. Non-localized Level 6 entities should be considered extremely dangerous and avoided if at all possible.
Level 7	Demigod	The realm of entities measurable to Level 7 and beyond exits the realm of common encounters and enters the realm of events that can be dangerous on a city-wide scale. Class 7 entities can maintain long-term effects seemingly at will, generate large numbers of lesser entities, incite increased supernatural phenomena over a large area, and cause the living world to intersect with other dimensions and realms. Most manifestations of greater powers tend to register within the Level 7 scale.
Level 8	Minor God	In most cases, a manifestation of Level 8 and beyond is unlikely to actually appear within the living world, and such levels of power are of the manifestation on its home plane. Within this area, it typically enjoys the ability to create and destroy matter, create portals into and out of the ghostworld at will, and manipulate entire environments in ways similar to how lesser entities can change or control individual objects.
Level 9	Major God	Although no confirmed records of encounters with Level 9 entities exist, there are a number of legends that could, if taken as statements of fact, be considered manifestations of such an entity's will reaching through the dimensions to affect this world. Their home territory and focus of power would be considerably more vast than most people would be able to comprehend, with an entire planetary realm as their 'territory'.
Level 10	Unmeasurable	Level 10 is a theoretical level of power that is, literally, unmeasurable and unfathomable. No such entity is confirmed to exist within the living world, and attempts to approach an approximation of its magnitude would require a spiritual consciousness of literally cosmic scale. That being said, it is theoretically possible that such an entity may exist.

Types of Hostile Entities

(cribbed from Page 76, A Guide to Apparitions and Supernatural Phenomena, Dr. Egon Spengler)

While it is generally fair to state that most ghosts are not fond of their current predicament, it behooves me to point out that there are some isolated cases where spirits are not outright hostile, and in some cases mildly beneficial, to those in the area they are haunting. However, one should always assume the worst and proceed with caution when dealing with these entities, as they are perfectly capable of preparing traps and ploys to snare the unwary.

Type	Description
Animated	Animated Entities are those who are compelled into activity by the guiding force of a more powerful Entity within the area; for example, a vengeful juggler ghost may have a number of animated juggling balls in his vicinity. As a rule, these items, once they take on a life of their own, can become hazards in their own right for investigators and distract from the matter of their source. Typically, the best way to get rid of an Animating Entity is to destroy the object it is animating, causing the force animating it to dissipate. This may be problematic if the possessed item is of value to the investigator, however.
Corporeal	Corporeal Entities have taken a physical form in order to engage the living - usually by gathering fragments of physical material from the environment. This is a more powerful version of an Animated entity, and can be much more dangerous - imagine a shambling being made entirely of knives and you'll get an idea of the hazards involved. As with the Animated, disrupting a Corporeal Entity can usually be achieved through sufficient disruption of the 'body' it has chosen to inhabit. Entities that have formed themselves of a particular material also have all of the strengths and vulnerabilities of this form; for example, paper burns, iron can be disrupted with magnetism, and glass can be shattered.
Coalesced	Coalesced Entities are ectoplasmic creations that have taken a physical form that can directly touch the world of the living; they are typically of an unpleasantly thixotropic consistency that can entrap the living, and strongly negative versions can even sap the life out of the coated victim. They also can handle other material objects, and can still pass through solid matter in this form if they choose to, making them especially troublesome. Coalesced entities are particularly responsive to electrical and electromagnetic pulses; as they are formed of raw ectoplasm, a sufficient burst can temporarily stun the entity long enough to contain it.
Possessor	Possessor Entities choose to take over an existing physical form; in fact, they may require the use of such a vessel in order to remain in the world of the living for a long time. This is most problematic when the vessel the Possessor chooses to take is a close companion! Dislodging a Possessor Entity without destroying the subject typically requires highly charged beams of electromagnetic energy at frequencies tuned to the 'resonance' of the ghost in question. Unfortunately, setting up lab equipment in the presence of such an entity can be difficult at best, especially if the ghost has managed to possess a stone statue or other resilient object.
Free-Roaming	Free-Roaming Entities are those without direct physical attachment to the living world; they are usually the most dangerous simply because physical weapons have little effect on them, and getting rid of them is usually more a matter of banishment or containment than outright destruction. Removing a free-roaming entity is incredibly difficult if one has no ready means with which to identify what force is keeping them here. Usually, though, if you can figure out what - or who - is keeping them around and get rid of it, you will release any free-roaming ghosts held in place by this.
Remnant	Remnant Entities are what most people think of when they think of a 'ghost', although the phenomena connected to a single ghost may include a number of separate entities that are not direct extensions of that ghost's will. Although it sounds hackneyed, Remnants often remain in death because they were particularly attuned to a goal in life; for example, a passionate general may continue to fight in battle even after death, leading his army to yet another battle. In some cases, Remnants can be convinced to dissipate by satisfying the conditions that led them to believe they must remain; in others, they can be banished by destroying their faith in themselves or a particular item they held most dear in life. Remnants almost never leave peacefully, and will fight bitterly to keep their hold on the living world. Whatever motivations they may have had in life will be pushing them just as surely in death. Proceed with extreme caution.

Using the Spectral Deflector

(cribbed from page 198, A Guide to Apparitions and Supernatural Phenomena, Dr. Egon Spengler)

This device is a reasonably simple tool that can be constructed from basic household parts. It creates a spiritual matrix that can be realigned by rearranging the runic wheels in order to modify the 'frequency' of the force it outputs. This force can, if properly configured, neutralize or disrupt a specter's activity when they are in range; likewise, very similar entities, such as multiple creations of a specific type made by a single master entity, can be affected by the device if used properly. Be advised that this will only protect against a specific entity or entity type.

Containing or banishing an entity requires a much higher focused output of psychomagnetheric energy, and the creation of such a device, or of the units required to contain such an entity for long periods, is beyond the scope of this text; however, for those interested in experimentation, a basic containment device can be developed by making a Faraday cage surrounded by an electromagnetic field. Getting an entity into such a device is an exercise left to the reader.

Lab Arc Wiki

Table of Contents

PKE Levels

Psychokinetic Energy Levels

Types of Hostile Entities

Using the Spectral Deflector