Duppies

by mshrm

A duppy is a spirit, usually evil, from Caribbean folklore. Like a lot of spirits from folklore, they’re somewhat ill-defined. Some traditions say that every person has two spirits within them: one that’s good and flits off to the afterlife at the point of death, and one that’s evil (or at least troublesome) that hangs around on earth to do mischief. The latter would be a duppy. On the other hand, a duppy might be an evil spirit that never was a human.

GURPS Voodoo (3rd edition, but awesome) describes duppies and loa as the same, varying only in power. It goes so far as to explain that the duppy of a famous and revered person might go on after the person’s death, feeding on the belief of their fans, and grow into a worshiped loa. Like, say, Elvis.

GURPS Undead (also 3rd edition, also awesome) mentions that one might call a duppy from a grave to inflict sickness on one’s enemies. They sound more like an explanation for the special effects of a spell, rather than distinct personalities.

One of the possible origins for the name “Davy Jones” says that it’s a corruption of “Duppy Jonah“, with “Jonah” being a reference to the Biblical fellow who drew down a storm on the boat he was on, got pitched overboard for it, and was helpfully swallowed by a big fish. “Duppy Jonah” would then mean something like “the spirit that brings bad luck to sailors”.

There’s a Jamaican saying, “Duppy know who to frighten”, meaning a ghost isn’t going to waste its time trying to scare a brave person. Folks don’t start fights with people they know are stronger.

Call A Duppy To Bring Sickness To My Enemies
Spell Effects: Lesser Control Spirit
Inherent Modifiers: Affliction
Greater Effects: 0 (x1)

This ritual is meant to be cast at a distance of up to ten miles, to afflict a target who fails to resist with Retching. (See GURPS Basic Set: Campaigns, page 429, for details.) As a rule, the ritual will be cast over a grave, calling forth the dead person’s duppy, to get a Traditional Trappings discount.

(The campaign’s cosmology expects there to be a small duppy, capable of doing the job of carrying sickness, at hand just about anywhere. If this is not the case, the ritual might also require a Create Spirit effect, to bring such a duppy into existence.)

Typical Casting: Lesser Control Spirit (5) + Affliction, Retching (10) + Range, 20,000 yards (10 miles) (24) + Subject Weight, 300 lbs (3). 42 energy (42 x 1).

 

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