Once a body is under the influence of the possessing spirit, that spirit usually runs the show. The “host” can try to fight back, but most mortals (that is, Sleepers with Willpower Traits of 5 or lower) are stuck with their unwanted “guest” until it departs or is ejected (see Exorcism, below).

High-Will individuals, mages, or other Night-Folk can try to throw out the possessing entity with the usual extended and resisted Willpower roll. (See Resistance, Recognition, and Duration, above.) In this case, however, the possessor and possessed must accumulate 10 successes. Each party uses the opponent’s Willpower as a difficulty, which tilts the struggle in favor of the character with the most Willpower. Thus, a strong-willed operative (Willpower 8) has a better chance of beating a minor demon (Willpower 7) than a dazed hippie (Willpower 3) would have, while that same operative is in trouble if he’s fighting off Papa Legba (Willpower 10).

How Often Can You Fight Back?