To the uninitiated, shooting a ghost with a bullet seems like a waste of ammo. To a Rift-Stalker, it’s just a matter of calibration. The Ghostkiller module—often nicknamed "Spook-Spitter" or "Phase-Lock"—is less of a weapon upgrade and more of a reality anchor.
By bathing the weapon’s projectile or energy beam in a localized Rift-frequency field, the upgrade forces the ammunition to exist simultaneously in the material plane and the immediate sub-layers of the Rift. When the round hits something that shouldn't be there (like a Void-Shadow or a Phase-Spider), it drags the entity fully into reality for the split second of impact, ensuring the kinetic force lands with bone-shattering efficacy. The module itself usually hums with a headache-inducing whine, a side effect of the contained Rift-coils vibrating against local space-time.
The Ghostkiller fusion enchants a weapon with properties that allow it to interact with incorporeal entities. Attacks made with the weapon deal full damage to incorporeal creatures (ignoring the resistance they typically possess against physical attacks) and can score critical hits against them. Additionally, the weapon can be used to perform combat maneuvers (such as Grapple or Shove) against incorporeal targets.
the Ghostkiller Upgrade naturally gravitates toward White, Blue, or Black Devotions.
Because items in Starfall can possess their own "Devotion" (expressing their essential motivation or the intent of their creator), the specific "flavor" of a Ghostkiller module changes based on its color alignment.
Primary Devotion: White (Order & Sanctity)
Archetype: The Exorcist / The Peacekeeper
Thematic Fit: White Devotion represents Order, Community, and the Sanctity of Life. A "White" Ghostkiller is designed to restore natural laws by removing unnatural entities (undead, spirits) that violate the boundary between life and death.
Visual Style: Clean, ceramic-white casing with golden or soft halo-blue energy emissions. It hums with a harmonious, choir-like resonance.
"Hallowed Anchor" or "Peace-Keeper's Sights."
User Philosophy: "The dead have no place among the living. I send them home to silence the noise."
Secondary Devotion: Blue (Knowledge & Perfection)
Archetype: The Parapsychologist / The Rift-Tuner
Thematic Fit: Blue Devotion seeks Perfection through Knowledge and Technology. A "Blue" Ghostkiller is a scientific instrument first and a weapon second. It is built to analyze, categorize, and dismantle spectral phenomena using precise frequency modulation.
Visual Style: Exposed circuitry, holographic readouts, and chrome finish. The beam or effect is a clinical, icy cyan.
"Spectral De-Weaver" or "Frequency Clamp."
User Philosophy: "A ghost is just a data packet stuck in a localized loop. I'm just debugging the room."
Tertiary Devotion: Black (Power & Ambition)
Archetype: The Void-Hunter / The Soul-Eater
Thematic Fit: Black Devotion is driven by Power, Ambition, and Self-Interest. A "Black" Ghostkiller doesn't just "hit" ghosts; it dominates them. It likely uses enslaved Rift-spirits to hunt their own kind or tears ectoplasm apart to fuel the user's own ambitions.
Visual Style: Oily, matte-black metal with jagged, aggressive angles. It emits a sickly violet or bruised-purple smoke when active.
"Spirit-Shredder" or "Grave-Robber's Key."
User Philosophy: "The dead don't need their energy anymore. I do."
Ghostkiller Upgrade 4
Source Starfinder 2e Player Core p273
Price 7.5Y; Usage installed on a weapon; Bulk -
Mounted on your weapon's striking surface or barrel, this upgrade lets you harm creatures without physical form. A ghost killer weapon is particularly effective against incorporeal creatures, which almost always have a specific vulnerability to ghost killer weapons. Incorporeal creatures can touch, hold, and wield ghost killer weapons (unlike most physical objects). A creature susceptible to ghost touch weapons counts ghost killer weapons as ghost touch.
Non-Combat Applications
Phase-Tech Salvage: Many pre-Collapse vaults use "echo-locks"—interface panels that exist slightly out of phase to prevent tampering. An engineer can use a Ghostkiller-equipped weapon (or even just the detached active module) to interact with these mechanisms, effectively "poking" the spectral keypad.
Ethereal Anchoring: In a pinch, a Ghostkiller weapon can be driven into a surface (like a piton) to anchor a rope or cable to something incorporeal or semi-real, such as a solidified bridge of light or a Rift-manifested platform that would otherwise let physical objects pass through.
Diagnostic Tool: When viewed through a spectral analyzer, the field generated by a Ghostkiller disrupts local "haunt" phenomena. Paranormal investigators use them to sweep rooms; if the weapon's emitter flares without being fired, the room is "hot" with Rift activity.
Societal Impact
The mass production of Ghostkiller modules changed the nature of Starfall's "hauntings." Before their availability, Rift-echoes were unstoppable forces of nature that forced entire colony blocks to be quarantined. Now, "Exorcism" is a blue-collar trade. Guilds hire "Janitors" equipped with Ghostkiller shotguns to clear out infested derelicts, turning what was once a supernatural crisis into a standard pest control invoice. This commodification of the paranormal has led to a cavalier attitude toward the Rift among the working class—ghosts aren't scary when you can punch them in the face.
Adventure Hooks
The Poltergeist Heist: A thief guild is hiring mercenaries with Ghostkiller weapons not to kill ghosts, but to mug them. A wealthy spectral entity (an "Echo-Merchant") is rumored to carry a digital wallet key that drifted into the Rift with him, and physical threats are the only way to get him to give it up.
Phase-Lock Failure: A shipment of cheap, knock-off Ghostkiller mods has flooded the market. Instead of hurting ghosts, they accidentally anchor the ghost to the shooter, causing the angry spirit to be dragged along behind the wielder like a spectral kite until the weapon is destroyed.
The Solid Fog: A thick, incorporeal fog has descended on a mining outpost. It's not just weather; it's a massive, diffuse entity. The players must use Ghostkiller weapons to "carve" a path through the living mist to reach the trapped miners before they suffocate.
The boundary between the living and the dead is just another barrier to be breached with the right caliber.
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