Ghost Police Car (Grave Justice):

The coming of the Rifts left many ghosts, some ghost of people, others ghosts of humans possessions such as cars. There are many stories about ghost cars cruising the highways. Several are told of a haunted hearse which takes the unsuspecting to their graves. Another famous source for tales is a bright red mustang which cruises the remains of the highways. It is considered to be a good, if a bit on the mischievous side. Who knows what motivates these vehicles, perhaps a bit of magic from the coming of the Rifts, perhaps a dream, or maybe both combined in a way even the gods cannot explain.

Long before the coming of the Rifts, the police fought a battle for the people who they were suppose to protect. There may have been some exceptions but most felt themselves to be warriors for the side of good. Many fought to hold something together even after the coming of the Rifts but ultimately it was a losing battle. Still, something of their spirit remained. Maybe some of their spirit found its way into their cars or maybe it was always there.

Already ancient before the coming of the Rifts, Grave Justice seems to embody that spirit. From descriptions from people who have seen the car, automobile historians believe it is an old Plymouth Fury from the early Nineteen-Seventies. It was the favorite four door car by many police forces around that time. It was considered fast, reliable, and extremely tough. Few were around by the time of the Rifts and all are believed to have been in museums. Still, no one knows where Grave Justice came from. Stories just seem to have began appearing about the car and its travels down the rains of the highways of America.

Some ghost cars appear to be in perfect condition, just like they came from the showroom. Others appear rusty, as if they are about to fall apart. Grave justice appears somewhere between these two extremes. The basic paint scheme of the police car is green and white but there are several areas of red primer which appear to have been attempts to cover rust spots. Around the base of the car are a few small areas of rust as well and looking on the underside reveals even more rust. The sides of the car and the hood have small dents as well as if it might have been in several accidents. Still, the car appears strong and seems to have held up well to the rigors of time. The police symbols on the sides of the car are badly faded and have been scratched up as well. One side is also covered by the brownish red primer which covers other areas of the car. The name of the town or city which the police car is mostly illegible but the words “New” can be barely read. This has lead some to assume that it originally was from New York City but no-one really knows for sure. While the tires show some definite wear, they seem to be in fairly decent condition. The headlights are intact but there is some cracking in the light bars. Still, they seem to work fine when flashing and the siren still can be heard clearly. Inside the car, the vinyl seats have a few rips and the dividing plexiglass has become opaque as well as having many deep scratches. The equipment inside is minimal with a simple radio being the only communication equipment. There is a shotgun rack beside the driver which many passengers have used to carry an energy rifle.

Some ghost cars prefer to have humans behind the wheel while others seem to be completely independent. Grave Justice appears to be somewhere between the two extremes. The car seems to be capable of following its own course but will seem to take on passengers from time to time. There are several stories about lost kids being picked up by the police car and taken safely home. They seem to always have a feeling of having been lectured about what they did but otherwise unharmed. It will even join the cause of its passengers at times. There are stories about the car joining forces with sheriffs from the "West" along with cyber knights. Still, the car seems to have never taken any permanent partners. When it finishes a job, it just seems to leave. There are some really interesting tales about the police vehicle managing to trick criminals into getting into the back and them transporting them to the nearest jail. Like the lost kids, the criminals were severely chastised by the car while riding to the jail.

Unless someone murders another or is attempting to kill someone, the car has a reluctance to kill another itself. In those cases, the car seems willing to kill with no hesitation, acting as judge, jury, and executioner. The car also seems to be able to feel creatures of supernatural evil and shows them no mercy either. Grave Justice appears to be utterly fearless. It is one of the few "ghost" cars willing to chase after the ghost hearse "Black Death" and there appears to be a strong hatred between them. The police car has managed to chase down and almost destroy the hearse on several occasions but the malign hearse has managed to escape every time. There seems to also be a rivalry between Grave Justice and Red Spirit. It is believed that Red Spirit has managed to escape from the ghost police car several times. Grave Justice appears for have something of a sense of humor. Sometimes it will chase down cars for speeding.

While the police car appears to carry a lot of wear from over the years, it is extremely tough and can take the damage of multiple missile hits. It was once attacked by a Coalition squad and had that happen to it. Much of the body appears to be destroyed but the car was able to escape. When it was seen again, it appears like it had previous to having been devastated although definitely not in "pristine" conditions. Various magical powers have been attributed to the automobile including the ability to fire lightning. The lightning appears to come from the light bar. Others appear to be to be able to throw shockwaves outwards. A trick to get criminals into the back area is to use the ability of agony on them and then bump them into the back of the car. The car also seems to be able to create magic nets to immobilize criminals. Other abilities have been attributed to the car including the car having used telekinesis to pull the weapons from the hands of the criminals who found themselves in the back seat. When the car had to escape from the Coalition, it appears to have just disappeared. The police car may have other abilities which no-one has yet witnessed.

Type: 1972 Plymouth Fury
Class: Haunted Pre-Rifts Commercial (Law Enforcement) Automobile
Crew: Zero or One (Can carry three additional comfortably and can carry four to five passengers cramped)
Horror Factor: 12 (If known to be haunted)

M.D.C. by Location:

	[1] Headlight (4)	10 each
	Police Light Bar	50
	[1] Tires (4):	30 each
	Crew Compartment	120
	Plexiglass Divider	80
	[2] Main Body:	325

Notes:
[1] These are small and difficult targets to strike, requiring the attacker to make a “called shot,” but even then the attacker is -4 to strike.
[2] Depleting the M.D.C. of the main body will shut the unit down completely, making it useless.
Note: The Police Car will regenerate at 20% of the hit locations M.D.C. per day, meaning all damage will be restored within 5 days of being damaged.

Speed:
Ground: Top speed on roads of 180 mph (290 kph) with a normal cruise speed of 60 mph (96.6 kph.) The car is not really designed for off road travel, top speed is 40 mph (64 kph)
Maximum Range: Effectively Unlimited, the car appears to need no refueling and seems to run on magical energy
Note: The Police Car can use the Magical Ability of "Fly as the Eagle" to actually fly but rarely does.

Statistical Data:
Height: 4.58 feet (1.40 meters)
Width: 6.0 feet (3.05 meters)
Length: 18.1 feet (5.52 meters)
Weight: 4000 lbs (1810 kilograms)
Power Source: Magic, the Police Car's systems seem to work as if run by magic. Originally, internal combustion engine.
Cargo Capacity: Trunk is large, around 20 cubic feet (0.6 cubic meters) of volume. In addition to the truck, the vehicle has additional storage ability in the rear passenger seats and side passenger seat.
Black Market Cost: Not for Sale, price for the automobile is virtually impossible to estimate and the vehicle is almost completely independent.

Weapon Systems: None but can use various magic spells.

Special Abilities as a Haunted Vehicle:

Will of Its Own: The car sometimes has a will of its own and operates completely independently. It can drive, opens its own doors, and virtually anything which the car would normally need human help. The vehicle will sometimes team up with others but at other times will operating completely by itself. The car is a cross between being unprincipled and scrupulous, sometimes being willing to bend the letter of the law to serve the spirit of the law. This includes tricking criminals into stepping to the back area to be transported to jail. The police car has a strong hatred of evil and will attempt to hunt down true evil especially supernatural evil. Still, the car will not try and not kill those who are not supernaturally evil unless they have murdered or are trying to kill someone. In those cases, the cars tries to bring them in for justice.
Limited Telepathy: The car has a limited ability to communicate with individuals in the car but not outside. Usually, the car says very little but likes to chastise those who do wrong. The person will rarely remember the exact words after being lectured but will remember the basic theme and will remember bits and pieces.
Inexhaustible Propulsive Force: Range and fuel are not a problem; the car seems able to go on forever, powered by a magical power source.
Regenerates Damage: The Police Car will regenerate at 20% of the hit locations M.D.C. per day, meaning all damage will be restored within 5 days of being damaged. Even if a hit location is completely destroyed, it will slowly regenerate until completely restored.
Rejects Modern Components: The automobile will not accept the addition of modern components and components will seem to fail within a few days.
Armor of the Soul: Occupants of the vehicle seem somehow more motivated and alert, as if they were filled with courage and pride, or as if there were other hands helping them. Occupants are +5 to save versus Horror Factor, and get a +1 to initiative.
Sense Evil / Crime: The police car has the ability to sense supernatural abilities and crimes for a 10 mile (16 km) radius. At these distances, the car will simply get a feeling that something is wrong and can home in on that feeling with a 65% chance of success. When in close proximity, 140 feet (43 meter) or closer, the car can sense the supernatural evil directly along with distance and the number. This ability is automatic.
Natural P.P.E. / Spell Casting: 160, the police car is surrounded by magical energy. The energy regenerates at the rate of 12 P.P.E. per hour. Double P.P.E. and regeneration on ley lines and triple P.P.E. and regeneration at a Ley Line Nexus. Magical energy can be used by the car's crew for spell casting. The Fury can also cast the following spells with spells considered to be cast as if cast by a sixth level spell caster:

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[ Beyond the Supernatural®, Heroes Unlimited®, Nightbane®, Ninjas & Superspies®, Palladium Fantasy®, and Rifts® are registered trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]

Special Credit to Talis D. Merrill (taalismn@pop.tiac.net) for many of the concepts and enchantments / powers for Ghost / Haunted vehicles.

Writeup by Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune).

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