Ghosts/spirits/souls are apparitions of a dead person that is believed to appear or become manifest to the living. This list was inspired by the List of Vampire Traits in Folklore and Fiction on Wikipedia, albeit a few modifications.

Supernatural Powers

• Immortality – Ghost can live forever because they don’t age and they can’t be killed (at least in the conventional way).
• Flight – To fly without any outside influence.  Ghosts don’t weigh anything so why shouldn’t they.
• Intangibility – The power to phase through all forms of matter.
• Invisibility – Ghost can make themselves unseen by the naked eye.
• Possession –  The power to take over another living (or sometimes not living) things body.
• Telekinesis – Ghost can move objects without physically touching them. Cool.
• Teleportation – Ghost can vanish from one part of the house and appear at another. Freaky.
• Corporealization – Some ghost have displayed the ability to become tangible and solid at will.
• Amortality – An entity who cannot die because they were never alive to begin with or exist in a state of unbirth. Look at the awesome Dementors in Harry Potter.

Weaknesses

• Iron – Iron is a great means of dispelling supernatural presences (at least temporarily).
• Salt – Although salt might not necessarily kill a ghost it can be used to stop a ghost or capture a ghost.
• Light – In the film, Lights Out the specter Diana is able to be driven off several times due to her fear and vulnerability to light.

Appearance

• Transparency – An apparition may appear partially invisible or fully visible.
• Human Form – Some ghost present themselves as either human, a skeletal form, or perhaps a misty form with glowing eyes.
• Full Form – This area focuses on whether the ghost will appear as a full human, or the top half as human and bottom half as a mist.

Reproduction

• Death – Normally it is established that ghost are formed when someone dies a violent death and they’re left with some unfinished business.
• Death via Killed by Ghost – Like an infection, a ghost can potentially turn someone into a ghost by killing them.

Setting Characteristics

• Type – What type of apparition is it? Ghost? Spirit? Soul? Banshee? And what is their role?
• Supernatural Creatures – Are there other supernatural creatures present?
• Ghost Society or Organization – Is there a Rest in Peace Department?
• Known to Human Society – Are ghost known to humans? Take a look at Ghostbusters.  They hunt ghosts for a living.
• Terms and Nicknames – Can’t really think of any nicknames to call a ghost.
• Reincarnation – Not that this happens all that often but it is a possibility.
• Communication – Are people able to contact the world of the dead? Are the dead able to contact the world of the living?

That’s it for this post.  If there are any other factors that probably should be on this list, leave em in the comment section below.