so I was playing Gloom with my girlfriend today and had the brilliant idea to swap the -20 modifier from her dead character with the -0 +10 from my hand using Twist of Fate.
She was annoyed because you can't play modifiers on dead characters, however I wan't really playing it I was replacing it. She also pointed out that some event cards (like An unpleasant Surprise) specifically say "living character" on it.
Nope. The official ruling is that no card can affect a dead character in any way unless it specifically states that it can target a dead character - for example, Dead Man's Party, A Second Chance, Body Thief, or To Be Or Not To Be. The rules could be clearer, but state "Players can’t play additional Modifier cards on a dead character, and only a few Event cards affect dead characters." Again, not as clear as it could be, but the point is that unless the card specifically states that it CAN be used on a dead character, it cannot be used on a dead character.