in_nomine-digest Wednesday, June 12 2002 Volume 01 : Number 2671 In this digest: Re: IN> A new Minor Choir (Part 1 of 2) Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) IN> A new minor Choir (Part 2 of 2) IN> Technical Difficulties IN> Oh, Rocky! IN> Seraph of Flowers Attunement Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) IN> Superior Victory: Reliquarium Re: IN> Superior Victory: Reliquarium Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) Re: IN> Mariel Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) Re: IN> Mariel Re: IN> Worded Angel of War Re: IN> Yet more Undead Re: IN> Worded Angel of War Re: IN> Worded Angel of War Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) Re: IN> Yet more Undead Re: IN> Yet more Undead Re: IN> Worded Angel of War IN> Shamans PT1 Re: IN> Oannes's Attunements Re: IN> Shamans PT1 Re: IN> Yet more Undead IN> Confused about de Marches. Also Michael and Baal, but that's seperate. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 10 Jun 2002 14:55:40 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> A new Minor Choir (Part 1 of 2) Ewwwwwww. I don't even want to think about the game balance issues that these guys would generate. Not to mention their cost in GURPS IN. OTOH, they're great for players who get bored quickly and change PC's every other game. ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 "Be aware that most people are operating on a highly condensed version of the 10 Commandments... the part about murder." -- Mark Bricklin __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 04:15:28 -0700 (PDT) From: W S Subject: Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) Two generic complaints on the write up: the power levels (as has been stated, many seem unusally powerful) and the focus. IMO (and I think somewhere in cannon), Mariel was set up to oppose Raphael, not Gabriel (Belial already having that well covered). Which would provide a greater focus on the whole intangible thing. I've always liked the idea that before the Rebellion, Mariel was the Angel of Memories, the only celestial who could remember everything perfectly. She Fell at the tail end of the Rebels being kicked out, as she tried so hard to forget everything that she had seen. :) But, grain of salt and all that. Or block, in this case. :) Hmm... Someone oughta work up a campaign setting that takes place only a few hundred years after the Fall. When Princes and Archangels walked the land openly, and disturbances from whole villages burning or wasting away from disease could be heard from almost across the world... but great works of beauty too. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 08:38:12 -0400 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> A new minor Choir (Part 2 of 2) I agree with the Rev. Pee Kitty. The Grunothim need a few more problems. A second dissonance condition such as, "Making commitments that their ephemeral nature will not allow them to keep." For instance, as a Cherub, making a promise to keep track of someone for more than one day. Or, as a Malakite, if a temporary oath was to solve a problem and the problem remains unresolved. Wee! I'm a Rules Lawyer! Pete, Demon of Misinformation http://www15.brinkster.com/ugwump/IN/pete.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 08:38:12 -0400 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> Technical Difficulties I've always assumed it was a MajorDome glitch, I have perfect faith in my ISP. They have never failed (to bill) me. Still, I think the glitch is getting worse. It used to be one repeat every few digests, but lately it has been occuring much more frequently. Time for a virus sweep and a reinstall. (IMNSHO) Help a man in trouble and he will remember you when he's in trouble again. - -James Feibleman- BC Petery http://www15.brinkster.com/ugwump/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 08:38:08 -0400 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> Oh, Rocky! I'd peg Asmodeus to play Riff-Raff. The manic-depression is a clue (apathy & obsession), but I really want to hear him sing: Andrealphus! It's all over! Your mission is a failure! Your lifestyle's too extreme! I'm your new commander! You now are my prisoner! We return to Transylvania! Prepare the transit beam! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "Don't dream it, be it." I think it was created by a collabaration between Eli & Yves. Was it Tim Curry's Destiny to play Dr. Frankenfurter? For a first time viewer the show only gets interesting when he comes on stage. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= "I'm not insane, I'm just a bit daft." -Pete Pete, Demon of Misinformation http://www15.brinkster.com/ugwump/IN/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 08:38:12 -0400 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> Seraph of Flowers Attunement >"I have to kill him. I am a Malakite. This is what I >_do_." > >"No." Do what I do. Get out your gun, take careful aim, and start making will rolls. "We don't morally censure you, we just want the money." -Michael Palin, The Blackmail Sketch Pete, Demon of Misinformation http://www15.brinkster.com/ugwump/IN/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 05:52:51 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) - --- EDG wrote: > Chill: The demon with this attunement had command over > the temperature in > the area, and could lower it by 20 degrees (Fahrenheit) > or a fraction > thereof for every Essence spent on the attunement, in a > radius equal to his total Forces in yards. The connection to Oblivion seems a bit tenuous to me, but it's balanced and playable. > Call of the Void: This attunement allowed the user to > implant thoughts into > the head of another. With 4 Essence, the user could > cause his victim to > consider thoughts of suicide - or of murder This would be perfect as the Djinn of Oblivion Attunement; they can't harm their Attuned, but their attention drives the Attuned to harm themselves. > Knights of > Oblivion could use the Corporeal Song of Attraction for > free As in no Essence cost or they automatically succeed? > the level of > the Song and the check digit were both equal to the > Knight's Celestial Forces. So, free levels of the Song _and_ auto-success? > Captain of the Void: Mariel's Captains expanded their > Knight powers: their > pseudo-vacuums were actually miniature black holes, > damaging anything they touched. Reasonable. > Baron of Undoing: This exceptionally powerful ability > gave the Baron using > it the ability to effectively stop time, for the cost of > 7 Essence. For > every minute that went by in the outside world, the demon > experienced ten > minutes; the ability lasted for objective minutes equal > to the demon's > Celestial Forces, or until the demon dispelled it. This > power could only be used once per day. Needs clarification. Can they create a stasis field around another being or an object? What effects does the stasis field create (i.e. immunity to damage and/or invisibility to all forms of detection while outside of time)? > Rites > > - Destroy matter equal twice your total Forces in cubic > feet > - Convince a human to commit suicide (+2) Destroying the memory of something (say, destroying records) should also be an Oblivion Rite. > Chance of Invocation: 0 > > One did not call the Void; one heeded the Void's call. Amen! > +1 A cold fireplace > +2 A mass grave > +3 A suicide > +4 One of Gabriel's servitors > +5 One of Gabriel's servitors, bound and gagged > +6 Gabriel or Belial These don't quite gel, methinks. How about: +1: a suicide note +2: an unmarked grave +3: a corpse with no identifying marks +4: an amnesiac (Remnants count) +5: a relic of an extinct species +6: destroying an item or creature that is the last of its kind ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 "Be aware that most people are operating on a highly condensed version of the 10 Commandments... the part about murder." -- Mark Bricklin __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 05:53:51 -0700 (PDT) From: W S Subject: IN> Superior Victory: Reliquarium It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. Joriel, the Power of Creation, couldn't quite understand where it had broken down. But it was undeniable now- the Symphony was getting quieter, unable to take the strain. And Reliquarium was only getting larger. What had been intended as a simple way of rapidly recharging the Host with the vital energy of Creation was simply taking over. Several years ago, there was an Elohim of Creation. With Eli on hiatus, he was free to persue his own efforts. And, in this case, those efforts were a bit ecclectic and wide reaching. He would resolve the constant power crisis that afflicted angels on Earth. With the Elohim's special gift for crafting reliquaries, it shouldn't be that hard. A year into that impossible job, he could actually feel himself getting frustrated. This would take forever. And there was so little return on the Essence he used versus got for the first long while. Although the first few reliquaries he'd crafted had sped that problem up. But even so... He took a break to contemplate the problem. And when the solution hit, it was so obvious. He would make a new reliquary, imbued with his own gift for making reliquaries. This one would make three more, with it's own Essence. Thesse three would make three more- etc, etc. Soon, they would be producing so much Essence that the Archangels could freely offer a new Rite (breathing, usable an unlimited number of times daily) to the entire Host. And to ensure that Hell would never manage a dangerous gamble to rid Heaven of the new tool, it should be unbreakable, ever. Visions of being granted a Word for his efforts danced through Joriel's head at the prospect of providing such a tool for the Host. A year later, he had to wonder. Where had it gone so wrong. Reliquarium functioned exactly as he'd intended. The only thing was, he'd never really wondered where Essence came from. And had never considered there might be a finite supply. New members to Reliquarium were appearing ever microsecond. Unbreakable artifacts, there was nothing to be done now but wait, wait for the eternal rest. - --- __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 05:59:20 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Superior Victory: Reliquarium This seems like the IN equivalent of the Gray Goo Problem. Nicely done. ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 "Be aware that most people are operating on a highly condensed version of the 10 Commandments... the part about murder." -- Mark Bricklin __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 11:51:29 -0400 From: EDG Subject: Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) At 04:15 AM 6/12/02 -0700, you wrote: >Two generic complaints on the write up: the power >levels (as has been stated, many seem unusally >powerful) and the focus. IMO (and I think somewhere >in cannon), Mariel was set up to oppose Raphael, not >Gabriel (Belial already having that well covered). >Which would provide a greater focus on the whole >intangible thing. There's an explanation in the writeup as to why Mariel is opposed to Gabriel. If you can point me to a canon statement that she directly opposed Raphael, I'll be more than happy to write a second version that takes this into account. FWIW, however, Oblivion and Forgetting aren't the same Word. >I've always liked the idea that before the Rebellion, >Mariel was the Angel of Memories, the only celestial >who could remember everything perfectly. She Fell at >the tail end of the Rebels being kicked out, as she >tried so hard to forget everything that she had seen. Mariel *was* the Angel of Memory before she fell, according to canon, which is an argument for her opposition of Raphael - but then, her Word is Oblivion, the end of *everything* - not just history and knowledge. >Hmm... Someone oughta work up a campaign setting that >takes place only a few hundred years after the Fall. >When Princes and Archangels walked the land openly, >and disturbances from whole villages burning or >wasting away from disease could be heard from almost >across the world... but great works of beauty too. I presume you mean "a few hundred years after the demons were freed", since the Rebels were entombed in Hell for better than six thousand years before they were freed to walk the earth. ;) - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 12:01:23 -0400 From: EDG Subject: Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) At 05:52 AM 6/12/02 -0700, you wrote: >--- EDG wrote: > > Chill > > The connection to Oblivion seems a bit tenuous to me, but >it's balanced and playable. A reference to Oblivion's connection to entropy and the heat loss of the universe. > > Call of the Void > > This would be perfect as the Djinn of Oblivion >Attunement; they can't harm their Attuned, but their >attention drives the Attuned to harm themselves. YMMV, naturally. > > Knights of > > Oblivion could use the Corporeal Song of Attraction for > > free > > As in no Essence cost or they automatically succeed? They automatically succeed. They still need to pay the Essence cost. > > the level of > > the Song and the check digit were both equal to the > > Knight's Celestial Forces. > > So, free levels of the Song _and_ auto-success? Yeah. Sort of like, say, Mercurian of Lightning with Ethereal Tongues. (I tend to include the levels of the Song there simply because some Songs have effects based on those levels, and it's difficult to determine otherwise. I couldn't remember whether Corporeal Attraction did or not, and my books were elsewhere, so I left it in.) > > Baron of Undoing > > Needs clarification. Can they create a stasis field >around another being or an object? What effects does the >stasis field create (i.e. immunity to damage and/or >invisibility to all forms of detection while outside of >time)? I hadn't realized that this was unclear. The Baron of Undoing power can *only* be used on the Baron himself, not on other people. He is not immune to detection while "out of time", but essentially moves, speaks, and acts ten times faster than he normally would. (This has interesting combat implications - but it's expensive, and can only be used once per day.) As a note, this is the only power that doesn't truly gel in my mind with the Word of Oblivion; it was originally a much less powerful attunement by the name of "Galaxy Stop", but was turned into the Baron-level Distinction ability when I realized that a) I had three servitor attunements listed, and b) I had no Baron-level Distinction. I'd like to revise it, but I *still* don't have a good Baron-level Distinction. > > Rites > > Destroying the memory of something (say, destroying >records) should also be an Oblivion Rite. It's probably an expanded Rite, which this writeup deliberately didn't cover. > > Invocation Modifiers > > These don't quite gel, methinks. How about: > >+1: a suicide note >+2: an unmarked grave >+3: a corpse with no identifying marks >+4: an amnesiac (Remnants count) >+5: a relic of an extinct species >+6: destroying an item or creature that is the last of its kind That's what I get for writing at midnight. :) Yours are certainly superior. - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 12:21:51 -0400 From: EDG Subject: Re: IN> Mariel After consideration, I've made five changes to Mariel's writeup. - - EDG Djinn (restricted): These Djinn could implant thoughts into the head of the target of their resonance. With 4 Essence, the user could cause his victim to consider thoughts of suicide - or of murder; any thought that led to the destruction of another living creature worked, although thoughts of suicide were more powerful than others. The victim could make a Will roll to resist the impulses, at -2 if the thoughts were of suicide. (This replaces the original Djinn attunement, which is going to Meserach.) Expurgation: This attunement conferred the ability to erase written knowledge. For one Essence, the demon using this attunement could cause a number of written (or drawn) pages equal to his Celestial Forces to blank completely, their contents lost forever. This attunement could also affect the human memory: the cost was 3 Essence, but memories of a number of events equal to the demon's Celestial Forces were completely and irrevocably excised from the victim's thoughts. (This replaces Call of the Void, which was turned into the Djinn attunement.) Knight of Oblivion: A demon with this distinction could create a pseudo-vacuum in his hands, drawing objects toward him. Knights of Oblivion could use the Corporeal Song of Attraction automatically (although the Essence cost still needed to be paid): the level of the Song and the check digit were both equal to the Knight's Celestial Forces. (This was altered to reflect that the demon still needed to pay the Essence cost.) Baron of Undoing: A Baron of Undoing was the worst foe of knowledge and memory. He could use the Expurgation attunement without Essence cost, although he was still limited to (total Forces) uses per day on written documents, or (total Forces) uses per week on human memory. He could also choose to spend Essence on the attunement, which did *not* count against his uses with this Distinction. (This replaces the Baron of Undoing Distinction.) Invocation Modifiers +1: A suicide note +2: An unmarked grave +3: A corpse with no identifying marks +4: An amnesiac (Remnants count) +5: A relic of an extinct species +6: Destroying an item or creature that is the last of its kind (These replace the existing modifiers, because Michael's were much better.) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 10:27:35 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) - --- EDG wrote: > At 05:52 AM 6/12/02 -0700, you wrote: > >--- EDG wrote: > A reference to Oblivion's connection to entropy and the > heat loss of the universe. Ah. Makes sense, then. > > So, free levels of the Song _and_ auto-success? > > Yeah. Sort of like, say, Mercurian of Lightning with > Ethereal Tongues. Reasonable. > The Baron of Undoing power can *only* be used on the > Baron himself, not on > other people. He is not immune to detection while "out > of time", but > essentially moves, speaks, and acts ten times faster than > he normally would. Oh, that sets off munchkin alarms... > As a note, this is the only power that doesn't truly gel > in my mind with > the Word of Oblivion [snip] I'd like to revise it, but I > *still* don't have a good Baron-level Distinction. I think that what you had for the Calabite Attunement would work, except that it wouldn't be Resonance-based. It could be used on the demon's next successful attack of any kind once the Distinction was activated. Just to keep it from being too overwhelming it could have limited daily uses (demon's Celestial Forces, tops). Of course, using that suggestion leaves you in the position of needing another Calabite of Oblivion Attunement. How about letting them use their Resonance to destroy memories? > That's what I get for writing at midnight. :) Yours are > certainly superior. Glad to be of service. 0:> ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 "Be aware that most people are operating on a highly condensed version of the 10 Commandments... the part about murder." -- Mark Bricklin __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 10:30:07 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Mariel - --- EDG wrote: > Expurgation: This attunement conferred the ability to > erase written knowledge. Oh, yeah! This is way cool, and so Mariel. ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 "Be aware that most people are operating on a highly condensed version of the 10 Commandments... the part about murder." -- Mark Bricklin __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 15:10:55 EDT From: StoyboI@aol.com Subject: Re: IN> Worded Angel of War - --part1_163.f1c3a8f.2a38f6bf_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Interesting. Watching a few episodes of ST:TNG in which the Klingons are featured and he'll be full of esence. - --part1_163.f1c3a8f.2a38f6bf_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Interesting. Watching a few episodes of ST:TNG in which the Klingons are featured and he'll be full of esence. - --part1_163.f1c3a8f.2a38f6bf_boundary-- ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 15:35:51 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Yet more Undead At 7:54 PM -0700 6/11/02, Maurice Lane wrote: >--- Elizabeth McCoy wrote: >> At 5:02 PM -0400 6/11/02, Eric Bertish wrote: > >> I hope you know that the idea of MOE running a >> Malakite of the Sword >> makes my brain ache... > >I'll have you know that I think that I do it just >fine, thanks.* Brain... aches... more.... >Even if I insist on calling the local convenience >store "Minus 4"...** Hey, the Ofanite of Revelation caused the Boston Police to forevermore be known a "the blue light people" to our group... This makes even more sense! >*Except when I have to deal with the Mercurian of >Flowers with the Seraph of Flowers Attunement: This is when you spend lots of Essence to make your Will roll? (You could always try a Song of Possession on the Mercurian and walk around in that body -- the attunements stick to the vessel, for some strange reason, so you could go smile nicely at would-be violent people.) - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor RPG links; Random name list, Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 15:54:56 -0400 From: "Roger Williby" Subject: Re: IN> Worded Angel of War If that would work then I have a proposal in the same key. If watching a television show could regain essence, couldn't PCs engage in roleplaying the necessary activites to gain essence and thereby gain it? _________________________________________________________________ Join the world s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 13:13:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Worded Angel of War - --- Roger Williby wrote: > If that would work then I have a proposal in the same > key. If watching a > television show could regain essence, couldn't PCs engage > in roleplaying the > necessary activites to gain essence and thereby gain it? Does that mean that the Angel of Acting (or the Demon of Overacting) gets double Essence from performing in a show where his character is an actor? After all, he's acting like he's acting... ===== Michael Walton, #US2002023848 "Be aware that most people are operating on a highly condensed version of the 10 Commandments... the part about murder." -- Mark Bricklin __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 09:11:12 -0700 From: Kish Subject: Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) EDG wrote: > > There's an explanation in the writeup as to why Mariel is opposed to > Gabriel. If you can point me to a canon statement that she directly > opposed Raphael, I'll be more than happy to write a second version that > takes this into account. History section of the IPG. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 16:50:26 -0400 (EDT) From: "Christopher Anthony" Subject: Re: IN> Dead Prince #2: Mariel (Part 2) Kish said: > History section of the IPG. I will confess that it would distinctly help my cause if I *had* said book. Very well. Mariel 2E has made her way into my queue. - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 16:51:01 -0400 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> Yet more Undead > I hope you know that the idea of MOE running a Malakite of the Sword > makes my brain ache... Actually, it's not that far of a leap. Look at his Laurence fiction and you'll see he has a good take on it. Except when he's being exceptionally silly or ridiculously munchkin. > >Yes, we're all insane. If you ever meet me in person, have me do my > >"Thursday! Is! Thorsday!! on the WB!" routine. > > Are you going to be at the next Arisia? O:> Doubt it, unless someone pays my way. I'm trying to save up for one of those "once per lifetime" expenses. Now, if there are any cons in the DC/Richmond/Baltimore area, I'll try to be there. ;) - -- Casca "Many people hear voices when no-one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing." --Margaret Chittenden, writer ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 16:52:47 -0400 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> Yet more Undead > "I have to kill him. I am a Malakite. This is what I > _do_." > > "No." I kept waiting for Kari to reply with "Look, what part of 'Intercessionist' do you not understand?" ;) - -- Casca "Many people hear voices when no-one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing." --Margaret Chittenden, writer ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 17:06:22 -0400 From: "Roger Williby" Subject: Re: IN> Worded Angel of War To take it a step further, a play could be written specifically for the purpose of having multiple layers of actors acting liek actors who are in another play and so on, just to generate all that additional essence. I'm sure this wouldn't work, but wouldn't it be fun? _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 21:38:28 +0000 From: "cassandra benner" Subject: IN> Shamans PT1 I dont have access to the Pyramid playtests, so this is not at all biased if such things as totemic magic appears in there. With that said... Shamanism in In Nomine. Well, we have Sorcerers, White Sorcerers, Grey Sorcerers, Hellsworn Sorcerers and Necromancers, not to mention the Sorcerous Souls of the Sevenfold Path. However, if we look at the world we will see something that IN really does lack. Shamans. Those who in years long gone who acted as the tribe or clans judge, its bringer of wisdom, its healer and the one who was the portal to the dead spirits and ancestors. Now, I know it's a big undertaking, but I'm going peg it all out. Or rather, I'm going to peg out one type of Shaman. The classical image of the man who is in touch with the animal spirits. No doubt you think they are just ethereal soldiers, or at most a sorcerer of no real talent. Think again. When we sleep, we dream. And we dream of things we want to do, to fly, to have great stealth, to be strong and fast. We dream of things that animals can do naturally. As we know, animal spirits don't go to heaven. Well, cats do, so I guess the Egyptians were almost right about the cats. This exercise will take a couple of days to unfold, but I will post much like I did with the Sorcerous souls. If you have no interest in reading the Shamanism posts, then delete them with out reading them. Of course, you might find you missed out on something you didn't think of before for your game. After all, In Nomine is a game about the war for the souls of humanity, or the choice to let them do as they want, not swaying them overly much in that choice. It is a spiritual game at its core, yes I know the French version was darkly humoured and a number of us play it less than seriously, preferring the light and bright games, with just a hint of the dark and forbidden. Personally I always liked the forbidden. 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Hunting Hawk stood there on the mesa, it was dark, but he was in good company, and he knew his spirit was with him. He recalled the time he was initiated by the tribe's shaman, Sleeping Bear. But now he was the shaman, and he hoped that the youth before him would be accepted by the spirits the way he was accepted, and the way that Sleeping Bear was accepted. "You must meditate here, before the fire, this warmth will be the point for you to focus, let its weaving and dancing bring you inspiration, and may you catch a glimpse of the spirits who accept you. When the night is through, we will talk, and then you will begin the sweat lodge trial. If you are chosen, then you will once more journey and meet your totem spirit, and it will name you." Sitting on the ground he got comfortable, many of the tribe's wise men and women were here. They knew that very few were ever truly chosen by the totem spirits, they knew that the people who came looking for the spirits were often fooled by their own imaginings. He took up his skin drum and began the sonorous beat, bringing it in time to his own heart beat, then slowing it, and he only hoped the youth would find the inspiration in the flames, and be chosen by the Great Animal Spirit. 00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 Jordi does still have some fondness for humans. Especially the ones that understand. The ones that accept the planet, the ones that accept the animals, and especially the ones that Understand the planet and the animals. Since man was a cave creature it worshipped many things, the sun for rising, the moon for its beauty, the fire for the heat, the rocks for the flint, the animals it hunted and existed with. The love of the living things leads to the love of the Spirit of the living things, the creator, God. Sometimes yes, it does go astray and ethereals are born, and the essence of love and devotion, fear and respect goes to feed these things, but for the most part, it goes to God. Jordi still accepts and likes the humans that truly understand the planet and the animals, he even gifts them. Appearing to them in the guise of an animal that he finds deep in the soul of the human. Appearing to them as an animal that means a great deal to them, or that they love above all other animals. The totem animal. As he gifts his angels with rites, distinctions and so forth, so he does with the shamans as well. He gifts them only in very specific ways though. If a shaman is of the hawk totem, he will gift them with such things as superior sight and keen senses, and if they grow and learn, then one day they may even be able to change to the shape of the totem animal. However, there is a price. Isn't there always a price? The shaman gains the dissonance condition of jordi. Shamans tend to come from the sub cultures (or native cultures) of the Americas, Africa, New Zealand, Australia, the Balkans, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. Each of these places have (or had) the closest affinity to what the shaman is (or was). The tribes and clans all had a man (or woman in some cases) who was generally elderly (over 40 years of age) and wise to the ways of the land and the animals. Some were healers, others were warriors who instilled the ferocity of the wild animals in to his tribe men so that they would be stronger in battle. A Shaman must be from a distinct genus bloodline, IE Native American, Celtic, Pictish and so forth. Those who fail the many rigorous tests and quests often become ethereal soldiers out of ignorance (and self delusion). What are the tests? Well, for the American Indians such things as days long meditative trances, seeking the inner self, and communing with the soul animal. Sweat lodges were often used to induce delirium and thus facilitate astral travel (or rather Lucid Dream quests), sometimes the man in question would live with the animals, or hunt the animals until he understood them and could fight them on even terms, IE naked but from a belt and a knife. The Celts would eat specially prepared fruits and nuts that allowed them to achieve a trance state and seek the animal of the soul also. The best way to find out would be to look online and have a search about. It never -just happens-. What are the shapes that jordi appears in? Well, wait for the next part to see the most common totems and their low-end powers. (((This was only 7k in note pad format, so its just under the allowed bulk thingy))) Cas *Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. Study hard. Be Evil.* In Nomine @ http://www.angelfire.com/goth/psyber/i-n.html In Nomine yahoo @ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inveritas ADnD forum @ http://www.drunkendwarfinn.co.uk ADnD stuff @ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ADandD_Stuff _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 18:27:10 -0400 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> Oannes's Attunements > Dunno why. I just get these urges sometimes. Sorry it took so lng to reply to these. I've got a bit of a backlog. > Conductor: Angels with this attunement do not take damage from electricity; > rather, they conduct it. These angels can absorb any amount of electrical > charge from any source and redirect it to another target. He must spend 1 > Essence for every round after the first that he wants to keep the charge; > if the charge is still around when he runs out of Essence or stops > spending, it dissipates harmlessly into the environment. A Kyriotate of the > Waters in his liquid vessel has twice as long to discharge any electricity > he absorbs. For some reason, this gave me the interesting impression of Jean being an Elohite of the Waters, back before Oannes was killed by Belial. > Airless: This attunement allows an angel to create a vacuum in a sphere Okay, so you're grooving on that passage from Genesis, whereupon God separated the upper waters from the lower waters, right? Except.... > Amphibian: An angel with this attunement becomes amphibious. He can > breathe water as though it were air, and suffers no movement penalties > underwater. Effectively, the angel behaves as though the water were not > even there, although sound and electricity still affect him normally, and > the pressure of the deep is not alleviated. > Vassal of the Waters: These angels are unaffected by environmental pressure > (such as the deep oceans or the vacuum of space). They act in such > environments as though the pressure were 1 standard atmosphere, although > the Distinction does not grant immunity to asphyxiation or drowning. Once again, we're doing the Ocean/Space juxtaposition. So naturally I would expect a yin/yang approach, where the vulnerability of one attunement would be solved by the other. Since Vassal protects against all environmental hazards except those breathing-related, I feel Amphibian should provide the ability to not asphyxiate in a vacuum. > Master of the Ocean Deep: Masters of the Ocean Deep are so in tune with > water that they cause no disturbance to the Symphony, so long as they are > at least waist-deep in water. I fail to see the metaphysical logic behind this. How does "The Waters" equal "Harmonious Interaction with the Symphony?" Might I suggest something involving the ubiquitousness of water? Perhaps something involving detecting Disturbance. After all, water is a wonderful conductor for sound, and it's everywhere. Think how much water is in the atmosphere in gaseous form..... - -- Casca "Many people hear voices when no-one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up in rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing." --Margaret Chittenden, writer ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 00:41:20 +0200 (CEST) From: Unni Solaas Subject: Re: IN> Shamans PT1 On Wed, 12 Jun 2002, cassandra benner wrote: > Shamans tend to come from the sub cultures (or native cultures) of the > Americas, Africa, New Zealand, Australia, the Balkans, Ireland, Scotland, > Wales and England. Er.. What about the inuits, samis, all the gatherer-hunter peoples in Siberia/Russia, Borneo, etc.? Shamanic tradition is spread all over the world. However you did write "tend to", so...:) - -- Stercus, stercus, stercus, moriturus sum! Unni Solaas ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 20:02:02 -0400 From: "Eric Bertish" Subject: Re: IN> Yet more Undead > This is when you spend lots of Essence to make your > Will roll? (You could always try a Song of Possession One thing you must know about Moe is that dice hate him. Especially if it has to do with combat. And he doesn't *have* the Song of Possession. And Invictus won't have it, either, unless he can give me a damn good explanation why it isn't ignoble. - -- Eric ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 17:44:08 -0700 (PDT) From: W S Subject: IN> Confused about de Marches. Also Michael and Baal, but that's seperate. I'm poor. When this changes, I'll own a Pyramidy login wagjit. Until then, I've got a question. Or more like a series of probally incorrect statements that lead to a great confusion. A) In the Marches, is there an ethereal and celestial form? I remember there not being such. Given that, what demarks ethereal from celestial combat? B) Can or can not those in the Marches enter Dreamscapes? Can Dreamscapes be impacted in any way by those in the Marches? B2) If not (as I recall), then why does Dream/Nightmare patrol the Marches? If one side is concerned with the other launching a direct attack, then it seems like it'd fall under the perview of the Sword / the War, while Dreamers and Fears spend their time on Earth doing just that. C) Can a celestial enter Heaven or Hell while Dreaming on Earth? If so, what happens? Their vessel just remains asleep while they meander about their homes? If not, how are Dreamers and Fears supposed to get home without taking dissonance? - --- Now, Michael and Baal. Or more specifically, how Baal is constantly described as mirroring Michael, trying to exceede him at his own game. Er- what? Michael is a Champion. He promotes the Great Warrior ethos wherein a single solider can and will turn the tide of a battle. He encourages Individuality in his angelic troops, which are prone to falling into nice neat ranks (the whole selfless thing). Baal is a General. He demands strict adherence to his orders. He works constantly to get the demons to STAY IN LINE and DON'T BREAK RANK- which they are prone to doing (the whole selfish thing). They seem to be about as different, Warrioring style-wise, as possible. And finally, Baal's Word. The War. The War is a purely Celestial concept. Baal doesn't even try to have it encompas human war atrocities. He takes pride in how little he does on Earth. I was under the impression that Words were strongly fueled by humanity's perception of the Symphony. Where's Baal get his gumption from? And in any case, where's my damn Archangel/Demon Prince of Essence? (Rite: Gain one essence. ;) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2671 ********************************