in_nomine-digest Friday, October 25 2002 Volume 01 : Number 2834 In this digest: Re: IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? Re: IN> Questions, confusions, and requests IN> [Fiction] Professional Courtesy IN> [ADMIN] EPG Playtest Files are Down Re: IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? RE: IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? IN> Malakite Hunter! [BalProp Alert] Re: IN> [Fiction] Professional Courtesy (part 1) Re: IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? Re: IN> Malakite Hunter! [BalProp Alert] Re: IN> [Fiction] Professional Courtesy IN> Eli - Overloaded. IN> Questions, confusions, and requests IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? IN> Cochlear implants -- inventions of Hell! IN> Just a thought. Re: IN> Malakite Hunter! [BalProp Alert] Re: IN> [Fiction] Professional Courtesy IN> Question on Mortals IN> Combat Configurations... Re: IN> Question on Mortals Re: IN> Inspired by a recent post... Re: IN> Just a thought. Re: IN> Inspired by a recent post... IN> Servitors of Jordi At Play? Re: IN> Just a thought. Re: IN> Malakite Hunter! [BalProp Alert] Re: IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 22:46:37 +0800 From: "Janet Anderson" Subject: Re: IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? > As for the fastest being in Heaven, that would be Michael, no matter what > the APG says. :-) Sure, if they're just out doing things, Gabriel or Janus > might be faster -- but if Michael and Gabriel raced, Michael would win. If > Michael and Janus raced, Michael would win. It's just what he does. He is > the embodiment of competition and he never loses except when he chooses to > lose. I don't think this is exactly correct. I think Michael's unbeatable status refers to *fighting.* If anyone short of God *fights* against Michael, Michael wins. That does not necessarily mean that he sings better than the Archangel of Song (whoever it is this week), or creates better than Eli, or whatever. (Although I suspect he might be faster than Sandalphon because Sandalphon isn't an Archangel. Maybe what Canon meant was "the fastest *angel* in Heaven.") Is there a Canon in the house? Janet Anderson - -- _______________________________________________ Get your free email from http://www.graffiti.net Powered by Outblaze ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 11:00:22 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Questions, confusions, and requests At 10:23 PM -0400 10/24/02, William J. Keith wrote: >>Oooh! Cyberpsychosis! And just how long _can_ a Player go with out Essence >>before becoming an NPC? > >Indefinitely, which is the damnable part. You live, sort of. You just >find it harder to get something really awe-inspiring done, and luck seems >to be with you less often than with others. I am now inclined to suggest reading _The Silent Tower_, by Barbara Hambly. If you like it, get the sequal, _The Silicon Mage_. Some of the McGuffin effects might be... inspiring. - --Beth, arcangel@io.com / archangel@sjgames.com In Nomine Line Editor http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 11:17:31 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: IN> [Fiction] Professional Courtesy [And here's the other 4K I'm allowed today. (Well, it's 3K here, but by the time it acquires headers, I bet it'll be 4K.)] After Betharan's eyes had stopped watering -- which had necessitated hosing Tebah down, due to the incense stink in his fur -- they went on to Requisitions. Indeed, the folders' forms were quite perfect, complete, and extensive. Betharan lusted over a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher for several moments, before discovering the fine print that stated it would require 2-6 weeks for delivery, ammo not included, and would not be a summonable relic. She debated requisitioning a gold wire noose, that would drag someone celestial along with the noose's holder, but all things considered... "Hey, Teb," she asked her partner, "would you want to get close enough to someone who's killed nigh-unto a thousand Malakim?" "Huh," her partner grunted, with more force than usual to indicate the appropriate answer. "Me either." There were, however, plenty of other toys to choose from, and the only restraints upon her were whether she wanted them to clank when they walked, and how much attention they might attract. *** One Tether jump, 300-odd miles in an SUV the size of a small yacht, and 25 gas station stops later, they were in the city where the rampaging Balmalakite had last been reported. On the plus side, Tebah had stopped moving as if he missed his tail, and seemed to have settled into his pale-haired, pale-eyed vessel. On the minus side, Betharan had developed an unbecoming habit -- she admitted as much to herself, even as she did it -- of bullying other cars around as much as possible. It didn't work so well with semi-trucks, but that hadn't stopped her from trying once or twice. Tebah didn't say whether or not it bothered him that the semis had given way. Their plan had been to find a proper hideout, drive around a little, get the lay of the land, then try to identify the target -- or at least his presumed angelic pursuers. All nice and calm and predictable, a pair of spiders letting the flies get tangled in the webs of the Game. Instead, on the outskirts of the city, they drove straight into the echoes of the Symphony doing the thrash rock performance of Huge Battle, and those echoes only got stronger, rolling over them in ever noisier waves. Betharan gave her partner a look. He looked back at her and heaved his Djinnish sigh of agreement. They drove towards trouble. By the time a wave of Thunder washed over them -- Tebah grabbing for the wheel as she briefly passed out -- it had become clear that they should park and approach the trouble on foot instead. Among other reasons, it didn't seem to be stopping. [to be continued, muahahahah!] - --Beth, arcangel@io.com / archangel@sjgames.com In Nomine Line Editor http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 11:30:08 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: IN> [ADMIN] EPG Playtest Files are Down Everyone please note that it is a violation of the Pyramid agreement to give out the Ethereal Player's Guide playtest files. The book will be out in January (barring hostile Interventions), and till then, the Marches' has some stuff about affinities so that GMs can wing it. - --Elizabeth McCoy, In Nomine Line Editor (arcangel@io.com) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 12:22:58 -0400 From: "John J. Maurer, Esq." Subject: Re: IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Janet Anderson" To: Sent: Friday, October 25, 2002 10:46 AM Subject: Re: IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? > I don't think this is exactly correct. I think Michael's unbeatable status refers to *fighting.* If anyone short of God *fights* against Michael, Michael wins. That does not necessarily mean that he sings better than the Archangel of Song (whoever it is this week), or creates better than Eli, or whatever. (Although I suspect he might be faster than Sandalphon because Sandalphon isn't an Archangel. Maybe what Canon meant was "the fastest *angel* in Heaven.") Shhhh... Janet, let the Michael Fanboys be. You'll get them all atwitter if you suggest that there is ANYTHING Michael can't do better than anyone else. This "Who is faster" thread sort of reminds me of the "Can Spiderman Beat up Superman." arugments we had in school. It depends on who is doing the writing. If you like the divine spark to be faster than the swift winds of the heavens then more power to you. A foot race with multi-locational beings has its drawbacks anyway ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 11:16:38 -0600 From: Julian Mensch Subject: RE: IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? > Janet, let the Michael Fanboys be. You'll get them all atwitter if you > suggest that there is ANYTHING Michael can't do better than anyone else. I'm not sure if this is fanboyism so much as just Michael's character concept. He's not my favourite Superior by a long shot, but it is the nature of Michael to win just like it is the nature of Gabriel to prophecy or Malphas to divide. Norm- ally an 'unbeatable' character would be a dull concept, but with the theological, mythological and dramatic basis for Michael's power, I think it's quite fascinating. That said, I don't think that he's _literally_ faster than an Ofanite Superior; it's just that if he _really_ needs to win a race with one, he will. Perhaps Gabriel will glance up and see Doxas holding a blade to Soldekai's throat, and thus throw the race. (This, of course, presumes that Mike really has a good reason to give his all to prevent Gabby from winning a race for some reason. The point is that he _can_ do it, not that he would.) An important collalary to this is that Michael's "I always win" attunement can carry a price he may not want to pay. We already know Michael does some rather ruthless things, and as an angel he wouldn't do them if he could automatically be guaranteed to win in a straight-up gentlemanly fight. This fits with the perceptive nature of angelic resonances -- Mike's ability is not *to win, regardless of what he does*, but to *always innately percieve at least one set of actions that will bring him victory*. What if, in a Dark setting, Michael discerns that the only way to fire up the Host strongly enough to defeat the Horde at Armageddon is to torture and murder Christopher, and then frame Lucifer for it? It's entirely possible that he would choose not to do that, and thus open up at least a faint potential for Hell's victory. Perhaps God set a choice like this before him as the ultimate test of heroism -- the cons- cious decision to risk everything rather then let the ends justify the means. - -- Julian Mensch ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 13:28:48 -0400 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> Malakite Hunter! [BalProp Alert] G'day everybody! Today we're goin' after that most _dangerous_ of all heavenly choirs: the Malakite. Malkies, as I call 'em, are intensely _violent_ and _aggressive!_ Some people think this species is _completely_ unwilling to reason. Years of experience has shown me that this is untrue, they in fact are completely _incapable_ of reason! One of the reasons Malakim are _so dangerous_ is that they don't suffer Trauma like a normal Celestial. When they get Vessel Killed, all it takes is the time to get a new Vessel and they come _right_ _back_ _at'cha._ [Cut to street. Strained whisper] Look at that there! There's three of 'em. No wait! _Four! No! Five_ Cor' I can't believe it! I've been working with Malakim since I was a wee small familiar. I've _never_ _seen_ this many of 'em in a single place before. By Crikey, I think we may be in for one of their infamous, "Dissonant Purges." [Following Malakim as they walk. Normal voice in voice over] A dissonant purge is when a bunch of Malkies get together and kill one of there own. It's said that a Malkie can't Fall, and some folks say they do this because they're afraid that one of them will eventually Fall, and then they'll all go. Others say they think anything with Discord is a demon. The trouble with both of these theories is that they require a Malkie to think, and I know a thinking Malakite is about as real as Bright Lilim. It - Just - Doesn't - Happen. My _centuries_ of experience have shown me that a Malkie _can't reason,_ and will use _any_ excuse to kill. Since they are forbidden to kill mortals, they'll just go after _each other._ Just a _little_ Discord and *WHAM!* they're like sharks in a feeding frenzy. _It terrible,_ but that's the way it is with Heaven. [Strained whisper again] Ooo... It looks like they've found who they're looking for. They're huddling, forming up a plan, making sure that they've got all they're details worked out... Now they're moving in for the kill. [Excited] Oh Wow! Crikey! They've picked a fighter this time! Pow! Bam! She's taken out two more of 'em. Looks like the plan's fallen apart 'cause the last two Malkies 're rushin' in! Ooo! Look at that! Both of em' down with one shot! And wasn't that a _beauty!_ By Crikey. _By Crikey._ We'll wait here a minute and see how fast they can get new Vessels. I don't know why their target is just hangin' around. It's like she doesn't know they'll be back... *BY CRIKEY!!! One of 'ems still movin'!!!* POW! She whacked 'im good! Looks like I was wrong about _her._ This is one Sheila that knows what she's doin'! An _unconscious_ Malkie ain't in Trauma, and it ain't asleep. It's stayin' right where it landed. Looks like the target's makin' a phone call. And here comes a suspiciously unmarked van. They're loadin' up the unconscious Malkies takin' 'em for a little ride. And since we're on foot we won't be able to keep up. Guess that's all for now, see ya next time! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Today's Stars: Choir: Malakim Archangel: Unknown Forces: 9 Corporeal: 4 Strength: 10 Agility: 6 Ethereal: 1 Intelligence: 1 Precision: 3 Celestial: 4 Will: 6 Perception: 10 Vessels: Appearance: Varies, Level/6, Body hits: 100, Mind hits: 1, Soul hits: 42 Discord: Distinctive Feature/2 (Bad Hair) Skills Climbing/1, Detect Lies/1, Dodge/1, Driving/1, Fighting/6, Language (Local)/3, Large Weapon (Battle Axe)/6, Move Silently/1, Ranged Weapon (Pistol)/6, Resist Torture/6, Running/6, Small Weapon (Cudgel/Sap)/6, Swimming/1, Tactics/0, Throwing/6 Songs Healing: Corporeal/6, Ethereal/6, Celestial/6 The core team consists of Moeiel, Larriel and Curliel. Occasionally Shempiel or Joeiel substitute for Curliel. On rare occasions _all five_ will show up. Their "Bad Hair" Discord originates from an Infernal Intervention, a pack of Exploding Gum (L.Reliq p60) and inattentiveness. (Shempiel and Joeiel only suffer from level/1 as they had to split a stick.) Yes, their Tactics/0 and Intelligence/1 really defaults to a -1 Roll. If they plan something it WILL go wrong. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 10:34:23 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> [Fiction] Professional Courtesy (part 1) - --- Elizabeth McCoy wrote: > "Oh, haven't you heard?" Her sister busied herself with > bringing out > another cone of incense and lighting it. "The demon who > kills a thousand Malakim...?" Yikes! The scary thing is, I can see Kronos starting that rumor himself just to see how many Redemption candidates meet their Fates trying it. =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

"There are two kinds of selfishness: the kind that says, 'I must do what will make me happy,' and the kind that says, 'You must do what will make me happy.' The first is good, the second is bad." - -- Kenton E. Sinner

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 10:37:34 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? - --- Janet Anderson wrote: > I don't think this is exactly correct. I think Michael's > unbeatable status refers to *fighting.* I tend to agree with the former post. Michael's Word deals with competition in all its forms. That said, I doubt that he could achieve a sure victory against another Superior in matters that relate directly to that Superior's Word. Just being who he is, though, he will always put up a good fight. Besides, with his Word Michael has got to know the value of learning from defeat (and not getting beaten the same way next time). > Is there a Canon in the house? Oh, sure, throw canonballs at us. 0;> =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

"There are two kinds of selfishness: the kind that says, 'I must do what will make me happy,' and the kind that says, 'You must do what will make me happy.' The first is good, the second is bad." - -- Kenton E. Sinner

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 10:45:43 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Malakite Hunter! [BalProp Alert] RIBLMHO! =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

"There are two kinds of selfishness: the kind that says, 'I must do what will make me happy,' and the kind that says, 'You must do what will make me happy.' The first is good, the second is bad." - -- Kenton E. Sinner

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 26 Oct 2002 02:01:28 +0800 From: "Jeffery Watkins" Subject: Re: IN> [Fiction] Professional Courtesy > [to be continued, muahahahah!] > > > --Beth, arcangel@io.com / archangel@sjgames.com In < Don't you just love it when she gets evil. ;-) Jeff =) Part of my insanity manifest at JCT, where In Nomine meets science fiction in the far future http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jctrinityRPG - -- _______________________________________________ Get your free email from http://mymail.operamail.com Powered by Outblaze ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 14:31:37 -0400 (EDT) From: Randy Finder Subject: IN> Eli - Overloaded. Sort of wierd but... I started thinking about Eli and three things about him. The fact he has no dissonance conditions, when he went off on walk about and his rites. How about this for an idea... Eli has an extra rite beyond what is in Canon. Since all decisions lead to some form of creation even if the decision is not to change, Eli has a ritebased on the making of decisions. Since for a creationer to decide on something either way contributes to his Archangel, the results of the decisions no matter which way it is can not be dissonant. For each 10 million Decisions made he gets an essence. In the beginning, this was just enough for him to notice occasionally (the symphony kept track of the math). Now as the population of the world went up (one reason that Eli is definately a pro-sex archangel) he was getting more and more essense from the decisions that they made in their daily lives. Unfortunately, the rite included decisions by human creation as well, so Eli started getting essence from decisions by computers as part of running the programs they have been given. The essence he was getting from all of the computers started to overwhelm him, yes he is an archangel, but he started feeling temptations from receiving thousands of essence a day. So in 1957 after commercial computers starting being sold, he turned himself into a half-remnant to keep from knowing he had access to that much essence. The only Archangel who knows what happened is Jean becuase he investigated thoroughly the effect that computers would have on Heaven and talked to Eli about what he had found... Unfortunately, for Eli and Jean, the only solution that they have seen is for the computers to keep getting better until they are Artificially Intelligent. AI computers make decisions as a grand leap of possibilities, not the single step decisions that are flooding Eli. But they can't push AI on Humanity until it is ready for it, so Eli stays on walkabout. Randy Finder - -- Leadership, Friendship and Service - Alpha Phi Omega ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 14:32:50 -0400 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> Questions, confusions, and requests >> Has anyone done cybernetics? > > Not to my knowledge. Well, IRL there are those cochlear implants. *cochlea* A spiraled cavity of the inner ear that resembles a snail shell and contains nerve endings essential for hearing. When this is damaged, either by disease or loud noise, doctors can now replace it with a tiny implant. It's not as good as the original equipment, but it beats being deaf. ObIN> I doubt this would interfere with Essence. Still, there are Chaotic Evil GMs around. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= >> Oooh! Cyberpsychosis! And just how long _can_ a Player go with out Essence >> before becoming an NPC? > > Indefinitely, which is the damnable part. You live, sort of. You just > find it harder to get something really awe-inspiring done, and luck seems > to be with you less often than with others. Very dystopian. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 14:32:51 -0400 From: BC Petery Subject: IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? Neither. Lagopus, Demon of Bad Tidings. (Rev5, p70. Also somewhere in Pyramid.) Nothing travels faster than bad news. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 15:29:21 -0400 (EDT) From: Diane J Donaldson Subject: IN> Cochlear implants -- inventions of Hell! On Fri, 25 Oct 2002, BC Petery wrote: > Well, IRL there are those cochlear implants. > > *cochlea* > A spiraled cavity of the inner ear that resembles a snail shell and contains > nerve endings essential for hearing. > > When this is damaged, either by disease or loud noise, doctors can now > replace it with a tiny implant. It's not as good as the original equipment, > but it beats being deaf. Careful, careful, you are treading on dangerous political ground! Cochlear implants are not always successful, even after several years of intensive training in their use. And since, when implanted, they destroy whatever hearing a person does have, it is possible to end up worse off than you were before. Also, parents of a deaf child may focus on the cochlear implant as a miracle cure, and not offer any alternatives (such as sign language) in case the implant fails. So you can end up with a child who does not get effective language training at the appropriate age. Finally, a sizeable percentage of Deaf people believe that they are just fine the way they are, thank you, and consider the hearing world's attempts to "fix" them and their children as unwelcome intrusions at best, and attempts at cultural genocide at worst. So perhaps cochlear implants can be considered a Vapulan technology -- they work often enough that many people pin their hopes on them, and fail often enough to ruin people's lives (or at least make them extremely difficult). When planning to get a cochlear implant, you can just hear the universe asking, "Do you feel lucky, punk?" djd ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 15:47:15 -0400 (EDT) From: "Christopher Anthony" Subject: IN> Just a thought. I'm getting a little irritated at the "Michael can win any contest" meme. Michael is the Archangel of War, not the Archangel of Winning Every Time or even the Archangel of Competitions. For that matter, he's not even the Archangel of Battle. He's the Archangel of War. He sponsors war. Wars have losers too. So where does "Michael can win any contest" come from? On a more pleasant note: There is at least one canonical competition that Michael *didn't* win... ...unless you're willing to tell me that he *wanted* a third of the Host to rebel. - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 15:51:50 -0400 From: "Josh Moger" Subject: Re: IN> Malakite Hunter! [BalProp Alert] ::lots of applause of doing a great Balseraph impersonation:: Really. I am applauding. Really ::beep beep beep resonance beep beep beep:: I am. :-) But one minor... quib. Since they are forbidden to kill mortals, >they'll just go after _each other Hawhazawhazahuh? Since when (though I will accept the answer- "Since I began writing in the persona of a Balseraph, oh great servitor of Nitpicking")? Other than that- could we possibly see one for every choir? Love to see what Nybbas and the Game feed Hell. Josh ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 10:41:01 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> [Fiction] Professional Courtesy - --- Elizabeth McCoy wrote: > Betharan had developed an unbecoming habit -- she > admitted as much to > herself, even as she did it -- of bullying other cars > around as much > as possible. It didn't work so well with semi-trucks, but > that hadn't stopped her from trying once or twice. > > Tebah didn't say whether or not it bothered him that the > semis had given way. A little vicarious road rage, Beth? 0:> =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

"There are two kinds of selfishness: the kind that says, 'I must do what will make me happy,' and the kind that says, 'You must do what will make me happy.' The first is good, the second is bad." - -- Kenton E. Sinner

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 16:35:12 -0400 From: "C. Mark Pearson" Subject: IN> Question on Mortals How can a celestial tell if a Mortal has the potential for a sixth force? Is this something in the Corporeal Player's Guide? Otherwise, do celestials just 'recruit' and hope they hit on one of the rare humans that has that potential? Or does the act of recruiting cause the Sixth force to generate? I'm a little unclear on this, and would like any help/opinions anyone can offer. M. Pearson. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 17:05:14 -0400 From: Rolland Therrien Subject: IN> Combat Configurations... I don't know how many of you are Pyramid Subscribers, but in April 5, Perry M. Lloyd came up with what I consider to be the best idea for In Nomine since the Superior books: Song Combos. Basically, Song Combos (or Polyphonies, as the Jeanites and Vapulans say) are when you sing two or three Songs together in harmony, creating a new effect. You have Two-Song Combos for 3 points, and Three-Song Combos for 5 points. Combos have a duration that is combined, but favors the shortest duration, area effects are mixed as well, Essence Cost is the sum to perform all the Songs seperatly, and the Disturbance is the total sum of Disturbance for each individual Song. What I like about Song Combos is that you can combine numerous songs to create new effects. One effect I had in mind was the classic "Human into Inhuman Monster" transformation shown in some shows and Anime, where the Human disguise twists itself into an Inhuman beast with claws and other features. This was in fact part of the original french game, where some Demons could be "Combat Demons", with bodies built with permanent claws, horns and other such features. Sounds to me like a great excuse to make Song Combos. *Evil Grin* Here are some "Battle Form" Song Combos I've imagined... The Classic Three-Song Combo NC: Feet, NC: Horns and NC: Tail For three Essence, this allows a Demon to turn his vessel into the traditional image of a Devil, with hooves, horns and that long prehensile tail that just screams "I'm from Hell". This configuration is sometimes used just to impress some poor mortals. Ethereal Satyrs often have this Combo, dropping the NC: Tail for a more traditional Satyr appearance. The Raptor Two-Song Combo (sometimes has a Three-Song variant) NC: Claws and NC: Wings (sometimes add NC: Feet) This combo is used by both Angels and Demons, and allows for a flight-capable combat form of decent attack power and mobility. While they mostly use only Claws and Wings, sometimes the NC: Feet song is added to the combo. The Shark Two-Song Combo NC: Fins and NC: Fangs Once widely used by Servitors of Oannes and Vephar, this Combo is now only very popular with Jordi's Seraphim, who either use it to augment the sea-going vessels they are given, or modify their human vessels accordingly. The Overfiend. Two-Song Combo NC: Tentacles and NC: Ornamental (One of the "Best Left to Imagination" ones) Mostly used by Lusties that have watched too many Anime, this song allows a demon to turn into one of the infamous "Tentacle Demons" you hear about... The Insectoid Three-Song Combo NC: Plates, NC: Ornamental (insect-like appearance) and NC: Arms or NC: Legs This combo is used mostly for a horrific effect, as it creates a Humanoid Insect appearance that looks very disturbing... The Maw Two-Song Combo (sometimes Three-Song) NC: Tongue and NC: Mouth (sometimes used with NC: Fangs) This combo, invented and still mostly used by the Gluttons, creates a large mouth (most often from the belly) which extends a long tongue attack similar to that of a Frog. While it's not sticky, it sometimes can wrap around an opponent to pull them into the mouth for a fierce chomp attack. The Cat-Man Three-Song Combo NC: Ornamental (Catman), NC: Claws and NC: Fangs (or NC: Feet) This Combo, often used by Cherubim of Jordi, turns the Human vessel into a feral-looking, animalistic fighting machine. With only a modification to the NC: Ornamental, this can also be used as a Wolf-Man form. The Lizard-Man Three Song Combo NC: Fangs, NC: Tail and NC: Plates (reptilian skin variant) This Combo is a battle-form prized by Elohim of Jordi, and creates a lizard-man (or Gator-Man) form that's as effective in combat as the Cat-Man form. The Bull-Beast Three-Song Combo NC: Legs, NC: Horns and NC: Feet This powerful Combo turns the user into a large, centaur-like Bullman, with a powerful bull-like lowerbody with hooves and large horns atop it's head. Flame On! Two-Song Combo NC: Flame and Celestial Song of Nimbus Ok, so the second song isn't a NC, but this Combo's been nagging at me for a while. Almost exclusively used by Angels and Demons of Fire, this wraps the Celestial in a firey Aura that doesn't just look impressive, but also does quite a bit of damage in combat. Tough as Stone Two-Song Combo NC: Rock and Corporeal Song of Might This combo, used by Combat-oriented Angels of Stone, turns them into living statues with a body of solid rock and a punch that hits like a sledgehammer. When used by a Master of the Granite Hand, it creates a fierce warrior that many demons fear to face. Well, those are all the Combos I can think of, but I'm just getting started... >=) ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 17:13:05 -0400 From: "William J. Keith" Subject: Re: IN> Question on Mortals >How can a celestial tell if a Mortal has the potential for a sixth force? >M. Pearson. The Corporeal Player's Guide goes over frequent "recruitment methods" by various celestials. It's rare that they can know for certain whether somebody has potential for a sixth Force. Kyrios or Shedim can determine if someone already has six Forces by possessing them, and a couple of other methods will also work. Seraphim of Creation are one method for determining if someone has the potential for 6 Forces (on a CD 6), while Divine Destiny and Fated Future will ping if someone has a Destiny or Fate involving becoming a Soldier. You might be able to think of some other methods. Since most celestials lack these abilities, it's a matter of luck and people-reading. Angels of Stone will put candidates through fearful trials culminating, if successful, in the receipt of another Force. Demons of Gluttony will collect random humans and force them all to Consume madly; besides the amusement value, the occasional human will develop a sixth Force during the ordeal. Devise similar methods for your favorite Archangels and Demon Princes. If you'd rather try the quick and easy way, then if you think a person is likely to be a Soldier, simply bringing a willing candidate to a Tether and dropping a line to your Superior will result in either a Soldier (if they have the potential) or a confused mundane (if they don't -- and your Superior will probably mention that you should try harder to not waste his time); or, if your Superior is Saminga or Vapula, an Undead candidate, while occasional other Demon Princes will be interested in Sorceror material. William ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 17:32:41 -0400 From: Michael Bruner Subject: Re: IN> Inspired by a recent post... At 01:40 AM 10/24/2002 +0100, you wrote: >-----Original Message----- >From: Josh Moger > > > >::grin:: If'n you steal, keep your eye on the best... > >I'm surprised that no one's commented on the anime I wholeheartedly adapted > >Kenshiel from. > >Does this mean that next we can look forward to a certain Saitiel? (Now he'd >make a good Dominican Malakite . . .) "Aku. Soku. Zan." Saito Hajime was a real historical figure (it's amazing how much the truth even resembles the fiction; I think there WAS some evidence he was a secret agent for the government, though probably not involved in anything quite so active as the anime showed), so he might actually work better as a Saint. Might be more Gabriel than Dominic though; he served the law, but was willing to bend it if need be for the code you quoted (for you non-familiar with Kenshin, "Aku Soku Zan" translates as "Kill Evil Instantly". Suffice it to say he didn't share the protagonist's reluctance to kill :)). ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 14:51:41 -0700 (PDT) From: Michael Walton Subject: Re: IN> Just a thought. Christopher Anthony wrote: > There is at least one canonical competition that Michael > *didn't* win......unless you're willing to tell me that > he *wanted* a third of theHost to rebel. Michael did win the part of that contest that he was directly involved in; that's how Lucifer got kicked out of Heaven. Michael's Word does nothing to guarantee other beings victory in their battles, however. =====

Michael Walton, #US2002023848

"There are two kinds of selfishness: the kind that says, 'I must do what will make me happy,' and the kind that says, 'You must do what will make me happy.' The first is good, the second is bad." - -- Kenton E. Sinner

__________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site http://webhosting.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 18:20:36 -0400 From: Michael Bruner Subject: Re: IN> Inspired by a recent post... At 10:18 AM 10/24/2002 -0400, you wrote: >With that in mind, a reverse-bladed katana has the edge on the *inside* of >the curve, and the blunting on the outside. This makes it slightly more >difficult to strike, and much more difficult to pierce, since the edge >*does not* continue around the angled tip. In addition, the blade is more >difficult to disengage from a block, since the wielder has to deal not >only with the lack of an angled tip but with the interaction of the inner >curves of *both* swords. However, the damage done by such a weapon - >because of the curve of the edge - is slightly more than would be dealt by >an ordinary katana. Of course, the big reason the protagonist of Rurouni Kenshin carries one of these is because he can use his more or less standard swordsmanship techniques and strike with a dull surface as opposed to hacking the opponent in half with a sharp blade (although the sharp side on the back lets him cut inanimate objects as needed also); when you're sworn to never kill again after going WAY over your quota for man-slaying previously in life, this is an important consideration :). Granted, it takes a lot of skill to strike with it just hard enough to put the enemy down without crushing their skulls in (and it has certain other limitations that come up during the TV series), but skill is one thing Kenshin has in plenty. It might make a good weapon for a Malakite of Novalis to wield; knocking demons unconscious actually has some advantages to putting them in Trauma anyway. >Further, there is a skill practiced mostly by samurai which involves the >assessment of another warrior's prowess relative to one's own simply by >judging the draw of his blade. This skill is known by various names (I'll >call it "Iai" here, since that's the last term I heard for it); for >alternates, consult GURPS Japan (maybe?) or Legend of the Five Rings. > >Iai (Perception; cannot default; pre-requisite LW (Katana or Reverse Katana)) Historical note: Iai-do/jutsu (Way of/Art of, respectively; Do on the end of a martial art name generally indicates a more philosophical approach, Jutsu usually refers to a style focused solely on killing people and breaking things) was originally referred to as Battou-jutsu, hence why Kenshin has the nickname "Battousai" referring to his great ability at this sort of quick draw. As for the skill, it might be better folded into IN as a general Fast-Draw skill, maybe with specialties to cover swords, handguns, etc. so you can handle Wild-West high noon style gunfights with it as well. A person with the skill could go first in the first round (with later rounds at standard initiative) on a successful check, with skill contests between multiple users if need be. Ofanite of War Attunement also beats this, of course. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 18:53:47 -0400 From: Christopher Pipinou Subject: IN> Servitors of Jordi At Play? A pair of deer smashed through the plate glass window of a McDonald's in D.C. today. Several humans were injured, and one of the deer was cut by broken glass. http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/Northeast/10/25/offbeat.mcdonalds.deer/index.h tml ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 18:18:43 -0500 From: "Prodigal" Subject: Re: IN> Just a thought. From: "Christopher Anthony" > > ...unless you're willing to tell me that he *wanted* a third of the > Host to rebel. He didn't have his Word at that time. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 20:43:20 -0700 From: Harukami Subject: Re: IN> Malakite Hunter! [BalProp Alert] THat was one of the *MOST INCREDIBLE* things I've seen in a LONG time! *applause!* *throws essence* Harukami Balseraph of the Media * Ambrosius is wondering why he couldn't have been assigned with some fanatical Habbalite and a sexy Impudite. * Jesse is sexy! And reasonably close to Impudite... * Zha'an is seeeeeeeexy............... [drips all over floor] - -The Balseraph, the Lilim, and the Shedite from DGC! (Don't Get Caught!) DGC! logs can be found at: http://haru_in.tripod.com/ Along with logs for Pieces of a Glass Heart (angelic campaign), art, and fiction. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Oct 2002 17:39:24 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Who is faster, Janus or Gabriel? At 10:46 PM +0800 10/25/02, Janet Anderson wrote: [...] >> Michael and Janus raced, Michael would win. It's just what he does. He is >> the embodiment of competition and he never loses except when he chooses to >> lose. > >I don't think this is exactly correct. I think Michael's unbeatable status >refers to *fighting.* If anyone short of God *fights* against Michael, Michael >wins. While that's the implication, I wouldn't call it entierly a given. Baal certainly doesn't, and while Michael kicked Lucifer out once, that match is probably more in doubt now... >That does not necessarily mean that he sings better than the Archangel of Song >(whoever it is this week), or creates better than Eli, or whatever. Right. While Michael may well have an edge in contests, and he certainly is unlikely to _give up_, this doesn't mean he _always_ wins... >(Although I >suspect he might be faster than Sandalphon because Sandalphon isn't an >Archangel. Maybe what Canon meant was "the fastest *angel* in Heaven.") Quite probably. The APG went to press before I could do anything about it. Or else there'd have been a blessed sight fewer check digit tables in it. >Is there a Canon in the house? *BOOM* - --Beth, arcangel@io.com / archangel@sjgames.com In Nomine Line Editor http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #2834 ********************************