From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Mon Mar 10 16:31:08 1997 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (majordom@lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by deliverator.io.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id QAA08007; Mon, 10 Mar 1997 16:27:32 -0600 (CST) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) id QAA15179 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Mon, 10 Mar 1997 16:30:47 -0600 Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 16:30:47 -0600 Message-Id: <199703102230.QAA15179@lists.io.com> From: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com (in_nomine-digest) To: in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Subject: in_nomine-digest V1 #64 Reply-To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Sender: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Errors-To: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Precedence: bulk in_nomine-digest Monday, March 10 1997 Volume 01 : Number 064 In this digest: Re: IN> Shedim and Divine Tethers IN> Grigori Death IN> In Nomine FAQ Re: IN> A Few Thoughts..... IN> Archangel of Numbers/Math/Physics ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 15:59:02 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Shedim and Divine Tethers At 2:33 PM -0500 3/10/97, John Karakash - Lucent ASCC wrote: >On Mar 8, 12:46am, Raven wrote: >>Subject: Re: IN> Shedim and Divine Tethers >>On Mon, 3 Mar 1997, Raven wrote: >> >>>The way I see it, a demon in celestial form, like Shedim forced out of >>>his host, would simply be forced from Tether, albeit violently. The >>>first round he spends being burned by Divine light, and is incapable of >>>action. Have him make a Will roll. If he succeeds, at the start of the >>>next round, he is forced to the nearest point just outside the Tether's >>>perimeter, and is stunned for (7 - check digit) rounds. If he fails, he >>>is thrown to a random point (check digit) yards outside the Tether's >>>perimeter, is stunned for (6 + check digit) rounds, and takes (check >>>digit) Soul hits. > > [suggestion snipped] > > I prefer not to do this with attribute rolls because >that opens the possibility for someone with a high attribute >simply ignoring the tether's damage. Since Shedim possession >requires a Will roll, for example, that means that a Shedim >with a very high will could operate in a divine tether (if >they managed to get trapped there) with relative impunity. The total damage might be related to attributes -- but a demon in a Tether in celestial form ought to take *some* hits, period. Put the fear of... You know. The question that cometh to my mind now is *is* there some corresponding distaste that angels would bear for demonic tethers? Would there be a mild penalty to some things? (Intelligence or Will, maybe?) Would that continue in Hell? Would angels just be nervous about them -- getting that close to Hell "physically" making them have to think about whether they're that close psychologically...? - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com // emccoy@jade.mv.net GURPS characters, Roleplayers; Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 15:10:13 -0600 (CST) From: Brian Emord Subject: IN> Grigori Death So was it ever decided whether the Grigori have a heart to go home to or if they act like the immortals in Highlander: dying for a certain amount of time and then coming back to 'life' as it is for them? One final question on this point, do the Grigori still have a celestial form or is there some variation for them??? Once again thanks in advance, and the New Angels/Princes will definitely find their way into my campaign world... Thanks for all the hard-work guys... Brian Emord Calabim of Belial Whose word is Rioting www-scf.usc.edu/~emord - --* BEGIN GEEKCODE BLOCK *-- GCS/E d(+)>++ s+:+ a? C+++(++++)$ UBLAHS++$ P+++$ L++ E W++ N o K++ w O++ M-->--- V-- PS(++) PE(+)(-) Y+ PGP- t+@ 5+@ X R+(+++)* tv b++>+++ DI+++$ D G++ e(*)>++++ h+(*) r++>+++ y+ - --* END GEEKCODE BLOCK *-- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 16:04:26 -0500 From: "John Karakash - Lucent ASCC" Subject: IN> In Nomine FAQ - --PART-BOUNDARY=.19703101604.ZM3274.ascc.lucent.com Content-Description: Text Content-Type: text/plain ; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Zm-Decoding-Hint: mimencode -q -u IN NOMINE FAQ (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS) Copyright =A9 by Steve Jackson Games Incorporated. GENERAL QUESTIONS What is In Nomine? In Nomine is a game about the ultimate struggle: between the selfless and the selfish, between good and evil, between God and Satan. Ultimately, though, it comes down to angels and demons both trying their damndest to sway humanity to their side. Annoyingly though, humanity and its precious free will keep spoiling plans of both the diabolical and the divine. In the game, you can play anything from a human just awakened to the Struggle, a Soldier who is a little more powerful and a lot more in the line of fire, an undead creature or, as most do, an angel or demon. Where can I get a copy? What's up with all those missed deadlines anyways? Isn't it still being worked on? Not at all! After a lengthy delay (no doubt the work of the Fallen Ones), it is out. The book was primarily delayed to make sure that it was the best possible book that could be put out. It went through extensive playtesting and revision to try to keep the quality top-notch. What is this In Nomine hardback I keep hearing about? They printed up more interiors than covers, so they are making hardback versions of the rules for those who want a snazzier-looking book. Isn't In Nomine just a translation of the french game by Croc, In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas? More correctly, In Nomine (the SJG version) is an adaptation of Croc's game. The basic concept is very similar, but if there were a true 'translation' of INS/MV into English, the differences would be obvious. There was a direct translation into German for those who are interested. Where is all the detail about the world, the heavens, the hells, etc? The book ended up being over 200 pages, so there was a definite limit on what could be included. Seven supplements are planned for the year after In Nomine's initial release, one of which (the GM's screen) was ready in February. There is a LOT of material waiting to be published, fear not! Even with just the original book, though, you can run many, many adventures in a very complex, highly detailed world. Some of you know it as earth... ;) (Nearly any Bible can make an excellent source of adventuring ideas!) Who's who in In Nomine right now? o The original author of INS/MV is Croc o The publisher is Steve Jackson Games o The designer/author of the SJG version is Derek Pearcy o The line editor is Mike Sullivan (Moriah) o The main netrep is John Karakash o A notable mention is Jason Newquist who has a delightful In Nomine rules page. He credits many people on that page... check it out! RULES QUESTIONS Angels SERAPHS Can a Seraph of Yves tell that a 'person' is a demon by using their servitor attunement? How about the Word of a Word-bound Celestial? Their choir/band? Yes, but let the check digit determine how much information is given. Artifacts CORPOREAL ARTIFACTS How much does a Corporeal Artifact cost? Why should I buy it a higher then Level/1? The cost is 1 point per level and the only reason to get it at a higher level is to make it easier to find. Is the level of the artifact the chance it will 'turn up' at the right time? No. It means that your chance to find your Porsche in a crowded parking lot is easier, not that your Porsche will happen to be in any random parking lot you are in. ETHEREAL ARTIFACTS: TALISMANS Who can use a talisman? Anyone. Why does a Talisman cost 2 points when the matching skill would only cost 1? One point per level is for the skill, and the other is for the attunement to the object. Keep in mind that Talismans can boost skill above 6 and provide an object with which to use certain skills! (Try to use your Large Weapons skill without a large weapon handy...) CELESTIAL ARTIFACTS: RELICS AND RELIQUARIES How much is the cost of a relic/reliquary? The rules were a bit scattered (between p.42 and p.71), but here they are. o A Relic costs 3 essence per level o A Reliquary costs 3 essence per level o A Celestial Artifact that is both but the essence can only be used for song in the Relic costs 5 essence per level. o A celestial artifact that is both but the essence can be used for other purposes costs 6 essence per level. Can soliders use relics/reliquaries? Soldiers can use Corporeal songs in a relic, any normal reliquaries, and reliquaries that power a relic for the use of Corporeal songs. Celestials What gender are Angels (or Demons for that matter)? Angels don't have an innate gender. They do take on a physical gender while using a Vessel, but the essential nature of an Angel is Celestial. Everything else is just window dressing. A humanoid and animal coupling of celestials is not bestiality. A humanoid and object-like coupling is not a fetish. A male and male coupling is not homosexuality. A male and female coupling is not heterosexuality. Those concepts just don't apply to the celestials. They are not sexed and engendered in their celestial forms; they are beyond such distinctions. If anything, 'unisexual' or 'omnisexual' would be better terms, if applicable at all. There is no celestial sexual drive oriented toward wheels of fire, serpents, male or female forms. There is no celestial sexual orientation except to another celestial, disregarding their form. Can anyone recognize a celestial in a Vessel? Even with a Perception roll? No. No. Celestials have to 'tip their hand' by disturbing the Symphony or exercising powers; but then again, Soldiers do that, too, when they disturb the Symphony... so, in other words, not by sight or Perception. Celestial Forms Can someone disguise while in their Celestial form? (e.g. looking like a Lilim when you are a Balseraph?) or change your shape temporarily or permanently? In Heaven, no... unless you're a demon. But demons can't go to heaven... or can they? Anyway, this is more a GM call for the purposes of their campaign. Perhaps make any PC with the power to disguise their Celestial Form pay for it. Character Creation Can a starting character convert character points to attribute points or forces? If they buy a force, does this mean their total character points go up? Officially, the purchase of attributes and Forces is not a part of character creation. As always, GMs can make their own ruling on that. And, no, you don't get more points when you raise your forces! Combat and Damage Hey! Strength gives almost no bonus to damage, but directly increases the chance to hit! What gives? Strength is used for dukin' it out and for large weapons. In the latter case, it's pretty obvious why this statistic was chose. As for the former, in the long run we are talking about a game that is much more superheroic than realistic. In a world like that, it matters little if the strong guy hits a lot of times and the weak guy hits relatively few, the end result is the same: The strong guy does more damage. It's possible that a new skill (Judo perhaps) based on agility will be included for those martial artist types. Those angels are using guns! They certainly are. While Celestials have access to powerful Songs, when they are fighting on the Corporeal plane (i.e. Earth), it makes less Disturbance and is frequently more effective to eliminate their opponent's Vessel using Corporeal means. They'd probably use hand-grenades and rocket-launchers more often if it didn't generate so much noise (in several senses of the word). It seems that even an 'average' human can take a lot of hits. Let's say he has 2 Corporeal, 4 str and a Vessel/2. That gives him 16 Body... enough to soak up 5 average hits with a gun! First, the average person has on the order of a 3-1/3 Strength and 5/3 Corporeal. Everyone born a human gets a Vessel equal to their Corporeal forces for free. So the truly average human has around 11 Body. The average computer geek or game designer will have less while a jock might have many more. Second, this is not unreasonable. Most people don't die from one gunshot wound (or one kick, or one stab wound). Sure, if someone walks right up to you and puts a shotgun to your head without you being able to defend yourself, The GM is free to double or triple the damage because normal combat conditions (where someone is dodging around and trying to AVOID being hit) don't apply. A way to simulate the ability to take out mortals easily is to allow double or triple damage for killing attacks (such as guns) when dealing with normal humans (not celestials, soldiers, saints or the undead). What if someone switches Vessels in the same combat round that they get hit? All things are simultaneous in a round in basic combat. So, both happen, the celestial gets hit and switches vessel (in other words, the original vessel is the one damaged). Whenever that celestial switches back, that celestial will find their body in the condition as if the hit took place. This might mean that the body is unconscious or even dead. In advanced combat, follow the order given on p.68 or on the GM's screen. In this case, switching Vessels is a supernatural power which happens before getting hit. Remember that each Vessel has their own supply of Body hits, making an alternate Vessel much more attractive a choice! Does physical damage cause pain/shock effects? There are no pain effects other Stunning (p.62). D666 Why is it that someone with a total skill of 10 and someone with a total skill of 4 have the same chance for a spectacular (6 on the check digit) result? Actually, they don't. The person with a 10 is much more likely to succeed, then get the six on the check digit, while the person with the 4 skill has a hard time succeeding at all! So in this example the first person has a 11 chances out of 72 to get the spectacular result while his unskilled counterpart only has a 2 in 72 chance for the same result. Do I have to use the check digit? What about situations where the check digit wouldn't apply? Except where the rules specifically mention it (and not even then for you gung-ho GMs), the check digit need never be consulted. In most other cases it can just be used for color at the whim of the GM. Ummmm... isn't '666' supposed to be a satanic number of some sort? Yes and no. It was mentioned in the revelation according to Saint John the Divine as the Number of the Beast. If anything, it was a warning as a way to recognize 'the Beast', whomever or whatever it might be. But for this game, it's just a fun way of representing a different dice convention. We couldn't just call it 3d6, and 2d6/d6 doesn't quite the same ring to it. Demons GENERAL Where are those popular demons of legend, the Incubi and Succubi? You can make servants of Andrealphus or Beleth serve this role (or some of the Lilim, of course). At the moment, there are no plans for these Bands to appear in the game (but that is not to say that they never will...). CALABIM What does it look like to observers when one of the Calabim uses his resonance on an object? It depends on who the fallen angel is working for. The resonance of Belial's demons burns its targets, or appears to - -- neither flame nor heat is actually created, that's just the closest that the Symphony can come to representing the effect. Saminga's Calabim cause materials to rust, rot, shrink away into nothingness. Some other suggestions have been posted on Joel Cardella's page. LILIM The check digit determines the "level" of the desire that someone has, right? Nope. The level of difficulty in granting their desire. How does a Lilim handle two people calling in favors at once? Heh. A very, very clever Lilim would try to work it out, somehow, that both are satisfied. More likely she will experience dissonance and possibly discord from the conflicting favors. Other avenues might include trying to re-negotiate the favor so they don't conflict or asking someone else to help resolve the situation (which might involve yet another favor being issued). Demon Princes GENERAL In the german issue are for example demon princes for Cold, Ocean and Illness/Plagues. Will they be introduced in the following material? Some were cut for length reasons, others don't fit in the slightly restructured universe of In Nomine, others will appear in later supplements. Although, there are no plans to introduce the ones you mentioned this year, unless they are featured in an adventure (yet to be conceived, much less written). Perhaps they'll appear in Pyramid magazine. Disturbance Does switching to celestial form cause the same degree of disturbance in the Symphony as actually leaving or returning from the Celestial Realm? Yes. Does the 2 essence required to change into Celestial form add to this? Yes. Does a celestial going to the Celestial Realm cause double the disturbance (once for changing form, and again for leaving)? Yes, although entering doesn't cause double since one enters the Corporeal Realm directly into a vessel. As a general guideline, GMs should always make the Disturbance rules side with celestial powers being as noisy as possible. Celestial powers make celestials hot stuff on earth, but there is always risk involved -- being noticed. The 2 Essence is added since there are times when a celestial doesn't have to spend that Essence, e.g., transforming in a Tether (although, compared to the noise a Tether makes, who would notice?). And, since it's been discussed on the list, here. Let me add that switching vessels should be as loud as going celestial. So Tethers can mask the Disturbance a Celestial causes? This hasn't been completely fleshed out, but it should end up with some dampening effect. Check with us later. Falling An angel can become a demon just by rolling badly?! Not at all. If you never generate Dissonance, you cannot fall. Also angels have a 'safety net' of sorts. The first time they 'fall', they become outcasts and can try to regain their former divine status. It's the second time that takes them on that long plunge hellward. Also the odds are astoundingly skewed against falling as long as you have fewer than 5 points of Dissonance. Three points or less can always be converted to Discord, staving off the reckoning for some time. When an Angel falls, I guess his/her celestial appearance changes, but what causes that change? Can it be somewhat controlled? Metaphysics. Angel are creatures whose nature is attuned to some part of the Symphony - their Choir, their Superior, their own Word. By rejecting that nature, their Resonances change... they strike a new chord. Their outward appearance reflects the Resonance of a Dark Angel. It says here that Malakim can't fall at all! Can this be right? Yup. Malakim don't Fall. However, they do gain Dissonance everytime they act dishonorably, especially by breaking one of their oaths. If they succeed on their Dissonance roll, they just get one more note of Dissonance. If they fail a Dissonance roll the first time, they become Outcast (and gain another note of Dissonance). Yes, they can be Outcast. For each time an Outcast Malakite fails a Dissonance roll, they gain another note of Dissonance and a level of Discord. While Malakim can't Fall mechanically, who knows, maybe some day an Outcast Malakite with Dissonance and Discord coming out the wazoo will choose to Fall. For that reason, Outcast Malakim are on the top of Dominic's and Laurence's hit list. As well as on the top of every other Malakite hit list. Good luck! Forces If a character has no forces, how are the characteristics determined? He has 4 times his forces in the area, which is zero. So his total attributes are zero in both stats. Hell of a life isn't it? In the case of Remnants, the only reason a stiff Celestial breeze won't just blow such a wretch away is that they are protected by their Corporeal Vessel. Hearts Can a Heart be moved from Heaven to Hell? (like you WANT to fall so you take your Heart from Heaven before Dominic's pals get it and you move it to Hell... I don't say it has to be easy... just want to know if it's possible or completely impossible). Hearts are something your Superior provides so that you have a celestial home. When you Fall/Repent your heart self-destructs since you have broken a metaphysical contact with your Superior, and your Superior no longer supports your heart. You can swipe (or be given) your heart from your Superior and put it anywhere you want, except for the Celestial Realm of the Other Side -- as long as your Superior supports it. Eli gave all his servants their hearts to do with as they please. Beleth and Blandine keep their servants' hearts in their respective towers. When the rules give restrictions about hearts not leaving the Celestial Realms, that's only because the Superior will stop supporting your heart if you go that far (as with the Archangels). BTW, If you swipe your heart, your Superior will be swiping the floor with your downy butt, plus you'll get a note of Dissonance. Also, keep in mind, there is no advantage to having a heart on earth, except for becoming very hard to locate by your Superior (yes, with some Superiors, that's a blessing). Can you have more than one Heart? (like in: oooops Dominic got my Heart and kept it locked somewhere to track me and now my Demon Prince made me a new one?) If you can convince more than one Superior that your are their faithful Servitor, sure. Good luck. The Symphony will be happy to accept your disbanded Forces once one of your Superiors find out. Don't forget that a fallen angel's heart shatters... What is the process for creating a Heart? Can an Angel/Demon with his/her own Word create a Heart for him/herself? for another? Or is that the exlusive realm of ArchAngel & Demon Princes? The Latter. There are no rules, the GM makes the call since the mechanics of being a Superior are outside the scope of the PCs. Hearts can't leave the Celestial plane... where are the Hearts of Beleth/Blandine servitors? See above. The hearts of their servants were created in the Marches, and thus, never have the opportunity to leave the Celestial Realm. Obviously, B/B might stop supporting your heart if you (try) to remove it from their Towers. How about a Lilim's heart? Lilim serving a Superior would have a Superior-forged heart in some Principality of Hell. Lilim who are 'free' don't have a heart (grin). They could, if a Superior or Lilith were willing, trade a favor in order to have that Superior create and keep a heart for her. Creating hearts is a heavy Essence expense on the part of a Superior, and they don't do it lightly. This would be 6 levels of Geas for sure. And another 6 levels of Geas in payment to have the Superior 'liberate' her heart and let her put it where she wants. Rites GENERAL Some rites seem rather deadly to the performer. For example, how can angels of Jean perform the 'two hours plugged into the mains' ritual? How come Belial's servants have to already be immune to fire to perform his 250-degree ritual? The performance of the Rite itself grants immunity during the duration of the Rite unless the rite specifically specifies otherwise. Roles How do humans buy Roles? The rules on p.72 seem to be screwed up. They are indeed inconsistent; please use the following (some repeated from p.43): Humans don't buy a Role. They can buy levels of Status/x at the cost of [(Status - 1) * 2] with the first level of Status being automatically added for free. In other words, each level of Status beyond the free one costs two points. The cost of a Role for Celestials is the [(Role's Status * Role's Level) / 2], rounded up if necessary. Soldiers Who do soldiers serve? And what powers do they gain thereby? Two different parts of the text (p.32 and p.190) seem to have conflicting ideas about this. Soldiers serve a side -- God or Hell. They are directly supervised by a Superior's Servitor. It is possible for a Soldier to receive the Servitor Attunements of the Superior they are serving under (directly or indirectly). So they could directly serve Joe the Angel, but get Joe's superior's attunements. Laurence is charged with coordinating the Soldiers of God on earth. He makes his Servitor Attunements available to them (regardless of who else they may serve or whatever religion they may be). Does this give the soldiers of God and edge? Well, yes, but they need it since they are rather outnumbered. Does a soldier using a Song cause a Disturbance? All focused essence expenditures cause disturbance, though the source is unrecognizeable as angelic, demonic or human. The default use of essence by untrained humans does not cause a disturbance. Songs CLAWS Why are higher levels of this song less accurate than lower levels? It has to do with the length. The longer claws do much more damage, but are unwieldy, hence the lower accuracy. You can always use the smaller claws if you want a better chance to hit and are willing to have reduced damage. NUMIOUS CORPUS Is this one song or many? Do I have to buy them all? Each feature under Numious Corpus is a seperate song and must be paid for individually. Words What kinds of Words are there? Vices, virtues, ideas, ideologies, causes, things of the world. There will be in an upcoming supplement an outline of Words I have compiled based on Scholastic/Aristotelian theo/philosophy. Archangels and Princes seem to have much shorter names, is this because they are more powerful? No, cooler. They got the world to call their abstract causes by one Word. Sort of like Cher. Do words get shorter (and more abstract) as the celestials influence increases? Possibly, but not necessarily. Celestials don't lightly change Words. They're more likely to be stripped of a Word than to change it. The Word you first get is you. You are uniquely tuned to it. To try to change it on your own goes against nature. You must promote the Word which is yours, not shop around for cooler one. BACKGROUND QUESTIONS Are there more Angels or Demons? Lucifer's forces were originally outnumberd 2 to 1 in the War and, one must presume, he lost more of his host than God did. Afterwards, though, he started creating new demons as fast as he could, as described on p.155. The current situation seems to be that there are more demons than angels, but demons are generally weaker. Notice how scared the demon was in A Dark Dream when he heard an angel was in town? This is how a vast number of the infernal hordes feel about the average angel. If demons can't enter Heaven, but angels can go into Hell, why haven't all the angels gotten together and gone and kicked the demons' collective butts? Good question. And one that is asked at the highest levels of the angelic hierarchy (and the middle levels and probably all the way down to the bottom)! One answer is that fighting someone on their home territory, especially masters of deception and lies, is probably a bad idea tactically. Another answer is that they might lose the very thing they were fighting over: the souls of all those humans. Some Celestials (on either side) don't give a hoot about humanity, but a whole lot do. And The Boss seems to care a great deal. Undoubtably, such a fight would have major consequences on those that inhabit the earth. Good and Evil aren't really mentioned in the book, what is all the fuss about then? (i.e. Why are the Angels and Devils fighting?) Angels are trying to follow God's plan to the best of their flawed perceptions. Demons are trying to chart their own course of selfishness which means, nearly by default, they have to work for Hell (the rebel's rebels are quickly hunted down and, at best, killed). Are angels and demons the hidden masters of a helpless humanity? Is this another 'humans are helpless pawn of unknowable forces' game? Hardly! The celestials (on either side), are doing their best to influence humanity toward their way of thinking, but most of their efforts are spent combating each other. Humanity with its wonderful free will can choose their own Destiny... or Fate. Steve Jackson Games * In Nomine - -- = ___________________________________________________ / \ |John Karakash - Lucent Technologies (formerly AT&T) | | (919)380-4629 | | "A fundamental principle of economics is that the | | more you tax something, the less you get of it. | | In this country we tax success most of all." | \___________________________________________________/ - --PART-BOUNDARY=.19703101604.ZM3274.ascc.lucent.com-- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Mar 97 16:04:08 -0600 (CST) From: kestre1@airmail.net (Andrew Getting) Subject: Re: IN> A Few Thoughts..... At 11:44 AM 3/10/97 -0500, in_nomine-l@lists.io.com wrote: >Thought #1 >I recently read the post on magick and am reminded of one of my fav >comic books "The Books of Magic" original concept done by none other >than Neil Gaiman (Sandman fame). "Books" does have a bit of the feel >that Sandman does but not quite so "ethereal". In "Books" magic is rare >though there are some who've figured out how to use it. Most villains in >the setting are trying to exploit a young man named Tim Hunter, who is >the son of Titania (Faerie Queen) and a human mage. Neat huh!!!!! Actually, Titania was human and his father knew a couple faerie tricks. Books of Faerie was a disappointment :< >Thought #2 >I've been thinking about the undead aspects of In Nomine and began to >think about how would conversions of White Wolf games work with In >Nomine. I particularly like the idea of Caine being the father of all >vampires. Mage might be interesting to take a look at if your planning >on incorporating "magick" into an In Nomine game. Also Changeling might >not be a bad if you are thinking about running a "Books of Magic" >Campaign. Someone here's already done the conversions, I believe. >Thought #3 >I don't know how many appreciate the movies and show "Highlander" on >this list but here is an idea. There has been some mention of offspring >of celestials. I was thinking about Highlanderish characters in In >Nomine when it struck me, what if the "Immortals" were of celestial >heritage. They live forever if left well enough alone, but there are >those of diabolical heritage that discovered that when an Immortal kills >another one, their essence is transfered to the victor (in a spectacular >display). Likewise Immortals present a disturbance in the Symphony that >can easily be detected by other Immortals or Celestials. Whadya think?? Hmm. In Nomine's a primarily religious game. While the Immortals do have a distant tangent to the Celestials, it is distant. I'm not sure they'd be as appropriate in IN as they would be in the WoD. Kestrel ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 10 Mar 1997 15:27:02 +0000 From: "Bodhi" Subject: IN> Archangel of Numbers/Math/Physics Foucault, Archangel of Numbers As a Seraph, Foucault is dedicated to the Absolute Truth, which is best exemplified in the Perfection that is God's Universe. The Rules which govern the existence of God's creation not only helped to create it, but they form the primary foundations by which all existence is governed. In any space-time continuum, the principles which govern material existence are the cornerstone which keeps God's Handiwork Straight and True. Numbers are inter-related through a series of beautiful rules, the refinement of which is principally governed by the field of Mathematics. The physical representation of mathematics comes through the Applied fields of Geometry and Physics. Thus, Foucault's word has Singular Manifestations (Great Numbers, Defining numbers, such as Pi, Epsilon, The Universal Gravitational Constant), the rules which govern numbers (mathematics, the ebb and flow of variable relations, the beauty and symmetry of mathematical matrices), and physical applications (the actual Physical Bond between rules of Physics and the Universe they govern.) Truth lies in the Laws which govern the universe. God, through Foucault's perspective, is the Great Architect of the Universe. His Tracing Board is the Universe. His Working Tools are the rules by which he has set this universe to run (physical laws, mathematical laws, etc.), and his final product is the clock-work universe that is running according to his plan. Humans are variables: the most finicky and troublesome variables in God's Equation. All things fit neatly into God's equation, but only God can keep the complex and fantastic equation of the Universe in His Mind all at once. While mortals grasp next to nothing of the Grand Equation, Celestials are granted even more insight. Foucault governs those who recognize the Truth of the Equation, and helps his servitors achieve understanding of God's Equation, and also maintains their faith that the equation is valid. Diabolicals are simply part of God's great scheme, but this scheme is so convoluted and long-term that simple Celestials are not privy to its intricacies. It's all part of the master plan, and Foucault wants to remind people of that. Thus, architecture, engineering, and physics, are all the most beautiful of Arts, because they reflect an underlying understanding of the Beauty and Stability that are the Laws the Govern the Universe. Foucault's servitors are not necessarily cold, but they are calculating. They realize that, since there is a master equation which governs all of existence, then every problem is solvable if one simply models the problem correctly. They are the master thinkers, the great puzzlers, the ones who see with clarity when all others are too clouded by details and red-herrings. They are the greatest sleuths, the greatest investigators, and the most level-headed of counsellors. Sherlock Holmes was probably a Soldier in service to Foucault. Dissonance: Foucault's servitors gain dissonance when they fail to recognize that everything is a solvable portion of God's Equation. Thus, when they find themselves incapable of explaining something away in a logical fashion, or find that their investigations have not led them to a final conclusion, they come to doubt the validity of God's equation, and generate dissonance. This means that a servitor of Foucault may investigate a problem for months, years, or centuries, unwilling to "let it drop", as this is the same as admitting that there is something unsolvable about the equation. If a character cannot come up with at least a reasonable explanation of something, or is "stumped" as to how something could come to be, and decides to cease inquiry (gives up, quits, admits defeat, etc.), they generate one point of dissonance. Their plausible answer need not be the correct answer, but they must always have a logical answer that fits the evidence at hand. This makes it interesting when a servitor starts out a gaming session with a mystery, can't solve it, and is on the cusp of generating dissonance for the entire campaign until the very end, when he figures out the mystery and `proves' that everything is solvable. These guys are addicted to mysteries and puzzles, but their addiction is a dangerous one!! Those `loose threads' at the end of a gaming campaign (eg. We know _who_ killed the president, but we never did find out _why_?) drive servitors of Foucault crazy. Everything needs to be tied up in a neat little package before they can move on. If they admit that some portion was "unsolvable", they generate dissonance. Choir Attunements: Seraphim: Seraphim of Foucault have an affinity for the Truth in Physical Manifestations. Thus, they always know where they are, Latitude and Longitude, how far away they are from their home, etc. These guys don't get lost, as this is impossible for anybody who understands the Truth with regards to their Physical Existence. If a seraph is rendered unconscious, he awakens with an instantaneous knowledge about the distance and direction to any personally known site, although they probably won't know what building they are in. Thus, for example, you would awaken in a darkened room with the knowledge that you are 6424 m from your favourite bookstore, which lies 42 degrees south-southwest of here, and that you are 47 metres above ground level... but where the hell are you? You could always find your way back again, but you must first figure out your present location. Cherubim: Devoted to objects, places, and numbers, cherubs have a strange attunement for the numbers which will play an important part in the lives of their charges. On any successful perception roll, the cherub will be able to discern from the Symphony what number will become significant to their charge in the next span of time. A check digit of 1 indicates a short-term number of minimal importance, while a check digit of 6 indicates a very important number. Thus, while having dinner with a brand new charge, the cherub makes a perception roll, and picks out from the Symphony that the number 42.56 will become important in the next little while (check digit of 1). The bill, which arrives 3 minutes later, is for $42.56. Or, on a check digit of 6, the cherub is informed that the number 666 will become important to his charge, and that its influence will probably last for a goodly long while, indeed. The cherub should immediately seek some assistance, as things are probably going to get pretty hot over the next few months. The same attunement can be used to attempt to discern number of conscious importance to a cherub's charge, but the perception check should be modified by the GM accordingly. Thus, if you wish to find out the PIN number on your charge's bank card, the GM may allow you to make a perception roll at -1, since this is a number that is probably of significance to the person on an almost daily basis. Discerning the subject's bank balance from the Symphony would be much more difficult. Ofanim: Quantum physics reminds us that everything maintains multiple potential-realities until it inter-acts with the rest of the universe. Oranim know this inherently, and also utilize their special relationship with potential-realities to lessen their Impact on the symphony. By utilizing their potential existences on an ongoing basis, and simply switching from one potential to another, Ofanim of Foucault will dramatically lessen the Disturbance they make in the Symphony whenever they utilize Songs of Movement. Any song will generate disturbance for the Essence spent, but NONE for the actual song itself, as the essence spent simply brings into play a potential reality that the symphony harmonizes with. Thus, even "teleportation" creates very little disturbance for these Ofanim. Like a stream of electrons, they can pass through barriers by simply adjusting their `wave-length'. They create hardly any disturbance at all, because they know just how to slip through the cracks in Reality. Elohim: Elohim of Foucault are dedicated to the Objective Perfection of God's Universe, as evinced in the details of His handiwork. Some Elohim have been known to happily calculate the value of Epsilon for centuries, before being given another assignment. Thus, they are suckers for detail, and remember _everything_! The 62nd digit in Pi is always the same, and the length of a metre is _always_ 100 cm. They have photographic memories. They notice the most particular Details about everything they scrutinize, but they don't necessarily scrutinize Everything. Thus, if an Elohim wants to see if he noticed the license number of the car that was speeding away (everybody else was too _emotionally_involved_ to notice it... ), Roll a Perception check - difficulty is modified by GM discretion. If he succeeds, he recollects the precise detail he was looking for ("it was GRY 457... and it expired on April of `97"). If he fails, he never noticed that detail in the first place, or of course he'd remember it now! This could be used, for example, to see if the Elohim remembers the ID number on the badge showed to him yesterday, or if he noticed how many bullets the enemy has fired from his clip ("I know what you're thinking... did he fire 5 shots, or 6... Ya' gotta ask yourself one thing... Do you feel lucky, punk?") Dispassionate and Calculating, these Elohim are often compared to certain `Star Trek' characters. (especially when combined with the `lightning calculator' servitor attunement...) Malakim: When one calculates one's moves properly, the effect is always exemplary! Thus, Malakim of Foucault may, if they choose, spend a round calculating their next move, and double the normal benefits for aiming. Their inherent understanding of the rules which govern physics as well as the rules which govern human conflict, allow them to make calculations and plans (very quickly) that give them a tactical advantage in combat. If given the time to plan (same as for aiming...), they gain double the benefits that a normal individual would gain. This can become quite extraordinary if enough time is taken. For example, note that Malakim with a good grasp of physics and mathematics may even be able to, with a few rounds to plan and aim, `bounce' a bullet around a corner at just the right angle, and hit their target. However, shooting the `bad guy' while looking at his reflection in a mirror, while still a feat of Miraculous Marksmanship, is still considered a mite `showy' for a stoic Malakite. ;-) Kyriotates: Consummate multi-taskers, Kyriotates recognize the essential need for good equation, programs, and instructions. By calling upon their inherent understanding of the rules which govern Reality, Kyriotates of Foucault will give lengthy instructions to their vessels, alleviating (to a minor extent) the constant care and attention that possession usually demands. Thus, they can possess a number of Hosts similar to another Kyriotate of greater forces than they are, by giving lengthy rules and instructions to be followed while they are `not here' for a microsecond. However, `stretching your limits' comes at a price. They suffer a -1 on all rolls for extra Force they are trying to emulate. Thus, if a Kyriotate with 9 forces attempts to control a number of vessels that he would normally require 12 forces to control, he can do so at a -3 penalty to all rolls made with these vessels. Mercurials: For Mercurials who serve Foucault, even human relationships have rules which govern their interactions. Mercurials gain a deeper insight into the interactions of humans through their special knowledge of the way each human variable appears to interact with all other variables. By "modelling" the situation correctly, these mercurials gain a sharper picture than other members of the choir. So long as the "model" is correct, their predictions are startlingly accurate. In game terms, these mercurials gain a +1 to their resonance chart. Thus, a roll of 3 becomes a 4, because the Mercurial's ability to "Model" the current problem correctly allows them to pull information out of the symphony that would escape the attention of one of their other brothers. HOWEVER, if the model is faulty (they roll a 1 for their check digit), then they make innacurate predictions. For this reason, the GM should re-roll the check-digit privately on any successful resonance roll (player and GM agree to simply ignore the original check digit rolled), and tell the player the information that is appropriate, but never let on whether this information has an increased accuracy (on a roll of 2-6), or is wildly innacurate (roll of 1). Servitor Attunements: Lightning Calculator/ Eyeball Measurement: Privileged servitors of Foucault are given the ability to run any mathematical calculation Instantly, and to make any fairly accurate measurement simply by `eyeballing'. They do NOT gain skills at mathematics or physics, but they do gain the ability to apply any knowledge they have in these areas INSTANTANEOUSLY. Thus, a servitor with modest skills (Math/2, Physics/2) would watch a speeding car pull away and know that they only have 2 minutes, 16 seconds before the car reaches the edge of the compound. A servitor with good skills (math/5, physics/5) would watch the president's head being shot off during a motorcade, instantly calculate the angle his head fell at ("back and to the left"), see the man beside the president also being shot, account for wind and the angle the bullet must have travelled at, and turn towards the grassy knoll because there just HAD to be a second shooter, coming from that angle!!! A servitor of excellent skills (math/6, physics/6) is just spooky... Statistical Improbability Often, there are statistical anomolies that can be taken advantage of, but go unnoticed to the untrained observer. Thus, once per day, this attunement can be utilized to influence ONE die roll by up to TWO levels, up or down. This does NOT disturb the Symphony. It is undetectable, as it merely reflects the servitor's ability to take advantage of anomolous occurances in the Symphony that most mortals are unaware of. This could be used to adjust a target number down (to make it easier) or up (to make it harder), or to adjust the check digit by up to two levels. Distinctions: Vassal of Erudition Vassal of Erdudition are granted access to the truly Hidden Mysterious of Mathematics and Physics. Their Maximum possible skill in these levels is raised to Math/9 and Physics/9, although they will have to raise these skills in a normal fashion. With added knowledge comes added responsibility. They are the watch-dogs of Reality, and keep abreast of the extent to which Mortals are actually unravveling the Mysteries of God's Equation. Thus, they often infiltrate human society, and befriend the most learned and ingenious mathematicians and physicists. Too much Knowledge could be a dangerous thing! It is their responsibility to keep tabs on exactly what humans know, and don't yet know, about God's Wonders. Friend of the Atom Servitors with this distinction, at the cost of 9 essence, gain the ability to turn a small amount of matter directly to energy by taking advantage of their advanced knowledge about the true Nature of Reality. This energy, which usually takes the form of an explosion, is quite hazardous and dangerous, doing enough damage to destroy an average sized home (ground zero does about 100 points of damage). However, such an explosion sends a Ripple through the Symphony that can be heard for at least a 100 km radius. Mathematicians and Physicists were the first to discover the Atomic Bomb, and also the first to recognize the dangers that it represented. These servitors can, as an absolute last resort, unhinge the terrible destructive power harnassed in every atom, but they are loathe to do so! Utilizing this ability immediately gets the direct attention of Foucault, and unless his servitor has a bloody good reason for using it, or Foucault himself will see to it that the servitor is never put into a position to mis-use his knowledge again!! Master of Destiny: Through their highly developed understanding of the working mechanisms of Reality, Masters of Destiny can hold many different models of Reality in their minds at the same time, and evaluate each one for its probable outcome. This gives them a form of Prescience, in which they put together information on an almost incommunicably complex level (think Paul Atreides of Dune... he could "see" the probable future when given enough data about the present.) Thus, Masters of Destiny, when they make a perception check, can make predictions about the future, if given enough information about a subject and time to study the issue. For example, a Master of Destiny, when asked "will this new computer chip sell successfully?", would spend a few days researching the most recent developments in the field, and then put together ALL of the information they had to come up with the most accurate predictor model. On a successful perception check, the Master might reply "I think your project will work, but will probably be over-come by an even more radical design in a few years. You won't make much money." Note: the Master can only make Predictor Models about areas that he has knowledge about. If you lack data with which to build your model, you lack the tools to make accurate predictions. Rites: - - Teach mathematics or physics, at any level, for 2 hours. Tutoring grade-school or university, it all further's a better understanding of the Beauty of Numbers. - - Solve mathematics or physics problems for 4 hours. Invocation: Chance of Invocation: 2 Modifiers to Invocation: +1 - a sliderule or abacus (calculators are mass-produced, and have no Art) +2 - a copy of Some Mathematical Constant (eg. Pi or Epsilon) hand-written to one thousand places. +3 - personally hand-written solutions to all the geometric puzzles in Euclid's book of Problems +4 - one kg of fissionable material +5 - Some portion of the physical vessel of a great mathematician/physicist (Euclid's thigh-bone, the mummified finger of Sir Isaac Newton, a pint of Stephen Hawking's blood...) +6 - A copy of Aristotle's Book of Numbers Walk in Beauty, Rob Wolff / Bodhi rob@v-wave.com A buddhist monk kept stealing bread, so that every time he was released from prison, he would simply steal again and wind up back in his old cell. Eventually, after fifty years... he was the only one left in the prison. Think about it. ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #64 ****************************** The material here is (C) 1996 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.