From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Tue Mar 10 13:29:01 1998 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by pyramid.sjgames.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id NAA18544 for ; Tue, 10 Mar 1998 13:29:00 -0600 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.8.7/8.8.5) id MAA14073 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Tue, 10 Mar 1998 12:40:11 -0600 Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 12:40:11 -0600 Message-Id: <199803101840.MAA14073@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 #671 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 Tuesday, March 10 1998 Volume 01 : Number 671 In this digest: Re: IN> In pursuit of a Word Re: IN> God IN> Review: _Liber Reliquarum_ IN> Repeated Resonances IN> Expanded resonances (was Re: IN> Cloned Lilim) Re: IN> Expanded resonances (was Re: IN> Cloned Lilim) IN> !*&%#~* Interventions (was: In Nomine Site) Re: IN> Insight (Vignette) Re: IN> Slaughter Humans & Disonant Actions Re: IN> Repeated Resonances Re: IN> Re: IN- Lilith Re: IN> Repeated Resonances Re: IN> Review: _Liber Reliquarum_ Re: IN> Insight (Vignette) IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #670 IN> Re: God IN> Re: In Nomine Cannons and other artillery. Re: IN> "More, More!" he cries.. Re: IN> In pursuit of a Word Re: IN> Lilith IN> [fluff] Angels and Information Theory... Re: IN> Re: In Nomine Cannons and other artillery. Re: IN> "More, More!" he cries.. Re: IN> In pursuit of a Word Re: IN> "More, More!" he cries.. Re: IN> In pursuit of a Word IN> Uriel, again (long) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 09 Mar 1998 21:40:24 -0400 (EDT) From: gantr@NKU.EDU Subject: Re: IN> In pursuit of a Word On Mon, 9 Mar 1998, Andrew Frades wrote: > What I'm really interested in is other people's thoughts on how I can > make the progression toward Adrian's Word an interesting one, without it > taking over the entire campaign. I would be interested in hearing about > other campaigns where there are player characters in pursuit of a Word > and how it was handled or is being handled. I have a couple of angels in my campaign who are either working on a Word right now or are getting ready to start. To keep the campaign from revolving around that one angel, I did two things: first, I structured his tests so that the tests could pop up at any time (and he can't take direct action to solve them--he has to encourage mortals to solve the problems); second, I have at least one plot running for each character and a large plot involving the whole group. I don't have time to focus on the one Word-seeking angel. Rich Gant ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Mar 1998 21:54:21 -0400 (EDT) From: gantr@NKU.EDU Subject: Re: IN> God On Mon, 9 Mar 1998, Ad. wrote: > So here's an idea on God: > God is not not the leader of the angels, God is the Universe. I think somebody else has already said this, but I'm pretty sure that this is the canonical In Nomine view of God. It is implied in _Heaven & Hell_ and directly stated in the APG. Good job hitting it on the first try. Of course, I didn't like that idea. So I changed it in my campaign... > The angels claim to serve God, because they work for the benefit of the > Symphony at large, they work towrards whatever their idea of the Universe > is. They seek to impose this idea on the Universe and hence change God. Interesting. Are you saying that (in your campaign) the angels created God instead of God creating the angels? > The demons wish to change God for their own purposes. Each demon tries to > change the symphony and hence God to their own selfish ideal for their own > purposes. Of course, it could be argued that in your campaign there is very little difference between angels and demons. Both groups are trying to shape the Symphony towards their own ends. And selfish is in the eye of the beholder. > In a sense the Ethereals are right, the angels in defeating the Pagan Gods > through Uriel's (may he burn in Hell) Crusade ended the strong influence > of the pagans on the symphony and hence changed the nature of God. What does everyone have against Uriel? He did what he had to do. Besides, in the setup you have described, I would think Uriel would be praised instead of condemned. He prevented a third force in the Symphony from changing the pure God that Heaven envisions. Anyway, the etherials were God as well in your view? Or, if not, what was their connection to the Symphony? > Some manifestations have more access to this hive mind than others. I > doubt Goldfish have a big link to the symphony, but Yves, Kronos, Eli and > the forces that curse / help the PC's on that 111 are all aspects of God's > personality in a very direct way. So. Does that God is also interveining on a 666, because at the moment the demonic view of reality is ascendant? > Did that make any sense? Made sense. I wouldn't use it myself, but that's the beauty of the game. Rich Gatn ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 22:05:44 -0500 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> Review: _Liber Reliquarum_ >>>The thing with catering to the median is you end up courting the evil 'bland'. By trying to make everyone happy, you don't have your own style.<<< Exactly. Which is why this book (like every book) goes through several stages of editing and must pass review beneath several pairs of eyes before it goes to print. And why I and others thought John Tynes' adventure was wonderful, but at least one person thought it was "embarrassingly bad". We will have to wait and see what the majority consensus is. Every item that one person might think is a gem, another might think is stupid. I would have liked to have included a few more off-beat relics, but we wound up staying with those items that were deemed most acceptable to the largest number of people. I _hope_ they are not bland! - -David ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 02:29:11 +0000 From: Julian Breen Subject: IN> Repeated Resonances A question: If a resonance is successfully invoked yet does not provide a high check digit, then how long is it before the celestial can use it again? 'Gee I only got a 1. Darn, I'll keep trying until I get that 6!'. I ask because a player brought this up at the weekend and I ruled that the situation has to 'change'. In other words the celestial has to get something of a new angle on his subject before he can invoke the resonance again. Just wondered what everybody else thought/does? - -- Jules - Demon of Low Check Digits jules@bigjules.demon.co.uk ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 03:57:19 +0000 (GMT) From: Steve Jessop Subject: IN> Expanded resonances (was Re: IN> Cloned Lilim) On Mon, 9 Mar 1998 gantr@NKU.EDU wrote: > Assume that the expanded resonance abilities have to be figured out by > the angel or taught by an older angel... Younger angels haven't learned > them yet Ooh. I like that. For 'young' read 'weak', since IMC some characters are not exactly wet behind the ears, and it could work. Thanks. Anyone for an errata note and an extra three lines in the IPG? Steve. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Mar 1998 23:41:25 -0400 (EDT) From: gantr@NKU.EDU Subject: Re: IN> Expanded resonances (was Re: IN> Cloned Lilim) On Tue, 10 Mar 1998, Steve Jessop wrote: > > On Mon, 9 Mar 1998 gantr@NKU.EDU wrote: > > > Assume that the expanded resonance abilities have to be figured out by > > the angel or taught by an older angel... Younger angels haven't learned > > them yet > > Ooh. I like that. For 'young' read 'weak', since IMC some characters are > not exactly wet behind the ears, and it could work. Thanks. Or, perhaps, 'untrained' for 'young'. I see it as being like martial arts; everything you do builds on what you have done before. You don't learn the expanded resonance abilities until the more skilled angels feel that you are prepared for them. Rich Gant ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 04:56:30 +0000 (GMT) From: Steve Jessop Subject: IN> !*&%#~* Interventions (was: In Nomine Site) On Mon, 9 Mar 1998, Elizabeth McCoy wrote: > a *very* well-timed Divine Intervention! (They were > overdue for one, what with the Elohite of Judgment getting a 666... Please don't talk to me about Intervention. I never want to see another as long as I live. I will relate a story, and you can all laugh at me. I GMed IN for about 3 hours this evening. Not very long. One scene: Annabel (NPC Balserpah of the War in disguise) has seduced Mick (NPC Soldier of God). She has then had one of her cronies shoot her, and is telling him that the only way he can save her life is to become Hellsworn, at which point he will be given a song of Corporeal Healing. Well, OK. Really, she will just stand up, because she's hard like that. He attempts his Will roll, to realise what is really going on. He gets 656. I go 'ooooh' and the player's wonder why. Then the PCs arrive, and have very little trouble working out what is happening. Michael (Malakite of Destiny) waves claws at Annabel, who rolls away, and triggers her flaming sword, then her 'Art of Combat'. [IMC, Art of Combat works as extra actions like WW Celerity, and is only available to Really Big Things (TM)] Harmony (Elohim of the Sword) unslings her Blade Blessing, and meanwhile gets a Divine on her Perception Roll for Annabel's disturbances. 'OK', think I. 'Not a problem'. So her Blessed Blade glows with divine light, and Harmony starts moving just a tad quicker. In game terms, the sword has an extra +2 power, and Harmony is mirroring Annabel's Art of Combat. She notices that Mick is drawing his Holy Pistol on Michael (he's a BIG Soldier, OK?). The player says to me 'I want to knock the gun out of his hand. Or chop it off if I have to'. Disarming someone is not hard when you have as much sword skill as Harmony. She asks me to pass her some dice. Michael's player and I simultaneously point out that she still has that Divine Intervention sitting in front of her. She say 'OK, I suppose it would be ungrateful not to use them again..' She rolls ... 666. I groan, bt not as loudly as she does. Mick fires the gun into Michael's back (which hurts, because it has the effect of an _unholy_ pistol). Then Harmony lops his (Mick's) arm off at the elbow. And her sword gets stuck in his ribcage. He falls over. She pulls the sword out. The holy glow has faded a bit, but Harmony keeps up the SuperSpeed. Fighting happens. Eventually, Annabel runs out of vessel, and goes celestial. Arren (Seraph of Yves) and Michael follow. A couple of rounds later, Annabel gets a Divine with her sword. I seriously consider headbutting the wall. The flaming sword cuts out. Arren and Michael pile in. Annabel loses a force, then runs for Hell (dissonant). Michael, who for background reasons has Murderous vs. Servitors of Baal, seriously considers following her, but makes a Will roll. Things calm down a bit, and Mick is patched up. We last see him being wheeled off to recuperate and have his head fixed. Just to cap it all off, when Michael finally tracks down the Shedite who they were all hunting in the first place, he rolls ANOTHER DIVINE INTERVENTION in celestial combat. I seriously consider either Armageddon (in game) or suicide (in real life), but the player is happy to just soul-kill the poor Shed. He loses a note of dissonance as well, because I felt like it. So, FOUR interventions, in a total of about 10 or 15 rounds of combat, and two were consecutive, by the same PC. I don't know if anyone remembers, but last time we discussed intervention, Michael was the PC who had managed two divine in a row. Someone clearly has big things planned for my campaign. Either that or my d666's are loaded. Steve. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 09 Mar 1998 23:07:34 -0600 From: tom timberlake Subject: Re: IN> Insight (Vignette) [snip Insight vignette] Very good, ArchBeth, very good indeed. Consider yourself officially "attaboyed". tom, cadre Cherub of Heaven ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 00:15:00 -0500 From: Andrew Frades Subject: Re: IN> Slaughter Humans & Disonant Actions Steve Jessop wrote: [snip stuff about Michael's Dissonance condition and how this is dangerous and tactically unsound] > Can anyone help? A few ideas: Michael's dissonance condition refers only to Corporeal combat. (There is no text to justify this but it would mean the problems would be temporary) Have Michael himself have issued a standing order to not get into conflict unless it is absolutely necessary and administer harsh punishment to any that have broken this order. (This will mean that servitors will choose when to fight very carefully, but when they do it is to the death) Change the word 'retreat' to 'run away'. (This changes the flavor of the Dissonance, strategic withdrawl would be fine but fleeing would not) Keep the Dissonance as it is. (This would give players the option of retreating and gaining Dissonance and the removal of each point would require the character to deal with the source of the point directly at a later date) I would, if I had any servitors of Michael in my group, probably use the last option. I like the idea of completeness that it would create, angels sowing up their own problems. Not necessarily a bad thing. It also would give being a servitor of Michael a nice edge to it. Andrew ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 00:51:58 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Repeated Resonances At 2:29 AM +0000 3/10/98, Julian Breen wrote: >A question: If a resonance is successfully invoked yet does not provide >a high check digit, then how long is it before the celestial can use it >again? 'Gee I only got a 1. Darn, I'll keep trying until I get that >6!'. I ask because a player brought this up at the weekend and I ruled >that the situation has to 'change'. In other words the celestial has to >get something of a new angle on his subject before he can invoke the >resonance again. > >Just wondered what everybody else thought/does? I think it depends on the resonance and situation. A Seraph is stuck with his CD for a while. An Elohite, so long as he's successful each time, can resonate all night if he wants.... We limit such things to one per round, I think... - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor GURPS, Roleplayers, In Nomine stuff; Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 00:46:54 -0500 From: Andrew Frades Subject: Re: IN> Re: IN- Lilith Redneck Gaijin wrote: > o/~ Lilim, don't let your gremlings grow up to be Balseraphs... }:-{D ROFL. Help me. I've Fallen and can't get up. Andrew ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 01:01:55 -0500 From: Andrew Frades Subject: Re: IN> Repeated Resonances Julian Breen wrote: > > A question: If a resonance is successfully invoked yet does not provide > a high check digit, then how long is it before the celestial can use it > again? 'Gee I only got a 1. Darn, I'll keep trying until I get that > 6!'. I ask because a player brought this up at the weekend and I ruled > that the situation has to 'change'. In other words the celestial has to > get something of a new angle on his subject before he can invoke the > resonance again. > > Just wondered what everybody else thought/does? Hmmm... I would say that it would depend upon the specific resonance but the idea of 'getting a new angle' seems to work in my head. Another tack for resonances that work for a specified time is to disallow use of the resonance until the first check wears out. Time can be an important factor more often than you think. Andrew ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 06:21:04 +0000 From: Jo Hart Subject: Re: IN> Review: _Liber Reliquarum_ At 18:37 09/03/98 -0500, you wrote: > > >Me, I think In Nomine has an Official "In Nomine" flavor. This seems to >include everything from fluffy Mercurians to drippy Shedim. I do wonder whether the supplements really succeed in maintaining the flavour of the main book in some parts though. I think its getting 'straighter' and more 'melodramatic' with each supplement, and to me thats kinda sad -- that stuff is so easy to do on your own. Still, I can go back to the mainbook to pick up the flavour that originally attracted me (or write stuff m'self) ;-) jo - ---------- "I like getting into hot water, it keeps me clean." G. K. Chesterton jhart@btinternet.com -- http://www.tardis.ed.ac.uk/~jhart/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 01:36:41 -0500 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Insight (Vignette) At 11:07 PM -0600 3/9/98, tom timberlake wrote: >[snip Insight vignette] > >Very good, ArchBeth, very good indeed. Consider yourself officially >"attaboyed". Maya said that she wasn't sure she agreed with it, but it was interesting. I said that was okay, I wasn't sure *I* agreed with it, but it was interesting to think of and write. - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor GURPS, Roleplayers, In Nomine stuff; Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 12:23:37 +0000 From: "Ad." Subject: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #670 >From: Emily Dresner > This is very true - the game needs a baseline, standard flavor, and not > everyone is going to agree. I mean, what would CoC (a really _good_ game) > be if it occasionally had 'Silly' overtones? I mean, you can make stuffed > Shub-Niggoroths, but the point of the game IS to go insane or die. Absolutely, the climax of Cthulhu is strengthened not weakened by the moments of sillieness which invariably occur. Oh, and the the Scooby Doo, Call of Cthulhu cross over was soooo amusing. > The thing with catering to the median is you end up courting the evil > 'bland'. By trying to make everyone happy, you don't have your own style. But, adding an individual style is more the job of the individual GM, who has no need to cater for any median. > Me, I think In Nomine has an Official "In Nomine" flavor. This seems to > include everything from fluffy Mercurians to drippy Shedim. The trick is > to be dark and nasty when it's time to be dark and nasty, to be light when > it's time to be light, and know when the right times are. Absolutely correct, I agree 765%. Every game needs a nice mix, every group will have their own ideas on what that mix is. Adam, Ofanite of Last Minute Player Recruitment. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 12:30:33 +0000 From: "Ad." Subject: IN> Re: God > From: Simon Hailes > Subject: Re: IN> God > > Actually it did, it made a lot of sense, especially if you're read Heaven > and Hell, where God is described as the Symphony, and is also described as > having a Destiny and Fate, ie Yves and Kronos. Well, i developed the theory while reading Heaven & Hell. Adam, Ofanite of Last Minute Player Recruitment. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 12:38:44 +0000 From: "Ad." Subject: IN> Re: In Nomine Cannons and other artillery. > Date: Mon, 9 Mar 1998 18:15:34 -0500 > From: David Edelstein > Subject: Canons? (Re: IN> The Hero's First Fall) > > >He heard me rant about the Kyrio stuff in the APG. *Boy* did he > hear me rant... (I waffle some about the "know how to take care > of your hosts" one -- I can almost see that, since their dissonance > is so dependant on that -- but the other one.... NIMG! [Not In My Game])< > > And I don't use most of the new resonance abilities for angels. > > - -David I love the APG, I think it does cool things for all the choirs, and sorts out all the problems. If I was in the middle of a campaign when I got it, I probably would have said, 'these don't apply, for this game', depending on my mood. Adam, Ofanite of Last Minute Player Recruitment. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 07:20:26 +1000 From: "Patrick O'Duffy" Subject: Re: IN> "More, More!" he cries.. > So if anyone out there has a game based entirely on the > traditional Archangels, I would like to hear from you! If I > had the time, I'd assemble it all myself, but noooo, have to > go find a source of income blah blah.. :) Well, that'd be me. I see no reason to fool around with the IN structure, which works pretty fine as I see it. I'm running a game at the moment, and I don't think I've made a single change from canon or the standard rules. Mind you, I don't tend to run long-term campaign, just longish adventures/ short campaigns, and that limiting of scope means I can ignore things in canon that might not suit a long-term game (although to be honest, I haven't seen anything I'd be likely to object to). This doesn't just apply to IN - I usually make no changes in a game when I run it... which seems to be quite unusual, from what I've gathered from the various lists & newsgroups I audit. The urge to tinker just isn't there.... I'd rather spend my limited intellectual resources on coming up with ideas for games, rather than rewriting what already works. But that's just me. - -- Patrick O'Duffy, Brisbane, Australia On weekends I send sick photographs To the ladies in my residential neighbourhood That's my way of expressing something MISERY LOVES CO., "Two Seconds" ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 08:17:32 -0500 (EST) From: Emily Dresner Subject: Re: IN> In pursuit of a Word > My players all play angelic characters and are based in Boston, MA (I > live in NH so Boston was an easy choice). One of the characters, > Adrian, a Seraph of Flowers, is working toward becoming the Angel of > Home Baked Goodness. Clearly competing with Malik, Bright Lilim of Flower, working on becoming the Angel of Marijuana Brownies. :) Now all she has to do is feed them, laced with Magic Hash, to her terminally angsty brother. "Look, they're GOOD for you! You'll love them! You trust me, dontcha? I know you Need to trust me..." (Heh. An NPC who geases people into 'playing nice'. She's showing up again soon, I swear I swear....) - - Em ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 08:27:28 -0500 From: John J Maurer Subject: Re: IN> Lilith At 05:28 PM 3/9/98 -0500, Elizabeth McCoy wrote: >At 3:06 PM -0500 3/9/98, Emily Dresner wrote: >>Or say that the gestation period for a Lilim is nine weeks, instead of >>nine months, but then that defeats the purpose of Lilith being >>(quasi) human. > >Obviously this is part of the Biblical thing, where Eve has to >labor to bring forth young, with work and sweat and stuff? Lilith, >never having done any of that "let's wear clothing and lie to god >and shift the blame" stuff, doesn't have all the problems... Speaking of the Biblical thing. There was some suggestion earlier in this thread that spoke of Lilith having to go through labor to keep the numbers down. Apocraphally speaking, the Lilith of stories gave birth to 100 demons every day. I *think* it may have been 200 in some stories (100 Boys and 100 Girls). Thats one busy momma. Speaks "I like getting into hot water, it keeps me clean." - -G.K. Chesterton ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 15:14:04 +0100 (MET) From: David Skogsberg Subject: IN> [fluff] Angels and Information Theory... This short message, which I culled from the Transhuman Mailing List was posted to the list at the end of January, but I feel that it merits an inclusion on the Humor pages of the INC... It's the sort of theing Jean would say. - ----------------forwarded message------------------ From: Anders Sandberg Subject: Re: >H Is Hell Exothermic or Endothermic? (fwd) To: transhuman@logrus.org As for the quantum-information-thermodynamics of theology, it should be noted that the Bekenstein Bound places an upper limit on the number of angels that can dance on the head of a pin. Since each angel presumably contains more than one bit of information (say, fallen or not fallen) the total number of bits of N angels are I>=N. The head of a pin has a finite size (let's say 1 millimeter across) and a finite energy density (let's say around molecular densities, one gram/cm^3), which means that according to the Bekenstein Bound: N<=I < (2 pi E R)/(hbar c ln2) = k M R = ~6.72e33 [where k is ~2.57e43 bits/(m kg)]. Hence the maximum number of angels that can dance on a pin in the low energy regime is less than 6.72e33. - --------------end forwarded message---------------- And he's written a story called _The Point of No Return_ featuring hyperintelligences that are named after a number of angels (Raphael, Uriel, Michael and Gabriel, among others). As soon as I can get an affirmative reply I'll post it on my homepage. cd - -- d97skog@dtek.chalmers.se | cd skogsberg ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 10:20:03 -0500 From: Andrew Frades Subject: Re: IN> Re: In Nomine Cannons and other artillery. > > >He heard me rant about the Kyrio stuff in the APG. *Boy* did he > > hear me rant... (I waffle some about the "know how to take care > > of your hosts" one -- I can almost see that, since their dissonance > > is so dependant on that -- but the other one.... NIMG! [Not In My Game])< > I love the APG, I think it does cool things for all the choirs, and sorts > out all the problems. > If I was in the middle of a campaign when I got it, I probably would have > said, 'these don't apply, for this game', depending on my mood. Well, I have a running campaign and got the APG and applied some if not most of the new resonance stuff. Some of it I had already applied earlier as obvious extension of existing rules (Mercurian resonance) and some I ignore (Kyriotate resonance, sorry Steve and/or John whichever of you wrote that). All this aside I found the APG a useful and thouht provoking book. If nothing else having 98% of all character creation stuff in one place was worth the price of admission. The chapters on Superiors and Falling were quite useful. All in all I put it high on the list of Good Stuff to Have(tm) in the game. Andrew ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 10:25:39 -0500 From: Andrew Frades Subject: Re: IN> "More, More!" he cries.. Patrick O'Duffy wrote: > I usually make no changes in a game > when I run it... which seems to be quite unusual, from what I've > gathered from the various lists & newsgroups I audit. The urge to > tinker just isn't there.... I'd rather spend my limited intellectual > resources on coming up with ideas for games, rather than rewriting what > already works. > But that's just me. Hey, all the speech of change to the side, I basically run a SJG Canon Game. There are definite differences from others campaigns as I have my own interpretations of those things that are vague, and there are a few things which I don't like, but for the most part I leave the vast majority of my tinkering to stuff the PCs see directly, I find it makes them think more. Pax, Andrew ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 10:34:47 -0500 From: Andrew Frades Subject: Re: IN> In pursuit of a Word Emily Dresner wrote: > > > My players all play angelic characters and are based in Boston, MA (I > > live in NH so Boston was an easy choice). One of the characters, > > Adrian, a Seraph of Flowers, is working toward becoming the Angel of > > Home Baked Goodness. > > Clearly competing with Malik, Bright Lilim of Flower, working on becoming > the Angel of Marijuana Brownies. :) > > Now all she has to do is feed them, laced with Magic Hash, to her > terminally angsty brother. "Look, they're GOOD for you! You'll love > them! You trust me, dontcha? I know you Need to trust me..." > > (Heh. An NPC who geases people into 'playing nice'. She's showing up > again soon, I swear I swear....) Well technically teh Words are non-competitive, actually they might work well together. Imagine... Adrian: "So here's the plan... We bake your special brownies..." Malik: "...Then you trade our lovely warm chocolatey squares for their ordinance..." Adrian: "... And then you convince them that they were working for the wrong side all along, and if that doesn't work, well they must owe us something for those great brownies." Malik: "Man, I love working with you." Adrian: "Yeah, its easy to work with you too... Hey pass me a brownie." I think its a match made in Heaven. :) Andrew ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 11:00:42 -0500 (EST) From: Emily Dresner Subject: Re: IN> "More, More!" he cries.. > Hey, all the speech of change to the side, I basically run a SJG Canon > Game. There are definite differences from others campaigns as I have my > own interpretations of those things that are vague, and there are a few > things which I don't like, but for the most part I leave the vast > majority of my tinkering to stuff the PCs see directly, I find it makes > them think more. Hmmm. My little black heart doesn't allow me to run a happy, cheery campaign where everything works out in the end, which is the flavor I picked up from the IN canon works - mostly the "Good Omens" feeling, but the philosophical depth is missing - at least in the adventures provided. The basic canon gives the general, 'Oh gee we screwed up' sort of angst, but not the soul searching grovelling sort of angst where the players start to consider death as a viable alternative. I can do it for one-shots, I think. But I'm just too bitter, too addicted to Nietzsche, too into Carl Jung. So I dunno. It doesn't work for everyone. - - Em ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 11:01:46 -0500 (EST) From: Emily Dresner Subject: Re: IN> In pursuit of a Word > Well technically teh Words are non-competitive, actually they might work > well together. Imagine... > > Adrian: "So here's the plan... We bake your special brownies..." > > Malik: "...Then you trade our lovely warm chocolatey squares for their > ordinance..." > > Adrian: "... And then you convince them that they were working for the > wrong side all along, and if that doesn't work, well they must owe us > something for those great brownies." > > Malik: "Man, I love working with you." > > Adrian: "Yeah, its easy to work with you too... Hey pass me a > brownie." > > I think its a match made in Heaven. :) > AHHHHHHHHHHHH! RUN! HIDE! HIDE YOUR CHILDREN! I think my brain exploded. :) - - Em ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Mar 1998 13:28:14 -0400 (EDT) From: gantr@NKU.EDU Subject: IN> Uriel, again (long) First of all, I want to thank everyone for their input on Uriel. A few things have been changed on him, and I think he fits into canon better now. Well, at least as well as any homemade Archangel can be expected to. :) The multiple Choir attunements are gone, and I have tried to tighten up the wording on the attunements I kept. All of them are asumed to depend on the resonance of the Choir they are awarded to, so even the degenerate-seeming ones can't be combined to munchkinesque effect. Here you go. Enjoy. (Oh, by the way. If anyone wants to post him on a web page, I would be more than grateful to have it done. :) ) URIEL ARCHANGEL OF PURITY "The world has become corrupt. It must be made pure and holy in the sight of God." The youngest angel of the first creation, Uriel was charged with preserving the purity of the Symphony. Created as a Seraph, he embraced purity and perfection as the greatest truth possible. As stars and worlds came into existence he was there, examining each for the false note that would reveal it as imperfect and unfit for inclusion in the Symphony. When the War came upon Heaven, Uriel was outraged. Discord had entered into the pure Symphony as the result of deliberate action, something which had never before happened. His injured Word resonated within him, and he was forced to act. He sacrificed his Seraphic nature to become the first of the Malakim, a living instrument of vengence and the wrath of God. His transformation brought a change in method, if not in purpose. He was no longer content to watch for imperfections in the Symphony. Instead, he began to activly seek those imperfections and destroy them before they could threaten creation. For millenia his efforts were directed against Hell. But then he became aware of a new source of disturbances in the Symphony, coming from the Marches. Heaven had always known of the Ethereals; some of the spirits were as old as the Earth itself, and they had slowly become more active in the Corporeal realm. Eventually the disturbances they caused in the Symphony and the interference they created in the lives of mortals grew too great. Uriel acted. Much has been written about the Purification Crusade, but the reasons for it have never been explained. The Ethereals, by meddling in the affairs of mortals, had become a greater threat to the Symphony than Hell itself. When diplomacy failed to persuade them to leave, Uriel was left with no choice but war. Slowly the Ethereals were driven from the Corporeal realm to the Vale of Dreams, and then from the Vale of Dreams into the Far Marches. Then victory was snatched from him. The last thing Uriel expected was to have to answer to the Seraphim Council for the Crusade. He was stunned, and his Servitors enraged, that he was to face trial for promoting his Word. He argued eloquently in his own defense, unable to comprehend why this was happening. Understanding came, but from his own Servitors, not the Council. He learned that Laurence, Angel of the Sword and his most faithful Servitor, was ready to lead the Angels of Purity into war against Heaven if he was condemned, and he realised just how much his actions had divided the Host. Unwilling to be the cause of such discord in Heaven he called out to God in desperation, seeking help. Whether in response to Uriel or Yves, God answered. Uriel was summoned into the higher Heavens. Uriel's return from the higher Heavens has brought more questions, and reopened old wounds. He speaks little of the Crusade, saying only that it was necessary. He insists that he seeks no special authority or position, claiming only his rights as an Archangel. Of his experiences in the higher Heavens he says nothing. DISSONANCE It is dissonant for Servitors of Purity to allow evil to go unchallenged. There is no dissonance for failure to prevent the evil or for being truely unaware of the existance of the evil. Dissonance comes from being aware of the evil, and choosing to do nothing. It is also dissonant for Servitors of Purity to act against the pure nature of their Choirs. They gain double their normal dissonance for acting against the nature of their Choir. CHOIR ATTUNEMENTS Servitors of Uriel have been purified and refined, focusing their resonances and their natures in a more precise manner. Furthermore, all Servitors of Purity gain the protection of the Word they serve. No Servitor of Purity may Fall, just as the Malakim cannot Fall. Seraphim A Seraph of Purity may automatically use his resonance. If he chooses this option, he will automatically succeed with a check die equal to his Celestial Forces. If he chooses to roll anyway and fails, he may not use his resonance against that individual for a number of minutes equal to his check die minus his celestial forces. Cherubim A Cherub of Purity may choose to attune to a single entity of no more Forces than are posessed by the Cherub. If this option is chosen, the Cherub automatically succeeds on his resonance and both special resonance use rolls with a check die equal to the Cherub's Celestial Forces. Ofanim An Ofanite of Purity may use his resonance to gain extra actions. On a successful resonance roll, the Ofanite gains a number of extra actions equal to half of his check die (rounded up). This must be used in place of a standard resonance use, and carries the same dissonance conditions for failure that any other Ofanite resonance use carries. Malakim A Malak of Purity may swear on Oath to accomplish a certain deed. Until this deed is complete, the Malak gains a bonus equal to his Celestial Forces on any roll which helps him complete that goal. The Malak suffers dissonance for any instance in which he can work towards completion of that oath and he refuses. Once the Oath is completed it is no longer of any concern to the Malak. This Oath must be specific; "I swear on my honor and my Archangel that I will hunt and kill the demon Furfur" is acceptable, while "I swear that I will destroy the forces of Hell" is not. The Malak of Purity gain no extra protection from Falling from the Word they serve. When making dissonance rolls, they are destroyed if an infernal intervention is rolled. Uriel does not suffer traitors. Kyriotates A Kyriotate of Purity may form a partnership with a willing host instead of just posessing the host's body. During this time they are treated as if they were a single entity, with access to the skills, songs, attunements, Essence, and memories of both beings. If the host is slain during this time, the Kyriotate will find himself in Heaven suffering from Trauma, regardless of how many other hosts he was posessing at the time. Mercurians A Mercurian of Purity may add the check die of his resonance roll to any roll made to interact socially with the subject, for a number of minutes equal to his total Forces. SERVITOR ATTUNEMENTS Perfect Pitch When the angel detects a disturbance in the Symphony, he automatically knows who caused it and why. Unshakable Resolve Once the angel becomes committed to a course of action he believes is correct, he may add his Celestial Forces to any roll to resist being persuaded or forced to turn aside from that course. Be aware that being "forced to turn aside" means such things as posession, geasa, etc., and not physical intervention. DISTINCTIONS Vassal of Cleanliness By spending one Essence, the angel may purge a single object of any imperfections it posesses. Gems become flawless, food becomes perfectly cooked and edible, and so forth. If used on a living being, it negates the effects of any Discord the individual is suffering from for a number of minutes equal to the Vassal's Forces. Friend of Holiness By spending three Essence, the angel may radiate a divine light (visible only to Celestial perception) with a radius equal to the Friend's Forces in yards, which lasts a number of 5 second rounds equal to the Friend's Will. No being with Forces equal to or less than the Friend's Forces may take any action which would cause a disturbance in the Symphony while in this area. Multiple Friends may combine this distinction to increase the number of Forces required to ignore this distinction. Master of Purity The angel may burn Discord from a willing individual. The individual loses 1 Force for every 3 levels of Discord (or fraction thereof) removed in this fashion. RELATIONS Uriel has not been back long enough to form any relations one way or the other. The ones he has are based on old memories and individual perception of his actions. These may change, but it will not happen soon. Allied: Gabriel, Laurence Associated: David, Dominic, Michael Neutral: Eli, Janus, Jean, Marc, Yves Hostile: Blandine, Jordi, Novalis BASIC RITES *Clean an area which has been made filthy by deliberate action. *Spend one hour persuading mortals to repent and serve Heaven. *Kill a demon. CHANCE OF INVOCATION: 3 INVOCATION MODIFIERS +1 The dead vessel of a demon, or of an etherial who has made a 10+ point disturbance in the Symphony. +2 In the presence of a mortal who has truly repented of his sins. +3 In a consecrated place of worship. +4 In an area which has not experienced a disturbance in the Symphony for 24 hours. This modifier is lost if the angel spends Essence to improve his chance of summoning Uriel. +5 In the presence of a formerly Hellsworn Soldier who has freely repented and is now serving Heaven. +6 A situation in which the Symphony faces great, if not irreparable, harm. One last thing. I'm not really sure about these invocation modifiers. If anyone has some suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them. Rich Gant ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #671 ******************************* The material here is (C) 1997 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.