in_nomine-digest Thursday, February 20 1997 Volume 01 : Number 032 In this digest: Re: IN> Intro & Questions Some questions... Re: IN> List conventions Re: IN> Intro & Questions IN> Nergal Re: IN> Cost of Relics IN> Archangel Metatron Re: IN> Archangel Metatron Re: IN> Archangel Metatron Re: IN>Uriel and other religion IN> Archangel Metatron IN> AggieCon IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #31 IN> Incubus, by Reebok! Re: IN>Uriel and other religion Re: IN> AggieCon IN> "And the devil in a black dress watches over..." Re: IN>Uriel and other religion Re: IN> AggieCon IN> More Relics IN> [Canon] Some Q's... IN> Intro & Questions Re: IN> World Religions IN> [Canon] Soldier & Relic IN> [Canon] Relic/quary Cost IN> Rules and Whatever IN> [Canon] Lilim Resonance IN> Adventure: (Part One) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 13:57:18 +0000 From: "J. S. Cardella" Subject: Re: IN> Intro & Questions > > Each character begins with Forces * 5 (or maybe 6) instead of Forces > *4, Character points. For the first level a Skill is bought at the > cost of the Default. So, in the situation listed above, Running will > cost the standard 1 point to achieve level 1, while Chemistry will > cost 5 points to achieve level 1. All subsequent levels in that > skill will cost the usual 1 point per level. I like this a lot. So, the Default level is the starting cost to acquire that skill. That's a good system. However, I have told my players that if they want to play Celestials, then the more important parts of their characters are going to be the Celestial aspects (like Songs & Attunements), and the skills can go to defaults, unless they want high level Status or Roles. > The only problem with this situation is that for a Celestial > character it gives them a good deal more points to start out with > for buying more powerful items, for them, like Songs or Reliquaries. > You could simply start this situation as only being viable for human > characters. (That is how I am starting my game off, especially since > none of my players have any clue what they will be playing, yet. > ;-)) Even then Soldiers can buy Songs and whatnot, so it could be > just as much of a problem there (or would it be a problem?) I don't see it as a problem. They have only 9 more points than the usual starting number. That isn't even a Servitor attunement! So I think that you'll be fine with this system. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Joel Cardella "Chinese food IS my life" http://www.io.com/~dronf ------------------------------ Date: 20 Feb 1997 18:43:38 U From: "Andy Butcher" Subject: Some questions... Subject: Time: 17:56 OFFICE MEMO Some questions... Date: 20/02/97 Okay, here (in no particular order) are just a few of the questions I mentioned in an earlier post. I actually made up a list while reading through the second time, but rather foolishly left it at home this morning. So, expect more questions to come... (i) Physical damage is tracked separately for each vessel a Celestial has. What happens, then, if a Celestial near unconsciousness elects to switch vessels during combat, but gets hit during the round that the change occurs? (ii) Does switching to celestial form cause the same degree of disturbance in the Symphony as actually leaving or returning from the Celestial Realm? Does the 2 essence required to change into Celestial form add to this? If switching form does cause the s! ame disturbance, does a celestial going to the Celestial Realm cause double the disturbance (once for changing form, and again for leaving)? (iii) Can a celestial recognise another celestial while both are in their vessels? Can they tell is someone is in fact an angel or a demon? (iv) What is the level of a corporeal artifact based on? There's only one specific example I can find, and that's the .44 bought by one of the example characters as a level 1 artifact. (v) Are all angels of Jean immune to electricity? If not, how can they perform the 'two hours plugged into the mains' ritual? (vi) Soldiers can buy their superior's attunements (according to page 32). Can they buy choir/band attunements, or only servitor attunements? (vii) Are the items listed under each Superior's Invocation Modifiers used up or consumed by the attempt to summon the Superior, or by a successful summoning, or not at all? A Bright Dream certainly implies that Gabriel takes the blood... (viii) Why are higher levels of the Song of Claws (page 82) less effective than lower levels? (Smaller claws, lower accuracy.) (ix) Can human characters aquire dissonance during play? If not, can they aquire discord during play, and if so, how? (x) Character advancement. Do players have to pay character points for rites granted to them by other Superiors? Are distinctions always granted in order (must you gain the status of Friend before becoming a Master, for example), and if not, do the higher! distinctions grant the abilities of the lower ones (does a Master have the powers of a Vassal and a Friend, for example)? Do characters have to pay character points for their superiors to remove discord? If so, how many? Phew, that ought to do for now... Andy Butcher ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 18:49:12 +0000 () From: "David.Evans" Subject: Re: IN> List conventions Rick said:- > > As one of those swamped by trying to read all these messages, here's > something I'd like to propose: > > Use GURU at the start of the subject line for messages dealing with rules > questions. How about using the format IN> [Rules] such as is used on the inwo-list? > That would > make it alot easier to sort out those dealing with rules questions (which I > try to save) and those > general chat topics. > > Just a thought... > And that's just mine. :-) Be seeing you... David. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 13:05:20 -0600 From: hal@buffnet.net Subject: Re: IN> Intro & Questions Hello Folks, >> Each character begins with Forces * 5 (or maybe 6) instead of Forces >> *4, Character points. For the first level a Skill is bought at the You can also make use of the concept of "experienced" personnel - just give out more "points" for skills/abilities. GM's can state that you can have an extra 15 points to spend on skills only stating that you are one experienced angel via time spent on earth... Hal ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 19:50:00 GMT From: "Psychedelic Goblin" <942777u@merkland.rgu.ac.uk> Subject: IN> Nergal 'yellow all, I'm considering doing a write up for a new Demon Prince to feature in my starting game, and I've chose good ol' Nergal, Demon-Prince of Pestilence. As a very major demon-prince, I want to give him a decent write-up, but all I know of him at the mo' is his name, and that fact that his Word is Pestilence, and he's supposed to be chief of the Secret Police in Hell. If you can give me any info. on the adorable chap from whatever sources you've got, I'll send in the finished Nergal to the list. cheers - Psygoblin ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 19:51:29 +0000 () From: "David.Evans" Subject: Re: IN> Cost of Relics Moriah said that:- > > >Celestial Relics, generally, are too expensive. > > Compared to buying the same song, yes. > > Compared to giving a power for which there is no song, they're cheap. > > Celestial Relics can also be reliquaries, which can be very handy -- > songs you could have bought, but which power themselves with their own > generating Essence; but they're also more expensive. > What is the cost of a reliquary; I can't seem to find it anywhere... > Peace, > > Moriah > > ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 19:55:34 GMT From: "Psychedelic Goblin" <942777u@merkland.rgu.ac.uk> Subject: IN> Archangel Metatron Didn't someone ask who the chief archangel of Judaism would be? >From what I've read, I'd guess it to be Metatron. Here's what I know of him: He's the Angel of the Covenant. He's supposed to be a direct link between God and humanity. He's the most junior archangel (being a mere 8500 years old). He's the Heavenly scribe who records 'everything' in the etheric archives. He was originally the human patriarch Enoch! (Yep, he's a human who became an archangel!). He became an Elohim. I'm guessing that his word is something like Knowledge. According to Judaism, He's the Greatest of Archangels. cheers! - Psygoblin ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 15:12:52 -0500 (EST) From: IQJasonS@aol.com Subject: Re: IN> Archangel Metatron "Didn't someone ask who the chief archangel of Judaism would be? >From what I've read, I'd guess it to be Metatron. According to Judaism, He's the Greatest of Archangels." Not only that, but he transforms into this really neat pistol and thenx yours, never mind, - -J ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 14:19:43 -0600 (CST) From: "Q (not from Star Trek)" Subject: Re: IN> Archangel Metatron On Thu, 20 Feb 1997 IQJasonS@aol.com wrote: > "Didn't someone ask who the chief archangel of Judaism would be? > >From what I've read, I'd guess it to be Metatron. > According to Judaism, He's the Greatest of Archangels." > > Not only that, but he transforms into this really neat pistol and thenx Ummm...I think you're thinking of Megatron (although I was wondering about that name, myself) - -Q > > yours, never mind, > -J > - --------------------------------------- "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." -Albert Einstein Scott "Q" Meyer Scott.E.Meyer@wheaton.edu http://johnh.wheaton.edu/~smeyer ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 15:25:25 -0500 (EST) From: DeltaS Subject: Re: IN>Uriel and other religion On 20 Feb 1997, Andy Butcher wrote: > Actually, as far as I can see, after a couple of fairly intensive > readings of the book, In Nomine only ever refers to 'God'. The > implication seems to be that while there is _a_ God, the Christian take > on Him/Her/It is only one of several interpretations. > In other words, I don't think In Nomine implies that God is the > Christian God - He/She/It is simply God. In the Dreamscape section (I don't have the book with me) it explicitly says that other gods and spirits have their own realms, and that there is a rumor that "God" has rewritten history since coming to power, making himself "the" god. :) So, I do certainly interperet this to be the "christian" god. -DeltaS The Angel of Posturing, Cheribum of Janus. Rite: Soul of the Poseur ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 16:03:49 -0500 (EST) From: MC Hatter Subject: IN> Archangel Metatron I forwarded the bit about Metatron to a friend of mine with a bit of a Religious Studies background and this is what he had to say. He hastens to add that this is from memory, and he'll be on the list pretty soon... > >>From that I've read, I'd guess it to be Metatron. > > Yep, makes sense. Metatron is also known as the Voice of God. ArchAngel of > the Covenant is a good one. Covenant is a good Word for Metatron. Covenant > is the most important aspect of Jew's relationship to God. It is the deal > that God made with the Hebrews (first Abraham and then one of his > descendants, I forget which) that says they will be His people and they will > obey His laws (torah). You could also phrase his word as 'Grace', since the > covenant was offered to the Hebrews, not because they were worthy, but > because of the love of God. It goes both ways tho. Because of the covenant, > God has given himself a duty to the people of the Covenant. > The Enoch stuff, I dunno. I think Enoch would be a great person to > just kinda shove into a campaign. "Yves told us to do what he says, but he's > HUMAN!" Or, he could be like Yves, outside of the normal scheme. Enoch was > pure enough as a human to walk with God, who knows what God taught him when > he took him away? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 97 16:01:08 -0600 From: Deathdog Subject: IN> AggieCon This is kinda off topic, but is anyone going to AggieCon? I see nothing about In Nomine anywhere on the info sheets so far. This pisses me off. We need IN to be prominent at every large con. If others are going, maybe we can set up a demo game and have some fun. Otherwise, the AD&D tournewill be the highlight of the weekend. Yuck. Oh yeah, Aaron Allston will be there. Yee haw. How come Steve Jackson isn't going? It's only 100 miles from Austin... *********************************************************** Brad Everman aka Deathdog, Mac programmer & Grammy-Winning Rap Artist "Friday, January 31st: Downloading of pornography on the internet drops by over fifty percent as millions flock to see Star Wars: A New Hope" ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 14:16:15 -0800 From: Aaron Harmon Subject: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #31 Hello, I have a question about the Lilim resonance. The check digit determines the "level" of the desire that someone has, right? Now if Joe Blow has the following desires in ascending amounts (i.e. He'd like to have an affair, but he REALLY wants his partner's head on a pole): 1)A stiff Drink 2)To have an affair 3)A new Porsche 4)Win the lottery 5)Kill his business partner If a lilim rolls a check digit of "3" does she only see the "New Porsche"? Is the only way that she can see the strongest desire in the man's heart is on a "6"? Or should the roll reflect the difficulty of granting the wish? I.E. It's probably easier to kill his partner than to fix the lottery. Aaron Shedite Demon of Polyester Knight of Lamee Servitor of Jules, Demon Prince of Disco Special Rite: Funky Chicken ____________________________________________________________ Aaron M. Harmon aaron@longsword.com http://www.longsword.com ____________________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 16:34:24 -0600 (CST) From: Bolie Williams IV Subject: IN> Incubus, by Reebok! So what do you think the Infernal powers had in mind when they had Reebok name a women's athletic shoe 'Incubus'..? :) Bolie IV ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bolie Williams IV bolie@io.com http://www.io.com/~bolie/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 18:36:31 -0500 (EST) From: Hal Carmer Subject: Re: IN>Uriel and other religion Rather than state that "GOD" is "THE CHRISTIAN GOD", perhaps it should be mentioned that "THE GOD" is currently accessed conceptually by Jews, Christians, and Moslem faiths. Prior to gaining the upper hand, perhaps "THE OTHER GODS" held sway for a time, until Uriel thinned the ranks a bit, allowing for the takeover of "THE GOD". Of course, this then opens the question: what created the universe, and more importantly, what created the ANGELS! If noted, the IN states that one of the Angels had to give GOD his name... One possible concept that could be used: the creator was an unthinking and non-individual being. As time passed, he/she/it evolved into a thinking being, but weakened after expending a lot of power to create deliberately. For a time, the first generation of "Angels" were as GODS, and felt themselves to be thus. Then the "second generation" became the angels as IN portrays them. Uriel then had to destroy the first generation Angels (perhaps he/she/it was the last of the first generation?) and drive into hiding, the survivors. Upon completing that task, GOD then recalled Uriel so that he/she/it could not divulge anything more to the lessor Angels - or be a danger due to his/hers/it's great power to destroy (making it the worst nightmare GOD could have about an Angel going bad?)... Just some random thoughts on the matter... Hal ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 20:16:46 -0600 From: dpearcy@io.com (Derek Patton Pearcy) Subject: Re: IN> AggieCon >This is kinda off topic, but is anyone going to AggieCon? >I see nothing about In Nomine anywhere on the info sheets >so far. This pisses me off. We need IN to be prominent at >every large con. If others are going, maybe we can set up >a demo game and have some fun. Otherwise, the AD&D tourney >will be the highlight of the weekend. Yuck. > >Oh yeah, Aaron Allston will be there. Yee haw. >How come Steve Jackson isn't going? It's only 100 miles from Austin... Someone from AggieCon has invited me to run a game there on Saturday, March 22nd. I don't know why they haven't said anything about it yet. Derek ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 21:34:05 -0500 (EST) From: IQJasonS@aol.com Subject: IN> "And the devil in a black dress watches over..." Hey, folks. Me again, with a retraction. I want to formally apologize to Derek and to the Infernal Host for slandering the name of Furfur. See, I was browsing through a local occult book shop and managed to find a pocket copy of the Lesser Key of Solomon, commonly known as the Goetia. It's a handbook for the summoning of evil spirits, and gives the names and seals for a whole mess of them. Paging through, I saw a lot of familiar names: the only demon prince missing seemed to be Kronos. And, nestled among them, was Furfur. So...I'm contrite. Furfur is a fine, upstanding demonic name. There. yours, Jason Schneiderman ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 22:10:33 -0500 From: Joshua Mosqueira Subject: Re: IN>Uriel and other religion At 06:36 PM 2/20/97 -0500, you wrote: >Rather than state that "GOD" is "THE CHRISTIAN GOD", perhaps it should be >mentioned that "THE GOD" is currently accessed conceptually by Jews, >Christians, and Moslem faiths. Prior to gaining the upper hand, perhaps >"THE OTHER GODS" held sway for a time, until Uriel thinned the ranks a >bit, allowing for the takeover of "THE GOD". > Of course, this then opens the question: what created the universe, and >more importantly, what created the ANGELS! If noted, the IN states that >one of the Angels had to give GOD his name... This is what I wanted to get at; that there is more to God than *one* manifestation of It/him/her. This adds to the level of intrihgue in the game as it means there are more levels to IN. more for the players to uncover. After all the Symphoney should be a polyphoney (another musical term). > For a time, the first generation of "Angels" were as GODS, >and felt themselves to be thus. Then the "second generation" became the >angels as IN portrays them. Uriel then had to destroy the first >generation Angels (perhaps he/she/it was the last of the first >generation?) and drive into hiding, the survivors. Upon completing that >task, GOD then recalled Uriel so that he/she/it could not divulge anything >more to the lessor Angels - or be a danger due to his/hers/it's great >power to destroy (making it the worst nightmare GOD could have about an >Angel going bad?)... This is an interesting POV, addresses a number of questions about other religions (not so much Chirtianity, Judiaism, or Islam - but other *pagen* gods). For those of you looking for other "creations myths" and angels, I found a rather interesting one in a book (albit a tad esoteric at times) called "The Sacred Magic of the Angels" by David Goddard. Pax, Joshua ______________________________________________ Joshua Mosqueira, effigy@total.net ______________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 97 21:38:05 -0600 From: Deathdog Subject: Re: IN> AggieCon >Someone from AggieCon has invited me to run a game there on Saturday, March >22nd. I don't know why they haven't said anything about it yet. All right! I hope you accepted. As far as them not saying anything about it, AggieCon has never been known to be one of the better run cons...I just got some info in the mail today. They haven't finalized much yet. *********************************************************** Brad Everman aka Deathdog, Mac programmer & Grammy-Winning Rap Artist "Friday, January 31st: Downloading of pornography on the internet drops by over fifty percent as millions flock to see Star Wars: A New Hope" ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 22:15:41 -0500 (EST) From: Don Fnordlioni Subject: IN> More Relics Okay, so, since the guidelines for designing relics seem few and far in between, here's a sample Celestial relic I dreamed up for a Saminga Shedim character. I'd like to know if I'm right on with the points per level. Celestial Relic: Doomshades What appears to be a pair of sleek black sunglasses, these shades are, in fact, imbued with dark magics, enabling the user to foretell someone's ultimate fate, should it loom near. By succeeding on a Perception + (Relic Level) roll, and spending 1 Essence, the wearer of the Doomshades will spy a faint, glowing sigil marking those mortals who are fated to die within a week, barring Celestial intervention. The effect lasts but a few moments, but any number of people can be scanned at once. Should the user fail the roll, the Doomshades won't lie -- but they cannot be used again until the next sunrise or sunset. This relic costs 2 points per level. (The low cost -- this information will be occasioanlly very useful, but mostly it's just a fun special effect. Basically, I just liked Gabriel's "Death-sense" in The Prophesy, and this is my take on that.) | Don Fnordlioni | donfnord@pitt.edu | http://www.pitt.edu/~donfnord | Please use PGP encryption when writing Finger donfnord@pitt.edu for key ------------------------------ Date: 20 Feb 97 22:24:08 EST From: Moriah - Steve Jackson Games <73407.515@CompuServe.COM> Subject: IN> [Canon] Some Q's... >Andy Butcher: >(i) Physical damage is tracked separately for each vessel a Celestial has. >What happens, then, if a Celestial near unconsciousness elects to switch >vessels during combat, but gets hit during the round that the change occurs? All things are simultaneous in a round. So, both happen, the celestial gets hit *and* switches vessel. 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. If dead, the GM could rule that the body really doesn't exist anymore, but that the celestial did manage to switch to their alternate vessel. Or, if the GM is nice and wants to be cinematic, the GM could allow the body to be 'at death's door' and if the celestial arranges to have some appropriate health care available for the nearly-dead body when they switch back to it, then that vessel can be saved from death. >(ii) Does switching to celestial form cause the same degree of disturbance in >the Symphony as actually leaving or returning from the Celestial Realm? Does >the 2 essence required to change into Celestial form add to this? If >switching form does cause the same disturbance, does a celestial going to the >Celestial Realm cause double the disturbance (once for changing form, and >again for leaving)? Yes. Yes. 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. >(iii) Can a celestial recognise another celestial while both are in their >vessels? Can they tell if someone is in fact an angel or a demon? Nope. Nope. A celestial in a vessel who is doing practically nothing causes practically no disturbance and is practically indistinguishable from a human. Once disturbance starts (or even the physical signs of the use of celestial powers); then people start getting a clue -- but even then, a Soldier spending Essence feels just like a celestial, angel or demon, spending Essence. >(iv) What is the level of a corporeal artifact based on? There's only one >specific example I can find, and that's the .44 bought by one of the example >characters as a level 1 artifact. The level indicates how attuned you are to the artifact (p 41). If you want to always find your Porsche in a crowded parking lot, then take it at level 6. >(v) Are all angels of Jean immune to electricity? If not, how can they >perform the 'two hours plugged into the mains' ritual? The performance of the Rite itself grants the immunity during the duration of the Rite. >(vi) Soldiers can buy their superior's attunements (according to page 32). >Can they buy choir/band attunements, or only servitor attunements? Any type of Attunement, as long as it makes sense. If a Sectional Attunement affects how celestials of that Section use their Resonance, then, obviously, it can't be given to a Soldier (or to a celestial who does not have that Resonance). >(vii) Are the items listed under each Superior's Invocation Modifiers used up >or consumed by the attempt to summon the Superior, or by a successful >summoning, or not at all? A Bright Dream certainly implies that Gabriel takes >the blood... GM's discretion. Certainly, nothing gets used up if the invocation failed. >(viii) Why are higher levels of the Song of Claws (page 82) less effective >than lower levels? (Smaller claws, lower accuracy.) Use 6" chopsticks to pick up something. Then, use 1' chopsticks. The reason why the extra long claws lose accuracy should then be made clear ;) >(ix) Can human characters acquire dissonance during play? If not, can they >acquire discord during play, and if so, how? Humans do not ever acquire Resonances (that we know of) and therefore, never will have Dissonance. Their souls are much more free to improvise in the Symphony. Their nature doesn't force them into certain modes of behavior which they must attend to or suffer a breakdown in their nature. They can start out with Discord, treating Discords like disadvantages. Humans can't take Discords which are obviously meant for celestials (e.g., discolored). Discords can be acquired by humans during play depending on the situations they find themselves in. A human given a vision of Hell in all its gory might pick up a mental Discord. A human who is tortured might pick up any sort of Discord, especially a physical disability. >(x) Character advancement. Do players have to pay character points for rites >granted to them by other Superiors? Are distinctions always granted in order >(must you gain the status of Friend before becoming a Master, for example), >and if not, do the higher distinctions grant the abilities of the lower ones >(does a Master have the powers of a Vassal and a Friend, for example)? Do >characters have to pay character points for their superiors to remove >discord? If so, how many? Rites (and any advantage or power, really) that are acquired through *role playing* are free. If they want them at character creation, then they should pay for the ones that don't come automatically from their Superior. Discord may be removed by GM fiat as a PC's reward from their Superior at the end of an adventure. If the players want to spend character points to remove Discords, they may with the GM's approval, with a story as to why their Superior is being so generous. If the players are paying, 3 points per level (p. 49). Let me get back to you later about the Distinctions questions. Peace, Moriah ------------------------------ Date: 20 Feb 97 22:24:42 EST From: Moriah - Steve Jackson Games <73407.515@CompuServe.COM> Subject: IN> Intro & Questions >Lenny: >To the rest of the list: >Has anyone else had problems with character creation in buying skills? >It appears to me that if I spent 1 point on a skill like Running I go >from (Attribute -1) to (Attribute +1), but if I spend 1 point on a >skill like Chemistry I go from (Attribute -5) to Attribute +1), quite >a leap for the same price. While a GM may do what they want to smooth out this jump in ability, this is certainly not, from Our Point of View something that is broken with the mechanics. Mechanics for a cinematic style of play purposely chooses simplicity over realism and smoothness. The big penalties for defualts in some skill represents how hard it is to do those skills for someone with no training. Everyone knows how to run, but unless one studied chemistry, no one knows the right volumes of NaHO and ClO to mix to produce a safe but salty drink. Putting one point in the skill raises it to level 1, regardles of what the default was for the sake of simplicity. Some skills are easier to learn, but they still have the same learning curve for game purposes. If you want a detailed skill system, please be patient and wait for the conversion to GURPS, or, brew your own home version and have fun! Peace, Moriah ------------------------------ Date: 20 Feb 97 22:24:53 EST From: Moriah - Steve Jackson Games <73407.515@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Re: IN> World Religions >> Moriah > next to final> > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > Uh oh! Are we having some problems with dissonance? ;'o Nope, I serve the Superior of Gaming, whose Word is final. Peace, Moriah ------------------------------ Date: 20 Feb 97 22:24:48 EST From: Moriah - Steve Jackson Games <73407.515@CompuServe.COM> Subject: IN> [Canon] Soldier & Relic >Well, if you're a Soldier, it allows you to use Songs you normally can't. >Or are Soldiers unable to use (say) Etherial Songs, even when contained >in a relic? > -Loki Soldiers (as far as everyone knows right now ;> ) can only use Corporeal Songs, period. They can use Relics (i.e., a Celestial Artifact) with Corporeal Songs only. They can use Reliquaries (i.e., Celestial Artifacts with storing-Essence properties). Peace, Moriah ------------------------------ Date: 20 Feb 97 22:24:22 EST From: Moriah - Steve Jackson Games <73407.515@CompuServe.COM> Subject: IN> [Canon] Relic/quary Cost >David Evans: >What is the cost of a reliquary; I can't seem to find it anywhere... Being unclear on that is our fault, but it can be ferreted out: P. 42: a Celestial Artifact (i.e., a Relic or Reliquary) cost 3 times its level. On p. 71, if the Celestial Artifact is a Relic *and* a Reliquary, and the Essence it generates can be used only for the Song it can sing, then it costs 5 times its level. And if the Celestial Artifact is a Relic *and* a Reliquary, and the Essence it generates can be drawn to be used for other purposes (just like a normal Reliquary), then it costs 6 times its level (3 + 3 = makes sense! ;) ). Peace, Moriah ------------------------------ Date: 20 Feb 97 22:24:36 EST From: Moriah - Steve Jackson Games <73407.515@CompuServe.COM> Subject: IN> Rules and Whatever >Benjamin Cheng: >To the line editor, designer, or whoever knows. How will you be doing >published adventures? You do have 2 very opposed viewpoints, and then the >possibilities of a mixed group. General outlines with all the characters >for both sides and how the PCs could fit in on either side? The adventure that S. John Ross wrote, "Feast of Blades", which will be bundled with the GM screen handled this well. The plot is a basic "there is a powerful artifact out there which can change the balance of power and your Superior wants it for themself or they want it destroyed." Thus, any type of PC group can join in the fun. I haven't yet seen Derek's adventure for Night Music, "The Demon Prince of Rock 'n Roll", so, no comment there. SJ Games traditionally has stayed away from adventures for its GURPS line (they simply did not sell well, and... it *is* a business). We'll see about trying to include an adventure in each supplement, but space is also a consideration. And if the adventure can not be tailored for an either/or/both Sides scenario, we'll certainly alternate scenarios, then... an angel adventure, then a demon adventure. >In terms of the corporeal combat system, I like the idea of making body >hits only equal to the vessel level x strength, as proposed on that cool >In Nomine web page. Your call. What constitutes a 'cinematic style' has always been debatable. Peace, Moriah ------------------------------ Date: 20 Feb 97 22:24:29 EST From: Moriah - Steve Jackson Games <73407.515@CompuServe.COM> Subject: IN> [Canon] Lilim Resonance >Aaron Harmon: >I have a question about the Lilim resonance. >The check digit determines the "level" of the desire that someone has, right? Nope. The level of difficulty in granting their desire. >Now if Joe Blow has the following desires in ascending amounts (i.e. He'd >like to have an affair, but he REALLY wants his partner's head on a pole): >1)A stiff Drink >2)To have an affair >3)A new Porsche >4)Win the lottery >5)Kill his business partner I personally, and this is a matter of opinion, would arrange it thusly: 2 - To have an affair (assuming this is an OK looking guy) 5 - A new Porsche; killing his partner 6 - Winning the Lottery A stiff drink is too easy to rate even as a level 1 Geas. And don't let a player force the GM to stretch reality too far, there are some very contented people out there whose most difficult desire might only rate a 3. If the Lilim rolls a 6, tell the player "this person doesn't have any aspirations that difficult to achieve, but you do discern three level two desires which are..." Or, "This person's desire (that's worth a level 6 Geas) is world peace. Do you try to get it for him? He'd be very indebted to you if you could..." Peace, Moriah ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 20 Feb 1997 20:51:15 +0000 From: "Robert Wolff" Subject: IN> Adventure: (Part One) Adventure Title: Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out Introduction: Ziggy's Story Ziggy, a Mercurian, was originally in service to Eli. When Eli was still playing an active role in the game, Ziggy was more than happy helping mankind by showing them the Beauty and Wonder that comes from Creation, Creativity, and the simple joy of living. Ziggy was particularly taken with one of humanity's religious perspectives that had been been under the not-so-subtle influence of Eli: Rastafarianism. The interesting theological blend of old-testament conservative and new-age liberal made for a wonderfully anachronistic, creative environment. As a consequence, Ziggy adopted a human vessel that resembled the Rastafarians he had come to identify with, right down to an affected Jamaican accent. Then the `60's hit, and Eli began to subtly change. He became enraptured with the whole North American trends, and began to think that Humans were doing more towards being creative than any Celestial ever could! Eli gladly began to lend his servitors out, in an attempt to "season" them a little, and do a little creative "blending" of perspectives. The lines began to become blurry and indistinct for Eli, and he saw no reason for binding his people too closely to any one project. As a result, Ziggy was loaned out to Novalis, who seemed to find a special kind of compassion for Ziggy's personality. Ziggy found new purpose in Novalis' service, and as a product of the recent `60's rage, jumped on the bandwagon in Novalis' pharmaceutical plants department. The narcotic drug plants tended to be all the rage with artists, artisans, writers, and other creative types, so both Ziggy's primary Interest (creation) and subsequent interest (plants) tended to mesh admirably. He'd found his niche. Ziggy was happy, thinking that he was helping people find peace and happiness, and maybe even a little creative inspiration or conversational lubricant through his promotion of harmless little plants. Ziggy worked hard in Novalis' service, because he really loved his job. Recognizing the usefulness of such an energetic, enthusiastic, and creative young Celestial, Novalis blessed him over the `60's with two levels of Distinction. The particular abilities enjoyed by Ziggy as a result of Novalis' intervention helped him along with his particular area of interest. Indeed, there was talk about letting him take a very minor Word, related to one of his little plants. Novalis toyed with the idea, and promised herself that over the next few decades she'd make a decision on whether to put Ziggy forward as the new "Angel of Cannibis" in her department. When Eli took his little sabbatical in the `70's, Ziggy simply became more focussed on Novalis' perspective. Indeed, he didn't seem particularly distressed by Eli's departure, and simply thought it fitting that Eli should go walk amongst the people he loved so much. However, the 70's also brought many changes. The peace, love, and selflessness that Ziggy had worked so hard to promote in the previous decade had become replaced with the selfishness of the "Me" Decade. Ziggy promised himself that, with a little hard work, people could be brought back to the loving, peaceful society that had existed in his Age of Aquarius. When the `80's rolled around, Ziggy began to see a new generation of problems with humanity. Selfishness had taken a whole new turn, and people's need for Peace seemed to have been transformed into a need for Escape. His efforts were being turned into a profiteering Industry, worth Billions of American dollars on the street in illegal drug trade. What's worse, people had begun refining the processes, and were inventing new and even more "creative" drugs that promised Oblivion and Escape more than the simple Peace and Harmony of his beloved Cannibis. With the new decade, the `90's, Ziggy's mind has been churning with confusion, indecision, and guilt. Why has Eli not come back? What has happened to the things Ziggy worked so hard for in the `60's? What's worse, with the problems of addiction, escalated drug traffic, pre-teen Pushers and child Users, Ziggy has come to Doubt. He's not so sure if he did any good for Humanity at all. As a matter of fact, perhaps his efforts have caused a great deal of harm! If the truth were to be told, maybe Ziggy himself is responsible for quite a bit of human suffering, violence, and pain. Then, one night, while wandering by a school-yard, Ziggy happened to overhear a conversation between some Dealers and a young teenaged Pusher they were trying to promote. Something snapped inside Ziggy, and he allowed his anger to get the better of him. Ziggy beat the two Dealers unconscious, and threatened to do the same to the young pusher unless he got out of the game altogether. While it felt good, in true Mercurial fashion, the violence that he visited upon the drug dealers left a stain on his soul. With no one to turn to for solace, Ziggy's guilt and confusion manifested in a form of psychological Transference. All of the self-doubt and self-loathing has been manifested in Anger against the hard-core drug traffic. He has taken a liking to dishing out a little retribution against drug lords, pushers, etc. Oh, sure, maybe he was involved in the small potatoes stuff a few years ago, but this has got out of hand! Sure enough, Ziggy's gonna' do something about it, even if it kills him, or worse... Ziggy has recently left his duties, and no one knows where to find him. He has been wandering the streets, sending up Echoes in the Symphony through the neighbourhoods. Every evening he seems to find someone else to punish, but he also seems to slip further and further down a road that leads straight to Hell. In game terms, Ziggy is generating dissonance through his Mercurial nature. He will trade his dissonance for Discord (Anger, Depression, Need) as often as he can, but he will eventually become Outcast, and finally, Fall. What about the Other Side? Well, there's a cute little team, the Diabolical Duo, who have found out what Ziggy's up to, and are doing everything in their power to promote his little stroll towards the Dark. Jaxom, Balseraph Servitor of Kobal Jaxom's orders are to help Ziggy complete his Journey downwards. The Dark lord of Humour finds the Irony of Ziggy's situation particularly appealing, and has dispatched Jaxom to do what he does best - lie and make Ziggy feel especially gullible and stupid. With a little pushing from Jaxom, Ziggy's guilt over his past should drive him completely over the edge Sharlene, Habballah Servitor of Malphas Sharlene's job is to keep Ziggy obstinant in his duties. Thus, he'll continue doing what's Wrong, and complete his Journey downwards. Sharlene is not particularly happy teaming up with Jaxom, but bringing a new recruit to their Side should prove a nice feather in her cap for her Demon Prince, the Lord of Factions. Ziggy's Persona and Role Book-store owner and Activist, Status 3, Level 4 In the past few years, Ziggy has adopted a permanent human role, that of Ziggy Macabee, the activist. Ziggy Macabee works out of his bookstore, The Antiquarian, where he heads a local group of individuals interested in the legalization of marijuana, as well as the growth and distribution of "medicinal marijuana" for terminally ill patients (cancer, AIDs, lawyers who suffer from terminal lack of soul, etc). His latest hydroponic crop, and his living quarters, are both located above the store in a large studio apartment that he shared with his current girlfriend, Sharlene. While the local police are fairly certain that the Antiquarian group grows marijuana and distributes it (albeit illegally) to terminally ill patients, they are loathe to put forth any effort to stop the group's relatively harmless efforts. Indeed, if all people were as caring, helpful, and nice as the Antiquarians, the drug-trade would be about as interesting as a Sunday quilting bee. If anybody is really interested, the cops will make a point of interviewing Ziggy Macabee and warning him about the dangers of distributing large-scale marijuana, but they're not going to be the ones to shut down an operation that does so much good for misfortunate individuals. Let's face it: cops have to live in this town, too! It's best not to anger the good guys on a minor technicality like trafficing charges! The Antiquarians Surely nobody could fault such a kind and self-less group as the Antiquarians. Unfortunately, their bordertown nature led to some unwanted Diabolical perusal over the last few years. Let's face it, anybody who is doing Good by doing a little bad is ripe for some well-placed Diabolical dealings. The irony was too perfect! This, as was inevitable, proved extremely attractive to the black-hearted with of a certain Jaxom, Balseraph in service to the Dark Lord of Humour. Jaxom posed as a dissaffected Generation-X Journalist, Les ReNaughan, working for a local magazine. He claimed to be doing a story on the Antiquarians, and the good work they were doing. His original intention was to paint such a nice group of people in such a scathing light that any support that they had from the general public would be lost. Jaxom's original intention, therefore, was simply to discredit the Antiquarians in the eyes of the general public, and make them the appear more the comical buffoons tilting-at-windmills than social heros fighting under an oppresive legal regime. It was Jaxom who stumbled onto the fact that this group was run by an undercover angel, Ziggy. Jaxom decided to infiltrate the Antiquarians. He signed on as a volunteer. He has been spending his Tuesday and Thursday nights for the past two years over at the Antiquarian Bookstore, stuffing envelopes with seeds and pamphlets, and generally cracking jokes with his friends. He also has cultivated a close friendship with the store owner - Ziggy - in an attempt to figure out what makes this "guy" tick. After spending a few months getting to know Ziggy, Jaxom hatched his current scheme for pushing Ziggy over the edge. Knowing that "divide and conquour" is one of the primary lessons of all history (including that of the Celestials and the Diabolicals!) he enlisted the aid of somebody specially devoted to "dividing"... he hoped that the "conquouring" would be left up to him! Recent Events in Ziggy's Life Over the last year, Ziggy Macabee has taken a new partner in life - his girlfriend Sharlene. Sharlene is, unbeknownst to Ziggy, Sharlene the Habballah in service to Malphas. It has been her job, over the last year, to "push Ziggy's buttons", and help him Trip. Sharlene unique resonance as a Habballah for Malphas is to make somebody take an obstinantly stubborn stance on any issue. She has been biding her time, working her way into Ziggy's confidence, and using her not inconsiderable sexual charm to wind Ziggy around her finger. She and Ziggy would often discuss the moral implications of the drug trade, the violence at the street level, and other facets of this complex web of issues. Essentially, she spent the first six months of the relationship winning his confidence, and the last six months of the relationship seeding his Doubt. Recently, she'd taken to inviting Ziggy out on late-night romantic walks. It was during one of these walks that she guided the conversation towards the dangers inherent in the drug trade, and whether or not an organization like the Antiquarians (... and of course, personas such as Ziggy) contributed to such violence. While this conversation was at its most deeply philosophical, the pair rounded the corner of the local school, where they witnessed two thugs in black trenchcoats pressuring a local junior high-school student into selling more drugs for them (Wise-guys = Paulie and Stash... see dramatis personae: young pusher = Danny Borducci... see dramatis personae). The conversation essentially involved a little strong-arm tactics to better enforce the position of the dealers. At this moment, Sharlene struck out with her particular Resonance, and Ziggy's opinions on this issue became stubbornly ossified. When Ziggy saw the two thugs rough up the young boy, Ziggy was still under the influence of Sharlene's "charms". He failed his Will roll, and thus failed to keep his emotions in check. The altercation turned violent, and Ziggy beat the two mortal thugs unconscious. After dispatching the two thugs, Ziggy walked over to Danny, and told him "Either get out of the business, or I'll come after you next!". Ziggy then stomped off into the night to contemplate his actions. Witnessing such an amazing attack by one small Rastafarian beat-nik on two well-built Wiseguys (Paulie and Stash) made the young pusher (Danny Borducci), take serious stock of his affairs... it scared him spitless! Danny, after calling 911 and reporting a mugging at the school's address (his ex-bosses were pretty beat up!...), fled to the safety of his bedroom. Stash died of his injuries on the way to the hospital, but nobody but Paulie knows this. Danny, Ziggy, and the Diabolical Duo are ignorant of this. After that, Ziggy and Sharlene spent the night talking about the problems out there in the world, and how "nobody does anything constructive about it". Sharlene made it quite clear that she looked on Ziggy as a "hero", and that she'd never been as attracted to him as she was at that moment (quite true!). Since this time, Ziggy has been being subtly manipulated by Sharlene in an attempt to get him to continue his actions. By now, Ziggy is undergoing nightly forays into the streets in an attempt to do more "good". He needs no more provocation from Sharlene. She is just waiting for the inevitable Fall, to be there to pick up the pieces, and take her credit. It is her hope that Ziggy will realize that everything is about sides, and that a new Impudite Ziggy could find a place in the hordes who follow Malphas. What a team they'd make, ruining the emotions of the Weak! Ziggy has lost interest in the shop, but still attends the regular Tuesday/Thursday meetings of the Antiquarian group. He no longer feels compelled to help the unfortunate indirectly. Instead, he is spending his efforts in a more directed efforts towards change - violently revolutionary change! The Diabolical Duo Sharlene and Jaxom have succeeded in provoking Ziggy to the point of action. Ziggy is now doing things of his own accord. Sharlene and Jaxom are simply waiting for Ziggy's Fall to be complete. Towards this end, Jaxom and Sharlene will do anything within their power, in order to keep Ziggy doing nasty deeds for a few days. Their chief mode of attack is obfuscation! When questioned, they will explain that they haven't seen Ziggy for a few days, and they don't know the present whereabouts of their friend. However, if pressed, they will resort to violence to keep helpful Celestials away from Ziggy. The problem is that their own individual ambitions may prove their undoing. They are loathe to recruit any other Diabolicals' help, just in case they have to share the glory of successfully Tempting an Angel with anybody else. NB. This is a major role-playing cue. Should insightful Celestial Players recognize the self-interest of these individuals, they may be able to keep them from recruiting too many others to help. They may even be able to get them to turn against each other, as Jaxom and Sharlene would gladly take all the credit for the successful Fall of Ziggy if possible. Part One: The Hook The players should be introduced at this point to the fact that one of their brothers has strayed from the path, and may indeed be getting ready to Fall. This can be done in a number of fashions. a. If one of the characters is in service to one of the Archangels listed below, the character should be individually contacted by that archangel with a message indicating the suspicion that Ziggy has strayed from the path. Novalis and Eli will give a brief background of Ziggy, as well as their personal feelings of distress about Ziggy's actions. Dominic will have no such intensive background, but will instead tell his servant that he has noted suspicious activity in one of the many Celestials under his scrutiny. Thus, different players may be interested in Ziggy for different reasons, and hidden agendae may arise. No matter what, the player will be told that Ziggy was last seen at his home above the Antiquarian Bookstore. b. If one of the characters is a member of one of the choirs below, they could receive a message from one of their brethren about suspicious activity by one of the Celestials in their neighbourhood. Such characters will have to find out about Ziggy's history and nature through other sources. This is the most difficult and tenuous adventure hook, as it may be summarized as simply ..."There was a funny mugging/murder that occured the other night...why don't you go take a look". c. If one of the players' personal history is appropriate, it is possible to make Ziggy an old aquantance. Therefore, the character may have come to notice that their old friend Ziggy has recently dropped out of sight, and is no longer returning phone calls. Such a character's motivations may be more personal than anything else. d. The GM is free to make any sort of character hook they may desire. No matter what, the player will be told that Ziggy was last seen at his home above the Antiquarian Bookstore. Specialized Hooks...Who is Interested in Ziggy?...Archangels Eli - If Eli could be contacted, he'd be the first to tell you to go and rescue this poor, misguided fool from himself. Servants of Eli will gladly help their brother out. Novalis - Novalis recognizes that Ziggy's current predicament is not his fault, but is instead, the result of human ingenuity and greed. She'd happily take him back into the fold, so long as he can be shown the error of his ways ... and she can be saved the embarassment of future events such as these! Dominic - Dominic has been been looking for a chance to show the inherent lack of Faith in Eli's people for decades! If Dominic has his way, Ziggy will be hauled up, tried, and punished accordingly. Some More Specialized Hooks - Who is Interested in Ziggy?... Choirs Seraphim- Since Seraphim are interested in getting to the Truth of the matter, they should be more than happy to show Ziggy that his misinterpretation of circumstances has led him astray. If he can only be shown the Truth, he can be led back to the Light. Elohim- Elohim's natural objectivity should lead them towards understanding Ziggy's actions, perhaps better than he understands them himself. If Ziggy can only be made to put his emotions for a brief period of time, he should be able to see clearly how to get back to the Light. Malakites- Look, so far as we know, Ziggy's acted honourably, right? He's just doing as he thinks he is supposed to... what he has to do to get the job done. He's righting a wrong that he thinks he's made: okay, maybe he's overdoing it a little, and it's time to "bring him in". Mercurials- Ziggy's one of their own, but he's turned out a little sour. If he can't be made to stop harming Humanity directly, then maybe he's got to be put down. Mercurials have a tough decision to make... do they have loyalty for a brother, or loyalty to humanity? Sincerely, Rob Wolff / Bodhi rwolff@v-wave.com ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #32 ****************************** The material here is (C) 1996 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.