From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Thu Nov 30 03:52:08 2000 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (majordom@lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by pyramid.sjgames.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id DAA21787 for ; Thu, 30 Nov 2000 03:52:07 -0600 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id DAA04841 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Thu, 30 Nov 2000 03:51:30 -0600 Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 03:51:30 -0600 Message-Id: <200011300951.DAA04841@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 #1950 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 Thursday, November 30 2000 Volume 01 : Number 1950 In this digest: Re: IN> LIL: The leftovers IN> Yves' Pad Re: IN> LIL: The leftovers Re: IN> LIL: The leftovers IN> Some intriguing questions Re: IN> Some intriguing questions Re: IN> Some intriguing questions Re: IN> Hurray for Humans, Part 1 Re: IN> Hurray for Humans, Part 1 Re: IN> Hurray for Humans, Part 1 Re: IN> Hurray for Humans, Part 1 Re: IN> Yves' Pad IN> IN: Wizardry IN> The Speech and The Knowledge IN> Errantry IN> Mana and Other Enhancements ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 21:11:17 -0800 From: Sean McCarthy Subject: Re: IN> LIL: The leftovers Our spies report that on 09:06 PM 11/29/00 -0800, Maurice Lane said: >Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2000 00:20:00 -0600From: Santiago > >Subject: Re: IN> LIL: The leftovers > > Then again, if I was the *Seraph*Council*, I'd >go >and grant Malphas his old word, just to see what > >would happen and stir up more trouble down below... > >--- Santiago > >Oh, that's just EVIL. And neat. > >Heh. I can see it now... > >"You want to offer us _what_, Michael?" > >"Trust me, Baal. I can swing this one on the Council. > You and Asmodeus will only get the Words for a year, >mind, then it goes away. But, come on, will you >really _need_ a year to kick her a**?" This brings an interesting idea. Could a Divine(God/Seraphim Council granted) Word be bestowed to a demon? Could Lucifer (or Lilith in this branch) grant a Word to an angel? What would be the effects? Since a Word is lost if you Fall or Redeem, it would seem very strange if in fact you could give Words to the other side... What would it mean? Sean ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 00:38:40 -0500 From: Jonathan Walton Subject: IN> Yves' Pad Hey Guys, Just a quick question. Me and the great Charles E Smith were chatting about how Steampunk/In Nomine was progressing when we came across a strange little difficulty. Okay in this little alternate history, Raphael is still alive and in charge of the Library, so . . . where is Yves going to crash? I mean, Destiny must have had a Cathedral before the Library got turned over to him around 1000 A.D. I figured it might say in Superiors 3, but you'd think that something as big as Yves' former pad would have made it onto the list sometime, and I don't remember seeing anything about it. Help anyone? Later. Jonathan ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 00:53:29 -0500 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> LIL: The leftovers At 9:06 PM -0800 11/29/00, Maurice Lane wrote: > > >Oh, that's just EVIL. And neat. Seconded. I love how people are running with this.... > >"Trust me, Baal. I can swing this one on the Council. > You and Asmodeus will only get the Words for a year, >mind, then it goes away. But, come on, will you >really _need_ a year to kick her a**?" I should note -- not only is Kronos backing Lilith, but Lilith *has* taken the Granite Throne. I'm stealing more than the name from Redneck Gaijan -- Lilith *is* the Devil, now. She's just... well, human. Granted, Michael would say the above, but whether or not Baal could kick her a** isn't really known.... OTOH, Michael *did* kill Lucifer, and he was the devil for a lot longer, and at the top of his game, Baal is supposed to be close to a match for Mikey.... >"What's in it for Heaven?" > >"Aside from the fact that it'd take you years to >recover, at least half the older Rebels will end up >dead, and Lilim production takes a nosedive, possibly >permanently... why, not much at all. Oh, and the continued Word degredation of the Demons the Seraphim Council don't empower, and Hell being embroiled in a Civil War, leaving Earth to be fortified and secured by the Host, as well as blackmail material against Baal and Asmodeus (and Malphas).... > BTW, Belial's >not in the deal. Dominic insists on that one. He >dies a heroic death. And Eli and Novalis insist on >having lots and lots of private talks with Haagenti." Why do I have this horrible image of Haagenti, Fleurity (who will get updated soon, I promise) and their lieutenants all getting stuck in a 12 step program in the Marches.... >"Why not wait?" > >"Because we know how to fight you. We don't know how >to fight her yet - besides, she's just got too many >hooks on too many people who Really Should Have Known >Better. You know, that's the funny thing. She hasn't been calling those Geases in, now has she? Just like Rebekah's been sealing all the Geas/deals so far.... > We won't automatically win the War anyway, no >matter who ends up on top, and frankly we're happier >with the devil we know. In the "Heaven" Vignette I've sent out, Laurence is pretty convinced victory is automatic. In the... hm. I can't use "Canon," so what do I call the Queen of Hell stuff I do versus other people's takes? Apocrypha? Feces? Anyway -- in that stuff, Hell's going straight to... um... Hell... in a handbasket, right now. Really, I keep thinking of the Soviet Union just before the abortive coup attempt that led to dissolution.... - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Habbalite of Belaboring the Point ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 01:01:30 -0500 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> LIL: The leftovers At 9:11 PM -0800 11/29/00, Sean McCarthy wrote: > >This brings an interesting idea. Could a Divine(God/Seraphim >Council granted) Word be bestowed to a demon? Could Lucifer (or >Lilith in this branch) grant a Word to an angel? What would be the >effects? I think a Divine Word *could* be granted to a Demon, but it would be a horrible thing for them. They would forever have a dissonant fracture of their selfish personal Symphony, as Selfless applications of their Word would intrude. As for Lucifer/Lilith (Lilith *could* grant a Word to an Angel, by the way -- at least in my take on the subsetting), the opposite problem would occur. The Word would be innately Selfish, and promoting it would be a Dissonant thing. However, if they managed to ignore it, I think they could survive at least until the Seraphim Council could remove it -- but it would be a constant temptation in their being, trying to turn them inward... So I say.... - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Habbalite of Belaboring the Point ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 04:10:46 -0200 From: "Jorge Jabor" Subject: IN> Some intriguing questions I've been rereading the In Nomine book and there are some questions that started to haunt me. Here they go, if you can answer me all of them, I,d be glad... 1 - How do Celestials recognize each other? Is it necessary to roll some dice or a Demon can recognize another one just by steping inside the same coffee shop? 2 - When a Celestial is casting a song to take effect on another one near him (e.g. when a female demon is trying to use her charm on an angel) is easily recognizable? Maybe because of the Simphony disturbance... 3 - Is it common for celestials to reveal their Superiors and their Choirs/Bands to another newly met Celestials. 4 - The book I bought is hardcover and black, with the In Nomine sayings and an inverted cross. Why is it different from others I have seen? Anyway, thanks for reading. Jorge Jabor _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 00:23:25 -0600 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: IN> Some intriguing questions - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jorge Jabor" To: Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2000 12:10 AM Subject: IN> Some intriguing questions > I've been rereading the In Nomine book and there are some questions that > started to haunt me. Here they go, if you can answer me all of them, I,d be > glad... > > 1 - How do Celestials recognize each other? Simple. Usually, they don't. This game would be a lot less fun if they could automatically spot each other on sight. A list of the various ways by which various Choir and Band resonances and attunements can be used to spot celestials is at the In Nomine collection at... http://www.sjgames.com/in-nomine/articles/Tips/perception.html [snip] > 2 - When a Celestial is casting a song to take effect on another one near > him (e.g. when a female demon is trying to use her charm on an angel) is > easily recognizable? Maybe because of the Simphony disturbance... Songs always cause disturbance, to the degree of Song Disturbance (listed) + Essence spent. Non-destructive uses of a Chor/Band resonance or a Servitor attunement, OTOH, do *not* cause disturbance unless accompanied by Essence expenditure. > 3 - Is it common for celestials to reveal their Superiors and their > Choirs/Bands to another newly met Celestials. Among angels, yes. It promotes effective teamwork. Among demons, no way. It gives away who you are and what you can do and what you've got backing you up, which is information that in demonic politics is much better off being played close to the chest. - -- Chuckg ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 01:23:34 -0500 From: Whistling in the Dark Subject: Re: IN> Some intriguing questions At 4:10 AM -0200 11/30/00, Jorge Jabor wrote: >I've been rereading the In Nomine book and there are some questions >that started to haunt me. Here they go, if you can answer me all of >them, I,d be glad... > >1 - How do Celestials recognize each other? Is it necessary to roll >some dice or a Demon can recognize another one just by steping >inside the same coffee shop? Generally, Celestials can't recognize each other in Vessels. Certain Angels can detect Demons with high enough Resonance Rolls, though. >2 - When a Celestial is casting a song to take effect on another one >near him (e.g. when a female demon is trying to use her charm on an >angel) is easily recognizable? Maybe because of the Simphony >disturbance... I rule generally that Singing is noticable, yes, with Perception rolls giving particulars. >3 - Is it common for celestials to reveal their Superiors and their >Choirs/Bands to another newly met Celestials. Of the same affiliation, I expect so, yes. But it's not a hard and fast rule. >4 - The book I bought is hardcover and black, with the In Nomine >sayings and an inverted cross. Why is it different from others I >have seen? There were two specialty hardcovers when the game first came out -- white with a cross and black with an infernal/inverted cross. The white ones are often available at minimal markups. The black ones are collector's items -- why they're higher prized than the white I don't know, though I'm haunting eBay for one myself (it's a curse I live with.) - -- Eric Alfred Burns - Habbalite of Belaboring the Point ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 01:44:18 -0400 From: Douglas Muir Subject: Re: IN> Hurray for Humans, Part 1 I like human characters; it's an interesting challenge to make them viable in this game. My quibble with this particular one would be that he's not evil... he's not even particularly selfish. I suppose that would be OK in a low contrast campaign. Doug M. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 00:02:51 -0700 From: Tim Groth Subject: Re: IN> Hurray for Humans, Part 1 >My quibble with this particular one would be that he's not evil... he's not >even particularly selfish. I suppose that would be OK in a low contrast >campaign. I agree, but he is self absorbed. He cares much more about his games/puzzles than anything else. I prefer very low contrast humans, even if celestials are high contrast. I like presenting humans as more multifaceted than celestials, or at least less static. Should have also mentioned that I allow Hellsworn to Redeem with great ease, they just have to do good stuff. The only difference between being a Soldier of God and a Soldier of Hell is whom your helping most. Otherwise its all about your destiny/fate. That's just me though. - -- Timothy, Angel of Rambling Ofanite of Creation ArchRival of Mathus If you have time to kill, why not kill it at http://ucsub.Colorado.edu/~grothtp/In.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 01:00:53 -0600 From: "Charles Glasgow" Subject: Re: IN> Hurray for Humans, Part 1 - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Douglas Muir" To: Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2000 11:44 PM Subject: Re: IN> Hurray for Humans, Part 1 > > I like human characters; it's an interesting challenge to make them viable > in this game. > > My quibble with this particular one would be that he's not evil... he's not > even particularly selfish. I suppose that would be OK in a low contrast > campaign. Or even a high contrast one, as a note of pathos. He's *not* evil. He's not particularly selfish. He's honestly thinking that it's just harmless fan. And he's accepted his Infernal Force, become fully Hellsworn, and is damned damned DAMNED. He's going to Hell, he's given Fate a futures option on his soul, and he's about as spiked as it's ever gonna get. (The Redemption path for Hellsworn makes merely achieving your Destiny look as easy as merely walking across the street.) Now is the time for all good angels to step up and decide -- are they just going to beat on the evil or will they take the harder path and try to redeem it? Will they even see that this soul *needs* saving, or will they not bother to look before Smiting? [1] And will they be able to get through his clueless damn thick skull *any* realization of the true situation he's in? - -- Chuckg [1] Unusual attitude for an uber-Michael fan, I know -- but hey, it's a human, not a demon. They *don't* come back after the Trauma is over, so you *do* have to ask questions first and then shoot later. In many ways, demons are easier. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 00:16:08 -0700 From: Tim Groth Subject: Re: IN> Hurray for Humans, Part 1 >Chuckg That works too, hell it works better. Hmmm, that would be mean to make the happy friendly view a lie (they seem to be assuming that it works that way). And there is going to be a Mercurian of Novalis in the new campaign! When GMs attack... - -- Timothy, Angel of Rambling Ofanite of Creation ArchRival of Mathus If you have time to kill, why not kill it at http://ucsub.Colorado.edu/~grothtp/In.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2000 16:01:24 +0800 From: Manny Nepomuceno Subject: Re: IN> Yves' Pad *slight cough* Strangely enough, I always got the impression that Yves and Raphael were lovers for a while or something like that...which might have led to their sharing a Cathedral, in much the same way as Blandine and Beleth. OTOH, in Superiors 3 on page 126 there's mention of how "[the Library's] doors were open to Raphael but Yves was nowhere to be found" (in the box text). Seems to indicate that Raphael had a separate Cathedral, and that the Library was always Yves's. Perhaps after Raphael's passing, the Library absorbed Raphael's Cathedral? After all, it would have been linked to the Library in the first place, as a repository of knowledge. Who knows, if Blandine dies or Falls, her Tower (or at least, the repositories of books in it) might also become part of the Library. Just some thoughts. Manny Neps on 11/30/00 1:38 PM, Jonathan Walton at Jonathan.Walton@oberlin.edu wrote: > Hey Guys, > > Just a quick question. Me and the great Charles E Smith were chatting > about how Steampunk/In Nomine was progressing when we came across a strange > little difficulty. > Okay in this little alternate history, Raphael is still alive and in > charge of the Library, so . . . where is Yves going to crash? I mean, > Destiny must have had a Cathedral before the Library got turned over to him > around 1000 A.D. I figured it might say in Superiors 3, but you'd think > that something as big as Yves' former pad would have made it onto the list > sometime, and I don't remember seeing anything about it. Help anyone? > > Later. > Jonathan ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 04:54:21 +0000 From: Eric Hallstrom Subject: IN> IN: Wizardry Disclaimer: No canon here. Based on the works of Diane Duane. Datclaimer: Don't kill me. "In Life's Name and for Life's sake, I say that I will use the Art for nothing but the service of that Life. I will guard growth and ease pain. I will fight to preserve what grows and lives well in its own way; and I will change no object or creature unless its growth and life, or that of the system of which it is part, are threatened. To these ends, in the practice of my Art, I will put aside fear for courage and death for life, when it is right to do so - till Universe's end." This variant is based on Diane Duane's _So You Want To Be A Wizard_ series. There are, roughly, around 5 times ten to the ninth power humans alive today. Of these, roughly one in every one hundred posesses the natural ability to achieve six forces and awaken with (relatively) minimal effort. Of these natural six forcers (i.e. Soldier material) it is further estimated that one in five hundred is born with the ability to become a Wizard, for a total "chance" of one in fifty thousand. Thus, there may be as many as ten thousand potential Wizards on earth at the present time. A Wizard (and only a Wizard) may develop two special skills: The Speech (Perception)(2 pts. per level) and The Knowledge (Intelligence) (2 pts. per level) See the separate message "The Speech and The Knowledge". A Wizard speaks (rather than sings) Songs with The Speech skill. He may use any Song he has Prepared (effectively, retained in ready-to-use form in the front of his attention/memory). Each Realm of a song counts as a separate entry, and the Wizard may hold (Intelligence) separate Songs Prepared at one time. A Wizard may have extra "slots" for preparing Songs, bought at 1 pt. each. A Wizard may buy "phantom" forces for the purposes of Wizardry only (see below). These cost 4 pts. each and increase the Wizard's Essence (and Mana) pool. They may be lost in Celestial combat, should such occur. Wizards may also Master Songs that they use and practice regularly, this costs 1 pt. per Maximum lvl. the Song may be performed at, and covers all three realms. Note that such songs are still rolled under the Wizard's skill in The Speech. Wizards always use the Mana(q.v.) rules, even if others do not. Wizards may not be granted Songs in the normal method, as these "dissapear into the background". See also the messages "Errantry" and "Mana and other enhancements", following. No Wizard has ever been known to possess an Attunement. It is unknown whether Wizards can possess rites, but they may not start play with them. Some notes: Wizards are not Sorcerers, and an Awakened Wizard may not initiate nor be initiated into Sorcery. Wizards _may_ learn Socerous Skills, but may not use them if the Socrery Attunement is required. Wizards are (always and only) fully human, possessed of six forces or more and Awakened. Though see below. Wizards may not become Undead, and vice-versa. Wizards do not go to the Lower Heavens, and so do not become Saints and no Saint has ever Awakened into Wizardry. No Wizard has ever been known to manifest any other form of Celestial or para-Celestial power. Wizards, while active in their Wizardry, may gain Forces as a Celestial would, although their lack of Superiors makes this difficult. In practice, they must either boost a Force peicemeal, by Characteristic increase, or burn the reward gained from an Errantry-6. Wizards do not create disturbance if they expend Mana (or Essence) to boost a die roll. No Angelic resonance will detect the fact that a particular person is a Wizard, nor will any information gathered by such resonances about Wizardly activities stand out in any way, CDs which would so indicate will be subtly fuzzed. Wizards double their Will roll against Demonic resonances, and no Celestial or Ethereal may ever possess a Wizard. No Wizard may be made a Servant within the meaning of that rule. A newly Awakened Wizard who had previously been a Servant would have that status cancelled by the Awakening. Wizards say that Ignorance brings Power, while Weakness brings Wisdom. Stripped of its poetry, this saying reflects the fact that younger Wizards, who have not yet learned which things are impossible, tend to greater power, while those elder Wizards who have mastered their Art tend to have difficulty with the more potent workings thereof. In game terms, a Wizard may buy "phantom" forces for 4 pts. each, such forces adding themselves to the Wizards relevant Forces (or adding twice their value to the relevant statistic) _for the purposes of Wizardry only_. These extra forces also increase the maximum level at which a Wizard may use a claudication, (i.e if the Wizard had 2 "phantom" forces, Cel Forces 3, Perception 6, The Speech 4 and was holding a Song of Thunder Prepared at CD 6, the Wizard could Sing a Song of Thunder-8 at CelForces5, with a base skill of 14) and provide extra Essence. Note, however, that a "starting character" Wizard may not have a Speech or Knowledge skill greater than 6-"phantom" forces, that one "phantom" force is lost when skill in The Speech or The Knowledge reaches 6, and at (for Humans) the ages of 10, 14, 18, 25, 35 and 50, or thereabouts. On the other end, Mastery (q.v.) of either The Speech or The Knowledge reduces the maximum level at which a claudication may be performed by 1, and Grand Mastery (q.v.) in either skill reduces it by 2. Wizards are Awakened by and empowered for the purposes of the Symphony itself, and not generally by Celestials, although it is suspected that Yves, Micheal, Kronos and Lucifer, at least _could_ Awaken a Wizard suitable candidates were to present themselves. It is known that the potential for Wizardry can _not_ be discerned by either Divine Destiny or Fated Future. At least, not by the Servitor's version. There is no Angel of Wizardry. A ready-to-be Awakened potential Wizard will suddenly acquire a source of The Knowledge in some apparantly coincidental fashion. This source will inform him or her of tha nature and purpose, powers and duties of Wizardry as a career; granting him or her a (non-functional) skill in The Speech and The Knowledge of 1 (one), each. At this point the postulant will be challenged to take the Oath of Wizardry (see above). If/when he or she does, a period of extremely rapid instruction in the Wizardly skills will follow, typically culminating in a beginning skill of 2 to 4 in each area, depending on the Wizards level of power. A Wizard's Awakening is followed closely by an Errantry (q.v.) called the Ordeal of at least the strength of the Wizard's "phantom" forces. As Errantrys are always tailored for specific Wizards, or sets thereof, it is suspected that a Wizard with no appropriate Errantry in the offing would simply be impossible _to_ Awaken. If someone has evidence otherwise, they're being very quiet about it. A Wizard who uses his Wizardry for purely selfish reasons, or who ignores an Errantry takes a kind of psuedo-dissonance as a result of being "crosswise to causality": 1 Point per mana spent purely selfishly, 1 point per level of an Errantry per day it is ignored (ignoring an Errantry also tends to having other bad effects, like the end of the World, or similar). This "psuedo- dissonance" works itself off at unpredictable times as "bad luck"; reducing a skill roll _and_ adversely affecting the CD on a point per point basis. GMs option as to when. Be brutal. A Wizard may turn Renegade, accepting his Fate. Such a Wizard will carry no dissonance but will tend to become the subject of Errantry for every true Wizard within reach. And Wizards have long arms. A Wizard who sincerely wishes to return to the fold may do so. No redemption is necessary, but he must relearn his skills from scratch, starting at level 1. A Wizard may renounce his Wizardry at any time. It goes away. Forever. A Wizard who neither renounces her Wizardry nor turns Renegade _will_ die in harness, thus achieving her destiny. Guaranteed. Wizards who die in harness do not go to Heaven, but to "Timeheart" where "everything that has ever been loved leaves an echo". Timeheart is suspected to be a part of the Higher Heavans. No-one knows where Wizards who meet their Fate go when they die. It isn't Hell. None have ever been seen or heard of again. Wizards say that every race of the Earth has brought forth Wizards, including Fish, Whales, Trees, Cats and so forth. This may or may not be true. Certain Celestials have claimed to encounter Wizardry among Cats, Ravens (and their kin), Parrots (and _their_ kin), and Sharks. For Game purposes, the ratio of Supernormal to Normal individuals among most Animal species is between one in one thousand to one in one million (In most cases, only Jordi would be able to accurately tell the difference. Or care.). The ratio of potential Wizards among Supernormal Individuals is between one in five thousand to one in fifty thousand, leading to a total "chance" of between one in five million to one in fifty billion. Except for the species mentioned above, where the overall "chance" is similar to that in humans: one in fifty thousand. Anyone who manages to explain these factors will gain great recognition. Or immediate and utter oblivion, depending. Micheal and Yves love Wizardry and Wizards with nearly unreserved passion, one of the (very) few things they actually agree on. Most other angels regard them in person with the same feelings as a human would have for a personable, helpful, benevolent member of the IRS (or, for non-.us reader, member of the Looming Governmental Entity of your own choice). That a Wizard will occasionally commandeer one for service in some god-awful adventure or other doesn't help matters. Lucifer and Kronos take an active and malignant interest in Wizardry and attempt to suborn or kill every Wizard they can find. A new Wizard can expect about a thirty-five percent chance of meeting one or both at some time in his working life. That a (bare) majority of Wizards survive this meeting uncorrupted says all that needs to be said about their capabilities. Other demons regard the sudden discovery that Wizardry even exists as merely another proof that the Symphony is an actively malevolant and malignant place; similar to the average human's reaction to sudden discovery that his basement is home to a colony of six-inch-long, poisonous, biting cockroaches. Wizards tend to address Micheal as "The Winged Defender" or "Bright Champion". Wizards address Yves as "Grandfather". Wizards call angels "the Powers" or "The Powers That Be", and will tend to adress them by name or by Word. Wizards call Lucifer "The Lone Power", his formal address is: "Fairest and Fallen; greetings and defiance." Most of them are rather sorry for him. Wizards call Kronos "the Sorrowful" and will refuse to speak of or to him if at all possible. Wizards consider demons to be minor adjuncts of Lucifer and will address them as such, which tends to torque the demons in question off. For game purposes, a Wizard should be considered to be about equal to a Celstial of two or three Forces higher. Eric Hallstrom, 11/30/2000 - -- All parts should go together without forcing. You must remember that the parts you are reassembling were disassembled by you. Therefore, if you can't get them together again, there must be a reason. By all means, do not use a hammer. -IBM maintenance manual, 1925 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 04:55:46 +0000 From: Eric Hallstrom Subject: IN> The Speech and The Knowledge Disclaimer: No canon here. Based on the works of Diane Duane. Datclaimer: Don't kill me. Wizards speak a "universal" language related to celestial, but even more basic: they can talk to _anything_, although rocks and air are only rarely capable of sparkling repartee. A Wizard using the Speech will percieve a conversation as though it were with a fellow sentient, but must beware of false perceptions of accuracy which he or she may give to something that cannot truly supply it. Note that the Speech is _not_ a secret language: anything that hears it can understand it just fine, although eavesdropping on a Wizard creating a claudication will seem so much gibberish to any but another Wizard. Wizards use Songs, rather than Sorcerous Rituals, but they use them in ways which Celestials (and others) perceive as very odd. Wizards call songs "Claudications" and speak them more than Singing them. This allows a Wizard to spend extra time explaining his reasons and requirements for using the Song to the Symphony more carefully. Each extra increment of time over the minimum necessary to speak the claudication spent in this manner will reduce the disturbance created by one. A Wizard may use the Speech to use a claudication mimicing the more active part of an Ofanite's resonance. If she has the permission of the possessee, she may use a claudication mimicing the Kyriotate resonance, but any damage inflicted upon the possessee and unhealed at the end of the possession will be inflicted at doubled strength upon the Wizard. If the deal is agreed to in full beforehand a Wizard may invoke a Geas with The Speech, but this requires no claudication. A Wizard on Errantry who has determined that a particular Celestial has a particular role to play in the resolution of said Errantry may use The Speech to Geas the Celestial in question into performing it at a level of Geas equivalent to the Errantry itself. The CD of the roll acts as a penalty to the Will roll to resist the Geas. Claudications mimicing a resonance must be prepared beforehand, like any other. They require no Mana to use, and cause no disturbance. A Wizard uses his skill in The Knowledge to Prepare claudications. This takes from around ten or so minutes at no penalty for common claudications to days or years at whatever the GM thinks appropriate for the more Secret sort. The check digit of this roll is the maximum level at which the Wizard may use the claudication in question later. The Wizard may keep trying till she gets it right, of course, but beginning a new preparation wipes the old one clean .... Every Wizard has his or her own way of accessing the Knowledge; from a magic book, to Runecasting, to voices in his head, but the method may not be stolen or used by any other, and is very hard to block by any means, so the differences are largely cosmetic. The Knowledge always includes a full and complete listing of the local Wizardly heirarchy and support structure, including the Wizard himself, including Wizardly skills and specialtys, and status (available, on vacation, on Errantry, etc.). The Knowledge can be used to mimic the Angelic resonances of a Seraph, Cherub, Elohite, Malakite, or Mercurian. It can also mimic the passive part of an Ofanite's resonance. Each such mimicry requires around 5 to 10 minutes, assesses only one subject, creates no disturbance, costs no mana, but does require that the relevant choir's dissonance condition be adhered to during the attempt. Breaking the dissonance condition causes the resonance attempt to fail automatically. A Wizard who has just had a full nights sleep may spend about ten minutes meditating in The Knowledge to regain Essence for the day. A successful roll will recover the check digit in Essence. Alternatively, about an hour of meditation will substitute for the sleep, for the Wizard on the go. This can be done once per day. A Wizard who spends about a day searching and scavenging may attempt to create Talismans: make a roll against the Knowledge,; if succesful, the CD is the number of your "prepared" claudications which you may bind to certain objects (a willow branch picked by night and stripped of its bark under moonlight, a NiCaD C-cell battery with a band-aid over the + terminal, the radio antenna from a '58 Chevy, etc.). For each, amke another roll against The Knowledge: if you fail, whatever you found wasn't quite right; if you succeed, the CD measures half the amount of extra Mana the object is storing _for that claudication only_ and how many days the Talisman will remain good. (i.e. a CD of 6 on the radio antenna gives 12 mana for the Song of Corp. Fire, good for 6 days.) Note that a claudication bound to a Talisman may not be used without the Talisman, goes away when the Talisman runs out of Mana, and still takes up its slot. A Wizard may use The Knowledge as a psuedo-Celestial "resonance", which assesses a situation for Celestial or Ethereal involvement, and informs the Wizard if it affects the Destiny of the Symphony as a whole. This resonance may be activated by the GM, if the Wizard blunders against an Errantry (q.v.). A Wizard on Errantry may use her "resonance" in The Knowledge to determine the particulars of Celestial Involvement in the Errantry in question, and also what needs to be done to resolve the Errantry. He may also determine if any particular Corporeal, Ethereal, Celestial person or thing is vital to such resolution and something of what its task in such a resolution would be. CD 1: The presence of an Errantry, Superior involvement, Planetary level threats. Confirmation of a detailed Celestial resolution. CD 2: The level of the Errantry, Word-bound or Pagan God-level involvement, Species threats. Presense of a Celestial resolution. CD 3: Celestial or Ethereal Involvement, threats which will resolve themselves in Ten years or less. Confirmation of a Suspected Celestials Involvement. CD 4: The Names or Words of involved Celestials, Century threats. The Name of one Non-Word-bound Celestial who is involved in the resolution. CD 5: Details of Celestial or Ethereal Involvement, Millenial threats. The Name of one Non-Superior Celestial who is involved in the resolution. One thing which a Celstial must do so that a resolution is possible. CD 6: Details of Word-Bound involvement. The Names of those Celestials who can resolve the Errantry, and what they are supposed to do. Note that all of the above results can be a little blurred, as necessary. Potentially, _any_ Song might show up as a Claudication in The Knowledge, if it were ... necessary. Including ones that don't otherwise exist at all .... Eric Hallstrom, 11/30/2000 - -- All parts should go together without forcing. You must remember that the parts you are reassembling were disassembled by you. Therefore, if you can't get them together again, there must be a reason. By all means, do not use a hammer. -IBM maintenance manual, 1925 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 04:56:58 +0000 From: Eric Hallstrom Subject: IN> Errantry Disclaimer: No canon here. Based on the works of Diane Duane. Datclaimer: Don't kill me. The payment for all of a Wizard's cool powers is service. Wizards are called to ease conflicts within and between parts of the Symphony, and the creatures that constitute it. Wizards are called to keep themselves and Wizardry secret from those who do not already know of them. (This counts as an on-going Errantry-4). Wizards are called to oppose the machinations of Demons. Wizards are called to minimise the inerference of the three Realms with one another. And sometimes, Wizards are just called. It's called Errantry, and it's roughly equivalent to having the Symphony slap a Geas on your head. No Will roll to avoid allowed. Sometimes you are told what you are supposed to do. Sometimes you are told what the problem is. Sometimes you aren't. But one thing you _know_: every Errantry is _sent_, and meant for a specific Wizard, or team thereof. There may also be other beings involved as well, but the bottom line is: if _you_ don't do it, it won't get done. No backup. No net. And the penalty for failure, ultimately, is that the Universe edges a little closer to its end, and to its Fate. And it will be _your_ fault. Welcome to Wizardry. You volunteered. Game Notes: Errantry is the Wizard's equivalent of a Celestial's Superior sending it on a mission, except usually with less briefing. Sucessfully completing an Errantry will tend to lead to some kind of reward, on the same level as that which will buy a Geas. See below for the table, copied from FOTM. The Errantry Took Or Involved So, it was Level You get One Hour normal work 1 1 Essence or equiv. One Day hard work 2 3 Essence or equiv. One Week moderate risk 3 1 cp/10 Ess./equiv. One Month severe risk 4 3 cp/30 Ess./equiv. Six Months lethal risk 5 5 cp/50 Ess./equiv. One Year lethal Soul risk 6 10 cp/100 Ess./equiv. Note that, unlike Geasa, Errantry levels _will_ stack above six. In these cases, use GMs discretion as to rewards. Eric Hallstrom, 11/30/2000 - -- All parts should go together without forcing. You must remember that the parts you are reassembling were disassembled by you. Therefore, if you can't get them together again, there must be a reason. By all means, do not use a hammer. -IBM maintenance manual, 1925 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2000 04:58:34 +0000 From: Eric Hallstrom Subject: IN> Mana and Other Enhancements Disclaimer: Really no canon here. Really. Seriously. Datclaimer: Don't kill me. This variant can work with the rules for Wizardry, or by itself. Be aware that it magnifies the ease of use of supernatural powers immensely, and don't say I didn't warn you. Briefly and simply, all temporary uses of essence (boosting rolls, singing Songs, activating Attunements, etc.) now use Mana instead. A character's Mana pool is equal to his/her Essence pool, but when it empties, you can refill it by spending an action and one Essence. Typically the action is a quick prayer, centering meditation, or "lucky" ritual. Example: Joe Angelic (9 forces) starts the day with 9 Essence and 9 Mana. He gets into an altercation with a demon and spends 4 mana to boost Dodge rolls, and then 3 more on a Song of Thunder. Now he has 9 Essence and 2 Mana. Peeling out in a "borrowed" car, he feels the need to boost a Driving roll, spending his last 2 Mana to do so. Screeching round a corner, he rubs his thumb over the silver medal on his chest, and mutters a brief but heartfelt prayer. Now he has 8 Essence and 8 Mana. Grimly summoning his power, he prepares to Smite the foe. Completing a Rite gives you 1 Essence _and_ refills your Mana Pool. Note also that _long-term_ / permanent effects still use Essence. So, it isn't any easier to enchant something, etc. Also, anything that the GM feels the need to tone down (some Sorcery rituals, etc.) can also be so limited. Notes on Mastery and Grand Mastery. This replaces the Mastery rules from the CPG. A character with a rating of 6 in a skill relating to his realm or to his word may buy Mastery in the skill for twice the cost of one level of the skill in question. A character with Mastery of a skill may buy Grand Mastery for 3 times the cost of one level of the skill in question. A character with Mastery of a skill may shift the CD in that skill by his Realm Forces, automaticly negate that many points of skill penalties, and, if the above bonus or Essence/Mana expenditure boosts his overall chances to par or better, will never fail a skill roll. For purposes of opposed tests, his basic skill roll is 12 plus his Realm Forces. A character with Grand Mastery of a skill will never fail a skill roll except by adverse Intervention, and may shift the CD by her _total_ Forces. For purposes of opposed tests, her basic skill roll is 14 plus her total Forces. Notes on Essence Banks. Essence Banks are celestial, ethereal or corporeal artifacts of personal or general worth, which may be used to hold spare essence. They do _not_ regenerate Essence, nor may they be drawn upon directly to power an effect. Essence Banks are a category of Resource. Their nominal worth is 1 cp per 10 Essence. They may be held in the Character's Celestial abode, if any, or else in Corporeal form on Earth, either choice haveing pluses and minuses. The Essence may be confiscated or stolen, if the objects holding it are. To use an Essence bank, the character must either hold or meditate upon the object when he or she would normally regain Essence (this may include Rites, etc.). This will either draw extra Essence from the Bank to refill the Character to maximum, or, if the character was _at_ maximum beforehand, will place the Essence gained into the Bank. In emergencies, a Bank may be physically destroyed to refill the character by it's full value, any extra being wasted. A Bank shound _not_ be kept generally in the character's personal possession, as voluntary Essence use while in contact with the Bank will cause it to liberate _all_ of its Essence uselessly. Note that the Bank of Hell is a special case of this concept. Also note that Superiors will probably want to know what you're doing with all that Essence if the amount grows above 10 time your Forces, or so .... Notes on Vessels, Roles and Avatars. A Vessel may be made in a smaller or larger than human form. For every halving of mass (about) subtract 1 from the innate Power of the vessel's attacks, but add one to dodge. For every quartering of mass, reduce the effective level of the vessel by one for the purposes of Body hits. Reverse these factors for vessels of _increased_ mass. A Vessel may have "built-in" versions of Numinous Corpi. These cost equal to their level, which will usually be 1 to 3 for "natural" vessels. A Vessel may also have "built in" disadvantages, which provide a cost reduction. The cost of a Vessel may not be reduced below 1 cp. A character with a "broken" Vessel that was destroyed in corporeal combat (who has come out of Trauma) may "repair" it by spending 1 Essence per body hit. A character with access to the appropriate Song of Healing may "repair" her Vessels for 1 _Mana_ per body hit, instead. "Restarting" a "repaired" vessel costs as many Essence as the Vessel cost in cp. A Role is _not_ a mass of background data. It is a "mental viewpoint"; the Ethereal equivalent of a Vessel for non-Ethereals. Every human has a free Role-1 as "me" to use in his or her own Dreamscape. A Role includes a skill "Act like the Role" at a level equal to the Role. This may imply several cascade skills, but note that these will be reduced by one or more points depending on how important to the Role they are, and that they _only_ apply _while acting in the Role_. So a Role of Policeman-6 might include Drive Like a Cop-5 and Cop Paperwork =-4, but probably only has Shoot Like a Cop-2. Most Humans have Roles for their jobs, but not all. A person without a "Job-Role", or who is not "in" such a Role at the time will not "register" as a member of the Job in question. A person without a "Person-Role" will not make much of a "personal" impression. A person without _any_ Role will "register" as either disturbingly blank or even more disturbingly _alien_, depending. Note that Roles are real components of the Symphony, and may be bought even by Seraphim of Litheroy (as long as they actually _live_ them, you understand.) A Role serves the purpose of a Vessel for computing Mind hits, and may be "broken" in Ethereal Combat with the same effects as losing a Vessel in Corporeal Combat. A "broken" Role may be Repaired in the same way as a Vessel, see above. An Avatar is the _Celestial_ equivalent of a Vessel. It is only available to non-Celestials, who will play Hell getting one. A non-Celestial with an Avatar may assume "Celestial" form and journey to the Celestial Plane under the same conditions as an Angel without a Heart. Getting by the Guards may be tricky. A "broken" Avatar may be "repaired" like a Role or a Vessel. A Human who loses a Role to Ethereal Combat, or an Avatar to Celestial Combat will return to his or her body in a Trauma-like coma, possibly to his or her detriment. An Ethereal who loses an Avatar reacts like it had lost a Vessel instead. Eric Hallstrom, 11/30/2000 - -- All parts should go together without forcing. You must remember that the parts you are reassembling were disassembled by you. Therefore, if you can't get them together again, there must be a reason. By all means, do not use a hammer. -IBM maintenance manual, 1925 ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #1950 ******************************** The material here is (C) 2000 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.