From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Sun Aug 16 19:44:19 1998 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by pyramid.sjgames.com (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id TAA00977 for ; Sun, 16 Aug 1998 19:44:18 -0500 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.0/8.9.0) id TAA32190 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Sun, 16 Aug 1998 19:53:36 -0500 Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 19:53:36 -0500 Message-Id: <199808170053.TAA32190@lists.io.com> X-Authentication-Warning: lists.io.com: majordom set sender to owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com using -f From: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com (in_nomine-digest) To: in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Subject: in_nomine-digest V1 #920 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 Sunday, August 16 1998 Volume 01 : Number 920 In this digest: Re: IN> angel atvantage Re: IN> A few revised band attunements Re: IN> A few revised band attunements IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #917 IN> A plot Seed. Re: IN> A few revised band attunements Re: IN> Tsarien, Archangelangel of Victory Re: IN> IN: London hath returned Re: IN> Fall of the Malakim. (no spoilers here!) Re: IN> IN: London hath returned IN> Tsarien's dissonance conditions IN> Stupid Lilim tricks (was Re: IN> Dissonance question) Re: IN> Stupid Lilim tricks (was Re: IN> Dissonance question) Re: IN> Stupid Lilim tricks (was Re: IN> Dissonance question) IN> Dark Malakim (long!) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 20:01:50 -0400 From: Nana Yaw Ofori Subject: Re: IN> angel atvantage At 12:13 PM -0400 8/14/98, The Bard wrote: >> Plus these Angels can't wander around Hell >> slaughtering Demons, they have to sit where they are, and pluck out the >> unworthy heading for Hell. > >I'm just saying I wouldn't want the enemy sitting at my front door. They're not sitting at the front door. They're sitting by the delivery entrance. > >> If I recall correctly, Angels entering Hell sets off a Disturbance, > >Heaven and hell PG. 61 under heading angles in hell. First two sentences. Same page, fifth sentence. "Their Presence does ripple thorugh the Symphony, though not as dramatically as the presence of Demons in Heaven." Seeing as how Demons set off Heaven-Wide klaxons when popping into Heaven, I took this sentence to mean that Angels popping into Hell merely alert the Demons in the vicinity. > >> Operative phrase being 'If they wanted to.' > >The point is a deamon could not if he wanted to but he can't it is an unfair >atvantage. He can...It just takes a whole bunch of preparation, and Superior intervention. Any Angel who's sitting around in Hell, and doesn't bury himself under a rock is going to be found out right quick, and then his stay becomes most decidedly unpleasant if the Lightbringer decides his reasons for coming to Hell are worth his life. Otherwise, his stay becomes most decidedly short, if he's lucky. Assume the angel's got some bizzare attunement or Song that lets him change the appearance of his Celestial Form. He's still going to be expected to know Demonic, and lying in Demonic gives Angels Dissionance. (Something I dislike personally, and don't use.) Consider how this Angel is supposed to Enter Hell anyway. Let's see, he can walk in from the Marches, which requires passing through Beleth's Tower, then booking passage across the Styx, and finally getting through the gates into Hades, the most heavily defended part of Hell itself. No cakewalk there. He can also follow a Demon to his Heart, which puts him in the innermost levels of a Demon Prince's principality, almost guaranteeing him to be spotted. Sure, it won't be the massed Armies of Heaven pouring down upon him to wipe him from the very face of existence, but for most intents and urposes it will be just as bad. Yes, the borders of Hell are more open than the Borders of Heaven. The difficulty of crossing either border without incident, makes the effects of this discrepancy quite meager. It's like breaking into a bank whose alarm triggers 50 automatic machine guns trained on you, and one whose alarm triggers 5000. ===== ><{{"> =================================================== <"}}>< ====== Nana-Yaw "The Fish" Ofori, Freelance Soldier of Heck, presenty serving Trudy, Impudite Captain of Gluttony, the Demon of Popcorn nofori@pop3.utoledo.edu | Homepage: http://members.tripod.com/~maltesh maltesh@usa.net | In Nomine: http://members.tripod.com/~maltesh/T317 ===== ><{{"> ============ "Life's a Fish, then you Fry." ======= <"}}>< ====== ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 03:43:26 +0100 (BST) From: Warsinger Subject: Re: IN> A few revised band attunements On Sat, 15 Aug 1998, Pee Kitty wrote: > ] ANDREALPHUS' LILIM > > I already posted this one once, but I like it so much more than the boring > (useful, yes, but boring) one Andre gives in canon. It seems to suit them > better, making them into true seductresses, not just powered-up vanilla > Lilim. I hadn't really thought about it - but now that I see this version I much prefer it. Given all the legends about infernal seductresses which in In Nomine universe basically means Lilim or Andre's servitors, or better yet the two combined it makes perfect sense. Still a nice Attunement - but no longer quite so hideous when Free Lilim get it and start combining it with certain others. > > ] SAMINGA'S HABBALAH > With one simple change, brazenly stolen from Jean's Mercurians, Saminga's > Habbalah are now quite useful. The resistance roll doesn't change, so I > don't see this as being at all unbalancing...it just makes them natural > possessors, for a fair price. Makes sense, and actually gives them something to do, although while it wouldn't make very good game material I sort of saw Samainga's Habbalah as mainly punishing the dead in Hell. > > ] VAPULA'S IMPUDITES > > I just toned it down a bit. Sorry, but EIGHTEEN points of Essence? I mean, > a reliquary/9 with a +3 convenience feature would cost 30 points, and this > is handed out as a band attunement? Too much. I think this is still *very* > fair. > They were just a bit too good. The glasses are just wonderful on their own, and the extra essence version that you used seems a lot fairer. So some more would be good, since I like all the ones so far. So the comments aren't that great - basically saying yes I do like them - but feedback of any sort is generally appreciated :) Warsinger Cute and fluffy....(with claws) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 23:38:48 -0400 (EDT) From: Pee Kitty Subject: Re: IN> A few revised band attunements On Sun, 16 Aug 1998, Warsinger wrote: > So some more would be good, since I like all the ones so far. So the > comments aren't that great - basically saying yes I do like them - but > feedback of any sort is generally appreciated :) Well, that's all I've got for now! For the most part, I love all the attunements already in the book; these were the few that needed some real fixing, IMO. - -- Rev. Pee Kitty, of the order Malkavian-Dobbsian Meow! ::: Official Martyr of X-Day! ::: Thinking about a Tampa Bay Devival in the future - email me! ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1998 22:23:43 PDT From: "David Streeter" Subject: IN> Re: in_nomine-digest V1 #917 >Elizabeth McCoy wrote: > >> A general question for y'all -- would you feel ticked if something >> that was an Out-take from one book (and therefore up on the web) >> got put into a subsequent book (in black and white and ink and paper)? As long as it wasn't Canon on the web, fine. The only canon articles I think that should go on the web are the errata, the FAQ, and articles in Pyramid magazine (are they canonical?) If an out-take were published as an optional addition to your campaign, and then later were published and became canonical, no problem. SurturZ Habbalite of Factions, Angel of Constructive Criticism ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 03:02:07 EDT From: Akumsa@aol.com Subject: IN> A plot Seed. Like a Demon from the abyss, whose corporeal from keeps getting slain, I JUST KEEP COMING BACK! (manical laughter). Here is a Shameless plot seed for all you Celetial types who feel the need to torture human/player souls. Rise and Fall, Rise and Fall, Rise and Fall. The player characters are let on to the fact that an NPC has started to Rise (or Fall for you demonic types.) The problem with this is that the Celestial in question is rather high on the Infernal/Angelic Hierarchy. The trick here is not less than 1 week (or a few days, which ever the GM prefers) ago, the Demon/Angel applied for his Word, and the news from the top (Seraphim council, or Luci, whichever is appropriate) , was the celestial was going to get the Word (Gm's pref) he/she/it/they (if shed or Kyro) applied for. Since this is NOT done without an extensive search into the background of the applicant (Dominic and Asmo teamed up on this), such news is almost unheard of. The player characters are assigned to find out why this Demon/Angel is so near to the opposite of his/her/its/whatever's nature. To make matters worse, the celestial has gone missing, and for some reason, the Cherub/Djinn assigned to locate the subject cannot detect him/her/it/whatever thru the symphony. What is known (or can be found out) about the Celstial from those associated to it: (For fun, roll 2d6 and choose from the chart each time the group asks someone) 2- The Celestial was darn good at his job. (True) 3- The Celestial liked John Woo/Chown Yun Fat movies (True, but who cares) 4- The Celestial was a (insert band/chior here). (True) 5- The Celestial spent a lot of time in the marches. (False) 6- The Celestial was a favored servitor of (Insert AA/DP here). (Again true) 7- The Celestial kept a corporeal Home on earth (True) 8- The Celestial was a sercher of lost relics (True) 9- The Celestial was assigned to trace Eli's steps on earth, to discover the source of his madness (True for angels, False for demons) 10- The Celestial was assigned to track down a rare artifact (False for Angels, True for demons.) 11- The Celestial helped invent Barney (True for both sides, though many players would rather kill him at this point) 12- Novalis is Serving drinks at the upcoming Woodstock Reunion (True, play this out for laughs as much as possible. Have a bunch of servitors of flowers stop the chars and ask for: Rum, Vokda, Beer, Wine, Wiskey, Ect.) Angelic Adventure type: The Celestial in question was assigned by Dominic to track down Eli in the corporeal realm. This was the final test to prove himself worthy of his word (whatever it is. Apply it however you can... Angel of Tracking, Searching, Private investigators, ect.) -(what the players WONT know untill A: The end, or B: Its too late) The Angel DID infact trace Eli's routes on earth, and managed to retrace every step, inch by inch by inch... The DOWNSIDE to this effect was is that somehow, the Angel has caught whatever Eli has caught... only worse. Eli's condition is somehow catchable, and since he is not of enough power to stop it, well... He lost his memory, forgot who/what he was, and generally started to act against his nature (I.e. A mercurian started hurting people, a Cherub attuned itself to something, then Beat it up, a seraph started lying for some reason. NOTE: Yes I know they will feel odd about what they are doing, but so what? When a cherub attunes itself to something, its supposed to protect it. It may feel odd about beating it up, but if it feels its necessary, it WILL do it. We all dont like going to work some days, no?) This generated a LOT of dissonance, and the last celestial to spot the Angel (a servitor of Dominic) sensed MASSIVE amouts of dissonance. He couldnt TRACK the angel for some reason, and thats when the players are called in. The angel is invisible in the symphony for the same reason Eli is (assuming you play Eli as undetectable), or because of a relic he has called: The Amulet of Symphonic Invisibility. (Gee, guess what it does?) -What players WILL know: An angel has somehow vanished into the symphony, and has started to fall... Find him/her it, and bring it back here (for JUDGEMENT, if yer working for Dominic). Gm's are free to place this seed wherever he/she likes. Demonic Adventure Type - What the players WONT know: Valefor assigned a fovored servitor of his to trackdown a prized artifact of the Angels; the Amulet of Truth (again a test to see if the demon was worthy of his word). What was assumed to be known was that the amulet acted much in the same way as a Seraph's resonance.... this is PARTIALLY true. The Amulet of Truth actually exposes its wearer to the wonders of the symphony. And yes, while its possible to detect if someone is lying with the amulet, it also is kind of hard for a demon to keep a firm grasp of his own selfish nature while you are constantly being bombarded with the true power of the symphony. No Djinn can track him, as his presence is being masked by the Symphony itself. The demon has losts its pure selfish nature, and is searching for a way to redeem him/her/itself. This effect of the relic is overpower only WHEN THE AMULET IS WORN OR HELD. The demon has not yet realized the amulet is the cause of the situation, and has it in his left pocket. The amulet effects no angel or AA, since they merely recognize it as part of thier everyday life. (See it like this: An angel sees the true symphony every day. Its as common to them as air. Thus an amulet of this type will only be seen as an Oxygen tank with an infinte air supply. Useful if decending into hell. A demon on the other hand, has its own symphony, created by its selfish nature. With the true symphony constantly bombarding them, its like being trapped on a brdge during an earthquake... You HAVE to take notice, then do something about it.) -What the players WILL know: A demon has been lost. We cannot find it with a Djinn... now YOU find it. Oh and if it redeems tiself, kill it. Possible AA superiors interested: - -Dominic - -Novalis - -Eli (he WILL know, somehow) - -Micheal - -Yves - - The angel's superior (if not already mentioned) Possible DP superiros interested: - -Valefor - -Asmodeous - -Baal - -Vapula (A releic that does what? COOL!) There ya are folks! enjoy! - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- John T Perkowski, Ofanite of Arcade Games Maker of Attunements (Challenge me with a word, I guarantee, I get you an attunment for each band or chior in 24 hrs) "Hold still and this will only hurt a LOT, or move, I dont care." ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 13:35:50 +0100 From: Julian Breen Subject: Re: IN> A few revised band attunements Pee Kitty writes >] ANDREALPHUS' LILIM >] >] Andrealphus' Lilim are his favorite Servitors. He asked for a full page >] to extole their virtues (it boils down to, "If you EVER get a chance >] with one, TAKE IT!") They add their Celestial Forces to any Seduction >] attempt, and anyone who has consensual sex with one automatically owes >] her a Geas/2. > > Works nicely if you're using the 'Lilim can't detect Needs' house rules. >] VAPULA'S IMPUDITES >] >] Vapula's Impudites all get glasses that can detect how much Essence is >] stored in any being. In addition, they are walking Essence batteries, >] able to store additional points of Essence equal to their Celestial >] Forces! > >I just toned it down a bit. Sorry, but EIGHTEEN points of Essence? I mean, >a reliquary/9 with a +3 convenience feature would cost 30 points, and this >is handed out as a band attunement? Too much. I think this is still *very* >fair. > >Any comments? Much more reasonable. Got any more? - -- Julian ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 11:19:10 -0400 From: Frank Lazar Subject: Re: IN> Tsarien, Archangelangel of Victory >Dissonance conditions might be nice. Perhaps.... losing? Or coming out second best in any confrontation with the forces of Lucifer. A guarantee of short lifespans. :) - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | _ | | We are dreamers, shapers, singers and makers. /_\ | | We study the mysteries of laser and circuit, // \\ | | Crystal and scanner, holographic demons, \\ //___\\ | | And invocations of equations. \\ // \\ | | \\__// \\ | | These are the tools we employ. And we know... many things. \\ | | \\ | | | Frank Lazar http://www.interactive.net/~fmlazar | \\ | - ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 16:58:36 +0100 From: Jo Hart Subject: Re: IN> IN: London hath returned At 03:22 15/08/98 PDT, you wrote: >Okay' it's been a while (and these replies are probably weeks out of >date, but...) >London has returned you lucky people! Nice to be back (I gather FotM is >now available?) > FYI. I was walking through the City yesterday and the little statues that mark the entrance really are dragons (and not griffins). Smack whoever wrote your guidebook :) The full coat of arms of the City of London is the cross of St George with an upraised sword in the upper left quadrant, supported by two dragons. The motto is 'Domine Dirige Nos' ('God is our guide', I presume) jo ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 18:19:38 +0100 From: Jo Hart Subject: Re: IN> Fall of the Malakim. (no spoilers here!) At 15:50 15/08/98 -0700, you wrote: > >Still, I'm glad I got it, so here's the unofficial review: > >The vignette was wonderful, simply wonderful! The Superior write-up of >David was excellent. I have a few queries on this section, myself. 1. Illustrations showed the sphinx and stonehenge, although there weren't mentioned in the text. Is this supposed to imply that they are connected to David directly (ie. tethers) or just as examples of big things that are made of stone? 2. David is able to give out a power which is very similar to Dominic's malakite attunement? (If he is so uptight about detecting dissonance in his own angels before Dominic does, what's the deal with Max? This write-up doesn't seem to quite fit the archangel's persona in that scenario...) > Elizabeth did a good job on Lilith, but did a > *fantastic* job on the Bright Lilim! OK, nothing could really make me like lilim except for a very blatent portrait which spells out that they are generally selfish, manipulative, mercenary little bitches who thoroughly belong in hell ... Not that it wasn't a nice write-up, although would have been nice to see a history section. After X thousand years of being a demon princess and actively supporting all the evil that goes on in hell, you'd think some of the archangels might be a bit less naive about her redemption prospects. (Also, is it just me or are the lilim NPCs in the scenarios always really 'nice' demons who have huge redemption potential?) With the section on bright lilim (which I thought was really well done, btw), is there any chance that the rarity of these is going to be downplayed in the future? Frankly it is just as easy/ hard for a bound lilim to go bright as any other demon, frees don't even have a heart or an irritable master to worry about, and the geases no longer seem to be an insurmountable problem. There seem to be plenty of PCs, so I don't see why they need to be quite so rare. Why are bright lilim more annoying than any other hellborn convert? Are brights who fall treated worse than any other redeemed demon who falls? (and if so, why?) > > Speaking of which, >these are some of the best character write-ups that I have read since >Night Music! Congrats to all those responsible! I liked the LA section, quite a lot. Agree about the NPCs looking a lot of fun. I really liked the section on constructs (probably will tinker with it to suit, but I'm sure I'll use it). The adventure itself didn't suit me much but I like to see people doing big sweeping storylines. My point-of-disbelief is that no other archangel knew about Maximilien. It says he'd been giving useful data on LA back to heaven. Hadn't they asked where it was coming from? Hadn't the seneschal of the tether he was friendly with noticed what sort of state he was in? Or did Michael know but decide that he wasn't going to interfere with David's affairs? Also not convinced that all the celestials in LA could have been found. It says that Lauren (a demon who wasn't even 'native' to LA) knew secret ways in, so presumably plenty of other demons might have done also. Lastly, a quote: - --- "Oh, and one more piece of information for you: dark lord's coming to town," said the demonic homosexual cannibal Christian pornographer. - --- Well, I knew the writers were paid by the word, but I didn't realise they got double-rate for adjectives! jo ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 18:34:31 +0100 (BST) From: maya@tcp.co.uk (GR Cogman) Subject: Re: IN> IN: London hath returned >The full coat of arms of the City of London is the cross of St George with >an upraised sword in the upper left quadrant, supported by two dragons. The >motto is 'Domine Dirige Nos' ('God is our guide', I presume) "Lord, direct/guide us". Or, "Oh Lord, direct/guide us" if you really want to put some emotion into it. :) - --- Maya, Elohite of Eli in service to Blandine maya@tcp.co.uk - -- "There are those who say that wizards are subject to temptations and addictions beyond the understanding of ordinary men: the addiction to shape-changing, or to meditation under the influence of certain herbs and conditions of the stars; the obsession with knowledge, and the development of power. Yet this is not so. Temptation is temptation, obsession is obsession, and choice is choice." - Isar Chelladan, Precepts of Wizardry. -- "Dog Wizard", Barbara Hambly. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 11:50:51 PDT From: "Peter Martin" Subject: IN> Tsarien's dissonance conditions Sorry I forgot to post these Servitors of Tsarien Gain dissonance if they any time they lose a contest or a fight with someone. As a result, these angels tend to become very specialized in a hurry. They also gain dissonance if they cheat in order to attain victory. (Note that posessing an unfair advantage does not constitute cheating unless it breaks the rules of engagement somehow. Gary Kasparov can easily beat a seven year old at chess, but the contest can hardly be called fair.) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 20:43:06 +0100 (BST) From: Steve Jessop Subject: IN> Stupid Lilim tricks (was Re: IN> Dissonance question) On Wed, 12 Aug 1998, Walter Milliken wrote: > many Lilim may bargain anyway: "Why don't we save us both a lot of > trouble, and you do this for me, and I won't invoke this Geas to have > you do something you *really* don't want to do, and we'll call it > square, okay?" Munchkin Alert: What's to stop a Lilim saying 'Well, now. *Either* I can invoke my Geas/6 to make you kill (your dog/that cop/your chances of promotion) *or* you can give me a hand robbing that there jewellery shop. Glad you saw sense. See you again next year...' Presumably a human will blow their 1d6-3 essence on the resistance roll, but they still can't afford to call the Lilim's bluff. So a decent sized Geas is worth far more in blackmail than it could possibly be to actually use, no? Steve. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 22:19:44 +0100 (BST) From: Warsinger Subject: Re: IN> Stupid Lilim tricks (was Re: IN> Dissonance question) On Sun, 16 Aug 1998, Steve Jessop wrote: > > On Wed, 12 Aug 1998, Walter Milliken wrote: > > > many Lilim may bargain anyway: "Why don't we save us both a lot of > > trouble, and you do this for me, and I won't invoke this Geas to have > > you do something you *really* don't want to do, and we'll call it > > square, okay?" This bit sounds fine... > > Munchkin Alert: > > What's to stop a Lilim saying 'Well, now. *Either* I can invoke my Geas/6 > to make you kill (your dog/that cop/your chances of promotion) *or* you > can give me a hand robbing that there jewellery shop. Glad you saw sense. > See you again next year...' > The Lilim here is basically saying I can call in my debt and you can repay me - or you can do this for free and still owe me. Not likely to be that many takers (and those daft enough deserve what they get). Calling in a debt is calling in a debt. Getting them to agree to repaying the debt is what that game mechanic Willpower roll is all about. > Presumably a human will blow their 1d6-3 essence on the resistance roll, > but they still can't afford to call the Lilim's bluff. So a decent sized > Geas is worth far more in blackmail than it could possibly be to actually > use, no? > Although I would say it is possible to use Geasa in blackmail - I just don't think the particular way you suggested would work. Warsinger Cute and fluffy....(with claws) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 22:20:32 +0100 From: Jo Hart Subject: Re: IN> Stupid Lilim tricks (was Re: IN> Dissonance question) At 20:43 16/08/98 +0100, you wrote: > >On Wed, 12 Aug 1998, Walter Milliken wrote: > >> many Lilim may bargain anyway: "Why don't we save us both a lot of >> trouble, and you do this for me, and I won't invoke this Geas to have >> you do something you *really* don't want to do, and we'll call it >> square, okay?" > >Munchkin Alert: > >What's to stop a Lilim saying 'Well, now. *Either* I can invoke my Geas/6 >to make you kill (your dog/that cop/your chances of promotion) *or* you >can give me a hand robbing that there jewellery shop. Glad you saw sense. >See you again next year...' > I guess because the Lilim agrees to geas herself not to make you kill your dog/ that cop etc, and in return you rob the shop. Next time she turns up, there is a more limited number of things she could use the geas for so she doesn't have much to blackmail you on... You have to _know_ to demand that she geases herself to keep her word though, and I'm not sure most non-lilim would have that much knowledge of the geas mechanics. jo ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 16 Aug 1998 20:33:04 -0400 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> Dark Malakim (long!) The following article is a section that was originally written for "Fall of the Malakim." However, for various reasons, it was decided that it did not fit with current canon or with the intended storyline, so it was cut. I have received permission from SJ Games to repost it elsewhere. Please note, this is all very much NON-CANON. However, I thought some people might be interested in an alternate interpretation of Malakim. - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ DARK MALAKIM Malakim don't Fall. This is one of Heaven's constants. The Host takes comfort from the knowledge that their greatest warriors will never join the enemy. The fact that Malakim are virtually immune to temptation, and cannot be dragged down to Hell no matter how dissonant they become, is a source of immense frustration and resentment to the damned. Lucifer has promised a Principality to any demon who succeeds in causing a Malakite to Fall. As he has never been able to do this himself, most everyone on both sides assumes it's impossible. A Malakite who fails a dissonance roll can become an Outcast. Usually, this is as flawed as they get, in large part because Outcast Malakim are hunted obsessively, both by the Inquisition and by other Malakim. Almost always, they either redeem themselves or are destroyed very quickly. If an Outcast Malakite fails another dissonance roll, he does not Fall. Instead, he suffers as demons do, earning another note of dissonance, and Discord equal to the check digit of the failed roll. But no matter how much Discord a Malakite accumulates, he cannot Fall. His Heart may be marred by countless fractures, but it will never shatter on its own. It will, however, gradually dim. Every crack diminishes the light that naturally glows from an angel's Heart, and while other angels inevitably Fall long before their Heart goes totally dark, a Malakite can theoretically accumulate massive amounts of Discord, enough to rob his Heart of light completely. Everyone knows that Malakim don't Fall. What few know, and even fewer like to talk about, is that Malakim _can_ become Dark. HEARTS OF DARKNESS Dark Malakim are extremely rare. Considering that Malakim will usually be put on probation with just two notes of dissonance, and most Superiors will destroy out of hand any Malakite with more than three levels of Discord, it's unlikely that any Malakite accumulating large amounts of Discord will survive long enough to turn Dark. No one knows how many there have been since the Choir's inception, but Bright Lilim are more common than Dark Malakim. Most angels, if they've even heard of Dark Malakim, consider them to be apocryphal. Dark Malakim aren't really Malakim anymore. They aren't really even angels. They still have an angelic Heart in their former Superior's Cathedral, but it is effectively dead. A Dark Malakite can't assume celestial form and can't ascend to Heaven, and if his vessel is killed, he will suffer as do other Outcasts. In the extremely unlikely event of a Dark Malakite who has not become an Outcast (see sidebar), suffering physical death would mean the Dark Malakite's celestial form would ascend to Heaven to form next to his darkened Heart. Most Archangels would quickly destroy him. TURNING DARK It takes a _lot_ of Discord to turn a Malakite Dark. It can't happen until the amount of Discord, of _each_ type, exceeds the Malakite's Forces of that type. For example, a Malakite with 4 Corporeal Forces, 2 Ethereal Forces, and 3 Celestial Forces would turn Dark upon accumulating at least 5 levels of Corporeal Discord, 3 levels of Ethereal Discord, and 4 levels of Celestial Discord. A Malakite can try to avoid turning Dark by stacking up Discord of one particular type. There is a limit to this, however. Once a Malakite (or any angel) has accumulated levels of one kind of Discord equal to his _total_ Forces, any further Discord _must_ be of another type. Using our nine-Force Malakite above as an example, a minimum of twelve levels of Discord could turn him Dark. However, in an effort to avoid this, he piles on Corporeal Discords initially. After having acquired Vestigium/6, Stigmata/2 and Ugly/1, the Malakite has reached his limit on Corporeal Discord. If he gains still more Discord, it will have to be either Ethereal or Celestial. If he accumulates nine levels of either type, the remaining Discord will have to be of the third type. So, our Malakite could theoretically accumulate up to _twenty-three_ levels of Discord (nine Ethereal, nine Celestial, and five Corporeal) before turning Dark! A Malakite so wracked with Discord, of course, is a pathetic wretch. This is another reason why Dark Malakim are so rare. If they haven't been hunted down already, it's very difficult for a creature so encumbered by physical, mental and supernatural deformities to go unnoticed, either by mortals or by celestials. Such a Discord-laden angel is begging to be put out of his misery, and most celestials of either side will be quick to oblige. A Dark Malakite cannot suffer further dissonance. His angelic nature has become so perverted, he no longer even _has_ a resonance! Dark Malakim lose _all_ resonance abilities, and _all_ attunements. Distinctions aren't automatically lost, but it's inconceivable that an Archangel would _not_ strip a Dark Malakite of all Distinctions. What you have left is a celestial with only his skills and Songs and innate celestial abilities. You'd think that with the loss of most of his powers, and the addition of a dozen levels of Discord at the very least, a Dark Malakite would be easy prey, and you'd be right, for the most part. But becoming Dark gives Malakim a few advantages as well, and those advantages can make them extremely dangerous. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SIDEBAR <<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Dark Malakim Servitors? Technically, a Dark Malakite does not have to be an Outcast. A Malakite who keeps suffering dissonance, and turns it into Discord as fast as he gets it, can theoretically keep his Heart from cracking all the way through, even though it's riddled with countless fractures. His Heart will still go dim, and it's possible he could reach the point of Darkness without actually becoming an Outcast. However, no Archangel would allow one of his Malakim to reach this point without either casting the Malakite out himself, or (more likely) destroying him. Any Malakite still in the service of an Archangel and accumulating large amounts of Discord will soon receive a visit from his Superior, in person. Celestial Discord Remember that you must roll higher than your highest level of Celestial Discord each day, or you do not regenerate Essence normally. Thus, anyone with a level 6 Celestial Discord no longer receives Essence naturally- and if he's an Outcast or a Renegade, he doesn't have access to Rites either, which means he's in big trouble! A Malakite who accumulates Celestial Discord may try to spread it around, but the GM should not allow an angel with nine levels of Celestial Discord to take nine different level one Discords. Once a Malakite starts piling on Discord, it's recommended that every new one be rolled randomly, and that however many levels have just been acquired all be put into the same one. Geases Geases are an exception to the limits on accumulated Discord described under "Turning Dark". Even though Geases are an Ethereal Discord, they don't count towards exceeding your Ethereal Forces, and they don't count when calculating how many total levels of Ethereal Discord you can accumulate. However, dissonance can't normally be converted to a Geas, nor can a Geas be inflicted as a random Discord. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>END SIDEBAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< THE POWER OF DISCORD "I've got something to say: It's better to burn out than to fade away!" -The Kurgan, "Highlander" Dark Malakim are creatures of Discord. The Forces of which they were originally composed are now weaker than the negative energy that clings to them. The Symphony warps unnaturally around someone so discordant, and a Dark Malakite can actually aggravate this disturbance and harness it for his own purposes. By fueling his Discord, a Dark Malakite gains a temporary increase in power, but at a terrible price. DISCORD-POWERED FORCES Dark Malakim can use their Discord in place of their weaker Forces, but this eventually strips them of their Forces completely. A Dark Malakite can temporarily raise any of his Forces up to his total amount of Discord of the same type, to a maximum of six. This does cause his Characteristics to rise also. To power his Forces with Discord, the Dark Malakite must make a Will roll, adding the number of Forces of the type he is trying to boost. The check digit of a successful roll is the number of minutes the increase lasts. On a failed roll, he gains Discord and/or loses Forces of the appropriate type, equal to the check digit! Even if successful, the Dark Malakite will still gain one level of Discord or lose one Force at the end of the duration. If a Dark Malakite already has the maximum allowable Discord of the type in question, he must lose Forces instead. Your Forces _can_ be lowered to 0 by using Discord to boost them ("In Nomine", page 68). Any Force lowered to 0 cannot be powered with Discord. If a Force is reduced to 0 by a failed roll and there is some left over, ignore the excess. _Example:_ Ahiel, a former Malakite of the Wind, has turned Dark. Originally possessing 3 Corporeal Forces, 2 Ethereal Forces, and 5 Celestial Forces, he now has 10 levels of Corporeal Discord, 3 levels of Ethereal Discord, and 10 levels of Celestial Discord. Ahiel is little more than a crazed monster now, but he's a very dangerous monster. In a fight with a Triad of Judgment, Ahiel decides he needs more Corporeal Forces. He has a Will of 8, so with a target number of 11, he can use his Corporeal Discord to give himself 6 Corporeal Forces. He does so, rolling a check digit of three. For three minutes, he fights as if he had 6 Corporeal Forces, with a matching Strength and Agility of 12 each. At the end of that three minutes, he falls back to 2 Corporeal Forces; since he was already at his limit of Corporeal Discord, he had to lose 1 Corporeal Force instead. Had Ahiel failed his roll (which would have happened only on a 12), he would have been reduced to 0 Corporeal Forces, destroying his vessel completely. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SIDEBAR <<<<<<<<<<<<<<< LOSING DISCORD WITH FORCES There is one advantage to losing Forces when you're a Dark Malakite; you also lose some of your Discord. Every time a Dark Malakite loses Forces, for whatever reason, he loses an equal number of levels of Discord of the same type. A really desperate Dark Malakite might try to lose Forces deliberately, in an effort to shed a particularly dehabilitating Discord along with them! >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>END SIDEBAR<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< DISCORD-POWERED ESSENCE Dark Malakim, almost always being Outcasts, have no Rites, and probably have too much Celestial Discord to regenerate Essence at sunrise. This makes gaining Essence extremely difficult for them, and contributes to their short lifespan. However, they have another option available: they can wrench Essence out of the Symphony by tearing at it with their Discord. Strip-mining the Symphony in this manner creates a loud disturbance and painful backlash, but a Dark Malakite might be desperate enough to do it and suffer the consequences. To use Discord to obtain Essence, a Dark Malakite chooses one of his three types of Discord, and rolls d666, with a target number equal to the amount of Discord he is using (he may use less than his full amount, but he may not mix different types of Discord). On a successful roll, he gains Essence equal to the check digit. On an unsuccessful roll, he may not repeat the attempt (with that type of Discord) for a number of days equal to the check digit. Whether successful or not, attempting this creates a very loud disturbance in the Symphony, equal to the Discord being used plus the check digit, and inflicts damage, of the appropriate type, equal to the target number. It also tends to create strange phenomena in the area, as a result of warping reality with Discord. Nearby inanimate objects may be damaged or deformed, strange sounds and smells might fill the area, and mortals will feel uncomfortable, possibly sick or fearful. When a Dark Malakite draws discordant Essence from the Symphony, everyone notices. _Example:_ Ahiel escaped the Triad, but he's being pursued, and he needs Essence badly. He decides to use his Celestial Discord to rip Essence from the Symphony. He has 10 levels of Celestial Discord, and he uses all of it, so his target number is 10. Fortunately, he succeeds, and with a check digit of 4, the tortured Symphony provides him with 4 points of Essence. It also protests with a disturbance of 14! Ahiel's pursuers will have little trouble following him. Furthermore, Ahiel takes 10 Soul Hits. Hopefully the Essence was worth it. Meanwhile, a strange crackling sound fills the air, and dogs bark for miles around. Mortals who tread in Ahiel's wake feel their flesh crawl for days afterwards. Had Ahiel failed, he would still have taken the damage and created the disturbance, and it would be four days before he could try using his Celestial Discord to gain Essence again. DARK BUT NOT FALLEN Dark Malakim, like truly free Lilim, have no metaphysical bond with either Heaven or Hell. Being technically unaligned, they are treated as enemies by both sides. A Malakite who has turned Dark is a discordant abomination. Angels will be horror-stricken at the sight of him. Most will run away (and report the Malakite to their Superior immediately), the rest will try to kill him. Demons will react similarly, though the smart (or foolhardy) ones may try to capture this bizarre, twisted caricature of a Malakite. Even mortals will notice something is very, very wrong with a Dark Malakite, even if none of his Discords are immediately visible. Most Outcasts are virtual pariahs, but Dark Malakim truly have _no_ friends. Outcasts will not associate with them; those who have hopes of being readmitted to Heaven know that befriending a Dark Malakite is as bad as consorting with demons, while those who are avoiding both angels and demons will dread having a mad, discordant creature of uncertain temperament following them around. Renegades too will see a Dark Malakite either as an almost-Fallen enemy to torment or avoid, or as a dangerous jinx who will only draw fire on anyone who gets too close. A Dark Malakite's outlook is grim. Their lives are usually brief and violent, as they are hunted relentlessly by angels and demons alike. They drag their Discord with them like iron chains. While it offers them brief moments of power, moments they often need to preserve their existence, each time they are forced to draw on their Discord, their Forces dwindle a little more. None last long. A Dark Malakite's behavior depends on what Discords he's accumulated. At the very least, the Dark Malakite will be suffering from assorted psychological disorders. Most are totally insane. A Dark Malakite has purged himself of the last vestiges of divinity, yet he remains a celestial, and he is not a demon. In many ways, he is now a free agent, but his mind has become so twisted, he may be barely aware of his own nature and his motives. Depending on what brought him to this state, and what Discords he's acquired, he may still obey his oaths, but if he does, it's out of force of habit; since Dark Malakim are no longer truly Malakim at all, they are no longer bound by their vows. Most Dark Malakim, knowing they're doomed, obey their instincts and attempt to go out in a blaze of glory. They may hunt demons, if they retain some devotion to their original purpose, or they may attack any celestial they encounter. Some become completely psychotic and start killing mortals too. They may walk into a crowded restaurant with an automatic weapon, or they may became hunters of individual humans, turning their perverted killing instinct into a game. Their rationales are as varied and insane as those of human serial killers. If a Superior realizes a Dark Malakite is on the loose, every Servitor in the area will probably be put on his trail. A celestial with nothing to lose can inflict a lot of damage, and often won't hesitate to display celestial powers in public. Dark Malakim who still consider themselves aligned with Heaven may throw themselves into one last assault on the enemy. Descending to Hell for a suicide attack is one option; driving a truck bomb into an infernal Tether is another. Such desperate beings may believe that with this final act, they have a chance of redeeming themselves. As no one knows the fate of any Dark Malakite who self-destructed on the corporeal plane, they may be right. Instead of going down fighting, a Dark Malakite might try to hide. This isn't easy, since with so much Discord, he probably can't blend into human society even without doing anything to disturb the Symphony, and as long as an Archangel or a Demon Prince knows there is a Dark Malakite unaccounted for, they will never cease their pursuit. But it should be noted that Dark Malakim can easily burn themselves down to a Remnant after a few uses of Discord to power their Forces. It's whispered that a few Malakim have gone Dark, and never been found. Dominic considers Dark Malakim more dangerous than most demons, and tries to keep even their existence a secret. He has been known to punish his own Servitors just for repeating rumors about Dark Malakim, and any angel who actually comes into contact with one will almost certainly be detained and questioned by the Inquisition. Judgment's official position on Dark Malakim (if forced to admit they exist) is that they are to be accorded the same status as Fallen angels, and destroyed on sight. Needless to say, anyone who aids and abets a Dark Malakite, no matter what the reason, will face charges of treason if Dominic finds out about it. Diabolical Superiors have a rather different view. In fact, not all Demon Princes are even certain that Dark Malakim exist. They have all heard rumors, but very few have been presented with direct evidence. Thus, many of them would love to capture a Dark Malakite alive, so the former angel can be dissected and examined at leisure. Capturing a Dark Malakite is usually just as difficult as capturing a regular Malakite, so any demon who managed to accomplish this would be richly rewarded by his Prince. A secret agreement exists between Asmodeus and Dominic. Just as they occasionally cooperate to hunt down Renegades, they also join forces to destroy Dark Malakim. If Dominic receives word of a Dark Malakite, he will notify his diabolical counterpart, and Asmodeus will go to great lengths to ensure that no other Prince succeeds in capturing a Dark Malakite alive. The agreement between the two Superiors is that Asmodeus will present proof to Dominic of the Dark Malakite's destruction. Of course, Asmodeus would seize the opportunity to capture a Dark Malakite himself, if he thought he could do so without Dominic's knowledge. REDEMPTION FOR DARK MALAKIM If it's difficult for an Outcast to redeem himself, how much more so is it for a Dark Malakite? The simple truth is, it's never happened. The circumstances that would allow a Malakite to accumulate enough Discord to turn Dark, and yet be worthy of forgiveness by his Archangel, would have to be extraordinary indeed. It's not likely that anything short of slaying a Demon Prince would earn redemption for an angel who, if a member of any other Choir, would have Fallen many times over. A Dark Malakite could always try, of course. He cannot ascend to Heaven, but he can attempt to invoke his former Superior, though it would be at -10 since he is not really a Servitor of that or any other Archangel any more. But remember what it takes to become Dark. Even a forgiving Superior like Novalis is sure to destroy a Dark Malakite; the effort it would take to remove so much Discord would be taxing even for an Archangel (more than they'd exert to purify a dozen less corrupted Servitors), and Dark Malakim are just too dangerous to let live. The only other hope for a Dark Malakite is to gain more Forces, enough to equal his Discord in at least one area. If this happens, he will immediately become a true Malakite again, albeit an Outcast, heavily-Discordant one. No Dark Malakite is known to have lived long enough to do this, and even if one did, he would still probably be too far gone to avoid termination. DARKER THAN DARK? No angel can have more Discord of any one type than the sum of their Forces, which puts an effective limit of three times an angel's Forces in Discord, total. It's possible that unusual situations could inflict even more Discord on a Dark Malakite, to the point that he's reached his limit in all three types of Discord, and beyond. What happens then? This is another one of Heaven's unanswered questions, because it's never happened. Would the Dark Malakite simply keep accumulating Discord, beyond the limits previously thought possible? Would he self-destruct as his Forces disintegrate under the weight of so much Discord? Or would this finally shatter his Heart...causing a former Malakite to Fall? Hell would dearly love to know the answer, and Heaven would like to make sure no one ever finds out. ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #920 ******************************* The material here is (C) 1997 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.