From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Mon Oct 4 17:08:17 1999 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (majordom@lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by pyramid.sjgames.com (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id RAA24327 for ; Mon, 4 Oct 1999 17:08:17 -0500 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id RAA20927 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Mon, 4 Oct 1999 17:05:38 -0500 Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 17:05:38 -0500 Message-Id: <199910042205.RAA20927@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 #1353 Reply-To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Sender: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Errors-To: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Precedence: bulk in_nomine-digest Monday, October 4 1999 Volume 01 : Number 1353 In this digest: Re: IN> Another slew of questions RE: IN> more dark age questions Re: IN> Another slew of questions Re: IN> Another slew of questions IN> AZRAEL -- Archangel of Death IN> Re: IN Sticky Situation Re: IN> Sticky situation RE: IN> more dark age questions Re: IN> dark ages superiors Re: IN> more dark age questions Re: IN> Another slew of questions Re: IN> servants of dead guys IN> Legion Re: IN> Re: Dark Ages Jean ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 17:12:56 -0400 From: Walter Milliken Subject: Re: IN> Another slew of questions At 16:36 -0400 10/4/99, Chris Bergstresser wrote: > 1) How do Eli's rites work, exactly? I'm guessing the sex one just >requires finding someone -- celestial or otherwise -- who'd be up for it. >Would same-sex sex work for the purpose of the rite? I would generally think so. However, I'd require that the sex be *caring* sex, and not just mechanical (which is how I interpret Andre's similar Rite). This may make it a bit harder to accomplish.... > The "succeed at 3 >Precision skill roles in a row" means pretty much you'd just have to head >down to the target range and shoot off a couple of clips (or similar). I would probably require the skill rolls to be related to making something of signifcance (or maybe destroying something to make way for something better, since Eli also has that aspect). I'm not sure I'd count mere practice. > 2) Up to now I've been kind of assuming if you spend essence to boost a >song you get a bonus to perform it, plus any side effects from increased >essence. So, the Ethereal Song of Entropy takes a minimum of 1 essence, and >if I spend 3 I get a +2 to perform it and it does (check digit * 3) damage. >Is this correct, or does essence spend to raise chance of success separate >from essence to increase a song's power? I believe the two effects are separate. I certainly treat them that way in my campaign. > 3) Are there any target numbers in the game that *can't* be improved by >spending essence? Dissonance rolls and the like, I think, are about the only ones that can't. > 4) I had an angel go into celestial form on Earth and then try to perform >a corporeal song. I let them. Was that correct? I don't see why this shouldn't work, unless it was a Song that affected the singer only, in which case I'd have to look at the effect to see if I thought it would work. > 5) How bad is it that celestials are being obvious on the corporeal >plane? I've had a group rather noisily and obviously popping supernatural >powers in from of humans. Not a *lot* of humans, but a couple of security >guards. How do people handle this in their campaign? I generally assume that there are teams of angels and demons who are a bit like the MiBs from the movie Men In Black -- cleanup squads for supernatural occurrences. And that anyone who causes them a lot of trouble (such as manifesting supernatural powers out on the field in the middle of the Superbowl) will get slapped *hard* by their Superior. "Outing" the War is a distinct no-no on both sides. Lucifer and the Seraphim Council both say so. "You don't want to meet Lucifer, *personally*, *do you*, Shedim-breath? Then don't attract his attention like that!" In my game, the Game handles cleanup on the demonic side, and the Inquisition on the angelic side. A "friendly" visit from either, the first time the PCs get a little out of hand, should encourage them to keep their heads down. A little weirdness in front of one or two humans is generally OK -- no one will believe them, anyway. But *major* weirdness, with many witnesses, and/or physical records like videotapes, is *bad*. Violators will generally get thwacked by their Superior first (assuming he's the first to find out), and then by the Game or Judgement, and, in really egregious cases, they would get hauled before the Seraphim Council for a trial, or get a personal visit from Lucifer. If you want to warn your players, let their PCs hear a few horror stories from friendly co-Servitors about other celestials who got in trouble recently for too much exposure. If you're really evil, have the Game/Judgment stick them with helping clean up someone else's *big* mess as penance for some trivial exposure of their own.... In general, *any* display of supernatural powers in front of any mundanes should draw at least some minor criticism the next time the celestial shows up in front of his Superior. (How did the Superior find out...? They've got all sorts of abilities and many other Servitors. Next question?) - ---Walter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 13:45:45 -0700 From: Steven Feldon Subject: RE: IN> more dark age questions Actually, this is a fine time for me to send out a general apology. While it's great to see Walter still thinking the INcyclopedia is very useful, it's also very out of date. I haven't had bandwidth to update the database for the last three books that have come out. I keep hoping to have time, but my new job and recent marriage keep telling me that I must be mad. I will update it, and I'm not going _backwards_--I'm just failing to go forwards. The perfect thing to do here would be to beg for help. However, the system that I've got set up isn't exactly friendly to the idea of more than one person doing data entry--it evolved, rather than being designed, so it's very, very quirky--and it would take me substantially more time to make help _helpful_ than it would for me to just do it myself.... *sigh* Better INcyclopedia days are coming, sometime. I just don't know when. steve - -----Original Message----- From: Walter Milliken [mailto:milliken@io.com] Sent: Monday, October 04, 1999 12:56 PM To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Subject: Re: IN> more dark age questions At 16:10 -0400 10/3/99, Liam Astley wrote: > is it in canon as to >which bands and choirs they (raphael, meserach, makatiel, mariel, genubath) >belonged to? Raphael was an Elohite. I don't recall any data on the others, but there is a little here and there. The very useful INcyclopedia site (www.incyclopedia.org) lists Meserach as a Djinn, and Gebbeleth (DP of Secrets before Alaemon) as a Balseraph. Makatiel, Mariel, and Genubath have no Band listed there, but at least you can get page references to their existing canon. There may be some new stuff in the GMG timeline on the deceased Superiors, but it's probably not in the INcyclopedia yet, since it's not out yet. - ---Walter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:16:24 -0500 From: "Amo Nympham" Subject: Re: IN> Another slew of questions - - Dennis H, Groome V "Amo Nympham" ICQ: 11430261 "I think I woke up screaming 'cause I had a dream that you still loved me" -Stabbing Westward, "ACF" - -----Original Message----- From: Chris Bergstresser To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Date: Monday, October 04, 1999 3:42 PM Subject: IN> Another slew of questions > 1) How do Eli's rites work, exactly? I'm guessing the sex one just >requires finding someone -- celestial or otherwise -- who'd be up for it. >Would same-sex sex work for the purpose of the rite? The "succeed at 3 >Precision skill roles in a row" means pretty much you'd just have to head >down to the target range and shoot off a couple of clips (or similar). Both >these seem fairly easy to fulfill, rather unlike the "Help deliver a guilty >mortal to corporeal justice" or "For at least an hour, possess an object or >document worth more than $10,000,000" rites others have. Is it just this >easy, another boon from a way laid-back Superior? for the sex rite, i can see same sex going either way. No: it doesn't promote Creation; Yes: it promotes love among two people, the kind of sex Creationers promote. i wouldn't let someone just use any sex as a rite, it would have to be with someone you're emotionally involved with, otherwise it promotes Lust. > > 2) Up to now I've been kind of assuming if you spend essence to boost a >song you get a bonus to perform it, plus any side effects from increased >essence. So, the Ethereal Song of Entropy takes a minimum of 1 essence, and >if I spend 3 I get a +2 to perform it and it does (check digit * 3) damage. >Is this correct, or does essence spend to raise chance of success separate >from essence to increase a song's power? i let essence count for both, but i'm a generous GM. some others will only let each point of essence count for one. anyone got some canon rules on this they can point out? > > 3) Are there any target numbers in the game that *can't* be improved by >spending essence? not to my knowledge. that's the nifty thing about Essence. of course, each use creates a Disturbance... > > 4) I had an angel go into celestial form on Earth and then try to perform >a corporeal song. I let them. Was that correct? nope. Corporeal songs cannot be performed in Celestial form (such as on the Celestial Plane). > > 5) How bad is it that celestials are being obvious on the corporeal >plane? I've had a group rather noisily and obviously popping supernatural >powers in from of humans. Not a *lot* of humans, but a couple of security >guards. How do people handle this in their campaign? > first, I run a very quiet game. any disturbance over 2-4 points is likely to draw attention from anyone nearby. second, the war is _secret_..doing something like this will come back to bite the players on the rear IMG. it's really a case by case basis, but with the security guards I'd have perhaps a Superior find out about it (a little later on) when the guard starts talking about strange creatures... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 14:59:42 -0600 From: Tim Groth Subject: Re: IN> Another slew of questions > 1) How do Eli's rites work, exactly? I'm guessing the sex one just >requires finding someone -- celestial or otherwise -- who'd be up for it. >Would same-sex sex work for the purpose of the rite? The "succeed at 3 >Precision skill roles in a row" means pretty much you'd just have to head >down to the target range and shoot off a couple of clips (or similar). Both >these seem fairly easy to fulfill, rather unlike the "Help deliver a guilty >mortal to corporeal justice" or "For at least an hour, possess an object or >document worth more than $10,000,000" rites others have. Is it just this >easy, another boon from a way laid-back Superior? Yeah its to help make up for the fact they have to work really hardto get distinctions/a Word (without an Archangel really pulling for you). [snip], no ideas on #2 sorry > 3) Are there any target numbers in the game that *can't* be improved by >spending essence? Not that I can remember being specificly mentioned. > 4) I had an angel go into celestial form on Earth and then try to perform >a corporeal song. I let them. Was that correct? I'd allow it, I don't remember anything that's wrong with that. > 5) How bad is it that celestials are being obvious on the corporeal >plane? I've had a group rather noisily and obviously popping supernatural >powers in from of humans. Not a *lot* of humans, but a couple of security >guards. How do people handle this in their campaign? With tabloid newspapers, and hell getting info on it through Nybbas (and I always liked the MiB hotsheets thing so i use it in IMC). Timothy, "Angel" of Rambling If you have a hankering for waffles or chicken i know the place for you: http://d106-h032.rh.rit.edu/~tim/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Oct 1999 16:26:02 -0500 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> AZRAEL -- Archangel of Death NON-CANON ** NON-CANON ** NON-CANON ** NON-CANON ** NON-CANON This is another Archangel I've written up and proposed for canon, but who may or may not actually appear. As with Uriel, I was given permission to post him to the list with the caveat that this is not part of the official In Nomine universe (yet, and probably not ever, but who knows?). ============================================================ AZRAEL Archangel of Death Remember friend, as you pass by. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, you soon shall be. So, prepare for death, and follow me. "God is eternal . . . the world is not. And neither are you." Azrael was one of the first Grigori created, and he was the first to be made an Archangel. Patient, meticulous, soft-spoken, he was so inobtrusive about his work that few of his fellow Archangels could be said to have known him, even before the outcasting of his Choir. The few who did know him knew that in addition to his other qualities, Azrael was above all kind -- one of the gentlest souls in the Seraphim Council. Shortly after his creation, Azrael was assigned to study a phenomenon not well-understood by Heaven at that time: the disposition of human souls. The angels had long known that some human souls arrived in Heaven, and others did not. Reincarnation and oblivion had been offered as theories, but no one really knew where the "missing" souls were going . . . and the Seraphim Council intuited that following the Fall, this question might be very important. Azrael was given the Word of Death to carry out his duties (angelic Words were much less competitive and assigned with less deliberation in those days). In his research, Azrael learned how to track human souls after death -- an accomplishment other angels have been unable to duplicate. He confirmed that reincarnation and disbandment both occurred, in some cases. He also discovered that many souls were anchoring themselves to the corporeal plane as ghosts, or to the ethereal plane as dream-shades. Some were drawn into the domains of ethereal spirits -- mostly pagan worshippers. The greatest revelation was the fate of those humans who were weighed down by their selfishness. They were banished to a nether-realm on the celestial plane. At one time, this had been a bleak and empty place where the dead shuffled forever in miserable isolation. But then the Fallen arrived, and the place became known as Hell. The demons were torturing and sometimes destroying the damned souls confined there, and using them to supply Essence. This revelation appalled Heaven. Azrael was elevated to the status of Archangel, and given the duty of making sure no souls were misdirected away from Heaven. He and his Servitors would gently separate ghosts and dream-shades from their anchors, retrieve pagan souls from ethereal domains, and prevent the demons from claiming any souls that didn't belong to them. Azrael was extremely effective at his job. Angels of Death became the bane of pagan gods, and exorcised hundreds of ghosts that had been clinging to the corporeal plane. Azrael instructed his Servitors to also teach humans to accept Death; that it was merely a transition to their next state, and that if they lived their lives well, they had no need to fear it. But Azrael also began a secret project. He could not accept that those souls damned to Hell must suffer for all eternity for mistakes they'd made in their too-short mortal existences. So the Archangel of Death began ministering to the damned, sneaking into Hell to locate human souls who might be converted to selflessness, and made worthy of Heaven. Angels of Death were among the least involved with day-to-day mortal existence . . . they visited humans only at the end of their lives. So neither Azrael nor any of his Grigori Servitors were guilty of the crimes that got the rest of his Choir cast out of Heaven. Azrael had allies on the Seraphim Council, and might have been able to exempt himself had he fought the sentence. But Dominic had already begun sniffing around his visits to the infernal realm, just as the Archangel of Death was achieving some success at liberating damned souls from Hell. Most of the Host believed Azrael declined to appeal for special dispensation out of solidarity with his Choir, and because he was indignant at David's brutal treatment of the Grigori and the humans who'd been fraternizing with them. This was true -- but a more important reason was that Azrael wanted to continue his most important project, and deduced that he would have more freedom to do so as an Outcast. So he left Heaven . . . but never stopped serving God. The majority of Azrael's Servitors, except his Grigori, transferred to the service of another Archangel. Only a few of his most ardently loyal Servitors refused to leave him. To this day, Azrael is carrying on his work, with the help of a small number of angels who followed him into exile. The other Archangels know Azrael is still alive, but he is not spoken of in Heaven. It has happened -- a few times in the millenia since the Grigori were cast out -- that an angel has researched Azrael's work, identified strongly with his mission, and sought out the Outcast Archangel of Death. Azrael automatically turns away members of the Host who manage to find him . . . but a very rare few have been persistent and sincere enough to persuade the Archangel of Death to take them into his service. (Azrael only takes in angels who remain dedicated to Heaven, but who also feel a genuine calling to Azrael's mission -- he is not a refuge for dissatisfied Servitors or Outcasts seeking patronage.) No one knows how many Servitors Azrael still has, but the number is almost certainly below a hundred, and some say he has no more than a dozen followers left. If any of them are Grigori, they stay very well-hidden. Azrael's Servitors are not true Outcasts, in that they do have Hearts. No one knows where Azrael keeps them -- not even his Servitors. If put into Trauma (or when they ascend to the celestial plane using their Hearts as beacons), they awaken in a dark and silent place, alone with their Heart in what seems to be an endless void. Azrael has no known Tethers. Azrael and his Servitors do four things now. First, they seek to separate ghosts and dream-shades from their ties to the corporeal or ethereal plane, so these souls will move on to their final destinations. In this capacity, angels of Death search for haunted places on Earth, and often venture into the Far Marches, and the domains of ethereal gods (who regard them as "thieves"). Secondly, they hunt undead and destroy them wherever they are found. When Saminga became the Demon Prince of Death, Azrael was disgusted and appalled. Saminga would love to destroy Azrael, but finds his reclusive and subtle adversary impossible to confront directly. Third, angels of Death try to reduce humanity's fear of death, reflecting Azrael's Grigori nature. When possible, they try to steer humans near death toward their destiny, and away from their fate, or at least give them a second chance on the wheel of life. In this capacity also, they are implacable enemies of Saminga's Servitors, who promote death as a gruesome, frightening, and evil thing. Lastly, Azrael continues his mission of ministering to the damned. It's much more dangerous now, and he can only slip into Hell occasionally, meeting those souls that might be found far out on the frontiers of some of the more remote Principalities, like Abaddon and Gehanna. He does not discuss this aspect of his work, and does not generally permit any of his Servitors to join him (though it's rumored that one or two have shared in his salvation efforts). No one knows how many souls he might have saved, or how he removes them from Hell, or where they go after that -- to the Higher Heavens, to another reincarnation, or simply to oblivion -- but he must succeed often enough to keep him going back for more. DISSONANCE Azrael's Servitors may not interfere in the natural course of a mortal's life, except to counterract intervention by other celestials. It is dissonant for angels of Death to cause or prevent a mortal human's death. (Healing someone who is injured is not dissonant, but healing someone who would otherwise die is.) The exception is when a mortal is threatened by celestial intervention, in which case the angel may intervene to save him. CHOIR ATTUNEMENTS Seraphim - -------------- Azrael's Seraphim are mediums who can communicate with the dead. With the mortal remains of a deceased human, they may make a Perception roll; if that human's soul is now in Heaven or Hell, or tied to the corporeal or ethereal plane as a ghost or dream-shade, he will be "summoned" to the Seraph's location (as if through the Song of Projection, and making a disturbance equal to twice his Celestial Forces), for a number of minutes equal to the check digit. Unwilling souls may resist with a Will roll. The Seraph (and anyone else present) may talk to the soul (who is not obligated to talk back). If the soul has ascended to the Higher Heavens, reincarnated, or disbanded, he is beyond the Seraph's reach. Blessed souls who have been reborn as Saints also cannot be summoned. If the Seraph's summoning roll fails, he may not attempt to summon that individual again for a number of days equal to the check digit. Cherubim (Restricted) - -------------- When Azrael became Outcast, most of his Cherubim transferred to Michael's service, and it is rumored that it was Azrael himself who taught Michael this attunement. Azrael's Cherubim have the same ability as Cherubim of War: they know if anyone to whom they are attuned will die (without celestial intervention) within the next 24 hours. Unlike Azrael's other Servitors, they are also permitted to save the lives of their attuned without dissonance. Ofanim - ----------- Ofanim of Death can follow a mortal soul to its final destination. They must assume celestial form next to the body of a mortal who has passed on within the last few minutes (no more than the angel's Celestial Forces). With a successful resonance roll, the Ofanite may then ascend to wherever the mortal's soul went -- Heaven, Hell, or an ethereal domain. If the soul became a ghost, the Ofanite will arrive at the soul's corporeal anchor (Corporeal Player's Guide, pp. 80-81). If the soul has disbanded, or gone on to reincarnate, the Ofanite will know this, though he will simply rematerialize next to the body -- unless the soul reincarnated and the Ofanite rolled a check digit of 6. In the latter case, the Ofanite will arrive next to the woman who bears the reincarnated soul in her womb! Elohim (Restricted) - ---------- Azrael's Powers once worked closely with Servitors of Destiny, trying to steer those near death away from Hell. Now they must work alone. An Elohite of Death can "persuade" a mortal to go to Heaven . . . or at least, to stay away from Hell and try again on Earth. The Elohite must engage a mortal in conversation about his fate, and make a resonance roll. If successful, then if the mortal dies within a number of days equal to the angel's Celestial Forces, if he was Hell-bound (having achieved his fate, but not his destiny), he will reincarnate instead. If he was balanced between Heaven and Hell (having achieved his fate and his destiny, or having achieved neither), he will go to Heaven. This doesn't apply if (in the GM's opinion) the Elohite was unsuccessful in eliciting repentance from the mortal. Being able to divert mortal souls is a powerful ability, one that even Archangels do not have; Elohim of Death don't send their subjects to a better place, they induce the mortal to exercise his free will and go there. This must be roleplayed! Malakim (Restricted) - ------------ With a successful resonance roll, a Malakite of Death will know, in addition to the usual information, where someone's soul would go if he died right now. They can detect undead with any successful resonance roll. (Celestials, of course, will register their native plane, but this doesn't automatically tell the Malakite that someone is an angel or a demon.) Kyriotates (Restricted) - --------------- Kyriotates of Death can possess a corpse, if it died within a number of minutes equal to the Kyriotate's Celestial Forces. The host body will appear to revive, but it will die again after the Kyriotate leaves it (even if the angel healed any damage to the body). The Kyriotate will not suffer dissonance for this. (Azrael will disapprove of inflicting trauma on the living, of course.) Mercurians (Restricted) - ----------------- Azrael's Mercurians can perceive connections between the living and the dead. With a successful use of his resonance on a living person, the angel will learn the name of one family member or other loved one currently in Heaven, Hell, or anchored to the corporeal or ethereal planes (and which plane he is on). A check digit of 6 may -- at the GM's option -- reveal the name of a reincarnated love one, and the name of his new incarnation! Resonating on celestials will provide the name of a human soul beloved by that celestial. Individuals (mortal and celestial) who have no loved ones on any of the three planes will register a blank. The Mercurian may also use this resonance in reverse on a ghost or dream-shade (but not undead). He will learn the name of a living person related to or beloved by the dead soul on whom he resonates. Grigori - ----------- Azrael's Grigori can examine a corpse within a number of hours equal to the angel's Celestial Forces, and make a Perception roll as if detecting for disturbances (In Nomine, p. 55). On a successful roll, if the mortal was killed by celestial intervention, the Grigori will hear the echoes and receive information as if he'd been standing there at the time. SERVITOR ATTUNEMENTS Final Rest - ------------------ For a cost of 2 Essence, the angel can send a ghost or dream-shade on to its final reward, or destroy an undead. The subject may resist with a Will roll; if successful, the angel may not try to lay that spirit or undead to rest again for a number of days equal to the check digit of the subject's Will roll. Silence of the Grave - ------------------------------ Quiet as the dead, the angel may absorb any disturbance he generates -- at a cost. Each point of disturbance inflicts 1 Soul hit on the Servitor. The angel may choose to absorb only part of a disturbance (or none of it). DISTINCTIONS Vassal of Death - ----------------------- Unless the angel wishes to be seen, no mortal may perceive the Vassal's celestial form, regardless of Perception. The exception is mortals who are dying, who have a normal chance to see the angel. Even other celestials (and Saints and undead) have more difficulty spotting him; do not add the Vassal's Celestial Forces to any Perception rolls. Friend of the Dead - -------------------------- If a mortal dies in the angel's presence, he may temporarily delay the soul from passing onward; this allows the angel to talk to the soul, and use resonances upon him (including the Elohite of Death resonance, above). As long as the soul is willing to stay, the angel may continue talking to him indefinitely (but the soul's hold on the corporeal plane will end as soon as the angel leaves, and the angel cannot carry the soul with him). If the soul is unwilling, he may make a Will roll; on a success, the angel may only hold him for 6 more minutes minus the check digit of the roll. If the mortal's Will roll is unsuccessful, he may try again in a number of minutes equal to the check digit. Master of Eternal Rest - --------------------------------- The angel may escort a human soul in celestial form. The soul must be willing, but if he is, the angel can "carry" him anywhere the angel can go celestially. This power is usually used to carry ghosts or dream-shades to Heaven. No one knows if a Master of Eternal Rest can carry a damned soul to Heaven; it's rumored that those who haven't become sufficiently selfless will not survive the journey. RELATIONS Azrael is technically an Outcast. The Inquisition does not hunt him, or his Servitors, though they will act to prevent angels of Death from interfering in the War, and they will monitor any activities they discover by the Grigori Archangel. Azrael despises Dominic for passing judgment on his entire Choir, and for being so uncaring of humanity, and for continuing to hunt the Children of the Grigori. He also resents Dominic's stationing the Angels of Final Judgment outside the gates of Hades -- they do some of what Azrael once did, screening out souls who don't belong in Hell, but they also make it impossible for angels of Death to minister to the damned before they are herded inside. Azrael also bears a grudge against David, whose angels ruthlessly hunted down the Grigori, and killed many of them and their children. Michael took over some of Azrael's duties after the latter left Heaven, and it's rumored that they still talk, from time to time. Azrael will also help angels of Destiny when he can, as they both work toward the same ultimate goal, though he hasn't spoken to Yves personally in over a thousand years. Allied: No one Associated: Michael, Yves Hostile: David, Dominic BASIC RITES * Comfort a dying human * Teach a human not to fear death * Free/Banish (but not destroy!) a ghost or dream-shade * Destroy an undead CHANCE OF INVOCATION: 1 Invocation Modifiers +1 A tombstone or other grave marker +2 A coffin or shroud +3 A well-tended cemetery or crypt +4 A corpse, prepared for burial +5 A joyous wake +6 The body of a human who died peacefully within the last hour and whose soul was bound for Heaven ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 17:32:30 EDT From: Samovar3@aol.com Subject: IN> Re: IN Sticky Situation << Well, once at the club, an impasse occurs. Things go from bad to worse as the Demon of Electric Guitars shows up to play with the band the angels are guarding, the party gets the poor Impudite slightly inebriated, the OTHER Malakite in the party is ready to whip out a gun and open up IN THE CLUB, and the Impudite won't spill the beans. In fact, he threatens to spend a ton of essence, alerting the Word-Bound demon on stage to his predicament. I'd say that's a stickier situation for a Malakite to be in -- and it seems the Malakite was telling the truth when she told the Impudite she'd let him go if he spilled the beans. She used her resonance on him. He's extremely selfish. But that's all he is. Does she have to wax his hide? >> I would say that the Malakite of Gabiel doesn't have to kill the demon. However, I'd encourage the other Malakite to open fire in the club, hit innocent bystanders, show up as cruel to the Malkite and Ofanim of Gabriel, and start a huge brawl in the club. Add the Word Bound demon to the mix and you have a nice riot. Add humans using this ruckus to settle old grudges and it gets even messier. What makes you think I work for Factions? S. Flanigan who could see that situation opening up a tether to Stygia ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:44:22 -0500 From: "Trent" Subject: Re: IN> Sticky situation - ----- Original Message ----- From: Walter Milliken To: Sent: Monday, October 04, 1999 2:32 PM Subject: Re: IN> Sticky situation > Personally, I'd allow Malakim of *some* Superiors to tolerate a demon > who was no more than just plain selfish, though I wouldn't expect them > to get beyond mere tolerance (admixed with a good deal of disapproval > and/or lecturing, and probably some non-lethal pain...). Eli and Novalis > would be the most likely Superiors for a tolerant Malakite, and maybe Yves, > with Dominic and Laurence being the least likely, with Michael and David > close behind. You forget David's disonance conditions. His malakim have no choice but to tolarate most demons who arn't actively attacking him. Trent ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 17:53:34 -0400 From: Walter Milliken Subject: RE: IN> more dark age questions At 16:45 -0400 10/4/99, Steven Feldon wrote: >Actually, this is a fine time for me to send out a general apology. While >it's great to see Walter still thinking the INcyclopedia is very useful, >it's also very out of date. It's still very useful, though. - ---Walter ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 18:07:02 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> dark ages superiors At 6:38 PM -0400 10/2/99, David Edelstein wrote: >>>>also, i'd imagine uriel getting on pretty well with gabby ("the >purifying flame").<<< > >No, actually, Uriel mistrusted Gabriel for bringing about Islam (which he >regarded as a threat to the religion he favored, Christianity). There was >an earlier (now non-canonical, I think) Eeee, definitley non-canonical... >story by Derek Pearcy in which >Uriel's Purity Crusade was actually initiated as a means of eventually >storming Gabriel's Cathedral in the Marches and taking her out. Sounds _very_ much like something the INS/MV bunch would try, though. (I've been having some INS/MV stuff translated to me this week, and _woah_ are those boys dysfunctional!) I seem to recall, however, something about Gabriel being ticked about the extinction of the dragons. I am, unfortunately, blanking on _where_ I recall that from, and am not yet grumpy enough about the lapse to go look it up. O:> - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor GURPS, Roleplayers, In Nomine stuff; Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 18:07:00 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> more dark age questions At 9:10 PM +0100 10/3/99, Liam Astley wrote: >right, so there aren't any existing write-ups of defunct superiors for me to >nick. curses. guess i'll have to write them up myself. is it in canon as to >which bands and choirs they (raphael, meserach, makatiel, mariel, genubath) >belonged to? Raphael - Elohite (the APG is errata'ed!) I don't think the others are necessarily canonicaled, except maybe Meserach, as Djinn? (I could be wrong -- if something was mentioned in passing in the IPG...) Makatiel, I always see as a Habbalite. (This suggests strongly that the canonical one will either be a Habbalite or a brilliant explanation (Favorable Intervention) of why it should be another Band.) Mariel, I see as either Habbalite or Balseraph, for some reason. Genubath... The name originally cropped up in some fanfic of mine, and SJ asked for a good name... (The original character was a Djinn.) O;> However, I could see him as a Calabite... Vephar, I also tend to see as Calabite, though a case could be made for Shedite. - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor GURPS, Roleplayers, In Nomine stuff; Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 18:06:59 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> Another slew of questions At 4:36 PM -0400 10/4/99, Chris Bergstresser wrote: > 1) How do Eli's rites work, exactly? I'm guessing the sex one just >requires finding someone -- celestial or otherwise -- who'd be up for it. >Would same-sex sex work for the purpose of the rite? Yes. (It's not like the Rite is "conceive a child.") But it has to be consensual. Most of the Creationers I've seen in action tend to regard the Rite as a holy sharing of sacred joy and love, which just happens to be physical because that's how the Word biases them. They wouldn't do it _just_ to get the Essence. Though a couple of Creationers who needed Essence might well consider that it "killed two birds with one stone," to use a wildly inappropriate slang term. >The "succeed at 3 >Precision skill roles in a row" means pretty much you'd just have to head >down to the target range and shoot off a couple of clips (or similar). Trivia note: I found an old version of the rules, and "art/craft" skills used to be Precision based... GMs may want to consider making the Rite "Succeed in 3 arts/crafts skill rolls in a row"... > 2) Up to now I've been kind of assuming if you spend essence to boost a >song you get a bonus to perform it, plus any side effects from increased >essence. So, the Ethereal Song of Entropy takes a minimum of 1 essence, and >if I spend 3 I get a +2 to perform it and it does (check digit * 3) damage. >Is this correct, or does essence spend to raise chance of success separate >from essence to increase a song's power? It's separate. You can _either_ increase your target number _or_ the Song's power (if it's a Song that permits increased power in that way). > 3) Are there any target numbers in the game that *can't* be improved by >spending essence? Interventions. > 4) I had an angel go into celestial form on Earth and then try to perform >a corporeal song. I let them. Was that correct? Probably -- depends on the Song. > 5) How bad is it that celestials are being obvious on the corporeal >plane? I've had a group rather noisily and obviously popping supernatural >powers in from of humans. Not a *lot* of humans, but a couple of security >guards. How do people handle this in their campaign? Plug for the GMG which discusses things like this. O;> - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor GURPS, Roleplayers, In Nomine stuff; Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 18:07:00 -0400 From: Elizabeth McCoy Subject: Re: IN> servants of dead guys At 9:13 PM +0100 10/3/99, Liam Astley wrote: >another question - when a superior dies, does its followers automatically >lose all their choir and servitor attunements? This is in the GMG, if you haven't already been told... O:> Short answer: no, they don't lose their Choir and Servitor Attunements unless the _WORD_ itself is eradicated somehow, not just the current holder. (Lesser Words may well fade enough to cause Servitor Attunements to fail.) >could there still be servitors of >corruption wandering around able to use some of the powers of that Word? Yup. Indeed, check out the Liber Castellorum for an adventure involving a Djinn of Disease... >p.s. i can't remember if it's been mentioned in one of the books... i know >oannes was killed by belial, but what happened to vephar? Oannes happened to Vephar. - --emccoy@nh.ultranet.com // arcangel@io.com In Nomine Line Editor GURPS, Roleplayers, In Nomine stuff; Art: http://www.io.com/~arcangel/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 18:00:34 -0400 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> Legion >He's first mentioned in the Infernal Player's Guide (a Djinn, IIRC). If you're talking about Legion, I believe he's a Shedite (that's how he's listed in the INcyclopedia entry, and also how I remember him).<<< No, I was talking about Beelzebub, the first Prince of Corruption. - -David ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Oct 1999 16:51:12 -0500 From: "Trent" Subject: Re: IN> Re: Dark Ages Jean - ----- Original Message ----- From: Walter Milliken To: Sent: Monday, October 04, 1999 3:16 PM Subject: Re: IN> Re: Dark Ages Jean > I think the APG history indicates Jean was tasked early on with overseeing > the forces that govern the corporeal realm. So he would have been more > of a E-M/gravity/nuclear forces "god" than a "storm god". Rather more > powerful.... Among the "elemental" group, I'd say than only Gabriel was > likely to be stronger. Do what you like in your campain, but in my campain all four of the prime Alchemical Elements (Earth (Stone), Air (Wind), Fire, and Watter) are/were way more powerful than Lightning boy could ever hope to be without his nifty gadgets. Trent ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #1353 ******************************** The material here is (C) 1999 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.