From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Sat Nov 20 10:02:14 1999 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 KAA26823 for ; Sat, 20 Nov 1999 10:02:14 -0600 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.9.3/8.9.1a) id KAA28267 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Sat, 20 Nov 1999 10:00:03 -0600 Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 10:00:03 -0600 Message-Id: <199911201600.KAA28267@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 #1425 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 Saturday, November 20 1999 Volume 01 : Number 1425 In this digest: RE: IN> Re: Adventures Re: IN> Side effects of Fallen Superiors IN> Soulless Essence IN> Re: Adventures in Los Angeles IN> LOSE THAT HOLIDAY WEIGHT NOW, GUARANTEED! Re: IN> Bright Bands Re: IN> Re: Adventures in Los Angeles Re: IN> The Destiny anf Fate of all Humanity Re: IN> One Tough Taker Re: IN> Re: Adventures in Los Angeles IN> noise (fluff) IN> Dissonance for Stoners IN> Re: [Fluff] Weirdness IN> The Revelation Corps IN> The Revelation Corps Re: IN> Re: Adventures in Los Angeles The Word of Light (was Re: IN> The Revelation Corps) IN> re: FotM/IN Los Angeles Re: IN> Bright Shedim re: IN> One Tough Taker IN> Minor Bands for In Nomine ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 00:41:48 GMT From: maya@tcp.co.uk (GR Cogman) Subject: RE: IN> Re: Adventures >John wrote: > >> The actual answer to this, IMO, is that it's >> a hostage situation. The angels of LA are well-known >> and tracked. Any incursions into there would be an >> astoundingly major play in the Game and would probably >> mean the deat of all resident angels. Plus all the >> demon princes have tethers and can put their boys on >> the front lines in no time at all. > It's not so much the hostage aspect I see as being important here, it's the Tether aspect. This means heavy reinforcements for Hell, but _no_ reinforcements for Heaven (unless they're brought in from outside the city). Let's assume that (as with any of the good ideas offered so far) the Archangels start preparing infiltrators, start moving some in, prepare to pull out the current angels en masse... At which point, one of the new angels is spotted by Our Demonic Friends. Just one. That's all it takes. One angel who hasn't gone in through the "regular channels", and who indicates the possibility of more angels out there that they don't know about. Boom. Baal's plans for the situation go into effect. Primus, demons get shipped up from Hell and into the city, via all the demonic Tethers there. (Yes, Andrealphus and Nybbas will allow the military Princes to send soldiers through their Tethers if it means preserving said Tethers and power.) The demonic presence in the city _soars_. Secundus, any angels, and *anybody with known angelic affiliations* gets hauled in. That means all the Soldiers of God who've been spotted around the place, those Soldiers of Laurence on the police who've been hiding so well, anybody who is on the Game's records (or other records) as being linked to angels while there. Our beloved Game starts interrogating. What do you know about any angelic invasion plans? Do you recognise this angel? Pass the sodium pentathol and the demonic resonances. Talk, baby, talk. Tertius, all demonic Tethers are protected. Seriously protected. This happens at once. Quartus, the real hostage. The city of Los Angeles, and the *humans* who live there. Serious corruption starts happening all over. Demons finally get their acts in gear and start messing with angelic-linked or just plain virtuous corporations. Saminga is finally allowed to start having human sacrifices round by the Tar Pits. And so on. Of course, the problem is that if the Princes start using all this manpower here in LA, they're going to be weaker elsewhere. Which gives the Archangels an opening wherever the elsewhere is. But making moves on this scale is coming worryingly close to pushing the whole situation towards open War -- it's certainly a major move in the War, which is to be avoided. Yes, it could be done. Yes, despite all this, the angels could lever an opening into LA (though the lack of any Tethers would be a *serious* handicap, as they'd have no way to send help and additional forces down without major supernatural interference). However, the whole thing would precipitate a lot of matters, and risk touching off battles across the world. And the Seraphim Council doesn't want that. Yet. But being able to reason round the problem (Michael and Laurence have to be able to think this through), they can see some of the logical results of making a major move, given that Baal is also very, very, very intelligent. So they _do_ try and sneak in the odd move here and there, and they draw up plenty of plans for the day that they can take LA. But for the moment... Note, I don't approve of the Maximilian situation, and it was definitely not intelligent of David, and there are big holes in the scenario. But I can see some conditions under which the whole precarious situation might balance, if both sides are being careful not to touch off wholesale warfare. As ever, YMMV. - --- Genevieve Cogman maya@tcp.co.uk `Ce n'est qu'en travaillant que les ides viennent' (Sade) ("It is only through working that ideas come") ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1999 17:55:07 -0700 From: EDG Subject: Re: IN> Side effects of Fallen Superiors At 04:03 PM 11/19/99 PST, you wrote: >Someone mentioned that since it is dissonant for Laurence's Servitors to >disobey him, they would be in serious trouble if he ever became a Renegade. Why? "Disobeying either the word or the spirit of his orders causes dissonance in the offending angel." In my writeup, only Elishel would be dissonant (and maybe not even that! It was the spirit of the orders that he disaboeyed, if he disobeyed anything). Laurence didn't order his servitors to do anything (except to do what they would, if it didn't harm Jerusalem); as he didn't order them to follow him to Hell, they would take no dissonance for not following him. (I can see, however, a cadre of angels serving Conquest because they swore to follow him anywhere.) > Although in the case of Gabriel, perhaps the point is that since she's >insane, her behavior as a demon might not be immediately distinguished from >some of her behavior as an Archangel. *snicker* - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1999 19:31:22 -0600 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> Soulless Essence >>>Remnants still have the tattered remains of their soul.<<< No they don't. Neither do Zombis, and Zombis also generate Essence. >>>They aren't 'elsewhere'. What you see is what you get.<<< In Night Music there is a Zombi whose original soul (that is, the soul of the person whose body the Zombi used to be) has come back as a Saint. Both Zombi and Saint still generate Essence. Sorry, but yes, a soulless hunk of meat DOES still generate Essence. I don't see what's so unbalancing about this. - -David ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1999 19:37:57 -0600 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> Re: Adventures in Los Angeles >>>So they die. So what? They're (in my opinion) a bunch of losers, angels without the courage of their convictions. They bow the knee to demons and obey their whims. They don't have the courage to do what is right, and to resist the forces of Hell even though that's their function. Maybe some time in Trauma would do them good. It would also allow tHeaven to slip in new angels, angels who would act like angels.<<< It may be true that the angels in FotM are a downtrodden lot. However, for Heaven to keep sending new Servitors into Los Angeles, with no backup and no support system in place, means taking Servitors away from somewhere else. Several people have suggested that the Archangels should just keep causing a commotion, and let the angels in LA be vessel-killed, then replace them. The trouble with this is that it leaves the demons in a position to do whatever they want, while angels will get squashed as soon as they make a disturbance and are detected. Sending angels into a diabolical stronghold just to raise a ruckus is counterproductive (unless they serve Janus). - -David ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1999 18:04:53 From: Subject: IN> LOSE THAT HOLIDAY WEIGHT NOW, GUARANTEED! o*****AMAZING MELT AWAY FAT ABSORBER CAPSULES***** *****WE GLADLY SHIP TO ALL FOREIGN COUNTRIES***** LOSE 30 POUNDS IN 30 DAYS... GUARANTEED!!! All Natural Weight-Loss Program, Speeds Up The Metabolism Safely Rated #1 In Both Categories of SAFETY & EFFECTIVENESS In (THE USA TODAY) WE'LL HELP YOU GET THINNER IN WINTER!!! WE'RE GOING TO HELP YOU LOOK GOOD, FEEL GOOD AND TAKE CONTROL IN 2000 This is the easiest, fastest, and most effective way to lose both pounds and inches permanently!!! 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Suite C * Dayton, Ohio 45405 (937) 330-5414 CHECK____ MONEYORDER____ American Express____ VISA____ MASTERCARD____ Name_______________________________________________________ (As it appears on Check or Credit Card) Address____________________________________________________ (As it appears on Check or Credit Card) ___________________________________________________ City,State,Zip(As it appears on Check or Credit Card) ___________________________________________________ (Credit Card Number) Expiration Month_____ Year_____ ___________________________________________________ Email Address (Please Write Neat) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 21:25:58 -0800 From: Steel Angel Subject: Re: IN> Bright Bands Earl Wajenberg wrote: > Steel Angel wrote: > > > Now there's an atypical character concept. A Shedite 'Terror Trooper' > > or something. [...] > > Maybe not a typical IN character concept, but very, very like > what actual demonic possession is often thought to be like, > though maybe a little more directed than the "real thing" usually > seems to be. Going on a trip this weekend, but when I get back I think I'll write it up and post it, along with Superior, and why a Shedite chose that line. - - Abracax: Shedite of Riots ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1999 23:31:07 -0600 From: "Michael Neal" Subject: Re: IN> Re: Adventures in Los Angeles >It may be true that the angels in FotM are a downtrodden lot. However, >for Heaven to keep sending new Servitors into Los Angeles, with no >backup and no support system in place, means taking Servitors away from >somewhere else. Several people have suggested that the Archangels should >just keep causing a commotion, and let the angels in LA be >vessel-killed, then replace them. The trouble with this is that it >leaves the demons in a position to do whatever they want, while angels >will get squashed as soon as they make a disturbance and are detected. >Sending angels into a diabolical stronghold just to raise a ruckus is >counterproductive (unless they serve Janus). Right. Which is why I think FotM problems have a lot more to do with angels that would be in LA very quietly. See my previous examples, though I could probably come up with others. J. Michael Neal ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 21:51:16 -0800 From: Steel Angel Subject: Re: IN> The Destiny anf Fate of all Humanity "Glenn D. Brown" wrote: > What if its Humanity's > Destiny to create machine Intelligence and then help it develop until it can > spread throughout the Galaxy? And what if its our Fate to try to enslave > machine intelligence so that it serves Humans, in the way that demons want > humans to serve them? Gee, I feel sorry for the AIs. Poor humanity, never achieve -that- Destiny. Humans can't even get along with -each other-, let alone a new form of sapient life. The only flaw I can see with the idea is, if that -is- humanity's Destiny, then the War is over before the trumpet blows. No wonder Yves is maudlin all the time. - - Abracax: Shedite of Riots ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 21:53:31 -0800 From: Steel Angel Subject: Re: IN> One Tough Taker Douglas Muir wrote: > that's no worse than the dissonance > conditions for Servitors of David. Less, in fact -- the Mal is allowed to > stay alert and watch for the knife, and can act pre-emptively if he sees it > coming, while the Stoner has to stand there and take the first hit. I thought that was metaphorical, as in 'first attack'. Once the demon pulls the knife and makes to actually stab the Stonite with it, that counts and the angel is under no compulsion to stand there and be stabbed before he bashes some heads in. - - Abracax: Shedite of Riots ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 01:06:55 -0400 (EDT) From: Richard Gant Subject: Re: IN> Re: Adventures in Los Angeles On Fri, 19 Nov 1999, David Edelstein wrote: > It may be true that the angels in FotM are a downtrodden lot. However, > for Heaven to keep sending new Servitors into Los Angeles, with no > backup and no support system in place, means taking Servitors away from > somewhere else. Several people have suggested that the Archangels should > just keep causing a commotion, and let the angels in LA be > vessel-killed, then replace them. The trouble with this is that it > leaves the demons in a position to do whatever they want, while angels > will get squashed as soon as they make a disturbance and are detected. > Sending angels into a diabolical stronghold just to raise a ruckus is > counterproductive (unless they serve Janus). I didn't advocate sending in the replacements to "raise a ruckus", however. I merely advocated not worrying if the current ones get Vessel-killed (since I don't think they're worth the Essence invested in those Vessels anyway). Send in new angels with well-designed Roles, and let them do their thing with explicit instructions to avoid Symphonic disturbance. Let them pull down and tear apart Hell's control over LA by changing the city and by influencing the people the demons currently influence. Raising a ruckus is counter-productive, and it distracts from the real purpose of the War. Richard Gant - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Richard Gant's Gaming Ghetto: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Dunes/4656/ The Unofficial Returners Final Fantasy Role-Playing Game Site: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Matrix/5758/ - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 00:43:56 CST From: "jonh smith" Subject: IN> noise (fluff) >Details, details. All the PCs I know of are about as quiet as a sack of >cats in heat. In our campaign, that might be a bit on the quiet side. On the other hand, it does make me think of strange(er) thoughts (than normal) Heavenlies and hellions i give you-CELESTALICA the loudest rock group in the symphony! They originated back in the 80's when corporate rock was the only thing going, and hey, the angels and demons where stuck trying to play soft with the noise of the symphony. Even most of Michaels angels seemes to be trying for the top 40 stations. Then came Celestalica. The group was founded when a malikim of michael one day ssaid "Hey, SCREW disturbance! I will hurt this demon as much as I please!" to the mercurian of Yves next to him. in the ensuing mayhem, they found that they had the loudest sound around. Over time, they have developed into a group of three Mals, a cherub and a reluctant mercurian. While the band has yet to tour beyond the heart of Wisconsin, they have developed a following around the U.S. as their sound has caried that far. Such hits as "Destroying the Vappulan/Kronos tether with 300 pounds of C-4 in A minor" and "everyone go celestial and summon their supperiors" will be long remembered hits that will reverberate in the heads of their listeners for a long, long, time. After one particularly loud concert in the city of Madiso, (a combination of san fran and LA in the midwest) the local senachal of Dominic told Celestalica that they had enacted a noise ordinance, and any one found in violation would be fined,and perhaps lose performance privliges. lead singer and demonic diaphram player onaxtheil, in true mal. of Michael style, responded with "You aren't in my chain of command!" that night they played their loudest concert ever, the famed "raid on Asmodeuses heart chamber." the noise of the concert was generated by an out of control riot in which aproxomately 20 demons of the game and the entire angelic populace of Madison faced off in UW Park. Watch for this rising star's first album "load" appearing next year on the hardest rockin' record label in heaven, the davidians, and witness them stomp the FurFur label bands with their second album "reload and keep firing!" (is this a bouble post? my appologise if it is. hotmail kicked me when i tried sending it the first time.) - -Onaxtheil ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 01:43:00 -0400 From: Douglas Muir Subject: IN> Dissonance for Stoners >> that's no worse than the dissonance >> conditions for Servitors of David. Less, in fact -- the Mal is allowed to >> stay alert and watch for the knife, and can act pre-emptively if he sees it >> coming, while the Stoner has to stand there and take the first hit. > > I thought that was metaphorical, as in 'first attack'. Once the demon >pulls >the knife and makes to actually stab the Stonite with it, that counts and the >angel is under no compulsion to stand there and be stabbed before he >bashes some >heads in. My impression is that David's people can act once the attack is underway, but it must already have begun... that is, the knife has been drawn, the finger is starting to tighten on the trigger, the first syllable of a hostile Song has been sung, what have you. Pre-emptive strikes are dissonant, though. Doug M. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 02:28:14 -0600 From: Matt Kobal Webb Subject: IN> Re: [Fluff] Weirdness Santiago Wrote: > Well, while not technically a fight, there was the rather >surreal session just last Friday where we were strolling down a >street in Shal-Mari towards our audience with Lucifer when a random >Calabite of Theft went by on a motorcycle and swiped the imp we'd >made up to look like a miniature version of the Shining One himself. >We commandeered a convertible from the nearest Impudite (ah, the >benefits of rank) and pursued, though our prey was going faster and >heading into a maze of tunnels leading to an adjoining realm. Some >quick thinking on my part got our Djinn to attune himself to the >artifact halibut that stuck to things (don't ask--Kobal dropped it >earlier), and a quick flip of the old madness-inducing pseudopod got >the halibut on the imp, giving us a way to track him. To make a long >story short, we caused a lot of damage, and managed to run down the >Calabite atop a Mark IV OGRE we found lying around in Gehenna, then >proceeded to get ourselves nearly smitten out of existence, though my >character did manage to wrest a promotion out of the whole affair, >mostly for sheer audacity. What few things my good Shedite friend left out of that wonderful little session: - - The imp was made out to be Lucifer's personal Mini-Me, to be presented to the Lightbringer personally by the PCs, at the behest of Kobal, in half an hour. (You are never late to a meeting with Lucifer) - - Like all good cars in Shal-Mari, the convertible was a pimp mobile, decked out in zebra stripes, etc. - - The Ogre Mark IV was hot-wired in a Gehenna storage bunker by a Djinn of Technology, with his handy ever-present laptop computer, and rode atop it like Slim Pickins in Dr. Strangelove, hat and all. - - Not wanting to be late for their meeting with the Morningstar in his palace (for it pleased the Dark Lord to have a palace at that time), after collecting their Mini-Lucifer, the PCs proceeded to use the Ogre's Tac-Nukes to blast fairly large holes in the walls of the Pit in their hurry. - - Not to mention that they drove like madmen through Abaddon, Gehenna, and Perdition, running over buildings, servitors, souls, etc. in their not-so-shiny-anymore Ogre - - They also drove through Tartarus, realm of Vapula, but Vapulans are used to seeing that kind of thing everyday at the labs, so they paid it no mind, then drove up to the Palace of the Morningstar, get off and threw one of the demonic guards the keys, saying "Park it." - - And right before they were to speak to the Lightbringer, Kobal ends his audience by presenting Lucifer with his *own* Mini-Me, making the PCs looking like cheap unoriginal copycats. - - And thus, the party proceeded to make utter fools of themselves in front of the Lord of Lies himself trying to get out of Kobal's little joke, which got poor Mini-Me pounded flat, and a good bit of Discord for everybody, along with being *personally * remembered by the Lord of the Flies for being utter impolite morons with no sense of style. Their names were written down on a piece of parchment which now resides in Lucifer's left pocket. - - And last but not least, when you peel off the fish, it leaves the word "Buckfutter" in torn-off skin. Don't ask, it's a long story involving a Calabite of Death threatening to tear Kobal's head off. end == Matthew K. W. == << Balseraph of Dark Humor >> [[ Former Seraph of Revelation ]] < Guess what the K stands for > ================================== Words of Wisdom: Never fight with Malakite of Creation in a Lilim of Lust's apartment. ================================== ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 03:05:17 -0600 From: Matt Kobal Webb Subject: IN> The Revelation Corps I was reading through my trusty Feast of Blades adventure when when I took a good long look at Litheroy and came up with a decent campaign idea. An angelic party, all made up of Angels of Revelation, perhaps an artificer of Creation in the service of Revelation. Their mission: Cruise the planes and expose that which is hidden... the investigators and unmaskers, divine wrath of the light of truth. The characters are under the supervision of a Seraph of Revelation by the name of Ulijah with a strange goal in life... to gain the word of Light, a word which she hates is vacant just because Lucifer formerly held it. And the PCs are going to help her get it. The general campaign concept is Urijah gives the group the latest tips on strange happenings and tells them to seek the truth, or just the characters get to become a strange combination of Servitors of the Wind and Revelation, unearthing as many secrets as possible without minding the chaos that follows. This can get very interesting... Plot ideas: - - Thwart an assassination plot on the President, and expose *all* the conspirators, not just the dupe - - Lock horns with the deceptive Illuminati, encourage the Knights Templar to come to surface, find out the truth behind the claims of the Merovingian Dynasty (did Christ wed?) - - Help out your local struggling scientist, torture a Servitor of Lightning for the information - - Investigate crimes with Servitors of Judgement, find the truth behind elaborate webs of lies - - Openly taunt and expose political candidates during the election year - - Find out what in Hell is behind the entire Valefor/Janus thing (Janus does completely avoid Litheroy...) - - Track down pesky servitors of Secrets in their quest to increase the Labrynth which humans have created for themselves - - Manage to penetrate Jean's mysterious Hall 23, steal a ultratech device, document it and FedEx the full explanation and blueprints to every major technological institute you can think of, as well as putting it on UseNet. Try to keep that under wraps, secret-keeping Lightning Lunkies! - - Run Heavenly Recon in Hell and the Far Marches - - Try to reproduce that entire Legion experiment, just to see how it works... (oooohh boy...) In short, the players get to be belligerent, dramatic, and holier than thou, as we all know they love to do, as well as make a lot of enemies real quick, but remain tenatively under the protection of Litheroy. A combination of the Dirty Dozen, JFK and the X-Files... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 03:05:07 -0600 From: Matt Kobal Webb Subject: IN> The Revelation Corps I was reading through my trusty Feast of Blades adventure when when I took a good long look at Litheroy and came up with a decent campaign idea. An angelic party, all made up of Angels of Revelation, perhaps an artificer of Creation in the service of Revelation. Their mission: Cruise the planes and expose that which is hidden... the investigators and unmaskers, divine wrath of the light of truth. The characters are under the supervision of a Seraph of Revelation by the name of Ulijah with a strange goal in life... to gain the word of Light, a word which she hates is vacant just because Lucifer formerly held it. And the PCs are going to help her get it. The general campaign concept is Urijah gives the group the latest tips on strange happenings and tells them to seek the truth, or just the characters get to become a strange combination of Servitors of the Wind and Revelation, unearthing as many secrets as possible without minding the chaos that follows. This can get very interesting... Plot ideas: - - Thwart an assassination plot on the President, and expose *all* the conspirators, not just the dupe - - Lock horns with the deceptive Illuminati, encourage the Knights Templar to come to surface, find out the truth behind the claims of the Merovingian Dynasty (did Christ wed?) - - Help out your local struggling scientist, torture a Servitor of Lightning for the information - - Investigate crimes with Servitors of Judgement, find the truth behind elaborate webs of lies - - Openly taunt and expose political candidates during the election year - - Find out what in Hell is behind the entire Valefor/Janus thing (Janus does completely avoid Litheroy...) - - Track down pesky servitors of Secrets in their quest to increase the Labrynth which humans have created for themselves - - Manage to penetrate Jean's mysterious Hall 23, steal a ultratech device, document it and FedEx the full explanation and blueprints to every major technological institute you can think of, as well as putting it on UseNet. Try to keep that under wraps, secret-keeping Lightning Lunkies! - - Run Heavenly Recon in Hell and the Far Marches - - Try to reproduce that entire Legion experiment, just to see how it works... (oooohh boy...) In short, the players get to be belligerent, dramatic, and holier than thou, as we all know they love to do, as well as make a lot of enemies real quick, but remain tenatively under the protection of Litheroy. A combination of the Dirty Dozen, JFK and the X-Files... ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 02:07:29 -0700 From: Tim Groth Subject: Re: IN> Re: Adventures in Los Angeles >Send in new angels with well-designed Roles, and >let them do their thing with explicit instructions to avoid Symphonic >disturbance. Let them pull down and tear apart Hell's control over LA by >changing the city and by influencing the people the demons currently >influence. I'm sure there are some demons whose job is to check for this sort of infilitration. Creating a Role of someone whose always lived in LA will definetly not work (if demons certainly have acces to/control of all the records for those living in LA and if a new name appears, well it will be noticed). This is their fortress on earth, and they aim to keep it that way. So someone will have to move in with a well established Role and move to LA (which probably as a better defense system in this way than presented in FotM). IMC there are Gremlins whose job is just to sit around in celestial form with celestial signs that say, "You are now entering LA." they also have the current celestial population and the most size of the loudest disturbance on record there. Their really just to catch the attention of celestials, because its just so damned odd. Many of the Gremlings them get bored and start scrawling obscene messages on the signs, in both demonic and angelic. Anway their is also the fact that anyone doing good in LA is going to attract demonic attention. They have dug deeply into the city and as their power base on earth they don't want to risk angelic influence on it. I liked the basic ideas for it in FotM, especially what they put new angels through. I do agree that angels not ordered to stay there despite the ritual are looser angels. I mean really any angel worth their salt should take the corporeal death over dissonance, unless they've been ordered to stay in LA. In that case they'll be dodging the demons, trying to avoid both corporeal death and dissonance. Eventually they'll have to either leave by Trauma or take the dissonance and move on. Most Archangels will tell their servitors which option to take. >Raising a ruckus is counter-productive, and it distracts from the real >purpose of the War. Yeah but it's fun. 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: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 02:30:31 -0700 From: Tim Groth Subject: The Word of Light (was Re: IN> The Revelation Corps) >The characters are under the supervision of a Seraph of Revelation by >the name of Ulijah with a strange goal in life... to gain the word of >Light, a word which she hates is vacant just because Lucifer formerly >held it. And the PCs are going to help her get it. I want to start by saying excellent campeign idea. One which I might some day run a variation of. Now I have to break it to poor Ulijah that she will never get the Word of Light. No one is going to be given the Word of Light, ever. The first reason, which is enough to kill her goal (and doesn't defy canon much i don't think), is that giving it puts the angel in a position where they are going to have to hide out in Heaven for fear of a very unpleasent visit from Lucifer. If anything is going to spark the Lightbringer towards a single specific goal it will be giving the Word of Light. And the Seraphim Council doesn't know what that will be. Basicly their doing something that will definetly cause Lucifer to have a reaction. Now to the non-canon reasons! Personally I don't think the Seraphim council can give out the Word. I like the idea that God had decreed it must remain open so that its there for Lucifer if he comes back to Heaven. I always like the image of God being so sure that Lucifer will eventually realize he's wrong and Redeem. I also like the Seraphim council hoping for it, but continuing on as if it will never happen. The other reason why IMO the Seraphim council can't give it out is that Lucifer still holds it. The Seraphim council is aware of this, and although the Word is not divine anymore it still registers as a taken Word held by Lucifer. Whether this is a big ol' lie by Lucifer, or him actually clinging to the Word and twisting it to his own definition and interpretation aren't known. So the Seraphim council could give it out, and then they'd have an angel plugged into Lucifer. I don't think that's something they want. Anyway cool campeign, but IMO Ulijah has no hope. It just got me thinking about why they never gave the Word of Light to an angel annd such. And a ramble ensued. 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: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 05:14:03 -0600 From: Michael Mihallik Subject: IN> re: FotM/IN Los Angeles How does any city stay in the control of either Heaven or Hell? Paris is supposedly firmly controlled by Heaven, with Notre Dame (every AA's Tether) and the Palais of Justice and the Louvre (locations of Dominic's Tethers) within sight of one another, but the demons could just as easily get large numbers in, disguised as tourists or something, and wreak some major havoc. For FotM, I just assume that LA isn't important enough to any Archangels that they're willing to spend the effort to escalate the War by bucking the status quo, and leave it at that. Also remember that there is some quiet cooperation between some segments of Heaven and Hell, and the "hands off LA" thing might be part of the deal. M. Mihallik ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 09:02:17 -0500 From: Ehrbar Subject: Re: IN> Bright Shedim > Date: Fri, 19 Nov 1999 15:13:41 -0600 > From: "Eeyore" > > Also, you can not force-strip someone down to a Reliever (or an Imp or > Gremlin, for that matter). Once you one has fledged to being an angel or > demon, they will remain such no matter how far they are reduced. It's a > one-way passage. Ahem. IPG p. 114, the paragraph continuing from the previous page, has demons redeeming as Relievers. So I had the Shedim who seem to be going Bright deliberatley force-stripped by the AA as part of the Redemption process. It's the one loophole, and it hasn't been errata'd (at least, not yet) even though Beth knows about it. (Ah, counter-nitipicking Essence. And thank Lucy that the Demon of Sci-Fi Novels, I do not have to care about the successful nitpicks.) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 08:03:06 -0700 From: EDG Subject: re: IN> One Tough Taker At 07:12 PM 11/19/99 -0400, you wrote: >demon a "free" treachery, but that's no worse than the dissonance >conditions for Servitors of David. Less, in fact -- the Mal is allowed to >stay alert and watch for the knife, and can act pre-emptively if he sees it >coming, while the Stoner has to stand there and take the first hit. "Angels of Stone will never start a fight, but they'll always finish it. Being provoked into attacking first generates dissonance." Dodging/parrying/otherwise avoiding taking the first blow isn't dissonant for David's angels. /Striking/ the first blow isn't dissonant for David's angels. What is dissonant for David's angels is not letting the other guy make the first move. If someone leaps at you with a sword, it's perfectly valid practice to whip out your own and cut him down before he even lands. As I see it, the key here is this: No matter what else David's servitors do, they are /always/ defending /something/. That's what Stone does: it protects. The stone never moves to harm someone before that someone has demonstrated that it means to harm the stone, or something it's guarding. A side note: Also as I see it, the first attack must be directly against the Stony for the Stony to attack. If someone the Stony is guarding/cares for/is associated with is attacked, acceptable practice is to step in the way of the blow, either with vessel or with weapon (although for many Stonies, the distinction is quite blurred). If the antagonist chooses to press the attack, so be it; it's now an attack against the Stony, and he's free to fight back. If not, then that's one fewer fight that has to happen. (I envision, in a simpler age, a circle of Malakim of Stone around a besieged Tether, arms stretched forward and up, shoulder to shoulder, all turned to stone. A remarkably effective defense, especially if every third or fourth member of the circle has Ethereal or Celestial Tongues and can relay information about the enemy positions to those inside.) - -EDG ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 20 Nov 1999 10:00:53 -0600 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> Minor Bands for In Nomine This is an article I originally wrote for Pyramid, but I decided that since it would take possibly a year or more for it to appear, and I don't need the money that badly, I'd just retract it from the que and make it available to a wider audience (yes, I do write more for egoboo than money....) - -David MINOR BANDS: LESSER DEMONS FOR IN NOMINE By David Edelstein (c) 1999 Permission given to redistribute at no charge, provided no alterations are made. The In Nomine rulebook features seven major Bands of demons. These are the diabolical forms that dominate Hell, and are most likely to be found on Earth . . . but many other forms exist. Presented here are six new Bands for In Nomine. They are easily adaptable to any setting that features diverse types of demons (or otherworldly beings that resemble demons). These demons aren't well-suited to be player characters, for various reasons explained in their descriptions. There's no reason why the GM couldn't allow a Brute or a Doppleganger as a PC, but it may be a challenge to fit them into a normal campaign. They make excellent NPC allies or enemies. They can be encountered in Hell, adding diabolical diversity to the infernal population, or they might occasionally be sent to Earth . . . where they pose a unique challenge to angels, who might not even know about these less famous Bands! Redeemed Versions In In Nomine, most demonic Bands have angelic counterparts. No corresponding angelic Choirs are included for the Bands below -- given how rarely they leave their home planes, and how limited they are in their Earthly activities, few ever have the opportunity to repent to the point of seeking redemption. That doesn't mean that divine analogs can't exist, but they're probably rarer than Bright Lilim. BRUTES The Grunts Physical strength doesn't mean much on the celestial plane -- but the illusion of strength is prevalent enough to mislead some of the less intelligent demonlings into pursuing it. The crudest of all demons are those infernal spirits who obsessively developed their Corporeal Forces, and survived to "fledge" as Brutes. Every new 7-Force Brute has 5 Corporeal Forces (usually with a Strength of 12), 1 Ethereal Force, and 1 Celestial Force. 8-Force Brutes almost all add their extra Force to the Corporeal realm. Few Brutes are permitted to grow to 9 Forces. Brutes brawl with each other endlessly. Proving their might is all they live for. Of course, corporeal combat can do no real damage on the celestial plane, and is basically meaningless. Outside of Brute breeding grounds (mostly in Gehanna and Abaddon), where few other demons venture, a Brute's life expectancy is short -- he'll inevitably pick a fight with another demon, who will probably demolish the puny Grunt in celestial combat. Grunts make fine cannon fodder . . . they aren't useful for much else. There are no Band Attunements for Brutes -- no Prince would bother attuning one to his Word. Baal lets his Servitors fight hordes of Grunts in Gehanna, to practice corporeal combat skills "safely." On the corporeal plane, a Brute with a vessel could be a very powerful warrior, and occasionally they are brought to Earth, for jobs requiring mindless brute force. Of course, they require a supervisor smart enough to keep them on task, and powerful enough to terrify them into obedience. Calabim most often receive this duty. On the celestial plane, Brutes are greenish humanoid creatures with muscle-bound, gorilla-like frames and bone-ridged skulls . . . every bit as stupid as they look. Their vessels are usually similar in build; broad-shouldered, with bulging biceps and pectorals, tapering waists, and tiny heads. Musical comparisons are pointless . . . banging on a pot might amuse a Brute for a few minutes, before he bashes it over someone's head. Resonance Brutes have an affinity for brute force. A Brute can make a resonance roll (Will-based) whenever he wants to apply his Strength (for any purpose -- including combat, or resisting certain Songs). If successful, he may add the check digit to the target number of his Strength roll. Of course, given their low Celestial Forces, Brutes rarely make their resonance rolls, and usually get by on Strength alone. Dissonance It's simply not in a Brute's nature to think . . . at least, not in lieu of flexing his muscles. When faced with an obstacle (inanimate or otherwise), a Brute has two choices: take the direct (brute force) approach, or surrender. Brutes can refrain from attacking an obviously superior opponent, or walk away from a barrier they know they can't breach, but they suffer dissonance if they stop to think about other alternatives (like negotiation or detours). DOPPLEGANGERS The Mimics Dopplegangers are demons who might have become Balseraphs, but they lacked the verbal skills and devious mindset necessary to become a Liar. Their talent is imagery and physical deception, and they learned to deceive with appearances rather than words. Like Balseraphs, they adopt whatever guise suits them at the moment, and immerse themselves in their fabricated realities. Their ability to alter their own appearance is very useful. Unfortunately, the Game has banned Dopplegangers from the corporeal plane -- a Trickster with a vessel is a Renegade as soon as he lands on Earth, as far as Asmodeus is concerned, and any Dopplegangers found in Hades are exterminated. Some Princes (notably Beleth, Nybbas, and Valefor) will deal with Dopplegangers behind Asmodeus' back, but no one has ever made reliable Servitors out of them. The reason for this is that when a Doppleganger mimics another being, he truly believes he is that being. A Doppleganger who pretends to be a Djinn thinks he's a Djinn and will act like one. A Doppleganger who assumes a human guise on Earth believes he's a human . . . and thanks to their dissonance conditions, once a Doppleganger becomes "human," he will quickly blend into society and do his best to remain undiscovered. A Doppleganger's true celestial form is humanoid and utterly featureless, revealing their most terrible secret -- they have no self-identity. Their vessels are as nondescript as possible . . . a Mimic never truly identifies with his natural appearance. They make no music of their own, but they are consummate lip-synchers. Resonance A Doppleganger can distort another being's reality, much like a Balseraph, but Dopplegangers twist perceptions, and they do it automatically to any being with whom they come into contact. A Doppleganger can choose any guise; on the celestial plane, it can be another Band, while on the corporeal plane, it can be any corporeal being. (On the ethereal plane, of course, they can alter their appearance at will just as anyone else can.) Anyone who perceives the Doppleganger must win a Contest of Wills against the demon. If he fails, he sees the Doppleganger as the Doppleganger sees itself. If he wins, he is immune to the Doppleganger's resonance until the Doppleganger assumes another guise. Seraphim add their Celestial Forces to their Will rolls when attempting to penetrate a Doppleganger's disguise. Dissonance Dopplegangers cannot bear to be seen as they truly are. Their resonance operates "passively," and thus can't be temporarily disabled by a failed roll, but each person who beats a Doppleganger in the Contest of Wills (above) afflicts the Trickster with a point of dissonance! (If a Doppleganger does suffer dissonance, he knows someone has seen through his disguise, but he doesn't automatically know who.) Being exposed to large numbers of demons can become a hideous torture, inflicting massive amounts of Discord -- in a crowd of several hundred diabolicals, many are bound to have high Wills and beat the Doppleganger's Will roll. In Hell, Dopplegangers skulk in the shadows and hide in areas of low population, and even on Earth, they try to stay away from crowds. The Celestial Song of Form is also immensely useful to Dopplegangers with vessels. SALAMANDERS The Pyromaniacs Salamanders are a minor Band exclusive to Sheol -- Belial loves them, but no other Princes will allow the destructive creatures into their Principalities. Salamanders develop naturally from gremlins who love making things burn. If not for their highly specialized focus on destruction, they might otherwise have become Calabim. Their talent for setting things on fire makes them powerful and dangerous, but their single-minded obsession makes them loose cannons, even by Belial's standards . . . no one can keep a Salamander's mind off of burning for long. They may occasionally be sent to the corporeal plane, when Belial wants something torched fast, but if he's not on hand personally to yank them back to Hell when they're finished, they'll run amok until their vessels are killed. True to mythology, Salamanders are glowing, lizard-like creatures in celestial form. Belial rarely gives them human vessels; they're more likely to manifest corporeally as bright red reptiles that resemble their celestial form. As instruments, they are howling klaxons, cheering on the blazes they ignite. Resonance Salamanders start fires, and can do so with a Will roll. There is no resistance roll. On the celestial plane, this will do Soul hits equal to the check digit. Celestial fires don't continue to burn unless the Salamander ignites something that's flammable . . . and what's flammable depends on the "rules" the local Prince has established. (In Sheol, humans are usually flammable . . .) On the ethereal plane, Salamanders can choose to inflict ethereal or celestial damage with their fires (usually they choose celestial). On Earth, the initial conflagration will inflict Body hits equal to the check digit (Protection applies normally, but a Salamander's resonance can't be Dodged), and will ignite flammable materials. If the GM deems that a person's clothes have been set on fire, he'll take another 1D6 damage per round until he's extinguished. Salamanders of Fire All Salamanders are demons of Fire. Belial grants them a Band Attunement of their own, which enhances their natural resonance: on a successful resonance roll, Salamanders of Fire may add their Forces in the realm of damage they inflict (Corporeal on Earth, Celestial in Hell, etc.) to the check digit. Dissonance Salamanders suffer dissonance every hour they don't set something on fire! In Sheol, this isn't a problem, but their pyromania makes them dysfunctional anywhere else. DISCORDIANS The Babblers Discordians evolve from imps who fall in love with the sound of their own voices, and push narcissism to diabolical heights. Unable to look beyond their internal symphony, they have minds too fractured to be comprehensible to anyone but another Discordian, and they love to impose their state of confusion on others. Discordians can be found wandering the streets of most Principalities, babbling to themselves. Other demons give them a wide berth . . . it's rumored that prolonged exposure to one can permanently scramble your mind, though this is probably just diabolical superstition. Their celestial form is an amorphous blob that sometimes seems almost humanoid, other times appears truly shapeless . . . as if they couldn't decide whether to become Impudites or Shedim. They are covered with endlessly gibbering mouths, but no other facial features. When given vessels (rarely), they quickly become covered with filth, grow tangled beards and wild hair, and mumble and drool on Earth, much as they do in Hell. They are not so much diabolical instruments as random noise, such as that produced by an autistic child banging on piano keys or plucking ferociously at a hapless banjo. Resonance Discordians resonate for confusion. They can apply their resonance on a number of beings at once equal to their Celestial Forces, by making a Will roll. (In a combat situation, they suffer the same restrictions as Balseraphs -- see In Nomine, p. 142.) Their victims may negate the effects with a Will roll (this is not a Contest -- the victim only has to make his roll). Anyone who successfully resists with a check digit of 6 will inflict a point of dissonance on the Discordian. Anyone who fails to resist will hear the Babbler clearly, but for a number of minutes equal to check digit of the Babbler's resonance roll, nothing that anyone else says will make sense to the victim, and what he says will sound like incoherent nonsense to everyone but Discordians. This applies to all forms of communication, including written or sign language! Two Princes occasionally make use of Discordians. Kobal and Malphas have both been known to recruit a Babbler, grant it a Band Attunement, and turn it loose on Earth for perverse reasons. Discordians of Dark Humor Kobal's Discordians are often called Mockers. Whatever their victims attempt to communicate will sound not only incomprehensible, but stupid - -- attempts at speech sound like moronic babbling, written messages will appear to be the illiterate scribblings of a child, and body language will appear buffoonish and slapstick. All of this tends to provoke laughter, which is all the victims will hear anyway . . . vicious, mocking laughter, no matter what their audience is really trying to express. Discordians of Factions Malphas' Babblers generate ill-will with their confusion . . . victims who are affected by a Discordian of Factions don't perceive nonsense when others communicate with them. Instead, their minds fill in meaning, taking the most negative possible interpretation; the degree to which the victim failed his resistance roll determines whether he hears a slight edge in another person's tone (failed check digit of 1) or vicious slander insulting his character, intelligence, and ancestry (check digit of 6). What they say remains mere babble to everyone else. Dissonance Discordians can't make sense when communicating with others. They speak nonsense words, doggerel verse, or random stream-of-consciousness recitations of whatever's going through their disorganized minds. It would take a deliberate (and dissonant) effort of will to actually communicate something that makes sense. DEVOURERS The Hungry Ones Some demonlings acquire a taste for cannibalism. A few are so successful at devouring their own kind that they grow in Forces until they become full demons. Their hunger doesn't end then, of course -- they continue to feast on any creature they can close their toothy maws around, which makes them unappreciated in most Principalities, since their easiest prey is the damned human souls who supply Princes with Essence. Saminga tolerates them, so many Devourers wander the wastelands of Abaddon, looking for food. The only Prince who will actually use them as Servitors, however, is Haagenti, who keeps a small horde of Hungry Ones on hand to eat his leftovers. Occasionally he turns them loose on Earth for a little while. Devourers are rightly feared, as their single-minded obsession with eating their own kind makes them celestial monsters; almost all new 7-Force Devourers have 1 Corporeal Force, 1 Ethereal Force, and 5 Celestial Forces (usually with a Will of 12). Their 8th Force usually tops them out at 6 Celestial Forces. Given their resonance, and the fact that most Devourers are configured to be celestial eating machines, no demon wants to engage a Hungry One in celestial combat. Devourers are also known as Worms for their celestial form -- a fat, wormlike thing with a gaping mouth ringed with teeth. Unlike true worms (and Balseraphs), the Hungry ones have tiny, stunted limbs attached . . . their little hands can sometimes be seen frantically shoveling scraps into their mouths. When Haagenti sends them to Earth, he usually gives them bloated human vessels with fat, bald heads and wide mouths. Worms are not instruments of any sort . . . their resonance is a bottomless pit of hunger that allows no music to escape. Resonance Devourers are relentless feeders, and can consume anything made of Forces. Once they make a successful attack in celestial combat (either in Hell, or when in celestial form on Earth), they lock their jaws onto their prey. Each turn thereafter, they may make a normal celestial attack, but their victim cannot Dodge. Failure simply means no damage that round. Their victim can counterattack; the Worm also cannot Dodge while chewing on someone. However, Devourers regenerate 1D6 Soul hits for every Force they strip from a victim. Fleeing does no good -- the victim can move normally, but the Devourer will come with him, even between planes. (If the meal is an angel, ascending to Heaven is one of the few things that will persuade a Devourer to let go . . .) The only other way to make a Devourer let go (other than by soul-killing it) is to materialize in corporeal form. Devourers of Gluttony Being bound to Haagenti's Word is almost redundant for the Hungry Ones. Unlike most Servitors of Gluttony, Haagenti's Hungry Ones (whom he calls his Gourmands) must receive his Devour attunement, instead of Consume. They are excused from Haagenti's normal dissonance conditions -- their Band dissonance conditions satisfy him well enough. He also gives all of his Devourers the Fangs Numinous Corpus at level 6 . . . just to make them even more frightening. Dissonance Eternally hungry, Devourers suffer a point of dissonance if they do not consume a number of Forces equal to their total Forces every week . . . but most prefer to consume that much every day. WAILERS The Lonely Ones The most pathetic of all demonic Bands, the Wailers are former imps who developed crippling insecurities, becoming so disgusted with themselves they fled diabolical society, seeking out the loneliest places in Hell. Thus isolated, they slowly acquired more Forces until they became full-fledged incarnations of narcissistic self-pity. Few demons ever meet Wailers . . . the Lonely Ones wander far beyond the borders of any Principality, settling down where they can feel sorry for themselves for eternity. Some are rumored to have wandered as far as the Lower Hells. Lucifer does not disturb them -- they inflict so much misery on themselves, there's nothing even the Prince of Darkness could do to add to it. Their celestial forms are anemic, bat-winged homunculi, looking broken and pale, with large eyes constantly filled with tears of self-pity. No one has ever seen a Lonely One on Earth. The only music they emit is a miserable, keening wail that crushes the spirit. Resonance Resonating to self-absorbed pity, the Wailers are determined to feel sorry for themselves, and will make anyone who listens to them do the same. A Wailer can inflict his resonance on anyone by making a Will roll. Those who fail to resist will be overcome with pity for the Wailer, and unable to take any actions against him for a number of hours equal to the Wailer's check digit. Anyone so affected will also find the sound of the Wailer's keening to be so irritatingly pathetic, he must either leave or find himself being dragged down into self-pity as well. Make a Will roll every 10 minutes; failure means losing a point of Will until the victim leaves the Wailer's presence. If someone's Will falls to 1, he will become unable to do anything but sit down and feel sorry for himself. Dissonance Wailers are utterly useless as Servitors, because it's dissonant for them do anything but feel sorry for themselves. Talking to someone would require them to pay attention to something besides their own pitiful self. The only thing a Wailer can do without suffering dissonance is move away from other beings, seeking more solitude. ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #1425 ******************************** The material here is (C) 1999 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.