But, it made me want to run Demon the Fallen again.
Then I started looking at doing that, and... Fuck that game. There's fuck all to actually do, just as a goddamned start. You play random no names, because all the demons you've ever fucking heard of are special DM Penis NPCs.
Just, ugh.
So I'm working on an AS hack to make something where you play a fallen angel returning to Earth, and you're explicitly encouraged to play a big name. Still working on what the fuck you do in it, but, eh, I'll get there.
So.
New Sorcery: Revelation
Revelation is the group of powers that is shared by all Fallen and Elohim on Earth. It represents pure celestial awesomeness, and is sort of a compilation of effects similar to a few different existing powers.
Revelation allows Fallen and Elohim to reveal their celestial nature to others, inspiring awe or dread, captivate their attention, heal or harm with a touch, or augment their terrestrial abilities with the merest hint of their true nature.
Basic Powers:
- Overawe-- By revealing their celestial nature, the character can inspire awe, or dread, in a single target. They may either halt the target in their tracks, or cause them to flee, at their option. A halted target is, in essence, paralyzed, while a target made to flee runs away or cowers in terror. Either result lasts at least a number of rounds equal to the net hits, suffering a -2 die morale penalty thereafter for the remainder of the scene. Either use of Overawe is a Complex action requiring a Willpower + Intimidation or Intuition + Persuasion opposed by the target's Willpower.
- Captivate-- The character can demand the attention of others. This is a simple action requiring an opposed roll of Willpower + Intimidation or Intuition + Persuasion against the target's Willpower. If successful, the affected target must direct all actions and attention at the character for a number of rounds equal to the character's net hits. This captivation includes looking at the character, unable to look away, unless the character issues a command to look away, making this a very good power to use with Authority powers.
- Revelatory Form-- The character lets slip their mortal facade, showing the merest sliver of their true form. This is similar to the devotion War Form, requiring 4 power points and a Complex Action, and allows the character to transform some manner of monstrous thing, the exact nature of which is defined at character creation, though as the character advances in power, it may change subtly. It is obviously not human, often inhumanly thin, tall, stout, or simply alien in appearance. They gain a 4 damage Lethal natural attack they are free to define as they wish, and may distribute 5 points between Strength and Agility as they wish. When the character falls to fury*, they often automatically transform to their revelatory form, which, in this case, is a Simple action and costs no power points.
- Faith Reaping-- The character draws on the faith placed in them by one of their pacts, and instead of receiving the faith freely given, takes it from the mortal's heart. This can be done at any range, provided the character and the pact they draw upon are in the same world. This is very dangerous to the mortal who made the pact, and the more compassionate celestials use it only as a matter of absolute last resort. Using Faith Reaping is a Complex action, requiring an opposed Willpower + Intimidation or Intuition + Persuasion test against the mortal's Willpower. If successful, the character gains one power point per net hit, and the mortal subject has a master passion frenzy immediately triggered, which they must resist as normal, but the threshold for their test to resist equals the net hits of the character.
- Kindle the Divine Spark-- The character can return life to a dead creature. This acts much the same way as Restoration, except for only working on creatures that are not the user. To return another to life, the character spends 2 power points, plus an additional power point for each point of potency the dead creature possessed in life. This is instantaneous if the creature has a potency of 0, or four hours for any creature with a potency of 1 or more, either way, they are returned to life with all health boxes but one crossed off, and require further healing.
Much like Animates, the Fallen are not born human to later become monsters. Instead, every Fallen was created as an Elohim (ie, Angel), and later rebelled against God as part of Lucifer's army, only to be cast down and mostly forgotten. After the war, beaten and defeated, the Fallen were cast into The Pit, shut off from the world they fought for, and away from the light of God. Certain of them got glimpses of the world through the centuries, as they were conjured into wise men and women's summoning circles, but, largely, the Fallen knew nothing of what happened on Earth, and they grew... despondent. Numb. Angry. Resentful.
Different Fallen reacted to the solitude of The Pit in different ways, but none of them were left unscathed by it.
Just as every other supernatural, The Fallen are capable of being Extras or Luminaries, but Extras are the great unknown masses of Fallen kind, while Luminaries are the known and named of Fallen kind-- Lucifer, Belial, Lilith, Asmodeus, Samael, and so on.
All Fallen are on a Solar power schedule. Ie, a Lunar power schedule, but they gain power at dawn, instead of moonrise. However, Fallen power does not flow from the Sun, it flows from mortals who truly believe in their existence and nature. When a Fallen returns to Earth for the first time, they regain only a single power point each dawn, the faith gleaned from the ambient human belief in angels and demons. In order to gain more than this, they must seek out mortals to, in essence, worship them. These are mortals who they specifically reveal their power and nature to, and who specifically believe in the Fallen, typically in exchange for a boon, in a relationship formally referred to as a Pact. The mortal becomes a Warlock, in essence the Extra form of a Fallen, and the Fallen gains an addition power point at dawn each day. It thus behooves Fallen to make pacts with multiple mortals, and protect these mortals, so that as the Fallen becomes more power.
The divine nature of Fallen makes them vulnerable to Celestial weapons, those that are made in Heaven or the Pit, or which have been specifically cursed or blessed by the forces of either (including Warlocks and Apostles). Weapons of this nature inflict aggravated damage on Fallen.
The Master Passion of the Fallen is a result of their torment in The Pit, and differs from Fallen to Fallen.
Fallen Starting Powers
--Core Discipline: Revelation--
Overawe
Captivate
--Basic Powers--
Aura Perception (Basic Discernment)
Revive the Flesh (Basic Fortitude)
--Advanced Powers--
Flight (Devotion)
Revelatory Form (Advanced Revelation)
Faith Reaping (Advanced Revelation)
Distinctive Flaw: Prideful
The Houses of the Fallen
When the Elohim were created, God ordered them into the choirs, tiers of power and might, with the highest of the high, the Seraphim, serving God directly, tending to his throne and singing praises unending, and the lowest of the choirs, the "plain angels," tending to base creation.After the Fall uses After Sundown, but does not take place in the same setting as AS. It has its own setting, with its own worlds, and Fallen do not join Cults. Instead, they belong to Houses, which grant two Basic Powers to fill out the standard template, as well as a Basic and Advance power from one Discipline or Sorcery, in place of those which an In Media Res character would gain from being a member of a cult.
In addition, all Fallen receive the Flight devotion in place of the personal Advanced power an IMR character would receive in After Sundown.
The fall was explicitly antimonarchist, and the Fallen rejected the Heavenly hierarchy, but the divisions ordered by God were not just hierarchical, also dividing the powers and concerns of the Elohim. Thus, while the Fallen are very anarchic, and eschew such ideas of tiered superiority (among themselves, that is), the Angelic Choirs became the Fallen Houses, each tied to a different portfolio.
Sarafti
The Burnt
The Seraphim were the highest of the high, Elohim of living flame with six wings, and from this they were named The Burning Ones (Serapim in Hebrew). They existed to tend to God's Heavenly throne, and to sing him praises.
Those Seraphim who fell in Lucifer's Revolt became the Sarafti, the Burnt, their forms transformed from living fire to smoldering coals. They command flame and rhetoric.
House Powers
Command (Basic Authority)
Attract (Basic Magnetism)
Hand of Flame (Basic Walk of Fire)
Fire Starter (Advanced Walk of Fire)
Arurim
The Accursed
The Cherubim were as God's footmen, guarding his holy spaces, such as Eden, and transporting his throne. They are named for their blessed and blessing nature. They had two pairs of wings covered in eyes, and four heads (a man, a bull, a lion and an eagle), and feet of polished bronze.
Cherubim who fell became the Arurim, the Accursed. Their wings became horrific things, and their many heads fused into strange amalgamations of human and beast. Their polished bronze feet twisted into blackened wrought iron. Where the Cherubim protect and transport, the Arurim infiltrate and destroy.
House Powers
Hide From Notice (Basic Veil)
Clinging (Basic Clout)
Poison Heart (Basic Names of the Blasphemies)
Bind the Name (Advanced Names of the Blasphemies)
Mitganedi
The Defiant
The Dominions were celestial managers, holding authority over the lower levels and directing their actions on Earth. They are perhaps the most iconic of the Elohim, appearing as beautiful, perfect humans, and their authority is symbolized by wings of gleaming metal.
The Fallen Dominions became the Mitganedi, defying authority rather than wielding it. They are not, necessarily ugly, though some are, but all Mitganedi are inhuman and terrifying in one way or another.
House Powers
Repel (Basic Magnetism)
Suggestion (Basic Authority)
Pain Drops (Basic Depths of Despair)
Dark Night of the Soul (Advanced Depths of Despair)
Mechabbeli
The Saboteurs
Below the Dominions were the Virtues. They made signs and omens, conveying the promises of God to man. The bodies of Virtues were as perfect humans in form, but their skin is etched in angelic runes and signs.
Fallen Powers became the Mechabbeli, and where Virtues order omens and signs, Mechabbeli sabotage those heavenly events. Their forms are still perfect, but the runes that once spelled promises and covenants, now speak profane utterances and taunts.
House Powers
Quickness (Basic Celerity)
Curse of Failure (Basic Depths of Despair)
Eyes of the Night (Basic Play of Shadows)
Solid Darkness (Advanced Play of Shadows)
Heresi
The Ravagers
The last of the second tier of choirs were the Powers. They supervise the movements of heavenly bodies, the stars and planets. Their bodes are swathed in the heavens, stars and planets shining on the surface.
Powers that fell in Lucifer's Revolt became the Heresi, the Ravagers. Their bodies still show the heavens, but whereas Powers' forms show the beauty of the Heavens, the forms of the Ravagers show the Heavens' terrors-- black holes, burning suns, icy comets, and so on.
House Powers
Patience of the Mountains (Basic Fortitude)
Mesmerism (Basic Authority)
Enchanted Slumber (Basic Sands of Morpheus)
Horrid Reality (Advanced Sands of Morpheus)
Siyumi
The Enders
The second to lowest choir of Elohim were the Principalities, or the Ancient, or the Beginners. They guided and protected nations and peoples on Earth, serving as stern custodians of humanity. They appear as winged exemplars in gleaming armor, bearing weapons and restraints.
Fallen Principalities became the Siyumi, the Enders. Where Principalities shepherded nations, Siyumi prey upon them as wolves upon the flock. They still exemplify perfect human form, but their armor is grim, their weapons wicked, and their restraints have turned to bonds.
House Powers
Curse of Failure (Basic Depths of Despair)
Touch of Darkness (Lure of Destruction)
Light of Ennui (Advanced Descent of Entropy)
Aura of Decay (Advanced Descent of Entropy)
Shikuhei
The Silencers
The lowest choir of Elohim were the angels, the messengers of God. They appeared to people personally to speak God's word to them, to make promise and demand. They appear as humans, but perfect of form, and with powerful wings.
Angels who fell became the Shikuhei, the Silencers. Where angels carry the word of God, the Silencers hold the power to erase or deny that word. Their forms are the least changed of all the Fallen, though their perfect faces are twisted and wicked.
House Powers
Missing Voice (Basic Song of Silence)
Silent Toll (Basic Song of Silence)
Angels were less locked into a set of powers than other, more dedicated-to-a-purpose choirs. As such, Shikuhei chose their remaining two Basic Powers as they wish.