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--- setting:lores [2024/Sep/08 16:41]
zechstein [Lore of the Firmament]
+++ setting:lores [2025/Apr/07 18:26] (current)
zechstein
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 [[house_rules|Back to the House Rules Index]] \\
-^  **Subpages**  |||||
+^  **Subpages**  ||||||
-|  [[demon_house_rules|General]]  |  [[Pacts]]  |  [[Reaping Faith|Faith]]  |  **Lores**  |  [[demon_rituals|Rituals]]  |
+|  [[demon_house_rules|General]]  |  [[Pacts]]  |  [[Reaping Faith|Faith]]  |  **Lores**  |  [[demon_miracles|Miracles]]  |  [[demon_rituals|Rituals]]  |
 ====== Lores ======
@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 ===== Lore of Flame =====
-__**Lore of Flame 4: Holocaust**__ \\
+==== Lore of Flame 4: Holocaust ====
-For the purpose of this game, the name of this evocation shall be **"Incinerate."** The original name is in extremely bad taste and meshes poorly with our 'No Politics' rule.
+Since this evocation as presented in the book is underpowered, confusingly written, and has a completely inappropriate name, it gets replaced by the following evocation:
+<WRAP center box 80%>
+=== •••• Incinerate ===
+This evocation is the ultimate expression of the power of fire. It consumes in order to make way for new
+life by wreathing the target in cleansing flames until only ashes remain.
+**System:** Spend one Faith point and roll Stamina + Survival. The demon designates a (living or inanimate) target within her line of sight. The target will start to burn up from within, even if it is made from a material that is normally resistant to fire. The maximum volume that can be affected by this evocation is a number of cubic feet equal to the demon's permanent Faith. If the target is bigger, only a part of the structure is affected. The evocation can affect a number of inanimate objects at once, as long as they are all made from the same material and the total volume of all affected objects is smaller or equal to the maximum allowed volume. Flammable objects in close proximity to the target might catch on fire at the discretion of the storyteller. Such flames are completely mundane fire and are not under the control of the demon.
+While it is burning, the target suffers one level of aggravated damage (or lethal if the victim does not deal in aggravated damage) per turn. The effect ends after a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled on the activation roll. However, the effects of the evocation typically persist afterwards: Steel will be red-hot, and wood is going to continue burning on its own account.
+When targeting another demon with this evocation, the user can choose to burn his spiritual essence instead of his flesh. When used this way the evocation removes one point of temporary Faith per round from the victim's Faith pool, but doesn't do damage.
+**Torment:** Monstrous demons pervert the cleansing power of fire and use it to cause pollution instead, twisting the fire created by this evocation to produce a thick, oily smoke. Every living being that is closer than two yards to the target takes one level of bashing damage per turn has to succeed at a Stamina roll against difficulty 7 or be nauseated for the turn. The smoke also provides partial concealment.
+</WRAP>
 ===== Lore of Radiance =====
-**Also known as 'Presence on Steroids,'** Lore of Radiance has extremely powerful mind-manipulating abilities, but often balanced by the fact that the book explicitly says 'mortals.' Obviously, in a game like this, 'mortals' is a fairly ambiguous term. After discussing with several STs, we have decided that the following supernatural types qualify as 'mortals': **Imbued (Hunters), Mages, and Shapechangers (Garou and Fera).** Vampires (because they're undead), Mummies (because they're literally immortal), Changelings (because they're immortal souls in human bodies), other demons, and Wraiths (because they're not even alive) do not count as mortals in this game.
+Lore of Radiance has extremely powerful mind-manipulating abilities, but often balanced by the fact that the book explicitly says 'mortals.' Obviously, in a game like this, 'mortals' is a fairly ambiguous term. After discussing with several STs, we have decided that the following supernatural types qualify as 'mortals': **Imbued (Hunters), Mages, and Shapechangers (Garou and Fera).** Vampires (because they're undead), Mummies (because they're literally immortal), Changelings (because they're immortal souls in human bodies), other demons, and Wraiths (because they're not even alive) do not count as mortals in this game.
-**__Lore of Radiance 2: Exalt__**
+==== Lore of Radiance 2: Exalt ====
 You can:
@@ Line 64: / Line 79: @@
 ===== Lore of the Forge =====
-__**Lore of the Forge 1: Enhance Object**__
+==== Lore of the Forge 1: Enhance Object ====
 The general rule that no roll can have its base difficulty lowered by more than three (see General Systems House Rules for details) stays in effect. So when using this evocation you cannot invest more than three successes into lowering the difficulty of using an ability with this item, and no roll can ever have a difficulty lower than three.
-===== Lore of the Flesh =====
+===== Lore of Patterns =====
-**Also known as 'Vicissitude for Demons,'** the fact that the book explicitly allows messing with attributes - permanently - could render spending XP on Physical and Mental attributes utterly pointless. Obviously, this needs to be addressed, otherwise a Rabisu in this game will break it.
+==== Lore of Patterns 3: Foresee ====
-**__Lore of the Flesh 3: Manipulate Flesh__**:
+This evocation is unfortunately rendered mostly useless in this game, since we don’t use the standard initiative rules. To remedy this problem the evocation shall be replaced by the following one:
-You can:
+<WRAP center box 80%>
+**••• Quickening The Stream** \\
+With a slight manipulation of the time stream the demon is able to speed herself or her allies up relative to the rest of the universe. To onlookers she becomes a blur as she seems to move with impossible speed.\\
-  * Increase (or decrease...) any attribute allowed by the evocation of any character temporarily, and without a Pact. These attribute changes are reverted at the end of the scene. In-game, the changes last for roughly two hours.
+**System:** The target of the evocation can either be the demon herself or any person she can see. Roll Wits + Intuition. For the duration of the effect multiply the movement rate of the target by the number of successes. The target always acts first in the initiative order, unless she chooses to delay her action. Being so fast also makes the subject very hard to hit. Add a number of dice equal to the number of successes on the evocation roll to the dice pool of any dodge roll. The evocation lasts for a number of turns equal to the demon's permanent Faith. \\
-You //cannot//:
+**Torment:** Instead of speeding themselves or their allies up, monstrous demons prefer to slow their victims down. They delight in watching their targets stumble around in a world that is suddenly incomprehensibly fast. Divide the movement rate of the victim by the number of successes rolled for the duration, and subtract them from the victim's dodge rolls. The victim always acts last in the initiative order.
+</WRAP>
-  *  Increase social attributes. No, not even Appearance; that's Lore of Transfiguration.
+===== Lore of Transfiguration =====
-  *  Use this evocation on a Wraith. Their bodies are not corporeal. No, Lore of the Realms won't help you. Orpheus operatives are fair game, though. Risen... I'll need to talk with the Wraith ST. Watch this space.
-  *  Increase any attribute above 5. That's Flesh 5.
-**__Lore of the Flesh 5: Shape Flesh__**:
+The evocations of this Lore all last “for a number of turns equal to the Defiler’s Faith
+score” according to the book, which is completely insufficient for most purposes. This means in practice that it’s inevitable to make the effects permanent in order to gain any use from them. Therefore the base duration of any evocation of this Lore is increased to “for the rest of the scene, or until the Defiler dismisses the effect.” The effects of the second, third, and fifth evocation can still be made permanent by expending a point of Willpower.
-Balance:
+If a demon uses an evocation of this Lore to make permanent alterations to themselves or to another player character that would lead to an increase in a trait (like a higher Appearance attribute) or to them gaining a merit then the player of this character has to pay the normal XP costs for this increase. An exception are traits that have previously been lowered or merits that have been removed by supernatural means. However, the completion time for these purchases is reduced by 100 % and the normal limit of one dot per trait per month doesn’t apply.
-  * Increase Attributes permanently at a cost of spending 1 Willpower Point //point dot added or removed//.
+==== What the evocations do ====
-  * Increase Attributes above 5, but at a cost: **Raising __any__ attribute above 5 marks this person as obviously supernatural.** Raising Strength above 5 turns this person into the Hulk, with more muscle mass than should be biologically possible. Raising Dexterity above 5 turns this person into a circus freak with double-jointed limbs, able to contort themselves in ways Harry Houdini only wishes he could have. Raising Stamina above 5 turns this person's skin into ultra-dense flesh that is as hard as a rock; they can't even be injected with anything anymore, and it feels like polished marble rather than skin. Raising mental attributes above 5 will require reshaping the skull into an unnatural shape to accomodate the extra gray matter. The balance here is that this person becomes a walking Veil/Masquerade violation, not unlike the Nosferatu or certain Tzimisce. Note that this ability CAN change Appearance... by lowering it. For each attribute raised above 5, subtract one point from Appearance, because this person is now a freak of nature. Note that this Appearance loss CAN be fixed with other abilities, but there's always going to be something 'off' about them that nevertheless marks them as obviously supernatural. Particularly drastic changes may result in Flaws. You have been warned!
-You can:
+Since there is occasionally confusion on what the different evocations of the Lore of Transfiguration do, here some clarification:
+  * **Mimic** allows you to alter your voice, speech patterns, mannerisms, and body language to resemble those of another person.
+  * **Alter Appearance** allows you to change your hair and skin color, but also the shape of your face or your facial features. You could use this evocation to make yourself look like someone else if you know what this person looks like, but unless they match the build of your character closely you likely need to apply Alter Shape as well.
+  * **Alter Shape** allows you to alter the physical dimensions of a body. You can make someone taller or smaller, more corpulent or thinner, or you can change the proportions of their body parts.
+  * **Doppelganger** combines **Mimic, Alter Appearance,** and **Alter Shape** with a touch of telepathy in order to allow you to take the appearance of a person your target expects to see. The evocation takes the relevant information directly from the target’s mind, the demon doesn’t have to know who the target would expect, or even know beforehand what said person looks like. However, demons need to use their own wits to avoid blowing their cover by doing or saying something that would be out of character for the person they are impersonating.
+  * **Shapechange** finally pulls out all the stops. Previous evocations can only affect changes that are roughly within the limits of what humans can look like. But Shapechange surpasses these limitations and allows the demon to sculpt their target into an inhumanly beautiful work of art or a grotesque monster, or anything in between.
-  * Permanently increase the Attributes of other characters //only with a Pact.// Doing so automatically gives the other character the Devil's Mark flaw (1 point, //Mage 20: Book of Secrets//, page 83). This is to discourage characters who have Lore of the Flesh 5 from being an 'Attribute dot dispenser,' something that has happened in the past.
-You //cannot//:
+===== Lore of the Flesh =====
-  * Make any change to a Mummy that persists after a Death Cycle. This applies mainly to Corruption or Direction Mummies, as Amenti and Wu'Tian cannot form Pacts.
+==== Lore of the Flesh 3: Manipulate Flesh ====
-  * Increase any Social Attributes. Again, no, not even Appearance. That's Lore of Transfiguration.
-===== Lore of the Realms =====
+  * Increasing to someone's attributes made with this lore persist for one week, unless the player of the modified character pays for them with XP. The purchase request has to be posed before the effect elapses.
+  * An exception to this rule are attributes that were previously lowered by the Lore of Flesh, or another form of flesh crafting (like a vampire using Vicissitude). Such "repairs" are free.
+  * The rules above don't apply to NPCs that aren't advanced via XP.
+  * While the attributes have to be payed in full, the use of this evocation grants a 100 % reduction in completion time (the change is already done).
+  * The evocation can increase an attribute by several dots at once, circumventing the normal limit of one dot per trait per month.
+  * Please note that this evocation can explicitly only change physical and mental attributes. Never social ones, those are governed by the Lore of Transfiguration.
-**Also known as 'How Demons go to the Umbra/Shadowlands,'** Lore of the Realms can make you intangible, tear holes in the Gauntlet, or enable instant travel that is basically teleportation by any other name or means.
+==== Lore of the Flesh 5: Shape Flesh ====
+  * This evocation can grant or remove dots in physical and mental attributes, as well as physical merits and flaws. Other merits and flaws might be possible as well with the Demon ST's permission.
+  * Merits and attributes gained with this evocation, as well as flaws removed, have to be payed normally with XP (see the rules for the Manipulate Flesh evocation above). Again, undoing damage done by earlier applications of flesh crafting is free.
+  * It is possible for this evocation to grant attributes beyond the normal human limits (usually 5), but doing so will leave the subjects with a visibly inhuman appearance, as the demon literally has to go beyond the limits of the human form to achieve the desired result. Such extensive reshaping should be discussed with the Demon ST beforehand, who will make a case-by-case ruling on the details, in conjunction with the splat ST of the subject (if applicable).
+  * Changes made to vampires with this evocation don't revert during daysleep, unless they conflict with the vampire's clan bane.
+  * Changes made to the reborn might be reversed by their gods during their next death cycle. The Mummy ST has the final word on the matter.
+===== Lore of the Spirit =====
+==== Lore of the Spirit 5: Restore the Dead ====
+Without an Asharu to breathe fresh life into the corpse, this evocation can only ever grant a form of half-life. Since the evocation requires the body to be quite fresh, those who are returned in this manner can pass for one of the living at a glance, but they don't have a pulse, their wounds don't bleed, and they don't feel pleasure or pain. The returned don't need to breathe, or sleep, eat or drink. In fact, eating and drinking causes them discomfort and they vomit up anything they imbibe almost immediately.
+Should Lore of Awakening 5: Restore Life at any point be used on someone in this state, they will be restored to true life.
+===== Lore of the Realms =====
-__**Lore of the Realms 2:  Step Beyond the Veil**__
+==== Lore of the Realms 2:  Step Beyond the Veil ====
 You can:
   *  Travel the Soul Storm/Avatar Storm/Maelstrom/whatever else you want to call it safely, but you MUST possess and use this ability first. Otherwise, the mechanics from Mummy: the Resurrection apply for the Soul Storm. Also, note that 'safety' in the Soul Storm is relative. No, you won't be constantly taking damage, but that doesn't mean Spectres and the like will be happy to see you, either.

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