Chapter 2: House Rules

Venue Character Limitations:

Everyone is allowed 2 PC's within the venue. This can be 1 demon, 1 thrall or 2 thralls. You may not have 2 demons at this time.

Awareness:

There are three levels of demonic Awareness:

Reactive: When supernatural powers are used in the immediate presence of a demon, it is allowed a Perception+Awareness roll, difficulty 6, to detect the magic.

Active: A demon may scan the supernatural character of an area with a Perception+Awareness roll, difficulty 6, which will detect strong emotions felt previously by people in the area, instances of extreme violence or loss, and whether supernatural powers had been used there previously, though no details about those powers will be obtained.

Wide-Angle: The demon can sense active supernatural effects of a specific type (i.e. a particular body of Fallen Lore) within a number of miles equal to her Faith score with a successful Perception+Alertness roll, difficulty 7. This cannot detect a supernatural creature unless he is the subject of an ongoing supernatural effect that the demon is searching for, and there’s no guarantee that the creature will be the only target within the radius that qualifies as a ping on the supernatural radar.


When two demons meet for the first time out of the Pit, or when a demon meets a thrall, they are allowed to have a possible moment of recognition. Each demon rolls Perception+Awareness, difficulty 6 (8 if meeting a thrall). Success allows the demon to realize that she is in the presence of another demon, or a thrall. Four successes allows the demon to instantly realize the Celestial Name of the other demon (or the demonic master of the thrall).


Legacy

Legacy Rolls have changed, Base roll is still 8 Difficulty drops based on one of 2 reasons -1 for being in the same legion, -1 for being in the same house. These are stacking bonuses or stand alone.

One success gives the demon’s House, Legion, and Eminence rating, two successes grants knowledge of the demon’s remarkable achievements and scandals during the War of Wrath (including the Infamy Flaw), and three or more successes grants knowledge of the demon’s Faction and more in-depth background knowledge.

Entering Apocalyptic Form:

Entering Apocalyptic Form is considered a standard action unless a point of Faith is expended to make the transition automatic, in which case the shift is reflexive, but still happens on the character’s initiative. Leaving or changing the selected features of an Apocalyptic Form is always reflexive.


Partial Apocalyptic Form shifts:

These do not exist. In order to get any benefit from your Apocalyptic Form, you must make the shift into your Visage fully. You may choose what powers to use and which to leave out, but you still definitely look like a celestial of some sort, as described in the individual Visage listings, and carry the risk of inspiring Revelation.



Alternate Apocalyptic Forms

While they are being allowed, the ST reserves the right to edit or completely remove a character’s alternate form before sanctioning.

Remember that you have 16 Form Points to apply to four Normal and four Tormented Apocalyptic Form bonuses. All points must be used, and new points cannot be bought at creation. Powers that are specifically from another House cost one more Form Point, or more, at the ST’s discretion.

With appropriate justification and XP expenditure, an existing PC may upgrade his Apocalyptic Form by exchanging one power for another. Sufficient justification is determined by the ST, preferably upon witnessing the roleplaying of the demon PC in question.

Changes cost the same as buying a merit. Level of the trait x 3.

Also, if a demon is in the process of devouring another demon’s essence, she may roll Intelligence+Occult+Legacy, difficulty 8, to figure out that she is able to consume the other demon’s Apocalyptic Form powers as well as its Faith and knowledge; once the demon figures this out, she need not ever roll again to take a similar action. This process, and its severe consequences, are described on pg. 126 of the Demon Player’s Guide.



Re-Possession:

If a PC demon’s host body is killed, and they are not devoured or otherwise detained, he has a chance to find a new host body, as per Chapter 9 of the core book. This scene must be played out with a ST. If the demon successfully re-possesses, the ST will give the player a general description of who the new body was, and the player will have to create a new character, using the base character creation rules and applying most of the previous incarnation’s used XP. The total number of points given to the player will not count points previously used towards increasing Faith or lowering Torment. These scores are at minus one and plus one, respectively, in the new host body. Also, if one of the demon’s thralls was possessed, the XP spent on that dot of Pacts will not be refunded.

The demon may spend the XP for the re-created character in any way that both he and the ST agree is plausible, including re-buying any out-of-House Lores previously acquired up to the level previously owned, or buying higher levels in House or Common Lores than was previously owned. Changing hosts can sometimes jog the demon’s memory of his powers. The Pacts and Eminence Backgrounds must remain the same (though possibly minus one from the Pacts rating if a thrall was possessed).

Player characters may not be possessed.


Demons and Hell:

If a demon fails to repossess before being sucked back to the Pit, and no mortal uses a summoning ritual within one week to bring the demon back to the physical world, she is consumed by Torment and becomes unplayable. The character is retired. If the demon is summoned back to Creation, she has another opportunity to possess a human host; preferably one provided by the summoners.

All pacts are broken once a demon has been in the Abyss for one week (as per summoning allowance). If she returns to play within that one week allowance, her pacts stay in tact as if she never went into the abyss.

Faith Pools:

A demon must have at least 1 point of Temporary Faith to use her Apocalyptic Form or Innate Powers. Lores of 3rd level and below may still be used even while “empty.” Ravaging allows the use of the Apocalyptic Form, Innate Powers, and higher level Lores.


Ravaging Thralls

When Ravaging, effects beyond what are mentioned in the core book may be achieved. Convert the number of Willpower and/or Health Levels Ravaged from the thrall(s) into a pool of “Ravaging Points” which may be used to purchase the following effects in the round that the Ravaging takes place:

Points Effect
1 +1 die on an evocation used that round
2 Enter Apocalyptic Form without a die roll or expended Faith
2 Use Innate Powers for one scene even if Faith pool is empty
2 Heal one Lethal or all Bashing damage only as it is received that round
3 Gain one Temporary Faith point
4 Heal one Aggravated damage only as it is received that round

Please note that Ravaging thralls is considered a sin against Conscience for demons of 6 or less Torment (though a ST may rule Ravaging a sin regardless of Torment for a particularly frivolous instance of such a violation. A demon may choose not to gain any benefit from Ravaging; this is certainly considered a sin against Conscience regardless of Torment rating.

Thralls Ravaged to 0 Willpower gain a Temporary Derangement. If the same thrall is Ravaged to 0 Willpower three times, he loses one point of Faith Potential and gains a Permanent Derangement.

Ravaging is a reflexive action which can take place at any time during a round, as many times during the round as the player wishes, so long as no more than Ravaging Points equal to the demon’s Faith rating are taken each round.

Supernatural Thralls:

There will be no supernatural thralls to PC demons. No character with a non-mortal icon may become a thrall. An Earthbound might, however, have supernatural thralls, so watch your step…


Devouring

Scenes involving Devouring another Demon MUST be witnessed and moderated by an Assistant or Storyteller for Demon. If you can't find one, have another ST declare a scene freeze on you and mark your sheets accordingly.