By Green (atman@surfree.com)
Note: For an updated version, see the author's Lost Souls Web site at: http://public.surfree.com/atman/default.htm.
They are trapped here on this earth in mortal shells. No concrete memory exists of their origins or of their past. Unaccustomed to human flesh and human minds, many go insane or become corrupt before they can become aware of their condition. Some lose faith in themselves, in humanity, and in the ultimate meaning of life and existence. These creatures undergo a slow spiritual decay which sends them into oblivion upon their physical demise, since their souls have been killed by their doubts. Even if they accept what they are, the struggle is not over. Confusion results because they feel pulled in many directions. Their spirits reach longingly for the peace in their origins, but their human side begs them to stay on Earth with the people and places they love. On one hand, they try to be good and decent. Yet on the other hand, fear, ignorance, malice, and lack of restraint sometimes overwhelm them.
There is still hope for these fragmented souls. With a life of balance, they may still the forces pulling them apart and gain peace. With faith and understanding, they may gain access to their past and to the knowledge that is there. If they remain pure, they can possibly eliminate the threat of oblivion.
Note: This game assumes that players are familiar with White Wolf Games and the World of Darkness setting.
How they cope with these things varies. Some relentlessly try to purge the undesirable parts from themselves. Others do their best to try to understand and bring them into balance. Yet, the manifestation of their solution also varies. While one angel may use prayer and meditation to keep Corruption away, another may split apart his pure and Corrupted aspects, becoming one or the other when the situation demands it.
So, this dispels any previous myth about angels being primarily benevolent or "nice." Of course, there are those who can be gently persuasive and caring, but these are not the norm. The situation of the world seems to have brought forth a more martially-oriented group of angels. However, there are as many types of angels as there are angels and human beings. Just keep in mind that human encounters with angels are unlikely to leave either party feeling uplifted, and there will likely be no joy in discovering that "God loves us all/" An encounter with a powerful, un-Corrupted and very insane angel is probably going to make those who interact with him feel more than a little disconcerted.
The beings took notice. Curious, they observed to see how things worked. They watched with interest as things formed from seeming chaos and formed into order. Patterns emerged in the physical realm. Some of these beings took it upon themselves to make sure that this new creation developed "properly." Meanwhile, things in the developing spirit world were still swirled in disorder. The spirit world almost absorbed their attention, and increasingly they became more detached from the "predictable" physical realm and focused on the ethereal realms. Gradually, the two realms started to bleed into one another, and some spirits were able to slip into the material world while some terrestrial beings got lost in the spirit realms. Whole chunks of land, planets, and galaxies disappeared, possibly never to return. Later on, some questioned whether or not there were civilizations like Atlantis, whether Mars and Venus also had their own peoples. However, the whole matter is a mystery.
The angels, though, did not remain entirely ignorant while the cosmos formed. They discovered that there were indeed patterns and rules by which the universe operated. First, they knew that all things continue unless something stops them. Second, power depends upon strength and the time in which it is utilized. Third, all actions have a reaction, although equal and opposite are relative to each being. Finally, there is an exception to every rule.
Thus, it follows that they were naturally cautious about following the spirts to the material realm. For them, it was still a huge mystery. They did not know how they would be affected or what could happen to them there. So, for a while, they just observed. They watched, but never interfered as life developed on several planets across the cosmos. They looked on as large reptilian creatures struggled to survive on a small blue ball in space. Some tried to incarnate there, but they never returned, unable to remember what they were. Upon the body's demise, nothing was left of them. Future attempts had much the same effect. Later, the others discovered that the mind as well as the body changes when travelling to the material realm. Eventually, they found that in order to successfully incarnate, they must find a host which has a mind that could store the memories of their experiences beyond the physical and spiritual planes. Several species were attempted, including the last remnants of the reptilian species that crawled across Earth. Only a few angels had successfully accomplished the feat. They were, however, stuck there, unable to return to their origins. Some of these beings still live today.
The limited success of incarnation made the remaining angels reluctant to visit Earth again until the dinosaurs died out and new species evolved to replace them. The results were the same. When the world was covered in ice, they tried again. Again, they had failed to make any notable progress. Then, they attempted to try humans, possibly the most awkward beings in the universe. Barely equipped with the natural equipment they needed to survive their environment, they thrived. They did not use instincts to persevere, but something else. They watched with marked interest. A very few attempted to incarnate into these beings, using recently deceased bodies as hosts. To their surprise, it had worked. Future trials followed, although they were not overwhelmingly successful, though not as clearly futile as past attempts. Some of these incarnated beings had lost their minds when the memories of the past became too much for them to bear. Some were abandoned by their groups, left to die of starvation and exposure because there was something wrong with them. The lives of the survivors were far from ideal as well. They learned the experience of death, sickness, pain, and joy, compassion, and love, and hate, fear, and selfishness. Their lives were more complicated as they tried to make sense of these things.
They were in a constant state of learning. They learned that they were not invulnerable. With bodies, they could become sick, they could hurt, and they could die. For some, the shock of sensation was enough to warp their minds. Thus, they learned that their minds were limited; only so much can be tolerated before they crossed the threshold of sanity. Those fortunate angels who remained stable after enduring incarnation also learned the meaning of emotions, thoughts, and reason in a way that they had never known before. They knew doubt, fear, sorrow, joy, and hope. It was all very new to them; they had known of these things in the abstract, but as humans they could know them personally. Unaccustomed to experiencing death and loss, many succumbed to the darker parts of their newly found humanity; they became proud, selfish, greedy, or malicious; sometimes they lost hope when they had gone through too much to keep it. The end was typically the same in both cases; upon their demise, the simply ceased to exist. Some angels visited Earth as well, propelled by curiosity and ambition, heedless of the dangers involved. Upon their arrival, though, they soon forgot what they were, and then lived out their lives as ordinary human beings. These lost ones, though always felt confused and empty, as if they were missing something. They typically died miserable and insane. The trend has yet to be reversed.
Why did they need this communion with humanity? That depends on whom you ask. Some monotheistic scholars would argue that by becoming human, these beings get closer to God. Perhaps they have some sort of message to spread. People from other cultures would argue differently. To them, these beings could be ancestor spirits, spirits of the forces of nature, or beings who have a karmic debt to repay. Maybe they are all right. Who knows?
Reanimation is usually the preferred method of travelling to Earth when an angel is in a hurry. People who witness this call it "the dead rising from the grave." However, it is more than that. Reanimation occurs when an angel infuses a part of his spiritual essence into the body of a recently deceased mortal. From thenceforth, the body is alive. It can breathe, bleed, and it is warm to the touch. There are no signs that the body was dead in the first place. It must be noted that this body must be cared for properly, or it will reveal the death it knew in its full grotesqueness.
The process of reanimation is more than just going inside a body and then walking around. The event is very painful, both physically and emotionally. The sensory overload of reanimation often paralyzes the angel for hours or even days. Extreme pain assaults every cell of the body, and catatonic confusion results when the human mind is forced to cope with the experience. These things are temporary, but when time is short, it can be dangerous.
The main spiritual advantage of reanimation is the fact that such angels are typically focused. With no attachments to the physical world to hinder them, they are free to devote themselves to the task at hand. Things get done with reanimated angels; there is little of the ambiguity that plagues those angels who are born. Clarity of vision and purpose are their trump cards. They find it much easier to transcend the limitations of human understanding.
This does have a down side. Being so distant from the human experience, they can be impossible to deal with. They find it hard to comprehend feelings and reason the same way that humans do, for all they know is intuitive rather than logical. It can be said that they are more like animals in that the necessary behaviors they need to perform a function are largely innate, although with time they can improve on these inborn capabilities. It is extremely difficult for them to overcome the chasm between their natures and that of humanity. People are typically uncomfortable around them, sensing that there is something not quite human about them, and something not necessarily good. They encounter great hardship when they need people to get things done, and in this modern age, it is a handicap indeed.
Some angels are born, literally. They put their essence into the first living cells of a human fetus. Sometimes, though, they enter the wombs of mothers who had miscarried. Inside the womb, they grow and develop. Then, they are born. Their lives are fairly normal until the onslaught of their spiritual awakening. They typically grow up somewhat alienated from their peers, and even adults, who do not react well to the one who is different. The circumstances of their lives often make them feel as if they were being tested. Death is a common theme in their lives, for they tend to lose people and pets very close to them at a young age. A lot of them have near-death experiences just before they realize what they are. There is an air about them that seems to seek what is true and eternal rather than momentarily stimulating. They have a deeply ingrained sense of integrity, and often this clashes with the fads of the day. Most of these things manifest themselves subtly. Oftentimes, these individuals feel themselves into and out of conventional faiths and beliefs; they try each one on as if it were a garment, then discard it once they realize it does not fit who they are or what is true.
When they finally find a place for themselves in the order of things (or just before), they experience something that begins to shake them out of their foundations. Visions of past times and unearthly places come to them as they sleep and wake. They see things that are and are not there. The naturally overwhelming feelings this generates is traumatic for them, and the lessons they learned early in life could be of great assistance when this happens (sometime between 25 and 50 years of age). Without the grounding this provides, the angel could easily become corrupted in their spiritual infancy. They can also go insane. Lacking the focus necessary to keep themselves together, they can be overcome by the changes and enter physical, mental, and spiritual decline.
If the angel survives and thrives after his illusions are shattered, he has an invaluable tool at his disposal. His extensive and intuitive understanding of human nature allows him to walk amongst the mortals unnoticed, and communication with humans on their level is natural. If the situation calls for it, he can more easily manipulate people's minds. This empathy can prove debilitating when the angel in question needs to transcend human concerns like love, fear, and survival. Their feelings can get in the way, and sometimes they find themselves acting on other people's wills instead of their own.
There is no formal society of angels. A hierarchy in the human sense doesn't exist. Generally speaking, angels tend to gravitate toward each other, if out of a need for support and security than anything else. These groups, commonly called Choirs, tend to have members of the same age and level of enlightenment. Their backgrounds, professions, and paths may seem oddly mismatched, but in each Choir the members share a mission compelled by their common experiences. It is as if they all need to learn the same lessons, and each member can call on the others, whose own experiences and perspectives can shed light on a situation. Very often, such a group has been the saving grace of many angels who would have drifted into corruption without the help of their Choir.
They do, however, have older beings toward whom they give respect. This is not respect that is demanded or dictatorial, but more of a subconscious recognition of such angels' awareness. These elder angels have been along many of the roads the Choir may travel now, and the fact that these beings have survived and thrived say much about their wisdom and spiritual fortitude. These senior beings give their own brand of assistance, as enigmatic as it often is, to help the Choir along on its journey. Young angels often take these tidbits of information or advice and use them to go on epic journeys full of soul-testing in order to understand their meanings. They call these "missions."
The young angels have their own ideas of organization. They have divided up the angels into three groups, which they call spheres: the Low Sphere, the Middle Sphere, and the High Sphere.
Each Sphere has three Ranks, which more accurately determines the nature and level of each angel's enlightenment. These correspond roughly to the medieval European ideas of the celestial hierarchy, but there are differences between cultures and beliefs.
Without Faith, they are incapable of going beyond their human limitations and uncovering the possibilities of doing so. Content only in the absence of things, those with little or no Faith are spiritually vacant, lacking hope. The level of their disbelief is unbelievable; many do not even believe any experience that they have that offers "proof" to their skepticism. They tend to be bitter and miserable people; seeing no point in their existence, they hang on merely because they are afraid to die. Theirs are scarred souls, and the drab lives they lead often just pour salt on the wounds.
On the contrary, angels with high Faith are as rigid as a mountain when it comes to their convictions. These convictions may not be correct or socially acceptable, but it is there. These angels know they have a purpose, and they fully intend to act upon it too. Without a healthy dose of reason to temper their zeal, they can be blind fanatics, unable to see anything that is not within their personal beliefs and convictions. These beings are particularly dangerous, and they are far more active in their doings than their jaded counterparts.
It is too easy to lose Faith, and that reveals itself in the cynicism that exists in the young angels and even old angels who have seen too much go wrong to believe in much of anything. These jaded spirits are testaments to what happens if angels allow personal circumstances to dictate what exists in all reality. The loss of Faith occurs when an angel experiences or witnesses something that shatters her sense of purpose and being. It can be anything from the murder of a loved one to watching the news too long. To make things simple, whenever an angel says or thinks, "Who cares? It doesn't matter in the end anyway?" he loses Faith. Gaining Faith is hard. There is only one way: to learn that there is indeed something out there, and that something gives meaning to existence. This something is not necessarily God; it can be a code of ethics or a belief in the possibilities of the natural world. It just has to be something that gives an angel some sort of purpose.
Angels who are full of Psyche find it easy to understand and empathize with human beings. They not only understand people intellectually, but they also experience the human condition. They know what it is like to feel, to reason, and to have doubts. They experience these things themselves. Angels of high Psyche are very sensitive beings, so much so that they sometimes absorb other people's feelings and thoughts into their own minds and hearts, and they behave likewise. This is not a conscious procedure. It is more like they reflect and incorporate the emotions and experiences of other people into their own personalities. Angels with high levels of Psyche tend to look at things from a human perspective. This can be debilitating when one sometimes cannot tell if they are acting of their own will or out of someone else's. Their mixed emotions can confuse their minds, paralyzing them when action is necessary. This natural empathy has its advantages. For one thing, if an angel is possessed of great self-awareness, she can subtly influence human minds and emotions without drawing undue attention to herself.
The gain and loss of Psyche totally depends upon an angel's familiarity with humanity. The primary means of gaining Psyche is to spend time around humans and actively attempt to understand their nature and their actions on their level. This is usually done by immersing oneself in human society, observing and trying to understand their behavior in many situations, and consistently looking at things from the human point of view. To lose Psyche, an angel simply needs to disconnect herself from the human part of her nature. This can be done by spending time in isolation, experiencing trauma that is damaging enough to disconnect her from her rational and emotional self, or consistently neglecting to see things from a human perspective.
Corruption is more than evil; it is the willful turning away from one's true self and the possibility of enlightenment. It is never accidental. Despite this, it still manages to sneak up on all but the most self-aware and diligent angels. It is more than doing bad things. Sometimes misfortune is necessary, but to take pleasure in it or to use the threat of destruction (physical, psychological, or spiritual) as the only means to solve problems is to invite Corruption. To do good things for the wrong reasons beckons Corruption's taint. To act out of fear, malice, self-interest, or ignorance is to slowly allow Corruption to take root in one's soul.
The danger of Corruption is not so much the trait itself but the consequences it invites. An angel of great Corruption has a limited span on Earth. His time is up. The time and place of such an angel's demise are unclear, but it is certain. Some of these Corrupted beings dismiss the idea, seeing that their brethren live for centuries without suffering too much. What they don't know is that one day the consequences of their actions will repay them with interest.
Avoiding Corruption is an introspective process; it requires total commitment and concentration. To be honest with oneself and to know oneself completely are the keys to avoiding Corruption. Patience and courage are the doorknobs. In these times, the process is increasingly more difficult.
Corruption makes itself known through Sin. This is more substantial than mere disobedience. Like the heroes of literary tragedies, it is a personality trait that could spell the doom of an angel if it is dismissed or indulged. Sins are very few, but they tend to cover a broad range of behaviors and characteristics. Hubris, avarice, cowardice, wrath, and laziness are but some of the Sins which plague the angels.
Why would an angel purposefully reject the possibility of Unity? The reasons seem so petty compared to the wisdom and power these creatures possess. Some are motivated simply by greed and power lust. Not content with merely supernatural physical, mental, and spiritual enhancements, they need something more. At times, they are so filled with hate or vengeance that any means is acceptable. As their rage consumes them, the Corruption within them grows, but with their attentions thus diverted, they cannot do much about it. Most of the time, they simply have lost hope. Day after day, they witness things that seem to them evidence of the ultimate pointlessness of it all. Many of them are miserable; they have lost faith in everything, and eventually give up the reason to live. Those that are not suicidal, though, live to spread their unhappiness to others, and to cause the world to become as empty as they are. They do not do this consciously, of course. Some do, but they typically do not last long. But there are exceptions that to this day plague the universe. Sometimes, an evil purpose is better than no purpose at all.
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This is a common misconception about angels. Many people continue to believe that the angels' purpose is solely determined by some remote, anthropomorphic deity. If that is the case, God has been decidedly silent over the eons. Due to the nature of this discovery, it is no surprise that angels give up hope and abandon their destinies. Without the supernatural guidance of some god, they feel lost. A great deal of Faith can be lost when an angel realizes that God, as many people know Him, does not exist. Lacking the justification of a grand scheme planned by a great Creator, they are hard put to rationalize lapses in judgement and actions which are questionable in their morality.
This also makes it harder to tell exactly how Corrupt an angel has become. Without God as the cosmic mediator and judge, angels must rely on their own judgement to determine whether actions are moral and justified. They must consciously seek to recognize the good and bad aspects of reality on their own merits.
They are more vulnerable
Because angels are instinctively aware of their connection with all that exists, they are highly vulnerable to Corruption. Their understanding of human nature makes them more likely to have human shortcomings which can prove Corruptive to their spirits. However, unlike people, they cannot gain reprieve because of their ignorance. "I didn't know any better," is not sufficient to justify actions conducive to Corruption. Regardless of why an angel does something, it always has consequences. Corruption lingers everywhere, and ignorance of it only gives it more power. Yet, fear of Corruption and the oblivion it leads to must not motivate an angel to seek Unity. Such motivations are more apt to accumulate Corruption rather than dispel it.
Their spiritual nature makes them more vulnerable to those beings who can attack an angel at the root of his being. Not merely content to destroy angels, these beings want to watch their downfall from Unity.
Madness is likely
It is often said that genius and madness are two sides of the same coin. That statement is as true for angels as for human beings. For the most part, the closer an angel grows toward Unity, the more probable that they will go mad. The trauma of discovering and internalizing truth that is beyond human comprehension can be so devastating that it shatters the angel's human mind. Small wonder that the most enlightened angels, those who have existed before the dawn of time, are almost completely inhuman in their ideas of morality. Insane by the standards of any time, they operate on their own codes of ethics and behavior. They are strangely enough almost devoid of Corruption, and their understanding of humanity is unparalleled. Those who have interacted with the mad angels often describe them as being "more human than human." Their enlightenment is so profound and yet so common that they overcome all boundaries to the revelations found in human experience, that which they consider the path toward Unity. Even demons would hesitate to confront one of these angels whose madness gives them strength instead of makes them weak.
On the other end of the spectrum are those angels who have already begun their descent into madness or their path to Unity. One troubling aspect of this is the fact that these mad young angels are by no means uncommon. Their concepts of time and space often become distorted, and they react to the present the same way that they had already done something centuries ago. Some memories are so powerful that at times the angel can forget where he is and react to the perceived stimuli in ways that have dangerous repercussions in the "real world." Highly empathetic angels have been known to act out the suppressed desires of the people around them, many times with deadly results.
Angels are not certain where Powers come from. Some claim that they are gifts bestowed by the Creator. Others believe that they are natural extensions of an angel's awareness and enlightenment. More schools of thought exist, and it is highly probable that they are all right. Regardless of the origins of Powers, they enable an angel to grow beyond the restrictions inherent in their human forms.
Powers are rated from 1 to 10. A score of 1 indicates that a true understanding of the wisdom of the Power has yet to be understood. A rating of 10 reveals that the angel's understanding of a particular Power is nearly Transcendent. As an angel gains proficiency in a particular Power, she gains the abilities of her current level but also retains the powers that came before.
Powers are also divided into Tiers. Tiers are rough ideas of an angel's abilities in a Power. The Third Tier is the lowest; it represents useful understanding of a Power, but its use does not give an angel particularly enlightening capabilities. This corresponds to levels 1 through 4 of a Power. Angels of the Lower Sphere can only exercise Third Tier Powers, for they do not yet have the strength or wisdom to exercise them without gaining Corruption. The Second Tier represents a more mature understanding of a Power. Although the Power is revered for what it can do, the angel also understands that these powers make discretion and judgment necessary. This corresponds to levels 5 through 7 of a particular Power. They gradually understand that their Powers expose them to Corruption, and they are careful about exercising them unless absolutely necessary. Middle Sphere angels generally use these Powers. The First Tier Powers are godlike. At times, the exercise of these powers has promoted the formation of religions, cults, and other social phenomenons. Levels 8 through 10 are the First Tier of a Power. Only angels of the Upper Sphere can exercise these Powers.
Players begin the game with four dots to spend on their characters' Powers.
Angels without Animus are unable to interact with the spiritual aspects of the cosmos. They cannot see ghosts, go into the many spirit worlds, or commune with spirits. Malevolent spirits and demons find it easier to affect angels without Animus, for such angels are more vulnerable to spiritual attack without the means to defend themselves or discern what is attacking them.
Faith is the key element to Animus. Without the desire or belief in what lies beyond the physical world, an angel cannot effectively sense or manipulate the realm of spirit. For all powers, the player uses his Faith rating against the difficulty of the target's Gnosis (for non-human souls), the Gauntlet rating (for travel) or Willpower (for the spirits of the dead). Naturally, the difficulty is adjusted with regards to whether the spirit is willing or not.
Third Tier
* Sense Spirits: This Power is the basis from which all other Animus abilities grow. It gives an angel the ability to sense the presence of spirits and their general location. The spirits cannot be seen or heard, only felt.
** Commune with Spirits: The angel's connection to the spiritual grows powerful enough so that she can not only sense spirits, but also interact with them to a limited degree. Commune with Spirits gives a character the ability to see spirits and to communicate with them. The boundaries between matter and spirit are broken down so that the angel can interact with spirits as if they were normal people. This Power only works if the spirit is currently on the physical plane. Those watching this Power in effect commonly see somebody "speaking to the air" or "talking to themselves."
*** Walk Between Worlds: The angel is now proficient enough to travel to the spiritual realm at will. Thus, the angel can interact with spirits on their own level. Once this power is invoked, the angel simply disappears from view, and only beings who can see into the spirit world would know where she went.
**** Porter: Sometimes, a soul must be removed from its vessel and put into another place. This Power allows an angel to do so. It gives an angel the ability to extract a spirit from its current vessel, be it an object or a body, and place it into another. Although it is typically used to transport a spirit from one inanimate object to another, other cases do exist. Sometimes, the soul of a living being is put into an object and hidden in order to protect it from assailant who would seek to do the spirit harmed. Sometimes an angel chooses a living vessel to house the spirit. This power is not without its dangers, however. If the vessel in which the spirit was placed is destroyed, the spirit is lost forever. Sometimes, when a spirit is placed into a living, sentient vessel, it can cause all manners of problems that have ramifications in the physical realm and in the realms beyond.
An angel's Power level in Corpus Angelis determines: how far beyond their original trait that they can raise a Physical Attribute, how many points they can distribute across Physical Attributes to increase them, and how man Health levels that can be healed in a single turn. Thus, an angel with Corpus Angelis at level 4 can raise a Physical Attribute up to 4 levels beyond its original rating. He can also decide to spread out the 4 points, giving two to Dexterity, one to Strength and one to Stamina. If he is injured, he can heal up to 4 Health Levels in a single turn. The effects last for a number of turns equal to an angel's Rank. But, for an extra point of Essence, it could last twice as long, giving an angel the ability to drastically increase his Physical Attributes over a period of time.
An angel's Rank determines the Essence cost of utilizing these abilities. At Ranks 1 through 4, it costs one point of Essence to add a single dot to increase Physical Attributes or to heal two Health Levels of normal damage in a single turn. Aggravated damage requires the expenditure of two Essence points to heal each Health Level. At Ranks 5 through 7, it costs one Essence point to add two dots to increase Physical Attributes or to heal three Health Levels of normal damage in a single turn. Healing aggravated damage requires one point of Essence per Health Level. At Ranks 8 through 10, it costs one Essence point to add four dots to increase Physical Attributes or to heal six Health Levels of normal damage in a single turn. It costs one Essence point to heal two Health Levels of aggravated damage.
It uses Faith to operate, but Corruption increases its potency. Without the spiritual fortitude to handle this Power, an angel would quickly succumb to the corrosive forces with which they tamper. Typically, Faith is rolled against whichever Trait is most applicable. When dealing with spiritual Corruption, Faith is rolled against the difficulty of the subject's own Faith, Gnosis, or Willpower. Faith can also be rolled against the local Gauntlet rating when dealing with a place. Faith is rolled against Psyche or Stamina when dealing with mental or physical Corruption.
Third Tier
* Sense Corruption: Angels who possess this Power are able to sense the presence of Corruption in a person, place, or object. The exact nature of the Corruption is unknown, but an angel is able to discern whether a person is sick (physically or mentally), if an object is cursed or if a machine will no longer work, whether a place is polluted with poison or with evil spirits.
** Read Corruption: Whereas Sense Corruption can only tell whether or not Corruption is present, an angel with this ability can tell what kind of Corruption it is. Hence, the character can differentiate between a place that is the home of a malevolent force or if it is just filled with toxic waste (and maybe both). He can tell whether a person is suffering a physical malady or is approaching insanity.
*** Tap Corruption: It is at this level when an angel is beginning to become attuned to the Corruption in the world. At first, the presence and nature of Corruption could be discerned. Now, Corruption can be influenced. With this Power, the character gains further insight into how to find out details about the Corruption in a person, place, or object. Somehow, he intuits a way that can give him a glimpse into the nature of the Corruption he senses. Thus, an angel standing on the banks of what seems to be a placid stream somehow finds a small trace of evidence that toxic waste had been dumped there: a fish without eyes, a tiny puddle of slime, anything. It works the same way with a person. Perhaps the angel stumbles upon a diary detailing dirty secrets or the target of this power says the wrong thing at the wrong time, not admitting anything but giving clues that say all is not as it seems.
**** Intimate Corruption: Now here is when Corruption begins to reveal itself for what it truly is. At this level of competence, the angel can discern the exact nature of the Corruption within a person, but it can also extend to objects and places. Intimate Corruption allows the character to know a person's most debilitating flaw. It can also reveal exactly how a place or object is flawed. Thus, a seemingly docile home can be seen as a large booby trap, or a car that appears in mint condition can be revealed as one without breaks or proper steering.
Angels who lack the Power of Infusion do not quite understand, on a personal and practical level, the links between all things. Masters of this Power are able to reflect the knowledge their brethren lack in that they can affect the links between people, places, and objects. At first, these abilities manifest in the ability to locate objects close to them, determine the bonds which are shared between other beings and their valuable objects, places of power, and loved ones, and to influence those bonds. At the highest levels, an angel can sever these links, causing severe physical and emotional harm to the being who created the link.
Infusion typically uses Essence for the purposes of creating links. The more powerful the bond, the more Essence is needed. For a merely existent connection, only one Essence point is necessary. For a bond that could last well beyond the grave, anywhere from five to ten Essence points are necessary. To destroy a link, Willpower is necessary. It is rolled against the link's Infusion rating (determined by how much Essence is invested into it to create the link). Anywhere from three to five successes are needed to completely sever the bond. An investment of temporary Willpower equal to the object's Infusion rating can also sever the link. However, this is not yet possible until level four of this Power.
Third Tier
* Bond: Some things are valuable, so valuable that to lose them would cause a great amount of personal loss. Characters at this level are beginning to understand the attachments that exist between all creation. So, they share a part of their essence with something that is of personal value to them. This reinforces the emotional bond that had already existed, solidifying it in a physical way. The object is more resistant to damage, and it will only be destroyed under extenuating circumstances. A wedding ring that is Infused, for instance, will not slip and fall into the sink, nor will it be tarnished by an ordinary fire. However, if it is smelted, it will be destroyed. An infused sword will not bend or break, nor will it scratch easily. Rust never forms on it, even if it is made of pure iron.
** No Touch: This Power allows a character to protect an Infused object from others. It makes the Infused object so closely matched to its owner that it will not be able to be used or handled by another. The wedding ring example again. In the event that the ring is stolen, the owner is out of luck and must hope that no harm comes to it. With No Touch, it cannot be worn by anyone but its owner. It will be too tight, too loose, and in general it just won't feel right. Infused weapons are too awkward to handle.
*** Fetish: At this level, the angel is beginning to understand the power of connections. Now, he is able to make the connection work for him in a more active way. The object which was Infused can now become a weapon in the hands of an angel, for it is so completely attuned to the angel that it reflects her spiritual fortitude. When used as such, the object can cause great physical pain and even injury. Weapons that were only mildly harmful before can now be made deadly. Usually, holy symbols and personal weapons are given this ability, but exceptions do exist. In game terms, the Infused object causes a level of aggravated damage equal to its Infusion rating when used offensively.
**** Weaken Bond: The ability to Weaken a bond can prove almost as necessary as making one in the first place. Sometimes, when an object can no longer fulfill its purpose, it must be let go. Weaken Bond allows an angel to do that. It slowly recedes the connection between an object and its owner, allowing the object to become a mundane thing once more. However, it can be an offensive weapon, allowing the character to erode the power of an object by dissolving its bond with the owner.
Angels who do not have Mens Angelis are not able to gather the deep secrets which lie buried beneath the many layers of human minds. They must rely on their own methods to find out things about a person that an angel proficient in this Power can utilize in minutes or seconds.
Psyche is used to make Mens Angelis work. Without a firm understanding of human nature, it is difficult to detect and manipulate the subtleties and contradictions inherent in its condition.
Third Tier
* Scan: This Power enables an angel to detect a person's basic mental state. Emotions and moods become as plain as day, giving the angel the ability to sense if a person is depressed, angry, or afraid without relying on external clues alone. General psychological health can also be discerned, and the presence of the insane is also known. The uses of this Power are many and varied, but angels typically find it practical for knowing which people to avoid and how to deal with them when contact is inevitable.
** Read Surface Thought: The angel's understanding of human nature grows enough so that the first layers of thought can be seen. An angel can sense the most immediate thought present in the subject's mind. Thus, the angel can disclose whether a person is going to say or do something in a short period of time. This is particularly useful in determining if someone is telling the truth or not.
*** Influence Thought: The ability to subtly manipulate the thoughts of people is the mark of an angel who is on the brink of discovering the power of the human mind. Influence Thought has a variety of effects, but in general it helps social situations. People subject to this power find themselves feeling unusually comfortable or fearful around the angel (depending on what the angel wants), and they sometimes go out of their way to be friendly or to avoid the character. Angels who use this Power find that people seem to naturally tell them things that they need to know, whether out of fear or some other feeling is up to the angel. It can also be used to gently guide a person to make a certain decision, one which he was about to make anyway. For instance, say a character is hiding in the closet of someone's home, and the owner was nearing the place. The character could implant in him the desire to go to the bathroom, or perhaps to go into the kitchen.
**** Impetus: This Power reflects a deeper understanding of human psychology. Now able to reveal the first pieces of the human subconscious, the character is able to bring out that part of his target. Impetus allows the character to make someone perform an action which lies deep in his subconscious, although it cannot be used to make them do something that is outside their inclinations. Thus, a man could be made to yell obscenities at someone whom he doesn't like anyway, but he could not be made to strike his wife, unless that was his inclination.
Essence is used in order to fuel Metamorphosis. Without the energy behind the physical form, it is difficult to overcome the boundaries it sets. The Essence cost depends upon the form that is taken. The closer it is to the angel's original form, the less Essence it costs to transform and maintain the new shape. Radical changes can use up a lot of Essence, and some even cause injury when an angel attempts a form that is beyond his abilities. The shift is extremely painful, so much so that the angel must be physically able to withstand the change. If the angel cannot withstand it, he not only does not assume the desired form, but also suffers injury. The same rules go for humans, perhaps doubly so. In some failed attempts to change people into other things, many angels have killed them.
The general rule is that it takes one Essence point to enact the simplest changes. The character remains human in shape, but some things are different. At five Essence points, an angel can assume the form of a completely inhuman animal, plant, mineral, or element, as long as it has relatively the same mass as his original form. To transform into something extraordinarily large or small requires at least six Essence points. After spending the points, a Stamina roll is made against a difficulty equal to the level of the Power the angel is trying to perform, minimum of difficulty 4. Only one success is needed. If the roll is failed, the angel does not transform, and he is stunned for a number of turns equal to the level of the Power he attempted. If the roll is botched, he suffers normal damage. The number of Health Levels worth of damage he takes is equal to the level of the Power he tried to invoke. Reverting back to the original form is completely at will with no extra Essence cost. The effects last for a number of scenes equal to the angels' Rank.
The rule is a bit different for transforming others. The angel instead makes a roll against a difficulty of the target's Willpower. This roll is modified if the subject is willing. If the angel succeeds, the target transforms. If the angel fails, the subject not only doesn't transform, but immediately drops to the Wounded Health Level. If the angel botches, the subject dies.
Third Tier
* Detail: This Power grants an angel the ability to change a single detail about his appearance. It could be his height, build, hair and & color, complexion, or apparent age. Although the effects themselves are small, over a period of time, the change from the original shape can be amazing. Sometimes it has been used to change gender. This Power is typically used as a disguise, although purely aesthetic motivations exist as well.
** Mimic: Doppelganger is the alternate name for this power, and for good reason. Through this Power, the angel assumes the form of another human being, able to gain access to places or information as well as to wreak havoc upon someone's life. It greatly helps if the subject is known or has been previously met, although working from memory or photographs has worked as well. This, however, is much more difficult than using a live model.
*** Any Body: The angel can now transform into any person, be it real or imaginary. Not only the features can change, but also the general attractiveness of the character, although this costs more Essence.
**** Transform: At this level of expertise, and angel can change into any animal of roughly the same size of a human being. It can be any animal, as long as it exists on Earth. Thus, a large dog would be possible, but a horse is not. A cougar is possible, but a small dinosaur is not.
Distribute dots accordingly (13 for primary, 9 for secondary, 5 for tertiary)
Choose Powers (4 dots to spend)
Spend dots for Faith, Psyche, and Willpower
(One dot automatic in each. Distribute 7 dots amongst them)
Record Essence: Equal to Willpower rating
Spend freebies: 15
| Trait | Cost per dot |
| Attributes | 5 |
| Abilities | 2 |
| Backgrounds | 1 |
| Powers | 8 |
| Willpower | 1 |
| Faith | 4 |
| Psyche | 4 |
| Essence | 1/3 |