Faith and Lores:
Faith is more than just a trait that determines the effects of a demon's evocations,
or a battery of points. Faith is literally a reflection of a fallen's power
and ability to manipulate reality; a demon with no Faith is powerless and
may well lack the quality to even exist; while those with extremely high Faith
are like unto gods, with the ability to perform truly massive feats. If you'll
forgive the comparison, I see Faith as being more like a mage's Arete than
a Garou's Gnosis, essential to the fallen's understanding of her Lores instead
of merely a useful trait and point pool. So I tie Faith to Lores and evocations
in the following ways:
A demon's rating in any Lore can never exceed his permanent Faith. So, a fallen
with a Faith of 3 can never have a Lore rating above 3. There is some debate
among Demon players over whether this is in fact an actual rule or not, but
it's official in my games.
While certain aptitudes and studies draw upon divine convergence and can help
one channel his Lores better, evocations are an extension of Faith and call
upon ageless wisdom beyond mortal ken. No amount of mortal insight or aptitude,
no matter how exceptional, can make up for where an Elohim's Faith and understanding
of his Divine purpose are lacking. Faith reflects a fallen angel's fundamental
Celestial power, and nothing quite reflects how well a Celestial understands
the principles of a Lore than his rating in it.
Every evocation requires a roll of Faith + [Lore in question]. For Tormented
evocations, roll Torment + [Lore], but only if Torment is higher than Faith.
If the Tormented effect isn't evoked intentionally, any Torment dice in excess
of Faith are immediately rolled, and their successes are added to any previous
evocation successes to determine the final effect. (When using this option,
ignore the Attribute and Ability combinations in the book; they simply don't
apply to the eternal powers of Celestial beings.) Neither Faith or Torment
can contribute any more than seven dice to an evocation pool; any dice in
excess of this is lost, though other evocation descriptors (damage, range,
etc.) still scale with these traits.
While this yields a modest die pool for inexperienced demons, a character
is guaranteed at least four dice to roll even if he only has a one dot in
a Lore and his starting Faith score. A Celestial versed in a Lore and with
strong Faith will invariably evoke more powerful effects than another fallen
with weaker Faith and less understanding of that Lore, which makes sense.
For example, the Scourge Bal'ak Eirtos with a Faith of 3, a Torment of 5 and
and Lore of Awakening uses the Heal evocation. His die pool for all Awakening
evocations is five dice for the "normal" effects, and seven dice
for Tormented evocations. If Bal'ak manages to create a Tormented effect unintentionally
(an unlikely event, considering his fairly low Torment), his player will roll
two more dice and add those successes to those previously rolled to determine
its effect.
The power a demon can ultimately wield is limited by his Faith; while a Celestial
may have a lot of dice to roll, he can never attain more successes on an evocation
roll than his permanent Faith; any successes in excess of this default to
a number equal to the character's Faith. For Tormented evocations, use permanent
Torment as the success cap.
Continuing with Bal'ak Eirtos as an example, his maximum successes for any
evocation is three (his Faith); any successes over three are lost. However,
as he has a Torment of 5, the Scourge can attain up to five successes when
evoking Tormented effects.
Faith and Torment: A demon's Faith may be used as a bulwark
against her Torment, by recalling first days of the Rebellion when the fallen
were honorable and just, and anger and hatred had not yet warped and crippled
them into the monsterous beings that they became; even those possessed whose
memories of their Celestial existance aren't so clear may connect to this
fundamental aspect of their nature. Reawakening her angelic nature in such
a fashion may hinder one's Torment, though nothing is guaranteed, and the
sacrifice (there's always a cost) given must be worthy of the burden the fallen
wishes to free herself from.
By meditating for half an hour, spending a variable number of Faith points,
and rolling permanent Faith against a difficulty equal to Torment or 6 (whichever
is higher), the character may reduce her temporary Torment by one point per
point of Faith spent or by the successes rolled, whichever is lower. A failure
on this roll means the Faith is lost to no gain, while a botch gives the fallen
a point of temporary Torment.
Using Faith to get rid of permanent Torment is possible, as well. At least
an hour must be spent in reflection, clearing the mind of distractions and
focusing on one's negativity. Then one point of permanent Faith must be spent,
and the player makes the same roll as above. A success on the Faith roll means
the the character's permanent Torment is decreased by one; failure means the
Faith is lost and Torment remains the same (likely a crippling blow to the
angel), while a botch immediately gives the demon five points of temporary
Torment (which adds to existing points and may cap out the track, increasing
her permanent Torment in the process – nasty). Permanent Torment can
never be completely eliminated (i.e, reduced below 1).
Willpower may not be spent on either attempt; all the ego and determination
in the world will not avail a fallen against the eons of hatred and betrayal
accumulated in the Abyss.