[Methariel]

The system IN is currently using admittedly shows the problems described by PK. As it is, it needs a GM who consistently(!) rules when a Skill or Ability check is not necessary to succeed and when you have to take it. Such a GM needs some trust from his - or her - players, as well as the group as a whole accepting that "cinematics/narration might trump rules". That leads to IN being 'successfully' played only by groups whose members are acquainted with each other and their playstyle, in my opinion.

Having said that, PK's solution seems to address the problem, even though I, as the others before me, would like to playtest it before giving a final opinion.

That being said, I would like to point out that I firmly belong into the camp that wants to keep the gap between celestials and mortals, as well as between celestials and ethereals. I like my canon-celestials having significantly higher Abilities (Am I using the right term here? I'm referring to Strength, Precision, Will etc.) than regular humans, and I want them being better at tasks they took the time to acquire the Skills for. That is one of the things that make the system/setting appeal to me.

I do not mind a trained IT professional being better at using computer systems than a regular Seraph, though. (That is, as long as the angel does not just spend some Essence on the problem and 'miracles' the system to work as the celestial wants it to, as shown in one of the rules' examples for using Essence.) So maybe a higher default to some Skills would be useful, too.

Even though Body Hits are not the main concern of the thread, I would like to add that I positively like the huge amounts of Body Hits celestial Vessels can have. The GMG's 'fix' to that has never been felt necessary to me. It is a game about Angels and Demons after all, about beings so far removed and above - or below - from ordinary humans, while at the same time being very close to them, and sometimes much more limited than them. I do like those beings to take a shotgun blast to the chest or three, shrugging and going on to politely punch their human attacker's head from their shoulders with their bare hands. (I do have to point out, that, in the games I used to participate in/run, combat had its place, but it did not happen often. The emphasis was a lot more on politics, conflicting agendas and intrigue, just like the (Cold) War apparently is being fought.) What I am talking about is shown nicely in that - in most other respects awful - Lucifer-wants-to-destroy-the-world-film with Arnold Schwarzenegger, when the First of the Fallen, played by Gabriel Byrne, gets smashed to almost pulp and looks down at his chest, being annoyed by it, but apparently not feeling any pain.

So, please 'mind the gap' when trying to solve problems that, admittedly, exist for some players.

Best regards

M.