Release the Geas!

[Rocket Man]

I'm away from my books and had a question I can't recall seeing there. I know a Lilim has to track down the person she has a hook on in order to claim a Geas. How about releasing Geases? Does a Lilim have to be physically present to release a Geas she holds on someone? Is a phone call or e-mail sufficient? Or is it easy as thinking "Geas, begone!" no matter where she and her victim are?

This may have an obvious answer in the rules; if so, an apology in advance for my obtuseness. But it's starting to become relevant in my campaign, and I just want to be sure of the answer.

[JCD]

Originally Posted by Rocket Man

I'm away from my books and had a question I can't recall seeing there. I know a Lilim has to track down the person she has a hook on in order to claim a Geas. How about releasing Geases? Does a Lilim have to be physically present to release a Geas she holds on someone? Is a phone call or e-mail sufficient? Or is it easy as thinking "Geas, begone!" no matter where she and her victim are?

This may have an obvious answer in the rules; if so, an apology in advance for my obtuseness. But it's starting to become relevant in my campaign, and I just want to be sure of the answer.

I'm looking everywhere. I believe a Lilim can drop a geas at any time she wants to...if you can get her to pry apart her avaricious fingers...

[Rocket Man]

Originally Posted by JCD

I'm looking everywhere. I believe a Lilim can drop a geas at any time she wants to...if you can get her to pry apart her avaricious fingers...

All right, let's take this a step further out. Suppose you have Geased yourself to do something or not do something for a period of time. Can you drop your own Geas and eat the dissonance? Or are you pretty much stuck until the Geas expires?

My own inclination is to believe the latter ... if you can drop a Geas on yourself anytime you want, it's not much of a Geas, especially since 1 dissonance is fairly easy to work off. But is the former closer to canon?

[JCD]

A promise is a promise...at least where geas are concerned. Ask Beth.

[Kelly Pedersen]

I'd say that a Lilim can release a Geas-hook any time they want (although I think I might assign a point of dissonance to non-Bright Lilim for doing so). A Geas proper, however, has to be worked off. Once the Lilim calls it in, they actually can't tell the person "Ok, that's enough, we'll call it good" and release them from the obligation. Since self-Geases are full Geases, not hooks, this means a Lilim can't get out of it.

All of this is non-canonical, as far as I know, but I think it's reasonably balanced.

[alexondria]

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

I'd say that a Lilim can release a Geas-hook any time they want (although I think I might assign a point of dissonance to non-Bright Lilim for doing so). A Geas proper, however, has to be worked off. Once the Lilim calls it in, they actually can't tell the person "Ok, that's enough, we'll call it good" and release them from the obligation. Since self-Geases are full Geases, not hooks, this means a Lilim can't get out of it.

All of this is non-canonical, as far as I know, but I think it's reasonably balanced.

I'd only do the dissonance if it's a selfless act- example- Joe Schmo owes her a level 6 gease- he's a middle manager human- but for some reason- bigger fish Andy servitor of Yves has taken a liking ot him and offers to work off the time for him- so she drops the gease hook on Joe Schmo and institutes a full gease on Andy- nothing nonselfish about that at all

[Jennifer]

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

A Geas proper, however, has to be worked off. Once the Lilim calls it in, they actually can't tell the person "Ok, that's enough, we'll call it good" and release them from the obligation.

This suggests that the smart Lilim learns to include the phrase "to my satisfaction" in the wording of her Geases, just to leave herself an out in case somebody big and scary wants that Geas off, NOW - and is just fine with soul-killing the Lilim if that's what it takes.

[Archangel Beth]

Originally Posted by Rocket Man

All right, let's take this a step further out. Suppose you have Geased yourself to do something or not do something for a period of time. Can you drop your own Geas and eat the dissonance? Or are you pretty much stuck until the Geas expires?

No, you can't drop your own Geas on yourself, for "that would be wimpy" reasons; a Geas should be more than a Quirk. (Though even one note of dissonance is a non-trivial upset, and should be roleplayed as uncomfortable, at least... It's going to be a -1 to resonance rolls, and a GM might house-rule that it would be a +1 for people to resist the Lilim invoking a Geas-hook as well...)

For Symphonic handwaving... You were willing when you took it. You were in the ultimate Lilim selfish feedback of shackling your own self, of your own free will. If you were planning to ignore the self-Geas entirely (and not weasel-word it), then it would have failed, as much as it would fail if Joe Demon said, "Sure, I'm willing to accept your Geas... (NOT!)"

You can defy your self-Geas, for the normal dissonance involved, of course. That's the price of going back on a promise you made to yourself, and if you're a Lilim, All Things Have A Price. (A Lilim who was planning to eat dissonance to defy a self-Geas could probably self-Geas herself fine... and then eat dissonance. Gotta watch out for those sneaky green wenches.)

Howzat?

[JCD]

Originally Posted by Archangel Beth

You can defy your self-Geas, for the normal dissonance involved, of course. That's the price of going back on a promise you made to yourself, and if you're a Lilim, All Things Have A Price. (A Lilim who was planning to eat dissonance to defy a self-Geas could probably self-Geas herself fine... and then eat dissonance. Gotta watch out for those sneaky green wenches.)

Howzat?

I'm not sure I understand exactly how that last works.

On another front: Say I self geased to call Sabrina when I saw Howard. I see Howard but am not near a phone/ am being watched/ am a prisoner. How exactly would you run the Dissonance? Each time you see him? One per day?

[Rocket Man]

Originally Posted by JCD

I'm not sure I understand exactly how that last works.

If I understand her, she's saying a Lilim can make a promise she has no intention of keeping, so long as she's willing to take the dissonance hit. So if I hate Sammy the Samingan Soldier and am willing to take a few chances, I can swear a geas that he will be completely safe in my house tonight ... and then use the opportunity to kill him in his sleep. Dissonant, yes, but the problem is solved, so long as word of the betrayal doesn't get around.

On another front: Say I self geased to call Sabrina when I saw Howard. I see Howard but am not near a phone/ am being watched/ am a prisoner. How exactly would you run the Dissonance? Each time you see him? One per day?

Since the promise is "When I see Howard, I will call Sabrina," I would ping the dissonance every time she sees him without calling. That feels the truest to the spirit of the promise.