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

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by alexondria

I'd only do the dissonance if it's a selfless act

Yeah, good point. I wouldn't apply dissonance if dropping the Geas-hook applied another hook of equal or greater strength on someone else. That's just trading up, and it's perfectly within the Infernal Lilim mindset!

[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.

[Kelly Pedersen]

Originally Posted by Jennifer

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

True, although of course that invites the person with the Geas to turn around and threaten the Lilim with grievous harm, bodily or otherwise, until she pronounces herself "satisfied". So there's obviously going to be a balancing act in there.

[Archangel Beth]

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?

This is something a GM can decide (I'm pretty sure there's nothing in the books; IIRC, the Lilith PDF and FotM have the Geas mechanics in them?), but I'd say that she can release a hook at any time, or a not-yet-active Geas. If it's an activated Geas, that had a "I say you must do X," I would tend to think that she'd have to inform the subject that the Geas was being negated.

On the other hand, that does open the can of worms that the Lilim's soul-death would probably release the compulsion, without the geased person knowing about her demise, so her releasing it might be able to be done long-distance as well.

It kind of depends on the "feel" you want. Perhaps allow to release an activated Geas without contact, but -- and use this for soul-dead Lilim as well -- the geased person may not realize the Geas is not in effect immediately. Perhaps a Perception roll? +/- level of Geas?


Edit: The reasoning I am using for this -- basically, if a Lilim geases a PC or NPC to do something, then "find the Lilim and make her release this person" should be one of the valid tactics. It's not necessarily going to be a likely one -- she may've skipped down to Hell! But if she's hanging around for some reason... Otherwise, there would be more Princes having their Lilim do "fire and forget" tactics. Also, if an activated Geas were non-liftable by the Lilim's Will, then why is it liftable with her soul-death? Either it still has a connection to her Will, or it doesn't, is how it's feeling in my head.