Called shots

[PenitentDemon]

Are called shots possible in in nomine

is their a place their referred to...


e,g, maiming a foe...


or in particular... is their a way to CONTROL what kind of force I take from a foe in celestial combat... as if im a Demon wanting to force strip a familiar to make sure he doesnt fledge, I want to make sure I dont destroy him in the process.

[Archangel Beth]

If the GM wishes to figure out some ruling for this -- e.g., lowering the target number, requiring a minimum check digit, or both -- then it's certainly a reasonable addition. However, such additional combat rules, like the Grappling rules you'll never see, fall victim to two rules: KINS (Keep In Nomine Simple) and INING (In Nomine Is Not GURPS).

So you'll very probably only see those as optional house rules (which everyone can make suggestions for, if they want!), unless you switch to GURPS In Nomine. Even GURPS In Nomine doesn't allow targeting a specific Force, as I recall, though; it's treated like an Aging roll.

[William]

Generally speaking only Superiors can accurately strip and add Forces.

For what it's worth, in my GURPS In Nomine we included several combat house rules I won't detail, but one of them was permitting called shots to the Ethereal Forces as a secret technique that Laurence could teach from his days as an Ethereal hunter. Required an accurate relic weapon (obviously, preferably a sword) and something reasonably eye-like as part of the spirit's icon.

If there's a small body of such techniques floating around, perhaps your demon knows a guy who knows a guy who can target Corporeal Forces, say a Gamester who has a specialized technique he uses for Renegade hunting.

[Archangel Beth]

*points upwards* Those are good examples of house rulings that have atmospheric value, and could be MacGuffins for a session (or several!), or non-Superior rewards for Favors Rendered.

[PenitentDemon]

curious any idea on roles Nybasses demons can take in small towns, or any but a few places rather then hollywood,

I know this unrelated but so is a lot of things...


as im not sure if many would be assigned to small town newspapers, News channels except as punishment.

[William]

Everybody's got to start somewhere, and every organization has its rank and file. Media demons probably all have the dream of the Big Break, no matter where they're assigned.

The demon in a small town probably won't run the small-town paper; she might be the gossip columnist that keeps everyone's dirty laundry aired, or he might be the ad seller that favors businesses that slip him a little something. Or he might be the front man pushing for the nearby Big City paper to come in and crush the small-town paper in the name of more centralized Media control, because Big City paper can have more Media influence than a two-man operation in Hicksville.

The small-town local news can fuel petty vendettas, run sensationalist scoops on beloved town figures, and give free time late at night (as a "public service," of course) to kooks selling UFO books, racists, and scam artists selling hundred-dollar air shakers or whatever. Of course he's going to be trying to do his job well enough to get a promotion and a bigger contract somewhere.

[Rocket Man]

And don't forget the various "official spokesmen" for various businesses and government agencies. All of them have regular contact with the small-m media and have an opportunity to shape and influence it. (I can testify as to just *how* pushy some Public Information Officers can get and how carefully some of them gatekeep or spin information.)

[PenitentDemon]

Hmmn good points, and another off the wall question is it Unreasonable for many demons to be pragmatic enoguh to take humans who foiled one of their schemes, on their own as soldiers, specificaly humans who did so out of personal self interest, and a combination of raw talent, and probaly a bit of luck. (e.g. not soldiers of heaven)

as on one hand many are malicious on the other hand such a person has clear talent.

especially say with mammon with a human calmly saying "Excuse me sir, I saw this escape clause in section 231B either remove it or im not signing"

Could probaly also happen with Nybass.. though doubt it would happen much for Baal as humans without celestial help will RARELY be more then a trivial threat to demons. in physical combat at least.

[William]

Demons recruit Soldiers in many different ways. A demon can see talent in a human, especially if the human exercises it in self interest. Whether a particular demon is more brutally pragmatic about a loss or more prone to petty vindictiveness when a human has foiled them is up to you. Both are plausible demonic psychologies.