Acupuncture

[William]

New Skill (Precision, no default). In GURPS, this is a version of Esoteric Medicine.

Acupuncture claims to function by redirecting qi as it flows throughout the body, closing off a meridian or opening a blockage. This rebalances the patient's energies and rids them of disease or other pernicious influences. In In Nomine, this is exactly the case; acupuncture is a skill similar to Alchemy or Enchantment, employing principles similar to geomancy on a medical level to channel a patient's Essence. Acupunctural practices undertaken on a willing subject produce a variety of effects on the patient's Essence flow, usually magnifying the effect of expenditure of Essence to boost rolls. Several inhibit the expenditure of Essence in other ways, allowing a human without Essence Control a better chance of having Essence to spend come time to make one or another roll.

Treatment by a trained acupuncturist at base Acupuncture skill produces the effects of first aid, and this is included in any more specific treatments. Diagnosis of problems to be treated can be done at Acupuncture-2, or with Medicine skill. (In GURPS In Nomine, Diagnosis defaults to Acupuncture-5). Acupuncture diagnoses (that is, done as a Diagnosis technique) permit diagnosis of some fairly odd problems, such as "demonic possession." Specific acupuncture treatments vary in difficulty. If the acupuncturist's skill is less than the number listed, treatment cannot be attempted at all without a reliable reference work, and is at -1 to skill. Some common acupuncture treatments include:

(Acupuncture/1) Multiply by the CD of a successful Acupuncture roll the bonus provided by any Essence spent on the next roll to get over a disease. The specific disease must be identified before the ritual is performed.

(Acupuncture/2) As above, to resist the effects of a poison or drug (specific poison must be correctly identified).

(Acupuncture/4) As above, to resist possession or eject a possessor. The latter treatment is specially designed to be undertaken on a restrained, unwilling body, but presumes the underlying human seeks the ritual.

(Acupuncture/6) As above, to resist activation of a Geas-hook. This treatment is not widely distributed, and Lilim make a point of offing acupuncturists who offer the service. They usually follow up by hunting down whoever taught them.

(Acupuncture/6) Stimulate unconscious Essence expenditure on a given roll of one of the types listed above, or addressed by other treatments the acupuncturist knows. This treatment may be combined with one or two of the others listed above, at a -1 or -2 penalty to the target number.

(Acupuncture/2) Prevent unconscious Essence expenditure for a number of days up to the acupuncturist's skill.

(Acupuncture/3) Prevent unconscious Essence expenditure, except for rolls based on a given attribute: as above, but the acupuncturist leaves a "gate" open for the energies to be focused on a specific goal.

(Acupuncture/5) Shield Essence from any external draining effect, such as the Impudite Resonance or dream-draining, for 24 hours. The CD of the successful Acupuncture roll is a bonus to any resistance for the next 24 hours. This ritual may be combined with either of the previous two; add a -1 penalty to the target number.

(Acupuncture/6) Reduce by the CD of a successful Acupuncture roll the penalty imposed by Discord to a celestial's receipt of Essence for the next day.

(Acupuncture/6) Accelerate the diurnal Essence cycle. This dangerous ritual functions for the next CD days; each day, 8 hours after the subject would normally receive Essence, they receive another Essence. However, 8 hours after that they either lose 1 Essence, or, if they have none, suffer Hits (corporeal beings suffer Body Hits; ethereals suffer Mind Hits; celestials suffer Soul Hits) equal to the CD.

Acupuncture is designed for use upon the qi meridians of living humans. A practitioner is at -2 to base skill when working upon celestial or ethereal Vessels, except for those of Grigori and Skulkers. The skill fails entirely on undead. Animals can be worked on at -1 for mammals and -3 for others, and even plants can be affected, at -6 to skill.

Acupuncturists trained in Sorcery, Alchemy, Enchantment, or construct creation can research and produce a number of synergistic effects, such as turning a living human into a spirit jar, or encoding a Command ritual into an acupuncture treatment effected on an unknowing recipient, who thereby forfeits a resistance roll.

William