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Old 03-04-2012, 01:35 PM   #1
khorboth
 
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Default Model for Celestial Possession from In Nomine

What is the best way to cover having additional hosts for your angelic self?

In In Nomine, PCs are angels (or demons) who spend most of their time within a "host" body. One can, however, have multiple hosts through which you can switch. When a host is not possessed, it appears to be sleeping, but is still on the mortal plane.

There are two big advantages to this. First, if one host is killed, the PC can just go inhabit the other and get back in the action as soon as they can travel to the appropriate location. Second is that the hosts may each have different "roles" within the world. For instance, one may be a banker another a bum and the third a security guard. Each would have social advantages where the others would not and my have different appearance. Everything other than appearance, though, stays the same (ST, DX, Skills, etc.).

GURPS In Nomine 3e models each as an extra life with the character paying full price for all the advantages of all the hosts. It also says that the hosts are held in limbo while not occupied. My GM wants to stick with them having physical presence even when unoccupied. They then define the character's true form as an alternate form.

Possession with spiritual, puppets only, and each host bought as an ally seems more direct, but it doesn't account for the physical attributes staying and leaves any advantages bought for the host as very cheap for a character who starts at around 750 points. Perhaps a -10% limiter for "host specific" advantages? And then a flat 5 points per host with everything needing to be bought for that host with the minor discount?

I'm open to ideas.
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Old 03-04-2012, 03:05 PM   #2
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Default Re: Model for Celestial Possession from In Nomine

The Ally as puppets thing I think is the best way to do it.
Look at Spirit Vessel in Thaumatology. If you dont have it you can have the hosts buy powers and attributes only when possessed.
Another option is Alternate Form.
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Old 03-05-2012, 05:13 AM   #3
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Default Re: Model for Celestial Possession from In Nomine

Alternate Form makes the second body less expensive than the first body, which goes against the feel of In Nomine... at least, by the RAW. In this variant, I'm not as sure that still applies.
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Old 03-05-2012, 01:50 PM   #4
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Default Re: Model for Celestial Possession from In Nomine

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Originally Posted by Refplace View Post
The Ally as puppets thing I think is the best way to do it.
Look at Spirit Vessel in Thaumatology. If you dont have it you can have the hosts buy powers and attributes only when possessed.
Another option is Alternate Form.
Yeah, Possession of Allies as Puppets is the best way for most of the celestials. Note that most Kyriotates (without special attunements) just have Possession, and most Shedim (again, without special attunements) are probably best modelled as Permeation (Flesh) and Mind Control (Suggestion), all with appropriate modifiers.

On vessel death and its effects on celestials: It's complicated because you don't actually die when your vessel dies (you suffer Trauma, and even then, not if you're a Malakite or have certain Attunements or Distinctions, in which case you're perfectly fine and conscious and floating around wherever your soul goes after). By default, Possession includes death when the host (vessel) dies; add Telecontrol to prevent that. You're also forced into your Insubstantial celestial form, and you automatically teleport (Warp) to either your Heart or Limbo (if Outcast or Renegade); there is a limitation for Warp that only teleports you to a specific location, Anchored; this also needs to be a Warp Jump, linked to Jumper (World); these are Reflexive, Unconscious Only, and Uncontrollable. I know, some people might go with the Unkillable 3 approach, but it doesn't fit nearly as neatly with how things actually work in IN, and it actually may be more expensive than the above suggestion. Maybe use a Nuisance Effect with Unconsciousness or something like that to handle the Trauma.

Another consideration is that while Possessing the vessel you're immune to death or even actual damage - your actual soul hits / HP can't be targeted, and in this way it shares something in common with Permeation with Meld (perhaps the modifier can be borrowed in some form). Of course, seeing it this way assumes you agree with the take that the vessels are meat suits and the celestial's soul is their actual body.

IMHO, both Extra Life and Alternate Form are ill-suited candidates for the basis of this; they might seem attractive for their relative simplicity but ultimately to use them you'll either be hand-waiving too many things or else finding yourself awkwardly fitting a square peg though a round hole.
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Old 03-05-2012, 03:15 PM   #5
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Default Re: Model for Celestial Possession from In Nomine

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Originally Posted by JCurwen3 View Post
On vessel death and its effects on celestials: It's complicated because you don't actually die when your vessel dies (you suffer Trauma, and even then, not if you're a Malakite or have certain Attunements or Distinctions, in which case you're perfectly fine and conscious and floating around wherever your soul goes after). By default, Possession includes death when the host (vessel) dies; add Telecontrol to prevent that.
I really wish they had not built default Possession including death.
Or at least offered an enhancement in RAW. On option of course is to use Cosmic to buy it off.
Another option besides the Unkillable is to add extra HP and Hard to Kill to the Host to give you a moment.

However I prefer an Enhancement to Possession. Also telecontrol allows you to do it but I think Spiritual Possession should as well. Base Possession implies you have no body of your own or one that cant survive on its own.
Maybe being Banished or something could be handwaived as a consequence.
However I would not add Warp and Jumper merely as an escape, especially without some counter for the death of the host.
Would love an official ruling and commentary on Possession. In fact ill post a request in a separate thread.

Posted requrst for a ruling but really reading it I feel Spirit Possession lets you avoid he death of the host problem.

Last edited by Refplace; 03-05-2012 at 03:31 PM.
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Old 03-05-2012, 03:30 PM   #6
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Default Re: Model for Celestial Possession from In Nomine

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Originally Posted by khorboth View Post

In In Nomine, PCs are angels (or demons) who spend most of their time within a "host" body. One can, however, have multiple hosts through which you can switch. When a host is not possessed, it appears to be sleeping, but is still on the mortal plane.
When the host dies, the corpse remains on the material plane, but if the Celestial changes bodies or goes immaterial, the host vanishes, so you'd want to add summonable to the allies, I think.
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Old 03-05-2012, 05:38 PM   #7
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Default Re: Model for Celestial Possession from In Nomine

I was thinking of using something like Insubstantial with Reversion (from Horror).
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