Resonance/Disonance

[Kauboi]

I have the core rules but really do not understand how resonance and disonance work in IN.

Can anyone give me a god understanding?

[Andygal]

what is it exactly that you don't understand? is it the mechanics or the in-universe story implications or what? Cause I don't really wanna have to rephrase everything in the Core Rules about resonances and dissonance, and I don't really think anybody else does either.

[JCD]

Let me give it a non rule specific shot:

An Angel is related to some pure idea in the Symphony: Truth, Devotion, Honor, Movement, etc. They are given an ability which is like that idea. For example, a Seraph is Truth. He can generally determine if someone is telling the truth or even THE TRUTH (The truth is what the person believes is true, THE TRUTH is what is actually true. You can believe that your wife is faithful as the day is long. The Truth might be that she is running around behind your back. But you would not know it.)

However, that comes with a price. To be pure Truth, the Seraph cannot lie because that is Not Truth. The more they force themselves to think and tell lies, the less they are Truth and the less they are able to see the Truth. This is Dissonance. Every point makes it harder for an Angel to do their resonance.



Demons are like little kids yelling 'look at me' to the universe. They MAKE the universe act they way they want it to. But when they fail, when the universe does not 'look at them' they feel bad and get dissonance. They are less confident to change the universe.

I hope this helps.

[Rocket Man]

Angels are selfless. Their resonances (with rare exception) are based on perceiving the universe around them ... feeling what's true, or what's honorable, or what the fastest way to get somewhere would be. Thus, they generally roll Perception to use those resonances. If you don't mind the Star Wars reference, they're Jedi in tune with the living Force, aware of its permutations.

Demons are selfish. Their resonances are based on pushing what they want into the rest of the world. A Balseraph makes his lies "true," a Habbalah makes others feel an imposed emotion, an Impudite forces an "instant friendship" onto someone in order to suck them dry. Thus, they generally roll Will to use their resonances. They're Sith, grabbing power and making it do their will, regardless of the effects on the rest of the universe.

Just as Jedi have to walk a tight balance, an angel has to be in step with what they were "meant to be." Seraphim are symbols of Truth and can't lie, Mercurians are living Friendship and can't commit violence to a human, and so on. Every time they violate that, they become dissonant -- it gets a little harder to use their resonance, a little more difficult to see their intended role. They've begun to be seduced by the Dark Side. Too much dissonance either hurts an angel permanently (Discord) or gets them expelled from Heaven (Outcast/Fallen).

Demons, meanwhile, are playing with fire. If they fail to push their "I Want" onto the universe, the universe pushes back, usually with a reminder of what they should be. A Balseraph whose lie falls apart becomes dissonant -- a reminder he was supposed to be Truth. A Djinn who hurts his charge without permission becomes dissonant -- a reminder he was supposed to be Devotion. The more often the universe pushes back, the harder it gets for the demon to believe that he's the most important thing in it, making it still harder for him to use his powers. Over time, this can hurt a demon permanently (Discord), get him in trouble with his bosses (so that he runs away and goes Renegade), or even get him wondering, like Darth Vader, if he's on the right side (seeking redemption).

Hopefully this helped and didn't just clutter up JCD's beautifully simple explanation.

[Kauboi]

JCD/Rocketman,

Excellent references, thank you. I have only begun reading through the core rules and have gone over this section of the book three times without really absorbing it the way you've described.

Again, my thanks.

I have run many gaming systems in the past, and have always considered myself more of a narrative GM rather than a rules/dice mechanic.

I am learning very quickly that this system will test my narrative self moreso than anything I have run before....whew!

[Andygal]

Originally Posted by Kauboi

JCD/Rocketman,

Excellent references, thank you. I have only begun reading through the core rules and have gone over this section of the book three times without really absorbing it the way you've described.

Again, my thanks.

I have run many gaming systems in the past, and have always considered myself more of a narrative GM rather than a rules/dice mechanic.

I am learning very quickly that this system will test my narrative self moreso than anything I have run before....whew!

Speaking as a player, one of the reasons I like IN is because it tests my roleplaying abilities. I'm not actually very good at roleplaying so IN is a game that forces me to work at it and improve. Which is a good thing.