SERVICIOS NO CONTEMPLADOS EN APARTADOS ANTERIORES

The anguish of Hell carries accursed power and the temptation of power. With every new stain of sin, another shred of the demon’s stolen humanity burns away to reveal the true monster within. This degeneration reawakens a demon’s memory of itself and of its power, unveiling knowledge of the ancient past and forgotten Arcana. For thralls, the ascension of inner Torment consumes their soul piecemeal and transforms them into the likeness of their demonic masters. This unholy transformation increases the thrall’s capacity to receive investments of Arcana. For all characters, Torment has the following uses and side effects:

• Aura of Sin: Infernal characters project the

emotional aura of their Vice in their interactions with others. The effect may be subtle or even escape conscious notice at first, but grows as the character’s Torment grows until her sin taints every interaction. A successful Perception + Empathy roll can identify a damned character’s Vice for anyone paying enough attention. The difficulty is (12 – the scrutinized character’s permanent Torment) (maximum diffi- culty 10). More importantly, the Vice modifies the difficulty of pertinent Social rolls. For example, a Vice of lust would certainly reduce the difficulty of seduction attempts, but would correspondingly in- crease the difficulty of interactions with clergy and other celibates who find the character’s lechery distasteful. The Storyteller remains final arbiter of when the aura modifier applies, and may impose it on

other appropriate rolls (such as increasing the diffi- culty of Willpower rolls for characters suffering Vice Addiction; see below). The actual value of the aura modifier depends on the character’s overall deprav- ity, as measured by permanent Torment.

Torment Modifier

1–2 None

3–5 +1/–1

6–8 +2/–2

8–10 +3/–3

• Consumption: Scripture states that the wages

of sin are death, and the damned know this to be true. Demons and thralls with a permanent Torment greater than their Resolve rating suffer levels of unsoakable lethal damage each day at dawn equal to the difference between the traits. Characters may not heal this damage by any means so long as this imbalance remains, ensuring certain death for those who do not atone or bleed sufficient Torment into Taints. The actual manifestation of these injuries varies among the damned, though it often bears a connection with the character’s Vice and inevitably results in a dramatically gruesome demise. Wrath might smolder as a literal flame until the character spontaneously combusts. Envy may take the form of poison or even acid to similar ends. Gluttony often consumes the flesh, cannibalizing the body to a withered husk. Pride can take the form of holy stigmata to mock the sacrifice of Christ.

• Manifesting Arcana: As demons remember

their damnation, they remember shreds of their former power. For thralls, the spiritual taint of Tor- ment unlocks their potential to receive infernal investments. Infernal characters cannot have more total points of Arcana than their (permanent Tor- ment x 10 + temporary Torment + the total value of all Taints + the total value of all Pacts). See p. 101 for more details on gaining Arcana.

• Memory: For demons, Torment determines

how much of their true natures and pasts they re- member. Whenever a demon wants to recall detailed information about any facet of its existence prior to being summoned from Hell, the Storyteller should require a Torment roll. The difficulty depends on the importance and emotional context of the memory. Given its nature, Torment recalls painful moments more easily and filters the happiest memories through the lens of regret or bitterness. Remembering any- thing positive about the age before the rebellion has a minimum difficulty of 8, while memories concern- ing the rebellion itself are generally difficulty 5–8.

H

S

Permanent Sins Torment

10 There is no sin for such an ac-

cursed and blasphemous monster. Do as you like.

9 Casual violation of others (wan-

ton slaughter, thoughtless cruelty and torture).

8 Planned violation of others (mur-

der, long-sought revenge).

7 Impassioned violation of others

(killing in a fit of rage). Destroying particularly inspirational or mean- ingful objects.

6 Inflicting intentional harm (physi- cal, emotional or spiritual) on others.

5 Accidental violations (inflicting

harm through carelessness, negli- gence or thoughtlessness). Neglecting duties or responsibili- ties. Betraying another’s trust.

4 Theft or destruction or another’s

property without just cause. Break- ing your sworn word.

3 Inflicting harm upon a mortal for

any other reason than self-defense or the greater good.

2 Indulging the urges of your Vice.

1 Indulging the urges of any Vice.

Allowing others to commit lesser sins in your presence without try- ing to prevent them.

Knowledge about another demon has a difficulty of (10 – the subject’s Eminence rating). If a demon’s status has improved since escaping Hell, the Story- teller should determine the fallen angel’s original rating. Every success determines one major fact about the subject. Botching a memory roll results in distorted information or outright lies spawned by the demon’s Torment, which means Storytellers should consider making a character’s memory checks in secret and revealing information according to the results. Generally, a demon should receive a reflex- ive memory roll whenever he meets a demon or hears another demon’s Celestial Name for the first time in

a chronicle. Thralls may not use their Tor- ment to remember the past, having never lived so long to begin with or spent time in Hell.

• Vice Addiction: An excess of Torment decays

the mind and soul as savagely as the body. A charac- ter whose permanent Torment exceeds his permanent Willpower constantly feels the urges of sin tempting him into further depravity. Whenever the Story- teller determines that the character has an opportunity to indulge his Vice, the player must roll Resolve (for demons) or Self-Control (for thralls)

against a difficulty of his permanent Torment. Suc- cess allows the character to stave off the sudden impulse for the moment. Failure indicates the char- acter must obey his urges as the situation allows, while a botch requires indulgence and prompts a degeneration check.

• Vulnerability to Faith: The damned risk terrible

injury if they set foot upon holy ground or touch holy relics. For every turn a demon remains on conse- crated ground or maintains contact with a blessed item, it suffers dice of aggravated damage equal to the Faith rat-

ing of the site/object. Demons may soak this damage with Resolve roll at a difficulty of their own permanent Torment. Characters with Torment 1 take no damage from blessed locations and relics. Thralls suffer bashing damage in place of aggravated, but oth- erwise incur damage at the same rate as their masters. Even if a damned character takes no damage, the faith still burns and inflicts terrible agony. Furthermore, infernal characters must overcome their fear merely to avoid fleeing holy sites or dropping the blessed object. This requires a Courage (for thralls) or Resolve (for demons) roll at a difficulty of their permanent Tor-

ment. Each success allows a turn of contact before a new roll must be made.