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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Some Dude" data-source="post: 7854982" data-attributes="member: 6980080">CHAPTER 5: LIBER DAEMONIUMThis Chapter is like one of those "friends" who tells you what a bad idea something is, then proceeds to show you how to do that very thing. It's about Daemons. But, more specifically, it's about how your Character can gain Daemonic Patronage, and with it, gifts of forbidden power and knowledge. A section called, "On The Nature OF Daemons" tells us a bit about these forbidden (I mean it- their worship is effectively banned everywhere that decent people - and even most awful people - live) deities. How people turn to them because of greed, anger or fear. And how Daemons will take advantage of that every time to twist their thralls into something so perverse as to be barely recognizable as human.Occultists, as the followers of Daemons are called, are not concerned with the hereafter, but rather with the here and now. Earthly influence, fulfillment of carnal desires, the spreading of Chaos, and, of course, the recruitment of new followers to their Daemonic masters. But these Daemon-bound workers of dark Magick are not plainly evident, even in polite society. No, part of the danger of the Occultist is that they can be anyone... and often are who you'd least expect.Certain Expert Professions from Main Gauche are able to make pacts with Daemons (this is the Covenant Magick" I mentioned in my post on Chapter 1). They will gain access to new and powerful Magicks, but they will give up their soul, and likely suffer the effects of Corruption as well. There is an interesting system to make the worship of Daemons something with an actual sense of danger. It's tied to Zweihander's Alignment system, which is largely a roleplaying tool, but has lasting effects on your Character, for ill or for good, depending on their behavior. In Main Gauche, the Alignment system becomes a bit stricter where Occultists are concerned. Remember in Chapter 1, where it was stated that 12 of the new Expert Professions could use the new Covenant Magick? Well, each of these is beholden to one of 12 Daemons presented in this Chapter. Upon entering one of these Expert Professions, your Character will permanently lose their Order Alignment, and must select one of their Daemonic Patron's "Aspects". Each Daemon has three of these Aspects, which are kind of like that Daemon's "turn-ons". When you have achieved 10 Ranks in your patron Daemon's Aspect, you may either take a Fate Point, as with Order Ranks, or randomly roll a Daemonic Gift. Each Daemon has their own table. Like the Daemons themselves, these gifts are powerful, yet mercurial. Some are more beneficial than others. But all convey some benefit. Most also have negative consequences of some sort. Some are quite powerful, though, and it is easy to see the appeal of the left hand path.However, in addition to the potential negative effects of any Daemonic Gifts, there is also the likelihood of gaining Corruption. For those not Daemonbound, Corruption is gained by doing bad things, even if they must be done for the greater good. That's where your Chaos Alignment comes into play. Your Character will now no longer gain Corruption from evil acts, provided those acts further said Daemon Lord's interest. However, wickedness that doesn't benefit or please the Daemon you represent will still gain you Corruption. Furthermore, anytime you fail to act in furtherance of your unholy master's desire, you are stricken with Corruption. And don't go thinking that you can just sit out conflicts that may pose uncomfortable dilemmas. Like a wise Canadian once said, "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice." No, you have to be actively evil here. It's not enough to sit back and hope others join you in your pursuit of evil. You gotta get out there and knock on doors, ya gotta sell it. Think of it as a blasphemous Amway. It'll have the same effect on your social life, anyway. What I'm getting at here is this: if you want to be evil in Zweihander, there's a price to be paid (Corruption). IF you want to be really evil, you're going to have to work for it. There's no such thing as a free lunch. I can think of many games I've played where one or more players were "evil" in name only, or when it suited them. But, according to these rules, there are no "part-timers". You're either in, or you're out. And if you're in, you will eventually succumb to the evil you seek to serve. And you will also be forced to act in a manner that is sure to bring you trouble. Trouble from the law, and from any not so wicked as you. Like the Alignment rules in general, these new rules going to require a GM who is dedicated to ensuring that they work as intended. I can't really see too many of these types of Characters lasting long in any gaming group not made up of like-minded Characters (although the idea of one or more Characters being "undercover" Occultists in a party sounds fun).Next, we get introduced to the Daemons themselves. There are eleven of them here, though we are told that this is but a small portion of them. As stated previously, each Daemon has three Aspects. They are the almost human-like desires and emotions of that Daemon. Of the 11 Daemons listed, some appear in the Zweihander Core Rules (albeit in a much more vague and non-mechanical manner), and some do not. In addition, two of the Daemons from the Core Book (The Ancient Ones and The Gilded Pharoah) are not detailed here. Somewhat confusingly, one of the Daemons that appears in both books - The Tusked One - is actually three of the Daemons detailed here, as that hideous being has three different Daemonic forms (The Endless Gullet, The Hellfurnace, and The Slavering Maw), which are, confusingly, also called aspects. So, The Tusked One has three aspects, each of which has three Aspects. I find the idea of such a multifaceted Daemon to be cool as a concept, but the double meaning of the word "aspect" here seems needlessly confusing to me. Wouldn't it have been just as easy to call The Tusked One's aspects "forms", or "avatars", or something? Then, it's on to the description of each Daemon. They follow this format:Name: The name the Daemon is known by. Not to be confused with a "True Name". Also, a description of that Daemon's form, if applicable, and a brief description of how it came to be.Forbidden Lore: That Daemon's drives and desires, the things it seeks to advance through its Aspects.Aspects: A description of each Daemon's three Aspects, and what the Daemon's adherents will need to do in order to fulfill them.Each is illustrated, as is usual for Zweihander. This section should get any Character who enters the service of a Daemon up and running, whatever your particular stripe of evil. For example, there is The Black Lodge, both an entity and a place suspended between the very fibers of reality. This Daemon draws power from suffering. Its Aspects are: Depraved, Vexing, Xenophobic. It is worshiped by Dirgesingers (one of the new Expert Professions).For those wondering how an Aspect might be used in play, let's break down the Black Lodge's Aspects.Depraved: this Aspect can be fulfilled by indulging one's most primal instincts -food, mating and survival. But, this must be done in a manner at odds with established social mores and common decency. Vexing: only by bewildering, scaring and aggravating those around you can you benefit from this Aspect. Xenophobic: cold aloofness and a detatchment from others are the keys to benefiting from this Aspect.Each Daemon is detailed in this manner. The Chapter closes with a 11 tables of Daemonic Gifts, one for each of the Abyssal lords. Upon achieving 10 Ranks in your Daemon's chosen Aspect, your Character may either add a Fate point, or roll randomly for a Dameonic Gift (and take a permenent Chaos Rank). Each Daemon can bestow 11 different Gifts. These are all different, except for the rarest two, which are common to every Daemon. -True Name, where your Character is given a True Name by their Daemon. This is a concept from the Core Rules. Each Daemon has a True Name, with which it can be summoned and possibly controlled (good luck with that!). In recieving one, the player becomes immune to Magick unless the caster knows their True Name. However, if their True Name should be discovered (and it has to be inscribed on something and secreted), they could be summoned, bound and controlled. -Mark of the [INSERT DAEMON NAME HERE], the symbol of your Daemon on your forehead, visible only to those in league with you, or using Magick. Enables you to Channel Power to cast Spells, and apply that power to two spells instead of one. Aside from these Gifts, there is a whole new tradition of Magick. Covenant Magick is granted by Daemons, and as such is sort of a mix of Divine and Arcane Magick. It'll be the focus of Chapter 6. Thanks for reading. Stick around, there's more to come. We're about halfway through this book.</blockquote>

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