Divinity

New Qualities

Gift

This Quality is the prerequisite to acquire most Supernatural Qualities and to purchase Metaphysical powers and abilities. It is the defining characteristic of the supernaturally-adept characters in WitchCraft.

The Gift denotes a connection with the Otherworlds, a connection that allows the character to sense things that are hidden from the Mundanes. All the Gifted have the ability to perceive the presence of supernatural energies or creatures. By succeeding at a Simple Perception Test, a Gifted character can sense if a supernatural being is near, and can detect strong flows of Magic in an area or object. This sensing is not precise. It does not tell the character exactly what or who is emanating an excess of magical energies, although the Success Level of the Test gives the Gifted character more information.

All Gifted and Lesser Gifted characters must purchase the Gift Quality using their Quality points.

Divine Inspiration

The Divinely Inspired can transcend the limits of the flesh, and become a tool of a Greater Power. They are Inspired to fight the forces of darkness, and dedicate their lives to this purpose.

The Inspired may use their own inner strength under the delusion that their power comes from without, or they may truly be the instruments of an omnipotent being. The important thing is that they must hold dearly to the tenets of their faith, and must never go against them.

If an Inspired character breaks a commandment or hesitates in her faith, she temporarily (or even permanently) loses the capability to perform miracles. Furthermore, the powers of the Inspired can only be used in ways that serve the Higher Power the character worships. Characters with Divine Inspiration are able to perform Miracles using their link to a Higher Power. Most Inspired consider this Higher Power to be the “True God.” Characters with Divine Inspiration cannot use Magic or Necromancy, but may have Seer Powers.

Divine Inspiration

This is the least understood Gift, believed to be granted by a Greater Power, possibly the Creator. While scientists scoff at such notions and occultists theorize that these powers are nothing but misguided magical abilities with a psychological dependency on faith, the effectiveness of Divine Inspiration is without question. Those whose faith is strong enough can indeed perform miracles, heal the sick, and smite the unrighteous.

The Inspired have access to an assortment of abilities allegedly derived from the connection of the character to the Creating Agency. Some occultists claim that these powers come from inside the Inspired, and are nothing more than the channeling of their own Essence to fuel their religious fanaticism. No matter who is right, without their Faith, the Inspired would not be able to perform their incredible feats. To use a Miracle, the character must firmly believe that he is fighting the forces of evil in the name of his God. Otherwise, he will be left with nothing but his own meager strength.

Acquiring Miracles

Miracles are not skills; they are learned through mystical revelation by the Inspired. To acquire Miracles, the character must first buy the Divine Inspiration Quality (which has it’s own Gift Quality prerequisite; see p. 85). Miracles cost 5 character points each during character creation, and 10 points apiece thereafter.

Inspired may have Seer Powers, although such combinations are rare. No Inspired (at least as far as any known) can acquire or learn Necromantic or Magical abilities. Even when such powers are not considered to be tools of Satan (as many Inspired believe), they are seen contemptuously as distractions from the righteous service to the Deity.

Using Miracles

Using a Miracle requires the Cast Member to make a Willpower (doubled) roll. Compare the Willpower roll's Success Levels to the Power Level of the Miracle. If she gets as much as or more Success Levels than the Power Level of the Miracle, the Miracle has been performed. If not, nothing happens.

Unlike Magic, Miracles cannot be used at the whim of their wielder. Only extreme situations, where lives are at stake or supernatural powers have manifested openly, warrant the use of Miracles. A Sentinel who tries to call upon the Strength of Ten to win a bar fight will fail; even worse, the blasphemy of trying to use God’s powers to do profane work may cost the Sentinel his Inspired Powers, perhaps permanently! In most cases, the Inspired must try to solve their problems through mundane means. Only when confronting beings who are clearly agents of an unnatural power will using one’s abilities be justified. Even trying to fight mundane evil may not warrant using Miracles. To reflect this difficulty, all Miracles require the expenditure of 1 Drama Point to perform, with none of the other bonuses normally associated with the Drama Point.

The Denial

In addition to their repertoire of Miracles, all the Inspired can attempt to neutralize Magic or other supernatural powers. Any Success Levels in a Willpower (doubled) roll are subtracted from the Success Levels of the target's roll to use her own power. A vampire being a vampire and a witch being a witch don't count as "using a supernatural power", but a vampire using hypnosis and a witch castin ga spell do.

When Miracles Clash

What happens when the Inspired of two different religions run up against each other? In the past, such individuals might face off, each confident of being the servant of the one True God. Even then, however, more often than not, Miracles of either side would not work against another Inspired, regardless of their religious persuasion. In recent times, this is almost always the case.

It may appear (and many Inspired believe this) that the members of every monotheistic religion are worshipping the same Deity, and that their differences are meaningless in His/Her/Its eyes. Inspired who have publicly said such things, however, have often found themselves excommunicated or shunned as a result.

Tests of Faith

Unlike other Gifted powers, Inspired Miracles can be lost at any moment. Should the character lose his Faith, his powers become nothing but memories. Falling from Grace is a terrible tragedy for the Inspired, and in the strange and vicious world of WitchCraft, it is easy to do. Pride (which “Goeth before the Fall”), temptation, greed, lust and cynicism are among the many pitfalls that await the Inspired in their war against the forces of darkness. Some beings, demons and Fiends in particular, take a perverse delight in tricking the Inspired into making that fatal mistake which costs them their state of Grace.

Sometimes the moral dilemmas are truly harrowing. Should the Inspired save an innocent or take the opportunity to destroy a being that, left to its own devices, will surely kill again? Should the character break his word if given to a supernatural monster, even if the monster seeks to twist the meaning of the promise? Is accepting a reward for one’s actions a sign of greed, or is turning it down one of pride? The Inspired have to come up with the right answer or risk losing it all.

Chroniclers should throw these and similar quandaries in the path of Inspired characters, although they should take care not to purposefully trip up the characters. The temptation of the Inspired can make for powerful Story devices, but try not to be too cruel implementing them. Touching up on a few books on philosophy and morality might not be a bad idea to prepare interesting and devious tricks.

Miracles

These are some of the most common Miracles among the Inspired. More Miracles will appear in future WitchCraft sourcebooks.

THE BINDING

This is the power to restrain supernatural beings, at least temporarily, by using Essence. The Inspired orders the creature to halt in the name of his God. This power is used to prevent monsters from attacking or fleeing while the Inspired mete out justice. The Binding only works against supernatural creatures, not the Gifted.

This Miracle is 1 Power Level per Strength and Willpower level of the supernatural creature. The Inspired may not know how much Power Level is necessary. If he does not have enough the Miracle does not take place.

In addition to the Power Level, the Inspired must win a Resisted Test involving Simple Willpower rolls from both the Inspired and the creature. If the being is not truly evil (as determined by the Inspired’s religion or the Chronicler), it gains a bonus of +2 to +5 in the Resisted Test. If the Inspired wins, the creature is bound in place for 1 Turn per Success Level on the Willpower Test; during that time, the creature may not attack or defend itself, and is rooted in place.

DIVINE SIGHT

This Miracle allows the Inspired to find the Truth in everything he sees. Although this ability is very useful in uncovering the presence of the supernatural, the Divine Sight sometimes shines a light on some unwanted truths as well. While the Miracle is activated, the Inspired can not only see invisible spiritual entities and the strange auras of supernatural beings, but it also shows the true nature of human beings. In a world of hypocrisy and lies, this ability often shows taint among pillars of the community, respected leaders of Church and State, and other seemingly benign and honest people. Inspired with the ability to invoke the Divine Sight sometimes remove themselves from their original Church, unable to deal with the complacency and greed that can mar such institutions. Many start to develop a cynicism that clashes badly with the Faith necessary to carry on the good fight.

This Miracle is Power Level 2, and it lasts 10 minutes. Unless the creature or person is protected from scrying or mental probing (such protection is apparent using the Divine Sight), his nature, personality and goals will be clearly seen by the Inspired.

EXORCISM

This is the power to banish spirit entities and demons from both places and people. Exorcisms often take a long time, and are risky undertakings. To conduct an Exorcism, the Inspired must stand next to the possessed person, or nearby/inside the place.

A series of Simple Willpower Tests follow. The first Test is Power Level 2 and forces the possessing creature to reveal its identity. Some are Fiends, malevolent spirits who are said to serve the Adversary, while others are hostile spirits of the dead. Sometimes, they are creatures so strange and alien that they defy explanation.

The next several Willpower Tests encompass an effort to push the offending being out of its current dwelling. The Inspired has to accumulate a total of 10 Success Levels to remove the possessing entity. Since 1 Test is unlikely to ever accumulate that many successes, the Inspired must keep making them until the necessary number of Success Levels is accumulated. Each such Test is against Power Level 2 and takes D10(5) minutes of preparation.

In the meanwhile, the possessing spirit is rarely a passive spectator. Most of the time, the Exorcism process protects the Inspired from direct attack; the creature must pass a Difficult Willpower Test (at a -4 penalty) to even consider attacking the Inspired once the Exorcism has begun. However, the creature may try to intimidate, cajole or seduce the character away from his labors. Fiends and ghosts are the best at these tactics; their abilities allow them to see into the Inspired’s mind and soul, and they can bring painful or shameful aspects of the character’s personality to light. Insults and threats are often offered. The Inspired may need to pass Willpower Tests to see if he can continue the Exorcism without losing his temper or composure.

If the Exorcism is successful, the being is removed from the body. If it lingers and the Inspired can see it, he can attack it with other Miracles or drive it away through the use of Prayer and holy symbols (see pp. 246-247). Most of the time, however, the entity flees to the Otherworlds where it was spawned -- bearing a deadly grudge against the human who thwarted it.

HOLY FIRE

This powerful Miracle calls down divine retribution upon the forces of evil. This retribution comes in the form of a blast of blinding white flames, or a bolt of lightning striking from above. This attack can only be attempted on supernatural beings. Sometimes, if the being in question is not truly evil or is somehow part of the mysterious ways of the Deity, the blast will not inflict full damage, or will inflict no damage at all. Such an event clearly demonstrates that the Inspired is not meant to destroy the creature -- for the time being, at least.

This power is Power Level 5 and inflicts D8(4) points of damage times twice the Willpower of the Inspired. For example, an Inspired with a Willpower of 4 inflicts D8 x 8(32) points of damage. Any being within line of sight can be targeted. No attack roll is necessary; the power zeroes in on the selected target. Mundane body armor will not protect against this power, but Magical Shields will. Dodging (automatic -4 penalty) is possible but only if the target knows where the fire originates.

STRENGTH OF TEN

This ability allows the Inspired, when confronted with evil, to summon the strength of the righteous -- temporarily transforming him into a nearly unstoppable warrior of vengeance. The Inspired becomes inured to pain and fatigue, gains inhuman levels of strength, and can fight until killed. This display of power is only possible under the most extreme situations, however. To try to invoke it when there are other viable options is considered sinful. Only when facing overwhelming odds should the Strength of Ten be summoned.

This Miracle is Power Level 4. The Inspired gains +5 to Strength (which also raises his Life Points by 20 points), and is immune to shock and pain until the battle is over. This means the character can keep fighting even when reduced to 0 Life Points or below (he still needs to pass Survival Tests after reaching -10 Life Points to stay alive, however). Once invoked, the power lasts until the threat is gone or until the Inspired succeeds in martyring himself.

THE TOUCH OF HEALING

This is the ability to cure wounds, disease and disabilities. In the past, most Divinely Inspired people were healers; now far too many are warriors. The Miracle is Power Level 1 to heal D4(2) points of damage. Mild diseases are Power Level 1, Moderate ones Power Level 2, Serious diseases are Power Level 4, and Power Level 5 for a Terminal disease.

The Touch of Healing may only be used under extraordinary circumstances, and is generally used only on the faithful. The Inspired may elect to make exceptions for non-believers who are nonetheless fighting the good fight (interestingly enough, some among the Inspired are actually a lot more tolerant than the mundane leaders of many Churches)

VISIONS

Through this Miracle, the Inspired opens himself to the Deity for guidance and advice. The Inspired is often visited by flashes of insight about places and people; these insights may come in the form of dreams or sudden visions that may strike at any time, without warning. Sometimes, the Inspired will pray for guidance and be rewarded with a sign or vision of some kind. Most of the time, the visions are ambiguous and need interpretation. For example, the Inspired might see the face of a man, a famous politician. Is the man a tool of evil, or is he being threatened by the forces of evil? The Inspired would have to find out somehow.

This ability is Power Level 2 when the Inspired actively seeks guidance. The Inspired’s prayers may or may not be answered, depending on what the Chronicler feels is appropriate to the moment, although such attempts should usually be successful -- provided the Inspired is appropriately humble in his petitions. When the Chronicler sees fit to visit a spontaneous Vision upon a character, however, there should be no roll necessary.

The actual details of the visions will vary widely. Some may be a single image, while others may give more clues as to places, people, and circumstances. The nature of visions should always be determined by the needs of the Story.

Prayers

In the world of WitchCraft, a simple prayer has more power than most scoffers could imagine. As a focus of faith and willpower, Prayers can be as effective as an Invocation under the right circumstances. The Inspired can use Prayer to convert Essence into Miracles, and even to gather Essence. Mundanes with enough piety and strength of will (one will not work without the other) can also make use of Prayers to focus some of their Essence into actual defenses or even attacks against the supernatural.

Prayers will only have an effect if the character’s life shows enough devotion and respect to his religion. Most people only pay lip service to their beliefs; that will not do at all. In the course of a game, however, a character might “discover religion” as part of the often traumatic events that make up most Stories. A character undergoing such a revelation might be able to make use of Prayers.

Some gamers may find the use of Prayer as a game mechanic to be controversial. As with any and all material in this game, feel free to disallow this entire subject if it upsets or offends any players. WitchCraft is a game, and it is meant to be fun, not to annoy or disturb anybody.

The Inspired and Prayers

The Inspired may find additional strength through Prayers. After the character has spent at least an hour in deep prayer and meditation, the Power Level requirement of a Miracle will be reduced by 1. The use of prayers in the course of a Miracle is considered to be part and parcel of such a Miracle. A Christian Inspired would be expected to quote from the Bible, just as a Muslim one might recite a line from the Qur’an. This conveys no special bonuses or penalties, beyond the increased Essence recovery.

Mundanes and Prayers

Mundanes are the main beneficiaries of the power of Prayer. The ancient chants of religious scriptures hold a great deal of power for those who truly believe. A faithful character who prays may gain unexpected strength in his time of need. In game terms, treat this as a Task using Willpower and Humanities (Theology). Modifiers for the character’s piety range from -10 (for a foxhole convert who is just trying to save his skin) to +10 (for a truly saintly individual, very rare in today’s world). Each level of success in the Task provides a bonus to certain rolls. This bonus can be used as a defense against any supernatural attack, including Magic. Each level of success confers a +2 bonus on any Resisted Task or Test against a supernatural ability of any kind, including all Gifted powers and the inherent powers of supernatural beings.

Holy Symbols

From the legends of antiquity to Hollywood movies, the power of holy symbols is part and parcel of many stories about the supernatural. The myth goes that anybody with a cross has nothing to fear from a vampire, or that by wielding the right holy symbol a righteous man can banish demons and scare off spirits. There is a grain of truth in such tales, but only a grain. The power lies not in the symbol, but within its wielder. A character using a holy symbol (be it a Cross , an Ankh or any similar object) to protect himself must pass a Simple Willpower Test, with the same modifiers used in Prayer Tasks (see above). Supernatural beings confronting the charged holy symbol must make a Difficult Willpower Test, at -1 per Success Level focused through the symbol, or feel pain and fear when faced with it. The creatures will hesitate to come near the wielder, let alone attack him; even if the monster does not flee the symbol, all its actions will be at a -4 penalty.