History TabletopGame / Nobilis

** One major reason for that isn't a particularly good one--one of the artists [[{{Plagiarism}} had traced some of their pictures]] from TouhouProject fanart. The book was temporarily rescinded while they got new drawings. The new version is more Western in style, but still has some animesque pieces.

* {{Plagiarism}}: Most annoyingly, about 60-odd of the original pictures for the 3rd ed core were by an artist who'd traced from TouhouProject fanart, meaning that the PDF was delayed while new artists were found to replace their art.

* TheCommandments / TheCode: In 1e & 2e, each Imperial faction had a three-sentence Code which granted MP for great service and penalized MP for violating. Powers of Aaron's Serpents and True Gods (and those that just didn't feel the call of the five big factions) could mostly make up their own Codes. In 3e, these Codes have faded into the background and aren't even enumerated anymore. To roughly paraphrase them:

* DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu?/PalsWithJesus/EnemiesWithDeath: All over the place. [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] when PlayerCharacters call upon their mortal Anchors.

* CardCarryingVillain: Lord Entropy, ''and how''. In 3rd Edition, he even calls his pocket dimension "The Evil World"! About the only reason the other Imperators tolerate him is that he's an [[TheChessmaster excellent strategist]], and he doesn't really ''care'' enough to be ''really'' oppressive.

* '''Imperators''' (a.k.a.'''Ymerae'''), an assortment of angels (fallen and otherwise), Aaron's Serpents (really big snakes) True Gods and others commanded by '''Lord Entropy''' fighting the Valde Bellum, a ForeverWar for reality. Though some would have no problem destroying all of Humanity (or worse), no one wants the universe to die. This is complicated by the matter that Lord Entropy is a [[EvilOverlord huge]] [[JerkAss jerk.]]

* TheMessiah: Cruelly subverted by the Deceivers in 3e. They love all things in Creation... but they only love some unknown quality that lies below what we consider the physical and spiritual truths of a thing, and hate everything we can recognize as being that thing. They consider erasing people, objects, and entire concepts from existence a kindness because it reduces the thing to the one aspect of them that they truly love -- an aspect we can only recognize as non-existence. Of course, this version was likely [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis told to the author by Genseric Dace]], himself a Deceiver... so [[UnreliableNarrator it's entirely possible it's a lie]]; YourMileageMayVary as to which possibility is more horrifying.

* PurpleProse: The most common complaint about the rulebook. [[YourMileageMayVary It may be deliberate.]]

* RealityWarper: You can do it. So can your friends, your enemies, your cat and your neighbor, George.

* WorldOfSymbolism: The Mythic Earth works on the operation and use of symbols, specifically those relating to a certain Power or that Power's design. The Mythic Reality is all symbol and everything in it has a deeper meaning.

Created by Rebecca Sean Borgstrom (now Jenna Katerin Moran), also creator of ''WebOriginal/HitherbyDragons'', ''Nobilis'' takes the standard TabletopRPG and turns it up to 11: your character is an AnthropomorphicPersonification of any concept, from Clocks to Lies, with enough power from the very beginning to conquer a nation, move the stars in their alignments, or even destroy the world... not that destroying the world is generally very useful.

The book is full of short snippets of text written (primarily) by Moran, in a style similar to that of her fiction blog ''WebOriginal/HitherbyDragons'', giving further detail and flavour to the world in which ''Nobilis'' takes place, which includes such passages as:

** One major reason for that isn't a particularly good one-one of the artists [[{{Plagiarism}} had traced some of their pictures]] from TouhouProject fanart. The book was temporarily rescinded while they got new drawings. The new version is more Western in style, but still has some animesque pieces.

* '''Anchors''', mortals metaphysically chained and linked to Nobles who had established a link of hate or love with them. So they may range from a despised ButtMonkey to a beloved ally.
** In first and second edition, at least. In third edition, the term 'Anchor' covers everything that's part of your Treasure, including the above.

** [[JustifiedTrope One major reason]] for that isn't a particularly good one-one of the artists [[{{Plagiarism}} had traced some of their pictures]] from TouhouProject fanart. The book was temporarily rescinded while they got new drawings. The new version is more Western in style, but still has some animesque pieces.

*** It does, however, provide rules for [[BeyondTheImpossible trapping him in a fiddle]].

* TheSyndicate: The Cammora, a kind of magical mafia, established to serve the Nobles on Prosaic Earth. Of course, they don't actually ''like'' the Nobles that much and extract favors accordingly.

* YouWillBeAssimilated: The byline of Excrucian Warmains, the "Warrior" caste. The Warmains test the things of Creation in order to find something able to stand up to them. They admire those that succeed, and seek to preserve them past the ForeverWar-specifically, as part of themselves. The 3e book explicitly shows how intellectual they can be about this; one of them likes to involve people in moral tests...with those ''suceeding'' becoming her targets.

* AffablyEvil: The Excrucians are often much nicer than the people who oppose them; [[EnemyMine and from the other side of the Valde Bellum]], Hell loves you, truly loves you, even- especially? - in your darkest moments.

* AntiVillain: The Dark and Hell in 3E, presumably so you don't have to play a sociopath while being a Noble belonging to them. The Dark are {{Ethical Hedonist}}s who think human survival as a species comes secondary to the desire to do as they please, and Hell is strangely [[TheMessiah omnibenevolent]], believing that all things deserve love-including ugly things.

** [[JustifiedTrope One major reason]] for that isn't a particularly good one-one of the artists [[{{Plagiarism}} had traced some of their pictures]] from the TouhouProject. The book was temporarily rescinded while they got new drawings. The new version is more Western in style, but still has some animesque pieces.

* BlackAndGrayMorality: The default morality of the game, with the Excrucians as the black, of course.

** Ananda is the Imperator of the Fourth Age, the one that will hopefully exist once the Excrucians are driven away, and is considered a source of hope, joy, and beauty. He's also the Imperator of '''Murder''', his presence kills people with said hope, joy, and beauty, and he never opposes Lord Entropy's decisions on the Council of Four.

* LoveIsAWeakness: One of 2e Lord Entropy's justifications for making it illegal to love is that it distracts from your duty to serve the war. However, it's equally likely that he just hates love or wanted to make laws that everyone will break at some point to justify convicting any Power he wants to. 3e supports the latter theories by emphasizing that he likes to be feared and that he ''can't'' be loved for unknown reasons that he could not care less about.

** TheCommonLaw: Surolam, Imperator of Law in 3e, is a creature of legal precedent and will not bend on existing precedent nor act on behalf of one Noble where there is no precedent without deeply considering whether how that act would bind her centuries and millenia from now.

* {{Plagiarism}}: Most annoyingly, about 60-odd of the original pictures for the 3rd ed core were by an artist who'd traced from the TouhouProject, meaning that the PDF was delayed while new artists were found to replace their art.

* TheWorldTree: Mythic Earth hangs on the branches of this tree. For those who can traverse it, it provides access to TheMultiverse.

* AffablyEvil: The Excrucians are often much nicer then the people who oppose them; [[EnemyMine and from the other side of the Valde Bellum]], Hell loves you, truly loves you, even- especially? - in your darkest moments.

Created by Rebecca Sean Borgstrom (now Jenna Katerin Moran), also creator of ''HitherbyDragons'', ''Nobilis'' takes the standard TabletopRPG and turns it up to 11: your character is an AnthropomorphicPersonification of any concept, from Clocks to Lies, with enough power from the very beginning to conquer a nation, move the stars in their alignments, or even destroy the world... not that destroying the world is generally very useful.

The book is full of short snippets of text written (primarily) by Moran, in a style similar to that of her fiction blog ''HitherbyDragons'', giving further detail and flavour to the world in which ''Nobilis'' takes place, which includes such passages as:

Equal parts ''TheSandman'' and the later, weirder volumes of ''HisDarkMaterials'', ''Nobilis'' has attracted a tight-knit cult following that [[SelfDeprecation apparently like to make long and overly poetic descriptions of it]] whenever possible.

* DracoInLeatherPants: Humorously averted {{in universe}} by Lord Entropy in 3e. The author points out that as a "[[TroubledButCute deeply troubled,]] [[{{Bishounen}} handsome]], [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys dangerous celebrity]]" he should have at least ''some'' fangirls, but experiments by curious Nobles seem to prove that it is actually ''impossible'' to fall in love with him. He seems to either not mind the fact or to be the one behind it.

* TheMessiah: Cruelly subverted by the Deceivers in 3e. They love all things in Creation... but they only love some unknown quality that lies below what we consider the physical and spiritual truths of a thing, and hate everything we can recognize as being that thing. They consider erasing people, objects, entire concepts from existence a kindness because it reduces the thing to the one aspect of them that they truly love -- an aspect we can only recognize as non-existence. Of course, this version was likely [[LiteraryAgentHypothesis told to the author by Genseric Dace]], himself a Deceiver... so [[UnreliableNarrator it's entirely possible it's a lie]]; YourMileageMayVary as to which possibility is more horrifying.

* YouWillBeAssimilated: The byline of Excrucian Warmains, the "Warrior" caste. They alone actually admire the universe, so they want to perserve the parts of it past the ForeverWar-namely, as a part of themselves. The book explixitly shows how intellectual they can be about this; one of them likes to involve people in a MoralityPlay...with those ''suceeding'' becoming her targets.