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| 4 | CJ Carella's ''[=WitchCraft=]'' is an UrbanFantasy {{tabletop RPG}} based on the ''MediaNotes/{{Unisystem}}'' rules. The setting is a world like our own, but with an extensive {{Masquerade}} to mask the fact that just about every supernatural being and mythological figure exists (or has existed). |
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| 6 | The players take the part of the Gifted, humans who secretly wield the power of magic, psychic abilities, divine miracles, or other supernatural talents. Set against the Gifted are a wide array of [[MonsterOfTheWeek inhuman threats]], [[EvilCounterPart Dark Covenants]] (evil Gifted who abuse their powers), the [[TheIlluminati shadowy Combine]] (an ancient conspiracy that manipulates world events to oppress humanity), and the [[ApocalypseCult cults of the Mad Gods]] (who seek nothing less than the dissolution of Reality itself). For all of recorded history, the Gifted have kept their existence hidden, but now an approaching [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Reckoning]] threatens the world, and new Gifted are being born in record numbers. The time for hiding in the shadows is coming to an end. |
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| 8 | While similar in many ways to the ''TabletopGame/WorldOfDarkness'' games, ''Witchcraft'' differs in having [[LighterAndSofter less emphasis on personal horror]], a [[MonsterMash more integrated setting between the various supernatural factions]], more of a [[CosmicHorrorStory Lovecraftian flavor]] (albeit with [[LovecraftLite heroes who can often fight back]] against the sanity-blasting horrors), and more focus on [[HumansAreSpecial human protagonists rather than monstrous ones]]. |
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| 10 | A SpinOff, ''Armageddon'', takes place in 2017, where the Reckoning is in full swing, and the [[ReligionOfEvil Church of Revelations]] is spearheading the takeover of the Earth on behalf of a near-omnipotent [[EldritchAbomination Mad God]]: Leviathan. This time, player characters include not only the Gifted, but [[CrossoverCosmology angels, the forces of pagan gods, and even demons]]. |
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| 12 | ---- |
| 13 | !!This tabletop RPG provides examples of: |
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| 15 | [[foldercontrol]] |
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| 17 | [[folder:''Witchcraft'']] |
| 18 | * AllMythsAreTrue: Almost to the point of All Pop Culture Is True. Not just every myth, but almost every UrbanFantasy or {{Horror}} trope has ''some'' analog somewhere in this setting. Want a party with a fledgling witch whose cat familiar is more magical than she is, an [[Film/TheCrow unkillable revenant]], a [[Film/ScanNers psychic who can make people's heads explode]], and a [[Film/TheFrighteners "freelance exorcist" who uses their legit power to communicate with ghosts to swindle the wealthy]]? Sounds like a Lesser Gifted Wicce, a Bast, a Relentless Dead with a high level of regeneration, a Seer with a lot of levels in Mindkill, and a Necromancer with some Ghost Contacts. |
| 19 | * AlternateIdentityAmnesia: This is one burden of Accursed Ferals, who have little or no memory of the rampages that happen [[InvoluntaryShapeshifting when they transform]]. |
| 20 | * AlwaysChaoticEvil: |
| 21 | ** Fiends are physical embodiments of malice, and therefore cannot be anything but evil. |
| 22 | ** Demons are portrayed with more nuance in ''Armageddon'' (and can even be [=PCs=]), but in the ''Witchcraft'' era, they are always depicted as 100% evil (and cannot be [=PCs=]). Even on the rare occasions when demons become allies to the Gifted, they'll typically betray the Gifted the very minute the latter outlive their usefulness. |
| 23 | ** Relentless Dead with Noble Wrath can be either good or evil, but ones with Dark Wrath are never anything but near-mindless killers. |
| 24 | ** The Mad Gods and their cultists are nothing but a cancer on all of Reality -- to the point where the demons actually ''team up'' with humanity to fight them in ''Armageddon''. |
| 25 | * AncientConspiracy: The Combine, which is ancient, unfathomably vast, wields widespread influence through governments and industry, and has hordes of [[TheMenInBlack Men In Black]] and other operatives to dispose of its enemies. |
| 26 | * AndIMustScream: True Immortals, like immortals in many settings, trade a fear of death for a fear of ending up with ''this'' trope instead. One example is given of a True Immortal who got on the wrong side of TheMafia, and the gangsters ended up burying the immortal in the concrete foundation of a new building, where he will remain immobile and forgotten forever. |
| 27 | * AngelsDevilsAndSquid: Seraphim, Demons, and Mad Gods, respectively. In ''Armageddon'', we get Angels and Devils teaming up with humanity against Squid. Ironically, the Mad God Leviathan acts a lot more like a traditional devil in terms of the whole temptation and [[MarkOfTheBeast Mark of Leviathan]] deal. |
| 28 | * AnotherDimension: Earth (Malkuth) is only one of the planes of existence. Others are accessible with the right Gifted powers, and include TheUnderworld, the LandOfFaerie, DreamLand, the home of TheOldGods, and {{Hell}} itself. |
| 29 | * AnOfferYouCantRefuse: The Fellowship of Judas takes this approach to recruitment, as they confront terrible human beings who are at the Threshold between life and death, or still-living humans who are guilty of grave sins, offering them the chance to live again if they will atone for the wretched life they lived. Those who refuse this LastSecondChance are promptly dispatched to Hell. |
| 30 | * AntimagicalFaction: The Combine, which secretly controls most of civilization and ruthlessly suppresses any hint of Gifted or supernatural activity. They're powerful enough that even the strongest (and most Gifted) Covenants are but thorns in the Combine's side, and if you flaunt your powers in public, the odds are pretty good that their [[TheMenInBlack Men In Black]] will find you before the local Mundanes can enter BurnTheWitch mode. |
| 31 | * ApocalypseCult: The Mad God cults, who care about nothing more than [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt bringing their masters to Earth]]. |
| 32 | * AsskickingLeadsToLeadership: It's not the only source of his authority, but a large part of the reason that Vitalinus can be the easily-approachable ReasonableAuthorityFigure he is to the Rosicrucians is because he's so powerful he doesn't need to worry much about his personal safety. |
| 33 | * {{Atlantis}}: The lost home of the True Immortals, destroyed in a great flood long before the start of Mundane history. |
| 34 | * TheAtoner: The Fellowship of Judas are an entire ''Covenant'' of people like this, most of them undead. |
| 35 | * AxCrazy: Relentless Dead of the "Dark Wrath" variety are little more than [[PerpetualMotionMonster berserk killers]]. The most wretched of Damned humans and Mad God cultists are not far from this trope, either. |
| 36 | * BadassBookworm: |
| 37 | ** The Rosicrucian Marchers. |
| 38 | ** Mundane player characters get enough points to start with high levels of both combat and knowledge/science skills, if they wish. |
| 39 | * BadassNormal: A Mundane at the default (Heroic) level of play is among the most hardcore normal humans in the world, making up for their lack of Gift with skill, talent, and bullets. At the Legendary level and higher, however, this trope is simply averted -- you can't make a Mundane character who would be any match for a Seraphim or a Greater Gifted in a straight fight. |
| 40 | * BanishingRitual: One power of Divine Inspiration allows the user to exorcise evil or demonic spirits in exactly this way. |
| 41 | * BargainWithHeaven: Old Gods and Seraphim can make these with humans, serving as Spirit Patrons. This gives power, albeit limited by Bonds representing the mortal's side of the deal. |
| 42 | * BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: When phony psychic hotlines and mediums became more popular in the western world, the Twilight Order took advantage of this with [[CovertGroupWithMundaneFront their own front businesses]], using their (real) Necromancy powers to [[MundaneUtility put clients in contact with the actual souls of dead relatives]]. But to the grief of both the clients and the Twilight Order itself, the dead souls did not always have kind feelings towards their living relatives. Ironically, then, it was the ''phony'' psychic businesses (who were more careful about upsetting their "clients") which proved more profitable during this time. |
| 43 | * BenevolentConspiracy: All of the playable Covenants are secret organizations, and they generally have "protect humanity" as a policy -- or, at the very least, [[DefendsAgainstTheirOwnKind policing whatever kind of Gifted they are]]. |
| 44 | * BewareTheNiceOnes: |
| 45 | ** The Wicce, as a Covenant, embrace harmony with nature and don't like throwing their Gifted weight around. That still doesn't make it a particularly good idea to mess with them. |
| 46 | ** "Scarred abuse survivor who just wants to be left in peace to lick their wounds" is one stereotype among the Pariahs... a Covenant whose signature power is being able to [[LovecraftianSuperpower transform into a horrific monster]] in a matter of seconds. |
| 47 | * BlackMagic: In general, black magic is magic that doesn't require care and consideration when used. It can freely be used for evil without rebounding on the caster, but someone will always suffer when it's used -- and if it's used selflessly, the caster's the one who'll be stuck with the "bill". |
| 48 | * BlessedWithSuck: |
| 49 | ** Sometimes having the Gift begins in this way, as a formerly normal individual (sometimes even a child) spontaneously manifests their Gift while having [[BeyondTheImpossible never believed that supernatural phenomena is real]]. If they're lucky, they come to the attention of other Gifted who can teach them about their new powers (and protect them from the Mundane world), but the less fortunate end up going insane, living as fugitives, or in the hands of the Combine (who might kill them outright or just [[TheyWouldCutYouUp put them in a laboratory]]). |
| 50 | ** Think it sucks having to spend years learning how to properly cast Invocations? Resent how your Necromancy allows you to see ghosts and death everywhere, or that your Second Sight reveals to you all the corruption that lurks in Mundane minds? Is serving the Creator with your Divine Inspiration a burden that you never asked for? The [[LovecraftianSuperpower Disciples of the Flesh and the Mockers]] would both like a word with you. |
| 51 | * BloodMagic: The Sadicas Invocations practiced by the Cult of Pain, the Nahualli, and possibly other evil magicians. The Essence used to power them can only be recharged by torturing innocents. |
| 52 | * BreakTheCutie: This is one pasttime for demons. Their kind are forbidden to directly attack humans, so they scheme to turn humanity against itself -- and they particularly enjoy luring noble and innocent people down paths that will [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil leave their good qualities in ashes]]. |
| 53 | * BrotherhoodOfFunnyHats: |
| 54 | ** Freemason-style organizations are sometimes used by Covenants (particularly the Rosicrucians and the Knights Templar) to recruit new members. The overwhelming majority of fraternal orders, however, are Mundanes who have no idea that supernatural powers or ancient conspiracies are real. |
| 55 | ** The Rosicrucians themselves go full BrotherhoodOfFunnyHats during their secret [[InitiationCeremony Initiation Ceremonies]], complete with funny robes, GratuitousLatin, and [[HeroicVow Heroic Vows]]. Luckily, as the Rosicrucians are (overall) good guys, the ceremony is of the "dignified" sort. |
| 56 | * BroughtDownToNormal: The penalty for any Divinely Inspired person who errs in their faith, as well as those who fail to uphold the obligations of their Spirit Patron. |
| 57 | * BrownNoteBeing: The Mad Gods and their (non-human) servants. Even a brief encounter with them can cause Taint (and insanity) in Mundanes. |
| 58 | * TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive: By default, merely having the Gift makes you something of a WeirdnessMagnet, and you are more likely than random Mundanes to get caught up in events involving (other) supernatural beings. The rulebook blatantly states that whether they like it or not, the Gifted will ''not'' be able to sit on sidelines for the approaching Reckoning. |
| 59 | * CatsAreMagic: The Bast, especially High Bast. Any of these supernatural felines will have enough powers to rival a Gifted human. |
| 60 | * CatsAreMean: Most Bast would never harm a friend or ally, but they often have a real cruel streak when dealing with enemies. |
| 61 | * ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: While Dark Covenants centered around black magic exist, the point is made that they rarely survive in the long term, since most black magicians are arrogant, psychopathic, all too eager to advance their power at the expense of others, and/or all too eager to meddle with forces too malevolent to control. (The Dark Covenants that ''do'' survive are extremely dangerous for this, as they have learned to be both power-hungry and ''careful''.) |
| 62 | * ChurchMilitant: The Society of Sentinels. They're all followers of the Creator (by whatever name the Sentinel in question knows Him), and even Sentinels lacking the power of Divine Inspiration are expected to [[BadassNormal be able to take the fight to supernatural predators]]. |
| 63 | * ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: |
| 64 | ** ''Reversed'', as disbelieving Mundanes make it ''harder'' for magic and certain supernatural abilities to function, especially when the Mundanes are gathered in huge crowds. If you're playing in a setting where the cat's out of the bag, anger makes a decent substitute. |
| 65 | ** The jury's out on whether this applies to the Divinely Inspired. Are they actually calling on the Creator's power, or does the power come solely from their faith? |
| 66 | * CombatClairvoyance: One application of the Mindtime or Mindview abilities. |
| 67 | * CombatTentacles: The Mad Gods and their minions have a certain fondness for these. Even if you reanimate a human corpse by summoning a spirit of Taint into it, the resultant monster will likely grow a tentacle just to whap you with. |
| 68 | * CombinedEnergyAttack: Group magic and psychic gestalts, although they don't ''have'' to be used for offensive powers. |
| 69 | * ConspiracyTheorist: This character type is common among the Fellowship of Judas and the Knights Templar -- unsurprisingly, given both Covenants' long-standing struggle with the Combine, who are TheIlluminati in all but name. |
| 70 | * ConsummateProfessional: The Society of Assassins prefers this attitude in their members. The stereotypical Assassin executes their targets as cleanly as possible, remembers that the job is NothingPersonal, does not dwell upon the morality of their actions, and probably lacks a sense of humor. |
| 71 | * TheCorruption: The Mad Gods and their minions, on just about every level. Humans who have contact with them can get infected by their Taint, and most of these unfortunates very quickly die, go irrevocably insane, or become pawns of the Mad Gods. The few who don't -- the Mockers -- dedicate themselves to fighting the Mad Gods, but even they face an ever-growing struggle with madness and dissolution. |
| 72 | * TheCorruptor: ''Demons'', on every possible level. Their goal on Earth is to wreck humanity and prove that we're unworthy of the Creator, but they are forbidden from attacking humans directly, so their MO is to act as tempters and seducers, feeding humanity's worst impulses. |
| 73 | * CorruptChurch: Some Covenants see the Sentinels as this, as the Sentinels in the past have been very blase about hunting magicians, whether the magician (or necromancer) was "evil" or not. On the other side of the coin, some Gifted with Divine Inspiration end up ''leaving'' their churches, as their divine insight reveals to them the corruption and hypocrisy marring those institutions. |
| 74 | * CovertGroupWithMundaneFront: A few Covenants run muggle organizations, either to gather funding or hide their activities, but none more so than the Twilight Order, who have numerous "ghost hunter" and psychic medium businesses throughout the western world. |
| 75 | * CreativeSterility: The majority of Angels and other Celestials are described as having little inclination to develop new ideas, at least compared to humanity. |
| 76 | * [[CrossoverCosmology Crossover Cosmology]][=/=]FantasyKitchenSink: As with the ''TabletopGame/WorldOfDarkness'' setting, ''Witchcraft'' sourcebooks eventually introduced so many different supernatural beings, races, powers, and conspiracies that it becomes difficult to imagine how the {{Masquerade}} survives at all. By the time of ''Armageddon'', the Masquerade is dead and buried, and no one -- [[AngelsDevilsAndSquid angel, demon, or Mad God]] -- is hiding anymore. |
| 77 | * CreatureHunterOrganization: The Society of Sentinels, the Storm Dragons, and the Nomads all dedicate themselves to hunting down supernatural predators. |
| 78 | * {{Cult}}: The setting has no shortage of these. They can be your garden variety Mundane nutjobs, or they might be dedicated to black magic, demons, or the Mad Gods. Even better, the more fanatical Covenants view (or are viewed by) some of their fellow Covenants as dangerous cults. |
| 79 | * CursedWithAwesome: |
| 80 | ** One way to view Taint powers... at least until you [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity lose your battle with madness]]. |
| 81 | ** Also the Disciples of the Flesh. No one willingly ''aspires'' to become a Disciple, because they awakened their powers by enduring some of the most traumatic abuse a human can survive, and they have to relive this abuse in their heads every time they use that power. Yet when it comes to rending opponents limb from limb while terrifying the hell out of any witnesses, few can do it better than a Disciple. |
| 82 | * DarkIsNotEvil: |
| 83 | ** Not only are there playable monster-heavy Covenants, they're actually ''nicer'' on average than many human ones. The House of Thanatos, for example, are an organization of {{Necromancer}}s and [[TheUndead undead]] who want to be truly [[{{Immortality}} immortal]]... and go about this by preserving the sanctity of the Death Realms and the living world from each other, busting up Mad God cults, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking generally being a social clubhouse]]. |
| 84 | ** The Pariahs, being mostly Disciples of the Flesh, have grotesque and nightmarish powers. But as a whole, their faction is dedicated to sheltering (and avenging) abuse victims. |
| 85 | ** The Mockers, a faction of humans who survived contact with the Mad Gods without succumbing to TheCorruption, must struggle to protect their sanity from the Taint they now carry. But this doesn't stop them from fighting the Mad Gods by any means necessary. |
| 86 | ** {{Necromancy}} magic in this setting is just a tool for dealing with the spirit world, and it is the practitioner's intentions that make it good or evil. |
| 87 | ** ''In principle'', you can use BloodMagic by just working in an emergency room and feeding on the ambient pain, without actually doing anything evil. In practice, there's no way for that to happen, and Sadicas is strictly in an "enemies" section. |
| 88 | * DarkWorld: In Geburah, those souls who don't reincarnate or Pass On usually end up in the Twilight World. A darker reflection of the living world that many believe is shaped by the collective memories of the ghosts and phantasms "living" there. It is mainly divided into The City and The Wilderness. The City is an amalgamation of every city throughout history, and The Wilderness is inhabited by ghosts of more primitive humans and animals. |
| 89 | * DeaderThanDead: "Unravelling", the process of tearing a spirit (including a human soul) apart and scattering the bits throughout the spirit worlds. It's theoretically possible to come back from it, but it's neither easy nor likely, and takes thousands of years at least. |
| 90 | * DealWithTheDevil: |
| 91 | ** Oddly enough, demons rarely offer these kinds of deals, because anyone who would actually sell their soul is most certainly on the path of damnation anyways, and the demons aren't going to pay for [[PragmaticVillainy something that's already coming to them for "free"]]. On the occasions when they do offer deals like this, it's only for mortals who stand to corrupt a lot of ''other'' mortals. |
| 92 | ** The Mad Gods aren't so discriminating. They'll grant power to any human who is twisted and wretched enough to reach out to them -- and accept [[TheCorruption their soul-eating corruption]]. |
| 93 | * {{Determinator}}: Disciples of the Flesh and the Mockers almost have to be this by default, as their Gift was born of trauma (either HumansAreBastards-flavored or EldritchAbomination-flavored), and their powers either force them to relive that trauma (Disciples) or cause increasing psychosis as they grow (Mockers). In both cases, most of their basic powers are Willpower-based, and it's not hard to see why -- it takes a lot to keep going when you're one of them. |
| 94 | * DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Part of the point of the game is that humans are the heirs of the Creator and can grow in power until they can punch out all sorts of greater powers of the multiverse, but special notice must be paid to the otherwise unremarkable Hittite artisan who killed a god. Turns out that attacking a lucid dreamer in the dreamscape is a bad idea, no matter how powerful you are. |
| 95 | * DreamingOfTimesGoneBy: Throughout their existences, True Immortals experience vague dreams of long-lost Atlantis. Unlike the usual trope, the immortals ''did'' actually experience these memories, as their original incarnations were inhabitants of Atlantis before it was destroyed. |
| 96 | * EldritchAbomination: The {{Mad God}}s and their minions. Humans who become infected by their [[TheCorruption Taint]] eventually become a type of Eldritch Abomination themselves. |
| 97 | * ElementalPowers: Each of the classical four elements has an invocation, as well as a Key of Solomon. |
| 98 | * EnemyMine: |
| 99 | ** The various Gifted factions rarely see eye-to-eye, and the Sentinels in particular take a dim (if not downright hostile) view of all the others. Yet if it means putting down Mad God cultists or a Dark Covenant, even the Sentinels will often (reluctantly) collaborate with their fellow Gifted -- either that, or the other Gifted will manipulate the Sentinels into getting involved. |
| 100 | ** The Sentinels themselves recruit Divinely Inspired operatives from all monotheistic faiths, with surprisingly few problems. Mundane Christians and Muslims may have a long history of enmity towards each other, but their counterparts among the Sentinels readily work together, with many feeling that the differences between their religions are a trick by the Adversary to keep the Creator's forces divided. (They tend to keep such views private when they're among their Mundane cohorts, of course.) |
| 101 | * EnforcedColdWar: The Ruya'ha and Alamut sects of [[TheHashshashin Society of Assassins]] both have Madrassas (headquarters) in the Garden of Earthly Delights, but they never fight there despite being mortal enemies. First, the Garden's nature weakens malevolent urges and makes it hard to permanently kill anyone, and second, the Assassins have no wish to defile the holy Garden with violence. They vastly prefer to kill each other on Earth instead. |
| 102 | * EnlightenmentSuperpowers: The Abhijna powers of the Order of Shambala, which can do a number of unique things like traveling the planes at will or controlling how and when you reincarnate. However, Abhijna powers are available only to Gifted with the Enlightened quality, which is generally out of reach for Heroic-level [=PCs=]. |
| 103 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Demons are thoroughly evil, but they want nothing to do with the Mad Gods, even as a tool to hurt humanity. The various Dark Covenants are no different -- as psychopathic as ''they'' are, none of them want power so blindly that they'll accept the soul-eating corruption of a Mad God, much less the prospect of living in a world where their power is meaningless [[EvilVersusOblivion because the Mad Gods have destroyed everything]]. |
| 104 | * EvilCounterpart: |
| 105 | ** The Dark Covenants as a whole are this to the regular Covenants, being Gifted who abuse their powers. Indeed, most (though not all) of the Dark Covenants have their origin as [[RenegadeSplinterFaction Renegade Splinter Factions]] of an existing Covenant, using the same kind of Gifted powers as their heroic peers but having psychopathic goals. |
| 106 | ** Reversed for the Knights Templar, who operate like a ''good'' counterpart of the much stronger Combine. |
| 107 | ** Angels in this setting may be prone to GoodIsNotNice or even LightIsNotGood, but demons are still absolutely the more "evil" branch of the Celestial family. |
| 108 | * EvilIsNotAToy: The Rosicrucians hold this trope as a formal law. Despite that they ''specialize'' in summoning (and binding) magic, members are strictly forbidden to deal with demons even if they're "under control". |
| 109 | * EvilMakesYouUgly: Practitioners of black magic are exempt from this trope (even if their poisoned Essence stands out as vile to other Gifted), but Taint is another matter. Humans who gain (and keep gaining) Taint [[PowerUpgradingDeformation become increasingly deformed]]. |
| 110 | * EvilTaintedThePlace: Places that have seen a lot of torture, brutal murders, black magic, or other atrocities can have negative emotional effects on humans who visit afterwards (especially if they're Gifted). This goes double for any area that was even briefly touched by the Mad Gods or their Taint. |
| 111 | * FantasticFightingStyle: The "Storm Fist" style of the Storm Dragons and the R'ad Quwwat ("Strength of Thunder") style of the Society of Assassins. |
| 112 | * FantasticRankSystem: A few Covenants, such as the Storm Dragons and the Knights Templar, are organized into hierarchical ranks, and generally the most important factor for higher ranks is [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership how many Gifted powers you have]]. |
| 113 | * FantasticSapientSpecies: The Bast, who are intelligent, reincarnating cats with supernatural powers. They are allowed as player characters, but only a minority of them (the High Bast) have the ability to assume a human form. |
| 114 | * FauxAffablyEvil: Demons in general. When they're on Earth, demons prefer to take a (usually attractive) human form, all the better to lead humanity astray. But however pleasant they may seem in their human guise, a demon has nothing but contempt for humanity, and their goal is always to cause as much tragedy and misery as possible. |
| 115 | * FightingAShadow: For all their powers, angels and demons are not invulnerable... but killing them only sends them back to their home realm until they can reform their bodies and return to Earth. |
| 116 | * {{Foil}}: The Wicce and Rosicrucians are a fairly classic example. They're both primarily human and primarily magical covenants, but the Wicce are CloserToEarth, are normally led by women and embrace minorities, primarily use magic as a defense against evil, use all manifestations of the Gift and embrace Gifted and un-Gifted alike. The Rosicrucians usually come from the Ivy League and similar institutions, are primarily male (though this is changing), use magic to build power and wealth and to dominate spirits, have little use for psi or necromancy and consider un-Gifted as pawns or servants. Despite this, both Covenants are actually on the side of good, and fight (reluctantly, in the Rosicrucians' case) against evil things that prey on mortals. |
| 117 | * [[FriendlyNeighborhoodVampires Friendly Neighborhood Vampyres]]: Vampyres survive on intense experience and therefore do not need to kill or even harm people. Many do (especially since overpowering someone and biting them to drink their blood is a great way to terrify someone) and there is a Vampyre flaw that does require blood, but not all (or even most) Vampyres are irredeemable monsters. There are even several Vampyre organizations that are dedicated to playing nice with {{Muggles}}. |
| 118 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: The MO of the Disciples of the Flesh, who usually first manifest their grotesque powers right when the abuse which defines them reaches its boiling point. Whether they're actually ''evil'' after that depends on the individual involved, but evil or not, you very definitely don't want to piss them off. |
| 119 | * FunctionalMagic: Most of the Gifted powers are fantastic, but [[MagicAIsMagicA follow consistent sets of rules]]. |
| 120 | * TheFundamentalist: |
| 121 | ** A common type among the Society of Sentinels. They're also prized by Seraphim (angel) Spirit Patrons. |
| 122 | ** Zig-zagged with the Society of Assassins. On one hand, the Zealot drawback is more common among their Covenant than even the Sentinels, and the Assassins obey their One True Imam without question or compromise. Then again, the Assassins have no interest in spreading or preaching their "faith" to outsiders, and in fact prefer to keep their association with the Society a secret even from other Gifted. |
| 123 | * GentlemanWizard: The stereotypical Rosicrucian is this, an upper-class white man who excels in magical and intellectual pursuits. The Rosicrucians will tell you that their recruitment methods are meritocratic, which is why they recruit primarily from Ivy League universities (and their equivalents in other countries) and from [[{{Nepotism}} the Gifted children of existing members]]. |
| 124 | * TheGift: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Gifted]], who have powers that Mundane humans can only dream of. Then again, the MugglesDoItBetter trope is also a thing in this setting -- at least at Heroic level, where the Gifted don't have the points to be outright [[PersonOfMassDestruction People of Mass Destruction]]. |
| 125 | * GoMadFromTheRevelation: The Mad Gods and the worst of their minions are horrible enough that ''any'' encounter with them threatens this, [[CosmicHorrorReveal especially for Mundanes]]. Even those few who manage to survive with their humanity intact (like the Mockers) are generally unable to go back to anything resembling a normal life. |
| 126 | * GoodIsNotNice: |
| 127 | ** The Fellowship of Judas embodies this, culling its members from the most self-destructive and wankery humans that they can find (and reform). After being reborn, most Iscariots ''still'' aren't very nice people, though they're now fighting to free humanity from the Combine. |
| 128 | ** The Pariahs and the Mockers, having horrific powers and [[DarkAndTroubledPast Dark And Troubled Pasts]] across the board, are [[CreepyGood not a particularly reassuring presence]] for their allies, to the point that other Gifted occasionally mistake them for monsters themselves. Yet both factions fight to protect humanity. |
| 129 | ** Demons are evil through and through, but angels aren't exactly a prize, either. Even as they fight against the forces of Hell, many Gifted who encounter the angels perceive them as having an "attitude problem". |
| 130 | * GoingCosmic: The corebook is very street-level, focusing on the various Covenants' WhoYouGonnaCall teams protecting humanity from local supernatural threats. Later books delve into issues like the mechanics of reincarnation and Enlightenment, the existence and objectives of the AngelsDevilsAndSquid, and Covenants who focus more on the higher Sephiroth (dimensions) outside of Earth, as well as introducing more supernatural beings (associated ''with'' the Sephiroth) as playable characters. This is then {{inverted|Trope}} by ''Armageddon'', which introduces Leviathan and the apocalyptic war to determine the fate of Reality itself -- yet the main action occurs right here on Earth. |
| 131 | * GovernmentConspiracy: A calling card of both the Knights Templar and the Combine, particularly the latter. |
| 132 | * TheGrimReaper: The Grim Reaper is actually a type of spirit, and they prey upon Gifted who abuse death-related powers too flagrantly. |
| 133 | * HangingJudge: {{Subverted|Trope}} by the Rosicrucian Inquisition. They seek out evil within the Rosicrucian ranks and have only one punishment for the crimes they investigate: death and the unraveling of the soul. That's because the Inquisition only gets involved when the Rosicrucian's crimes have gone ''far'' beyond the pale, and even then, their conviction rate is about 0.5% -- most of the time, when they're investigating something, it turns out to be an honest misunderstanding, or something wrong that doesn't deserve a death sentence and can be handed over to local authorities. |
| 134 | * HarmonyVsDiscipline: The conflict between Wicce and Rosicrucian in a nutshell. The Wicce strive to live in harmony with nature and maintain her balance, while the Rosicrucians believe that nature and the world should be shaped by the will of humans. While the core rulebook is written from a largely pro-Wicce viewpoint, the Rosicrucians are not portrayed as villains; like the Wicce, they understand that actions have consequences, and they believe that WithGreatPowerComesGreatResponsibility. |
| 135 | * TheHashshashin: Present and accounted for among the Covenants, where they are known as the Society of Assassins (to the few who are aware of them). Contrary to the usual trope, the Assassins are ''allies'' rather than rivals of UsefulNotes/TheKnightsTemplar -- at least, the Assassins who didn't do a FaceHeelTurn and join the [[RenegadeSplinterFaction Alamut sect]]. |
| 136 | * HealingFactor: Like the FunctionalMagic, almost too many examples to count. |
| 137 | * HealingMagicIsTheHardest: |
| 138 | ** Normally, most Gifted healing powers (Healing Invocation, Mindheal, Salvage Discipline) cause the healer to feel whatever pain that they're curing, which makes the power all the more draining for the healer. |
| 139 | ** Divinely Inspired healing has no such drawback, but like all Inspired powers, the Touch of Healing can never be used frivolously or selfishly. Depending on the Chronicler's point of view, even using it to heal a ''non-lethal'' wound, or an injury or disease not caused by supernatural adversaries, may smack too much of hubris to pass muster. |
| 140 | ** Tao-Chi has the Chi Healing power, which has the drawback of being draining to the ''victim'', as every Life Point regained costs them an Essence point. While Essence does regenerate, if you're a Mundane with little Essence in the first place (or even a Gifted who's currently running on fumes), there's only so much Chi Healing will be able to do for you. |
| 141 | * HeelRealization: One step of a typical initiation into the Fellowship of Judas: confronting the prospective member at the threshold between life and death, and then forcing them to realize how selfish and vile they were when they were alive. Subverted in that many Iscariots end up as GoodIsNotNice even after their rebirth... but at least "good" ''is'' now part of their character. |
| 142 | * HellGate: There are more than a few gateways that lead from Earth (or a related realm) to somewhere deeply unpleasant, but none more so than the Sammael Gate, the one breach between Earth's Essence-based universe and the horrific Taint-based universe where the Mad Gods come from. The gate is such a blight on our Reality that the region around it is warped enough to require Fear rolls, and that's ''nothing'' compared to what awaits any explorer foolish enough to actually enter the gate. |
| 143 | * HeroicNeutral: This is the stance of most Covenants. Groups like the Wicce, the Rosicrucians, the Twilight Order, the Storm Dragons, and the Pariahs are ever mindful of the risks of revealing their powers to the world, from both the Combine and fearful Mundanes. That said, they don't hold back when the consequences of ignoring a supernatural threat would be even worse -- and the coming Reckoning is [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive forcing the Covenants' hands more and more]]. |
| 144 | * HeWhoFightsMonsters: A campaign seed in the Rosicrucian book details the Exoterics, who include a subfaction who want the Rosicrucians to TakeOverTheWorld, and how to use these guys either as antagonists or to encourage the [=PCs=] to join up with them. It mentions that a Chronicler who's feeling evil can do both, and have the [=PCs=] not realize that they've become just like their enemies until they're invited into the Exoteric College. |
| 145 | * HitPoints: Life Points or (for spirits) Vital Essence. |
| 146 | * HollywoodSatanism: The Cult of Pain and certain other black magicians borrow heavily from this trope's playbook, as they torture/sacrifice innocents to gain power, traffic with demonic Spirit Patrons, or both. |
| 147 | * HollywoodVoodoo: Averted, as the Legban Covenant featured a detailed description of the Voodoun religion and Voodoo deities ''other'' than Baron Samedi. |
| 148 | * HorrifyingHero: |
| 149 | ** Non-evil Disciples of the Flesh are this, whether they want to be or not. Their OneWingedAngel forms cause Fear checks in opponents, on top of whatever lethal enhancements the Disciple shapes themselves with. |
| 150 | ** Most Relentless Dead are indistinguishable from Mundane humans (until they get injured), but some exist with the Stigmata drawback, causing them to look more like living corpses. While this makes getting around in public more difficult, it ''does'' cause Fear checks when they show themselves, and even heroic Relentless Dead aren't above exploiting this. |
| 151 | * HumansAreSpecial: A subtle theme of the game setting. Humanity is the only known species that possesses the Divine Spark. This essentially means that human potential is virtually infinite, and as near-infinitely far away from fulfilling that potential as we may be ''today'', in due time humans might become like the Creator. Seraphim (both the angelic one and the demonic ones) tend to be... unhappy about this. |
| 152 | * HumansAreTheRealMonsters: One theme in the setting, as demons prefer to seduce humans into committing evil rather than get their own hands dirty, the Mad Gods can't breach our reality without the help of human cultists, the Combine (with all ''its'' megalomaniacal oppressiveness) may be a purely {{Muggle|s}} organization, and -- last but not least -- the Disciples of the Flesh are created by all-too-human abusers. |
| 153 | * HumanSacrifice: Most Sadicas practitioners ritually torture humans to death simply to gather Essence, but a few (particularly the Nahualli) also do it to appease Xipe Totec in the best tradition of this trope. Human sacrifice can also be an obligation imposed by an evil Spirit Patron. |
| 154 | * TheIlluminati: The Combine is the ''Witchcraft''-flavored version of this trope, and they're as malevolent and oppressive as any other New World Order-style conspirators have ever been. Interestingly, despite all the supernatural elements of all the ''other'' secret organizations, the Combine's agents never have any Gifted abilities themselves. |
| 155 | * ImmortalLifeIsCheap: More than one player of a True Immortal or Relentless Dead has been nonchalant about getting mangled, since most enemies lack the means to (permanently) kill them. |
| 156 | * ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty: Characters with large Essence pools can see their aging slow to a crawl -- Vitalinus, who is more than 1,300 years old, looks to be in his mid-thirties. However, the game explicitly states that Essence doesn't slow growth, but only the decay caused by age. No matter how large a child's essence pool may be, they age normally until they reach full development somewhere in their mid-twenties. |
| 157 | * ImplacableMan: Plenty of things are difficult to kill in this setting, but the grand prize goes to the Relentless Dead. Permanently offing one of ''them'' requires not only massive physical ''and'' spiritual damage, but specialized Invocations or Necromancy powers on top of that. Even the Gifted aren't always up to the task, and several Covenants have groups guarding sites where a particularly dangerous Relentless Dead has been imprisoned, essentially reducing the creature to SealedEvilInACan. |
| 158 | * IncorruptiblePurePureness: Oddly enough, the Rosicrucians are the one Covenant that does not contain corruption to any meaningful degree. They're not necessarily saints, but their Inquisition ''works''. Becoming a full Rosicrucian involves swearing a heroic oath to forsake all dealings with Hell and the Mad Gods, very few Rosicrucians of any rank have ever violated this oath, and those that ''do'' are invariably caught by the Inquisition before they can spread their evil to the rest of the Covenant. |
| 159 | * InstantExpert: One application of the Old Soul quality, especially at higher levels. |
| 160 | * InterdimensionalTravelDevice: There are Gateways to the Otherworlds on Earth, but they generally are rare, ancient, and closely guarded by one Covenant or another. They also require a special Invocation to activate. |
| 161 | * JustFollowingOrders: |
| 162 | ** Under Rosicrucian law, this is a defense. If you commit an atrocity under the orders of a higher Rosicrucian, the one who gave the order gets the heat for it, not you. As for why a "good" faction would have this as a law, and just how much "heat" is involved for someone who abuses it, the argument is made that the threats facing the Rosicrucians (particularly the Mad Gods) are sometimes so dire that there is no time to gather everyone and debate a course of action, not if disaster is to be averted. As for those who abuse this trust to order pointless killings, their subordinates might get a pass, but the Rosicrucian who gave the order will not only be executed, but [[DeaderThanDead have their soul "unraveled"]]. |
| 163 | ** The Ruya'ha sect, another "good" faction, accepts assignments (for assassination) from their One True Imam without question or hesitation. However, it is heavily implied that the One True Imam has something of an OmniscientMoralityLicense, and thus the targets he doles out ''are'' genuinely hurting humanity. |
| 164 | * KiManipulation: One form of Tao-Chi attack. |
| 165 | * KnightTemplar: Tends to be the MO of the Sentinels, who have a long history of hunting monsters -- including, in the past, other Gifted (whether they were actually using their powers for evil purposes or not). Subverted with the actual Knights Templar, who are less rabid in their efforts to protect humanity. |
| 166 | * KungFuWizard: While most Gifted powers offer at least one way to augment your mundane martial arts attacks, this trope is most faithfully expressed by the Society of Assassins, whose operatives train in both [[FunctionalMagic magical Invocations]] and the [[SupernaturalMartialArts Tao-Chi fighting style]]. |
| 167 | * LaserGuidedKarma: Magic follows the rules of karma in a soft way. If you use magic for evil ends, your power will inevitably backlash on you. ''Black'' magic gets around this little problem by being the opposite, a form of magic that ''always'' ends up hurting others, even if used selflessly. |
| 168 | * TheLegionsOfHell: Fallen Seraphim despise humanity, and seek to lead us astray to spite the Creator. They are not to be confused with Fiends, which are a form of spirit from a different Sephiroth that are defined by hate, hunger, and power relations. |
| 169 | * LightningBruiser: |
| 170 | ** Even the wussiest of Vampyres and Relentless Dead will have Strength and Dexterity that are at/near the max for Mundane human attributes, and most are even better than that. |
| 171 | ** Ferals in their non-human form are also generally fast and monstrously strong. |
| 172 | ** Tao-Chi includes powers to increase the user's speed or boost the force of their strikes. The average Gifted martial artist could easily have (and use) both powers at once. |
| 173 | * LimitBreak: Magic functions like this in combat situations, as Invocations can't be used until the magician has channeled enough Essence for the effect they want. |
| 174 | * LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: Mundane [=PCs=] start out with significantly better attributes and skills than a full Gifted PC. But as noted under PowerLevels below, there are only so many ways a Mundane character can improve, while most types of Gifted can keep getting more and more powerful until they're a PersonOfMassDestruction. Luckily, humans carry the Divine Spark (meaning every human has the potential to develop powers), and so there are rules allowing Mundanes to ''become'' Gifted over the course of play. |
| 175 | * LookOnMyWorksYeMightyAndDespair: The backstory of the True Immortals, who are the reincarnated inhabitants of Atlantis, a powerful Elder Kingdom which was extant epochs before recorded history and wielded not only the secrets of immortality, but Arcana -- fantastic technologies beyond the understanding of even the most Gifted humans today. However, Atlantis was destroyed in a cataclysm, and all that remains of it now are the rare True Immortals and their fragmented memories. Only a minority of them are Makers who can remember how to create any items of Arcana. |
| 176 | * LovecraftianSuperpower: |
| 177 | ** The Disciples of the Flesh are Gifted who had [[DarkAndTroubledPast such a mangled childhood]] that it awoke their Gift in a way which allows them to reshape their bodies into grotesque living weapons. The [[FreudianExcuse expected morality]] of the Pariahs is subverted, however -- for the most part, they just want to stop the real monsters of the world from causing further suffering. |
| 178 | ** An even more blatant example comes from humans who get infected by Taint from contact with the Mad Gods. One Covenant, the Mockers, is centered around humans who survive the experience and choose to fight the Mad Gods with their [[CursedWithAwesome horrible new powers]]. These powers are fueled by Taint, and the more Taint you gain, the [[PowerUpgradingDeformation more deformed and insane you become]]. |
| 179 | * LovecraftLite: The [[EldritchAbomination Mad Gods and their minions]] are very real, they do cause madness and corruption in mortals, and they do pose an increasingly apocalyptic threat to the world as we know it. That said, the Gifted aren't ''quite'' as helpless against them as the average ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu'' PC, and the DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu trope is definitely on the table. |
| 180 | * LordBritishPostulate: Defied. The game will give even a Mad God stats and allow the [=PCs=] to try to kill it -- they, alone or in conjunction with allies, might just be able to [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu pull it off]]. |
| 181 | * MadGod: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Mad Gods]], of course. Their goal is to manifest on Earth, and even brief contact with them (or their minions) tends to [[TheCorruption drive Mundanes insane]] very quickly. |
| 182 | * MagicAIsMagicA: [[FunctionalMagic Magic]], [[{{Necromancer}} Necromancy]], [[PsychicPowers Seer abilities]], [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve Divine Inspiration]], and the variety of other abilities around each function under a particular set of rules. |
| 183 | * MagicalClown: The Mockers have a grim sense of (mad) humor, and some of them actually do dress up as clowns or jesters when they're hunting the minions of the Mad Gods. Given their madness and their Taint-based powers, the Mockers are sometimes mistaken for [[MonsterClown Monster Clowns]] themselves. |
| 184 | * MagicalNativeAmerican: The Ghost Dancers ride this trope for everything it's worth, to the point that non-natives aren't even allowed to join the Covenant. |
| 185 | * MagicalSociety: Each and every Covenant, although not all of them strictly deal in "magic". |
| 186 | * MagiciansAreWizards: One of the example characters in the core rulebook is a stage magician who secretly has actual magical talents. Reversed in a story from the Rosicrucian sourcebook, where another sorcerer uses his (real) magic to ''[[AllPartOfTheShow pretend]]'' [[MundaneUtility he's a stage magician]]. |
| 187 | * {{Magitek}}: Atlantean Arcana, which runs on Essence and can't be built by Mundanes or even the Gifted. There's also the Parmenideans in the Rosicrucian Covenant, who believe that science and magic are the same thing and are working on this field...so far without success. |
| 188 | * {{Mana}}: Essence. (Or, more darkly, Taint.) |
| 189 | * TheManBehindTheMan: How the Combine operates, although in their case it's more like The Man Behind The Man Behind The Man Behind The Man Behind The Man. Very few Combine operatives (at least that the average PC will ever meet) actually have any idea who they're ''really'' working for, and the ones who do -- well, the next guys up the chain will have no idea who ''they'' work for, either. [[VastBureaucracy And so forth.]] |
| 190 | * MarkOfTheBeast: In addition to general deformity, gaining excessive amounts of Taint can cause your flesh to manifest "Taint marks" -- tattoo-like sigils that make your nature obvious to observers who know what to look for. In ''Armageddon'', the Mark of Leviathan becomes the most widely-recognized Taint mark in the world. |
| 191 | * {{Masquerade}}: Albeit one that's getting harder to maintain with every passing year. By the time ''Armageddon'' begins, the cat's been out of the bag for years (though of course there were still people denying it right up until they saw genuine angels on live TV). |
| 192 | * TheMenInBlack: One category of the Combine's servants, although a few of them are Knights Templar undermining the Combine. |
| 193 | * MercyKill: A frequently-encountered trope for the Mockers. The Mockers search for other Mad God survivors to bolster their ranks, but for every victim who remains intact enough to join them, they have to kill several others who are beyond help. |
| 194 | * MindOverMatter: The Seer Mindhands power. |
| 195 | * MirroringFactions: The Knights Templar have much nobler goals than their sworn enemy, the Combine, but use the same shadowy conspiracy tactics, from media manipulation to assassination. To their credit, the Knights try to avoid "collateral damage" as much as possible, but [[IDidWhatIHadToDo they will do what they must]] to defeat the Combine. |
| 196 | * MonsterMash: One of the more notable differences between ''Witchcraft'' and the ''World of Darkness'' games is a more even power level between the various supernatural character types. Spellcasters aren't outright {{Reality Warper}}s, Ferals (while still a terror in close combat) aren't necessarily a match for a whole pack of Vampyres (or even a squad of well-armed Mundanes), and everyone shares the same version of the same setting. This makes it easier to have mixed parties of supernaturals without the Chronicler having to jump through multiple hoops to make it work. |
| 197 | * {{Muggles}}: Mundanes. |
| 198 | * MugglesDoItBetter: |
| 199 | ** While lacking any form of supernatural traits, Mundane [=PCs=] get so many points for other stats that they can start with excellent attributes and near-superhuman levels in combat (or any other) skills. A sidebar in the main rulebook also warns that the Gifted have their limits, using the example that a trained gunman can fire several shots before most wizards can finish a sentence (let alone a powerful invocation). |
| 200 | ** {{Defied|Trope}} at Legendary and higher levels. Once you get into the realm of the Enlightened, Seraphim, and Incarnates, there's no rules for Mundane heroes, as even the most talented (and well-armed) Mundanes are no match for such powerful beings. |
| 201 | * MuggleWithADegreeInMagic: {{Exploited|Trope}} and {{Downplayed|Trope}} by the Wicce, who train their Mundane members in RitualMagic so that they can fill in when their coven needs a little more Essence, or when they need to cast a spell with a certain number of people. |
| 202 | * MurderInc: The Society of Assassins are the Covenant for this trope. Every single rank-and-file member of the Society is either an Assassin, someone who infiltrates target groups to set up hits for the Assassins, or both. And yes, you ''can'' hire the Assassins to do some dirty work of your own (although the "good" sect -- the Ruya'ha -- will only accept hits that are in accordance with their One True Imam's Will). |
| 203 | * MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning: The reason the Rosicrucians' executions for extreme evil include [[DeaderThanDead unravelling]] is because of the time they didn't and the subject pulled one of these. |
| 204 | * MysteryCult: The Cabal of Psyche began as a ''benevolent'' mystery cult in ancient Greece. After their attempts to use their Seer powers to rule the Mundanes backfired, they took to hiding their kind, and have remained in the shadows ever since. |
| 205 | * {{Necromancer}}: Yet another type of Gifted, and distinct from invocation-wielding magicians. They usually fall under the category of DarkIsNotEvil. |
| 206 | * NephariousPharaoh: The funerary rites of ancient Egypt endowed a number of Pharaohs with great power in the afterlife and they rule over a section Geburah called Khem. While not evil, many of them are just as power hungry as when they were alive and seek to expand their kingdoms. |
| 207 | * NighInvulnerability: The main feature of the Relentless Dead. If you don't have the Gifted powers to put them down for good, the absolute best you can hope for is to seal them away to buy yourself some time. But even if you throw them in a volcano or sink them into the ocean or bury them under megatons of earth, their Wrath will inevitably break them free and put them on your trail once more. |
| 208 | * NoCampaignForTheWicked: There are no rules for playing Combine-affiliated [=PCs=] or members of Dark Covenants. Of course, there's nothing (other than the Chronicler's common sense) to stop a player from statting up a Gifted with appropriate traits and ''saying'' they serve the Cult of Pain or the Nahualli or whatever, but the rules don't provide Association bonuses for Dark Covenants (unlike with the heroic Covenants), so wicked [=PCs=] would actually start off slightly gimped. |
| 209 | * NotMeThisTime: The Society of Assassins (Ruya'ha sect) is almost a whole ''faction'' of this trope. The Society as a whole commits political murders for reasons only they know, but the [[WellIntentionedExtremist Ruya'ha sect]] targets [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans evil leaders who are impeding humanity's progress]], while their [[EvilCounterpart Alamut sect arch-rivals]] are just another arm of the [[TheIlluminati oppressive Combine]]. Few outsiders are aware that the Society of Assassins even ''has'' different sects at all, and so the Ruya'ha get blamed for a lot of the (unjust) killings that in fact were perpetrated by the Alamut -- and being a [[CovertGroup secret society]] of [[ProfessionalKiller Professional Killers]], the Ruya'ha can't exactly set the record straight with a big PR campaign. |
| 210 | * ObstructiveCodeOfConduct: |
| 211 | ** The Inspired have fairly defined limits on when they can unleash their miracles; this means either when lives are at stake or other supernatural powers have manifested. In addition, the Touch of Healing is expected to be limited to co-religionists, though some Inspired will heal their allies against evil regardless of their professed beliefs. |
| 212 | ** For all their power and malevolence, demons are unable to harm humans directly. But they can [[TheCorruptor encourage humans to give in to all our worst impulses]] -- and they can sell us all the drugs, weapons, and slaves we're willing to buy to make it even worse. Oh, and if a pack of Gifted avengers draws first blood on the ''demon'', then all bets are off! |
| 213 | * OffscreenTeleportation: Relentless Dead can actually take this as a power. Once they're on your trail, YouCanRunButYouCantHide. |
| 214 | * OmniscientMoralityLicense: The Ruya'ha sect of the Society of Assassins does not kill wantonly, but only targets individuals whom their One True Imam directs them to kill. The Will of the One True Imam (and his choice of targets) is never questioned by the Assassins. While there is a degree of BlindObedience to this, it is also implied that the One True Imam has a unique connection to the Creator that allows him to perceive who actually does stand in the way of the Society's goal of a paradise on Earth. |
| 215 | * OneWingedAngel: The Disciplines of the Flesh lend themselves to this, and indeed the standard tactic with those powers is to morph into an inhumanly powerful/hideous monster and rend your foes limb from limb. With a bit of effort on the Reshape power, these forms can also be scary enough to trigger some pretty harsh Fear tests while you're at it. |
| 216 | * OnlyMostlyDead: Like in real life, it's possible to bring someone BackFromTheDead with prompt medical attention in the ER. A quirk of this is that, under [[DealWithTheDevil certain circumstances]], your soul can be taken from you when you would otherwise be savable (preventing this); the Fallen are in no hurry to update their definition of "dead." |
| 217 | * OurAngelsAreDifferent: Angels are closer to their original biblical counterparts, as powerful soldiers of God who smite people. Some are nicer, especially the Kerubim who are ascended humans. The rest often have (from a human POV) a serious "attitude problem". |
| 218 | ** ArchangelGabriel: One of the biggest assholes of the setting, being the original architect of the oppressive Combine (among other jerkassness). |
| 219 | ** ArchangelMichael: Nicer, and apparently a woman. [[SamusIsAGirl Which surprised everyone, including her]]. |
| 220 | ** Bodhisattvas, humans who AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence and then decide to remain in Creation instead of entering Nirvana, are a form of Kerubim who can reincarnate into Enlightened Humans, such as the Tulkus of the Shambala Order. They are neutral in the war between Heaven and Hell. |
| 221 | * OurGhostsAreDifferent: There are two types of playable spirits for players. The more common are regular Ghosts who (as you would expect) possess spooky powers but remain permanently immaterial, but there are also Phantasms who can actually incarnate in the mortal world for limited periods of time. |
| 222 | * OurVampiresAreDifferent: Most Vampyres don't actually need to drink blood, as they can siphon the Essence they need merely by causing enough fear, pain, or pleasure in their "donors". Also, they are not always created by other Vampyres. Any soul who dies yet refuses to Move On (and has the sheer desperation to make that refusal stick) may find themselves returning to life as a Vampyre. |
| 223 | * OurWerebeastsAreDifferent: |
| 224 | ** Werewolves are the most common type of Ferals (at least in the United States), but almost every mammalian predator has a Feral equivalent. Ferals can either be born that way, or acquire the Feral curse by [[ViralTransformation being sufficiently injured by a Feral, killing a Feral, or even committing crimes against nature so grave that the local animal spirits curse them]]. |
| 225 | ** While Ferals (of all types) are the most common "werebeasts", there are also Skin-Changers, the term for magicians who have mastered the right type of magic to assume Feral forms. |
| 226 | * PainfulTransformation: The Disciples of the Flesh can transform into horrific monsters, but to activate the power, they must relive the abuse that created them in their heads. |
| 227 | * PastLifeMemories: True Immortals have [[DreamingOfTimesGoneBy vague memories of their original lives in Atlantis]], the Bast can [[BornAgainImmortality remember all their cat incarnations]], and humans with any levels of Old Soul quality (even Mundanes) can [[InstantExpert recall memories and even skills]] from their soul's past incarnations on Earth. |
| 228 | * PathOfInspiration: Many examples. The Old Gods took worshipers for their own power and to keep humanity in line. The Seraphim often used the Abrahamic Religions to eliminate the worshipers of the polytheistic religions so they could defeat the Old Gods in their home domains. The Catholic Church in particular has for centuries been a tool of the Combine to root out supernaturals and Gifted, and keep humanity largely ignorant. At least the Church no longer operates like this since the Black Death crippled the Combine. |
| 229 | * PhantasySpelling: "Vampire" in this setting is spelled "Vampyre", for reasons left to the player's imagination. |
| 230 | * PointBuildSystem: A central feature of the rules system. Depending your character type (Mundane, Lesser Gifted, Gifted, etc) and PowerLevel, you get X points for attributes, Y points for skills, Z points for metaphysics (powers), and so forth. |
| 231 | * PowerCrystal: One category of Atlantean super-tech. |
| 232 | * PoweredByAForsakenChild: |
| 233 | ** Ghosts with the Ghostsmith ability can forge permanent items that work in the Death Realms, at the cost of some permanent Essence. The most unfortunate Ghostsmiths get enslaved by more powerful ghosts, who force them to forge items constantly -- and keep them in existence by feeding them the Essence of yet other ghost slaves. |
| 234 | ** The Sadicas brand of black magic allows its users to hold much higher Essence pools than normal, but replenishing it requires torturing other humans and stealing ''their'' Essence. |
| 235 | * PowerGlows: Beings and places with huge amounts of Essence are ''very'' obvious -- if you're Gifted. |
| 236 | * PowerLevels: The game defines five levels of starting power for [=PCs=]: |
| 237 | ** [[ActionSurvivor Pre-Heroic]]: This tier is occupied by slightly-better-than-average normal people, with a sprinkling of weak and inexperienced Gifted. Generally, expect a horror-movie feel at this level, as the [=PCs=] are going to be heavily outgunned by any supernatural adversaries they face. |
| 238 | ** Heroic: This is the default power level. Though they are far from helpless, Gifted at this level are generally journeyman-ish in strength, while supernaturals will be relatively new or inexperienced members of their kind. The [[BadassNormal absolute best Mundanes]] top out at this level. [=PCs=] at this level can be useful operatives of their faction and [[WhoYouGonnaCall proactive in dealing with supernatural threats]]. |
| 239 | ** [[SuperpowerLottery Legendary]]: These [=PCs=] are outright superheroes, beyond the capabilities of any (Mundane) human. Gifted are powerful psychics and sorcerers, while supernatural beings will be highly experienced, belong to a powerful race, or both. Many of these characters will be ReallySevenHundredYearsOld. Legendary level characters are major agents in their factions, the SEAL Team 6 to the Heroic level's regular enlisted. |
| 240 | ** [[PhysicalGod Mythical]]: Most of these are supernatural beings of great age and power, ranging from Greater Seraphim to Incarnate gods. Gifted at this level are TheArchmage, with centuries worth of experience and knowledge in their respective field (though there's a few "young" prodigies with ''really'' awe-inspiring inborn talent). These beings are [[PersonOfMassDestruction armies unto themselves]], and reshape the world wherever they act. |
| 241 | ** [[CosmicEntity Transcendent]]: This one's mentioned in passing to represent cosmic-level movers and shakers, as usually these types don't make good PC material. This tier is pretty much limited to named characters who won't appear on Earth before ''Armageddon'', such as the High Archangels and leading deities of Old God pantheons, as well as [[BigBad Dark Apostle Johann Goering]]. To give you an idea of just how powerful one of these can be, Odin ''single-handedly'' defeats the Army of Revelations' invasion of Britain and Scandinavia. |
| 242 | * PowerUpgradingDeformation: The trope applies to the Disciples of the Flesh, who cannot use their powers without shapeshifting in grotesque ways, although they can turn back into normal-looking humans afterwards. The Tainted (including Mockers) aren't so lucky, as whatever Taint deformities they gain along with their powers are permanent. |
| 243 | * PragmaticHero: The Society of Assassins will contract their Assassins to outsiders, but the Ruha'ya sect only accepts hits that their leader approves of. That said, if your target is enough of a villain that the Ruya'ha will actually take the job, there's a non-zero chance that their One True Imam already decided to put out a hit on the villain before you came along. But they will accept your payment anyway! |
| 244 | * {{Precursors}}: Atlantis and the other Elder Kingdoms are technically this, being great civilizations who wielded technologies unimaginable to the Mundane world today, yet mysteriously vanished before recorded history. The trope is ultimately inverted, though -- while stereotypical precursors are extinct but leave behind artifacts of their dead uber-civilization, the only remaining artifacts of the True Immortals' civilizations are the True Immortals themselves! |
| 245 | * PsychicPowers: Seer abilities. |
| 246 | * RankScalesWithAsskicking: |
| 247 | ** A common trope among the Covenants. Gifted individuals with high amounts of Essence age more slowly, to the point that the leaders of most Covenants are Really700YearsOld, and have had all that time to (further) develop their powers. |
| 248 | ** Celestials (both angelic and demonic) only become more fearsome as you go up their hierarchy, as well. |
| 249 | * ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: When a True Immortal is awakened, they become permanently stuck at the age they were awakened at. While most do so in the prime of their lives, there is a flaw that allows you to be permanently stuck in an underage body. This trope also applies to the Gifted, who age more slowly once they build up a huge store of Essence, to the point where the most powerful Gifted are centuries old. |
| 250 | * ReasonableAuthorityFigure: |
| 251 | ** Vitalinus, [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld one of the surviving founders of the Rosicrucians]] and unofficial leader of their council of Grand Masters, is mentioned as being the most approachable of the Grand Masters by a fair bit -- relaxed, friendly, and almost impossible to surprise or annoy. He makes a habit of visiting local Rosicrucian chapters and meeting all members, making sure no problems are neglected for too long and helping to solve any problems that they can't solve on their own. His goal? He founded the Rosicrucians, and he wants the Covenant to flourish. And since the Covenant is only the sum of its parts, he wants to assist the various parts. When reporting suspected corruption in the Inquisition (see below), it's customary to go to Vitalinus, since "If he's corrupt, we're all stuffed anyway." |
| 252 | ** Also the Rosicrucian Inquisition. Its name brings to mind the infamous [[UsefulNotes/TheSpanishInquisition Spanish Inquisition]], but it exists to root out collaboration with demons or Mad Gods and other forms of extreme evil in the Rosicrucian ranks. Since the crimes it investigates (and the [[DeaderThanDead associated punishment]]) are so serious, it exercises ''extreme'' thoroughness and care, convicting on average one wrongdoer per decade, despite taking on twenty cases or so per year (the rest are either lesser crimes or simple misunderstandings as will happen in a secret society). This extreme diligence and fairness make the Inquisition respected instead of feared within the Covenant. |
| 253 | * TheRedMage: |
| 254 | ** Taking multiple Gifted arts (except for combining Divine Inspiration with Invocations or Necromancy) is entirely possible, though human characters generally require a teacher to learn new powers, and teachers for a Gifted art may or may not be available in your Covenant (you don't see a lot of Rosicrucian psychics, for example). The rules themselves advise that it's best to focus on one or two Gifted arts rather than try to be a [[PsychicPowers Psychic]] KungFuWizard {{Necromancer}} whose skills are so thinly spread that you're a MasterOfNone. |
| 255 | ** In the earlier ''Witchcraft'' sourcebooks, most Covenants focused primarily on one Gifted art, with other arts being a small minority (if tolerated at all). Later sourcebooks switched this up, with new Covenants whose rank-and-file members typically wield ''two'' different Gifted arts. Examples include the Covenant of Legban (Invocations/Necromancy), the Ghost Dancers (Invocations/Second Sight), and the Society of Assassins (Invocations/Tao-Chi). The Wicce are another exception, as they specialize in Invocations, but some covens have members who are Necromancers or Seers, and these types often pick up a couple Invocations and/or the skills for RitualMagic. |
| 256 | * {{Reincarnation}}: |
| 257 | ** Human souls reincarnate on a fairly regular basis. The Old Soul quality (which allows you to access your past lives) is one of the few supernatural qualities a Mundane can take. |
| 258 | ** When the Bast die, they simply [[BornAgainImmortality reincarnate when a (usually nearby) cat gives birth to a new kitten]]. Though the process from being reborn to regaining their former memories can take a couple months, it's about as close to DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist as you'll get in this setting. |
| 259 | ** On the rare occasions when they are destroyed, True Immortals are also subject to reincarnation. Unlike regular humans, however, it takes many thousands of years for them to be reborn, to the point that most True Immortals have PastLifeMemories of only one previous life -- their first incarnation in Atlantis. As such, True Immortal characters (somewhat ironically) cannot have the Old Soul quality. |
| 260 | * ReligionIsMagic: The Wicce, the Covenant of Legban, the Ghost Dancers, the Shambala Order, the Society of Assassins, and the Society of Sentinels all combine supernatural powers with a decidedly religious bent. |
| 261 | * ReligionOfEvil: Numerous cults exist that involve human torture and/or sacrifice, either [[ForTheEvulz for laughs]] or [[PoweredByAForsakenChild because they actually gain power from it]]. The Cult of Pain stands out as an example of the latter, as it featured prominently on the ''Witchcraft'' website as part of several entertaining examples. |
| 262 | * RenegadeSplinterFaction: Many Covenants have at least one of these. |
| 263 | ** The Storm Dragons have a ''lot'' of splinter factions, as their martial art has, over the ages, had a massive number of defectors who set up their own schools of Tao-Chi SupernaturalMartialArts. To hear the Storm Dragons tell it, everything from the Shaolin Temple to the legendary {{Ninja}} themselves owes their origin to Storm Dragon renegades. The largest group of renegades (with actual ties to the Storm Dragons) are the Red Lotus Society, a Dark Covenant whom the Storm Dragons have fought for generations. |
| 264 | ** The Cabal of Psyche (the "psychic" Covenant) has a growing number of members who oppose the Cabal's traditional neutrality, feeling that they should [[NeutralNoLonger get involved]] in the threats facing humanity. While the malcontents haven't ''yet'' splintered into a new Covenant of their own, that day is not far away. |
| 265 | ** Also with the Cabal of Psyche, it is rumored that when the Cabal began in ancient Greece, one of the founding Seers rebelled against the others to set up their own order, which even now plots against the Cabal of Psyche (and humanity in general). The Cabal's leadership deny such an organization exists, however. |
| 266 | ** The Cult of Pain was formed by a group of depraved French noblemen... and a renegade Rosicrucian sorcerer. |
| 267 | ** The Society of Assassins has the Alamut Sect, who have betrayed their brethren to serve the Combine. |
| 268 | * RichBastard: One stereotype among the Rosicrucians. While their Covenant does have a handful of uber-talented sorcerers who were RecruitedFromTheGutter, the bulk of their membership are indeed upper-class (and usually Ivy League-educated) elites. |
| 269 | * RitualMagic: The slow, tedious way of using magic. If you don't have Essence Channeling (a category which includes all True Immortals), it's also the ''only'' way. Even {{muggles}} can do it. |
| 270 | * RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: The conflict between the Combine and the Knights Templar can be summed up as this. The Templars believe that humanity is best liberated by democracy, technological advancement, universal education and secularism (they don't see religion as bad, per se, but they're wary of it as a tool of Mundane control). The Combine's objective is to ''keep humanity under control'', which usually means a unified and authoritarian church and state, [[FullCircleRevolution failed revolutions]], technology suppressed or [[BigBrotherIsWatching turned to serve those in authority]], and the deaths of reformers and free-thinkers. |
| 271 | * SafetyInMuggles: Few supernatural beings (evil or not) are willing to flaunt their powers in public. |
| 272 | * {{Seers}}: A fairly common character type among Gifted who are, well, [[PsychicPowers Seers]]. |
| 273 | * SerialKiller: A common bad guy in this setting. They might be a Mundane murderer... or they might be a malevolent Vampyre, an Accursed Feral, a Relentless Dead, a psychopathic Phantasm, a black magician, a cultist beholden to demons or Mad Gods, a corrupt nature spirit, or [[MonsterOfTheWeek some other supernatural being]]. |
| 274 | ** SerialKillerKiller: Given the above prevalence of serial killers and the "protect humanity" ethos of most Covenants, this character type is not uncommon among the setting's heroes, particularly if they're Relentless Dead themselves. |
| 275 | * SkinWalker: The Skin-Changer Invocation allows magicians to do this. Not all are evil, though the magic is pretty creepy. Though if you see a ''jaguar'' skinchanger, [[BloodMagic you might want to run very far, very fast]]. |
| 276 | * SlobsVsSnobs: The Wicce and Rosicrucians differ in this way, much to each others' consternation. Wicce are CloserToEarth pagans who live relatively simple lives and use magic carefully for defense, ''a little'' personal benefit, and fighting evil, while the Rosicrucians are a fraternity of wizards in business suits who focus on getting rich and developing their magical ability. In fairness, the Rosicrucians ''do'' believe in using their power responsibly (and have their own internal Inquisition to enforce this), but they definitely lack the humility of the Wicce. |
| 277 | * SpiderSense: A bonus effect of certain Seer powers and Chi Mastery. |
| 278 | * SpiritWorld: The various Sephiroth provide almost every variety you can think of. [[DreamLand Hod]] and [[TheUnderworld Geburah]] got write-ups, while [[LandOfFaerie Yesod]], Netzach (the realms of TheOldGods) and [[PureEnergy Binah]] (home of the Elemental Planes and the Seraphim, but ''not'' FluffyCloudHeaven) haven't, and some of the Sephiroth have names but little else. Then there's Kether, which is the highest of the Sephiroth, and the only certainty is that those who go there don't come back. The conventional theory is that it's the home of the Creator and/or the Nirvana of Buddhism, but it could just as easily be a CessationOfExistence where people are reabsorbed into pure potential. |
| 279 | * SpinOff: ''Armageddon'', which advances the setting to a time when [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the Reckoning is in full swing]]. |
| 280 | * SquishyWizard: The Gifted character type has the fewest points for attributes and qualities, leaving them looking a little like this compared to Lesser Gifted and (particularly) Mundane players. |
| 281 | * SummonMagic: The Spirit Mastery family of Invocations and the Necromancy powers of Death Speech and Death Vessel. |
| 282 | * SummoningRitual: The most popular way of bringing the Mad Gods into our reality. More benign summoning Invocations can also resemble this trope, if the magician is being especially careful. |
| 283 | * SupernaturallyDeliciousAndNutritious: Any high-Essence character not concealing their power with an Essence shield looks like a delicious meal to many creatures. |
| 284 | * SupernaturalMartialArts: The Tao-Chi powers, although they fall more towards the CharlesAtlasSuperpower end of the scale than the ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' end. Alternately, you can just use the normal Martial Arts skill you already have, augmented by bonuses from [[KungFuWizard Seer Powers, Divine Inspiration, Necromancy possession, and/or the Key of War]]. (No one ever accused this game of having a lack of options...) |
| 285 | * TeamSwitzerland: The [[UsefulNotes/{{Buddhism}} Bodhisattvas]] are strictly neutral in the fight between Heaven and Hell. One group have been forced to take a stand against the Combine, but only in defense of Tibet and Shambala. |
| 286 | * TomeOfEldritchLore: These are a thing in this setting. They could contain instructions for normal magic, black magic, or -- in the worst cases -- how to contact and summon Mad Gods. |
| 287 | * TooDumbToLive: The [[HellGate Sammael Gate]] in the [[DreamLand Sephiroth of Hod]] is the only permanent breach between our world and the horrible Taint-based universe of the Mad Gods. Predictably, few dare to enter it, and fewer still return alive and sane. However, one Covenant -- the Eye of Horus -- made it their ''initiation ritual'' for new members to dart into the Sammael Gate and return, figuring that anyone who can survive THAT is badass enough to join their ranks. [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome "Of course, the Eye of Horus was a short-lived group."]] |
| 288 | * TortureCellar: Members of the Cult of Pain often have their own torture basements, as their Sadicas magic can only be powered by Essence gathered from torturing the innocent. |
| 289 | * TouchedByVorlons: |
| 290 | ** Or, in this setting, [[MindRape Violated By Mad Gods]]. Being Tainted gives you powers, but it's also an incurable form of TheCorruption. |
| 291 | ** Having a Spirit Patron is a voluntary version of this, where you make a DealWithTheDevil, a BargainWithHeaven or a pact with another kind of big supernatural for awesome powers. |
| 292 | * ToxicPhlebotinum: Taint-producing artifacts and even meteorites are a thing, and generally a dire threat to whatever area they end up in. |
| 293 | * TrainingTheGiftOfMagic: Some of the Gifted arts, like the Second Sight or Disciplines of the Flesh, can be "inborn" for a Gifted individual and used without the need for training (although training can certainly help). However, others -- like Invocations or Tao-Chi -- often require not only the Gift, but a level of training and focus almost unheard-of in the modern world. |
| 294 | * TransformationHorror: What you can look forward to if you have enough contact with the Mad Gods to become infected with their Taint. The more Taint you manage to acquire, the more deformed you will become. The most powerful cultists of the Mad Gods no longer look even remotely human. |
| 295 | * TruceZone: |
| 296 | ** The Garden of Earthly Delights in Hod. Violence is muted there by the place's nature, and the Assassin sects who use it refuse to pollute the Garden with bloodshed. |
| 297 | ** In the Twilight World, Gatherers (innkeepers, bartenders and others who have the power to create spirit food and drink) are sacrosanct, as are their establishments. All the spirit gangs and other predators of the Twilight World enforce this. |
| 298 | * TheUndead: [[PhantasySpelling Vampyres]], Ghosts, Phantasms, the Relentless Dead... all of which are playable character types. |
| 299 | * UnequalRites: |
| 300 | ** Usually, the Divinely Inspired and magicians don't get along. Not only are the powers incompatible (no character can have both), but most monotheistic religions that believe in magic take a dim view of it, to the point that the Sentinels (the main Covenant for the Inspired) are almost an AntimagicalFaction. The Knights Templar are an exception to the above, as they are one of the few organizations where magicians and the Divinely Inspired work side-by-side. |
| 301 | ** Rosicrucians look down on psychics as "useless wild magic," while the Cabal of Psyche dislikes "magical" traditions and any power that they [[ArbitrarySkepticism can't fit into a "scientific" psychic paradigm]]. Similarly, the Sentinels consider PsychicPowers another form of Creator-given gift alongside Divine Inspiration, but don't tolerate magic or necromancy. And the Wicce say that all of the above are being stupid, because it's all just different ways of channeling Essence. |
| 302 | * TheUnfettered: |
| 303 | ** The Mockers explicitly take this stance with regards to fighting the Mad Gods. In their eyes, if preventing a Mad God from manifesting means detonating a thermonuclear weapon in downtown Los Angeles, then [[IDidWhatIHadToDo so be it]]. |
| 304 | ** Relentless Dead with Dark Wrath also embody this trope when it comes to wanton slaughter. Even their own survival is a meaningless concern when their next victim is in sight. |
| 305 | * UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: |
| 306 | ** The Knights Templar want to build a utopian world government without poverty or war, because they believe this is the best path to enlightening humanity. However, to get there, they work as a black-ops conspiracy using methods not unlike those of the Combine. |
| 307 | ** The Ruya'ha sect of the Society of Assassins also work towards a utopian world for humanity, and they're willing to assassinate as many evildoers as it takes to get there. |
| 308 | * VanHelsingHateCrimes: The Society of Sentinels committed a lot of these in the centuries before the present, acting to purge other Gifted without any regard to whether they were truly using their powers for evil. While the Sentinels today are more tolerant (or at least less violent), the rulebooks depict their only allies among the other Covenants as being EnemyMine situations or another coven effectively dumping a problem on the Sentinels' doorstep and then running. |
| 309 | * ViralTransformation: Ferals can spread their curse in a viral way, either by injuring a human almost to the point of death or being killed themselves. The victim gets a roll to resist taking on the curse, however, so it doesn't always take. |
| 310 | * VisionQuest: This is a common experience for Gifted who follow a shamanic tradition of any sort, particular the Ghost Dancers. And yes, there's every chance of picking up a SpiritAdvisor or even an outright [[TouchedByVorlons Spirit Patron]] while you're at it. |
| 311 | * VoluntaryShapeshifting: Ferals (who aren't accursed) and the Disciples of the Flesh. |
| 312 | * WainscotSociety: Excepting possibly the Nomads, all Covenants have (at a minimum) secret hideouts where they can be with their own kind without worrying about Mundane attention. |
| 313 | * WalkingWasteland: This is one possible side effect of Taint corruption -- killing all plant and small animal life that comes within a small radius of your character. |
| 314 | * WarriorHeaven: One of the named Realms in Geburah is the Plane of Battles, where many souls of those killed in warfare end up. Armies from across history fight each other and those killed usually resurrect after a few days. There is also the actual Valhalla, ruled over by the Norse pantheon. |
| 315 | * WeirdnessCensor: Certain angels have the power to cloud minds, making Mundanes try to rationalize (or simply forget) whatever supernatural phenomena they witnessed. This power can even blur photographs and recorded footage. |
| 316 | * WeirdnessMagnet: Comes with the Gift, especially for the more powerful. True Immortals can also take the "Destiny Rider" flaw, which makes the Weirdness Magnet effect even ''more'' overt. |
| 317 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: The Sentinels, the Society of Assassins, the Mockers, and the Knights Templar all fall under this trope to varying degrees. The Sentinels protect humanity from dark forces but are too often blase about whether a supernatural being is really "evil", the Assassins ''exist'' to exterminate the people who are holding humanity back, the Mockers will do absolutely anything to hurt the Mad Gods, and the Knights Templar fight to free the world from the Combine even if it means using the Combine's own black-ops methods. Not surprisingly, ''all'' of these groups are generally loathed, feared, misunderstood, or just outright blacklisted by the other Covenants. |
| 318 | * WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: The burden that the Mockers carry. Their Taint gives them (horrible) powers unavailable to other Gifted, but it's also a cancer eating away at their minds. The more their powers (and Taint) grow, the harder it is for them to maintain their sanity. |
| 319 | * WizardsLiveLonger: Gifted with large Essence pools, or with mastery of Mindheal, are able to slow their aging or even attain immortality. |
| 320 | * TheWorldIsNotReady: This is the attitude of the Gifted (and supernatural beings) in general. They have existed throughout history, but revealing their powers to the Mundane world (deliberately or otherwise) has invariably resulted in tragedy. |
| 321 | * YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm: Some occultists believe that the true forms of the Mad Gods are impossible for humans to comprehend, and these entities exude so much corruption and horror and insanity because that is the only way for our minds to cope with an enemy we were never meant to behold. |
| 322 | * YourSoulIsMine: If you pledge a Gift of the Soul to your Spirit Patron (usually one of the Fallen), then your soul is theirs at the moment of death. One corollary of this is that they ''can'' arrange for this to happen sooner rather than later. A second corollary is that your soul is theirs at the moment of clinical death, preventing resuscitation by magic or modern medicine. |
| 323 | [[/folder]] |
| 324 | |
| 325 | |
| 326 | [[folder:''Armageddon'']] |
| 327 | * TheAlliance: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Alliance]], natch. |
| 328 | * AllMythsAreTrue: With both Seraphim and TheOldGods (of basically every pantheon ever) walking the Earth, this trope is even more overt than it was in ''Witchcraft''. |
| 329 | * AlwaysChaoticEvil: |
| 330 | ** Justified: Developing a Mark Of Leviathan requires genuine loyalty to him, which pretty much means that the Marked are utterly evil, existing solely for the destruction of Reality and the subjugation of mankind. |
| 331 | ** Subverted -- occasionally -- with the Fallen Seraphim. It turns out that living in Hell is not much more pleasant for demons than it is for damned humans, and a few demons actually [[DefectorFromDecadence wish for redemption]] (even if [[HeelFaceDoorSlam absolutely no one is willing to help them redeem themselves]]). For their part, the Qliphonim (humans who have been uplifted into demons) retain their free will, though in practice you can only become a Qliphonim by being so incredibly evil that the Legion of Hell feels that you would be [[DemonOfHumanOrigin a useful tool to corrupt Earth further]]... even so, a sizable number of Qliphonim are starting to organize a resistance to their infernal masters (or at least a move towards a less Hell-bound existence). |
| 332 | * AmericaSavesTheDay: America is the only country that has enough of its shit together to mount an effective counter to the Church of Revelations, with everyone either being conquered, collapsing internally due to Believer interference (and general chaos), supporting the United States, or stuck in an extremely bloody stalemate. |
| 333 | * {{Atlantis}}: The Armageddon book gives us a brief history of the Elder Kingdoms, which included Atlantis, Mu, Lemuria, and Ultima Thule. Not brought down by hubris, [[spoiler:but because Ultima Thule treated with Leviathan to win their war with Atlantis]]. To prevent the world from becoming corrupted, Satan sent the Flood and destroyed civilization. Immortals are the reincarnations of the ancient Atlanteans. |
| 334 | * TheAntichrist: Joseph Goering, the Dark Apostle of Leviathan and commander of both the Army and Church of Revelations. Unlike the human Adepts who serve Leviathan, the Dark Apostle always has a completely normal (human) appearance, and exactly what kind of being he is remains a mystery. |
| 335 | * BastardUnderstudy: The Dark Apostle has survived numerous assassination attempts. [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder Not all of them were from outside the Church of Revelations]]. |
| 336 | * BigGood: The Heavenly Host ''sees'' themselves as this, and individual Seraphim often assume they're in charge of whatever groups of non-Seraphim they end up working with. This has ''not'' helped them make allies. |
| 337 | * BodyOfBodies: Once the Church of Revelations gets to the "Assimilation" phase of its conquest in a region, the resident humans (and all other life) start turning into abominations themselves. One example is given of a town deep within the Conquered Territories where all the humans have fused into one horrifying gestalt organism. |
| 338 | * CouncilOfAngels: It's revealed that the Seraphim of the Heavenly Host tend to fall on the KnightTemplar spectrum, having [[LightIsNotGood done all sorts of things of questionable morality]] over the ages. When the Archangel Michelle finds out just how bad things are [[spoiler:(namely: that the Combine was originally the work of Gabriel)]], she quits in disgust to found the Alliance and takes a non-insignificant number of (less extremist) Seraphim and Kerubim with her. |
| 339 | * DayOfTheJackboot: What happens when the Church of Revelations conquers an area. Generally, they start with a state of emergency, then set up a FantasticCasteSystem based on whether you've taken the Mark of Leviathan and start making things harder on anyone who doesn't take it. |
| 340 | * DealWithTheDevil: Praying to Leviathan will bring you luck, if you don't mind someone around you suffering for it. |
| 341 | * DefectorFromDecadence: While the Legions of Hell are evil and self-serving, it's obvious that at least a few of the Fallen Seraphim and Qliphonim are tired of their lot and wish for redemption... enough to make them interesting choices for player characters. |
| 342 | * DemonOfHumanOrigin: The Qliphonim, who were originally evil humans who ended up in Hell, but agreed to serve the Infernal Legion and earned a "promotion" to demon status. They're not as powerful as a full Fallen Seraphim, but they're definitely a notch above most Gifted. |
| 343 | * DeusExMachina: Considering the setting, a lot. Leviathan gives his worshipers what they want, but in a disturbing manner. Odin scatters the Church of Revelations' fleet to prevent the conquest of England and the Scandinavian Peninsula. |
| 344 | * DeusExNukina: Notably ''reversed'', as nuclear weapons have stopped working, and divine intervention is implied to be the reason why. |
| 345 | * DividedWeFall: The one kindness Leviathan has done for the world is convincing the angels, demons, and primal gods to set aside their differences for the good of Reality. |
| 346 | * DivineParentage: An Inheritor is the offspring of a mortal and one of the many deities out there. The Nephilim are similar, but their non-human parent was an angel. |
| 347 | * DisproportionateRetribution: Primal characters with the Vengeance Aspect tend to deal in this trope, predictably. |
| 348 | * TheDragon: The Dark Apostle has 3 main lieutenants. Each is the leader of the Church of Revelations in a region. El General is responsible for Central and South America, The Lady of Jade leads the Church in Asia, and the Dark Imam in Middle-East. Each one is an extremely powerful Adept of Leviathan. |
| 349 | * EldritchAbomination: Leviathan is a Mad God powerful enough to threaten all of Reality. The Shaitan hordes are Leviathan's cannon fodder Eldritch Abominations, and humans under his control inevitably evolve into other types of Eldritch Abominations themselves. |
| 350 | ** The Skysha introduced in Armageddon. Creatures of neither Taint or Essence, unless they are inhabiting a human host, no one can even properly see them. When asked about them even the Angels refuse to give a straight answer, only saying they come from "Elsewhere". |
| 351 | * ElementalPowers: The elemental Invocations from ''Witchcraft'' are back, and ''Armageddon'' ups the ante by adding the four elements as possible Aspects for Primal characters. |
| 352 | * EmbarrassingTattoo: Played for drama, as when the Mark of Leviathan first started appearing, it was (briefly) trendy enough that many people got matching tattoos. But then the Church of Revelation plunged the world into war, and these same people had to get the tattoos removed or risk being killed outright as agents of the Adversary. |
| 353 | * TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: In progress. |
| 354 | * EnemyMine: Everyone who is not in the Church of Revelations has allied together against Leviathan; angels and demons are fighting on the same side, and ordinarily-nasty sorts and [[AntiHero antiheroes]] are finding themselves forced to either join Leviathan's evil or stand against it. |
| 355 | * EvilArmy: The Army of Revelations, which fields not only corrupt humans, but hordes of Eldritch Abominations, undead monsters, and turncoat supernatural beings. |
| 356 | * EvilVersusOblivion: |
| 357 | ** The Legion of Hell has no love for humanity, the Pantheons, or the Heavenly Host, but they hate Leviathan (and its threat to Reality) even more. And they can't damn the world if it's destroyed by Taint. |
| 358 | ** The Nahualli, the Dark Covenant of Aztec blood magic and jaguar Ferals, have already fought this battle and ''lost''. Originally, they opposed Leviathan because [[TakeOverTheWorld the New Sun]] isn't going to happen if the Church of Revelations destroys the world. But then their entire ruling class were Tainted in secret, and proceeded to murderously purge any Nahualli who tried to stay on message. In the end, the Dark Covenant was absorbed into the Army of Revelations. |
| 359 | * FantasticCasteSystem: The Church of Revelations introduces this in conquered areas. You can go up in caste freely in this case -- [[DealWithTheDevil all you have to do is go to church]]. |
| 360 | * FantasyKitchenSink: An apocalyptic setting where angels, demons, pagan gods, witches, psychics, the undead, and immortals have all teamed up to fight Lovecraftian Mad Gods! |
| 361 | * FallenStatesOfAmerica: While still resisting Leviathan, America is in a bad way. Slum areas of major cities were walled off, and the Supreme Court was laughed at when they declared this unconstitutional (said slum areas have become hives of supernatural danger). Parts of the country have gone Mad Max, with motorcycle gangs of army deserters and Believers roaming the roads, while other areas have rebelled and declared their own petty nations. The U.S. government simply doesn't have the time or resources to deal with any of this -- they're too busy fighting a war for humanity's survival. |
| 362 | * GenderFlip: The ArchangelMichael, upon taking mortal form, finds out that he's actually a woman. |
| 363 | * {{Ghostapo}}: Sort-of. Nazi Germany's occult efforts were what originally reawakened Leviathan's interest in our world. In the present day, a number of Nazis have been resurrected by Leviathan as Sheol (powerful undead supersoldiers). Otto Skorzeny is listed as a specific example. |
| 364 | * GodsNeedPrayerBadly: While Incarnates (read: gods) are not entirely dependent on human belief, they derive a lot of power from it. Before the modern era, most lost their power base when the Seraphim had their mortal minions slaughter the Incarnates' mortal minions. |
| 365 | * GoingCosmic: {{Inverted|Trope}}. There's plenty of the stuff from the higher Sephiroth involved (such as angels taking a direct role in the fighting) but the Earth -- plain old Earth -- is the main battlefield. |
| 366 | * GoodCopBadCop: The Infernal Legion insist that they are the bad cop, to the Heavenly Host's good cop. Exposing wicked humans and then punishing them in the afterlife so their souls can eventually be reformed. In practice, they usually encourage people to commit evil so they can torture them in Hell forever. |
| 367 | * HalfHumanHybrid: The Inheritors are half-gods, while the Nephilim are half-angels. |
| 368 | * HaveYouSeenMyGod: The Creator left about 20,000 years ago. The Heavenly Host have been searching for (Him? Her? It?) for most of that time, when not busy with their "Keep the upstart humans ignorant" agenda (which probably wasn't entirely in line with the Creator's own plan). |
| 369 | * HumansAreSpecial: |
| 370 | ** This trope is more overt than it is in ''Witchcraft''. As individually feeble as humans may be compared to Celestials or the Old Gods, it's acknowledged that collectively, humanity will be the deciding factor in the war -- and Leviathan knows it. |
| 371 | ** Game rules-wise, humans are the only characters with the potential to learn ''any'' of the Gifted arts. Celestials, Primals, Nephilim, and True Immortals may be individually more powerful, but they're much more restricted in their options. |
| 372 | * ImplacableMan: None of the Celestial or Primal character types are easy to kill, but the Nephilim -- with their sheer toughness and general immunity to supernatural powers -- really take the cake. |
| 373 | * [[JerkassGods Jerkass Angels]]: Of the three Seraphim factions, only the smallest, the Watchers, truly have humanity's best interests at heart; the [[LightIsNotGood Heavenly Host]] are at best paternalistic {{Control Freak}}s and at worst "Let God sort 'em out"-style {{Knight Templar}}s, and as for the [[LegionsOfHell Infernal Legion]]... well, guess. The Old Gods, too, are often selfish and manipulative to their followers. |
| 374 | * KrakenAndLeviathan: Kraken are beginning to make a re-appearance since the war. Gigantic, squid-like creatures with armor capable of shrugging off all but the heaviest ordinance, they are ancient war beasts of Ultima Thule. Most of them are just wild animals now, but the Fleet of Retribution (The Dark Apostle's navy) has managed to capture and train some of them to attack Free World shipping. |
| 375 | * LegionsOfHell: They're actually on mankind's side for this conflict, because damning all of humanity to spite the Creator is a pretty hollow victory if Leviathan devours all of reality, you included. The irony that the demons are now forced to protect the very beings that they have spent millennia working to damn is not lost on them, either. |
| 376 | * LeonineContract: ''Eventually'', the Church of Revelations gets to this point: accept the DealWithTheDevil or be shipped off to a slave camp. It's only gotten this far in a few places, though. |
| 377 | * LightIsNotGood: For most of history, the Heavenly Host cared more about ''controlling'' humanity than guiding or protecting us. TheOldGods, who were once their rivals, were not much better. |
| 378 | * MagicVersusScience: Played with. Over history, most human organizations chose either Science or Magic, forsaking the other path entirely. But the setting points out that clinging to either extreme is blind, and now that the world is confronted with a threat (the Church of Revelations) that can use both technological and spiritual weapons, humanity must rethink its approach to survive. |
| 379 | * {{Magitek}}: Both sides have access to this, but with their lack of ethics, the Army of Revelations is pushing both science and magic to horrific limits. |
| 380 | * MarkOfTheBeast: The Mark of Leviathan. Anyone wearing it is irrevocably lost to the Mad God. |
| 381 | * MiddleEasternCoalition: [[EnemyMine Israel, Iran, and Saudi Arabia]] are working together to fight the Church of Revelations, supported by the largest contingent of the Heavenly Host in the world (the remnants of Gabriel's faction). |
| 382 | * MugglesDoItBetter: On a strategic scale, the Shaitan are pretty much useless against the UsefulNotes/YanksWithTanks. They're good for dealing with underequipped and unprofessional forces and wonderful for terror attacks, but a modern military's firepower will shred the supernatural monsters with machine guns and antitank weapons. |
| 383 | * NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Lucifer may have been justified in destroying the Elder Kingdoms to prevent Leviathan from corrupting the world, but he soon used this as an excuse to exterminate all of humanity by claiming the order came from the Creator. Spoiler, it didn't. |
| 384 | * NeutralNoLonger: Before the Reckoning, a lot of the ''Witchcraft''-era Covenants, the True Immortals, most of the Pantheons, and many other supernaturals wanted nothing more than to be left the hell alone. But with the existential threat posed by Leviathan, neutrality is no longer an option. Angel, demon, god, Gifted, or mortal -- almost everyone knows that they can either fight the Church of Revelations together or [[DividedWeFall watch Leviathan devour the whole world]]. |
| 385 | * TheOldGods: They're back, and just in time for Ragnarok. Their Inheritors, Avatars, and Incarnates are all playable characters. |
| 386 | * OldSaveBonus: While Invocations, Seer powers, Necromancy, and Divine Inspiration are the Gifted arts listed in the ''Armageddon'' core book, you can use the rules from your ''Witchcraft'' sourcebooks to make characters with Disciplines of the Flesh, Keys of Solomon, or Tao-Chi, too. Conceivably, you could also play a ''Witchcraft'' campaign for long enough that the timeline advances into the era of ''Armageddon'' (with all the XP your character earned in the meantime). |
| 387 | * OnceGreenMars: ''Armageddon'' suggests that Mars once had life like Earth, until a Mad God incursion reduced it to its current state. |
| 388 | * OutGambitted: Although not stated outright in the book, [[TheChessmaster Archangel]] [[ManipulativeBastard Gabriel]] has this happen to him in a BIG way. [[spoiler:Not only did his Combine patsies completely fail to stem the rise of supernatural awareness among humans, but they were completely blindsided by Leviathan's minions. There are in fact several hints that [[NiceJobBreakingItHero the Combine was in large part subverted by the Church of Revelations to their ends]].]] |
| 389 | * PathOfInspiration: The Church of Revelations does ''not'' claim that it seeks to end the world and corrupt everyone into mindless servants of an extra-dimensional Mad God. Rather, they claim that Leviathan is the rightful ruler of Reality and thus serving it is in humanity's best interests. |
| 390 | ** ReligionOfEvil: Who are they kidding? |
| 391 | * PhysicalGod: The Pantheons, to a T. Primal characters who take after them inherit much from this trope, particularly superhuman attributes and attunement to a specific concept. |
| 392 | * PowerUpgradingDeformation: This trope is even more pronounced for Tainted characters than it was in ''Witchcraft'', as it is now possible for Tainted cultists to become Adepts, who become increasingly deformed as their Circle rank increases. The line between a high-ranking Adept and an EldritchAbomination is very thin. |
| 393 | * PunchClockVillain: As many as 70% of the human soldiers in the Army of Revelations are not Believers; they just joined up to get a better job, to get out from under the boot, or because they were part of national militaries that got absorbed into the Army. Eventually, though, most of them are going to either die in action or [[BecomingTheMask take the Mark]]. |
| 394 | * PunyEarthlings: Downplayed. While it's true that any Mundane human would get curb-stomped by any Seraphim, Primal, or Eldritch Abomination in a straight fight, a human pilot in a modern jet fighter is a threat for most angels, and Leviathan's undead and Shaitan minions -- frightening though they may be -- are little more than cannon fodder in the face of machine guns, artillery, and anti-tank weapons. |
| 395 | * RankScalesWithAsskicking: On top of the Celestials and Primals all becoming more powerful as you go up their respective hierarchies, the Church of Leviathan has their Adepts, with each Order being more powerful and having more authority than the last. |
| 396 | * TokenEvilTeammate: The Legion of Hell as a whole is this for the forces resisting the Church of Revelations. The Heavenly Host (and for that matter everyone else) would prefer to see the demons wiped from existence, but Leviathan is an even worse threat, and right now the Alliance needs all the help they can get. |
| 397 | * TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture: When the game was first released in the late 90's, a 2017 apocalypse (in motion) was definitely futuristic. Now it's AlternateHistory! |
| 398 | * TheUnmasquedWorld: Now that [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] are openly conquering the world and most people have seen angels on live TV, Earth is somewhere between this trope and CosmicHorrorReveal. |
| 399 | * VillainHasAPoint: Retroactively. For all that he's a KnightTemplar SmugSnake who was giving the runaround at every turn, Gabriel really did have a good reason for wanting to keep the supernatural under control. Problem is, the very mechanisms he set up to keep things under control became tools for releasing Leviathan when the Church of Revelations co-opted them. |
| 400 | * WeAreStrugglingTogether: The Rosicrucians are fighting against Leviathan, but uniquely, they walked out of the Alliance. Including the Infernal Legions was a red line for the Brotherhood, and while they maintain some connections with the Alliance, they are fighting their own war and focusing largely on counterintelligence against Leviathan's corruption in the Free World. |
| 401 | * YouAreNotReady: According to both Gabriel and the Old Gods, humans shouldn't be meddling with science or magic, because the last time they reached an era of such power, they awakened Leviathan and Lord Archangel Lucifer had to wipe out the Elder Kingdoms to save Reality. Unfortunately, the angels mostly kicked out the Old Gods, allowing the angels to meddle with humanity unfettered, and Gabriel's attempt to keep the worms canned was a dismal failure. |
| 402 | [[/folder]] |
| 403 |
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