Dark Communion uses the rules from GURPS Powers: Divine Favor as their base, and specifically uses the rules for "Evil Gods"
Prerequisites
Access to Dark Communion requires that the character be psionic (being latent is not enough! He must actually have acquired and trained powers, though how much training is necessary depends on the GM... and Dark Communion itself!). Characters who are genetically engineered to have psionic powers are generally not acceptable to Dark Communion (but players may take a perk, or the GM can even waive the restriction, as the rule is more in place to explain why you can't make legions of psionic warriors).Dark Communion does not require -10 points worth of religious disadvantages. However, if Communion and Dark Communion come up against one another in direct confrontation, the Miracles of Communion always defeat the miracles of Dark Communion.
Petition Rules
Petition generally follows the rules outlined in Divine Favors. You may not use Luck on your petition roll and you may not critically succeed or fail, but you may use Destiny, especially a Destiny related to Dark Communion, to ensure a successful petition!
Furthermore, characters can gain a bonus on their petition roll by gaining symbolic resonance with the Paths of Dark Communion. Any character with Dak Communion may evoke three symbols for a +1 to their Petition roll, while characters on a Path may evoke up to three symbols for a +1 for each symbol for the invocation of Path-related miracles only.
Reaction Rolls
Use the rules for Evil Gods here, but the Id wants the following: freedom from others, the submission of objects of desire, social status, and the satiation of passion. It is pleased when you push for your own power, and tends to lash out when you choose submission to authority or "the greater good" over your own wants or survival, or when you attempt to sacrifice yourself.When it comes to Bad or Very Bad reactions, ominous thunderclaps are perfectly appropriate! The sinister negative reactions in Divine Favor work well. Dark Communion is a primal and physical force, so it tends to react with lightning strikes, boils, etc.
Characters with Legendary Reputations associated with the Paths of Dark Communion may add their reaction bonus to this roll.
Black Magic or Assisting Spirits
Character who have gained a minimum of Dark Communion 4 may freely use Black Magic/Assisting Spirits (GURPS Thaumatology, page 90-94). Dark Communion itself counts as "the Contract" for the purposes of Assisting Spirits. Spiritual Distortion or the Black Mark penalize all use of any form of Communion other than Dark Communion (Petition rolls and Reaction rolls), and the use of any Psionic Power that doesn't spend at least one point of energy gained from Black Magic (even uses of Psionic Powers that cost no energy!). Finally, the maximum amount the hero may spend on a given use of psionic ability is the higher of his Will + Psi Sensitivy, or Will-Based Meditation + Psi Sensitivity.
Dark Communion may tempt characters without the Dark Communion trait. At any time, teh GM can offer the assisting spirit rules to a character (especially if his survival is threatened or he's in the throes of passion or anger). Thus, a character with Communion can gain access to bonus energy at the cost of Spiritual Distortion, but remember that as his Spiritual Distortion builds up, he'll have a harder and harder time connecting with Communion until his only remaining course is to drop Communion in favor of Dark Communion. Having the Dark Communion trait does mean that the character may always access the Assisting Spirits rules, without needing to wait for the GM to offer it.
Dark Communion may tempt characters without the Dark Communion trait. At any time, teh GM can offer the assisting spirit rules to a character (especially if his survival is threatened or he's in the throes of passion or anger). Thus, a character with Communion can gain access to bonus energy at the cost of Spiritual Distortion, but remember that as his Spiritual Distortion builds up, he'll have a harder and harder time connecting with Communion until his only remaining course is to drop Communion in favor of Dark Communion. Having the Dark Communion trait does mean that the character may always access the Assisting Spirits rules, without needing to wait for the GM to offer it.
Miracles and Learned Prayers
The rules for Communion Miracles and Learned prayers are identical to those in Divine Favor.
Minor Blessings
Minimum Reaction: NeutralDark Confidence
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 4.Learned Prayer Cost: 3 points.
As Confidence (Divine Favors page 8).
Psionic Focus
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 4.Learned Prayer Cost: 3 points.
Entering into a state of Dark Communion can greatly enhance one's own connection with his psionic gifts. This miracle grants +3 to any single Psionic talent, chosen when the prayer activates. These bonuses last for one hour, or long enough to make use of a bonus roll, which ever is longer.
Statistics: One single defined Psionic Talent 3 (Divine -10%) [14] + Rules Exclusion: May Exceed the +4 Talent Cap [1]. Note: you must choose which Psionic Talent this applies to when you either activate this miracle as a Specific Prayer, or when you purchase it as a learned prayer.
Primordial Expertise, Lesser
Learned Prerequisite: Dark Communion 4 and either Primordial Reputation 1 or Destined (To Follow Path X) 1.Learned Prayer Cost: 3.
Characters who follow the Path of an
Archetype may draw upon the inherent knowledge within that Archetype
to improve their own skills in a particular area. Gain +3 to the
skills from a single Archetype talent worth 5/level.
Statistics: Talent 3 (Divine, Path -25%) [12], Rule Exception (This talent may exceed +4) [1]
The Tao of Dark Communion
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 6.Learned Prayer Cost: 5 points.
The character may commune with the general, collected wisdom of all galactic sapients and thereafter just know how to accomplish something. Sometimes, he even retains a fragment of this knowledge! Once per day, after invoking this miracle, you may use any skill that you don't know at IQ or DX for one roll (or for a series of closely related tasks, at the GM's discretion). If he has any spare character points, he may spend one on this skill, learning it instantly, though for the first month he's at -2 and cannot spend any further points on it.
Statistics: Wild Talent (Divine -10%, Retention +25%) [23]
The Wisdom of Dark Communion
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 6.Learned Prayer Cost: 5 points.
As Divine Guidance (Divine Favors p10), but use the Philosophy skill instead of Theology.
Primordial Expertise, Greater
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 6 and either Primordial Reputation 1 or Destined (To Follow Path X) 1.Learned Prayer Cost: 5.
As with Primordial Expertise, but this allows them to access talents worth 10/level, if the Archetype has one.
Statistics: Talent 3 (Divine, Path -25%) [23], Rule Exception (This talent may exceed +4) [1]
Major Blessings
Minimum Reaction: GoodThe Tao of Hyperspace
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 7.Learned Prayer Cost: 6 points.
As Traveler's Blessing (Divine Favor
page 10).
Sense Dark Communion
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 7.Learned Prayer Cost: 6.
The character can connect with
Communion to get a better sense of the state of the local Communion
(whether it is particularly Ego- or Id-aspected, etc). Distance is
nearby (how far this goes is up to the GM, but within a city, or
within a relatively small region is acceptable). It also whether any
Communion Miracles are currently active in the area. The character
may meditate upon the state of the local Communion with a Meditation
roll to gain greater insights into what might be causing a
disturbance of the nature of on-going Communion miracles.
Desecrate Ground
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 9.Learned Prayer Cost: 10 points.
As Consecrate Ground (Divine Favor page 12). Use Meditation rather than Religion Ritual.
Sense Passion
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 9.Learned Prayer Cost: 10
When the psion has finished communion,
he is aware of the direction and intensity of the nearest passionate
individual. He may make a further Philosophy roll to gain greater
insight into the nature of that passion, what drives that particular
individual. This power resembles empathy, except it only covers the
selfish, primal emotions that tend to drive the id (fear, lust,
anger, ambition, etc), and it points the character in the direction
of that passion and deeper insight can reveal the source, and target,
of that passion. Range is not an obstacle.
Psychic Nova
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 9.Learned Prayer Cost: 10
Once per day, the Psion can draw upon
the power of Dark Communion. It floods him with power, allowing him
to achieve exceedingly impressive, though not impossible, feats.
This grants the Psion a one-time Psionic Energy reserve of 24, enough
to allow for Godlike Extra Effort up to 12 times the power of the
character's normal use of Extra-Effort... or whatever else the Psion
likes. However, after the power has been used up, or an hour passes
(whichever occurs first), the power is gone.
If this power is taken as a Learned
Prayer, the Energy Reserve regenerate at a pace of one point per hour
(thus, a full day to completely fill up again)
Miraculous Power
Minimum Reaction: Very GoodDesecrate Ground (Enhanced)
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 11.Learned Prayer Cost: 18 points.
As Consecrate Ground (Divine Favor page 14). Use Meditation rather than Religion Ritual.
Channel Archetype
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 12 and either Primordial Reputation 3 or Destined (To Follow Path X) 3.Learned Prayer Cost: 17 points.
Rather than simply draw on some of the
expertise, the character may attune themselves fully with their
archetype. This communion takes 1d6 seconds, even as a learned
prayer, and costs 1 fatigue. Once complete, the character gains
marks and features that betray the fact that she is channeling an
archetype, but also gains the ability to access any three skills
associated with the archetype's talents at IQ or DX +3, as well as +3
to any archetype skills she already knows. Finally, each archetype
has its own, often subtle, power that the character gains access to.
Dark Storm
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 12.Learned Prayer Cost: 22 points.
The psion must commune for an hour.
Upon completion, he may roll Meditation and, if successful, he
changes the weather for the worse. This allows him to summon up a
storm that applies a +1 to -1 to most rolls: Generally, the weather
is more likely to harm than to help, but negotiate the exact details
with your GM (for example, a sudden flash of lightning might grant a
+1 to an intimidation roll, for dramatic effect). The effect extends
out for a radius of half a mile. You may control the weather for up
to 15 minutes after you stop meditating, but each attempt requires
another Meditation roll, and any roll of 14 or higher (including the
activation roll) means the weather runs out of your control.
15 minutes after your control ends, the storm will slowly abate at
its own pace.
World-Shaking Miracles
Minimum Reaction: ExcellentEclipse
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 13.Learned Prayer Cost: 26 points.
See Divine Favor page 15
Desecrate World
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 14.Learned Prayer Cost: 30 points.
As Consecrate Ground (Divine Favor page 14), only with the area
increased to 4000+ miles (this area is the radius of a circle, thus
the full diameter twice this, and the Earth's diameter is less than
8000 miles). The character must first orbit the world to enact the
miracle. Use Meditation rather than Religion Ritual.
Earthquake
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 16.Learned Prayer Cost: 38 points.
See Pyramid #3-36, page 15
Primordial Avatar
Learned Prerequisite: Communion 16.Learned Prayer Cost: varies (13 base cost)
Characters with a profound connection to a primordial image can manifest as an incarnation of that primordial image. In that state, their own personality merges with the mythic imagery found in the heart of communion. This gives them enormous psychic power, but channeling that much energy burns them out. For the duration of the effect (which lasts at most an hour), they regenerate 1 fatigue per turn, gain +5 to resist death and unconsciousness, the effects of High Pain Threshold with an additional +5 to resist stunning, knockdown and torture,
Statistics: Alternate Form (Greater Avatar; Divine, Path -25%, Maximum Duration, 1 hour -10%, Reduced time 1d6 seconds +40%, Costs 2 HP -20%) [13] + Chosen Avatar Template
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.