Homebrew Demon Merits

[Vent0]

This could definitely work and would be thematically interesting. Would you still keep the drawback for the multiple points in the merit? Otherwise, there wouldn't really be a reason to not get the higher one.

I would. The higher version allows for the option of more power when necessary - even while it gives the Demon more rope with which to hang themselves.

[Deionscribe]

This could definitely work and would be thematically interesting. Would you still keep the drawback for the multiple points in the merit? Otherwise, there wouldn't really be a reason to not get the higher one.

I'd agree with Vent on his points.

If ever, though, I would probably at least retain the bit where the glitch roll gets a bonus equal to the extra Aether you can spend. Since that would still give a reason for Unchained to avoid abusing Overdrive in the event of a failed Resolve + Composure roll.

[lladas]

Sounds good. I'll probably use this soon enough.

Has anyone ever heard of a Bolthole aspect that works like Arsenal, but can be used for equipment?

[Deionscribe]

Sounds good. I'll probably use this soon enough.

Has anyone ever heard of a Bolthole aspect that works like Arsenal, but can be used for equipment?

By equipment, are you meaning armor and/or utility gadgets? You might want to clarify for me, there. But either way, I'd say there isn't an existing Bolthole aspect for that?

[lladas]

By equipment, are you meaning armor and/or utility gadgets? You might want to clarify for me, there. But either way, I'd say there isn't an existing Bolthole aspect for that?

Sorry about that. I meant along the lines of equipment like computers, cell phones, climbing gear, etc. Stuff that would add a bonus to a skill roll.

[Deionscribe]

Right. Then, no. There isn't any existing Aspect like that.

[Deionscribe]

Reposting this, again, with the recommended additions.

-=-

Overdrive (o to ooooo)
Prerequisites: Resolve 3 or Composure 3
Effect: You have learned to vent out more power than is normally possible within the limits of your Aetheric Soul. While this comes with certain dangers, it nonetheless grants you a trump card against many of the God-Machine's agents. For each dot in this Merit, you can spend one point of Aether in a turn above the maximum imposed by your Primum.

Drawback: Whenever you use Overdrive, you must roll Resolve + Composure at a penalty equal to the number of Aether spent beyond your normal limits. On a failure, you gain the Aetheric Bleed Condition, and must make a Glitch roll with a dice bonus equal to the excess Aether. On a dramatic failure, you take lethal damage equal to successes in the Glitch roll. Subsequent uses of Overdrive after the first within the same scene confer an additional -1 penalty (which maxes out at -5). After reaching -5, treat all failures in the Overdrive roll as dramatic failures.

[Deionscribe]

Another new Merit. One that will probably appeal very well to the Saboteurs. Additionally, I think this warrants a very apt flavor text.

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"If we burn, you burn with us!"

Outburst (ooo)
Effect: Maybe you've been through it more often than you care to admit. Or maybe your Primum burns more fiercely than it ever had before. But whenever you go loud, you can do so like an exploding sun. You can opt to unleash an explosion with a radius of 10 yards in place in place of rolling for a transient glitch if you choose to go loud. This explosion inflicts the Demon's temporary Primum - as well as any successes in a Primum roll (10) - as direct lethal damage on all targets within the blast radius.

Drawback: Such a show of destruction can cause the 'human' side of the Unchained to snap. After going loud, roll Resolve + Composure. On a success, he simply suffers the Demonic Rage Condition. On a failure, he also takes the Demonic Disconnect Condition, which persists even after he's reverted to human form for a number of scenes equal to his Primum.

[Deionscribe]

Advanced Self-Repair System 3 Dots
Perquisite: Terrible Form (Style) 2 Dots
The demons ability to heal between transformations is supported by a more advanced internal system. While transitioning into Full Transformation, the demon can spend aether to downgrade aggravated damage to lethal at a one-to-one cost. In Partial Transformation, the demon heals one extra box of health.

Also taking into consideration the suggestions I proposed to you, good sir.


Advanced Self Repair System (ooo or ooooo)
Perquisite: Terrible Form oo
Effect: The Demon's ability to heal between transformations is supported by a more advanced internal system. How efficient this system is depends on the Merit's dot rating.

For the three-dot version, while performing a Full Transformation, the Demon can spend Aether to downgrade aggravated damage to lethal at a one-to-one cost. In a Partial Transformation, the Demon heals bashing and lethal damage equal to half its Primum, rounded down (to minimum of 1).

For the five-dot version, while performing a Full Transformation, the Demon can heal one point of aggravated damage for every two dots of Primum. In a Partial Transformation, it can heal an amount of bashing and lethal damage equal to its Primum, and can apply the three-dot version of the Merit.

[Vent0]

Embed Affinity ••• (maybe ••••• ?)
Effect: The Demon gets a +1 bonus to rolls with Embeds in the category associated with their Incarnation.

Notes: Merit form of a house-rule I have to enforce those Incarnation Embed affinities. The +1 is effectively equivalent to a Specialization (and as such, only makes them 33% more efficient than their peers in that category). Sadly leaves Analysts out in the cold.

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And now some fun for Stigmatics...

Cohabitation •••
Prerequisite: Sleeve Integrator
Effect: When allowing a Demon to take your identity as a Cover, your mind remains "awake", allowing you to remain aware of events and communicate with the Demon (such as offering up critical information to maintain the charade).

Quantum Synthesis •••••
Prerequisite: Cohabitation
Effect: When serving as a Cover, you can let the Demon use your Attributes and/or Skills instead of theirs, if they are better.

Usurp Control •••••
Prerequisite: Cohabitation
Effect: While being used as a Cover, as a Reflexive action once per scene you can contest control by spending one Willpower point and making a Resolve + Composure roll penalized by the Demon's Resolve + Primum.

• Dramatic Failure: Not only do you fail in the attempt, you alert the Demon to your efforts and have your awareness turned "off" for the duration of the Integration. Few Unchained are likely to treat your identity very kindly after such an action.
• Failure: Your efforts to take control failed, and the Demon makes a Wits + Composure roll penalized by your Stealth [or Manipulation?] to notice the attempt.
• Success: You take control of your identity for the remainder of the merge using the Demon's abilities as if they were your own.
• Exceptional Success: Not only do you take control, you manage to black-out the Demon's awareness. You still may need to come up with a convincing lie regarding what happened.

Drawback: Any Stigmatic caught doing this is going to incur a very bad reputation amongst the Unchained.

Poison Pill ••••
Prerequisite: Sleeve Integrator
Effect: After the merger ends, you may transfer any Conditions and damage you were suffering before it to the Demon. Further more, the Demon cannot Go Loud while using your identity as a Cover.
Drawback: Doing this without previous agreement from the Unchained in question is a good way to have a powerful entity pissed off at you.

Hollow Vessel •
Prerequisite: Sleeve Integrator
Effect: You have a great void inside you that only seems to abate when you are connected to demonic Primum. This void is not only a psychological hunger, but can also draw in unwary Demons as well. You may touch one of the Unchained as an Instant action and spend a point of Willpower to force the Demon to take you as a Cover (as per Sleeve Integrator), even if the Demon can no longer maintain any more Covers.
Drawback: After 1 week without serving as a Cover, you gain the Addicted Condition keyed to being used as a Cover again.

Aether Syphon •••
Prerequisite: Cohabitation
Effect: You can a special Aether pool equal to your Stamina. Whenever you end a merge, in addition to selecting Embeds, you may also drain enough Aether from the Demon to fill up this Aether pool. You can spend the Aether on supercharging Embeds (see Heirs to Hell, page xx) or for other applicable purposes.

Exploit Capacitor ••••
Prerequisites: Cohabitation, Aether Syphon
Effect: After ending a merge, you can also store one Exploit that the Demon knows, provided that you also select one of its prerequisite Embeds. You can use this Exploit once (until another merger), as if you had Primum 1, and doing so always provokes a check against Integrity (with any penalties to a Compromise roll also penalizing this roll).
Drawback: Even holding this spark of demonic power is dangerous and debilitating. Roll to acquire a temporary Glitch, which lasts until the Embed is used.

[lladas]

Also taking into consideration the suggestions I proposed to you, good sir.


Advanced Self Repair System (ooo or ooooo)
Perquisite: Terrible Form oo
Effect: The Demon's ability to heal between transformations is supported by a more advanced internal system. How efficient this system is depends on the Merit's dot rating.

For the three-dot version, while performing a Full Transformation, the Demon can spend Aether to downgrade aggravated damage to lethal at a one-to-one cost. In a Partial Transformation, the Demon heals bashing and lethal damage equal to half its Primum, rounded down (to minimum of 1).

For the five-dot version, while performing a Full Transformation, the Demon can heal one point of aggravated damage for every two dots of Primum. In a Partial Transformation, it can heal an amount of bashing and lethal damage equal to its Primum, and can apply the three-dot version of the Merit.

Thank you very much. I completely forgot about that. I am definitely going to test that out with an NPC Unchained and see how hard it is to kill.

What do you think about this?

Equipment (o to ooooo)
Effect: Your bolthole stores a metaphysical collection of mundane equipment for you to use once per session. One item with a skill bonus equal to dots spent in equipment, two items with bonuses of Equipment-1, and an infinite amount of items at Equipment-2.

[lladas]

Embed Affinity ••• (maybe ••••• ?)
Effect: The Demon gets a +1 bonus to rolls with Embeds in the category associated with their Incarnation.

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Merit form of a house-rule I have to enforce those Incarnation Embed affinities. The +1 is effectively equivalent to a Specialization (and as such, only makes them 33% more efficient than their peers in that category). Sadly leaves Analysts out in the cold.

Have you thought about possibly allowing the Affinity to be with what ever type of Embed the Unchained want?

[Vent0]

(I'll delete or move this is desired - it is kind of off topic)

Now I'm getting an idea for a plot and related Template based off the end state of this chain of merits - a Demon-Eater. Basically, instead of merely usurping control, the Stigmatic (now human-Cryptid?) consumes the Unchained within, adding their Embeds, Aether, and Primum to a growing collection.

[Vent0]

Have you thought about possibly allowing the Affinity to be with what ever type of Embed the Unchained want?

You could, I guess. The point was really a mechanical representation of the Incarnation -> Embed category fluff.

Should I reposition the new Stigmatic merits I added to the post above, or did people notice them?

[lladas]

(I'll delete or move this is desired - it is kind of off topic)

Now I'm getting an idea for a plot and related Template based off the end state of this chain of merits - a Demon-Eater. Basically, instead of merely usurping control, the Stigmatic (now human-Cryptid?) consumes the Unchained within, adding their Embeds, Aether, and Primum to a growing collection.

I could definitely see this. The old Demon the Fallen fiction had a story that was pretty much this. Perhaps the powers consumed this way can only stay in the target for so long forcing the eater to continue to hunt to feed their addiction.