Homebrew Demon Merits

[Deionscribe]

Placeholders for now. I'll fill in the details and edit when I have more time.

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Tattletale •• (change name? Snitch, maybe?)
Prerequisites: Demon, having a Cover
Effects: The God-Machine has some way to detect when a human witnesses Demonic activity or irregular circumstances (such as the holes in a Demon's Cover). You've figured out how to spoof the same signal. When in Cover as a mortal, you may opt to turn on or off this automatic "notification" and count as a mortal for the purposes of provoking and exacerbating Compromise checks in your presence.
Drawback: There is a reason for the childhood rhyme "snitches get stitches". Getting caught doing this is a fabulous way to ruin your goodwill with your fellow Unchained.

[Creator's Notes: This offers up a particularly subtle and dirty way to interfere with other Unchained. If the ST wants, they may even extend the effects to other "viewed by a mortal" supernatural consequences, such as the unraveling effects of Dissonance on a Mage's spells, or the difficulty Ghosts have in Manifesting.]

Snitch sounds more apt for me.

[lladas]

Placeholders for now. I'll fill in the details and edit when I have more time.

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Tattletale •• (change name? Snitch, maybe?)
Prerequisites: Demon, having a Cover
Effects: The God-Machine has some way to detect when a human witnesses Demonic activity or irregular circumstances (such as the holes in a Demon's Cover). You've figured out how to spoof the same signal. When in Cover as a mortal, you may opt to turn on or off this automatic "notification" and count as a mortal for the purposes of provoking and exacerbating Compromise checks in your presence.
Drawback: There is a reason for the childhood rhyme "snitches get stitches". Getting caught doing this is a fabulous way to ruin your goodwill with your fellow Unchained.
[Creator's Notes: This offers up a particularly subtle and dirty way to interfere with other Unchained. If the ST wants, they may even extend the effects to other "viewed by a mortal" supernatural consequences, such as the unraveling effects of Dissonance on a Mage's spells, or the difficulty Ghosts have in Manifesting.]

Pretender ••••
Prerequisite: Demon, having a Cover
Effects: You have figured out how to distance yourself from your Cover a bit, letting "it" suffer the effects of a Condition or Tilt. Whenever you would be affected by a Condition or Tilt from a source that does not know you are anything other than a common mortal, and that only affects mortals or has increase effectiveness against mortals, you may pretend to be affected by the Condition/Tilt. At any time, you may "break cover", removing such Conditions/Tilts immediately at the cost of a Compromise roll penalized by the number of Conditions/Tilts removed in this way.
Drawback: Whenever you cancel Conditions or Tilts your cover was suffering, you get the Cover Disassociation Condition with a number of ticks on it equal to the Conditions and/or Tilts canceled, tied to the Cover that was used.

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Condition:

Cover Disassociation
You feel a disconnect between you and your Cover. You suffer a -2 penalty to Social rolls while in that Cover due to emotional distance, and a -1 penalty to Mental rolls due to distraction.
Possible Sources: Using Pretender to ignore Conditions or Tilts, some Compromise rolls. This Condition is attached with 1 or more ticks. Each day, lower the number of ticks by 1.
Beat: N/A
Resolution: Reach 0 ticks on this Condition.

I definitely think snitch is a better choice. Have you ever thought about tying these merits to doffer end agendas? Snitch seems perfect for integrators and pretender would be great for tempters. I only suggest that because I've personally mulled over increasing the mechanical differences between agendas.

[Vent0]

I definitely think snitch is a better choice. Have you ever thought about tying these merits to doffer end agendas? Snitch seems perfect for integrators and pretender would be great for tempters. I only suggest that because I've personally mulled over increasing the mechanical differences between agendas.

Update: Changed the name, and some of the text.

While it seems a bit more fitting for Integrators, all Demons should be able to be hypocritical assholes, I feel. Nice, subtle F'ing with your rivals, as they keep glancing over their shoulder looking for spies and witnesses. Might even help maintain your Cover if any Angels are trailing said Demons.

[Vent0]

And now some stuff for Sympathetic Stigmatics and Demons:

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Inherent Connection ••
Prerequisite: Sympathetic Stigmatic or Sympathetic Demon
Effect: The connection with your sympathetic other half is so strong, you can communicate in snippets of images and emotions. You can make a Wits or Intelligence (whichever is higher) + Expression roll as a Reflexive action, up to once per scene. Successes on this roll can convey individual pieces of information, such as descriptions, emotional states, and context between two subjects.
Note: This is a companion Merit to the Inherent Connection possessed by the other half of Sympathetic Stigmatic/Demon.

Summon Demon/Stigmatic •••
Prerequisites: Inherent Connection, Occult •••
Effect: The bond with your sympathetic other half enables you to summon them to you, regardless of distance or complication. Once per scene, either the Demon or the Stigmatic may make a Wits or Intelligence (whichever is higher) + Occult roll penalized by the number of those observing the other character. [Note: I need to add better modifiers, like for the general amount of attention being paid to the target, or the plausibility of escape/travel]

• Dramatic Failure: The connection backlashes, drawing to summoner to the summoned's location.
• Failure: One part fails to summon the other, and must wait until the next scene to attempt again.
• Success: The target is pulled into the presence of the other. They will usually appear in a conveniently unobserved space nearby, but if unavailable, may simply pop into existence out of thin air, provoking Integrity checks and Compromises, as warranted.
• Exceptional Success: The connection is completed so quickly and cleanly, no trace of the relocation remains. The summoned target cannot be traced from where they were, and to all appearances left the area via other means (somehow).

Note: If you already possess Sleeve Integrator, whenever you summon your Demon to you, you may opt to activate Sleeve Integrator at the same time. In this case, instead of appearing nearby, the Demon takes your identity as Cover seamlessly, as per Sleeve Integrator.

Second-Hand Skills ••
Prerequisite: Inherent Connection, Sympathetic Stigmatic
Effect: You can now "borrow" the skills of your Stigmatic. By spending a point of Aether, you can use one of their Skill ratings (if higher than you own) for one scene.

Borrow Legend ••
Prerequisite: Inherent Connection, Sympathetic Demon
Effect: You can now "borrow" the ability to fake skills from your Demon. By spending a point of Willpower and making a Presence + Subterfuge roll penalized by the desired Skill rating or Merit dots to be emulated, the Stigmatic can use Legend.

Shared Burden ••
Prerequisite: Sympathetic Stigmatic or Sympathetic Demon
Effect: The tie to your sympathetic other half allows you to transmigrate certain deleterious circumstances to the other. Once chapter, one of you can transfer a Condition or Tilt to the other (though the new subject must be a valid target for the Condition or Tilt - Stigmatic's can't be Burned after all, for example). Henceforth, the Condition or Tilt is treated as if the new target was the one to gain it.

Share Pain •••
Prerequisites: Shared Burden
Effect: Your bond now allows for individual wounds and general health to be transfered to your other half. Once per scene, you may make a Intelligence + Medicine roll, and can transfer up to successes in Bashing damage (or trading in two successes for one Lethal damage transfered). You can now also transfer Conditions or Tilts from Shared Burden up to once per day.

Bounce Signal ••••
Prerequisite: Sympathetic Stigmatic
Effect: You have figured out how to bounce the signal of your Aetheric Resonance off of your Sympathetic Stigmatic. Whenever you perform action that would trigger Aetheric detection, you can opt to have the source appear to be the Stigmatic.
Drawback: Having your Stigmatic appear to be the source of Aether is a good way to draw Demonic and Cryptid attention.

Suppress Signal •••••
Prerequisite: Sympathetic Demon, Demon with Bounce Signal
Effect: You can now fully contain your Demon's Aetheric signal inside yourself, preventing any leakage, for 1 full day by spending a point of Willpower. The Demon can exist in Demonic Form during this time without Compromise, and this effect suppresses the Burned Condition for its duration. Other Compromise checks due to Aetheric Resonance can be canceled by spending additional Willpower points.
Drawback: Whenever you are actively suppressing your Demon's Aetheric signal inside yourself, your Willpower is treat as one lower, and you have a -1 penalty to all skill rolls.

Sympathetic Synergy •••
Prerequisite: Sympathetic Stigmatic or Sympathetic Demon
Effect: When you are near your sympathetic other half, you intuitive understanding of each other bolsters your teamwork. Whenever you are the primary actor in a teamwork roll, your sympathetic other half adds +2 instead of the normal +1 to your roll. If you are the secondary actor to their primary roll, you may forgo adding dice and instead grant them 9-again (or 8-again, if they already have 9-again) on their roll.
[Creator's Notes: This is pretty much a more limited version of the 1ed Fairest Playmate Kith bonus.]

[Deionscribe]

And now some stuff for Sympathetic Stigmatics and Demons:

Once again, I am impressed by all the Merits you're posting here in this thread. And I eagerly await the rest. These look like the sort of Merits you could expect on a Stigmatic that the Demon might consider as a True Friend.

_{P.S: You planning on fixing the layout for them? Bold sections and all that?}

[Vent0]

_{P.S: You planning on fixing the layout for them? Bold sections and all that?}

Updated.

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Placeholders and notes for some other ideas.

Soul Crafter •••
Prerequisites: Soul Collector, the Hellhounds Exploit.
Effect: You can now use the Hellhounds Exploit upon a soul in your possession. First create a ghost of a Rank equal to half your Primum, round up, then apply the Cryptid template (with an Rank equal to the ghost's) as per the Hellhounds Exploit. The resultant creation must possess the Twilight Form Adaptation.
[Notes: Spec Aether Dependency as a Cryptid adaptation the Hellhounds get for free, since it is more of a penalty?]

Soul Burner •••
Prerequisites: Soul Collector
Effect: You can 'burn' souls for power, converting their essence into Aether that can be used to fuel your own powers. By sacrificing one dot of a given soul's Integrity, you can make a Resolve + Composure roll to harvest the Aether produced. Each success grants you a point of Aether.
Drawback: The amount of Aether discharged by this act can serve as a beacon to the God-Machine. Every time this Merit is invoked, you must make a compromise roll at a penalty equal to the successes in the harvest roll. Furthermore, you take the Demonic Disconnect Condition, and can only resolve it by failing a Social roll with a human being.

Aetheric Insulation •••
Prerequisites: Soul Collector
Effect: You can route Aetheric Resonance through a soul you own. Whenever you would trigger a Compromise roll through Demonic power (such as for Demonic Form transformations, Exploits, etc., but not for acting out of Cover, or being investigated), you may make the Compromise roll using the soul's Integrity instead. Upon failure, decrease the soul's Integrity instead.

[Notes: Add the effects of Soul Burner and Aetheric Insulation as Pact options? "Hey, I'll offer you power and riches, if you maybe let me use your soul/sanity as fuel from time to time. Don't worry, it's recoverable."]

Cannibalization •••••
Effect: Whenever you deal fatal damage to another Demon, or come upon the corpse of a deceased Unchained within a number of minutes equal to your Primum, you may take one of that Demon's Form powers for your own, adding it to your total. If you already have the maximum number of Form powers allowed, you can keep this extra one for 1 lunar month (at least long enough to make it into a Form Gadget), after which it degrades to nothing.
Drawback: Similar to the concept of cellular memory, you experience the residual emotions tied to the deceased's final moments. Upon acquiring the Form power, roll Resolve + Composure at a penalty equal to half the deceased's Primum (rounded up). On a failure, you gain the Demonic Rage Condition, which can only be resolved when he kills someone.
Note: If you are using Angelic Form Abilities (as detailed here), then this Merit also applies to those abilities, though a Demon can only steal the "Fallen" version of them from Angels.

[lladas]

Updated.

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Placeholders and notes for some other ideas.

Soul Crafter •••••?
Prerequisites: Soul Collector, the Hellhounds Exploit.
Effect: You can now use the Hellhounds Exploit upon a soul in your possession. First make a ghost of a Rank equal to half your Primum, round up, then apply the Cryptid template (with an Rank equal to the ghost base's). The resultant creation is a ghost-Cryptid loyal to you and dependent upon Aether.
[Spec Aether Dependency as a Cryptid adaptation the Hellhounds get for free, since it is more of a penalty?]

Soul Burner •••?
Prerequisites: Soul Collector
Effect: [Track a soul's Integrity here, or make a note of it in Soul Collector?] You can "burn" souls for Aether. Decrease the soul's Integrity by 1, and make an Aether Harvesting roll.

Aetheric Insulation •••?
Prerequisites: Soul Collector
Effect: You can route Aetheric Resonance through a soul you own. Whenever you would trigger a Compromise roll through Demonic power (such as for Demonic Form transformations, Exploits, etc., but not for acting out of Cover, or being investigated), you may make the Compromise roll using the soul's Integrity instead. Upon failure, decrease the soul's Integrity instead.
[Add the effects of these two merits as Pact options?]

Cannibalization •••••?
Effect: Whenever you deal fatal damage to another Demon, or reach a recently dead Unchained within your Primum turns, you may take one of that Demon's Form powers for your own, adding it to your total. If you already have the maximum number of Form powers allowed, you can keep this extra one for 1 lunar month (at least long enough to make it into a Form Gadget), after which it degrades to nothing.

Haha I don't even know how you keep on thinking these merits up. Please keep them coming. So great.

[Deionscribe]

Soul Crafter •••••?
Prerequisites: Soul Collector, the Hellhounds Exploit.
Effect: You can now use the Hellhounds Exploit upon a soul in your possession. First make a ghost of a Rank equal to half your Primum, round up, then apply the Cryptid template (with an Rank equal to the ghost base's). The resultant creation is a ghost-Cryptid loyal to you and dependent upon Aether.

[Spec Aether Dependency as a Cryptid adaptation the Hellhounds get for free, since it is more of a penalty?]

I'd make it a three-dot Merit. Could you elaborate, though, on the last point? I don't quite follow on Aether Dependency with regards to the Exploit.

Soul Burner •••?
Prerequisites: Soul Collector
Effect: [Track a soul's Integrity here, or make a note of it in Soul Collector?] You can "burn" souls for Aether. Decrease the soul's Integrity by 1, and make an Aether Harvesting roll.

Keep it at three dots. And perhaps rephrase the description as this...

-=-

Effect: You can 'burn' souls for power, converting their essence into Aether that can be used to fuel your own powers. By sacrificing one dot of a given soul's Integrity, you can make a Resolve + Composure roll to harvest the Aether produced. Each success grants you a point of Aether.

Drawback: The amount of Aether discharged by this act can serve as a beacon to the God-Machine. Every time this Merit is invoked, you must make a compromise roll at a penalty equal to the successes in the harvest roll. Furthermore, you take the Demonic Disconnect Condition, and can only resolve it by failing a Social roll with a human being.

Aetheric Insulation •••?
Prerequisites: Soul Collector
Effect: You can route Aetheric Resonance through a soul you own. Whenever you would trigger a Compromise roll through Demonic power (such as for Demonic Form transformations, Exploits, etc., but not for acting out of Cover, or being investigated), you may make the Compromise roll using the soul's Integrity instead. Upon failure, decrease the soul's Integrity instead.

[Add the effects of these two merits as Pact options?]

Three-dot Merit. And I'm not entirely sure I'd make it (and Soul Burner) as a Pact option. Either way, Aetheric Insulation works very well with Soul Burner if you choose to weave in my suggested drawback.

Cannibalization •••••?

Definitely a five-dot Merit, especially given the possible applications for it. Also, I have a few suggestions...

-=-

Effect: Whenever you deal fatal damage to another Demon, or come upon the corpse of a deceased Unchained within a number of minutes equal to your Primum, you may take one of that Demon's Form powers for your own, adding it to your total. If you already have the maximum number of Form powers allowed, you can keep this extra one for 1 lunar month (at least long enough to make it into a Form Gadget), after which it degrades to nothing.

Drawback: Similar to the concept of cellular memory, you experience the residual emotions tied to the deceased's final moments. Upon acquiring the Form power, roll Resolve + Composure at a penalty equal to half the deceased's Primum (rounded up). On a failure, you gain the Demonic Rage Condition, which can only be resolved when he kills someone.

-=-

Alternatively, I could consider prompting a Glitch roll, with a bonus equal to half the deceased's Primum (rounded up). And in the event that you already are at the maximum number of Form powers, maybe the extra Modification/Technology/Propulsion/Process lasts for a number of days/weeks equal to your Primum? This could reflect your Aetheric Soul having a weak connection due to being at full processing power, and it's only a matter of time before said connection 'burns out'.

_{And do make the descriptors bold with this batch, too}

[Vent0]

Haha I don't even know how you keep on thinking these merits up. Please keep them coming. So great.

Well, the Soul-based ones were:

"Huh, Raise Dead and Form Gadget burnout require Souls, but Demon's don't have any actual way to provide them."

<Thinks up Soul Collector>

"Well, those are niche situations. What else can a Demon get up to, once it has Souls? Aether supply for a rainy day? You know, non-Animal Hellhounds would be cool."

[Deionscribe]

What else can a Demon get up to, once it has Souls? Aether supply for a rainy day? You know, non-Animal Hellhounds would be cool."

This just made me think of the Larvae from Dungeons and Dragons, seeing as they are mortal souls that end up in the Abyss and eventually get twisted into demons.

[Vent0]

I'd make it a three-dot Merit. Could you elaborate, though, on the last point? I don't quite follow on Aether Dependency with regards to the Exploit.

Cryptids created with Hellhounds require 1 Aether a day per size, or they die. Frankly, I find that ridiculously high, and house rule otherwise, but there it is. I was thinking of writing up a Aether Dependency Adaptation/Quality, once I've settled on it's final form. Makes a quick short hand, and is useful for giving certain Cryptids urgency.

Drawback: The amount of Aether discharged by this act can serve as a beacon to the God-Machine. Every time this Merit is invoked, you must make a compromise roll at a penalty equal to the successes in the harvest roll. Furthermore, you take the Demonic Disconnect Condition, and can only resolve it by failing a Social roll with a human being.

This seems kinda excessive, after all the trouble the Demon already had to go to to get the Soul. Included anyways, though. Aether is supposed to be not easily acquired.

Three-dot Merit. And I'm not entirely sure I'd make it (and Soul Burner) as a Pact option. Either way, Aetheric Insulation works very well with Soul Burner if you choose to weave in my suggested drawback.

The idea was for other Faustian options for Pacts. Currently the cost to mortals is "social context" and "oblivion". Maybe "loyal cultist"? This might offer to story elements of someone knowing there is a Demonic sword hanging over their head, waiting for it to fall, yet still is short of the threat of total annihilation.

_{And do make the descriptors bold with this batch, too}

Done.

[Deionscribe]

This seems kinda excessive, after all the trouble the Demon already had to go to to get the Soul. Included anyways, though. Aether is supposed to be not easily acquired.

And admittedly, 'flaying' a soul for power isn't exactly subtle from a metaphysical standpoint. Plus, even if they aren't human, Demons relate to Humanity. And when one is essentially using a mortal soul as a 'living battery charger', it is bound to cause him to dissociate himself from the 'cattle'.

The idea was for other Faustian options for Pacts. Currently the cost to mortals is "social context" and "oblivion". Maybe "loyal cultist"? This might offer to story elements of someone knowing there is a Demonic sword hanging over their head, waiting for it to fall, yet still is short of the threat of total annihilation.

Kind of like the Pishogue Sanction of Changeling pledges. Except, in this case, it's "death by 1,000 cuts".

[Vent0]

Thoughts on this addition to the Summon Demon merit?

Note: If you already possess Sleeve Integrator, whenever you summon your Demon to you, you may opt to activate Sleeve Integrator at the same time. In this case, instead of appearing nearby, the Demon takes your identity as Cover seamlessly, as per Sleeve Integrator.

[Deionscribe]

Thoughts on this addition to the Summon Demon merit?

Note: If you already possess Sleeve Integrator, whenever you summon your Demon to you, you may opt to activate Sleeve Integrator at the same time. In this case, instead of appearing nearby, the Demon takes your identity as Cover seamlessly, as per Sleeve Integrator.

Yes
I definitely like this addition. It certainly puts an interesting twist to the term "out of body experience".

[Vent0]

Yes
I definitely like this addition. It certainly puts an interesting twist to the term "out of body experience".

Updated.

Yeah, it's great for the "You aren't talking to John anymore" scene where said Stigmatic is cornered, and then suddenly their Demon ally is there.

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Hmm. Anyone know if Unchained can offer Supernatural Merits as Benefits in a Pact?