Storyteller's
Guide

NPCs are crafted to advance the story and are not constrained by XP costs. STs are empowered to create NPCs as needed using the following guidelines. NPCs must follow the same rules as PCs for their respective Factions, with exceptions noted below. They are exempt from paying Restricted Costs and may belong to Factions or Subfactions that are exclusive to STs. While the Monster rules are the primary method for creating unique NPCs in Darkwood Nights, if these are insufficient, STs may collaborate with the Rules Team to create unique non player characters using other sources. Unique NPCs always count as Legendary.

These characters are generally among the strongest of their faction and ST may only make a certain number per faction at any time. Certain options require a Character to be Legendary, as detailed below. A Legendary NPC is considered active as long as they have been played in the last year, and not retired. If they are retired thay may not be played for at least one year and do not count towards the Legendary NPC limit until or if they become active again.

• Humans: Limit 5, a titled noble, Bishop or higher member of the church, possessing an Artifact.

• Vampire: Limit 5, Any Generation 6 or lower, over 1000 years in age.

• Mage: Limit of 1 per tradition with all of the following, Foundation 4, 3 or more Pillars at 4, and Font 3

• Fae: Limit 4, maximum 1 per court, Having a Gold Oath or the capacity to craft Gold Oaths.

• Monster: Limit 5, Any trait that requires another faction to be legendary or possessing abilities from more then one faction.

• Demon: Limit 2, only for STs, the Demons players summon do not count for this limit, all Demons are legendary.

The Monster Faction is for creatures that fall outside the normal factions, fantastical things like Dragons, Ghosts, Goblins, or anything else that simply can’t fall into the normal factions. Monsters can have their faction changed to something unique for responses to Sense Faction at the Storytellers discretion to add flavor, such as, Goblin, Dragon, Chimera, Construct, ect. Monsters Character Sheets are fairly open ended so it is important to study them. Some will have the Instinctual Behavior Weakness. If a Monster NPC has this it will act instinctively following the actions below, with those on top taking precedence over those below:

• Stay Alive, 

• Find Food

• Fulfill purpose

• Hold territory through intimidation

• Hold territory through violence.

In the 900’s Werewolves, called Garou, are at their peak. Their enemies appear to have been mostly vanquished and they war among themselves. The War of Rage has left Europe theirs, the other breeds, called Fera, have fled Europe or been killed off with the exception of the Corax. This is why we only have Garou and Corax at our game. At this point in time the Tribes are fiercely territorial and war with each other for Cairns lands, honor, and pride more than any other enemy. The thought of a mixed tribe Sept hasn’t manifested and few Garou associate with many outside of their own Tribe. The Black Spiral Dancers are still mostly in the Isles and little known outside of them. At Darkwood Nights Garou and other shifting breeds are NPC only.

Attributes

Upon their Birth: The shifting breeds obtain their identity, powers, personalities, traits etc from their Breed, Auspice, and Tribe.
 

• • Breed: Garou are born into one of 3 Breeds; homid, metis or Lupis. What Breed a Character is impacts how it sees the world and how much value they find in humanity. 

    • • Homid are human-born and closest to human society. 

      • Metis, are the unfortunate children of two shifters and almost always treated as outcasts and cursed. They also will have some sort of physical deformity as a makeup requirement. 

      • Lupus are wolf-born and closest to the wild sides of the shifting breeds

  • Auspice: They are further classified by the moon position they were born under and has a huge impact on the Characters thought process and behavior.

    • • Ragabash - Tricksters that never approach a problem straight on.

      • Theurge - Mystics who focus on the spiritual and mystical aspects of the world.

      • Philodox -Judges who seek to find the truth in all situations and ensure that what is done is right and good under Gaia.

      • Galliard - Keepers of the stories and traditions, they seek to inspire and educate the Garou.

      • Ahroun - Warriors who value action over words and seek to slay the enemies of Gaia wherever they exist regardless of the cost.

  • Tribe: Denotes their heritage and each one has distinct characteristics and cultural backgrounds. In the 900’s Tribes are insular and the Garou fight amongst themselves for territory or honor more often than they war amongst anyone else. The local tribes are Bone Gnawers, Fenrir, Silver Fang and Red Talons, the others should be very rare to see at Darkwood Nights.

    • • Black Furies are fierce warrior women of the Mediterranean. 

      • Bone Gnawers are survivors and lurkers in human refuse. 

      • Children of Gaia serve as missionaries of peace among the Garou. 

      • Fenrir are the howling warriors of the frozen north. 

      • Fianna are bards and revelers of the British Isles. 

      • Red Talons are an all-Lupus tribe that distrusts and hates humanity. 

      • Shadow Lords are scheming and manipulative werewolves from Eastern Europe. 

      • Silent Striders are wandering werewolves cast out of their Egyptian homelands. 

      • Silver Fangs are the ruler tribe holding dominion over the Rus. 

      • Warders of Men are city-dwelling wolves who encourage the progress of humanity.

      • Fera: Additionally, the Corax are raven shifters who act as messengers, spies, and information brokers.

Rank denotes their power level and place within their society. There are 6 ranks; Cub, Cliath, Fostern, Adren, Athro and Elder.

Patron refers to the Spirit the Garou follows, usually their Tribe Totem but it can be any Spirit of Jaggling rank or higher.

Gnosis powers their abilities. Shifters use Gnosis to step sideways (into the Umbra) and to activate Gifts. This power source can never be raised above 10 and there are two ways shifters can regain Gnosis; meditation and by using Crays. 

Rage is integral to their nature and the starting level is based on Auspice, this also can never rise above 10. A Garou can spend 1 Rage to do one of the following: ; preventing incapacitation (Character gains 1 HP instead of dropping to 0), augmenting their strength by 1 for 1 attack, gaining Damage Resistance 1 for 10 minutes, shifting to Crinos, or entering a Rage Frenzy. There are also some gifts that require Rage to activate.

Regaining Rage is done in several ways (each instance regains 1 Rage point); the first time they are hit in combat, taking Aggravated Damage, situations that greatly shame or anger the character, and by spending 1 minute stoking their anger and building their rage which can be done a number of times per day equal to the Rage Pool. Entering Frenzy grants Rage up to the Rage Pool, but leaving Frenzy causes a character to lose all Rage Points regardless of how many they had.

Gifts are the powers of the Garou and other Shifting Breeds. The full list of powers can be found in the Comprehensive Rules Storyteller Section. 

Abilities

Common for All: All Shifters have Damage Reduction (DR) 2 and Soak Aggravated (Agg) 2. 

Shifting: All Werewolves can shift forms, allowing them to switch to their Homid form for free or spend 1 Rage to enter Crinos form.

• Homid: While in Homid (human) form a Homid Born Werewolf does not take aggravated damage from Silver. All Werewolves may spend 1 minute in focused meditation to heal 1 Hit Point.

• Crinos: Entering this form costs 1 Rage. Then, after a number of minutes equal to their Rage Pool, they automatically enter a Rage Frenzy if still in Crinos form. When this frenzy ends the character shifts back to Homid form. Metis are immune to this limitation and can remain in Crinos form as long as they wish.

• Lupus, Hispo, Gabro: Because Darkwood Nights is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) game these forms are not represented at game. 

Regeneration: When a Shifter is incapacitated, they do not enter the Dying state. Instead, they revert to Homid form if they are of the Homid or Lupus Breed, or to Crinos form if they are Metis. If, after 1 minute, they have not taken their entire Health Pool in aggravated damage, they heal 1 Hit Point. Damage dealt to an incapacitated Shifter is considered aggravated.

Weaknesses

Silver: Silver material type deals Aggravated Damage to Shifters.

The Curse: All Shifters have a Disturbing Presence.

Rage and Frenzy: When a Shifter gains a Rage point from experiencing shame or anger, and this would put their Rage Points higher than their Rage Pool, they will immediately enter a Rage Frenzy unless they spend a Willpower Point. 

• Adren Rank:  enter a Rage Frenzy if they do not have any Willpower Points.

• Elder Rank: They no longer risk entering a Rage Frenzy from gaining Rage. 

• Regardless of whether the Shifter enters a Rage Frenzy, any Rage Points in excess of their Rage Pool are lost. 

• Whenever a Shifter enters a Rage Frenzy, they must shift to Crinos form.

Spirits make up the unseen denizens of the World of Darkness. Whether the Primal spirits of nature, the heady conceptual spirits of the Astral, or the storied Ancestor Spirits that watch over the people that spawned them Spirits are enigmatic, alien, and exist entirely within their Purviews, the things or concepts the spirit is created from. Their alien nature is further reinforced by their Ban, which impose specific behaviors or vulnerabilities and are unique to each Spirit.

Attributes

Type of Spirit: The classification of spirits into different types dictates their origins, attributes, and narrative roles within the supernatural world.

• Primal spirits represent the essence of nature and the natural world. They are abundant in the Near Umbra, embodying elemental forces like forests, rivers, and mountains. Primal spirits often interact closely with the physical realm, influencing natural phenomena and ecosystems.

• Elemental spirits are manifestations of fundamental elements such as earth, air, fire, water, and beyond. Occupying both the Near Umbra and occasionally the physical world, they embody the raw power and characteristics of their respective elements. Elemental spirits may appear as tempests, flames, or solid earth, reflecting their essence.

• Ghost spirits are echoes of deceased individuals, varying from residual memories to fully conscious entities resembling their living selves. Found in the physical world, the Deadlands, and sometimes the Near Umbra, ghosts retain connections to places, people, or unresolved emotions from their former lives.

• Ancestors transcend typical ghosts, embodying the collective wisdom and lineage of a group or culture. Residing in the Deadlands and deeper Umbra realms, they serve as spiritual guides, protectors, or conduits of ancestral knowledge and traditions.

• Astral spirits exist beyond conventional physical form, representing concepts, abstract beings, or entities of pure thought and magic. They are found outside normal existence and can manifest through rituals, belief, or specific summoning techniques, embodying ideas, gods, and cosmic forces.

• Celestial spirits are linked to celestial bodies and phenomena, ranging from minor spirits to powerful Incarnae. Examples include lunar spirits (Lunes) and other manifestations of planetary or cosmic energies, often influencing astrology, rituals, and cosmic events.

• Abyssal spirits hail from the Abyss, distinct from demons but similarly residing in this dark and obscure realm. They rarely venture into the physical world, embodying alien and unsettling aspects of the Abyss and its mysteries.

Rank: In the spirit world delineates the hierarchical status and capabilities of spirits, dictating their maximum potential in various attributes and their essence. Spirits are categorized into five distinct ranks, each indicative of their complexity, power, and role within the supernatural hierarchy.

• Lesser Gaffling: These are the most basic spirits, akin to simple animals in their drive and understanding. Typically possessing a single purview that defines their singular purpose, Lesser Gafflings have limited intellectual capacity.

• Greater Gaffling: Slightly more sophisticated than their Lesser counterparts, Greater Gafflings exhibit a broader understanding related to their purviews. They can grasp concepts tangentially linked to their primary purpose but remain focused on fulfilling specific tasks.

• Lesser Jaggling: Higher-ranking servants of the Incarnae, Lesser Jagglings possess a more nuanced comprehension of their purviews. They can grasp concepts unrelated to their primary drives and often have multiple purviews, allowing them to fulfill complex roles.

• Greater Jaggling: Among the most complex spirits short of Incarnae, Greater Jagglings exhibit intricate cognitive abilities and often possess conflicting purviews. They wield substantial power and influence within the spirit world, embodying multifaceted roles.

• Incarnae: Serving the Celestines, Incarnae are profound, potent, and enigmatic Spirits, reigning as sovereigns within the Spirit World, each possessing distinct goals and perspectives. They embody complexity beyond mortal comprehension, each being unique and nearly impervious to true annihilation. When encountered by players, Incarnae are represented through avatars, offering glimpses into their immense spiritual essence rather than their entirety.

Purview: The concept of Purview for spirits is crucial as it defines their fundamental nature and focus within the supernatural world. For Gafflings, Purview encompasses their entire existence, dictating their actions and thoughts completely. Players embodying Gaffling spirits should emphasize this singular focus, portraying the spirit’s essence through their roleplay and interactions.

In contrast, higher rank spirits exhibit more complexity in their Purviews. While Purviews still influence their behaviors and thoughts significantly, these spirits possess greater autonomy and can act more independently of their defined focus. This flexibility allows them to engage with a broader range of concepts and motivations, adding depth to their characterization.

Faction / Subfaction Spirits: When spirits are aligned with Faction or Subfaction Purviews such as Auspice, Breed, Tribe, Tradition, Pillar, Clan, or Discipline, they become integral to the lore and thematic elements of those groups. Aligning with these affiliations allows spirits to inherit Faction Abilities instead of conventional Gifts, integrating them more deeply into the organizational dynamics and conflicts of their respective groups

Moreover, spirits aligned with Faction or Subfaction Purviews may also adopt the associated Weaknesses as Bans, further linking their powers and vulnerabilities to the narrative and rules of their chosen faction. This alignment ensures that spirits contribute meaningfully to the faction's identity and thematic coherence.

Powers and Gifts: Spirits are capable of manifesting abilities drawn from a Faction's power trees as Gifts, ensuring that their supernatural capabilities remain aligned with their Purview and thematic essence. Additionally, spirits can be imbued with Disciplines, Foundation, or Pillars, enhancing their abilities but at the cost of sacrificing Gift Dots. Spirits with these additional traits may also possess Rotes or Devotions, unique forms of magical practices or techniques that replace traditional Gifts and can be taught to other characters, further enriching their role within the supernatural ecosystem.

Immaterial Form: Incapacitated spirits possess the ability known as Immaterial Form, a unique state they enter when their Essence Pool is depleted to zero. While in this state, an Incapacitated Spirit is not in danger of dying, and any damage dealt to it during this time is effectively negated. Instead of succumbing to permanent damage or destruction, an Incapacitated Spirit must remain within the game as its "corpse" until specific conditions are met.

One option for an Incapacitated Spirit is to be utilized in the creation of magical items. This process allows the spirit to contribute its essence and spiritual energy towards the crafting of potent artifacts or enchanted objects, utilizing its innate supernatural essence in a productive manner despite its current state.

Alternatively, an Incapacitated Spirit can choose to disperse if left undisturbed for a period of one minute (when no other players are actively interacting with it), or automatically after ten minutes. At this point, the player of the Spirit would signal their departure from the active game environment by wearing an Out-of-Game (OOG) headband and notifying the Storyteller (ST). Once dispersed, the Spirit cannot be played again for the remainder of that particular game session. However, it retains the potential to return in future games.

Bans impose specific requirements or vulnerabilities upon spirits, directly influencing their behavior and capabilities in gameplay. Each spirit is typically bound by one Ban per rank, with higher-ranking spirits often subjected to more complex or demanding Bans that align with their type and purpose within the narrative.

For instance, a lesser gaffling wind spirit might be compelled to never stand still, constantly in motion as part of its essence and nature. In contrast, a prey spirit of the same rank could be bound by a Ban that forces it to flee whenever it perceives danger, prioritizing escape over confrontation.

Examples of Bans include:

• Speaking the Spirit’s name backwards compels it to obey the speaker's commands.

• The Spirit must flee if chased, prioritizing escape rather than engaging in combat.

• The Spirit can only utilize its powers while in shadow or darkness, limiting its effectiveness in well-lit environments.

• A Ban where the Spirit is incapable of speaking a lie, ensuring its words are always truthful in interactions.

These Bans not only add depth to the spirit's character and role-playing opportunities but also introduce strategic challenges and narrative hooks that players can engage with during gameplay, enhancing the overall storytelling and immersive experience within the game world.

Abilities

Rage for spirits serves as a vital attribute that fuels their abilities and actions. Spirits can spend Rage in the same manner as Werewolves..

Regaining Spirits Regain Rage in the same ways as Werewolves.

Gnosis is another essential resource for spirits, enabling them to activate their innate powers and abilities. Spirits regenerate Gnosis by fulfilling tasks aligned with their Purviews, gaining 1 Gnosis point each time they do so. Spirits also have the capability to draw Gnosis from a Cray, akin to how Mages utilize Quintessence, providing them with a versatile means to manage and replenish their spiritual energy.

Essence replaces the Spirit’s Health Pool and possesses a unique function in enabling the activation of spirit powers. Spirits have the option to expend Essence instead of Gnosis to initiate their innate abilities and supernatural talents.

Sprites are proto Firstborn, beings born of the magic of the Mists but have yet to come into full power. They are the feral, Gaffling equivalent, beings of the Fae. They act as servants, spies, and guards if civilized or are the wild Fae creatures of the world if not bound to any true Fae. Many Fae treat Sprites as little better than animals or livestock, giving them no more heed than a human might a cow or a dog.

Attributes:  Sprites are built similarly to Spirits except they replace their Health Pool with Essence and the Spirit specific Attributes with Fae ones. They keep Immaterial Form and modify the rest of the spirit rules in the following ways:

Mien Traits: Instead of Purviews each Sprite has one Mien Trait. They may possess up to the first three dots of powers from that Mien Trait.

Ban: Instead of a Ban, Sprites have one Echo.

Sensory Response: When sensory powers are used on a Sprite: 

• Respond with “Sprite” to the Sense Faction power.

• Respond with “Sprite” to the Sense Spirit power instead of indicating their Rank.

• Respond to the Sense Ban power with one of their Echoes.
  
  

Abilities

Oaths: Sprites gain the Fae ability Oaths, but can only make Iron Oaths.

Mists/Weaving: Sprites replace Rage with Mists and Gnosis with Weaving. Their Essence is calculated as the sum of Mists, Weaving, and Willpower. Both Mists and Weaving are limited to a maximum of 5.

Powers: Sprites replace Gifts with Fae Traits and/or Dominions. All Sprites have Kenning 1 and may be given up to Kenning 4.

These modifications make Sprites unique within the realm of Fae Spirits, highlighting their distinct abilities and interactions within the game.

These are extremely complicated Characters that should only be given to experienced players. The rules below provide a summary of the Demon rules and how they function, however a Player will need to review the Demon rules in the Comprehensive Rules and have an advanced understanding of Darkwood Nights Mechanics in order to play one. To play a Demon a Player will be playing two full characters with their own motivations and rules, the Vessel and the Demon. The Demon is a more complicated character than other types BEFORE you add the Vessel and the Vessel can include all of the regular Faction rules for any Faction outside of Fae. This will require the Player to simultaneously keep track of multiple energy types, Abilities, Powers, character motivations and states. A Demon should never be used as a throw away character or Crunchy. Even Legionnaires are powerful adversaries that shaped the creation of the world and are here for one thing, to escape Hell. They should only be played by advanced players and Storytellers.

A Demon is a creature twisted by the Rage of Millenia trapped in the Abyss. Forced to inspire or trick worship from the very creatures that God saw fit to bless above them, from the very beings they hate almost as much as their creator. They do so for one reason: Anything, even this shameful existence, is better than Hell and they will do anything, ANYTHING, to spend even 1 more second outside their prison. This combination of rage, hate, shame and dependence makes Demons chaotic, self destructive, and desperate, a dangerous combination for anyone caught in their wake.

Attributes

Ranks: Demons, like the Spirits, have ranks. They are: Legionnaire, Centurion, Lord, Baron, Count, Duke, and Archduke. Lucifer stands above and outside of this Rank structure and is something altogether different than a Demon. The Archdukes were Lucifer’s lieutenants during the war of Heaven and there are 5; Asmodeus, Abaddon, Dagon, Belial, and Azreal. Even a Legionnaire is an opponent that can overpower and enthrall nations and should not be taken lightly. A Demon’s rank determines its authority among its own kind, with lower rank demons bowing to their betters as if under the effect of the Vampire’s Blood Oath. In fact, like Vampires, Demons can consume each other to gain more power. This act of consumption is one of the few ways to actually destroy the damned.

Like Spirits Demons themselves have no physical forms and their Statistics reflect this. Their Willpower Pool is treated as their Health Pool and is equal to up to 10+10 per rank of the demon. They possess Rage, a trait gained by their eons trapped in the abyss, and may have a Rage Pool of between 10 and 20. They may use Rage for all the same effects a Spirit can, and can use their Rage to empower their Vessels as if they were the Demon itself. 

As spiritual beings they have Gnosis, rated between 5 and 15, and in addition to using it to activate Powers may also use their Gnosis to grant other Characters a Demonic Trait to another Character, which they may use so long as they have the Corrupted State. To use any Power or Ability granted by a Demonic Trait the Character must, once per day, first spend 1 minute giving praise to the Demon who bestowed it upon them. A Human who is given a Demon Trait that doesn’t already have an Energy Pool gains 5 Gnosis Pool for as long as they have the trait. Demons may also use their Gnosis to grant a Character power. To do this they reduce their Gnosis Pool by 5 and then bestow any dot rating of an Attribute that the Target Character could learn. The Target Character adds this to their sheet without needing to spend XP, however the Attribute goes dormant if they do not have the Corrupted Character State.

Traits: Demon powers come from their Traits. All Demons possess the following Traits: Visions of Creation, Eyes of the Void, Serpent’s Tongue, Form of Spirit, and Command of Sin. These alone grant the Demon 20 powers as a base level (See below for powers granted by Demon Traits). 

In addition to these each Demon must have 1 additional trait associated with one of the 7 Deadly Sins, Pride, Greed, Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, or Sloth. These determine the Demon’s type. Additionally a demon may have 1 additional Demon Trait per Rank from the following list: Scales of Hell, Talons of the Damned, Form of Rage, Voice of the Mighty, Body of the Void, or Fires of Creation.

Vessels: Demons cannot exist long in our world unless they are given havens to exist. Unknown to most demon summoners, the circle they use to call a demon into the world is not a prison and any summoned demon may exit the circle at will. However, once they do, the gravity of Hell pulls on them, dragging them back to their prison. This results in few choosing to leave the circle that gives them a respite from hell. The other method commonly used to combat the Gravity of Hell is possession. Demons can link their incorporeal forms to objects, called Reliquaries, or to living beings. Both of these are called Vessels and a Demon may have 1 Vessel per Rank it possesses.

Abilities

Possessed States describe how a Demon interacts with, and controls, their Vessels. 

• The first is Slumber, where the Demon is not consciously focusing on the Vessel or purposely has gone to sleep within it. The Demon has no influence on the Vessel at this state, who answers “No” to the Sense Corruption power and the Demon must spend at least 10 minutes in this state once entered, regardless of how. 

• The next state is Inhabited. This is the default state of a Vessel. The Demon is aware of everything that happens to the Vessel but the Vessel maintains control over themselves and their actions. The Demon may use sensory powers it possesses and the Vessel is unaware of the information gained. The demon may speak mentally with the Vessel and may choose to move to the Possessed State at any time. 

• The third state is Possessed, this is where the Demon takes control of the Vessel and the Demon must spend 1 Willpower to move to this state. Only a Demon possessing a living vessel can move to the Possessed State. The Demon chooses what the Vessel remembers during this time and can use any powers it, or its Vessel, possesses. A Demon may exist in the Possessed State a number of hours equal to its Rank per game, any additional time costs the Vessel 1 Health Pool per additional hour Possessed. This cannot be regained by any means.

• The final, and most terrifying state, is Corporeal. The Demon manifests itself physically and brings its full power to bear on the world. This State is its last defense and requires the Demon to spend 5 Gnosis and 5 Rage as well as put on a Demon Mask. A summoned Demon naturally exists in this state and a Demon automatically enters this state if its final Vessel is destroyed or killed, or when it is being Banished (see below). The Demon’s Willpower Pool acts as its Health Pool and it is Immune to Status and Weapon attacks that do not have the Agg or an Elemental Type. They also gain Augment 5, Damage Resist 5, and Soak Agg 5. A Demon can spend a number of minutes equal to its Rank in Corporeal form, any additional time costs the Demon 1 Willpower Pool. A Corporeal Demon may choose to enter the Slumber State in any Vessel on its sheet. If it does so and is inhabiting a living Vessel the Vessel moves to the Dead State. Alternatively a Corporeal Demon may choose to fall to Hell at any time. If a Corporeal Demon is reduced to 0 Willpower it is destroyed and can’t be played again (it isn’t actually destroyed, but the damage done to it will take so long that it will not be able to come back into the world within the duration of our game). 

Praise and Worship: Demons feed and can maintain their grip on our world through worship. Their main goal is to create cults that will allow them to steal the praise meant for God so they can feed themselves upon it. To give praise to a Demon the mortal must know one of its names (see Names Have Power below). It matters not why the praise is given, a mortal terrified into worshiping a demon provides the same benefits as one doing so out of awe. 

The Demon gains Gnosis every time someone offers it praise, regardless of where that person is in relation to the Demon, however a Demon can only receive the benefit of such praise once per hour per Character. The name used determines how much Energy the worship provides and the Demon may choose which Pool, Willpower, Gnosis, or Rage, is refilled with each instance of worship.

Summoning and Banishing: A Demon may be summoned by a Character in a number of ways. The first, and most straightforward, is the Summon Demon power. In addition to this power certain items or rituals may be put in game that provides instructions for how to summon Demons, or a specific Demon. Once summoned the Demon enters game in the circle that was prepared for it in the Corporeal State. As long as it remains in the circle no tie counts as passing for the Demon.

Banishing is the method used for removing Vessels from a Demon’s Character Sheet. This can be done through the Banish Demon Power, through their Weakness Names Have Power, or through another source acquired in game. If the Demon loses its last Willpower Point to an effect that Banishes it then it must remove that Vessel from its Character Sheet.

Weaknesses: 

Demons have 2 Weaknesses, the Gravity of Hell and Names Have Power. These two weaknesses combined form the basis of exorcisms and how mortals can combat the damned. If a Demon loses all of its Vessels it immediately goes OOG and cannot be played again unless it is summoned.

Gravity of Hell: Hell always pulls at a Demon, they were banished to the Abyss by the Word of God and overcoming the dictates of the creator is no easy feat.

Demons have 3 Names. To use a Demons name it must be pronounced correctly, with the right emphasis and accents. This makes finding a Demon’s name in written form incredibly dangerous, for if said wrong it will have no effect. Some variation here to err on side of PC enjoyment is allowed.

• Common: The first, and least, of a Demon’s names is its Common Name. This what people know a Demon by, such as Azreal, Harkonon, or Legion. This name holds no power over a demon but may be used to give it praise.

• Celestial: Its second name is its Celestial Name. This is the Demon’s name among its own kind and using it draws the Demon’s attention. When this name is spoken the Demon must focus on the Character and if called as a Challenge in Combat the Demon treats it as if the Taunt power were used on them. If a Demon is in the Inhabited State calling its Celestial name will move it to the Possessed State. Often a Celestial Name is enough to Summon a Demon, but doing so with this name requires much sacrifice and skill. These are often esoteric and difficult to pronounce such as, Azarkariel et Nizanigh, Uralak-kar-harkoniogh, or est nagga et ul noir dis endintia.

• True: Its final name is the one given to it at its creation, its True Name. A Demon guards its True Name jealousy, but while it is its greatest weakness it is also its greatest strength. Using a True Name while summoning a Demon is the most sure way of summoning one and so Demons sometimes trust their most devout with knowledge of this name so they can bring them back to the world. However knowing the True Name of a Demon can give one control over it. By stating its True Name and a command a Mortal may use Irresistible False Will on the Demon. 

A Demon’s True Name may also be used to Banish it. Up to 4 people may attempt to Banish a Demon at once with its True Name, they must command the Demon, by its True Name, to leave the Vessel. This is extremely dangerous however, as the Demon immediately moves to the Possessed or Corporeal State and enters a Rage Frenzy targeting the Characters attempting to Banish it. This Frenzy cannot be ended by any power so long as the Banishment continues. 

For each time the Demon’s name is invoked and commanded to leave it loses 1 Willpower point. A Demon’s True Name can be incredibly difficult to pronounce and not adhere to the rules of human speech. 

Examples of such names could be Ikthlrlmolitcqty, Wssit-ur-talevek, or Itrlmaeyiark ln ksngrl.