Let’s learn about the Superior: Beleth, Princess of Nightmares in the tabletop role-playing game In Nomine. In Nomine is a role-playing game designed by Derek Pearcy and published in 1997 by @Steve Jackson Games. You can learn more on the official website here: http://www.sjgames.com/innomine/ or the Wikipedia page here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Nomine_(role-playing_game). You can buy In Nomine products here: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/12199/Steve-Jackson-Games/subcategory/28908_30775/In-Nomine?affiliate_id=50797
Time Stamps:
- 0:00 Intro
- 0:26 About the Superior
- 1:50 Dissonance
- 2:17 Band Attunements
- 3:37 Servitor Attunements
- 4:11 Distinctions
- 4:51 Relations
- 5:07 Basic Rites
- 5:21 Chance of Invocation
- 6:05 Outro
About In Nomine
Written by Derek Pearcy + Illustrated by Dan Smith
Edited by Jeff Koke, Steve Jackson, and Susan Pinsonneault
Cover art by John Zeleznik (first printing) and Christopher Shy (second printing)
In Nomine is a modern roleplaying game in which the players take the part of celestial beings – angels and demons – as they struggle for control of humanity and themselves. The celestials, powerful though they may be, are merely pawns in a much larger game being played by their Superiors, the Archangels and Demon Princes. Based on the best-selling French RPG by the wonderfully diabolical Croc!
In Nomine won the Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1997.
Transcript
Cold Open
It is hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head.
Intro
Welcome to Eviliv3, the live media commentary show that answers the question, Is Freddy Kreugar in the Marches? Subscribe if you’re new to the channel, because today we are continuing our In Nomine series with this episode, Superiors: Beleth, Princess of Nightmares.
Discussion
About
Her dark and twisted tower cast its shadow over the glittering dreamscapes before history was ever penned. She was bringing terror to mankind before mankind even knew what to call itself. Beleth was one of the first celestials created. The angel of Fear is now a Djinn after siding with Lucifer against the wishes of her lover, the Archangel Blandine. The war in the Marches between Demons and Angels was the first after the Fall. Beleth believes that killing your enemy is too simple a resolution, and those who do so are too soft. It’s well known that she spies for Lucifer, so many demons and Princes rarely if ever sleep so as to avoid her dreamland. Beleth has no allies.
Beleth granted safety to the old gods in her realm, and while the Archangels were slaughtering many of them, some accepted her offer. There is a constant battle between Blandine and Beleth in the Marches over the mortals and spirits that dwell within or visit the Marches nightly. Beleth and her servants have worked incredibly hard to promote fear and mistrust in mortals and celestial alike. This masks their own insecurities, though they would never admit it. Beleth’s servants become the most terrifying things in life. Even Malakim, the angels of War, exchange nervous glances when discussing them.
Dissonance
Beleth’s demons are the classic demons from Hell. They must work behind the scenes, preferably in the minds of their targets. Thus Beleth’s demons gain dissonance by taking their celestial forms on earth. Work behind the scenes to corrupt and spread paranoia. What you don’t see is always more terrifying than what you do. Unlike Blandine’s servants, they can use Celestial Songs.
Band Attunements
Beleth is generous with her Attunements, so long as you stay on her good side. Balseraph’s attunements are restricted, but they create irrational fear in anyone they subject to their resonance. This fear may last days! Djinn’s attunements are also restricted. These are the few who are encouraged to physically terrorize mortals. They are encouraged to stalk and terrorize them, even in their dreams, which they can enter at any distance. Calabim, the greatest sadists in Hell, can automatically discern what will terrorize a target, and may stun them for whole rounds with it. Kabbalah’s attunement is restricted. They may work around a target’s fear, bringing them out of it, but by doing so make their next victim twice as paralyzed with fear. Lillim are restricted as well. When a victim fails to perform a Geas, they will also incur a level of Fear which grows exponentially in addition to the traditional Geas effects. Shedim are restricted. They are the only demons encouraged to take their celestial form as it drives those mad who see it. And finally, Impudites’ attunements are also restricted. The longer they stay in a victim’s dream, they may add that number in minutes to their resonance roll against the victim.
Servitor Attunements
Beleth has two distinct Servitor Attunements that she may grant to her Servitors. The first is Dream Walking. This allows her seritor to enter the Marches through the mind of a dreamer. If both the demon and victim are asleep, the successful check digit will determine how many minutes they may stay. The second Attunement is Terror. This allows the demon to haunt the nightmare of a person he has seen. He summons the incarnation of the victims’ fear while they sleep. This will actually harm the soul of the victim!
Distinctions
If a Servitor of Beleth performs well in their duties, she may grant them Distinctions. These are as follows: Knight of Restlessness. This allows the demon to afflict any sleeper within 500 yards with a delirious state of fearful dreaming. It draws the user and dreamer into Beleth’s dreamworld. Captain of Headhaunters is the next distinction. These demons always know if any person has had a celestial visitor in their dreams, or has been affected by a celestial in their dreams in the past day. The last Distinction is the Baron of Screams. This grants the demon a +2 to any roll while in the Marches.
Relations
As mentioned earlier, Beleth is allied to no one, but from time to time Asmodeus, Kronos and Malphas have been known to work with her. She is hostile toward all other demons, though she is not the enemy of any of them.
Basic Rites
Beleth grants her Servitors a single rite to gain Essence. They must spend six hours in her realm. This sounds simple until you recall that her realm is one of Nightmares!
Chance of Invocation
There is only a one in twelve chance of summoning Beleth as her Servitor. But there are some invocation modifiers that you may use to help. You can hold a Stephen King novel, you can be in a theater which is showing a horror movie, take more than one hit of LSD, frighten more than twenty people, encourage a person to confront their phobia in a nightmare, and finally, try to invoke her in an asylum for the violently insane.
As you know, it is difficult for any Celestial to manifest or engage with the Marches, but to be trapped in Beleth’s realm of nightmares is something one should avoid at all costs, unless you happen to be her Servitor, but even then, tread lightly!
Outro
Thank you for watching today’s In Nomine episode. Subscribe and ring the bell if you are new to the channel. Don’t forget to click the like button and comment to let others learn about this award winning role-playing game and this channel.
And as always, remember that evil spelled backwards is live, so get out there and Be Evil!