Let’s learn about Lilim – The Tempters, a Band of Demons 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
- 0:30 About
- 0:58 Resonance
- 1:35 Dissonance
- 2:11 Manner and Appearance
- 3:14 Free Lilim
- 4:23 Game Mechanics
- 5:51 Redemption
- 6:37 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
“Aren’t you just adorable? Now, if you could just do me this one little favor . . .”
Intro
Welcome to In Nomine, a celebration of my favorite tabletop role-playing games. This In Nomine YouTube channel is a sister channel to Eviliv3. Subscribe if you’re new to the channel, because today we are continuing our In Nomine series with this episode, Lilim- The Tempters, A Band of Demons.
Discussion
The Lilim are the daughters of Lilith, the Princess of Freedom. As they were created in her image, they adopted her gift of geas. This makes the Lilim aware of what you want, and they may be willing to give it to you… in return for a little favor. The overarching drive of the Lilim is freedom, but most are bound to various Princes or Lilith herself, trapped in a complicated web of favors that is the sisterhood of the Lilim.
Resonance
Resonance is twofold. First, it is the supernatural power you wield due to your demonic band, and second, it is the very nature of your band. For the Lilim, their resonance is to extract favors in exchange for services rendered. This process is called a geas. To those who have no intention of returning the favor, the geas will wear away the will of the victim until they honor it. For Celestials, this takes the form of a discord! The Lilim are able to see into the hearts and minds of others, understanding instantly what she could offer them.
Dissonance
Dissonance is what a celestial earns by going against their nature. For the Lilim, they will gain a note of dissonance if their victim resists the geas imposed on them. They must make a successful Will roll to resist. The note of dissonance a Lilim earns will vanish if she is able to snare the victim later! A Lilim may even impose a Geas on herself, ensuring she makes good on her own promise. This is an advantage and a curse, as others know that they must then trust a Lilim, as she cannot resist her own geas.
Manner and Appearance
Lilim are the ultimate party demons. But more, they are warm, sympathetic, sensuous and fun! Not all Lilim are female, many prefer to utilize male vessels. But the overwhelming majority of them do prefer to be seen as feminine, thus the entire band is referred to as she. The Lilim get along with most other bands of demons, famously. They may at times quarrel with themselves however; their sisterly rivalries can become violent and even fatal. The only band that they detest are the Shedim. They cannot stand the fleshless, seeing them as abhorrent and detestable. This is reciprocated by the Shedim who believe the Lilim give Demons a bad name.
When in their celestial form, the Lilim appear as their Corporeal vessels but with green skin and tiny horns. They prefer not to think of themselves as instruments in the Symphony as other bands do. They prefer to see themselves as players of others, who are the instruments.
Free Lilim
Newly created Lilim do not need to serve a prince. Instead they may adopt a geas in the form of owing Lilith nine favors–one for each Force she has. The favors may be called in at any time, and when they are they take the form of a level 3 geas! Lilith is nothing if not shrewd and may even trade those geas’ to other Princes, Lilim, or even Lucifer himself. Lilith has even been known to trade them to humans, an Archangel, or even a spirit in the Marches!
The downside is that the Free Lilim have no Prince-granted rites or attunements; they don’t even have a heart! But as she gains experience, she may earn or trade for them. Most Lilim never work their way out from under these favors, which makes the term Free Lilim a bitter joke. It seems the desire to trade for Resources, Essence or aid is too easy and they may find themselves sliding deeper into karmic debt. This allows the Lilim to appear in nearly any campaign, though you wouldn’t be able to know her true agenda for being there.
Game Mechanics
The Lilims Resonance allows them to perceive what a victim wants, and inflict a geas on them after softening their Will. The Lilim must make eye contact, then make a Perception based resonance roll to determine the target’s needs. The Check Digit determines the degree of need that has been discovered. It also reduces the victims Will roll by the same amount if they attempt to resist the geas she will inevitably impose upon them! On the off-chance the Lilim fails her roll, she may not try again on the target for a number of hours equal to the check digit.
The Lilim must then fulfill her victim’s need, it should be equal to the check digit. A one is simple, while a 6 may require an adventure. This is entirely up to the GM’s discretion. Once complete, the Lilim may ask at any time in the future, for something in return. The Check Digit of the original rolls is the level of the Geas she inflicts. A 1 is simple, a 3 may break moral codes in the victim, and a 6 may be life-threatening. The victim may choose to resist with a successful Will roll. Remember the Will roll is reduced as well, and if they are successful in resisting, the Lilim gains a note of Discord. She may repeat the request in a number of days equal to the successfully resisted Will roll. Favors are cumulative, so two level 3 geas’ may be called in for a level 6 favor!
Redemption
While it is rare, a Lilim may truly repent and wish to join the Angels. If this occurs, they do not join an angelic Choir. She remains a daughter of Lilith, maintaining all abilities. She is also still required to repay any favors owed. They are henceforth referred to as Bright Lilim. Noone knows how many bright Lilim there are, and Archangels who use them, like to keep it that way. The essence of Lilim is selfishness however, and it is rare indeed, the Daughters who can burn this selfishness from their souls.
As you can see the Lilim are a great opportunity to add challenges or a free agent to any campaign. I would highly recommend giving a Lillim a shot in your next In Nomine game.
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!