Let’s learn about the Superior: Nybbas, Prince of the Media 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
- 0:28 About the Superior
- 2:01 Dissonance
- 2:21 Band Attunements
- 3:36 Servitor Attunements
- 4:03 Distinctions
- 4:35 Relations
- 5:22 Basic Rites
- 5:33 Chance of Invocation
- 6:13 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
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Intro
Welcome to Eviliv3 Play, a celebration of my favorite tabletop role-playing games. This 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, Superiors: Nybbas, Prince of the Media.
Discussion
About
Nybbas, the newest Prince of Hell, rose to power unexpectedly in 1884 after inventing the television with a group of human allies. At the time, he was a low-ranking servant of Vapula and had no Word of his own, so his rapid ascension to a Prince caused great controversy among both Celestial and Infernal forces. Television became a powerful tool for Nybbas to manipulate and shape humanity’s psyche, forever altering the way people think, dream, and perceive reality. His influence is vast, using the media to create a world where beauty and spectacle reign, and reality is distorted to fit a script. For Nybbas, humanity is little more than an audience or a tool to be exploited, and he revels in controlling their perceptions through the lens of the media.
Nybbas’ attitude mirrors the ideals of Hollywood’s most unrealistic storytelling, where attractive people are stars, and everyone else is disposable. He is full of disdain for those he manipulates, viewing them as mere puppets. Although he works closely with Andrealphus and Vapula, Nybbas only tolerates them, and his peers in Hell fear he is preparing to seek revenge for the past slights he endured while being an underling. His rise is eerily reminiscent of Haagenti’s, and the other Princes are uneasy about his growing power and ambition. Despite this, Nybbas seems oblivious to the discomfort he causes, hiding his true feelings behind his ever-present smirk and dark sunglasses, projecting an image of detached superiority.
Dissonance
Dissonance is what you earn when you act against your Resonance or nature. You will also earn notes of dissonance by acting against your Superior’s Word. For servitors of Nybbas, you will earn dissonance by not spending an hour a day contributing to the growth of the world’s media. If you do generate a note, you can work it off by catching up on your daily work.
Band Attunements
Nybbas grants each servitor a human servant, a form of media junkie or pawn. The servant is worth twice the demon’s Celestial Forces in character points. In addition he grants bands’ attunements or supernatural powers. Balseraphs are restricted, they can make a form of media read anything they desire while their victim is watching. Djinn are restricted. They are often bouncers or bodyguards and have a servant available at a moment’s notice. They are always attuned to them, and they do not count against their other attunements. Calabim creates group events, bringing many people together for public displays of violence and mayhem. Habbalah are associated with new-age freaks who take their credit. They create no dissonance when their actions appear to be their psychic friends’. Lilim are granted a role at a level and status equal to her Corporeal Forces for free. Their servant is a faithful fan. Shedim are restricted as well. They may inhabit the servants provided for as long as they like. They must still corrupt them, and may purchase the attunement again for multiple hosts. Impudites cling to their idols, sucking Essence from them. They are usually assigned to entertainers.
Servitor Attunements
You may be rewarded or purchase servitor attunements like Soundtrack. The demon will hear a soundtrack in their mind which reflects the mood of the moment, tipping them off to coming events. They will know a round in advance to anything that will happen to them. The other attunement is Subliminal. This allows the demon to bind a song or attunement to a form of media. The power affects the first person to understand the message.
Distinctions
Nybbas may also grant you a distinction for valued service. Knight of Influence have an hour of radio or TV air at their disposal per week. This allows them to inundate the public with strange new media concepts, earning them essence. The next distinction is Captain of Swank. This allows the demon to raise their reaction rolls by three for those who follow the media. The final distinction is Baron of the Fourth Estate. These demons can use the subliminal attunement on ten people for the cost of one!
Relations
Nybbas is the youngest major Prince in Hell, holding his title for just over a century, which makes his relationships with other Princes unstable and subject to change. He gravitates towards younger Princes or those with a modern style, such as Andrealphus, Vapula, Haagenti, and Kobal. While not deeply concerned with Factions, Nybbas is interested in the media, particularly because it aligns with his Word and serves to give meaning to people’s lives. Although Fate is an ancient concept, Nybbas collaborates with Kronos due to shared goals. He finds militant Princes’ ideologies boring and doesn’t have personal grievances with Heaven, as he didn’t Fall. He is allied with Andrealphus, Associated with Kobal, Kronos and Vapula, and Hostile to Baal and Saminga.
Basic Rites
There are a couple basic rites Nybbas offers his servitors to earn essence. The first is to spend three hours watching television. The second is to spend six hours listening to the radio.
Chance of Invocation
With a base chance of invocation of 4, it’s pretty easy to invoke Nybbas. But there are other modifiers that can improve even that generous chance. You can have a color television nearby, be in a department store display window, be at the editor’s desk of a major newspaper, be on the set of a live television broadcast, be at the location of a website in the top ½ percent of hits per month, and finally be on the set of a live television broadcast being viewed by ten million people.
You can clearly see that Nybbas is fighting the war in a very different manner, and his servitors would fit in perfectly with modern campaigns. It’s almost a necessity to include Nybbas in your home games.
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!