Let’s take a closer look at Vessels, Roles and Status 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
- 0:25 What Are Vessels?
- 1:50 Gaining a Vessel
- 3:17 What is a Role?
- 5:15 Why have a Role?
- 6:25 Healing your Vessel
- 8:40 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
You must have a physical form to interact with the Corporeal Realm.
Intro
Welcome to Eviliv3, the live media commentary show that answers the question, do I have to roleplay a 9-5 job? Subscribe if you’re new to the channel, because today we are continuing our In Nomine series with this episode, What are Vessels?
Discussion
What Are Vessels?
The vessel game mechanic is one of necessity as a Celestial must have a vessel to manifest on Earth. While animals, and humans all begin play with a vessel, as they are from the Corporeal Realm, Celestials are not, and thus, do not have vessels. A vessel is a form a Celestial wears while on Earth. It may have a role, or human job, associated with it, but that is not necessary. When Celestials travel to Earth from the Celestial Realm, they simply create their vessel out of thin air, if they have purchased it at character creation. If not, they must earn it through gameplay and earned Character Points. Shedim and Kyriotates cannot create vessels however. They must possess existing mortal bodies instead. They cannot spend more than 10 minutes times their Celestial Forces in their Celestial form on Earth without a host vessel. After that time, they are recalled to the Celestial Realm and their Superior, who will surely have something to say about it.
A Celestial’s vessel is just like a normal body, for the most part. It doesn’t need to eat, drink, sleep, or bother with basic human concerns, but it can if the owner wishes to do so. It only ages if the owner wishes it to. You retain your own characteristics even if possessing a mortal body. There are some Archangels and Demon Princes who are able to create vessels out of plants, rocks or even pure energy!
Gaining a Vessel
Agan, Vessels are Resources purchased at character creation and they cost 3 points per level, plus any charisma you may wish to add to it. Charisma is a catch all reference to the vessel’s quality and how others react to it. The more charisma, the better reactions you will receive interacting with others. It could be manifested in any combination of great looks, winning personality or blatant sex appeal. Charisma has a maximum of 3 levels, each costing 2 character points each. If you only want to be attractive to one gender, it only costs 1 point per level. For each level, you gain +1 to relevant reaction rolls. You may elect to take negative charisma at the same 2 points per level but instead of spending the points, you gain them. This would manifest in ugliness, bad breath or the like. Those gained points may only be used on the vessel’s level or Role however.
You may buy more than one vessel, but you may only embody one at a time. Kyriotates may occupy many hosts at once, and some Artifacts may allow this ability as well. The extra vessel doesn’t exist until its form is taken, then it transforms from the previous vessel into the new one. It costs one Essence to change vessels, and takes a full round. The new vessel may act in the next round.
What is a Role?
Not all Vessels have Roles in society. There can be some obvious benefits to adopting a role which may take the form of connections, power, influence, etc. You purchase roles at character creation for a single vessel, and animals cannot have roles, even though animals can speak if they are a vessel. A role is not the same as impersonation. Any celestial in a vessel can impersonate a cop or bank teller with varying success. A Role is stitched into the Symphony itself. You actually have a job with a desk, manager, etc. The cost of a Role for a Celestial depends on that role’s status and its level. A Celestial will multiply the statue by the level and divide it by two, rounding up for its cost. So a status 4 role at level 6 costs 12 points.
Role levels determine how firmly it is stitched into the Symphony. Level 1 is fairly sketchy, you may be able to vanish without being missed, but a level 6 is as real as any job in our world. You would be expected to perform and appear as any of our professions in the real world. Generally the higher level of the Role, the more famous it can be and the more Status it can have. You may choose to have a level 6 janitor. It wouldn’t have a high status associated with it, it would just be as real as any mortal janitor. While the level of the role tells you how real it is to the rest of the world, the Status of a Role is how effectively it is worked into society. You must have a status level from 1-6 for your Role. Level 1 is an unskilled laborer and 6 is a wealthy professional. The cost is the level itself for Celestials. Humans must pay 2 character points per level, but level 1 is free. Each level grants you +1 on a relevant reaction roll.
Why have a Role?
The strength of a role is that it may help you complete missions for your superior and further the cause of good and evil in everyday life. This game is based around a war after all. Players should be rewarded for developing and using their Roles well in gameplay. You can even raise the resource level of the Role through good roleplaying. Celestials’ actions through their Roles do affect the S ymphony, and players should be conscious of their Role level and their actions, making sure to maintain a balance. After all, you still have to answer to your Superior who expects great things from you!
When a Celestial performs an action which would unbalance the Symphony, the GM may roll against the level of the character’s Role, plus his Corporeal Forces. The Role may mask the action as it could be seen to be in the line of duty. Naturally the player would have to be acting in the Role’s capacity for this to work. Most Roles have associated skills which must be equal to the level of the Role, like Fast-talk for a Lawyer for example. The presented Roles in the Core Rules also have suggested Status levels associated with them.
Healing your Vessel
Celestial vessels heal faster than mortal bodies as well. Mortals heal Body damage at a rate of one hit every 6 minus Strength days, with a minimum of 1. Celestials regenerate a hit every day at sunrise, sunset or midnight for Angels, Demons and Spirits respectively. At the same time as they gain an Essence. Medicine will naturally speed up the healing process as well. If you are not in your vessel, the vessel will not heal! We have discussed healing, but we should take a moment and discuss the strength of a vessel and what happens if the vessel is destroyed. Physical damage is measured in Body hits. Your total Body number is found by adding your vessel level to your Corporeal Forces, and multiplying that by his Strength. Humans and Undead may have levels of Toughness that increase this number. If your Body falls to 0 you are unconscious. If you then take your Vessel Level times Strength in hits, the Vessel is dead. Depending on the level of the vessel, you may be able to cover up the Vessel’s death with a new one, otherwise you will have to create a different Vessel entirely. An unconscious Vessel will awaken in 7 minus Corporeal Forces hours, though he is not healed at all. Any vessel that loses 25% of their Body in one attack is stunned for the turn.
When a Corporeal Vessel is destroyed it returns to its home Realm. If they have another Vessel, they may escape to that Vessel instead. If they do not have another vessel and return home, they will suffer trauma. Traumatized characters may not speak or respond in any way to anyone. They are left alone to contemplate the stark reality of death. And recovery is slow. After a number of days equal to their Corporeal Forces they may make a Will roll to snap out of it. If the roll is failed, they may try again in the number of days equal to his Corporeal Forces plus the Check Digit of the failed Roll. This is not something Celestials ever want to experience as some stay traumatized for years and their Essence can eventually be reabsorbed into the Symphony.
So to recap. Any celestial that wishes to interact on Earth must have a v essel. A vessel may have charisma associated with it. It also may have a Role and Status, all of which must be purchased at character creation. Please let me know in the comments below if you have any further questions.
Outro
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