Live Action In Nomine Rule

The rules that you are about to download are a heavily modified version of In Nomine Live action rules created by Patrick O'Duffy. His rules can be found here. Much thanks go to Patrick O'Duffy for his fine rules.

As Mr. O'Duffy has stated in his version of the LARP, these rules are intended as an unofficial companion to In Nomine. You'll need a copy of the rule book to make sense of the details and various power-ups. These rules only cover the basic IN rule book

If you would like to print the rules go here

 

 

In Nomine LARP Rules

by Patrick O'Duffy with modifications made by Jerry D. Grayson
In Nomine is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games

These rules are intended as an unofficial companion to In Nomine. You'll need a copy of the rule book to make sense of the details and various power-ups. These rules only cover the basic IN rule book - maybe we can handle the supplements in a later edition.

Basic Mechanics


This system retains the concept of Forces from IN tabletop, but throws out most of the other- mechanics. Characters have their Forces divided up amongst the Corporeal, Ethereal and Celestial categories. Under each force there are two attributes. Every force of the given type grants 4 levels to spend on the attributes under them.(So if you have three Corporeal forces then you have 12 points to divide between your Strength and Agility)- everything comes down to comparing Forces.

The basic principle in determining the success/failure of actions is simple. The players engage in a contest of rock, paper, scissors. If there is a tie the player with the highest amount in the attribute plus skill level wins. Combat is a little different because it includes the controlling force as well.

The effect of the particular action is determined by the margin of success the player achieves when attempting an action.

If the task doesn't involve an opponent (such as picking a lock), the character compares their appropriate skill level to a GM-assigned difficulty.

One last thing. If possible, encourage all players to determine task resolution by role-playing, not using the rules. It's faster, more fun, and is less likely to require effort on the part of the GM. Only go to the rules if players can't agree on an outcome.

Complications

The Difficulty of "unopposed" tasks is as follows:

Easy: 3

Average: 4

Above Average: 6

Hard: 8

Very Hard: 10

Nigh Impossible: 12

Since Forces and skills only range from 1-6, there obviously has to be a way to increase the odds. This is where Essence come into play.

Skills (see section) The level of the skill adds to the controlling attribute. A character with a Agility of 4 would have a hard time walking a tight rope, but a character with a skill level of 3 added to that for a total skill level of 7 would have a better chance.

All characters have a degree of Essence, generally equal to their total Forces. At any time, they can spend as much Essence as they like, to increase their Forces/skills for the performance of one Task. For instance, a character with 4 attribute points in precision attempting to pick a Very hard lock could spend 6 Essence in order to succeed.

Essence spent increases the character's Forces or skills for only one task. If a task is opposed, the "acting" character announces how much Essence he is spending and what his total Skill level is. The opposing character may then spend Essence to raise his own skill. Then the acting character may raise his as well, and so on until one player refuses to spend further Essence.

Normal mortals have restrictions on how they may spend their Essence. Their Essence can only be spent all at once, on something the player feels is critical.

Essence expenditure does not cause Disturbance in this version of IN.

 

CHARACTER CREATION


Player Characters get an amount of Forces, just as they would in tabletop. These are divided between the 3 categories, with a minimum of 1 Force per category.

Normal mortals get 5 Forces.

Soldiers get 6 Forces, with a minimum of 2 Corporeal Forces.

Mummies get 6 Forces, vampires get 5, and zombies get 5 (no Celestial Forces).

Celestials get 9 Forces, with a maximum of 6 Forces of any one type.

The Attributes points are allocated (4 points per force in the appropriate category)

The character then gets a number of Resources equal to 4 times their Forces (e.g. a starting level Angel with 9 forces would get 36 Resources). These correspond to the Resource types for the tabletop game, with some modifications.

The character has a number of Body Hits equal to their Corporeal Forces (plus any Vessel levels). Mind and Soul Hits aren't (generally) used in this version of IN.

Celestial characters also have their Resonance, as well as Attunements. These are covered in the and the section. Choir/Band Attunements cost 5 Resource, while Superior Attunements cost 10 Resources. Characters start with their superiors choir attunement for free. Buying other choir attunements cost 5 resources and requires the Gamemasters approval

ARTIFACTS
Corporeal Artifacts cost 3 Resource. This gives the player a prop of some sort to use in the LARP. The player has an attunement to the Artifact, similar to that of a Cherub (see ), with an effect equal to their Corporeal Forces. Furthermore, any Disturbance created by using the artifact is reduced by one level (see ). For example, injuring a human is normally an Audible disturbance, but using an Artifact weapon would reduce that to Quiet. Weapons add their artifact level to the base damage of the mundane weapon type.

Ethereal Artifacts cost 2 per level Resources. They give the player a Skill to use as their own at the level of the artifact. If the player doesn't possess the skill, add the talisman level to the skill. The owner is also attuned to the Artifact as above, but bases the effect on their Ethereal Forces.

Celestial Artifacts cost 3 Resources per level. They are divided into Relics and Reliquaries. The owner is attuned to the Artifact as above, but bases the effect on their Celestial Forces.

A Relic contains a Song that the player can use in the normal way (see below). The Relic also contains Essence that can be used to power the Song. The Relic normally only holds enough Essence to use the Song once per LARP.

A Reliquary contains Essence for the character to use as they see fit. The Reliquary contains 2 points of Essence per level of the Reliquary, and must be in physical contact with the wearer to be used. It regenerates 1 point of Essence per day per level, at the same time as the owner.

Some Artifacts have special or unique abilities. The cost of these Artifacts should be determined by the GM (as a rule of thumb, 4 character points=1 LARP Resource).

ROLES

Roles cost 1 Resource. They act to diminish the Disturbance caused by a Celestial, as long as they act in accordance with the Role. The player must define the Role and what actions would be covered by the Role. These actions cause 1 level less Disturbance than usual (see ). For instance, an angel with the Role "Police Officer" who punched a criminal would cause only a Quiet disturbance, rather than the usual Audible disturbance.

Status is not used in this version of IN. Most characters will have a status defined by their background and should role-play accordingly.

SERVANTS
Servants cost 1-3 Resources. These are tricky to represent in the LARP environment, and will require GM permission.

A normal human as a servant costs 1 Resource. This character must be played by another player in the LARP. They are independent creatures, and can refuse orders from their "master" if they have good reason. Alternatively, 1 Resource will also buy a loyal and obedient minor creature (such as an animal or Imp). They will obey all instructions, but since they are not played by another person, a GM will control/represent the creature and decide how effective it is in fulfilling its orders.

A loyal human costs 2 Resources. This character will obey almost all orders from its "master", short of actions that go directly against its principles. Even in this instance, the "master" can attempt to force the Servant to obey through role-play. For 2 Resources, the player can also have a Soldier or Undead as a servant. This servant can resist orders as above.

For 3 Resources, the player can have a loyal Soldier or Undead as a servant.

SKILLS
As mentioned previously, possessing a Skill adds to the appropriate attribute for the sake of performing a task. Each skill is attached to a controlling attribute. The following skill are available and cost 1 point per level. Maximum of 6 levels in a skill

Corporeal:

Acrobatics (Agility) adds half the skill Level to dodge in wide open areas( the player can not attempt to acrobatic dodge in a bathroom)

Climbing (Agility)

Dodge (Agility)

Fighting (Strength)

Large Weapons (Strength)(covers use one large melee weapons)

Move Silently (Agility)

Ethereal:

Chemistry (Intelligence)

Computer Operation (Intelligence)

Electronics (Intelligence)

Engineering (Intelligence)

Knowledge Skill (Intelligence)

Language (Intelligence)

Lockpicking (Precision)

Medicine (Intelligence)(Test Vs. the damage amount to heal one point of damage per person per game. For every 4 points of skill over the the opposed number the player can heal one extra point, 8 over the player can heal 2 extra, 12 over 3, etc...)

Ranged Weapons (Precision)(covers use of one ranged weapons)

Small Weapons (Precision)(covers use of one small melee weapons).

Celestial:

Artistry (Perception)( Allows the players to sing, rap, dance, draw, do performance art, or any other artistic endeavor)

Emote (Will)(use vs. opponents will. If the test is successful the opponent is stunned for one minute. If skill level is 4 over opponents then the effect is doubled)

Singing (Perception)( Allows the player to hum in the Angelic tongue. The singing skill enhances the use of songs. Add one to the appropriate force for song effects for every two levels of the skill the player has.)

Fast Talk (Will) (Allows the player to make people believe shinola, misdirection and and the all important get him laid)

Tracking (Perception)

The following Skills are based off either Corporeal or Ethereal Attributes (player's preference):

Escape (Agility, Intelligence) (Allows the player to get out of handcuffs, rope, and bondage equipment)

Throwing (Agility, or Precision)

These are mainly the Skills that have some utility in the LARP environment. Characters may have skills that are effective only outside LARPs if they wish (and have permission). These do not cost any Resources, but their use must be worked out with a GM.

SONGS
Songs allow the character to perform supernatural acts. In this version of IN, Songs are performed automatically - a character never fails in Singing. However, whether or not the Song actually affects the target may depend on comparing appropriate Forces. The effects of Songs are covered in the section.

Each version of a Song (Corporeal, Ethereal, Celestial) costs 1 Resource. The character knows the Song well enough to perform it quickly, with only a mental invocation. If they spend a full minute (real time) doing nothing but invoking the Song, they increase their effective Forces by 1 for the Song's effects.

VESSELS
Vessels are only available to Celestials or Undead characters. They must purchase at least 1 Vessel level in order to have a body. Each Vessel level costs 2 Resource up to a max of 6 levels, and increases the character's Body Hits by 1.

DISCORD
Having a Discord gives the character an extra Resource. It also makes the character that much less effective. The Discords from the following list are available, with the following effects:

Corporeal

Damaged Sense - the player automatically fails any task based on the damaged sense.

Crippled - the character is missing an arm or leg (or the equivalent). This should be role-played and costumed accordingly. They will fail any task that requires use of the crippled area (unless a GM rules otherwise).

Vulnerable - the character takes 1 Hit of damage every minute that they're exposed to the offending substance.

Discolored, Obese, Pallid, Stigmata, Ugly and Vestigial - these all require the player to use makeup and costuming to represent the discord. These have no mechanical effect, and are fairly minor. The player receives 1 Resource if they have 2 or more of these Discords.

Ethereal

Aura - any Celestially aware character can detect the player's Aura if they are in the same 'subsection' of the LARP (same room, closet, etc.), as long as the perceiving character has 3+ Celestial Forces.

Bound - the character is bound to an artifact or object. They must obey commands issued by someone owning the object (unless they go directly against the character's personality), and gain 1 point of dissonance if the object is damaged.

Geas - the particulars of the geas will vary from case to case. In general, if the geased character has not completed their mission by the end of the LARP session, they will take 1 Hit of damage. In an ongoing LARP campaign, this damage will not heal until the geas is completed. Other penalties for failure could be implemented at the GM's discretion.

Angry, Berserk, Cowardly, Fear, Paranoia - must be role-played. These form a major part of the character's personality and should be emphasized.

Celestial
Normally, Celestial Discords interfere with the character's ability to regain Essence. This isn't very important in LARPs, unless you run a campaign with very frequent sessions. If that's the case, assume that characters with Celestial Discords only regenerate Essence at half the rate of other characters (with the exception of characters with Need).

Celestial Blindness - the character can only detect Raucous Disturbances.

Need - if the character with the Need does not fulfill the Need during the LARP session, they do not regenerate any of the Essence spent during the session during downtime. Obviously, this Discord is only meaningful in an ongoing LARP campaign. GMs may wish to inflict other penalties during a one-shot game.

Gluttonous, Greedy, Lustful, Merciful, Slothful - these must be role-played.

DISTURBANCES


This version uses a grossly simplified version of Disturbance, to avoid the need for characters to carry noisemakers or have the GM's head explode.

Disturbance can only be heard by Celestially aware characters (Celestials, Undead, Soldiers, etc.), and can be divided into 4 categories:

QUIET: This disturbance is only heard within a few meters/yards of the character (or some similar subdivision), and only by characters with 4+ Celestial Forces.

AUDIBLE: This is automatically heard by characters within a few meters, and heard within the immediate area (room, etc.) by characters with 4+ Celestial Forces.

LOUD: This is automatically heard by characters within the immediate area, and is heard through the entire play environment by characters with 4+ Celestial Forces.

RAUCOUS: This is automatically heard by all characters able to hear Disturbance.

Varying actions cause varying levels of Disturbance. Spending Essence does not cause Disturbance in this version of IN. The Disturbance caused by a Song depends on the Song (see ). Doing 1 Hit of damage to a person or object is Audible. Doing multiple Hits at once or destroying an object/animal is Loud. Killing a human is Raucous. Some Attunements cause Disturbance (see ).

Once the Disturbance level is determined, the GMs inform all the characters who heard the noise (as subtly as possible). Characters who hear a noise will know its general nature (Song, destruction, attunement) and what part of the play area it originated in. Pinning it down to the person involved will take effort on the player's part.

DISSONANCE


Again, a very simple mechanic. Characters who act against their nature may receive points of Dissonance. If they ever have more points than their Celestial Forces, they Fall.

Characters can gain dissonance in a number of ways. Usually, it isn't in a way that others will notice (such as a Seraph lying). If a character knowingly acts in a Dissonant way, they should inform a GM and take a Dissonance point. No one can force a player to own up to Dissonance, but those who don't are lyin', cheatin', powergamin' weasels, and you needn't feel obligated to invite them back to your games.

If a PC acts in an obviously dissonant way (such as a Mercurian headbutting a nun), the GM should award them a Dissonance point after the fact, in such a way that others don't know what's happening (to preserve secrecy). If a PC is caught out hiding their Dissonant acts (such as a Seraph being caught out in a lie), the GM should talk to them afterwards while giving them their Dissonance points. If it's a case of ignorance, fair enough. If the player's a weasel, give them extra Dissonance for attempting to cover up their sins.

Certain types of Discord will increase the chance of certain Celestials Falling. These Discords are:

Vulnerable - Ofanim and Calabim

Angry - Elohim and Habbalah

Aura - Lilim

Berserk - Mercurians and Impudites

Cowardly - Malakim

Fear - Cherubim and Djinn

Paranoia - Seraphim and Balseraphs

If a character has the appropriate Discord, they have a point of "permanent" Dissonance, that can only be lost if they lose the Discord.

Characters can transform Dissonance into Discord during Downtime. This erases all Dissonance points (except those linked to a Discord as above), and inflicts a Discord upon the character. This can only be done with GM permission, and the Discord taken should be decided jointly between the GM and the player. The largely cosmetic Corporeal Discords (such as Obese) are less punishing - a character must take 2 of these to erase their Dissonance (or take 1 to cancel 1 point of Dissonance).

COMBAT

These rules assume that the combat takes place on the Corporeal realm. If the action takes place in the Ethereal or Celestial planes, change to the appropriate forces and attributes.

The Attacking player totals his Corporeal forces + Skill level+ Strength attribute. This total is his skill while attacking.

The Defending player totals Corporeal forces + Skill level + Agility attribute. This is his total skill level while defending.

If possible, players should be able to simply agree on the effects of a fight, without recourse to rules, damage or GM intervention. Encourage this attitude in the players.

The players do a Rock, Paper, Scissors test with the winner doing a point of damage and an extra point for every 4 points of total skill they have over their opponent. Weapons add to the damage also. Ties go to the person with the highest skill level, if they still tie, the victory goes to the one with the highest force. Each player takes turns being the attacker and defender until either one is dead or both decide to end the combat.

That's it. Combat's over. If the participants are keen to keep it up until one of them expires, let them keep going. But generally combats will end with one or both parties slinking off to nurse their wounds.

Characters have Body Hits equal to their Corporeal Forces (plus any Vessel levels). If they fall to 0 Hits, they are unconscious, but will recover in 5-10 minutes with aid (but will still have 0 Hits). If a character's Hits fall to a negative value, they are dead. Discourage players from killing other players if at all possible, since it reduces fun. Even though a dead Celestial can return next session, it still means they have nothing to do for the rest of the current game.

WEAPONS and ARMOR

All weapons have two stats, Accuracy and Power. Accuracy is the bonus or penalty to the players skill with that weapon.

Weapon

Acc.

Pow.

Skill used

Knife

+2

+1

Small Weapon

Sword

+1

+3

Large Weapon

Club

0

+2

Large Weapon

Small Pistol

+1

+2

Ranged Weapon

Large Pistol

0

+3

Ranged Weapon

Shot Gun

-3

+5

Ranged Weapon

Machine Gun

-2

+4

Ranged Weapon

Powers is the bonus or penalty to the damage when the attack succeeds.

Armor subtracts from the damage the player takes during combat .The modifier is the penalty to the players agility attribute when wearing the armor. Each point of armor subtracts one point of damage. Even if the armor drops the damage to zero or a negative number the player still takes a minimum of one point.

Armor

Protection

Modifier

Heavy Clothing

0

-1

Leather

1

-1

Chainmail

2 (1 vs. Firearms)

-3

Kevlar

2 (4 vs. Fire arms)

-2

Steel plating

4

-4

OTHER CHANGES

Due to the constraints of petty reality, almost all IN LARPs take place solely on the Corporeal Plane.

Celestials can assume their celestial form but it takes a static test against a difficulty of 6 and cost 2 points of essence. The player can stay in celestial form for a minimum of 10 minutes. While in their celestial form the player can interact and see the Corporeal realm. These rules apply to going to the Ethereal realm as well.

EXPERIENCE

Award players 1 Experience point if they show up and participate - hanging around on the sidelines and not interacting means you get no experience. Award an extra point to players who increase the level of fun for the group, whether through coming up with plots, terrific role-playing, buying all the drinks or something similar.

During downtime, players can use XP to buy Resources, increase their Forces or remove Discord (with GM permission). Every 4 XP will buy 1 Resource, or remove 1 Discord. For 10 XP, a player can increase one of their Forces by one (and increase their maximum Essence to match).

Dissonance can only be reduced by converting it into Discord and then removing the Discord. To keep this non-trivial, players who convert Dissonance into Discord cannot remove the Discord until they have played at least one session while suffering under the Discord.

As another means of rewarding players, GMs can bestow Distinctions upon characters who they feel deserve the recognition (see ).

SONG

Not all Songs are available in LARP play, nor are all versions of some Songs appropriate. If a player really wants a Song that doesn't really do anything in normal LARP play, discuss it with a GM and come to some sort of compromise.

Songs require no activation roll

In cases where Songs affect others in a not-too-obvious way, give the player with the Song a card with instructions for the target, signed by the GM. This allows the player to tell the target of the Song's effects without requiring a GM's presence.

If Songs affect multiple targets, or require constant comparison of Forces for the duration, the Singer only has to spend Essence to improve their Forces at the time of performing the Song. This bonus will last for the duration of the Song (as appropriate). Target characters can still spend Essence to improve their forces, in which case the player cannot spend extra Essence to improve their Forces further.

A quick note on range and duration. The values quoted below are largely in keeping with the values given for tabletop, and may be too precise for LARP play (no-one wants to bringing measuring tape and stopwatches to the game). I recommend converting these to simpler values, depending on the PC's abilities. A good breakdown for range is arm's length/sub-area of the game/whole area; a good breakdown for time might be less than a minute/1 minute/5 minutes/half-an-hour/whole LARP. Whatever suits you best.

ATTRACTION
The effects of the Song last for the duration of the LARP, and cost one Essence to use. They cause an Audible degree of disturbance.

Corporeal: The player attunes two objects to each other. Anyone holding one of the objects will be able to tell where the other is (ask a GM).

Ethereal: Makes the target fall in love. It has a range in feet equal to the player's Ethereal Forces, and the player must overcome the target's Celestial Forces+ will with their Ethereal Forces + song skill level in a test. The player determines the target's object of desire. If the player wishes, they may spend an extra point of Essence to have the effects continue into downtime (GM determined duration).

Celestial : This acts just like the Cherub resonance, with an effect equal to the player's Celestial Forces (see .

CHARM
This Song costs a minimum 2 Essence to use, and has an Audible disturbance. They reduce the target's appropriate attribute by the player's appropriate Forces, down to a minimum of zero Forces.

The Song has a range in yards equal to the player's appropriate Forces, +1 yard for every extra point of Essence spent. The player can target multiple characters, but the effect is reduced by 1 point for every additional target. Of course, the player can also spend extra Essence to raise their Forces and so increase the effect.

Corporeal: Duration is the player's Corporeal Forces in minutes (real time).

Ethereal: Duration is the player's Ethereal Forces in hours (or the entire session).

Celestial: Duration is the player's Celestial Forces x5 in seconds (real time).

DREAMS
This song isn't used in normal LARP play. If a LARP was set in the Marches, it might be worth working out rules for the Song.

ENTROPY
This Song costs 1 Essence (2 for Celestial version) and is Raucous.

Corporeal: Alter the target's age by an amount equal to the player's Celestial Forces times the Essence spent (in years). The player's Corporeal Forces must overcome the target's.

Ethereal: Mental attack - the player must overcome the target's Ethereal Forces+ Intelligence with their own forces + skill level. If the target is a Celestial, they may choose to have the player overcome their Celestial Forces instead (target's discretion). The target suffers terrors and fears (this must be role-played) for the rest of the LARP. If the amount of Essence spent by the player in powering the Song is equal to or greater than the target's Ethereal Forces, the target passes out from fear for 5-10 minutes.

Celestial: The player must overcome the target's Celestial Forces with their own (other Celestials get a +1 bonus to their Forces to defend). If successful, they can take no actions for a number of minutes equal to the player's Celestial Forces.

FORM
This Song costs a minimum of 1 essence, and lasts for a number of minutes equal to the player's appropriate Forces squared. It causes an Audible disturbance, but only after the duration ends.

Corporeal: Armor. The player receives armor equal to their Corporeal forces.

Ethereal: Invisibility. The player can be detected only by characters with greater Ethereal Forces than the player, and even then only vaguely. The player should make some sort of gesture or carry a sign saying "INVISIBLE" around during the duration.

Celestial: Shapechanging. Apply the same costs as in the IN rule book.

HARMONY
Minimum of 1 Essence required. The range is equal to the player's appropriate Forces, times the Essence spent, in yards. The disturbance varies with the amount of people affected - 1-2 (Quiet), 3-5 (Audible), 6-8 (Loud), or 9+ (Raucous).

Corporeal: Makes all in range (including player) weak and sluggish, reducing their Corporeal forces by half the player's corporeal Forces (round down). It lasts for (player's Corporeal Forces x10) seconds.

Ethereal: All targets become rational and subdued, and can only take violent action if their Celestial Forces are greater than the player's Ethereal forces. The Song lasts a number of minutes equal to the player's Ethereal forces.

Celestial: Temporarily negates 1 Discord of the target, lasting for a number of minutes equal to the player's Celestial Forces.

HEALING
All three versions work the same for normal LARP play. It costs 1 Essence, is Audible and has no range (the player must touch the target). It restores a number of Body Hits equal to the player's Corporeal Forces.

LIGHT
The Song has an Essence cost of 1, but no more than 3 Essence can be spent on the Song (including Essence spent on increasing the player's Forces). It causes only Quiet disturbance.

Corporeal: Creates light within a radius of (Corporeal Forces x Essence spent) yards, for (Corporeal Forces x 2) minutes, and can be turned on and off at will. Give the player a torch or lantern of some kind if you like.

Ethereal: Creates illusions within (Ethereal Forces x Essence spent) feet. Only those with greater Ethereal Forces than the player's can see through the illusion. It lasts for (Ethereal Forces x20 minutes, and can be no larger than the player's Ethereal Forces in cubic feet. Most likely, the player will need to have a GM make an announcement about the illusion.

Celestial: Laser beam. The target takes Body Hits equal to the Essence spent +1, and is dazzled (-1 Force to appropriate tasks)for 30 seconds.

MOTION
This Song is audible, and has a minimum Essence cost of 1 (2 for Celestial). All these effects are fairly obvious, and will usually require a GM to make an announcement or at least be present. Players may be required to present signs stating what they are doing.

Corporeal: flight. This lasts a number of minutes equal to the player's Corporeal Forces, and is fast enough to allow the player to escape from any kind of physical confrontation. of course, the power is of limited utility indoors (where most LARPs happen).

Ethereal: Telekinesis. The player can lift a weight equal to (Ethereal Forces x Essence spent) in pounds, for a number of minutes equal to his Ethereal Forces. The range is equal to their Ethereal Forces in yards. Pulling an object from someone's grasp requires overcoming their Corporeal Forces with the player's Ethereal Forces.

Celestial: Teleportation. The player can teleport themselves (and an appropriate amount of extra weight) anywhere within the LARP environment or to any nearby area outside (with GM approval). The player may also attempt to teleport someone else (overcoming their Corporeal Forces with the player's Celestial Forces), with the GM's permission. Targets cannot be teleported inside other objects or into dangerous situations, but it could get rid of someone for a few minutes or even until the end of the LARP (although that could be a bit boring for them).

NUMINOUS CORPUS
These all have the same effect (with the exception of "Wings"). They increase the player's damage in combat by 1 Body Hit for every two levels, and add 1 to their Corporeal Forces for the attack resolution. They cost 1 Essence, are Quiet and last for the duration of Song level in minutes. The player can turn them on and off at will.

Wings are different. Same cost and disturbance, but they work just like the Corporeal Song of Motion (although more obviously). Duration is the song level +Corporeal forces in minutes

POSSESSION
Forget it. Way too difficult to represent. If GMs want to see it used, they can give it to NPCs and work out rules as they like.

PROJECTION
Works just like in the book. Cost 1 essence and is audible

SHIELDS
These will almost certainly require GM announcements. The Songs are Audible and cost a minimum of 1 Essence, covering a radius equal to the player's appropriate Forces times the Essence spent in feet.

Corporeal: Protects those inside from any physical damage (bullets, cars, bombs etc.). Lasts for (Corporeal Forces x10) seconds.

Ethereal: Prevents all Attunements, Resonances and Essence-based attacks. Lasts for (Ethereal Forces x10) seconds.

Celestial: Prevents all Celestial-based attempts to perceive through the barrier, as well as masking all disturbances for the duration (Celestial Forces x2 minutes), although the noise is heard as soon as the shield falls. It does not move with the player. If the shield masks multiple disturbances, treat them all as being one level noisier when the barrier drops.

THUNDER
Range is equal to the player's Corporeal Forces x the Essence spent in yards. All those in range are stunned and can only act if they overcome the player's Corporeal Forces with their Celestial forces. This lasts for approximately 1 minute real time. The Song costs at least 1 Essence and is Raucous. Furthermore, the noise will mask all other disturbance caused within the area of effect for the next (Essence spent x player's total Forces) minutes.

TONGUES
The Song costs 1 Essence and is Quiet. It will definitely require a GM's presence to facilitate things.

Corporeal: The player can communicate in all languages simultaneously. This lasts for the duration of the LARP.

Ethereal: The player can communicate telepathically with anyone within (player's Ethereal Forces x Essence spent) yards. The duration is equal to the player's Ethereal Forces in minutes, and the target can block their mind to communication if they overcome the player's Ethereal Forces with their Celestial forces. Generally, a GM will end up carrying messages back and forth between player and target.

Celestial: The player can write a brief (15 words or less) note and give it to a GM to give to another character. The GM delivers the note within the next 5 minutes, and awards the target an extra point of Essence.

CELESTIAL POWERS


The various Resonances of the Celestials have been greatly simplified for LARP play. Angelic resonances always work, but can only be used a certain number of times per session. Demonic resonances can be used as often as the player likes, but must overcome the target's Forces in order to work.

Attunements are covered in the Superiors section.

ANGELIC RESONANCE


The player can only use their resonance a number of times each LARP equal to their Celestial Forces. Their Forces also govern how much information they receive from using the resonance (although they may spend Essence to increase their effective Forces and thus gain more information). The easiest thing to do is give Angelic PCs a number of cards equal to their Celestial Forces, each card describing the effect of the resonance. The player can then present their target with the card and get the information from them without needing a GM.

SERAPHIM
Use the chart given in the rule book (IN, p.94), substituting the Seraph's Celestial Forces for the check digit.

CHERUBIM
Use the chart given (IN, p.96) as a guideline. The Cherub will know where the attuned object is within the LARP environment, rather than pinning things down to miles or yards. The Cherub can freely attune to things, but can only check those Attunements (i.e. go to a GM and ask where the object is) by using one of their resonance attempt cards.

OFANIM
The Ofanim can use one of their resonance cards in any of the following ways:

Adding their Celestial Forces to their Corporeal Forces or skills for the purpose of a single task check that is based on movement or Agility.

Asking a GM for relevant information about the LARP environment or the game city.

Escaping any confrontation or leaving the LARP at any time by moving quickly.

ELOHIM
Use the chart on pg. 99, substituting the character's Celestial Forces for the check digit.

MALAKIM
Use the chart on pg. 101, substituting the character's Celestial Forces for the check digit. To represent the Malakim's immunity to Trauma, you might allow Malakim that have been killed to return to play 5-10 minutes later, but with a reduced amount of Body Hits.

MERCURIANS
Use the chart on pg. 104, substituting the character's Celestial Forces for the check digit.

KYRIOTATES - FOR EXPERIENCED GMs AND PLAYERS ONLY
You can have a Kyrio in LARPs, but you really can't have them swapping bodies with impunity. If a player wants to be a Kyrio, they'll have to find another player who'll co-operate. These two players are now playing the one Kyriotae, which has possessed these two hosts prior to the game. The rule that 9-Force Kyriotates couldn't possess two humans at once gets waived (otherwise you'd be using cardboard cutouts of cats and birds, and that's just silly).

The two players will have to communicate regularly between themselves to keep the information flowing. GMs will have to let player A know if player B is in a dangerous situation - otherwise it can be assumed that the two halves operate largely autonomously.

Now, that should be enough, without complicating things further without possessing other layers. But if you want to go whole hog...

Give the player pair a number of resonance cards equal to the Kyrio's Celestial Forces. If both players agree, one of them can attempt to possess another player by using one of their resonance attempts. They must overcome the target's Celestial Forces with their own, and then inform the character as to what is going on.

If the target likes the deal, the Kyrio may change members, assimilating the new character and leaving a very confused character behind. This is fun for role-playing, but can get out of hand and overcomplicate things.

If the target player wants to continue playing their own character for the LARP (and who can blame them), then the Kyrio only takes control for a few minutes - long enough to do the thing they possessed the person for in the first place, and then transfer back to the old character (no contest of Forces needed).

DEMONIC RESONANCES


Unlike angels, demons can use their resonance as often as they like. However, they have to beat the target's Celestial Forces with their own to use the Resonance - and that's beat, not tie. If the attempt fails, the demon takes a note of Dissonance (much harsher than tabletop), and cannot use their resonance on that character for the rest of the LARP.

BALSERAPHS
The Balseraph must overcome their target's Celestial Forces (if using the resonance against a group, the Balseraph must overcome the Forces of each member, but only has to spend Essence to improve their Forces once). If the Balseraph succeeds, the target will believe the lie for a number of minutes equal to the balseraph's Celestial Forces.

Using the resonance against Seraphs is difficult - the Seraph's Celestial Forces are considered to be 50% greater than normal (round down).

If the lie fails, or the Balseraph is caught in a lie, they suffer a note of dissonance. They can get rid of this dissonance in the next LARP session if they can use their resonance successfully on the same target.

DJINN
The Djinn resonance is very similar to the Cherub resonance. They can only be attuned to a number of objects equal to their Celestial Forces, but this is automatic and doesn't require overcoming the target's Forces. At any time during the LARP, the Djinn may ask a GM for the whereabouts of the target, subject to the strength of their attunement (as per Cherubs, se IN pg. 96).

If the Djinn wishes to de-attune from the target, this is an unopposed task of Difficulty 4. failure inflicts a note of dissonance.

CALABIM
The Calabim can inflict damage on a target equal to his Corporeal forces. In the case of an inanimate object, the GM assigns a difficulty based on the object's strength and structure. Otherwise, the Calabite must overcome the target's Corporeal Forces with their Celestial Forces. The attack has a range equal to double the Calabite's Corporeal Forces X10 in feet.

If the attack succeeds, the target takes Body Hits equal to half the Calabite's Corporeal Forces (round up). If it fails, the Calabite takes a note of dissonance, and must invoke the resonance against other targets in range until something takes damage.

Calabim start with a Discord, of a type corresponding to their highest Force (or chosen by the player if their forces are identical), and receive an extra Resource.

HABBALAH
Habbalah can inflict emotions on others. To do so, they must overcome the target's Celestial Forces with their own. If they succeed, the target suffers the effects described (see below). If the Habbalah fails, they receive a point of dissonance and suffer the effects of the emotion themselves. The emotions inflicted must be role-played by the recipient.

Fury: Attack object of fury a number of times equal to the player's Celestial Forces.

Sadness: Lasts for the duration of the LARP.

Disgust: Lasts for duration of LARP and for a few days of downtime.

Love: Lasts for duration of LARP and for a few days of downtime.

Emptiness: Target is inert and drained for rest of LARP, suffering a -1 to their Corporeal Forces. If the Habbalah inflicts Emptiness on themselves, and the player wishes the character to Redeem, they may do so (best to consult a GM as well).

Furthermore, anyone inflicted by a Habbalah's emotions will have their Ethereal Forces reduced by -1 for the duration of the effect. Elohim are vulnerable to a Habbalah's resonance - halve their Celestial Forces (round down) for the purpose of resisting the Habbalah.

LILIM
A Lilim may inflict a Geas on a target by overcoming their Celestial Forces. If the attempt fails, the Lilim gains a note of dissonance.

If the attempt succeeds, the player, target and GM must confer on the terms of the geas, and what the Lilim must do in order to fulfill the target's need. The Lilim may do this at their leisure, or even during downtime if the GM feels it is appropriate.

The strength of the geas is based on the Lilim's Celestial Forces - the greater the Forces, the more demanding the geas may be. If the target does not act to fulfill the geas, they will suffer a number of Body Hits at the end of each LARP equal to half the Lilim's Celestial Forces (round down) - and this damage will not heal during downtime.

Both Lilim and target should role-play the process of favor/geas fulfillment, and come to an arrangement that both find doable and fun.

IMPUDITES
Impudites can both charm the target and steal their Essence.

Charming the target requires the Impudite to overcome the target's Celestial Forces with their own. If the succeed, the victim is charmed for a number of minutes equal to the Impudite's Celestial Forces. If they fail, the Impudite takes a note of dissonance. Even if they succeed, an Impudite may only charm a given target once per LARP session.

To steal Essence, the Impudite must touch a charmed target. They may then steal an amount of Essence equal to their Celestial Forces or less. this can only be done once per session to any given target.

Cherubim, Elohim, Kyriotates and Mercurians are able to resist the Impudite's charms - increase the Celestial Forces of these angels by 50% (round up) for the purpose of the Impudite's attempt to charm them.

SHEDIM - EXPERIENCED GMs AND PLAYERS ONLY
Much like Kyriotates, Shedim are difficult to represent in LARP play. However, if the GM wants to, they are a little simpler to represent than Kyriotates.

The Shedim player starts the game with a character who is already possessed. How strongly the character is possessed, and how strong the struggle between host and Shedim is being fought, is completely at the discretion of the player. It's a role-play thing.

The Shedim gets a number of resonance cards, just like an angel, with which they can attempt to possess other players. First, they must overcome the target's Celestial Forces with their own - and failure will cause a note of dissonance.

The player must explain to the target what is going on. This will only be a temporary possession, after which the Shedim will "snap back" into the old body. The possession will generally only last long enough to accomplish a single task (up to 5 minutes).

What that task is depends on how many resonance attempts/cards the Shedim is willing to expend on possessing the target. Innocuous tasks only require one of the Shedim's cards. Risky or morally dubious tasks require two cards. "Evil" or dangerous tasks require three cards (or even more, at the GM's discretion).

After the task is complete, the Shedim may not attempt to possess that person again until the next LARP session. If all concerned are willing, continued Shedim possession could start to have effects on a PC's personality, but this is entirely optional.

While the Shedim is possessing someone else, the previous Host will be back to normal (whatever that is at this point), and this change in personality should be role-played.

SUPERIORS


Some of the Superiors from the tabletop version do not appear in LARP play. Further, some of the attunements given by existing Superiors do not translate well into LARP play.

I've only defined the attunements that require clarification or rules changes. Many of the regular attunements translate directly, but require a GM for assistance in use.

Some attunements are based off the character's resonance. Use the normal rules for the resonance for that type of Celestial - so angels have only a limited number of uses of their resonance, and demons gain dissonance if they fail in the attempt.

Characters may summon their Archangel but it cost 8 essence and a static test against a difficulty of 10 ( The players skill total equals his total forces).Summoning takes 20 minutes of game time in which the player can do nothing but perform various rites pertaining to his Archangels word. This would cause a Raucous Disturbance, and the further effects would be for the GM to determine (for instance, all the Demon's heads explode. Game over).

Each Superior has various Rites for regaining Essence. Many of these aren't really doable in LARP play, or would require a player to do nothing all LARP but perform rites. Use common sense to determine what rites can be used.

As mentioned earlier, Choir/Band attunements cost 5 Resource, while Superior Attunements cost 10 Resources. Distinctions can only be bestowed upon players by GMs.

ARCHANGELS

BLANDINE
Not used. Her Servitors are too geared towards dreams to be really useful in LARPs. A game set in the Marches would be different, of course.

DAVID
Cherubim: The player must overcome the target's Corporeal Forces with their Celestial Forces in order to grab an object from another's grasp.

Ofanim: The player can progress slowly through minerals - call a time-out and a GM to observe.

Malakim: The player can return to normal at will.

Kyriotate: The vessel cannot be abandoned, and the player must buy Vessel levels to support it. It does 1 extra Body Hit damage in combat and has 2 extra Body Hits.

Cold Touch: The player must overcome the target's Corporeal Forces with his Celestial Forces (celestial targets may resist with Celestial Forces if they wish). The effect lasts for 15 minutes.

Master Of The Granite Hand: The character inflicts unarmed damage equal to his Corporeal Forces in Body Hits.

DOMINIC
Seraphim: Increase their effective Celestial Forces by 50% for the purposes of determining the result of their resonance use, but not for how many resonance cards they get.

Heavenly Judgment: The sword will inflict 1 Body Hit every 10 seconds until the target is dead, or the sword is called off.

Vassal of Conscience: Characters with 1 Celestial Force confess.

Friend of Judgment: Characters with 1-2 Celestial Forces confess.

ELI
Ofanim: Can adjust an object's age by (Ethereal Forces X 2) years.

Malakim: Always inflicts an extra Body Hit if using a weapon, despite its size.

GABRIEL
The player must notify the GM that they are playing an agent of Gabriel, after which the GM will inform them of any characters in the LARP that come under their sphere of punishment.

Malakim: The green flame does 1 extra Body Hit damage in unarmed combat.

Smite: Does a number of Body Hits equal to the Essence spent +1.

Master Of The Light: All foes are at -1 Corporeal Forces for the duration of the fight. This applies to both attacking and defending.

JANUS
Seraphim: With no Fast-Talk skill, this is a bit redundant. Give Seraphim an extra Resource to spend.

Cherubim: The attuned person acts as a loyal servant (level 2 Resource).

Ofanim: Increase the Ofanim's effective Ethereal Forces by 50% (round up) where applicable.

Malakim: Never fail using explosives.

Kyriotates: Don't bother with this one. Too difficult.

Passage: The character can spend 1 Essence to open any lock.

Master of Motion: The character is fast enough to run away from any confrontation.

JEAN
Ofanim: The end points each take 3 Body Hits damage.

Elohim: Increase the character's Ethereal Forces by 50% of their Celestial Forces when using the computer (round up).

Malakim: Increase the character's appropriate Forces by 50% (round up) when using these skills.

Mercurians: Use the rules for the Song of Tongues as previously mentioned, except that the Mercurian ability causes no Disturbance.

Generator: Does Body Hit damage equal to half the Essence spent (round up), plus the target is at -1 to all appropriate tasks for 10 seconds.

Master Of The Machine: Heals 1 Body Hit per point of Essence.

JORDI
Not used in normal LARPs. Not unless you want to come in a gorilla suit. If so, then go hog wild with Jordi - but for now, let's forget it.

LAURENCE
Ofanim: May catch any target they pursue, as long as the target does not have a power of some sort that makes them impossible to catch.

Malakim: Increase their Celestial Forces by 50% (round up) for purposes of determining the effects of their resonance (but not for how many resonance cards they receive).

Kyriotate: One half of the Kyrio pair gets a free Role and a free Vessel (but can't buy more), but this Vessel cannot be abandoned.

Mercurians: Increase their Forces by 50% (round up) when Dodging.

Blade Blessing: The blade inflicts an extra Body Hit for every Celestial force they have, for the next (Celestial Forces) attacks.

MARC
Kyriotates: Increase the character's Celestial Forces by 50% (round up) for the purpose of determining how many resonance cards they receive per session.

Divine Contract: The deal breaker takes Body Hits equal to the Essence spent plus 1.

Vassal Of Trade: The character must overcome the target's Celestial Forces with their own, but suffers no penalty for failure.

Master Of Finances: Fake it.

MICHAEL
Seraphim: Defenders against the player's attack cannot use Dodge, unless they have the Skill themselves and in a Talisman.

Ofanim: The character's opponent in combat may only strike the Ofanim if they have positive Body Hits left after the Ofanim's attack.

Kyriotates: One of the Kyrio players may purchase Vessel levels, but cannot abandon the Vessel.

Proficiency: The character adds his ethereal forces in Body Hit with the chosen weapon.

Howl: Stuns those within range for 10 seconds.

Vassal Of War: The players can communicate with notes carried via GM.

NOVALIS
Seraphim: Other characters must overcome the Seraph's Celestial Forces in order to be violent as long as they are within 5 yards (or an appropriate sub-area of the LARP).

Elohim: The player must use one of their resonance cards to gain the information.

Malakim: The entangled characters can only walk slowly or crawl.

Kyriotates: Don't even bother if the game is outside - not unless your idea of fun is sitting in a tree all night.

Mercurians: Not applicable. Give Mercurians an extra Resource.

Nothing But Flowers: The character is totally invisible behind all plants.

Crown Of Joy: Affected characters must overcome the player's Celestial Forces with their own to avoid dancing.

Master Of Peace: Resisting characters must overcome the player's Celestial Forces with their own - and the player gets +1.

YVES
Ofanim: Can use their Celestial Forces in place of their Ethereal Forces in the appropriate circumstances if they wish.

Elohim: Get an extra resonance card per session, only usable if touching the target.

Divine Logic: The player must overcome the target's Ethereal Forces with their own.

Friend Of The Sages: The player has every Knowledge skill.

DEMON PRINCES

ANDREALPHUS
Balseraphs: The victim must attempt to overcome the player's Celestial Forces to resist.

Djinn: If you need this one, you run some very interesting games that I think are illegal in my part of the world. Give the Djinn an extra Resource instead.

Calabim: Give the player an extra Resource.

Habbalah: The player still suffers dissonance if they fail, but can keep attempting to inflict the emotion onto others until they succeed. They receive a 50% (round up) bonus to their resonance if touching their target.

Lilim: They automatically succeed in knowing the target's need if they touch them. This gives them a +1 bonus to the use of the resonance.

Shedim: +50% bonus to resonance if touching the target.

Impudites: +50% bonus to resonance on someone they've had sex with.

Dark Desire: The target must overcome the player's Celestial Forces to resist.

Kiss Of Death: Does (Essence spent x2) Body Hits, but the player must overcome the target's Celestial Forces.

ASMODEUS
Servitors instantly recognize other members of their Band if they're in the same sub-area of the LARP, and know how much dissonance they have. Servitors also get a free Role and two skills to compliment said Roles.

Dissonance Binding: The victim's Corporeal Forces are reduced by (dissonance + player's Celestial Forces)/2 (round down).

BAAL
Balseraphs: Defenders against the player's attack cannot use Dodge, unless they have the Skill themselves and in a Talisman (in which case they get the standard skill).

Calabim: +50% of their Corporeal Forces (round up) as a bonus to use their resonance for injuring flesh.

Lilim: Give the player an extra Resource.

Shedim: Give the player an extra Resource.

State Of Ophis: Not used.

BELETH
Not used. Her Servitors are too geared towards dreams to be really useful in LARPs. A game set in the Marches would be different, of course.

BELIAL
Calabim: The player does damage equal to their Corporeal Forces in Body Hits when using their resonance.

Habbalah: this effect lasts for 30 seconds.

Lilim: +50% of the player's Ethereal Forces as a bonus to appropriate resonance use.

Impudites: +50% of the player's Corporeal Forces as a bonus to appropriate resonance use.

Incendiary: The fire does 1 Body Hit of damage every 10 seconds.

Firewalker: The character can heal 50% of their Corporeal Forces (round down).

HAAGENTI
Habbalah: +50% of the player's Corporeal Forces as a bonus to appropriate resonance use.

Lilim: Give the layer an extra Resource, unless the game is set in a diner...

Shedim: +1 bonus for most discords, +50% bonus for Gluttony.

Impudites: The player does not need to overcome the target's Forces. This can only be done once per session and causes a Loud disturbance.

Consume: The target must overcome the player's Corporeal Forces with their Celestial Forces.

Devour: Succeeds automatically. Player adds his corporeal forces in body hits to the damage. If the player uses it more than twice in a LARP, they will vomit, taking 1 Body Hit and inflicting Hits equal to the amount of times it has been used on anyone standing before them.

Captain Of Cannibals, Baron Of Satanic Dishes: Both effects last 5 minutes.

KOBAL
Kobal's special rites must be role-played.

Prank: The player must make an unopposed task using Celestial Forces - Difficulty is equal to the amount of people affected. The victim may resist by overcoming the player's Celestial Forces with their own. If this is failed, they will believe the illusion for 10 seconds.

Knight, Captain, Baron: In all cases, the victim must overcome the player's Celestial Forces. in the case of the Baron attunement, the victim's Forces are reduced by half the player's Celestial Forces (round down) for their next task attempt.

KRONOS
Lilim: +50% of the player's Celestial Forces as a bonus to appropriate resonance use.

Impudites: Can only do this once per LARP.

Temporal Projection: The victim can resist by overcoming the player's Celestial Forces. The target vanishes for the rest of the LARP - or for a GM determined length of time.

MALPHAS
Calabim: The effect lasts for the rest of the LARP. The victim can resist by overcoming the player's Celestial Forces.

Shedim: The player only needs to use one resonance card to make the victim do anything. This requires agreement on the parts of the GM, the target and the player.

Impudites: This automatically succeeds (give the player a number of resonance cards as per usual), with an effect equal to the player's Celestial Forces.

Imbroglio: All affected must overcome the player's Celestial Forces to resist.

Polarize: The player may spend Essence to improve the effect (see table p. 175). The target with the higher Celestial Forces may attempt to resist by overcoming the player's Celestial Forces.

NYBBAS
Each Servitor receives a free Servant, worth 1 Resource.

Lilim: The player receives a free Role.

SAMINGA
Habbalah: Give the player a free Resource.

Lilim: The player gets a Servant or Servants worth 2 Resources.

Zombi: The player can only use this attunement during downtime, and can only create 1 Zombi in any downtime period.

Vampiric Kiss: The player must overcome the target's Celestial Forces. The victim loses Body Hits equal to half the player's Celestial Forces (round up), while the player gains that much Essence.

VALEFOR
Balseraphs: +50% bonus to Celestial Forces for appropriate resonance uses.

Djinn: The attuned person acts as a loyal servant (2 Resources).

Calabim: Increase the Calabim's Ethereal Forces by 50% (round up) where applicable.

Lilim: +50% bonus to Ethereal Forces for appropriate resonance uses.

Shedim: Don't bother with this one. Too difficult.

Passage: The character can spend 1 Essence to open any lock.

Baron Of Buccaneers: The character is fast enough to run away from any confrontation.

VAPULA
Balseraphs: +50% bonus to Celestial Forces for appropriate resonance uses.

Habbalah: The Habbalah can stun the target for 30 seconds.

Lilim: +50% bonus to Celestial Forces for appropriate resonance uses, and to Computer Operation attempts.

Invention: The relic will last for the duration of the LARP. They do not function if the user is out of Essence.

 

Well those are the rules! I hope that they are clear, if not oh well just make some shit up and wing it!!!

Oh Yeah, Believe dat!

Jerry “J-Nasty” Grayson

Remember if you have any questions or advice you can reach me at:

COUNTZERO@prodigy.net

http://grayson-j.tripod.com

 

"The material presented here is based on the In Nomine system from Steve Jackson Games. The specific content of this Live Action Game is the responsibility of Jerry Grayson and its users, and has not been approved or endorsed by Steve Jackson Games. In Nomine is a registered trademark of Steve Jackson Games, and all art from In Nomine is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games.