Tonal Dissonance, Demon, and The God Machine (Chronicles of Darkness)

As regular readers know, I am an avid fan of the World of Darkness. I've made about half a ton of content for it over the years, and I've got several more projects floating around in my mind for it that I'm putting proposals together for. And while I don't like a lot of the changes made for the Chronicles of Darkness releases, mechanically, most of what I liked about the games' original incarnations survived intact.

Except for Demon. And while I can acknowledge that what was tried wasn't inherently bad, I've been chewing over the God Machine for a while now, and I wanted to try to put into words why I think it didn't really work as an addition to the setting.

And then the Blue Screen awoke, and the universe ceased to be.

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Demons, Angels, and Clark's Third Law

In the long ago and far away, I devoured a friend's copy of Demon: The Fallen. While I would be the first to admit it was far from perfect in a mechanical sense, it had such a feeling of gothic depravity that fit neatly into the darker corners of the setting that I couldn't help but be intrigued by it. Though I made several characters for the game, every new chronicle I tried to join fell through before we could really get going. So when I heard that Demon was going to get a Chronicles of Darkness release, my ears perked up and I paid attention.

Demon: The Descent is not what I expected... and not really what I wanted.

Tonally, the two games are similar enough that they're clearly related. In presentation, though, they're worlds apart. In Fallen you have the setup that most players think of from an RPG titled Demon, in that you play a Demon who has broken loose from their nether realm, found their way to Earth, and they are laying the groundwork for their own plans. They're rebels, and while some may be here merely as agents of chaos to watch the world burn, others are attempting to lay more subtle plans, or merely to ensure their own, selfish ends.

Descent, though... well, it feels like the Matrix.

These were not the demons I was looking for.

The reason for this is the setup of the literal plot device of the God Machine.

The clue here is in the tagline on the cover; a storytelling game of techgnostic espionage. If that sounds like technobabble, let me break it down. Gnosticism is a spiritual practice whereby individuals believe that the material world around them is an illusion; a lie generated by a demi-godlike entity to imprison the minds and spiritual power of humans. It is only by subverting this lie, and acknowledging the truth of the universe, that one can escape the prison built by this demiurge.

If that sounds familiar, it's the same inspiration for both versions of Mage. But whereas Mage keeps the mystical angle (at least according to all the reading I've done so far), Descent leans into the technological. The God Machine is a literal alien machine that is infinitely more complex than merely mortal minds can conceive of. This intelligence understands far more than anyone possibly could, and it is ancient beyond knowing. And, as Clark's Third Law states, any technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic.

So you have a game where a vast, cosmic horror computer spans the cosmos, and several of its programs (the titular demons) have gone rogue. Is that a playable game? Sure. Is it a horror game? You could make it one, if you wanted to. Gnosticism is, after all, pretty damn terrifying as an idea.

But does it jive with the rest of the Chronicles of Darkness setting?

Monsters and Computers Create Tonal Dissonance

One of the major, appealing factors of the Chronicles of Darkness setting (and the World of Darkness before that) is it's all meant to fit together. Sure, you can play a chronicle that's just about vampires, just about werewolves, or just about mages, changelings, or prometheans... but you can also play a chronicle where all of those things (as well as the communities they inhabit) overlap with one another. It creates a richer tapestry, and populates the shadows with all kinds of horrors and wonders just waiting to be discovered.

This is where the God Machine trips and falls on its face, in my opinion. Because it really doesn't feel like it belongs with the rest of the setting.

Vampires and werewolves are purely supernatural creatures, and have always had an air of dark mysticism to them. Changelings and the fae are capricious creatures from out of our folklore. Mages, though they use a similar framing device to Demon, fit much more firmly within the mystical than they do the technological. Even Promethean, based on the pseudo-science of alchemy, feels more magical than it does academic.

Then along comes the God Machine. While there's a lot of hemming and hawing in the text about how it is actually far more complex than presented in the rules, it's still broken down in a way that reflects on computers and technology that a modern audience will understand... and that really makes it feel like a dark sci-fi game, rather than a supernatural horror game. While that's not inherently an issue (magic and technology co-existing and mutating together have been themes of a lot of WoD content in the past), it feels like a square-peg-round-hole scenario.

And honestly, I feel like most of it is in the presentation.

Consider a different take. Think of the lost and buried places among the world. Forgotten ziggurats carved with long-dead languages where abominable deeds were done. Lost empires frozen in the polar regions that still teem with creatures that would drive one mad. Star-bound entities to whom humanity is a mere curiosity, and things with black wings who soar on the solar winds of the void. Beings who are built on ritual, on names, and on formulas.

What I just described is the Cthulhu Mythos, but that feeling could have been used to give Descent a sheen of the mystical, the weird, and the supernatural. Especially since as Lovecraft often said, the beings of the mythos are only gods to humanity, and their rites, rituals, and devices are simply so far beyond us that we can no more comprehend them than an ant might understand calculus.

This would, I think, have been a far better framing device for maintaining the consistent tone of the setting, and getting players onboard with the game as a whole. It could have maintained that air of ignorance versus knowledge, and given players the chance to inhabit truly alien mindsets. That's not what happened, of course, but I think it would have prevented a lot of players from straight-up walking away from this game because it was so distant from the supernatural angels and demons they expected, and which the setting would more easily support.

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That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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The Infernal Grandchild (Wizard Concept)

The mob had gathered, truncheons and pitch forks in their hands. Torches had been lit, and the fire danced in the eyes of the onlookers. Their gazes were fixed on the bloodied figure chained on the block at the edge of the water. With horns cresting from his black hair, and skin red as sin, there had been no trial. No hearing to evaluate the words of those who'd spoken out against him. After all, what could a creature with cloven hooves and a spaded tail truly say in its defense?

"Any last words?" The self-appointed judge asked.

The tiefling nodded his head solemnly. He'd been sitting there, head down, bloody fingers twitching across the stone for nearly ten minutes. He drew himself up, as best he could, and looked into the eye of the man who had sentenced him. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip, ensuring the blood would be a part of what he said. The crowd behind him drew in its breath, as if sensing what was to come. Before anyone could stop him the wizard spoke a single word, his blue forked tongue dancing around the syllables that would have stymied anyone not so blessed.

"Anthiaraxes," he said.

For a moment, nothing happened. It seemed in that second that it had all been a bluff... then the howling began. A wind from nowhere guttered the torches, and darkness bled into the world as if the very air had been stabbed. It congealed, and burst, the shadows birthing something that made all of them draw back. It bore the likeness of a woman, but twisted out of true. The neck was too long, the face too perfect. It bore too many knuckles in its fingers, and its hair whipped like an angry cat's tail, so dark it drank the light. The creature's eyes were the worst; twin voids that would siphon away the soul if one didn't have a will of iron when they met them.

"Before I pass my judgment," Anthiaraxes said, her voice a soft, sibilant whisper that burrowed into the ears and minds of all those present. "Why have you bound and chained my favorite grandson?"

And make it good. I didn't come all the way here for nothing.

When You Have Family in Low Places

Infernal power comes in many shapes and forms. For some it's a result of a pact made with dark powers in exchange for their soul. For others it's a mark of a favored servant, with an archfiend empowering them as a servant of their dire faith. For some it's a result of their bloodline, tainted by the back hand of a devil.

This concept is for characters who fall into the final category.

Whether this character is a tiefling, or they merely have some vestigial connection to the blood of the lower planes, the idea is that they know the true name of a powerful entity connected to their family. Perhaps it's the fiend who first mixed their blood into their line, or if the character is descended from a more potent devil, the name of one of that devil's servants who is bound to answer the call when it goes out. While this can also be accomplished with demons and celestial creatures, those are simply variations on the theme presented below.

The Mechanics

The mechanical trick for this story is the Arcane Discoveries option that was added to wizards in Ultimate Magic for Pathfinder. The discovery True Name allows you to learn the true name of a powerful outsider, which you can then summon to you as if by using planar binding as a spell-like ability. You must be 11th level to take this ability, and the outsider in question can have no more than 12 hit dice. However, if you take this ability at 15th level, the outsider can have no more than 18 hit dice. This functions as greater planar binding.

And if you really want to sell the whole, "favored child of an infernal heritage," my recommendation is to make a conjurer wizard who always falls back on summoned devils, hellhounds, and other similar monsters. Maybe they're servants of the conjurer's ancestor, or they simply recognize the lineage and are hoping they will earn favor by providing good service. But it's helpful to establish a theme as you grow in power, and gain access to stranger and more varied creatures.

 

While you can bring across the flavor using a sorcerer, a warlock (in 5th Edition DND, anyway), they won't give you access to this unique ability. That is, of course, at your discretion.

The Story

What story you make to support this kind of character concept is totally up to you! There are, however, some archetypes and paths you might want to consider.

If you want to play an evil character (keeping in mind all the advice I presented in 5 Tips For Playing Evil Characters, such as being part of a team) you could easily play as an extension of your ancestor's influence on the material plane. This would have many of the same overtones as a cleric of an archfiend; receiving messages from fiends, contacting the outer planes to report on your progress, etc. If you wanted to avoid making the character too edgy or grim, you could even give it a kind of Addams Family vibe where they simply have no idea what it is everyone around them is so upset about. This is just the way things are done at home (petting the hellhounds, laughing at the "playful" imps, etc.).

Alternatively, the character might be actively trying to turn the forces of hell to a good cause. So while the devils they summon are forced by both magic and oaths of allegiance to comply, they know they're going to catch hell from grand mama if she finds out this conjurer was summoning devils to fight against evil cults. You might even be able to set it up as a kind of chess game between the character and the fiend. The Infernal Grandchild thinks they're subverting the fiend's will, but on the grander scale of things it is the Infernal Grandchild who is actually fighting the fiend's foes. For every evil cult they crush, and every demon lord who's plans they undermine, that creates a power vacuum the fiend can then step into in order to expand their own power and position. While their Grandchild might sometimes deal a blow to one of the fiend's allies, or harm their other servants, that's all part of how the game is played. Sometimes you have to sacrifice a pawn or two.

You could even walk a middle path with this story, and create a kind of estranged family relationship. Perhaps the conjurer tries to avoid calling on the servants of the infernal the same way they'd avoid calling home to ask for money after they had a big fight with their father. They wait until there's no other way, and of course the fiend wants to help... because the more often the conjurer asks for help, the easier it will be to become their crutch. So it's a tug-of-war as the fiend tries to ensnare the wizard, and the wizard is trying to remain untethered to the machinations of their line's progenitor.

There's a lot you can do here, and so much of it is left up to you as the player (and your DM, of course). With that said, you might find helpful inspiration for bringing this concept to life in...

- 13 Fiends: A Baker's Dozen of Devils: If you're looking for a powerful fiend to attach mechanics to, the options in here have names, symbols, histories, and purviews you can easily draw on.

- 100 Tieflings To Meet in Your Travels: Whether you just want something to get your wheels turning, or you want to build an extended family, I'll always recommend giving this one a look. You don't have to be a tiefling for this concept to work, but it is fun.

- 5 Tips For Playing Better Tieflings and Aasimar: Again, you don't have to be a tiefling for this concept, but if you're going to be either a tiefling or an aasimar (after all, your ancestor might have fallen from grace), I'd recommend giving this one a look.

 

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Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a dungeon master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Like Urban Fantasy? Take 6 Minutes To Watch "As They Continue To Fall"

As some regular readers have no doubt noticed, there's been a spike in the amount of content I'm writing for more modern, urban fantasy games on this blog. Stuff like my post Want to Run Better World of Darkness Games? Then Watch John Wick!, for instance. Simply put, I needed a bit of a break, and you all seem to enjoy those posts. As such, I figured I'd make an effort to put a few more of them out there.

That's why this week I figured I'd provide a little inspiration for all the fans of modern, secret-world style games. All you have to do is take a couple of minutes to watch the short film As They Continue To Fall.

Intriguing, right?

What The Hell Did I Just Watch?

That video stuck with me the first time I saw it, leaving me full of questions about what strange world I just caught a glimpse of. It was written by C. Robert Gargill, the pen behind Doctor Strange, and directed by Nikhil Bhagat. Sadly, though it feels like a tantalizing taste of something bigger, there was never a full film made for this project (though there was a Kickstarter, which has since been deleted), so this is all we're going to get... for now, at least.

Personally, every time I watch this short it makes me want to start a Hunter: The Reckoning or a Hunter: The Vigil game. Not overly picky, as anything that would let me play a wandering, unseen badass in a crumbling city full of unseen monsters would go down just fine after that little film.

The other reason this particular short came up recently is that I've been working on my 100 Kinfolk project with High Level Games, and I'm elbow-deep in the Bone Gnawers list at the moment (so far I've finished the Get of Fenris, Black Furies, and Glass Walkers over the past few months). So if the idea of people wandering the fringes of society with a blade up their sleeve and a blessed bullet in their pocket is the sort of thing you want to see more of, stay tuned for that as well!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you enjoyed the film, and it provides you all with the same sort of inspiration it did me!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal and Gamers archives, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

The Weird And Wild World of Outsiders (Exploring Alternative Aasimar and Tiefling Heritages)

Aasimar and tieflings are often thought of as two sides of the same coin. The dalliances, blessings, and curses of the celestial and the infernal, both mixed with the blood of mortals. This heritage grants their scions power, along with signs (some subtle, and others not-so-subtle) as to the origin of that power.

For most of us, though, these two native outsider races just means we get access to some fun racial feats, some resistances, darkvision, decent stat mods, and a spell-like ability. However, there is a whole slew of weird stuff that you can use to modify these outsiders. All you have to do is look at the tiefling and aasimar pages, paying particular attention to the charts along the bottom of the page with the alternative features.

99 Options

Each chart gives you 99 different options you can take, instead of the tiefling or aasimar's standard spell-like ability (darkness and daylight respectively). In some cases, the options aren't really all that great (gain a +2 bonus on a skill check or specific saving throw), while in other cases the options are pretty goddamn awesome (like switching out daylight for spear of purity, which is going to be a nasty little surprise for enemies who don't know you've got an offensive spell up your sleeve).

Say hello to my little friend!

If you're looking for specific abilities and concepts that would be enhanced by the alternative traits, I did come across a few that stuck out.

- You have oversized limbs, and can wield Large-sized weapons without penalty (tiefling).

- You gain spell resistance equal to 10+1/2 your hit dice (tiefling and aasimar).

- You can cast spear of purity once per day as a spell-like ability (aasimar).

- You can levitate yourself, plus 10 pounds, as per the spell at-will (tiefling).

- You have a natural fly speed of 20 feet (aasimar).

- Your body produces intense heat/cold/acid, and deals damage to those grappling you (tiefling).

These are just a sample of the abilities you can gain, without even needing to burn a feat slot. There's also the option for minor damage reduction, unusual abilities such as being able to turn on a halo for aasimar, or being able to eat ashes and cinders for sustenance for tieflings. There's an option that allows a tiefling to never need sleep, and one that allows an aasimar make any weapon they hold holy for three rounds as a move action once per day.

In most circumstances, these abilities provide a small bonus, or some additional flavor. Used for the right build, though, such as a titan mauler with large weapons, a grappler who specializes in burning his foes, or even an inquisitor who hunts demons and wants an extra edge on top of their bane, these little abilities can make a big impact.

Stranger Things in Heaven and Earth

Even though this is Crunch week, I'd like to take a moment to direct folks' attention to the two charts to the right of the aasimar and tiefling mechanical abilities. Because despite the infinite variety outsiders come in, it feels like our tieflings just look like nightcrawler with horns, while all of our aasimar look like cover models under perfect lighting.

There are so many more options than that.

Like this adorable little prince by Tamaj.

Just glance through some of the choices. Aasimar whose fingerprints always look like holy symbols. Translucent tieflings with see-through skin. Aasimar who make bells ring as they walk past. Tieflings with constantly smoking breath, or eyes. Aasimar with metallic lips and jeweled eyes. Tieflings with fingers that bend backwards.

All the examples I listed above are in the books for effects these native outsiders can possess. And that is just a small selection of the bizarre things their presence and anatomy can do just because they exist. Because while there is nothing that says you have to be a bizarre collection of inhumanly inherited features, there is also nothing that prevents you from being a bird-headed, gold-beaked, ruby-eyed peacock warrior with abnormally long legs. And if that's the sort of native outside that appeals to you, then my collection 100 Unusual Aasimar along with 100 Tieflings To Meet in Your Travels will both be right up your alley!

Just remember, next time you get a chance to play one of these native outsiders, feel free to go absolutely nuts with it!

That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal and Gamers archives, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well! And if you'd like to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little bit of help can go a long way, trust me on that one.