The Apocalyptic Form

Demon: The Fallen

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Demon: The Fallen Factions Faith and Torment Houses Innate Abilities Lores The Apocalyptic Form Thralls Visages

During the Age of Wrath, the fallen could alter their physical form at will. When they battled the Host of heaven, they could be titans of living iron or horrors wreathed in raging fire. Among humans, they often assumed the forms of men and women, luminous and terrible to behold, or wore the guise of animals that best suited their needs. The modern World of Darkness does not possess the atmosphere of Faith to allow such effortless transformation from spirit to flesh, but the fallen can use their stores of Faith to alter their host bodies temporarily and gain superhuman capabilities. This Apocalyptic or revelatory form is a reflection of a demon's true nature, and its capacities vary depending on the character's primary lore (see the Lore section for details). When a character takes on her apocalyptic form, mortal witnesses suffer the effects of Revelation, with reactions ranging from terror to rapturous wonder.

A character's primary lore dictates which apocalyptic form she can manifest. In order for the transformation to occur, you either roll a number of dice equal to your character's current Faith pool against a difficulty of 6, or spend a point of Faith to gain an automatic success. If the roll is successful, your character's transformation occurs instantaneously.

When your character manifest her apocalyptic form, she gains access to a number of special capabilities ranging from trait increases to physical capabilities such as wings and claws. Each apocalyptic form provides eight special powers, but only four are available to characters with a Torment of 6 or less. The remaining four manifest when your character loses part of herself to her demonic nature. When your character's permanent Torment score reaches 7, you may select one of the form's four high-Torment powers and add it to her apocalyptic form. When her permanent Torment reaches 8, you may add another, and so on. If your character's permanent Torment is reduced later, her high-Torment powers are lost at the rate of one per point, in the reverse order in which they were gained. So, the power gained most recently is the first one lost when permanent Torment is reduced. Characters retain their low-Torment special abilities regardless of their Torment score.

In times of peril, a demon can tap into her dark nature and temporarily manifest a high-Torment power. The capability persists for the duration of a single scene, and your character gains a point of temporary Torment. Finally, your character doesn't have to manifest all of her special abilities when invoking her apocalyptic form. (A set of eagle's wings might be inconvenient in a crowded elevator, for example.) Declare which powers you want your character to invoke before making your Faith roll. If she wants to manifest different or additional abilities later she can, but another roll is required. There is no penalty for failing a Faith roll, but a character loses a point of Faith if the roll botches.

One's apocalyptic form persists for the remainder of the scene, or it can be "turned off" at any point before then that your character wishes.

A Player's Guide to the Apocalyptic Form

Seeing a demon's apocalyptic form is one of the most terrifying - though occasionally uplifting - things a human being could ever experience. The demon's form can embody terror, carnage, hope, despair or any number of concepts, depending on what the angel was originally created to do. The exact nature of a demon's revelatory form depends on her primary lore. Although each form has its own appearance and special abilities, the system barely scratches the surface of the myriad possibilities open to the former agents of Creation.

During game play it is possible to change the abilities of a demon's apocalyptic form, either by consuming other demons' souls or by remaking the revelatory form on the fly through the expeniture of Faith. It is also possible to change one's form gradually using experience points.

Building a Demon

When building your demon's revelatory form, consider the character first. What sort of angel was he? Why did he join the rebellion? What was his role in the War of Wrath? An angel of the sea who spent much of the war spying on the enemy from rivers and streams might assume a sinuous, iridescent form that confuses the eye. An angel of the wild who pursued his foes across the world's newborn savannas might be lean and long-limbed, able to run without tiring and possessed of supermal physical senses. With the fallen, form definitely follows function.

Systems

A player begins with 16 "form points" with which to build an apocalyptic form. Each capability has a point value ranging from one to four. These lists include "common" form powers (available to demons of any Hous) and more specialized powers listed by House. The player must purchase eight revelatory capabilities (four normal and four high-Torment) for the character, thus establishing the character's beginning revelatory form abilities.

Note: These "form points" do not transfer into freebie points; a player cannot choose to spend 10 form points building his character's revelatory form and then spend the other six to buy additional Attributes or Abilitis. By the same token, a player cannot use freebie points to buy additional or more expensive form characteristics for his demon's apocalyptic form.

A starting character's revelatory form is still based on her primary lore to some degree, so it must have at least one of the basic template's special abilities in the Demon core rulebook. This one special ability can come either from the normal or high-Torment abilities of the visage. Additionally, the Houses each have their own capabilities that come more naturally than others. Devils, for example, excel at inspiring (and terrifying) others, but they possess limited ability to change their own bodies, whereas Devourers almost universally manifest aspects of the natural world in their revelatory form. In addition to a list of "common" form abilities, each House has its own list of specialized abilities. A player who wishes to purchase a form capability from a different House pays one more point than the listed cost.

The abilities presented on the following lists can be taken as either normal or high-Torment powers. Abilities purchased to fill high-Torment slots cost one point less than the listed cost.

An ability preceded by a "^" symbol may be taken only as a high-Torment ability at the listed cost.

Common Form Abilities

The capabilities listed here are available to all demons of all Houses. In some cases, the cost is slightly higher than those listed under a House power of a similar nature. (A Malefactor's player, for instance, could purchase Master Artisan at a lower cost than that listed for Enhanced Ability in order to pump up his character's Crafts Ability, but he would still pay the cost listed here for Enhanced Ability in order to bump up his character's Brawl.) If a demon can purchase a form capability at two different costs from the House list and the common form abilities list, the lower cost applies. This list is by no means exhaustive . If a player wishes to create a unique ability for her character, the Storyteller should work with the player to decide its game effect and point cost.

• Armor (4 points) : Whether his armor comes from the stony hide of the Visage of the Earth or the thick, leathery skin of the Visage of the Beast, the character is extremely hard to hurt. Add four dice to the demon's soak pools to resist bashing, lethal and aggravated types of damage.

• Casts No Reflection (2 points): The demon's image does not appear in a mirror, nor can it lie captured in a photograph or by a video camera.

• Claws/Teeth (1 point): The character manifests claws and fangs that inflict Strength + 2 aggravated damage.

• Damage Resistance (3 points) : The demon is capable of shrugging off damage that would cripple a normal human. She may ignore any wound penalties for the duration of the scene. Penalties for injuries incurred while in apocalyptic form apply again once human form is resumed.

• Enhanced Ability (3 points): The difficulty on rolls involving any one Ability drops by two while the character is in her apocalyptic form. This bonus might be due to preternatural quickness (Athletics), an awe-inspiring wreath of flame (Intimidation), a special kinship withanimals (Animal Ken) or enhanced knowledge of ancient secrets (Occult). The player must specify which Ability this power affects at the time of purchase, and he cannot change it to a different Ability later. Enhanced Ability may be purchased multiple times, but each purchase takes up one of the character's eight available slots, and each one must be allocated to a different Ability.

• Enhanced Senses (3 points): The character's five senses are heightened to superhuman levels, reducing the difficulty of her Perception rolls by two.

• Enhanced Mental Acuity (4 points): The character receives a mere taste of the clarity of thought she once knew. The character adds four dots to her Mental Attributes in any combination at the player's discretion. The allocation must be determined when the ability is purchased, and it may not be changed afterward unless the rules for modifying the apocalyptic form during play are being used.

• Enhanced Social Traits (4 points): The character's physical appearance, poise and grace leave humans in stupefied awe. The demon gains four dots to add to her Social Attributes in any combination at the player's discretion. The location must be determined when the ability is purchased, and it may not be changed afterward unless the rules for modifying the apocalyptic form during play are being used.

• Extra Actions (3 points): Faith points can be spent to gain extra actions in a turn at the rate of one point per action. These actions occur in order of defending initiative, so if a demon with an initiative of 7 gains an extra action, she takes her normal action at 7 and her extra action at 6. The player must decide to purchase extra actions at the beginning of a turn before any other actions have been taken.

• Extra Health Levels (3 points): The character's vitality provides three extra Bruised health levels for the purposes of absorbing bashing, lethal and aggravated damage.

^ • Extra Limbs (3 points): The demon grows a second set of arms or a prehensile tail, at the player's discretion. Extra arms allow a character either to parry or block hand-to-hand or melee attacks without sacrificing her own attack, or to make up to two additional attacks of her own per turn using her full dice pool. A prehensile tail is half the character's height, uses only half the character's Strength (rounding down) to lift objects and allows the character to hang suspended.

Gaping Maw (2 points): The demon can chew and digest anything it can get its teeth on. Metal, stone and flesh can all be ground up and digested with case. The difficulties of bite attacks decrease by two,and the maw inflicts Strength + 4 aggravated damage.

^ • Horns (1 point): A pair of curved ram or bull's horns protrude from the character's forehead. If attacked in close combat, the character may make a free counter attack at his foe. RollDexterity + Brawl. If successful, the character inflicts aggravated damage equal to Strength - 1.

• Improved Attribute (3 points): One of the demon's Attributes increases by two in revelatory form. This must be the same Attribute every time, unless the rules for modifying the apocalyptic form during play are being used.

• Improved Initiative (1 point): Add two to the character's initiative score.

• Increased Size (3 points): The character's body grows to a third again its own height, adding the following bonus traits: +2 Strength, +1 Stamina, and one extra Bruised health level for the purpose of soaking bashing, lethal and aggravated damage. Difficulties to strike the character in ranged or melee combat drop by one.

^ • Lashing Tail (1 point): The character manifests a long, reptilian tail tipped with a curved, bony spike that inflicts Strength - 1 aggravated damage.

• Pass Without Trace (2 points): The difficulty of the character's Stealth rolls decreases by two, and her passage does not disturb the surrounding environment in any way. She leaves no footprints and disturbs no foliage.

• Regeneration (4 points): The demon regenerates one health level of bashing or lethal damage per turn automatically as a reflexive action.

• Wings (3 points): A pair of wings extends from the character's shoulders. At full extension, each wing is a third again as long as the character is tall. The character can glide up to three times her running speed per turn. These wings might resemble those of a raven, owl, swan or eagle or (if the demon uses a high-Torment application of this power) the leathery wings of a bat. At a cost of one extra form point, the demon can take off from a standing position and actually gain altitude by flapping her wings.

Defilers

The Lammasu might seem like social butterflies, but they were once angels of the deep, inspiring the rebel host to fight against overwhelming odds for the sake of mankind. They are capable of great insight and passion, and their apocalyptic forms often reflect this, granting them a surprisingly diverse array of powers and capabilities. One Defiler's revelatory form might resemble a beautiful, untouchable Adonis, while another might appear as a winged, androgynous horror made of kelp and seawater.

Tormented Lammasu likewise vary in their capabilities. Some take on the forms of the meaner creatures of the sea, while others develop insidious
ways to meddle with the hearts of mortals.

• Alter Size (3 points): The demon can alter her physical size in order to slip through narrow gaps or crawl into impossibly small spaces. She can reduce her size to as little as a third of her original volume. The difficulties of attacks directed against the miniature demon increase by two.

• Distortion (3 points): The demon's form shifts and shimmers as if the viewer were looking at the Defiler through water. The difficulties of all ranged attacks against the demon increase by two, while those of close-combat attacks increase by one. Other demons can resist these effects as they can any other illusion.

• Enhanced Empathy (1 point): The difficulties of all Empathy rolls decrease by two.

• Enhanced Intuition (1 point): The character's uncanny insight lowers the difficulties of all Intuition rolls by two.

^ • Ichor (2 points): A foul black ichor covers the demon's body, making him difficult to grab or restrain. The difficulty of any grapple attempts directed at the demon increases by two.

• Immune to Electricity (2 points): The Defiler suffers no damage from any kind of electricity-based attacks.

• Improved Dexterity (2 points): Add two to the character's Dexterity.

• Ink Cloud: The demon can expel a cloud of indigo ink that hangs in the air and blinds her foes. Individuals within a number of feet equal to the demon's Faith score are blinded for a number of turns equal to the demon's Torment, unless a successful Stamin a roll is made. Victims are subject to the Blind Fighting combat rules, adding +2 difficulty to all physical or aim related rolls.

• Lyrical Voice (1 point): The difficulties of all Leadership or Subterfuge rolls decrease by two.

• Sea's Beauty (3 points): The character's physical appearance, poise and grace leave humans in stupefied awe. The demon gains the following bonus traits: +2 Charisma , +1 Manipulation, +2 Appearance.

^ • Shark Hide (3 points): The demon's shark-like skin acts as armor, providing four additional dice to soak bashing, lethal and aggravated damage.

• Shocking Touch (2 points): The character's touch inflicts a number of bashing levels of damage equal to her Faith score. This special ability may be used only once per scene.

• Spines (2 point): A long ruff of spines runs down the demon's back and along the backs of her arms. She inflicts an additional health level of aggravated damage with every successful attack in unarmed combat.

^ • Venom (3 points): The demon's saliva contains an intoxicating venom that affects a victim's will. If a victim is exposed to the demon's saliva (through a successful bite attack, through an already open wound or via a kiss), she loses one Willpower point per point of the character's Torment unless a successful Stamina roll is made (difficulty 7). If the victim loses all of her Willpower in this fashion, she falls into a deathlike coma. The effects of the venom last for a number of days equal to the character's Torment.

• Weather Sense (1 point): The character can always intuitively sense changes in the weather up to a distance of 10 miles times her Faith score.

Devils

The Namaru's command over faith, fire and the Celestial Word bestows their apocalyptic forms with the bearing of the angelic savior — or the infernal destroyer. Depending on her primary lore, a Devil might appear as a warrior wreathed in holy fire, or a resplendent angel with beautiful, blinding features. Most Devils have at least one form capability that allows them to influence the hearts and minds of others in some way.

Their monstrous forms abandon subtlety, however. While the normal revelatory form powers of the Namaru allow them to appear as beatific creatures of God, their apocalyptic forms can't hide the truth of their infernal nature. Many of them sprout fangs, claws, tails or other crude manifestations of their inner Torment. When the Devils reach their breaking point, everything within reach must burn.

• Affirm (3 points): By making eye contact with a mortal, the Devil can reaffirm that mortal's place in God's plan. The player rolls the demon's Faith (difficulty 6). If successful, the mortal regains a point of temporary Willpower.

• Beckon (2 points): The demon is so beautiful that those who lay eyes upon him cannot help but follow him, entranced by his preternatural charisma. Any mortal who fails a Revelation check must follow the Devil as best he can, keeping the demon in sight at all times. The mortal snaps out of his reverie if he is attacked or simply shaken. The demon can choose to turn this effect off at will.

^ • Corrosive Spit (2 points): The demon's spit hums like acid. A bite inflicts an additional health level of aggravated damage, or the character can spit at a target up to 10 feet away with a successful Dexterity roll. The spittle inflicts one die of aggravated damage plus any extra successes rolled. Targets such as mortals that do not deal in aggravated damage suffer lethal damage instead.

• Dread Gaze (4 points): Individuals (mortal or demon) who meet the demon's gaze and who fail a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) must forfeit their actions for the turn.

^ • Fiery Blood (4 points): The character's blood burns like magma. Inflammable objects that touch more than a few drops burst into flame, and opponents in close combat suffer one level of lethal damage each time they successfully inflict damage on the character.

• Immune to Fire (3 points): The Devil suffers no damage from fire or heat of any kind.

• Increased Awareness (2 points): The fallen is especially attuned to the fabric of reality, reducing the difficulty of all Awareness rolls by two.

• Inhuman Allure (2 points): The character's voice and features are refined to inhuman perfection, adding the following bonus traits: +2 Charisma, +1 Manipulation, +1 Appearance.

• Lordly Mien (2 points): The character's aura of divine authority reduces the difficulty of her Charisma and Manipulation rolls by two.

• Radiant Aura (1 point): The character's body is wreathed in a corona of shifting, multicolored hues that distract and confuse her foes. The difficulties of all ranged attacks directed at the character increase by one.

^ • Scales (3 points): The character's skin is covered with dark, lustrous scales that provide four dice of armor protection against bashing, lethal and aggravated damage.

• Sense the Hidden (1 point): The character is supernaturally adept at sensing mortals or demons who attempt to hide from her. The difficulties of all Perception rolls to detect hidden individuals within the character's line of sight decrease by two.

• Spark of Faith (3 points): The Devil can cause a mortal's Faith to flare up with a touch. The Devil must touch her target to use this ability; the player then makes a Faith roll with a difficulty equal to the target's Willpower. If the roll is successful, the demon heals one health level of bashing damage per success. If the character possesses Spark of Faith as a high-Torment special ability, the player rolls Torment instead of Faith and inflicts a level of bashing damage per success.

^ • The Host (2 points): Fanged mouths appear on the character's body. The character inflicts a Strength + 3 aggravated bite damage per turn with a successful grapple. When they are not otherwise occupied, the mouths whisper blasphemies in any language the character knows.

• Voice of the Damned (1 point): The demon's voice booms with the authority of God, or, alternatively, seethes with inhuman hate and malice. The difficulties of all Intimidation rolls decrease by two.

Devourers

The savage rebels of the House of the Wild took on the forms of beasts and plants in days long past. Their apocalyptic forms, confined and stunted by their time in the Abyss and by the modern world, retain much of that primal strength. The Rabisu are not necessarily cruel or vicious, but all of them accept that in the never-ending cycle of predator and prey, some things must die. A Devourer's low-Torment revelatory form is often just as monstrous as another demon's more monstrous form. Claws, fangs and other natural weaponry is commonplace among the Rabisu.

When their Torment overwhelms them, however, the natural world is left by the wayside and the Devourers live up to their sobriquet. Monstrous Rabisu exhibit powers that no living creature on Earth should ever possess. In those moments, they truly become abominations.

• Aura of Vitality (4 points): Living beings (plant or animal) within a number of yards equal to the character's Faith are infused with restorative energy. Individuals within this area heal any bashing damage at the rate of one health level per turn.

• Chameleon Skin (1 point): The demon's skin allows it to blend with its surroundings. The difficulties of all Stealth rolls decrease by one if the demon is on the move; two if he is standing still.

^ • Disperse (3 points): The demon can dissolve her body into a mass of maggots, spiders, insects or other tiny creatures. The player rolls a number of dice equal to the character's Torment (difficulty 6). If the roll is successful, the transformationis instantaneous. The Devourer retains control over this swarm, and he can use this power to flow through tight openings or simply to terrify opponents. The character can choose to attack opponents while this power in is effect. Successful attacks inflict aggravated damage.

• Enhanced Social Traits (3 points): The refinement of the character's features, mannerisms and voice provides the following bonus traits: +1 Charisma, +1 Manipulation, +2 Appearance.

• Enhanced Survival (1 point): The difficulty of all Survival rolls decreases by two.

^ • Frenzy (2 points): The Devourer flies into a rage, hurling himself at his foes again and again despite the pain of his wounds. The demon is immune to wound penalties during frenzy, but the player must make a Willpower roll each turn with a difficulty equal to the character's Torment. If the roll fails, the character must attack the closest person, friend or foe, with whatever weapon is at hand. A Willpower point may be spent to gain an automatic success on this roll.

• Immune to Poisons (3 points): The character is immune to damage or impairment from any toxins, including alcohol and nicotine.

• Natural Weaponry (3 points): Each time this ability is purchased, the player can choose from the following abilities: Claws/Teeth, Gaping Maw, Horns, Lashing Tail or Spines. Note that these natural weapons are low-Torment abilities. For one form point less, each natural weapon chosen can be a high-Torment ability.

• Nimble Hunter (3 points): The difficulties of all Athletics rolls decrease by two. Also, the demon's leaping distance doubles.

^ Primal Mind (3 points): The Devourer can make contact with the small part of a mortal's mind that retains its ignorance, that remembers what it is to live only to survive like a beast. To use this ability, the demon must physically touch his intended target. Then the player rolls the demon's Torment in a resisted roll against the mortal's Willpower (difficulty 6 on both rolls). If the demon wins, the human loses all Knowledges and most Skills (though such Abilities as Stealth or Survival may remain at the Storyteller' s discretion) for one scene and generally acts on survival instinct — fleeing from fire, attacking with tooth and claw if cornered, et cetera.

• Relentless (1 point): The demon can walk or run without need of rest, enabling her to cover superhuman distances without pause. As long as she stays in motion, she is unaffected by fatigue or hunger.

• Sun's Bounty (2 points): By standing in direct sunlight for one full hour, the character can heal all bashing damage suffered or one level of lethal or aggravated damage. This power can be used only once per day.

• Thick Hide (2 points): The character's leather-like skin acts as armor, providing an additional four dice to soak bashing, lethal and aggravated damage.

• Thorns (1 point): The demon's shoulders, chestand arms are covered with needle-sharp, black thorns that inflict one level of aggravated damage to any attacker who successfully strikes or grapples the demon in unarmed combat.

^ • Toxins (3 points): The claws and saliva of the demon are poisonous. Targets exposed to the venom (either by a successful claw or bite attack, through an open wound or via a kiss) are subject to a dice pool of lethal damage equal to the demon's Torment. This damage can he soaked.

Fiends

The long aeons in the chaos of the Abyss took a toll on the ordered Neberu. Where once they could recognize the beautiful machinery of all Creation, the fallen angels of fate can see exactly how had things have become. Their revelatory form, far from the physical perfection of the Namaru, reflects the cracked and disjointed nature of the universe, even without taking their Torment into account. Ironically, however, when the Fiends assume their monstrous aspects, they become more recognizable, if more terrifying. Many of them become silvered, reflecting the degradation of the world around them like a garish funhouse mirror. Quicksilver tears often stream from their empty eyes as they regard the world through the distorting lens of their Torment.

^ • Aura of Misfortune (3 points): Any individuals caught within a distance in yards equal to the demon's Torment score suffer a botch on any roll of 1 or 2.

• Cloak of Shadows (2 points): The demon is shrouded in a pall of darkness, making her features difficult to see in the best light and rendering her nearly invisible at night. The difficulty of all Stealth rolls decreases by two whenever the demon stands in shadow or moves in darkness. If the charactcr is attacked, the rules for Blind Fighting apply to the attacker.

^ • Chimerical Attack (3 points): The swirling illusions that surround the demon attack opponents engaged in dose combat with the fallen. These chimerical figures have the same initiative as the demon, and they attack a single opponent in close-combat range. Use the demon's Torment score as the dice pool for the attack, inflicting a base damage of four dice plus any extra successes on the attack roll. This damage is aggravated.

• Dread Mien (1 point): The difficulties of all Leadership and Intimidation rolls decrease by two.

• Enhanced Dodge (1 point) 1 Th e difficulties of all Podge rolls decrease by two.

• Enhanced Intuition (1 point) : Th e character's uncanny insight reduces the difficulties of all Intuition rolls by two.

• Enhanced Mental Acuity (3 points): The character receives the following bonus traits: +1 Intelligence, +1 Wits, +2 Perception.

• Eyes of Fate (4 points): The Fiend knows instinctively whether a given being is important to him or his plans. The player rolls Perception + Awareness (difficulty 6). If the roll issucccssful, the character gains a general sense of whether or not a target is potentially important to the demon's current plans or goals. As a side effect, and at the Storyteller's discretion, the Eyes of Fate can often detect whether or not a mortal has an especially high Faith potential.

• Hypnotic Visions (3 points): The aura of light and shadow surrounding the Fiend distracts and disquiets the mind of her foe. An attacker's player must make a Wits roll against a difficulty of the demon's Faith or Torment score (depending on whether this power is purchased as a low- or high-Torment ability). If the roll fails, the attacker may not act until the end of the turn. Demons (and thralls gifted with the power) are able to resist the effects of these illusions thanks to their inherent powers.

• Increased Awareness (1 point): The fallen is especially attuned to the fabric of reality, reducing the difficulties of all Awareness rolls by two.

• Night Sight (2 points): The character can see clearly in utter darkness.

^ • Rend the Soul (3 points): The Fiend lays a hand on a target and shows htm, for one split second, how infinitesimally he (the target ) is in the grand scheme of Creation. Roll rhe character's Torment (difficulty 7). For each success, the target loses one temporary Willpower point. If his Willpower score is reduced to zero, the target can do nothing bhut sit and weep. Demons are unaffected by this power.

• Sense the Hidden (1 point): The character is supomaturally adept at sensing mortals or demons who attempt to hide from her. The difficulties of all Perception rolls to detect hidden individuals within the character's line of sight decrease by two.

• Sibilant Whispers (1 point): The difficulties of all Subterfuge rolls decrease by two.

• Unearthly Glamour (1 point): The difficulties of all Manipulation rolls decrease by two. Demons (and thralls gifted with the power) are able to resist the effects of these illusions thanks to their inherent powers.

Malefactors

The Malefactors built the Earth, adding layers upon layers for humanity to explore and learn for themselves the wonders of Creation. They never thought that the humans that they so loved would destroy the world and carelessly discard anything that didn't seem immediately valuable. The rebellion was, for them, a desperate cry for appreciation, and now that they are free again, many have noticed exactly how little their toil apparently meant to humanity.

The Annunaki are each unique in their revelatory forms. These forms definitely follow function — a Malefactor who was originally charged with shaping the flow of lava will likely have a rocky hide, whereas one given the task of coloring the gemstones to be seeded in the earth might cause anything she touches to change color briefly. Their Tormented forms, however, remind anyone nearby how terrifying the Earth can truly be. A monstrous Annunaki might shake the earth with each step, or even spew ash into the air with every breath.

• Alter Size (3 points): The demon can alter her physical size in order to slip through narrow gaps or crawl into impossibly small spaces. She can reduce her size to as little as a third of her original volume. The difficulties of attacks directed against the miniature demon increase by two.

• Conjuration (2 points): The character is capable of supernatural sleight of hand, seeming to conjure items out of thin air, only to make them vanish again with a flick of the wrist. She can draw an item from a pocket or conceal an item without detection on a successful Dexterity + Athletics roll.

• Dead Reckoning (1 point): Your character is always aware of where she is in relation to known landmarks, no matter how far away those landmarks are. Unless she is affected by spatially distorting evocations such as Warp Path, she can never lose her sense of direction.

^ • Ichor ( 2 points) : A foul black ichor covers the demon's hody, making him difficult to grab or restrain. The difficulty of any grapple attempts directed at the demon increases by two.

• Immune to Bashing Damage (4 points): The character suffers no damage at all from any attack that would normally inflict bashing damage.

• Immune to Fire (3 points): The Malefactor suffers no damage from lire or heat of any kind.

• Iron Skin (3 points): The character's iron-like skin acts as armor, providing four additional dice to soak bashing, lethal and aggravated damage.

• Irresistible Force (2 points): The difficulty of any feat of strength performed by the character decreases by two.

• Magnetic Field (2 points): The demon is surrounded by a magnetic field that is intense enough to disrupt electronic devices within a radius in yards equal to the character's Faith.

• Master Artisan (1 point): The difficulties of all Crafts rolls decrease by two.

• Night Sight (2 points): The character can see clearly in utter darkness.

• Relentless (1 point): The demon can walk or run without need of rest, and she is able to cover superhuman distances without pause. As long as she stays in motion, she is unaffected by fatigue or hunger.

^ • Spikes (1 point): The demon's body is covered in stony spikes, adding two dice of aggravated damage to the Malefactor's unarmed attacks.

• Thunderous Voice (3 points): The character's shout shatters glass and makes stone tremble. Individuals within a number of yards equal to the character's Faith suffer four dice of bashing damage. This ability can be used only once per scene, and it requires an action to perform.

• Tremor Sense (3 points): The Malefactor can sense the slightest tremors passing through the earth around him, allowing him to sense even the stealthiest movements. The demon automatically acts first in combat, and he cannot be surprised unless a foe scores more successes on a Wits + Stealth roll than the demon's Faith or Torment (depending on whether this power is purchased as a low or high-Torment ability).

Scourges

During the War of Wrath, the Asharu were superlative spies and couriers, and their reappearance on Earth has led many of them into similar roles. They take wing once again, carrying word to their various factions and carrying hope and protection — or occasionally a truly ill wind — to the teeming masses of humanity.

Most of the House of the Rising Wind can fly, or at least glide on winds summoned by their lore. Their revelatory forms vary based on whether they follow their original dictates to breathe life into those who live on Earth or whether they perform their tasks among the winds and the firmament. (The former can appear almost human but for the holy light that softly surrounds them, while the latter are quick and mercurial, rarely brightly colored, but always beautiful. Tormented Scourges seem to be made of smoke and diseased flesh, and many leave a foul wind in their passing.

• Aura of Vitality (4 points): Living beings (plant or animal) within a number of yards equal to your character's Faith are infused with restorative energy. Individuals within this are a heal any hashing damage at the rate of one health level per turn.

^ • Caustic Bile (2 points): The demon is capable of vomiting a stream of corrosive bile at her foes within a number of feet equal to her Faith score. A successful Dexterity + Athletics roll is needed to hit a target. The bile inflicts Strength - 1 aggravated damage.

• Cloak of Shadows (2 points): The demon is shrouded in a pall of darkness, making her features difficult to see in the best light and rendering her near-invisible at night. The difficulty of all Stealth rolls decreases by two whenever the demon stands in shadow or moves in darkness. If the character is attacked, the rules for Blind Fighting apply to the attacker.

• Dead Reckoning (1 point): Your character is always aware of where she is in relation to known landmarks, no matter how far away those landmarks are. Unless she is affected by spatially distortig evocations such as Warp Path, she can never lose her sense of direction.

• Enhanced Dodge (1 point): The difficulty of all Dodge rolls decreases by two.

• Enhanced Intuition (1 point): The character's uncanny insight lowers the difficulty of all Intuition rolls by two.

• Immune to Falling Damage (2 point): The demon can fall any distance and land safely on her feet.

• Improved Physical Capabilities (3 points): The fallen gains the following bonus traits: +1 Strength , +1 Dexterity, +1 Stamina.

^ • Miasma (3 points): The demon's breath reeks of gangrenous rot that can have a debilitating effect on her foes in close quarters. The demon can affect victims up to a distance in feet equal to her Faith score. Mortals and demons caught in the path of her exhalation forfeit their actions for the turn unless a successful Stamina roll is made (difficulty 7). If the Stamina roll botches, the victim is also infected by a virus or disease at the Storyteller's discretion.

• Mist (4 points): The demon can summon up a concealing cloud of mist. Doing so requires a Faith or Tormen t roll (depending on whether the power is chosen as a high-Torment capability) at difficulty 6; each success obscures a 100-square-foot area. The mist lasts for one scene if conditions are good — a strong wind will blow the mist away in a few turns. High-Torment applications of this power summon choking smoke instead.

^ • Multiple Eyes (2 points): The demon gains four to six extra eyes, which sprout from her head and or neck. These extra organs give the demon 360-degree vision and reduce the difficulty of all Perception rolls by two.

• Perfect Balance (1 point) The difficulty of all Athletics rolls involving leaping and tumbling decreases by two.

Quills (1 point): The demon's shoulders and upper arms are covered with a ruff of sharp quills that pose a hazard to foes in close combat. An attacker who hits a demon in close combat suffers one health level of lethal damage unless his player makes a successful Dexterity roll (difficulty 7).

• Supernatural Vision (1 point): The character can see five times as far as a normal human can, allowing the demon to see objects at 50 yards as clearly as if they were 10 yards away as long as even a weak source of light (such as moonlight) is present. This effect also reduces the difficulty of all visual-based Perception rolls by two.

^ • Viscous Flesh (2 points): The diseased flesh of the Scourge sloughs away when he is pinned or trapped, leaving a would-be assailant covered in rotting flesh. The difficulty of grappling the demon increases by two, and the character can escape from bonds such as ropes or handcuffs with a successful Dexterity roll.

Slayers

The Halaku did not fight as fiercely in the War of Wrath as many of the other angels did. Much of the host on both sides were thankful; the Slayers were terrifying warriors, grim and silent, swooping into combat to simply do what came naturally — ending lives. Many of the Angels of the Second World remained on the fringes during the battles, however, tending to the humans who had recently been made mortal. Death, they explained time and again, is not the end, but simply the beginning of a new and more mysterious existence.

Therefore, the Halaku were horrified when they emerged from Hell to find a world that not only feared death, but had every reason to do so. The lands of the dead were torn asunder, and the still-living humans sensed the pain of the afterworld, even if they didn't know it. Every human is born knowing, somehow, that her time on Earth is limited. And this perhaps is why when the Slayers appear in revelatory form, silent, pale and beautiful, the most common reaction is a silent prayer. Of course, Tormented Slayers do not elicit such a response. Regardless of their particular form, wings or no, whatever the colors of the demon's cloak or the particular sheen on her eyes, a human who sees a monstrous Halaku knows that he has looked into the face of death itself.

^ • Aura of Dread (2 points): The demon is surrounded by an aura of fear that saps the will of her foes. Targets within a number of yards equal to the character's Faith lose their normal initiative unless a successful Willpower roll is made against a difficulty equal to the demon's Torment. Affected individuals act last within a given turn. The Willpower roll is made every turn in which a person or another demon is in the character's apocalyptic presence. Normal initiative resumes for a victim as soon as a successful Willpower roll is made.

^ • Aura of Entropy (2 points): Plants wilt in the demon's presence, and living beings are suffused with an icy chill that saps their strength. Mortals and other demons within a number of yards equal to the demon's Faith lose one die from their dice pools unless a successful Stamina roll (difficulty 6) is made. The effects of this capability persist for the duration of the scene.

• Cloak of Shadows (2 points): The demon is shrouded in a pall of darkness, making her features difficult to see in the best light and rendering her nearly invisible at night. The difficulty of all Stealth rolls decreases by two whenever the demon stands in shadow or moves in darkness. If the character is attacked, the rules for Blind Fighting apply to the attacker.

• Conjuration (2 points): The character is capable of supernatural sleight of hand, seeming to conjure items out of thin air, only to make them vanish again with a flick of the wrist. She can draw an item from a pocket or conceal an item without detection on a successful Dexterity + Athletics roll.

• Dead Reckoning (1 point): Your character is always aware of where she is in relation to known landmarks, no matter how far away those landmarks are. Unless she is affected by spatially distorting evocations such as Warp Path, she can never lost her sense of direction.

• Death Grip (4 points): The demon's spirit can cling to life past the point of human endurance. If the demon's host body suffers eight levels of lethal aggravated damage, she can still hold onto life with a successful Willpower roll. If successful, the character falls into a coma until the following dawn, at which point she rises with one health level and one less temporary Faith. If the demon has no Faith remaining when she enters the coma, she loses a permanent Willpower point instead.

• Dread Gaze (4 points): Individuals (mortal or demon) who meet the demon's gaze must forfeit their actions for the turn unless a successful Willpower roll (difficulty 7) is made.

• Enhanced Awareness (2 points): The fallen is especially attuned to the fabric of reality, reducing the difficulty of all Awareness rolls by two.

• Enhanced Social Traits (3 points): The angel's beatific appearance provides the following bonus traits: +2 Charisma, +1 Manipulation, +1 Appearance.

• Ghost Sight (2 points): The angel can see the spirits of the dead that linger in the mortal realm, whether the ghosts wish to reveal themselves or not, with a successful Perception roll (difficulty 6).

• Howl of the Damned (1 point): The voices of the dead echo in the demon's words. The difficulties of all Intimidation rolls decrease by two.

• Night Sight (1 point): The character can see clearly in utter darkness.

^ • Reaper's Breath (3 points): The demon can exhale a chilling breath that affects victims up to a distance in feet equal to her Torment score. Mortals and demons caught in the path of her exhalation suffer a number of health levels of hashing damage equal to the character's Faith. This ability can be used only once per scene, and it has no effcct on creatures that do not breathe.

• Relentless (1 point): The demon can walk or run without need of rest, able to cover superhuman distances without pause. As long as she stays in motion, she is unaffected by fatigue or hunger.

• Touch of Death (3 points): The Slayer must be able to touch her intended target to use this ability. Thereafter, as long as the demon maintains physical contact, the target cannot move, speak or feel at all. The target cannot feel pain, and unless this power is chosen as a high-Torment ability, he is strangely at peace. (The monstrous version of this power traps the hapless target in his own body as the demon inflicts whatever damage upon him she wishes.) The target can escape by spending a Willpower point, but then he must best the demon in a resisted Dexterity + Brawl roll (difficulty 7) to get away. Otherwise, the power takes effect again. This power has no effect on demons or supernatural beings that are already dead.

Tactics of Revelation

Demons are individuals, but they are nevertheless influenced by the perspectives and duties of their House. This is reflected in the way that each fallen manifests and uses his apocalyptic form and its unique combination of abilities. After all, the fallen are beings shaped by the Creator with certain jobs and habits essentially inculcated into their very being. While the nature of each rebel angel necessarily changed during the war, certain patterns of behavior still remain ingrained within the fallen angels of each House. What follows are ideas that offer insight into how member s of each House use rheir apocalyptic form, what situations might call for the use of their form and possible applications for their form's special abilities.

Defilers

Th e revelatory form is plumage to the Defilers. Like a peacock displaying its feathers, Defilers most commonly use the form as a seduction or inspiration to unwitting mortals. After all, they now exist in a culture dominated by Western thought, where appearance is the essence of who one is. The look is everything, and to the Lammasu, the apocalyptic form is exemplary of their "look." They can get just about anything their hearts or souls desire through dressing-up in their demonic regalia.

The Defilers' revelatory form essentially helps them to be modern-day Muses. With it, a Defiler is capable of inspiring art, terror, lust, self-hatred, self-love or any other rung on the emotional ladder. With beautiful voices and sculpted features, they can gather Faith with the magnetic appeal of their unearthly beauty. On the other side of the coin, their black orb eyes and razor teeth allow them to arouse new levels of horror and enthrall mortals with inescapable dread.

Tactics: Defilers, like Devils, have no problem delivering deals to potential thralls and using their forms as a bargaining chip so many people desire pleasure in so many forms that a Lammasu's form abilities seem only to further the theatrical nature of what they can deliver. They rarely invoke their full form — merely bits and pieces to aid them in their conquests. Casual use of Lyrical Voice. Enhanced Empathy and Enhanced Social Traits gives any Defiler the edge in a social situation, and they use their abilities with care and precision. It's when a Defiler doesn't get what she wants that the descent into high-Torment powers begins to become a very seductive notion. Someone not playing along with a Lammasu's little game? He might see the darker side of a Defiler's form, complete with invective, claws, teeth and terror.

Devils

Devils were once the arbiters of God's Will, and their fiery, radiant forms were meant to convey an image of power and divine leadership. They were the bearers of the Word, the living embodimnt of the Creator's authority. It's true that things are drastically different in this modern World of Darkness, and the Devils no longer wield the mandate of Heaven itself — but that's not to say that they don't act as though they do.

When a Devil reveals his apocalyptic form, it isn't just an expression of his ancient soul, it's an assertion of autonomy, influence and dominance. It all boils down to posturing. Most Devils won't waste their apocalyptic visage on trivial matters. Their revelatory forms are mantles of power, majestic demonstrations of divine right. Must Devils consider it demeaning to squander the power of their visage on meager uses like getting past the velvet rope into a club or reaping Faith from mortals unworthy of beings of their elevated station. When a Devil chooses to exert his power and direct it via the revelatory form, it's like a king or a bishop donning the regalia of his position — the robe, crown or scepter. The apocalyptic form, like the regalia of church and state, is indicative of royalty and celestial authority and not to be bandied about casually.

Tactics: Devils frequently use their revelatory forms as tangible extensions of their will, blazing with infernal glory when called upon to inspire, lead or intimidate . Harking back to th e earliest days of Creation, and later when they blazed like defiant stars over the battlefield, the Namaru view their revelatory forms as physical manifestations of their right to lead the rest of the fallen. For this reason, many are reluctant to manifest the high-Torment abilities of their apocalyptic forms and thus reveal how tarnished their noble souls have become. In battle, Devils do nor hesitate to don their revelatory forms as they did during the war, using the searing light of their visage to overwhelm the weak-willed and end many fights without landing a single blow.

Devourers

The Devourers are rarely two-faced. They are forthright and often brutally direct, getting right to the heart of a matter instead of wasting time on meaningless subtleties. That's not to say they don't understand manipulating minds and emotions, it just doesn't happen to be their specialty. They have formed a strict predator-and-prey mindset for the world at large, and they firmly choose to never be on the prey end of that equation. Therefore, their usage of the apocalyptic form tends to embody this directness of action and warlike nature. The form is just another weapon to many Rabisu. Like a sword, sometimes it's best used just by prominently displaying it in its sheath. Other times, it needs to be removed from its scabbard and brought to bear against an enemy.

To the Rabisu, the apocalyptic form is not a costume to bend mortal minds or a uniform to help them build things or uncover information — it is a suit of armor, protecting them in this harsh and confusing age. It is truly a "battle form," a physical manifestation of their command of the wild and of their martial abilities. Their forms help them to act; not to wait, not to display plumage like a rutting bird. When a Devourer sees an obstacle, he destroys it. The form is an axe. A hammer. A shield. A breastplate. It protects them and, at the same time, cuts to the quick of a situation. They have no time for skullduggery or passive social displays.

Tactics: Rabisu tend to be all-or-nothing when it comes to their form, so if a situation requires revealing their infernal nature, they see little point in doing things halfway. Many Rabisu use their forms as purely physical creations, standing in the way of other fallen, or combating mortal s in an effort t o display their prowess. It is also a tactic of intimidation — grow to massive size, wield black claws and drink deep of the crowd's collective Faith. Unfortunately, this darker usage of form abilities only makes the progression to high-Torment powers seem more and more natural. If claws and teeth are okay, then why not develop a Gaping Maw or gristly Armor? The more horrible a Devourer in her form looks, the more certain one can be that she is already well on her way to becoming a highly Tormented creature.

Fiends

Like the Scourges, the Fiends aren't altogether too likely to use their apocalyptic form as some of the other Houses are, though for altogether different reasons. To the Neberu, knowledge is power, and unless the apocalyptic form is a way to get the knowledge, it ultimately is just a side-benefit to other powers. It rarely comes to the fore as a necessity in any given situation, unless the use of the form in that situation will open the door to new knowledge.

Some Fiends shift to their revelatory form while working intently on solving some new conundrum, if only because it seems like the proper shape to take when deciphering the mysteries of the cosmos.

Tactics: The Fiends' apocalyptic forms are ideal for putting on shows to reap Faith — the Visage of Light alone can create wondrous illusions that can be tailored to a particular mortal's expectations. Combine that with a Fiend's potential ability to know the weave and weft of fate, and suddenly you have a fantastic tool with which to collect Faith. More than that, their forms are capable of helping them gather new information and knowledge as well. Their forms give them greater cognitive and perceptive abilities and allow them to be highly attuned to the flow of information. A Fiend's crawl to the higher-Torment end of their form spectrum is slower than demons of other Houses. The high-Torment abilities do not lend themselves to the gathering of knowledge — that is, until later, when they grow to accept that the path to information is one riddled with lies, fear and violence.

Malefactors

Pragmatism is in the blood of the Malefactors. Hiding there, deep within their souls, is a core of practicality that comes from their charge of crafting the foundations o f earth, stone, metal . Building tools, weapons, structures. Ther e is a gut-level sensibility that comes with that respohsibility, and it often reflects in rhe way that many Annunaki choose to display their apocalyptic forms. This artisan nature leads them to use their apocalyptic form in something of a blue-collar manner - it's all about the work. If work needs doing, and the form can help, then so be it. If assuming the revelatory form will help to mold earth according to some blueprint or forge a weapon of destruction using the wonderful new materials that humans have cobbled together, then so be it. To these Malefactors, the apocalyptic form is less of a guise meant for grandeur as much as it is a functional uniform (like a haz-mat suit or a bullet-proof vest) meant to secure a means to an end.

Other Malefactors are less inclined to such pragmatism and simplicity — many Annunaki choose souls who are emotionally needy or damaged in some way. These souls use their forms to lash out or to bully others who have always stood in the way (specifically in the way of the human host). These alienated mortal minds help to direct the revelatory form as a tool in and of itself (filling the Malefactor's ultimate mindset), but in this case the tool isn't meant to jimmy a door or sever a limb, but to display the rage and isolation that the human once felt.

Tactics: A Malefactor might use his form to build a destroyed shelter — or destroy a standing one — culling Faith from those who once lived there. Since they view their forms as a toolbox instead of a costume, they are likely to manifest only those abilities they need, and only assume their full visage rarely. Still, Malefactors sometimes are distant from the minds of the people they gain Faith from, for they are so rooted in the world of earth, steel and stone that they don't cling to their humanity as dearly. As such, they experience a slow but steady slide into higher-Torment form abilities. There might come a time when an Annunaki grows frustrated at humanity's inability to appreciate the physical world and turns quite suddenly to her higher-Torment form abilities to help break the world into little bits instead of piecing it all back together again.

Scourges

The Scourges are possibly the least likely of the Houses to utilize their apocalyptic form. After all, they were the closest to humanity, and they now lie hidden beneath memories of an actual mortal being. Love for the human they have unconsciously paired with might give them pause before shifting to the egregious display of demonic power that the apocalyptic for affords. There might be much guilt associated with revealing herself to humans - The Scourge might feel that such manipulation toys with their former charges too much. Violating the sancity of the mortal condition is not a comfortable thing for most newly escaped Asharu.

That's not to say that Scourges don't assume their revelatory form, but their reasons for doing so are often different than other demons'. Scourges rarely employ their apocalyptic form to ravage mortals for Faith - human belief is easy to come by for demons who can heal a mortal's injuries or spread disease with a thought. A Scourge's use of her revelatory form is often intrinsically tied to humans - it is most often employed in the act of defending mortals or attacking the demon's foes.

Tactics: Scourges of lower Torment almost always use their forms to benefit hum.uutv instead of themselves. They might use their enhanced physical traits to stand in the way of harm in an effort to protect mortals, such as a bodyguard who gladly takes a beating while his charge escapes injury. Other abilities can also be used to keep mankind from harm — a Scourge in a hospital might use Aura of Vitality to aid in the healing process, or a detective Scourge might use Enhanced Senses and Enhanced Intuition to help solve crimes (especially crimes committed by other fallen). A Catch-22 of the Scourges is that their connection to humanity allows them to stave off Torment, but their martyr's need to defend humanity might cause them to slip into higher-Torment guises in an effort to get the most out of their defensive capabilities. This of course leads them quickly down the path to corruption, and as such Scourges always need to be wary of how far they will go for rhe sake of the mortals around them.

Slayers

To many Slayers, the apocalyptic form is a regretful symbol of their duty that many Halaku still feel obligated to answer. As such, their revelatory form is less of a tool and more of an emblem of their task. They don't use it to bully others like the Devourers might or use it to express their holy and righteous command as the Devils — they do it as an expression of obligation.

The form does have practical uses, however, one of which is its ability to pass unseen through the physical world, observing the mortal world from the darkness. Their forms allow them to cast shadows about themselves, go unseen in mirrors or recordings and pass without leaving any clues of their existence behind.

Tactics: Rarely does a Halaku use his apocalyptic form to drive home a Faustian bargain or even to reap Faith from mortals. A Slayer might use Pass Without Trace or Cloak of Shadows to work unseen, either secretly healing humanity or covertly ushering humans to their demise. The Halaku vary on their slide to the high-Torment abilities. Many simply don't need the powers for much, and they don't push themselves to such darkness so quickly.

Others, however, have no differentiation between low and high-Torment abilities, and float between them with only a fleeting idea of what it means. Regardless, it is rare for a Slayer to manifest his full visage at any given time.

Changing Forms

Demons can change their revelatory forms, given the right circumstances. As the fallen are newly returned to Earth, many do not realize they have the power to do so. Certain ingenious demons have found ways to alter their apocalyptic form traits, however, remaking themselves in their own images. In so doing, of course, they grow even farther removed from the purpose God envisioned for them, but then, God seems curiously absent from the World of Darkness.

Before discussing game systems, it's worth considering what making changes to a demon's apocalyptic form means to the demon. As mentioned previously, the apocalyptic form is a reflection (albeit a tarnished one) of the purpose for which God originally crafted the character. The character's Torment has warped the once-divine form, stripping the demon of much of his power and tainting what remains. In many ways, the visage is all that remains of the angel the character once was. This means that demons who still wish to hold true to their original purposes (Reconcilers, some Luciferans, and the occasional Cryptic) probably won't seek to change themselves overmuch. More progressive (some would say "practical") demons seek to reshape themselves into whatever form will present the greatest advantage toward whatever, goals they have set. This means that the Ravener who has discovered that her form is more fluid than she thought will quickly changc her apocalyptic form into an engine of destruction (and likely become consumed by Torment in very short order).

This isn't simply a matter for idle debate, either. What form a demon takes when the human mask is cast off says a great deal about how much the world (and the Abyss) has affected her and how functional she still is with respect to her true nature. A demon whose apocalyptic form looks like a beautiful, radiant angel is, on some level, that angel. Likewise, a Defiler whose revelatory form allows her to manipulate listeners is not being untrue to herself by doing so — she really is a manipulator. But a Devil who embodies the Nusku, and then, as Torment rises, grows a lashing, barbed tail is drifting steadily away from being a wielder of the Holy Flame. God imposed an order on the world, so a demon's attempt s to change his form be legitimately regarded as attempts to improve God's order (acts that have historically gone over extremely badly).

The counter-argument, of course, is that change is part of the divine order. People, animals, and in fact everything in Creation changes day by day. Even angels can and do change — God Himself changed each of the Houses of the Host when He levied His curses through Michael. And although Hell has occasionally been described by human pundits as a place where nothing ever changes, the fallen can confidently say that this is not so. Change is possible in the Abyss — not a single angel cast there has emerged without alteration. In the face of this logic, altering one's revelatory form doesn't seem so blasphemous. As support for this argument, the few demons who have changed their forms — using the slower method, of course — have reported no increase in the nagging anguish they feel constantly (at least not connected with changing the form).

Both arguments are academic, of course. Absorbing the abilities of a demon's revelatory form by consuming his soul carries its own risks, regardless of whether God intended for these forms to change. Doing so by practice (that is, spending experience points) is probably safer, but much slower as well. Changing one's form on the fly merits its own discussion. The Storyteller, however, is free to make a ruling on whether or not altering one's apocalyptic form has any sort of long-ranging consequences stemming from changing what God Created. Demons are, of course, so far from the angels of Creation that it's hard to imagine a slight change in revelatory form making much of a difference, but God does work in mysterious ways.

The three methods for changing a character's revelatory form traits are explained below. All of these methods are left to rhe Storyteller's discretion in the end; players should not assume that simply because these rules exist that the Storyteller will allow them unchanged. This is especially true for the rules on changing one's form during play.

Development and Growth

As players accumulate experience for their characters, they may choose to "buy" different abilities for the demons' apocalyptic forms. In truth, the process is more like trading than purchasing, as a demon character can never have more than eight apocalyptic form traits. As demons progress in power (and more specifically, as they grow in Faith and/or Lore), however, their revelatory forms might well change, too.

Before looking at systems, the player should consider exactly what is involved in changing these abilities. As stated previously, the revelatory form is literally an essential part of the character. For it to change, something about the character must change as well.

Changes in Lore

It's not really possible (or at least not supported by the system) for demons to lose dots in lore, so the change is really in the area of increase. As a demon grows into his mystical power, his essence — and therefore his revelatory form — might change as well. Demons do not look upon their infernal evocations as toys. Using them is an act of Faith (even if the evocation tn question doesn't actually require an expenditure) and that is never to he taken lightly. The player should consider her character's lore and how the character learns it (finding new lore or remembering his old lore) with regards to her apocalyptic form, however. After all, a Namtar was probably created with the (rather vague) purpose of bringing death. That concept can be further refined by what other lore the character knows. If, for example, rhe charactcr also has dots in the Lore of Patterns, maybe that particular Slayer was responsible for infection of epidemics? Conversely, a Namtar character with ratings in the Lore of Flame and the Wild might have invented (or contributed to) forest fires. Plus, a starting character knows very little of the lore she once mastered. This means that the character might have vague notions of her purpose, and as the character develops, she is able to recall more of what she was once able to do.

This all ties in with the apocalyptic form because an angel's original purpose helps determine the vestiges of glory that remain as apocalyptic form abilities. The forest fire Namtar might start with two dots in the Lore of Death and one in another of her House lore. Over time, she recalls the first dot of the lore of Flame and something clicks. At that point, the player might consider changing out one of her form abilities for something more suitable to her original purpose. In this case, the character actually doesn't control what form ability she loses or gains. From her perspective, it just happens (although the player naturally makes the decision).

On the other hand, if a demon actively seeks to be taught a new lore, the apocalyptic form might remain the same or change in response to the new evocations, as the player wishes. The difference is that the character is willfully directing the change. At the Storyteller's option, attempting this sort of "improvement " might constitute a Conscience roll for demons with low Torment.

Changes in Outlook

If the character simply wishes to alter a form ability of her apocalyptic form independently of her lore (perhaps changing one House ability for another), the Storyteller should adjudicate whether or not the change is valid for story purposes. Simply swapping out abilities that the player doesn't find useful isn't a good enough justification for changing the demon's innermost essence. The player should describe what about the demon is truly changing and take the form change as simply a metaphor thereof. The Storyteller may require the purchase of other, ancillary traits to help solidify the choices. For example, Marash, a Devil who embodies the Nusku visage, has Radiant Aura as one of his form abilities. As play continues, Marash's player sees the character growing angrier with rhe state of world, his ideology shifting from his Lucifcran beginnings to the stance of the Raveners. His form begins to change as well. He no longer embodies the resplendent Angel of Holy Fire that he once was; instead he burns so hot that anything coming near him is singed. His player decides that this manifests as the light of the fire dimming (so opponents no longer receive a bonus to hit him) but burning hotter (so foes might actually take damage from doing so). This change involves taking a kind of natural weaponry for the character, and the Storyteller approves the choice, provided that the player also spends experience to raise Marash's Strength or Stamina (representing the shift from social to physical in his outlook).

Systems

If the player wishes to buy a form ability that is equal in "form point" value to the one she wishes to replace, the player must pay a number of experience points equal to twice the character's Faith rating. This means that the higher a demon's Faith rating is, the more firmly cemented her purpose and self-image is, and the more difficult changing her apocalyptic form becomes. There is no further experience point cost if the two powers are of equal value.

If the player is trading a form power for one with a higher "form point" cost, the process is a bit more costly. In addition to the listed cost (Faith rating x 2), the player must also pay four times the difference in form points between the two powers. The point modifiers for buying high-Torment powers and for buying powers outside of one's House still apply.

If the character is, for whatever reason, "trading down" and replacing a power with one of lower value, she must still pay the Faith rating x 2, but incurs no additional cost. There's no "price break" involved either, however. Changing the revelatory form is always an effort, and making extreme changes (that is, buying more expensive powers) is simply more of an effort.

Consuming Souls

A demon' s revelatory form might change because of recalled lore or simple distance from God's original design. This might be desirable as far as redemption is concerned, but this method is far preferable to the other. Chapter Nine of Demon: The Fallen details how one demon can consume the soul of another and absorb her memories, lore and Faith. A skilled enough demon can even absorb his victim's revelatory form, adding it to his own. While this is most certainly a path to great power, the risks that it carries give the few demons who know of the possibility pause.

Consuming a demon's soul absorbs not only the victim's Faith, but her Torment as well. Ordinarily, this, is not an issue, as the demon usually takes in only knowledge, but if the attacker attempts to absorb the victim's very form, that Torment becomes a real and physical part of the attacker. Additionally, the attacker's original divine purpose (or whatever remains of it in the demon's current state) isn' t altered by the absorption of another demon's soul. This means that the new form modification is added rather sloppily to the attacker's own revelatory form, and his control over it is imperfect for a time. Absorbing form characteristics is also dangerous bccause it alters the demon's True-Name. While this might foil any being who knows the attacker's True Name (at least for a time; the Name changes but slightly, and a being with the means to investigate the character can discover her "new" True Name with methods discussed elsewhere) it also confuses the attacker greatly. His essence, his soul, his very persona has been altered, and that takes some time to get used to. The alteration presents a slight chance that the attacker's memories are altered or destroyed, or possibly even replaced by those of the demon he consumed.

Systems

The mechanic s for absorbing a demon's apocalyptic form are similar to the normal rules for soul-consumption. The victim's host body must be destroyed and the attacker must inhale the victim's soul. The attackcr's player then makes the Faith roll as usual, resisted by the victim's Faith or Torment. If the aggressor scores more successes, the victim is destroyed and the Storyteller rolls the victim's Faith rating (difficulty 6) to determine how much of the victim's soul the aggressor can consume.

Harsh Consequences

It might seem that the ramifications and side effects of cannibalizing another demon's soul for purposes of taking on its revelatory form traits are overly harsh. Considering that there are no systemic consequences for consuming a demon's soul under normal circumstances, why should taking on a revelatory form ability make such a difference?
The reason is that all demons' apocalyptic forms are unique, while lore is not. While two demon s might manifest the Lore of Flame differently, it's still the Lore of Flame, and it follows the predetermined pattern that God set down so many aeons ago. Likewise, absorbing secrets from Bashiel the Scourge doesn't necessarily absorb what made Bashiel herself, it just means that the attacker knows something that Bashiel once knew.

But apocalyptic forms vary from demon to demon, even within the same visage. As stated previously, the revelatory form defines the demon like no other part of her except her True Name. Therefore, consuming that uniqueness merges the attacker and victim, inextricably. That is why the risks — and the rewards — are greater. (Of course, any Storyteller who wants to place similar ramifications on consuming souls at all has White Wolfs full support)

At this point, the aggressor can attempt to absorb the victim's apocalytpic form as well, assuming the aggressor even knows this is possible. The aggressor might "guess" that this can be done (allow the player an Intelligence + Occult roll, difficulty 8), and add any dots in the Legacy background to the roll.

If the aggressor wishes to attempt to consume the victim's form, the Storyteller makes a second roll against the victim's Faith. If the victim' Torment was higher, however, roll that trait instead. In either case, the difficulty is 6. For each success, the aggressor absorbs one ability from the victim. The attacker may choose to absorb fewer form abilities than the number of the successes rolled should she so desire. Given the consequences for consuming a demon's apocalyptic form, this is often the case.

The following constraints and consequences apply when absorbing another demon's revelatory form:

• The aggressor gains a temporary point of Torment for each ability absorbed.
• All abilities absorbed are considered high Torment. The character begins manifesting these abilities at five dots of permanent Torment, not seven.
• The new capabilities take some time to meld with the aggressor's apocalyptic form. For a number of weeks equal to the "form point" cost of the power, the difficulties to use the new power(s) increase by one. This does not apply to such powers as Enhanced Abilities, where the stated purpose is reducing a difficulty, nor to "passive" powers like Radiant Aura.
• The aggressor's True Name changes slightly, which requires an adjustment on the demon's part. For the next month, the difficulties of all evocations and any other roll involving supernatural prowess or Faith (including rolls to see through illusions) increase by the number of form abilities absorbed (maximum difficulty modifier of +3). Additionally, the demon is harder to contact by invocation using her True Name. She'll feel a tingle when somebody uses her "old" True Name, but she cannot be invoked completely. Invoking the demon by her Celestial Name still works normally, however.

Thralls and the Apocalyptic Form

One of the prospective gifts a demon can give his thrall is one or more of the special abilities conferred by her own apocalyptic form. Typically, this applies only to the low-Torment end of the spectrum — imbuing the thrall with the high-Torment form abilities is dangerous for both the demon and the thrall. That's not to say it can't be done, but the price is often more than just the internal bargain sealed between the two in the first place.

High Torment Thralls

If a demon's Torment is 7 or less, it is dangerous, if not impossible, to give his thrall access to the four high-Torment form abilities associated with his apocalyptic form. Why is it dangerous? When a fallen confers one or more of his high-Torment form enhancements to a thrall, he is forced to open himself to his demonic nature and memories of the Abyss. The mental stress of remembering the knifing winds, the cold desolation, the tortuous parade of humanity's sorrows and failings all comes back to haunt the fallen as it pours from him into the thrall. Therefore, for every high-Torment power given to a thrall, the demon incurs a point of temporary Torment.

But that's not all. The thrall feels the Torment as well, but mortal minds are not meant to grasp an eternity of pain. For each high-Torment power that a thrall is given, the mortal gains a single derangement. These derangements are often (though not always) related to the pact forged between the fallen and the thrall in the first place.

Thralls Evoking the Apocalyptic Form

To activate any enhancements, rhe player of a mortal thrall rolls Willpower (difficulty 6). This is different from when a demon evokes the form, however. When a fallen accesses her revelatory form, it takes only one roll to bring forth any or all of the powers available to her. A mortal's player, however, must roll for each enhancement he chooses to use. If a mortal thrall has both Thunderous Voice and Immune to Fire, each one requires a Willpower roll to trigger. Failing this roll means the transformation simply doesn't occur. Botching the roll, however, causes the thrall to lose a point of temporary Willpower. A Willpower point can he spent in lieu of a roll to automatically access the ability.