Author Topic: Angel PC template?  (Read 5061 times)

Offline Taskill_Mckennan

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Angel PC template?
« on: February 15, 2012, 04:40:47 PM »
I'm running a campaign set in Vegas, and one of my player's a champion of God using a reforged Esperacchius. He wants to let his character become closer and closer to the Divine to the point where he ascends to an "angel". Obviously not becoming a real servant  since it would make the character into an NPC, I'm trying to figure out what powers the template should have. I know outright it MUST have all the powers listed under true faith but we're trying to figure out more. In all honesty i think it should be about 10-12 refresh minimum but I can't quite figure out which powers it should have any ideas?

Offline Anher

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #1 on: February 15, 2012, 04:47:01 PM »
That would really depend on your interpretation of 'angel'. Are you thinking about a specific choir of angel ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_angelic_hierarchy ) or are we talking just generic angel? The answer to that will have a big effect on what powers you're looking at.

Offline Taskill_Mckennan

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #2 on: February 15, 2012, 04:51:19 PM »
Somewhere between Archangel and Generic.  Definitely  less than Archangel. It's become a in-joke with our group to put this character through crap so we don't want him getting too powerful

Offline Vargo Teras

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #3 on: February 15, 2012, 04:51:56 PM »
For a Nephil character concept I was tossing around, I left out anything True Faith related; that's for mortal worshipers, not for direct agents of the divine.  The target for that build was Soulfire, Mythic Strength and Speed, Physical Immunity (with lower values being taken as Toughness, never Recovery) with a Catch of divine power (including that of angels, fallen angels, and power loaned out to Emissaries of either) at a +3 (anyone who knows anything about angels knows that only God and each other can really hurt them, but getting your hands on Soulfire, Hellfire, or a weapon imbued by an angel or one of the Fallen is a bit trickier), and Wings.  Incite Emotion (Terror, Ranged, Potent, Area Effect) might also be reasonable.

What you're looking at is really more of a saint than an angel, in my mind; one of the core traits of an angel is that it can't exercise free will without falling from grace.  A proper saint should have, as you note, all of the True Faith powers, and likely also uses Soulfire.  Inhuman attributes don't really seem appropriate.

Offline Taskill_Mckennan

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2012, 04:58:13 PM »
For a Nephil character concept I was tossing around, I left out anything True Faith related; that's for mortal worshipers, not for direct agents of the divine.  The target for that build was Soulfire, Mythic Strength and Speed, Physical Immunity (with lower values being taken as Toughness, never Recovery) with a Catch of divine power (including that of angels, fallen angels, and power loaned out to Emissaries of either) at a +3 (anyone who knows anything about angels knows that only God and each other can really hurt them, but getting your hands on Soulfire, Hellfire, or a weapon imbued by an angel or one of the Fallen is a bit trickier), and Wings.  Incite Emotion (Terror, Ranged, Potent, Area Effect) might also be reasonable.

What you're looking at is really more of a saint than an angel, in my mind; one of the core traits of an angel is that it can't exercise free will without falling from grace.  A proper saint should have, as you note, all of the True Faith powers, and likely also uses Soulfire.  Inhuman attributes don't really seem appropriate.
What about
(click to show/hide)
  It's been about five months since I read Ghost Story
« Last Edit: February 15, 2012, 05:00:49 PM by Taskill_Mckennan »

Offline Anher

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2012, 05:04:19 PM »
What about Uriel? I can't remember whether or not his interference/action with Dresden was Ordered or not, but I don't think it was.  It's been about five months since I read Ghost Story

I don't think it was but it may not have been specifically prohibited, thus falling into a convenient grey area.

Offline Taskill_Mckennan

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2012, 05:11:10 PM »
Part of the mechanic for my campaign is I started Everyone at feet in the water, but I'm getting them waded into submerged (Which would happen anyways but still) I want a steady growth of power, from going to a minor talent with a single spell to a full fledged White Council Warden. I'm doing it cause no one knows the verse but myself and one other who barley knows it, and the fact that I do sometimes make it harder than it should be.
We where working on some  homebrew powers but i couldn't figure them all out and using the vanilla ones from the book always ends up better than homebrew.  However, I Vargo I was definitely   thinking not Full on Pure servant but Powerful and angelic enough to be. I'd say he's offered the ability, declines it knowing he needs to continue to help his city

Offline Orladdin

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2012, 05:13:28 PM »
What about
(click to show/hide)
  It's been about five months since I read Ghost Story

In his case, I think he was following preset instructions originally given to him by
(click to show/hide)
and was not acting under direct instruction.
There is never a blanket answer to an ethical question.  This includes the Laws of Magic.

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Offline Adin

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #8 on: February 16, 2012, 01:29:44 AM »
Well as far as Christian/Hebrew mythology goes I don't think it is possible for a mortal being to become an angel or angelic being and I believe that applies to the Dresdenverse as well. 

That being said, Scions almost always have a CHOICE in which they can choose to become fully mortal, or wholly of their supernatural parentage.  Therefore, if your player's character were to discover his calling to holy works related back to a fallen angel somewhere in his ancestral line, he could become more and more angelic without violating the lore.

As for powers, soulfire seems like a given, major physical powers, in fact, just let him go nuts and take any power that seems appropriate.  I doubt you could even approach full blown Angel level without at least 20 refresh. 

If you are looking for inspiration for earthbound angel powers, you may want to look at the Supernatural TV show version.  They did a decent job making the angels both obviously inhuman, yet still relatable to human experience and statable.  http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/index.php?title=Angels

Offline Malraza

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #9 on: February 16, 2012, 01:38:58 AM »
Unless you redefine what constitutes an angel, I don't think this is something you can really play in Dresden, let alone as a PC. Angles have basically been shown to be terrifyingly powerful.
(click to show/hide)
But what limits their power is they can never go against God's edict of not interfering with free will. I think we need a bit more information on what you see for this character before we can help flush it out.

Offline InFerrumVeritas

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #10 on: February 16, 2012, 02:01:46 AM »
Angels don't really seem to be PC capable.  They have no free will, at all.  Like, less than even the fey it seems.  But they are also absurdly powerful.  Like plot device so.  You may as well want your character to usurp Mab and be the Winter Queen.  Or Titania.  Denarians are less powerful....

Hey, actually, I've got an idea:

What if your character, rather than become an angel, allows an angel to manifest through him?  So, kind of like a Denarian, he'd gain power as the Angel trusted him and gave him more, allowing him to be a better servant (but also slowly losing his free will, as everything has a price).

You'd have to have a really good story justifying why an angel would do this (that is, why God would let him), but it might be the best option.

Offline Sanctaphrax

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #11 on: February 16, 2012, 05:53:45 AM »
Nephilim templates have been done here and here.

Nephilim characters have been done here and here and here.

Angel characters have been done
here and here and here and here and here and here.

PS: Interested in hearing about those custom powers.

Offline Taskill_Mckennan

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #12 on: February 16, 2012, 02:10:44 PM »
Thinking about it, I think angel might be to strong a word I guess having thought about it more, especially with the posts here.
I've had lots of trouble with this player looking for loopholes in everything (From  wanting to wear full plate armor in the middle of the Nevada deserts in the middle of summer, to Wanting to make a Zweihander be used with one hand without taking a stunt)

Maybe something similar to a Denarian, but the inverse. I'm pretty sure I read in OW that a denarian whose name didn't end with -el, had fully merged with the fallen angel. Nicodemus being the prime example. Maybe someone who has almost completely  merged with a nigh-angelic entity? I think that might sound a bit better

Offline Taskill_Mckennan

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #13 on: February 16, 2012, 02:19:07 PM »
Nephilim templates have been done here and here.

Nephilim characters have been done here and here and here.

Angel characters have been done
here and here and here and here and here and here.

PS: Interested in hearing about those custom powers.
Actually I think these Niphilim ones work pretty good. Though I would like to also follow the path i posted just above, if it seems viable. We've only been playin' this for about 2 months so we're all still new at it (it's also the only game of anything I've managed to get to last this long...)

Offline sinker

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Re: Angel PC template?
« Reply #14 on: February 16, 2012, 04:11:04 PM »
That being said, Scions almost always have a CHOICE in which they can choose to become fully mortal, or wholly of their supernatural parentage.  Therefore, if your player's character were to discover his calling to holy works related back to a fallen angel somewhere in his ancestral line, he could become more and more angelic without violating the lore.

Unlike changelings, I don't think scions can ever choose to be wholly supernatural and they can't stay on the fence for long either. One of the quotes that we had from Fred was that usually scions make that choice early often without even knowing it, by simply using that power. Consider Kincaid. He's definitely made his choice, and yet he is still part human.