Exemplars of Darkness

Banish α

• Prereq: None

Banish repels spirits, ghosts, or other ethereal beings back to whatever nether realm they came from. The invoker should not linger in such haunted places, however, for even banished spirits can return!

Compare the invoker’s faith total to the willpower or Spirit of every such entity within five meters of the caster. Creatures affected fade into nothing for 15 minutes.

Successlevel:

• Good: Affected entities are banished for one hour
• Outstanding: Affected entities are banished for one day

Bless α

• Prereq: None

Bless surrounds and infuses the caster and his allies with spiritual energy that boosts their physical or mental abilities. The priest chooses any one attribute and calls on his deity to enhance it. May the Lord give us the might of Daniel in the Lion’s Den! increases Strength, for example. Or May Vishnu grant you clarity! might enhance Mind.

If successful, every ally in range adds +1 to that attribute. Increasing Strength or Spirit does not increase the derived statistics of Toughness and , however.

Successlevel:

• Good: Duration increases to 1 minute
• Outstanding: As Good, and the attribute increases by +2

Call Animals α

• Prereq: None

The blessed of many religions find comfort in nature’s beasts. This miracle draws them from the area, if they exist there (GM’s call). Once completed the creatures arrive on the invoker’s next turn.

Calling such creatures doesn’t mean control, however. That must be done via commune with animals (below). Those who want to run with the beasts must take care that they are not eaten by them.

A Standard success summons a flock of sparrows, a few foxes or cats, etc., or a single large creature such as a wolf, bear, or crocodile. The miracle worker doesn’t have to see the animals to call them.

Successlevel:

• Good: The caster can summon 1 of crocodiles, wolves, lions, or similar size creatures
• Outstanding: The caster can summon 2 of the creatures listed under a Good success, or a single Large or Very Large creature such as a dragon or tyrannosaurus rex (in the Living Land). Remember, call animals doesn’t grant control, however!

Commune with Animals α

• Prereq: None

Speaking with beasts is a rare but ancient tradition in certain cultures. Most animals are very simpleminded and can only communicate basic ideas. Most can only count to about three and cannot understand human speech. They can communicate whether people they encountered spoke happily, calmly, angrily, etc., however.

The miracle affects all animals of the same type in Range, all wolves, all ravens, etc. Commune with animals doesn’t summon the beasts, however. They must be present or attracted somehow, such as by the call animals miracle.

Successlevel:

• Good: The animal also obeys basic commands if instructed, as long as it doesn’t recklessly endanger its life
• Outstanding: The animal obeys basic commands even if it means danger or certain death

Commune with Spirits α

• Prereq: None

This miracle allows the invoker to talk to whatever spirits are appropriate to his mythos. A Christian might speak to the restless shades while a Sioux shaman communes with nature spirits.

Invoking the dialogue assumes the character is in a place where the spirit should be present - a church for saints, a stream for water spirits, a great tree for a nature spirit, etc. If not and the mythos allows communication with the spirits outside their usual domain, the caster suffers a −4 penalty. The Game Master may also decide it’s just not possible in certain situations—there are likely no earth spirits aboard an airplane, for example.

Spirits know different things depending on the type, and see things from their perspective. They are not omniscient and generally only have knowledge of subjects directly connected to their former life for the dead or their local area for animal spirits and the like. Unlike the speak with dead spell, this miracle compels the spirit to tell only truth — though it may be vague or difficult to understand as the Game Master sees fit.

The chosen may ask a single question with a Standard success. Once contacted, spirits are unavailable again for a scene.

Successlevel:

• Good: Two questions
• Outstanding: Three questions

Curse α

• Prereq: None

Curse diminishes a foe’s luck, challenging his faith in the very forces that drive him, whether they be religious, personal, or otherwise.

A cursed individual suffers a −1 penalty to all skill or attribute totals. Powerful casters can Multi-Target to affect large numbers of the faithless.

Successlevel:

• Good: −2 penalty
• Outstanding: –3 penalty

Healing α

• Prereq: None

Perhaps the most important ability a chosen one brings to a band of Storm Knights is her ability to heal. Whether she’s patching up her teammate’s or winning over injured villagers, healing is a critical skill.

The invoker’s total is modified by the target’s penalties (as well as the caster’s if he happens to be ed). A success heals 1 , all , and removes KO.

Healing may only be attempted on a single individual once per scene—choose wisely! If Maru is injured in a fight and healed by Father Damien, he won’t be able to heal her again until the next scene. He could still use first aid on her, and may use healing on his other comrades.

Successlevel:

• Good: 2 are healed
• Outstanding: 3 are healed

Hellfire α

• Prereq: None

Hellfire projects a gout of flame from the invoker’s outstretched palm. The flames deal 13 fire damage.

Successlevel:

• Good: Damage +1
• Outstanding: Damage +2

Repel α

• Prereq: None

Sometimes a holy champion simply needs to clear a path through his foes or humble a nonbeliever with a visible display of otherworldly might.

Repel summons an invisible force radiating out from the caster in a circle that pushes away all hostile characters and creatures (allies are unaffected).

The force has Strength equal to the invoker’s faith and affects those enemies of equal or lesser Strength. Those affected are pushed back five meters and Stymied .

Successlevel:

• Good: The effective Strength is equal to faith +2
• Outstanding: As a Good result, and the foes are Very Stymied

Soothe α

• Prereq: None

Soothe sends out a refreshing wave of energy to the invoker and allies in range. Those affected instantly recover 2 .

Successlevel:

• Good: The affected recover 3
• Outstanding: The affected recover 4

Strike α

• Prereq: None

Sometimes even the most peaceful of the chosen must pick up the staff. This powerful miracle makes sure that staff packs a punch. Strike affects a single melee or missile weapon, no Multi-Targeting is allowed.

Strike increases the damage value of a weapon by +1. It doesn’t matter if the weapon is ranged or designed for melee—its base damage is still increased. Strike must be cast on a weapon, not ammunition.

A weapon blessed with strike counts as magical for purposes of affecting foes with the Ethereal or similar abilities that generally ignore normal weapons.

Successlevel:

• Good: Damage +2
• Outstanding: Damage +3

Ward Enemy α

• Prereq: None

Axiom Level:

8

Skill:

Faith 8

Casting Time:

1 action

DN:

Standard (DN 10)

Range:

5 meter radius

Duration:

Concentration

Ward enemy protects the faithful from supernatural beings that prey on or seek to harm humanity.

To cast, the invoker must brandish a holy symbol, recite prayers, or otherwise clearly call on the source of his power, making him an obvious target for the taunts of spirits, demons, or other antagonists likely to be affected.

While the ward is active, all allies within five meters add +1 to their defenses versus supernaturally evil creatures and their attacks. The bonus counts toward both physical and interaction defenses.

Special: This miracle may be attempted without the Miracles Perk if the faith prerequisite is met.

Successlevel:

• Good: Those protected add +2 to all defenses
• Outstanding: As the Good result, and supernaturally evil creatures who fail an attack against any of the protected individuals are Stymied

Wither α

• Prereq: None

This dark miracle drains the life force of any living thing it touches.

With a successful faith roll, the invocation causes 12 damage that ignores all physical armor. Wither works only on living things—it has no effect on objects, constructs, undead, etc.

Successlevel:

• Good: Damage +1
• Outstanding: Damage +2