True Faith

[Encryptedmind]

I plan on playing a true faith character. Not a champion....yet.
Anyhow I want him to be an exorcist but I dont know how to go about going that mechanically.
It seems to me that it would be a ritual but would I be able to use this without thom?

[Myrddhin]

Yes, you'd just take Ritual (Diabolism) [-2] and you're good to go for demon banishing. Or, if you meant exorcising ghostly spirits, Ritual (Ectomancy) [-2]. Either one gives you access to the full range of thaumaturgy, but only for the limited area of focus, demons and ghosts respectively.

[Encryptedmind]

So it will take 4 points just to exercise demons and ghosts?
wow add to that the 2 needed to make a true faith char and the 2 more for rightiosness it makes it so i cant play this character in chest deep
is there any cheaper way to do this?

[Bruce Coulson]

You can take Thaumaturgy (-3), with your focus in Banishing (or whatever is used for dismissing spirits/demons; don't have the books with me atm).  Just because you CAN use the full range of effects, doesn't mean you have to..

Alternatives, you can take Rituals (-2) with Summoning/Binding/Banishing, and narrow your focus but be able to handle demons, spirits, others...

[CMEast]

I'd possibly allow a theme of 'banishment', meaning that you can banish demons, spirits and even some fae but you wouldn't be able to use ritual for anything else. Ectomancy and Diabolism allows you to banish and summon the relevant entities so you can use it for assessments and so on, but a banishment theme would literally only be for exorcism. That would be -2.

Alternatively, take thamaturgy which is -3 and you can do all types of ritual, plus you'd get a bonus specialisation to one theme.

Banishment makes tons of sense, but as it's not a suggested theme in the book I'd check with your GM first before planning a character around it. I can't see they'd have a problem with it though due to it's strong focus on only one type of ritual.

[Jaroslav]

Or you could just make a true faith stunt that allowed you to banish spirit beings.

[Encryptedmind]

but how would you work the mechanics behind that?
make it a conviction based stunt?

[CMEast]

Base it on the holy-touch power and grapple the demons out of their hosts

[Ophidimancer]

Base it on the holy-touch power and grapple the demons out of their hosts

Ha!  Better yet, combine it with Devout Words, which let's you perform a Block using your words and your Conviction.  A Grapple is a type of Block, right?  this way, you get a person whose words freeze a demon in terror while her prayers do one stress of holy damage to a possessing demon every exchange!

This is stretching the interpretation of those stunts a bit, but only a little and it's thematic!

[Doc Nova]

Ha!  Better yet, combine it with Devout Words, which let's you perform a Block using your words and your Conviction.  A Grapple is a type of Block, right?  this way, you get a person whose words freeze a demon in terror while her prayers do one stress of holy damage to a possessing demon every exchange!

This is stretching the interpretation of those stunts a bit, but only a little and it's thematic!

Ooooh, I like that...

[ballplayer72]

Or you could just make a true faith stunt that allowed you to banish spirit beings.

"The power of Christ Compels Thee?" Perhaps? Add that you have to do the flinging holy water thing and be chanting verses.   


Or you could make up your own type of Ritual.   Like Ritual (exorcism) : allows rituals use for banishing fae or demons or spirits. Or just demons or spirits.   make it a -3 instead of the -4 you'd have to take for either spec.   or just keep it a -2.

Might want to make your guns skill a tad on the  higher side so you have a weapon against non demons/spirits.

[luminos]

An alternative to using the ritual power is a custom power that lets you use your conviction skill as an attack against demons and spirits and whatnot in whatever circumstances get defined as being an exorcism.  Thats only -1 for a power, and might fit what you are looking for better.

[blues.soldier]

Actually, taking full Thaumaturgy would be incredibly useful...

Crafting to create enchanted items that aid your exorcisms...

"Potions" could be single-use holy items or seriously bad@$$ holy water...

biomancy or mind magic to aid the possession victim in throwing off the possessor...

divination to find out about the demon you're banishing...

an straight-up summoning and binding to put the final nail in the demonic coffin, to mix my metaphors...

just about the only thing I don't think your exorcist would use would be veils.

Not to mention that the story potential for a True Faith wielding magic-user (Advancing to Channeling-->Evocation, anybody?) is nearly limitless.

Wasn't there a thread a while back about an Item of Power on designed to be the wizard's staff equivalent of a Sword of the Cross?

I LOVE this idea. The whole concept. Love it.

[Todjaeger]

If you are looking for ideas on how something like this might work in terms of Aspects, what a character might need, etc than consider watching the movie The Order with the late Heath Ledger in it.  While the movie is about priests who are members of a particular Roman Catholic order who learn and counter diabolism and the occult, it sounds sort of like what the player is going for.

In terms of special abilities, I would definately recommend getting Thaumaturgy, either immediately or as an advancement.  Aside from potentially allowing the player to bind, banish or exorcise entities, it can be used to 'bless' (enchant) items, Ward places, learn information, etc.  Used properly and with some thought and foresight, the rituals available via Thaumaturgy can really allow a player to tilt situations to their advantage.

[Encryptedmind]

Can u take thom without being a wizard?
I mean can u take just thom?
Sorry I don't have the book infront of me atm