In Nomine Highlander
In the Beginning:
"From the dawn of time we came, moving silently down through the centuries, living many secret lives. Struggling to reach the time of the Gathering, when the few who remain, will battle to the last. No-one has ever known we were among you, until now."Long ago, when the Grigori still watched over humanity, they discovered a human who had suffered a mortal injury and died before aid could be rendered - only to awaken from death with their wounds completely healed!-- the voice of Ramirez, in the opening to Highlander the Movie (played by Sean Connery).
Since then, under the instruction of Yves, a small group of Grigori kept Watch over the new Immortals; recording all that they did without open contact or intervention and keeping humanity from realising their existance.
As time passed, those Grigori assigned to watch the Immortals discovered more about them. None of the Immortals seemed to have parents, nor could they bear children; all Immortals died of violence. They could recover from any injury save decapitation or total destruction, given time, and did not age or succumb to disease. The only difficulty in identifying new Immortals was that resonances did not work on them. They also seemed to have an instinctive attunement of their own - they knew when other Immortals were near and could feel the presence of a Tether. On the rare and unfortunate occasion when one Immortal truly slew another, the victor gained in some mysterious fashion something of the loser's Forces, experience and knowledge, amidst a disturbance that resounded on all three planes.
The Grigori believe it was the Dark One himself who encouraged Immortals to kill one another in a spirit of fear, distrust and false ambition, seeking a Prize that would be granted to the last Immortal - those Immortals who did not believe still found themselves fighting to survive, and the Grigori were forbidden from direct intervention. However, the consequences of fighting on a Tether or Temple - indeed any place dedicated to God or the Ethereal gods - were so severe that no Immortal would fight there, and some chose to seek refuge on "Holy Ground" rather than defend themselves through violence. Strangely, valuable as an Immortal would seem to be as a Soldier, angelic and infernal superiors alike refused to recruit (directly) Immortals.
Even when the Grigori were Outcast as a choir from Heaven, still those who remained pure kept watch, and groomed those humans who discovered Immortals living amongst them to be watchers also; thus the foundations of the society which itself would take the name of The Watchers were laid. Then came Uriel's Crusade.
Uriel did not include the Immortals in his purge, whether because they were of the Corporeal plane like the rest of humanity or due to some other reason. However, within two centuries of Uriel's first major offensives of the Crusade, the Watchers noticed that the number of Immortals had risen considerably - while still no more than one amongst millions, they were more numerous now than they had ever been.
Immortal Mechanics:
Originally, I wrote, or at least partially wrote, a mind-boggingly long section on Playing an Immortal. Then I decided that it was too much effort, and anyone who'd actually play an Immortal in an In Nomine game would have to be fairly obsess - er, knowledgeable about Immortals anyway. :)
So... young or old, an Immortal PC in an In Nomine game has discovered, or is about to discover, the larger reality in which Earth resides. Such characters should begin with anywhere from five Forces (an Immortal who has not even died once yet) to nine Forces (a much older, definitely more experienced Immortal). Truly old and/or powerful Immortals could have more Forces, but the GM shouldn't allow an Immortal to have more Forces than other PCs in the game.
IN Immortals come in two flavours (the GM picks the flavour that exists in their game world): Television Immortals and Movie Immortals. Movie Immortals are more capable than Television Immortals, and more likely to survive in a Celestial-centric campaign.
Basic Immortal Rules:
Other than as according to the rules given below, Immortals use the same mechanics as humans. In the In Nomine universe, Immortals become Soldiers upon their first death, even though they need not be sworn to the service of either Side! Even if no deliberate act is involved, this first death always inexplicably involves violence of some sort.
An Immortal can never normally have more Celestial Forces than either of their Corporeal and Ethereal Forces. They must have a non-zero Charisma (which always costs points even if the Charisma is negative!). There is always something about an Immortal which makes them stand out, whether a little or lot, from the crowd.
Immortals automatically sense the presence of nearby Immortals. Roll d666 - the check digit indicates the range in yards times 10 that the Immortals sense each other (the same roll is used for all Immortals in the vicinity). The arriving and leaving of Immortals can be sensed, but other than 'none at all' an Immortal has no absolute guarantee of knowing how many other Immortals are present. Optional rule: Experienced Immortals (nine or more Forces) may make a Will roll to "pull in" their presence if it has not yet been detected, halving the range of this sense (this works both ways). This take mild concentration to maintain, and is lost once contact is made.
An Immortal who makes eye contact with a subject may roll Perception to recognise their Immortality (or lack of it). An Immortal can also always tell whether their current location is "Holy Ground" (any place dedicated to God or the Ethereal gods, such as a Tether or Temple), if they make a deliberate effort to do so.
Each round after one in which an injury occurred, an Immortal rolls d6 to see how many hits they regenerate (corporeal, ethereal or celestial). If they suffer additional injury while regenerating, they recover one less hit that round per attack. Immortals don't normally scar, even from massive trauma. Even their hair grows back if burnt (cut hair doesn't grow back - it's just one of those things).
While temporarily "dead", an Immortal may end up in a dreamscape in the Marches, but once all hits are above zero again they awaken. "Dead" Immortals do not suffer the side-effects of death that afflict human corpses - they do not rot, nor do they smell or make a mess. They don't bleed nearly as much as one might expect either.
Immortals have an inexplicable ability to avoid dismemberment unless an edged weapon is applied; even so, if the Immortal does lose a body part (other than the head) it will take d6 years to regenerate the part unless it is stuck back on while the wound is fresh, and this leaves a scar. A lost appendage might also be healed by a Song. Players of Immortals tend to fear unfavorable Interventions. :)
If someone is deliberately trying to decapitate an Immortal, a killing blow with a natural check digit of 6 (and an appropriate edged weapon) will be successful short of unusual circumstances. Of course even if not beheaded, it's rather difficult for an incapacitated Immortal to dodge a coup de grace... If another Immortal is present when an Immortal is truly slain, a Quickening occurs.
Television Immortal Rules:
- New Immortals gain a sixth Force upon their first death.
- While not immune to diseases, they are highly unlikely to suffer them and never become severely ill. They are somewhat resistant to toxins (drugs, poisons, etc) but not greatly so. The GM should assign a (small) bonus to rolls required for resisting such things.
- A temporary death delays regeneration by d6 rounds, or possibly minutes or hours if the cause of death must be absorbed or ejected by the body before life is possible (nerve gas, or a knife left stuck in their heart, for example). If the cause can't be removed that way (such as if they've been buried in cement) they stay dead until the cause is removed by external means.
- Resonances - based on perception or otherwise - normally have no effect on Immortals. If they have sworn to the service of a Superior, they can make a Will roll to automatically resist Attunements of forces in opposition to that Superior (eg, an Immortal serving an Archangel could roll to automatically resist any Infernal Attunement and possibly the Attunements of Ethereals as well). Note that this does not necessarily tip off the person making the attempt.
Movie Immortal Rules:
- New Immortals gain a sixth and seventh Force upon their first death; one of these must be Corporeal.
- They are immune to disease and highly resistant to toxins. It's very hard for Immortals to get drunk, for example. The GM should assign a (large) bonus to rolls required for resisting such things.
- They have the ability to breathe underwater; the GM may decide that they can in fact breathe in any atmosphere, gaseous or liquid (there's nothing in canon to say either way). They can also go without food or drink; this weakens them, but they don't starve or collapse from thirst.
- Regeneration is not delayed by temporary "death", though if the cause can't be removed by absorbtion or ejection (such as if they've been buried in cement) they stay dead until the cause is removed by external means.
- Resonances and Attunements - based on perception or otherwise - normally have no effect on Immortals. If they have sworn to the service of a Superior, they can try to reflect the Resonance of a being in opposition to that Superior (eg, an Immortal serving an Archangel can roll Will to reflect any Infernal Resonance and possibly the Resonances of Ethereals as well). The victim of a reflected Resonance can still make any rolls allowed to resist their own ability.
Quickenings and Immortals: This manifests as a highly localised electrical "storm" that also generates diffuse Disturbance over a much larger area. The recipient of a Quickening rolls against their Will, gaining experience equal to the check digit or the victim's Corporeal Forces, whichever is less. A successful roll indicates the recipient has also assimilated some of the victim's memories and skills, usually subconsciously, and may add 1 to any one skill in which the victim was superior or gain a new skill (at /1) which the victim possessed. Immortals, no matter how they truly die, do not seem to go to the Lower Heavens, Hell or the Marches. An infernal Intervention on the Will roll for a Quickening produces a Dark Quickening - the Immortal equivalent of being possessed by a Shedim! The other danger is that during a Quickening all resonances and attunements work in the normal manner on the recipient and that (at least in modern times) the Quickening might set off something explosive enough to maim or kill them. Oh, and then there's Holy Ground...
Holy Ground and Immortals: an Immortal who seriously injures or kills a mortal on Holy Ground (any place dedicated to God or the Ethereal gods, such as a Tether or Temple) generates Disturbance as if it was a Celestial committing the deed! However, if they kill an Immortal for a Quickening, the effect should be rather more cataclysmic... The winner, if not favored by the being(s) to whom the Tether/Temple belongs, usually dies permanently - with lots of graphic adjectives - unless saved by the whim of Intervention. However, a supernatural warning of some kind manifests upon the first clash of weapons, and this deters most Immortals from proceeding.
The Rules: Immortal mentors usually teach their students the Immortal traditions, which only the most dishonorable of Immortals break (even horribly evil Immortals have been known to obey these rules). The three main rules are - single combat between Immortals, no fighting on Holy Ground, and There Can Be Only One. The third rule is because, according to legend, there will come a time known as the Gathering, when the Immortals will fight each until only one remains to inherit the Prize. However, nobody seems to know what this Prize is - though most Immortals seem to think it's enough power to rule the Earth (at least until they find out about Archangels and Demon Princes, which tends to dissuade them of that idea).
Knowledge: most celestials know nothing or almost nothing about Immortals, and those that do are discouraged from talking about it by their Superiors. Immortals are considered to be more dangerous than the equivalent mundane or Soldier - they seem to have an irritating ability to resist resonances and attunements in addition to their regeneration - but they're still Corporeal beings and thus not given the respect a celestial would get. Immortals tend to be independant sorts anyway, so generally don't make good servants. Ethereals have no particular animosity towards Immortals, even when travelling with Celestials (though they might try to sway the Immortal's opinion of their company).
Soldierhood: Immortals become Soldiers upon their first death, but it takes a Superior's acceptance of their oath of service, freely and knowledgeably given, before they can become sworn to either Side. Such Immortal Soldiers have their senses expanded by their contact with the Symphony: they can not only sense other Immortals, they can sense beings of Ethereal and Celestial origin as well, and on a successful Perception roll can tell the difference between an Immortal, Ethereal and Celestial. Eye contact still only allows the Immortal to detect whether a person is Immortal or not; it does not reveal Ethereal or Celestial origins. Immortal Soldiers of both sides are told in no uncertain terms that they are not to wilfully participate in the tradition of "There Can Be Only One".
Immortals cannot normally gain Choir Attunements or Resonances except as part of a Distinction. They can be given Rites, Songs, Servitor Attunements and Distinctions, and in this respect are no different from other Soldiers.
So, Why Are So Few Immortals Recruited?
The obvious reason is that since they're both very rare to start with and immune to resonances, it's hard for celestials to know what they are without witnessing their abilities - and you can't go around casually injuring every mortal to see if they're Immortal because of the Disturbance it causes. There's also the fact that if your resonance doesn't work on them, how do you tell if they're working for the other side?
And then there was Chephirah's observation:
Chephirah says "The /really/ obvious one is for Seraph and Bal Superiors - if you can't tell the Truth of something, and if you can't bring something into your worldview..."I think that explains a lot.
Chephirah says "KEEP IT AWAY :)"