Faith Powers
Powers of faith are a specialized group of abilities that can be wielded by divine entities, whether they are actually immortal or are not quite there yet, once they begin to accumulate that strange form of spectral energy. They exist as potential abilities in any individual who both has divine powers (regardless of their origin) as well as faith to expend thanks to their actions.
In other words, any and all faith powers may be be earned like power stunts, regardless of what kind of deific being is attempting to do so, even if their initial rank will be somewhat low. Thus, over time a deity just might master all of these abilities, given enough Karma to manage that; this is yet another impetus for them to get off their thrones and do some adventuring!
| A | C | D | E | F | G | I | M | N | O | P | R | S |
A
Avatar
Type: Faith Power
Duration: instantaneous when building an avatar, maintenance when driving one
Cost: 2 points per rank
An avatar is a sort of surrogate body, a spare self that one can create to perform a variety of functions - without actually being present in a given area. A deific being may only have one avatar active at any moment in time, but may build as many as he or she desires - the better to guide their flock to greater glory... or perhaps to simply avoid placing oneself at risk of serious harm or death.
To craft an avatar, deifics must first spend one point of faith energy to fashion the core of their new, secondary body. After this, he or she must then pay one point of faith energy for each rank in each physical ability above Typical (6) - as well as one point of faith energy for each rank in every ascendant power the avatar will have access to, multiplied by the point cost of the power in question.
These powers need not be those the deific being normally possesses.
An avatar's physical ability scores and powers can be 'bought' at any rank a deific desires - with an upper limit of the avatar power rank, that is. On the other hand, a deific being need not spend faith to equip an avatar with mental attributes, nor are they limited to avatar's power rank. This is because it is the deific's own mind that animates an avatar; when not in use, an avatar is simply inert matter.
If destroyed, no harm will come to the deific being animating an avatar - the only disadvantage of losing an avatar is the loss of the faith energy used in creating it... and the expenditure one must make to craft another (if necessary).
When building a new proxy body for themselves, deifics need only roll a green power ACTION. However, it takes time to forge a new physical body for oneself. One can only generate an amount of bodily matter with this ability, in pounds, equal to their power rank number each turn. Thus, building a three hundred pound body with an Amazing (50) ranked avatar power would require six full turns.
When first generating an avatar's body, one's own frame suffers serious strain. The personal energies lost on each turn of an avatar's creation is equal to one Health point, which isn't such a big deal when building small bodies for oneself to inhabit, but can add up fast when you're trying to make monstrously large forms. This Health loss must be recovered in whatever fashion is normal for the wielder of avatar.
Awe
Type: Faith Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank
When mortal beings are directly subject to the divine, their minds find the occurrence difficult to cope with. By projecting a wave of godly presence, a deific can interrupt whatever mortals in their vicinity (within Very Near distance) were doing, causing them to behave in a manner that is dependent on the differences in philosophical bent between the immortal entity and said mortals.
Mortal beings subject to divine awe are so interrupted if they fail a Psyche (will) ACTION roll against awe's power rank.
If awed mortals are of the same philosophical leaning (good, perhaps), they will typically go out of their way to help him or her, as if subject to mesmerism. If of opposing morality, however, a deific being will inspire great fear in the mortals before him or her, as if victimizing them with emotion control. Finally, those who are neutral to the deity's cause will typically just stop short, potentially drooling in amazement at him or her.
C
Commandment
Type: Faith Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Essentially the reverse of the commune spell, commandment allows a deific being to directly communicate with those who venerate him or her. Naturally, the worshiped need not go through the same hoops a worshiper must to achieve communications, though sometimes it may be difficult to convince the faithful that what they're hearing is the true voice of their god.
When invoking this power, a deionic entity can exploit the channel of faith energy a follower generates, doing so to make contact with a member of their flock. Once this connection is made, the immortal can communicate in any way he or she wishes, whether merely transmitting empathic impulses, verbal instructions (hence the name of this power), or actually engaging in a two-way conversation.
Conversing with a follower that is either on their home plane or within the deific being's realm requires but a green power ACTION roll. If a follower is in neither location but is still within the same time frame, a yellow power ACTION is necessary to communicate with them. Red power ACTIONs are typically only required if a follower is out of their normal, defined place in time - or within the realm of another deity.
D
Deionic Attack
Type: Faith Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank
Wielding this potent attack capability, a deific being can summon forth a high intensity pulse of power, comprised of the evolved life force which marks him or her as such an entity. This pulse takes the form of an energy attack, one which inflicts power rank Deionic damage with each deadly use, a type of assault that few individuals have the capability to resist in any manner.
A deionic attack functions anywhere within Near distance of its wielder, causing grievous damage to whatever it strikes - whether animate or otherwise. Furthermore, when wielded against any form of defense that is comprised of antideionic energies (a rarity, but still possible), a deionic attack will take on an Armor Piercing component, which further improves its effectiveness against the foes of a deific entity.
Disengagement
Type: Faith Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank
Essentially the opposite of the omnipresence ability, disengagement is an ability immortals can use to extract themselves from a situation, no matter how dire it may be. The power, when activated, will remove a deific from wherever (or whenever, if time traveling) he or she currently happens to be, and will deposit them within their place of power - all with a simple green power ACTION roll.
Unless powers such as dimensional static or space control are acting to block it, that is, in which event disengagement requires an ACTION roll made against the offending ability in question.
The place of power that disengagement whisks a deionic entity to will default to the possessor of this power's most potent locale. A sanctuary will be first in line, followed by a realm, and finally the character's home plane if they lack either of the two previous destinations. Mind you, if a character is at risk within their sanctuary, this ability may not help them all that much!
E
Exaltation
Type: Faith Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank
Exaltation is the process of elevating the mortal beyond that state of affairs. One can only wield exaltation upon a willing individual, assuming sentience is even involved, and its possessor must pass a power ACTION roll against the target's Intuition (awr) score. Assuming all of these criteria are met, a deific being may then spend one hundred faith points to raise a body beyond their former, mortal self.
When a mortal's divine spark is lit, their life force experiences an evolution, one which transforms them into a demigod. Such a being might otherwise be normal, but this occurrence may serve as an 'origin' of sorts which causes other powers to manifest. Either way, a demigod begins his or her deific career with one 'spare' life - more must be acquired through hard work.
This work often comes in the form of extensive, exhaustive quests or tasks given to the new demigod by he or she that exalted them. These goals are given for two main reasons: to test the mettle and character of a would-be deity, and to fuel their ascension from demigod to god (acquire more 'spare' lives). Either way, such endeavors almost always further the goals of the character with this power.
Otherwise, why create more competition?
Such is the true danger of the exaltation power - to all immortals, everywhere. Before elevating a mortal to divine status, it might pay to ensure the recipient of this power's benefits will not betray its possessor down the line. If a god does not do the proper research on those he or she wishes to elevate well in advance, they may quickly find themselves hoist by their own, divine petard.
Note: when exaltation is successfully wielded on a character, they in turn acquire the apotheosis ability. This is a staggering boon for most folks, thus it is recommended that they pay the cost of acquiring that ability as they would any new power - soon, if not immediately. Assuming, of course, the Judge does not rule that the cost in faith paid by the wielder of this ability is sufficient.
F
Faith
Type: Faith Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 5 points per rank
As a deific being begins to cultivate followers, adherents to their philosophies and way of life, the power of faith begins to flow from said followers into him or her. This potent spiritual energy can be used by the deific being to perform truly astonishing deeds, things which some might readily consider miraculous - and may subsequently help to generate even more faith in and of itself.
When invoking the power of faith, immortals may simulate any other power in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine, per ultimate power. Each use of this power expends an amount of faith equal to the simulated ability's point cost, whether instantaneous or continuous in effect; to maintain the latter, deifics must pay the faith cost again every 1d10 turns. This applies unless a power has a different cost indicated; if so, use that instead.
The difficulty with this power is that faith is a somewhat rare commodity; the power of faith has the astounding ability to shape reality itself, but is slow in the accumulation.
While this ability can be used to do almost anything, as its wielder desires, one of the best ways to utilize faith is to reinvest the accumulated power of worship back towards one's followers. This is a tactic that can be utilized in both a beneficial and a harmful way - wielding either positive or negative reinforcement to bolster the faith that individuals have in the deific being.
For instance, a small town is generally following the teachings of a goddess' church, and as a reward, she offers them a great farming season (via the power of weather control) and great fortunes (via the power of luck). This is but one example of divine restitution, wielding the faith energy one's followers have granted her to reward them for their worship.
On the other hand, a town several miles down the road has begun to venerate another deific being. To show such worshipers the error of their ways, the goddess might send plagues (via the power of disease), scores of nasty pests (via the power of summoning) and violent storms (again, due to weather control), wreaking divine retribution with precision and care until her errant followers get the message.
G
Genesis
Type: Faith Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank
The power of genesis allows a deific being to create a realm of his or her own. This locale will serve as a place of power for the immortal, as well as a final resting place for the spirits of those who venerated him or her in their mortal lives. A deific being can plant the seed of this realm at a cost of one point of faith energy, dedicating a space equal, in cubic yards, to their power rank number.
When genesis is initially invoked, its wielder may declare that their realm will come in one of three separate forms. The first is a special area within another plane of existence, presumably the god's home plane. This portion of the original dimension will function similarly to the original, where the laws of physics are concerned, but may be modified slightly by the deific being upon creating it.
If the physical principles governing a realm are identical to those of the plane it resides within, one may not notice any difference upon crossing between the two. However, if a deity created his or her realm with somewhat different physics to contend with, individuals who pass from the 'normal' portion of the plane into their realm will be able to tell that something has changed - if not necessarily why.
The second form a realm can take is that of a pocket dimension, one which buds off of another plane - either one's home plane or a 'common ground' reality held by several different deionic entities. This dimensional pocket is adjacent to the original plane, and may function under the same laws of physics or considerably different principles, depending on the wishes of its creator.
Generally, a realm that takes this form will be more isolated than the first, since there is usually only one means of egress between it and its parent plane. Such realms often take the form of seemingly isolated valleys, underground fortifications, or even palaces in the sky - in short, hard to reach places. That's one advantage of such a dimensional pocket: one can more easily control entry into such a realm.
The third form a deity's realm can take is that of a distinct, independent universe. As its own space-time, a realm of this sort can function under any physical laws desired, though these must be set upon the plane's creation. The only limitation in creating highly divergent physics, however, is that one must ensure that they can survive conditions in their own place of power - otherwise, why bother?
This sort of holy space is completely isolated from 'normal' reality, and can only be reached by crossing the dimensions; one cannot simply walk to it from elsewhere. That is, unless the being who controls it creates some means of ingress and/or egress that mundane forms of travel can utilize - these doorways often take the form of fantastic trees, rivers, bridges, and so on - and are usually easy to activate or deactivate.
When creating an entirely new space to inhabit, a deionic entity may fill it with the appropriate inanimate matter as a function of its creation. This costs them no additional faith or exertion. Populating such a realm with new life forms, however, must be done separately - possibly with the organism generation or regenesis powers, or perhaps by physically importing them from elsewhere.
After its creation, an immortal's realm may be further expanded, as its creator sees fit. Each expansion costs a deific entity an additional faith point, but will add an amount of space equal to this power's rank number in cubic yards. If the rank of this power changes (whether it is increased or decreased), the size of the realm it has created will change, being recalculated based on the power's new rank.
Furthermore, additional space added to one's realm need not match the characteristics of the original. One's core realm might be firmly invested in their home town, while additional 'layers' of his or her realm might exist in offshoot dimensional pockets or even other planes entirely. This is a great way to create 'tiers' of an afterlife, sending followers to differing levels based on just how faithful they actually were.
Finally, the nature of one's realm of power need not be unchanging. Should the needs of a deionic entity change over time, he or she can reconfigure the laws of nature in their realm as circumstances require. This will cost them faith, however, the deity having to expend one point of such energy for each block of space they have created which needs to be reconfigured on a permanent basis.
While in one's realm, a deific character is vulnerable to permanent destruction - that is one of the great weaknesses of otherwise immortal beings. However, to offset this weakness, a deionic entity benefits from a +1 CS on all ACTION rolls they attempt while in their realm, thus making defeat on their home turf a much more difficult proposition - particularly if within their sanctuary itself... or if they also possess omnipotence.
I
Inculcation
Type: Faith Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 2 points per rank
Via the power of inculcation, a deific being can impart the knowledge to cast priestly spells into their most dedicated followers. By spending one point of faith, a deionic entity may impart one rank of one spell into a follower. A follower may be given the ability to cast spells at any rank desired, as long as the appropriate amount of faith is expended, with an upper limit equal to the inculcation power rank.
Once an immortal's follower has been granted access to clerical magic, that sorcery may be advanced in one of two different fashions. First, a priest's patron deity may simply expend more faith to improve it directly - at a cost of one point of faith per rank so boosted. Alternately, a cleric may simply boost the ranks of their spells via their own Karma - which saves his or her deity energy in the long run.
Once a follower is given access to clerical magic in this fashion, the faith expended is lost forever. Even if a follower becomes apostate and their patron revokes their place amongst the faithful, the energies used to impart the knowledge of priestly spells may not be recovered. This because, while investment enhances a follower's body, inculcation expands the capabilities of their mind instead.
And once learned, a skill is virtually impossible to remove.
M
Mortal Guise
Type: Faith Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
By enshrouding themselves within a mortal guise, a character with deific abilities may mask all traces of such from onlookers. This ability is part invisibility and part illusion, for it will make its wielder appear, in the mind of those observing them, to be a perfectly normal individual. This is particularly handy if an immortal being is visually distinct as compared to his or her many followers.
This power works on mortals as well as deific beings. The former, if they do not fail an Intuition (alt) ACTION roll against the deific invisibility power rank, can see the wielder of this power in their true form - but won't sense any deionic powers unless their use is obvious to their standard senses (flashes of light, et cetera). Deific beings, if they are not stymied by this power, can perceive its wielder's true nature.
Assuming they were at all trying to determine such, that is.
N
Nature Resistance
Type: Faith Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
A variation on the greater resistance ability, nature resistance provides its possessor protection against a wide swath of damage types. Nature resistance will shield its owner with power rank defense against any form of damage extant in the environment, as long as its cause, no matter how indirectly, has nothing to do with the actions of sentient beings.
For example, a character with nature resistance walks into a raging forest fire. If this forest fire were caused by a lightning strike, they would benefit from their full power rank in protection from the resultant flames. However, should said fire be ignited by the careless actions of negligent campers, the bearer of nature resistance will find themselves subject to the full damage inflicted by the burning forest.
The net effect of nature resistance is that the powerful beings which possess it may exempt themselves, in part or in full, from true acts of nature. Thus, the key to nature resistance is to determine whether or not the hand of intelligent beings (no matter how minimally) is at play before one can benefit from it. Which can sometimes be tricky in a world full of technology!
O
Omnipotence
Type: Faith Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Many faiths hold great stock in the omnipotence of their patron deity or deities - the idea that they are all-powerful. While it is primarily up to a deific being to wield his or her other abilities in a fashion that fosters this belief, they can much more readily simulate this tendency while in their places of power. Whether one occupies their realm or sanctuary, an immortal can use omnipotence to great effect.
Wielding this ability, deific beings can eavesdrop on each and every square inch of their realm and/or sanctuary. Within this space, a deific being may make use of any of the five clairsentience abilities as he or she sees fit, unlimited by range. This allows such entities, if they are paying attention, to know all that occurs within their territories... and to act swiftly if such occurrences are not to their liking.
Furthermore, such retribution, or in fact any other actions a deific being attempts, are made at a +1 CS while on their home turf. This increase is provided on top of any other bonuses such characters receive due to being in their sanctuary or realm. In fact, when the bonuses from all three powers are combined, one may be hard pressed to argue against the omnipotence of a deific being!
Omnipresence
Type: Faith Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank
Many faiths hold great stock in the ubiquity of their patron deity or deities - believing that they exist everywhere at once. Using the power of omnipresence, a deific being can at least simulate this tendency. How this ability works is that, in response to the prayers of those who venerate him or her, a deific being can directly manifest at a follower's side - no matter where in the multiverse that follower may be.
The wielder of this power, upon being entreated by a follower, may use that follower's faith as a channel to transport themselves from their current location to within Very Near distance of him or her. Distance and dimension are no barrier to the use of omnipresence, for the power of faith is enough to overcome even the greatest of spatial impediments - and even those of a temporal nature, if a follower is traveling through time.
Manifesting before a follower requires but a green power ACTION roll. However, it is important to note that, in and of itself, omnipresence is a one-way travel power; a deific being must use other abilities to return from whence they came after wielding it.
Omniscience
Type: Faith Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Many faiths hold great stock in the omniscience of their patron deity or deities - their ability to see all and know all. This ability is a good reason for such beliefs, as a deific being can use the power of a follower's faith to home in on them and observe their surroundings. Furthermore, a god can eavesdrop on the sensory input that a follower experiences at any point in time, if not their actual thoughts.
Omniscience in and of itself has no actual range limitations to speak of - it works wherever one's followers may be, regardless of the spatial or even dimensional boundaries between a deific being and those who venerate him or her. However, the power is limited to a short distance around said followers; a deific being can only observe the area within Very Near distance of one of their faithful.
P
Plenipotentiary
Type: Faith Power
Duration: maintenance
Cost: 1 point per rank
Using the power of faith, a deific being can reach through space (and even time, if a follower travels through such) to the vicinity of those who venerate him, her, or it. The channel of spectral energy that fuels their might allows a deionic entity to wield their powers within Very Near distance of those who venerate them, regardless of the distances or dimensions between a worshiper and the worshiped.
This is similar to the proxy power, in that it allows a body to use their abilities remotely, via a designated target. Plenipotentiary differs from proxy, however, in that it doesn't act through the follower but instead through the channel of faith energy they generate. Thus, a deity's power effects can manifest within the stated range without implicating a follower - or can even target him or her directly!
Effects remotely manifested in this fashion cannot exceed the plenipotentiary power rank.
This ability allows a deionic entity to perform seeming miracles, or otherwise answer the requests of their followers, without using up valuable faith. Sure, faith can be expended thanks to this power (perhaps via the actual faith ability), but immortals can simply use ordinary powers they possess within range as well thanks to plenipotentiary, thus preserving accumulated faith for (to them) more important matters.
R
Regenesis
Type: Faith Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank
When the followers of a deific being shuffle off this mortal coil, their souls have to go somewhere. Generally, they will home in on the sanctuary - or at least the realm - of their patron entity. For them to be capable of action in the afterlife, however, they need to be given a new body. Using regenesis, a deionic entity can provide just that for those who have venerated him or her in their lives.
A highly specialized version of the organism generation power, regenesis can build new forms for the departed souls of one's followers to inhabit. A god has ultimate control over the shape and capability of these new physical forms, and can cater them to his or her own, unique religious dogmas; obedient followers might take on beautiful forms, while disobedient worshipers might instead adopt a monstrous visage. Or whatever.
When creating these new bodies for their most ardent of supporters, a deific being may do so relatively inexpensively. These bodies cost one point of faith energy to fashion, but one need only spend an additional point for each rank of physical ability above Typical (6), as well as one point for each rank in each inherent power the follower's new form will have access to.
Such granted abilities and powers are limited in might, of course, to the regenesis power rank.
On the other hand, the recently departed's new form retains whatever mental statistics he or she possessed in life. Furthermore, if a follower's soul is permitted the memories they possessed before their demise, they will also have access to any talents and talent-like powers they had mastered over the course of their lifetime. This is a great way to drastically increase the might of one's afterlife army!
When building a new body for his or her followers, a deific being need only roll a green power ACTION. However, it takes time to forge a new form for a detached soul; one can only generate an amount of living matter with this ability, in pounds, equal to their power rank number each turn. Thus, building a two hundred pound body with an Incredible (40) ranked regenesis would require five full turns.
As are all other matter generation abilities, regenesis is highly strenuous on the body. The personal energies lost with each turn of regenesis' use is equal to one Health point per turn, which isn't such a big deal when one is building small bodies for one's followers to inhabit, but can add up fast when you're trying to make giants. This Health loss must be recovered in whatever fashion is normal for the wielder of regenesis.
Unless, of course, they substitute an additional point of faith to bypass the Health point penalty, as is their option.
S
Sanctuary
Type: Faith Power
Duration: instantaneous effect
Cost: 1 point per rank
A sanctuary is a small space, above all others, that a deific being can readily identify as their home. Such a location is usually nestled within some extant plane, unless it is built into a new space created by said deific entity, like a universe made with the genesis power. Either way, one's sanctuary is initially small, being no larger than a number of cubic yards equal to the sanctuary power rank number.
However, one's sanctuary need not remain this size. Much like one can with their realm of power, a deific being can expand the size of their sanctuary if desired, though this requires the use of faith. For each point of faith spent on one's sanctuary, a deionicist can add a number of cubic yards to it that is equal to their power rank number; if the rank of this power ever changes, recalculate a sanctuary's size accordingly.
The advantages of establishing a sanctuary are many. Having a sanctuary on one's home plane (or realm, if one is maintained) will reduce an immortal's vulnerability to permanent death such that it can only happen within, their other weaknesses notwithstanding. This alone makes having a sanctuary worthwhile, but a deific also gains the benefit of a +1 CS on all ACTION rolls attempted while within such a space.
When combined with the bonuses granted by the genesis and omnipotence powers, this makes a deionic entity vastly powerful within their sanctuary - even if it's where they're most vulnerable to being slain.
Signature Power
Type: Faith Power
Duration: varies, depending on the signature power's nature
Cost: equal to the power simulated, when enhanced to an extreme degree
A signature power is a trademark capability of sorts, something a deific being is known - or perhaps even worshiped - for. Once a would-be deity has chosen the metaphysical profile they wish to represent, he or she can then manifest a single signature power all their own. This power can be virtually any ability in the Costumed Adventurer Simulation Engine - save for of course ultimate power, which is in a class unto itself.
The difference between other characters with this power and the deific being, however, is that it is more effective in the latter's hands. A power that inflicts damage will be upgraded such that it inflicts Deionic harm; for example, fire generation, which normally inflicts the SD Energy damage associated with flames, would be improved such that it will instead deliver SD Deionic damage with each use.
A power which doesn't directly inflict damage will similarly be upgraded - usually to an extreme degree. A character may well be venerated for their use of this power, after all, which means it needs to be truly exceptional in effect. Perhaps clairvoyance or teleportation functions without range, or maybe device generation can create objects without their permanence ever coming into question.
That kind of thing.
Thus, when a character first acquires his or her signature power, it must be accounted for as if it were an extremely enhanced version of the standard ability - whether during character generation or when adopted later on. This will increase the cost of the power accordingly, but will usually be worth the price. After all, the best way to bolster the faith one's followers feel is with actual demonstrations of one's ability!