draft Draft: Pact New Player Guidebook Page

[Ari]

This is mainly Ecalsneerg and I's thing, but I feel a few extra eyes can't hurt.

 

Aiam addendum: This is what I sent as an initial suggestion to Ecal, none of this is his work, all blame falls on my shoulders.

 

Basic overview:

 

The Pact was created in the First Century CE by Simon Magus, that era's Master Mage. Before the Pact the gods walked freely on Earth and all too often victimized or manipulated mortals. Simon Magus ensured that divine and infernal forces would need human permission to enter the Earth's dimensions, changing the fundamental structure of the Omniverse to do it. Attempting to break through the metaphysical barrier would destroy the would-be invader and, if they held the monumental power of a god, the mortal world itself.

 

Ever since then the Pact has protected the Earth and its inhabitants from unasked-for intrusion by outside powers. The gods have no desire to lose their followers and they have an inventive to protect the Earth from other forces. Even the ill-intentioned ones, like Baron Kriminel, Loki or Hades need mortal permission to do real harm.

 

In game terms, it limits outsiders to roughly PL15 at maximum and requires very specific circumstances for PLX characters from other dimensions to appear in threads.

 

Who it applies to:

 

Gods, demons, their otherworldly servants, spirits, the Djinn and the Fairy Folk all rely on human say-so to be physically present in the mortal world.

 

In game terms, any kind of other dimension whose inhabitants have a Magic, Divine or Infernal main theme and power descriptor is affected by the Pact.

 

How to get around it:

 

Gods that use spiritual possession, like the Loa of Voodoo, can simply transfer their power to a willing mortal recipient. Certain artifacts, like the Ankh of Horus, can be used as conduits of otherworldly might that bring not just the power of the entity but their consciousness as well. Mortal supplicants can perform rituals or make prayers that, if explicitly enabling the named being to enter their world, opens the way for that specific being or group of beings.

 

Portals, dimensional conjunctions and explosions of energy that tear down the barrier between worlds are also known exceptions. But these are rare, often dangerous, hard to replicate and even if successful can have adverse side-effects.

 

The beings can choose to leave most of their power in their home dimension. This both poses no risk when colliding with the Pact's barrier and makes the resulting intruder easier to negotiate with or defend against. A recent example is Sekhmet the Lady of Slaughter.

 

Finally, the children of otherworldly beings pose a unique challenge to the Pact: they have access to great power, and some can even become gods themselves, but are usually mortals or else very like them. Most often these children remain either on Earth or in their non-human parent's home dimension.

 

In game terms, you can't be a god, but you can have their powers, their attitude and be related to them.

 

The Pact on other worlds:

 

Some Earths never had a Simon Magus, the conditions under which the Pact was created, or it was undone by another Master Mage or a corrupted Dark Lord who wished to commune more easily with their otherworldly allies. In these cases a god can manifest physically and at full power. But if they wish to travel to an Earth that is protected by the Pact, then they must gain permission to do so.

 

In game terms, you can play otherworldly-focused characters from other universes, but the rules of the Pact still apply so long as you're in Earth-Prime.

Edited April 13, 2018 by Ari

[Ecalsneerg]

I like it, but I'm going to expand on it a bit. 

 

Basic overview:

 

The Pact was created in the First Century CE by Simon Magus, that era's Master Mage. Before the Pact the gods walked freely on Earth and all too often victimized or manipulated mortals. Simon Magus ensured that divine and infernal forces would need human permission to enter the Earth's dimensions, changing the fundamental structure of the Omniverse to do it. Attempting to break through the metaphysical barrier would destroy the would-be invader and, if they held the monumental power of a god, the mortal world itself.

 

Ever since then the Pact has protected the Earth and its inhabitants from unasked-for intrusion by outside powers. The gods have no desire to lose their followers and they have to be inventive to protect the Earth from other forces. Even the ill-intentioned ones, like Baron Kriminel, Loki or Hades need mortal permission to do real harm. (Un)fortunately their worshipers do exist and plot to this day.

 

Atop this, there are often additional obligations and deals in place. After the Nazis co-opted the Norse pantheon's might in World War Two, Odin agreed to not interfere even directly in mortal affairs, in addition to the restrictions already upon him from the Pact.

 

In game terms, it limits outsiders to roughly PL15 at maximum and requires very specific circumstances for PLX characters from other dimensions to appear in threads.

 

Who it applies to:

 

Gods, demons, their otherworldly servants, spirits, the Djinn and the Fairy Folk all rely on human say-so to be physically present in the mortal world. The realms of divine and quasi-divine entities are vast and confusing, and this list is not exhaustive. The Unspeakable One defies definition, but it too is constrained by the Pact and a need for cultists to summon its power forth.

 

In game terms, any kind of other dimension whose inhabitants have a Magic, Divine or Infernal main theme and power descriptor is affected by the Pact.

 

How to get around it:

 

Gods that use spiritual possession, like the Loa of Voodoo, can simply transfer their power to a willing mortal recipient. Certain artifacts, like the Ankh of Horus, can be used as conduits of otherworldly might that bring not just the power of the entity but their consciousness as well. Mortal supplicants can perform rituals or make prayers that, if explicitly enabling the named being to enter their world, opens the way for that specific being or group of beings.

 

Portals, dimensional conjunctions and explosions of energy that tear down the barrier between worlds are also known exceptions. But these are rare, often dangerous, hard to replicate and even if successful can have adverse side-effects.

 

The beings can choose to leave most of their power in their home dimension. This both poses no risk when colliding with the Pact's barrier and makes the resulting intruder easier to negotiate with or defend against. A recent example is Sekhmet the Lady of Slaughter.

 

Finally, the children of otherworldly beings pose a unique challenge to the Pact: they have access to great power, and some can even become gods themselves, but are usually mortals or else very like them. Most often these children remain either on Earth or in their non-human parent's home dimension.

 

In game terms, you can't be a god, but you can have their powers, their attitude and be related to them.

 

The Pact on other worlds:

 

Some Earths never had a Simon Magus, the conditions under which the Pact was created, or it was undone by another Master Mage or a corrupted Dark Lord who wished to commune more easily with their otherworldly allies. In these cases a god can manifest physically and at full power. But if they wish to travel to an Earth that is protected by the Pact, then they must gain permission to do so.

 

In game terms, you can play otherworldly-focused characters from other universes, but the rules of the Pact still apply so long as you're in Earth-Prime.