True Faith
Numina · Vampire
Faith is a sacred trust in the divine usually manifested in the form of a religion. Millions of people enrich their lives through this sacred trust, but only a blessed few have been personally touched by the divine. True Faith is a combination of this trust and a divine favor that brings about a profound conviction that can protect an individual against the depredations of the evil, the corrupt, and the profane — such as the Kindred.
The blessings of True Faith are very rare. Devoted worshippers of every faith exist, but only a scant few have this robust holy connection. Official religious investments are not required to possess True Faith; characters with True Faith are not required to be priests, rabbi, or clerics to be chosen. Indeed, many men of the cloth themselves aren’t so favored as to be able to command True Faith.
Characters with True Faith have the ability to perform miracles. Some believe that the presence of these special people is a sign that, whatever higher powers exist, they have not forsaken the world.
The Light of God theory proposes that those with True Faith are ordinary mortals who have been chosen by the divine to protect the world. A few theorists believe that they are Nephilim, mortal descendants of angels or other higher beings.
Acquiring True Faith
True Faith is a gift of the divine. Characters with True Faith are chosen to bear that gift for a specific purpose. It is recommended that players interested in True Faith Numina have a discussion with the Storyteller about the background and potential story for their characters. A player should select a religion or creed that fits with the character’s background and story.
The manifestation of True Faith often requires that the Faithful individual suffer through a crisis, a “dark night of the soul” in which the universe seems to test her belief and resolve. Many of the Faithful have spent long periods of contemplation considering the many facets of their faith as it applies to the world, considering how best to follow the tenets of their faith. Should one of the Faithful fail to follow the mandates of her faith (as determined by the Storyteller), her player must make a Conscience roll at a difficulty of 9 to resist the wavering of the character’s True Faith and the concurrent loss of a level in the Numina. A character who flagrantly disregards the core beliefs of her faith finds that her connection to the divine becomes more and more distant.
Regaining faith is much harder once an individual has lost it. This can be an intense storytelling experience for a hunter, as the character experiences a true crisis of faith and must work diligently and piously to return to the good graces of the divine. Whether gaining, losing, or regaining True Faith, such a story element should be treated as a strong dramatic turning point in a character’s development.
In addition, Storytellers are encouraged to handle True Faith with care. On the one hand, the close relationship of True Faith with real-world religions requires respectful treatment of the faiths in representation. At the same time, the reduction of the ways of higher powers to an abstract system of dice rolls and “powers” can undermine the gravity of what the Numina represents.
No character may begin a chronicle with more than one level of the True Faith Numina.
Increasing True Faith
True Faith is increased by acts of devotion toward the character’s revered higher power or cause. Additional points are awarded only at the Storyteller’s discretion, based on appropriate behavior and deeds. The Storyteller should closely consider the Faithful’s actions during the course of the story and inform the player when he believes that it is appropriate that next level be purchased.
Systems for True Faith
Unlike the other Numina Paths, True Faith only has a single Path.
True Faith grants the believers special benefits:
- Each level of True Faith grants an extra point of Willpower.
- Each point of True Faith acts as a die of divine protection to resist the effects of Numina, vampire Disciplines, or other supernatural powers. When a character would be affected by a Kindred Discipline or other power, her player may spend a point of Willpower and roll the character’s True Faith rating as a dice pool against a difficulty of 7. Successes earned on this roll subtract successes from the activation roll of the power in question. This protection affects only powers that would directly affect the character, and only if a dice roll is required to determine their degree of success. It offers no protection against passive or indirect uses of powers such as Aura Perception or Fortitude.
The True Faith Numina, like any other, has a rating of 1 to 5. Exactly what protection is afforded to the individual depends on this rating, as described below. At their discretion, Storytellers may wish to amend or alter these benefits to reflect the intervention of higher powers as it illustrates the themes of their own chronicles.
True Faith Levels
| Rating | Description |
|---|---|
| • | Any character with True Faith may attempt to repel vampires, ghosts, and other supernatural creatures by brandishing a holy symbol or uttering prayers. The player of the Faithful spends a Willpower point and rolls her character’s True Faith rating against a difficulty equal to the creature’s permanent Willpower. The successes garnered indicate the number of turns that the creature must flee from the character while she invokes the protection of prayer or the holy symbol. If the activation roll yields no successes, a supernatural creature need not step back, but may not advance. A botch indicates that it may advance unhindered. If the religious symbol is placed against a vampire’s body, each success causes a level of aggravated damage, burning into the creature’s flesh. |
| •• | The Faithful may sense the presence of a vampire. She need not consciously try to detect the vampire’s presence, but she must be in peaceful, quiet surroundings, perhaps alone in thought, praying, reading a religious book, meditating, etc. The Faithful will not sense the vampire if she is preoccupied (e.g., arguing) or in a crowded, noisy place (jostled by a mob, in the midst of a party, etc.). This ability doesn’t light up the vampire like a beacon; the Storyteller reveals the presence of the vampire only when the Faithful’s attention would indicate such. Note that the character doesn’t know exactly what she senses through her faith. All she knows is that something sinister is nearby. |
| ••• | The Faithful is immune to Chimerstry, Dementation, Dominate, Obfuscate, and other supernatural effects that confound the mind. |
| •••• | The Faithful may not be turned into a ghoul. She is unaffected by Presence and other supernatural effects that manipulate emotions. |
| ••••• | The mere presence of the Faithful may fill a vampire or other supernatural creature with self-loathing, disgust, terror, or even physical pain. The player of any vampire who hears the Faithful pray or preach, or who is touched by the Faithful, must make a successful Rötschreck roll (difficulty 9) to resist having the Kindred flee immediately and for the duration of the scene. A vampire who is unable to flee is reduced to a gibbering wreck, flailing on the floor, screaming, sobbing, or begging for mercy. |
Miracles of True Faith
A miracle is an instance of direct divine intervention. The Faithful often pray to the divine as a form of worship and meditation. On rare and inspiring occasions, the divine answers a prayer in the form of a miracle. Such miracles should be rare, never more than one in a story, and always dramatic.
The Storyteller should examine the motivation of the character invoking the miracle. The divine likely doesn’t care if the Faithful wants to drive a luxury car, win the lottery, or even survive an encounter with a random vampire. Every religion has martyrs, and death is sometimes in the divine plan. Prayers that are selfless and seek to help or inspire others have the best chance of being answered. No hard-and-fast system for invoking miracles exists — it’s simply a dramatic reminder that Faithful individuals bear a divine duty and can occasionally serve as conduits for their greater power’s will in the world.
Miracles are impossible to define mechanically, as they should be specifically tailored to the situation. Some examples include:
- Helping a barren woman be able to bear a child
- Curing a terrible and painful disease, such as cancer
- Helping someone trapped under a collapsed building
- Finding yourself at the side of a friend in desperate need