Religious Powers "We fight for the honour of the most glorious Virgin, the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, for the honour and defence of the Holy Church and for all the Christian faith and for the expulsion of the enemies of the Cross." - The Trial of the Templars, Malcolm Barber RELIGIOUS POWERS In return for the sacrifices made through taking their monastic vows, and their high faith, the knights have been blessed with "Divine Gifts". These powers are vital in the war against Corruption, as vampires are generally beyond the ability of even the best trained mortal to defeat. However, these powers do not belong to the knight - but to God. The blessing of supernatural powers must only be used under the guidelines of the Rule - a knight cannot use them for selfish or vain purposes such as in revenge, laziness or profit. While some specific abilities are granted for specific purposes, they may not necessarily be carried out the same way every time. Miracles are a prime example of this. A desperate knight may beg for a miraculous obstacle to appear between him and an advancing vampire. This "barrier" could, by God's will, be anything from a wall of fire, a collapsing tree, a swarm of bees or the souls of the vampires victims. The powers embodied in Faith assist in all aspects in the battle against the Cainites. Investigation of, protection from and combating vampires all benefit in different ways. The devoutness of the followers of God is a coinage measured in Faith. The higher one's Faith the closer they stand to God. The Warriors of Christ wage a bitter war with the Damned, their most valuable weapon and their most effective shield is their Faith in their Lord. The Holiness that they receive from their beliefs grants them ever increasing Blessings which give them the ability to directly oppose the centuries old creatures that they hunt. These powers do not belong to the knight - but to God. The Blessings must only be used under the guidelines of the Rule - a knight cannot use them for selfish or vain purposes such as in revenge, laziness or personal profit. The term "Blessings" applies to three distinctly different types of Holy Powers which are bestowed upon the Church Knights. These are, the Gifts, the Prayers, and the Rites. Each is a grouping of abilities with different properties. FAITH: For the members of Militant Orders, Faith is not a Merit - but a blessing and attribute. You simply cannot become a Knight without a Faith rating of Five or more. Novices must have a Faith of at least One. When a hunter is in dire straits, and has no more Willpower, then he can call upon the strength of his Faith. Faith points can be used as a substitute for Willpower points. When he is out of Faith, he is out of luck - except for the intervention of a miracle. Willpower can be regained within oneself, but Faith must be regenerated through the dictates of one's religion, such as charity, compassion or penance. Always give players an idea of the enormity of their Faith. It represents something greater than them. They may direct and focus it, but its power comes from Beyond. They are its servants. FAITH VERSUS THE SUPERNATURAL: Any Faith roll ignores re-rolls on 10s - but 1s still botch. Faith is almost always a supplement to anything involving willpower. Vampires: Kindred in the presence of a Knight in prayer or focussing on their Faith have to make a Willpower Check v. Faith. The number of successes equals the number of steps he can move forward. The number of failures represents the steps backwards he takes, a botch results in Rotschreck. Magic: The strength of character associated with Faith helps anchor the believers sense of reality - thus acting as a potent form of Counter Magick. Each point of Faith gives the character one die of Counter Magick. Rolls have a Difficulty of 7. Shapechangers: Count the number of successes of a Faith- roll against the creature's Rage rating as the Difficulty. The successes must then be added to the were-creatures Difficulty to Rage. A successful Faith roll can also calm a frenzied werewolf. Use Faith versus Rage Rating as Difficulty along with the spending of a willpower point. Wraiths: A wraith must attempt to overcome a mortals Willpower when attempting a posession. Faith must be added to the Willpower rating when this is attempted, increasing the wraith's difficulty. Exorcism involves a Faith + Occult (min 3) roll versus the wraiths willpower. This will dissolve any Consort link generated by the wraith, which must start the process over again if it wishes to interact with the physical world. Demons: These can be repelled in the same manner as vampires, and exorcised the same way as wraiths. The Beatified Many consider those with high faith (Faith 6+) to be particularly close to God. Some give them the title of Saint, though the recipients of this title are the first to deny it. But they are undeniably living rays of hope in a dark world - living vessels of Numina. The Beatific (as they are otherwise known) automatically gain the merit Holy Aura. Their Aura burns brightly - even those who cannot see auras know there is something special about these people. The very presence of the Beatific disrupts supernatural ability: * On a Faith Roll, the Beatific can automatically sense the presence of the supernatural. By spending a Willpower Point, they can determine the source, though not exact nature. * The Beatific can see through all Levels of Kindred Obfuscate, Chimerstry and other related Disciplines or Gifts with a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty being the opposing powers Level +3). * Supernatural beings cannot approach any closer than one foot per level of Faith the Beatific posesses, without making a Willpower roll and expending a willpower point. If a Beatific approaches, then the supernatural must step back. This effect can be cancelled out by invitation. INHERENT FAITH ABILITIES Faith Ratings 1-4 = Novices are initiate knights, with normal human abilities. They have not reached a level of Faith high enough for extra power, or initiation in the Orders. The basic application of Faith at this level is increasing the difficulty of a Vampire's approach to the character. One of the Faithful concentrating on their Faith (by raising a cross, for example, and telling the creature to "be gone") can force the approaching Vampire to make a Willpower Check v. Faith Level. The number of failures represents the number of steps backward a Vampire must make. The number of successes equals the number of steps forward achieved. A botch results in Rotschreck. Novices are often at differing levels of experience and training. It is possible for a Novice to have a Faith of 9 - but has not completed enough training to become a Knight. Invested Novices are granted use of the Gifts. 5 = A Faith rating of greater than five indicates a true intimate connection with the supernatural. This level of Faith is the minimum acceptable for Knights. It allows Invested Knights to learn and use the Prayers and the Rituals, and also allows sensing of True Faith in other people (Perception + Faith, Difficulty 8). 6 = Abilities associated with Beatification come into effect (see earlier). Cleanse the taint of evil from an area (nullify Flaw Taint of Corruption). Cause the difficulty of all reaction rolls in the area to be reduced by 1 (aura of tranquillity). Get a sign from God which inspires you (an extra point of Willpower for the remainder of the scene on a successful roll of Faith v Difficulty 8). 7 = Cause a vampire or psycho killer to feel guilt (A roll of Faith v Difficulty 8 will decrease the vampire's dice pool by the number of successes). Add three dice to any reaction rolls made toward you, even with animals. Know the correct answer to all moral, ethical questions. Get a sign from heaven which inspires the entire unit you command, resulting in an extra point of Willpower for you and your companions for the rest of the scene (achieved with a Faith v Difficulty 8 roll). 8 = Change the nature of a person for a temporary or permanent period, depending on how well you roll your Charisma + Empathy against the targets Wits + Self Control. However, Church Knights have a problem with this: as it breaches the freedom of the individual protected by the tenets of the Rule. Reduce the level of a vampiric discipline by one for every success you roll on a Faith roll with a Difficulty of 8. Determine discipline randomly per point. 9 = Exorcise demons and evil spirits (Faith dice versus the demon's willpower. Successes must be greater than the demon's willpower). Can also lay a ghost to rest (resisted Faith roll against the Wraith's Fetter + 4, Difficulty 6. The character with the most successes triumphs). Those with this Faith rating can leave an aura of tranquillity in an area, such as a violent slum. The residents of the area will be more moral and cooperative, old feuds will fall by the wayside, crime will drop etc. Those with this level of Faith can permanently touch the world with their Faith. Complete protection against supernatural evil is another ability, as long as you do nothing but concentrate and stand still or slowly leave with no aggressive action. Can protect others in immediate vicinity also (5 metre radius). A powerful ability is that of causing an evil being, if truly deserving of death, to realise this; it takes at least five successes of your Faith against the targets Willpower. The target must have a Humanity of 2 or below, and must have committed truly horrible atrocities. If successful, the creature will submit to the stake (or silver) etc. 10 = Ignore a source of damage (up to 10 dice per round) if at least five rounds are spent in preparation for the feat and a difficulty roll is made against a 9; each success removes two dice of damage. Can also cleanse someone of the Embrace (difficulty 10, only in dramatic circumstances and the target must want to be saved). Call the minions of the Divine (usually in mortal form) to aid you in a dark hour. Crises of Faith: Sometimes a person can lose his Faith. Doubts arise about the truth of their calling, and they begin to wonder whether religion is just a sham. Every time a hunter tries to use their Faith and comes up with two or more botches, they lose a point of Faith. For the Church Knights, it is for three or more botches - due to the close support of the Militant Order environment. This can be regained only through the strong support of their fellows, or through further successful actions. If a Knight's Faith falls below level five, he must subject himself to a great deal of soul-searching. Usually, the Knight will remove himself to the nearest monastery where the abbot would hear his confession, provide instruction and support in the Faith and the serene company of monks devout in their worship. Once the knight has restored his Faith to his previous highest attained level, he main leave. Gaining Faith: It costs 7 freebie points to buy a level of Faith. It costs the Hunters current Faith rating x3 to raise Faith with experience points up to level 5, and the current rating x5 thereafter. Members of the Orders, living as they do in under a monastic Rule, remain at current rating x 3 because their vows and sacrifices make it easier. MIRACLES: Praying for a miracle takes one round. Roll a percentile dice. The chance of success is 1 per cent per Faith level, plus any modifiers the Storyteller decides are warranted. Success means the miracle has been granted and the event takes place. Failure means the request has not been granted. At the Storytellers discretion, positive or negative modifiers may be added. For example, if the miracle is desperately needed and of great importance to the Church, a +5 per cent or +10 per cent modifier may be appropriate. On the other hand, if the request is simply for convenience or frivolous reasons, a -5 per cent or -10 per cent modifier may apply. If a particularly spectacular or rare miracle is granted - the knight may be on the path to Sainthood (indicated by a Storyteller defined increase in Faith Points). An increase in Faith must be granted for every three successive successful miracles achieved by a Knight - once again upon the Storyteller's discretion. This also applies to the reverse: three successive failures to achieve a miracle causes a loss of Faith. Praying for a miracle with a relic or on Holy Ground may help the situation. HOLY GROUND: The power of Holy Ground can be tapped by the knight if called upon. The base Faith rate of the site is added to the Knight's when used to resist the Willpower of a vampire attempting to go where it is not allowed. Most importantly, the Holy Ground's supernatural strength can supplement a knight's own Holy Powers: the Holy Ground is revolted by the presence of evil, and seeks whatever means available to get rid of it. A Knight is a convenient channel for this desire. Holy Ground will add to their basic Faith scores if engaged in combat. It has no effect on Piety Checks or the inherent Holy Powers directly linked to a knights individual Faith Level (as outlined under Hunters Hunted) - it only supplements the value of Faith used within the Gifts, Prayers and Rituals. The Faith component of a roll under such circumstances will use the Knights Faith + Holy Ground. The moral of the story is to never attack a Church Knight on his own ground. The only places with a Faith rating of 10 points are the Vatican in Rome, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca etc (essentially the centre of each major religion). Sites of particular relevance to Church Knights are: The Vatican: 10 The Holy Sepulchre: 8 St Johns Cathedral, Malta: 7 New Temple Church, England: 6 Marienburg Castle, Poland: 6 Rosslyn Chapel, Scotland: 4 Chatres Cathedral, France: 4 Average district cathedral: 3 Average suburban church: 0/1 Holy Ground is naturally repulsive to the codes opposite to the religion (Christianity v evil, Satanism v Christianity etc). Anything opposing the grounds creed, such as a vampire, must make a Willpower v Holy Ground check. Invitation nullifies the repulsion. RELICS: Holy relics, icons and sacred items are focuses of Faith. While most items serve only as conduits of the subjects own Faith, others are actual sources of power. A relic is not a blessed object - it is an ancient and sacred item - often associated with a prophet or a disciple (such as bones, possessions, hair). Relics can protect against natural or supernatural powers, human or demonic afflictions and cure disease. The presence of a Holy relic can add to the strength of Holy Ground or the Knight/Novice holding it. Once a genuine relic has been found, it must be guarded and respected. A Relic does not have to be authentic - people only have to believe it is. It is not the relic which generates the power, it is the belief the Faithful have in it. For example, legend has it that the Knights Templar had under their protection one of the greatest Relics of all time - the Turin Shroud. In fact, it is possible distorted rumours of this holy item helped lead to their downfall. Relics force the same Willpower Checks as True Faith and Holy Ground. Outcomes are the same. Fragment of the True Cross: 9 Turin Shroud: 7 Lock of Mary's hair: 7 St Peter's Skull: 6 Spear of Lujinius: 5 St George's fingerbone: 2 HOLY DAYS: The Christian calendar is full of Holy Days, Fasts and Feasts. On these days, the expression of Faith is generally more common than other times. This open expression of Faith and piousness helps those doing God's work. On Easter Friday, a Christian's difficulty level on any Faith Roll is reduced by 2. Other significant Holy Days reduce difficulty by 1. This includes rolls using Faith under the Gifts, Prayers and Rituals. Pious Behaviour "It is... incumbent upon all of us to consider and to choose to amend our sins by voluntary chastisement and to turn to the Lord our God with penance and works of piety; and we should first amend in ourselves what we have done wrong and then turn our attention to the treachery and malice of the enemy." - Pope Gregory VIII, launching the Third Crusade. In The Atlas of the Crusades, Jonathan Riley-Smith VIOLATIONS The Council at Troyes foresaw that not all Knights were to be Saints, and that Grand Masters would need a method of enforcing the Rule. Practical punishments ranging from small penances, humiliating acts such as eating off the floor, expulsion from the Order and perpetual imprisonment were laid down to be administered by the Order's hierarchy. At least one knight was starved to death for disobedience in the London Temple. Another was imprisoned in the Jerusalem mother-house for leading an unauthorised raid against the Saracens, and losing the lives of several knights in his troupe. The modern application of the Rule is no different. However, the composition of the Orders is. Members must have a measure of True Faith, making serious crimes unlikely. Most offences are expected to be simply the domain of human failure - such as pride, ignorance and stupidity. Knights or novices who abuse the powers given to them, fail to adhere to the Code or break the Rule of their monastic life may lose God's favour and the ability to use some of their Holy Powers. Loss of specific abilities are at the Storytellers discretion - but should suit the nature of the crime. Punishment does not mean loss of all powers. For example, preventing use of a particular Blessed item, Prayer or Ritual can be devastating enough. Total loss of powers should result only from serious or repeated sins. Definitions of codes of conduct affecting knights can be found in the chapters The Rule and The Code earlier in this volume. Other binding disciplines follow in The Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Virtues. PIETY POINTS Piety Points are a measure of a knights performance against the Seven Deadly Sin and Seven Virtue tables. It represents the strict code of conduct knights and members of any monastic organisation have to follow. Piety Points are also a method of enforcing appropriate role-play and knightly behaviour - and only applies to characters who have undergone the Novitiate Initiation ceremony or the Knight Investiture. Failure to behave Piously results in a loss of available Grace Points and, at the Storyteller's discretion, a character's ability to use particular supernatural powers. The whole idea is supposed to be that the gifted powers demand sacrifice through maintaining strict vows. Measured from one to ten, a knight starts with the maximum Piety Level of Ten. Good behaviour and works warrant a Positive Piety Check (Piety dice rolled, requiring a target roll equal to that of the knights Faith rating level). If the roll of Piety dice is successful (with the number of successes set by the storyteller to reflect the nature of the event - base 3), a gain in Piety Points is rewarded. (Piety Points equate available Piety Dice). A Negative Piety Check is made when a knight commits a sin. It follows the same system as a Positive Piety Check, although the number of successes needed is increased to 4 - as doing good things are really expected of you anyway. An offence may attract more than one Piety Check. If the Storyteller feels the wayward knight deserves to loose more than one Piety Point, he may demand multiple rolls - specifying the breach which warrants each Check. Otherwise, major crimes will cost the same as a minor act of thoughtlessness. An apparent problem occurs when a knights Piety Level falls below that of his Faith. This is deliberate. As Faith Levels increase, so does the difficulty of maintaining the strict self-discipline (Piety Points) that Faith Levels demand. If you have the Faith of a saint, you must behave like a saint (The Faith rating of Nine demands a Piety Rating of Nine - allowing virtually no room for sin). When a knight's Piety Level falls below the value of his Faith, the knight would be wracked with self-disgust, guilt and self-abasement. His powers may be reduced, and regeneration of used Grace Points suspended. The only solution is to remove himself to a place of worship, serving penance until the Storyteller determines his Piety Level has been restored to that of his Faith Level. A Piety Level less than Faith will not allow a knight to roll Positive/Negative Piety Checks. Any Negative Piety Check his behaviour incurs will automatically fail, and he looses a further Piety Point. Any Positive Piety Check his behaviour causes cannot be rolled as it will not measure up to his Faith - therefore he looses the ability to restore Piety Points through his own actions. Only Penance can restore Piety Points to the level demanded by Faith. Penance can provide one point per day of total worship. Any interruptions automatically removes that day's benefit. The Storyteller can also add specific tasks needing completion before his Piety is restored to a level no greater than his Faith. Further good works are needed before it grows higher than Faith. (Example at the end of this chapter). If Piety falls below zero, one point of Humanity must be deducted. All powers are lost until the character returns his piety level to that of his Faith. Falling below zero represents continuous failure to live according to the vows, so suitable punishment must also originate from within the Order. This usually involves removal from combat status, an interview by a superior of at least Knight Preceptor rank and severe penance. If Piety reaches 10, extra benefits can be added toward the Grace Point pool - such as a top-up of 2 Grace Points per success (but no more than the maximum the Knight is allowed). However, if Piety remains at 10 for a considerable time, the Storyteller may reward this excellent behaviour with an extra Humanity point or Faith point. * Piety may also be "burnt" to replace Grace in an emergency. If Grace levels have fallen too low to enact a Gift, Prayer or Ritual, that power may be initiated at the expense of a Piety Point. These "burnt" Piety Points can only be regained through Penance. HUMANITY Humanity points and checks are conducted in the same manner as Vampires. The main difference between Piety and Humanity is that Piety reflects the performance of the Knight against the stipulated standards of The Rule. Humanity is a personal measure of behaviour: what the character feels is appropriate. When a check calls for a loss in Humanity Points, a corresponding loss of two Piety Points occurs. With any increase in Humanity, Piety is not necessarily increased - though this is up to the storyteller. If a novice or knight has a humanity of less than five, trial for inappropriate behaviour is likely, followed by expulsion from their Order. DEFINITIONS OF CONDUCT Each of the following outline the rules of conduct knights and novices must adhere to. The Ten Commandments affect Humanity Checks and Faith, while the Seven Virtues and Seven Deadly Sins affect Piety Checks. Ten Commandments First and foremost, a knight must uphold God's commandments as given to Moses at Mount Sinai. These stand above The Rule, The Code and the Seven Deadly Sins - even though they were themselves derived from the Commandments. Any breach of the following must be dealt with the complete removal of Grace points and Piety Points. The offending knight must be banished to a remote monastery, where he must demonstrate an extraordinary degree of penance if the favour of God is to be restored to him. Many offenders end up serving Penance for life. 1) Thou shalt not have any other Gods. 2) Thou shalt not worship any idol. 3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 4) Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy. 5) Honour your father and your mother. 6) Thou shalt not kill. 7) Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8) Thou shalt not steal. 9) Thou shalt not bear false witness. 10) Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife. The Seven Deadly Sins A knights Piety can be measured against the Seven Deadly Sins. Offences in any of these categories will cause a Negative Piety Check, with failure resulting in a drop in Piety status and incurring the penalties inherent in such a loss. Punishment can be dealt out in several forms. Most often the offence can simply be punished through a Piety Check, with a Difficulty Level determined by the Storyteller. Serious offences can result in several Piety Checks (the number determined by the Storyteller) - and thus the potential to loose a number of valuable Piety Points. In other cases, a knight may loose specific Gifts, Prayers or Rituals until the knight recognises the sin he committed, apologises - and then serves an equal amount of time in penance. The appropriateness of a punishment should be determined by the nature of the sin. Pride: One of the most common offences. Becoming too enamoured with one's own powers and abilities is punishable by loss of those same blessings. Knights must remember that their powers are not their own: rather, they are blessed as being a vessel for God's will. Their success is not due to their own actions - but to God's. To frequently calling upon divine aid when simple diligence and courage would suffice is taking God's favour for granted. This is a serious form of pride - as the power's divine source has been forgotten. In every-day life, knights may also demonstrate pride through behaviour including haughtiness, excessive self-satisfaction, conceit, arrogance and egoism. Apart from loosing Piety Points, suitable punishment usually includes the removal of the object of pride or setting the character's ego in its place - all of which can be determined by the storyteller. Covetousness: Coveting what is not a rightful possession is a typical human failing. Covetousness is usually related to emotional matters, such as wistfully desiring something out of immediate reach (such as a Faith level of 7, instead of 5). More insidious behaviour such as selfishness and avarice come under this category. Trying to use Holy Powers for one's own purposes demonstrates a severe breach of the tenets of The Rule and Faith. Lust: This has obvious connotation for Monks. Having to suppress passion is an important component of a knight's sacrifice to gain favour in the eyes of God is a vital component of reaching the status of knight, as determined by the Rule. Failing to do so results in a loss of this favour. Apart from lechery, lust includes the excess of almost any passion. Knights must demonstrate self-restraint, though there are times in which suitable demonstrations of loss, remorse, compassion etc are appropriate. In some ways lust overlaps with Covetousness and Gluttony, as all reflect unwholesome desires and urges. Anger: Vengeful violence when patience, charity, mercy and forgiveness are called for demonstrates a failure under the terms of the Rule and the Code. There is no place for unfettered rage in the Militant Orders, nor for subliminal hostility or continuous provocation. Animosity and ire also fall under this category. Demonstrations of great self control and restraint are to be encouraged. The severity of their rage or animosity must be reflected in the Difficulty Level of any Piety Point Check - as well as the consequences of their actions. Gluttony: As a warrior-monk, self sacrifice is a basic requirement. Waste, greed and longing goes against this rule of behaviour. Over consumption of an item, be it food or ammunition, is a wanton display of wastefulness. Gluttony is usually linked to acquiring material possessions and any longing desire to obtain an object. An example may be an excessive desire to own a particular weapon. Covetousness relates to matters emotional and religious. Envy: Undue jealousy over a companion knights rewards, powers or status is an insidious sin that would affect most knights at one stage or another. Such a failing can be demonstrated through spiteful behaviour, rivalry and begrudging respect. Knights should be made to understand that God's favour is demonstrated to different people differently. Humility is a key virtue if a warrior-monk is to remain pious. Piety check's should be accompanied with a role-play rebuttal or other suitable punishment. Sloth: Avoiding the instructions and duties of one's Order is a serious offence. Any body of knights is only as strong as its weakest link. If a knight avoids his designated chores, punishment can be doled out by his comrades according to the Rule. Carelessness, Apathy, passivity, lethargy, failure to take appropriate action - all are sins under the banner of Sloth. Avoiding serious events - such as battle - will result in loss of all Piety Points and trial before a Chapter of Knights. REWARDS The Seven Virtues While Piety can be lost, so can it be gained. Knights striving to increase their favour in the eyes of God can, through the following Virtues, gain status - and therefore power. A good demonstration of any Virtue will call for a Positive Piety Check. If the roll succeeds, an extra piety point is gained. However, if a knight's Piety Level is below that of his Faith Level, only Penance can restore lost Piety Points. Faith: A knight must demonstrate faith (as reflected in the Faith points system) that his God will look over his actions and protect his soul. If a knight hesitates overmuch when planning to use a Holy Power because he fears a major botch, then he is demonstrating a lack of assurance in God's word. However, when succeeding in a roll which has a high probability of failure, rewarding his faith with a Piety Point would be appropriate. The knight must demonstrate a sureness in his belief in his everyday behaviour, a certainty that the Divinity does exist and an unshakeable belief in God's favour, under whatever circumstances. Hope: An inherent optimism about the fate of God's children on earth needs to be demonstrated. Allowing oneself to become despondent and fall into despair over the power of evil shows a lack of hope. A knight lives in expectancy of revelations of God's will and favour - this is why the success of miracles result in an immediate boosts to the Faith level. Through hope, attributes such as trust and confidence are spawned. Continuous examples of a hopeful attitude (though not over-optimism) should be rewarded with Piety Points, though despair has an opposite effect. Charity: As reflected in The Rule and The Code, a generosity of spirit is required to make a knight's worship complete. Along with the more obvious "giving" aspect of charity, behaviour such as benevolence, compassion and tolerance are vital elements of this most wide-reaching virtue. On- going displays of such behaviour should be rewarded through Piety Points. Thoughtlessness or deliberate acts of nastiness ought to be punished. Justice: Justice is the demonstration of fairness and equity in the judgements made in everyday life. But for a knight it goes beyond this narrow definition. Natural justice can also be affected by a knight's own integrity and uprightness. If a knight lies or conceals the truth, he is committing an injustice. This can pose interesting dilemmas - sometimes the truth is not the best thing to say! Fortitude: This relates to a knight's steadfast resolve to see God's will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Despite the hurdles encountered, a knight must demonstrate tenacity and determination to get the job done. Such perseverance should be rewarded: giving up to easy, punished. Prudence: Demonstrating a high degree of common-sense and forethought can save a knight from a lot of trouble - even if things go wrong. Cautious calculation shows a knight is taking everything he can into account before an action is taken or a decision is made. If a decision turns out to be wrong, and the knight has acted prudently, then he should not be punished for the event. If it goes wrong because of a lack of consideration - a Negative Piety Check must be made. Temperance: Knights must be humble, seeking Holy Powers only when necessary and to serve the needs of the Order and the Church. By sincerely striving to avoid using their Holy Powers, knights can gain favour in the eyes of the Lord. This demonstrates a strong respect for his religion and a regard for his God's desire to limit intervention upon this earth. But Temperance goes beyond use of powers. A knight must demonstrate the virtues of humility, self control, abstinence and modesty in all their behaviour. Clear-cut examples of such behaviour, or merely a string of good performance, can be rewarded by the Storyteller through granting a Positive Piety Check. SACRED VIOLENCE The theory of holy Christian violence was worked out by Christian thinkers of the 4th and 5th centuries and was available in the central Middle Ages in anthologies of theological texts. Its starting point was that violence was not evil but was morally neutral and drew moral colouring from the intention of the perpetrator, which could be loving. For instance, the surgeon who strapped a man to a table against the patients will - an act of violence which may cause death - had the intention of healing a man who would otherwise have certainly died. Like the surgeon, any perpetrator of Christian violence had to have the right intention. He also needed a just cause, because violence could only be resorted to in response to previous injury in the forms, for instance, of aggression, menaces, tyranny, or the invasion and occupation of land that rightly belonged to an earlier possessor. Moreover, since no Christian had any right even to defend himself as an individual against assault, acts of violence had to be authorised by a legitimate authority, who could be a minister of God such as the pope or the emperor, but could also be God himself. Christian sacred violence, whether medieval or modern, posits a "political"God or Christ whose intentions for mankind are believed to be reflected in some existing political structure or course of political events. If this structure or course of events comes under threat, Christ's intentions for mankind are believed to be at risk and his support for military countermeasures is assumed. - Atlas of the Crusades, Jonathan Riley-Smith PENANCE Knights who lose the benefits of their Faith or Piety may make a penance to regain them. The remorseful knight must seek solitude, such as a church or monastery, and devote himself to meditation, study and private prayer - begging forgiveness with a humble heart. Setting Things Right: Correcting one's actions can be an important prelude to Penance - though not always necessary. If a knight sins by punching a hole in the wall in frustration after a vampire escapes, the Storyteller may require the knight pays for and organises the repair. (To make this even more demanding, the Storyteller does not have to tell the knight what it is he has to do before his Penance takes effect - let him figure it out for himself. Never forget, True Faith makes harsh demands upon its subjects.) Regaining Piety: Piety can be gained or restored through a Piety Check when a knight displays an act of one of the Seven Virtues. A Positive Piety Check (Piety Points rolled with a Difficulty Level of Faith with the number of successes determined by the Storyteller) can reward the knight with an extra Piety Point. If the Positive Piety Check fails, he simply gains no benefit. However, if Piety Points have fallen below the total number of Faith Points the benefits of the Virtues cannot be gained. In this situation, only Penance can restore lost Piety. Penance will restore one Piety Point per day - only if it is under conditions of true repentance in uninterrupted prayer, usually conducted in a monastery or another private place of worship. Interruptions automatically removes the Piety Point that day's worship was intended to restore - so it is best to leave a penitent knight alone. Serious or repeated offences may extend the period of penance and can result in loss of Faith. The Storyteller may also give a knight a particular quest to complete before penance is granted such as a worthy act of charity or an apology. Regaining Faith: Loss of Faith is more severe than a loss of Piety. It represents a measured loss of belief, trust and adoration of God. Therefore, restoring a lost Faith Point is a much more difficult task. However, restoring a lost level is not as hard as gaining new Faith Points. Thus a knight can undergo penance to restore the lost Faith - and not wait until he has sufficient Experience Points to re-purchase a level. Penance of Faith will require Faith x 2 weeks of prayer and charity. The Storyteller may, however, require a clear act of belief and faith in one's God before returning his Faith Level's Holy Powers. These restored Faith cannot surpass the highest Faith Levels previously obtained. {For example: A Templar Knight Captain is running through a garden party in hot pursuit of his quarry. Instead of dodging past a group of young ladies, he decides to charge on through. This action causes one of the young debutantes to fall in a pond, ruining the dress she could not really afford and severely embarrassing her in front of her male friends. This action - Sloth - warrants a Negative Piety Check: he could easily have attempted a dodge. (If he had bothered to do the right thing, I would have automatically negated the need for a Negative Piety Check - even if he failed the dodge - as the accident was no longer a case of Sloth.) The Knight Captain has a Faith Rating of Five and a Piety Rating of Five. The Storyteller gauges the severity of the offence at a value of three successes needed. Therefore, the Knight Captain must roll three Successes greater or equal to Five (The Captain's Faith Rating) with his Piety Dice (in this case, Piety Points Five) in order to avoid loosing a Piety Point. The Knight Captain fails the check, and must loose a Piety Point - reducing him to Piety Four. This new Piety Level is one point below that acceptable to his Faith Level of Five. His guilt and self- admonishment would prevent him from receiving the benefits of any Positive Piety Check and automatically cause him to fail any further Piety Checks. The Templar removes himself to a chapel for a day of prayer and repentance. However, at the end of that day he still feels remorseful (his Piety has not been restored - as it should). He realises the only way to satisfy his guilt is to find the debutante, apologise to her and pay her the cost of the spoiled dress. After two days of searching and obtaining a blushing acceptance of his apology, the Templar once again feels the comfort and security of Gods favour return (thus, Piety Points are restored to the Level of his Faith). Now, he can once again serve as an effective member of the Militant Orders.} The Measure of Grace "Non nobis Dominie, non nobis, sed nomine tuo, da gloriam. Not unto us, Lord, not unto us, but to thy name give glory." - Templar motto, recorded at the Council of Troyes, 1128 The measure of Grace is the yard-stick against which a knight's Holy Powers can be measured. Grace is the sum of Faith + Piety. Both Faith and Piety are fluid ratings which can be affected by performance and behaviour. Thus, a knights actions can influence his spiritual strength. A knight who breaks The Rule or one of the Seven Deadly Sins must undergo a Piety Check. If the check fails, and he looses one Piety, he also looses a point of Grace. {For example: A Teutone sergeant with a Faith rating of six and a Piety level of seven has a Grace rating of 13. During the course of his investigations, the knight is curt and rude to a drunken hermit begging for money. This is an un- charitous act and calls for a single Piety Check (against a storyteller defined number of successes, with a difficulty level equal to his Faith). Upon failing the Piety check, he looses one Piety Point. This reduces the sum of Faith and Piety by one - thus reducing his amount of available Grace Points. This loss of Grace Points will affect the total amount he can expend upon the Gifts, Prayers and Rituals. A loss of Piety to below one calls for serious disciplining. The aberrant knight must be banished to a monastery and stripped of his rank until he proves he has atoned for his sins.} A loss of Faith points has a similar effect. A knight who botches a major prayer twice or more in succession must loose a point of Faith. This, of course, also reduces the number of Grace points available. But more importantly, it also reduces the number of Gifts, Prayers and Rituals the knight can select from (Holy Powers can be tied to Faith Levels). A knight whose Faith falls below Five must seek instruction from an Abbot and seclude himself in a monastery until his Faith returns. His ability to use Prayers and Rituals is also stripped away, though the Gifts remain until he has no more Faith. EXPENDITURE Grace points are the measure of the blessings conferred upon a knight, translating to game players as how many points are available to be expended as Prayers, Gifts and Rituals. As the sum of Faith and Piety, the pool of available Grace points is strongly linked to a knights behaviour and belief. This way, their powers and behaviour cannot be taken for granted. A knight must remember always that he is not only a warrior - but also a monk. The   rating before a Gift, Prayer or Ritual designates the number of Faith Levels required before that Holy Power becomes available. The numerical rating (x) specifies what number of Grace Points must be expended to initiate the Holy Power. Thus a Prayer (5) would reduce the total immediately available Grace Points from 13 to 8 (However, he must have a Faith Rating of at least 3 before he can attempt the action). Using a Holy Power does not affect the Faith or Piety scores. Grace points can be expended until there are none, and the knight must retire for private prayer to allow regeneration of his Grace points. If a knight is low on Grace points, is in a desperate situation and needs to call upon a Prayer with a higher requirement of Grace than he currently has - he may "burn" a Piety Point for each Gift/Prayer/Ritual he enacts. These Piety Levels must be regained through special acts of penance. {For example: A Hospitaller Knight Sergeant is all that remains of an ambushed combat team sent into what appeared to be an abandoned country town. Fleeing for his life, he seeks refuge in the ruins of a church. This had been a very pious community before degradent land had made living in the are untenable. As a result, the ruined church has a Holy Place rating of Three. The Knight Sergeant, his own Faith rating being Five and his Piety Six, can add the Holy Ground rating of Three to his Faith-based rolls. Thus the knight is given greater strength with which to defend himself. However, the knight's excessive fear warrants a Negative Piety Check. The Faith Level of the Holy Ground has no effect on the knight's personal relationship with God, therefore it must be Six Piety Dice rolled against a Target of Faith, with a Storyteller determined number of successes. The young knight succeeds the Check. Seeing a vampire approaching and successfully struggling against the effects of Holy Ground, the Knight Sergeant jumps up - determined to sell his life dearly. He yells his war cry "Christi Imperat" (using the Word of Power Gift which costs 3 Grace Points). This reduces his available Grace Point pool from 11 (Faith Five + Piety Six) to 8. The Word of Power requires a Charisma & Faith versus the vampires Humanity as the target roll. The Holy Ground's Faith Rating must be added to the Knights Faith Level for this action (Charisma Three, Faith Level Five, Holy Ground Three versus vampire Humanity Target Six). His cry succeeds in frightening the vampire, causing the creature to make a Rotschreck Check. The Check must use the knights Faith plus the Holy Ground's rating as the level of difficulty (thus, Eight) under the p199 Vampires Rotschreck difficulty table. In this case, the effect on the vampire is similar to that of being exposed to direct sunlight. The vampire flees in a raging state of panic. Round one to the Knight Sergeant.} REGENERATION Grace Points return to the Faith + Prayer sum total at the rate of one Grace Point per hour of worship or meditation. Thus, a knight with Faith Five and Piety Eight would need 13 hours of quiet meditation if all 13 Grace Points were expended. If only one or two points have been used, these can be restored during the normal morning and evening prayers. If the knight is resting on Holy Ground, the locations Faith Rating acts as an automatic boost - giving them an initial surge of Grace Points equal to the sites Faith Level. Emergency Regeneration: In the event of an emergency, a Knight may pray for additional strength through Grace. For the cost of one Piety Point, he may regain the number of Grace Points equal to his Faith rating. This lost Piety point must be regained through normal game play. Granting the Blessings "Ere the moon has climbed the mountain, ere the rocks are ribbed with light, When the downward-dipping tails are dank and drear. Comes a breathing hard behind thee, snuffle-snuffle through the night, It is Fear, O Little Hunter, it is Fear!" - The Song of the Little Hunter, Kipling The ability to use the Blessings is directly tied to one's Faith, as shown through the links with Piety and Grace Points. Many powers also only come available once a Knight has gained a particular level of Faith - demonstrating the necessary degree of understanding and acceptance of God's will. But these Blessings are not granted without effort upon the Novice/Knights behalf. Novices, during the lead-up to their Initiation, are taught the Gifts by their superiors. Which of the Gifts these are is determined by the Chapter, based on what will serve the Order the most and what Faith Level the Novice has (see Gifts, Prayers and Rituals under Character Creation). Once the Novice has been Initiated, he is then taken away and taught in secret a selection of the Order's own Gifts. Knights, during their Investiture Ceremony, receive instruction on further Blessings. These are once again chosen by the Chapter, and can be a mix of both Gifts and Prayers - limited only by the Knights own Faith Level. Once a Knight or Novice earns a Faith Level in game-play, they become eligible to learn more of the Gifts or Prayers. The supplicant must approach the leader of his Chapter, usually a Knight Preceptor, petitioning him for the honour of further theological training in the nature of the Blessings. If granted, the Novice or Knight is usually sent to an out- of-the-way monastery to study the ancient Canons of the Order. Whether the supplicant learns the new powers or not is determined by a dice roll. Take the Faith Level of the Blessing and use this to represent the number of months necessary to learn the ability. The character must then make an Intelligence + Theology roll v the Blessings Faith Level. The number of successes represents how many weeks may be taken off the time needed.