Faith

Faith is the core of the fallen's power, the ability that once let them literally move mountains. Although their power is no longer what it was, demons can still influence Creation in various ways through their Faith.

Faith is a combination of a demon's self-assurance, insight into the nature of Creation, and closeness to the divine power they once wielded. Before the Fall, demons had faith in their creator and drew their power from Him. Now the fallen place their faith only in themselves (and sometimes in humanity) and draw their power from their belief in themselves and mortals' faith in them.

Unlike most traits, Faith is rated on a scale from 1 to 10, since it can transcend the limits of mortality. The greater a demon's Faith is, the more power it wields over forces of Creation.


Spending Faith
Fallen characters have two Faith scores, permanent Faith and a pool of Faith dice. Permanent Faith is like any other trait. The Faith pool starts out equal to permanent Faith, but demons use the Faith pool to fuel their various supernatural abilities, allowing them to perform amazing feats. Demonic powers come in three varieties, all fueled by the power of Faith: Innate abilities, the apocalyptic form, and lore.

Some powers merely require the demon to have Faith, meaning at least one die in their Faith pool. This allows the fallen to use their innate abilities at will, for example. Other powers, like activating the apocalyptic form or using lore, require a Faith roll (similar to a Willpower roll) or require the expenditure of Faith Points to function.

Note that Faith cannot be used to soak bashing, lethal, or aggravated damage.


Revelation
Although they possess amazing powers, demons do take a risk in using their abilities too often, the chance of Revelation. The more Faith a demon uses in a given scene, the more likely mortals are to see the fallen's true nature through the guise of mortal flesh. This may be awe-inspiring or terrifying, depending on the demon's Torment, but it's always a powerful experience for any mortal. The Revelation also announces a demon's presence to others able to sense the disturbances that happen when one tampers with Creation. This makes it more difficult for demons to conceal their activities from their enemies. The intensity of the Revelation is based on how much Faith a demon expends in a given scene. The more Faith used, the greater the effect... SEE MORE


Regaining Faith
Having lost faith in their Creator, the fallen can regain Faith only by taking it from mortals. They do so in one of two ways: Reaping, taking Faith from mortal fear or awe and pacts, deals made with mortals to acquire their Faith in exchange for something the demon provides.


Reaping
Reaping is a quick, short-term means of acquiring Faith. All it requires is a mortal to believe in the demon's existence and power even for a moment. That moment is enough for the fallen to seize the mortal's faith, and take it for their own. Reaping can take any form that convinces a mortal, without a doubt, that the demon is a true supernatural being. A mortal being skinned alive by a creature from Hell has no doubt that's real. Likewise a mortal who receives the aid of a shining guardian angel knows that a divine power has intervened. A Revelation isn't enough in and of itself, though. The demon must interact with the mortal in some direct way. The Storyteller judges whether or not a particular action is enough to constitute a reaping. The fallen are cautious about reaping, simply because it forces them to reveal themselves to mortals and increases the chance of demon-hunters or other foes tracking them down.

System:
Reaping requires a resisted Willpower test form Demon Vs Target Difficulty 7. If the Demon scores more successes than the intended target they reap a small amount of Faith from the Target. In most cases this is just a single point of Faith. This however is up to ST discretion.

Pacts
A more reliable way for the fallen to gain Faith is to establish pacts. A pact is a relationship between a demon and a mortal. The demon provides the mortal with a service of some sort and, in return, the mortal provides the demon with Faith. Pacts take time to set up and maintain, but they offer several advantages, including a continuing supply of Faith and the fact that the mortal doesn't need to be aware of the demon's true nature (at least at first).

System:
Faith is generated once per day and harvested every morning at dawn by the Demon. The amount generated by the thrall depends on the character and belief of the individual. A Priest might have more than an average Joe. This is down to ST discretion... SEE MORE

Establishing a pact is relatively simple. The demon offers to fulfill a wish or desire for the mortal in exchange for the mortal's devotion and worship. If the mortal agrees, the demon spends a point of Faith and fulfills the mortal's wish to seal the pact. In order to be successful, the demon must fulfill the mortal's desire and the mortal must willingly accept the gift and the terms of the pact. The attempt fails if the demon doesn't live up to his end of the bargain or if the mortal refuses the pact. Once a pact is established, only the demon can break it. As long as the demon upholds its end, there's nothing the mortal can do (short of destroying the demon, which is easier said than done).

The nature of the pact is entirely up to the demon. High-Torment demons tend toward corruptive pacts, offering mortals their secret desires, luring them with promises of power and luxury. Low-Torment demons may prefer pacts of genuine gratitude and devotion on the mortal's part, such as fulfilling someone's dream of becoming a great artist, or healing a critically injured or ill person. Demons often perform favors for mortals before establishing a pact with them. if the mortal refuses the deal, the demon can always revoke its favor to give the mortal something to think about. As they say, the first taste is free.



Hierarchy Of Sins

Torment	Sins
10	There's no sin. You're already damned. Why not do whatever you want?
9	Casual violation of others: Murder for no reason, thoughtless cruelty and torture, near-mindless savagery.
8	Premeditated violation of others: Plotted murder or assassination, systematic destruction of another, long-sought revenge.
7	Sins of passion: Murder in a fit of rage, giving in to feelings of hate, anger, jealousy, or irrational prejudice, encouraging the same in others. Destroying particularly inspirational or meaningful objects. Doing personal harm through addiction or other self-destructive patterns of behavior.
6	Destruction of the works or inflicting intentional emotional harm through cruelty or neglect.
5	Accidental violations: doing harm to others through carelessness, negligence, or thoughtlessness. Neglecting duties or responsibilities. Betraying another's trust.
4	Theft from or deception of others without just cause. Breaking your sworn word.
3	Doing harm (physical, emotional, or spiritual) to a mortal for any reason other than self-defense or the greater good.
2	Doing harm to any mortal creature for any reason other than self-defense or the greater good (a disrespect for the order of Creation). Permitting any lesser sin in your presence without at least trying to prevent it.
1	Any act of cruelty, selfishness, or thoughtlessness. Allowing any such act in your presence without trying to prevent it. An unwillingness to sacrifice for the greater good.