[Demon Proposal] Laws of the Abyss: Amendment #1 [Autopass]

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Proposal

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Pursuant to Coordinator Bylaw 3.C.iii, as the Demon Coordinator, I, David Niemitz, in my duties as said Coordinator, hereby propose that Laws of the Abyss, written by James Freeman-Hargis, and published on the Storyteller’s Vault, be the new base MET book for the genre, and do propose also the following bylaw changes.  For clarity, this is not a packet: it is a base book, just like Laws of the Night.

This proposal carries the potential to autopass.

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Bylaws Now

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3. Experience Points

d.The standard baseline for OWbN XP costs are the ones detailed in the most recent printing of the classic MET material published by White Wolf. In general, this means revised classic MET, though in the cases of games that did not get a revised printing (Changeling, Wraith, etc) the previous edition is used.

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Bylaws After:

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 3. Experience Points

d.The standard baseline for OWbN XP costs are the ones detailed in the most recent printing of the classic MET material published by White Wolf. In general, this means revised classic MET, though in the cases of games that did not get a revised printing (Changeling, Wraith, etc) the previous edition is used.  In the case of Demon: The Fallen, the standard baseline OWbN XP costs are detailed in Laws of the Abyss, published on the Storyteller’s Vault.

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Rationale

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Demon: The Fallen was one of the only Genres published for tabletop which never saw an official MET book published.  Since the current OWBN packet was written and passed in 2017, those rules have allowed the Fallen genre to grow within OWBN, and helped many games run plot with NPC Fallen.  Everyone who worked on the original packet deserves a great deal of credit for that. However, as the Fallen genre has grown, and interacted with other genres, it has become clear that we have grown beyond the 2017 packet, and require a rule set that is balanced from cross-genre interaction.  

Laws of the Abyss is a complete MET book, and honestly, of better quality than several that were actually published by White Wolf.  If this prop passes, it will serve as the new rules set for OWbN Demon: The Fallen. Because it was published on Storyteller Vault, there are no copyright infringement issues, which allows it to contain material we could never put in a OWBN packet.

Just as with any other Laws book, this will serve as a baseline: individual games will be free to design whatever house rules they like to suit the tastes of their region. 

All Demon: the Fallen genre characters in the org will need to come into compliance with the Character Creation and experience rules found in Laws of the Abyss.  All Fallen Characters would need to be converted within a 30 day window; after that window passes, characters may not return to play until they are converted.  See conversion guides attached, provided by the Demon Office.

There are two specific instances of mechanics created for the 2017 packet which require further guidelines: the Penitent Merit, and the Rank Background.  Suggestions for how to handle both are provided in the FAQ, below.

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Change Log

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Split into two props

Removed Notes from ‘Grandfathering’

Removed Comments as requested

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Grandfathering

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Not Applicable
 

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FAQ

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1. Why do we want to use this book?

This change is necessary because the 2017 packet is no longer meeting the needs of the Org.  In order to grow the Fallen genre and provide the depth that the genre deserves, this change is necessary.

This is not only my personal belief, but that of others, as well, supported by comments on our recent survey.

2. Rules for Relics/Rituals/Earthbound/etc are missing.  How do we handle those things?

I understand this is disappointing, but those things were also missing from the 2017 packet.  The good news is, using Laws of the Fallen as a base will mean that Team Demon doesn’t have to spend time re-writing the 2017 packet; instead, we can get to work on a new, supplementary packet that provides tools for players and storytellers!  My goal is to release a packet in the 3rd or 4th quarter of 2020, containing sections on all of the above, as well as snapshots of the Houses and major factions, supplemental material on how Demon: The Fallen interacts with other genres, and an examination of non-judeo-christian Fallen.

3. Why isn’t there a copy of the file attached to this prop?

Because Laws of the Abyss is available on the Storyteller’s Vault for purchase at $5.99.  Posting a .pdf file here would be theft. 

4. I had Penitent! What do I do???

Penitent was a 7pt Merit worth 20xp or more under this system.  It will be revised in our forthcoming OWBN Packet, but until that is released, we suggest the following:

1. Spend the 10 or 20xp to reduce your torment to the level you were at previously

2. Take Penitent as a 7pt Merit with the following provisional mechanics: You gain two bonus traits in all Virtue tests to resist Torment.  Most miraculously, you gain a point of Faith each time you perform an act that strongly fulfills your angelic purpose. Characters may not take this flaw if they have Pacts or Thralls, and lose its effects if their Torment rises above 3.

5. I had the Rank Background!  What do I do?  

We will address Eminence and Rank in a forthcoming OWBN Packet, but until then we suggest the following:

1. Take the Eminence Background at an equivalent level, if you don’t already have it.

2. Continue using the same title (Fell Knight, etc) as you did before.  

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