How does one become Selenim?

In this post I will recount how Nephilim become Selenim. Although the planned USA Selenim book was never published, the French version has a wealth of material. The BRP rules for becoming Selenim first appeared in the Selenim book and were revised in Le Ka. I will refer to the French along with Ian Young’s surviving notes and print outs.

This process was known by several names in French. In 1st, 2nd, and 5th edition it is la Transformation Selenim, le Changement, la Métamorphose, la Ténèbre, le Basculement, « hanté », etc. In 3rd edition as la Malédiction de la Lune Noire, la contamination, and la transformation sacrificielle. These translate respectively to "The Selenim Transformation," "The Change," "The Metamorphosis," "The Darkness," "The Transition," "haunted," "The Curse of the Black Moon," "la contamination," and "the sacrificial transformation."

Ian’s notes rendered le Basculement as “the Sundering.”

Broadly speaking there are two ways for a Nephilim to become a Selenim:

1. The sacrificial transformation: Perform the ritual to sever all Ka-elements other than Moon-Ka and then eclipse that into Black Moon-Ka.
2. The contamination: Be contaminated by the Black Moon's nsidious influence, which steadily strips away the Ka-elements until only Moon-Ka is left and the Onirim either becomes Selenim or enters Khaiba.

I present more detailed rules and recaps below.

The Sacrificial Transformation

A Nephilim may voluntarily perform a ritual to become a Selenim, which is only known to the Selenim themselves. In 1e, 2e, and 5e it worked like so: [This is repeated almost verbatim from French and Ian’s notes.]

1. This is a Moon spell that must be performed at night, at a time and place when the Moon field is maximized. The ritual requires a Shadow Blade artefact as the focus and magical tool, provided by the Unnamed Arcanum or the Cult of Lilith. No magical technique roll is required to cast the spell.
2. The caster severs all her Ka-elements other than Moon-Ka with the Shadow Blade, similarly to creating an Elixir, becoming a mono-elemental Onirim. Her Meta-Characteristic bonuses from the lost Ka-elements vanish immediately. 
3. Roll Moon-Ka×5%. If this roll fails or fumbles, then the ritual aborts and she enters Khaiba indefinitely (or until the GM decides otherwise). Eolim and Pyrim are unlikely to successfully perform the ritual.
1. If this roll succeeds, then the ritual converts Moon-Ka into an equal amount of Black Moon-Ka, turning the Onirim into a Selenim. This Black Moon-Ka will hereafter be referred to as the Selenim's Core.
4. The Selenim has a Black Moon Pool, hereafter known simply as “Pool.” Maximum Pool equals Core×2. The Simulacrum loses 1 SK and the Pool starts with 1 point. The neophyte Selenim will need to Assuage soon to avoid Entropy.

In 3e the ritual was similar.

1. The Nephilim must bring a shadow blade and go to a place where the Doomed Field is powerful: near a Realm, in a necropolis, an Anti-Earth, etc. He rolls Initiated Level (Moon) modified by Rituals.
2. Then, he must stab himself in his Pentacle four times in a row. Damage is only counted once if a Little Difficult roll succeeds. He is only entitled to one try. In case of Fumble, you start again.
3. With each blow, the Nephilim loses an Element until only the Moon remains: first the Air and Fire disappear, then the Water and the Earth. At this moment, the lunar branch contracts and takes the form of a sphere. 
4. Make a Not Difficult roll. (If the sacrifice is forced, this roll is Little Difficult.) A Failure or Fumble leads to dissolution. A Success indicates that the Nephilim becomes a Selenim with Black Moon-Ka equal to his “former” Moon-Ka. His current Pool is a single point. In the event of a Critical Success, the Pool gains 10 points immediately. [The Simulacrum doesn't lose any SK.]

I share both for reference and to let GMs decide which to use. I personally prefer simplicity, so I’d have the player roll once with the following results: death on fumble, khaiba on failure, selenim on success (1 free point in pool at no SK loss), and 10 free points in pool on critical success.

Effects of Sundering

In this section I recount the effects in the French and Ian's notes, along with a few of my personal suggestions.

Ch'awe

Ch'awe didn't exist in the French version. The Selenim gained a Black Moon Pool with maximum capacity equal to her Core×2, which was conceptually similar. To recharge her Pool, the Selenim needed to drain human Solar-Ka by Assuaging emotions.

Ian's notes on character creation specified to erase Ch'awe and replace it with Black Moon Pool or simply "Pool."

Meta-Characteristics

In the original French, the Selenim loses all her Meta-Characteristics. Ian's notes specified that Selenim retained Meta-Charisma, now derived from their Black Moon-Ka modifier.

In 3e, Selenim didn't have Meta-Characteristics but did gain the ability to curse mortals by giving them the evil eye and spending BMK. This applied a penalty to all actions equal to the Selenim's Initiated level, and lasted for an amount of time based on the BMK spent (capped by the Initiated level).

Metamorphosis

The Selenim loses her former Metamorphosis. Her Personality Trait ratings and any Transformations vanish over the following days after the Sundering.

However, Codex des Selenim specifies that her favored emotions to Assuage may be determined by her former metamorphosis. 

My Suggestion: At the GM's discretion the player retains the Trait points and may redistribute these points into developing a new Metamorphosis. The player should work with the GM over the next several adventures to determine new Emotional Traits based of what the Selenim's prefers to Assuage. The player and GM may work together to determine new individualized Metamorphosis Transformations... at least until I post some actual rules for Anamorphosis, the Selenim's obscure science that replaces the role of Metamorphosis.

Stasis Item

If the Selenim's Stasis item was within range during the ritual, then she may use the reversed Stasis Ritual to store her severed Ka-elements inside. Otherwise, the Ka-elements disperse into the magic fields and are lost forever. The Temperance Arcanum has spells to reverse the Sundering, but only if the Stasis item is intact and contains the severed Ka-elements. 

(See my upcoming post on Selenim's Stasis items for details on how to handle Stasis items.)

Occult Knowledge

The Selenim loses all inscribed spells associated with the lost Ka-elements. She retains her magical techniques, but cannot cast magic of those elements anymore... unless she uses an Elixir or a Homunculus.

My Suggestion: At the GM's discretion, the Selenim retains the inscribed spells. I feel it's too punishing  to lose them all since the Selenim cannot use them anyway.

Ka-Vision

The Selenim's Ka-vision becomes monochromatic like an Awakened mortal (see rulebook p129), with some differences. The French version, Le Codex des Selenim p13-5, explains that they distinguish in the following ways:

Black Moon-Ka: The Selenim effortlessly distinguishes the Black Moon field, when Nephilim have difficulty.

Elemental Ka: The Selenim cannot distinguish the Elemental Ka from one another without additional scrutiny rolls, but can still distinguish them (compare Mithradite Ka-vision, Secret Societies p73).

Solar-Ka: The Selenim distinguish Solar-Ka even better than Nephilim. They can learn to scrutinize a mortal to determine their current emotion and its intensity (compare the Read Aura spell from Enlightened Magic).

Orichalka: The Selenim continue to perceive this as a "hole" in the magic fields.

Ka-Audition

The Selenim gains a form of Ka-audition known as "Tenebrae" (Pavane in the original French), which allows her to "hear" the ebb and tide of the Black Moon fields. This is an occult technique with a base chance equal to her Ka×2% in Ian's notes. [In the French 1e the base chance was equal to Ka-vision, whatever that meant as it wasn't a technique, and in 2e Selenim had to learn it through experience.]

In 1e/2e the technique was used to listen to the voices of the dead in concert with Necromancy. However, the rules for this were vague and wishy washy (Ian's printout has a note in the margin reminding him to make it more useful). In 3e it was removed as a distinct skill, but retained in the fluff as the foundation of the obscure sciences.

In the French fanzine Vision-Ka #6, it was added back to 3e as a skill. It allowed the Selenim to better scrutinize the magic fields. The natural Selenim started with a high base chance due to their intuition, but other Selenim had to learn it through experience.

My suggestions: I'll let GMs decide what to do with this, but my preference is for the French 3e. If using Enlightened Magic, then these mystic senses use Spot and Listen rolls instead. 

Khaiba and Entropy

Khaiba Total is erased after the Sundering and Selenim don't suffer Khaiba. However, the Selenim suffer a vaguely similar degeneration known as Entropy. They suffer Entropy for failing to keep their Pool above 0, which causes points to evaporate from their Core instead. In 3e, they could suffer spontaneous Entropy on Fumbles of the obscure sciences.

In 1e/2e this caused horrific physical deteriorations... at least if the Selenim had built an Imago, but there's no rules for what happens if they didn't. In 3e the Selenim simply loses points from the Core and doesn't suffer anything else. Physical deteriorations only occurred on certain Fumbles.

The Simulacrum

In the French version and Ian's notes, the Simulacrum's mind is destroyed by the Sundering. The Selenim never suffers Shouit. In the French version, the Selenim gained all the Simulacrum's skills. In Ian's notes, the Selenim lost these skills.

A benefit of being Selenim was that the Simulacrum ceased aging. The Selenim couldn't reincarnate, and didn't need to (see below).

In the French 3e, the Selenim suffered persistent existential angst as a result of their immortality instead of Shouit. This emotional rollercoaster was referred to as “Hells” and “Limbos.” The four Hells went from the “cold rage,” “dead soul”, “muffled terror,” to “ephemeral lively” and restarting again; along with the eight Limbos naming the transitions back-and-forth between them in that order. Eventually the Selenim would totally lose their mind and have to retreat from the world, hiding within one of the lower planes or somewhere else for years or decades to recuperate, explaining their periodic absences from the occult scene.

In the French 5e, while Hells and Limbos weren’t mentioned, the Selenim suffered a new Shouit-like degeneration known as “Ahasverus effect” that served the same purpose. He enters a sort of “auto-pilot” where he takes care of his basic needs and avoids harm, but doesn't interact socially and doesn't gain experience. These “fugues” would last for a number of decades based on the Selenim's Ka value (in 5e Ka ranged from 1-20, not 1-100 a la BRP), or until interrupted by the GM. Although the character sheet gave it a point value like other degenerations, no rules were given for accumulating Ahasverus points.

My suggestions: As usual for my campaigns, there is no skill theft for Nephilim (nor Selenim) as they are fusional beings composed of a mindless elemental beast and a human soul that provides awareness, identity and will. Whenever the Immortal enters Shouit, it's not a case of the hapless human host regaining control and being surprised by the extended blackouts: the Immortal's Super-Ego loses control, their Ego shoves their memory and knowledge of the occult into their subconscious, and then their Ego desperately engages in playing house. 

Selenim retain their access to the Simulacrum's skills and their regular chances of Shouit. However, since the Simulacrum ceases aging after the Sundering then his behavior will change over time too. Once he outlives a normal human lifetime then his Shouit episodes change to an “auto-pilot” where he takes care of his living needs (including Assuaging) and avoids any sources of danger, but doesn't interact socially or learn any skills. Among the Selenim, this is named “Ahasverus syndrome.” Gaps between the Selenim's eras of existence (equivalent to incarnation eras) are caused by this Ahasverus syndrome rather than periods in stasis like for Nephilim. 

Alternately, they suffer Immortal’s angst with similar symptoms. This is explained by their formerly mortal Ego being unable to cope with the passage of eternity, and thus dissolving under the strain. Not body snatching, because we want the PCs to be likable even if they're still psychotic cultists.

Reincarnation

By default, the Selenim cannot reincarnate. Upon the death of her Simulacrum, her Core dissolves into the magic fields. 

In the French 1e/2e/5e, if the Imago had sufficient Ka invested (300-500 points in 1e/2e, 120-250 in 5e) then the Selenim could "retire" within it and return to her Simulacrum at any time. If she lost her Simulacrum, then she could force the Imago to find her a new one. This cost a lot of BMK, taken from the Selenim's Pool and the Imago's Ka (5d10 in 1e/2e, 3d10 in 5e). 

5e specified that the Selenim had to contest her BMK vs the target's SK: Success meant the Selenim expels the host's mind and installs itself. Failure cost 1 BMK (presumably from the Core). Fumble cost 2 BMK (presumably from the Core) and prevented any further attempt at reincarnation for a lunar month. (For reference, the Selenim lost BMK at a rate of 1d3 points per lunar month, so this wasn't immediately fatal.)

5e fluff said that most Selenim capable of reincarnation sought to cultivate favorable circumstances. They'd attract potential simulacra to Black Moon sites and psychologically prepare them with black summonings and restless. It wasn't always a nightmare, as in some eras (presumably referring to periods like the Kingdom of Carthage) the Selenim prepared "sacred kings."

In 3e, the Imago didn't give the Selenim any reincarnation ability. The Selenim was stuck in her Simulacrum... at least until she created a Realm. With sufficient skill, the Sovereign could take a new Simulacrum at any time. The former Simulacrum was released into the territory, behaving almost lobotomized.

In the 3e Codex des Selenim, the Loa Guédé have an emergency ritual where a Selenim’s cult may summon her for reincarnation in one of the cult members. This has side effects, represented by loss of some skill levels. The ritual involves an enchanted “Asson” (a hollowed gourd used in voodoo) to serve as a pseudo-Stasis item.

In the US version, the Selenim lore was rewritten to introduce "Sarcophagi" that allowed the Selenim to survive in the absence of humans. These were the precursor to Stasis items and Pharaonic Pyramids. They collected BMK for the Selenim's benefit and were the foundation of the first Black Moon Realms. No rules were provided, but these would've allowed Selenim to survive without a human Simulacrum or human prey. As writer quotes on the mailing list explained it: while the fallen KaIm were trapped in deteriorating elemental bodies that they couldn't change after the Orichalka meteor (save for the most powerful among them... maybe), the Selenim's sarcophagus allowed them to rejuvenate themselves while eternally incarnated in one new form. (Ian's notes specify that Selenim cannot reincarnate "as easily" as Nephilim, not that they cannot reincarnate at all.)

Why would a Nephilim chose Sundering?

The fact that this ritual exists raises a good question: Why would a Nephilim chose Sundering? (Ian noted suggestions for Elixirfication and Khaiba in the margin of the printout.)

There are several possible reasons for this: the Nephilim survived being partly rendered down for an Elixir and wants to stop the pain of their lost branches (this assumes they retain Moon-Ka), the Nephilim is heavily infected with Khaiba and thinks Sundering is the only way to save themselves (see my house rules for persistent Khaiba side effects to reinforce this), the Nephilim wants immunity to Orichalc in order to better fight secret societies (this is the usual story for those rare Nephilim who willingly joined the Unnamed Arcanum), the Nephilim is simply that morbid with regard to studying Black Moon and/or Orichalc (this motive is so rare as to be nonexistent, so it's perfect for a PC!), etc.

However, the "voluntarily" bit mentioned above isn't entirely truthful. The Cult of Lilith has been known to abduct Nephilim and extort them into performing the ritual. If you want to play a Selenim with a vendetta against the Cult, then that's one possible backstory.

The contamination

Nephilim may develop a Black Moon POT, representing a rare contamination by the Black Moon. This POT cannot exceed their Moon-Ka. Onirim are the most vulnerable because of higher Moon-Ka, but all Nephilim are susceptible. The GM is encouraged to keep tracking of this a secret from the players.

This is far slower and torturous compared to the sacrificial transformation. In the French version is it called le Basculement ("failover") and la contamination. Those suffering from it are « hanté » (haunted). [I personally suggest calling it "Morosis" (as a play on morose, Moros and morosis).]

In the 1e, 2e, and 5e Selenim supplement only Onirim were vulnerable to contamination. In the 2e Le Ka supplement and 3e, all Nephilim were vulnerable. As this required Moon-Ka, some extremists amputated lunar branches to prevent contamination.

Gaining and losing POT

The various conditions for gain and loss are presented below and were collated from the first, second and fifth editions of the French version. GMs are free to adjust as desired.

Contamination is gained by:

• +1 point if an Onirim performs the Sacrifice Ritual with any spell (ref. Le Ka). It's not stated if other Nephilim are subject to this by sacrificing for Moon spells, or whether Moon sacrifice is even possible as no rule is given.
• +1 point if any Nephilim performs the Sacrifice Ritual with a Moon spell, if using the US version. The US rulebook says this isn't allowed, but cross-referencing with the French means that the truth is that you can do it but it inflicts Black Moon POT.
• +1 point if an Onirim with 18+ Moon-Ka rolls a Critical Success casting a Moon spell (ref. Selenim) or possibly any spell (ref. Le Ka).
• The "frequentation of Selenim" (whatever that means) or an incursion into a Black Moon Realm (ref. Le Ka). No point gain is specified.
• +1 point if an attack succeeds in reducing a Ka-element (ref. Selenim, Le Ka).

Contamination is lost by:

• −1d3 points if an attack falls (ref. Selenim, Le Ka). In 5e, this was −1 on loss and −1d3 on critical loss.
• −1d6 points if an attack succeeds in shifting the Dominant Ka towards Moon (ref. Le Ka).
• Healing rituals known only to the Temperance Arcanum (ref. Selenim). No rules are given.

The Nephilim suffers an attack when:

• An Eolim or Pyrim's Black Moon POT reaches 7+ (ref. Le Ka)
• An Faerim or Hydrim's Black Moon POT reaches 9+ (ref. Le Ka)
• An Onirim's Black Moon POT reaches 10+ (ref. Selenim, Le Ka)
• Permanently staying in a Plexus of Air or Fire may vastly decelerate the rate of attacks (ref. Selenim). No rules are given.

Stages

There are several stages of Contamination:

STAGE 0: Only non-Onirim experience this stage (ref. Le Ka). The Black Moon POT shifts Dominant Ka closer to Moon-Ka by one step until Dominant Ka is Moon-Ka. A Pyrim or Eolim who reaches POT 7, or a Faerim or Hydrim who reaches 9, is forcibly shifted. After a shift, the Black Moon POT drops by −1d6. Once an Onirim reaches POT 10, then the next stage starts.

STAGE 1: The Black Moon POT alternates attacking the Opposed Ka-elements every 1D6 months until the latter are halved. Roll Black Moon POT vs the attacked Ka-element on the Resistance Table. Success means the attacked Ka-element decreases by −1 and the Black Moon POT increases by +1. Failure means the Black Moon POT decreases by −1d3. The Ka-element points chipped away by Black Moon POT don't heal naturally and are permanently lost. These results are the same for subsequent stages.

STAGE 2: The Black Moon POT alternates attacking the Opposed and Neutral Ka-elements every 1D6 weeks until Opposed Ka-elements are reduced to 0 and Neutral Ka-elements are halved. 

STAGE 3: The Black Moon POT alternates attacking Neutral Ka-elements every 1D6 days until the latter are reduced to 0. At that point, the Onirim is now mono-elemental.

STAGE 4: Most unconsciously enter Khaiba at this stage. If the Onirim succeeds on an Idea roll, then she instinctively understands how to transform into a Selenim. Refer to Steps 3–5 of the sacrificial transformation above. If the transformation is successful, then erase her Black Moon POT. Ignore the note about saving the Ka-elements in the Stasis item, as these have been permanently lost and cannot be recovered.

And those are basically the 1e/2e/5e French rules. The exact wording and effects may be different, but that's the gist. It's complicated and weird in places (e.g. the POT shifts the Nephilim's Dominant Ka without a Nexus? Does he suffer dragonization? Why is he able to survive the loss of Ka-elements when the rules for Cruxim say Nephilim cannot survive below 4 branches?), but that's how the rules were...

Third edition simplifications

The 3e heavily simplified how the contamination worked. I offer both versions here for GMs to choose from depending on their proclivities.

Under certain circumstances the Nephilim accumulates Black Moon points (every set of 10 constitutes a level of the Cursed Characteristic), which cannot exceed Moon-Ka. Nephilim of any Dominant Ka may accumulate a Cursed POT, not just Onirim but they are the most sensitive.

For humans so contaminated, their Black Moon points naturally deplete by 1 point each midnight due to Entropy just like Selenim. By contrast, it's stated that the Nephilim's Black Moon POT is not subject to the Entropy that afflicts others because the POT lodges itself inside the Nephilim's Moon-Ka. (This raises further questions about the setting's already inconsistent metaphysics, but whatever...)

Contamination is gained by:

• Fumble the roll of an occult Science. When a Fumble occurs, a d20 is rolled to determine what effect occurs out of five possible results. One of these is the gain of one or more Black Moon points (ref. Le Livre des Joueurs).
• Exposure, voluntary or otherwise, by a source of Black Moon (ref. Le Livre des Joueurs). Some examples:
• Being attacked by certain black summons; the Forever Hungry Ebon Eels inflict 2 BMK points per strike (ref. Le Livre des Joueurs).
• Certain Thanatology and Composition spells may deliberately contaminate Nephilim (ref. Le Livre du Meneur de Jeu).
• +2 BMK points if the Nephilim is cut by a Shadow Blade (ref. Le Codex des Selenim).

Contamination is lost by:

• Spells and rituals developed by Temperance (ref. Le Codex des Selenim).
• Finding the key in a legendary Akasha of the Moon (ref. Le Codex des Selenim).
• Certain Black Moon spells of the Third Circle may cure Nephilim (ref. Le Livre des Joueurs).

Attacks occur whenever the Nephilim enters a Black Moon Realm or is otherwise confronted with a large concentration of Black Moon (ref. Le Livre des Joueurs). The Cursed Characteristic attacks one Ka-Element on the Resistance Table at each triggering event. On a success, the attacked Ka-Element is expelled from the Pentacle! (The Cursed Characteristic doesn't reduce on failure.) The attacks start with Air-Ka and Fire-Ka, then Earth-Ka and Water-Ka, until only Moon-Ka remains. If the Cursed Characteristic wins against Moon-Ka, then the Nephilim turns into a Selenim. The Nephilim may choose to capitulate on this roll, in which case the transformation is automatic.

If the Nephilim's Stasis item is within range, then the Nephilim may use the reversed Stasis Ritual (see my post on Stasis items for details) to save the expelled Ka-element inside. The Stasis item is now considered full of that element. Otherwise, that Ka-element is lost forever.

Ar-Kaïm cannot be contaminated by the Black Moon or transformed into Selenim.

Members of the 666 replace their Moon-Ka with Black Moon-Ka. They are immune to the consequences of contamination: their Pentacles, although cursed, are stable! (ref. Le Livre des Joueurs) However, Le Codex des Selenim contradicts this and states they are subject to contamination. I don't know if that's a typo or deliberate revision. 

My suggestions

I leave it up to GMs to decide how to handle their campaigns, but I have a few suggestions for situations not covered above.

• Simply keeping the company of Selenim doesn’t risk contamination. Most Nephilim are ignorant of this and treat Selenim like lepers.
• The Black Moon POT is immediately maxed out if the Nephilim attempts suicide: i.e. intentionally tries to murder their own Simulacrum, whether the attempt succeeds or not. This is why suicide is so uncommon among Nephilim despite their immortality. (Inspired by this one forum post.)

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Hope you enjoyed!