Integrating Solar-Ka into the Pentacle?

It's a plot point in the French that Nephilim and Selenim cannot use their simulacrum's Solar-Ka due to being parasites. One of the gaps in the rules and fluff concerns the relationship between the Nephilim and the Simulacrum. Namely, it doesn't change at all as a result of the character's occult development. He doesn't learn to manipulate his Solar-Ka or anything!

Here's what a French player said once on sden.org:

But this brings me to the great weakness of Nephilim in its first three editions: the importance of making felt the interaction between the ka-sun and the Ka of the immortal is too overlooked. It is a little touched upon in the case of the Selenim (with a rigmarole around the emotions of predilection in the third edition), but a Nephilim progressing towards agartha, reaching high levels of Ka, occult sciences or traditions, does not see never its relationship to the Ka-Soleil of the simulacrum modified. The case of the Ar-Kaïm is undoubtedly still apart. And that's where I think the rules are essential, not to be simulationist when you try to take cover from a bullet (which looks at the thickness of the factory wall behind which you hide like a relevant modifier), but to explain to the player in terms of magic rules what happens between the immortal and the much-desired Ka-Soleil as he progresses mystically. Having tried it, I can tell you that there would be a lot of things to do to write these rules with the different options resulting from the choices of the players, but that we get lost quite quickly along the way. Especially since Third Edition added a quest system that provides a backdrop to each immortal's progression, but says nothing about the real phenomena that occur between the Ka (be it heart, core, or pentacle) and the Ka-Soleil of the simulacrum. Having tried it, I can tell you that there would be a lot of things to do to write these rules with the different options resulting from the choices of the players, but that we get lost quite quickly along the way. Especially since Third Edition added a quest system that provides a backdrop to each immortal's progression, but says nothing about the real phenomena that occur between the Ka (be it heart, core, or pentacle) and the Ka-Soleil of the simulacrum. Having tried it, I can tell you that there would be a lot of things to do to write these rules with the different options resulting from the choices of the players, but that we get lost quite quickly along the way. Especially since Third Edition added a quest system that provides a backdrop to each immortal's progression, but says nothing about the real phenomena that occur between the Ka (be it heart, core, or pentacle) and the Ka-Soleil of the simulacrum.

The best I've been able to find is that the Al-Mugawir supplement from the French provided a quest where the Nephilim and Selenim could learn to use their Simulacrum's Solar-Ka and thus learn the Qiyas. Qiyas was a so-called "fourth" occult science (not counting the Selenim's occult sciences), which unlike the prior three elemental sciences was based on Solar-Ka! 

The Al-Mugawir quest wasn't the only way to access Solar-Ka, however: there were plethora of options given for them to learn how via adoption by certain Arcana (e.g. Hanged Man for Nephilim, Judgment for Selenim), pursuing certain quests (e.g. Minor Tablets, Grail, Bronzed Sublimation, Golden Fleece), certain character options (e.g. Promethean Nephilim), etc. 

The Nephilim were still parasites, however, and unlocking SK wasn't the same as merging with it. As confirmed in the errata, Nephilim lost any invested XP upon reincarnating. By going on the Quest for the Golden Path or adjacent, they could save half the XP lost to invest in their next Simulacrum's SK.

In the Ex Oculis fanbook based on the US version, the writers took the conceit of assuming that Nephilim were essentially awakened humans or symbiotic beings akin to Ar-Kaïm (independently of the third edition, as that was never available in English). Here the Solar-Ka was used for magical resistance (instead of the Ka-elements) and calculating Ch'awe (instead of CON plus Dominant Ka modifier), reflecting that the Nephilim were unable to manipulate this Ka directly. These rules also had "Fate points" akin to generic BRP, but not based on SK. 

Trying to fit Nephilim, Selenim and Ar-Kaïm together with all these disparate creative visions would be exhausting. Changing Nephilim and Selenim to awakened humans or symbiotic entities instantly causes a huge overlap with Ar-Kaïm already being so, which would require further efforts to keep them distinguished. Even so, it may still worth examining...

I still need to develop the idea. The path of least resistance is to adapt the French rules as is, then contrive an occult explanation for it. By default, only the Ar-Kaïm are able to exploit their Solar-Ka, whereas the Nephilim and Selenim cannot. How do I explain this using a symbiotic perspective?

Here's one possible explanation...

The Immortals are fascinated by Solar-Ka: while it is part of their human nature, they don't truly understand it and cannot influence it directly like they do their other Ka. 

  • The exception is the Ar-Kaïm's use of their Solar Approach and Solar Talents, which boost the innate capabilities of the Simulacrum. Their "rebirth" as Ar-Kaïm awakens their Solar-Ka without needing to practice the techniques used by secret societies. However, the Immortals suspect this barely scratches the surface of the sheer reality-warping this Ka is believed capable of, as shown by the "fourth" occult science of Qiyas.
  • The Nephilim and Selenim cannot utilize any of the Solar-Ka Techniques without first unlocking their potential via an Esoteric Quest or some other means. It isn't clear why this is, but there are many speculations. The Nephilim are symbiotic entities, but symbiosis is not a complete merger: their bond is strange and prone to dissociations like Shouit. The Selenim lose much of their humanity upon their Apparition (for natural Selenim) or Sundering (for ex-Nephilim), so even if they don't suffer Shouit (per se... Ahasverus syndrome comes close) they still aren't merged. Furthermore, both focus on their innate magical techniques and haven't used the same techniques that secret societies do to awaken and augment their Solar-Ka. So perhaps they're reinventing the wheel here to compensate for neglect?

Hope you enjoyed!

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