My Nephilim Occult RPing Blog

Inspired by this old article  by amateur linguist Glen Gordon (which may be deleted come this December due to Google's new inactive account policy), I thought I'd do my own. The Nephilim game uses "Ka" as the term for magical energy. This is derived directly from Ancient Egyptian ka and "kha" from The Radix Tetrad  (from whence also comes the game's use of "voor" ). But what did it mean to the Ancient Egyptians? We'll never know exactly from the records we have, but Glen Gordon's article posits that our modern interpretation is wrong and the three Egyptian souls ( ka , ba and akh ) are better thought of as layers or modes. (Gordon provides speculative pronunciation of the Egyptian words, but Wiktionary disagrees. His speculative pronunciation is  *kuˀ , *baˀ and *ˀaḫ , whereas Wiktionary provides *kuʀ , *biʀ and *ʀiːχuw .) In Gordon's proposed scheme, the ka is the outermost layer, the ba is the middle layer, and the akh is the

Inspired by some ancient and long forgotten discussions on the old mailing list, I decided to dedicate a post to the concept of magical names in Summoning. The following is my musings on the subject, without specific rules text. The use of magical names is a vital part of the occult science of Summoning. Just as the names of targets provide magical connections for casting Sorcery, they provide connections for invoking and contracting named entities. There is power in names: naming an entity allows the summoner to call or compel the entity directly. Invoking a divine name allows the summoner to compel entities beholden to that name: e.g. speaking "The power of Christ compels you!" to exorcise a demon. In order to summon a specific entity, you must know its specific name. This can take any number of forms such as conventional words, occult sigils, musical notation, etc. The name must be written, spoken or performed as part of the summoning ritual.  Acquiring a name generally r

In the French version, casting a summoning spell required either a focus or an inscription containing that spell. In both cases, the summoner needed to draw a summoning circle in which to call the entity. Both third and fifth editions introduced an additional rule for a pact , which tied into the French version's different rapport systems. In third edition The Players' Book , summoning an entity was a single roll rather than the two rolls of previous editions. The summoning rules stipulated that entities had a rapport with their summoner. Their level of positivity and hostility were rated respectively as the statistics Allié and Féal , translating to "allied" and "serfish" respectively. Being polite and respectful to the entity increased its  Allié  and decreased its  Féal , while being cruel and dishonest did the opposite. Whether it was friendly or hostile determined the severity of failing the summoning test: friendly entities inflicted inconvenient but n

Although the BRP rules don't have experience points, the third edition Nephilim: Revelation switched to an original d20 roll under system that introduced experience points. Mundane Characteristics and Skills were increased through study and training, but occult Characteristics and Skills were increased by spending experience points. As such, these points were named Agartha Points (AP). In third and fourth edition, the Sacrifice Ritual cost 1 bullet/point of Ka to ensure a Spell is cast. In fifth edition, which again changed the system, these points were retained but renamed to Sapience Points (SP). Ka sacrifice to ensure a spell is cast was replaced by spending SP instead. Additionally, no mention of bloodletting is made: the expenditure occurs automatically while casting the spell. I prefer this over the prior editions, as it reduces the already laborious book keeping involved with tracking Ka points. It should be easy enough to retrofit this rule to third edition. A Ka bullet co

As a companion to my previous post  on the subject, in this post I'll explore elixirs and homunculi made from other types of Nephilim. These applications are optional, tentative and I may revise them in the future. In the French version As a quick recap, sacrifices, elixirs, homunculi and stasis items worked differently in the French version. Sacrifices seemingly didn't exist. Elixirs were referred to as "Ka Reserves", created using Litharge ("rare earths" in the French), and could remotely steal portions of Ka from Nephilim using a magical connection without outright killing them. Homunculi were created in much the same manner, but they were grown in transparent flasks and couldn't leave the flask without dying. Stasis items were linked to the Nephilim and if it was destroyed then the Nephilim would be destroyed immediately regardless of intervening distance or current incarnation, a limitation that was only removed in fifth edition. I won't bore yo

In  a prior post  I mentioned relict athanors from third edition. I wanted to give an update on that, as since I wrote that I translated  The Gamemaster's Book  that provided more details. Basically, the athanor develops sapience as the alchemist progresses through the circles. It remains benign, and a master alchemist can transfer the athanor's Ka into a golem to create a familiar, or even into a living human body! If the alchemist disobeys certain limits, the spirit may become malignant and attempt to possess the alchemist's simulacrum. It cannot actually kill the alchemist, as this would kill it too, but it can become quite troublesome.  I read a French fanbook on alchemy collating and expanding the various canonical alchemy traditions in an unofficial revision/fork of third edition. (For reference, the fanbook was written by a Hubert "Ouroboros" Terrieux. It is divided into three files:  alchemy rules ,  western formulae ,  spagyrie artifacts .) It includes de

In the third edition rules, Characteristics and Difficulties (replacing the Potentials of prior editions) are rated on a five level scale noted in adverbs: Pas (1), Peu (2), Assez (3),  « … » (4), and Très (5), translating to English as Not (1), Low (2), Enough (3), "…" (4), and Very (5). In real world terms, these respectively represent disability, below average, average, above average, and the peak of human potential. Characteristics and Difficulties are then noted with adjectives: e.g. Dominant Ka is measured using the adjective Initiated. The scaling applies to both Physical Characteristics (Agile, Charming, Endurant, Intelligent, and Strong) and Social Characteristics (Wealth, Education, Relationships).  For Ka the range above applies as written to Immortals. PCs start as Low Initiated, Enough Initiated, or Initiated depending on how their Initiation step is noted at character creation (Apprentice, Companion or Master, respectively). A Very Initiated Immortal is near-Ag

In the third edition rules, Characteristics and Difficulties (replacing the Potentials of prior editions) are rated on a five level scale noted in adverbs:  Pas  (1),  Peu  (2),  Assez  (3),  « … »  (4), and  Très  (5), translating to English as Not (1), Low (2), Enough (3), "…" (4), and Very (5). In real world terms, these respectively represent disability, below average, average, above average, and the peak of human potential. Characteristics and Difficulties are then noted with adjectives: e.g. Dominant Ka is measured using the adjective Initiated. The scaling applies to both Physical Characteristics (Agile, Charming, Endurant, Intelligent, and Strong) and Social Characteristics (Wealth, Education, Relationships).  Since the book was written for a French audience, the Education Characteristic (measured with the adjective Learnèd, corresponding to  academic degrees ) uses the French education system as its basis. This gives the following examples: Not Learnèd: young chil

In the third edition Gamemaster's Screen , the Quest for the Cycle of Destiny is introduced. (The fanzine  Vision-Ka  #3  specifies on p41 that this Quest is one and the same as the Arcane Quest of The Magician.) The goal of this quest is to acquire and study the Minor Tablets, crafted by Akhenaton as supplements to the 22 Major Arcana Trumps. The purpose of these Minor Tablets is to help mortals reach Agartha. There are four Minor Arcana  in total: The Wand (Fire), The Cup (Water), The Sword (Air) and The Coin (Earth). Keen-eyed readers may notice that the symbolism of the suits correspond loosely to the traditional magical tools (see Liber Ka p52). By pursuing this quest, the Nephilim is better able to understand their Simulacrum's Solar-Ka: they can boost their chances of Critical Success based on their Solar-Ka, retain player control during Shouit seizures rather than handing control to the GM, and develop Solar Resistance through initiation into a Minor Arcanum. Unlike th

The World Arcanum was never detailed in the US version, but the French version has some things to say about it. This information comes from multi-book campaign  Chronicles of the Apocalypse  and the third edition Gamemaster's Book . Why does this Arcanum exist anyway? Why would Agarthans need their own Tablet to reach Agartha? Well, the Adepts ( Adoptés in French) of the World are basically Bodhisattvas. They reached Agartha and had the choice to transcend and cease to care for worldly affairs, but instead chose to remain on Earth. Now they’re going on an eternal pilgrimage to help others reach Agartha, keeping the dream alive in the memories of the Immortals. Once they have helped the whole world achieve Agartha, then they will reunite with it themselves. Agarthans have access to  La Résille  ("the net"), which isn't a new Ka but rather an excitation of the magic fields that connects all Agarthans. This grants magical powers unique to them, such as concealment and t

This idea was originally shared on the old defunct US mailing list in the 1990s, but I decided to bring it up again. I've transcribing and translating the rules and lore for the French version, which includes a lot of information on The Sword . The Sword is the descendants of the Promethean Glaives and was probably the basis of the Black Star and other secret societies in the US version. Écate, Demoness of Night Statistics (Using third edition statistics) Saturnian Core: Very Initiated. Metamorphosis: Not Hidden by default; psychotic, silvery, amorphous, inexplicable aversion in nearby Immortals. Concealed using the Eye of Ishtar (see below) and mundane cosmetics. Shadow Arcanum: Initiate of The Black Star. Occult Sciences: Master in Third Circles of Saturnian Sorcery and Saturnian Summoning. Knows all published Saturnian Spells and more besides… She may cast Saturnian Spells on any day, not just Grand Enthronements.  Lore at Master: The Magician, Black Star, Saturnian M

Under 5e, all Metamorphoses have  10 Transformations . Instead of being rated individually, the Nephilim gains a permanent Transformation as their occult development progresses. However, only a limited number of Metamorphs from prior editions were officially converted. In a fanbook for the French 5e titled Liber Metamorphosis , many of these were unofficially converted including the Ophidians.  In  a prior post  I shared my conversions of the Ophidians from earlier editions of the French version, long before reading Liber Metamorphosis . As an addendum to my last post  on Ophidians, I'd like to recap the transformations from Liber Metamorphosis and adapt that to the US version's Emotional Metamorphosis rules. Note: I've renamed the Chimera and Naga to the Sandman and Fractal Elf. I felt their original French names were inappropriate as it lacked any link between their metamorphosis and inspirational folklore. As always, your mileage may vary. "Moon God" by amel

I watched the 2000 Hallmark version of The Argonauts recently and it inspired me to think about the Golden Fleece. In the US version In the US version, the nature of the Golden Fleece was never explored due to the line being cancelled. What was mentioned (see Gamemaster's Companion ) is that a mortal Jason and the Nephilim Hercules traveled to the lost Atlantean colony Colchis—nevermind that at this point in the timeline that Atlantis has been extinct for 100,000 years!—where they entered the so-called Tomb of Prometheus and acquired the Golden Fleece. Jason was unable to decipher it before he was killed by an unknown assailant and the Fleece was lost. Its true nature remains unknown... until the PCs happen to rediscover it, anyway. The Knights of the Golden Fleece (see Secret Societies ) are trying to recover it by investing in scientific research and development—although I have no idea how this helps them find the Fleece. In the French version The Quest for the Golden Fleece was

The Ar-Kaïm of the House of Serpentarius, also known as Ophiuchus, are an anomaly among the Ar-Kaïm due to their dominant Ka being Black Moon. An Ar-Kaïm's House (and thus dominant Ka) is determined by the zodiac month under which their Heart was "born" within a Nexus formed during a Grand Enthronement. But there are no Enthronements, and thus no Grand Enthronements, of the Black Moon. So how are Serpentaries born in the first place? Thus far I haven't yet found explicit suggestions in the third edition books I've read so far, but I do have some ideas. The House of Serpentarius lacks a zodiac month of its own and is explicitly stated to be parasitic on the other Houses, just as the Black Moon parasitizes the other elements. If a Nexus forms in a place where the Black Moon fields are particularly concentrated, such as a cemetery or necropolis, perhaps the Black Moon then transforms any resulting Ar-Kaïm into a Serpentary? During times of syzygy (full or new moon),

The summon spell  Pharaonic Egregor is presented in Major Arcana p11. The element is that of the Egregor’s Arcanum, listed in the Exaltation table on p9. The table lists elements, planets and zodiac months. These are copied almost verbatim from the astrological correspondences  proposed by the Golden Dawn  ( cheat sheet here ,  color coded here , secondary correspondences here ). I've reproduced and merged both tables below: ARCANUM EXALTATION EGREGOR DYNASTY 0 Fool Air Unknown I Magician Mercury Djoser (Zoser) III II High Priestess Moon Khafre (Chephren) IV III Empress Venus Netaqerti (Nitocris) VI IV Emperor Aries Narmer (Menes) I V Hierophant Taurus Unas V VI Lovers Gemini Yaqub-Har XVI VII Chariot Cancer Sheshi XV VIII