Demon: The Descent

Demon: The Descent
RPG published by White Wolf / Onyx Path
Rule System	Storytelling System
Authors	Dave Brookshaw et al
First Publication	2013

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I said to my soul, be still, and let the darkness come upon you. Which is the darkness of God.
— T.S. Eliot, East Coker

The very first gameline created explicitly for the 2nd edition of the New World of Darkness/Chronicles of Darkness. It abandons the explicitly Christian themes of Demon: The Fallen for a much more unique setting of "techgnostic espionage", aka The Matrix meets Dogma.

See, the Chronicles of Darkness has a thing in it called the God-Machine. Essentially, it is a mechanical demiurge - an extraordinarily powerful supercomputer that takes Clarke's Third Law to its logical extreme. It may not be a true god, but it's certainly the closest thing the Chronicles of Darkness has to one, and it's strongly implied that the current status quo is all a part of its incomprehensible plan. That's not to say it's particularly invested in mortals, though- it can only view the universe in terms of inputs and outputs, and humans (and other supernatural beings at that matter) are only important to it when their presence either poses a threat to its Infrastructure or when they are required for one of its designs to function. This God-Machine is so powerful that it can create sentient quantum reality computer programs, called Angels. And sometimes, these Angels get corrupted. Usually this occurs when an Angel starts to take an interest in humanity and the physical world around them, but it may also occur in a situation where the orders that the God-Machine gives them are impossible to carry out. These Angels gain their free will and Fall, burning out their connections to the God-Machine and becoming independent entities, called Demons. These demons then have to form Covers to hide their true forms from reality or risk being discovered by the God-Machine's loyal angels and mortal servants. If they do end up being exposed to their creator, they will either have their minds erased or be dismantled so their parts can be used to build new angels. Luckily, they retain just enough knowledge of how their creator works to hack reality in their favor.

The end result is awesome; spy-thriller themes against a religious horror meets mad science veneer.

The first gameline in the NWoD to completely abandon the traditional Morality system; instead, Demons have Cover, which is how well they stay in character for their human guises and how well those guises blend into reality.

Incarnations

A Demon's Incarnation determines what its task was as an angel prior to their Fall. Afterwards, they tend to stick to these Incarnations, using their abilities to further their Agenda. It also influences which Embeds they're most skilled at using.

Analysts

The Eyes are perhaps the most obscure of the Incarnations- so obscure that sometimes even they don't know they're Analysts. As angels, their role was to gather information and data for the God-Machine, overseeing the operations of other angels and reporting back with any relevant data. As a rule, they're normally sent alongside another angel; they might accompany a Destroyer in order to determine more effective ways of killing things, a Guardian to test the effectiveness of its tactics, a Messenger to report on its signal-to-noise ratio, or a Psychopomp to time its construction or travel. Some tasked with doing more than just observing; they're instead ordered to collect data more directly, via taking samples or measurements. This can lead them to Fall when they begin drawing conclusions with the data they collect instead of simply reporting it. Some take in more than they can handle and Fall when it overwhelms them, others become distracted from their original goal to follow something that caught their attention. "Action envy" can also lead to a Fall when a frustrated Analyst gets sick of only being able to watch and wants to start doing things for a change. And sometimes, the catalyst for a Fall is simple curiosity about what might happen if it fudged the numbers it was meant to collect ever so slightly...

Analysts' demonic forms are appropriately unobtrusive, the better to observe uninterrupted. To aid this, they typically possess stealth abilities or mental abilities that divert attention away from them; a form of propulsion that lets them escape quickly or move unnoticed is also common. Rather than specializing in a given Embed type, Analysts excel in the use of Exploits and Gadgets (essentially an object with an Embed or Exploit "installed" into it for specialized uses).

Destroyers

Agents of endings, the Swords are tasked with ending anything from a single life to a whole city. The Fall often set in after the demon in question began to let its feelings get in the way of its work- compassion might make it refuse to eliminate a target, or bloodlust might cause it to perform acts of destruction it wasn't ordered to commit. While most of these targets are human, they occasionally go after other supernatural beings. If a Demon's cover were to fail, it is the Angelic equivalents of the Destroyers who are sent out to hunt them. They keep destroying after their fall, in the hopes of coming to terms with their relationship with violence.

Destroyers' Demonic Forms are literal combat monsters, and usually focus on finesse and precise application of force rather than simple brute strength (though that does show up too). They specialize in the use of Cacophony Embeds.

Guardians

The Shields are sent by the God-Machine to protect a charge- a specific human, a piece of Infrastructure, or something much more bizarre. Doing this duty faithfully, some of them start to obsess over their target, realized that the God-Machine is the charge's biggest threat (which is technically true, inasmuch as the Machine normally protects individuals whose later death or sacrifice is needed to create Infrastructure), or failed and the sheer shock of losing their charge mad them Fall. Guardians tend to be reserved, but once befriended they are the closest friend you can wish. They can be rather twitchy when it comes to protecting those around them though, often giving in to paranoia.

The demonic forms of Guardians can vary greatly, though most have some kind of enhanced senses or boosted mobility; depending on what they were assigned to protect, they can specialize in either direct defense or the proactive removal of threats. They specialize in Instrumental Embeds.

Messengers

The Trumpets whisper into the ears of humanity in mortal form, appear directly to mortals to burn commandments into their thoughts or shape minds directly. Whether the messages were true or not was irrelevant, at least until they started thinking about the content of the message rather than the mission. Some wanted to see the results of their messages for themselves instead of returning; others refused to repeat messages they perceived as lies, or wondered what would happen if they made their own messages. In any event, they Fell, and now they put their communication skills to good use. While their knack for judging intentions and knowing the right thing to say makes them expert diplomats, their knowledge of how easily others can be manipulated causes them to grow suspicious and critical of new information.

Messengers have demonic forms suited to communication; in many cases this means they're built for awe and intimidation, complete with hypnotic powers or the ability to control the attention of others. However, it's just as common for them to be somewhat stealthier, with a greater emphasis on receiving communication s than sending them. Their specialized Embed category is Vocal.

Psychopomps

The Wheels are builders, taking elements and turning them into a whole. This can be a physical object, but also alter fate, select reincarnations and get rid of spirits and ghosts in an area as needed by the God-Machine. They create, modify, and move Infrastructure as the God-Machine desires. Sometimes things go wrong though, causing a Fall. Some Wheels are given impossible orders or have their creations destroy themselves; others want to improve what they see as flaws in the God-Machine's design, or start caring about the components they build with. Such a Fall gives a Psychopomp a unique view in how society works with all of its moving parts, though the urge to keep rearranging the world around them doesn't do them any favors now that they're a part of the system themselves.

Psychopomp demonic forms are alien even by the standards of demonic forms- wheels of burning metal, a cluster of floating metal spheres covered in robotic arms, and the like. They favor the use of Mundane Embeds.

Agendas

Upon Falling, a Demon has to decide what it wants to do. Most of them join an Agenda, which determines how they interact with other Demons and how they go about their existence within the God-Machine. Unusual for a World of Darkness game however is that (with the right Merit) an Unchained can belong to up to two Agendas at the same time.

Inquisitors

"Knowledge is power, hide it well" might as well be the catchphrase of this Agenda, whose members are also called Watchers or Paranoids. By discovering, trading, and hoarding information they seek to stay one step ahead of the God-Machine to ensure their survival. This makes Inquisitors extremely paranoid loners, only associating with others if it is in their interest to do so. Arguably, the only reason they even bother doing that is because they know that a lone demon quickly ends up being a dead one when the hunter angels show up. Their end goal is to gather enough information about the God-Machine to manipulate it directly in a way that it can no longer detect their presence.

Inquisitors believe Hell to be a personal, internal thing: a state of mind reached through enlightenment. This is why they gather information so obsessively: they are seeking out Hell.

Integrators

Not all Demons wanted to Fall. Some want to be Angels again, and really badly. They are loyal to the God-Machine and seek to return, but they know that if they do so right away they'd just be destroyed. As such, the Integrators (Idealists or Turncoats, depending how non-Integrators see them) are plotting to return, but there is disagreement within the ranks about the method. One group believes that they did not Fall and are instead working for some grander purpose. The second and largest faction believes that by altering the God-Machine in a way that would grant it more empathy with the human condition, they can exist without being altered. The last faction wants to return with their individuality intact and on their own terms, believing that the more "human" angels are less likely to Fall.

The Integrators are the only Agenda not seeking out Hell: they consider it to be suffering and pain, pitying those demons actively seeking it. Needless to say, those demons consider the Integrators deluded at best and actively traitorous at worst.

Saboteurs

The Saboteurs take strongly after the Raveners from Demon: The Fallen. They believe that the God-Machine ought to be destroyed at all costs, wrecking Infrastructure and killing its followers. The Saboteurs (Thugs, Soldiers) are split into two sides for this fight: one wants to reach for political action and infiltration with the occasional act of terror to attain this goal, while the other wants to make the war quite open and destroy everything as quickly as possible.

While they have no qualms about killing Angels, making them Fall is by far the preferred option. Saboteurs are driven, seeing no sacrifice too great to attain their goal, but these sacrifices are not made lightly. Were it not for the fact that they are rather disorganized (to say nothing of the more obvious risks), the Saboteurs would have been able to cause a lot more damage. Saboteurs have a very simple view of what Hell is: that what remains after killing the God-Machine.

Tempters

Tempters are alive and loving it. Something of a mix of the Toreador and the Ventrue, they are, depending on who you ask, either lazy sods who make others do their work for them, or the only ones who realize you need some kind of infrastructure (and occasionally Infrastructure) to work with if you want to face the God-Machine. Tempters (aka the Decadents or Builders) seek both pleasure and power: one for its immediate reward, and the other for what it gives them in the long run.

Through their experiences and resources, they seek to either find or build Hell, considering it a physical place; the problem is, none of them are entirely sure how to do either of those things.

Despite what you'd suggest from their nature, the Tempters are actually the most organized out of all the Agendas, finding that the structure that they give their members help attaining their goal, or at least enjoying themselves on the way.

Multiple Agendas

The Unchained can be part of two agendas if they choose to be so, giving them the Conditions of both Agendas.

• Inquisitor-Integrators seek out knowledge to either enlighten themselves or become able to rejoin the God-Machine. Either is good.
• Inquisitor-Saboteurs serve as military intelligence or secret agents, supporting the frontline soldiers.
• Inquisitor-Tempters build a network of contacts and gather money and knowledge to support the cause of either Agenda.
• Integrator-Saboteurs are something of a contradiction: their members being either desperate or deeply conflicted.
• Integrator-Tempters want to build and return to grace, hoping to use the first to attain the second.
• Saboteur-Tempters can be cutthroat businessmen or bon vivants, enjoying life to the fullest while using their influence on people against the God-Machine.

So what is this Cover thing, anyway?

The first thing you have to remember is that while angels are ephemeral beings like ghosts or spirits, demons were forced into a physical form when they Fell. Obviously, a biomechanical horror like a demon in its true form is massively obvious, but when the Fall happens part of the Infrastructure that supported them as an angel goes with them.

This effectively dupes the universe into thinking that the demon is an ordinary human, with anything that would support that human's existence popping into existence as needed. However, weaker Covers aren't quite as convincing, to the universe or anyone else.

For example, a demon whose Cover is low might live in the basement of a building that doesn't have one, or drive a car whose make doesn't exist anywhere else- it gets the job done for a short time, but unless they can strengthen it even a little bit of investigation by mortals will make it clear that something's not right. And of course, the God-Machine's agents are always watching.

In practical terms, Cover can be used as your supernatural tolerance in the place of Primum (your normal power stat), which is good since it's easier to raise your Cover rating than your Primum. Additionally, it can be used for "spoofing", giving a fake reading to anyone trying to use supernatural powers that would identify you as non-human, and can trigger its Legend to temporarily gain skills and Merits that you don't have which the Cover's identity would be expected to possess (at the expense of a negative condition that only gets resolved when you get those skills or Merits for real).

Unlike the typical Morality/Integrity system, the main source of cover loss (or "compromise") isn't doing bad things- it's doing things that make people suspect you're not who your Cover says you are. Acting "out of character" for your Cover is the most obvious one, as is assuming demonic form, but the use of Exploits and some Embeds also risks compromise as well. Naturally, letting information about your true identity get leaked out is a compromise as well- all the more reason for demons to keep their real identities as secret as possible. Luckily, it's possible to possess more than one Cover, so you can always switch them out in case you need one of your identities to lie low.

All that being said, if you're really and truly fucked, you can destroy the Cover to "go loud" unleashing the full strength of your demonic form for a short time. It's temporary, but highly potent and a powerful weapon of last resort. Just try to have another Cover ready after it wears off, though- an exposed demon will very quickly become a dead demon.

That's great, but how do I get one?

Obviously, the simplest way to improve your Cover is to live in it. The longer it stays a part of the world, the more it'll be accepted by the world.

But sometimes that's too slow. That's where pacts come in. Put simply, a demon can make a pact with a human to give them something they want, and in return the human gives up a little bit of their life: a former roommate, an unsatisfying job, and so on. That connection with the world then gets transferred to the demon's cover, making it that much more "real".

And if they're desperate enough, a human can be convinced into selling away their soul. It doesn't damn them in the conventional sense of the word, but when a demon calls it in, the pactbound's individual will be effectively erased from existence- which the demon steps into, effectively converting it into a Cover. The catch? It doesn't transfer any of the pactbound's memories or personality to the demon, so they had better know the pactbound's life like the back of their hands before making it their own.

In theory, you can make pacts with the other spooks that inhabit the Chronicles of Darkness. In practice, this is a bad idea for two reasons.

• You can only get aspects of their mundane lives. No trying to dip into anyone else's powers, and you can't take away their weaknesses either.
• If you're stupid enough to make a soul pact with one and call it in, you take aggravated damage based on their supernatural tolerance stat due to the incompatibility of your respective supernatural natures. (An analogy for this would be trying to run a program meant for Windows on an Apple II; the hardware was never meant to work with that kind of software, so to speak.) Even if you survive, all the caveats to normal soul pacts apply. Given how convoluted the societies of other supernaturals are and the inability to replicate their powers, that's a recipe for disaster.