Starting Faith, Damnation, Hero Points?

Thank you very much.

How quickly the character descends into the Abyss is really up to the player. Other than GM fiat, damnation is really only incurred by activating one’s Vice. And since you can spend damnation just like hero points, and Vices provide nice juicy bonuses, there is always temptation. My players haven’t really given into that temptation – but they are still in the investigation stage of a couple of big mysteries. Once the bodies start dropping, that may change.

One big disincentive, monsters use your damnation to activate a lot of their powers. As long as you have a point of damnation, you’re a target.

Tom

I think we had a few GMs activating those powers whether or not anyone had Damnation. I was wondering how we ended up so beat up in a few of those fights…

It cuts both ways.

To be clear, there are two entirely different scenarios that relate to your Vice. The first is a straight game-mechanical exchange – you activate your Vice power, gain its benefits (which usually involve manipulating a dice pool in some fashion) and also immediately gain a Damnation point. There is no other consequence and the game continues. The second is a pure role-playing scenario. If the Game Master presents you with a situation in which giving in to your character’s Vice will put you, other people (especially innocents), or the mission at risk, and the choice is significant from a story standpoint, then you are rewarded with a Hero Point for giving in to the temptation and thereby complicating the story. Giving in to your Vice has to make things tangibly worse if it is to be worthy of a Hero Point. Of course, as with so many other things in the game, what exactly constitutes “worse” is a matter to be negotiated between you and the Grand Master, but an example will hopefully clarify what we mean.

Activating a Vice is *always* a choice. I’ve never seen or read anything that states otherwise.

Not sure where in Vengeful you are reading that you have to spend a hero point NOT to receive the bonus. Just that when you damage a creature that has previously done you harm, you can choose to boost your damage pool for one measly damnation point.

Tom

Oh right. Because the GM can be a love and activate that vice for you. If you don’t resist, you get a Hero Point for your trouble (which can later be used to buy off the damnation point). If the player wants to resist, it costs him/her a hero point.

I don’t generally do that as a GM, mostly because I haven’t had a session where the hero points are flying thick. It seems to lose its effectiveness when you remove all choice from the equation. It’s a good option to have handy, though, when dealing with players who refuse to get their hands dirty.

Tom