The Forge Archives

I'm trying to do a little redesigning of the way the demonic taints  appear in the game. I'm interested in if you feel like this scheme  sounds like it works for or against the player wishes. A quick rating  of "Exciting", "Ok", "Not Good" would be very useful even if you  don't feel you have anything more to add. You can PM that comment  directly to me if you don't feel like cluttering up the posting.

Ok, that said over to the mechanics. I assume basic familiarity with  the Ygg magic. If that is unclear, try to look at  this  thread where I recently tried to clarify it.


Demon Form

The Darksoul

Sorcerers and sorceresses are humans who have learned to unlock the  gates between this world and the Outer Realms. Through this process,  their soul is irrevocably tainted by the magic of these places beyond  the world itself.
This taint creates a shadow on their soul, corrupting it in the image  of whatever demonic realm they steal their magic from.

This part of their soul has many names, one which is simply "The  Darksoul".


Transforming to Demonic Form

When a magic-user draws on magic, it is through it's Darksoul this  energy comes. This makes the Darksoul manifest itself in Reality  (otherwise it is only visible from Astral Space). That means the  magic-users actually physically transforms into the Darksoul shape.  This shape is like a demonic image of their own selves.
After the magic fades away (This takes around 1 round/spell level)  the body reverts to its human shape, except for certain marks which  are known as Signs.

It's also possible to quite deliberately change into the Darksoul  form. It costs 1 Essence and lasts as long as desired.

Signs

Signs are parts of the Darksoul form which does not go away even  after the magic energies have faded. These are signs that the  Darksoul is gaining in power.

A magic-user starts out free from signs, but will gain 1 Sign for  every 15 points of taint aquired until the body is completely in  Darksoul form. When a character reaches the level for another, the  player is free to pick any one of the Signs of their Darksoul  to add to their permanent Signs.

Example: Laen has the Malakai form of Darksoul. Laen already has  Claws as his first Sign. When he gains another sign, Laen's player  decides that the red glowing eyes of his demon form becomes  permanent.

Taints

Aside from the Signs, there are also corruptions known as Taints.  Taints are unlike Signs unpredictable side-effects. If a player use  more than HEX points of Essence, there will be possible taints, if  the number of points is twice that of Essence or more, the taint is  guaranteed. To determine the taint the player rolls 1D12. If the the  character already has that type of taint, then the severity of that  taint doubles. (And if it is already doubled it triples and so on)

Unlike taints which are immediately visible, these will develop  slowly over a period of about a week. Physical taints often appears  first as rashes, then as open festering (and itchy!) sores until the  physical changes are complete.

<Table for taints goes here>

Choosing Demonic Form

At character creation, the player must choose a demonic form which is  either selected or created together with the GM. A demonic form must  have at least 4 Signs.

The Demonic Form explains how the character's Darksoul looks like and  what Signs it has. In addition, each of the Demonic Forms has a list  of specific taints. Whenever the roll for taint comes to "special  taint" you roll for the taints listed with the Demonic Form instead  (for player created demonic forms, simply reroll any "special taint"  roll)

Some Demonic Forms have optional Signs, these are marked with a *. In  that case you first write down the mandatory signs and then choose  optional signs. Your form can't have more than 6, nor less than 4  signs in total.

List of Demon Forms

Malakai
Signs:
Red glowing eyes
Claws
Forked tongue
Demon wings
White hair*

Special Taints:
Rotting bodyscent
Attracts bats
Allergy to sunlight

Baphomet
Signs:
Goat eyes
Tail
Goat hooves
Horns
Claws*
Forked tongue*

Special Taints:
Pitch deepens by two octaves

Froz
Signs:
Odd eye color (1D4: 1 - yellow, 2 - magenta, 3 - white, 4 - shifting  colour)
Small horns
Demon wings
Fangs*

Special Taints:
Only able to whisper

Amoras
Signs:
Deadly pale skin
Sickly prominently green bloodvessels with green blood
Cat eyes with green hue*

Special Taints:
Rotting body scent
Attracts maggots and worms

Chozziz
Signs
No body hair
Reptile eyes*
Webbed fingers and toes*
Forked tongue
Reptile skin
Fangs

Special Taints:
Attracts worms and reptiles

Camorgen
Signs:
Deadly pale skin*
Extremely starved appearance*
Major stigmata [continously bleeding wounds]*
Varying age (young in the morning and old in the evening or vice  versa)

Special Taints:
Only able to whisper
Minor stigmata  
Rotting body scent
Frightening aura
Allergy to sunlight
Eyes appearing on palms

Hloth
Signs:
Deadly pale skin
Abnormally long limbs
Extremely starved appearance*
Claws*
White hair*

Special Taints:
Attracts spiders
Allergy to sunlight
Only able to whisper

Yon
Signs:
White hair*
Cat's eyes*
Claws*
<lacking primary signs!>

Special Taints:
Fast growing hair and nails
Sex change
Varying age

Yaksha

Shape:
Cat eyes
Fangs
Fur
Tail*
White hair*

Special Taint:
Attracts wolves

Djinn
Third eye
White hair*
Deadly pale skin*
Red eyes*
Fangs*