CHILDREN

OF
CLAY

A ROLEPLAYING GAME
available for free at http://www.mimgames.com/cof/

Children of Clay was conceived,

researched, and written by:
Erich Wambach
kenpowam@aol.com

Designed and illustrated by:

Scott Lininger
scott@mimgames.com
www.mimgames.com

Children of Clay is copyright ©1999 by Erich Wambach. All rights reserved.

I. INTRODUCTION
1.1 WELCOME BACK………………………………………………………... 5
1.2 ORGANIZATION AND LAYOUT.……………....……………………….5
1.3 THE PROBLEM OF SPECIFICS………………....………………………..5
1.4 METHODOLOGY…………………………....……………………………5
1.5 STILL IMPROVING………....………………....………………………….6

II. BEYOND THE SHELL OF MORTALITY

2.1 OVERVIEW………………………………………………………………...7
2.2 BEFORE THE FLESH IS BORN…………………………………………..7
2.3 LIFE'S MYSTERY…………………………………………………………..7
2.4 THE MOMENT OF DEATH……………………………………………...7
2.5 AFTERLIFE…………………....…………………………………………....8
2.6 THE WALKING DEAD…………………………………………………....8
2.7 GHOSTS……………………………………………………………………9
2.8 DYBBUK……………………………………………………………………9

III. SORCERY
3.1 OVERVIEW………………………………………………………………..11
3.2 THE ORIGIN………………………………………………………………11
3.3 THE SWORN BOOK OF HONORIUS…………………………………..12
3.4 OTHER MYSTICAL BOOKS……………………………………………..12
3.5 LIMITATIONS OF MAGIC………………………………………………13
3.6 CEREMONIAL MAGIC (PREPARATIONS)....………………....……….13
3.7 CEREMONIAL MAGIC (THE RITUAL)………………………...………14
3.8 THE SORCERER………………………………………………………….15
3.9 THE MECHANICS OF SORCERY…………………....…………………16
3.10 PLAYING A SORCERER…………………………………………………16
3.11 CELESTIALS AND SORCERY…………………………………………...17

IV. ISSUES OF FAITH

4.1 OVERVIEW…………………....…………………………………....…….18
4.2 THE FAITHFUL FEW………....…………………………………...…….18
4.3 THE MECHANICS OF FAITH…………………………………………..18
4.4 THE ENLIGHTENED ONES…………………………………………….19
4.5 THE MECHANICS OF ENLIGHTENMENT…………………………...19
4.6 TRADITION………………………………………………………………20
V. THE MAJOR RELIGIONS
5.1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………..22
5.2 BUDDHISM………………………………………………………………22
5.3 HINDUISM……………………………………………………………….23
5.4 ISLAM……………………………………………………………………..23
5.5 SHINTO…………………………………………………………………..24
5.6 TAOISM…………………………………………………………………...24

VI. THE DARK SIDE OF HUMANITY

6.1 OVERVIEW……………………………....……………………………….25
6.2 SATANISM…………………………………………….....………………..25
6.3 WITCHCRAFT……………………………………………………………26
6.4 WITCHCRAFT vs. SORCERY……………………………………………26
6.5 OTHER DARK PATHS…………………………………………………...27

VII. CREATING A CHILD OF CLAY

7.1 THE PROCESS……………………………………………………………28
7.2 GOAL……………………………………………………………………...28
7.3 STRENGTH and WEAKNESS……………………………………………28
7.4 ASPECTS……………………………………………………………..……29
7.5 VIRTUES………………………………………………………………..…29
7.6 SPECIALTIES and INTERESTS……………………………..……………29
7.7 FAITH...…………………………………………………………………...30
7.8 FINISHING TOUCHES…………………………….……………………30

VIII. CHILDREN OF CLAY PCs

8.1 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES……………………………….32
8.2 MIXING ANGELS WITH HUMANS………………………………….....32
8.3 COMBAT AND DEATH………………………………………………….33
8.4 A COMBAT EXAMPLE…………………………………………………...33
8.5 ADVANCING YOUR CHARACTER…………………………………….34
8.6 HARDSHIP, ILLNESS, and AGE…………………………………………35
8.7 AN EVER CHANGING PERSONALITY………………………………...35
 IX. THE CATALOG OF MORTAL SOULS
9.1 FATHER LOUIS GAUFRIDI……………....………………….........…….37
9.2 ULRICH MOLITAR………………………………………………………37
9.3 BISHOP ORESEME……………………....………………………………37
9.4 EMANUEL SWEDENBORG……………....…………………....………..37
9.5 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS………………………...………………………37
9.6 DIONYSIUS the AREOPAGITE………………………………………….38
9.7 JANNES and JAMBRES ……………………………………………….…38
9.8 JOHN MILTON………………………………………………………….38

- Promises XXX:XXII
I. INTRODUCTION
1.1 WELCOME BACK
“At the heart of it all are the children of clay. We
struggle over their souls, yet in the end, only they can Well, here we are again dear reader. The
decide between salvation and damnation.” feedback we've gotten from Children of Fire has
 been far beyond our wildest expectations. It was certain beliefs the storyteller or players would like
this input that encouraged the author to expand to see in this game. If the approach one is taking
the world even farther. As many of you have no is something other than a Judeo/Christian one,
doubt noticed, there is much in the original work some of the concepts presented in this work may
that is either skimmed over or left out completely. have to be tweaked slightly.
There simply was not enough time and space to
include it all. 1.4 METHODOLOGY
With Children of Clay, the first in a long line The author started Children of Fire with the
of supplemental works, we try to remedy some of precept that he would let the research dictate the
these ambiguities. The focus here is to better course of the game not his own preconceptions.
explore the material world and it's mortal This same standard was applied when creating
inhabitants. We will traverse the course of human this supplement. Where research was available on
life, from birth to death and after. Along the way a specific subject, it was always used. There were,
we'll discuss issues of faith, belief, sorcery, and however, some circumstance of ambiguity where
touch on some of the more important historical the author was forced to use his own creativity to
figures in our world. Additionally, we will fill in the wholes the texts did not cover. The only
explore the possibility of creating human PCs to criteria in these situations was to be faithful to the
be played in the game and all the benefits and original game.
disadvantages of doing so.
Many sources were referenced in the creation
With that said… Enjoy! of this work. The following is a list of the sources
that were most heavily relied on. The material on
1.2 ORGANIZATION AND LAYOUT sorcery is almost completely dependent on Arthur
Edward Waite's The Book of Black Magic.
Those of you familiar with the original COF Concerning the discussions on world religions,
game will notice a change in the layout of this Liz Flower's work, The Elements of World Religion
supplement. The original work was broken down and George W. Braswell Jr's Understanding World
into three main sections: introduction, world, and Religions proved invaluable. Additionally, the
rules. There was a clear delineation between the book Compendium Maleficarum was significantly
mechanics of the game and the story elements. utilized as regards witchcraft and other dark
Such a breakdown was not possible for this pursuits. This collection of writings by the monk
supplement. Francesco Maria Guazzo provided hours of
delight and astonishment. It is a wonder that a
Each topic contains both story and work such as this could ever have been taken
mechanical elements. Where possible mechanics seriously by the true believers of the time, but it
have been separated into a their own subsection, makes for a wonderful source nonetheless. For
but in many cases the two are so intertwined that information regarding the figures described in the
they can not be untangled. As always, the author Catalog of Mortal Souls, two works were heavily
encourages storytellers to ignore those rules that relied on. These were, The Devil's Disciples by
do not fit with their style of game play. Leonard R. N. Ashley and Angels A to Z by James
R. Lewis and Evelyn Dorothy Oliver
1.3 THE PROBLEM OF SPECIFICS
Additionally, the texts referenced in the
The original work is intentionally vague original source book were also used to maintain
when it comes to the specifics of belief. Nebulous continuity between the two works.
concepts of good and evil are used to represent the
order of the universe. Concepts of redemption The author encourages those who seek more
and how humans judge the merits of their life are information on these subjects to consult the books
rather ambiguous. Little mention is made of above. There is a plentiful reservoir of
specific religious figures or dogma. These information and creative inspiration included in
omissions help to foster the idea of universality in them that did not find its way into these pages.
the world. The storyteller is able to fit the ideas
into whatever belief system he wants (Jewish, 1.5 STILL IMPROVING
Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, etc).
The author would like your feedback on
Unfortunately, this is no longer possible in what you see in these pages. Let him know if you
this supplement. In Children of Clay we get to find any spelling, typographical, or grammatical
the nitty-gritty. The problem is that as we get mistakes (past experience has shown us that this is
more specific certain beliefs can get excluded. unavoidable). Additionally, make your voices
Things might appear that directly contradict heard about the content. Tell us what you like
 and don't like. If you don't agree with
something, let us know. Many of the ideas used in
this work came as a result of reader suggestions.
Since COF is an ever-evolving game, you might
see some of your ideas in subsequent works.

We are especially interested in how your

games are going. Let us know what story ideas
you've come up with and how the mechanics
work during a real gaming session. This sharing of
ideas is the only way Children of Fire can
continue to expand and improve.

Send you comments to:

Erich Wambach

kenpowam@aol.com

II. BEYOND THE

SHELL OF MORTALITY
"There are two worlds, celestial and material. The
celestial one makes perfect sense to us, while the
material one is an enigma. Why the Almighty chose
to create such a place is beyond our understanding,
and it is not our place to question His plans. "
- II Metatron VI:XIV

2.1 OVERVIEW

The soul begins its journey as a perfect entity

devoid of corruption and evil. For unknown
reasons, the Almighty has deemed that the soul
must inhabit the flesh of a material being in order
to receive true salvation. Call it a test.

Unfortunately, the material realm is

corrupting and often these perfect souls get
muddled and lost. In the end, when all the days
are done, only one question matters. Will they
 prove themselves worthy to once again exist in
harmony with all that is good in the universe? From the moment of birth to the moment of
death, we are searching. We children of clay are
In this section, we will explore the cycle that trying to find meaning and purpose to life. Why
is mortality. From the moment the soul enters the are we here? What are we meant to do?
body, until the instant it returns to the Heavens, Unfortunately, these questions do not have simple
we will take a brief look at this thing we call life. answers. And the conclusions we come up with
differ greatly.
2.2 BEFORE THE FLESH IS BORN
Free will is what makes the children of clay so
For children of clay, life begins not at the special. The Almighty has given humans the
moment of conception but rather at the moment ability to decide their own fate. They can choose
the soul enters its mortal receptacle. Until that to squander their time in the pursuit of selfish
point, nothing exists but an amalgamation of goals, or they can devote themselves to noble
useless matter. The soul gives this mass cohesion, ambitions.
purpose, and a spark to start the engine running.
Without a soul, the body is merely an empty During their time on Earth, the children of
husk. Unfortunately, the point at which the soul clay are constantly bombarded by hardship. Life is
is introduced varies from case to case. Sometimes never easy for anyone, no matter how it may
it occurs within the first few hours. While other appear from the outside. All humans struggle with
times the child must wait the full nine months the flesh for it is not the natural state of the soul.
inside it’s mother’s womb before receiving a soul.
If no soul is present at the time of delivery, the In the end it is the answers to those tough
baby is stillborn. questions and the way in which one handles the
harships, pain, and even success that determines
Each soul is delivered by an angel of the character of a child of clay.
conception. This celestial order’s soul function is
to retrieve souls from heaven and place them in 2.4 THE MOMENT OF DEATH
the proper body. While in ethereal form, the
angel reaches into the mother's womb (an Inevitably the flesh dies. Whether from
experience the mother usually does not feel) and disease, physical trauma, or the withering decay of
places the soul in the embryo. At that point life age, the body can hold out only so long. At some
begins. For the most part, these celestials perform point the heart stops, the brain ceases to function,
their duties as early as possible, but sometimes and perception ends.
circumstances and obstacles get in the way. It is
not unheard of to have an angel of conception There is no real pain in death. Indeed their
rushing franticly to deliver a soul before the birth. may be a great deal of suffering in the moments
proceeding the final breath, but at the end the
Ironically, demons tend not to interfere in soul is cut off from external stimulation and
this process. In fact, they want the child of clay to retreats into the contemplative essence of itself. A
be born, because while it exists in heaven it is a sense of relief and of a great weight being lifted
pure thing. Only through interaction with the away is often what this soul feels. In these
material world can the soul be corrupted and lead moments, the soul often reflects on the lessons (if
away from the Almighty. any) it has learned through life, and it clings to
the cherished memories of the past.
Each soul is meant for a particular body. The
angel of conception is given strict instructions as Sometimes, the pull of loved ones or the
to who the soul belongs to. But sometimes things driving goal to accomplish an unfulfilled dream is
go wrong, and a soul is placed in the wrong body. enough for the soul to rebel against death. It
This can happen either by accident or design (the attempts to spark the engine of life once more, as
original host was destroyed). The empty shell of it did the first time it was introduced into the
matter will accept this “wrong” soul easy enough. body. If the flesh is still strong enough to receive
This soul is destined for a hard life, though. As it this spark, life resumes. This is a rare occurrence,
grows it will begin to feel uncomfortable in its and these near-death experiences often leave the
own skin. The person will become frustrated with physical form with a greater sense of purpose and
who they are and will begin to foster a feeling a better understanding of the wondrous nature of
(rightly so) of having been born somehow wrong. the universe.
This frustration often leads to depression and
even suicide. The soul does not immediately leave its vessel
at the moment of death. It remains trapped by the
2.3 LIFE'S MYSTERY emptiness within, no longer able to experience the
 material world around it. Help is needed for the contented that thoughts of leaving are remote to
soul to be free and to drift to its natural place in them.
the afterlife. This help comes in the form of
psychopomps. Tartarus is another story completely. The
guards here are meant to keep the unworthy souls
The duty of the psycopomp is to search out from leaking into other parts of heaven. It is here
the recently dead and liberate their souls. All that the wicked souls are punished for eternity.
angels of this order have the ability to sense all Those of Earth have often mistakenly believed
dead children of clay who are nearby. The range that demons carry out these punishments, for
of this power is determined by their grace score. what else but a demon could stomach such
More information on the roll of psychopomps can unending suffering. In actuality, though, it is the
be found in the original sourcebook. angel of torment who take on this mantel.
Demons have nothing to do with the dead. A soul
Things can go wrong, though. Sometimes the that is locked in Tartarus already signifies the
soul will get trapped on Earth and become a victory for the fallen ones—no more need be
ghost. Other times, no psycopomp comes to free done on their side.
it from it prison and the flesh reanimates as one of
the walking dead. These issues will be discussed 2.6 THE WALKING DEAD
later.
On rare occasions no psychopomp comes to
2.5 AFTERLIFE release the soul of a recently departed child of
clay. If left only for two or three days, there is no
Once free the soul usually drifts to the problem. The soul will wait peacefully to be freed.
Heavens. It passes through both the First and By the third or fourth day, however, things have
Second Heavens enroot to its new home in the changed. Now the soul becomes restless, and the
Third. It cannot willingly stop on this journey, decayed husk all around will begin to corrupt it. It
nor can any celestial impede its progress. Its is a form of insanity of sorts. By the fifth and sixth
proper place seems to pull it forward like a day it is too much to bear.
magnet.
In desperation the soul reanimates the body.
Once in the Third Heaven, the souls are Once again the arms and legs begin to move, and
drawn to one of two places. Those souls who have the brain itself begins to functions. But this newly
lead good lives and learned from their misdeeds revived soul is not like it was before. The decaying
travel to the Garden, while the souls of those who flesh all around has driven it mad and filled it
have walled in selfishness and depravity during with rage. It wanders about, lashing out at any
their stay on Earth go to Tartarus. Either way, living creatures it comes across.
they resume an ethereal version of their old
physical bodies. They do not necessarily appear as It is a myth that the walking dead have a
they did at the moment of their death. Rather, craving for human flesh. While they will almost
they appear as what they looked like at the height certainly attack any human they come across, it is
of their life (this varies for each individual soul). out of rage not hunger.
Still, there is a perfection to this form that could
never be achieved on Earth. Psychopomps who find one of these wretched
things can still free its soul. The task, however, is
They do not, however, resemble the other slightly harder, requiring a roll of 25 to complete.
inhabitants of Heaven, the celestials. Angels are Once the soul is freed, the body is no longer
much larger, usually standing 10 to 20 times as animate and can be buried in peace.
tall as any of the departed souls.
When the walking dead first rises, all his
For those souls making it to the Garden, aspects remain at their original level. All other
eternity is a wondrous thing. The very trees and traits on the character sheet are irrelevant at this
soil of this paradise have a soothing effect on the point. As time passes, however, and the decaying
inhabitants. All that a righteous soul could ever flesh loses more and more cohesiveness, these
want or desire can be found here. Two Cherubim aspects will begin to drop. The time it takes for a
always guard the gates, but this is more for the body to completely decay is dependent on the
protection of the souls within then to prevent climate and Surroundings. The process of total
them from escaping. In fact, from time to time a decay can take from as little as a week to as long as
soul will wander out of the Garden (usually a few months. When these aspects reach 0, the
disregarding the protests of the Cherub guards) creature can no longer function.
and mingle with the other inhabitants of heaven.
This is unusual, though, as most souls are so
 Even when the body is completely the average angel or archangel, but substantially
incapacitated, the soul will remain with what is weaker than the celestials of the first triad.
left of the bones. It will remain trapped there
forever, until a psychopomp come along to free it. Anytime a ghost wants to perform an action
in or that can be perceived by the material world,
2.7 GHOSTS they must make a roll using their power score.
Generally the target number is of normal
Sometimes a soul has lived a life neither good difficulty (20), but if the storyteller determines
nor evil but somewhere in between. When such a the action is more involving, the target can be
spirit is released from its mortal shell, it tends to raised.
stay on Earth. It does not float to its natural place
in either Eden of Tartarus. Many psychopomps Ghosts can still be forced to leave the material
possess the force judgment, which allows them to world through use the celestial force Judgment
prod the soul in the right direction, but some (possessed only by psychopomps). Such an
angels of this order do not possess this ability. attempt is made as a contested roll against the
ghosts vigor score. The angel can make only one
After a few days of aimless wondering, not such attempt per game session.
comprehending the nature of their situation, the
soul begins to grow use to its new situation. The 2.8 DYBBUK
process of acclimating depends on the strength of
the soul, but generally takes between two days and Sometime the soul resists the pull of the
a week. While in transition, the soul cannot react afterlife. The evil spirit fights against the
to either the material or ethereal world around unrelenting draw of Tartarus, knowing that only
them. If angels find such souls (and they are easily pain and suffering await it in the hereafter. But
seen in the ethereal world) it is fairly easy to still once a soul has been released from its body, it
force them to ascend to Heaven. cannot return to the dead flesh. Instead, it latches
on to a nearby living being, piggybacking on the
Once the transformation is complete, the soul that already resides there. Such a sprit is
spirit becomes a ghost. Now the ghost will (in known as a Dybbuk.
most cases) resist any attempts by psychopomps
to whisk it away from the material world. Ghosts A Dybbuk, literally meaning "a clinging
come in all forms and demeanors. Some seek to soul", is a rarity. The conditions must be just
help, other want to cause mischief, and still others right for it to occur. Firstly, the released soul
wish to inflict harm on those they feel are must have led an exceedingly evil existence.
responsible for their death. For the most part, Secondly, there must be a child of clay host
they will possess the same personality as when nearby, one who is very ill or is at extremely
they were alive. diminished capacity.

Ghosts have great difficulty interacting with As the evil soul leaves its dead husk, it feels
the material world. Any attempt to do so comes the presence of a human body that cannot resist
with a high price in exertion. If a ghost stays in its intrusion. It rushes toward the host burrowing
the material world for long enough, though, it itself into the living matter. But the human body
begins to understand how to better influence the is not designed to hold two souls. Conflict arises
material world around it. It is able to hurl objects between the two immortal spirits, and in the end
about with tremendous force, appear to people as a type of melding occurs.
a spectral apparition, or even communicate
through mortal mediums. This melding will, over time, cause the host
soul to become warped by the intruder. The child
Mechanics of clay will begin to taken on the attributes and
desires of the Dybbuk. Were these intruder souls
When a soul becomes a ghost it loses all its benevolent spirits then all might be well, but their
mortal aspects (Perception, Health, Athleticism, evil nature will inevitably lead the child of clay
etc.). These are replaced with their celestial down a path of depravity and destruction.
counterparts (power, vigor, understanding, etc)
and begin with a score of 5. As time progresses Once a soul becomes a dybbuk, psychopomps
and the ghost gains proficiency in its new are no longer able to use their sense death force to
condition, these scores may increase. The detect them. In fact, these vile spirits are
maximum score a ghost can have in any aspect is extraordinarily hard to find. Even if there are
15. This makes the most powerful ghosts (and hints that a dybbuk has invaded a child of clay,
there are very few of them) greater in power than there is no way to know for sure.
 Dybbuk possession and demonic
possession should not be confused. They are
completely different occurrences. The dybbuk
does not subvert the original soul as it grows
strong (the way a demon might). Rather it
corrupts the host soul, which remains conscious
and in control at all time. Likewise, the right of
exorcism that many faith proclaim will have no
effect on these spirits, though many faiths have
separate rituals that deal with this issue. Children
of fire can attempt to use Purest Spirit, one of the
forces of protection, to expel the dybbuk, but
such use is much harder, and the user's contested
roll will be reduced by five.

III. SORCERY
3.1 OVERVIEW

Let us now turn to the mystic arts of

Solomon — to the words written in the Sefer
Raziel that gave man the power of angels. For in
the study of this we will gleam insight into the
hearts of the Children of Clay, and will find a rich
history as yet untapped by popular scholars.

In the end, it is mankind's aspiration to

improve and grow, to rise up above the rest and
prove themselves worthy. Such is the nature of
man. And many of the children of clay will do
whatever it takes to fulfill these selfish ambitions.
This included tapping into the forces prevalent in
the celestial world. For this world (so different
from the material one in which they live) is a
source of great power, but the only way to tap
into this power is through the binding of angels
and demons. For the sorcerer this is the overriding
goal.

But pursuit of super-human power is not an

easy path to tread. Instead it comes at the price of
much sacrifice and is fraught with many dangers.
This section seeks to examine all aspects of sorcery
— from it's roots and books of power to the often
solitary lives its practitioners are forced to live. We
will examine the preparation and execution of the
ceremonies that are at the heart of this art.
Additionally we will discuss what it takes to play a
sorcerer in a Children of Fire campaign.

3.2 THE ORIGIN

All sorcery stems from one source, Sefer

Raziel. Within the pages of this tome is contained
the knowledge of all things celestial and how to
 tap into these energies. These are elements that The book changed hands often over time.
celestials understand intrinsically. Eventually it was given to Solomon by a
Babylonian prince. Upon seeing it, Solomon
The book is divided into seven chapters. The immediately understood the full implications of
first, entitled Clavis, concerns itself with the study its words. With it as a base, he formalized
of stars and how they influence the ebb and flow methods by which angels and demons could be
of power in the universe. The second chapter, Ala, summoned and bound to do the bidding of the
deals with stones and herbs. It addresses how they sorcerer.
can be used for both ritualistic as well as
medicinal purposes. Tractatus Thymiamatum, the Sometime in the eleventh century, the book,
third chapter, is completely devoted to which had always been closely guarded,
suffumigations. In the fourth chapter, we find a disappeared. The world has not seen it since.
discussion of how the time of the year (month, Maybe it sits in some sorcerer's private collection,
day, and season) effects the universe, and the fifth or perhaps it once again rests at the bottom of the
chapter talks about cleanliness (an odd topic, but ocean. Who can say for sure.
one that directly effects a material beings ability to
control celestial things). Samaim, the sixth and In the fifteenth century, an Italian translation
longest chapter in the book, describes the heavens of Sefer Raziel was discovered. It purports to be a
in great detail and how celestial society is direct translation of the original work by a
organized. The final section deals with the virtues sorcerer of great renown. Its claim, however, are
of name, knowing the right name of the angel or unfounded, and, in fact, it bares little resemblance
demon to call upon for specific tasks. to the original work. Only the novice seekers
search it out, for those in the know understand
No celestial knows quite why the angel Raziel there is nothing to be gained from this pitiful
set down these words. Some suspect he was imposter.
ordered to do so by the Almighty, but others
claim he did it for his own selfish interests. In 3.3 THE SWORN BOOK OF
either case, when the work was completed one HONORIUS
copy was given to the Seraph, Metatron, and
another copy was delivered to Adam (the first In the fourteenth century a sorcerer of great
man). This gesture infuriated many angels. The foresight came onto the seen. His name was
children of clay were not deserving of such Honorius (not to be confused with the Pope of
celestial material, and the knowledge presented the same name). Honorius believed, and history
was seen as a threat to the angels for it explained would prove him right, that a great persecution
all their strengths and frailties. A number of the was coming at which time the sorcerers would be
Cherubim and Thrones conspired to do away rounded up and killed by the church. Mainstream
with the book. These celestials descended from religion, feeling threatened by the brazenness of
haven and stole the book from Adam. It was then the mystics, would attempt to squelch their art.
dropped into the ocean.
In preparation for this coming inquisition,
To the angels' chagrin, the Almighty ordered Honorius set down the whole of his art in seven
Rehab to retrieve the book and return it to Adam. books. These books were composed with the help
Reluctantly, this angel did so. There was much of the angel Hocroel, a member of the choir of
confusion at this point. No celestial was quite Dominations. It is unclear why this celestial
sure what plan the Almighty had, for it seemed a sought to help mankind maintain its hold on
move that could only threaten the children of sorcery. While the persecution, torture, and
fire's ability to help (and save) the children of execution of its proponents was something the
clay. children of fire vehemently opposed, the
eradication of their art and the threat it posed
Years past, and the book was stolen again. would have been greatly appreciated. Some have
Time has lost the knowledge of who stole it or hypothesized that Hocroel's help was not
why, but once again it ended up at the bottom of voluntary, having been ritualistically bound to the
the ocean, where it stayed for a century or more. sorcerer.
It was Raphael who retrieved it this time, and his
motives were pure. It was given to Noah so that While Sefer Raziel forms the foundation of
he could learn the art of medicine and heal those sorcery, the seven books of Honorius give the
who he was entrusted to protect during the great details. Every nuance is spelled out in great detail,
flood. This action is one that Raphael, now allowing even the most novice of practitioners to
having seen what trouble the book has caused, acquire great skill quickly.
dearly regrets.
 Honorius commanded that only two copies invisibly and the locating of stolen objects are
of each book be made. Hence only twenty-one ridiculous to all but the fool-hearty.
of these masterfully written texts are in existence.
Because of the threat Honorius perceived, he Lemegeton: Lesser Key of Solomon
made it a crime among sorcerers to make
additional copies of these works, and any sorcerer The earliest uncorrupted examples of this
who breaks this tradition will incur the book are written in French and date to the
unforgiving wrath of his brethren. seventeenth century. It is interesting to note that
this work has much greater merit than the elder
Additionally, Honorius felt that no one book for which it is named.
sorcerer should have possession of all the books.
For if he was discovered, then all would be lost. Its primary focus is on the classification and
Subsequently, he passed out the texts to the great explication of celestial spirits. To this end it does a
sorcerers of his time, so that none would have wondrous job. It is divided into four sections:
more than one. They have remained separated Goetia, Theurgia Goetia, "Pauline Art", and
ever since. Almadel. Each section deals with a particular
brand of celestial.
Of the seven books only one is known to
exist in the mundane world. The Sworn Book of While there is much knowledge to be
Honorius holds the kernel of all magic. It explains gleamed from this work, it cannot be relied upon
the philosophy, organization, and general to perform proper and accurate rituals. It is filled
principles of Solomonic sorcery. What it does not with inaccuracies and in many cases adds
contain is in depth analysis of particular rituals. unnecessary steps to already drawn out
These details are split up among the other six procedures. For this reason, it is a good starting
books. The work can offer inspiration to the point, but those of extraordinary proficiency rely
acolyte, but will not grant them any usable on other works for true insight.
knowledge.
The Grand Grimoire
3.4 OTHER MYSTICAL BOOKS
It Is the most fantastic of the grimoires
We now turn our attention to the frivolous produced. It's Italian editor touts it as the end all
writings of the ignorant. The books that follow be all for magical knowledge. Quite the contrary
came much later than the true books discussed is the case. Still, it holds a premier place among
above. At their best, they are misguided attempts charlatans and fools alike.
with only a sliver of truth contained within, and
at their worst, they are hoaxes written to fool the The work is divided into two sections. The
blatantly stupid. first concerns itself with the evocation of
Sammael, and the second section, called Sanctum
Key of Solomon Regnum, deals with the rite of making pacts.

This work belongs to the sixteenth century. The tone of the work is dark and twisted,
While proponents of this work claim it to soaring to new lows even for diabolical grimoires.
be penned by the hand of Solomon himself, this is It's rituals, which even sink to the level of
a ridiculous statement. More than likely, it was necromancy, are both horrific and totally
written by one who had only a passing knowledge ineffective. Nothing can be gleamed by true
of the workings of sorcery (perhaps an acolyte sorcerer from this book.
who was early on dismissed by his master).
3.5 LIMITATIONS OF MAGIC
Its true merit can be found by the influence it
had on other later writing. Many of the While ceremonial magic does allow the
grimoires of the seventeenth and eighteenth practitioner to do many wondrous things, it has
centuries take their lead from this work. As a its limits. In movies we see the sorcerer raising his
result, it has become a central book for the hands and casting spells on the spot (invoking
uninitiated world (and those charlatans who fireballs and lightening bolts), but these things are
pretend to be sorcerers), while those with true beyond the scope of a true sorcerer. Such displays
knowledge see it for the useless blather it truly is. of spontaneous magic are impossible. The
practitioner of magic must always work through
It has a tone both evil and frivolous. It speaks celestials beings bound to his service. He himself
of dark pacts, which do not truly exist between does not possess any great inner strength.
sorcerers and the sons of darkness. Its rituals for
 Additionally, the ceremonies themselves are Those who think success or failure of the ritual is
fraught with difficulties and dangers. Not only determined solely by the short time spent in the
does the practitioner have to worry about failure summoning circle are fools. The time spent
(which occurs in a majority of cases), but he must researching and planning will determine if the
protect himself from the very creatures he is sorcerer has even a remote chance of attaining his
calling on for service. Many a sorcerer has been goals. While the preparation process varies from
ripped to shreds because, in his zealousness to sorcerer to sorcerer, all acknowledge that it is
accomplish his goals, the words and symbols of necessary.
protection were forgotten.
There is no consensus among even the most
The sorcerer has only two outlets for his venerable practitioners as to what aspects of
magic. One is to have his orders carried out by a preparation are necessary and which ones are
celestial servant, while the other is to create frivolous actions stemming only out of tradition.
mystical talismans, which when on his person will Additionally, while some agree on a concept (such
grand various powers and immunities. In either as fasting) the duration of a practice may vary
case an arduous ceremony is necessary, and much from opinion to opinion. What is offered below is
preparation goes into even the simplest act of simply a listing of the most common preparations
sorcery. taken by sorcerers.

The talisman, while it can be almost any The sorcerer must have a clear objective in
cleansed item, usually takes the shape of an mind, and to this end must pick the correct
amulet or ring worn by the practitioner. celestials player (either demon or angel) to
Unfortunately, the powers of the talisman are not accomplish it. The celestial target must be
limited to the sorcerer who created it. Any mortal associated to a power that will help accomplish
creature who adorns the item will receive its this end (this usually concerns an angel's
benefits. Many a sorcerer has been dispatched by providence or a demon's dominion). The sorcerer
and adversary that was able to get his hands on must know the name of the celestial to be
one of the sorcerer's own charms. Additionally, summoned, along with the planet that governs
the moment the talisman is taken off or broken, him, and any offices the child of fire holds.
the user immediately returns to his frail self.
Choosing the right place to perform the
Practitioners of magic are also limited by the ceremony is also another important aspect of
limited body of authentic texts that exist in the preparation. Beyond the mere consideration of
world. They cannot wake up one day and decide privacy (for sorcery can only be accomplished
to create a new ceremony. They are reliant on the without disturbance), there is another important
work of other sorcerers before them, and in many aspect to consider. The location should fit the
cases these mystical tomes are fraught with error nature of the celestial being summoned and the
and ambiguity. While it is possible for a sorcerer task for which it is being called. Hence, if a
to create his own ritual, the research of the needed sorcerer was attempting to enlist the help of a
material and the countless hours of demon to smash a boat with waves, the ceremony
experimentation involved would take years to would be best performed near or on the ocean.
complete. Though the correct location can be a great help to
a sorcerer, in and of itself it does not guarantee
Though a sorcerer can wear talismans to success or failure.
protect against all sorts of physical trauma or even
to keep themselves young, they can never ascend Before the ceremony, the sorcerer's body
to immortality. The moment the talisman is taken must be cleansed of impurity. He must fast and
off, they return to their normal state. Hence, if a remain celibate for a predetermined time before
sorcerer were to wear a talisman that allowed him the ritual begins. In some cases this cleansing
to retain his youth for the last 150 years, the extends to isolation from all human contact, and
moment he took it off, he would most likely bloodletting is occasionally utilized to rid the
instantly die (having been immediately returned body of impurities. The length of time sorcerers
to the age of a man well past the life span of the cleanse their bodies varies. Some espouse days of
children of clay). fasting and weeks of celibacy, while others limit
these thing to only a few hours prior to the
3.6 CEREMONIAL MAGIC ceremony.
(PREPARATIONS)
As the body is cleansed, so to must the
Before the incense is lit, before the circle is implements of sorcery. Those items used in the
drawn, and before the prayers of invocation are ritual must be forged from the right material
uttered, the sorcerer must do much to prepare. (there is disagreement on what materials those are,
though). Additionally the items must be kept
 from impurities and wiped with special oils and sword seem to be the most crucial of these items,
perfumes. The cleansing of these instruments is appearing in almost all rituals.
usually done a day prior to the invocation.
Contrary to mainstream views that see
sorcerers as diabolists, a sacrifice is rarely used for
3.7 CEREMONIAL MAGIC the ritual. This usually only occurs among the
(THE RITUAL) darker paths of the arts. When a sacrifice is used,
however, it is never a human one but rather takes
Many sorcerers disagree on the order in the form of a kid (an immature goat).
which events must occur during the ritual.
Additionally, they even disagree on what steps In the case of creating a talisman, a triangle is
and implements are necessary or merely affixed to the outside of the circle. The item to be
extraneous. The one aspect they can all find enchanted is placed here at the beginning of the
common ground with is the fact that the ritual and must not be removed until the
ceremony must be performed on a specific day completion of the ceremony. If it is removed,
and hour corresponding to the celestial being even for an instant, the sorcerer will be forced to
invoked. To perform the ritual at any other time start anew.
will mean sure failure.
As the ceremony begins the sorcerer enters
In the case of simple summoning rituals the the summoning circle and offers an oration unto
entire process takes no longer than an hour. God. Next prayers, psalms, or gospels are
When a talisman is created, however, the process professed to offer defense to the practitioner
lasts far longer. Usually starting at the correct during the ritual process. At this point the
hour and day of the celestial's power and innovation begins. Lasting between ten and
continuing on until the cycle repeats itself (usually twenty minutes, these prayers are fraught with
42 hours). During this time, the sorcerer must semantic dangers and linguistically nuances. If the
remain in the summoning circle in a constant angel or demon does not appear, the invocation
state of prayer and meditation. can be repeated twice. Each time, though, the
practitioner becomes louder and more
Though the drawing of the summoning circle demanding.
is of crucial importance to the ritual, sorcerers do
not agree on the shape, size, and method of Assuming the invocation works, the sorcerer
drawing used to create it. In spite of this will now greet the celestial creature by name. This
dissension, there are a number of elements all is not merely a formality, but is instead used to
sorcerers agree must be contained in the circle. bind the creature. The sorcerer gives explicit
The sigil and name of the celestial being instructions (and many tasks have gone awry
summoned (even in the cases of creating because of misinterpreted orders) to the bound
talismans) must be drawn in the circle along with creature. In the case of creating talismans, the
protective symbols, binding symbols, and Task celestial kneels before the object and begins to
symbols. The drawing of the circle and these infuse it with his power (a process it will continue
symbols is a tedious process often taking an hour until the appropriate hour comes again), but in all
or more to complete. other case, the celestial leaves to complete its task.
This done, the practitioner must offer a final
During the ceremony itself peripherals are prayer of defense and praise to the Almighty
used to enhance the atmosphere, improve the before leaving the circle. If this is forgotten, it is
state of the practitioner, and cleanse the possible for the bound celestial to return and do
summoning area. They include such things as harm to the sorcerer.
lights (candles), perfumes, unguents, and
medicines. While none conclude that failure will 3.8 THE SORCERER
result from the lack of these things, they certainly
appear to increase the chances of success. To some extent sorcerers are outcasts in
society. They must always conceal a part of
In addition to these peripherals, a number of themselves from the world — not just to shield
objects are often used to help with the ritual. themselves from the ridicule and persecution of
These include: holy papers, pictures, pentacles, a other humans but also to protect against the
sword, a dagger, a rod, a staff, and the proper celestial beings who would torment them if their
clothing (which must be of specified color and true nature was revealed.
material). Not all these items are used together by
all sorcerers, but a combination of some are For the Charlatans, no such hiding is
almost always employed. The rod, staff, and necessary. They brazenly proclaim to the world
that they possess these mystical powers, when in
 fact they are nothing more than frauds who firmly believe in the existence and power of the
seek to swindle people out of their hard earned Almighty, he will still ascend to Eden. It is this
money. They are not hunted by angels or divine authority that they call upon to bind
demons, for these celestial emanations see them celestial beings.
for what they are. Chances are that if a child of
clay proclaims himself a wizard in public, he is a 3.9 THE MECHANICS OF SORCERY
hoax.
At first thought, it might seem sorcery would
For the real sorcerer, life can be a lonely be a mechanical nightmare for the storyteller and
existence. Many find themselves unable to cope players to employee. Quite the contrary is true.
with the everyday problems of mundane men. The mechanics of sorcery are, in fact, very simple.
They are children of clay and yet some how find Only one roll is needed to determine the success
themselves removed, distant, from their own or failure of a ritual.
kind. They seldom marry and almost never have
children. Even friendships are hard to come by. Since every ritual is literally a struggle
They mistrust other sorcerers and must hide a between the will of the sorcerer and the strength
part of their soul from the uninitiated. Besides, of the celestial entity being bound, a contested
there is no time for such frivolous relationships. roll between the two is all that is really needed.
All their dreams and ambitions are funneled The sorcerer uses his presence for the roll (in
through the study of the art. addition to whatever bonuses he gets for having
sorcery as either an interest or a specialty),
This is not to say, that all practitioners whereas the celestial uses the score for his highest
occupy the fringes of the society, shadowing aspect. If the sorcerer wins the roll he has
figures lurking the grimy back alleys or far successfully bound the creature, otherwise the
removed wilds. Indeed, some have great creature fails to manifest. If the sorcerer
prominence in the world. They are politicians, dramatically fails the roll (snake eyes), the being
bankers, and CEOs, and while there social skills manifests and has the option of instantly
may seem beyond reproach, it is all an act destroying the sorcerer (there is a price to be paid
designed to hide their true nature. for meddling with celestial things).

Sorcerers are neither good nor evil inherently. Of course the preparation and the accuracy of
They do, however, almost always have a selfish the ritual itself will also affect the outcome. Each
agenda to fulfill. Perhaps it is the magic itself or component of the ceremony is designated in one
the personality type that is drawn to these of three ways: essential, productive, or
endeavors, but the practitioners of Solomonic unnecessary.
sorcery seem to always have a skewed perception
of things. Their views are always slightly different Essential components are those things that
from the norm. Some are merely eccentric, while must be done to have any chance of success. If
others push the bounds of sanity to its very limit. any of these are forgotten, the ritual will fail no
matter what the practitioner rolled. These
To progress past the stage of mere curiosity, a components do not affect the roll made between
would-be sorcerer must find a mentor. With out sorcerer and celestial.
guidance she would flail helpless at the art
(accomplish nothing). But popular culture has led Productive components do have an effect on
us to believe that sorcerers convene in large the contested roll, though. Before the ceremony is
enclaves, but this couldn't be farther from the performed, the storyteller decides how many
truth. They are too distrustful of each other to productive components are necessary for
gather in groups of larger than three. Instead the equilibrium. This number usually varies between
master/pupil relationship is a one on one four and eight (depending on how difficult a
endeavor. Even here, though, the master sorcerer storyteller wants sorcery to be). For every
is unwilling to divulge too much information to component under this number the sorcerer fails to
his student at once. The disciple must prove his incorporate, his die roll is lessened by one. On the
worthiness and loyalty over time. In the end, the other hand, for every productive component over
greatest gift a master can bestow upon his pupil is the equilibrium, the sorcerer's roll is increased by
to present him with the master's own grimoire. one. .
This is usually done near the end of the master's
life. Unnecessary components have no bearing on
the outcome of the ceremony. They will neither
Being a sorcerer does not automatically help nor hinder the practitioner, but are usually
relegate a child of clay to Tartarus upon his death. added for one of two reason. 1). These elements
If the life led was a good one, if no pact with are incorporated for the sake of tradition alone.
Sammael is ever entered into, and if the sorcerer
 2). The practitioner is not aware that they play completes the whole. Additionally, storytellers
no real useful purpose. should make an effort to keep the powers of the
initiate (as all PCs should start) under control.
When a sorcerer learns a new ceremony, the The sorcerer should have no greater roll in the
storyteller should decided which components are game than any other PC.
essential, which are productive, and which are
unnecessary. It should be noted that the list To accomplish this, the author offers this
created by the storyteller need not be limited to suggestion. Characters who choose ceremonial
what the sorcerer has in writing. There may be magic as an interest should begin the game with
elements to the ritual that have not been written only a couple of rituals under their belt. These
in the text the sorcerer possesses. rituals, while certainly valid, should not be
perfect. The sorcerer who performs them will be
The creation of talismans is a slightly more doing some things that are right and some things
complex endeavor, requiring one additional roll. that are wrong. Only time and practice will allow
The sorcerer begins the ritual on the appointed him to improve the ceremony. Players who
time and must remain in th summoning circle choose ceremonial magic as their specialty should
until the start of the next cycle (42 hours later), be allowed four or five rituals. Of these only one
when the celestial's appointed hour once again should be of a truly pure (uncorrupted) nature.
returns. This is a test of will and endurance, for The rest should be flawed to some extent.
the sorcerer must remain vigilant during this time.
The constant state of prayer and meditation is 3.11 CELESTIALS AND SORCERY
hard on the body. For this reason a fortitude roll
is required. Failure of this roll (with the normal As should be expected, there is great enmity
target of 20) means the sorcerer will be overcome between celestials and sorcerers. For the sorcerers
by fatigue during the coarse of the ceremony. As a seek to enslave these mighty creatures at every
result the ceremony will be a failure, and the turn, binding them to their own selfish wills.
Talisman will possess no special powers. Both angel and demons alike are forced to
performs task that are sometime meaningless,
If successful, the strength of the talisman is sometimes demeaning, and often counter to their
determined by the amount the sorcerer won the very nature. Once bound, they are helpless to
ritual roll by. If he exceeded the celestial's roll by resist the invoker. They must follow is orders
fewer than five, the talisman contains a week exactly, but will find a way to thwart his plans if
rendition of the chosen power. If the number is the instruction are even the merest bit vague.
less than ten, the effects are of a moderate nature,
and a roll that exceeds the opponents by ten or Many angels have witnessed themselves
more possess the full version of the celestial's committing unthinkable act while in this bound
ability. state. They are aware of all that is going on
around them, but can do nothing to resist the will
3.10 PLAYING A SORCERER of the sorcerer. Luckily, though, this sense of
helplessness pertains only to the task they were
Players may wish to create sorcerer's to play directly charged to do. All other matters remain
in a children of fire campaign. While this is a under their control during the binding duration.
relatively simple task, the players should check
with the storytellers first. Some storytellers would For demons things are simple. If the sorcerer
prefer to limit the scope of sorcery to the lets his guard down for even a moment (leaving
supporting cast only. Keep in mind, though, the summoning circle before completing all the
sorcerer created as PCs start the game with very elements that will protect him) the demon will
little power or knowledge. It is up to them to lash out at him, killing the magical practitioner
role-play through the acquisition of mastery. without a second though. Angels, on the other
hand, have a much deeper moral bind. Even if
The only requirement for being a sorcerer is given the chance, they will resist against killing
that the character must have ceremonial magic as the sorcerer. For killing any child of clay is against
either an interest or specialty (explained further in laws of the Almighty and will incur a loss of grace.
the character creation section of this work). As Still, angels forced to commit horrible affronts to
with other specialties and interest, the sorcerer is God while under a sorcerer's grasp are sometimes
afford the normal bonuses for these skills. unable to restrain themselves from lashing out at
their enslavers.
The storyteller should makes certain that this
aspect of a character is kept under control. It Any acts an angel commits while bound to a
should not define the entire concept a player has sorcerer are not subject to the normal rules for
for her character, but should rather be a part that losing grace. Therefore, an angel ordered to kill a
 child of clay while in this state will not lose
grace for this action. This has no bearing on Man is not just flesh. There are as many
demons, for whom grace is irrelevant. intangible elements to children of clay as there are
tangible ones. As the body is fed, so to must the
Celestials are quite perplexed when it comes spirit be satiated. If not it will grow weak and
to the Almighty's stance on the wretched practice wither. To strengthen the spirit one must believe.
of Sorcery. Though the sorcerers use these This section seeks to explore the issues of faith
mystical rights to perpetrate heinous acts on their and enlightenment that nourish the soul. Without
own kind, He affords them the same protection as them nothing can be gained by the souls short
any other child of clay. In fact, the Almighty has time on Earth. The author will attempt to answer
ensured that the art of ceremonial magic has questions concerning where faith and
continued through the ages (and there were a enlightenment come from and how they can be
number of times when it was on the verge of utilized in a COF game.
being snuffed out). No angel in Heaven has yet
come up with a reasonable answer for this. 4.2 THE FAITHFUL FEW

Of all human endeavors and ambitions, faith

is perhaps the most difficult to comprehend. It is
easy to understand how we can believe in the
concrete. We see the inner workings of the
mechanism, we follow the process to its natural
solution. But faith, by definition, is belief in the
unknowable — excepting a point of view without
the benefit of proof. The strength of a child of
clay's convictions and the inner force he possess is
measured by his faith. It represents a strength
that comes not from outside, but rather from
within.

Faith is an element completely foreign to

angels, and as such is a strength they can never
tap into. For them, they must rely on their Grace
(the favor of God) to carry them through difficult
times. But they know for sure that God exists and
of the nature of the universe and so cannot call on
that inner strength of faith to see them through. It
must be understood that faith does not represent
truth. No connotation of good or evil comes with
the concept either. In fact, those who have lead
lives of great evil are capable of having very high
faith scores. Indeed high priests within the Satanic
Church often possess very high faith scores. Still,
faith does denote the belief in the metaphysical
(those things beyond the material world). Belief in
science or atheism will not garner a character a
high faith score. The truly devout (those with
faith scores above 12) must rigidly adhere to the
tenets and traditions of their belief system. The
Jew or Christian must obey all the Tem
Commandments and not simply pay lip service.
Like wise, the Muslim must show loyalty and love
to Ala by fulfilling the five pillars of Islam, and
IV. ISSUES OF FAITH the Buddhist must follow the eightfold path. So
how does faith play into a Children of Fire game?
Faith does many things. Places that are sacred to
"For us, dear brethren, nothing is unseen, nothing is one with a high faith score can give benefits to
unknowable. The whole course of universal events him while confronting his enemies. The
lies before us. But for the children of clay, there is mechanics of this will be explained more fully in
only mystery." the next section. In addition, the higher a child
- Promises XXX:III of clays faith score, the more difficult she is to
possess. The healing ability of faith can also come
4.1 OVERVIEW
 into play. There are many instances of the truly successful, his faith will win out over his
devout having been cured from disease or disobedience. With that said, the
disability by their faith alone. Even modern storyteller should use such roles sparingly.
medicine is unable to explain these occurrences. They should only be applied when the
Faith can be a contagious thing. Those who player is doing a particularly bad job of
adhere to the same belief system as a child of clay playing his character.
with extraordinary faith (13 or higher) will find
their own faith bolstered when in the presence of 3. Characters use their faith score to resist the
this person. Likewise, those who are constantly possession attempts of demons. If,
bombarded by those of a contradicting belief may however, they are a willing host of the
find themselves less able to call upon their faith infernal creature (as might be the case with
for support. But the truly faithful cannot be a Satanist), they need not resist the
swayed. attempt. Instead, the demon is let in
without a fight. Faith is not a stagnant
As with most things in life, there is a price to thing and can ebb and flow according to
be paid for an extremely high faith. These what happens in a game. With the
children of clay seem to be unyielding in their storyteller's permission, a player can lower
ways. This rigidness can come across in many or raise her character's faith at the end of a
ways. They do not necessarily persecute those who session where something profound has
do not believe as they do (something that is often happened to her. Likewise, the storyteller
done by those with lower faith scores), but they can elect to adjust a character's faith
remain closed off from new ideas and alternate according to her actions or behavior in the
ways of approaching an issue. Additionally, these game. This is most often done when a
"saints" are all too willing to martyr themselves character behavior directly opposed to her
for their faith. There is a natural ebb and flow of beliefs. In most cases, faith should not alter
faith within the children of clay. They are not more than two points plus or minus in the
simply born with faith and maintain that same course of one gaming session.
level of belief until the instant of their death.
Instead, faith can increase and decrease depending 4. Experiencing the supernatural, such as
on the experiences of life. The game mechanics of seeing a celestial force being used or
this topic will be further explored in the next catching a glimpse of one of the dreadful
section. Nephilim, can be an unnerving experience
for a child of clay. Only faith can allow
4.3 THE MECHANICS OF FAITH one to adequately cope with these events
without being driven insane. A
Faith is an abstract concept best relegated to storyteller may ask a player to make a faith
role-playing and the subjective decisions of the roll when a character has witnessed
storyteller. Still, there are times when a storyteller something not of the material world.
may deem a roll necessary to resolve an issue of Failure of this standard roll can result in
faith. The following guidelines are meant to help temporary paralysis, feinting, or all manner
players and storytellers in these situations. of irrational behavior. Success indicates the
character is able function normally, though
1. Faith manifests itself most when in the they may still be shocked by the
presence of shrines. Characters who have occurrence. The most common cause of
faith scores in excess of 12 and are in the such rolls is when an angel appears to a
presence of a holy place precious to their child of clay in divine form.
belief will receive a bonus to all roll equal
to the level of the shrine. Keep in mind 4.4 THE ENLIGHTENED ONES
that holy laces may not only be those sites
sanctified by and angel or desecrated by a In its time the world has seen a handful of
demon, but can also appear as natural truly enlightened beings: Buddha, Zoroaster,
phenomena. The bonus kicks in so long as Jesus, and Mohamed to name a few. These beings
the character remains within fifteen feet of caught a glimpse of the true nature of the
the site. A more detailed description of universe and were able to convey its beauty and
how shrines work is available in the source mystery to others. Those these are extreme
book under the Forces of Protection. examples of enlightenment, many mortals possess
a small glimmer of this insight.
2. A storyteller can demand a faith roll
whenever he feels a player is not acting In children of Fire, enlightenment represents
within the dictates of his belief system. As that part of the soul that is able to see
with normal rolls, the target is twenty. If individual threads of the universal web. They can
 begin to see angels and demons when they are It is something that can only be achieved while
in an ethereal state. They can sense celestial forces role-playing
just as angels or demons can. The enlightenment
may even take the form of far sight (being able to Enlightenment is a score that can range from
see events distant in either space or time). one to twenty. A one represents only a hint of the
celestial realm while a twenty is equivalent to the
But no explanation comes with these sight and understanding of an angel. There are
revelations. No angels stand by the mortals to tens-of-thousands who possess a touch of
say, "What you saw means this." The mortals see enlightenment (1-5). Perhaps only a few hundred
what they see and then their finite minds must at a time hold the middle range of enlightenment
interpret its meaning. As a result, enlightened (6-12), and those with enlightenment scores of
souls my see these mysteries in many different 13+ usually come along only once in a generation.
ways. A child of clay who sees a ghostly apparition
might correctly see it for an angel, while another The storyteller starts a character down the
might see a visitor from outer space. Faith and path of enlightenment by awarding a character a
Enlightenment do not directly equate. The most single point. With this receipt, the player now
faithful adherent may spend her whole life adds enlightenment to his character sheet. Once
without a hint of enlightenment, and the atheist a point is given to a PC it can never be taken
may be shown a glimpse into the celestial realm. away. Hence, while it is possible for an
In some cases, an increase in ones enlightenment enlightenment score to increase, it can never
may occur at the cost of faith if what they are decrease.
seeing directly contradicts their beliefs. The
question then is what brings enlightenment? A character's enlightenment score can
What causes a person to transcend his mortal increase in a number of different ways. Firstly, the
bounds? In some case it is divinely inspired, the character can attempt to practice and research his
Almighty reaches down to touch one of His new found abilities. Second, the character can
beloved children. In other cases, the undergo another traumatic incident that grants
enlightenment is brought on by a traumatic event him greater sight. Last, a character can enlist the
(such as a near death experience). In some cases, a help of one with a greater enlightenment score to
child is simply born with the gift. Whatever the increase his own score.
cause, once a child of clay has received a sliver of
enlightenment, he has one of two choice. He can In any case, a storyteller should usually not
ignore it (trying to suppress what is often a reward more than one point of enlightenment
terrifying experience) or he can embrace it. Those each gaming session. As the score increases, the
who embrace their gift often go out of their way requirements for gaining the next point become
to comprehend it. This process often, though not exponentially harder. The storyteller should be
always, causes the mortal's enlightenment to ware to not hand out enlightenment points like
gradually increase. Those who have reached the candy. For once given, they cannot be taken
highest level of enlightenment (20) feel no need away.
to remain in the mortal world any longer. There
is nothing the material plane can offer them So how is enlightenment used?
anymore.
For one, enlightenment can be used to detect
Those with high enlightenment tend to be angels in divine (ethereal) form. To do this the
leaders. They cannot sit back and watch player adds the enlightenment score to a standard
while the world gets it wrong. They must interject roll. A twenty or higher means the celestials is
themselves and show the misguided the path of visible to the child of clay. As is the case with
truth. Ironically, many cult leaders (whose minds angels, celestials cannot be seen if they are in the
have been shattered by the things they've seen) subtle form. Enlightenment can also be utilized to
have very high enlightenment scores. sense the use of celestial and infernal forces. The
greater the number by which a celestial exceeded
4.5 THE MECHANICS OF his target on the force roll, the more detectable it
ENLIGHTENMENT is (in essence the louder the noise). The number
by which the celestial exceed his roll is added to
Readers who have skipped ahead to read the the enlightenment score. The child of clay rolls
section, Creating Children of Clay PCs, have no adding this combined number. If he exceeds
doubt noticed that enlightenment is not twenty, the use of the force was detected. A
mentioned anywhere in the character creation character with no enlightenment score cannot roll
process. The reason is simple. All starting to detect these things
characters begin the game with no enlightenment.
Additionally, the storyteller can elect to have
enlightenment represent all forms of extra sensory
 perception. The details of these elements are
left up to the storyteller and the demands of his All religions must address in some form or
story. other these three life-cycle events: acceptance,
union, and death. Beyond that, religious services
4.6 TRADITION and celebration vary greatly.

Though there is much common ground, faith

and tradition are not necessarily correlated. Faith
is the conviction one has in his beliefs, while
tradition is the outward representation of these
beliefs. Those who follow the traditions of a
religion do not necessarily have great faith. On
the other hand, those of great spiritual faith
almost always adhere to the traditions.

Though not the heart of belief, tradition does

represent an important aspect of religion. It serves
to connect the adherents to the past (reminding
them of the roots and stability of their beliefs) as
well as uniting the believers through
communality. Most belief systems contain an
assortment of traditions that are briefly discussed
below.

Many belief systems have a service of some

kind to remind the adherents of the joys and
obligations present in the path they have chosen.
These services are usually held at regular intervals
— the most common of which is a weekly service.
These services often included speeches meant to
inspire, prayers or meditation meant to bring the
followers closer to the divine. Additionally there is
often some ceremonial gesture made to rededicate
the adherents to the faith. In many religions a
collection is taken up to support the continuation
of the faith.

The passing from childhood to adulthood is

often commemorated by religious tradition. These
events center around a child's openly accepting
the correctness of the religion's beliefs. Only as
adults are they able to make this conscious
decision for themselves. It is a welcoming of this
new soul into the religious community and as a
result is a time of great celebration.

Marriage is another area that falls under the

auspices of religious tradition. Here, a man and
woman dedicate themselves to each other. While
it can often be overlooked, at the heart of the
ceremony is the confirmation that both man and
woman will continue along their life as one entity
devoted to the religious beliefs they ascribe to.

Crucial to a religious belief are the traditions

that surround death. These rituals help to ease the
pain of loss and speed the soul onto its proper
place in the afterlife. Ironically, since
psychopomps exclusively handle the process of
freeing the soul from the flesh, these ceremonies
are more for the living than for the dead.
 Justice cannot adequately be served by the
meager representation we offer below. Surely
whole volumes can and have been written on each
of these religions. What is offered is merely a taste
of the true depth of each of these beliefs. The
author recommends that if a storyteller wishes to
incorporate one of these faiths heavily into her
game, she either research the topic more
thoroughly or have intimate personal experience
with the faith.

There simply was not enough time or space

to include every religion. The author has done his
best to include the major religions, but apologies
are made for those who do not find information
on the religion they are seeking to incorporate.

5.2 BUDDHISM

Buddhism is in many respects a unique

religion. Its leaps of logic and faith often take
much study and contemplation to even begin to
comprehend. At the center is the belief in the
teachings Buddha — namely the four noble truths
and the eightfold path of enlightenment. Though
there are differing opinions among the various
schools of Buddhism, all adhere to at least these
two ideals. In short the four noble truths are:

1. There is suffering in the world.

2 . Suffering is caused by desire (this is
V. THE MAJOR represents longing of any kind not just
of a physical nature).
RELIGIONS 3. To alleviate suffering one must reach a
state of nirvana, which is in essence an
absence of desire.
"In the end times, man shall be divided in his belief.
4 . Nirvana can only be reached by the
Divergent faiths will battle over the name the
eightfold path of enlightenment.
Almighty...never realizing they are in complete
harmony."
The eightfold path of enlightenment consists
- Resolutions II:V
of the following ideas: right action, right
composure, right effort, right knowledge, right
5.1 INTRODUCTION livelihood, right mindfulness, right speech, and
right though.
The author has been accused on more than
one occasion of having a Judeo/Christian bias in Unlike many religions, the Buddha is not
the game. Indeed this is the case. The cosmology seen as a prophet spouting revelations directly
of the game relies heavily on these principles. from the Almighty. Though well loved and
This was done both as a result of the texts cherished, he is not of divine origins but is an
consulted and in effort to maintain consistency enlightened soul that has migrated through many
throughout the game. This is not to say, however, lifetimes. His revelations came not from the
that alternate concepts and belief systems cannot outside, but rather from introspection.
be incorporated into the game. This section seeks
to look at the major religions of the world and There are two major schools of Buddhism.
how they can be fit into a children of fire They are Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana
campaign. Each of us comes from a slightly Buddhism. Theravada is closer in nature to the
different perspective, and the ability to express original sense of the religion, its devotees do not
these differences is crucial to the storytelling believe in idolizing the Buddha and scoff at rituals
process
 of any sort. Theirs is a strict and difficult path moksha through good works and by using his/her
to follow. Mahayana, while it diverges slightly talents for the betterment of mankind. Inana is
from the Buddha's teachings, is far more liberal in the third path and involves intensive study of the
its approach. Incorporating the original belief scripture. This "path of knowledge" requires the
systems of the converted, it is a simpler path to assistance of a teacher. The final path is Yoga.
follow and so is more prolific through out the This is a development of mind and body,
world. overcoming the limitations of the earthly form.
Hindus rarely follow just one of these paths, but
There is also a third school that is worth rather follow a combination of them.
mentioning here. That is the school of
Mantrayana. While it shares many aspects of Over the years, many outside observers have
Mahayana Buddhism it is consumed with the idea believed Hinduism to be a polytheistic faith, but
of rituals and the occult. It is said some of these this is not the case. Hindus believe in one
practitioners can perform great magic. supreme being (the Absolute) named Brahman.
Unfortunately, Brahman is unknowable in His
There is not much difficulty in incorporating true state and so is divided into aspects that can
Buddhism into the Children of Fire world. The be perceived. There are 33 major aspects and of
Mahayana Buddhists believe in Bodhisattva these three hold the most importance in
(spirits). These can easily be transformed into the Hinduism
idea of angels and demons. Additionally, the
magic inherent in Mantrayan Buddhism can be • Brahma - the Creator
seen as an offshoot of Solomonic Sorcery using • Vishnu - the Preserver
the same mechanical style as this discipline. • Shiva - the Destroyer

Where one comes across a bit of difficulty is Fitting children of Fire into this belief system
in the perception of the afterlife. Buddhists is not too difficult. In the mind of a Hindu an
believes in reincarnation, but it differs greatly angel could simply be seen as an aspect of
from the Hindu concept. Buddhists believe all Brahman. The monotheistic nature of the
things are a sum of their parts, and upon death religious fits in well with what has already been
these parts are returned to the universe to be described in the game. The three major aspects
recombined and reformed. That which makes up (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva) can be seen as being
a human being cannot be destroyed, but never equal in power to the four angels in the choir of
again will that same unique combination of parts Seraphim. In the end, the goal for salvation is the
exist. There is no conscious soul that remembers living of a good and pure life (the same criteria
all the previous permutations of its parts. that has already been set out in the game).

5.3 HINDUISM 5.4 ISLAM

This religion has its foundation in the Indus Islam finds its roots in the year 622. It stems
Valley around 1500 BCE. It holy scriptures are a from the prophecies of Mohammed, which were
collection of works known as the Vedas. At the written down in the Qur'an, the Islamic Holy
heart of this belief system is the idea of Sumsara Scripture. Islam grew out of Judaism and
(the wheel of life). Its adherents seek Moksha Christianity and so has much in common with
(liberation from Sumsara). The clergy of this faith these faiths. Islam contends that while the Torah
are known as Brahmins. and Bible are true revelations from Allah (the
Almighty), they are misinterpretations of His
There are three principle tenets of this faith: words. Mohammed is seen as the final prophet,
whose message is uncorrupted.
1. Everything in existence is en expression
of God. At the center of a Muslim's life are the five
2 . Man's purpose is to come close to, pillars of Islam. They are:
realize, or merge with God
3. Worldly delights are temptations (hence • Shahada - This is the Muslim's
they break the second tenet) proclamation of faith embodied in the
statement, "There is no other God but
For the adherent of this religion there are God and Muhammad is His messenger."
four paths to moksha. Bhakki is the path of
devotion. Here the adherent undergoes prayer and • Salat - This is the prayer ritual that
devotion to a personal deity (a representation of Muslims must be performed five times a
Brahman, the supreme spirit). The second path is day.
that of Karma. The adherent tries to attain
 • Zakat - Alms giving is a very
important part of the Islamic faith. It is 5.6 TAOISM
the process of giving to others who are in
need. It represents more than the sharing Taoism is less of a religion than it is a
of wealth, but also embodies the philosophy. The Tao te Ching, the central book
willingness to spend time and share skills of Taoist beliefs, was attributed to Lao Tzu
with the less fortunate. around the sixth century BCE. It is really simply
a set a poetic tracks that are meant to inspire the
• Sawm - Fasting is another crucial part of contemplation of existence.
Islam. It is believed that fasting helps to
purify the mind and body. During the At the very heart, Taoism is represented by
month of Ramadan, Muslims are the symbolic yin yang. It represents the opposites
required to fast from sunrise to sunset. that exist through out the universe. For every idea
or thing there is always an opposite that keeps it
• Hajj - This is the pilgrimage to Mecca in balance. Sadness counters happiness. Ugliness
that Muslims must make at least once in counters beauty. Male counters female, and
their life, it at all able. existence counters non-existence. It is the
interaction of these opposites that dictates the
There should be no difficulty whatsoever flow of the universe.
with fitting Islam into a Children of Fire game.
Muslims believe in angels, a single divine force From the interaction of the yin yang, the five
(Allah), and an afterlife. Indeed it was Gabriel elements are extrapolated. They are: wood, fire,
who communicated the Almighty's teachings to water, metal, and earth.
Mohammed. Only minor differences in names
and natures occur. For instance, Gabriel is always The goals of Taoism are simple. The Tao or
portrayed as male in Islamic culture, and "the Way" teaches one to be in harmony with
Sammael is known as Iblis. nature and live by its rules. It teaches the adherent
to live in the moment, not concerning himself
5.5 SHINTO with what is to come. In the end, one is to merge
with the universe. This is an impersonal state that
Shinto is the traditional religion of Japan. Its has nothing to do with consciousness.
main text is the Nihon Shokai, which provides
the creation stories for this belief system. The god Though little in Taoism hints at a truly
Izanagi and goddess Izanami are featured religious nature, demanding its adherents
prominently in these stories. It is said that these subscribe to specific a set of dogmas, it is still
two gave birth to the Japanese Islands. quite difficult to reconcile it with the Children of
Fire world. The Taoist concept of afterlife shares
The religion centers around the worship of nothing with the Judeo/Christian one described
kami (spirits). The kami are inherent in all things in this game. In addition, the Taoist emphasis on
both physical (rivers, mountains, tress, creatures) the here and now does not jive well with one
and non-physical (ideas, beliefs, and ancestors). being judged for the over all goodness or inherent
Though all things in the universe have these kami, evil of their life. To the Taoist, one's past deeds
the nature spirits are seen to be most important. are irrelevant when considering their actions in
the present. For these reason, the storyteller will
Shrines for local kami abound throughout need to work long and hard if he wishes to make
Japan. Here worshipers pray and often leave Taoism the central focus of a Children of Fire
offerings of food. In many cases, adherents must campaign.
wash before entering the shrine, and a branch is
used to sweep away all the impurities as enter the
shrine.

The Japanese have an eclectic rather than

exclusive view on religion, and it is for this reason
that the incorporation of Shinto into Children of
Fire is quite simple. The existence of angels,
demons, and all the other elements of the
Children of Fire world are not contradictory to
this belief system. The storyteller need only
introduce the idea of kami into the game. These
spirits are of varying strength and only of the
celestial world.
 way, steeped in the tradition of the dark lord
Sammael. The other is the reinvention of
Satanism that occurred in the twentieth century.
The author has made an effort to keep these two
manifestations separate, but in the end the results
are the same. Those children of clay who follow
either path are certain to spend the afterlife
tormented in Tartarus.

When Sammael first fell and a third of

heaven's host with him, he sought allies among
men. He quickly learned that in order to turn the
children of clay against their Creator their own
kind would have to play an important roll. He
sent his demons unto the world to recruit
followers. With false promises and lies, children of
clay were deceived into worshiping the accursed
one. They called themselves Satanist, borrowed
from the term Satan the term most commonly
used by the children of clay to refer to Sammael.
VI. THE DARK SIDE OF
HUMANITY It is ironic that Sammael has no particular
need to be worshipped. He cares not whether
mortals prostrate themselves before him. He needs
"You have forsaken me, oh Lord. And so I will lash no prayers to boost his celestial ego. His only goal
out in the only way possible. The children of clay will is to draw souls away from God. He hates his
pay for the injustice wrought upon me. Their misery followers as much as any other children of clay.
hangs on Your head. "
- Sammael The dark rituals of early Satanist were meant
to mock the Almighty and the worship of Him.
6.1 OVERVIEW They were also meant to cater favor with their
dark Lord (though no such thing is possible).
The foes of the righteous children of clay are Though it was widely believed that these rituals
not merely angels and demons. The threats do not involved human sacrifices, it is clear that such
only come from the celestial world and its occurrences were a rarity at best. It does no good
inhabitants. Sometimes the forces that seek to for Sammael to order his subjects to kill the
destroy the good men and women of the world innocent. Their death would simply ensure their
are very human indeed. place in Eden. Animal sacrifices, on the other
hand, were a common occurrence.
With the gift of free will, the children of clay
were allowed to choose their own path in life. But life was not easy for the followers of
While many have chosen the route of salvation Sammael. On one hand, the promises he made to
(living a good and caring life), there are those who them never came to fruition, and the righteous
have traveled down darker paths. ones began to hunt them down. During the
period of the Inquisition many followers of
Some have forsaken the Almighty, denied His Sammael were revealed and executed (a number
existence and rejected His love. Others have of innocent souls were put to death as well).
sought to align themselves with Sammael, the
accursed one. Still others have sentences their The twentieth century brought a change to
souls to damnation in order to achieve mystical Satanism. After years of hiding and near
powers here on Earth. And then there are those extinction, it reemerged with a new look. The
who simply wallow in their own depravity, emphasis on unhidden evil was replaced by
catering to the selfishness and greed that lies something far more insidious — self-
within us all. empowerment. The term self-empowerment is
used by modern Satanist often, but it is nothing
This section seeks to explore these dark facets more than a gentle way to say selfishness and a
of mankind. desire to destroy all those who stand in their way.
6.2 SATANISM There are many factions of modern Satanism.
All with their own philosophies and own take on
Before beginning it should be noted that the figure of Satan. Some, like the Church of
there are two sides to Satanism. One is the old Satan, represent Satan as more of a metaphor than
 an actual celestial being. To them the goal is done at the behest of a demon. Unlike the
indulgence and succumbing to the animal desires sorcerer, however, demons need not heed the
in us all. For others like the First Church of Satan, words of the witch. They can choose to fulfill or
Satan is indeed seen as a true being. They espouse ignore these requests.
a belief in what they call the pre-Christian Satan.
Here they claim to take on the roll of the Witches have the power to see into the
adversary. Indeed Satan (from ha-satan) literally future, to divine things to come. They do this
means the adversary. This church has taken its through various methods. Whether it be through
meaning and used to assume an adversarial the reading of cards, tea leaves, or tracing the lines
position against mainstream organized religion. on ones palms, they often do not understand
Unfortunately, their logic is flawed. Even the pre- from where this knowledge comes. It is not a skill
Christian notion of Satan (while not having a to be learned, but rather a talent to be unleashed.
distinctly evil character) has a distinctly evil
outcome. The point here was to challenge the Witches tend to group together in bundles of
belief of the children of clay, to see if they indeed thirteen known as covens. While this may be
possessed great faith in the Almighty. To fail this done for the purpose of sharing ideas, the heart of
challenge was never seen as a good thing, but the matter is that witches fear for their existence.
rather another step down the wrong path. To Even the most powerful witch, with all her curses
ascribe to this interpretation of Satanism is to and fortune telling, is helpless against a mob of
admit that your way is wrong-- something they do angry people. Together they can fend off the
not do. threats from the outside world.

It makes no difference to Sammael. These 6.4 WITCHCRAFT vs. SORCERY

new views seem far more alluring to the children
of clay, and no doubt he will stick with them for Though the goal of both is to garner
some time to come. In the end, all factions of supernatural abilities from the celestial world,
Satanism, whether they know it or not, have been witchcraft and sorcery have almost nothing in
influenced by the hand of this dark angel. common. The followers of witchcraft gain their
power by making a pact with the accursed one,
Angels have a special loathing for these while the practitioners of ceremonial magic make
damnable mortals. For they have not just no such pledge. Instead they seek to bind both
abandon God, but taken a position against him. demons and angels not ask favors of them.
Ironically, Sammael has no special love for them
either. He will forsake them at the drop of a hat. In general the sorcerer is of greater
sophistication and ability. His rituals are more
Satanists possess no special powers. They practiced and scientific then the curses thrown
cannot command their demon lords. Their rituals around by witches. Additionally he can bind both
are only meant to bolster their faith and are meant angel as well as demons, whereas those who follow
in no way to increase their power. witchcraft only gain access to the dark side of the
celestial world.
6.3 WITCHCRAFT
There is some overlap in terms of what both
Let us talk of the wretched beings who sell can accomplish, but not much. Sorcerers have no
their souls to Sammael for the taste of ability to see into the future nor can they cast
supernatural powers. These witches seek to have a generic curses on their enemies. The sorcerer's
glimpse of the celestial world and are willing to goal must be well thought out, well researched,
risk damnation to do it. and executed perfectly. They do not have
familiars to guide them in the dark ways as
One must wonder who would ever pick this witches do (though the are sometimes mistakenly
lot in life. For the which, upon making his/her believed to possess these creatures). Additionally,
pact with Sammael is ensured a place in Tartarus. witches tend to possess a greater knowledge of
What’s more, they know they are damned and herbs and poisons than do the practitioners of the
still make the choice anyway. magical arts.

Upon the slicing of the palm or wrist and Another important distinction between them
recitation of the pact with Sammael, the witch is is that sorcerers are not automatically condemned
given a familiar. This animal, usually of diabolic to damnation in the afterlife. Witches, upon
nature, is there link to the demonic. making their pact with Sammael, lose any claim
on reaching Eden upon their death. Sorcerers on
Though some of their powers come from the other hand are still judged by the merits of
within, many of the effects a witch can cause are their life.
 is not so. They take the teachings of well meaning
These two groups vehemently despise and faiths and warp them to the extreme. They
oppose each other. In recorded history there is no manipulate and corrupt these beliefs to justify
example of these two disciplines ever uniting in a their own personal vendettas. They wage war in
common cause. Sorcerers see those who dabble in the name of God, and slaughter those who oppose
witchcraft to be cretins selling out to the celestial them and say they are doing good. The angels of
world rather than controlling it. Witches, on the torment have a special place in Tartarus for them,
other hand, see the practitioners of the Solomonic and their suffering will go on ceaselessly until the
art as self obsessed bigots who think themselves so end of time.
much better than the rest of the world. If
meeting one of the other path, these two groups Once set down these dark paths, most
will most likely seek to destroy each other. children of clay never look back. If they did,
however, they would find there is still hope for
6.5 OTHER DARK PATHS them. For once the journey to damnation begins,
they can always turn around. It is unfortunate,
But man need not be corrupted by Sammael. however, that few do.
There are other dark paths he can follow. While
the accursed one may not be the guide down these
evil roads, the destination is still the same —
damnation.

There is the path of science. Though

technological advances have the promise of
making the world a better place, these advances
can be used to fulfill all manner of nefarious
ambitions. Medical experiments and genetic
tampering are the hallmarks of the scientist gone
mad.

There is the path of power and greed. For

some the allure of salvation in the afterlife is not
enough. For them they must make a mark on the
world of the living, force their way upon the
helpless. They are dictators and ruthless corporate
CEOs. This is not to say that all children of clay
who hold positions of leadership are following
this path. Those that follow this path, however,
seek to mold the world to their liking, and often
their tastes run to the depraved and cruel.

There is the path of fame. There are those out

there will do anything to be recognized, to stand
out in a crowd. They will sacrifice all the morals
they use to hold true to accomplish even the
briefest hint of stardom. And if they must destroy
people on their rise to the top then so be it.

There is the path of addiction. Drowned in

booze or high as a kite, the followers of this path
have lost control. Their slide into oblivion grows
ever steeper day by day. What semblance of a life
they once had (all their accomplishments and
possession) are lost to the man made demon of
addiction. Near the end of this road they will do
anything to get their fix, to satisfy the urge, to
attain just one more high. And the acts they
perform at this stage will damn them to Tartarus
for all eternity.

There is the path of zealotry. These children

of clay claim the Almighty is their guide, but this
 Rather we should start their story at the beginning
of their development.

To this end, all children of clay PCs must

VII. CREATING A come up with a goal. This is something they need
CHILD OF CLAY to accomplish to become whole. It is something
that gives a semblance of meaning and order to
their lives. It may be something very concrete that
"The children of clay are wondrous creatures. Even can be achieved with hard work and perseverance,
in their frailty there is strength. Even when the or it may be an esoteric idea that can never be
material world is hard on them, they still find a truly realized. Player's should be able to sum up
glimmer of hope to latch on to" this goal in one sentence, and this statement
- I Metatron XI:X should be written of their character sheet.
7.1 THE PROCESS Have no fear players. Your character is not
locked into this goal until the end of time. If the
To this point in children of fire it was only goal is realized another will pop up. Additionally,
possible to create celestial PCs. Mortal life was left it is possible for a character to change goals before
to the realm of supporting cast members. Now we the previous goal is realized. Such changes need to
introduce the possibility of creating humans as be okayed with the storyteller, and must be
PCs to play in the setting. There are both represented in role-playing. One thing is definite,
advantages and disadvantage to playing children though. Each character must have a goal. This
of clay. These issue will be addressed later in this portion of the character sheet cannot be left
work. blank.
The process itself is much the same as it Below are some sample goals. They are not
would be for creating a child of fire. Players will meant to run the complete gamut of possibilities,
be given points to distribute among various but rather to spur on you own creative ideas.
aspects and virtues. While there is great diversity
available with this system, one point is worth • She strived to do everything to the best
note. On average beginning children of clay will of the her ability and never gives up on a
be statistically weaker than their celestial project.
counterparts.
• He has a desire to really make a
Most games begin character generation by difference in at least one person's life.
assigning stats (or rolling them) before giving
motivation and emotional qualities to the • He wants to open a woodworking shop
character. This is not the case when developing a as soon as he gets out of the navy.
child of clay for game play. The non-numeric
elements are determined first, and only after goals, • She wants to prove herself to the world.
strengths, and weaknesses are determined, does
the player begin to assign numbers. • He wants to be a millionaire by the time
he's twenty eight.
Keep in mind that the heart of the character
is in the details, not the statistics. Two characters • He desires to find the courage to quit his
can have identical statistics and yet come from computer programming job and set out
vastly different points of few. These characters on an around the world adventure.
will react to situations differently, and will have
distinct emotional strengths and weaknesses. • She needs to find her real parents.
Never let numbers replace a good character
concept. 7.3 STRENGTH and WEAKNESS
With that said, let us begin the process… Each soul has something it soars at and
something for which it is inept. This is reflected
7.2 GOAL in the game through the use of strength and
weakness. All players must come up with a single
As human beings, we are never complete. We strength and a single weakness for the character
always strive for that which will make us whole. they are creating.
This should also be the case with characters we
create for role-playing games. They should not be Don't think of these strength and weakness as
static creations, complete in their evolution. reflecting a specific skill (i.e. my character is the
 best fighter in the world), for they are not.
Rather, weakness represents a flaw in the character Athleticism
of a child of clay, and a strength represent
character trait the character possesses the givens Here all physical ability is rolled into one. It
him edge in certain situations. represents the combination of strength, agility,
speed, endurance, and coordination. Most
Though there is no way to quantify them, physical exertion uses all of these factors to some
storytellers will often use a character's strength or degree. If a character is relatively week in one
weakness to help arbitrate a situation. In some areas but excelled in the others, the overall
cases he may assign a modifier based on them, but conditioning will usually carry the day.
there is no hard and fast rule for this. Primarily, a
character's strength and weakness are role-playing Health
guides more than anything else.
Health represents a character's ability to resist
7.4 ASPECTS those things that seek to destroy him. It
encompasses an ability to sustain overall damage,
All children of clay, regardless of their to withstand pain, and to resist disease. Health is
uniqueness, can be described in terms of aspects. not always a physical thing, but can sometimes
These quantified attributes give us a base way to deal with mental attitudes as well.
compare one human to another. There are five
aspects that describe a character. Each player starts Presence
with a 4 in each of these, and then he has 20
point to divide among them however he sees fit. This aspect represents a character's impact on
There is only one limitation to keep in mind. No others. A high presence might denote a natural
child of clay can have an aspect exceeding 12. aura that surround the child of clay and attracts
others to him. Likewise, a high score could mean
Those players use to creating celestial the character has excellent speaking skills and can
characters will no doubt notice the aspect used to woo a crowd with impassioned oration. Lastly, it
describe mortals are different from their divine could simply represent a physical appearance
counterparts. Mortal aspects are firmly planted in people take notice of. Keep in mind, though it
the physical world, whereas celestial ones often does not inherently denote instilling a sense of
deal with connections that being has to the confidence in those around you. Both an
universe. Celestial aspects are broader in scope supermodels, and 6'10" Neanderthal with a
and so could not be used to describe children of missing eye might have very high presence scores
clay. Each has it's counterpart, though:
knowledge = intelligence, understanding = 7.5 VIRTUES
perception, power = athleticism, vigor = health,
and glory = presence. In situations where one Virtues represent the moral make-up of a
aspect is mention (for rolling purposes) it's character. They are not personality traits, physical
counterpart can usually be substituted. attributes, or mental attributes. The virtues for
children of fire and children of clay are exactly the
Intelligence same. Unlike angels, however, there is no limit
placed on how high each virtue can be.
Intelligence does not simply denote the body
of knowledge one possesses. High intelligence Character's start with a base of four in each of
does not simply mean the character does well on these virtues. The player has 16 point to divide up
tests. Rather it represents an amalgamation of among these virtues how ever he sees fit.
cognitive abilities. These include memory,
deductive reasoning, inductive reasoning, logic, For details about each of the virtues, see the
creativity, and, to some degree, education. These virtues section in the original sourcebook.
elements combine to form a basis for how
characters deal with different situations. 7.6 SPECIALTIES and INTERESTS
Perception During a lifetime, a child of clay becomes
proficient at only a handful of things. There is
This aspect simply represents ones ability to simply not enough time between birth and death
pay attention both consciously and unconsciously to learn it all. But the skills they possess through
to what's going on around them. It represents their occupation, as hobbies, or simply as God
both and ability to actively search for things as given talents, are the areas they have spent
well as innate intuition that allows one to sense considerable time perfecting. It is these niches
when something is wrong. that give humans a unique place in their society
 and the world in general. And in some cases it from God, but instead comes from within the
is these special qualities that allow these husks of human soul. It is a number ranging from 0 – 20,
flesh to sometimes soar in greatness beyond the and may fluctuate greatly during the course of
angels. role-playing.

The acquiring of such talent is embodied in It must be understood that faith does not
the idea of specialties and interest. Specialties are denote the truth of one's beliefs. Rather it is a
those talents that are the main focus of a measure of the character's conviction. Buddhists
characters life. They often, but not always, revolve monks, Catholic priests, and high priestesses of
around a person's profession. Interests, on the dark cults, may all have exceedingly high faith
other hand, are hobbies the character has taken up scores.
over the course of life. Both Specialties and
Interest are not defined as single skills. Rather Faith concerns itself with three major
they are a host of skills bundled up into one questions. 1) How did it all begin (creation of
common theme. Most can be described in one or the universe)? 2) What is the meaning of life? 3)
two words. If the concept seems vague or if the What happens after we die? The answers to these
storyteller needs some clarification, sample skills questions form the core of a characters belief
can be included in parentheses after the interest or system. The more he or she believes those
specialty. answers, the greater the faith score.

Specialties represent those aspects of existence At the start of character generation each
a mortal creature truly excels at. As a result, character has a faith score of 5. The player must
anytime a character makes a roll involving this decide on a belief system to follow. This can be an
area, he receives a +3 bonus. Interests, while not established religion (Christianity, Judaism,
representing the same level of proficiency, still Buddhism, etc). The faith score represents the
offer characters and advantage. Rolls made within character's conviction in this belief system and his
these realms of interest are given a +1 bonus. devotion to its sacred rituals (since that is often
how one demonstrates faith).
Beginning characters may choose one
specialty and up to three interests. The storyteller Players can choose to raise or lower this score.
may increase or decrease these numbers Extra faith points can be attained by reducing any
depending upon the demands of his story. aspect or virtue by one point, or by acquiring one
less interest. The opposite is true as well.
What follows are some sample specialties and Character wishing to have a lower faith score may
interests: add these unwanted points to aspects, virtues, or
to attain a new interest. Obviously faith cannot
• Crossword Puzzles drop below 0. Likewise, no starting character can
have a faith score greater than 12 unless the
• Medicine (surgery, pharmacology, storyteller permits it.
diagnosis, medical instrumentation,
some degree of medical history, and The effects of faith on game play will be
medical contacts) discussed in the section, Issues of Faith

• Ocean (marine life, oceanography, 7.8 FINISHING TOUCHES

history of the sea, and some sailing)
We've come to the end of the formalized
• Football (both playing and statistical steps for character creation, but there is still a long
knowledge) way to go. What lies before you is merely an
outline of what your character is. What're missing
• Boxing are the details. For each person, the process of
fleshing out the character is a unique experience.
• Religion (Christian ceremony, world You must find and complete those steps that will
religions, biblical studies, and a give you a connection to the character — to make
smattering of Latin) him or her exciting to play.

7.7 FAITH For some people this entails writing a detailed

history, while for other it might consist of
We now come to perhaps the most difficult drawing a player sketch. The author suggestion
concepts in creating a child of clay, faith. Faith asking questions of your character that are not
represents an inner strength of ones beliefs and already answered on the character sheet. What
convictions. Faith is not something handed down was his/her childhood like? Is he/she married?
 Does he/she have any children? What was the
best day of his/her life (so far)? What was the
scariest thing that ever happened to him/her?

Alternately, character creation can be done as

a group. Other players can ask question about
your character to help flesh them out.
Additionally, this technique can be used to
engender connections between the characters that
might help enhance game play. It's always nice to
have characters who are together for specific
reason rather than thrown together by random
chance (or badly implemented plot contrivances).

There are no hard and fast rules here. Find

what works with you and stick with it. Without
this detailing process, the character will remain
lifeless and the game will suffer as a result.

VIII. CHILDREN OF
CLAY PCs
"For every act of goodness an act of evil is
perpetrated. Every moment of kindness breeds and
equal act of selfishness. In all things there is this
balance. Nothing comes without a price."
- Retributions

8.1 ADVANTAGES AND

DISADVANTAGES

Before a player decided to create a child of

clay or a storyteller allows them in the game,
careful consideration should be paid to gains and
losses that can occur because of this decision. In
 some cases this choice opens a number of the mechanics or details of celestial forces, which
different doors of exploration that were not can be a rather taxing subject.
available before, but on the other hand there are a
number of limitations which are nor placed upon 8.2 MIXING ANGELS WITH HUMANS
the scope and nature of the games that can be
run. It really is not too difficult to run a group of
all angels or all humans. The difficulty comes in
Humans are mortal creatures, with relatively trying to run a mixed group of characters. Below
short life spans when considered against celestial are a list of considerations the storyteller and
creatures. Depending on the period of time players should be aware of before attempting this.
chosen for the game, the average life expectancy
will range from as little as thirty-five years to as 1. The children of fire and the children of
much as eighty. Children of clay, who have clay are not equal. Players who take on the role of
existed on the Earth for a century or longer, are humans may begin to feel inferior to the other
not common. This limited life span can result in players. They may feel like they can not
the diminished scope of the game. No longer can accomplish as much and do not have the same
the storyteller weave a tale that crosses centuries abilities as the angels. Storytellers should
and still hope to have the same central characters constantly be on the look for this pitfall and try to
through out. There are ways around these give the mortal character a chance to shine (give
obstacles, but the storyteller must be very creative them something to do that can not be
to accomplish it. accomplished by the celestial members).

A number of aspects of the game are difficult 2. Angels can contend with creature much
to explore with a group of material creatures. The more powerful than mortals can handle. For this,
seven heavens and the issues of celestial politics it is difficult to balance the level of the group's
are not likely to arise in these games (though with opposition. If the enemies are too powerful, the
effort anything is possible). children of clay PC will feel overwhelmed and in
constant danger of instant death. On the other
Mortals are frail creatures when compared to hand, if the level of opposition is to lax, children
celestials. As will be discussed in the following of fire PCs may feel bored.
sections, humans can succumb to all forms of
disabilities that angels and demons cannot. Angels 3. Pacing can often be an issue with mixed
never get ill, never age, and are never crippled for groups. Since angels exist far longer than the
the rest of their lives. These are situation any child children of clay, large leaps of time to accomplish
of clay PC can face. Though these often provide plot points are nothing to them. For humans,
great role-playing opportunities, the storyteller however, it is a big deal. Stories that take place
must be aware of these limitation when decide to over too long a period of time may see the mortal
include them in a story. PCs grow weak and old while their celestial
counterparts remain as vibrant as ever.
Players who choose to create children of clay,
may in the end feel helpless in this world. Most of 4. There is always a danger that mixed group
the creatures described in the original work would will too rapidly reveal the truths of the celestial
have little difficulty dispatching a mere mortal. world. Part of the fun of playing humans is the
mystery surrounding the universe. Giving mortal
With all this said, there are some great characters all the answers too quickly will defeat
advantages in playing children of clay in the COF one of the primary reasons for playing them in the
world. In many respects the children of clay have first place. Storytellers may considered hiding the
a much fresher view of the universe. Whereas identity of the celestials in the party and making it
angels come from a point of knowing the exact part of their goal to somewhat shelter the minds
nature of the universe, the mysteries of the of their human companions.
universe are not readily available to mortals. This
can foster a sense of discovery that can create a 8.3 COMBAT AND DEATH
magical atmosphere in the game.
The rules for combat are virtually the same
Players who have difficulty grasping the for children of clay as they are for the children of
concepts and themes in the game, or for those fire. The child of clay involved in combat rolls
who are new to role-playing, may find their first using his athleticism score and compares that to
campaigns easier if they play children of clay. The his opponents roll with the same aspect (power if
children of clay are much more like characters in the adversary is a celestial). The higher roll wins
other role-playing games than angels are. In the conflict, and the greater the number by which
playing them, the players need not worry about
 the winner exceeded his roll, the greater the is 9) it is still a decisive advantage for William. All
victory. things equal, William will come out on top of this
situation.
As explained in the original source book, only
one roll is made at the beginning of combat. This Keep in mind, just because a combat roll is
roll dictates the entire flow of the combat scene. made does not mean combat must take place. It is
The actual occurrence of each event is role-played possible for William to convince his brother that
through, with the die roll giving the storyteller a he had nothing to do with Jack's wife's murder,
general guideline for the outcome. As always, though this is not the case in our example.
excellent role-playing or innovative ideas can
offset the results of the die roll. The next section The scene begins:
will give a combat example.
Storyteller: "The kitchen door swings open and
The children of clay are far frailer than the Jack is standing there. There's a crazy look in his
children of fire. If the opponent's roll beats theirs eyes, a mixture of both profound sadness and
by a score equal to their health aspect, they are on rage. At the kitchen table, William looks up from
the verge of death. When the conflict ends, the the steak he was about to cut into. Sensing that
character is so battered that death is imminent. If something's wrong, he rises from the table.
medical attention is not received immediately "Jack…What's…"
(within 10 minutes or less) the character will
certainly die. Even if brought to a hospital, there Player: "Without a word I charge at him."
is still a good chance of death. The final decision
is left in the hands of the storyteller. The Storyteller: "William's look of concern turns to
storyteller may also decide that if a combat roll shock as you barrel, shoulder first, into him. The
exceeds the loser's roll by a substantial amount air is violent expelled from his lungs and he is sent
over the victims health score death is cascading across the floor knocking his head
instantaneous and there is no chance to be saved. against the side of the refrigerator. He lies there
struggling to get his breath. "
As should be obvious, children of clay can
only physically contest children of fire if they are Player: "I jump on top of him and start
in a material state. While celestial and mortal are pummeling him in the face and driving his head
in different states, neither can affect the other into the floor over and over again."
except for the use of forces.
Storyteller: (still using the combat roll as a guide),
8.4 A COMBAT EXAMPLE "As you leap, William grabs for the refrigerator
and pulls it open. Your forehead connects with
Since combat in Children of Fire is much the corner of the door, opening up a large gash
different from the traditional round-by-round over your right eye. The blow stuns you as you
systems employed in many other role-playing drop to one knee over your brother. Reaching up
games, we've decided to include an sample to the counter, William grabs for a bottle resting
combat scene to help clarify it. on the counter, and flipping open the cap throws
a mysterious liquid in your eyes. The pain is
Jack Higgins has been convinced by a demon unimaginable. Pushing you off him, he rolls to his
that his wife was murdered by his own brother, feet as you struggle to get to yours as well "Jack,
William. In actuality it was the demon who what the hell are you…"
dispatched Jack's wife, but this insidious creature
has made jack believe it is his brother. In a rage he Player: "I'm not listening to him. I pick up a
confronts his brother in the kitchen with the chair and swing it."
intent of beating him to death.
Storyteller: "Your eyes are burning, the pain
Since the storyteller senses a combat scene is getting more intense with every second, your
imminent he asked for a roll as Jack (a player vision is blurry, but still you're able to lash out
character) enters the kitchen. The player rolls with the chair. William, still trying to catch his
2d10 for Jack and receives a 9 (a slightly lower breath is able to get a hand up in time to slightly
than average roll). This number is added to Jack's deflect the chair. The blow doesn't land solidly,
athleticism score of 8 to come up with a final but still William shrieks."
result of 17. The storyteller, who is playing the
character of William, also rolls using his Player: "I swing again."
athleticism score of 7. He rolls a 15 making his
final score of 22. He has beaten Jack by five. Storyteller: "William is ready for this second
While not enough to kill Jack (Jack's health score swing, He lunges forward on your back swing and
drives you into the sink. Then, pulling you
 forward he throws you into the table spilling its No part of a child of clay character sheet is set
contents all over the floor." in stone. Aspects, virtues, faith, strength,
weakness, goals, specialties, and interests, all these
Player: "I grab the knife my brother was using to things are flexible. Nonnumeric characteristics
cut his steak and swing backwards with it." such as goals may alter to whatever suits the
character. Numeric statistics like aspects are only
(The storyteller likes this move. It's an confined to the limitations of humans. Hence, no
innovative move that shows the player was paying aspect can exceed 12 or fall below 4. Virtues and
attention to the scene. He was about to have Jack faith can range anywhere between 0 and 20.
get knocked out in a second or two, but he
changes his mind. This nice piece of role-playing Changes occur solely as a result of role-
deserves some credit). playing and are awarded by the storyteller at his
own discretion. Players who wish to improve an
Storyteller: "The world is nothing more than a aspect of a character, acquire a new interest, or
blur as your hand fumbles around the table and establish a new goal in life, should apprise the
feels the handle of a steak knife. Blindly you storyteller of their intentions. It is up to him to
swing your arm backward, hoping in vain to then decide when and if this change will occur.
strike your brother. William sees the blade
coming, but it's too late. The knife rips through But change does not happen instantly. Rather
his cheek, the point scraping against his teeth. He it is a gradual process where the character's new
jumps backward spitting blood and runs for the ability comes out slowly. No one suddenly wakes
kitchen door. You can't see him anymore. The up to find they are twice as strong as they were
world is almost totally black now, and the pain is yesterday. As a result, the following guidelines are
unbearable. You drop to the floor clutching your offered to assist the storyteller. First, no aspect or
eyes and pass out." virtue can rise or fall by more than one point each
gaming session. Second, newly acquired talents
The storyteller was also set to let William must start as interests. Only after a character has
really thrash Jack, but the player's nice move at had an interest for a while and has done
the end was enough to convince the storyteller substantial role-playing to support it, can this
that Jack should at least do some major damage to ability be raised to the level of a specialty. Lastly,
William. William still came out on top of the It is unlikely that a child of clay can acquire more
situation, but at least Jack got his licks in. than three specialties. There just simply isn't
enough time in the day to keep up with so many
expertises. Usually gaining a new specialty under
8.5 ADVANCING YOUR CHARACTER these circumstances means dropping an existing
specialty down to the level of an interest. Once
As humans we change and grow. Over the again, this is all at the discretion of the storyteller.
course of our lifetime we acquire new skills and
forgot hobbies long since left by the way side. To promote this process, the author
During the early years we might developed our recommends the following strategy. At the end
bodies, while later our minds might take (or perhaps even the beginning) of a gaming
precedence. Even ambitions and beliefs, for which session the storyteller should spend some time
we have great conviction at the time, can be talking to the players. Ask them what they've
altered or even reversed over the course of years. learned from previous session and what direction
This human ability to adapt and change must be they see their character going. If you ask in what
reflected in the game. ways they see their character improving, don't
forget to ask them what is suffering as a result of
Too many games focus on the ever improving this change. The answers to these question will
character (his stats getting closer and closer to help you interpret how they're role-playing.
perfection with each passing gaming session). The
truth, though, is that for every step forward there 8.6 HARDSHIP, ILLNESS, and AGE
is a step back. When we emphasize one thing it is
almost always at the expense of another aspect of Life can be cruel for the living. As we age all
our being. For this reason, Children of Fire does sorts of maladies befall us. From car accidents to
not use the experience point system found in so bouts with influenza and even the steady
many other games. progression of age, it all takes its toll upon the
mortal shell. By the time we die we've probably
The question then remains, how can a player needed serious medical attention half a dozen
develop his character and how do these times or more.
developments take place?
 Serious injuries can have devastating effect are over sixty can not have aspect scores greater
on a character. Unfortunately, it is very difficult than eleven. Those who have reached the age of
to quantify these effects in the game. Whenever a seventy cannot exceed ten, and those who are
character losses a battle severely (by his health eighty or older cannot exceed scores of nine. Once
score or one less), the storyteller should seriously again, this may very according to the genre you
consider causing some lasting damage to the are playing in.
character. While there are no hard and fast rules
as to how these disabilities will effect the character 8.7 AN EVER CHANGING
and his rolls, common sense should prevail. A PERSONALITY
character with a bum leg might have considerable
trouble running, but should have no problem Though it has already been stated, it bears
picking up a gun and firing it. The storyteller can repeating. Humans are not stagnant creatures.
apply a negative penalty to all rolls that are They are ever changing and evolving, learning
influenced by this disability. from their experiences and refining their views of
the world.
Illness is another factor the children of clay
must worry about. Since there are a plethora of This process of discovery should always be
diseases out there it is difficult to make hard and fostered in the game. The moment your character
fast rules for them all. What can be said is this. At achieves a goal, there should be another on the
the height of the disease, when the character is horizon. Always be on the lookout for how your
feeling its greatest effects, the disease will in some character's outlook might be altered by the events
manner affect all physical and mental tasks. This that are occurring to him.
is reflected in a negative modifier to all rolls. In
general (though not always) physical rolls will be Too many times in role-playing games we get
affected to a greater degree than mental rolls. frustrated when the storyteller throws something
These modifiers range from –1 (a very minor at our character that we didn't expect. We rebel
illness) to –5 (a major and even life threatening against these new challenges, proclaiming them
illness). unjust. Sometimes it is the death of a loved one,
or the incurring of some great hardship.
Of course the state of medical advancement in the Sometime the storyteller decided to take away
genre in which you are playing can make a from us an element we felt was so central to our
fantastic difference. Medicines can help alleviate character's concept. Indeed, cardboard
the symptoms if not cure the patient all together. personalities cannot endure these tests of
Characters who are taking medicine to alleviate character. If you are flexible, and your willing to
the symptoms of a disease may not suffer as great let your character develop, you will find these
a penalty (or perhaps not suffer a penalty at all) changes a wonderful opportunity to do some
for the duration of the medicines effect. Once the astonishing role-playing.
medicine wears off, however, they will quickly
return to their previous level of misery.

Age is perhaps the most frustrating of all

hardships the human body can endure. There is
no cure for getting old, and in the end the ravages
of time take a heavy toll on the flesh. The bones
become weaker, the senses dulled, the memory
more vague, and the reflexes a mere shadow of
their former glory. A character’s aspects should
reflect this decreased capacity.

The age at which aspects start to decrease will

depend on the life expectancy and technological
level of the setting the characters are playing in.
For the most part, those above the age of fifty will
begin to feel the effects. Every few years
(anywhere from 2 to 5) of in game time that
passes should result in the diminishing of one of
the characters aspects by one point. The physical
skills of health and athleticism should probably be
the first to go, but this is not always a certainty.

Additionally, the maximum limit for aspects

is reduced as the character gets older. Those who
 IX. THE CATALOG OF
MORTAL SOULS
"In the course of human history, there are those
special souls that stand out beyond the rest. They find
insight in world that does not inspire it."
- The Musings of Raphael

9.1 FATHER LOUIS GAUFRIDI

Born in the latter half of the sixteenth

century, Gaufridi was part of the diocese of
Marsailles. His position as a priest was a sham
though, designed to hide the fact that he was a
sorcerer. Though he would later be referred to as
"The Prince of The Sorcerers", he was an
accomplished though not renowned practitioner.
It is believed he possessed one of the seven books
of Honorius. Most likely he passed this onto to
one of his pupils before his death.

When discovered by the church, he was

subjected to interrogation and torture. Most of his
ramblings were incoherent and nonsensical, but
he did reveal some elements of ceremonial magic
to his persecutors. In 1611 he was executed. Had
he been allowed to live, no doubt sorcerers would
have hunted him down for the secrets (how ever
minor they were) he had revealed.

The Inquisitors made an attempt to locate

Gaufridi's pupils, but none were ever captured.

9.2 ULRICH MOLITAR

Ulrich was a pioneer in the study of sorcery

and witchcraft. He was a professor at the
University of Constance. In 1489 he published,
De Lamiis et Pythonicis Mulieribus, one of the
 first scholarly books on the subject. Within it is drew from them were faulty. He was convinced
contained the first picture depicting a witch angels were merely children of clay who had died
riding atop a broomstick (a myth that would be and, as he put it, "returned to the original
come exceedingly popular in time). source". In spite of this misconceptions, he was
one of the first people to truly believe angels were
Though the work is well meant, and provides flawed creatures and not beings of perfect
as much insight as can be expected from a work of goodness.
that time period, Ulrich's text is fraught with
errors and false conclusions. He has a tendency to It is a shame that his works remain unknown
link sorcery and witchcraft, considering them two by all but the most learned angelologists.
side of the same coin. This opinion could not be
farther from the truth. 9.5 ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

9.3 BISHOP ORESEME Thomas Aquinas was born in Roccasecca,

Italy in 1224 and became one of the preeminent
A skeptic until his death in 1382, Nicole philosophers and catholic theologians of his time.
Oreseme the bishop of Lisieux was convince that
his superstitious congregation was being duped by Before entering the order of Dominicans at
charlatans that professed powers of sorcery and age twenty, Aquinas had received a master of arts
divination. He was fond of saying that it was degree from the University of Naples. He was sent
ridiculous that an astrologer could not predict the to the University of Paris in 1252 to pursue
sex of child, but, upon the child's birth, could advanced studies in theology. He remained in
suddenly predict all the events of his life. He is Paris to teach for seven years. The latter years of
noteworthy, because in a time when everyone was his life were spent back in Italy. He succumbed to
trying to prove the existence of sorcery and a long illness and died in 1274.
witchcraft, he was doing the opposite.
Aquinas was a prolific writer and his works
He did much to expose frauds who preyed on showed a rather eclectic approach to theology.
ignorance to make money. Unfortunately, it was Among his other interest was a fascination with
this aggressive attempt to disprove all supernatural angel. One of his most famous works is entitled,
occurrences that lead to some rather nefarious Summa Theologica. The work consists of three
elements flourishing under his rule. parts. In the first section, Aquinas concerns
himself with the topics of creation, angels, and
9.4 EMANUEL SWEDENBORG humanity. The second section is devoted to a
study of virtue, vice, and grace. In the final
By all accounts one of the most learned and section, Aquinas addresses the issue of Christ and
remarkable men of his time, Emanuel the sacrament.
Swedenborg was a scientist and philosopher who
lived from 1688 – 1772. For the first part of his 9.6 DIONYSIUS the AREOPAGITE
life he was a rather unreligious man. His secular
accomplishment were staggering. He was well Often referred to as the Pseudo-Dionysius so
learned, having been educated in London and as not to be confused with the philosopher of the
Amsterdam. For a time he was a pupil of Isaac same name who appears in the New Testament,
Newton. At 26 he returned to his native Sweden this sixth century writer had one of the greatest
with a plethora of ideas and sketches for all impacts on angelogy. In his treaties, The Celestial
manner of inventions. Among these were plans Hierarchy, he describes the nine choirs of angels
for mining machinery, a submarine, and even an and how they relate to one another.
airplane, which was successfully flown for a few
miles. Though his revelations about the angelic
world are downright astounding in their accuracy
But when Swedenborg was fifty-six he had a (and so must have been inspired by one of the
life changing vision. He communed with angels divine creatures), Dionysius is not totally accurate
and was given visions of the true nature of the in what he writes. It is his opinion that only the
universe. He was show Heaven, Hell, and choirs of angels and archangels travel to Earth to
introduced to many of the celestial inhabitants. help the children of clay. According to him the
He devoted the remainder of his life writing about higher choirs spend all their time in Heaven. This
angels and their unseen world. He did much to is an erroneous statement. While angels and
further mankind's understanding of the divine. archangel (having the greatest numbers) are the
most prolific in the material world, the other
Unfortunately, as is the case with many choirs often complete mission to help mortals.
visions, some of the interpretations Swedenborg
 9.7 JANNES and JAMBRES Milton was a born in 1608. He was a well-
learned man who had a flare for writing. Though
These two Egyptians are often considered the two his body of work is substantial, he is most
most powerful sorcerers to have ever existed. Near remembered for his work Paradise Lost. In it he
the end of their days, they decided to test their addresses all manner of celestial topics and
skills in the magical arts. With years of concentrates heavily on the fall of Sammael.
preparation and research, they adorned dozens of
protective talismans and were able to transport Milton perceived many things about angels
themselves to the First Heaven. that turned out to be truths of the universe.
Perhaps he was inspired by a ministering angel, or
Here they were greeted by a dozen angels perhaps it was mere creativity that only
anxious to expel them from the celestial world. accidentally stumbled upon the real order of
The angels were not powerful enough to even things. In this piece, Milton saw the Seven Angels
slow down these two mighty Sorcerers. Their of Divine Grace, who he claimed were closest to
minor celestial forces proved useless against the God. He also wrote that angels were created
two Egyptians. before the existence of the world, an idea that
diverged from the common religious thinking of
Next they traveled through the corridor of the time. He was also keenly aware that angels
the Second Heaven, and entered the realm of the were, though very intelligent, not omniscient. He
Third Heaven where they drew the attention of also gave character to these angels, not making
greater celestials. Domination and Virtues them mindless servants of God, but rather
confronted them. They demanded that the two infusing them with a opinions and interpretations
intruders leave or face the wrath of the Almighty. on the events that went on around them.
Undaunted, the two children of clay continued
on their journey not heading these warnings. So
the angels of the second triad called up all the
forces they possessed and tried to eject them. But
even the forces of this triad did little to cause the
two intruders pause.

When they reached the fourth heaven,

Michael and Gabriel were waiting. These two,
among the strongest in all of Heaven, were
determined to stop the sorcerers from reaching
the Seventh Heaven and the throne of the
Almighty. The battle was not easy. Both sides
fought hard, but in the end it was the celestials
that were forced to withdraw.

Upon entering the fifth heaven, the seraph

Metatron, highest of all angels, greeted them. He
did not approach them with hatred or aggression.
Rather, he welcomed them and engaged them in
conversation. No one is quite sure what
Metatron's words were, and he has not revealed
them to his brethren, but over the course of time
he was able to get the two sorcerers to remove
their talismans one at a time. When they were left
sufficiently vulnerable, he ejected them from
heaven with but a wave of his hand.

They fell to Earth, where their memories

were wiped clean of the experience and of all
knowledge for that matter. Jannes is known to
have died shortly after this adventure, but the
outcome of Jambres is uncertain. Undoubtedly he
died, but history has no record of this event.

9.8 JOHN MILTON