Father Philip, ready-made NPC
Forgotten Lore - Issue 2
“In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. . . Yippee Ki Yay,!!!”
Background: Father Philip should have died that night - or worse. Whatever godling or monster that was, it was real; and it went far beyond any legends or doctrines about spiritual warfare that the Church had taught.
While many of his friends (what few there were) had gone to join the military just out of high school, Philip O’Hara went into the service of the Lord. He studied at the seminary, believing he would be a shining beacon for good in a dark world. Despite the lack of a church upbringing, he did well in his studies and went on to become a Catholic priest. Having no fond memories of home, he hoped for a posting far away. His mother, had died on his 12th birthday of a drug overdose, forcing his father to take on another job. The long work hours strained their relationship, with Philip often feeling that his father was never around when needed.
Indirectly this had pushed Philip to the church. At first, it was a way to leave an empty home, but as he progressed in his studies, his growing faith gave him a comfort which had been conspicuously absent from his life up to this point. He enjoyed being helpful, deriving a sense of selfworth from volunteer work, or just helping out around the church. It was through this service to others that he finally discovered a sense of self.
For some years after being ordained he served as a parish priest. After a while, Father Philip began to experiment with a small variety of extra training opportunities, from exorcism to ministering to prisoners. He extended his care of others to include blessing houses before a family brought in a newborn baby or occasionally casting out demons to aid people give up smoking or alcohol.
That was all to change in one night.
At 11:15 pm, he received a phone call from a frantic female voice. The voice had seemed familiar, but despite his uncommon knack for remembering the people to whom he ministered, Philip was at a loss to recall the woman. Arriving at the source of the call, he found a small empty office building - but no distressed woman. Letting himself in, he called out, with no response. Following the illumination of the only light in the block he arrived in a room, empty save for the phone laying off the hook.
And then it hit him.
He remembers seeing mechanical gears twisting and breaking asunder in his mind, and can’t think of anything even similar to the sheer agony he felt as the force wrested his will from him. It was like being on fire, enduring the agony of flame, yet never being consumed by it. He remembers the thought, that this must be what Hell feels like. Not the proverb, not the exaggeration, but actual Hell.
Through shattered memories, he recalls going into an unfamiliar police station. He remembers standing surreally , casting away a woman’s weeping body. More memories of feeling her utter hatred of him, and not knowing the cause. He remembers a slow walk, almost a sort of saunter towards a lot of vehicles. A body, literally shredded, like those God-awful horror movies, lays outside a guard shack, the gate not open, but gone. He remembers, almost being free. Almost.
He recalls a tear, or many tears not for ruining make-up, but for hitting the ground. He remembers thinking that Jacob, returning to Canaan, wrestled an angel. He remembers yellow, with black stripes on occasion. He remembers piloting a ship. An old ship. It seemed so strange, so out of place with everything else. An unclean, an unnatural glory, as if some sort of victory. And that was one of the last things. He remembers thinking, it is time, and imagining himself striking it, a true demon. A loud thunder followed by a nauseated feeling. A deep pain, in the abdomen. She, the girl that was so sad. Still crying, but with her hands on his shoulders, for some reason. Another thunderclap, and it as gone from him. And that is how he died.
He awoke, not on a surgeon’s table, not in a hospital, nor on the ground, but on his feet. Miles away from anywhere he knew, and two months past his last memory.
He knows he died, and somehow came back from that. He remembers being controlled by that thing, though not how long, or all that he had done in that time. It didn’t take long for him to discover that he had been officially declared dead and his good name ruined. His world had been devastated and yet he had returned. He had been granted a glimpse of a greater truth, a world in which spirits warred for Creation. Reflecting on the previous night, he saw with startling clarity that he was not ready for this war.
Father Philip, believed dead and cast form the Church which had given him such comfort, turned his attention to another calling. He branched out into more occult understandings involving spiritual warfare, demonic possession and understanding, and ways to ward against the evils that really do exist. He has not discovered any other groups with similar goals or understandings, and isn’t sure how he may react if he did. He rationally believes that he cannot be alone, but in his darker moods wonders if he is singled out for torment – the only sighted man in a kingdom of the blind. He wonders too, that if others exist who share his knowledge, would they be allies? Though he has begun to research and understand multiple religious interpretations of the motives and specifics of spirits, he still holds to his Catholic worldview, cataloguing these forces as varieties of Demonic forces, filled with lies and half-truths.
How to use in your game:
nWoD – “Father” Philip is mortal.
He is not a Sin-Eater, Mage, or even a supernatural human like some versions of Hunters or those options presented in Second Sight, or similar books. He is an enlightened human, but a mortal still, and likely one that would view Vampires, Werewolves, Mages, and other creatures among the spiritual allies of the Devil, if he were to ever discover them. As of yet, he has only ever (knowingly) encountered spirits and ghosts, neither of which more than a handful of times.
Suggested Traits: Physical traits low, with Mental and Social higher, particularly Resistance traits. His Virtue is likely to be Faith, though Fortitude or Justice might also work well. Vice, should be exceptionally interesting based on what twists you want to add to the character’s personality. Wrath might work, if you want a taste of an old-school witch-hunter, though Father Philip is not particularly fanatic in his faith. Charity and Hope are also good choices, unlike Prudence and Temperance. Pride, either overestimating his newfound holy mission or at his prior higher social station may be appropriate as well, though likely Sloth, Envy, Greed, and Gluttony (except as a “martyr”) likely will not fit as well.
He may have a dot or two in Athletics and Brawl, (likely for participating in YMCA community programs and self-defense to pass the time), but would have 3+ dots in Academics (religion/Occult), Investigation (Research), Medicine, Occult (Religion/Exorcism/Spirits), Expression, Empathy, and either Persuasion or Socialization, due to his time as being a priest and community figure. A Dot or 2 in Politics wouldn’t be unheard of. Willpower, and especially Morality need to be particularly high. The mechanics for Exorcisms (presented in the nWoD Core Rulebook, p. 214) have a minimum requirement of Morality 8 and Occult/Academics 3. Meditation would be a good choice for Merit, as would those that augment his mental or social aptitudes.
Father Philip generally carries on his person some rudimentary religious texts and tools, typically a Catholic Bible, a Rosary*, some cheap incense and oils, and a personal journal with a lot of Latin quotes he tries, as well as some pagan and secular wards and phrases he has come across. If given time to prepare, he has a small library dedicated to spiritual/spirit matters and demonology, more uncommon items for exorcism, and a variety of Catholic icons and items.
* The Rosary is a special tool, not exactly a relic or magical item, but does grant him an additional bonus dice when used along with Catholic prayer to attempt to ward against, banish, trap, or manipulate spirits, above and beyond any other special gear used.
cWoD – Likewise, Father Philip is not a Mage or Hedge Witch, a Hunter, nor really a Medium. He has an experience very similar to the Imbuing, but none of their abilities of connections, and cannot recognize the unholy in any special way. Not being a government agent, or a member of a ultra-secret group dedicated to destroying or studying the things that should not be, he really isn’t a mortal hunter either. Philip is just a guy with a past touched by the supernatural.
Suggested Traits: Again, Physical Traits are going to be tertiary, with Mental and Social being almost equally higher. Concept could be Criminal, Drifter, Intellectual, Professional, or even Soldier. Nature could be a variety of things, really dependant on what sort of personal spin you might like for the character. Architect, Caregiver, Conformists (to heaver), Judge, Martyr, Pedagogue, Survivror, or Visionary are all excellent choices, while Bon Vivant, Conniver, Fanatic, Monster, Penitent, Rebel, and Thrill-Seeker are likely not going to work well, unless you want a particularly twisted character with more than a touch of Role-Playing difficulties.
Again, most of the equivalent traits mentioned above are likely going to be prevalent, with one rather large exception. A cWoD Father Philip has access to an item of interesting ability. The same Rosary* noted above, itself has a True Faith Rating or 2. Father Philip lacks a certain zealous conviction in his own righteousness to have True Faith, though he does have a strong sense of faith, the Rosary, when used as part of in invocations against demonic evils, does add a small taste of divine might. Primarily useful only in a defensive sense, or as an instrument of banishing spirits (including ghosts, and disembodied werewolves, mages, and vampires), Father Philip himself does not present any particular aura or magic (unless actively using the Rosary), can not use it as a weapon, and does not know that it is an actual relic.
The other out of the ordinary aspect of Father Philip is that he has an exceptionally high Willpower, (perhaps even rivaling weaker Mages and ancient Vampires). He has always had a great deal of Self-Control, a large sense of Conscience, and over the past year has begun to develop an inner Courage to face some of the darkness. If used, good choices for Merits include Enchanting Voice (2P), Concentration (1M), Natural Linguist (2M), Calm Heart (3M), Iron Will (3M), Natural Leader (1So), or something that allows him similar abilities above and beyond the normal limits of mental fortitude. However, Supernatural ones, like True Faith, Medium, and Oracular Ability should likely be avoided. Suitable Flaws might involve Nightmares (1M), Phobia (2M), Soft-Hearted (1M), Eerie Presence (2Su), and even Haunted (3Su), related to after effects of his possession, or even his Rosary.
So how do I use him?
Father Philip can be used in a few ways with ease. As a (mostly) Ready Made Character™, he is basically ready to go, with a few minor adjustments to fit the context of your game. He is designed to be a character with proficiencies in mental and social abilities, and general and specialized knowledge. He is not at all a physical or combat-style character, either in the defensive or offensive sense, and will likely die very quickly if that is attempted. His true strengths, however, are as an NPC. Either as someone introduced by the Storyteller to aid with a specific problem, an inconstant ally, mentor, and source of information and lore, and even as a close friend. Father Philip could be a resource that gathers the players together in an introductory story, and focuses them for the remained of a chronicle, or even used as a broken individual, to show just how fragile mortals are in the face of an overwhelming and undefeatable darkness. Father Philip could be used as a foil or even an antagonist for Supernatural characters or even mortals that are themselves still very religious or have a very different sense of the occult. Whatever returned Father Philip to life might in fact have some very vile and unknowable plans and motives for doing so. Is he even truly human after that? Was he ever? Is that spirit that dominated him, truly (completely!!!) gone. Unlike any of It’s other victims, Father Philip was able to resist. Why was that?
