Wednesday, June 10, 2020

Demons and Devils for The Sixth Gun

I'd like to swing back around to The Sixth Gun RPG for a moment with a short collection of demons and devils for use in that game.

-Nate





Imps
The smallest and, thus, least powerful type of demon is the imp. Some scholars of the occult believe that these are fully grown demons in their own right, while others maintain that they are more like larva, and after a certain amount of time grow into one of the more powerful forms. That notion, in turn, raises important questions about how and why they come to be born in the first place. Whatever the truth of it is, they are known to be used by occultists as familiars, and by other demons as servants and messengers. While small in size, their ability to create havoc means that they are foes not to be taken lightly.

Imp
Attributes: Agility d10, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d4, Vigor d6
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d6, Notice d6, Occult d4, Persuasion d4, Stealth d8
Pace: 4, Parry: 5, Toughness: 5
Edges: Dodge, Improved Dodge
Special Abilities
  • Bite: Str+d4
  • Claws: Str+d4
  • Demon: +2 to recover from being Shaken; immune to poison and disease; half-damage from non-magical attacks
  • Flight: Imps have a Flying Pace of 12.
  • Size: -1
  • Weaknesses: Imps must make a Spirit roll when presented with a holy symbol or splashed with holy water, or be Shaken.


Erinyes (Furies)
These raging devils are hell-bent on vengeance; as such, they are fearsome in appearance, looking like female humans with hair like snakes, wiry but strong bodies, and fiery gazes. They wear armor like warriors, carry swords and whips or other such weapons, and have broad wings. While most often summoned to persecute a particular individual, they are sometimes kept by potent conjurers or other, more powerful demons to serve as guardians of important places and things.

Erinyes

Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8

Skills: Athletics d8, Fighting d10, Notice d6, Occult d6, Stealth d6
Pace: 6, Parry: 7, Toughness: 6
Edges: Berserk
Special Abilities
  • Bite: Str+d4
  • Claws: Str+d4
  • Demon: +2 to recover from being Shaken; immune to poison and disease; half-damage from non-magical attacks
  • Fearless: Immune to Fear and Intimidation.
  • Flight: Erinyes have a Flying Pace of 18.
  • Gear: Whip (Damage Str+d4), sword (Str+d6).



Succubi and Incubi
In their natural forms—if one can call them that—these creatures look like strikingly beautiful human women with short horns jutting out of their hair, long thin tails, and broad, bat-like wings. They are able to change their shapes, however, taking on other forms in order to blend in among humans and even to change their gender. This allows them to infiltrate mortal society, and thus to gain influence over people through their beguiling charms. What is more, the pairing of an incubus and a human woman sometimes lead to the birth of a cambion, as detailed below.

Succubus
Attributes: Agility d8, Smarts d8, Spirit d10, Strength d6, Vigor d8
Skills: Athletics d4, Common Knowledge d6, Fighting d6, Language d6, Notice d8, Occult d8, Persuasion d10, Stealth d4
Pace: 6, Parry: 5, Toughness: 6
Edges: Attractive, Very Attractive
Special Abilities
  • Bite: Str+d4
  • Claws: Str+d4
  • Demon: +2 to recover from being Shaken; immune to poison and disease; half-damage from non-magical attacks
  • Fearless: Immune to Fear and Intimidation.
  • Flight: Succubi have a Flying Pace of 12.


Other Demons and Devils
The core rulebook for The Sixth Gun RPG has stats for three more types of demons and devils; they are the crossroads demon (page 74), devil (74-5), and plague spawn demon (75).





Demon Lords
Little is known for certain about these fearsome fiends, but there has been a lot of speculation. Take, for instance, the demon lord Baphomet, who is said to have been revered by the Knights Templar before their order was disbanded and many of their members were captured, tried, and executed. Baphomet (depicted above) is described as a towering humanoid figure with a mix of male and female anatomy, along with the birdlike wings and the head and hooves of a goat. Just what powers this fiend might have, however, is not known. 

Other names mentioned as being powerful demon lords and archdevils include Abbadon, Baalzebul, Dispater, Moloch and Pazuzu.



Gargoyles
While not believed to be demons in their own right, these creatures certainly look fiendish. What is more, they look like their bodies are carved from stone, and in fact they can blend in among the ordinary statues on buildings such as cathedrals and others. They have bird-like faces with beak-like mouths, broad wings and sharp claws on their hands and feet. Just how they came into existence is open to speculation.

Gargoyle
Attributes: Agility d6, Smarts d6, Spirit d6, Strength d8, Vigor d8
Skills: Athletics d6, Fighting d8, Notice d6, Stealth d6, Survival d6
Pace: 6, Parry: 6, Toughness: 10
Special Abilities
  • Bite: Str+d6
  • Claws: Str+d6
  • Elemental (Earth): No additional damage from called shots; ignore 1 point of wound penalties; doesn't breathe; immune to disease and poison
  • Flight: Gargoyles have a Flying Pace of 18.


Plot Hooks
Detailed here are some of the ways in which demons and devils can be incorporated into adventures and campaigns in the setting of The Sixth Gun RPG.
  • As mentioned above, imps are frequently used as messengers. They are also sometimes summoned by spellcasters and bound into service as familiars, thus providing advice and assistance to the occultists they serve.
  • Succubi are particularly skilled at manipulating people in the mortal world, usually by choosing a victim, winning that person's love, and then influencing the important decisions which that person makes.
  • The cambions that are born of relations between incubi and their lovers sometimes become pariahs and even outcasts, chased out of their communities for being different; at other times they are embraced by occult organizations because of their supernatural potential. In the latter case, occultists sometimes summon incubi for the purpose of siring such offspring.
  • Although they are not actual demons, some scholars speculate that demons in urban areas use them as spies, given their ability to blend in with the architecture.
  • Rumor has it that the father of Roberto Vargas, a member of the Sword of Abraham, was “torn apart” by gargoyles in Paris.
  • King James I of England wrote a text about demons and their influence; it contributed in large part to the persecution of witches that took place during his reign, at a time when the Invisible College was still finding its footing in the world. Some believe that the Cabal took advantage of these circumstances in order to steal arcane lore from innocent victims, which they then used for their own purposes.
  • In addition to accusations of worshiping Baphomet, it is believed that the Knights Templar sought the fabled tome Clavicula Salmonis—a grimoire, the Key of Solomon, that contained spells for summoning, binding and dispelling demonic powers. It is not known if the modern Knights of Solomon have inherited that legacy from their predecessors.



Cambions
The offspring of incubi (succubi in male form) and human women are known as cambions. They do not differ physically from ordinary humans, but sometimes are known to have extraordinary powers. Some legends even claim that the druid and wizard Merlin, advisor to King Arthur himself, was the offspring of such a diabolical union. While some speculate that cambions live longer than ordinary humans, the violence that often surrounds them most often cuts their lives short.
  • Immune: To poison and disease.
  • Hindrance: Enemy (adherents to most religions, if the cambion's identity is revealed).

Connections to Other Material
Refer to the following articles for more information about some of the organizations mentioned here.




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