The Halo is a spirit helper or spirit of Benevolence.
Overview[]
It is said that God recognizes his most virtuous followers. Crowning them with a halo of light, He sets them apart from the mass of humanity. When their time comes, these blazing souls are bound for seats of honor at the table of the Lord. Until then, their crowns of light are invisible to all but God. Every so often, in times of great distress, He reveals them. Blessed is he who wears such a crown!
Those who study the Scourge dismiss the Halo as a simple spirit - one sent by God, of course, perhaps a minor angel, but not a manifestations of God's Own Hand. The faithful would disagree. To those who walk in Christ's light, the blazing crown of light marks a saint, or at the very least a holy person. Although the Halo does not grant any particular powers to its wearer, good Christians defer to the honored one. For some strange reason, the Halo occasionally appears around the heads of Muslims, Jews, heathens and other non-Christians. Although Christians tend to be suspicious of unbelievers who shine with Divine favor (surely such manifestations are devilish mockeries!), those who follow the ways of the appropriate faith still know the light of God for what it is, and they respect one crowned by the Halo's light.
Naturally, the Halo cannot tolerate sinfulness, especially not from one who "wears" it! In the presence of great evil, the crown blazes brightly, illuminating darkness and sometimes even sending out tendrils of fire to burn away uncleanness. If the Halo's wearer commits some evil act or denies his faith, the Halo burns him, then disappears forever. Once a man has sullied the crown of Divine favor with impurity, he will never enjoy its like again.
In game terms, the Halo is simply a corona of light that appears around the head of a faithful magus. It's actually a spiritual manifestation, not an object, and cannot be donned or removed. Normally, it remains invisible, even to the wearer; if some great crisis threatens, though, the Halo suddenly blazes above the character's head, sending out bright rays of light. When this light appears, the character wearing it reduces all his Social difficulties by one to four, depending on his actions and audience. (A gentle healer in a room filled with Christians would seem angelic, whereas a haughty missionary on pagan ground might be merely impressive.) When the crisis has passed, the Halo fades away until the character wins another Boon.
Despite its Christian connotations, the Halo is nonsectarian and appears on the heads of virtuous magi of all religions. At the Storyteller's option, a character with the Merit: True Faith may add an extra 10 points to the Halo's Power. The Merit has no other effect on the "spirit," although an especially reverent magus makes a good candidate for the Halo's appearance.
In the presence of a truly evil entity or item (an Infernalist, a Satanic altar, etc.), the Halo actually bursts into flame, attacking the offender with its Blast Flame Charm. As long as the "spirit" has Power, the Halo will continue to attack; if it runs out before the evil is destroyed, the Halo falters and fades. Should the wearer commit some grave sin, deny his God or use the Halo's power for ill purposes, the crown burns him instead, then disappears. Most sins warrant a single Blast, but really murderous or blasphemous ones pit the Halo against the magus; it will not depart until the wearer is dead. Truly, the favor of God is a sharp, double-edged blade!
Stats[]
Willpower: 5, Rage: 5, Gnosis: 5, Power: 30
Charms: Appear, Blast Flame (five dice), Soul Reading
Materialized Attributes: none
Abilities: none
Rewards: Courage, Faith, Fortitude, Hope and Love; punishes Deceit.
References[]
- MTSC: The Sorcerers Crusade Companion, p. 156