Psychomachia

Psychomachiae are Banes of pain and base terror.

Overview

These Banes, which magnify momentary impulses, are drawn to places and people suffering in misery. They push individuals teetering on the brink over the edge, or they goad those who have already fallen to keep going. They spawn in areas of mass hunger, crisis centers, prisons, and war zones. Even locations that are otherwise mundane may attract these spirits, thanks to the everyday cruelty that the Capitalocene engenders.

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In the physical world, Psychomachiae possess and distort beings already in the throes of misery — killers, bullies, and those who indulge maliciousness. They particularly relish those who have committed some great wrong in a fit of passion, and they whisper to such individuals to incite further crimes. These spirits may manifest pronounced bodily weaponry, such as large, clubbing hands; vicious teeth; or even a fist fused around a knife or razor, the better to thwart any chance of setting it aside. In the Umbra, their forms shift, based on the nature of the turmoil they last fed upon, but Psychomachiae are often adorned with razors, clamps, thumbscrews, and other instruments of inflicting pain.

In the Umbra, Psychomachiae try to discern any previous violations or atrocities in a subject’s history before attacking in ways that dredge up a victim’s past deeds or trauma. A victim who fails to resist the Bane’s Insight pool suffers Willpower damage equal, and in addition to, Health damage caused by the Bane for the rest of the scene. The Bane can also manifest any number of crude or refined implements of pain to accomplish its purpose. Victims possessed by Psychomachiae can manifest similar weapons out of their very flesh.

A victim possessed by a Psychomachia often shows no signs at first, as the spirit slowly eats away at the victim’s guilt until all that remains is the memory of atrocity and the desire to commit it again. The victim loses the ability to restore Willpower naturally and suffers one level of Superficial Willpower damage each night. Once the victim reaches Impairment, they accept the Bane (consciously or unconsciously) and become a violent incarnation of the urge to inflict suffering.

Stats

First Edition

• Rage: 10, Willpower: 7, Gnosis: 8, Power: 20, +10 per death inflicted by its host
• Charms: Possession, Airt Sense, Materialize,

Second Edition

• Willpower: 7, Rage: 10, Gnosis: 8, Power: 20 (+10 per death inflicted by its host)
• Charms: Airt Sense, Materialize, Possession

Revised Edition

• Willpower: 7, Rage: 10, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 25 (+1 per death inflicted by its host, not counting death the Psychomachia causes directly)
• Charms: Airt Sense, Corruption, Materialize, Possession

20th Anniversary Edition

• Willpower: 7, Rage: 10, Gnosis: 8, Essence: 25 (+1 per death inflicted by its host, not counting death the Psychomachia causes directly)
• Charms: Airt Sense, Corruption, Materialize, Possession

Fifth Edition

• Power: 4–8
• Exceptional Dice Pools: Melee +3, Insight (Violent History) +3, Intimidate (Repeat Trauma) +3

Trivia

• "Psychomachia" is a Latin term, first coined by the Roman poet Prudentius, that literally means "battle for the soul". It is often used in literary or religious circles to refer to an individual's struggle against sinful impulses.
• One infamous Psychomachia is part of the Dark Trinity, this Psychomachia is known as Fek.

References

• WTA: Werewolf: The Apocalypse Rulebook, p. 163
• WTA: GURPS Werewolf: The Apocalypse, p. 182
• WTA: Werewolf: The Apocalypse Second Edition, p. 272
• WTA: Werewolf: The Apocalypse Revised Edition, p. 285
• W20: Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Edition, p. 446
• W5]: Werewolf: The Apocalypse 5th Edition, p. 249-250