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Molder Demons
Supernatural predators are much like natural ones, in at least one regard: they prefer the easiest prey available that suits their needs. And some are more scavenger than predator. Molder Demons are very much scavengers, which does not make them any less vicious – but they, like their favored prey, are typically overlooked. Sometimes deliberately.
A Molder Demon begins its life cycle as a semi-tangible cloud seeking out a suitable human host to infest. ‘Suitable,’ in this case, means ‘destitute, disease and/or drug-ridden, isolated, and living on the streets.’ The victim is typically assaulted when either asleep or in a state of chemical intoxication, in order to ensure a smooth infestation: if the victim fails a Will roll, the Molder Demon takes possession and eats enough of the victim’s personality to psychically ‘fit.’ The Molder Demon is in full control of the victim’s body, and can access its memories with an IQ roll (the typical Molder Demon has an IQ of 13).
It will then ride the victim’s body for as long as it can… and this is where the horror appears, because from the outside the process looks like a formerly-homeless person suddenly getting back on his feet, and fixing his life. In reality, the Molder Demon is removing physical and mental disadvantages for the most selfish of reasons. Addictions and chemical imbalances in the brain make it more difficult for the Molder Demon to maintain control, obviously diseases and infections might shorten the victim’s lifespan, poor hygiene and appearance will make it difficult for the demon to enter civilized society once ‘reformed:’ so all of these things have to be corrected. A Molder Demon has control over, and an understanding of, a human’s body and biochemistry that is far beyond ours; they can do wonders.
In game terms, a Molder Demon reduces a victim’s appropriate physical and mental disadvantages by 1 point per full day of possession. Purely social disadvantages will not be affected; but certainly Appearance can be repaired, as are Addictions, Unfit, Characteristics below base levels, Terminally Ill, Delusions, and other disadvantages of that type. While all of this is going on, the victim may make a Will -4 roll per month to try to kick the Molder Demon out. If successful, at this point the Molder Demon may or may not attempt to try to possess the victim again; it can try once per day on the same victim.
Eventually, the victim runs out of appropriate Disadvantages to buy off; at that point, infestation by a Molder Demon will add 1 character point towards the victim’s Will stat per month. The monthly Will roll by the victim continues: generally speaking, once Will starts building up the Molder Demon can count on about two years in any one body before the victim has a reasonable chance of kicking out the demon. This is, however, plenty of time for any amount of serious, hassle-free ‘pleasures of the flesh’-related activities, which is typically more than most demons get on this plane of existence before somebody notices. At this point in the cycle, when a Molder Demon is eventually kicked out, it simply goes and finds another homeless person, and starts the process over again.
And as for the former victim? He will wake up with a body that’s in rough good health, his position in society has been at least partially repaired if not fixed outright, he’s permanently ‘cured’ of whatever compulsion or drive that put him on the streets… and a hole in his mind and psyche that he instinctively shies away from. Strictly speaking, someone who has gone through Molder Demon infestation is not the same person when he’s finally free of the demon: that becomes clear when any sort of supernatural scan is done. Applied theologians are still unsure whether the victim still has the same soul as before.
Which last bit would be generally considered to be monstrous, in any other context. But in this one… well, it’s hard to get even occultly aware, benign institutions to really go after Molder Demons. They are, after all, preying on people who have already fallen through the cracks in the System of the World. If you don’t think about it… you won’t have to think about it.
The material presented here is my original creation, intended for use with the In Nomine and GURPS systems from Steve Jackson Games. This material is not official and is not endorsed by Steve Jackson Games.
In Nomine and GURPS are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games, and the art here is copyrighted by Steve Jackson Games. All rights are reserved by SJ Games. This material is used here in accordance with the SJ Games online policy.
