The fanatics of the Jeremiad are able to summon forth aspects of the divine (or according to some fanatics, the truest form of their monstrous natures) to cleanse the area around them and purify those touched by its darkness, but there are times when they must channel their fervor for the strength to do more than fill hearts with hope. The Jeremiad are a faction entirely consisting of sinners in desperate search for redemption, and to many, this ultimate act is one they undergo at the cost of great pain and anguish, but for the righteous cause. They must lead, and not just as peaceful shepherds guiding their flocks to stick to the path. They must clad themselves in armor of spite and strength and march forth to meet their foes wherever they may hide.
To some, this power makes paladins of the Jeremiad. To others, it reveals how utterly twisted the faction is, as they use these godlike, monstrous powers to impose their will upon others in the name of purification.
Invoking the Godhead is a step no fanatic takes lightly. It leaves lasting scars and has the potential to kill its user if not used properly. For a brief time, the fanatic gains abilities out of legend, and is able to shrug off the blows of their enemies and rain down divine fire from the sky. Their body glows with a nimbus of glory and righteousness, and those who gaze upon them are often forced to avert their eyes to avoid having their vision burned away. Using this vector is anathematic to the Jeremiad’s core principle of suppressing their monstrous nature, so to embrace the beast and charge into battle incurs a heavy mental cost.
The Godhead’s effects on the fanatic are more than simply donning a coat of armor and removing it later. Many who use its power find their senses dulled afterwards and find their normal state is no longer satisfying. Some find the presence so overwhelming they do not dare touch upon it again. These are all real consequences for what might actually be embodying the God-Machine or a valid divine judge, but for the brief period they do, they are akin to an ancient war god walking the land.
The Lucifuge feels nothing but pride and righteousness as their teachings have come true and they have become the god they promised others they could be. The Promethean becomes a grand architect, her mind full of new equations and alchemical solutions that she will share with her fellow fanatics. The Psychopomp feels something akin to the power she once wielded as an angel of the God-Machine, but she almost feels like she could become even greater than the machine.
System: Invoking the Godhead is an act that cannot be taken back once summoned. It summons a tidal wave of power that flows through the user, whether it be the raw potency of Vitae, the brambles and thorns of Arcadia, or the pulsing, overwhelming power of Sekhem. At once, they find every aspect of their being expanded as if they were one with reality. Their perceptions expand and all problems seem simple to them.
Those invoking the Godhead gain the following benefits:
• Immunity to any Conditions or Health damage for the remainder of the vector’s duration. This does not remove any Conditions or damage already sustained, but the user can ignore their effects. It does not nullify any Conditions named as impervious to vectors.
• All the users Brawl attacks deal aggravated damage. If their Brawl attacks already deal aggravated damage, they gain three dots in Strength instead.
• They can automatically see through any illusions, Covers, or cloaking powers within range of their vision. By entering a Clash of Wills and emerging triumphant, they can prevent a target from using that power again for the remainder of the chapter.
• They gain two dice to all of their dice pools for the duration of the power.
• They can interact with the Contagious and handle Contagious individuals and artifacts without fear of infection
• Their Speed, Defense, and Initiative all increase by 3.
Godhead takes a toll. At the beginning of each turn after the vector is activated, the fanatic takes 2 points of lethal damage that cannot be healed in any way. They may spend a point of Willpower to ignore taking a damage for the turn. The power ends when the user decides to let the power lapse or they run out of boxes of Health, at which point all damage they suffered by using the Godhead converts to aggravated damage. Those killed in this way are engulfed by Infrastructure or interstitial terrain that snares them and drags them, often screaming, into the hard fabric of our reality, or one of many others. Reality rejects their monstrous actions.
Using Godhead also conveys the Madness Condition (see Chronicles of Darkness p. 289) with the added feature that they cannot use Godhead again until the Condition is resolved, or for the remainder of the chronicle — whichever is longer. No vectors can be used to alleviate this Condition, as all the powers and possibilities open to act as temptation to the self-loathing Jeremiad conspire to destabilize her.
Cost: 1 Willpower and 2 Sworn Experience
Requirement: The fanatic must not possess any Contagion-linked Conditions.
Dice Pool: Presence + Occult Action: Instant
Duration: One scene
Edges
Beasts: Your Godhead resembles your perception of the Dark Mother. You leave clawed footprints and tentacular grooves in your wake as a guttural roar escapes your maw. You may gain one ability from the Adopt the Beast Shape list (Beast: The Primordial p. 243) as your horror physically manifests in challenge to the true Incarnate. This edge ends at the conclusion of the scene but alerts all Heroes in the nearby area to your presence.
Changeling: To your horror, you come to resemble the True Fae who once held you captive. You are both Lost and Gentry melded into one, in a seamless combination of otherworldly power and mortal understanding. A Lost with this edge gains five Hedgespinning successes that you can use immediately and reflexively even if you’re not in the Hedge. This power prompts a Clarity attack with a pool of five dice.
Demon: The power you feel now is as if you blew your Cover a thousand times over, and your vision becomes filled with endless permutations of code cycling over and over until you seem to understand it all. Your appearance changes to that of your perception of the God-Machine, or at least an avatar of that entity. In addition to the effects of the Godhead, you count as if Going Loud without losing your current Cover, and you permanently heal one Condition as you rewrite your own code.
Deviant: Forced mutation into a truly unnatural, in- human form comes with your use of Godhead. Your body and mind are altered in the ultimate form of living weapon, perfectly harmonious for but a brief time. You may increase all your Variations by one Magnitude for the scene without increasing their corresponding Scar Magnitude.
Hunters: You always dreamed of having this power, but now you have it, you find it like riding a rollercoaster — you must keep both hands on the ride to keep from falling off. If you believe in a higher power, you now resemble them in an idealized fashion. Perhaps your ancestors are looking down kindly upon you, but at the end of your time as the Godhead, all lethal and bashing damage is healed.
Mage: Channeling arcane forces has never seemed easier to you, as your Nimbus radiates visibly and your body throbs with power. You gain one additional free Reach on every spell you cast for the duration of Godhead.
Mummies: Use of the Godhead forces you to resemble one of the Judges of Irem, your head becoming as that of a beast, your limbs and torso shifting to shapes cosmic and aberrant. Mortals who gaze upon your form immediately take on the Shaken Condition (see Chronicles of Darkness p. 290) but you gain four dice to any attempts at recruiting them into your cult.
Promethean: For a moment, you feel completely whole and human. You understand life and the power flowing through you and are able to force your body to withstand the incredible forces wanting to tear it apart. You can fuel
your vector by spending Pyros instead of Willpower and Experience.
Sin-Eaters: Your powers seem unlimited and you are able to sense the sins and thoughts of those around you like an open book. You come to resemble the geist that met you upon your death, all skewed and representative of their will. Sin-Eaters immediately can tell what Conditions affect those around them and gain instant knowledge of any perverse or sinister actions the individuals have committed recently.
Vampires: You are an ancient fury made flesh, the Beast rising to the fore and making your form like something from a nightmare. You are able to use this edge to increase the potency of your blood. Your Blood Potency is increased by 2 while you have this vector active and your Vitae swells, reaching maximum capacity as you draw blood from every living thing around you.
Werewolves: You understand Father Wolf’s devotion to his duty well, though you know your ancestors were still correct in their actions. In fact, it is Father Wolf you now come to resemble — massive, hulking, and steaming with heat as your immense jaws snap and claws extend. While this power is active, any werewolves, spirits, or other creatures familiar with the legend of Father Wolf must roll Resolve + Composure to consider fighting you. If they do so, they are at a constant –2 to dice rolls when attacking.
Specializations
Integrators: You have felt the sheer divine glory of being an extension of the God-Machine and that feeling will affect everyone around you. You may select up to twelve individuals deemed “disciples” who will forever be able to see and interact with Infrastructure as if it weren’t hidden from their sleeping eyes.
Su-Menent: It is anathematic for mummies to resemble gods, so bound to service are they. If one of the Priests of the Deathless uses this vector, their Judge is guaranteed to take an avatar in the nearby area in the next story, though whether to punish or reward their cleric is up to the cosmic god taken physical form.