True Faith

True Faith is a magical phenomenon that became possible due to the machinations of the Angelic Hosts, who devised a system of magic that mankind would be able to employ to defend themselves against the predations of supernatural beings during the early years of the first millennium. Whilst demons were the main target of this ploy, with even the lowest levels of faith in a higher power being able to repel and harm most of them, other unnatural beings required something more. Per the designs of the Heavenly Host, the magical power pool (Known as the Well of Conviction) they set up could only be drawn upon by those they deemed worthy. Those possessed of powerful, unshakable faith in a higher power, which they could use to keep those unnatural beings that threatened them at bay.

## Mechanics

First and foremost, True Faith requires belief to function. The forces of Heavens formed a pool of magical energy, the Well of Conviction, which mortals could draw upon to wield various powers, provided that they met the restrictions of the angels, being a strong faith in a higher being, and devotion to them and their teachings. As such, True Faith can be fueled by belief in Christ, Allah, Odin, Shiva, great earth spirits, or any other sort of being that the mortal believes they could channel the power of through their faith.

True Faith works on the beliefs of the mortals, and as a result, some of its powers require artifacts, rituals, and ceremonies for the user to bring to bear. The more powerful the belief of the mortal in question, the further they can draw on the Well of Conviction. They can even bolster the effects they cause using powerful artifacts, as the Well is designed to supplement such items without the need for magical skill.

It should be noted that individuals with True Faith are marked by their auras, which show the energies of the Well of Conviction infused about them. Visually, this manifests as a golden, silver, or white halo radiating at the edge of their aura. The more potent the faith, the brighter the glow.

More potent supernatural beings are more resistant to True Faith. However, multiple True Faith wielders can combine their powers for more potent effects.

## Levels

### Levels 1-3 (Strong)

* **Repulsion (Level 1):** When armed with a holy artifact, such as a cross or Quran, a True Faith wielder can summon the power to repel the unnatural from them. If they are successful in summoning their faith, the unnatural being will be driven away from them, and if touched, will have their flesh burned. As the True Faith wielder usually believes that brandishing the artifact repels the foe, however, removing or lowering it usually ends the effect.
* **Fortify Spirit (Level 2):** By reciting a prayer or touching a holy artifact, a wielder of True Faith is able to fortify their mind against invasion and manipulation, making them briefly resistant to any sort of mental manipulation by unnatural powers.
* **Fortify Flesh (Level 3):** The Faithful are able to draw upon their beliefs, often supplemented by prayer and ritual, to strengthen their bodies with faith. Pain can loose meaning to them, as does exhaustion. This allows them to resist torture, and perform feats in battle they might never have otherwise accomplish, so long as the power persists.
* **Sense Darkness (Level 3):** The Faithful, when focused, wary, or in prayer, can sometimes gain an inkling of the magic that surrounds them. When able to concentrate, especially when praying or reading from some holy scripture, True Faith wielders can get a sense of the presence of a supernatural being, or if something supernatural has occurred in the vicinity. This ability requires concentration and quiet to use, and can be foiled by distractions such as conversations or even an unclear mind. When successful, Sensing the Darkness does not give the Faithful any specific information, merely the sense that something evil is in the air, and a rough idea of where it is coming from. If some supernatural power is used directly in their presence, or especially is directed at them, the usual need for quiet concentration can be forgone.
* **Sanctifying Touch (Level 3):** Generally speaking, holy water or other blessed items hold no true power. Not so for the Faithful, for they have the ability to imbue items with their faith. Holy water can burn, blessed bullets can shear through the flesh of fiends. Crosses which would ordinary be useless in the hands of those without True Faith gain the ability to repel monsters in any circumstance. The only limitation of the power is that those who wield the Sanctified items must be of the same religion as the one who sanctified them.

### Levels 4-5 (Potent)

* **Healing Hands (Level 4):** Not all powers of True Faith are used to scourge the creatures of darkness. Some are used to benefit man, and this is one such. Faithful can place their hands upon a fresh wound, and close it before the eyes of the injured. Typically, this power is potent enough to mend cuts and stabs, heal burns and broken bones, but cannot restore anything beyond the human body's natural capacity to heal, such as lost organs or limbs. Injuries that are not freshly inflicted cannot be mended by this ability. Diseases and infections can also be purged, so long as the diseases are not too severe and long lasting.
* **Sanctified Flesh (Level 4):** When activating this power, the very flesh of a True Faith wielder becomes anathema to the creatures of darkness. The mere touch of the Faithful is capable of burning their corrupted forms and causing them intense agony.
* **Battlesight (Level 5):** While many dark creatures move with speed no man can hope to match, the wielders of True Faith can access a power that gives them the edge they need to combat such fell swiftness. After some brief prayer or other means of gathering their power, the Faithful gains the ability to gain brief glimpses into the future, allowing them to see the moves of their opponents, magical or mundane, and give them the crucial instants they might need to survive an attack or land a killing blow.
* **Flame of Fury (Level 5):** Oftentimes, mundane weapons prove insufficient against creatures of the night. To combat this, the Flame of Fury enables the Faithful to cause holy flames to erupt from the weapons they wield. These fires do no harm to the weapons, nor their wielders, but they can cut through mundane materials with ease, and are the scourge of unnatural beings, cutting through the toughened hides of many and inflicting wounds that are tremendously difficult to heal.
* **Fortify Spirit (Level 5):** Through the recitation of a prayer or the touching of a holy artifact, the Faithful becomes temporarily immune to any magical attempts to sway their minds. Their thoughts and emotions are their own, their minds unbreachable, and no illusion can withstand their gaze.
* **Hands of Purification (Level 5):** Those with sufficiently potent True Faith have no need for long exorcism ceremonies. Merely laying their hands on the possessed can banish the spirit from their flesh. Not only that, but minds which are held enthralled are cleansed of supernatural influence, and addictions to magical substances such as vampire blood are purged, rendering ghouls mortal once more, though due to their physical nature, such things are expelled with vomiting and excretions. Even mundane poisons and addictions are cleansed with this power, as exists to free mortals of corruptions of the body, mind, and spirit.

### Levels 6-7 (Intense)

* **Gaze of Judgement (Level 6):** Many unnatural beings have committed grave sins. So have many men. This power forces both to feel the crushing weight of all they have done, forcing every vile act they have perpetrated to the fore of their thoughts, and crushing them with not only their own guilt, but the consternation of the Faithful. The more wicked the subject of this power, the more intense it is for them, and many are sent fleeing, while others go sobbing to their knees, unable to rise or defend themselves from the righteous judgement they know is theirs.
* **Aura of Castigation (Level 7):** The sufficiently strong Faithful are able to unleash an aura for brief periods which weakens the unnatural gifts that their enemies so often wield. Mage spells, vampiric blood gifts, werebeast legacies, and other powers are weakened or even completely deactivated in the case of the insufficiently powerful.

### Levels 8-9 (Miraculous)

* **Aura of Grace (Level 8):** The Aura of Grace, when active, makes it seem utterly unthinkable to strike at any who bear it. No being can attack them, so long as the bearer does not do any violence. The Aura can also be extended to allies, making them radiate benevolence and innocence, and rendering it impossible to attack them. They too, must not commit any violence, or the effect will fade. As the Aura's power persists, those affected find their anger and fear melting away, rendering them calm and placid, and sapping their will to harm anyone, washing them with waves of calm. Even after the power deactivates, the calming effect will persist for a while, so long as nothing is done to cause direct physical harm to those subjected to it.
* **Light of Retribution (Level 8):** An overt display of holy power, the Light of Retribution is a ray of radiant destruction that those gifted with True Faith may expel. The Light can shear through mundane materials with ease, turning metal and stone to slag and burning wood and flesh to cinder, and is devastating to most every supernatural being it strikes, killing most outright and inflicting dreadful wounds on those who can survive it, all of which are agonizingly difficult to heal. The Light is extremely taxing to call upon, leaving most Faithful who use it exhausted, but its effects can turn the tide of a battle against the hordes of the night.
* **Shield of Faith (Level 9):** A truly miraculous ability, the Shield of Faith protects its bearer from all harm while it is active. Nothing can harm them. Period. They can walk through flame without getting burned, be plunged into the ocean and be undrowned, or riddled with bullets without a single one breaching their skin. Armored as they are in faith, usually after reciting some prayer, they are invulnerable to any harm.

### Level 10 (Supreme)

* **Absolve the Curse of God (Level 10):**