The faithful Templar are the elite mortal forces of the Church. There are only thousands of Engel, while there are ten times as many Templar. These brave men and women receive advanced martial training and tactical lessons so they can deal with the strange threats of the world After the Flood. Still, their skills are not what sets them apart from ordinary troops.
The Templar are super human. Through the mysterious Mediator they can increase their physical capabilities far beyond the most impressive human maximums. It is known that Templar receive special diets and undergo ceremonies during their training and induction. Yet it is also known that they do not possess the nanotech hives or stolen Holy power that Engel have. The Mediator powers are certainly tied to faith and discipline; it is a universal truth that all Templar are steadfast, focused, and loyal to the doctrines of the Engeletic faith. They are the true Holy Army of the Church, and they reap benefits as such.
The Secret
...
Focus
The Templar are faithful to the scripture of the Engeletic Church. Their Focus comes from their faith and it is based on religion. The core tenets of the Church are sound; they exemplify righteousness, charity, honesty, faith, kindness, and other high moral qualities. These concepts are viewed through the lens of the Church, and the Templar try to live up to these nearly impossible standards. Through that struggle and constant meditation they achieve the control necessary to change their bodies and use the Mediator. If a Templar loses their faith their body will destroy itself. Templar who are more advanced actually suffer worse than initiates, as their bodies are more and more out of natural equilibrium. Etienne Normand might very well turn to goo instantly if his soul turns away from the teachings of the Church.
Bear in mind that the Church itself as an organization is not necessarily what the Templar believe in. They have the benefit of being separate from the major political wrangling of the Church bureaucracy, so their views on the corruption or indolence of the Church are not as bad as they could be. They keep the Faith; the spirit of the law, not necessarily the letter.
Oddly, the Templar focus on the actions and principles of various holy figures unknown to the lay-people of the Church to activate their Mediator. This is a call back to the ancient Roman mystery religions. This does not interfere with their keeping of the Churches faith, but rather strengthens it. It sets the Templar above the normal soldiers, builds a loyal community that has special ties to itself, and subconsciously reinforces the fact that the Templar cannot stray from their focus. They must aspire to be better than their chosen holy figures, who are obviously not a normal part of the dogma. These Saints or Prophets are numerous, so while some Templar may Focus on Herakles for strength, others may Focus on Superman (Ok, I’m probably joking about that one). There are no mechanical differences between these two. The Templar are well educated in these matters, as it is a major part of their training. They enjoy a combination of philosophical and physical conflict to resolve disputes related to their favored Saints.
Mediator Mechanics
The Mediator are passive Skills that enhance the Templars normal abilities. There are 5 Mediator, named after the most common “Saints”: Herakles, Cyrus, Vimana, Iskander and Jesu. These powers link up with the normal skills of Might, Endurance, Athletics, Alertness and Resolve.
To be able to purchase and use the Mediator a character must first have the appropriate normal skill at +5 or higher, then they can purchase the Stunt that opens the Mediator to them. After that, Mediator ranks are increased through Skill points, though they are not on the normal Skill ladder and are not subject to any of those related limits.
Every rank of a Mediator skill provides an additional +1 to rolls of the linked skill. For example, a Templar with Alertness +6 and Iskander +3 would roll Alertness at +9. The maximum Mediator rank is +5.
Templar may increase the application and power of their Mediator by applying more Stunt purchases to them.
Herakles
The Saint of Strength is a figure that was originally found by Templar serving in Roma Aeturna. The truly ancient buildings there held statues of fallen times from well before the Flood. Among these ruins they discovered the story of a man who was blessed by the gods, or was a god himself. He had strength beyond that of men, and he used it to accomplish labors of Good. The Templar that focus on this Saint and those like him are gifted with impossible might.
Stunts
Herakles – Introductory Stunt to unlock this Mediator. Provides Herakles at +1.
Requires Might +5
Labor – The strength of the righteous must be used to help the people. The Templar can apply their Herakles bonus to rolls for construction projects or community building that could benefit from massive strength.
Champion – The tests of the Saint always involve besting monsters and villains. The Templar can apply their Herakles bonus to the damage of their close physical attacks.
ANOTHER TEASER. More later.
The Templar are super human. Through the mysterious Mediator they can increase their physical capabilities far beyond the most impressive human maximums. It is known that Templar receive special diets and undergo ceremonies during their training and induction. Yet it is also known that they do not possess the nanotech hives or stolen Holy power that Engel have. The Mediator powers are certainly tied to faith and discipline; it is a universal truth that all Templar are steadfast, focused, and loyal to the doctrines of the Engeletic faith. They are the true Holy Army of the Church, and they reap benefits as such.
The Secret
...
Focus
The Templar are faithful to the scripture of the Engeletic Church. Their Focus comes from their faith and it is based on religion. The core tenets of the Church are sound; they exemplify righteousness, charity, honesty, faith, kindness, and other high moral qualities. These concepts are viewed through the lens of the Church, and the Templar try to live up to these nearly impossible standards. Through that struggle and constant meditation they achieve the control necessary to change their bodies and use the Mediator. If a Templar loses their faith their body will destroy itself. Templar who are more advanced actually suffer worse than initiates, as their bodies are more and more out of natural equilibrium. Etienne Normand might very well turn to goo instantly if his soul turns away from the teachings of the Church.
Bear in mind that the Church itself as an organization is not necessarily what the Templar believe in. They have the benefit of being separate from the major political wrangling of the Church bureaucracy, so their views on the corruption or indolence of the Church are not as bad as they could be. They keep the Faith; the spirit of the law, not necessarily the letter.
Oddly, the Templar focus on the actions and principles of various holy figures unknown to the lay-people of the Church to activate their Mediator. This is a call back to the ancient Roman mystery religions. This does not interfere with their keeping of the Churches faith, but rather strengthens it. It sets the Templar above the normal soldiers, builds a loyal community that has special ties to itself, and subconsciously reinforces the fact that the Templar cannot stray from their focus. They must aspire to be better than their chosen holy figures, who are obviously not a normal part of the dogma. These Saints or Prophets are numerous, so while some Templar may Focus on Herakles for strength, others may Focus on Superman (Ok, I’m probably joking about that one). There are no mechanical differences between these two. The Templar are well educated in these matters, as it is a major part of their training. They enjoy a combination of philosophical and physical conflict to resolve disputes related to their favored Saints.
Mediator Mechanics
The Mediator are passive Skills that enhance the Templars normal abilities. There are 5 Mediator, named after the most common “Saints”: Herakles, Cyrus, Vimana, Iskander and Jesu. These powers link up with the normal skills of Might, Endurance, Athletics, Alertness and Resolve.
To be able to purchase and use the Mediator a character must first have the appropriate normal skill at +5 or higher, then they can purchase the Stunt that opens the Mediator to them. After that, Mediator ranks are increased through Skill points, though they are not on the normal Skill ladder and are not subject to any of those related limits.
Every rank of a Mediator skill provides an additional +1 to rolls of the linked skill. For example, a Templar with Alertness +6 and Iskander +3 would roll Alertness at +9. The maximum Mediator rank is +5.
Templar may increase the application and power of their Mediator by applying more Stunt purchases to them.
Herakles
The Saint of Strength is a figure that was originally found by Templar serving in Roma Aeturna. The truly ancient buildings there held statues of fallen times from well before the Flood. Among these ruins they discovered the story of a man who was blessed by the gods, or was a god himself. He had strength beyond that of men, and he used it to accomplish labors of Good. The Templar that focus on this Saint and those like him are gifted with impossible might.
Stunts
Herakles – Introductory Stunt to unlock this Mediator. Provides Herakles at +1.
Requires Might +5
Labor – The strength of the righteous must be used to help the people. The Templar can apply their Herakles bonus to rolls for construction projects or community building that could benefit from massive strength.
Champion – The tests of the Saint always involve besting monsters and villains. The Templar can apply their Herakles bonus to the damage of their close physical attacks.
ANOTHER TEASER. More later.