I The Game
II The Basics
III The Races
IV The Places
V The Mechanics
VI The Outset
VII The Plot
VIII The History
IX The Books
III The Races
i) Angels
ii) Demons
iii) Remnants
iv) Saints, Soldiers, and Undead
v) Mundanes
The following types of characters are available on In Nomine: Symphony & Silence MUSH. The main characters of the game should always be the primary two Celestial "races", Angels and Demons. But there are other types of characters you can play here, including Soldiers of God, Soldiers of Hell, Saints, Undead, and Mundanes (humans). Any of which are applicable on the game. The following is a description for each type of character.
Angels
The very core of In Nomine along with Demons, Angels are the "heroes" of the game. The top level in the hierarchy of Heaven, the Archangels, each have Words that encompass a part of creation that they work to promote in all ways relating to it. Marc, Archangel of Trade, works to promote free ecomony, while Jordi, Archangel of Animals, works to protect and help animals in all ways.
Beneath the Archangels are the players themselves, the Angels who serve a specific Superior to promote their Word (and if the Angel has his own Word, theirs as well). The Angels of the game will on average be their Archangel's favoured Servitors, the ones chosen to work on Earth. To quote the book, "They are the greatest crusaders for all that is good and right in the Symphony."
There are a wide range of Angels for you to choose to play. You can be one of the Angels who serves on the frontlines of the war, one who works to promote the more peaceful aspects of the Symphony (such as trade, working with children, etc.), or you can be an Angel who has devoted himself to knowledge and learning. Each Angel will be the member of a Choir, one of seven different "types" of angel. Each different Choir gives an Angel a different basic "nature". An Ofanim loves to stay in motion, a Seraph can see the truth but never lie, and an Elohite remains objective about any situation he or she sees.
An Angel becomes Outcast when he fails on too many missions, gaining too much dissonance, or offending their Archangel. When this happens, the Angel is not allowed to return to Heaven, they are not allowed to use any Rites, and cannot summon their Archangel. They have not Fallen to become Demons, but they're closer to Falling than other Angels. An Outcast starts with three levels of one type of Discord, chosen by staff depending on the character design and background.
Demons
The second half to the core of In Nomine are the Demons. Whereas Angels are the heroes/helpers of humanity, the Demons are not always "evil" by standard definitions. They may look like a lawyer, a police officer... they may be either of those or so many other different professions. They all aim to promote at the very least, selfishness in the world, if not outright hatred and war.
Every Demon serves a Demon Prince, a Demon who has risen in power in the Infernal power structure to rule over a part of Hell in some way. You have demons that hunt Renegade Demons (see below), some who promote vices such as lust or gluttony, and some who just love to kill for killing's sake. But, like Angels, each Demon serves his Demon Prince's Word (or their own if they have one), to further promote the forces of Hell into their final victory.
Each Demon belongs to a Band, one of seven different "types" of demon. Each different Band gives a Demon a different basic "nature". A Balseraph is a master of lies, a Lilim is always ready to make a deal, and a Calabite is ready to rip something apart.
A Demon can never become an Outcast -- Demon Princes would rather kill their Servitor than allow them out of their control. Instead they become Renegades. They follow the same rules as Outcast Angels, as they can't use any Rites, cannot return to Hell (mostly because they're hiding away from it), and cannot summon their Demon Prince (again because it'd be foolish to do so). They're the Demons who've decided to do things their own way. A Renegade starts with three levels of one type of Discord, chosen by staff depending on the character design and background.
Remnants
Remnants are what remain of Angels or Demons after they've lost all of their Celestial Forces, usually as a result of combat. When a Celestial loses all of their Celestial Forces, they become stuck in their Corporeal Vessels on Earth. They never remember who they were, or that they were something greater than they are now. They're cut off from the Celestial nature and from hearing the Symphony any more than Mundanes hear it.
Some will remember Corporeal or Ethereal Songs and may still have access to their Rites or Attunements, but like Mundanes they cannot spend Essence in any controlled manner, limited as Mundanes are.
They're usually the homeless guy who is asking for water, only to turn it into wine with one of the Corporeal Songs they still know; despite not knowing how they know how to do so.
Saints, Soldiers, and Undead
Humans who are involved in the War, usually become Soldiers. They are Mundanes who are aware of the War between Angels and Demons and start the game with one more Force (6) than the average 5 Forces of Mundanes. Instead of answering to an Archangel or Demon Prince, Soldiers will answer to an Angel or Demon lower in the ranks than the Superiors.
Whereas Mundanes cannot learn Songs or are unable to control the use of their Essence, a Soldier can do both. They can only learn Corporeal Songs, as they're distinctly tied to the Corporeal world. Soldiers of God may, upon dying, eventually become Saints. But Soldiers of Hell either become damned Souls in Hell, or the 'lucky' few become Undead.
The bodhisattvas, Saints, are Soldiers of God who once dead, feel the call and need to return to the Corporeal world and continue to fight in the War for the side of good. Any soul, not just a Soldier's, can become a Saint. It requires a Superior who feels that they may have a unique contribution in the War, or may be of some use in the continuing fight. Unlike a Soldier or Mundane, a Saint begins the game with 7 Forces, A Saint can learn any of the three types of Songs (Corporeal, Ethereal, or Celestial), but some Archangels limit which ones can be chosen.
The Undead are Soldiers of Hell who have turned over their souls for 'immortality'. There is a catch however. If you are killed after becoming undead, your soul is gone forever; as the only thing holding your Forces together is your Corporeal form. There are three types of Undead: Mummies, Vampires, and Zombies.
Mummies are the wanted result of becoming Undead. They have no 'problem' with their bodies as Vampires or Zombies do. They do not age, so as long as the human takes care of his body, it will remain in the state it was when he was turned into a Mummy until he dies.
Vampires form when something goes wrong during the transformation into an Undead. Something happens during the ritual that prevents the Hell-summoned Force from attaching properly to the body, and thus more energy is needed to hold it to the soul's existing Forces. Because of this, Vampires start with only 5 forces and two Discords. Vulnerability/3 (Sunlight) and 3 levels of a Need (blood, plasma, etc). Only if the Vampire can attain his Need, can he regenerate 1 Essence at sundown.
Zombies are formed when something really goes wrong. They're composed of only 4 Forces at maximum and rarely have many Ethereal Forces and no Celestial Forces at all. They don't last long, as they take 1 Hit Point every day until they meet their Need (blood, brains, plasma, etc.).
Mundanes
The term Mundanes is something that Celestials and their Soldiers/Undead call the rest of humanity. They're unaware of the War and have five or fewer Forces. While there are many, many more humans to celestials, Celestials are the focal point of this game and will be more common. But humans are encouraged to be played just to add more depth and flavour to the game as any other character type would.
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