[Sorcerer] Possessing PCs
John Adams:
Well, that didn't take long. Still in prep for the first run of a new game, creating PCs and demons. One of the PCs has a Possessor as his starting demon.
* Is a Possessor allowed to posses its Master? Under what conditions? How would that affect fulfilling its Need?
* Possessing a PC seems totally uncool and against the Premise of Sorcerer. Is there a way to handle this without marginalizing the PC's player?
Ron Edwards:
Hi John,
I wrote about this in some detail in The Sorcerer's Soul. As GM, I have observed the master of a possessor to permit it into his or her body on several occasions. Surprisingly, all details about possession, of whom and what happens, turn out to work very well as long as the rules are followed in detail, and I strongly recommend the supplement toward that end.
Any possessor can try to possess anyone. However, do note the importance of Hop. A possessor without Hop is much more constrained.
Regarding "permission" for a possessor to inhabit its master, there isn't any such thing. The demon does what you, as demon-player (GM), say it does. If you want it to try, for whatever reason of the moment, then it does.
Nothing about being possessed removes a player-character from play, nor does it bring you, as GM, into control of that character - just his or her body. He or she can still try to break free either momentarily or for good, can still command the demon to do things, and can still "be in the loop."
Your point about Need is a good one. A possessor in the body of its binder must "loose the reins" in order to get its Need fulfilled, and that gives the binder a good bargaining chip about getting it out if that's what he or she wants.
Suffice to say that by choosing a possessor as a starting demon, the player has already entered into an agreement that the risk of having his body co-opted is acceptable. That is not to say that all possessors necessarily want to inhabit their masters, or that such an act will become part of play at all, but it is a possibility inherent in the Type.
Best, Ron
John Adams:
Thanks Ron.
I'm not sure I understand what "loose the reins" means. Can a possessor "jump in the back seat" and let the host's personality "drive"? Or do you mean jump to another host entirely?
What does the host need to do to momentarily take control? To kick the demon out?
Can a host be willing? Would that negate the Possession roll and avoid the chance of killing the host?
Ron Edwards:
Hi John,
All of this is The Sorcerer's Soul material, in Chapter 2.
Briefly, most of this is handled by Will vs. Will rolls, modified by the Binding bonus if the master is the host.
Yes, the possessor can jump in the back seat, and any disagreements about any seat-shifting would be handled by such a roll. Same goes for the host trying to get control for a single action, for a moment. And so on, up to and including kicking the demon out, which is effectively a straightforward command.
And yes! A willing host means no roll. Good point. I'm pretty sure I don't mention that in the book.
Best, Ron
John Adams:
OK, almost crystal clear. What is the mechanical difference between gaining momentary control vs. kicking the bastard out? Any victories and I get momentary control, but I need a certain number of (possibly cumulative) victories to kick the demon out? Greater than the demon's Power?
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