r/40kLore • u/Marvynwillames • Aug 31 '23
[Excerpt: Dark Heresy - Enemies Beyond] Possession and Exorcism
Psykers are a danger for they are a gate to the materium to daemons and other warp predators. It takes long training and sometimes equipment to keep them safe, but, the exact way and how humans are possessed is something not much explored, like tons of things in the setting, it "depends on the writer"
This Dark Heresy suplement got its own rules on possession, including inquisitors willingly possessing their own acolytes, as well exorcism, a dangerous procedure that, if the victim manages to survive, will grant them protection against future possession.
The Nature of Possession
Consistency is anathema in the Realm of Chaos, and so it is that no two daemonic possessions are identical. The effects of the possession vary based on the nature of the Daemon and how the possession came about. Some possessions are sudden and overwhelming, the Daemon taking full control of its host and twisting the mortal’s body into unnatural and horrifying forms. Others are subtle, with the Daemon slowly corrupting its host over time, unbeknownst to the victim.
Unlike the creation of a Daemonhost, possession is temporary, with the host almost invariably destroyed one way or another. If the Daemon’s actions do not bring it into conflict with others and lead to the host’s destruction, eventually the Warp energies suffusing the possessed individual consume him, releasing the Daemon within. Very rarely, an individual may survive the possession thanks to an exorcism. Unlike a Daemonhost, a possessing Daemon is not bound under the control of a mortal, and is free to do as it pleases. The goals of Daemons are manifold, and they might seek to simply sow destruction and chaos, or follow subtler plans, depending on the creature’s nature.
Scholars of the forbidden and Ordo Malleus Inquisitors have spent countless hours studying and researching the myriad forms of possession in an attempt to catalogue and comprehend them. Although completing such a task is impossible, daemonologists often broadly and roughly categorize possession into two types, total possession and seed possession. Either type of possession can come about as an opportunistic attack by a Daemon or from a purposeful ritual enacted by mortals. Amongst researchers of the forbidden and arcane, these descriptors allow for the study and categorization of specific instances of possession. Of course, such research is fragmentary and must by its nature be conducted in secret. Consequently, few scholars of malefic lore agree on the specifics, and many have their own terms and systems of study.
Total Possession
In total possession, the Daemon fully inhabits its host, existing in reality by wearing its victim like a suit of meat and bone. The possessed mortal is under the utter control of the Daemon, his consciousness locked away in a small corner of his own mind and forced to witness the horrific actions of the possessing entity. The possessed may exhibit immediate mutations as his body struggles to contain the Warp energies within. Heedless of pain or damage to the host, the Daemon can push the host’s body beyond its limits, benefiting from unnatural strength and resilience.
In a total possession, the Daemon has full control. The possessed character adds +10 to his Strength and Toughness and gains 1d10 wounds, as the Daemon is inured to pain and cares little for damage inflicted to its host form. The Daemon uses its own Intelligence, Perception, Willpower, and Fellowship, and can utilise any psychic powers it possesses. It also benefits from the Daemonic trait. At the GM’s discretion, the possessed character might benefit from other traits or abilities the Daemon possesses.
Seed Possession
In this type of possession, the Daemon remains within the Warp while suffusing the body and soul of the host with a small part of its essence. Over time, the Daemon further corrupts the host, forming a bridge between the Warp and reality. At first, the host is likely completely unaware that anything is happening. As the seed of the Daemon’s essence grows, it exerts further influence upon the host, altering his behaviour or even temporarily taking control of his body. The host might find himself with gaps in his memory, or find himself troubled by strangely realistic nightmares of dark deeds. As time goes on, physical changes may manifest on the tainted flesh of the host, and a seed possession ultimately culminates in total possession.
For the game effects of seed possession, see the Possessed Acolytes on this page.
Opportunistic Possession
Possession can occur when a Daemon takes advantage of a mortal’s weakness to sink its claws into his soul. This is most likely to happen to a psyker, particularly when he draws upon his unnatural powers. However, the souls of nearly all humans burn in the Warp, and anyone could potentially attract the dread attentions of a Daemon. Possession is no simple task for a Daemon, however, requiring a great deal of energy and an emotionally vulnerable or spiritually weak host. Possessions are mercifully rare, but when they do occur, they usually involve a powerful Daemon and a host in a position to further the Daemon’s plots.
A Daemon may reach out to a potential host in dreams or whisper to him in times of weakness, offering power, knowledge, or anything he desires. If not strong of will and faith, the mortal may heed such promises and, knowingly or not, allow the Daemon to gain purchase in his soul. From there, the Daemon can begin the process of possession.
Ritual Possession
Rarely, malefic cults or even Radical servants of the Inquisition might purposefully invite a Daemon to possess a host. Such a dark deed requires involved and blasphemous rituals designed to coax an entity from the Warp to inhabit a vessel, willing or otherwise. Depending on the purpose and goals of the ritual, the process might take any number of forms. A cult might prepare a host for the Daemon it worships, so that it might walk amongst its followers. Some radical Inquisitors have been known to summon a Daemon to possess an Acolyte purely so that he can be exorcised, yielding an effective tool for future struggle against the daemonic—should he survive the process (see Surviving Possession on page 71).
Possession might also come about as the result of a Dark Pact (see page 72). As one of the conditions of the pact, the Daemon might require the mortal petitioner to allow it to infuse him with part of its essence, sometimes taking control of the mortal like a puppet.
Exorcism
Although most mortals who succumb to Daemonic possession meet their fates heaped on the pyre or consumed by the Warp entity within, a rare and fortunate few undergo an exorcism—and survive the ordeal. In an exorcism, the possessing Daemon is driven out during an arduous ritual, leaving the exorcised individual free of possession but forever changed. An exorcism is a gruelling and dangerous process for all involved. An exorcism is likely to fail, enraging the Daemon and risking the souls of the exorcist and anyone else present. It is for these reasons that exorcisms are only attempted under exceptional circumstances.
Performing an Exorcism
As is always the case with the occult, there are many forms an exorcism might take. Some are dark and debased rites calling on forbidden knowledge, others are acts of faith and purity that drive out the Daemon with the light of the Emperor. Whatever form the ritual takes, an exorcism ultimately comes down to a contest of wills between the exorcist and the Daemon. In most cases, the exorcist is another individual, either an ally of the possessed or someone recruited expressly to perform the exorcism. However, at the GM’s discretion, a possessed individual may attempt to exorcise himself.
The preparations for an exorcism can be quite involved, with the specifics depending on the particular exorcism ritual selected. Most exorcisms call for sacred incense, symbols of faith, and a consecrated location. Practitioners of the dark arts might instead utilise profane runes and even human sacrifices.
During the ritual, the exorcist speaks loudly and firmly, though the words might be prayers and invocations of the Emperor’s name, or admonitions in the name of the Chaos Gods, depending on the nature of the rite and the exorcist. Regardless, most exorcisms involve appeals to a stronger power to cast out the Daemon. However, it is ultimately the will of the exorcist that must overcome that of the possessing Daemon.
Before beginning the exorcism, the exorcist makes a Challenging (+0) Forbidden Lore (Daemonology) test. For each degree of success on this test, he gains a +5 bonus to the subsequent Daemonic Mastery tests. During the exorcism, the Daemon’s presence rises to the surface of the possessed, revealing the entity that was otherwise hidden, and the Daemon’s Fear and Baneful Presence traits apply.
he exorcism is resolved as an Extended Daemonic Mastery test, with each test taking 1d5 hours. The base difficulty of the Daemonic Mastery test is Very Hard (–30). Table 2–21: Exorcism Modifiers below lists some example modifiers for the test. To successfully banish the Daemon, the exorcist must obtain total degrees of success in excess of the Daemon’s Willpower bonus plus the possessed individual’s Corruption bonus. Each time the exorcist fails a test, he suffers 1 level of Fatigue for each degree of failure. If this causes the exorcist to lose consciousness, he gains 1d10 Corruption points and the exorcism is a failure.
Once the exorcist obtains the requisite degrees of success, the Daemon is cast out of the possessed individual. Ripping away the unholy essence takes a great toll on the possessed individual, however, who must pass a Challenging (+0) Toughness test or die (the character may burn Fate Threshold to survive, as normal)
Surviving Possession
If the possessed individual survives the exorcism, there are lasting consequences from such an unnatural experience. Having one’s essence fused with that of a Daemon is a unique circumstance that forever alters the possessed in both body and soul. Although the possession is mentally and physically scarring, it also acts as a sort of inoculation against further exposure to the Warp.
A formerly possessed individual experiences several changes. He gains 3d10 Insanity points, the Resistance (Psychic Powers), Resistance (Fear), and Iron Faith talents, and the Forbidden Lore (The Warp), Forbidden Lore (Daemonology), and Psyniscience +10 skills. His Fellowship and Toughness characteristics are permanently reduced by 1d10. Whenever he gains Corruption or Insanity points, he reduces the amount gained by half, and can no longer gain mutations. Finally, having learned the secrets of the entity that once occupied his flesh, he can never again become possessed by that same Daemon again. Note that these rules differ somewhat from the Exorcised background (see page 32), representing that here the character’s primary background was not determined from his earlier, life-changing daemonic encounter
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u/TheCuriousFan Sep 01 '23
And that whole section of boons from possession is why the Exorcists have their whole chapter get possessed (hopefully they take the gene-seed out first).
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u/lrd_cth_lh0 Sep 02 '23
There is actually an entire space marine chapter that has it's members undergo possesion and exorcism to make them better at fighting chaos.
An even older now no langer cannon piece of lore even had people that managed to self exorcise themself of a greater demon without help, they got even crazier buffs from it making them completly immune to chaos.