IN> Acupuncture

[William Keith]

New Skill (Precision, no default).  In GURPS, this is a version of 
Esoteric Medicine.

      Acupuncture claims to function by redirecting qi as it flows 
throughout the body, closing off a meridian or opening a blockage.  
This rebalances the patient's energies and rids them of disease or 
other pernicious influences.  In In Nomine, this is exactly the case; 
acupuncture is a skill similar to Alchemy or Enchantment, employing 
principles similar to geomancy on a medical level to channel a 
patient's Essence.  Acupunctural practices undertaken on a willing 
subject produce a variety of effects on the patient's Essence flow, 
usually magnifying the effect of expenditure of Essence to boost rolls. 
  Several inhibit the expenditure of Essence in other ways, allowing a 
human without Essence Control a better chance of having Essence to 
spend come time to make one or another roll.

      Treatment by a trained acupuncturist at base Acupuncture skill 
produces the effects of first aid, and this is included in any more 
specific treatments.  Diagnosis of problems to be treated can be done 
at Acupuncture-2, or with Medicine skill.  (In GURPS In Nomine, 
Diagnosis defaults to Acupuncture-5).  Acupuncture diagnoses (that is, 
done as a Diagnosis technique) permit diagnosis of some fairly odd 
problems, such as "demonic possession."  Specific acupuncture 
treatments vary in difficulty.  If the acupuncturist's skill is less 
than the number listed, treatment cannot be attempted at all without a 
reliable reference work, and is at -1 to skill.  Some common 
acupuncture treatments include:

(Acupuncture/1) Multiply by the CD of a successful Acupuncture roll the 
bonus provided by any Essence spent on the next roll to get over a 
disease.  The specific disease must be identified before the ritual is 
performed.

(Acupuncture/2) As above, to resist the effects of a poison or drug 
(specific poison must be correctly identified).

(Acupuncture/4) As above, to resist possession or eject a possessor.  
The latter treatment is specially designed to be undertaken on a 
restrained, unwilling body, but presumes the underlying human seeks the 
ritual.

(Acupuncture/6) As above, to resist activation of a Geas-hook.  This 
treatment is not widely distributed, and Lilim make a point of offing 
acupuncturists who offer the service.  They usually follow up by 
hunting down whoever taught them.

(Acupuncture/6) Stimulate unconscious Essence expenditure on a given 
roll of one of the types listed above, or addressed by other treatments 
the acupuncturist knows.  This treatment may be combined with one or 
two of the others listed above, at a -1 or -2 penalty to the target 
number.

(Acupuncture/2) Prevent unconscious Essence expenditure for a number of 
days up to the acupuncturist's skill.

(Acupuncture/3) Prevent unconscious Essence expenditure, except for 
rolls based on a given attribute: as above, but the acupuncturist 
leaves a "gate" open for the energies to be focused on a specific goal.

(Acupuncture/5) Shield Essence from any external draining effect, such 
as the Impudite Resonance or dream-draining, for 24 hours.  The CD of 
the successful Acupuncture roll is a bonus to any resistance for the 
next 24 hours.  This ritual may be combined with either of the previous 
two; add a -1 penalty to the target number.

(Acupuncture/6) Reduce by the CD of a successful Acupuncture roll the 
penalty imposed by Discord to a celestial's receipt of Essence for the 
next day.

(Acupuncture/6) Accelerate the diurnal Essence cycle.  This dangerous 
ritual functions for the next CD days; each day, 8 hours after the 
subject would normally receive Essence, they receive another Essence.  
However, 8 hours after that they either lose 1 Essence, or, if they 
have none, suffer Hits (corporeal beings suffer Body Hits; ethereals 
suffer Mind Hits; celestials suffer Soul Hits) equal to the CD.

Acupuncture is designed for use upon the qi meridians of living humans. 
  A practitioner is at -2 to base skill when working upon celestial or 
ethereal Vessels, except for those of Grigori and Skulkers.  The skill 
fails entirely on undead.  Animals can be worked on at -1 for mammals 
and -3 for others, and even plants can be affected, at -6 to skill.

Acupuncturists trained in Sorcery, Alchemy, Enchantment, or construct 
creation can research and produce a number of synergistic effects, such 
as turning a living human into a spirit jar, or encoding a Command 
ritual into an acupuncture treatment effected on an unknowing 
recipient, who thereby forfeits a resistance roll.

William