Demonization
In Violent City you either demonize or cyberize. Those that tread the path of the human are bound to be swallowed by powers greater than themselves; forgotten beneath wasteland sands.
Demonization
To draw upon the power of monsters one must bond with them or integrate with them and become one being. A given character may only demonize a number of monsters equal to their level.
Bonding with a monster requires forming a contract. This can be on a temporary basis, where the demon and character share common goals, or on a permanent basis. Monsters are capricious and are heavily drawn in by a demonist’s charisma. Each has certain desires and dislikes which must be manipulated to successfully forge a bond. Once a character has made their offer, the referee rolls a 2d6 reaction check and applies modifiers based on each negotiating parties position; on a 9+ the monster will sign a contract in blood. A 5 or less indicates spite: the monster is offended at the offer and holds a grudge.
Once a contract is struck the demonist can draw upon a portion of the demon’s power at will. These fixed powers cost HP to command. At any time, a demonist may consult a monster it has a contract with. Monsters can also be summoned to release their full might. On a reaction roll of 6-8, it will appear and act of its own volition: commands are merely suggestions. On a 9+ the monster appears and can be controlled directly by the player, though actions it is forced to make against its nature will be remembered. On a 5 or less, it may attack its summoner, end the contract, or otherwise behave inconveniently. The reaction roll may be modified depending on what task the monster is being summoned for. The summoner may spill their own blood and commit 1d6 HP or sacrifice a human to add +1 to any summoning rolls.
Each monster has a disposition which starts at 0 and may go to +/-3. This value is added to all reaction rolls, in addition to other adjustments. It can be modified by gifts, good treatment, etc. Monster desires are listed as a starting point, though the referee must be flexible. They also have conditions which, if broken, reduce their disposition. Once a contract is made, demon and demonist share in each other’s consciousness: a player ought to list any contracted demon’s dislikes or conditions and make the referee aware when they begin to impose on them.
When necessary, the referee shall make a reaction check, modified as usual, to test the continued loyalty of a monster. This roll must strike a 7 or greater for continued loyalty. A 3 or less indicates immediate betrayal.
Integration is more straightforward: each monster has a listed process which, if completed, results in the demonist taking on some of its physical capacities. The granted powers are permanently available and may be relied upon at will.
The secrets of integration and preferences of monsters are held in demonic scrolls and spread by word of mouth between Satanic acolytes. Find their secrets, gain power, and master the new world.
The origin for these rules are Luke Gearing's rules for reaction roll based magic here and Whitehack's HP based spell casting. Because demon bonds replace spell casting, I wanted to include some form of magic which is fire and forget. Having to negotiate with demons for each use of their powers doesn't lend itself to the fast pace of play I prefer. In light of this I've added fixed spells for the Harpy and Ogre.
The trickiness of this system comes down to monster entries. Player's will have to be careful when balancing 3 or more monster contracts at once, as some have conflicting expectations on player character behaviour. The Ogre and Harpy, for example, have opposite positions on violence. My hope is that players make use of short term contracts where these conflicts exist and seek collect contracts with demons of similar dispositions over the long term.
A feasible next step to this is to, like Whitehack, make specific provisions for free-form spells pegged to HP cost based on which monster is called upon. As a referee, I would already do this while running the game as players tend ask to use magic in flexible or creative ways regardless of rules. If I go this route, it is still useful to include specific spell effects that require no negotiation: they serve as scaffolds for further effects and also provide players with buttons they can immediately press without issue. Fully free-form magic presents some challenge for scenario design, despite being fun to facilitate and better matching many player's view of how magic "works."
Violent City is in part designed to address a gravest misstep I've taken repeatedly: my current campaign, Devil's World Heroes, and my previous one, Daemonium: Brave Survivor!!, both ostensibly feature "demons" as a central pillar of the world. This has, in practice, been totally untrue. Demons show up, but they aren't a particularly special outside of being another class of threat. The answer to this is simple: make all monsters demons, and focus a major vector of player growth on cavorting with monster-kind. Violent City will, hopefully, actually be a game about demons, rather than simply one with demons.