Editing LeviathanTempest:ChapterThree (section)

==== Cult (Special, O-OOOOO+) ====

When brushed with the Wake of the Leviathan, certain mortals are more touched than others - becoming Beloved. These faithful can be directed into a unit, a Cult, which reveres the Leviathan and seeks to serve and honor him. Some Leviathan season their cults by bonding Lahmasu into their service, taking them in and giving them meaning. The full rules for Beloved and Lahmasu are listed later, but a Leviathan that wishes to have a Cult following may invest in this Merit. A Cult can provide Ichor through worship or work in the world as the Leviathan's hands (or claws) at a reach. The Cult Merit is broken into three categories - Number, Zeal, and Fervor. It additionally has a handful of variables that can be purchased to increase the capabilities of the Cult. Dots spent on this Merit can be divided between all of these. 

Cults require supervision and input from the Leviathan - they desire "face time" with their deity. For every week in which the Leviathan does not contact the majority of his Cult in person to speak, lead ceremonies, or receive prayer, one dot worth of Cult assets (in the three core categories) degrades - generally, Zeal is lost first, then Numbers, as the less devout or ensorcelled drift away - still obsessed, but unsatisfied. Reclaiming degraded dots is an extended test of Presence or Manipulation + Persuasion, with a target pool of successes equal to (3 + lost dots). Each roll represents a day spent reinvigorating the Cult and getting stray members back into the fold. 

'''Number'''

This category represents the size of the loyal mass attending the Leviathan. On a practical level, it limits the number of tasks that the Leviathan can direct his Cult to perform in a given chapter - one, plus one per dot of Number. "Tasks" includes dangerous work as measured by Zeal, but also instances in which the Leviathan directs the faithful to perform rituals or act publicly - the assumption being that the Cult's numbers permit members to exchange duties, cover shifts, and otherwise permit the Beloved to fulfill their everyday chores alongside those mandated by their deity. 

A Cult must have at least one dot of Number - otherwise, who will bring the goat?

* Number O - Five followers, one task per story 
* Number OO - Ten followers, two tasks per story 
* Number OOO - Twenty followers , three tasks per story 
* Number OOOO - Fifty followers, four tasks per story 
* Number OOOOO - One hundred followers, five tasks per story 

'''Zeal'''

This category measures the loyalty of the Leviathan's followers - the depth to which their religion shapes their life. It provides one bonus die per dot for all attempts to convince the Cult to undertake a task (in the rare case that this necessitates a roll) and inflicts a -1 penalty per dot to the attempts of others to turn a Cult member against the Leviathan. If directed to spend a day praying and performing rituals for the Leviathan (Which counts as a Task), the Cult provides additional Ichor equal to its Zeal+1 to the Leviathan.

A Cult doesn't have to have a dot of Zeal, but most do.

* Zeal X - Cultists are loyal to you personally but not so much to the Cult or its doctrine - Sunday Cultists, basically.
* Zeal O - Cultists will break the law for you, if the risks aren't too high. Acolytes.
* Zeal OO - Cultists will risk jail time for you. 
* Zeal OOO - Cultists will unflinchingly kill in your name. Textbook fanatics.
* Zeal OOOO - Cultists will risk death in your service, if the task requires it. 
* Zeal OOOOO - Slavish loyalty. You and Thulsa Doom could compare notes. 

'''Fervor'''

This category measures how dangerous your Cult is when motivated - the degree to which it can direct its assets and achieve dangerous jobs. Directing the Cult to do typical tasks that one would expect of an organized group - mounting a one-day search, putting up flyers in a neighborhood, mounting a protest - does not require a roll. Only dangerous and illegal tasks, or ones requiring violence, require a check of Fervor. 

A Fervor check involves rolling the Cult's Fervor minus a number of dice relevant to the difficulty of the task - in general, most major crimes (kidnapping or killing a civilian) are at -3, while truly world-shaking events (such as assassinating high-profile targets or swiping military hardware) are at -5. Minor crimes (stealing a car or disappearing the car when work is done) are rolled without penalty. Success means success, while Failure permits the player to choose - complete the task but lose a dot of Cult Number permanently, or fail and lose a dot of Cult Zeal for the duration of the story. A Dramatic Failure inflicts a both penalties, and the task fails. If appropriate circumstances or equipment are ensured beforehand, bonus dice might apply to the roll. Conversely, if the Cult's gear or numbers are inadequate, penalties might be in order. 

If the Leviathan wishes, he can direct the effort personally, in which case his Presence or Intelligence (whichever is most appropriate) may be added to the roll, but he will (seperate from the normal ramifications) be subject to the expected downsides of a failed effort, and will have to enact his own escape from a crime scene (a getaway is assumed for the Cult under the Fervor roll).  

A Cult doesn't have to have a dot of Fervor - many don't. 

* Fervor X - You'll have to perform your own crimes. What a pity.
* Fervor O - Liquor stores are your piggy bank.
* Fervor OO - You've got some talented thugs - roughly the equivalent of a local police force.
* Fervor OOO - Your Cultists are driven enough to perform some quality bad deeds in your honor. 
* Fervor OOOO - Fierce civilians or experienced criminals. Mafia-level shenanigans. 
* Fervor OOOOO - Your Cultists are chomping at the bit to achieve your wicked desires. 
   
===== Sidebar: Putting the God in Godfather =====
The rules for Fervor are generally more permissive of extralegal hijinx then other similar Merits, and the tone suggests the Cult is capable of performing some pretty impressive stuff. In general, this is intentional - the goal is to replicate a city-subverting or widespread Cult conspiracy, a la ''Fight Club'' or ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni''. The reach of a Cult, and the depths to which it will sink to serve its master, are meant to be somewhat unsettling - and to make immoral methods attractive. If letting a Cult do something would rob the players of an interesting scene, or circumvent a hardship in an automatic or undramatic fashion, feel free to bend the rules or ask the player to direct his Cult to perform some facet of the task instead of the whole thing. 

'''Additional Traits''' 

These additional qualities for a Cult are rated in dots and cost the listed amount. They exist primarily to help define or focus a Cult. The Storyteller and players might work out other possibilities - the only limit is, in general, these bonuses should not render the three core traits irrelevant. 

* ''Conspirators'' (O to OOOOO) - Members of your Cult have Status equal to dots in Conspirators within an organization chosen when you purchase this Merit. This merit may be taken multiple times. 
* ''Home Turf'' (O or OO) - The Cult has a favored stomping ground, around the size of a neighborhood or a region of wilderness - along the lines of "The quarry" or "The old lumber yard." When assigned to dangerous tasks in this region, it receives a +1 bonus, but suffers a -1 penalty elsewhere. The two-dot version negates the penalty.  
* ''Indoctrination'' (O) - Once per story, as a Task, the player may declare one attempt to turn members the Cult against the Leviathan as an automatic failure. The Leviathan need not be aware of the attempt - the player is declaring the Cult uncorruptible as a method of narrative control. 
* ''Lahmasu'' (OO) - Your Cult contains a division of, or is entirely formed of, Lahmasu or Hybrids. Lahmasu often serve as a Cult's military arm, using their unique abilities to further their lords aim. A Cult with Lahmasu gets an extra dice on all Fervor rolls but a crime performed by strange half fish people is more noticeable than a regular crime. This rule is a little too complex to be expressed as a bonus to investigators, but a Leviathan is advised to think twice before sending Lahmasu where mortal authorities might start asking questions, and consider forgoing the bonus. 
* ''Offerings'' (O) - Once per story, as a Task, the Leviathan may use his Cult to make a purchase with a Resource cost of 1 + the Cult's Zeal. 
* ''Old Hands'' (OOO) - Pick one unpleasant task or crime (car theft, kidnapping, murder). The Fervor roll for that sort of crime is a rote action for your Cult. Remember that crime waves are suspicious and that being a zany cult isn't a barrier against criminal investigation.
* ''Recognition'' (OOO)- Unless it is! Your Cult is a legally-recognized religious organization. Attempts to legally interfere in your dealings or investigate the Cult's beliefs or business suffer a -2 penalty. This is in addition to the other intangible bonuses of this status, which can be represented by other Merits.
* ''Resolute'' (OO) - The Leviathan's Cult requires his presence only once a month.