Post originally by Maltese Changeling at 2004-02-12 20:58:58
Converted from Phorums BB System

Chad will do a better job of answering these questions than I (I've only looked at a friend's copy of the rules--my book is still en route to me).

There are villains in the game. If they're unsuccessful at acquiring sufficient Soul Energy to combat the Soul Decay their vicious acts generate, then they become Qlippoth--moral vacuums consuming whatever Souls they can find to maintain their existence on this plane.

If the villains are careful--if they balance their villainous acts with virtuous ones or if they act through proxies, lessening their responsibility for their deeds--then they can manage their Soul Decay. For example, they could provide services to others in exchange for Soul Energy to replenish their stores.

I also believe that losing your Soul through your own vicious actions is one of the harder ways to become a Dead Inside. A casually evil PC or NPC just isn't going to shatter his Soul-stuff candy coating--you have to be spectacularly dissipated or twisted.

I also believe that the circumstances that lead to a Dead Inside's decision to cultivate his soul are highly individual ones--dependent on the stories that the player wants his or her PC to experience. So I can't really give you a standardized trigger for this situation.

Best,

Rob