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Nephilim is a role-playing game about powerful elemental entities reincarnating into human beings. The game was originally published in 1992 by the French company Multisim.
The first edition used the Chaosium "Basic Role Playing" principles, and was translated into English by this American company.
Since then, Nephilim had two other editions :
- The second edition was still akin to the BRP system
- The third edition, Nephilim : La Révélation (The Revelation) uses a radically different system which is descriptor-based. It also introduces Ar-Kaïm and intuitive magic in the style of Mage: The Ascension (although based on elements and words instead of spheres).
Besides the Nephilim (elementals of Fire, Earth, Air, Water and Moon), the players can play Selenim ("Vampires" of the Dark Moon, an unstable element created by an ancient race that is unstable and corrupts Nephilim) or Ar-Kaïm (Astrological unstable mutants, introduced in the Third Edition).
A few human conspiracies exist, most of them opposed to the Nephilim and their cousins :
- The Templars (masters of the world, love to enslave the Nephilim)
- The Mysteries (former servants of the Nephilim)
- The Synarchy (technocrats)
- The Rose+Croix (occultists)
- Bohemians (allies of the Nephilim)
Nephilim is a game based on the idea that since ancient times there have been spirits without bodies who, given the right circumstances can take over the body of a human and use it until it dies, then try to find another body. These spirits are the Nephilim.
Nephilim is based on many different belief systems and is by far one of the most complex gaming systems around but is also one of the most fun and inventive.
Players get to chose one of five types of Nephilim. Within each of these types are different species of Nephilim. Each type of element or "Ka" has different strong points. Fire Nephilim (Pyrim) tend to be aggressive, Earth Nephilim (Faërim) are caretakers and healers, Air Nephilim (Éolim) are intellectuals, Water Nephilim (Hydrim) relate to change and movement and Moon Nephilim (Onirim) are secretive and manipulative. They are also defined by the major Arcana they choose to follow.
The spirit of the Nephilim takes over the body of a human and tries to gain the skills and knowledge the human has, while avoiding the Immortals' enemies. The Nephilim's ultimate goal is to attain Agharta, a form of spiritual illumination. Other races have a similar goal.
Nephilim can be set in any times from ancient Egypt to present day or the future.
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