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'''In Nomine''' is a role-playing game designed by Derek Pearcy and published in 1997 by Steve Jackson Games, [[Foreign Remake|based on the French game]] ''[[In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas]]''. Players typically assume the role of angels and demons in a setting that draws heavily on the traditional Christian mythos (however the French version was quickly expanded to include religions as diverse as Voodoo and the Norse Pantheon, and this adaptation also has expansions for playing mortals or characters from non-Abrahamic faiths). ''In Nomine'' won the Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1997.
The American version of ''In Nomine'' is somewhat more serious than the French version but still a largely satirical look at the war between Heaven and Hell. While Demons tend to be genuinely evil at the upper ranks, [[Punch Clock Villain|individual rank and file]] are considerably more sympathetic. Likewise, Angels tend to be good but can become [[Knight Templar|bitterly misguided in their causes]].
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Not to be confused with the ''[[Europa Universalis]] III'' [[Expansion Pack]]. Or the [[E Nomine|German electronic music group]].
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* [[Alternative Character Interpretation]]: Officially implemented with suggested variations for the personalities and priorities of the different Superiors, making them lighter, darker or sillier...
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** If they feel confident, a Servitor of Dominic can try to insta-trial an opponent for execution. If they succeed, they get to rent his (rather nice) sword for summary punishment.
* [[Holier Than Thou]]: The Demons are genuinely evil in ''In Nomine'', at least the leaders (except for Lilith, who's really more of a mercenary). The Angels aren't evil, but do strongly disagree with each other about what's best for humanity.
* [[I'm Going to Hell For This]]: Occasionally a mortal is correct when he or she says this - a mortal who accomplishes his or her Fate goes to Hell, while a mortal who accomplishes his or her Destiny goes to Heaven. (Accomplish both or neither, and the mortal gets reincarnated for another go around. Usually.) Needless to say, Angels of Destiny and Demons of Fate are extremely interested in these mortals.
* [[Impossible Thief]]: Valefor, and ''how''. The Demon Prince once stole the entire Russian Revolution. And his career began with a book lifted from Destiny's Library, which no one else had ever done before or since. Add in the fact that the book hadn't even been written yet.... And then he stole a Word, essentially a cosmic concept, from the demon who was mystically bound to said concept. Yes, he stole an ''abstract concept''.
* [[Internal Affairs]]: The angels of Dominic, the Archangel of Judgment, serve this role for the forces of Heaven. Like most fictional IA officers, this means they're also seen as overstarched pokerspines most of the time.
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* [[The Library of Babel]]: Yves' Library in Heaven contains anything ever written or recorded, including some works that were only created in dreams.
* [[Living a Double Life]]: Strongly hinted to be the case with the Janus, Archangel of the Wind and Valefor, Demon Prince of Theft. First there's Janus' name. Next, their servitors' powersets and various other details are identical—to the point of cut-and-pasted descriptions. And when you think about it, an Archangel who encourages petty theft as a way to keep the Forces of Heaven on their toes? More than a little odd. The question is, which side is he really on, and how does he get away with it?
** In [[In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas|the original French games]], Janus started as an ordinary angel working undercover in Hell as Valefor. He got promoted to Archangel (and recalled back to Heaven) when he made a big score against Kronos, but then he discovered that he missed the adrenaline rush of undercover work. So without telling anyone he resumed his identity as Valefor and worked his way up to Demon Prince in Hell ''just for the thrill and danger of it''.
** There's a theory that he/they are actually ''[[Norse Mythology|Odin]]'', pulling a fast one on both sides, and in the process living a ''triple'' life.
*** Janus and Valefor are both seen on-camera at the same time, in different locations, in "The Final Trumpet". (Simultaneously attending a full meetings of the Seraphim Council and attending a mass audience by all the Demon Princes with Lucifer, respectively). While it is possible for a Superior to manifest themselves in multiple locations simultaneously by using avatars, other Superiors usually ''notice'' when you do this kind of thing -- especially Lucifer. On the other hand, "The Final Trumpet" is an extremely stressful time for everyone, what with possibly being the prelude to [[The End of the World as We Know It|Armageddon]].
**** Not for Malphas (as he knows this particular Armageddon is fake, being the guy who faked it), is the most paranoid Prince in Hell and socially hyperaware (Demon Prince of Factions), and would be constitutionally incapable of ''not'' using this information against Valefor once he became aware of it (again, Demon Prince of Factions). However, this faked Armageddon was quickly becoming real, so Malphas was suddenly under as much stress as the other Demon Princes.
* [[Mad Scientist]]: Vapula, the Demon Prince of Technology. Lacking Archangel Jean's Heavenly access to the secrets of the physical universe, he works to catch up by experimenting on every soul in sight—literally.
* [[Mama Bear]]/[[Papa Wolf]]: This is the general mindset of most Cherubim, epitomized by Zadkiel, Cherub Archangel of Protection.
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* [[Noble Demon]]: Baal and Lilith both fit, in their own ways.
* [[Obsessed with Food]]: Haagenti, the Demon Prince of Gluttony.
* [[One-Gender Race]]: Lilim are not ''quite'' this, but it still fits them to some extent. A supermajority of Lilim identify as female, they are collectively called the "Daughters of Lilith" and according to Beth McCoy (see [[Word of God]] below) they are created generically female. However, a
** Also, roughly 80 percent of Zadkiel's angels of Protection choose to manifest as [[Mama Bear|female]].
** Conversely, the Archangel of Faith only employs or creates male angels, based on his reading of the Koran.
* [[Our Angels Are Different]] and [[Our Demons Are Different]]: Boy howdy.
** On the Angelic side:
*** Seraphim: [[Living Lie Detector]]s who [[Can Not Tell a Lie]] (or at least, can't lie without dire consequences). Their celestial forms are serpents with six eyes and feathered wings.
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*** Shedim: Really really creepy [[Puppeteer Parasite|Puppet Masters]] who corrupt their victims, degrading their moral standards over time and convincing them that their demonically implanted suggestions were [[More Than Mind Control|the victim's own ideas]]; fallen Kyriotates and masters of [[Demonic Possession]]. Their celestial forms are similar to Kyriotates' forms, but are more monstrous and unnatural-looking.
*** Impudites: [[Charm Person|Charmers]] who can steal your heart -- [[Life Energy|and bits of your soul, too]]; fallen Mercurians. They are not allowed to kill a human, though. (It's such a waste of good food.) Their celestial forms resemble the stereotypical demon, with bat wings, horns, and so forth.
** ''[[GURPS]] In Nomine'' gives rules for an
*** And there are other, minor, Choirs and Bands not listed due to the difficulty involved in playing them (either they work for only one Archangel/Demon Prince or are simply unsuited for working on Earth).
* [[The Paladin]]: Malakim in general, who live by honor, fight evil relentlessly and cannot Fall (although remember that [[Good Is Not Nice]]). Also, Laurence and his angels of The Sword in particular, who tend to see themselves as knights in a fallen world.
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** Even if the Shedim ''didn't'' take pleasure in corrupting their hosts, they'd do it anyway, because not doing it makes them suffer dissonance.
* [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill]]: The reason Uriel was recalled into the Higher Heavens, never to be seen again, and was replaced as chief big shot in the War? {{spoiler|He led a genocidal crusade [[Here There Were Dragons|against the creatures and pantheons of mythology]] (including many which weren't even aligned with Hell) sometime in the 8th century. The Ethereals have never entirely trusted Heaven since then.}}
* [[Truce Zone]]: The city of Austin, Texas, and "Chez Régis" in
** Austin is subverted in that neither side has actually ''authorized'' the truce, it's merely that both Heaven and Hell's local station chiefs have decided to basically play slap-fight so that they can all personally duck out on the war. If their Superiors ever found out what was going on, the ''best'' they could hope for would be everyone gets [[Reassigned to Antarctica|pulled off of Earth duty and reassigned to a desk job]]. And that's on Heaven's side... Hell's response would be [[You Have Failed Me...|far more predictable]].
* [[Walking the Earth]]: Eli, the Archangel of Creation, left Heaven in 1957 to walk the Earth. No one knows
* [[Wild Card]]: Lilith and the Free Lilim claim to be this. In practice, they're firmly on the Hell side of things because Heaven is not interested in letting [[Wild Card]]s live freely. (Neither is Hell, for that matter, but they let Lilith and her Daughters pretend otherwise so long as "Freedom" remains a sick joke rather than a fact.)
** The
* [[The Window or the Stairs]]: Ofanim have the miraculous ability to know the safest or the fastest way from where they are to their destination - but the player has to choose one option before getting that information.
* [[Word of God]]: Beth McCoy, aka "The Archangel of Archives/The Demon Princess of Nitpicking", Line Editor for the game, is a regular (but not constant) presence on the In Nomine mailing list and webforum.
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