Cabalist
Delvers of arcane knowledge, students of the dark arts, and explorers on the fringes of science, Cabalists use the powers of the demons against them. Cabalists are spell-casters, and more specifically, summoners and controllers of demons and the primal forces of the netherworld. They seek to study and dissect the essence of the demons to achieve the next evolution of mankind.
Cabalists wield sinister spells and arcane artifacts, turning the weapons and powers of the demons back against them. They use "black" magic and arcane weaponry as their primary means of battling the demonic hordes, fighting fire with fire and blood with blood. Some have been so touched by the dark forces they wield that they display the traits of their enemies from whom they steal their power, riding the razor's edge between good and evil, control and corruption.
The Cabal[]
The Cabal has brought together disciplines of fringe science and ancient, arcane practices to unleash the inner potential of Mankind’s spirit and bring about the next step in their evolution, known as The Awakening.
There have always been those who would be prime candidates to become "Awakened". Sir Isaac Newton was the first modern scientist and the last of the ancient magicians and alchemists. The works of Tesla clearly show that his research went well beyond the common understanding of man. There are some references to Cabalists in turn of the century "majickal" texts by Aleister Crowley and in cult pulp fiction such as Lovecraft’s Necronomicon.
According to ancient Babylonian texts, "The final step in The Awakening is for the Leader, the Great Eye of the Cabal, to pierce the veil and wrestle with the Lord of Hell. If he is victorious, he will gain possession of the Infernal Key of Nine Gates, giving him full command of all the energies from the dark planes."
Whether or not the Cabalists themselves succeeded in piercing the veil, the forces of Hell have flooded their world. Those that touched the darkness and lived to speak of it were changed. They see the other side of things, often looking at the fate of the world as the metaphor, "The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow." Although distrusted and misunderstood by most, these seekers of knowledge have shown their final allegiance to mankind on more than one occasion. |}
Abilities[]
Cabalist skills and spells fall into the classes:
Cabalist Evoker
Swarm-Throws out a swarm of bugs that do toxic damage and cause fear. The toxic swarm is a self-targeting homing projectile that chases baddies pretty much anywhere they go. If successfully poisoned by the attack, monsters cannot heal and will lose health continually.
Arc Legion-Causes forks of electricity to erupt from an Evoker’s Focus device(s) and has a very “Dark Side of the Force” feel to it. When triggered, the Arc Legion shoots 10 arcs of electricity over one or two Focus items. Each individual arc can shock an enemy, interrupting its actions. Focusing all 10 arcs on a single monster results in a greater chance a shock will be effective and also inflicts 10x damage multipliers on that character.
Tempest-Summons a cloud above the player that acts like a stationary turret and zaps monsters within range with bolts of lightning. The tempest cloud will attack more often if you pump skill points into it, but it only works for a limited duration. All electrical-based attacks coming out of the Tempest also carry the chance of shock or interrupt.
Cabalist Summoner
Summon Ember-This skill summons a Fire Elemental, a handy ranged-assault pet. The more points a Summoner has invested into this skill, the more Fire Elementals he or she can summon (between five and eight, depending on the final balance, says Flagship).
Enrage-Casting Enrage on an enemy causes your pet to go into a frenzy and attack that enemy with increased speed and damage power for a few seconds. It also enlarges the pet.
Dominate-This skill allowes a Summoner to instruct his healer pet to control the will of a lesser demon, with success depending on how powerful the demon is. Zombies, for instance, are much easier to convert than higher-level demons; just look at the decomposing beast, trigger the skill, and your pet will initiate Operation: Zombie Mind-Rape!
Classes[]
Evoker
Ranged damage class that carries mystical Focus items (instead of guns) that grant special skill and attack bonuses. If he/she has two Focus devices, an Evoker can double the damage and attack bonuses of his/her skills.
Summoner
Can summon two categories of pet: major and minor. Major pets are tanks, healers, and high damage dealers. Minor pets, such as Elementals, exist for blasting, short-lived tanking, and doing damage over time. Summoners also focus their base Cabalist skills on regenerating health, which they can then feed to their various pets to keep them in the fight.