Chaplain and Cult roleplaying

[Nanako]

I'm wondering about this topic. The chaplain, a rarely used, mostly RP-based role, actually has some significant powers in the cult gamemode (unless aurora has taken them out, i'm unsure)

Some other wikis mention quite a few abilities for the chaplain: https://tgstation13.org/wiki/Chaplain

Although the Aurora entry on the position is relatively sparse, does he have any of the above stuff?

http://aurorastation.org/wiki/index.php?title=Chaplain

Does holy water, or your book, have any mechanical effects? Does he have any abilities against demons?

From what i've read, he has the power to deconvert cultists, That, at least is on the aurora wiki

How do you roleplay this guy, especially in a cult round. What are you meant, or allowed to do.

For example, since the chaplain is already steeped in religion and mythology, is it reasonable for him to immediately know there's a cult, when he finds runes, demons, or men running around with hoods and energy swords? How much can he be allowed to know about it?

It seems as a matter of roleplaying, much of what the cult does is typically regarded as insanity, trickery, illusions, etc, and people reporting seeing apparitions are treated as mentally unstable. This does seem reasonable, but then how can the chaplain get anything done?

How is he supposed to convince security to let him beat a captured cultist with his rod?

And if he successfully deconverts someone, how is he, or that person, supposed to convince security that they've changed their ways?

How much is a deconverted cultist allowed to remember about their time in the cult? anything at all?

Also, can his rod be used by anyone else? Can he give it to a security member and tell them it's a powerful weapon?

[Guest Marlon Phoenix]

The cult is a canon faction in the Aurora universe. Eldritch powers genuinely exist, and cultists do sp00ky things away from the eyes of anyone except a few government and corporate officials.

Other religions' canon-ness are vague on porpoise to give chaplains credibility regardless of their faith.

By virtue of gameplay and roleplay (the chaplain is THE ONLY counter against the cult, especially since loyalty implants were removed) it's very hard to find a way to play an engaging Chaplain without some light metagaming that you roleplay out. Skull believes you can do p much anything within reason if it's compelling (well roleplayed) and not an excuse to go "KILL KILL KILL!!!!"

By that I mean, lore-wise it's completely possible for a Chaplain to recognize cult shenanigans or tomes as vaguely sinister, and that obsidian + the power of [Holy Diety] can save the souls of those caught in the web of this sp00k. That is as much as the lore really lets Chaplains know off-the-bat, but unless I am countered by an admin I would also say that it's fine to spend time 'researching' (emoting reading or something) runes or the jackpot of an actual tome.

Convincing everyone else is the hardest part about this. I've found that the moment the Chaplain makes a cultist uncomfortable with his obsidian rod that security brigs him for assault or something. Everyone's an athiest. Try working with the unathi, they tend to take the supernatural at face value by virtue of their faiths revolving around spirits running around, so hearing of evil spirits possessing people isn't that far fetched. Unathi are boss on our supernatural rounds tbh it's great!

Security is VERY heavy handed and VERY unforgiving to both cultists and the chaplain - the chaplain often has to face death by the hands of cultists while also dealing with brigging or harmbaton by the hands of security.

What I do is try to work around them and save the souls of cultists. The mission of the chaplain is best served struggling to deconvert and keep alive cultists, because by the time he has justification to grab someone and wave their rod over the cultists' head security has already brought out the laser carbines. Several times during a cult round security has executed a cultist I had moments ago deconverted.

[Nanako]

Thank you Senpai, this is helpful

Is it possible for the chaplain himself, to be converted into a cultist?

In actual gameplay terms, how should you go about taking on cultists? Is it wise to go rod-to-energyblade with a cultist in a hardsuit? Does their armour affect the chance of the rod working? How likely is a cultist to win a straight melee fight, ie; to convert the cultist before he dies.

I'd also like to ask for some advice on how chaplain can or should be played, when there isn't a cult around for him to counter.

http://aurorastation.org/wiki/index.php?title=Chaplain

His duties seem a bit redundant. I've never been able to hold a funeral in any time i played chaplain. The command staff always wanted to clone people, or borg them, or keep bodies as evidence.

Does nanotrasen have any laws about crewmen having the right to a funeral?

Psychological care too. there is an actual psychiatrist class for that, and he's often underworked and desperate for something to do. It does mention providing counselling to recently cloned people. Is that canon? Most of the time when people are cloned, they seem to come out of the tank good as new, back on form and immediately ready to pick up their gear and head back to work. Are they not supposed to be doing that?

Attendance at church services seems pretty rare too, getting people to leave their jobs, or come out during dangerous times, is hard.

and then there's this line:

Other possible activities: Investiture of new acolytes and paladins, dedication of mechs, gravitational singularities, psychical research and seances, and pilgrimages to various places.

Acolytes and paladins? What?

Roboticist tends to shout people out of their lab too, doing anything to a mech is hard.

and what's psychical research? Where could you make pilgrimages to?

I'm not trying to complain about the class here, it's more that i see all these barriers to doing (what the wiki says are) my duties as a chaplain. I'm struggling to see how he can be relevant without a cult.

Also, religions. Another server i used to play on had a large set of preselected religions to choose from: http://ss13.moe/wiki/index.php/Chaplain#Religions

I tried playing as a National Socialist chaplain once, and carried around a copy of Mein Kampf. It was pretty fun, though i was disappointed to find i didn't get the officer cap here. Would it be alright to do that on aurora?