Eldritch Disciplines Vampires have long unlives. In that time they have amble years to train and perfect the disciplines disciplines of the Vitae. As such many Kindred reach levels of power beyond the conventional mastery. As stated on page 114 in Vampire: The Requiem: Requiem: “…some elders insist that once a vampire ’s potential with a Disci pline reaches reaches a certain point, she may break break from the static incarnaincarnations of a given Discipline and manifest powers with her own personality invested in them.” This means that while legend suggests that each vampire can manifest their own unique powers at disciplines disciplines of these levels, they are by no means absolute. Presented here are potential Eldritch Disciplines* Disciplines* for use in Vampire: The Requiem. Requiem. They can be worked in as the Disciplines that will manifest (meaning rumors of unique powers are false), or perhaps just one of the options available that is introduced into your game. *As a point of reference in this document I refer to any Discipline that is 6 dots or more as an Eldritch Discipline. Discipline.
Animalism 6 Animal Succulence Vampires at a certain Blood Potency find the blood of animals flat, tasteless and lacking in nutritional value. Some Gangrel and Ventrue, however, have refined their understanding of the spirits of such “lesser prey” prey” to the point that they are able to draw sustenance from beasts where other Kindred of equal Blood Potency would find none. This power does not allow an elder to subsist solely on the blood of animals, but it does allow him to go for extended periods of time without taking vitae from humans or other Kindred. Cost: — Dice Pool: This power involves no roll, and is considered “always on.” on.” Action: N/A Animal Succulence allows a character to feed from animals, no matter what her Blood Potency is. The amount of Vitae gained from such feeding is explained on pages 164-165 of Vampire: The Requiem, Requiem, except the vampire gains double the blood from feeding from animals. Animal Succulence does not allow a character to completely ignore his craving for blood of “ of “higher” higher” prey; in fact, it heightens his desire for “real food.” food.” Every three times (rounded down) the character drinks from an animal, a cumulative -1 die penalty is applied to the next Resolve + Composure roll the player makes when the character is confronted with the possibility of dining on human or Kindred blood (depending on her Blood Potency). This penalty is reset once the vampire has gained nourishment nourishment from either a human or Kindred.
6 Primal Tap
On some level every sentient creature has a predatory or primal instinct. Humans, like Kindred, have powerfully base desires and needs, but socialization has taught them how to restrain such behaviors. This Discipline allows a Kindred to remove the veneer of civility for one scene on an unsuspecting unsuspecting target. Cost: If used on a mortal, 1 Willpower; If used on a supernatural creature, 1 Vitae. Manipulation + Subterfuge + Animalism minus Dice Pool: Manipulation subject’ subject’s Resolve Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The Kindred becomes the victim of her own Discipline and unless she spends a Willpower dot she degenerates into a Revenant for a scene. Furthermore, the Kindred cannot make a use of this power for the re st of the night. Failure: The Kindred fails to invoke the target’ target’s passions. Success: The Kindred stirs the ire of the target ’s base passions. For every success, the effect subtracts one from the target’ get’s effective Morality (Humanity for vampires, or whatever the target’ target’s modified Morality trait is). In that time the target will be compelled to behave according to their Vice (for example a Glutton will gorge himself on his pleasures, while a person inspired by Wrath will go on a destructive spree). A target does not regain willpower for fulfilling their Vice. The lower her effective Morality the more depraved she will attempt to behave. In the above example of a Glutton, if her effective morality is reduced to 2 she is able to commit casual murder and may satisfy her Vice through cannibalism. If, in this duration, a target commits a Morality sin equal to or beneath her threshold she must role for degeneration as per the normal rules (any Morality lost or derangements are applied to her normal Morality levels). If she commits a sin that is above the temporary threshold, but below her normal threshold, then she does not. At the end of the effect she recalls all her sins and is likely plagued with them. At this point she makes a Morality check based on the lowest Morality sin committed that was not beneath her temporary threshold (as this would have already been tested). While in this fugue the target may attempt to rid herself of her urges. This may only be done when she is about to engage in a Morality violation (based on her normal, not temporary Morality). Before the act is done, she may roll her normal Morality reflexively. If she succeeds then she may sacrifice a permanent Willpower dot to cancel the effects of the Discipline. This represents the part of her normal conscience making a powerful sacrifice to overcome her primal instincts at the horror of what she is about to do. This does not make her any less horrified at her actions and may incur a minor derangement at Storyteller approval. If she successfully rids herself of the effects she cannot be affected by the power for rest of the night. Anyone who is reduced to Morality 0 becomes a Storyteller controlled character for the interim. Exceptional Exceptional Success: No additional effects except for truly low Morality scores.
6 Shared Soul This power allows a character to probe the mind of any one animal within reach. Shared Soul can be very disconcerting to both parties involved, as each participant is completely immersed in the thoughts and emotions of the other. With enough effort or time, each participant can gain a complete understanding of the other’ other ’s mind. Shared Soul is most often used to extract an animal’ animal ’s memories of a specific event, but some vampires use this power as a tool in the search for enlightenment, feeling they come to a better understanding of their own Beasts through rapport with true beasts. Too close of a bond, however, can leave the two souls entangled after the sharing ends, causing the vampire to adopt mannerism, behavior patterns or even ethics (or lack thereof) similar to those of the animal. Cost: 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Intelligence + Animal Ken + Animalism versus animal’ animal ’s Resolve Action: Contested and Extended (6 successes to locate a specific memory; 10 successes to form a complete bond); Resistance is Reflexive (an amount of successes equal to the vampire’ vampire’s Willpower). Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character fails to bond with the animal; the character enters frenzy and cannot attempt to use Shared Soul for the rest of the evening. Failure: The character loses or ties the contested action and fails to bond with the animal. Success: The character makes progress towards bonding with the animal. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The character makes considerable headway toward bonding with the animal. The character must touch the animal he wishes to share souls with (see “Touching an Opponent,” Opponent, ” page 157 of the World of Darkness Rulebook). Rulebook ). If he intended to uncover a memory from the animal, it is revealed to the character. The Storyteller is advised to make the memories appear as if filtered through an animal’ animal ’s perceptions of the world. If he intended to bond with the animal the character enjoys several benefits. He can at any time touch the animal, or look into its eyes to uncover a memory from the animal. Furthermore, the character can employ Feral Whispers and Obedience on the animal without the need for eye contact. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
+1
The animal is a predatory mammal (wolf, cat, insectivorous bat).
+1
The character has already successfully successfully used Feral Whispers on the animal he now attempts to possess.
+1
The character is able to assume the same animal form via the Protean Discipline as the creature with which he tries to communicate (though he
need not actually make the transformation). —
The animal is another sort of mammal, a predatory bird or a large reptile (rat, owl, alligator).
-1
The animal is another sort of bird or a small reptile (pigeon, snake).
-1
The animal is a ghoul in the employ of another vampire
-3
The animal is an insect or fish.
6 Species Speech The basic powers of Feral Whispers and Obedience allow a character to communicate with only one animal at a time. With Species Speech, a character c haracter can enter into psychic communion with all creatures of a certain c ertain species that are present. Species Speech is most often used after an application of the Call of the Wild, which draws a crowd of likely subjects. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: — Action: Reflexive The character spends the point of Vitae when rolling Feral Whispers or Obedience to receive the additional benefits of Species Speech. The character must make eye contact with one of the animals present in order to influence the whole. There is no practical upper limit on the number of animals that can be commanded with this power, although all of the intended subjects must be in the vampire ’s immediate vicinity. Only one species of animal can be commanded at a time; thus, if a character is standing in the middle of the reptile house at the zoo, she could command all of the Komodo dragons, all of the boa constrictors or all of the skinks, but she could not simultaneously give orders to every reptile or snake present. Species Speech functions much like Feral Whispers or Obedience in all other respects. The modifiers below are in addition to any modifiers that come with employing Feral Whispers or Obedience. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
-1 to -5
Using Species Speech on larger animals (cats, dogs, buffalo, etc). One dice cumulative penalty for every two animals of the target species present
-1 to -5
Using Species Speech on swarms (rats, bats, wasps, etc). Penalty is equal to the size of the swarm the vampire wants to influence.
7 The Conquering Beast Masters of Animalism have a much greater understanding of both beasts in general and the Beast in particular. Those who have developed this power can master their own Beasts to a degree impossible for lesser Kindred to attain. The Conquering Conquering Beast allows the vampire to inflict their Beast on ordinary mortals and other supernatural beings, causing either frenzy or Rötschreck. This is an unnatural frenzy, however, as the victim is channeling the Kindred’ Kindred ’s own fury. As such, the vam-
pire’ pire’s own behavior, expressions and even speech patterns are evident in the subject’ subject ’s savage actions. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Manipulation+ Intimidation + Animalism versus subject’ subject’s Composure + Supernatural Advantage Action: Contested; resistance resistance is reflexive Roll Results character’s power rebounds and she Dramatic Failure: The character’ enters either frenzy or Rötschreck, whichever she attempted to influence. Additionally, the subject is immune to any further attempts of the Conquering Beast by the character until the next sunset. Failure: The character loses or ties the contested action and the power fails. Success: The character transfers the Beast successfully. The subject immediately enters either frenzy or Rötschreck with no initial roll to resist. The rules governing Frenzy on pages 178181 in Vampire: The Requiem apply to the subject. However, the subject ignores wound penalties until rendered unconscious rather than torpid. Also, the subject cannot attempt to ride the wave. After the frenzy is over the subject gains a mild derangement. Exceptional Exceptional Success: If the subject is forced into frenzy or Rötschreck, he or she remains in that state for the remainder of the scene, regardless of surrounding events or circumstances. Additionally, Willpower cannot be spent to end the frenzy prematurely. After the frenzy is over the subject gains a severe derangement. Once the frenzy is over the Beast leaves the subject and returns to the character, or he can call his Beast back reflexively before the frenzy expends itself. Those on the receiving end of this power can simply kill the host (thus causing the Beast to return to the vampire immediately), but such an act likely warrants a Morality roll. A vampire without his Beast cannot be subjected to frenzy, Rötschreck or Wassail, and obviously cannot ride the wave. He is not affected by the Predator’ Predator ’s Taint, and other vampires do not roll Predator’ Predator ’s Taint when encountering him. However, vampires studying him with Aura Perception can still identify him as a vampire. While no longer vulnerable to frenzy, the character cannot use or regain Willpower and becomes increasingly lethargic. If he uses this power repeatedly as a storage facility for his Beast, every night the vampire goes without his Beast incurs a -2 penalty to all dice pools, with the exception of Humanity and degeneration rolls. This penalty is cumulative to a maximum of -5. After a week has passed, the vampire gains the depression derangement. After a month the derangement increases in severity to melancholia. melancholia. Suggested Modifiers If the character knows another’ another ’s Virtue and/or Vice, such knowledge grants a +1 bonus, though she must cajole the Beast by specifically focusing on those aspects of the subject ’s personality. These bonuses are not cumulative. Knowing a character’ character’s Virtue and Vice nets only a +1 bonus, not a +2.
8 Taunt the Caged Beast Some Kindred are so attuned to the Beast that they can unleash it in another individual, human or supernatural, at will. Vampires who have developed this power are able to send their adversaries into frenzy with a finger’ finger ’s touch. This power is similar to the Conquering Beast, with the key difference that the vampire does not transfer his Beast from himself to the recipient. Rather, the physical contact allows the vampire ’s own Beast to reach out and awaken the animal side of the victim, enraging it by threatening its spiritual territory, similarly to Leashing the Beast. Cost: 1Willpower Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy +Animalism versus subject’ subject’s Composure + Supernatural Advantage Action: Contested; resistance resistance is reflexive The character spends the Willpower point and touches the target (see “Touching an Opponent,” Opponent, ” page 157 of the World of Darkness Rulebook Rulebook). ). The target of Taunt the Caged Beast can be an ordinary human, or another supernatural supernatural being. Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character’ character’s power rebounds and a Willpower point must be spent or she enters either frenzy or Rötschreck, whichever she attempted to influence. Additionally, the subject is immune to any further Taunt the Caged Beast attempts by the character until the next sunset. Failure: The character loses or ties the contested action and the power fails. Success: The instant action inspires frenzy or Rötschreck in the subject. However, the subject ignores wound penalties until rendered unconscious rather than torpid. Also, the subject cannot attempt to ride the wave. After the frenzy is over the subject gains a mild derangement. Exceptional Exceptional Success: If the subject is forced into frenzy or Rötschreck, he or she remains in that state for the remainder of the scene, regardless of surrounding events or circumstances. Additionally, Willpower cannot be spent to end the frenzy prematurely. After the frenzy is over the subject gains a severe derangement. Suggested Modifiers If the character knows another’ another ’s Virtue and/or Vice, such knowledge grants a +1 bonus, though she must cajole the Beast by specifically focusing on those aspects of the subject ’s personality. These bonuses are not cumulative. Knowing a character’ character’s Virtue and Vice nets only a +1 bonus, not a +2.
8 Unchain the Ferocious Beast The self-destructive nature of Kindred can be turned against them by an elder who possesses this formidable power. With a glance, the vampire can awaken the Beasts of her enemies, causing physical injury and excruciating agony as the victim ’s own violent impulses manifest in physical form to tear him apart from within. A target of this power erupts into a fountain
of blood and gore as claw and bite wounds from an invisible source spontaneously spontaneously tear his flesh asunder.
Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162)
+1
The character has successfully drawn a psychic impression from the object or person before, using either Aura Perception, Spirit’ Spirit ’s Touch or Telepathy.
-1 to -10
The power is turned on a vampire vampire possessing possessing the Obfuscate Discipline (penalty equal to the level of Obfuscate possessed by the subject). subject).
Cost: 3 Vitae Dice Pool: Manipulation + Intimidation + Animalism minus subject’ subject ’s Composure Action: Instant The vampire must make eye contact with the target. The power ignores Defense and Armor. Since the power requires eye contact, incur a -1 penalty if the target is moving about. Roll Results
6 The Distant Touch
Dramatic Failure: The character’ character’s own Beast turns against him. He immediately immediately enters frenzy. Failure: No successes are achieved. The target’ target ’s Beast is not roused. Success: Each success inflicts a point of aggravated damage on a target possessing a Beast. Most of the time, this means another vampire, but it could also be a person who has had a Beast unnaturally forced upon them by the Conquering Beast. Also, the victim enters Rötschreck or frenzy; the choice is up to the character. If the target is a vampire, each success also consumes one point of Vitae from the target. Additional successes are their own re Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional ward.
Auspex 6 Clairvoyance By using Clairvoyance, Mekhet can perceive distant events without using Twilight Projection. By concentrating on a familiar person, place or object, a character can observe the subject’ ject’s immediate vicinity while staying aware of her own surroundings. Cost: 1 Willpower Intelligence + Empathy + Auspex Dice Pool: Intelligence Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character’ character’s mind ends up in a completely different location than the one desired. Failure: The character cannot project his mind in a different location. Success: The character successfully achieves clairvoyance. The character can perceive the events and environment surrounding the desired target for one turn per success. Other Auspex powers may be used on the scene being viewed: these are rolled normally. Clairvoyance does split the vampire ’s perceptions between what she is viewing at a distance and what is taking place around her. As a result, while using this power, a character is at a -3 penalty on all rolls relating to actions that affect her physical surroundings. surroundings. Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional Additional successes are their own reward. Suggested Modifiers
Cost: — Dice Pool: This power involves no roll, and is considered “always on.” on.” Action: N/A Just as the mind of the Auspex may fly free of the body and explore the world unseen, it may exercise its powers from its hidden places, wending their way to distant entities along the lines of Blood and dreams. Once the Elder achieves this level of psychic potency, they no longer need to physically perceive someone or something to engage their powers of Telepathy or Spirit’ Spirit ’s Touch. The Dice Pool for each of these powers is penalized by the level of mystical sympathy the Elder has with the subject, much like the Mage Sympathetic Connection Chart. Only unique examples appear on this table, for more general examples, see page 114 of the Mage Core book. Suggested Modifiers Penalty
Sympathetic Sympatheti c Connection
-2
Intimate: Drunk from within the last year, Childe, Ghoul, possess part of the target ’s physical substance
-4
Known: Drunk from within the last decade, GrandChilde, Childe’ Childe’s Ghoul,
-6
Acquainted: Drunk from within the last century, Distant Blood relative,
-8
Encountered: Drunk from within the last millenia, Distant Blood relative’ relative ’s Ghoul
-10
Described: Clan member, former Ghouls of your Bloodline
6 Prediction Some people are capable of finishing their friends’ friends’ sentences. Elder Mekhet with Prediction sometimes begin their friends’ friends ’ sentences. Prediction is a constant low-level telepathic scan of the minds of everyone the character is in proximity to. While this power does not give the vampire the details of his neighbors’ bors’ conscious thoughts, it does provide a wealth of cues as to the subjects’ subjects’ moods, suppressed reflexes and attitudes toward the topic of conversation. Cost: 1Vitae Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Auspex minus subject ’s Composure
Action: Reflexive Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character cannot get a read on the subject. He cannot use Prediction on the subject for the rest of the night. Failure: The character cannot get a read on the subject. Success: Whenever the character is in a conversation and either participant in the discussion makes a Social roll, the character may pre-empt the roll to spend a point of Vitae. Each success is an additional die that can be applied to the character’ character’s Social roll against the subject or subtracted from the dice pool of the Social roll being made against the character by the subject. Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional Additional successes are their own reward. Suggested Modifiers
When used upon a single target, the character or Storyteller will describe the actions of that target to the player at the beginning of the turn, for a number of turns equal to successes. This includes the turn in which the power was activated, unless that target has already moved that turn, in which case the effect begins in the subsequent subsequent turn). Exceptional Exceptional Success: As above, but the player can assume the 9-again rule in any action that deals with reacting to the predicted events.
6 Spirit s s Skill ’
Some of the members of the Order of the Thorned Wreath have been known to pick up and wield unfamiliar weapons and vehicles with a stunning precision and use. This power, taught exclusively to its elder knights, may be the source of such legends. Cost: 1 Vitae, 1 Willpower
Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162)
+1
The character has successfully successfully used either Aura Perception or Telepathy on the subject in the scene.
Dramatic Failure: The character forgets a skill of his own for as many nights as he has dots in Auspex.
Each derangement derangement the subject possesses.
Failure: The vampire fails to access any Physical or social skills or merits.
-1
6 Prescience A Kindred who reaches this level of mastery has such a finely tuned sense of perception that she can capture her current moment in her thoughts and make astounding predictions of the probability of how events will unfold from there. As such, a Kindred predictive predictive ability is not a glimpse into the future, but a psychically augmented estimation. The discipline can be used in one of two ways. It can be used to assess a general outline of a current scene, or it can be used to more accurately predict the actions of a single target. Cost: 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Wits + Occult + Auspex (versus the subject ’s Resolve + Blood Potency if Contested). Action: Instant (to use on an entire scene); Reflexive + Contested (to predict the actions of a single target; this version may not be invoked more than th an once per turn). Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The Kindred manages to make absolutely untrue or vague and muddled predictions about the upcoming events. As such they cloud and distort her judgment. For the duration of the event in question she loses the 10-again ability and all 1s cancel successes. Failure: The Kindred’ Kindred’s predictions prove to be neither useful nor hampering for the duration. Success: When used upon a scene, the Storyteller may give the player a single hint about what they can expect in the upcoming scene for each success. These hints should be oracular and become more vague the further into the future they are.
Roll: Wits + Occult + Auspex Action: Instant Roll Results
Success: Each success on the roll allows the vampire to increase a Physical or social skill or merit by one dot. He may not increase his ability higher than the ability of the character that most impacted the item with his personality, usually the owner. A dull katana from a pawn shop may grant perhaps one dot in weaponry, if it was ever used, while the katana of an ancient samurai might be able to grant full mastery of the sword, including a specialty merit in katana. The character may not access skills of the owner that are unrelated to the object. You could not pick up the aforementioned samurai’ samurai ’s calligraphic skills by tapping the sword, but could by tapping his calligraphy brush... brush... Exceptional success: as per above, except the character may also receive flashes of the owner or the object ’s lives and personality at the Storyteller’ Storyteller ’s discretion...
6 Telepathic Communication Telepathy allows a character to probe and add thoughts to another’ another’s mind, one subject at a time. With Telepathic Communication, a Mekhet can form a link between his mind and that of other subjects, allowing them to converse in words, concepts and sensory images at the speed of thought. Vampires Vampires with this level of Auspex can act as “switchboard operators,” operators,” creating a telepathic web that allows all participants to share thoughts with some or all other members of the network as they choose. Cost: 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Intelligence + Empathy + Auspex minus Highest Resolve (if subjects are resisting)
Action: Instant
Cost: —
Roll Results Dramatic Failure: Dramatic failure on a Telepathic Communication attempt can be disastrous, as the user instantly adopts any derangements present in the targets for the rest of the night. Failure: Failure results in no link being established, and the character cannot try again for the remainder of the scene. Success: A telepathic link is established between the character and all subjects. The maximum range at which a subject may be contacted and the maximum number of individuals who may be linked simultaneously with this power depends on the Auspex rating of the vampire who initiates contact. contact. Rating
Number of Targets
Range
Auspex 6
3 subjects
100 miles
Auspex 7
Wits rating or 3 subjects, whichever is higher
200 miles
Auspex 8
Wits + Composure
100 miles for every point of Intelligence Intelligence
Auspex 9
Wits + Composure x2
200 miles for every point of Intelligence Intelligence
Auspex 10
Wits + Composure x3
300 miles for every point of Intelligence Intelligence
Exceptional Exceptional Success: A telepathic link is established between the character and all subjects as per a success. The character regains the spent Willpower point. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162)
+1
For every subject who the character has previously used Telepathy on successfully.
-1
For each derangement derangement a subject possesses.
-1
For each 100 miles each individual subject is from the character (rounded down)
-1
Using Telepathic Communication Communication on a quarter of the maximum amount of subjects
-2
Using Telepathic Communication Communication on half the maximum amount of subjects
-3
Using Telepathic Communication Communication on three quarters of the maximum amount of subjects
-4
Using Telepathic Communication on the maximum amount of subjects
Dice Pool: Intelligence + Empathy + Auspex minus subject’ ject’s Composure Action: Instant (Note that though this is an instant action, it takes more than just a fleeting glance to uncover the inner workings of the soul. A character must scrutinize her subject for two full turns to glean information from her, though only the single, immediate roll is necessary to determine if she can read the subject successfully.) successfully.) Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character gleans utterly misleading and wholly inaccurate information. information. Failure: The character can distinguish distinguish no information information at all. Success: The subjects Virtue, Vice, Humanity rating (or equivalent) and Willpower rating (permanent and temporary) can be determined. determined. Exceptional Exceptional Success: In addition to the information gleaned from a success, the state of the subject ’s karma may be determined. This is a highly abstract piece of information best left to Storyteller discretion, but should reveal the general balance between “good” good” and “bad” bad” actions the subject has performed, both recently and over the course of his existence. If the plot merits it, the character may receive vision of one or more incidents in the subject’ subject ’s past that radically altered his destiny. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162)
+1
The character has successfully successfully used Aura Perception on the subject before
7 Mirror Reflex This power was developed by a Mekhet elder who made a fearsome reputation through her fencing prowess, acting as a hired champion in dozens of duels for the First Estate. Mirror Reflex is similar to Prediction in that it is in essence a lowlevel telepathic scan of an opponent, but this power taps into physical (rather than social) reflexes, allowing the character to anticipate anticipate an enemy’ enemy ’s moves in personal combat. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Wits + Combat skill opponent opponent is currently using + Auspex minus subjects Resolve Action: Instant Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The character cannot get a read on the 7 Karmic Sight subject. He cannot use Mirror Reflex on the subject for the The power of Aura Perception allows a vampire to take a brief glimpse at the soul of a subject. This power takes Aura Perception several steps forward, allowing a Mekhet to probe the inner workings of a subject ’s mind and soul. Knowledge acquired in this fashion can be used in many ways, and a vampire who has developed this power is undoubtedly familiar with all of them.
rest of the night. Failure: The character cannot get a read on the subject. Success: The character spends the Vitae and rolls the dice pool to observe the subject’ subject ’s fighting technique using her own rating in the relevant skill. Each success is an additional die that can be applied to the character’ character ’s dice pools during the next turn of combat for any actions taken against the scanned
opponent. The power has a maximum range in yards equal to the character’ character’s Willpower rating. Additional successes are their own re Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional ward. Suggested Modifiers
Possibly the source the rumors that Methuselahs awaken from torpor with perfect memories, this power allows an Elder’ der’s spirit to leave his body while in torpor. While seemingly asleep, the Mekhet is able to project in twilight, think and perceive events normally. Cost: —
Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162)
+1
The character has successfully successfully used Aura Perception on the subject in the scene.
+1
The subject is employing a fighting style related to the combat skill currently in use.
-1
The subject possesses possesses a fighting style not related to the combat skill currently in use.
8 Psychic Assault Psychic Assault is nothing less than a direct mind-to-mind attack which uses the sheer force of an elder’ elder’s will to overpower his target. Victims of Psychic Assault show little outward sign of the attack, save for nosebleeds and expressions of intense agony; all injuries by means of this psychic pressure inflicted are internal. A medical examination of a mortal victim of a Psychic Assault invariably shows the cause of death to be a heart attack or aneurysm, while vampires killed with this power decay to dust instantly, regardless of age. Cost: 3 Vitae (+1 Willpower if assaulting a vampire or other supernatural supernatural being) Dice Pool: Intelligence + Intimidation + Auspex minus subject’ subject’s Resolve Action: Instant The vampire must make eye contact with the target. The power ignores Defense and Armor. Since the power requires eye contact, incur a -1 penalty if the target is moving about. Alternatively, the power can be applied by touching the subject (see “Touching an Opponent,” Opponent, ” page 157 of the World of Darkness Rulebook). Rulebook). If the target is a living being any result that causes the victim to lose his last temporary Willpower point also renders him unconscious for the rest of the night. Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The target becomes immune to the character’ acter’s Psychic Assault for one night. Failure: The target is unharmed and may determine that a psychic assault is taking place by succeeding on a Wits + Occult roll. Success: Each success inflicts a point of lethal damage on the target. The target also loses a point of Willpower per success achieved. Finally, if the victim is a vampire, he enters Rötschreck. Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional Additional successes are their own reward. The victim also loses a Willpower dot. dot.
9 False Slumber
Dice Pool: This power involves no roll, and is considered “always on.” on.” Action: N/A No roll is needed. This power is considered to be active whenever the vampire’ vampire’s body enters torpor, whether through violence, starvation, staking or voluntary, and projections are handled as per the rules for Twilight Projection (see p. 123 of Vampire: The Requiem). Requiem). The vampire may not be able to awaken physically at will, however — waking from torpor is handled per the normal rules for such an action (see p. 175178 of Vampire: of Vampire: The Requiem). Requiem). As his Blood Potency decreases from his time in torpor, the vampire will lose all dots above his new trait limit, including this power. However, the power will still remain active during the entire period of torpor. When he awakens he will have to buy this ability again to receive the benefits the next time he enters torpor. Since the vampire is considered awake for all intents and purposes while projecting, he does not suffer the Fog of Eternity. If the projecting vampire is barred from returning to his body, the vampire does not begin to lose Blood Potency, and the ghost-Kindred does not suffer the Final Death. Instead, he loses the use of this Auspex power and half of his permanent Willpower points, and the vampire enters true torpor. Both the Auspex 9 power and all of the Willpower points can be bought back using experience points when the character awakens from torpor. The vampire’ vampire ’s soul slowly returns to his body over the course of a year and a day, during which time he may not be awakened from torpor by any means. During this time, the vampire doesn’ doesn ’t dream or experience anything. It is as if he doesn’ doesn’t exist. Once he has been returned to his body he will suffer the Fog of Ages as usual. He will also awaken with a severe derangement, related to the horror of his temporary period of non-existence. non-existence. The vampire can at any moment return his consciousness to his body while using of this power. If he does so, the effects of this power end immediately and the character enters true torpor and suffers the Fog of Eternity as usual.
Celerity Few Kindred can even conceive of any use for Celerity other than that of speeding up one’ one ’s actions so that one might dodge some more TEC-9 rounds in combat. While that approach is all well and good, there are other potential applications of the power available to ancient, learned or clever vampires. Under normal circumstances, advanced mastery of Celerity means that the normal progression of the powers predominates. Unless the character makes a special effort to learn an alternate power or create one, each additional level of the
power from 6 to 10 means that once the Discipline is activated, the vampire simply receives additional Initiative, an increased Speed modifier and subtracts more dice from incoming attacks, as described on page 123 in Vampire: The Requiem. Requiem.
Flower of Death is i s not cumulative — it is impossible to “layer” er” uses of the power over one another to create astronomical dice-pools, but it can already be stacked with Vigor, Protean and ordinary blood boosting of dice pools.
If, however, the vampire choose to take an alternate power, she forfeits that normal progression (which can later be made up through experience) and takes the new manifestation of Celerity instead. She does not gain the normal benefits of the Celerity; it’ it’s an either/or situation.
If the character decides to activate any other Celerity power while using the Flower of Death, the effects of the Flower of Death end, and the character has to activate the power again if he wants to enjoy the benefits once more.
6 Projectile Despite the fact that a vampire with Celerity moves at incredible speeds, by some quirk of metaphysics any bullets he fires or knives he throws while in this state don’ don ’t move any faster than they normally would. Scientifically minded Kindred have been baffled by this phenomenon for centuries, but more pragmatic ones have found a way to work around it. Projectile enables a vampire to take his preternatural speed and transfer it into something he has thrown, fired or launched. This power isn’ isn ’t the Dexterity version of Vigor, it’ it ’s a tradeoff power. How much of his own safety is he willing to risk to ace the throw, so to speak? Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: — Action: Reflexive Projectile requires the expenditure of a blood point. In addition, the player must decide how many levels of his character’ character ’s Celerity he is putting into the speed of the launched object. Thus, a character with Celerity 6 in addition to projectile could decide to put three dots’ dots ’ worth of speed into a knife he is throwing, and use the other three dots to receive the normal benefits of Celerity. Each dot of Celerity infused into a thrown object becomes an additional die on the attack roll.
7 Flower of Death In combat, as in all things, speed kills. A proper application of Celerity in combat can turn even the meekest Kindred into a walking abattoir. How much more deadly, then, is a vampire with the ability to utilize his preternatural speed to the utmost in combat? The answer to that question is “Rather a lot.” lot.” Flower of Death allows a vampire to take his Celerity and apply it in full to each hand-to-hand or weaponry attack he makes. Cost: 4 Vitae Dice Pool: — Action: Instant Once Flower of Death is in effect, a number of dice equal to the vampire’ vampire’s normal Celerity rating gets added to every dice pool for attack the character makes until the end of the scene. The effect is limited to hand-to-hand or weaponry attacks — firearms, bows and what not are excluded. Also note that the power only grants dice, not dots. So a character adding dice to a weaponry attack does not receive additional dots of strength, and the damage potential of the weapon does not increase.
8 Zephyr Zephyr produces an effect vaguely similar to one of the legendary comic book-style uses of enhanced speed, allowing its practitioner to run so fast he can run across water (he ’s moving so fast he doesn ’t have time to sink). Particularly successful applications applications of Zephyr allow a vampire to go so far as to run up walls and, in at least one recorded instance, across a ceiling, though the latter is more of a parlor trick than anything else. Cost: 1 Vitae, 1 Willpower Dice Pool: — Action: Reflexive When activating Zephyr, the vampire enjoys the benefits of his normal Celerity rating, except that the benefits are doubled. A vampire with normal Celerity 8 in addition to Zephyr would thus receive +16 to his Initiative, would multiply his speed by 18, and opponents would subtract 16 dice from their attack pools! Like normal Celerity, the effect lasts for one turn. Unfortunately for the vampire in question, Zephyr requires such extremes of concentration that it cannot be combined with any form of attack, or indeed, with most any sort of action at all. If a character feels the need to do something else while moving at such tremendous speeds (it bears repeating: Zephyr cannot be combined with any form of attack), a Resolve + Composure roll is required. Needless to say, dramatic failures at Zephyr speed can be spectacular in all the wrong ways. Most times, a vampire moving at such a rate of speed is barely visible, appearing more as a vampire-shaped blur than anything else. Observers must succeed on a Wits + Composure roll to get even a decent look at a Kindred zooming past in this fashion.
Dominate 6 Azazel s s Touch ’
Thought to be have been taught to Ventrue of the Cassius line by demons of pre-history, Azazel’ Azazel ’s touch makes the vampire a difficult prey to hold on to indeed. Having forced an opening into the subconscious of mortals, he finds the hidden hallways of thought and emotion that link the minds of mortals together. Once the vampire has taken possession of a mortal, he may move into the body of another mortal with a mere touch. Skin contact is not necessary, but physical contact is. possession has been initiated) Cost: 1 Willpower (after possession
Dice Pool: This power requires no roll to invoke Action: Reflexive The vampire must first possess a mortal. Once possession has taken place, he need only spend 1 Willpower to fit into the body of any mortal who has a lower willpower than his original “ride. “ride.” So the more willful the original mortal, the more mortals the vampire may ride.
6 Breaking the Spirit When a Kindred reaches this level of Dominate, Dominate, they are li terally able to strip away the will of any who would oppose him. The sheer overbearing personality of the vampire enfeebles the fiercest opponent. opponent. Cost: 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Presence + Intimidation + Dominate – Resolve Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The Kindred’ Kindred’s is overcome with her own power and suffers the loss of a Willpower dot. dot. Kindred’s force of will is not sufficient to brow Failure: The Kindred’ beat his opponent. Success: For every success gained, the target’ target ’s willpower score is temporarily reduced by one for the remainder of that night. That is with three successes a target with a willpower of 6 functions with only 3 dots of willpower for the duration of that night. Willpower points in excess of the dots reduced are lost and are not automatically recovered at the end of this power. If the subject’ subject’s willpower is effectively reduced to 0, she becomes listless and unmotivated like usual. Exceptional Exceptional Success: As above, but the target also loses a willpower dot for every success in excess of the target ’s willpower. That is, if 6 successes are gained and the target only has 4 Willpower, she would lose two permanent permanent Willpower dots. dots.
6 Chain the Psyche Not content with merely commanding their subjects, some Ventrue apply this power to ensure obedience from recalcitrant victims. Chain the Psyche is a Dominate technique that inflicts incapacitating pain on a target who attempts to break the vampire’ vampire’s commands. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Intelligence + Intimidation + Dominate versus subject’ subject’s Stamina + Blood Potency resistance is reflexive re flexive Action: Contested, resistance Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The Dominate effect is completely broken, and the subject does not need to roll to shake off any compulsions compulsions or roll to uncover any memories tampered with. Failure: The target can go ahead and roll to shake of any compulsion, or have someone roll to uncovered any memories tampered with.
Success: The character spends a point of Vitae when her character applies Mesmerize or the Forgetful Mind to a subject. Any attempt that the subject makes to go against the vampire’ vampire’s implanted commands (see p. 125 in Vampire: The Requiem) Requiem) or when anyone else tries to recover stolen memories (see p. 127 of Vampire: The Requiem) Requiem) causes intense pain in the subject. When the subject wants to attempt such a roll, the Storyteller rolls Chain the Psyche ’s dice pool. Each success equals one turn that the victim is unable to act, as she is wracked with agony. Furthermore, the target cannot make the roll to resist the Dominate effect. If she wants to try again, she must first make a successful Resolve + Composure roll. If that roll fails, the subject does not have the mental fortitude to face the pain again, and will not attempt to resist the Dominate effect for the rest of the scene. In the case of someone trying to recover memories from the subject using the Forgetful Mind, the subject must successfully roll Resolve + Composure to allow the attempt to continue. If she fails, she will try to get away from the person attempting to uncover the memories. On a dramatic failure, the subject enters frenzy. Each application of Chain the Psyche crushes a number of resistance attempts equal to the character’ character ’s Manipulation rating, after which the effect fades. Additional successes are their own re Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional ward. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162)
6 Command Obedience While most Kindred must employ Dominate through eye contact, some powerful Ventrue may command loyalty with the lightest brush of a hand. Cost: — Dice Pool: This power involves no roll, and is considered “always on.” on.” Action: N/A The character can employ all Dominate power through touch instead of eye contact (although (although eye contact still works). Skin contact is necessary — simply touching the target’ target ’s clothing or something she is holding will not suffice. If the subject is resisting, rolling to touch the subject may be necessary (see “Touching an Opponent, O pponent,”” page 157 of the World of Darkness Rulebook). Rulebook). The touch does not have to be maintained for the full time it takes to issue a Dominate command, though repeated attempts to Dominate a single target require the character to touch the subject again.
6 Loyalty With this power in effect, the Ventrue’ Ventrue ’s Dominate is so strong that other vampires find it almost impossible to break with their own commands. Despite the name, Loyalty instills no special feelings in the victim — the vampire’ vampire’s commands are simply implanted more deeply than normal.
Cost: — Dice Pool: This power involves no roll, and is considered “always on.” on.” Action: N/A Any other vampire attempting to employ Dominate on a subject who has been Dominated by a vampire with Loyalty must spend an additional Willpower point and make all rolls with a -3 penalty. This penalty is in addition to any penalties stemming from past Conditioning on the subject.
6 Mass Control This power allows the user to still an entire room with a single word. Essentially, it enables her to use any power associated with Dominate •, ••, or ••• on all the individuals in an area. The user makes one roll appropriate to the power she’ she ’s using; all those in the immediate area — namely, those who can both hear her voice and see her — make independent rolls to resist, as per the individual powers in question. Player characters always roll to resist. If there are a lot of Storyteller character victims, the Storyteller might find rolling for them all a little tedious — it’ it’s probably better to either just decide how many of them fall prey to the power, or make one or two rolls for a group of people.
the target’ target’s body is being cut off before rolling. She may affect any of the body’ body ’s involuntary functions; breathing, circulation, perspiration, pain receptors, sight and hearing are all viable targets. While Still the Mortal Flesh is in effect, a vampire can either stop any one of those functions entirely or cause them to fluctuate erratically. The exact effects of any given bodily function being shut off are left to the Storyteller. Most mortals panic if suddenly struck blind, but the shutdown of the heart is one of the quickest ways to kill a target. Every success on the activation roll for stopping the heart stops the muscle for one turn, and the victim suffers a point of Lethal damage per turn his heart isn’ isn’t beating. Vampires are unaffected by loss of heartbeat or breathing, but may be rendered deaf and blind as easily as mortals. Rules for fighting blind, listening and smelling are covered in the World of Darkness rulebook (pages 166-167). Rules for suffocation can be found in the same book, on page 49. Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional Additional successes are their own reward. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162)
8 Far Mastery
Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
—
The user tries to Dominate less than five people
-1
The user tries to Dominate five or more people
-2
The user tries to Dominate 15 or more people
-4
The user tries to Dominate 25 or more people
-6
The user tries to Dominate 50 or more people
7 Still the Mortal Flesh Despite its name, this power may be employed on vampires as well as mortals, and it has left more than one unfortunate victim writhing in agony — or unable to do even that. A Ventrue who has developed this power is able to override her victim’ victim’s body as easily as his mind in order to cut off his senses or even stop his heart. It is rumored that this power once came more easily to the Kindred, but modern medicine has made the bodies and spirits of mortals more resistant to such manipulations. Cost: — Dice Pool: Intelligence + Medicine + Dominate versus subject’ ject’s Stamina + Blood Potency Action: Contested, resistance resistance is reflexive re flexive
This refinement of A bsolute bsolute Obedience (though the character need not have learned Absolute Obedience first) allows the use of Dominate on any subject that the Ventrue is familiar with, at any time, over long distances. If the elder knows where his target is, he man issue commands as if he were standing face-to-face face-to-face with his intended victim. Cost: 1 Willpower. A second Willpower point must be spent in order for a vampire to use this power on another vampire or another supernatural being. Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy + Dominate minus subject ’s Resolve + Supernatural Supernatural Advantage Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character cannot establish a link to the subject for the rest of the night. Failure: The character cannot establish a link to the subject but may try again by spending another point of Willpower. Success: With a success, contact is established and the character may proceed to use any Dominate power as if he had established eye contact with the target. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The character also gains a point of Willpower. Suggested Modifiers
Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The target becomes immune to the character’ acter’s attempts at Stilling the Mortal Flesh for one night.
Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162)
-1
For each 50 miles each individual individual subject is from the character (rounded down)
Failure: The roll fails or i s tied, and the target is unharmed. Success: The effects of Still the Mortal Flesh last for one turn per success. The character must choose what function of
-1 to -10
The power is turned on a vampire possessing possessing the Obfuscate Discipline (penalty equal to the level of Obfuscate possessed by the subject). subject).
lative -1
For each “step” step” in close blood ties the character is trying to command (her sire and her childer). For instance, trying to command her sire would give the character a -1 penalty, while trying to command all her childer would also mean a -1 penalty. Were he to try and Dominate Dominate both steps, he would suffer a total of -2. It is not the amount of characters that are important, but the steps removed.
-2
For each “step” step” in distant blood ties (her sire ’s sire and her childers’ childers’ childer) the character is trying to Dominate.
9 Speak Through the Blood The power structures of Methuselahs extend across continents and centuries. This power is a powerful tool by which such ancients wield control over their descendants, even far outside their geographic spheres of influence. Speak Through the Blood allows a Ventrue to issue commands to every vampire with whom she shares a blood tie — even if the two have never met. Thus, entire broods act to further the goals of sleeping ancients whose existences they are completely unaware of. The vampires affected by this power rarely act directly to pursue the command they were given, but over 10 or so years, their priorities slowly shift until the fulfillment of the Methuselah’ Methuselah ’s command is among their long-term goals. Speak Through the Blood, because it takes effect so slowly, is rarely recognized as an outside influence, and its victims rationalize their behavior as “growing and changing,” changing, ” or something to that effect. If the Storyteller is running a high level elder game where the player characters are the elders and have lots of childer, grandchilder and servants (like Primacy-games from Damnation City), a player could use this power so he wouldn ’t have to micromanage as much. Cost: 1 Willpower dot Intelligence + Subterfuge + Dominate - highest Dice Pool: Intelligence Resolve Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The attempt fails and the character cannot use Speak Through the Blood for a year. Failure: The command does not take hold. Success: Unless the character is aware of the location (what city will suffice) and present agenda of every “family member” member” of his who he is trying to command — a highly unlikely event — he may only issue general commands, such as “work for the greater glory of Clan Ventrue” Ventrue ” or “destroy all those who seek to extinguish the light of knowledge.” knowledge. ” Speak Through the Blood can be used by a vampire in torpor. Commands issued through this power last for one decade per success rolled. A vampire who has reached Golconda is not affected by this power, and is completely unaware that it has been used. Her childer, however, are affected normally unless they are also enlightened. Ghouls of the victims of this power are also affected, but to a lesser extent than vampires. Additional successes are their own re Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional ward. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162). Redundant to claim, but it bears pointing out. This effect is not cumu-
Majesty 6 Dies Irae The user’ user’s Majesty inspires and bolsters the masses, whipping them into a frenzy of violence. This power does not itself grant influence over the subjects; they must already respect the user’ er’s commands through normal or supernatural means, and the user must verbally address them to activate this power. The lord directs his subjects toward a goal, and they begin to pursue it with all of their might. Only mortals may be affected by this power. The affected are inspired to fight with utter disregard for their own safety, ignoring all wound penalties and gaining bonus dice on all resistance rolls against mental influence equal to the user’ user’s Majesty. They may also use the Kindred ’s Majesty dots in place of any dice pool used to attack if it exceeds their normal dice pool. This power lasts for one scene, or approximately one hour, and may affect a total number of mortals equal to the user ’s Majesty dots squared. Cost: 1 Willpower per scene Dice Pool: This power involves no roll. Action: Instant
6 Love The Majesty power called Love allows the user to cause a victim to truly, honestly, deeply love him. It simulates the effects of the Vinculum without any of the messy side effects, like Vitae addiction. While neither as sure a method of control as a true Vinculum, nor as long-lasting, Love is still an extremely potent means of command. Cost: 1 Willpower, 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Presence + Empathy + Majesty versus Resolve + Supernatural Advantage Action: Contested; resistance resistance is reflexive Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The attempt offends the subject, making him immune to the user’ user ’s Majesty for the rest of the night. Failure: The subject does not feel any different about the character.
Success: The victim behaves as if affected by Awe and under a full Vinculum to the user for the rest of the night. Exceptional Exceptional Success: An exceptional success indentures the target for at least l east a week, and potentially a month or more. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
+3
The subject is already under the influence of Entrancement.
+2
The subject is already under the influence of Awe.
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162 of Vampire: The Requiem). uiem).
+1 to +5
Each dot of Blood Potency above the victim’ victim ’s that the character possesses.
-1 to -5
Each dot dot of Blood Blood Potency above the character’ character’s that the victim possesses.
-1
Subject is an enemy.
-3
The character has already used Love on the subject previously within a week.
6 Rapture Beyond the realms of mere adoration, this power of Majesty can be used to inspire religious fervor, pious adoration and worship. When activated Rapture suffuses the Kindred with a holy aura that projects upon witnesses the impression that the figure they are meeting is infused with divine inspiration. While this doesn’ doesn’t actually change the character’ character ’s appearance, the aura of Rapture will overlay whatever the witness perceives as sacred to them. A person who is a devout Christian might perceive a shining halo convinced that the person they are speaking to is a blessed saint, whilst a Hindu may see that person as an avatar of their deity. For people that already know the Kindred, they will still feel a sense of holy reverence emanating from them as though the person that they had always known was, for the moment, divinely inspired. While in the presence of this creature, supplicants will feel and behave like they might around an apparition of the divine. Characters of high Morality will feel at ease, or peace in the presence of this person, while those of a low Morality may feel internal burnings of guilt and horror. Furthermore, a character may not act in a way that is contrary to that person ’s Morality. If the character suggests acts, or acts in a way that is lower than the target’ target’s Morality in front of them, the subject may make a reflexive Morality roll. A success means that they are no longer swayed by the effect and are disillusioned to the character’ character’s sanctity. supernatural creature targeted. Cost: 1 Willpower per supernatural Dice Pool: Presence + Socialize + Majesty Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The Kindred’ Kindred’s aura takes upon an appearance that reveals them for being the Damned that they are as the beast inside them seems to be revealed plainly on
their appearance. While it’ it’s possible that they could be mistaken for a demonic entity, most of the time this results in a Masquerade Masquerade breach. Failure: The Kindred fails to sway his audience. Success: When a success is achieved the Kindred is able to assume the guise of Rapture. A person swayed by the power will take most of what the character says with divine authority. There is a certain infallibility about their divinity that cannot be denied. Advice that is given is most assuredly taken to heart. Anything that is said by the character is taken as sacred prose. Mechanically, the character gains the 8-again rule on any Social interaction with swayed targets. Swayed people will very likely come to the defense, socially and physically, against threats directed to the object of their reverence; and often with the passion of those defending an object of religious adoration. adoration. Exceptional Exceptional Success: As above, but targets once affected will be swayed by the effect of Rapture for a number of nights equal to the Kindred’ Kindred ’s dots in Majesty. Even then, unless the subject is given reason to believe otherwise (such as seeing the character performing debase acts), they may continue to maintain the belief that the player was (or still is) a sacred being.
7 Cooperation Any elder knows that Kindred are the most difficult being in existence to force to work together. Peaceful coexistence coexistence is not a common tenet in vampiric society. With all that in mind, this power can be used to nudge those affected by it into a fragile spirit of camaraderie. Some cynical (or realistic) Daeva claim that their clan’ clan ’s mastery of this Majesty effect is the sole reason that anything is ever accomplished at Kindred gatherings. Daeva who voice this opinion too loudly also tend to have numerous chances to test just how effective Cooperation Cooperation is. Cost: — Dice Pool: Presence + Persuasion + Majesty Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character cannot use Majesty for the rest of the scene. Failure: The character loses the action. No spirit of camaraderie fills the room. Success: The character successfully activates Cooperation. The effects of Cooperation Cooperation lasts for the remainder of the scene in which it is invoked, and invokes feelings of non-aggression. While this power is in effect, all those under its influence are more favorably disposed toward one another and are more willing to extend trust or make cooperative plans. For the most part, players should simply role play Cooperation’ tion’s effects, but there are some concrete ramifications of the power’ power’s use. Actions to threaten, harm, or actively work against someone present in the room is penalized by one die per success rolled on the activation roll. All rolls to resist Frenzy add three dice. Furthermore, Social Flaws like Notoriety
and Racist/Sexist (see p. 219 of World of Darkness Rule book) book) are considered “removed” removed” for the scene in which cooperation is used. Supernaturally inspired dissension and spite (like that of Spark of Rage) is canceled out by Cooperation if the activation successes for this power are equal to or more than the activation successes of the opposing power. Additional successes are their own re Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional ward. Suggested Modifiers
might be elsewhere at the time but who still have strong ties to the affected city. Cost: 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Presence + Streetwise + Majesty Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The opposite emotion of which the character was trying to instill takes effect. Failure: The character fails to instill the emotion.
Modifier
Situation
—
Character uses Cooperation on one person
-1
Character uses Cooperation Cooperation on two people
-2
Character uses Cooperation on four people
-3
Character uses Cooperation Cooperation on eight people
-4
Character uses Cooperation Cooperation on 20 people
-5
Character uses Cooperation on a vast number of people in the vampire’ vampire ’s vicinity (an auditorium, a mob)
8 Ironclad Command Any individual can normally resist the powers of Majesty for a brief time through an effort of will. Some elder Daeva have developed such force of personality personality that their powers of Majesty cannot be resisted without truly heroic efforts. Cost: — Dice Pool: This power involves no roll, and is considered “always on.” on.” Action: N/A This power is always in effect once it has been learned. A mortal may not spend Willpower to resist the character’ character ’s Majesty (see p. 128-129 of Vampire: The Requiem). Requiem). For purposes of this power, the definition of “mortal” mortal” does not include supernaturally active humans such as ghouls, wolf-blooded and sleepwalkers. A supernatural subject must roll Resolve + Composure penalized by the character’ character ’s Majesty divided by two, rounded up, the first time he attempts to spend a Willpower point to overcome the character’ character ’s Majesty. He may then spend a maximum number of Willpower points to resist the character’ character’s Majesty for the rest of the scene equal to the numbers of successes he rolled. A dramatic failure doubles the character’ character’s Majesty dice pools against the hapless victim for the remainder of the night.
9 Pulse of the City A Daeva who has developed her Majesty to this terrifying degree can control the emotional climate of the entire region around her, up to the size of a larger city. This power is always in effect on a low level, attuning those who dwell in the area to the Methuselah Methuselah’s mood, but it can also be used to project a specific emotion into the minds of every being in the area. Pulse of the City affects residents more strongly than tourists, and also has a significant impact on those individuals who
Success: The character manages to instill the emotion she wants into the targeted region. The for the most part, the players should role play according to the emotional climate. For the Storyteller, he needs only decide on how the residents of the target area react to the emotional emotional climate. If the Storyteller Storyteller is using the A mbience and Attitude Attitude systems from Damnation City (see p. 153, Damnation City) the character can instantly shift the ambience and/or attitude of any district in the city in any way she wants, provided the activation roll is successful. If the character wants to affect more than one district she must make another roll and spend another Willpower point. The character needn’ needn’t spend the Willpower point if she is currently in the district she wants to affect. The effect lasts l asts as long as the character chooses, determined by the chart below. The character can choose to dampen the low level emotional bleed she exudes, or terminate the effect of the projected emotion at any time before it expires. Pulse of the City can be used by a character in torpor. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The character feels rejuvenated by the emotional flood she creates. In addition to the effects of a success, the character regains a point of Willpower. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Duration
—
One minute
-1
10 minutes
-2
One hour
-3
One day
-4
One week
Nightmare At this level of mastery over Nightmare the vampire is intimately aware of the innermost workings of fear. So much so that her simple presence can unintentionally stir feelings of foreboding in anyone nearby. Regardless of the moral fiber of the vampire with this level of mastery people around her will feel a generalized generalized "evil presence" when near her.
6 Lingering Malaise While lesser Nightmare powers allow a Nosferatu to inflict temporary (though often long-lasting) madness upon a victim, elders within the clan have developed the ability to brutalize the minds of their victims to the point of permanent dementia.
Lingering Malaise causes permanent psychological shifts within the victim, making him, as one Malkavian elder remarked, “an honorary lunatic.” lunatic. ” Cost: 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Nightmare versus subject’ subject’s Composure + Blood Potency (The Nosferatu clan weakness does not apply to the Discipline user ’s roll) Action: Contested; resistance resistance is reflexive. The character speaks to his victim for at least a minute, describing the derangement that Lingering Malaise will inflict. Lingering Malaise may only be used to inflict one derangement per night on any given victim. Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character inflicts the derangement on himself instead of his victim, and it is immediately triggered. Failure: The character fails the roll or ties the contested action. The derangement fails to take hold on the victim. The character may try again, but must spend another minute first describing the derangement to the victim, who will probably be very suspicious of the character’ character ’s intentions by now. Success: The character wins the contested roll. The character may inflict a permanent derangement of his choice on the victim of the power. The derangement develops at the lowest eligible “slot” slot” of the Morality track. For example, the player of a vampire with Humanity 3 writes the new derangement on the line next to Humanity Humanity 4 — the lowest missing dot — while a vampire of Humanity 7 would be immune to this effect, as his lowest missing dot (Humanity 8) can ’t be saddled with a derangement. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The Nosferatu brutally ravages the victim’ victim’s mind. In addition to the derangement, the victim loses a dot of Willpower.
The Kindred uses the art of this discipline to inspire a sense of pathological fear in a given subject, causing them to flee in terror from it as an uncontrollable phobia. This fear manifests in its target as a chosen psychological pathology that creeps over the victim and distorting his sense of perception over it. Whenever he gazes at the subject of his given fears it appears dangerous, ominous as monstrous as it is distorted by his fear. A simple spider becomes 5 times as large in his mind and covered in hoary spines. A stranger on the street comes across like a murderer following the victim. The type of Pathos selected must be generalized. Selecting cats as a phobia works, while selecting “that person over there” there” does not. This Pathos is chosen at the power’ power’s inception and cannot be changed for the duration. Its duration is a number of nights equal to the Kindred’ dred’s dots in the Nightmare discipline. A target may not be subject to more than one effect of Pathos at a time. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Presence + Empathy + Nightmare versus subject’ ject’s Composure + Blood Potency (The Nosferatu clan weakness does not apply to the Discipline user ’s roll.) Action: Contested Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The Kindred becomes afflicted by the Pathos herself. Failure: Nothing of horror manifests. Success: The Kindred inflicts a Pathos on the victim. The target will react to the described source as though she was suffering from the Phobia derangement to that thing. Exceptional Exceptional Success: As above, but the target will react to the Pathos as though she was suffering the Hysteria derangement instead.
6 Paralyzing Glance
Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162).
+2
User is suffering from the derangement derangement he is trying to inflict.
+2
Power is turned on a subject of half, or less than half, the user’ user’s Blood Potency
+1
Power is turned on a subject of lower Blood Potency
—
Character is trying to inflict a mild derangement
-1 to -5
Power is used in in a noisy, crowded, or otherwise otherwise distracting environment.
-3
Character is trying to inflict a severe derangement derangement
-5
Character is trying to inflict an extreme derangement
6 Pathos
Some elder Nosferatu have honed their mastery of Nightmare to such a degree that they are able to leave a victim paralyzed for hours on end, allowing them to pursue their nightly business and return to where they left their victim, knowing he will still be there. The power’ power’s name is something of a misnomer, as victims of the power are not precisely paralyzed in a physical sense, but rather frozen with sheer terror. Direct eye contact is required between the vampire and the target; looking at someone over a satellite transmission does not apply. Cost: — Dice Pool: Manipulation + Intimidation + Nightmare versus subject’ subject’s Composure + Blood Potency (The Nosferatu clan weakness does not apply to the Discipline user ’s roll) resistance is reflexive Action: Contested; resistance Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character is incapable of using Paralyzing Glance for the remainder of the scene.
Failure: The character loses or ties the contested action. The subject is taken aback, but no e ffect is triggered Success: The character succeeds at Paralyzing Glance. Success renders the victim so terrified that he falls into a whimpering catatonic state, unable to take any actions except curling into a fetal position and gibbering incoherently, and does not apply his Defense score. The effect lasts for one hour per success rolled. If the victim’ victim’s life is i s directly threatened (by assault, impending sunrise, etc.), the poor wretch may attempt to break out of his paralysis with a Resolve + Composure roll. One success is necessary to break the paralysis. If the roll fails, the victim may try again if the threat continues to assail him. On a dramatic failure, the victim, if a vampire or other supernatural subject capable of supernatural fear frenzy, is sent into a continuous state of Rötschreck for the rest of the night. Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional Additional successes are their own reward.
6 Premonition The culmination of centuries of work for some, this level of mastery of Nightmare entails a simple ability with the most subtle of implications. The user quite simply is able to tap into the latent fears of anyone in the area. Like an evil omen she can cause nightmares (lowercase N) in the inhabitants of the vicinity foretelling her arrival, some horrible event, or simply bad times. Cost: 3 Willpower Dice Pool: Presence + Expression + Nightmare versus subject’ ject’s Resolve + Blood Potency Action: Contested; resistance is reflexive Each success on the roll causes nightmares in anyone sleeping nearby or who will sleep soon for a number of days equal to the successes plus one. The range of this power is one building plus ten yards for every success rolled. Rolls Results Dramatic Failure: The Kindred becomes afflicted by the Premonitions herself for a number of nights equal to her dots in the Nightmare Nightmare discipline. Failure: Successes rolled for the subject exceed or tie those rolled for the vampire. The subject has "just" a bad dream but otherwise manages to rest. Success: The most successes are rolled for the vampire using Premonitions. The subjects suffer from fitful sleep and get little or no rest. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The roll made for the vampire wins the contested roll and gets five or more successes. Additional successes are their own reward. The effects of these nightmares are up to the ST. Suggested effects include: • No WP gain for sleeping the duration • -1 to all rolls • -1 to further uses of Nightmare by the vampire who used this ability
Uses for this power include the obvious: lowering property values, depopulating a building, making a grand entrance on the Elysium scene. And the subtle: hoaxing a haunting, weakening a rival’ rival ’s domain, and demoralizing enemies.
6 Quell the Herd This power functions along the same lines as Eye of the Beast — the Nosferatu asserts her monstrous nature over mortals, subduing them with the terrifying power of her Beast. Passionate, powerful emotions, or even simple attempts to assert individuality or will are squelched, rendering those affected paralyzed for as long as the Nosferatu is in their presence. Multiple targets can be affected; the only requirement is that the individuals must be able to see or hear the Nosferatu. It may be necessary in some extreme situations to get the targets ’ attention, but that is not likely to be difficult for a monster of this power. This power does not work on supernatural beings, but mortals touched by the supernatural, like ghouls, wolf blooded and sleep walkers, are. Cost: 2 Vitae, 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Strength + Intimidation + Nightmare versus subject’ subject’s Composure Action: Contested and Extended; resistance resistance is reflexive. The character needs an amount of successes needed equal to the Willpower of each subject (each individual target is cowed as soon as his Willpower rating is reached). The subjects need an amount of successes equal to the character’ character ’s Willpower. Roll Results Dramatic Failure: Any subjects previously subdued with this power enter a state akin to frenzy and immediately attack the character, or anything that stands in the way. Failure: The character fails the roll or ties the contested action, or the subject reaches the required successes before the character. This subject becomes immune to the character’ character ’s attempts at Quell the Herd for the rest of the scene. Success: The character wins the contested action. A subject who is quelled can no longer use or regain Willpower points. He ceases all mental and physical struggles, not even defending himself and does not apply his Defense score. If the victim’ tim’s life is directly threatened, the poor wretch may attempt to break out of his paralysis with a Resolve + Composure roll. The subjects of this effect remain in this state as long as they are in the character’ character’s presence. When he leaves, they can behave as normal again. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The character score five more successes than the target’ target ’s Willpower. In addition to the effects of a success, the target also loses a point of Willpower. The character may subdue a number of individuals equal to her permanent Willpower score. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
-1
Using Quell the Herd on a number of targets equal to a quarter of the character’ character ’s Willpower rating, rounded up
-2
Using Quell the Herd on a number of targets equal to half the character’ character’s Willpower rating, rounded up
-3
Using Quell the Herd on a number of targets equal to three quarters of the character’ character ’s Willpower rating, rounded up
-4
Using Quell the Herd on a number of targets equal to the character’ character’s Willpower rating
6 Spark of Rage Hate and fear are two closely related emotions. A Nosferatu possessing this power can shorten tempers and bring old grudges and irritations to the boiling point with a minimum of effort. Spark of Rage causes disagreements and fights, and can even send other vampires into frenzy. Cost: — Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Nightmare (The Nosferatu clan weakness does not apply to the Discipline user’ er’s roll) Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character is incapable of using Spark of Rage for the remainder of the scene. Failure: The character fails to activate Spark of Rage, but can try again next turn. Success: The character successfully applies Spark of Rage. All affected individuals suffer a penalty on all Social rolls done for any purposes other than to insult, threaten, bully or similar negative Social actions. Those affected are the people in closest proximity to the character. A vampire affected by this power must spend a Willpower point or Roll Resolve + Composure (penalized by the character’ character ’s successes on the activation roll); failure means the character must roll to resist Frenzy (see p. 179 of Vampire: The Requiem), Requiem), needing three successes. A dramatic failure on the penalized Resolve Resolve + Composure roll sends the character into immediate immediate frenzy. This power may only be applied successfully successfully once per scene. Exceptional Exceptional Success: Multiple successes are their own reward Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
—
Character uses Spark of Rage on one person
-1
Character uses Spark of Rage on two people
-2
Character uses Spark of Rage on four people
-3
Character uses Spark of Rage on eight people
-4
Character uses Spark of Rage on 20 people
-5
Character uses Spark of Rage on a vast number of people in the vampire’ vampire ’s vicinity (an auditorium, a mob)
7 Stampede
A deep, innate knowledge of fear and man’ man ’s animal instincts allows the Nosferatu to trigger a very specific fear in his victims — an unthinking panic that pushes hundreds of creatures into headlong flight. This ability only works on large groups of people; too few, and the aggregate fear will not be enough to override sensible plans of action. Also, the crowd must be already agitated by some mundane occurrence, such as a large predator on the loose, a lost football game by the home team or a shortage of this year’ year ’s fad toy during prime shopping season. The Nosferatu may cause the “mundane” mundane” situation — by being the large predator, influencing influencing the outcome of the soccer match, or waylaying the toys — but this is not necessary or even wise. Once this power takes hold, its victims will flee until they escape the vampire’ vampire’s influence or until they are rendered unable to run. Cost: 1 Willpower, 2 Vitae Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Nightmare (The Nosferatu clan weakness does not apply to the Discipline user’ er’s roll) minus Highest Composure Composure of the crowd Action: Instant This power must be activated within sight of a crowd of roughly 50 agitated mortals (the Storyteller may allow this power to be used on smaller groups of really pissed-off mortals). Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The intended subjects enter a state akin to frenzy and immediately attack the character, or anything that stands in the way. Failure: The character fails to activate Stampede, but can try again next turn. Success: The character succeeds at causing a Stampede. The resulting waves of terror roll 50 yards in all direction from the Nosferatu for each success achieved. Any unsettled mortal within this radius will immediately flee towards the nearest escape or exit unless the Nosferatu chooses to direct the Stampede by force of will. The vampire may set a direction or path for the fleeing multitudes, but may not change or alter it once the flight has begun. Members of the Stampede will ignore many potential sources of danger, such as running into the road or through a firing range, but will not take obviously suicidal actions like leaping off tall cliffs or skyscrapers. In some cases, however, the crazed mob will not see potential danger in time — or be forced into it anyway by the pressure of the crowd behind them. Exceptional Exceptional Success: Multiple successes are their own reward Mortals who were not initially affected may be caught up physically or emotionally in the tide, as the Nosferatu ’s projected Beast wreaks havoc for a scene unless he chooses to end the madness earlier. Upon leaving the affected area, mortals may recover their senses and stop their mad rush. If the area is bottlenecked, however, such as a long hallway or valley, the mortals may opt to continue fleeing rather than be trampled. It is worth noting that this power can go awry, even without rolling a dramatic failure — the power of hundreds of morals can
be too much for the vampire to control. People have a disturbing tendency to riot.
that the Nosferatu have used the threat of this power as a bargaining chip in key negotiations throughout history. Cost: 4 Willpower points
Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
Dice Pool: Stamina + Intimidation + Nightmare
+1 to +5
The character takes special care in creating a stressful situation.
Action: Instant
-3
The character attempts to steer the Stampede Stampede in a specific direction.
8 Personal Scourge Similar to the Nightmare power of Mortal Fear, this fearsome ability allows the elder Nosferatu to turn the very strength of her victim’ victim’s mind against him, inflicting physical harm with the power of his own will. It is the victim ’s own hidden fears and feelings of inadequacy that assault him. Victims of this self-powered attack spontaneously erupt in lacerations and bruises, spraying blood in every direction and howling in agony. Those who have observed such an attack with Auspex note that the victim’ victim ’s aura swirls with violent fear and erupts outward in writhing appendages — a sight that can make even the most hardened Acolyte quail. Cost: 2 Willpower Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy + Nightmare minus subject’ subject’s Stamina (The Nosferatu clan weakness does not apply to the Discipline Discipline user’ user ’s roll) Action: Instant Roll Results The character must establish eye contact with her intended victim to apply this power. If the target moves about, instill a 1 penalty in addition to all others listed. The power ignores Defense and Armor. Dramatic Failure: The target becomes immune to all the character’ character’s Nightmare powers for the rest of the evening. Failure: The character fails the roll. The character isn’ isn ’t assaulted by his own fears. Success: The character succeeds at the roll. For a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled, the victim rolls his own permanent Willpower as lethal damage against himself. This attack roll is penalized by the degeneration dice of the victim’ victim’s current Morality or equivalent. He may take no other actions during this time other than thrashing and gibbering; this includes spending vitae to heal. While suffering from this attack, the character cannot apply his Defense against anyone attacking him. Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional Additional successes are their own reward.
9 Lunatic Eruption This fearsome ability is only know to have been applied a few times in recorded Kindred history, most spectacularly during the final nights of the fall of Rome. It is effectively a psychic nuclear bomb, used to incite every intelligent being within several miles into an orgy of bloodlust and rage. It is suspected
Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The psychic bomb does not go off. The character loses a permanent dot of Willpower from overexertion. Failure: The character fails the roll. The surrounding area is not gripped by madness. madness. Success: The character succeeds at the roll. An area determined by the penalty the character incurred on the activation roll is affected by Lunatic Eruption. Within this area, all sentient creatures fall prey to their baser instincts. Mortals spontaneously riot, looting and burning between bouts of mass violence. Kindred enter hunger-induced frenzies, draining dry as many vessels as they can sink their fangs into. Other supernatsupernatural subjects run amok according to their base natures: Lupines under the effect of this power enter their war-forms and frenzy indiscriminately at anything that resembles an enemy, mages temporarily fall into stages of magic-induced delusion, and the fae bask in the sudden influx of energy and revel in their temporary power. An entire city can quite literally be driven temporarily insane by this power. Lunatic Eruption ’s effect persists until the next sunrise, and anyone entering its radius of effect (centered on the site at which it was used, not on the character who applied it) falls under its spell. However, inertia may carry the violence spawned by this power much farther — and keep it going much longer — that the power itself can force. Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional Additional successes are their own reward. Victims of Lunatic Eruption may resist with a Composure + Blood Potency roll, penalized by the amount of successes achieved on the activation roll of this power. Each success provides one hour of lucidity, which most wise individuals use to leave the power’ power’s area of effect (leaving the “blast radius” radius” does remove the power’ power’s influence). The source of Lunatic Eruption may be pinpointed if a character is using Heightened Senses or an equivalent power at the time it is used; this is automatic and requires no roll. However, this grants no knowledge of what actually happened — the observer simply “feels” feels” a massive psychic shockwave explode from the character using the power. He instinctively know the location of the character for remainder of the night. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
-1
One city block of 500 feet
-2
An entire neighborhood or one mile
-3
A large downtown downtown area or three miles
-4
Several neighborhoods neighborhoods or 10 miles
-5
An entire metropolitan metropolitan area or 30 miles
can be used to expand this area of effect ; each 9 From Worlds Unseen, oneSuccesses adds 10 miles of radius. objects can be created at the rate of one success Bring Forth The Night forMundane every dot of Ressources, but a Methuselah with this level of There is a secret to which only the oldest and greatest of Methuselah are privy. Reality is a Lie. Science does not work. History has been rewritten countless times. There is a World in each of us. One who has enough power can delve into this world, revel in it, then draw it out and bring it forth into another reality. A Methuselah who has mastered this power can turn Torpor into an asset. At such a level of power, there is little to no difference between one’ one’s beliefs and reality, and when the two come in conflict, the Methuselah often wins. This power allows a godlike Kindred to bring his slumber dreams into reality by basically re-writing it. Cost: 1 Willpower (plus subsequent loss of Vitae as the vampire slumbers) Roll: Manipulation + Crafts + Nightmare Action: Extended; each roll is one full day of slumber The user spends one WP to sink into her daily slumber as if the sun had just come up. The power starts taking effect as soon as the sun rises, with an extended roll every day. The target number of successes depends on what is sought (guidelines can be found below) The vampire is in a strange state of equilibrium between slumber and torpor, and all rolls to wake up if disturbed are made at a -3 penalty. While using this power, she dreams a lot more than usual, and work intensely, wandering her own dreamscape and pouring it into the outside world; thus she does not regain Willpower as she sleeps. Once the target number is reached, the Kindred wakes up in the following hours to find the world... Changed. Reacclimation to reality is hard, and the Kindred suffers a -1 penalty to all actions until the sun has risen again and she has taken a more normal slumber. If the extended roll fails, the Kindred’ Kindred ’s dreams prove too strong for him to craft, and he succumbs to an ordinary torpor, torpor, determined by his Humanity and Blood Potency as per normal rules. If the rolls suffers a dramatic failure, then the Kindred is seized by a much, much stronger torpor. His dreams overcome him, him, and he cannot wake from torpor normally, he must be awakened by somebody else’ else ’s interventions. Worse, the power still continues its effect: each night a new roll is made (failure and dramatic failure have no particular effect) and the successes are used by the Storyteller to reshape the world randomly (or perhaps pe rhaps not so randomly) according to the Methuselah Methuselah’’s dreams. Target successes guidelines: The basic area of effect of this power is a radius of 10 miles x Blood Potency. If the user possesses Majesty, he can spend another point of Willpower when slumbering to expand it by a number of miles x BP equal to his Majesty rating.
power is unlikely to use it for such trivial matters. Ressources themselves can be created at the rate of two successes by dot; depending on where he slumbers, the Methuselah could wake up to find that his shares in various businesses have brought huge benefits (even though he never had any shares to begin with) or simply that he was actually sleeping on gold. Any other Merit can be bought at the rate of 3 successes successes per dot. So with 15 successes successes the Methuselah Methuselah could wake up as the as one of the most honored figure of the Lancea Sanctum in the region (Status 5) or create a Childe that watches over him faithfully while he sleeps (Retainer 5). With this power, it becomes possible to twist reality into magic. What do you think of Excalibur? The Holy Grail? The shield of Captain America? All these can be created as Artifact and Imbued/Enhanced Items, at the rate of 4 successes per dot. If the user wants to affect the worldview of a particular individual, rather than a more generic change ( “I want the Prince to be my best friend” friend” as opposed to “I want to be deeply respected and feared in this city” city ”) the roll is contested by Resolve + Blood Potency, but the victim is unaware of the changes that are being wrought on her; only successes in excess of hers are counted towards the reality-changing reality-changing total.
Obfuscate 6 Conceal The vampire may mask an inanimate object up to the size of a house. If the object is hidden, so are all of its contents. While Conceal is in effect, passersby walk around the concealed object as if it were still visible, but refuse to acknowledge that they are making any kind of detour. Cost: 2 Vitae Dice Pool: Wits + Larceny + Obfuscate Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The attempt fails and the user actually draws attention to the object she is trying to conceal. People might think of it as a landmark, take pictures, etc. Further uses of Obfuscate against people present to witness the dramatic failure incur a -1 penalty for the remainder of the scene. Failure: The attempt fails. Success: The character must be within 30 feet of the object to be concealed and the item must hold some personal significance. The Conceal power functions as Touch of Shadow for purposes of detection, as well as the duration and durability of the disguise. For purposes of determining what “specific” specific ” means in the case of finding an Obfuscated Obfuscated house, the character must know the address of the building, what type of building it is he is looking for and who the tenant is. For example
“The Victorian, two story house on 27 Exeter Drive, where Lady Vivienne Stockton resides” resides ” would be specific. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The character hides the object even if a searcher knows exactly what she seeks. Conceal can be used on a vehicle in which the character is traveling. In this instance, traffic patterns seem to flow around the vehicle, and accidents are actually less likely as other drivers subconsciously maneuver away from the concealed auto. A police radar gun still registers a speeding car masked in this fashion, but the officer behind the gun is disinclined disinclined to make a traffic stop on the phantom blip. Using Conceal on an aircraft is problematic, as the power’ power’s range generally doesn’ doesn ’t extend far enough to cover air traffic controllers and the like. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
-1
Vehicle character is trying to conceal is moving below, or at safe speed.
of dots in the Haven (Size) Merit to describe the area; so 1 or 2 rooms would require only 2 successes, while a vast network of tunnels would require 10. From the outside and from the inside, doors and any portals in and out of this place vanish from the mind of any witness that may wander past or remain inside. The effect of this pow er lasts for a number of nights equal to the Kindred ’s dots in Obfuscate. However, if the enclosed space is ever exposed to direct sunlight the effects wear off immediately. Naturally, spaces best used for this are ones far away from potential interference. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Wits + Subterfuge + Obfuscate Action: Extended (target successes is twice the equivalent size in the Haven (Size) Merit, each roll takes 5 minutes of concentration) Roll Results
-2
Vehicle character is trying to conceal is moving above safe speed.
Dramatic Failure: The Kindred’ Kindred’s attempts to hide this location are entirely ruined and all successes are lost.
-3
Character is trying to conceal something the size of a motorbike
Failure: The Kindred gains the number of successes required.
-4
Character is trying to conceal something the size of a car, or a sepulcher
Success: The Kindred adds the successes to the total; when the number is achieved the effect commences.
-5
Character is trying to conceal something the size of a house, or a trailer with rig.
Exceptional Exceptional Success: No additional effect except for adding many successes to the total.
-1 to -5
The negative Handling modifier of the vehicle the character is trying to conceal if the vehicle is in motion. A bus for instance has a negative Handling score of -2.
6 Mind Blank A vampire with this power is able to shrug off telepathic contact, easily withstanding invasive invasive probes of her mind. Cost: —
Suggested Modifiers Situation
Modifier
Place selected has frequent traffic
–5
Place selected is habituated by an individual (house of residence, office space etc…)
–1 per person
Place is owned or claimed by Kindred
+1
Place is physically locked
+2
Place is physically concealed
+3
6 Soul Mask
Dice Pool: This power involves no roll, and is considered “always on.” on.” Action: N/A Any attempt to read or probe the character’ character ’s mind first requires a successful Clash of Wills roll (p. 119 Vampire: The Requiem) Requiem) for the one attempting the mental probe. Even if a potential intruder does succeed, his dice pool for the subsequent attempt itself is then limited to the number if successes he scored on the Clash of Wills roll.
6 Oubliette The powers of Obfuscate at this level allow a Kindred to turn any single place into a room secreted from the world around it. As such it may act as an unknown Haven, a treasure vault or even a prison with no perceptible way out. When activated this power causes a single enclosed space to be unseen and unknown. An enclosed space may be a small cardboard box all the way up to a large ball room. The number of successes required to activate are equal to twice the number
In addition to concealing her form, a vampire who has developed Soul Mask is able to conceal her aura. She may display whatever combination of colors and shades she wishes, even those of a different type of supernatural being, or may appear to have no aura whatsoever. This power is of particular use to those of advanced Blood Potency who have reach such heights of power through diablerie. Cost: — Dice Pool: This power involves no roll, and is considered “always on.” on.” Action: N/A The use of this power allows the projection of only one aura (or lack thereof) — the vampire chooses the precise colors to be displayed when she first develops Soul Mask. If the character has no experience with the use of Aura Perception, she may not choose an alternate aura, as she has no idea what one would look like, though she can still choose to display no aura
whatsoever. Also, if wishing to have his aura resemble that of a different supernatural being, he must have seen that type of aura before in order to recreate it. Soul Mask can be bought multiple times, if desired, in order to give a vampire multiple alternate auras from which to choose. Unless the player states otherwise, Soul Mask is always in effect. If the character has bought Soul Mask two or more times, her “default” default” aura displayed is the first one she learned. She can switch auras at any time by spending a point of Willpower. Should anyone inspecting inspecting the false aura suspect that it is not a real aura for whatever reason, he can attempt to pierce it and uncover the character’ character’s true aura. A Clash of Wills roll (p. 119 Vampire: The Requiem) Requiem) is made. Success means the true aura can be uncovered.
6 They Who Never Were The power to take on any identity or to make others deny your presence is within the power of any any practitioner practitioner of Obfuscate of considerable power. It is only after crossing the threshold of ages that they begin to realize the fleetingness of identity. With this power, the Elder is able to spin identities out of whole cloth, give them reality and authority in their presence, then take them away as though they never were. The identity is formed around a purpose. If the purpose is to enter the media center and gain access to the CEO ’s office, every eye that falls upon you sees you as exactly who you need to be to achieve your goal. These identities are created and discarded with ease. While it fools sentient life, it cannot trick mechanical or electrical locks. It can however, make a compelling case for anyone in your presence to think they need to unlock things for you. Once you are out of their immediate vicinity, people immediately forget meeting you, only to remember if they encounter encounter you again later during during the same same activation activation of this power.
will now remain in effect as long as the vampire is within a distance equal to his Wits + Stealth in miles from the object or person he wishes to conceal. The enhanced concealment fades at the next sunrise, or breaks, as always, if the Obfuscate subject reveals himself.
7 Veil of Blissful Ignorance This power’ power’s development is attributed to the Mekhet, but many Nosferatu have also found it to be highly useful. The Veil of Blissful Ignorance allows a vampire to Obfuscate an unwilling victim, removing him from the notice of others. Some Nosferatu use this power to teach a humbling lesson to individuals who take the presence and aid of others for granted, while others utilize it to remove an essential member of a group in the midst of a crisis. Cost: 1 Vitae Dice Pool: Wits + Stealth + Obfuscate versus subject’ subject ’s Resolve + Blood Potency Action: Contested; resistance resistance is reflexive Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The attempt fails and the user actually draws attention to the person she is trying to conceal. Further uses of Obfuscate against people present to witness the dramatic failure incur a -1 penalty for the remainder of the scene. Failure: The attempt fails. Success: The character must touch the victim to activate this power (see “Touching an Opponent,” Opponent, ” page 157 of the World of Darkness Rulebook). Rulebook ). If the roll is a success, the victim is subject to the effects of Cloak of the Night (p. 136 of Vampire: The Requiem) Requiem) for a length of time determined by the number of successes the player rolls. All witnesses present reconstruct the scene in their memory to justify the character ’s disappearance. Successes
Duration
1 success
Three turns
2 successes
One minute (20 turns)
Cost: 3 Vitae
3 successes
15 minutes
Dice Pool: Wits + Subterfuge + Obfuscate
4 successes
One hour
Action: Instant
5 successes
One night
Those who are not strictly caught within the sphere of your goal perceive you as someone they need not concern themselves with, and promptly forget you.
7 Cache Most Obfuscate powers require the individual using them to be within a short distance of the subjects of the concealment. Cache extends this range considerably, allowing an elder with this power to leave people or objects safely hidden while he goes about his business elsewhere. Cost: —1 Willpower point Dice Pool: — Action: Reflexive A character must be within the normal required distance to initiate an Obfuscate power. Once this is done, the character spends a Willpower point, which activates Cache on top of the already functioning use of the Discipline. The concealment
Exceptional Exceptional Success: Witnesses do not even remember the target of the power as being present at the scene in the first place. The victim of Veil of Blissful Ignorance does not necessarily know that he is under the effect of this power. He is only aware that everyone around him has h as suddenly begun acting as if he were not there. The victim cannot break this effect, even with violence; if he attacks someone, the target ascribes the act to the visible individual nearest to him. More than one fatal brawl has been incited by this side-effect. The Veil persists even if the vampire who activated it leaves the area. Curiously enough, Veil of Blissful Ignorance can never be used on anyone who is ready and willing to accept its effects. Suggested Modifiers
Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162)
+1
Power is turned on a subject with a Presence rating of 1
-1
Power is turned on a subject with a Presence rating of 4 or higher
-1
The victim of the power has the highest total Status in the room
took place will the deception begin to come down, provided the real person explains that the encounter never took place, and that he had no memory of the encounter in question. This power only affects one victim at a time; other observers see the vampire as she truly is, unless she also establishes the Familiar Stranger in addition to using Old Friend. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
+2
The vampire knows for a fact who the subject expects to see.
-2
The victim of the power possesses Striking Looks 2
-4
The victim of the power possesses Striking Looks 4
+2
-5
The victim of the power is currently using a Majesty power
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162)
—
Character has no idea who the subject expects.
-1
Character displays an emotion or undertakes an action not entirely appropriate to the circumstances.
-2
Character displays an emotion or undertakes undertakes action clearly out of place under the circumstances, or one largely foreign to the person whose appearance he mimics.
-5
The vampire is impersonating impersonating someone who is deceased, or in the case of vampires, someone who has met the Final Death.
8 Old Friend Many elder Nosferatu and Mekhet have made reputation for omniscience with the secrets they learn through creative uses of this power. A variation of the Familiar Stranger, Old Friend allows a vampire to probe a subject’ subject ’s subconscious and take the semblance of the individual whom that victim trusts over anyone else. Someone using this power does not appear as someone who the victim is frightened of or awed by, but rather someone to whom the victim feels comfortable revealing intimate secrets. Old Friend doesn’ doesn ’t necessarily make the user appear as someone who is still among the living; a long-dead friend or relative is just as likely to be the assigned visage, and in such cases the subject remembers the encounter as a dream or a ghostly visitation. Cost: — Dice Pool: Wits + Performance + Obfuscate versus subject’ ject’s Resolve + Blood Potency Action: Contested; resistance resistance is reflexive Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character believes she is accepted differently, when in fact she is recognized as herself.
9 Create Name Some vampires call this power the ultimate development of method acting. Create Name a character to c reate a completely new identity; face, speech pattern, even thought processes are constructed according to the vampire ’s desired identity. If wanting to create an aura, the character must purchase it via Soul Mask. The power can be used to impersonate impersonate an existing individual, or it can project the semblance of a completely fictional identity with perfect accuracy. Cost: — Dice Pool: Intelligence Intelligence + Performance + Obfuscate
Failure: The vampire loses or ties the contested action. The character’ character’s recognition does not change, and the vampire is aware of the failed attempt. Onlookers see the vampire for who she is.
Action: Extended (20 successes; each roll represents 3 hours in relatively uninterrupted quiet. Only one roll per night is possible)
Success: The vampire wins the contested action and is recognized as someone else for the duration of the scene. The more successes, the more convincing the impersonation. Each success adds one die to all rolls involving gleaning information from the victim.
Dramatic Failure: The attempt fails. All accumulated successes are lost.
Exceptional Exceptional Success: Five or more successes are rolled for the Discipline user. The vampire wins the contested action and is accepted as someone else for as long as she wishes, rather than for the scene. The victim feels she can confide in the character. Through careful prodding and questioning, the victim will divulge any secrets to the character, and will not question himself and his behavior afterward. Only if she meets the real person who the vampire impersonated and talks about the evening the chat
Roll Results
Failure: The attempt fails. The character can continue trying the next night. Success: The character makes headway towards creating his new identity. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The character makes considerable headway toward creating a new identity. Once a new identity has been successfully created the character can step into it at any time without any sort of roll. The character’ character’s face, speech pattern, Virtue, Vice, Humanity, Blood Potency, Blood Ties, Willpower score (permanent and temporary), Derangements, even thoughts and Merits and Flaws all appear to be those selected and crafted by the charac-
ter. The Storyteller has final say on which Merits can be crafted by this power. Striking Looks and Medative Mind might be created for instance, but Language and Allies would not. Note that none of the above advantages are real. Rather, observers trying to scrutinize the character through mundane or supernatural means uncover the advantages the character wants them to find. The character does not gain Willpower from fulfilling his false Virtue and Vice, nor does he gain or lose additional Willpower points from his new Willpower rating. His new Blood Potency does not give him a new vitae maximum, and he does not gain die bonuses associated with Blood Ties and does not share real Blood Sympathy with those his new identity claims. The Predator’ Predator’s Taint, however, works as if the false Blood Potency score is the character’ character ’s actual Blood Potency rating. He gains no bonuses from false Merits (Storyteller’ (Storyteller ’s judgment applies again. Merits like Striking Looks would certainly still be beneficiary) and receives now experience points from false Flaws. His false Humanity rating does give him a new social dice pool cap when interacting with humans, but he does not receive a new dice pool cap for acting during daytime, nor will he awaken earlier or later than his original Humanity rating. If he commits a sin against his false Humanity that is higher than his true Humanity, he does not roll degeneration and does not risk gaining a new derangement. When he encounters a situation that would trigger his false Derangement, it does not; rather, he must act as if it did. Create Name does not create knowledge the character did not possess before. For instance, a character using Create Name might want to create an identity who is a successful surgeon, but he does not receive any knowledge in how to perform surgery. The character must simply fake it. Create Name does not give the character any proficiency in new languages either. The doctor persona above might be a German citizen, but if the character wants to speak German, he is going to have to start taking lessons. lessons. Any time someone tries to use Auspex against a vampire employing Create Name, the storyteller should secretly roll for Clash of Wills (p. 119 Vampire: The Requiem). Requiem). If the roll succeeds, proceed to use the Auspex power as normal. It uncovers any information that would be gleaned from the vampire’ pire’s true identity. If the Clash of Wills roll fails, proceed to use the Auspex power. Any information gleaned from the Auspex use instead uncovers information created by the vampire using Create Name. The only way to pierce this disguise, other than Auspex, is to notice any discrepancies between the assumed identity and the Skills and Attributes it by all rights ought to possess. A character with no dots in Medicine should have a hard time pulling off the above mentioned identity as a surgeon, for example. The Storyteller should make a secret Wits + Composure roll for each character who should catch the slip made by the impostor every time such a slip occurs, and keep a note on the total amount of successes. Once a character reaches as many, or more, successes on his Wits + Composure rolls as the impostor accumulated on his final roll when creating the false
identity, that character can see through the ruse created by the impostor. For example, Gervais, the Nosferatu, pretends to be a surgeon. He is cornered by Sigrid, a former doctor in the Ordo Dracul. Sigrid has observed several holes in Gervais ’ identity before, and decides to press the point by engaging in a discussion on medical practices. As Gervais babbles on, it becomes more and more obvious to Sigrid that something is up. The Storyteller decides to roll Sigrid ’s Wits + Composure every three minutes of conversation. On Gervais’ last roll to employ Create Name, he scored 3 successes, leaving him at a total of 21. If Sigrid ’s total successes at any point in the conversation reaches, or exceeds, 21 she sees through Gervais’ ruse and she can try to bring it to attention to the other vampires present. Gervais will certainly be in trouble then. Then again, Sigrid just made an enemy with an elder Nosferatu possessing a Blood Potency of at least 9. Things certainly have the potential to get ugly for both parties. parties. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
+1
If impersonating imperso nating an existing person, knowing that persons Virtue and Vice
+1 to +5
If impersonating an existing person, +1 for every month observing the mark
-5
If impersonating imper sonating an existing person, not doing any research on that person at all
Protean 6 Earth Control A vampire employing Haven of Soil along with this power s no longer confined to the resting place she selected the night before. She can pass through the ground as if it were water, “swimming” swimming ” through the earth itself. Some elder Gangrel use this as a means of unobstructed and unobtrusive travel, while others find it a highly effective means of maneuvering in combat. Cost: — Dice Pool: No roll is necessary. This power is in effect whenever a character is employing Haven of Soil (see p. 138 of Vampire: The Requiem). Requiem). While in the ground, a vampire can propel herself at half of her normal walking speed. She cannot see, but gains a supernatural awareness of her underground surroundings surroundings out to a range of 50 yards. Water, rock, tree roots and cement all block her progress; she can only move through earth and substances of similar consistency, such as sand or fine gravel. With the expenditure of an additional three experience points, however, the vampire can select another natural natural substance from the following list: wood, water, natural stone or processed stone. Thus, if the character spends 12 experience points, the vampire can move through all five materials — virtually anywhere. If two or more vampires attempt to interact underground, only direct physical contact is possible. All damage dice pools in this case are halved, and Defense suffers a -2 penalty. If an
underground chase takes place, it is resolved with an extended contested Stamina + Athletics roll (see p. 65 of the World of Darkness Rulebook). Rulebook). Action: Instant
6 Embracing the Inner Beast In weaker vampires, the Beast is a mere animal, a weak creature that stupidly attacks much stronger opponents or cower in fear before them. It is not useful, not even truly impressive. It is a rabid dog rather than a majestic lion. This power changes things. Using it awakens a new power of the Beast, which invades the body, twisting the form of the vampire to show its own power. Cost: 1 Vitae
ness Rulebook). Rulebook). That includes assaults made with fists, claws (such as the natural weaponry of Lupines, or Claws of the Wild), swords, firearms and explosions, but not fire, sunlight or magic (unless the magical effect in question is a direct physical physical attack, such as a rock h hurled urled by a telekinetic). Flesh of Marble also halves damage from electrocution and pressure extremes. Action: Instant
6 Metonym The Discipline of Protean allows the vampire to be a consummate shape-shifter. This power grants the Kindred the ability to mimic other human forms, taking on the appearance of any face or physique that they have encountered.
Action: Instant
Cost: 1 Willpower, 3 Vitae (+1 for each Attribute dot)
Roll: Stamina + Resolve + Protean
Dice Pool: This power involves no roll to invoke
It is rolled only once, at the moment of its purchase.
Action: Instant
The user has access to a number of points equal to her Protean rating, to be allocated to any physical attribute (which must still remain within the bonds allowed by Blood Potency), Potency), Speed, Size, Initiative or Defense, or as a permanent bonus to Wits + Composure rolls. Drawbacks: Using this power transforms the vampire utterly. His face is no longer human. The specifics vary, but from a permanent “game “game face” face” à la Buffy, to an Orlok lookalike, the vampire cannot be mistaken for a human. This makes him a walking breach of the Masquerade; looking at him, people instinctively instinctively know, feel that he is wrong . In addition, the Beast’ Beast ’s presence in the character’ character ’s mind makes him more prompt to animalistic behavior and fits of rage, and makes remorse more difficult. The character suffers 1 to rolls against Frenzy, degeneration and gaining derangements. This power can be bought again as a Protean 7 to 10 power, its effects cumulative. This does not prevent the user from buying other Protean powers at the same level, in addition.
6 Flesh of Marble Tales have long spoken of the combat prowess of Gangrel elders and of their inhuman toughness. Poorly informed individuals believe the stories of swords shattering and bullets flattening against immortal skin to be exaggerated reports of the effects of Resilience. Those with more reliable information information know that such tales result from encounters with Gangrel who have developed Flesh of Marble. The skin of an elder with Flesh of Marble becomes in essence a sort of flexible stone, although it appears no different than normal skin and muscle. Indeed, flesh transformed thus even feels normal to a casual touch. Cost: 3 Vitae Dice Pool: No roll is necessary. The effects of the power last for the remainder of the scene. While the power is functioning, functioning, the character receives an armor rating equal to half his Protean dots, rounded up, giving equal protection against both general and ballistic damage (see p. 166 of the World of Dark-
This power allows the vampire to change his form and its Physical Attributes. When he activates this power, he is able to temporarily “shift” dots from one Physical Attribute to another. When shifting dots, the vampire chooses a number of dots of Physical Attributes not exceeding his Blood Potency. These dots may be redistributed between any combination of Physical Attributes that is desired, and for each transferred dot, the player must expend one Vitae. Any given Attribute may not be raised above the normal maximum dictated by Blood Potency, and may not be reduced to zero. Note that if the cost of this power exceeds normal limits of Vitae use, this power requires a second turn to complete before any changes take effect. This power may be used to shift into a “generic” form wit hout a roll. However, if the character is attempting to mimic a specific person, she must roll Wits + Composure to determine how closely she mirrors her chosen target. Any traits derived from the affected Attributes change as well. The effect of this power lasts until the Kindred uses it to change shape again, or until the dawn, when a vampire ’s ultimately static form returns to her “original” condition. It costs no Vitae to revert back to the character’ character ’s normal form from an assumed form. Like Shape of the Beast, the transformation from one form to another requires a character’ character ’s action in a turn.
7 Restore the Mortal Mind The Gangrel are of two opinions regarding this power. Those who are politically active, or associate in very academic company, view it as both necessary and acceptable. Those Kindred who embrace their more feral sides, however, see it as a disgusting defiance of the very nature of vampirism. The schism comes because the power allows the elder who possesses it to temporarily return his mind to what it was before the Embrace, removing the bestial instincts he has accumulated over the centuries. Restore the Mortal Mind has only been displayed by Gangrel; several Nosferatu elders have attempted to develop a power of their own, Restore the Mortal Visage, and it is whis-
pered that they met spontaneous, grotesque Final Death when they attempted to take their mortal forms. Cost: 3 Vitae, 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Resolve + Composure + Protean Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The attempt fails. The character suffers a derangement derangement as a consequence. Failure: The attempt fails. The character can try again. Success: The character can ignore his clan weakness for the rest of the scene. The power comes with a drawback, however: While this power is activated, he cannot spend or earn Willpower points. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The character succeeds so well at his attempt at appearing human, that he manages to counterfeit life (see p. 156 of Vampire: The Requiem) Requiem) for the scene as well, without having to spend a point of o f Vitae. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
-1 to -10
For each point point of Blood Blood Potency Potency the the character character has
7 Shape of the Beast s s Wrath
the character’ character’s perceptions are also heightened. She is assumed to have the Auspex power Heightened Senses after transformation, transformation, with all of the benefits and drawbacks of it. This form does carry two drawbacks. The first is a lack of communication communication ability. The character’ character’s Presence and Manipulation drop to 1, or to 0 if they already were 1 (except when making Intimidation rolls) when the transformation occurs. The second problem that the character in this form encounters is the suddenly suddenly heightened power of her Beast. All rolls to resist frenzy receive a two die penalty for the duration of the power’ power’s effect, and the player may not spend Willpower points on such rolls. Action: Instant
7 Spectral Body This powerful variation of Body of Spirit allows a Gangrel to take a shape with most of the advantages of the lesser power but fewer of the disadvantages. A vampire who assumes Spectral Form retains his normal appearance, but becomes completely insubstantial. He walks through walls and bullets with equal ease, and can pass through the floor on which he stands if he chooses to. Although his lungs are no longer solid, the vampire can still speak.
’
A Gangrel employing this power shifts into a huge, monstrous form, gaining half her height again and tripling her weight. Her overall shape flows into an unholy amalgamation of her own form and that of the animal she feels closest kinship to (wolves, rats and great cats are the most common manifestations, though ravens, serpents, bats and stranger beasts have been reported). The vampire’ vampire’s new shape does bear some vague resemblance to the war-forms of the werecreatures, but the difference quickly becomes apparent. Cost: 3 Vitae Dice Pool: No roll is necessary. The character’ character ’s transformation takes three turns (the character may spend additional Vitae to reduce this time at a cost of one per turn of reduction). Once transformed, the character remains in this form until sunrise or until she shifts back voluntarily. voluntarily. The precise Traits of this form are determined when the character first learns this power, as is the animal whose appearance the character takes on. The vampire’ vampire’s new form adds a total of six dots added to the character’ character ’s Physical Attributes. At least one dot must go into each Physical Attribute, meaning no more than four can go into any one (so a character could have +4 Strength, +1 Dexterity, and +1 Stamina, but not +1 Strength and +5 Dexterity). These bonuses are always the same once they have been selected; a different allocation required that the character buy this power a second time and thus purchase another alternate form. Additionally, the character inflicts Strength +2 dice of Lethal Damage with bite attacks and +1 die of Lethal Damage with claw attacks when in monstrous form, but can spend a Vitae and take an instant action to replace the claws with Claws of the Wild, which lasts for the remainder of the scene. She also gains two additional points of Size, and doubles her normal running speed. Finally,
Cost: 3 Vitae Dice Pool: No roll is necessary. The character’ character ’s transformation takes one turn to complete, and lasts for the rest of the night unless the character decides to reverse it. When the power takes hold, the character becomes completely insubstantial, but remains fully visible. Henceforth, he i s unaffected by any physical attacks, and he takes only half damage from fire and sunlight, rounded up. The vampire may even ignore gravity if he chooses to do so, rising and sinking through solid objects if he does not wish to stand on them (although he may move no faster than his normal walking speed while “flying” flying” in this manner). While in this form, the character may also use any Disciplines that do not require physical contact or a physical body. On the down side, while in Spectral Form a vampire cannot physically manipulate his environment. Action: Instant
8 Purify the Impaled Breast Camarilla records indicate that a disproportionately small number of Gangrel elders were killed by mortals and other Kindred during the fall of Rome. This power is one of the primary reasons for the survival of these Kindred. An elder Gangrel with this Protean power can expel foreign objects from her body with w ith great force, even excising stakes that transfix her heart. Cost: 3 Vitae Dice Pool: Stamina + Medicine + Protean Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The attempt fails. The character cannot use this power for the rest of the scene. In case the character is
staked, she may not retry this power until the stake is removed. Failure: The attempt fails. The character can continue trying the next scene. Success: The character succeeds. She removes all foreign objects from her body. Dirt, bullets, even stakes through the heart are instantly and violently removed. The larger the object, the farther away it is hurled with this power. Objects expelled thus are considered to have an attack dice pool equal to its size and have a range of its size times the character ’s accumulated successes in yards. If the character wishes to leave an object in his body (such as a prosthetic limb) or partially in (expelling a stake from his heart but leaving it sticking out of his breastbone as a ruse), the player must spend a Willpower point when this power is activated. Exceptional Exceptional Success: Objects expelled do an additional die of damage. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
-5
The character is paralyzed by a stake
8 Inward Focus This power has no outwardly visible effects whatsoever. Indeed, its very existence is unknown outside those dozen or so Gangrel Methuselahs who have developed it. The internal effects of this razor-sharp honing of Protean, however, are in some ways more dramatic than any external manifestation. A vampire with this power can heighten the efficiency of his undead body’ body’s internal workings to levels undreamed of by lesser Kindred, withstanding inconceivable amounts of injury and moving with blinding speed and shattering strength. strength. Cost: 4 Vitae +2 Vitae for every turn past the first that Inward Focus is maintained Dice Pool: No roll is necessary. There are three effects of this power. First, the character gains a number of extra actions equal to half his unmodified (by alternate forms or eventual mundane or supernatural effects) Dexterity score, rounded up. Each extra action incurs a cumulative -1 penalty (So the character’ acter’s normal action would not be modified, his second action would receive a -1 penalty, his third a -2 penalty and so on). These actions can only be physical actions, so the vampire could not use Dominate several times in a turn for instance. Second, the damage from his physical attacks is increased by three per dice pool. Finally, all damage inflicted on the character his halved and rounded down after the attack roll is made (so an attack that inflicts five levels of damage is reduced to two health levels). This power may be used in conjunction with other Protean powers that modify the character’ character’s combat abilities, such as Shape of the Beast’ Beast ’s Wrath. It may also be used in conjunction with Celerity, Resilience and Vigor, turning a Gangrel who has mastered this power into a truly terrifying opponent. Action: Instant
Resilience Vampires have inhuman stamina by mortal standards, capable as they are of withstanding being repeatedly shot, stabbed, crushed, staked and otherwise brutalized without showing much wear. Then there are those Kindred whose powers of endurance cause even other vampires to marvel — or fear. A vampire with sufficient mastery of Resilience is nighindestructible, able to withstand sunlight, flame and other perils that would quickly reduce a mere neonate to ash. Kindred advance in Resilience the same way they advance in Celerity, having the option to increase the basic mastery of the Discipline or to take an alternate power such as one of those detailed below.
6 Personal Armor Nobody likes to get hit (or shot, or stabbed for that matter), not even Kindred. The easiest way to ensure that one is not hit (or shot, or stabbed) repeatedly is to take the weapon with which one is assaulted away from one’ one ’s attacker and break it. That’ That’s where Personal Armor comes in. This application of Resilience, popular in olden days, causes anything that strikes a Kindred who employs Personal Armor to shatter on impact. Cost: 2 Vitae Dice Pool: Stamina + Resilience (The character uses his unaugmented Stamina score. Extra Stamina dots provided by normal Resilience do not count for the purposes of this roll) Action: Instant Instant and Reflexive Activating Personal Personal Armor takes 2 vitae and is an instant action. The effects of Personal Armor last the entire scene. The vampire adds a preternatural hardness to his flesh. Every time an attack is successfully made on the Kindred using Personal Armor, his player reflexively rolls Stamina + Resilience. The roll is penalized by the Damage rating of the weapon, or the Strength of the attack in case the attack delivered is hand-tohand. If you are using World of Darkness: Armory, Armory, at the Storyteller’ Storyteller’s discretion, the roll can be penalized by the weapons’ ons’ Durability instead. Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The weapon does not shatter and character takes an additional level of Damage from the opponent ’s attack. Failure: The weapon does not shatter and the opponent ’s attack does damage as normal. Success: The weapon used to make the attack shatters against the vampire’ vampire ’s flesh (Fetishes, klaives, “magical” magical” sword and so on may be resistant to this effect, at Storyteller discretion). The vampire still takes normal damage from the attack, even if the weapon shatters in the process. A hand-to-hand attack causes the attacker equal levels of damage to that suffered by the defender. The attacker receives this damage as Bashing wounds. If the hand-to-hand attack is made using natural weaponry, like a vampire ’s fangs, a werewolf ’s claws or Claws of the Wild, claws shatter, fangs break or
a similarly painful effect occurs. The damage the attacker takes is Lethal instead of Bashing. The damaged claws or fangs cannot be used again, until the attacker heals the damage he suffered from this effect. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The character takes one less level of Damage from the attack. If the attack hand-to-hand, the attacker still suffers that point of Damage however.
7 Shared Strength It’ It’s one thing to laugh off bullets, rather another to watch the crossfire mow down everyone around you. Many Kindred have wished, at one time or another, that they could lend their monstrous vitality to those around them. Those few vampires who have mastered Shared Strength can — if only for a little while. Cost: 1 Vitae per level of Resilience transferred, 1 Willpower for the activation activation roll. Dice Pool: Stamina + Survival + Resilienc Re siliencee (The character uses his unaugmented Stamina score. Extra Stamina dots provided by normal Resilience do not count for the purposes of this roll) versus subject’ subject ’s Stamina + Blood Potency (if the target is unwilling) Action: Instant Shared Strength transfers a portion of a vampire’ vampire’s Resilience (one dot of normal Resilience for every point of blood the vampire spends) to another being. The vampire must mark his target by pressing a drop of his vitae onto the target ’s forehead. If the target does not wish to receive the benefits of Shared Strength for whatever reason, the character will have to touch his target (see Touching an opponent, page 157, World of Darkness) Darkness) with a -4 penalty for targeting the forehead. This stain remains visible as long as the power is in effect, which is in turn determined by the activation activation roll. Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character does not transfer the Resilience dots, but he cannot himself benefit from the dots he would otherwise have transferred. For instance, Roderick the Ventrue possesses 7 dots of normal Resilience in addition to Shared Strength. He decides to transfer three of those dots to his ghoul. He suffers a dramatic failure and his ghoul does not receive the benefits of the dots. Roderick however now only receives four levels of Resilience whenever he activates it for the rest of the evening. The Vitae and Willpower is wasted. Failure: The character does not transfer the Resilience dots, but he may attempt the transfer again by spending another point of Willpower. Success: The character successfully transfers a number of Resilience dots equal to the vitae spent for the activation of this power. Duration is determined by the penalty on the activation roll. During this time the character does not benefit from the dots of Resilience transferred. As in the above example, were Roderick the Ventrue to successfully transfer three dots of Resilience to his subject, Roderick Roderick would only benefit from four dots
of normal Resilience for the duration of the period Shared Strength is active. The recipient of the Resilience dots enjoy all the benefits of the Discipline as explained on page 140 of Vampire: The Requiem. Requiem. If the recipient does not possess Vitae he can use the corresponding supernatural “fuel” fuel” to activate the Discipline (Essence for werewolves, Mana for mages and so on). If the recipient is not a supernatural being, he can activate the Discipline Discipline by spending a point of Willpower instead. A character can bestow Resilience dots on multiple recipients, but he must roll separately for each recipient and expend one point of Willpower per subject. A vampire can never bestow more levels of normal Resilience than he himself possesses on another. Furthermore, he cannot bestow alternate Resilience powers like Personal Armor or Shared Strength on another. Only normal Resilience dots can be transferred with this Discipline. If the character wishes to end the effects of Shared Strength prematurely, she must wipe away the blood she smeared on the target’ target’s forehead. Only she can do so. Others trying to clear the stain away find that the mark does not disappear, no matter the treatment. The target of this power need not be willing to accept the benefit to receive it. Particularly sadistic Kindred have come up with any number of ways in which a target ’s “devil’ devil’s mark” mark” and supernatural supernatural endurance can be used to land him i n a great deal of trouble. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The character gets his Willpower point back. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
—
Two turns
-1
Five turns
-2
One scene
-3
One hour
-4
One night
-5
One week
8 Adamantine Adamantine functions as a more potent version of Personal Armor. Cost: 2 Vitae, 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Stamina + Resilience (The character uses his unaugmented Stamina score. Extra Stamina dots provided by normal Resilience do not count for the purposes of this roll) Instant and Reflexive Action: Instant Activating Adamantine takes 2 vitae and is an instant action. The effects of Adamantine last the entire scene. Every time an attack is successfully made on the Kindred using Adamantine, his player reflexively rolls Stamina + Resilience. The roll is penalized by the Damage rating of the weapon, or the Strength of the attack in case the attack delivered is handto-hand. If you are using World of Darkness: Darkness: Armory, at the
Storyteller’ Storyteller’s discretion, the roll can be penalized by the weapons’ ons’ Durability instead. However, unlike Personal Armor, a Kindred using Adamantine may spend a point of Willpower when making the reflexive roll. Each success on the roll cancels out one point of Damage on a one-for-one basis. Note that the attack is still considered a hit, even if it deals no damage. This is for the sake of determining whether or not the weapon shatters.
A vampire with extensive knowledge of Vigor can squeeze very, very hard. As a matter of fact, she can squeeze (or press, or push) so hard that she can leave an imprint of her fingers or hand in any hard surface up to and including solid steel. A use of Imprint can simply serve as a threat, or it can be used, for example, to dig handholds into sheer surfaces for the purposes of climbing, or sink her fingers into an reinforced steel door before ripping it off its hinges. Cost: 1 Vitae
Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The weapon does not shatter and character takes an additional level of Damage from the opponent ’s attack. Failure: The weapon does not shatter and the opponent ’s attack does damage as normal. Success: The weapon used to make the attack shatters against the vampire’ vampire ’s flesh (Fetishes, klaives, “magical” magical” sword and so on may be resistant to this effect, at Storyteller discretion). The vampire takes any damage from the attack that his own successes did not cancel, even if the weapon shatters in the process. A hand-to-hand attack causes the attacker equal levels of damage to that the defender would have suffered before reducing the damage. The attacker receives this damage as Bashing wounds. For example, Grey, the Daeva, scores 5 le vels of Bashing damage on his initial attack roll. Roderick, the Ventrue, scores three successes on his Adamantine roll and thus only takes 2 levels of Bashing damage. Grey, however, suffers the 5 levels of Bashing damage he would have inflicted on Roderick. If the hand-to-hand attack is made using natural weaponry, like a vampire’ vampire’s fangs, a werewolf ’s claws or Claws of the Wild, claws shatter, fangs break or a similarly painful effect occurs. The damage the attacker takes is Lethal instead of Bashing. The damaged claws or fangs cannot be used again, until the attacker heals the damage he suffered from this effect. Exceptional Exceptional Success: Additional Additional successes are their own reward
Vigor While flesh and blood have their limits, undead sinews and vitae have a bit more latitude when it comes to feats of strength. Vampires of high Blood Potency are sometimes capable of strength-based strength-based maneuver that awe even other vampires. A product of blood and will as much as muscle and bone, mastery of Vigor gives the vampire the ability to do far more than just lift progressively heavier objects — if the vampire himself is willing to learn an alternate way. Advanced Vigor powers can be purchased in the same fashion as advanced Celerity or Resilience powers. A character can choose to learn an alternative power instead of advancing along the Discipline’ Discipline ’s normal progression, and can later go back and re-purchase what he’ he ’s missed.
6 Imprint
Dice Pool: — Action: Instant Once activated, Imprint lasts for the duration of a scene. The vampire ignores a number of points of Durability equal to half his Vigor rating, rounded up. The depth of the imprint the vampire creates with imprint is up to the Storyteller — decisions should take into account how much force the vampire can bring to bear, the toughness of the material and its thickness. If the object the vampire grasps is thin enough, at Storyteller option the vampire might simply be able to push through it (in the case of a wall) or tear it off (in the case of a spear or pipe). If using Imprint for the purpose of climbing, the character enjoys a +2 modifier to all climbing-related rolls. Imprint can be turned against weapons and armor as well. A vampire could squeeze and bend a blade for instance, or squeeze the muzzle of a gun shut. The character makes a Strength + Brawl roll, but targets the weapon. The attack works per the rules of Targeting items (p. 138, World of Darkness), Darkness), with the exception that the character uses his bare hands and subtracts half his Vigor, rounded up, from the item’ item’s Durability. Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character fails to grab the weapon and loses his Defense for the next turn of combat. Failure: The character fails to grab the weapon. Success: The character grabs the weapon. Each success means the item suffers a point of Structure damage. If the weapon has no Structure points left, it is destroyed. If the character is using Imprint on an edged weapon, the character also takes as many levels of Lethal damage as he rolled successes on this roll, unless he is wearing armored gloves, or possesses the Protean power Flesh of Marble, or the Resilience powers Personal Armor or Adamantine. Adamantine. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The character also harms the person wielding the weapon as he proceeds to squeeze it. The wielder takes one Lethal wound. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
-1
Weapon is size 3
-2
Weapon is size 2
-3
Weapon is size 1
If the character wants to destroy the armor an enemy is wearing, the character makes a Strength + Brawl roll, but targets the armor. The character can only attack one part of
the body that the armor covers at a time. Attacking the specified body part means the attacker will suffer a negative attack modifier depending on the body part in question. See Specific Targets, page 165 of World of Darkness. Darkness. Take the victim’ victim’s Defense in mind when performing this attack, but not his armor, as that is the item being targeted. Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The character fails to grab the armor and loses his Defense for the next turn of combat. Failure: The character fails to grab the armor. Success: The character grabs the armor. Each success reduces one point from both the armor’ armor ’s general and ballistic ratings. If the armor has no points of general and ballistic protection left, it is destroyed. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The character also harms the person wearing the armor as he proceeds to squeeze it. The wielder takes one Lethal wound.
7 Earthshock According to some pundits, Vigor is merely the art of hitting something very, very hard. But what do you do when your target is too far away to hit directly? The answer is, if you ’re sufficiently talented with the Discipline, to employ Earthshock. On its simplest level, Earthshock is the ability to hit the ground at point A, and subsequently have the force of the blow emerge from the ground at point B, some distance away. Cost: 2 Vitae Dice Pool: — Action: Instant The vampire makes an ordinary Strength + Brawl roll. The vampire punches (or stamps on, depending on personal style) the ground, and, if the attack is a success, the force of the blow emerges from the ground as a geyser of rock, stone and whatnot directly underneath the target. The target of the attack suffers a -2 Defense, as it ’s a great deal more difficult to time a move away from an underground pulse than it is to duck a punch. The range on Earthshock is 10 feet for every level of Vigor the vampire has, up to the limits of visibility. A failure on the attack roll means that the strike goes errant and is liable to explode anywhere within range; a dramatic failure means that the vampire pulverizes the ground beneath him and may well dig himself into a hole in the process.
8 Flick It is a truism that “the great ones always make it look easy. ” In the case of Flick, that saying stops being a truism and becomes a literal truth. With this power, a master of Vigor can make the slightest gesture — a wave, a snap of the fingers, the toss of a ball — and have it unleash the full, devastating impact of a dead-on strike. The attack can come without warning, limiting the target’ target ’s ability to dodge or anticipate, anticipate, and thus making Flick one of the most feared applications of Vigor known.
Cost: 3 Vitae, 1 Willpower Dice Pool: — Action: Instant Flick mandates an ordinary Strength + Brawl roll. It also requires that the vampire make some sort of gesture directing the blow. What the gesture is remains up to the character — anything from a snap of the fingers to a blown kiss has worked in the past. Flick’ Flick’s range is equal to the limit of the Kindred Kindred’’s perception, and the blow struck does damage equal to a normal Brawl attack (including all modifiers). Note that it is the Kindred ’s natural perception we are talking about. A vampire employing Flick couldn’ couldn’t extend the range by using binoculars for instance. A character who has never been subjected to the powers of Flick before is taken by surprise. His Defense trait is not subtracted from the attacker’ attacker’s dice pools. He must make a successful Wits + Composure roll to understand that the attacks are coming from the attacker employing Flick. After successfully rolling Wits + Composure, that character will never be taken by surprise by the attacker’ attacker ’s Flick ever again (unless of course the attacker ambushes the character at a later date). From then on he can employ his Defense trait as usual against attacks made with Flick, but at a -2 penalty (he is expecting the attack, but anticipating a wave of the hand is harder than dodging a punch). In the unlikely event that the character is attacked by another vampire employing Flick (hey, it could happen) he does not employ his Defense trait against the first attack. He doesn’ doesn’t need to roll Wits + Composure after suffering the first attack however. He recognizes that the attacker is employing Flick, having been on the receiving end before. His Defense trait will still suffer a -2 penalty however against all other attacks made with Flick.
Bloodline Disciplines Amphivena 6 Form of the Hydra Those who master the Gorgon’ Gorgon ’s power are allowed to transform instantly into a writhing mass of vipers and cobras, their body erupting in aspectacular shower of, black, red, green, and gold. System: The player must spend two Vitae as an Instant action to effect the change, which takes three turns to complete. During this time, the character may take no other action, and no transformation of any kind is apparent in her form. At the end of the turn, her body simply bursts into a number of vipers or cobras, equal to the maximum number of Vitae points the character can hold (for example, a Blood Potency 6 Gorgon using this power would explode into 15 separate snakes). Alternatively, the player may opt to transform instantaneously as
a reflexive action, but she does so at a cost of five Vitae points rather than two.
swarm condenses to cover half of its full area, it inflicts one additional additional die of damage per turn.
These snakes have venom with Toxicity equal to the Gorgon’ gon’s Blood Potency. This lethal toxin is rolled every hour for a number of hours equal to the Gorgon ’s Blood Potency (normal anti-venin can save the victim if he get to the right facilities in time).
Therefore, a swarm of eight yards in radius inflicts two bashing damage per turn if it constricts down to a four-yard radius, three bashing if it halves that again to a two-yard radius, and four bashing damage per turn it if condensed itself down to a one-yard radius. Though condensing doesn’ doesn ’t usually happen all that often in nature (save in the case of creatures such as killer bees), it is an easy enough thing for most supernatural powers that command animals to bid them to do so.
These serpents also have a Speed Factor equal to the Gorgon’ gon’s Blood Potency; their bites inflict lethal damage; each serpent’ serpent’s Size is equal to one-fourth of the Gorgon’ Gorgon’s Blood Potency, rounded down (for example, each serpent of a Blood Potency 6-7 Gorgon is Size 1, and each serpent of a Blood Potency 8-10 Gorgon is Size 2); each serpent can hold 1 Vitae in their system as well. Finally, if a combined attack is used on one target the attack is considered an Advanced Action (World of Darkness p. 135). The player can still not take more than one additional action a round, but can always disperse to declare Fair Escape (Mind s Eye Theater p. 207). The player still decides the movement of each serpent. ’
While in Form of the Hydra, the Gorgon can cause one of her serpent’ serpent’s to turn into herself (with only 1 Vitae in her system) at the cost of 1 Willpower point. This can only last for a number of turns equal to her Blood Potency, at which point she reverts to the individual Viper (She can always burn another Willpower to keep the effects lasting an additional number of turns equal to her Blood Potency). If on the rare moment she needs more than one of serpent to turn into her true form, she can spend a Willpower dot. dot. (Meaning, she could have more than one of her true form’ form ’s active for a number of turns equal to her Blood Potency). Individuals assuming the Form of the Hydra are nearly impossible to destroy. Every last viper must first be located, as the Gorgon may reform later if even a single serpent remains. This transformation lasts until the Gorgon wills herself to assume normal form once again, which takes another three turns. Drawback: Fragmenting the body is not a sane action. For eight hours after changing to a swarm form, the Gorgon suffers from the Irrationality derangement and must make Resolve + Composure checks accordingly to resist giving into that lunacy. If the character already suffers from the mild version, he suffers the severe malady (Multiple Personality) instead. These derangements derangements are found in the World of Darkness Rulebook, Rulebook , pp. 99-100. Reprinted below is the Swarm Rules (Promethean: ( Promethean: The Created pg. 239):
Swarms Animals of Size 1 or 2 are generally best recorded in swarms, flocks and other groupings of the animals, as they are most effective in such groupings. This includes not just insects, but also most birds and smaller creatures such as rats. Swarms are measured by their size in yards radius. A swarm generally inflicts one die of bashing damage to anyone within its radius. A swarm can inflict more damage by condensing. Every time the
Armor is effective against a swarm only if it covers one ’s full body, but even then it provides only half its rating. In addition, targets are distracted by the swarm, suffering -2 dice on perception and concentration rolls while they are within the radius, even if they’ they ’re not specifically attacked. The swarm cannot be attacked with fists, clubs, swords or guns. Only area-affect attacks such as a torch affect it. Each E ach point of damage inflicted by a flame or other applicable attack halves the swarm ’s size. Once the swarm is reduced below a one-yard radius, either all insects are dead or the few remaining disperse.
Dementation These Dementation powers should work with both the version of the Discipline presented in Ventrue: Lords over the Damned and the version presented in the Translation Documents. uments.
6 Lingering Malaise (This power is mechanically detailed detailed under the “Nightmare” Nightmare ” heading.)
6 Shattered Mirror Although Dementation Dementation’’s low-level effects are primarily to initiate or promote insanity rather than to create it spontaneously, some of its more potent manifestations are not as subtle. The wielder of this fearsome power can transfer her own deranged mindset into the psyche of a hapless victim. Spreading her own brand of insanity insanity like a virus. Cost: 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Presence + Subterfuge + Dementation versus subject’ subject’s Composure + Blood Potency Action: Contested and extended; resistance resistance is reflexive (The character must achieve a number of successes equal to the target’ target’s Willpower, the target must achieve a number of successes equal to the Malkavian’ Malkavian ’s Willpower). Roll Results The character must establish eye contact with her intended victim to apply this power. If the target moves about, instill a 1 penalty in addition to all others listed. Dramatic Failure: The character triggers his most severe derangement in himself.
Failure: The character fails to achieve the total amount of successes before his victim, or ties the contested action. The derangements derangements fail to take hold on the victim. Success: The character makes headway towards inflicting his madness on his victim. If the character wins the contested action the target receives all the derangements and Mental Flaws the character currently possesses. The power remains in effect for a period of time determined by the penalty the character took during the activation roll. Note that the character doesn’ doesn’t lose the derangements he’ he ’s transferred. Rather, he duplicates the derangements and forces them into the victim ’s mind. Exceptional Exceptional Success: The Malkavian makes significant headway towards inflicting his madness of his victim. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162).
+2
Power is turned on a subject of half, or less than half, the user’ user’s Blood Potency
+1
Power is turned on a subject of lower Blood Potency
-1
Derangements Derangements lasts for one hour
-2
Derangements last for one night
-3
Derangements Derangements last for one week
-4
Derangements last for one month
-5
Derangements Derangements last for six months
Success: The character makes headway towards changing the victim’ victim’s nature. If the character succeeds, he may permanently change either the target’ target ’s Virtue or Vice to whatever the character desires. The effect can be undone by another application of Restructure or years of therapy (though subtle differences from the victim’ victim’s original Virtue or Vice still remains, as it is impossible for such a grave change to occur flawlessly). Exceptional Exceptional Success: The Malkavian makes significant headway towards changing his victim’ victim ’s nature. Suggested Modifiers Modifier
Situation
+2
Power is turned on a vampire with whom the user has a blood tie (see p. 162).
—
The character possesses the Virtue or Vice he is trying to inflict on the victim.
-5
The character does not possess the the Virtue or Vice he is trying to inflict on the victim.
8 Personal Scourge (This power is mechanically detailed detailed under the “Nightmare” Nightmare ” heading.)
9 Lunatic Eruption (This power is mechanically detailed detailed under the “Nightmare” Nightmare ” heading.)
Obtenebration
7 Restructure The elder with this fearsome power has the ability to twist his victims’ victims’ psyches at their most basic levels, warping their very beings. The subject of Restructure retains her memories in toto, but her outlook changes completely, as if she has undergone a sudden epiphany or religious conversion. conversion. This effect goes much deeper than implantation of a derangement; it actually performs a complete rewriting of the victim’ victim ’s very personality. Cost: — Dice Pool: Manipulation + Subterfuge + Dementation minus subject’ subject ’s Composure Action: Extended (The character must achieve a number of successes equal to the target’ target ’s Resolve + Composure). Composure). Roll Results The character must establish eye contact with her intended victim to apply this power. If the target moves about, instill a 1 penalty in addition to all others listed. Dramatic Failure: The character permanently gains either the target’ target’s Virtue or Vice, depending on what the character was intending to change. Failure: The character fails to achieve the total amount of successes. The target’ target’s Virtue and Vice remain the same.
6 Shadowy Strike of Set Set, the Dark God, did not tolerate the presence of his enemies for long, and neither do such a master of Obtenebration. With this deadly use of Obtenebration, the Khaibit can command the Shadows to strike a victim like a blade. The Khaibit summons a nearby shadow and has it three-dimensionally impale a target with tangible shadows. These mystical shadows cause aggravated damage to the victim of such an attack. This deadly attack uses the Advanced Actions rule (World of Darkness p. 135 ), ), as multiple Shadowy tendrils attempt to pierce the victim. It should be noted that this power can be turned on anything within ethereal created, if Twilight. This power only lasts for the turn that it was created, the Khaibit wishes to use the power the next turn, he must reactivate the power by spending another Willpower. Cost: 1 Willpower Dice Pool: Wits + Occult + Obtenebration minus victim’ victim ’s Defense Action: Instant Roll Results Dramatic Failure: The power rebounds and harms the attacker in some way.
Failure: The power doesn’ doesn’t activate, or it doesn ’t affect the target. Success: Each success indicates one point of damage. Exceptional Exceptional Success: Extra successes are their own reward, since they increase the potential potential damage. Suggested Modifiers Situation
Modifier
Moonlight or poorly lit city street
+2
Twilight or well-lit city street
+1
Poorly lit room
—
Well-lit room
-1
Bright as day (but not real sunlight) sunlight)
-3
