Chapter Four: The Gifts of Caine

The Sabbat practices several of the standard vampiric Disciplines, and a few that are unique to the sect. Of these, some are derivatives of other Disciplines (like Sanguinus, which borrows heavily from the Vicissitude used in the Blood Brothers' creation) while others seem to have been resurrected after long periods of disuse (like Valeren, which is thought to have been practiced by ancient Salubri warriors long before the birth of Christ). Still others have a more nefarious cast - only demons and other malevolent spirits teach the paths and rituals that belong exclusively to Dark Thaumaturgy.

In practice, the Sabbat encourages the teaching of Disciplines among its ranks. As the inherent powers of the Blood bestowed by the Curse of Caine, Disciplines represent the pinnacle of vampiric evolution, according to Sabbat doctrine. As such, many Sabbat focus more on Disciplines than they do on other aspects of their learning; Sabbat are frequently proven to have broader or more accomplished ranges of these undead gifts than their Camarilla or independent rivals. Elder Sabbat warn their childer, however, that skill in Disciplines is no match for the ability to use them effectively. All the Potence in the world won't help you if a cagey coterie of Camarilla neonates influences the police to raid your haven at high noon.

Storytellers are encouraged to exercise a bit more leniency when their Sabbat players express interest in out-of-clan Disciplines. It's not unreasonable for a Serpent of the Light to teach a packmate Serpentis in exchange for a bit of instruction with Obtenebration. Of course, some bit of restraint should exist - despite all their preparation for the Great Jyhad, Sabbat are still very fractious, and they have their own agendas. Most Cainites teach Disciplines to others only on a quid pro quo basis.

"Incomplete" entries in this chapter signify that the vampires who practice a given Discipline do not have clan members of sufficient generation to wield the higher-level powers. For example, the Salubri antitribu are known to have no members lower than the Seventh Generation. As such, their Discipline of Valeren is known only to the sixth level of mastery.

The powers covered in this chapter are the most well-known (or notorious) high-level variations of the vampiric Disciplines, but are by no means the only ones. Once a vampire has sufficient skill and power (and generation) to master Discipline Levels Six plus, she also gains a sufficient understanding of her Discipline's essential nature to allow her to create her own powers. That does not mean that a sixth-generation priscus can do whatever the hell he wants with shadows by using Obtenebration, but rather that he may conceive and develop a new Level Six power and purchase it with experience instead of the power presented herein.

New powers that a character creates must be cleared with the Storyteller before it may be used during the game. Power level, game balance and suitability to the chronicle should dictate which powers fly and which powers deserve a roll of the eyes. A Storyteller has the right to gun down a proposed power at any time in the best interests of the game. Just because a character has the potential to create a new power doesn't mean that she can - or should - do it.

Dark Thaumaturgy

Despite the inexplicable disappearance of the Tremere antitribu, Dark Thaumaturgy has entrenched itself into the malignant underground of the Sabbat. A basic tenet of Sabbat unity is the sharing of Disciplines among pack members. This sharing strengthens the pack as a whole, and it better prepares the pack for a stand against the Camarilla. Although this tenet is true, however, students of Dark Thaumaturgy are still rare, due to the innate dangers in dealing with the infernal.

Dark Thaumaturgy is simply Thaumaturgical knowledge gleaned from demons, rather than a separate Discipline. The distinction is made merely for the purposes of illustrating the danger of dealing with infernal forces - learning a path or ritual from a text or another vampire does not leave the taint of the infernal on a vampire. Trucking with demons, however, stains the soul in a serious way.

In the absence of traditional Tremere training and research, some Sabbat who want to learn the secrets of Thaumaturgy turn to demons. These demons pride themselves on taking over the beings to whom they teach their dark magics and bending them to their infernal will. Practitioners of Dark Thaumaturgy think they work to control the "Devil on their shoulder", lest it takeover entirely. In reality, Dark Thaumaturgy is practiced predominantly by fools who think they're going to outsmart the Devil, those who want a quick route to power and people too weak to resist infernal temptation.

Dark Thaumaturgy has levels and paths, just like Thaumaturgy. The mechanical difference between Thaumaturgy and Dark Thaumaturgy is relatively moot - paths and rituals still create the same effects. However, Dark Thaumaturgy comes with a price. Traffic with the Devil's minions permanently scars the soul, and the taint of infernalism manifests in the Dark Thaumaturge's aura. Before long, the unmistakable marks of the Devil's favor may even appear physically, as a wart on the nose, a "witch's claw" behind the ear or even (among the most Damned of the Damned) withered limbs, freakish scars, horns or cloven hoofs! Needless to say, once these visible traits appear, the Inquisition is sure to follow close behind, hastening the infernalist to deliver his soul to whatever dark power has claimed it.

You're Going to Hell

In case you didn't get the clue, Dark Thaumaturgy is a Bad Thing. Storytellers, you don't owe it to the players to let them take it. Thaumaturgy and Dark Thaumaturgy alike are dying among the Sabbat because the best practitioners of arcane magic, the Tremere antitribu, have vanished from the sect.

This Discipline is included for those Storytellers who would like to introduce this element into their stories. You're not going to find any Traits for demons in this book (or very many other places in Vampire); they're left up the Storyteller to do with exactly what she will, which may be nothing at all. The methods for characters (not players - this is a game, not a Demon Summoning 101 primer) to contact the infernal host is likewise left to Storyteller discretion. If you don't want to use it, you don't have to.

If you, as a Storyteller, decide to implement Dark, Thaumaturgy, you may wish to restrict it to Storyteller characters. Should you allow players' characters access to its powers, you should temper its appreciable benefits with significant disadvantages. Quite simply, learning Thaumaturgy from a demon requires service to that demon. Sure, a player gets to learn the Path of Phobos at little experience point cost, but he must do what the demon says, whenever it wants him to. Should some character actually want to enter into pacts of this nature (it does make for a good "damnation" chronicle or tragic character flaw), don't feel guilty about dragging him off to Hell at the demon's slightest inkling. That's what you get when you deal with the Devil.

Again, Dark Thaumaturgy is simply Thaumaturgy learned from demons - there is no separate Dark Thaumaturgy Trait. Demons may teach any of the "normal" paths and rituals of Thaumaturgy, but a few powers may only be learned with demonic tutelage. Increasing path and Thaumaturgy Traits is less difficult when dealing with the minions of Hell, but that ease is more than compensated for by the ruthless pursuit and persecution the infernalist faces when (not if) her unholy leanings come to the fore. (Buying Thaumaturgy as a "New Discipline" with demonic instruction costs only 8 experience points. New paths cost only 5 points. Increasing a Thaumaturgy Trait with infernal assistance costs the current rating x 5 experience points, while increasing a path rating costs the current rating x 3 points.)

Dark Thaumaturgical Paths

Like normal Thaumaturgy paths, Dark Thaumaturgical paths require a Willpower roll (difficulty equal to the power's level +3) and the expenditure of a blood point. Only one success is necessary to invoke these powers, unless otherwise noted. Failure on this roll signifies that the effect fails, while a botch costs the thaumaturge a permanent point of Willpower.

This path of Dark Thaumaturgy allows the thaumaturge to manipulate the supernatural flames conjured from the depths of Hades. It appears in a malignant, green, and it is impossible for the infernalist to hide. This "balefire" is super-natural fire, and it affects those with protection from mundane flames normally.

Balefire is not subtle. The sickly, green flame springs from the conjurer's hand in jets or globes, its sole purpose to damage opponents. Unlike the Lure of Flames, Fires of the Inferno are not intended for fine or discrete purposes.

System: The higher the level of mastery the practitioner possesses, the hotter the flames are. Hellfire can be extinguished in the same way as normal flames, though the green color implies that something less than normal is happening. A botched roll results in the caster losing control of the flames, which may turn on him or engulf him. Remember that vampires wishing to soak this damage must possess the Discipline of Fortitude. For details on how fire damages vampires, see Vampire: The Masquerade, page 227.

This path allows infernalists to wield the fears of their victims as a weapon. Practitioners of this path mystically tap into the depths of their victims' psyches, prying the terrors from their minds and making them seem very real. Many more sophisticated Sabbat infernalists prefer this path over physical ones, as they enjoy the sublime effects of using the subjects' own fears against them rather than vulgar, brutal displays of fire and demonic servants.

Infernalists using this path often experience nightmares and night terrors, which result from the many horrible memories they have leached from their victims. Storytellers should make Manipulation + Empathy rolls (difficulty 7) for characters who use the Path of Phobos more than once in a given story. The number of successes indicates how long the character must cope with the sea of stolen terrors roiling in her own mind. Botching results in the nightmares not only recurring for a week, but draining an additional nightly blood point from the vampire, due to the lack of sound sleep. Such is the price of hellish insight.

This power causes the victim to feel extremely paranoid. Subtle shapes and shadows move in and out of the victim's vision, tormenting her by lurking just beyond her range of sight.

System: The infemalist can use this power on any target within his view. For the duration of the effect, the subject becomes noticeably upset and preoccupied, which should be roleplayed. The victim must make a Courage roll (difficulty 5 + the number of successes the thaumaturge garnered) to take any action other than looking for the imagined stalker. If the character enters combat while under the effects of Induce Fear, she loses one die from all dice pools (provided she even makes the Courage roll), as her invisible stalkers distract and disconcert her.

This power turns suspicion to dread, as the flitting shadows become visible threats. The victim feels that something terrible is about to happen to her unless she leaves the area quickly. She might imagine she sees the flash of a gun barrel or hears the clicking of hard-soled shoes on the pavement just behind her. She might even believe she smells her pursuer's sweat or feels his damp breath on the back of her neck.

System: The nagging sense of discomfort in the back of the character's mind becomes more tangible. Mortals must make a successful Courage roll (difficulty 7) to keep from fleeing the area in terror. Vampires must make the same roll, but if they fail they enter Rotschreck. The thaumaturge must see her victim for this power to work.

The infernalist can draw out his victim's fear and present him with it. The victim sees that which terrifies him the most. If he fears spiders, he may imagine spider webs brushing his face and hands as thousands of illusory arachnids scuttle across his flesh. He may hear them skittering across the floor or clicking their horrid chelicerae. To the victim, the effects seem very real, though they are simply illusions.

System: The Willpower roll to activate this power also determines how long its effects last. Should the terrorized character wish to take any action, a Courage roll (difficulty 7) is required to allow her to shake off her fear, otherwise she simply cowers, feebly hiding from her imagined object of terror. Botching this Courage roll results in a derangement, preferably suited to the fear visiting the victim. The vampire must see his victim in order to use this power.

The victim's most deep-rooted fear reveals itself to the infernalist with this power, who then forces the victim to deal with it head-on. The fear plagues the victim in every waking moment, and often in his sleep as well. A person afraid of drowning would feel the air thicken and coagulate in his throat and lungs, until he cannot take a breath, for example, while a person afraid of vampires may see fanged nemeses in his coworkers or lurking behind every corner. Eventually, the victim becomes so exhausted that he is unable rise and face a new night of swarming horrors.

System: This power lasts for a week, during which the victim suffers his fear at every turn. Weakened by his constant state of fear, the character cannot spend Willpower, and the player makes all Willpower rolls as if his permanent rating is three lower (to a minimum of 1). The thaumaturge must see his victim to activate this power, but once it takes effect, it works regardless of whether or not he maintains a line of sight.

This power enables the infernalist to temporarily feed on fear as though it was blood. This experience gives a euphoric high stronger than conventional feeding, but it is a dangerous practice if used too frequently. The thaumaturge converts the pure emotional charge drawn from the victim's terror into a mystical substitute for vitae. This power may have something to do with old legends of vampires being able to "smell fear."

System: As long as a thaumaturge with this power has a victim in sight, he may attempt to gain sustenance from that victim's fear. The victim must have cause to be afraid of something or someone while the infernalist practices this power, but those fears may not be caused by other applications of this path. The number of successes equals the "fear pool" the Cainite takes from the victim. This pool may be spent like blood pool, but must be used before sunrise. Any unused points disappear at that time. In addition to the lost Willpower point, a botch means that the infernalist gets no "fear pool" from the victim, and cannot use the power on that victim again for 24 hours.

This path allows the infernalist to strip away the Willpower of his victim, leaving an almost soulless automaton ready to serve the Cainite without question. Some fiendish vampires have built entire legions of servants for themselves with this power, and it works on vampires and kine alike.

System: The victim loses a number of temporary Willpower equal to the vampire's mastery of this path (see table). Should the victim know what is taking place (having heard of it, or having had it happen before), the player may resist with her own Willpower roll (difficulty 7). If the victim's player accumulates more successes on this extended, resisted roll than the thaumaturge before being reduced to zero Willpower, this path may not be used against her character by the same thaumaturge for a full year. If the victim is reduced to zero Willpower, she must do the vampire's bidding, not speaking, staring blankly forward, in a state much like a zombie. The victim regains a Willpower point per night, which the thaumaturge may continue to try to steal away. If she sees her "master" killed, she regains full Willpower pool immediately. The Cainite must touch the victim to perform the Taking of the Spirit.

A botch on the part of the thaumaturge has unique results: He loses the corresponding number of temporary Willpower points (which also return at a rate of one per night). If all points are lost, he may come under the control of otherworldly forces.

Dark Thaumaturgical Rituals

Like the rituals of regular Thaumaturgy, these rituals have ratings. The ritual's rating is the lowest level of Thaumaturgy a vampire may have before attempting to use it. For example, a character must have mastered the third level of Thaumaturgy before attempting to use the Felis Negrum ritual. Also, like the rituals of Thaumaturgy, these rituals must be learned before they can be used. Generally, the higher the level of the ritual, the longer it takes to learn, though the aid of demons does speed up the process.

Dark Thaumaturgical rituals require a successful Intelligence + Occult roll, for which the difficulty equals the level of the ritual + 3 (to a maximum of 9). Only one success is required for a ritual to work, but some spells may require more successes or have variable effects based on how well the player rolled. Should this roll fail, the spell may simply have no effect, or the Storyteller may come up with an interesting side effect. Should the player botch the roll, he's managed to anger some denizen of the Abyss, which can't be good for the character's long-term well-being. Unless mentioned otherwise, rituals require five minutes per level to cast.

This ritual allows a character to force a demon summoned by another thaumaturge into servitude, allowing him to command the demon as if he summoned it himself. Some methods may include promising a bounty of souls to the infernal in payment, knowledge of the demon's True Name (which probably differs from its summoning name) or a sacrifice of a valuable object or commodity like the caster's blood.

System: The ritual's level varies depending on the potency of the entity being bound (see the table for Call Forth the Host), and the ritual requires 10 minutes per level to perform. The thaumaturge must know the demon's name and achieve more successes on the roll than the original summoner accumulated when calling the demon forth. Should the binding succeed, the demon serves the thaumaturge for the remainder of its servitude period, without beginning a new one.

This ritual draws forth a demon or tortured spirit from the Inferno. The creature appears through the power of the ritual and follows the thaumaturge's instructions to the letter (but not the spirit - demons are known for warping their orders to serve their own ends). Note that most demons resent being summoned and ordered around in this way; they may return later of their own volition to torment the would-be sorcerer. The character must know the name of the demon she wishes to summon for this ritual to take effect. Demons take many forms, though they may generally disguise themselves to walk unnoticed among humankind.

System: This ritual requires one hour per level to perform (for example, summoning an imp takes only one hour, while summoning a shade takes three). The summoned demon serves the character for a number of hours equal to 10 minus the level of the ritual (again, by way of example, an imp would serve for nine hours while a shade would serve for only seven). During this period of servitude, the demon may not harm the caster, and it must follow her instructions exactly. When the duration of servitude expires, the demon vanished in a puff of sulfur and returns to Hell (though it may return of its own accord later to even the score).

This ritual completely blinds the target. It requires the thaumaturge to light a stick of heavy incense, the smoke from which is believed to mystically cloud the target's vision.

System: This ritual blinds the target - who need not be seen, though the caster must know her name or what she looks like - for a number of hours equal to five minus her Stamina.

The caster entreats demons to answer his questions, revealing secret knowledge or unearthing mysteries. Most demons are not omniscient, however, and this ritual's effectiveness is limited by the demon's knowledge. This ritual has no visible effect, but individuals with Auspex sometimes claim to have seen imps or homunculi whispering into a thaumaturge's ear. The caster must break a dried bone in two for this ritual to take effect.

System: The number of successes accumulated on the roll determines the extent of the information the demon must reveal. The caster may ask only one question of the demon, but he may cast this ritual as many times as he wants.

This ritual turns the thaumaturge or another individual into a black cat. The thaumaturge must burn the whisker of a black cat or the skin of a white cat and inscribe the subject's name on a piece of glass in her own blood.

System: If the infernalist uses the ritual on herself, she can change back at will. If used on a ghoul, the spell lasts only 24 hours. If used on another vampire, the spell lasts for 12 nights minus one per Willpower point (permanent, not pool) the victim possessed at the time of the transformation. The target may resist whether she knows precisely what is happening or not, by winning a resisted roll against the thaumaturge's Willpower. This ritual requires the caster to spend one blood point. The subject acquires all Traits - including Mental Attributes - of a cat for the duration of the transformation.

This ritual causes the victim to become "sick at heart." The subject loses interest in his regular activities or his personal appearance, and he eventually sees no reason to continue his life or unlife, falling into torpor or chronic depression. The infernalist must perform the ritual in front of a smoking censer, which she extinguishes with freshly spilled blood from a source other than herself at the ritual's completion.

System: Each success (above two) adds a day to the victim's depression. If it continues for 10 days (this ritual may be cast more than once), the victim enters torpor if he is a vampire. If used on a mortal it works the same, except at the end of the 10 days, he dies, taking his own life to end the misery and drudgery of it all. This ritual requires two blood points that must be taken from a "donor" other than the thaumaturge.

The infernalist who calls on this ritual does not do so lightly, for it is much more difficult to undo the curse than to call it down on an enemy. While this curse does not necessarily kill, it does deluge the subject with a tide of terrible fortune. It is generally only invoked in the weeks leading up to a War Party or crusade, and it is conducted during one of the Sabbat's auctoritas ritae such as the Festive dello Estinto or Palla Grande. The caster extinguishes 14 flames with his bare hands, naming his intended victim with every flame doused.

System: A successfully cast ritual brings untold bad luck to the victim. Success causes an automatic botch to the victim's rolls for a specified period of time. Treat this botch as a "ghost" 1 on die rolls, as if the victim always had an additional 1 turn up. Thus, if the subject rolled no successes but no Is, he would still botch, as the "ghost" 1 turned his failure into a botch. Likewise, if the victim's rolls garner any successes, subtract one for the "ghost" 1. The caster must sacrifice two points of permanent Willpower when enacting this ritual, to stave of the Rotschreck of the flames and to bring the curse down on her victim's head. This curse may be broken only by the thaumaturge invoking it, and to do so she must cut off her own left hand and spend two more points of permanent Willpower.

This ritual allows the caster to step into Hell itself. Why anyone would want to do this is unknown, but some Sabbat claim to have had packmates dragged into the Inferno, or that ancient Cainite artifacts lie among the Devil's hoards. To enact this ritual, the caster must wash an entire wall with the blood of children; the wall then becomes the portal into Hell.

System: This ritual requires 24 hours to cast, during which the thaumaturge must remain awake. At the end of the ritual, the portal opens, and it will remain so for a number of hours equal to the caster's Willpower. Denizens of Hell may not escape through this portal, though they may attempt to deny exit to any vampires who have invaded their realm of eternal torture.

Dementation

Dementation, the madness-inducing Discipline of the Malkavians, originally belonged solely to the Malkavian antitribu, as the Camarilla Lunatics instead adopted Dominate. As such, the Discipline is covered in this volume rather than in the companion Guide to the Camarilla, as the undisputed masters of the higher-level uses of Dementation are among the Sabbat. Such truth is never immutable, however, and the Malkavians of the Camarilla are adapting to their recent "infection" with the Discipline with alarming speed. It's almost as if they were naturals....

While lesser Dementation powers allow a Malkavian to inflict temporary (though often long-lasting) madness upon a victim, elders of the clan have developed the ability to infect the minds of their victims with permanent dementia. Lingering Malaise causes permanent psychological shifts within the victim, making him, as one Gangrel elder remarked, "an honorary Lunatic."

System: The character speaks to his victim for at least a minute, describing the derangement that Lingering Malaise will inflict. The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy (difficulty of the victim's Willpower); the victim resists with a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). If the user of Lingering Malaise scores more net successes, the victim gains a permanent derangement chosen by the individual who inflicts it. Lingering Malaise may only be used to inflict one derangement per night on any given victim, though multiple attempts may be made until the derangement takes hold.

Although 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 like a virus.

System: The vampire must establish eye contact with her intended victim to apply this power. The player then rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty of the target's Willpower) resisted by the target's Wits + Self-Control/lnstinct (difficulty of the Malkavian's Willpower). If the aggressor wins, the target gains all of her derangements and Mental Flaws for a period of time determined by the number of net successes the aggressor scored:

The elder with this fearsome power has the ability to twist his victims' psyches at their most basic levels, warping their very beings. The subject of Restructure retains her memories in toto, but her outlook on life changes completely, as if she has undergone a sudden epiphany or religious conversion. This effect goes much deeper than the implantation of a derangement; it actually performs a complete rewriting of the victim's very personality.

System: As the description says, this power allows the Malkavian to change his target's Nature to one more suitable to his ends. To accomplish this, the character must make eye contact with his intended victim. The player rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty of the victim's Wits + Subterfuge). If he rolls a number of successes equal to or greater than the target's Self-Control/Instinct, the target's Nature changes to whatever the player desires. This effect is permanent and can be undone only by another application of Restructure (though subtle differences from the character's original Nature may still remain, as it is impossible for such a grave change to occur flawlessly). A botch on this roll changes the character's own Nature to that of his intended victim.

Similar to the Auspex power of Psychic Assault (see Guide to the Camarilla), this fearsome ability allows the elder to turn the very strength of her victim's mind against him, inflicting physical harm with the power of his own will. 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's aura swirls with violent psychosis and erupts outward in writhing appendages - a sight that can make even the most hardened Tzimisce quail. Some callous vampires call the victims of this power Blairs, apparently some sort of pop-culture reference.

System: The vampire must touch or establish eye contact with her target. The player rolls Manipulation + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Stamina + Self-Control/Instinct) and spends two Willpower points. For a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled, the victim rolls his own permanent Willpower as lethal damage against himself (soaked with his own Humanity or Path of Enlightenment [difficulty 6] - Fortitude does not add to this soak dice pool, nor does body armor). He may take no other actions during this time other than thrashing and gibbering; this includes spending blood to heal.

This fearsome ability is only known to have been applied a few times in recorded Kindred history, most spectacularly during the final nights of the last battle of Carthage. 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 that the Malkavians have used the threat of this power as a bargaining chip in several key negotiations with Camarilla elders.

System: The player spends four Willpower points and rolls Stamina + Intimidation (difficulty 8). The radius of effect is determined by the number of successes scored:

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 supernatural beings 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 states 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 effects persist 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 - than the power itself can force.

Victims of Lunatic Eruption may resist with Self-Control/Instinct rolls (difficulty of the character's Willpower); each success provides one hour of lucidity, which most wise individuals use to leave the power's area of effect (leaving the "blast radius" does remove the 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" a massive psychic shockwave explode from the character using the power.

Dementation and Iron Will

The Merit: Iron Will (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 299) grants immunity to Dementation in the same manner as it does versus Dominate: By spending a Willpower point, the player negates the effect of a successful application of Dementation to her character. However, as is the case with Dominate, high levels of Dementation may overwhelm even this resistance. Rather than completely negating the effect of an elder Dementation power, the use of Iron Will raises its effective difficulty, which may reduce the number of successes rolled. Against Dementation Level Six, the expenditure of a Willpower point through Iron Will raises the difficulty of the Dementation roll by two. Against Dementation Level Seven, the same expenditure raises the Dementation difficulty by one. Dementation Level Eight and higher cannot be resisted with Iron Will.

Mytherceria

The curious blood coursing through the undead veins of the Kiasyd has done some remarkable things, not the least of which has been the creation of the odd Discipline known as Mytherceria. A collection of powers attributed to the faeries and inclined toward the exposure of new knowledge, Mytherceria has driven many of its victims to babbling madness, or at least frustration. The Kiasyd are loath to teach its ways to others outside their bloodline - they know that were it turned against them, they may be forced to reveal secrets the world is better off not knowing.

It becomes increasingly difficult to deceive the Kiasyd as they absorb more and more knowledge. This power reveals lies told to the Kiasyd in several different ways, which varies from vampire to vampire. Some Kiasyd perceive lies via their teller's tongue glowing in an unnatural color, while others' eyes well up with blood tears when lied to. The manner varies from Kiasyd to Kiasyd, but the effect is always the same - he knows you have lied to him.

System: The player rolls Perception + Expression (difficulty equal to the suspected liar's Manipulation + Subterfuge ) . If the roll succeeds, the Kiasyd gets an inkling as to whether or not the subject is lying. One roll must be made for each statement, should the Kiasyd be so suspicious as to check out everything the speaker says.

Attuned to the blood of the Wild Ones, Kiasyd have some propensity for seeing the true nature of the changelings. Kiasyd can identify changelings on sight, and they can even see through to the Wild blood underneath. Additionally, they are able to recognize areas of faerie influence.

System: Kiasyd see changelings for what they truly are. Also, in any area of recent magical faerie activity (cantrips, summoned chimera, etc.), the Kiasyd knows that the fae have been present on a Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 6).

This power works much like the Auspex power of The Spirit's Touch. The Kiasyd must touch or pick up the object being read. Instead of just receiving and interpreting the psychic impressions left on the object by the last person who came in contact with it, the Kiasyd absorbs the impressions into her mind. This leaves her with a very clear interpretation of the aura, and wipes the object "psychically clean" so no one coming afterwards can get an impression from the item by using this ability or Auspex. Kiasyd also use this power to mask their own possession of an object.

System: The player must make a Perception + Empathy roll, for which the difficulty is determined by the Storyteller's assessment of the age of the impressions and the mental and spiritual strength of the person who left them.

The number of successes determines the amount of information gained, both in terms of images of the scene when the object was being held or touched, and the nature of the person who was holding the object. One scene-type image and one aspect of the person's identity (Nature, Demeanor, aura, name, sex or age) becomes clear for each success the player garners on the roll.

Anyone attempting to use this power or The Spirit's Touch on the same object subsequently must accumulate more successes than the Kiasyd did to get any impression at all. The first Kiasyd's successes subtract from the number of successes scored by anyone subsequently trying to read the object thereafter.

The vampire can create mystical wards, symbols of occult power that disorient onlookers. Many Kiasyd use these glyphs to protect their libraries, though some spiteful vampires use them as curses by placing them on individuals who have earned their disfavor.

System: The vampire creating the ward inscribes the symbol in a visible location - on a library door, bookshelf or an individual's clothing - and the player rolls Intelligence + Security (difficulty 7 for inanimate objects or the subject's Willpower +2). Anyone entering the warded area or touching the warded object loses two dice from her Intelligence dice pools as long as she maintains contact or proximity to the ward. Additionally, anyone seeing the ward becomes addled and lost unless she makes a Wits + Investigation roll (difficulty 8). The glyphs last for a duration indicated by the number of successes on the Intelligence + Security roll, and the Kiasyd is immune to his own wards.

The Kiasyd has knowledge of many hidden and intriguing truths. He can phrase these enigmas as a vexing riddle, causing whoever hears the Riddle Phantastique to do nothing but try to solve it. The Riddle is so impenetrable that it can actually damage the fragile brains of those who think about it. Malkavians and other deranged individuals sometimes have easier times solving the Riddle, but at other times it plagues them by driving them even more insane.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty of the victim's Willpower). After a successful roll, the victim can do nothing but sit and ponder the Riddle until she accumulates three times the riddler's successes. The subject rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 8, plus or minus the number of derangements the victim has, at the Storyteller's discretion). She makes this roll as soon as she is told the Riddle, and then once per hour until she has gathered enough successes. Should the victim botch on a roll to solve the Riddle, she takes one level of lethal damage as the mystical enigma racks her body, and she loses one success from the accumulated total. This damage cannot be healed until the Riddle has been solved. The riddler can end this trance just by telling the victim the answer, but no one else can do so.

This power is a further extension of the Kiasyd's mystical lore-gathering abilities. In their ever-increasing quest for knowledge, the Kiasyd have found a way to rip memories and knowledge from sentient beings. The Kiasyd's victim becomes a mindless fool for the duration of this power's effect, able to function only on a basic autonomic level (mortals continue to breathe, while vampires simply stand in stupor). Normally in this state, the victim is so confused that she wanders aimlessly, or sits and does nothing. As soon as the Kiasyd purloins the memories, she often records them in a more permanent form such as a scroll or book, before they escape her own memory. This power accounts for some reports of individuals being left, foolish and duped, by "the Good Folk."

System: The player rolls Perception + Subterfuge (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). While the Kiasyd has "stolen" her subject's mind, she retains her own consciousness, but has complete access to all of the subject's thoughts and memories. Subjects have no knowledge that they have been affected in this manner, though any attempts to harm them - by the Kiasyd or anyone else-return their wits to them immediately. Those who are victims of this power for long periods of time may starve, but they will eat food presented before them. The number of successes determines the duration of the effect, though the Cainite may return the subject's mind at any time before this period ends.

The Kiasyd absorbs the Abilities from her victim's mind, and she is able to call on them immediately, even though she might have never had knowledge of them before. This power is invasive, actually stealing the Abilities permanently, leaving their original owners ignorant and inept.

System: The player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower). The target may resist with a Willpower roll (difficulty of the Kiasyd's Willpower). The difference between the two determines the effect. If the target gets more successes, he resists completely. The Kiasyd, if successful, may select a combination of Abilities to her satisfaction. Taking some of a victim's Ability dots may leave a remaining bit - the Kiasyd need not take all of a subject's dots in a given Ability. (For example, a character with three dots in Occult, from whom a Kiasyd steals one, retains an Occult of 2.) Also, if a Kiasyd takes less dots than she already has in a given Ability, these points do not serve to raise her own score. (In the previous example, the Kiasyd would not increase his Occult score if he already had a score of one or more, as he took only one dot.) No subsequent attempt can be made by the Kiasyd on a target against whom he fails the Perception + Empathy roll for at least a year. In all cases, the maximum to which the Kiasyd can raise an Ability is the level the target has in that Ability. (Again by example, if a victim has a dot in Law and the Kiasyd gets 2 successes, she can't gain 2 dots in Law.) Also, generation restrictions apply; a Sixth Generation Kiasyd can have a maximum of seven dots in an Ability. All losses of Abilities on the part of the victim are permanent, though they may be returned to their original levels via experience-point expenditure.

For an exceedingly brief time, the Kiasyd may call his fae blood to prominence to subdue the Curse of Caine. The Kiasyd may become mortal again, discarding all of the benefits and drawbacks of being a vampire. While (temporarily) mortal, the Kiasyd has no knowledge or memory of being a vampire, though he retains all other knowledge and memories. Kiasyd sometimes use this power to pursue lore accessible only by day (for whatever reason), though they sometimes use it to throw witch-hunters off their trail or simply for the bittersweet pleasure of seeing sunrise without fear.

System: The player spends eight blood points and makes a Willpower roll (difficulty 9). If this roll is successful, the character becomes mortal at the next sunrise for a duration determined by the number of successes on the roll. The Kiasyd knows, however subliminally, the duration of the power, and he automatically seeks to return to safety, should daylight be a problem at the duration's end (though "safety" is impossible to reach in some situations). After this power ends, the Kiasyd retains all memories of his brief return to the world of mortals. During his time as a mortal, the character's Traits are limited to scores of 5 (which return to their original levels when the character becomes a vampire again), and the character has no access to her Disciplines. Likewise, the character may not use blood points for any vampiric benefits while mortal.

Necromancy

Widely believed to be practiced by only the loathsome Giovanni, Necromancy has actually been adopted by the Harbingers of Skulls, who claim to have learned the magic of death while trapped in the Underworld. Harbingers seem to know little of the Bone or Sepulchre Paths, instead learning their own Mortuus Path and the Ash Path. Harbingers of Skulls have not been known to interact with the Giovanni, but they may have acquired some knowledge of other paths from the Samedi, with whom they share some inexplicable tie. Harbingers of Skulls learn the Mortuus Path as their primary Necromancy Path; they can only learn their first level of the Ash Path after achieving the third level of mastery in the Mortuus Path. That aside, they learn Necromancy like other vampires.

The Mortuus Path

This power allows the Cainite or the subject of her choice to take on the semblance of death. Skin stretches tight over bones, flesh grows pale and sallow and joints seize as the body grows rigid. This power may be used to "play dead" and look the part, or to curse another with the appearance of the walking dead.

System: The vampire must touch her target for this power to take effect. If the Necromancer assumes this form, she merely spends a blood point. If attempting to use this power on another, the character's player spends a blood point and makes a Stamina + Occult roll (difficulty equal to the victim's Stamina +3). The effects of this power last until the next dawn or dusk, when the shriveled individual slowly regains her normal state over the course of an hour. While under the effects of the Reaper's Shroud, characters lose two points from their Dexterity and Appearance Traits (to a minimum of 1). Vampires may spend two blood points to reverse the effects of Reaper's Shroud.

This power allows the vampire to accelerate the aging and decrepitude processes in his intended victim. The subject suffers the effects of old age: brittle bones, dry and thin skin and various rheumatic pains among others. Some victims have even acquired certain ailments normally experienced by the elderly, including bone diseases and arthritis..

System: The vampire must touch his intended victim. The player then rolls Manipulation + Medicine (difficulty equal to the victim's Willpower) and spends one point of Willpower. If this roll is successful, the target suffers the debilitating effects of advanced age. For the duration of this power (until the next dusk or dawn), the target, Cainite or otherwise, must subtract three points from all Physical Attributes (to a minimum of 1). Vampires and ghouls affected in this manner may still spend blood points to increase their Physical Attributes.

Mortals who undertake stressful activity while affected by Blight run the risk of heart failure. For each round the mortal continues strenuous activity, the player must make a Stamina roll (difficulty 6). If the roll fails, the mortal suffers a heart attack.

This power allows vampires to wrench themselves free from death's long slumber. A character who possesses this level of mastery may throw off the darkness of torpor or aid another in doing so.

System: The player spends two Willpower points. She then makes a Willpower roll, for which the difficulty is ten minus the target's Humanity or path rating. Obviously, the vampire uses her own rating if attempting to rouse herself from torpor. For example, if a vampire seeks to rise from torpor and has a Path of Death and the Soul score of 5, his difficulty for the Willpower roll is 5. If the vampire wishes to awaken another Cainite in torpor, she must touch that vampire. If the vampire so raised entered torpor because of a lack of blood, she awakens with one blood point in her veins.

The Necromancer may temporarily cheat the Curse of Caine, albeit briefly, by becoming truly dead. While invoking this power, the character suffers none of the traditional banes against vampires. He is not burned by sunlight, holy water does not harm him, and he does not rise from the dead each night. He has literally become a corpse.

System: There is no cost to assume the corpse-body, but awakening from the slumber requires two blood points. While the character is in corpse form, he may obviously take no actions, nor may he use any Disciplines, even "automatic" ones like Fortitude. The corpse-vampire does not consume blood nightly - he retains the same amount of blood as he did when he entered the state of True Death (remember that it costs two blood points to leave the corpse state), which may prove damning should anyone cut him open in the interim. A character who has been staked through the heart is still paralyzed when he returns to vampiric consciousness. This power has no maximum duration, other than the time the vampire chooses to remain dead.

Named after mortals - the Children of Seth - this power causes a victim to contract a virulent plague, similar to the epidemics of the 11th through 15th centuries (the Black Plague, the Red Death, etc.)- This illness causes death within 24 hours for mortals and sends vampires to torpor within the same period of time. Mortal victims of plague exhibit terrible plague symptoms - sunken eyes, blackened limbs, bloody sweat and excretions, swollen nodes and weeping lesions.

System: The vampire touches her victim, and the player must spend one blood point (which must come in contact with the victim to communicate the plague) and one Willpower point. The player also rolls Stamina + Occult (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). Success indicates that the vampire has afflicted his victim with plague, who dies or succumbs to torpor within 24 hours.

Necromantic Rituals

These rituals use the same system presented in Vampire: The Masquerade (p. 165). The following rituals were developed by the few Sabbat practitioners of Necromancy, but are not exclusive to the Sabbat. However, they may prove difficult to learn (or even locate), and Storytellers may wish to grant non-Sabbat characters versions of these rituals that operate at higher difficulties and/or lessened effectiveness, or to deny them altogether to such characters.

Eldritch Beacon takes 15 minutes to cast. The material component is a green candle, the melted wax from which must be collected and molded into a half-inch sphere. Whoever carries this sphere, whether in his hand or in a pocket, is highlighted in the Shadowlands with a sickly-glowing green-white aura. All wraithly powers affect this individual with greater ease and severity (Storytellers using Wraith: The Oblivion should apply a -1 difficulty to all Arcanoi affecting the bearer of the beacon). The sphere retains its power for one hour per success on the casting roll.

Used primarily to facilitate conversations with the recently departed, though also applied as a method of psychological torture, Puppet prepares a subject (willing or unwilling) as a suitable receptacle for ghostly possession. Over the course of one hour, the necromancer smears grave soil across the subject's eyes, lips, and forehead. For the remainder of the night, any wraith attempting to take control of the subject gains two automatic successes. The ritual's effects remain even if the soil is washed off.

This ritual is similar to the Level One Ritual Call of the Hungry Dead (see Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 165) in that it makes the sounds of the underworld audible in the physical realm. However, Din of the Damned is an area-effect ritual used to ward a room against eavesdropping. Over the course of half an hour, the necromancer draws an unbroken line of ash from a crematorium along the room's walls (this line may pass over doorframes to allow entrance and egress). For the rest of the night, any attempt to listen in on events inside the room, be it simple (a glass to the wall), electronic (a laser microphone), or mystic (Heightened Senses), requires the eavesdropper to score more successes in a Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 7) than the caster of the ritual scored. Failure to beat this mark gives the listener an earful of ghostly wailing and moaning and the sound of howling winds; a botch deafens him for the rest of the night.

This hour-long ritual enchants a handful of ergot (a mold that grows on grains prior to harvest in cold, damp weather) to act as a catalyst for second sight. By eating a pinch of the magical mold, a subject gains the benefits of Shroudsight (Ash Path Necromancy Level One, p. 164 of Vampire: The Masquerade) for a number of hours equal to the necromancer's Stamina score. Three doses of the enchanted ergot are created for every success on the roll. Ergot is normally poisonous to some degree; this ritual removes its toxic properties. However, a botch renders the ergot highly and instantaneously toxic, inflicting eight dice of lethal damage on any subject who ingests it - including vampires.

Performed over the course of 12 hours (reduced by one hour per success on the casting roll), this ritual infuses the Necromancer or a willing subject with the very cold of the grave. The ritual's material component is a one-foot cube of ice, which is slowly melted on the subject's chest (inflicting three health levels of bashing damage on mortal subjects). The subject must lie naked on bare earth for the entire duration of the ritual. Once the ritual is completed, its effects remain for a number of nights equal to the caster's Occult rating.

An individual affected by the Chill of Oblivion treats aggravated damage from fire and high temperatures as if it were lethal damage. Furthermore, he may attempt to extinguish any fire by rolling Willpower (difficulty 9); each success reduces the fire's soak difficulty (see Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 227) by 1, and a fire with a soak difficulty of 2 dwindles to glowing embers. However, this ritual has several drawbacks. First and foremost, the subject's aura is laced with writhing black veins that resemble those left by diablerie and may well be mistaken for such by any observer who is not familiar with this ritual. The subject also radiates a palpable aura of cold that extends to about arm's length from him; this can be extremely disconcerting to mortals, though it causes no damage, and its game effects mirror those of the Flaws: Touch of Frost and Eerie Presence. Finally, the mystical nimbus of the ritual draws hostile ghosts to the subject (for Storytellers using Wraith: The Oblivion, the difficulties of all Dark Arcanoi used against the character are reduced by 3 while the ritual is in effect), who may plague him with unwholesome acts.

Obtenebration

This power allows the Lasombra to call forth the darkness contained in her black soul. This enormous, turbulent shadow vomits from the Lasombra's mouth, though some Keepers are said to cut themselves and let the blackness seep from their veins. The shadow-cloud engulfs a chosen target, burning it with a soul-scarring chill and siphoning its blood away in torrents.

System: The player makes a Willpower roll and spends a blood point. The resulting shadow envelops the target and, though it does not physically harm the victim, it may strike terror into him. Individuals observing the Darkness Within, whether as targets or onlookers, may suffer the shadow Rotschreck as described in Vampire: The Masquerade, page 169, unless they are familiar with the Lasombra's power over darkness.

Individuals touched by The Darkness Within lose one point of blood per turn, though players may resist this effect by succeeding on a Stamina roll (difficulty 6) each turn the vampire remains in contact with the cloud.

The Cainite invoking The Darkness Within must devote all her attention toward maintaining the cloud. If the vampire is attacked, the darkness immediately returns to her, through whatever orifice it originated. The Cainite can summon the darkness back at any time, gaining a number of blood points equal to one-half the number the shadow siphoned from its victims (round up). Taking blood from another in this fashion is similar to drinking from that vampire - blood bonds may result if it happens enough. Additionally, the Darkness Within may take blood from only one individual per turn, though it may be in contact with many.

The vampire has such fine control over the darkness that he may become it briefly and reform himself from other darkness close by. The vampire may Shadowstep through walls, floors and even mystical barriers. The Cainite simply steps "into" a shadow and re-emerges from another shadow a short distance away.

System: The player rolls Dexterity + Occult, and on a successful roll, the character may emerge from another shadow no more than 50 feet away. Failing the roll means simply that the character cannot step through the shadow-realm, while a botch signifies the character has become trapped between shadows (which fiendish Storytellers should have a heyday with). Pulling another individual through the shadow requires a Strength + Occult roll, with consequences for failure similar to failing by oneself.

The vampire's control over darkness has progressed to such a degree that he may bestow it with a limited degree of sentience. By animating his own shadow or that of another, the Lasombra can actually "set free" the shadow cast by light. While this power is active, the subject casts no shadow, as it has left to pursue the Lasombra's commands.

Needless to say, this power unnerves mortals and even a few inexperienced vampires. The Lasombra commands the individual's shadow, and some vampires report having seen mortals literally scared to death, as their shadows leapt away to taunt or menace them.

System: The player spends a blood point and makes a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). If the roll succeeds, the shadow springs to unholy freedom for one hour per success on the roll (though it disappears at sunrise regardless of how many successes the Lasombra had). The Shadow Twin has Attribute and Ability ratings equal to half those of its parent body; they won't do much talking or thinking, so Mental and Social Traits don't matter much, though Wits may come into play. Additionally, the Shadow Twin has an Obtenebration score equal to one-half of that of the Lasombra who animated it (rounded down).

The twin may separate itself from the parent and travel up to 50 feet away, crawling through crevices or sliding up walls. It may attack and be attacked, though it takes and does only half-damage (again, round down); flame and supernatural attacks (werewolf claws, vampire fangs, magical spells, etc.) do full damage, however. If the Shadow Twin is killed, its parent loses half her Willpower pool and must roll to avoid Rotschreck (difficulty 9).

By creating a "chamber" of pure darkness, the Lasombra may entrap or smother her enemies. No air exists in this shadow-trap, and mortals suffocate within its chilling void. Even vampires have little recourse once trapped - they may leave only at their captor's whim. The Oubliette appears as a dense patch of shadow, unaffected by ambient light around it.

System: The vampire spends a blood point, but no roll is necessary to create the Oubliette. To actually create the Oubliette around someone requires a contested Wits + Security roll against the target's Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 7 for both rolls). Mortals suffocate within a number minutes equal to their Stamina (though the Lasombra may choose to leave their head exposed or trap a quantity of air inside as well), while vampires are simply suspended impotently in darkness and may not use Disciplines or take other actions. The Oubliette vanishes instantly when touched by sunlight-which has left more than one vampire under the sun's unforgiving rays - or when the Lasombra chooses to relax it. A vampire may maintain only one Oubliette at a time, which leads some Cainite philosophers to argue that it is a prison created from the vampire's very soul, and thus limited to a single incarnation.

This power allows the vampire to summon a darkness so obliviating that it extinguishes the light of life - or unlife - of any victim trapped within it. Ahriman's Demesne creates a 50-foot radius of void that issues from the Cainite's hand and takes away the bodies of those it claims when it vanishes. The overwhelming darkness destroys friend and foe alike, claiming anyone unfortunate enough to be within its circumference.

System: The player spends two points of Willpower and concentrates for three turns. During this time, the blackness billows out of the character's hand, growing to fill the area. At the end of the third turn, the player rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 6). Everyone in the darkness' area suffers that many health levels of damage (aggravated, if the victims are vampires) outright-six successes yield six levels of damage, not six dice of damage. After Ahriman's Demesne does its damage, it collapses, taking with it the bodies of any who died when they came in contact with the dreadful shadow.

Sanguinus

Sanguinus is the unwholesome Discipline granted to the Blood Brothers by the Tzimisce who created them. A curious relative of Vicissitude, Sanguinus allows vampires who practice it to combine parts of their bodies, loan them out to others and coordinate their minds and appendages. Even low levels of it are unsettling (at best) to watch. Use of the higher levels is disgusting, indeed, as flesh parts and exposed organs, atrophied by the Blood Brothers' state of undeath, merge and pulse. Mortals observing the spectacle of this Discipline's more obvious powers must make Courage rolls (difficulty 4), spend a point of Willpower or flee the area in nausea.

The Blood Brothers share a mystical bond established at their creation. The blood of one courses through the undead veins of all members of a certain circle. By using his own blood, a Brother may heal the wounds of another in his circle. In this manner, Blood Brothers can heal great amounts of damage without exceeding their generational blood-expenditure limits, and they may even have one of their number withdrawn from combat so that he may heal others without concentration.

System: The player spends a blood point, which may be used to heal any member of the circle, regardless of distance from the character. The Blood Brother may also "bank" blood, spending five points to heal another's aggravated wound over the course of several turns. This power takes place automatically; no roll is necessary.

This grotesque power allows the Blood Brothers to share limbs and appendages. The organs so "borrowed" travel mystically over a distance, and some vampires have told stories of fighting single members of Blood Brother circles who grew extra arms to carry weapons or extra legs to brace themselves from falling. The most unsettling aspect of this power is not the additional limbs acquired by the recipient, however; rather, the quadriplegic, eyeless or mouthless Blood Brothers littering the battlefield when this power is invoked is a far more grisly sight.

System: The "donor" player spends a blood point for each limb or organ he wishes to loan to the other circle member. (This may only be done among circle members, but only the donor needs to have this level of mastery of 'Sanguinus.) The loaned organs appear at the end of that turn, in whatever location the recipient wishes - eyes on the back of heads or on the ends of hands have been seen, as have entire heads located between a Blood Brother's legs. Use of this power does not impart any extra attacks inherently, but it may allow for additional sensory input, more blood to be consumed in a single turn or extra hands to hold weapons or pin down foes. Only external organs may be loaned in this manner - hearts, stomachs and brains cannot.

The Blood Brothers may activate the unique ties of blood that bind them, establishing a "hive mind" of sorts. This expanded consciousness allows them to perform efficient and powerful attacks, avoid surprise attacks and even communicate with each other telepathically.

System: This power confers several benefits on the Blood Brothers. For this power to work, however, every Blood Brother in the circle must spend a blood point. If even one member cannot or refuses to spend a blood point, this power fails. Once a Blood Brother has met the Final Death, he is no longer a part of the circle, so the power continues to function among the still-undead members of the group. Gestalt lasts for once scene. While this power is active:

- Dominate, Presence, etc. take effect against the highest Willpower score in the circle. For example, if a vampire attempts to Dominate a Blood Brother under the influence of Gestalt, she must roll against the highest Willpower score any of the vampires in the circle possesses, even if her subject has the lowest Willpower score in the circle. Additionally, a Blood Brother affected in this manner drops out of the Gestalt, though the power remains active for others. The Tremere supposedly created this mental "fuse" to prevent the entire circle from being Dominated by a vampire looking into the eyes of one Blood Brother.

- Perception difficulties for all Blood Brothers in the circle decrease by three, as they share the sensory input of other vampires in the circle.

- By taking no action other than concentrating, a Blood Brother may "loan" an Ability to another brother. For example, a wounded vampire with Melee 4 may step out of combat and loan a circle-mate with Melee 2 his mastery of that Skill. The "borrowing" vampire makes Ability checks against the loaned Trait as if it were his own.

- Blood Brothers in the Gestalt share open, two-way telepathic communication with other members of the circle. This is not a chance to read the minds of other Blood Brothers, but simple, silent communication.

Note that not all Blood Brothers need possess Sanguinus at this level to gain the benefits of the Gestalt. Players of vampires of the circle who have not mastered Sanguinus to this level, however, must make a Wits + Occult roll (difficulty 7) to gain the benefits of the link. This roll is made before the Gestalt becomes active - no "loaning" Occult for this roll! If they fail this roll, they may not gain the benefits of the Gestalt for the scene, though their applicable Traits may be used (high Willpower) or loaned (but not borrowed).

By using this power, a Blood Brother may concentrate his own blood by drawing on the inherent Cainite curse in other members of the circle. In effect, he may lower his generation temporarily at the expense of raising the generation of other members of the circle. Some Blood Brothers have used this power to terrifying effect, lowering their generation to such a degree that they can perform truly monstrous feats, such as greatly increasing their strength or healing grievous wounds in the blink of an eye.

System: A Blood Brother may temporarily borrow one generation from other members of his circle. No vampire may loan more than one level of generation in this manner. For each level of generation he borrows from a member of the circle, the vampire using this power lowers his own generation by one level, while the Blood Brother from whom he borrowed it increases his generation by one. The Brothers loaning generations need not have Sanguinus at this level, but if they don't, they must make Stamina + Occult rolls (difficulty 7) to loan their generation. If this power takes a Blood Brother to 14th generation, see Vampire: The Masquerade, page 297 for the flaw "14th Generation" and apply all penalties thereof to the Cainite in question. This power lasts for one scene.

This frightening power allows the Blood Brothers of a given circle to unite physically as well as mentally. The vampires combine into one monstrous heap of undead flesh, exposing entrails, spraying foul fluids and flailing deadly limbs. These horrid mounds have proven effective in more than one Sabbat siege, sweeping over enemy vampires or smashing their way into fortified havens.

System: Every vampire in the circle who wishes to become part of the Coagulated Entity spends three blood points. Three turns after the process begins, the monster becomes complete and able to act. The vampire of the lowest generation who is part of the construct guides the creature's actions. The actual generation of the creature itself, however, is the highest generation of any vampire present in the construct, less one for each additional vampire present in the construct. The creature's Strength, Stamina and Perception are equal to the lowest-generation vampire's in the construct +1 for every additional vampire contained within (though generational limits do not apply to this creature - through sheer size, a Coagulated Entity may have a Strength of 7 or even more). All physical actions undertaken by the monstrosity gain one extra die to the pool for each vampire beyond the first present in the construct (before splitting dice pools). Only one vampire in the circle needs to possess Sanguinus at Level Five for this power to work. Body parts tend to shift during the creation of a Coagulated Entity - fanged maws at the ends of hands and eyes atop fleshy stalks have been reported by terrified survivors. Storytellers should feel free to give any bonuses (or penalties, as some legs may be too weak to support the creature, or arms may be too short to strike effectively) to the construct they see fit. Sanguinus is an imperfect practice, obviously.

A Coagulated Entity may not be staked, as it has too many hearts in unconventional places for any but the blindest of luck to impale. It has a vampire's normal seven health levels, plus two for each additional vampire who becomes part of the entity (treat these extra health levels as Bruised). The entity remains congealed for one scene.

Thaumaturgy

Thaumaturgy in Sabbat society has suffered much upheaval, and none of it is for the better. The Discipline is going to pot - stagnating, due to the sect's loss of Tremere antitribu support and the resulting lack of insightful research and training.

Thaumaturgy has, however, acquired numerous practitioners among the sect. Most pack priests seek out Thaumaturgical knowledge, even if they have yet to come into any true ability with it. Likewise, many elders of the sect favor the Discipline, as they believe it emulates Caine's legendary ability to create new and potent powers at his whim.

What follows is a collection of Sabbat Thaumaturgical knowledge. Whether paths and rituals created by the Tremere antitribu before their mysterious destruction or older formulae, practiced in the early nights of the sect by sorcerers who refused to share their knowledge with the Camarilla, these powers belong exclusively to the Sabbat. While it is conceivable that some Camarilla Tremere somewhere practices a path or ritual herein, it's none too common.

Learning Thaumaturgy in the Sabbat

Now that the Tremere antitribu have disappeared, how does one garner knowledge of blood magic ? With difficulty.

Naturally, many Cainites had learned some degree of Thaumaturgical knowledge from the Sabbat Tremere. These vampires may choose to impart this wisdom as a favor, or they may be coaxed into sharing some of their secrets.

Storytellers should use this opportunity to enthrall the characters to another vampire, or to advance the story. Players' characters have no "right" to Thaumaturgy - it exists in such a sorry state among the Sabbat and among so few vampires of the sect that they likely don't even know anyone who practices it. Additionally, it should be very hard to increase one's Thaumaturgical knowledge in the Sabbat: The only blood magic that exists at all is that brought by the Tremere antitribu. Other vampires lack the greater comprehension necessary to truly innovate, and they should have difficulty learning or creating new paths and rituals. Although the Tremere antitribu shared their secrets a bit more readily than the Tremere of the Camarilla, the relative rarity of the Discipline in the modem nights should prove an equally daunting obstacle to those who would wield its power.

Thaumaturgical Paths

Sabbat Thaumaturgy works exactly like normal Thaumaturgy - it is distinct only in the sense that these paths are proprietary to the sect. These paths use the systems described in Vampire: The Masquerade, page 178.

The Path of Mars

The few Sabbat who have retained Thaumaturgical talents have turned their focus to the assistance of the sect in times of war. This path has proven useful to Sabbat War Parties, and it has turned the tides of several confrontations with elder vampires. It is quite unusual among Thaumaturgical paths, in that it adopts a very martial stance, whereas other blood magics tend to have subtler, less violent effects.

A vampire on the attack can focus his will, making him less susceptible to battle fear or the powers of the undead. The vampire shouts a primal scream to start the effect, though some thaumaturges have been known to paint their faces or cut themselves open instead.

System: For the duration of one scene, the vampire adds one to his Courage Trait. Additionally, for the purposes of hostile effects, his Willpower is considered to be one higher (though this bonus applies only to the Trait itself, not the Willpower pool). A character may only gain the benefits of War Cry once per scene.

The vampire makes a single attack, guided by the unholy power of her Blood. This attack strikes its foe infallibly.

System: By invoking this power, the player need not roll to see if the vampire's attack hits-it does, automatically. Only Melee or Brawling (or Martial Arts) attacks may be made in this manner. These attacks are considered to be one-success attacks; they offer no additional damage dice. Also, they may be dodged, blocked or parried normally, and the defender needs only one success (as the attacks' number of success is assumed to be one). Strike True has no effect if attempted on multiple attacks (dice pool splits) in a single round from one character.

The thaumaturge invokes the power of the winds, moving in a blur. She gains a preternatural edge in avoiding her enemies' blows, moving out of their way before the enemy has a chance to throw them.

System: The player needs not split her dice pool if she wishes to make multiple dodges in a single round. This advantage applies only to dodges - if the character wishes to attack and dodge, the player must still split her dice pool. This power lasts for one scene.

The vampire temporarily augments his abilities as a warrior. Through the mystical powers of blood magic, the character becomes a potent fighting force.

System: Fearless Heart grants the vampire an extra point in each of the Physical Attributes (Strength, Dexterity and Stamina). These Traits may not exceed their generational maximums, though the player may use blood points to push the character's Traits even higher. The effects last for one scene, and a character may gain its benefits only once per scene.

The vampire must calm down for two hours following the use of Fearless Heart, or he loses a blood point every 15 minutes until he rests.

This ability extends the power of the previous abilities in the path. It allows any of the earlier effects to be applied to a group such as a pack or War Party.

System: The player chooses one of the lower-level powers in the path, invoking it as normal. Afterward, he touches another character and (if the roll for Comrades at Arms is successful) bestows the benefit on her as well. The same power may be delivered to any number of packmates, as long as the rolls for Comrades at Arms are successful and the thaumaturge pays the appropriate blood point costs.

The Path of the Father's Vengeance

This path, based loosely on powerful thaumaturge's interpretations of the Book of Nod, devotes itself to delivering justice to the race of Cainites. Each power supposedly has some precedent in the parables of the ancient book, and focuses on teaching the lessons of Caine via the power of blood magic. Use of this path is hotly debated in the Sabbat, as some consider it tantamount to claiming to hold Caine's right over all vampires oneself.

The power of this path comes not only from the magic of blood, but also incantation of verses from the Book of Nod. For any of these powers to take effect, the thaumaturge must speak the actual condemnation. For example, to invoke the third-level power, the caster must state plainly to his target that she may eat only ashes. Obviously, the subject must be able to hear the thaumaturge for these powers to take effect, though writing them and showing them to the subject will do.

These powers apply to Cainites only. They do not affect Lupines, mortals or ghouls.

Zillah, the wife of Caine, unknowingly drank from her husband and sire three times, thus becoming bonded to him. This power reveals existing blood bonds and Vinculi to the thaumaturge.

System: If the subject has any blood bonds or Vinculi to other vampires, this power reveals them to the caster. Although the caster may not know the vampires in question, this power does reveal the names and gives rough psychic impressions of the individuals in question.

This power inflicts the curse of the crone, who bound Caine to her as he fled his wife's spurning. Hideously ugly, the crone had to resort to trickery to get others to help or serve her.

System: This power reduces the target's Appearance to zero. All Social rolls during this time generally fail, unless the character attempts to intimidate or browbeat the subject. This power lasts for one night.

Primarily used against wanton or excessive vampires, this power temporarily removes a vampire's dependency on blood. While some would say this negates the Curse of Caine, it reduces the vampire to little more than a wretched scavenger, as he must consume literal ashes, though he gains little sustenance from them.

System: The victim of this power can no longer consume blood, vomiting it as he would mortal food or drink. Instead, the victim can eat only ashes, and the "blood points" he gains from this may be used only to rise each night. Ashen "blood points" may not be used to power Disciplines, raise Attributes or feed ghouls, (though actual blood points in the character's body at the time this power is invoked may still be used for such). One blood point's worth of ash is roughly one pint, and any ash will do - cigarette ash, campfire leftovers or vampire corpses destroyed by fire or sunlight. This power lasts for one week.

This power invokes the darkness of the Angel of Death. All but the dimmest of light causes the subject excruciating pain, and some artificial forms of bright light may even damage the vampire. Uriel delivered God's curse on Caine, shielding him in the blackness of his wings.

System: The presence of any light makes the subject uncomfortable, and bright light of any kind - flashlights, neon beer lamps, headlights, etc. - inflict one health level of aggravated damage on the character for every turn he remains under its direct focus. Most vampires who suffer this curse elect to sleep for the duration, hiding away in the darkness of their havens until they can walk again among the living without pain. This power lasts for one week.

Many Sabbat rightfully fear this power, though none has ever seen it used. It levies a punishment for breaking one of Caine's greatest commandments - the ban against diablerie. As most Sabbat attain their power and station through some measure of diablerie, they must reconcile their beliefs with the admonitions of Caine, and this power engenders a great sense of humility.

System: When this power takes effect, the subject immediately reverts to her original generation. This change may entail losing points in certain Traits due to generational maximums. This power lasts for one week, after which any Traits reduced to higher-generation maximums return to normal. It takes three turns to speak the full verse that implements this power's effects.

Thaumaturgical Rituals

As well as becoming more rare by the night, Sabbat Thaumaturgy often requires some sort of ceremonial catalyst to perform its rituals. At the Storyteller's discretion, a Sabbat ritual might need some additional requirement such as formulaic circles, phylacteries and/or a good deal of prior preparation. This is not to say that their rituals are less powerful than the equivalent rituals practiced by Camarilla Tremere, but it indicates a less refined understanding of the tenets of the Discipline in some cases. Sabbat Thaumaturges might also use grisly components for activating spells, given the grim nature of most Sabbat thaumaturges. Common implements include rocks with a Thaumaturgical symbol, bone rattles, particular animal or human body parts or certain kinds of vitae or ichor.

Most Sabbat know about rituals, due to the group's predilection for ritae and sharing information at esbats. However, the actual practice of Thaumaturgical rituals is quite rare. Rituals are hard to learn, and they take time to study, in addition to demanding a certain level of basic Thaumaturgical understanding. Usually, only members of founded Sabbat packs have the time to study Thaumaturgy. Even then, the nature of Sabbat unlife does not lean itself to quiet, intense study of bookish subjects.

Sabbat Thaumaturgical rituals work like any other Thaumaturgical rituals, as described on pages 182-183 of Vampire: The Masquerade.

Blood Rush
This ritual allows the vampire to create the sensation of drinking blood in himself without actually feeding. The ritual can be used for pleasure, but it is more often used to prevent frenzy when confronted with fresh blood. The vampire must carry the fang of a predatory animal on his person for this ritual to work.

System: Performance of the ritual results in the Beast being kept in check automatically. Blood Rush allays the Beast for one hour, at which point the Cainite feels hungry again (assuming he did before). This ritual takes only one turn to enact.

Dominoe of Life
A vampire wanting or needing to simulate a human characteristic can do so once Dominoe of Life is cast. For one entire night, the vampire can eat, breathe, maintain a 98.6-degree body temperature, assume a human flesh tone or display some other single trait of humankind she desires. Note that only one trait can be replicated in this fashion. The vampire must have a vial of fresh human blood on his person to maintain this ritual.

System: Using this ritual adds one die to the thaumaturge's Masquerade dice pool (see the Vampire Storytellers Companion). Unless onlookers are especially wary, the Dominoe of Life should fool them into thinking the caster is mortal - not that they should have any reason to suspect otherwise.

Illuminate Trail of Prey
This ritual causes the path of the subject's passing to glow in a manner that only the thaumaturge can see. The footprints or tire tracks (or whatever) shine distinctly, but only to the eyes of the caster. Even airplane trajectories and animal tracks shine with unhealthy light. The ritual is nullified if the target wades through or immerses himself in water, or if he reaches the destination of his journey. The thaumaturge must burn a length of white satin ribbon that has been in her possession for at least 24 hours for this ritual to take effect.

System: The thaumaturge must have a mental picture of or know the name of her prey. The individual's wake glows with a brightness dependent on how long it has been since he passed that way - old tracks burn less brightly, while fresh tracks blaze.

Widow's Spite This ritual causes a pain, itch or other significant (but not deadly) sensation in the subject. Similar in effect to the old "voodoo doll" effects, this ritual is used more out of scorn or malice than actual enmity. In fact, it requires a wax or cloth doll that resembles the target, which bleeds when the power takes effect.

System: The ceremonial doll must resemble, however rudely, the victim of the ritual. It produces no mechanical effect, other than a simple physical stimulus. The caster may determine where on the subject's body the pain or itch appears.

Eyes of the Night Hawk
This ritual allows the vampire to see through the eyes of a bird, and to hear through its ears. The bird chosen must be touched by the vampire when the ritual is initiated, and it must be a predatory bird. At the end of this ritual, the caster must put out the bird's eyes, lest she suffer blindness herself.

System: The vampire is able to mentally control where the bird travels for the duration of the ritual. The bird will not necessarily perform any other action than flight-the thaumaturge cannot command it to fight, pick up and return an object or scratch a target. The bird returns to the vampire after finishing its flight. If the vampire does not put out the bird's eyes, she suffers a three-night period of blindness. This ritual ceases effect at sunrise; if the bird has not reached its destination or is too far from the vampire for the final step to be taken, too bad, Dracula.

Machine Blitz
Machines go haywire when this ritual is cast. It takes effect instantly and lasts as long as the vampire concentrates on it. This ritual may be used to kill car engines, erase computer media, crash ticker-tape machines, stop life-support machines, et cetera. Essentially, Machine Blitz ceases any machine more complex than a rope-and-pulley. The thaumaturge must have a scrap of rusted metal in her possession for this ritual to work, though some vampires use a variant that requires a knot steeped in human saliva to be untied.

System: This ritual only stops machines; it does not grant any control over them. The effects of this ritual are invisible and not necessarily obvious - these things just seem to happen by coincidence.

Recure of the Homeland
The vampire calls on the power of the earth to heal grave wounds she may have received. The thaumaturge must use at least a handful of dirt from the city or town of her mortal birth and recite a litany of her family tree as she casts this ritual.

System: The Cainite must mix the earth with two points of her own blood to make a healing paste. One handful will heal one aggravated wound, and only one handful can be used per night.

Clinging of the Insect
This ritual allows the thaumaturge to cling to walls or ceilings, as would a spider. She may even crawl along these surfaces (as long as they can support her). Use of this power seriously discomfits mortal onlookers. The character must place a live spider under her tongue for the duration of the ritual (though the spider may die while in the thaumaturge's mouth).

System: The character may move at half her normal rate while climbing walls or ceilings. This power lasts for one scene., or until the vampire spits out the spider.

Mirror of Second Sight
This object is an oval mirror no less than four inches wide; no more than 18 inches in length. It looks like a normal mirror, but is much more useful in the hands of a Sabbat thaumaturge. Once created, the mirror is used by the vampire to see the supernatural; it reflects the true form of Lupines and faeries and enables the owner to see ghosts as they move though the Underworld. The thaumaturge creates the mirror by bathing an ordinary mirror in a quantity of her own blood while reciting a ritual incantation.

System: The ritual requires one point of the vampire's blood. Thereafter, the mirror reflects images of other supernatural creatures' true forms - werewolves appear in their hulking man-wolf shapes, mages glow in a scintillating nimbus, wraiths become visible (in the mirror) and changelings appear in their natural aspect. Sometimes, the mirror also reveals those possessed of True Faith in clouds of golden light.

Firewalker
This ritual imbues the vampire with an unnatural resistance to the bane of all vampires, fire. Only a foolish vampire would actually attempt to walk on or through fire, but this ritual does grant an advanced tolerance to flame. Some Sabbat use this ritual to show off or perform dramatically at Fire Dances, while others use it only for martial concerns. To enact the ritual, the thaumaturge must cut off the end of one of his fingers and burn it in a Thaumaturgical circle.

System: Cutting off one's finger does not do any health levels of damage, but it hurts like hell and requires a Willpower roll to perform. This ritual may be cast on other vampires (at the expense of the caster's fingertips...). If the subject has no Fortitude, he may soak fire with his Stamina for the duration of this ritual. If the vampire has Fortitude, he may soak fire with his Stamina + Fortitude for the duration of the ritual. This ritual lasts one hour.

Paper Flesh
This dreadful ritual enfeebles the subject, making her skin brittle and weak. Humors rise to die surface and flesh tightens around bones and scales away at the slightest touch. Used against physically tough opponents, this ritual strips away the inherent resilience of the vampiric body, leaving it a fragile, dry husk. The thaumaturge must inscribe his subject's true name (which is much harder to discern for elders than it is for young vampires) on a piece of paper, which he uses to cut himself and then burns to cinders.

System: This ritual causes the subject's Stamina and Fortitude (if any) to drop to 1. For every generation below eighth, the subject retains one extra point of Stamina and Fortitude (though she may not exceed her original scores). For example, a vampire of the Fourth Generation targeted by Paper Flesh would drop to a Stamina + Fortitude score of 5 (assuming the score was more than 5 to begin with). This ritual lasts one night, and it is popular among packs that regularly undertake War Parties and Wild Hunts.

Koldunic Sorcery

The practice of Koldunic Sorcery is a well-kept secret among the Tzimisce of the Sabbat. Once exceedingly rare, even among the Tzimisce, the lower levels of this dark art are becoming more readily available among the covens. Now that the Tremere influence has suddenly vanished from the sect, the ancient sorcerous arts of the Fiends seem to be on the rise in popularity.

Although Koldunic Sorcery roughly resembles Thaumaturgy, it has no connection to the Hermetic practices of Clan Tremere. Rather, the ancient magic of the Tzimisce has its origins in the sick, magically rich soil of the Old World demesnes of the Fiends. Its paths and rituals are not compatible with Tremere magic, but paths similar to Thaumaturgical paths have existed since time out of mind. Koldunic Sorcery is most often practiced - if such can be said - in covens with Tzimisce of 400 years or more under the shadow of undeath. Rarely, some secret ritual or blasphemous path makes it into the rank-and-file of the sect, and astute Cainites cannot help but wonder how these guarded secrets escape the clutches of the Tzimisce.

Valeren

According to the Salubri antitribu, Valeren is a forgotten Discipline unearthed in their research into their progenitor's history. While the mainstream Salubri practice a healing Discipline, the antitribu instead follow the warrior's path, dedicating themselves to one of the many faces of their inscrutable father.

Valeren is a Discipline of righteous wrath, originally developed by the demon-slayers and questing knights of the Salubri from nights long past. It shares a bit in common with the Obeah Discipline upheld by the Salubri, but it quickly diverges into its own focus and ideology. Salubri antitribu walk the road of the crusader, and they refuse to become soul-stealers or sacrificial lambs.

Like Obeah, Valeren imparts its practitioners with the fabled third eye of Saulot. The third eye appears at the time the vampire masters the second level of Valeren. The precise nature of the eye, as well as its purpose, are all but unknown to vampires outside the Salubri antitribu. Some suspect the eye grants them sight beyond sight, while others venture that the eye allows them to see the infernal taint in the non-Sabbat Salubri themselves.

The vampire can feel the flow of a subject's life force after touching him. Sense Vitality may be used to determine how much damage a person can withstand before death, which can be useful in sizing up a potential opponent. It can also aid in medical diagnosis or feeding, as it can reveal infections and diseases.

System: The Salubri antitribu must touch the target to see how close to death she is. This action also requires a Perception + Empathy roll (difficulty 7). One success on this roll identifies a subject as a mortal, vampire, ghoul or other creature (or none of the above). Two successes reveal how much damage the subject has suffered. Three successes tell how full the subject's blood pool is (if a vampire) or how many blood points she has left in her system (if a mortal or other blood-bearing form of life). Four successes reveal any diseases in the subject's bloodstream, such as hemophilia or HIV. A player may opt to learn the information yielded by a lesser degree of success - for example, a player who accumulates three successes may learn whether or not a subject is a vampire as well as the contents of his blood pool.

Alternately, this power may be used as a sort of limited "aftersight," revealing to the Cainite how the subject came to be in her current state. Each success on this roll allows the player to ask the Storyteller one question about the subject's health or health levels. "Was he drugged?" or, "Are his wounds aggravated?" are valid questions, but, "Did vampires do this?" or, "What did the Lupine who killed him look like?" are not. The Salubri antitribu may use this power on herself if she has injuries but has somehow lost the memory of how she received the wounds.

This power may be used to block a voluntary subject's pain from wounds or disease, or to put a mortal to sleep. As with Sense Vitality, physical contact is required to anaesthetize someone. This power may not be used to block the Cainite's own pain.

System: If the subject is willing to undergo this process, the player needs to spend a blood point to block the subject's pain and make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6). This power allows the subject to ignore all wound penalties for one turn per success. A second application of this power may be made once the first one has expired, at the cost of another blood point and another Willpower roll. If the subject is unwilling for some reason, the player must make a contested Willpower roll against the subject (difficulty 8).

To put a mortal to sleep, the same system applies. The mortal sleeps for five to 10 hours-whatever his normal sleep cycle is - and regains one temporary Willpower point on awakening. He sleeps peacefully and does not suffer nightmares or the effects of any derangements while asleep. He may be awakened normally (or violently).

Cainites are unaffected by this power - their corpselike bodies are too tied to death.

The vampire touches his subject, shocking her with a searing pain. This power causes no actual damage to the subject, though prolonged exposure to this unnatural pain sometimes leaves victims traumatized. The Salubri antitribu use this power to extract information from their enemies, and also sometimes to cause additional pain to those who have hunted and persecuted them before delivering true Final Death.

System: The vampire must touch his subject for this power to take effect, and the effects diminish rapidly after he removes his hand. Also, the player spends at least one blood point to activate this power. Each blood point so spent reduces the victim's dice pools by two. This power is often used in conjunction with Interrogation and Torture, wearing down the subject's resistance and rendering him much more tractable.

The watch referred to in this power's name is the death watch. An ancient tale unearthed by the Salubri antitribu refers to two Salubri who prowled the streets of Caine's Second City, granting merciful release to those who suffered and rotted in the streets. If a person truly wished to die because of great grief or unbearable illness, these Salubri would bestow the gift of death. Particularly revered by the street urchins, the "Death Angels" were seen as truly divine entities by those who sought their solace. In modern nights, the Salubri antitribu use this power frequently, as many nihilistic and desperate individuals seek any escape they can from the bleakness of the Final Nights.

System: To End the Watch, the vampire places his hand over the subject's heart, and the player spends a Willpower point. The subject must be willing to end his life; if she struggles or harbors a spark of hope, this power fails. Otherwise, the subject's heart slowly ceases to beat, and death comes like an eternal sleep, restful and painless. Subjects of Ending the Watch may not be subsequently Embraced, and none has ever been reported to have become a wraith.

By invoking the names of mighty Salubri warriors of nights past, the Salubri antitribu strikes his foe with inhuman force and accuracy. This power causes the third eye to open and glow with a baleful redness. Some Salubri antitribu who use this power close their normal eyes, signifying their disdain for their foes and horrifying them at the same time.

System: This power costs three blood points. Any single attack made by the vampire automatically hits the target as mystic forces guide the blow. Attacks made in this manner may not be dodged, though they may be blocked, parried and soaked as normal. The blow strikes as if the Salubri antitribu had succeeded with all of his Dexterity + Melee or Brawling dice pool (which makes for significant damage). This power may be used only once per turn, and only when the Salubri antitribu's sole action is the attack. Additionally, this power does not work for ranged weapons, only bare hands or melee weapons.

The vampire may cause pain with a mere touch, as per Burning Touch, but this pain lingers and swells even after the Fury has removed her hand. It is believed that this power was originally used to acclimated warrior Salubri to the pain they would experience in battle, but among the Sabbat Salubri, Blissful Agony has been turned to more brutal uses. If applied with enough intensity, Blissful Agony can drive vampires to the point of frenzy, incapacitate Lupines and even kill mortals outright.

System: The player makes a Willpower roll (difficulty 8) and spends a blood point. The power lasts for one scene, though this duration may be prolonged if the Salubri antitribu wishes with a subsequent Willpower roll (though no additional blood points need be spent). The character must touch her subject for the power to take effect initially.

At the vampire's option, she may cause actual physical damage to the victim at the rate of one health level per blood point spent, though touch must be maintained for this to happen. Damage to vampires and other supernatural creatures in this fashion vanishes at the next sunset, but mortals must heal the damage normally. This damage is considered lethal damage, and it may not be soaked by mortals (though vampires and other supernatural entities may).

To induce a frenzy in a victim, the Salubri must cause damage in excess of the subject's Willpower. At that point, the subject must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 6) or succumb to frenzy.

Vicissitude

Similar to the lesser Vicissitude power of Horrid Form, the Chiropteran Marauder is a terrifying, bipedal bat, bearing a wickedly fanged maw and veined, leathery wings. This power confers all of the benefits of the Horrid Form, in addition to a few others. The mere sight of the marauder is enough to make mortals or weak-willed vampires flee in horror.

System: The vampire gains all the effects of the Horrid Form (see Vampire: The Masquerade, page 187). Further, the fluted wings allow flight at 25 mph, during which the vampire may carry, but not manipulate, objects of reasonable size. If the vampire wishes, the player may make a Strength + Body Crafts roll (difficulty 6) to extend bony claws at the ends of the wings, where the hands would be. These claws inflict Strength +2 aggravated damage. Also, the vampire subtracts two from all hearing-based Perception rolls (though he adds one to vision-based Wits and Perception rolls). Assuming the mantle of the Chiropteran Marauder costs three blood points.

At this level of mastery, the vampire has converted his blood to a viscous acid. Any blood he consumes likewise becomes acid, which is corrosive enough to burn human (and vampiric flesh) as well as wood. This effect is particularly potent when the vampire assumes the Bloodform. One of the side effects of this power is the complete inability to create new vampires and ghouls, or give blood to another vampire - the acid would corrode them as they drank it. The obvious benefit, however, is that would-be diablerists are likewise unable to devour the Cainite's blood.

System: Each blood point that comes in contact with something other than the vampire himself does five dice worth of aggravated damage. If the vampire is injured in combat, his blood may spatter on an opponent - foes must make Dexterity + Dodge rolls to avoid the blood, which must be accomplished by splitting their dice pools. (Obviously, unless an opponent knows the vampire has this power, she's unlikely to split her dice pool on her first attack, which causes many Tzimisce to cackle with glee even as their own vitae sprays out of their bodies and disfigures their foes.)

Body Armory

Protean

, Vicissitude

This power enables the vampire to form wicked weapons from her own body. The vampire may create sword blades, axes and even spiked mauls, and these weapons do terrible damage to their targets. Many Tzimisce make sword-arms and knife-bladed knuckles and the like, but more dramatic implementations are possible.

System: This power costs two blood points per weapon Grafted (though larger weapons like two-handed swords and great axes cost four), and the player must roll Dexterity + Body Crafts (difficulty 7). Weapons created in this manner cause aggravated damage (from the Protean Discipline); lesser weapons that do only lethal damage may be created using Flesh- and Bonecraft, as per Vampire: The Masquerade, pages 186-187. Learning this power costs 20 experience points.

The Cainite can form an opaque cocoon from blood and other fluids excreted from her body. The cocoon hardens after a few moments, turning into a tough, white shell shaped vaguely like a rounded coffin. This cocoon provides considerable protection to the vampire, even shielding her from sunlight and, to a limited degree, fire.

System: A vampire may only cocoon herself, and the process takes 10 minutes to perform. Additionally, creating a cocoon costs three blood points. The cocoon offers complete protection from sunlight, and provides a number of dice of soak equal to twice the vampire's normal Stamina (blood augmentation doesn't help) against all damage, aggravated or otherwise. It lasts as long as the Cainite wishes, and she may dissolve it into a pulpy, bloody paste at her whim, from which she emerges. A vampire contained within a cocoon may still use mental Disciplines, though they may still require eye contact or other conditions to be met.

The Tzimisce becomes like one of the terrible draculs of the Old World, able to exhale a deadly gout of flame. This flame does not hurt the vampire himself, though he may become trapped in flames that start if his fire engulfs flammable objects.

System: The flaming cloud affects a six-toot area, doing two dice of aggravated damage to any in the flames' circumference. This fire may cause combustible items to ignite, and it may ignite victims who suffer fire damage as per the fire rules on page 227 of Vampire: The Masquerade.

This power, developed in the nights when the Tzimisce were the terrible masters of Eastern Europe, allows the vampire to sink into and disperse himself through the very ground itself. Unlike the Protean power of Earth Meld, however, the vampire actually dissolves his body into the ground; nothing short of a wide-area explosion can affect him, nor may he be dug up bodily. In addition, during the nighttime hours, the vampire may see and hear everything happening in her environment through his mystical connection to the land. The mere fact that this power exists terrifies many Tzimisce, who are secretly unsure of whether or not the diablerie of their Antediluvian was successful.

System: This power costs six blood points to activate, and it lasts as long as the vampire wishes to remain contained within the soil. As per the Cocoon, the vampire may use mental Disciplines that do not require physical solvency or eye contact. He may communicate mentally with anyone who wanders into the area under which he rests.

Tainted Blood

Since time out of mind the Fiends of Clan Tzimisce have worked their magic, fleshcrafting their minions, shaping deadly weapons and painful modifications from their very bones. The magic of the Tzimisce homeland, Eastern Europe's "land beyond the forest," resonated with the arcane power in the Fiends' blood.

Over time, however, the land grew sick, and corrupted with it the Tzimisce ties to that selfsame earth. Their blood became cursed, possessed of a bizarre unlife of its own. The mystical vitae that once sustained them now twisted the Tzimisce, making them alien and freakish.

Indeed, the Fiends' prized Discipline, Vicissitude, has become a disease, and it may infect anyone with whom it comes in contact. Indeed, rare cases have been reported of mortals learning the Discipline, and some apocryphal tales even speak of Lupines learning the fleshcrafting art. Anyone who partakes of Tzimisce blood - even the smallest of quantities - may be at risk of contracting the disease.

The Fate of Fiends

Note: These rules are optional, to be used at the Storyteller's discretion.

Rather than functioning as a normal Discipline, Vicissitude may be used in a special manner. Whereas other Disciplines have set costs to learn and improve, Vicissitude varies by the individual, as it mutates her body to its own malignant end. Some individuals find the Discipline difficult to learn, while others seem to have an unnatural affinity for it.

When a player creates a Tzimisce character, or whenever a non-Tzimisce character tastes the blood of a Fiend, the Storyteller should make a few quick, secret die rolls and record the results. This represents the character's relationship with the disease.

The first roll determines whether or not the character "catches" the sickness. Roll the character's Stamina (difficulty 6); failure indicates the character has become infected, and a botch not only infects the character, but also yields an immediate derangement. Succeeding on this roll means the character has not caught the disease and needs not roll on the table below. (All Tzimisce have inherently contracted Vicissitude at their Embrace, and need not make this first roll.)

The second roll determines how strongly the disease "takes root." If the character in question ever actively attempts to learn Vicissitude, this is the experience-point price she pays for learning it as a new Discipline. It bears mention that an infected character need not have a teacher to learn this new Discipline - the disease manifests itself as it courses through her unliving veins. It is not possible to learn Vicissitude without becoming infected.

The next roll defines how receptive the character's body and mind are to the corruption in her veins. Whenever the character learns a new level of the Discipline, this is the experience cost to do so.

The final roll signifies how destructive to the character's mind the disease is. Whenever the character learns a new level of Vicissitude - even her first - she must make a Willpower roll against the difficulty indicated by the chart. Failure on the roll yields the character a permanent derangement, as decided upon by the Storyteller. Alternately, the Storyteller may rule that a character who fails this roll instead loses a point from a given Virtue, or perhaps Empathy, as the character slides inexorably away from the human she once was and ever more into the thrall of the disease ravaging her body.

Players should roleplay their characters' growing emotional detachment, for maximum effect, as they lose themselves more and more to Vicissitude. This mental degradation is not mania or lunacy, and rarely results in erratic or whimsical behavior. Rather, it is a slow withdrawal from all that is human. Some Tzimisce researchers have hypothesized that the afflicted individual becomes less and less a functional personality, and more of a mindless host for the invasive disease.

Vicissitude Cost and Derangement Table
Roll	Initial Cost	Cost per Level	Change of Developing a Derangement
1	10	current rating x 8	difficulty 8
2	10	current rating x 7	difficulty 7
3	9	current rating x 7	difficulty 7
4	9	current rating x 7	difficulty 6
5	8	current rating x 6	difficulty 6
6	8	current rating x 6	difficulty 6
7	7	current rating x 6	difficulty 5
8	7	current rating x 5	difficulty 5
9	6	current rating x 5	difficulty 4
10	5	current rating x 4	difficulty 4
The Storyteller (not the player) should roll once on each table entry for a character who contracts Vicissitude, making a note of the result and keeping it secret from the player. Thereafter, each time the character increases her knowledge of the Discipline, the Storyteller may make the appropriate roll in secret, and introduce the result as part of the story. For example, Darius tastes the blood of his pack priest, a Tzimisce, during the Vaulderie. He later decides that he wants to learn Vicissitude. The Storyteller, ruling that Darius has tasted enough of the Tzimisce's blood to become infected, makes a secret Stamina roll for Darius and fails. Danus may learn Vicissitude without instruction, as the disease slowly spreads through his undead body. The Storyteller also makes three other rolls, to see how much it will cost Darius to learn the Discipline and how likely it is to warp his mind. Rolling a 4, 6, and 3, The Storyteller notes that it costs Darius 9 experience points to learn his first level of Vicissitude, it costs the current rating x 6 to increase thereafter, and Darius must succeed in a Willpower roll against a difficulty of 7 every time he learns a new level of the Discipline or gain a derangement.