Powers

Animalism

lvl 1

Bond Famulus, Animalism • (Core p.245)

Dice Pools: Charisma + Animal Ken Cost: The animal must be fed the user’s Blood on three separate nights, each of which requires a Rouse Check by the user. The amount of Blood needed to sustain the ghoul-state of the animal after this is negligible. Players starting with this power have completed this process and can chose a famulus for free. System: Without the use of Feral Whispers, below, giving commands to the animal requires a Charisma + Animal Ken roll (Difficulty 2); increase Difficulty for more complex orders. A vampire can only have one famulus, but can get a new one if the current one dies. A vampire can use Feral Whispers (Animalism 2) and Subsume the Spirit (Animalism 4) on their famulus for free. Duration: Only death releases a famulus once bound. As long as it receives vampire Blood on a regular basis, the famulus does not age.

Sense The Beast, Animalism • (Core p.245)

Cost: Free Dice Pools: Resolve + Animalism vs Composure + Subterfuge System: Roll Resolve + Animalism vs Composure + Subterfuge. A win allows the user to sense the level of hostility in a target (whether the person is prepared to do harm or even determined to cause it) and determine whether they harbor a supernatural Beast, marking them as a vampire or werewolf. On a win, a critical gives the user information on the exact type of creature (for example, a werewolf), as well as their Hunger (or equivalent) level, and their Resonance. This power can be used both actively and passively, warning the user of aggressive intent in their immediate vicinity. Duration: Passive

lvl 2

Feral Whispers, Animalism •• (Core p.246)

Dice Pools: Manipulation + Animalism, Charisma + Animalism Cost: One Rouse Check per type of animal chosen for the scene. Allows one summoning and unlimited communication. Free when used on famulus. System: Simple communication requires no dice pool test. Persuading an animal to perform a service requires a Manipulation + Animalism roll; the Difficulty depends on the task required. Having a bird keep an eye out for anyone entering the park at night is Difficulty 3, while ordering any animal to defend a place with their lives is Difficulty 6. Summoning animals uses a Charisma + Animalism roll; Difficulty depends on the scarcity of the animals summoned. The number of animals summoned depend on the margin on the test; a critical win summons most, if not all, animals of the type in the area. Duration: One Scene

lvl 3

Animal Succulence, Animalism ••• (Core p.246)

Cost: Free System: Feeding from animals slakes 1 additional Hunger, and the vampire counts their Blood Potency as two levels lower in regards to penalties to slaking Hunger from animal blood. Consuming one's famulus slakes 4 Hunger, regardless of animal size. This act can never remove the final Hunger die. In addition, consuming one's famulus increases the vampire’s Attribute most associated with that animal (as determined by the Storyteller) by two dots. Consuming a cat might raise Dexterity or Composure; consuming a dog might raise Charisma or Resolve. Storytellers may vary the reward from famulus consumption: draining an owl might raise the Attribute in any perception pool by two dots, or in pools involving wise decision making. The bonus lasts until the vampire’s next feeding or until their Hunger reaches 5. Duration: Passive

Quell The Beast, Animalism ••• (Core p.246)

Cost: One Rouse Check Dice Pools: Charisma + Animalism vs Stamina + Resolve System: Roll Charisma + Animalism vs Stamina + Resolve. A win against a mortal target incapacitates them for that scene, instilling severe lethargy. They act only to preserve themselves, not against the user or anyone else. A win against a vampire prevents the target from performing Blood Surges. While their Beast is quelled, vampires do not score messy criticals. Against vampires, this power lasts a turn plus a number of turns equal to the win margin on the contest. A critical win against a vampire target also ends their frenzy. Duration: One scene, or a number of turns equal to the test margin plus one.

Unliving Hive, Animalism ••• + Obfuscate •• (Core p.247)

Cost: No additional cost System: This power extends all powers previously restricted to vertebrates to insect swarms, treating a swarm as a single creature. The vampire can bind the swarm as a famulus, and some even give it the ability to nest inside the cavities of their body. This hides the swarm from sight while allowing it to nurse the minute amounts of Blood needed to sustain it indefinitely. While nested, the swarm is undetectable by anything less than X-rays. Swarms do little damage in combat. They have Health 5 and a pool of 8 dice to resist attacks. Swarms take Superficial damage from Brawl; flame and insecticide cause Aggravated damage. Vampires can use swarms for spying, as distractions (resulting in a two-dice penalty on any roll for a single swarmed individual), or to intimidate mortals (add between one and three dice to Intimidation pools, depending on the type of insect and the victim’s phobias). Players and Storytellers can doubtlessly come up with even more creative uses of this power. Duration: Passive

Augury, Animalism ••• + Auspex • (Tattered Facade pp.89-90)

Cost: One Rouse Check Dice Pools: Manipulation + Animalism System: Test Manipulation + Animalism against a Difficulty based on the detail of the question being asked. In general, the Difficulty increases from places (easy), to things (moderate), to people (difficult). Using Augury to ask “Where is Clarice’s bar?” would be a Difficulty 2; asking “Who is Lyle’s secret Blood Bond?” might be a Difficulty 5 or more if the subject in question has taken pains to hide the answer. The Storyteller answers the vampire’s question by describing the image the flock forms, usually the most direct answer to the question possible. Perhaps it’s the likeness of a person’s face, or a house front, or the briefly animated depiction of someone’s workroom. A critical win reveals something important (regardless of the question directly asked), as the animals sense the changing tides of action and inaction. This experience terrifies the animals the vampire harnesses, and their terror scars the vampire’s Animalism until it has time to fade. For the rest of the session, any Animalism test the vampire makes involving this Power or living creatures increases in Difficulty by 1 for each use of this Power. Duration: A few minutes to gather the swarm’s knowledge

Awaken the Parasite, Animalism ••• (Tattered Facade p.90)

Cost: One Rouse Check Dice Pools: Resolve + Animalism vs Humanity (Stamina + Wits for mortals) System: The vampire Rouses the Blood and spends their action concentrating before testing Resolve + Animalism against the Humanity of their target (mortal targets resist with Stamina + Wits). The victim must be within close proximity to the vampire. Results are based on the margin of the contest, while a critical win also increases a vampire target’s Hunger by one: ▪ Basic Win (Margin 0): The victim reduces Social and Mental dice pools by one die as maggots burrow and writhe beneath their flesh, causing confusion and headaches to the victim, and nausea among onlookers. ▪ Margin 1: The victim suffers a two-dice penalty on all pools as larvae burst from their flesh in significant numbers. In most cases, Social tests simply fail without needing to roll. At this stage, the Masquerade becomes severely strained, at best. ▪ Margin 2+: Eggs go from larvae to pupae in seconds, and pupating blowflies erupt in a shower of gore; killing mortal victims, while supernatural targets receive a two-dice penalty to pools, 2 unhalved Superficial damage, and find themselves unable to speak as their throats fill with squirming maggots. If the vampire uses Awaken the Parasite on themselves, perhaps to intimidate or disgust a foe, the vermin burst from their flesh and they suffer a two-dice penalty on any other pools this scene. The target resists with Composure + Resolve. If the vampire wins, the target cringes away, flees, or otherwise loses face; they also lose Willpower equal to the margin. Duration: One scene

lvl 4

Subsume The Spirit, Animalism •••• (Core p.247)

Cost: One Rouse Check. Free if used on famulus. Dice Pools: Manipulation + Animalism System: Make a Manipulation + Animalism test; Difficulty 4. On a win, the vampire can inhabit the animal’s body for one scene. On a critical win, the vampire can inhabit the animal indefinitely. Extending this possession into the daylight hours requires the vampire to stay awake (p. 219); seeing the sun requires a test for fear frenzy though the sunlight does not damage the animal being ridden. The user remains oblivious to their original body, but harm to it pulls them out of the trance and releases the animal. Death of the possessed animal also ends the trance, and the vampire takes a point of Aggravated Willpower damage from the shock. Duration: A scene / indefinitely (see above)

lvl 5

Animal Dominion, Animalism ••••• (Core p.247)

Cost: Two Rouse Checks Dice Pools: Charisma + Animalism System: Choose a type of animal and make a Charisma + Animalism roll with a Difficulty depending on the nature of the animals and the order given. Getting a flock of crows to disperse and look for a specific individual (given some means of identifying their target) is relatively easy (Difficulty 3), but getting a pack of dogs to give their lives in a suicidal attack on another vampire is more of a challenge (Difficulty 5). The power does not allow the user to summon animals, but compels those already present to obey. The vampire can command the animals to return after completing their task, if they have means to do so. Duration: A single scene or until the directive is fulfilled, whichever is shortest.

Drawing Out The Beast, Animalism ••••• (Core pp.247-248)

Cost: One Rouse Check Dice Pools: Wits + Animalism vs Composure + Resolve System: Instead of the Willpower roll to resist a terror or fury frenzy, roll Wits + Animalism vs Composure + Resolve of the target. If the user fails, they enter frenzy as though they had failed the Willpower roll. On a win, the target experiences that frenzy instead of the user. Later stimuli can still provoke frenzy in the user, but they can use this power as long as they can make Rouse Checks and further targets remain available. This power cannot transfer a hunger frenzy. Duration: Frenzy duration (see p. 220)

Auspex

lvl 1

Heightened Senses, Auspex • (Core p.249)

Cost: Free (but see below) Dice Pools: Wits + Resolve System: The user adds their Auspex rating to all perception rolls. If exposed to extreme sensations, such as loud bangs, flashes of intense light or overpowering smells while the power is active the user must succeed on a Wits + Resolve (Difficulty 3 or more) roll to dampen their senses in time, or the overload causes them to sustain a -3 dice penalty to all perception-based rolls for the rest of the scene. Duration: Until deactivated. Having the power active for longer stretches of time without rest (more than a scene), especially so for high-stimulus environments, might necessitate spending Willpower, at the Storyteller’s discretion.

Sense The Unseen, Auspex • (Core p.249)

Cost: Free Dice Pools: Wits + Auspex or Resolve + Auspex System: Whenever there’s something supernatural hiding in plain sight, the Storyteller makes a hidden roll of Wits + Auspex against a Difficulty they choose. Against an entity actively trying to stay hidden, the Storyteller can call for a blind roll (“Lisa, roll seven dice for me”) as a contest against the target’s relevant pool. (For example, detecting a vampire using Obfuscate would be a roll of Wits + Auspex vs Wits + Obfuscate) If the vampire actively searches for a hidden supernatural entity, they roll Resolve + Auspex similarly. Duration: Passive

lvl 2

Premonition, Auspex •• (Core pp.249-250)

Cost: Free or one Rouse Check Dice Pools: Resolve + Auspex System: Whenever the Storyteller deems it appropriate, this power gives the character a sudden hint that aids them in some way: letting them find a clue they’ve missed or saving them from danger. Whether it gives the character a sudden vision of themselves walking into a trap, an inviting red glow over the second right turn during a chase, or the brief flash of a skeleton beneath the floorboards in the Prince’s office, this power always gives the Storyteller license to subtly speed up play or move the story onto a desired track. The suggested limit is one premonition per scene, even if more than one character has Premonition. The user can also actively provoke a premonition by focusing on a subject, making a Rouse Check and rolling Resolve + Auspex. The number of successes rolled determines the level of insight on the subject, if any. Duration: Passive

lvl 3

Scry The Soul, Auspex ••• (Core p.250)

Cost: One Rouse Check Dice Pools: Intelligence + Auspex vs Composure + Subterfuge System: Make an Intelligence + Auspex vs Composure + Subterfuge roll. On a win, the Storyteller truthfully answers a number of questions equal to the margin of the roll about the target’s aura and psyche, including: • The emotional state of the subject • The Resonance in the subject’s blood • Whether the subject is a vampire, werewolf, ghoul or any other supernatural being • Whether the subject is under the influence of Blood Sorcery or other magic • Whether the subject has committed diablerie in the last year • A critical win allows discovery of something unexpected, as determined by the Storyteller If scanning a crowd, roll versus a Difficulty determined by the size of the crowd and external distractions, as well as the type of trait being sought. (Finding the vampire in the living room might only be a Difficulty 3, while finding the most nervous person at a crowded rave is most likely Difficulty 6 or higher.) Duration: One turn, or Storyteller’s discretion

Share The Senses, Auspex ••• (Core p.250)

Cost: One Rouse Check Dice Pools: Resolve + Auspex System: Roll Resolve + Auspex at Difficulty 3. This Difficulty can go up depending on distraction, distance, and other factors, such as the amount of the user’s Blood that remains in the target. The target usually remains unaware of the intrusion, but Sense the Unseen can allow the passenger to be noticed. To get rid of an unwanted rider, the victim must beat the intruder at a Wits + Resolve vs Wits + Resolve roll. An Auspex user thrown out this way cannot make another Sharing attempt until the next night. Duration: One scene

lvl 4

Spirit’s Touch, Auspex •••• (Core pp.250-251)

Cost: One Rouse Check Dice Pools: Intelligence + Auspex System: Make an Intelligence + Auspex roll versus a Difficulty depending on the information sought. Gleaning the emotional state of the user of a murder weapon used a few days before is Difficulty 3, but sensing the surroundings in which a 300-year-old letter was written approaches Difficulty 6 or higher. Each point of margin on the roll allows the user to sense roughly one additional previous handler and set of circumstances, counting backwards from the most recent. Duration: One turn

lvl 5

Clairvoyance, Auspex ••••• + Dominate ••• (Core p.251)

Cost: One Rouse Check Dice Pools: Intelligence + Auspex System: Roll Intelligence + Auspex against a Difficulty based on the security and level of activity of the area. Using Clairvoyance on one’s own mansion would be Difficulty 3 while an unfamiliar city block in the slums of a major city would amount to 7 or more. The user adds their base Haven rating in extra dice to the pool when using Clairvoyance on their own haven. The Storyteller answers the vampire’s questions about the comings and goings in the area, what people have seen and heard, topics of local gossip, recent major shocks or impressions, and so forth. The player can ask roughly one question per point of margin; answers about deliberately concealed information might consume more than one point. A critical win reveals something major, regardless of the questions asked, assuming there is something to reveal. The vampire can also clairvoyantly monitor events in progress, though this requires them to remain in the area for as long as the effect is active. Duration: A few minutes for information gathering, up to a night for vigilance.

Possession, Auspex ••••• + Dominate ••• (Core pp.251-252)

Cost: Two Rouse Checks Dice Pools: Resolve + Auspex vs Resolve + Intelligence System: This power can only be used on mortals. If the mortal is a ghoul, they must first be Blood Bound to the user. Before possession can begin, the vampire must have eye contact with their victim (See Dominate, p. 254). The user then engages in a Resolve + Auspex vs Resolve + Intelligence conflict with the victim in order to inhabit their body. If the vampire’s player rolls a total failure, the victim becomes immune to further Possession attempts for the duration of the story. Once the vampire inhabits the body of their victim, their own body falls into a torpor-like trance, completely unaware of their surrounding and their own physical state except for Aggravated damage, which breaks the trance and ends the effects. A vampire possessing a mortal can use Auspex, Presence, and Dominate through them. If the user wishes to extend Possession into daytime, they must make a roll to stay awake (p. 219). Failure to stay awake ends the power. Any Aggravated damage to the subject also risks ending the possession – the user must succeed at a Resolve + Auspex roll (Difficulty 2 + damage taken) to stay in control. If the subject dies during Possession, the resulting spiritual trauma immediately causes the user to sustain three levels of Aggravated damage to Willpower. This power does not give the user the ability to read the mind, use the skills, or emulate the manners of the victim. Any skills employed use the possessing vampire’s rating. The user must make a Manipulation + Performance vs Wits + Insight roll to successfully impersonate the victim’s manners, expressions, and the like. Finally, Possession violates the victim even more profoundly than a Blood Bond. The Storyteller should consider awarding Stains for this action. Duration: Until ended, voluntarily or involuntarily.