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Notably, while the Lasombra are prone to expanding their repertoire of Oblivion powers, the Hecata focus their energies on developing Ceremonies (see p. XX). Ceremonies take longer, but are required for communing with and making passage through to the lands of the dead.
Notably, while the Lasombra are prone to expanding their repertoire of Oblivion powers, the Hecata focus their energies on developing Ceremonies. Ceremonies take longer, but are required for communing with and making passage through to the lands of the dead.


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''<sub>Players Guide, pg. 87<br>Edited per ReVamped, pg. 36</sub>''
''<sub>Players Guide, pg. 87<br>Edited per ReVamped, pg. 36</sub>''
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<br>
== UNLIVING ANCHOR ==
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'''Oblivion''' ••
'''Amalgam:''' Fortitude •
''The vampire channels the powers of Oblivion through their own corpse, turning it into an artificial fetter which binds a wraith to them permanently. This wraith may be a trusted advisor willingly bound, or an unwilling servant bent to its master's bidding.''
'''Cost:''' One Rouse Check
'''Dice Pools:''' Resolve + Oblivion vs Resolve + Composure
'''System:''' The vampire must have direct access to the wraith to initiate the bond. Binding a willing spirit requires only a Rouse check, while forcing a spirit into the bond against its will also requires a contest of Resolve + Oblivion vs Resolve + Composure. A vampire can only ever have one bound wraith — another cannot be bound unless the current one is released or destroyed. While this power does not inflict any form of mental compulsion, the vampire is the wraith’s fetter, and thus their continued livelihood is important to the bound wraith whether they like it or not. A character starting with this power is assumed to already have a bound wraith.
Bound wraiths are always at the beck and call of their vampire host, and Summon Spirit can be used on them without the need for a Rouse check and a five-minute ceremony. Other ceremonies can be applied to the wraith at -1 Difficulty and do not require a Rouse check. The wraith can act as a retainer, performing small tasks for their vampire host. They do not have a telepathic rapport with their host, however, and must communicate verbally (though any witnesses who cannot sense the wraith might think the vampire is speaking to themself).
The vampire  can Rouse the blood to gift the bound wraith with substance for one scene, allowing them to manifest with a visible, vaguely-corporeal form. In this form the wraith can perform minor actions such as picking up objects or flipping switches; they cannot actually harm corporeal targets, but most mortals will be terrified at the sight of a ghost materializing in front of them.
When summoned to the vampire, the wraith is clearly visible to anyone using Oblivion’s Sight, Sense the Unseen, or equivalent powers. Any powers that specifically reveal fetters will show the vampire as a fetter with a thick, bloody aura — potentially even breaking Obfuscate. When not summoned, the wraith exists in the Shadowlands, and they can freely be sent back to the other side.
'''Duration:''' Until the wraith is released or destroyed.
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''<sub>Homebrew Content, pg. XX</sub>''
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= LEVEL 2 =
= LEVEL 2 =
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== ASHEN RELIC ==
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'''Oblivion''' ••
'''Prerequisite:''' Ashes to Ashes ''or'' Oblivion's Sight
''This Ceremony allows for the preservation of pieces of a Kindred’s body even after they’ve been destroyed. The Ceremony has become more dangerous in the era of the Second Inquisition, as tangible proof of the Kindred’s existence poses more danger than ever before. Many of the Hecata and Ministry hunt down such relics, lest the secret of this ancient Ceremony draw unwanted attention from Kindred of the Camarilla or the Second Inquisition. Still, some morbid Kindred find relief in surrounding themselves with the remains of their ancestors (or descendants) and practitioners of Oblivion occasionally find other uses for such relics. To the mercurians of the thinbloods, such relics are a source of speculation and an ingredient of unknown power for their alchemy.''
'''Ingredients:''' The decaying body of a vampire, plus salt and herbs associated with embalming.
'''Process:''' The concoction is applied to the body or body part of the destroyed vampire. Since the decay of the remains — especially supernatural features such as fangs — only takes a few minutes at most, a swift performance is essential.
'''System:''' The player makes their Ceremony test. A win preserves one small body part, such as a finger bone or a fang, while three successes in the margin can preserve a femur or skull. Once created, the relic (usually in the form of a mummified hand, skull, femur, or desiccated eye) persists until destroyed or exposed to sunlight. At the Storyteller’s discretion, a particularly high roll or a critical success may grant the relic the power to persist despite sunlight.
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''<sub>Book of Nod Apocrypha, pg. 35</sub>''
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''<sub>Homebrew Content, pg. XX</sub>''
''<sub>Homebrew Content, pg. XX</sub>''
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== MAW OF AHRIMAN ==
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'''Oblivion''' ••
''Mystics of the Abyss draw its void inside their own bodies, holding it there ever-ready to smother the very motivation of a another person. The Ceremony’s effect can be used to spring a rather nasty surprise on a sex partner, making it possible to use it in situations where the victim is seduced with malign intentions.''
'''Ingredients:''' A room that no light enters and is quiet as the grave.
'''Process:''' The vampire performing the Ceremony contemplates the darkness and the silence, then unleashes their voice as loudly as possible, casting it out to make room for the darkness of the Abyss.
'''System:''' The vampire’s player makes a Ceremony roll. The character’s mouth or another orifice becomes a void of inky blackness, destroying inanimate objects placed within in a matter of seconds.
For the duration of the Ceremony, the character cannot speak if the power was used on the mouth, as it most commonly is. A bite attack deals 1 aggravated point of Willpower damage in addition to the fang damage. The vampire is unable to slake Hunger while this Ceremony is in effect, though, as any blood swallowed is annihilated.
The Ceremony lasts until sunrise or the vampire cancels it. Canceling the Ceremony requires the character to pay in flesh: they must stick a small portion of their body into an orifice, dealing 1 point of Superficial damage which cannot be reduced in any way as a bit of flesh is consumed by the Abyss. It can be mended normally.
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''<sub>Blood-Stained Love, pg. 152</sub>''
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== NEKYIA ==
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'''Oblivion''' ••
'''Prerequisite:''' Summon Spirit
''Spirits are fickle, driven by emotions strong enough to perists beyond death. But with a proper offering and some gentle diplomacy, industrious Kindred are able to trade favors or strike a bargain with answering wraiths.''
'''Ingredients:''' Food and drink that the wraith(s) might enjoy, myrrh incense, a clean white sheet
'''Process:''' The caster places the white sheet down as a tablecloth and then arranges the food and drink as a circle in the center. They open a vein to carefully drench the food in their vitae without dirtying the cloth, then light the incense. The caster walks around the cloth and beseeches the wraiths' favor, offering them food and drink in exchange for an audience.
'''System:''' The vampire Rouses as many times as they wish, making an offering to any and all nearby spirits. The incense gives the wraiths a smokey corporeal form with which to pick up and consume the food, drawing out the power from each piece as it crumbles into ash and merges with their corpus.
A number of wraiths equal to the margin will be drawn to the feast (or even more on a Messy Critical) and each Rouse check worth of vitae will heal one level of Superficial Willpower damage or provide one level of Passion to a wraith consuming it.
The ceremony is only an offering; the caster must still entreat the wraiths for their assistance through diplomacy and persuasion, or perhaps offer the food as payment for services already rendered. Once the wraiths have consumed all the food, their smoky forms crumble to ash and the sheet becomes permanently blackened.
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''<sub>Homebrew, pg. XX</sub>''
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'''Oblivion''' •••
'''Oblivion''' •••


'''Prerequisite:''' Knit the Veil  
'''Prerequisite:''' Where the Veil Thins




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''<sub>Cults of the Blood Gods, pg. 94<br>Prerequisite(s) per ReVamped, pg. 87</sub>''
''<sub>Cults of the Blood Gods, pg. 94<br>Prerequisite(s) per ReVamped, pg. 87</sub>''
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== THE SHALLOW SLUMBER ==
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'''Oblivion''' •••
'''Prerequisite:''' Passion Feast ''or'' Touch of Oblivion
''By temporarily dimming the vitality of their Blood, this ceremony can shorten a vampire’s time spent in torpor. Some even prepare themselves with this Ceremony, in anticipation of future misfortune.''
'''Ingredients:''' Charcoal and one Rouse Check of the user’s vitae.
'''Process:''' The performer carefully writes a series of sigils on themselves or another vampire, while cursing the names of various gods or saints responsible for good health.
'''System:''' So long as the sigils remain on the target’s body, for each success in the margin on the ceremony test, their Blood Potency counts as one lower for the purpose of torpor duration and premature awakening. Likewise, their Humanity counts as a similar number of dots higher but only for purposes of torpor duration. A total failure on the Ritual test extends the torpor instead, as if the subject had another dot more in Blood Potence and a dot less in Humanity. Only one attempt per subject per torpor can be made.
A vampire can use this ceremony on themselves or another vampire, even if the subject has not yet fallen into torpor. The sigils stay on the subject’s body until they are washed away, marred by injury, or intentionally defaced, though rarely longer than a week due to natural abrasion.
'''Duration:''' Indefinite, so long as the sigils remain.
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''<sub>Gehenna War, pg. 50</sub>''
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''<sub>Players Guide, pg. 95<br>Prerequisite(s) for ReVamped, pg. 87</sub>''
''<sub>Players Guide, pg. 95<br>Prerequisite(s) for ReVamped, pg. 87</sub>''
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== WISDOM OF THE DEAD ==
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'''Oblivion''' •••
'''Prerequisite:''' Ashes to Ashes ''or'' Where the Veil Thins
''This Ceremony allows the Kindred to glean skills and abilities from the head or skull of a corpse. The information gleaned represents the spiritual echoes of the deceased. Their spirit or will is not invoked.''
'''Ingredients:''' The head or skull of the deceased, pure water and a small flame.
'''System:''' The cermonist must possess a skull or head. After rolling Resolve + Oblivion (Difficulty 2 for a mostly intact head, or 3 for a skull), the Kindred begins to glean knowledge from the deceased. The Storyteller will name one skill the deceased was most knowledgeable about in life (or unlife if a Kindred skull) and an additional skill per point of the margin of success. For the rest of the night, the user may draw upon the deceased’s knowledge: each time the user rolls one of the deceased’s skills, so long as they are still carrying their skull or head, they may add 2 dice to your dice pool. This only applies if the deceased had a higher skill rating than the user.
At dawn, roll one die for each skill roll boosted: a failure on any of these dice indicates the skull or head dissolves to ashes as the Ceremony ends and it cannot be reconstituted by any means.
'''Duration:''' Until dawn, or the head/skull is destroyed.
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''<sub>Book of Nod Apocrypha, pg. 35</sub>''
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Latest revision as of 12:09, 12 October 2024

OBLIVION

Obtenebration | Necromancy | Abyss Mysticism | Mortis | Thanatosis


Oblivion is a mysterious, unpalatable power that most vampires rightly fear to use, witness, or fall victim to. Only vampires of Clans Lasombra and Hecata wield it with any frequency, and even they do so tentatively. Oblivion requires cautious masters who know the power’s risks, as no other Discipline reaches into the Underworld and allows its manipulator to extract tangible darkness or furious spectres. Oblivion is the darkest of arts.


Notably, while the Lasombra are prone to expanding their repertoire of Oblivion powers, the Hecata focus their energies on developing Ceremonies. Ceremonies take longer, but are required for communing with and making passage through to the lands of the dead.




CHARACTERISTICS


Discipline oblivion.png
  • Type: Mental
  • Masquerade Threat: Medium-High.
    Spirits and abyssal shadows rarely show up well on cameras but are obviously unnatural if witnessed in person.
  • Blood Resonance: None.
    Psychopaths and the emotionally detached. Blood empty of Resonance.
  • Note: When making a Rouse check for an Oblivion power or Ceremony, a result of “1” or “10” results in a Stain, in addition to any Hunger gained. If the user’s Blood Potency allows for a re-roll on the Rouse check, they can pick either of the two results.

Oblivion allows for the manipulation of creatures and substances originating from the Underworld. When the Hecata use this Discipline, they tend to channel the entropic nature of the Underworld and its surroundings, decaying flesh, calling forth spirits, and posing a dangerous risk to the living.


Oblivion projections and spirits sustain damage from fire and sunlight, counting as vampires with Blood Potency 1 in this regard. They also take one level of Aggravated Health damage per round from bright, direct lights, and may also be damaged (Superficially or Aggravated) from blessed weapons and artifacts, depending on the strength of the blessing and whether the wielder has True Faith.


Oblivion’s powers are ineffective in brightly lit areas. Daylight and rooms without shadows are prohibitive, preventing the Discipline’s successful function, though ultraviolet light and infrared light place no restriction on the Discipline’s use. Moderately lit rooms apply a one-die penalty to the Discipline roll involved.


The use of Oblivion negatively affects the necromancer’s psyche, with many powers causing Stains as the vampire finds themselves performing increasingly macabre acts in service to this Discipline.