The Tremere employ Wards extensively, basing them on their Hermetic traditional sigils. Banu Haqim Wards usually involve gematriac or abjadic writing, rather than occult symbols, but the methodology remains the same in both cases. Wards consist of a glyph or line of script keyed to repel a single type of supernatural, called “the trespasser” in these rules. When touched, they cause something like an electric shock to the trespasser’s mind and body, imparting both physical burns and a sudden bout of sheer terror. The ward does not work on forced contact – a warded sword will not trigger the ward when striking a trespasser, but it will if a trespasser tries to pick it up.
A Warding circle resembles a regular Ward, painted on the ground or floor. It requires three times the ritual ingredients of a regular Ward of the same type. Knowledge of one Ward does not convey knowledge of its corresponding Warding circle, or vice versa. Trespassers who attempt to cross a Warding circle suffer its effect. Unless the caster inscribes the Warding circle “pointing inward” around the trespasser in the first place, it does not block attempts to leave the circle.
LEVEL 1
BEELZEBEATIT
Blood Sorcery •
This ritual causes lower-order living creatures to find the ritual area repellent. Animals avoid the area, vermin scuttle away from it, and even plants may take on a pitiful appearance. Used as a low-level precaution against Animalism spies, this ritual also prevents infestations of the sorts of creatures who would be drawn to gore, carrion, and the other sorts of remains the Sabbat often leaves in its wake.
Ingredients: Vinegar or alcohol
Process: The ritualist sprinkles the vinegar or alcohol on the floor and turns counterclockwise, visually circumscribing the area in which the lesser creatures are to be expelled.
System: If the ritual is successful, living creatures of animal intellect and below hastily vacate the area of about a hundred meters square. Thereafter, nothing prevents a directed or controlled creature from returning (but such things may be visible, and stand out due to their active expulsion), but such creatures won’t do it of their own volition unless enraged or no other option to traverse it exists. The effects last for one scene or one night, whichever comes first.
BLOOD WALK
Blood Sorcery •
This Ritual expands upon the power A Taste for Blood allowing the user to learn more details about the subject studied, assuming the subject is a vampire.
Ingredients: A silver cup filled with Blood from the subject. (One Rouse Check’s worth).
Process: The user mixes their Blood with the subject’s and repeats an incantation over the cup, spending an roughly an hour.
System: A win on the Ritual roll (see General Systems) allows the user to learn the generation and name of the subject as well as the subject’s sire. A Critical Win also informs the user of any Blood Bonds active on the subject, as regnant or thrall.
BLOODY MESSAGE
Blood Sorcery •
Ingredients: Mirror, sufficient human blood to write the message, UV light.
Process: The practitioner designates a type of individual in their mind — e.g., mortal, ghoul, vampire, male, a child, unemployed — and bathes a mirror in UV light. The sorcerer writes a message on the mirror with a fingertip, using human blood as the ink. The message appears on another reflective surface (a mirror, polished glass, water) the practitioner has seen before and can mentally recall, when the designated type of individual passes by.
System: The sorcerer makes the Ritual roll when enchanting the designated surface. For every success the practitioner rolls, the message will repeat for each new individual of the chosen type who passes the surface. The message clears itself from the surface as soon as it’s been read once. It appears in the handwriting and language in which the sorcerer wrote it.
Let the Streets Run Red, pg. 77
COAX THE GARDEN
Blood Sorcery •
This Ritual allows the caster to bring plant life, such as roots, grass, and tree branches to act in their defense.
Ingredients: Human blood, poppy seeds.
Process: The vampire casts a concoction of human blood and poppy seeds onto the earth, and in doing so rouses all plant life within a 5 yard/meter diameter. While these plants are rarely lethal in their attacks, they can successfully disable and alarm their victims.
System: A win on the Ritual roll following the casting of the Ritual ingredients animates the plant life. The affected flora causes a two-dice penalty to physical dice pools for those caught in the range of the Ritual, as plants trip and grip them. Victims who stay in the area for longer than a turn must make a Dexterity + Athletics roll (Difficulty 3), or be grappled and suffer one point of Superficial Health damage for each turn ensnared. If the caster achieves a critical win, the damage from plant attacks doubles. On a total failure, the plants attack the caster. The plants will target anyone who isn’t the caster. They remain active until the end of the scene.
Cults of the Blood Gods, pg. 55
CLINGING OF THE INSECT
Blood Sorcery •
The vampire gains the ability to cling to walls like a grotesque insect or spider.
Ingredients: A living spider.
Process: The caster fills a vial with their own Blood and crushes the spider into it, mixing the ground bits with the Blood before ingesting it. (This does not refund any Hunger gained.) The caster can only perform this ritual on themselves; others gain no benefit from drinking the mixture.
System: A successful Ritual yields the ability to cling to walls and ceiling for a scene, while a critical win extends the duration to a whole night. The caster must cling to the surface with both hands and feet; they move at approximately half their usual rate.
CRAFT BLOODSTONE
Blood Sorcery •
This Ritual results in a Bloodstone, a magical tracker to which the caster always knows the direction as well as general distance. As the Camarilla retreats from modern technology, this previously neglected Ritual has seen a resurgence in use.
Ingredients: A pebble of iron ore or a small magnet and a liter of blood from any source in a silver bowl.
Process: The user spills their Blood into the blood in the bowl and then recites a chant over it for an hour, repeating the chant over the next two nights. The pebble (or magnet) absorbs the blood over the three nights; upon successful completion, the liquid appears translucent.
System: Make the Ritual roll at the end of the third night. On a win the caster attunes their mind to the Bloodstone. The caster can unerringly sense the direction and distance to the stone. This effect lasts until the Bloodstone is destroyed or a week has passed. A caster can have and keep track to a number of stones up to their Resolve.
DOUSE THE FEAR
Blood Sorcery •
This Ritual allows the caster to briefly douse their natural vampiric fear of fire.
Ingredients: A holy object such as a crucifix, Bible, or Qur’an.
Process: The vampire must expose the holy symbol to a flame. The object does not need to be completely destroyed, just touched by the fire.
System: A successful Ritual roll following the burning of the holy object grants the character two additional dice on all rolls relating to resisting Rötschreck. A critical win results in the character needing to make no terror Frenzy rolls at all. The effect lasts for one night.
Players Guide, pg. 99
Replaces "Dampen the Fear"
ENRICH THE BLOOD
Blood Sorcery •
This Ritual increases the potency of a human’s blood, allowing the Kindred to take the same sustenance from a smaller quantity of blood. Performing this ritual is central to club activities, allowing more mouths to taste from the same vessel and facilitating comparative culinary critique. Only humans can be targeted by this ritual; it has no effect on the Blood of Kindred.
Ingredients: A half-full vial of the target’s blood, five liters of unprocessed human blood no more than three hours old.
Process: The caster slowly pours the unprocessed blood into the vial, which never fills up so long as the vampire retains concentration. Once all the blood is added, the resulting half-vial of blood must be fed back to the target.
System: A successful Ritual roll makes the target’s blood unusually rich and flavorsome. A sip from their veins slakes two levels of Hunger rather than one. On a Critical Win, two vampires can slake to Hunger 0 if they share the kill. If left alive, the effect on the target wanes after one week.
This Ritual makes the human’s blood thick and hypercoagulable, prone to numerous medical complications. A second casting renders the blood too thick to drink and kills the target.
Forbidden Religions, pg. 76
HERD WARD
Blood Sorcery • or •••
Ingredients: Scorpion poison, sufficient vitae to provoke a Rouse Check.
Process: The sorcerer mixes scorpion poison with their own vitae to draw the ward. The vampire can ward a single kine at level 1, or at level 3 inscribe the ward on a door so all who stay within the ward for that night are protected.
System: The sorcerer makes the Ritual roll when another vampire tries to feed on the warded kine. The transgressor suffers one point of Aggravated Health damage if the caster wins the Ritual roll, or three points of Aggravated damage on a critical win.
Once the Herd Ward is triggered, a Kindred still trying to drink from the kine must roll Stamina + Resolve against Difficulty 4 for a normal Ward, or 7 for a critical-success Ward.
Let the Streets Run Red, pg. 77
LETTER WARD
Blood Sorcery •
Ingredients: Pigeon blood, wax, dog blood.
Process: The letter writer, who need not be the sorcerer, pens a missive in pigeon blood and clearly addresses the recipient. The sorcerer then melts wax and mixes it with dog’s blood to seal the letter.
System: The sorcerer makes the Ritual roll when anyone other than the recipient opens the letter. The victim suffers one point of Aggravated Health damage if the caster wins the Ritual roll, or three points of Aggravated damage on a critical win, and the letter destroys itself in a burst of flame.
Once the Letter Ward is triggered, anyone wanting to open the letter must roll Stamina + Resolve at Difficulty 4 for a normal Ward, or Difficulty 7 for a critical-success Ward.
Let the Streets Run Red, pg. 77
SEAL THE BRAND
Blood Sorcery •
Normally tattoos, scars, and other changes to vampire flesh fade during the day’s sleep. Yet some Kindred seek to make a mark on their own flesh, and give that mark permanence.
Ingredients: Molten silver poured over a tattoo, brand, or other body modification.
Process: The vampire casting the ritual pours the molten silver over the target’s tattoo, brand, or body modification. The target suffers damage from the molten silver, but once mended, the affected modification remains permanent.
System: A successful Ritual yields a permanent body modification for the target. This modification cannot be removed by any other means and is now considered part of the target’s undying body. Pouring the molten silver onto the body modification inflicts one point of Superficial damage, which may be mended as normal.
WAKE WITH EVENING'S FRESHNESS
Blood Sorcery •
Performed before dawn, this ritual allows the caster to awake at any sign of danger, fully alert as if awake during the night.
Ingredients: The burnt bones and feathers of a rooster.
Process: The caster mixes the ashes with their own Blood, drawing a circle with the mixture around their place of sleep.
System: Do not make a Ritual roll unless true danger appears. If the caster is threatened during the day, make the Ritual roll then, with the caster rousing on a win. For the duration of the scene the vampire ignores the daytime penalties for staying awake. On a critical win, the effects last until the following dawn.
WARD AGAINST GHOULS
Blood Sorcery •
Wary Tremere created this ritual to protect themselves from the minions of vengeful rivals. This ward uses the standard rules for Wards (p. 275).
Ingredients: Nothing apart from the usual requirement of the caster’s Blood.
LEVEL 2
AS FOG ON WATER
Blood Sorcery ••
With this Ritual the vampire is able to traverse any body of water, silently walking upon it as if they were weightless, fog rising from their footsteps.
Ingredients: A piece of wood from a ship, and water
Process: The vampire submerges a piece of wood in the body of water they want to cross while spilling their Blood into it.
System: Upon a successful Ritual roll the vampire can walk across the surface of the water for the rest of the night. They can end this effect any time they wish but cannot walk on the surface again until they recast the Ritual.
CALIX SECRETUS
Blood Sorcery ••
The sorcerer is able to turn a mundane object into a receptacle for their Blood, allowing them to store surprising quantities of it there to be retrieved for later use.
Ingredients: An object that fits in the caster’s hand, and Blood of the user.
Process: The user drenches the object with their Blood and speaks the words of the Ritual. When complete, the object absorbs the Blood.
System: The process takes an hour. Make a Ritual roll, and if successful, the vampire imbues the object with an amount of Blood from the caster. If the caster wishes to release their Blood from the object, they need to say the command word. The amount of Blood stored can sate one Hunger for every two Rouse Checks made when storing the Blood. (Storing a single Rouse Check’s worth of Blood allows for a ghoul to get their fix or for use in another Ritual requirement.)
CALLING THE AURA'S REMNANTS
Blood Sorcery ••
This ritual allows the caster to speak with the residual psychic aura of someone who has died.
Ingredients: A human corpse or the corpse of a destroyed vampire.
Process: The ritual must be cast within ten feet of a human corpse or the corpse of a destroyed vampire.
System: A successful Ritual test allows the caster to speak with the animate reflection of the deceased for one scene as if they were still alive. This communication is not with the deceased spirit and only has access to the memories of the deceased up to the time of death. A Critical Win extends the duration of the speech to an entire evening.
COMMUNICATE WITH KINDRED SIRE
Blood Sorcery ••
The caster uses the bond between sire and childe to open a bridg e between minds, allowing the childe to create a telepathic link for the purpose of long-distance communication. As with some other Rituals, this one sees a resurgence in these nights of wiretaps and electronic surveillance.
Ingredients: An object previously possessed by the sire and a silver bowl filled with clear water.
Process: The caster submerges the object in water and lets their Blood drip into the bowl, concentrating upon the last memory of their sire for up to 30 minutes.
System: Make the ritual roll after 15 minutes have passed. A win allows for ten minutes of two-way silent mental communication once 15 more minutes have passed. A critical win allows immediate communication. Any major disturbance on either end breaks the connection.
ENHANCE DYSCRASIA
Blood Sorcery ••
A unique flavor is a treat to be shared, and the busy members of the Penny Dining Club seldom have time to do so slowly and safely. This ritual allows multiple Kindred to partake in a Dyscrasia, without destroying it or having to wait for it to “recharge.” Generally, the Thaumaturge will perform Enrich the Blood on their target first, to stretch their choice dish further.
Ingredients: An object of significance to the target, appropriate to the Resonance of their Dyscrasia.
Process: The caster must taste the target’s blood, then hold the object and concentrate upon its Resonance for several minutes. The object must then be returned to the target.
System: A successful Ritual roll increases the potency and utility of the target’s Dyscrasia, providing its effects to anyone who slakes at least 1 point of Hunger from the target. This effect dissipates after three nights.
Forbidden Religions, pg. 7
EYES OF BABEL
Blood Sorcery ••
By ingesting the tongue and an eye of a person the caster gains the ability to read and speak any language known by the victim.
Ingredients: A fresh eye and tongue of a person
Process: Plucking the ingredients fresh from the victim, the vampire chews and swallows them. (This most likely incurs a Stain.)
System: The Rouse Check required for this ritual allows for the supernatural dissolution of the ingredients once swallowed. Once this is done, make the Ritual roll. A win gives the caster the ability to read and speak any language known by the victim, at the same skill level for a week. A critical win extends the duration to a month.
ILLUMINATE THE TRAIL OF PREY
Blood Sorcery ••
The ritual allows the caster to perceive the previous whereabouts of a designated person as a subtly glowing trail, visible only to them.
Ingredients: A white satin ribbon.
Process: The performer of the ritual soaks the ribbon in their own Blood, setting it alight.
System: If the Ritual roll is a win the ribbon catches fire despite being wet, burning fiercely like a fuse. Once consumed, the ritual takes effect. While the ritual remains active, the caster can follow faint traces of the target even in areas where they left no tracks, such as crowded cities. To follow the tracks, the caster makes an Intelligence + Survival roll against a Difficulty equal to 6 minus the margin on the ritual test. The target must be known by face by the caster, who sees the path travelled by the victim over the previous 24 hours. The path remains visible for the entire night; a critical win extends this to two nights.
SHROUD OF SILENCE
Blood Sorcery ••
This ritual creates an interior area from which no sound can escape, allowing for assassinations without screams, safecracking without the buzz of the drill, and detonations without the roar of an explosion.
Ingredients: A length of woven cloth, often silk. A golden ring through which the cloth can pass.
Process: The caster passes the cloth through the golden ring, daubs each end of the cloth in vitae, then affixes it to a door handle or threads it through a keyhole.
System: If the ritual succeeds, it creates a shroud of impenetrable silence centered entirely within the room to which the door serves as an entrance or exit. It lasts for a single scene. Anyone can disperse the effect instantly by removing the cloth from its place.
Forbidden Religions, pg. 23
SOPORIFIC TOUCH
Blood Sorcery ••
The blood sorcerer can convert a dose of their own vitae into a touch activated narcotic that renders a victim uninhibited and vulnerable to Disciplines such as Presence and Dominate, as well as attempts at mundane manipulation, coercion, or interrogation.
Ingredients: A small amount of hashish or other narcotic substance.
Process: The chosen substance is mixed with the user’s Blood and rubbed between their fingers as the incantation is read (or whispered). The Ritual takes only a few minutes to prepare.
System: Make a Ritual roll vs. the Stamina + Resolve of the target when they make contact with the affected vitae. For the remainder of the scene, the victim suffers a dice penalty equal to the margin of win on the Ritual roll on all resistance pools involving Composure or Resolve. (Apply the penalty only once if the pool involves both Attributes.) The narcotic vitae retains its potency until it is touched, up until the end of the scene.
Players Guide, pg. 100
Replaces "Ishtar's Touch"
TASTE OF STOLEN DREAMS
Blood Sorcery ••
You steal a mortal's dream and store it in a vial of blood to share with others.
Ingredients: A vial of blood taken from a dreaming mortal. A crow's feather
Process: You draw a mortal's blood without their consent while they're sleeping and then mix the blood with part of a crow's feather.
System: Anyone who drink's the mortal blood stolen by this Ritual experiences the same dream or nightmare as the mortal from whom the blood was taken. Usually this is the dream being experienced by the mortal at the time of the ritual's execution, but mortals with prophetic dreams or recurring nightmares might empower the blood with those visions instead.
TRUTH OF BLOOD
Blood Sorcery ••
Until recently known only to Banu Haqim viziers, this Ritual creates a mystic potion capable of sifting lies from truth. This Ritual has power enough even to sometimes uncover facts unknown to the speaker.
Ingredients: One pint of blood from the subject.
Process: The performer of the Ritual mixes their own Blood with that of the subject in a vessel large enough to allow for the dipping of the finger.
System: Instead of the regular Ritual roll, the caster immerses their finger in the mixture and makes a Resolve + Blood Sorcery vs Composure + Occult roll for every statement made by the subject. The first failed contest ends the Ritual. A Win tells them whether that statement is true, as far as the subject knows. On a critical win by the caster, the subject involuntarily expands upon their answer, providing more information, including details they glancingly saw or subconsciously forgot. (The Storyteller should inform the caster if there is no more information about that topic.) The mixture bubbles and seethes during the process, turning completely to ash at the end of the scene.
This Ritual cannot pierce Cloud Memory, the Forgetful Mind, or other memorywiping powers. The caster may well guess the cause of a blank or foggy recollection, but cannot recover the actual memory.
UNSEEN UNDERGROUND
Blood Sorcery ••
After performing this ritual, the user gains invisibility and causes no sounds, allowing them to scurry around and hide like a rat.
Ingredients: Rat’s blood and eyes.
Process: The caster drains a rat completely dry and removes its eyes from its skull, before throwing them into the nearest shadowed or unlit place. The caster can only perform this ritual on themselves.
System: A successful ritual yields the ability to go completely invisible for an hour. The ritual immediately ends if the caster ventures above ground. The only thing that can end the ritual early is violent intent. Should the user attack another individual, the effect immediately ends. The victim may make a Wits + Awareness roll against a difficulty equal to the number of successes obtained on the ritual’s activation roll to react in time and defend themselves. If they fail this roll, treat the first attack as a Surprise Attack (VtM, page 300). As per Obfuscate, a user of this Ritual can be detected with Sense the Unseen (Auspex 1), however Blood Sorcery is used instead of Obfuscate.
WARD AGAINST SPIRITS
Blood Sorcery ••
This Ritual wards an item against incorporeal beings suchs as wraiths, ghosts, and elemental spirits. Any attempt by them to manipulate or pass through the item triggers the effect. This ward uses the standard rules for Wards (p. 275).
Ingredients: A handful of salt (in some versions, a handful of brick dust) mixed with the Blood.
WARDING CIRCLE AGAINST GHOULS
Blood Sorcery ••
This Ritual creates a circular Ward on the floor or ground, intended to prevent the passage of ghouls. This ward uses the standard rules for Wards (p. 275).
Ingredients: The caster draws the Warding circle with a human bone dipped in the Blood.
LEVEL 3
BLADED HANDS
Blood Sorcery •••
This ritual sharpens the caster’s hands to a razor’s edge.
Ingredients: A pair of razor blades, two drops of Kindred vitae.
Process: The caster places a razor blade in each palm, gripping them tightly as the ritual is cast. At the end of the ritual, they vanish into the caster’s person, leaving a pair of supernaturally sharp hands in their wake.
System: The caster must make a successful Ritual test and two Rouse Checks. Success turns the caster’s hands into light piercing Brawl weapons with a +2 damage modifier. The caster must be very careful about what they touch while employing Bladed Hands (+1 difficulty to all rolls to handle delicate objects). A Critical Win increases the damage to +3. The ritual lasts for a single evening.
BLOODLESS FEAST
Blood Sorcery •••
The culmination of Hutter’s study of the Blood, this Ritual is deceptively easy to learn and to cast, but far-reaching in its effects.
Ingredients: An unconscious human, a flawless crystal chalice.
Process: The caster chants scripture over the human target for three hours. Over the course of the ritual, the human gradually weakens, while the chalice fills with a clear, sweet-smelling liquid.
System: A successful Ritual fills the chalice to the brim at the end of three hours and kills the human victim. The clear liquid produced functions exactly like fresh blood from the human victim for the next hour, carrying any Resonance and Dyscrasia the victim exhibited. Since the victim must be unconscious during the ritual, anything but a Phlegmatic resonance is difficult to obtain. If a vampire drinks nothing but the liquid produced by this ritual for a period of one month, her Vitae turns completely clear.
| THE BLOODLESS PILGRIM...
|
| Though it mostly functions as normal, this clear Blood has an unusual effect on Kindred who consume it: until the next sunset, they are vulnerable to diablerie. A would-be diablerist gains three dice to her Strength + Resolve roll against the victim, and she may use the experience points she gains to increase her Blood Potency by at least one point, regardless of her victim’s power. She also does not gain the black veins in her aura that usually accompany the act. Hutter keeps these properties of clear vitae a secret even from his truest believers.
|
Forbidden Religions, pg. 66
BOTTLED VOICE
Blood Sorcery •••
The vampire steals a victim's voice and traps it in a sealed bottle.
Ingredients: A glass bottle, a tallow seal, the caster's vitae.
Process: The caster's vitae is used to line the rim of the bottle. The glass bottle is then pressed to a victim's lips while the caster speaks an incantation binding their voice. The bottle is then sealed with tallow and usually marked with the victim's name or initials.
System: If the ritual is successful the victim remains mute for as long as the vampire has the sealed bottle in their possession. If the seal or bottle are ever damaged, the victim's voice is restored. Opening the bottle quickly enough to "inhale" the contents allows for the stolen voice to be used as if it were your own for one scene.
Vampires and other supernatural creatures can have their voices bottled but they must either willingly submit to the ritual or the caster must restrain the victim throughout the rite and then score a critical win on the ritual test.
COMMUNAL VIGOR
Blood Sorcery •••
Based on sanguinary properties similar to the Vaulderie, this Ritual allows a Pack Priest to share their Blood Potency with their pack, while strengthening their own ability to keep those packmates in line.
Ingredients: One fingernail of the Pack Priest
Process: The Priest tears a nail from their finger and breaks it into pieces, one for each member of the Pack. They place their own portion of the torn nail in the Vaulderie chalice, while the other members place theirs under their tongue. If the Ritual is successful, the pieces of nail dissolve into the Vaulderie blood consumed.
System: In addition to the effects of the Vaulderie, the members of the Pack have their Blood Potency raised to the same level as the officiating Priest. Additionally, the Priest gains three dice on any Dominate or Presence tests against other members of the Pack. The effects last for one night.
DAGON'S CALL
Blood Sorcery •••
A terrifying technique employed by the assassins of the Banu Haqim, this Ritual lets the user rupture the very blood vessels of the victim from afar, having only touched them but briefly previously. Mortals expire rather messily, and even vampires must fear this silent killer.
Ingredients: A gold inlaid ceremonial dagger.
Process: Before proceeding with the ritual the victim must be exposed the caster’s Blood, either by drinking it or having it touch an open wound or even their bare skin: a single drop smeared across the arm is enough. After an hour but before a week has passed the caster can perform the ritual by piercing their own skin with the ceremonial dagger, shedding blood. As their Blood hits the ground the ritual takes effect.
System: Make a Resolve + Blood Sorcery vs Stamina + Resolve roll. Every point of margin on a win does a point of damage to the victim, as their blood vessels burst and their lungs fill with blood. This damage is Aggravated for mortals, but only Superficial on vampires. The caster can repeat this process up to two more times, each time requiring them to make an additional Rouse Check.
DEFLECTION OF WOODEN DOOM
Blood Sorcery •••
By performing this ritual the vampire protects themselves from being staked. The first stake that would pierce their heart shatters before penetrating the skin.
Ingredients: Wood splinters or shavings.
Process: The vampire mixes the shavings with their Blood and draws a circle around themselves. They must then meditate in this circle for an hour, concluding by placing one splinter of wood under their tongue.
System: Make no Ritual roll until the vampire is staked. If the Ritual roll is a win, the stake shatters as it touches the skin of the vampire. (A critical win blinds the attacker for two turns, showering their face with splinters.) This only works on genuine attempts at staking - merely holding the stake against the vampire does not trigger the effect. The protection lasts until the end of the night or until the splinter is removed from under the tongue of the vampire, whichever comes first.
ESSENCE OF AIR
Blood Sorcery •••
The caster creates a potion that when imbibed allows for limited flight. The Camarilla frowns upon the use of this Ritual, due to the extreme risk of Masquerade breaches; for this reason, its popularity has lessened considerably in the modern nights.
Ingredients: Leaves and berries of belladonna.
Process: The caster steeps the belladonna in their Blood, reducing the brew over a brazier while incanting words of power.
System: Make the Ritual roll when reducing the mixture. (A critical win prepares two doses worth of potion.) The caster can tell whether the ritual succeeded, so they won’t end up with a dud. The resulting black potion retains its potency for a night and activates when imbibed. The potion enables the caster (and only them) to fly or hover at approximately running speed for a scene. The caster can carry a human-sized mass, though their speed drops to walking speed. Grabbing and carrying aloft an unwilling subject, or pulling the flier to the ground, both require a contest between the caster’s Strength + Blood Sorcery and the other’s Strength + Athletics.
EYES OF THE PAST
Blood Sorcery •••
This ritual shows what happened in the caster’s present location at a specific time in the past up to five years ago.
Ingredients: One drop of blood for each year the caster is trying to look backward in time (three or more drops requires a Rouse Check).
Process: The caster selects the location for their ritual, cuts their hand, and allows the drops of blood to spill on the earth.
System: A successful Ritual test allows the caster to see what happened in their present location at a specific time of their selection, up to five years ago. The caster can see what happened in the past as if they had been standing where they are now. Duration is one scene with clarity of vision determined by the number of successes scored. The vampire cannot recall the vision with any clarity after the scene elapses, meaning the Storyteller is not obligated to answer any questions about the vision after that time. A Critical Win permanently fixes the scene in their memory.
FIRE IN THE BLOOD
Blood Sorcery •••
This Ritual allows a vampire to invoke the anguish of fire in a victim’s blood. Blistering heat ravages the target’s veins and causes intense pain. This Ritual differs from the Cauldron of Blood power (Vampire: The Masquerade, p. 274); it is usable from a distance and a more efficient way to incapacitate rather than kill the victim.
Ingredients: A sample of the target’s blood, a visual depiction of the target such as a photo, painting, or video recording, and a candle made from red wax or a lighter made of iron.
Process: The vampire concentrates on the visual depiction of their target (which can be the individual in person) and burns the target’s b lood sample, usually held in a Petri dish, glass bottle, or vial, over the flame. The effect occurs almost immediately, as the victim’s blood heats up in their veins.
System: Make a Ritual roll following the incantation versus the target’s Resolve + Occult (or Resolve + Fortitude, if the target is a creature with this Discipline). Each point of the caster’s margin is applied as Superficial Health damage that also inflicts wracking pain upon the victim, forcing them to incur a two-dice penalty to Physical pools for the remainder of the scene. On a critical win, the penalty increases to three dice. A Kindred target must make a Rouse Check due to the damage to their vitae. A victim can only be affected by this Ritual once per night.
FIREWALKER
Blood Sorcery •••
A painful ritual to perform, this allows the caster to make themselves and even their comrades resistant to fire.
Ingredients: A fingertip of the caster.
Process: The vampire cuts one of their fingertips off and burns it together with their Blood in a golden chalice or bowl.
System: Make a Stamina + Resolve test (Difficulty 3) to cut off a fingertip. On a winning Ritual roll, a bluish flame consumes the Blood and fingertip, signaling the completion of the ritual. For the rest of the night fire damage to the caster is halved. This ritual can be performed on others, but the fingertips sacrificed must all belong to the caster. The mutilation is not enough to count as damage to the caster; the fingertip regrows during day-sleep.
GALVANIC RUINATION
Blood Sorcery •••
This Ritual violently disrupts electrical currents in the area, shorting out or fusing all wiring in the vicinity. Used to kill alarms, surveillance, and artificial lighting, the element of stealth is often short-lived, as collateral damage in the form of fires usually follows. Many Sabbat packs consider this less a flaw than a feature, though.
Ingredients: A copper coin
Process: The caster smears their Blood on the coin, drops it to the ground and grinds their foot on it, as if they were extinguishing a cigarette. If the Ritual is successful, the coin shatters like porcelain as a Blood-borne current ravages the electrical systems of the surrounding area.
System: The Ritual instantly wrecks wiring in the vicinity to the extent that all electrical equipment ceases to function. This includes isolated circuits such as cars on batteries and any backup generators running or starting up within a minute of the casting. The area affected is equivalent to a large warehouse or a three-story building, though it can be extended at casting by adding a level of Difficulty for each additional building or building-equivalent. On a critical win the outage is relatively discreet, but will otherwise cause at least one fire, together with random bursts of static electricity raising hell with speakers, car alarms, and other loud electrical objects.
GENTLE MIND
Blood Sorcery •••
This ritual fortifies the target’s mind against frenzy.
Ingredients: Crystal glass, Kindred vitae.
Process: The caster shares blood with the target of the ritual while the caster whispers quietly into the target’s ear, weaving a temporary cage around the target’s beast.
System: The caster must share a glass of blood with their target. A successful Ritual test grants the target a four-die bonus to resist frenzy for one scene. A Critical Win extends this duration to an evening. The caster must share blood with another and cannot cast this ritual upon themselves.
HAUNTED HOUSE
Blood Sorcery •••
This ritual creates the illusion that a vampire’s haven is haunted.
Ingredients: Vitae from a Kindred who possessed the Discipline of Obfuscate
Process: The caster places a drop of Kindred blood on all entrances and exits to the haven in addition to all exterior walls and the roof over the course of a three-hour ritual.
System: The caster makes three Rouse Checks in addition to a Ritual test. Upon success, the haven assumes an ominous cast and rumors begin to circulate that the house in haunted. Casual passersby will avoid the house at all cost and even the most courageous mortals will think twice before entering. Mortals attempting to enter the haven must make a successful Composure + Resolve test against the number of successes the caster made on their ritual roll. Success indicates they can enter while failure bars their passage (although they can spend Willpower to enter a turn). The effects of Haunted House last for 10 years, after which the haven appears strange and run down, but not “haunted.” Dr. Mortius spent decades crafting this ritual with vampires of Clan Ravnos, inspiring Clan Tremere to forbid its use as a threat to the Masquerade (and their power), but knowledgeable Kindred may be willing to share it with others for a price.
ILLUSION OF PEACEFUL DEATH
Blood Sorcery •••
This ritual heals obvious wounds on a corpse, causing a body to appear as though it died a natural death.
Ingredients: A white feather.
Process: The caster must symbolically “dust” the body with a white feather.
System: A successful Ritual test causes a corpse to appear as if it died a natural death. This ritual does not add blood to the corpse, but does reduce the chance that this blood loss will be discovered (increase difficulty of all rolls to determine cause of death by three). The body must have at least half its original blood for this ritual to succeed. A Critical Win increases the difficulty of all rolls to determine cause of death by five.
ILLUSION OF PERFECTION
Blood Sorcery •••
This ritual shrouds the caster in the illusion of a nondescript person that blends easily into crowds.
Ingredients: A plain white mask , vitae from a Kindred with the Discipline of Obfuscate, and a chameleon’s skin.
Process: The caster performs an hour-long ritual that concludes when they don a featureless white mask and consume a concoction of vitae and lizard skin. A sweat of blood forms under the mask, spreading across the caster’s body until they are coated in a ruby crust that mystically conceals their true identity. The mask itself slowly turns crimson until the ritual wears off.
System: A successful Ritual test is required to activate this ritual. Upon success, the caster is cloaked in the illusion that they are an ordinary person in their mid-20s, with a nondescript face and average body similar to the Obfuscate ability Mask of a Thousand Faces. The nondescript appearance of this vampire shifts across different faces, seen as different by individuals who can all see the caster. This can of course lead to confusion and alarm. The caster can only see their own reflection in mirrors and photographs. Illusion of Perfection can be pierced by the Auspex ability Sense the Unseen, with a contested Wits + Auspex vs. the successes scored on the ritual roll. Illusion of Perfection lasts one scene, but a Critical Win extends its duration to an entire evening.
ONE WITH THE BLADE
Blood Sorcery •••
Certain Kindred develop a close relationship with a favored weapon, in some rare cases carried with them for centuries of use. Such a weapon never rusts or dulls so long as it remains in the vampire’s possession.
If someone else physically claims it as their own, it ages rapidly, like a ghoul denied vitae. If the weapon remains usable following this degeneration, it can inflict grievous harm on its original owner — the blood sorcerer — if used against them.
Ingredients: A melee weapon and enough of the caster’s vitae to fully immerse it.
Process: The vampire submerges their chosen weapon in their own vitae and swears an oath dedicating their unlife to the weapon. The weapon must remain submerged without interruption until the following sunrise.
System: Once the Blood is collected and the weapon is submerged, make a Ritual roll. On a win, the weapon becomes mystically dedicated to the user. It remains of immaculate quality unless subjected to intentional harm when outside the caster’s ownership. Additionally, if again anointed by the Blood of the user it gains a two-dice bonus when used in combat. The anointment takes a single turn, forces a Rouse check and lasts for a full scene. A vampire can never possess more than one weapon dedicated this way. In order to perform this ritual on a new weapon, the previous dedicated weapon must first be destroyed.
If used against its original owner it deals Aggravated damage but gains no additional dice.
SANGUINE WATCHER
Blood Sorcery •••
This ritual forms a small rat out of Kindred vitae that goes wherever the caster instructs and observes whatever the caster desires.
Ingredients: Kindred vitae, small quantities of alcohol, silver bowl.
Process: The ritual is cast over the course of 20 minutes while the caster fills a silver bowl with vitae and measured doses of alcohol. A rat made of blood slowly forms as the caster stirs the mixture, becoming ever more solid until it scampers out of the bowl to serve its master.
System: A successful Ritual test summons a rodent made of Kindred blood from the bowl that is bound to the caster and allows them to see through its eyes. The rat will go wherever the caster instructs it to go and observe whatever the caster tells it to look for. The rat can be instructed to steal small items, but the caster must be very explicit as to what they want stolen and where it is located. The rat remains in service until sunrise. A Critical Win allows the caster to provide the creature with extremely precise instructions.
SLEEP OF JUDAS
Blood Sorcery •••
Ingredients: Blood of Willerton’s Judas tree (though possibly the blood from another mystical landmark), opium.
Process: The sorcerer distills and boils the blood of the Judas Tree until only a black tar-like substance remains. They mix this with an equal amount of opium, which can either be used as a paste or re-liquefied with no loss of effect.
System: The sorcerer makes the Ritual roll when the target is drugged. On a normal success, the victim may oppose by rolling dice equal to their remaining undamaged Health boxes. A critical success immediately incapacitates a vampire and kills a mortal or ghoul. Sleep of Judas wears off after a number of hours equal to the sorcerer’s Intelligence.
Let the Streets Run Red, pg. 77
THE UNSEEN CHANGE
Blood Sorcery •••
This ritual forces Lupines into their wolf form.
Ingredients: Wolf blood, Kindred vitae, a silver jug.
Process: The caster mixes Kindred vitae with wolf’s blood and pours the mixture from a silver jug around a specific area. This can be as small as a meter or large enough to encircle a house.
System: The caster makes three Rouse checks to summon the blood necessary for the ritual and marks out a closed area with a mixture of Kindred vitae and wolf’s blood. A successful Ritual test forces all Lupines crossing the threshold defined by the caster to automatically transform into their Lupus form, unless they succeed on a contested Willpower test against the casters Intelligence + Blood Sorcery or the number of successes scored on the initial ritual roll (if yearlong). The ritual dissipates at dawn unless the initial ritual roll is made at +2 to difficulty. If successful, the ritual lasts a year and a day. A Critical Win doubles the number of successes the Lupine needs on its roll to defeat the ritual. The Unseen Change forces the target Lupine into their form as a normal wolf, denying them the raw power of their dreaded half-wolf form.
WARD AGAINST LUPINES
Blood Sorcery •••
This Ritual wards an item against werewolves, in any form. Any attempt by them to touch the item triggers the effect. This ward uses the standard rules for Wards (p. 275).
Ingredients: A handful of silver dust mixed with the Blood.
WARDING CIRCLE AGAINST SPIRITS
Blood Sorcery •••
This Ritual creates a circular Ward on the floor or ground, intended to prevent the passage of spirits. Although more difficult than some Warding circles, it is one of the most commonly found in grimoires and other sources. A human occultist could potentially reconstruct a functioning version of this Ritual with an Intelligence + Occult test (Difficulty 6), although they could not cast it without vitae or some other supernatural aid or element. This ward uses the standard rules for Warding circles (p. 275).
Ingredients: The caster draws the Warding circle with an iron knife dipped in salt and Blood.
ZILLAH'S TEARS
Blood Sorcery •••
Elders whisper of the Lost Tribe, who would pilgrimage into the Ur desert to drink of the Weeping Stone. Those who tasted the stone's bloody tears would experience a transcendance of intense remorse for the sins they had committed. This ritual attempts to recreate that experience.
Ingredients: Tears of true grief, bloody spittle from the caster.
Process: The caster mixes the tears and spittle. Their target must imbibe it.
System: The caster makes a Ritual roll vs Resolve + Composure. If successful, the target remembers their greatest sin (their player’s choice, subject to Storyteller’s approval) and feels intense remorse — even if they normally wouldn’t, or are incapable of feeling remorseful. Every action they take to make amends gains two bonus dice, while all other tests lose two dice. This lasts the remainder of the night.
LEVEL 4
DEFENSE OF THE SACRED HAVEN
Blood Sorcery ••••
The performer of this powerful ritual can ward their haven against the sun itself, protecting their resting place from penetration by its destructive rays as a mystical darkness blankets the area.
Ingredients: Nothing but the Blood of the caster.
Process: The caster inscribes a number of sigils and glyphs on and around the area to be protected. They must take special care on windows and doorways, but may even ward an open doorway if the area is indoors. The ritual wards gray or liminal areas, such as ruins, at the Storyteller's discretion.
System: The process takes an hour or more, depending on the state or the area to be warded. The area can be no larger than a circle with a six-meter radius. The ritual automatically fails if the caster steps out of the area at any time after the warding is complete. The caster makes the Ritual roll once the sun rises. On a Win, shadow blankets the area, closing off any view of the outside but also preventing any sun damage to the vampires within. On a critical win, those inside can spy the outside world dimly. The Ritual lasts through an entire day unless ended by the caster stepping outside the area.
EYES OF THE NIGHTHAWK
Blood Sorcery ••••
Related to the primitive powers of Animalism, this Ritual allows the caster to possess a carnivorous fowl, usually a raven or a bird of prey, directing its flight and seeing through its eyes. Parrots and mynahs, not being carnivores, cannot be used in this Ritual. Some Tremere spent years training crows or ravens to speak before using them as nighthawks; with the Pyramid disrupted, fewer Warlocks have the spare time now.
Ingredients: The eyes of the bird used, taken at the conclusion of the Ritual.
Process: The caster feeds their Blood to the bird and enters a trance.
System: On a winning Ritual roll the caster can control the bird and see through its eyes. On a critical win, the bird can perform simple actions under control, such as picking up objects or manipulating keys or dials. The caster can use most nonphysical Disciplines through the bird, even Dominate assuming the caster has Telepathy or some other way to communicate with targets non-verbally. There is no limit to the range the bird can fly, though unless the caster plucks the eyes out of the bird at the end of the night they themselves suffer blindness for three nights to come.
INCORPOREAL PASSAGE
Blood Sorcery ••••
The caster assumes an incorporeal state, not unlike a ghost, able to freely pass through objects and rendered totally immune to physical damage. They cannot interact physically with the material world except by sight and speech.
Ingredients: A mirror.
Process: The caster spills their Blood on the mirror, chanting, and then breaks it.
System: Make a Ritual roll. If the roll is a win, the caster assumes an incorporeal form as long as they hold a shard of the broken mirror. While incorporeal, the caster remains immune to everything except fire, sunlight, and arcane weapons and rituals capable of damaging spirits. The caster can still be seen and heard but cannot interact physically with anything or anyone. They cannot Rouse the Blood while incorporeal. Incorporeal casters have no access to any spirit realm; the ritual does not make them wraiths or spirits. The caster can walk through walls and other objects but must do so in a straight line; they cannot change direction while inside solid matter. This Ritual lasts for one scene or until the caster drops the shard. Returning to the material while inside solid matter can result in anything from destruction to entombment to minor inconvenience; the Storyteller decides the precise outcome.
WARD AGAINST CAINITES
Blood Sorcery ••••
This Ritual wards an item against all vampires except the caster. Any attempt by them to touch the item triggers the effect. However, a vampire examining the Ward with Auspex can read the name of the caster in it with a successful contest of Intelligence + Auspex vs. the caster’s Intelligence + Blood Sorcery. This ward uses the standard rules for Wards.
Ingredients: Ash warm from a still-burning fire; casters risk terror frenzy, and cannot inscribe this Ward that night if they succumb to it.
WARDING CIRCLE AGAINST LUPINES
Blood Sorcery ••••
This ward uses the standard rules for Warding circles.
Ingredients: The caster draws the Warding circle with a silver knife dipped in wolfsbane and Blood.
INNOCENCE OF THE CHILD'S HEART
Blood Sorcery ••••
Developed by Nicolai himself, this ritual allows the caster to conceal their Kindred aura from users of Auspex.
Ingredients: A toy belonging to a mortal child.
Process: The caster must acquire the toy of an innocent mortal child and use the ritual to mystically infuse it with the power of their Kindred vitae, drawing the child’s innocence into their aura. The caster must then carry the toy on their person to mask themselves from the powers of Auspex.
System: The caster makes a Rouse Check and makes their Ritual test. Upon success, the caster’s aura is altered to make them appear mortal, with any stains of diablerie rendered invisible. Auspex users employing Scry the Soul on the caster will perceive their aura as mortal until the effects of the ritual dissipate, unless they make a contested roll between their Intelligence + Auspex versus the caster’s Intelligence + Blood Sorcery + four dice. The ritual lasts one night unless the ritual test is made at +2 to difficulty which extends it until the end of the story. A Critical Win doubles the ritual’s duration. Note that there is no recorded instance of Nicolai sharing this ritual with his fellow Tremere and can only be learned by capturing Nicolai’s notes or via other method of the Storyteller’s determination.
Chicago by Night, pg. 172
RENDING THE SWEET EARTH
Blood Sorcery ••••
This ritual rends the earth to reveal a vampire concealed
by Protean.
Ingredients: A leather whip, Kindred vitae.
Process: The caster locates the exact spot a user of Protean sank into the earth using Earth Meld. They then slit their palm, smearing vitae on the point of entry and repeatedly strike the ground with a leather whip.
System: The caster makes a Rouse Check and a ritual test. Upon success, a 10-foot by 10-foot chasm opens, leading to the subterranean resting place of a vampire in an Earth Melded state. The ritual automatically awakens the target vampire if they are asleep, but will not do so if they are in torpor. A Critical Win opens the chasm without waking the target.
Chicago by Night, pg. 173
PROTEAN CURSE
Blood Sorcery ••••
This ritual transforms the target into a bat similar to the level four Protean ability, Metamorphosis.
Ingredients: A vial of rabid vampire bat blood, Kindred vitae acquired from a vampire with the Protean Discipline, and a string-suspended puppet crafted from bat bones.
Process: The target must drink a vial of blood from a rabid vampire bat, mixed with Kindred vitae while the caster puppeteers the bone marionette.
System: The caster produces two Rouse Checks’ worth of their blood, with the blood of a rabid vampire bat and gives it to the target to drink. The ritual is cast, and upon a successful ritual roll, the target is transformed into a bat per the Metamorphosis ability of the Protean Discipline. The target may elect to resist this transformation with a Stamina + Occult roll. If the target rolls more successes than the ritual’s practitioner, they prevent the transformation, while their Total Failure can leave them in a horrifically deformed, half-human, half-bat state. The half-bat creature gains +2 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +1 Stamina, and +1 Presence up to a maximum of 5, but cannot communicate verbally, reduces its Manipulation to 0, and takes 1 aggravated Health damage for every turn exposed to bright light, artificial or otherwise. The ritual can be cast on both Kindred and humans and lasts for a full evening or until the caster dispels the ritual via a successful ritual test. The duration of Protean Curse can be extended by making a Rouse Check and a successful ritual roll at the beginning of each night the caster wants to maintain the ritual. A Critical Win for the practitioner doubles the duration of Protean Curse. The caster cannot use this Ritual on themselves.
Chicago by Night, pg. 173
CREATIO IGNIS
Blood Sorcery ••••
The caster of this Ritual diverts hungry flame from their flesh, using an enchanted coating of vitae like a buffer and can set items and people alight using the fire. This Ritual is a phenomenal breach of the Masquerade as the power is entirely visible and can cause intense environmental feedback, not to mention the bloody coating of the caster’s hands before activation.
Ingredients: Sufficient vitae from any vampire to coat the caster’s arms up to the elbows, a source of flame.
Process: The vampire immerses their arms in the blood and withstands the urge to feed or frenzy. After extracting their arms, exposure to flame will ignite the vitae rather than the vampire it coats. The vampire can then go on to set targets alight using the fire on their skin.
System: If the user is at Hunger 4 or more, make a hunger frenzy test at Difficulty 3 to avoid draining the ingredients. At any point during the night they may expose the vitae to fire and make a Ritual roll. A win ignites flames on the vampire’s hands and arms, which in a spectacular display provoke a terror frenzy test, Difficulty 2, in all nearby vampires except the caster. They may touch others with Dexterity + Brawl in physical combat to inflict two Aggravated Health damage. Entering a grapple ignites the other person’s clothes, continuing the damage each turn until a Composure + Survival roll, Difficulty 3, is won to end the burn. The caster is only resistant to flame on their arms, and will burn as usual elsewhere. The fiery arms extinguish when the caster wills it or when the scene ends.
Cults of the Blood Gods, pg. 67
MIRROR WALK
Blood Sorcery ••••
You create a portal in a nearby mirror and escape to another previously prepared mirror.
Ingredients: Two large mirrors and the ashes of a recently destroyed vampire.
Process: You eat some of the ashes while tracing your fingers along the surface of a large mirror. Once all but the last mouthful of ashes have been consumed, the mirror is ready to be called upon.
System: Eat the last mouthful of ashes while touching a different large mirror. This creates a portal between this mirror and the mirror you originally prepared with this ritual. You can see whatever is reflected in the original mirror when you open the portal. This link only lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1 + the margin of success you gained when casting this ritual. One vampire can step through the portal every round, instantly appearing in front of the specially prepared mirror. Mortals, ghouls, and vampires without a reflection cannot step through a mirror walk portal. The magic of this ritual is spent once the portal closes or if the ritually prepared mirror is significantly damaged before it is activated.
LEVINBOLT
Blood Sorcery ••••
Prerequisite: Galvanic Ruination
This ritual allows for the caster to make a victim the target of bolts of electricity and lightning. When activated, electricity arcs from power outlets, electrical objects, wires, cables and may even call down lightning directly from the sky. While electricity doesn't generally affect Kindred, this can devastate groups of mortals.
Ingredients: Charged magnet, electricity, sanguine resonant blood
Process: The magnet is placed in a pool of blood while the electrical current is run through it. When the magnet has absorbed the blood, the ritual is complete. The magnet becomes a charred and melted lump of iron when the ritual has fully run its course.
System: The ritual is enacted, after which the magnet maintains its "charge" for the oddly specific next 1.21 hours.
The magnet must then be placed on the target, which may require a Dexterity + Athletics or Stealth roll, at which point the activation roll is made. Once activated the location of the magnet is irrelevant and they can still be struck if they dispose of it.
For the rest of the scene, the vampire can call upon bolts of electricity to strike the target with a Wits + Science roll. This can be dodged as normal and is treated as a Firearms attack. If the attack hits, the mortal must succeed in a Stamina + Composure roll, Difficulty 3, or be paralyzed for the rest of the scene, as well as taking margin in superficial damage.
While the ritual can only affect one target per turn, once the first target is paralyzed the vampire can cause electricity to arc from their primary target to other mortal targets with the same roll, but with -1 to their dice pool. When this happens, the primary target absorbs all the superficial damage.
Technology that can be short circuited is typically destroyed when it comes into contact with this amount of electricity. Vampires are unaffected, although it can of course destroy any technology they have on them.
| THE PATH OF LEVINBOLT...
|
| Due to a historical lack of understanding of the principles of electricity, the Path of Levinbolt remained incredibly obscure until the birth of modern science. Though thaumaturges no longer have to wait until a convenient thunderstorm to charge their powers, the Path of Levinbolt is still rarely studied or taught. As such, it requires a specific teacher to learn.
Furthermore, practitioners of the Path of the Levinbolt tend to cause a good deal of static electricity around them, even when not engaging in combat. Sometimes this plays havoc with cellular service, causes lights to flicker without reason, and computers to experience power surges in their presence.
|
LEVEL 5
ESCAPE TO TRUE SANCTUARY
Blood Sorcery •••••
By preparing two mystic circles in an arduous ritual the caster can instantly travel from one to the other. The journey is one-way, and the caster must designate one circle for departure while the “arrival” circle serves as an exit.
Ingredients: Two charred circles of approximately a meter in diameter.
Process: The caster burns the circles into the ground or floor with an open flame, then consecrates each circle. Consecration requires two hours of chanting per night and two Rouse Checks, for three consecutive nights. In total, this ritual takes twelve Rouse Checks worth of Blood from the caster.
System: Once the circles are complete the caster need but step into the one designated for departure and concentrate for a turn, making a Ritual roll. The caster makes the Ritual roll each time they attempt to travel, but can only make one attempt per scene. On a win the caster vanishes, reappearing in an instant in the middle of the exit circle. There is no limit to the distance between the two circles, but they must be inscribed on the ground or on the floor of a building, not on the floor of a vehicle. The caster can transport one person or an object or objects totaling roughly human mass with them. Damaging either circle ruins the ritual completely and renders both circles inert. A vampire can only have one pair of these circles functional at any given time.
HEART OF STONE
Blood Sorcery •••••
Performing this ritual turns the caster’s unliving heart to stone. This makes them immune to stakes but also, through some fluke of sympathetic magic, completely remorseless and cold-hearted automatons totally unreceptive to emotional and social cues. Even more so than normal.
Ingredients: A stone slab and a wax candle drenched with the Blood of the caster.
Process: The caster lies on the stone slab with the candle on their chest letting it burn down to nothing over the course of a night. As the fir e reaches their chest, it causes one point of Aggravated damage and forces a terror frenzy roll: Difficulty 3. If the caster fails the frenzy roll, the ritual ends. If the caster does not enter frenzy, they make the Ritual roll. On a win the ritual completes; a critical win heals the candle-fire damage. The effect persists indefinitely, and should the caster wish to reverse the process they must repeat the ritual.
System: While under the effect of the ritual, the caster’s heart is literally made of stone. Stakes fail to penetrate it, breaking if forced. The caster also exhibits a complete emotional detachment, subtracting three dice from any Remorse rolls as well as active Social-related rolls, except for Intimidation and Dominate. The caster cannot employ Presence but gains three bonus dice to pools used to resist the effects of that Discipline.
SHAFT OF BELATED DISSOLUTION
Blood Sorcery •••••
The Kindred fear few weapons as they fear the dreaded stake created by this ritual. Thought to be the origin of the myth regarding stakes as the ultimate tool for slaying vampires, the Shaft of Belated Dissolution not only seeks out the heart of the vampire it’s aimed at but actually causes Final Death when reaching its target. If need be, the Shaft works toward this goal as a splinter, inching its way through the target vampire’s body to reach its goal.
Ingredients: A stake carved of rowan wood, inscribed with baneful runes.
Process: The caster drenches the stake with two Rouse Checks worth of their Blood, while blackening it in an oak-wood fire while reading incantations over it. The ritual takes five hours to complete.
System: This stake confers a three-dice bonus to any pool on any attempt to stake a vampire, whether hammered in while the victim sleeps, wielded in melee, or fired from a crossbow. The caster need not wield the stake themselves. If the attack roll wins with a margin of five or better, the vampire withers to dust in a single turn as if consumed by an invisible fire. If the stake hits, but the roll has insufficient margin to pierce the heart, the stake breaks off in the wound, the tip burying itself as it slowly begins to inch its way toward the heart of the victim. Depending on where it struck this can take hours or nights, but unless extracted by medical or mystical means, Final Death is assured. To remove it surgically someone other than the victim needs to win a roll of Dexterity + Medicine, Difficulty 6, in a process that takes up to four hours. If no medical expertise can be found, someone can remove the splinter by severing the afflicted limb – unless the splinter has already reached the torso.
WARDING CIRCLE AGAINST CAINITES
Blood Sorcery •••••
This ward uses the standard rules for Warding Circles.
Ingredients: The caster draws the Warding Circle with a rowan wand dipped in the mixture of ash from a still-burning fire and Blood.
WEB OF HUNGER
Blood Sorcery •••••
Using a dagger as an implement, the sorcerer can steal the blood from their followers or victims.
Ingredients: A silver dagger, other ritual components.
Process: The sorcerer must succeed their Ritual Activation roll and do one Rouse check to successfully anoint the dagger in their blood, linking it to them. The ritualist must then use their dagger to draw blood from willing donors or victims, causing a minimum of one point of Superficial Damage. As long as the follower or victim and dagger remain below ground, they are linked.
System: Once per night, the holder of the dagger may choose to feed from all individuals linked to the dagger. The user slakes one point of Hunger per individual linked. Each Kindred victim has their own hunger raise by one, whereas mortal victims instead take one point of Aggravated Damage. This ritual cannot bring the user’s hunger below the minimum imposed by their Blood Potency unless a mortal dies from this effect. If an individual goes to the surface, they lose their link to the dagger and are no longer subject to this theft of blood. Likewise, if the dagger ever breaches the surface, the ritual’s effect ceases.
EDEN'S BOUNTY
Blood Sorcery •••••
This rare Ritual allows a vampire to drain blood and energy from any living creatures in the nearby area, allowing the caster to stave off Hunger without even having to bare their fangs.
Ingredients: A dead body, a living tree, one fresh apple, one rotten apple.
Process: The vampire lays a dead body at the foot of a tree and places the healthy apple in the corpse’s mouth, followed by the rotten apple into the vampire’s. If the apple does not fit in the corpse’s mouth, the caster may hammer it in, dislocate the jaw, or otherwise rend the throat open, so long as it fits. As the body rapidly merges with the tree’s roots and trunk, blood from mortals up to 1 mile/kilometer away drains into the earth and out through the rotten apple in the vampire’s mouth, sating Hunger.
System: The player makes a Ritual roll following the placement of the corpse and the apples. On a win, the vampire’s Hunger is slaked to one, despite any Blood Potency feeding penalties. On a critical win, the vampire’s Hunger is slaked to zero without killing. On a total failure, the vampire falls into a hunger frenzy. Depending on the number of kine in the Ritual area and the type of kine nearby, Stains may accrue; for example vampires with a Prey Exclusion may suffer Stains if this Ritual is used in an area heavily populated by their excluded class of mortal, whereas varied groups with more kine to draw from are less likely to bear an ethical cost.
A lot of blood is wasted with this Ritual, as all the mortals in the area lose a little blood to the earth, though the loss is not visible. For the remainder of the chapter, those kine suffer a one-die penalty to all Physical rolls and 1 Aggravated Health damage.
Cults of the Blood Gods, pg. 56
SIMULACRUM GATE
Blood Sorcery •••••
A time-consuming and elaborate Ritual, this colossal undertaking allows the construction of a distance-defying portal allowing multiple vampires to cross vast distances in mere moments. While only one instance is known so far, Blood-sorcerers of the Sabbat suspect that it is only a matter of time before they may construct more as means to perform devastating hit-and-run attacks in the heart of rival sects’ domains.
Ingredients: Anything required to build a copy of the target destination, including but not limited to sand, mortar, concrete, metal, and dirt. One vampire sacrifice and a number of mortal ones equal to the number of travelers.
Process: In order to function, the gate needs to be an exact copy of the target location, whether a building, cellar, attic, or some other location equipped with a physical structure that can be designated as a portal. This requires spies to spend weeks documenting the target location, smuggling examples of materials and taking countless pictures or making sketches of the place. Meanwhile, the replica is built and the area consecrated with blood – vast amounts of it. Preparing the portal requires at least one mortal sacrifice per intended traveler, their remains to be scattered about the simulacrum edifice. The final activation calls for a vampire sacrifice. If a suitable victim isn’t on hand, the lot probably falls to the vampire present who’s the least able to resist being forced into the role, though ritualists have proposed Embracing a mortal sacrifice for this purpose.
System: If the Ritual Test is successful, the gate allows the desired number of vampires passage outward, and an equal number – not necessarily the same individuals – to return. Until that number has been matched, the gate remains open indefinitely, though nothing reveals the target location as such. Mortals cannot use the gate; to them it appears as nothing more than a repulsive monument.
