A geist does not know that he is a geist,
and the nearer a man gets to being a geist, the less he knows it.
- George MacDonald -

Blood and Vitae

Vitae and Hunting

• It’s assumed all Kindred hunt for an average of 1 Vitae per night in their downtime, to counteract the loss of Vitae from waking from daysleep, so Vitae pools don’t decrease over time by default. Players otherwise keep track of their own Vitae pools from night to night.
  • Note: If under the effect of any power or circumstance that would prevent you from “casually” feeding with normal mechanics, you do NOT get the nightly Vitae back in downtime; any feeding methodologies will need to account for the nightly loss.
• A Vampire PC’s player may make one hunting roll per chapter (week), using the system for “feeding scenes with dice” on VtR2e page 96. Dramatic failure cannot be willingly taken, and an Exceptional success instead provides the Sated condition. If a Dramatic Failure is somehow naturally rolled, contact a Narrator.
  • The vitae gained from the weekly roll can be applied throughout the week rather than all at once. For example, if you are down 2 vitae and a hunt gains 6 vitae, 2 vitae can be applied immediately and 4 remaining can be used to replenish any other losses for that week.
  • 1 vessel = 3 vitae (or 7 with a breaking point, implying the victim died).
  • You may NOT gain the bonus for extra time; it’s already assumed you’re spending several hours over the week doing your hunting.
• Vitae gained In-Character from other PCs or ST-NPCs works normally and has no effect on hunting rolls or vice versa. You may not, however, gain Vitae from retainers or similar merits in this way; if they’re willing to provide blood to you, buy Herd.

If there’s any confusion about something might be affected by this, ask a Narrator (if in a scene) or the Rules Master.

Blood Bonding

Blood bonds may only be raised by 1 step per night via traditional feeding methods (powers that apply the blood bond are not limited in this way, however).

Players are expected to give OOC notice if the scene or action has the intent to be to bond a character.

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Coil of Zirnitra

Not all Supernatural Merits are appropriate for Kindred to be capable of learning, and with the base Coil alone, it does not allow Vampires to bypass their banes or to fundamentally alter certain things about them. The Coil itself is allowed and may be purchased, but the following Scales and Supernatural Merits are not currently allowed for Kindred:

• Grafting Unholy Flesh (Scale, SotC)
• Skin-Thief (Merit, Dark Eras)
• Pyrokinesis and Pyrokinetic Resistance (other Psychokineses are fine) (Merit, Core)

• Clear-Sighted (Merit, Vampire)
• Laying on Hands (Merit, Core)
• Supernatural Resistance (Merit, Hurt Locker)
• Mind over Body (Merit, Custom Items/Powers)
• Biokinesis (Merit, Core) is allowed but does not affect Kindred healing.
• ‘Micro Template’ merits of any kind.

Non-Listed Supernatural Merits and Scales are assumed to be allowed, but more may be added to the list if the Storymaster Team and Rulesmaster deem them to be an issue.

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Discipline Clarifications:

Protean (Swarm Form)

Use the statistics in the Chronicles of Darkness 2e book, pg 121, for “Trained Guard Dog” to determine your swarm’s base physical traits. The Bite dice pool gives you your Strength + Brawl, and you can extrapolate a Brawl of 2 and Athletics of 3 if you need any other physical skills (the rest are 0).

Spilled Blood

Blood Chymistry

Terra Figulina is limited to providing its creations the following Dread Powers: Chameleon, Hunting Grounds, Jump Scare, Mist Form, Natural Weapons, Prodigious Leap, Regeneration, Toxic and Wall-Climb

Ghost Devotions

• Pierce the Veil only requires Willpower to be spent to use other powers if the Kindred would not be able to target the ghost without that Devotion. Using Obfuscate 1 or 3, for instance, will work on a ghost either way, even without using the Devotion at all, as would any mental Disciplines on a materialized ghost.

Clarification: Downgrading Damage

The book isn’t entirely all-inclusive on what gets downgraded from aggravated to lethal or lethal to bashing. So, unless a power/ability (on either side) explicitly says otherwise, the following rules apply:

• Fire/Sunlight damage is of course not downgraded, from any source.
• Any mundane source of aggravated or lethal damage is downgraded; extreme levels of trauma may bypass this, at Narrator discretion in a scene.
• Direct supernatural sources that deal lethal damage (such as Nightmare 5) are not downgraded.
• Supernatural powers creating weapons, environmental tilts, or redirecting external forces (such as Telekinesis) are downgraded normally.
• Supernatural sources of aggravated damage are usually downgraded. Exception: Vampiric powers that say they deal aggravated damage are not downgraded unless they say so.
• Supernatural powers that say Vampires may be immune, downgrade the damage, or otherwise suffer less harm at Storyteller discretion have that lesser effect on Vampires by default.

Clarification: Tech-Savvy

Tech-Savvy is for mundane, physical (or electronic) equipment. It cannot be used for “Mystical/Occult” equipment, plans, repositories, creative works, etc. It CAN be used, of course, for labs and other tools that grant benefits to crafting those things, but will not benefit the end product directly.

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Elders and Thousand Years of Night

• Age will NOT be enough to make you count as an Elder, mechanically. Instead, Blood Potency 5 replaces the normal prerequisite of ‘Elder’ if not already requiring a higher amount.
• Abilities that require X years to be taught them instead require you to have gained Blood Potency equal to the years divided by 50, rounded up.

Celebrity Devotion (TYoN)

This use can grant 1 dot of the appropriate type of merits per victim after an appropriate scene, which can change after a new scene, but does not stack with the previous one gained (so, with 3 victims, you’ll never have more than 3 dots of merits gained at a time from this Devotion). As well, these must all be mundane forms of the merits; it will not provide Covenant Status, Allies among Spirits, or Psychic Retainers, for instance.

Coil of Quintessence

The Scales of Quintessence in the book require you to ACTUALLY have the prerequisite Coils, you can’t just pay the 1XP surcharge to buy it when you lack the prereq.

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Custom Items and Powers

Devotions

.22 Solid (Protean **, Resilience *)

Public

This Devotion hardens the user’s flesh, and coagulates the blood in such a way as to act as “internal armor”. While few things cause lasting harm to Kindred, this Devotion takes things a step further, and makes almost everything a vampire suffers as bad as a bruise.

Cost

2 Vitae

Dice Pool

None

Action

Instant

For the remainder of the scene, every attack which would cause your character lethal damage is lessened by this Devotion. Downgrade a number of lethal damage from each such attack equal to your character’s Resilience dots. For example, if your character with Resilience *** suffers three attacks in a turn, one for one lethal damage, one for three lethal damage, and one for five lethal damage, your character would ultimately suffer two lethal damage and seven bashing damage.Note that this is in addition to Resilience’s normal downgrading effect.
Aggravated damage reduced to lethal by Resilience can be further downgraded by .22 Solid to bashing damage. So, for example, if a vampire with Resilience **** and .22 Solid took a strike causing seven aggravated damage, if she activated .22 Solid, she’d take 3 aggravated damage and four bashing damage.

This Devotion costs 1 Experiences to learn.

Mask of Tranquility (Obfuscate *)

Public

The Kindred masters the art of hiding himself to such a degree that he may subvert some of the stains that undeath leaves upon his soul. A vampire who knows this power can mask his Kindred nature from onlookers, leaving them without the impression of the Predatory Aura.

Cost

None

Dice Pool

None

Action

Reflexive to activate/deactivate

Duration

Indefinite

This power involves no roll, and is considered “always on.” The character does not exhibit the Predatory Aura. Therefore, the character doesn’t even appear as a vampire to other Kindred who see him. Additionally, typical tell-tales such as lack of breath or pulse go unnoticed by other Kindred (and other observers) unless they make an effort to investigate. This does not mimic the effect of the Blush of Life, it merely causes others not to pay attention. If a supernatural power is used to discern the character’s supernatural nature, they must defeat the vampire in a Clash of Wills or see them as a mortal, and the Kindred gains 8-again on that roll, as well as the +4 bonus for an indefinite power.

Note that this power doesn’t render the user immune to Lashing Out. If the character Lashes Out or enters frenzy, the effect immediately ends for the scene. The character may also turn off this power if he wishes, but such is an all-or-nothing proposition. He may not turn off certain aspects of this power and keep others active.

This Devotion costs 1 Experience to learn.

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Miracles

Tempter’s Tongue (*)

Private

Target Number of Successes

5

Sacrament

One Snake Tongue

Kindred are called to tempt and test mortals, just as Satan tempted Eve in the guise of a serpent. The sorcerer blesses the object and it remains empowered for a number of weeks equal to the caster’s blood potency.

When the sorcerer wishes to activate the power, he simply places the serpent’s tongue under his own where it disintegrates into nothingness. For the rest of that scene, the user may add the sorcerer’s Theban dots to their Manipulation score. A sorcerer may only have one Tempter’s Tongue in existence.

Venomous Vision (*)

Private

Target Number of Successes

5

Contested/Resisted by

N/A

Snake venom is ingested either by drinking or direct injection, opening the caster to the Lord’s will and divine plan. They send up a prayer pertaining to a particular circumstance and receive a vision in answer. The caster may ask a number of Yes/No questions pertaining to a desired situation equal to the ritual’s Potency.

Drawback

The beast is stirred up closer to the surface as divine wisdom is given to the caster and it lingers close even after the sense of the divine fades. Gain the Tempted condition.

Fortitude of Faith (**)

Private

Sacrament

One page of scripture or meaningful text to the ritualist

Target Number of Successes

9

True faith brings absolute certainty and unshakeable resolve to the believer. To activate this ritual, the ritualist must tear the sheet of paper in two. For the rest of the night, the ritualist may add his Theban dots to any roll to contest supernatural attempts to manipulate their mental or emotional state. If the power is not resisted with a roll but instead has a penalty mod based on the target’s attribute add the ritualist’s Theban dots to that penalty.

The sheet of scripture crumbles to dust if not used within one week per BP of the ritualist. No more than one version of this ritual may be active any given time. This ritual does not apply to mundane attempts to persuade, influence, or frighten the ritualist.

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Oaths

Oath of Punishment (*)

This Oath is used as part of punishment in a legal matter to enforce the punishment that the Praxis has ordered. Generally, the process of being released from custody will include this Oath. The vassal swears the Oath, admitting their guilt and agreeing to the terms of their punishment.

Effect

Once a character takes this Oath, he swears to the terms of his punishment. He’s the vassal, and must purchase the Merit. The Prince is considered the liege. From that point forward, he cannot attempt to break the terms of his oath. If he wishes to do so, he loses a point of Willpower, and takes a single level of aggravated damage as charred lashes appear across his back. Additionally, the Liege takes a single level of lethal damage, and knows exactly why he’s suffering it.

Drawback

Can not gain the benefits of any other Oaths while the Oath of Punishment is active.

Oath of Service (****)

Rather than a specific task, like Oath of Action, this Oath covers terms of service to the Invictus to whom the oath is sworn. A duration of time is chosen at the swearing of this oath and must be included in the wording of the Oath itself. Choosing a duration over a year and a day is considered bad form, though the Oath can be resworn annually. Unlike Oath of Fealty, the one swearing the oath does not have to be a member of the Invictus. Wording of the oath must include what would constitute a breaking of the oath.

Effect

The vassal gains access to one physical discipline’s dots of his Liege’s discipline.

If the term ends with neither having violated the oath, nothing happens but the benefits and the drawbacks of the oath simply end. If the vassal breaks the Oath, all his vitae mystically evaporates and it is immediately known by the Liege that the oath was broken and the current location of the vassal.

Drawback

Can only swear one Oath of Service at a time and cannot take an Oath of Action during the time frame.

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Protean Modifications

Predatory Aspects

Camouflage

By altering her skin tone and even her clothes to blend into her surroundings, the Kindred becomes more difficult to notice, granting a bonus to rolls to go unnoticed equal to her Protean dots.

Projectile Blood

Spitting blood like a Cobra, the Kindred can temporarily render their opponents blind. Spend 1 additional Vitae beyond the activation cost of this power, the Vitae is expelled from the Kindreds mouth up to a distance of Strength x 3 yards. Roll Dexterity + Athletics - Defense, with the usual targeted attack penalty, but reduce this penalty by the character’s Protean dots. Success inflicts the Blind tilt on the opponent. The tilt is resolved if the victim of this power spends an Instant action wiping away the viscous fluid. Vitae so expelled from the body is considered inert, and does not cause Vitae Addiction or any increase in the steps of a Blood Bond.

Rodent’s Anatomy

Much like a Mouse or Rat caught in a Predators grasp, you know just how to move and wiggle to make an escape. If you have this power activated while in a grapple, you may add your dots in Protean to any roll to Break Free or Escape an Immobilize. This power may allow the Kindred to attempt to escape an Immobilize caused by an item such as a Zip Tie or Handcuffs, make a Dexterity + Athletics roll with a penalty depending on how advanced the equipment is. Standard Rope levies a −1 penalty while Police Issue Handcuffs impose a −3. Success frees the character from the restraint.

Unnatural Maw

Though vampires are skilled predators, human physiology means their mouths aren’t their greatest weapon. Via Protean, the vampire increases the useful radius of their bite, whether by ‘unhinging’ their jaw in the manner of snakes, growing circular rows of lamprey-like teeth or some other animalistic method. When feeding ‘Violently’, they increase their effective ‘blood taken per turn’ maximum in grappling and other situations by their Protean dots. Used outside combat, this effectively turns any feeding into ‘The Assault’ instead of The Kiss.

Venom

The Kindred can produce powerful venom glands, like a spider or a snake, that they may excrete when they bite someone or hit them with a natural weapon granted by Protean. This counts as a Poison with a Toxicity equal to the Kindred’s Protean dots. In combat it inflicts the (Moderate) Poison Tilt.

Viper’s Gift

Vipers have the ability to track their prey through proteins in their bites. This Protean modification grants a similar ability. For the purposes of tracking a bitten victim by scent (p91, Vampire), the Kindred gains a dice bonus equal to their Protean until the end of the scene. This ability also allows other vampires to be tracked in a similar fashion to mortals. If the Kindred has other natural weapons granted by Protean, they can elect to cause this effect on a successful strike.

Wolf’s Hide

Adapting his flesh to that of a Predatory Animal like a Wolf or Lion, the Kindred becomes unnaturally resilient to damage. He enjoys an armor rating of 2/0 against any bashing attacks and a rating of 1/0 against incoming lethal damage. This armor does not apply to banes that the Kindred suffers from, but stacks with any armor worn.

Wolf’s Jaw

The Kindred’s jaws, tongue and voice-box shift to match those of a werewolf. This alters their voice, giving it a harsh, gravelly quality when speaking english but allowing them to speak First Tongue normally if they have taken two dots in the Spirit Speech merit. This also allows them to make a bite attack (0L, using Brawl) without first grappling their opponent, but does not allow them to Feed in combat without grappling.

Unnatural Aspects

Long Death

The Kindred produces a powerful hemotoxin as the Beast devours the subject’s blood from within them. This poison is delivered through the Kindred’s bite, or through any natural weapons created by Protean. This poison deals Lethal damage and has a Toxicity of their Blood Potency. The damage happens once per hour up to Protean times, but never during the day. In Combat this produces the (Grave) Poison Tilt. Vampire victims lose Vitae instead of taking damage while Ghouls lose Vitae before health levels.

Monstrous Hide

The Kindred transmutes their bones and flesh, forming layers of tough leathery skin, carapace, or other natural armor. This counts as 3/5 armor with a −2 penalty to defense and a −1 penalty to speed, which does not stack with other armor.

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Rites

Blessing of Creation (*)

Public/Private

Private

Target Number of Successes

5

Creation is the providence of the Goddess and with this rite, the Kindred empowers their beast with a creative frenzy that temporarily throws the shackles of undeath away from their creativity.

Upon reaching the target number of successes the Kindred enters what can best be described as a crafting Frenzy, with the targeted goal of finishing the work they undertake while affected by the rite. Any distraction or obstacles to the work undertaken is treated like an obstacle to a normal frenzy.

The creative action (craft or expression) benefits from the Frenzy much like physical actions do normally and thus the ritualist can add their Blood Potency to relevant crafting rolls. Add the Acolyte’s Cruac dots to the maximum number of rolls that can be attempted for the project, if the roll is extended.

Mantle of the All-seeing Predator (*)

Private

Target Number of Successes

5

Enacting the ritual requires the ritualist to experiences some sensory input, enough of it that it causes a point of lethal damage or two bashing damage. Any senses is enough for the ritual to work out and then must take the experience in by healing. The cost of which counts as the cost of the ritual. Once complete, the ritualist become over come with the amount of stimuli and must spend a point of willpower to draw herself out of the stupor. Her sense are sharpened to an extreme, adding her Cruac dot to her Wits for the Evening.

Blood Flows Freely (*****)

Public/Private

Private

Target Number of Successes

11 (+ Potency)

The Acolyte prepares a vessel of iron that’s never been used for anything but this ritual before by treating it with her own Vitae (included in the Rite’s cost), coating it with her blood and cooking it through as part of the ritual (often with fire). The blood of the target subject and donor are then added to the vessel, needing 4 Vitae from each or an equivalent amount of blood (or similar fluids); if the caster is the donor, they need only add a single additional point of Vitae. That mixture is then prepared and mixed before it’s poured slowly over the subject’s head, bathing them as completely as possible in the blood.

The donor must be a vampire, ghoul, or other character that has innate access to Disciplines, but the subject can be anyone, living or undead. If successful, the donor’s power is granted to the subject; up to 1 dot of a Discipline from the donor can be granted to the subject per point of Potency. They’re always granted starting with the lowest dot the subject lacks. Bloodline and Covenant Disciplines may not be gifted, however.

For one night per dot of the caster’s Cruac, the subject can make use of these Disciplines, but must use their own dice pool to activate them, where required; the granted Disciplines do count towards this, but only the dots actually granted. Those lacking Vitae can take lethal damage (in blood loss) instead of paying Vitae costs, although may only ‘spend’ 1 damage per turn for this purpose (multiple turns may be used, however).

Unlike most Rites, the caster may determine the ritua’s Potency ahead of time, altering the target successes appropriately. However, in this case, any additional successes or exceptional success in casting does not add on to it.

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Other Rituals

Undead Empowerment (Kindred Necromancy ***)

Public/Private

Private

Target Number of Successes

6

Sacrifice

1 willpower

Focus

Statue of a dead hero of at least Availability ** or taking 10 successes to craft by hand

This ritual manipulates the necromantic energy on an undead body, usually either a Kindred or a form of zombie, to increase their physical ability in a level proportional to the skill of the necromancer. At the conclusion of the ritual they gain temporary bonus dots they may add to any physical attributes of the target equal to their level in Kindred Necromancy. These benefits and increased ability may exceed the normal limitations of their power stat, and once cast, lasts the duration of the night.

Dark Union of the Dead (Kindred Necromancy *****)

Public/Private

Private

Target Number of Successes

30

Requirement

Must be within the Underworld in physical contact with the being to be united with

Sacrifice

One dot of Humanity which can never be regained so long as the union is in place

Contested/Resisted by

Rank + Resistance, if unwilling

On a success, the Kindred allows the target Ghost or similar underworld being with Rank less than his Necromancy rating rating to Fetter themselves to the user. For the duration of the effect, which can be permanent the user gains access to the ghosts Influences and may use them as their own. In return, in addition to the normal effects the user becomes Urged by the ghost as well, but gains their Kindred Necromancy rating as a bonus to the roll to resist it.

If the entity was unwilling, or becomes unwilling, at the start of every new moon it may roll its Resistance + Rank versus the Potency of the original ritual; if successes exceed that Potency, it shifts into Twilight, and may escape to an Anchor, the Underworld, or attempt to wreak revenge on the necromancer.

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Scales

Blood of Kings

Public/Private

Public

Prerequisite Coil

Call to Serve (Voivode 3)

Procedure

Within a Wyrm’s Nest, the Kindred uses a specially formed alchemically enhanced set of manacles to tie himself to the ground. Both the manacles themselves and the anchoring end have a large spike in them, which must be driven into ground and flesh, dealing 1L damage to the Kindred. A line must be cut in his flesh, then, with a similarly prepared scalpel, with the wound originating at the manacles and drawing down over his forearm (another 1L damage). Finally, the Kindred must spill a number of Vitae up to the Nest’s rating into the mouth of a Torpored Vampire that he wishes to awaken.

Outcome

The energy of the Wyrm’s Nest flows into the Kindred’s blood, enhancing its potency and energizing the Vampire imbibing the arcane substance. The donor’s Blood Potency is treated as a number of dots higher equal to the Vitae spent (capped by the Nest rating, as mentioned), solely for the sake of determining if it’s potent enough to awaken the Torpored Kindred.

For instance, if a character with Blood Potency 3 uses this at a Nest of 3 dots, and spends all 3 Vitae towards this purpose, they’d count as BP6 and thus could awaken someone of Blood Potency 4 or lower.

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Malisons

Malleable Form

Public/Private

Private

Prerequisites

Significant Exposure to Blood from a Kindred that has Protean

You’ve been exposed to significant amounts of Protean blood. Maybe this was a feast of blood, a long standing bond, or some other dramatic occurrence but it’s changed your blood and unlocked a malleability of form. When taking this Malison choose three adaptions from the list below. From then on the dhampir may activate any or all of the three for the rest of the scene by rolling Stamina + Resolve and spending a point of lethal.

• Armor (tumorous growths covering the skin, thick leathery hide, fused bone plates covering vital organs, etc.) with a rating of 2/1, but a −2 penalty to Initiative.
• Aquatic You have the ability to breathe underwater, as well as webbed toes and fingers that give a +1 to both Speed when swimming and Swim rolls.
• Biological toxin (venom sacs in the throat, mucus secreted from the pores, etc) that coats a target with a Dexterity + Athletics roll; target’s Defense applies. If successful, it inflicts a moderate version of the Poisoned Tilt on the victim.
• Camouflage (skin that can change pigment and texture to match the environment) granting the 8-again quality to all Stealth rolls.
• Extra Sense The Dhampir grows extra sensory organs, giving her tremor sense, echolocation, or some other sense that allows her to �see� without using her eyes. Using this sense, she has a 360-degree field of vision.
• Natural Weapons (such as claws that grow out from underneath the fingernails or a second row of jagged teeth protruding from the gums) They are 1L mundane weapons that use Brawl to attack.
• Patagia By growing a flap of leathery skin between her arms and torso, the vampire can glide - as long as she falls at least ten yards (ten meters), she can travel thirty yards (thirty meters) horizontally, and she takes no damage from the fall.
• Quadripedal Longer arms and shorter legs allow a vampire to run on all fours like a cheetah or wolf. When running on all fours, add +4 to her Speed and double all jump distances.
• Threat Display The majority of animals have mastered some form of threat display, or mimic behavior to warn off would be predators. Maybe it’s a collar of flared skin, a flush of toxic coloring, an obscene snarl, what ever the manner, it makes you more intimidating to others. This provides +3 to visually based intimidation rolls, but is as obvious as any other adaptation.
• Wall Crawling The vampire grows hundreds of tiny insect legs, claws on his feet, or barbed hairs on his body that allow him to move freely across walls and ceilings without an Athletics roll.

Drawback

The character may change their adaptions, but it isn’t cheap. It costs a willpower and then a point of lethal for each adaption you choose to change. Not unlike the Protean Predatory Aspect, this is not a quick process. The ritual not only costs a willpower, and lethal but time. Requiring the Dhampir to rest for at least an hour for each change.

Cost

1 Lethal

Dice Pool

Stamina + Resolve

Time

Instant action for the activation but there after may be reflexively utilized for the duration of the scene

Duration

Scene

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure

The Dhampir not only fails to enact a change but for the remainder of the scene suffers −1 to Stamina as their body recoils from the changes it tried and failed to enact.

Failure

Nothing happens.

Success

As above

Exceptional Success

With an exceptional success the Dhampir may access a 4th adaption instead of the usual 3.

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