Obfuscate

Obfuscate is the uncanny ability for Kindred to conceal themselves from sight, sometimes even in full view of a crowd. An Obfuscated vampire doesn’t actually become invisible, however — rather, he is able to delude observers into believing that he has vanished.
Obfuscate also allows Kindred to change their features and conceal other people or objects. Typically vampires using Obfuscate must be within a short range of their witnesses (approximately five yards or meters per dot of Wits + Stealth) for their power to be effective. Unless the Kindred chooses to make herself seen, she can remain obscured for as long as she wills it.
At higher levels, the vampire can actually fade from sight so subtly that those nearby can’t actually recall he moment at which she left.
Usually, few mortals or supernaturals (even those trained in Awareness) can pierce through the fog of Obfuscate. Animals, who rely more on their instincts than their normal senses, can sometime perceive (and be frightened by) the vampire’s presence. Children and those to whom deception is foreign may also be able to pierce the illusion, at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Finally, the Auspex Discipline enables Kindred to see through Obfuscate. Even that is not guaranteed, however; refer to “Seeing the Unseen,” for more details. (Storytellers needing a die roll for animals or children can use this quick and dirty guideline: treat them as if they had Auspex 1 in terms of contesting Obfuscate. They do not have the Auspex 1 power, but are considered to have it when determining whether a vampire is noticed.)
Since Obfuscate clouds the mind of the viewer, vampires can’t use it to hide their presence from electronic or mechanical devices. Video and photo cameras, for example, capture the vampire’s image accurately. Even so, the person using, say, her cell phone to record an Obfuscated vampire will still have her mind impacted by the power, and she won’t see the Kindred’s image until she views the video at a later date (if even then).
Several Clans cultivate this power — the Assamites, Followers of Set, and Malkavians, for example — but the Nosferatu are particularly known for this Discipline. Some elder Kindred believe that Caine, or perhaps Lilith, bestowed the Clan with this Discipline to compensate for the hideous physical deformities its members suffer.
Most Obfuscate powers last for a scene, or until the vampire ceases maintaining them. Once evoked, they require very little mental effort to keep in place.

### Dot 1 Powers

#### Cloak of Shadows

At this level, the vampire must rely on nearby shadows and cover to assist in hiding his presence. He steps into an out-of-the-way, shadowed place and eases himself from normal sight. The vampire remains unnoticed as long as he stays silent, still, under some degree of cover (such as a curtain, bush, door frame, lamppost, or alley), and out of direct lighting. The immortal’s concealment vanishes if he moves, attacks, or falls under direct light. Furthermore, the vampire’s deception cannot stand up to concentrated observation without fading.

**System:** No roll is required as long as the character fulfills the criteria described above. So long as he remains quiet and motionless, virtually no one but another Kindred with a high enough Auspex rating will see him.

#### Doubletalk

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Celerity 1 and Obfuscate 1.*

The Toreador are talented diplomats and politicians, but the Kindred who uses this power may literally hide an entirely different message within their speech. When a Toreador uses Doubletalk, she conveys an entirely different message between and underneath another sentence spoken normally. To most listeners, it looks and sounds like normal conversational placeholders and body language. But for those who know what to look and listen for, it is possible to hold a secret conversation in plain sight, *behind* an innocuous interaction.

**System:** When a character speaks in Doubletalk, the player rolls Intelligence + Expression (difficulty 6). If the roll succeeds, the character may seamlessly insert a phrase into her conversation. A failure means the character can’t be understood. A botch means the character accidentally spoke her phrase aloud.

The listener then rolls Perception + Subterfuge (difficulty 6). If the roll succeeds, the character may understand the intended message. At the Storyteller’s discretion, this difficulty may be modified for circumstances — it’s more difficult over the phone or in a noisy area, and impossible in text messages. A failure means the character heard nothing, while a botch indicates that he completely misinterpreted what the character said.

**Experience cost:** 12

### Dot 2 Powers

#### Shadow Feint

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Obfuscate 2.*

Shadow Feint combines the characteristics of Celerity and Obfuscate to blur the perceptions of her enemies.

**System:**At the beginning of any turn in which the Assamite has activated Celerity and in which her first action is an evasive one, the player may spend an additional blood point to activate Shadow Feint. For the rest of the turn, the difficulty of all rolls to target the Assamite increase by +2, to a maximum of 9. This is an Obfuscate power and cannot affect any vampire whose Auspex exceeds the Assamite’s Obfuscate.

**Experience cost:** 12

#### Ignore Me

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Obfuscate 2.*

Some people fade into the background easily. A Malkavian that haunts a specific location can program the people there to completely ignore her while she moves about the grounds. Not only does this give her a home field advantage should enemies confront her in this location, but it also makes her a shining example of upholding the Masquerade.

**System:**Roll Wits + Subterfuge once per day, difficulty equal to the target’s current Willpower. This power is an extended action, with a number of successes equal to five times the target’s Courage rating. Once the successes are achieved, the subject completely ignores the existence of the Kindred for the next month, and the vampire can target another person the next day.
If the Kindred disturbs a room, the target subconsciously puts things back in place. The target only reacts to the Kindred if she inflicts harm on the target — other physical interactions (such as touching them or searching their pockets) are unaffected.
The target makes a Courage roll equal to the Kindred’s Willpower rating. If successful, they shake the Kindred’s hold.

**Experience cost:** 18

#### Unseen Spirit

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Vitreous Path 2.*

Becoming invisible to the living world is something many Kindred know how to do, but the Nagaraja go one step further. They use their expertise with ghostly energies to make themselves invisible even to those ghosts and spirits who can usually see them. It makes it easier for them walk through the lands of the dead unharmed or sneak up on unsuspecting ghosts for them to devour and replenish their power.

**System:** The vampire rolls Stamina + Empathy (difficulty 6). Similar to Unseen Presence, the character remains invisible unless they speak, attack, or draw undue attention. However, the addition of ghostly emanation makes this process even easier. He may perform one act that may draw attention to him per success on their activation check before their invisibility is lifted. This makes the Discipline much more forgiving for those not already proficient in stealthy operations, which describes many Nagaraja in their early nights. The character’s environment isn’t affected, however; knocking over a vase or smashing a window is obvious to any onlooker, though the observer won’t know what made those things occur.

**Experience cost:** 8

#### Rando

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Obfuscate 3.*

Obfuscate has long been a staple for walking unnoticed through crowds. Sometimes, a Malkavian wants to deliver a message to someone from the safety of a crowded street. This power allows a Malkavian to communicate with someone while protecting his identity with a random face. Every time the target looks at the Kindred, she sees somebody else.

**System:**Roll Wits + Stealth. The difficulty is determined using the guidelines below, and each roll targets a specific person. Every time the target sees the Malkavian, she sees someone matching the current scene. If the target looks away and looks back, the form she sees changes. One moment, the Malkavian might look like a willowy concertgoer. The next glance, the Malkavian looks like a burly security guard, and so on.

**Difficulty Density of people**

9 A city street at midnight
8 A sparsely attended gallery show
7 A busy restaurant at dinner
6 A shopping mall at Christmas
5 A standing-room-only concert

**Experience cost:** 18

#### I Know

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Obfuscate 2.*

You don’t actually need to know a secret to use it as leverage. With this power, the Nosferatu is able to make it appear as if she knows something the subject would rather keep secret. Essentially, she surface scans the target for feelings of guilt, and uses Obfuscate to project into his mind the subtle body language and turns of phrase that convince him the vampire really knows something dangerous about him. The Nosferatu knows nothing in reality; even the light scan she does to establish guilt gives her no clue as to the nature of what he might be hiding. But the target doesn’t know that, and convinces himself the vampire must know his darkest secrets.

**System**: This power requires a Perception + Subterfuge roll at a difficulty equal to the target’s current Willpower. For each success the vampire gains, the subject is more convinced the vampire knows something confidential and dangerous about him. For one success, the target believes she may know something potentially damaging, whereas for five he is sure the vampire knows his deepest secrets. How the vampire chooses to use this leverage is up to her. Proving she doesn’t actually know anything, such as guessing badly about the secret or offering details that prove wrong, will break the illusion.

**Experience cost:** 12

#### Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Obfuscate 2.*

This power allows the Nosferatu to use their Obfuscate powers on animals as well as humans. They might cloak an animal companion to bring them into Elysium, or simply to sneak about the city with them on their nightly wanderings. They might also use their power to make them seem more impressive, dangerous, or even benign.

System: This power allows the user to apply any Obfuscate power to any animal. The vampire makes any required rolls and spends any blood required by the ability, but the effects are applied to the animal. The animal in question must either be under the control of Animalism or have drunk the Nosferatu’s blood.

**Experience cost:** 15

#### Beneath Contempt

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Presence 3.*

Sometimes the only way to stay alive is to bow your head and grovel. While that is not a necessary element of this power, many Caitiff remain alive only because someone more powerful didn’t think they were worth the effort to kill. By focusing an aura of the pitiable while masking any real strength they have, the Caitiff can find grudging mercy in disgust.

**System:** The character spends a Willpower point to activate this power. For the remainder of the scene, anyone who looks at the Caitiff as a potential threat must make a Willpower roll against a difficulty equal to the Caitiff’s Humanity score, or 4 if the Caitiff is on a Path of Enlightenment. If they fail the roll, they dismiss the Caitiff as being unworthy of hostility. The Caitiff is not invisible or forgotten, and they might still take them prisoner if they have been defeated and are begging for mercy.

**Experience cost:** 15

#### Unseen Presence

With experience, the vampire can move around without being seen. Shadows seem to shift to cover him, and people automatically avert their gazes as he passes by. Others move unconsciously to avoid contact with the cloaked creature; those with weak wills may even scurry away from the area in unacknowledged fear. The vampire remains ignored indefinitely unless someone deliberately seeks him out or he inadvertently reveals himself.
Since the vampire fully retains his physical substance, he must be careful to avoid contact with anything that may disclose his presence (knocking over a vase, bumping into someone). Even a whispered word or the scuffing of a shoe against the floor can be enough to disrupt the power.

**System:** No roll is necessary to use this power unless the character speaks, attacks, or otherwise draws attention to himself.
The Storyteller should call for a Wits + Stealth roll under any circumstances that might cause the character to reveal himself. The difficulty of the roll depends on the situation; stepping on a squeaky floorboard might be a 5, while walking through a pool of water may require a 9. Other acts may require a certain number of successes; speaking quietly without giving away one’s position, for instance, demands at least three successes. Upon success, the vampire, all her clothing, and objects that could fit into a pocket are concealed.
Some things are beyond the power of Unseen Presence to conceal. Although the character is cloaked from view while he smashes through a window, yells out, or throws someone across the room, the vampire becomes visible to all in the aftermath. Bystanders snap out of the subtle fugue in which Obfuscate put them. Worse still, each viewer can make a Wits + Awareness roll (difficulty 7); if successful, the mental haze clears completely, so those individuals recall every move the character made up until then as if he had been visible the entire time.

### Dot 3 Powers

#### Mask of a Thousand Faces

The vampire can influence the perception of others, causing them to see a face different from his. Although the Kindred’s physical form does not change, any observer who cannot sense the truth sees whomever the vampire wishes her to see.
The vampire must have a firm idea of the visage he wishes to project. The primary decision is whether to create an imaginary face or to superimpose the features of another person. Manufactured features are often more difficult to compose in believable proportions, but such a disguise is easier to maintain than having to impersonate someone else. Of course, things get simpler if the Kindred borrows the face but doesn’t bother with the personality.

**System:** The player rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty 7) to determine how well the disguise works. If the character tries to impersonate someone, he must get a good look at the subject before putting on the mask. The Storyteller may raise the difficulty if the character catches only a glimpse. The chart below lists the degrees of success in manufacturing another appearance.
Vampires wishing to mask themselves as a person more attractive than they are must pay additional blood points equal to the difference between the vampire’s Appearance rating and the Appearance of the mask (which means that younger vampires may need to take longer in order to spend the blood necessary).

**Successes Result**

1 success The vampire retains the same height and build, with a few slight alterations to his basic features. Nosferatu can appear as normal, albeit ugly, mortals.
2 successes He looks unlike himself; people don’t easily recognize him or agree about his appearance.
3 successes He looks the way he wants to appear.
4 successes Complete transformation, including gestures, mannerisms, appearance, and voice.
5 successes Profound alteration (appear as the opposite sex, a vastly different age, or an extreme change of size).

Actually posing as someone else carries its own problems. The character should know at least basic information about the individual; especially difficult deceptions (fooling a lover or close friend) require at least some familiarity with the target in order to succeed.

#### Switched At Death

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Thanatosis 1.*

Usually, the Samedi take great pains to hide their shriveled, dead appearance. Looking like the right corpse at the right time, however, can prove to be quite useful.

**System:** Roll Wits + Awareness with a difficulty equal to the observer’s current Willpower. Success allows the user to appear as a specific dead body that they’ve touched. The power allows the illusion to emulate any damage done to the body, such as a fatal gunshot wound or a severed head. Any actions the Kindred takes that are out of place for a dead body, such as obvious movement or direct communication, trigger a Courage roll for the observer to stay in the presence of the Kindred. This power can only duplicate the state of the body the Kindred contacts. If the mortal has been dead 100 years, the Kindred will look like a skeleton.

**Experience cost:** 12

#### Exquisite Corpse

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Fortitude 3.*

When Kindred rise every night, their bodies usually return to the same state they were in. You are able to maintain that perfect look throughout the night through a combination of supernatural physical toughness and your ability to control how others perceive you.

**System:** The Kindred suffers no cosmetic changes when she takes damage. If she gets shot, there’s no bullet hole. If a limb is removed, it turns to dust and an illusory one appears where the other once was. All health levels and dice pool penalties remain as normal, but someone trying to hurt the Kindred must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) after the first successful attack, or be stunned in disbelief. If stunned, all future rolls that scene to hurt the Kindred are at +2 difficulty.

**Experience cost:** 18

#### True Love’s Face

Through perfect combination of Mask of 1,000 Faces and Entrancement, the Setite can appear to another person as someone he already loves. If she does not know of such a person, she can let the victim define his own “true love” and let the power do the rest. In that case, however, the Setite will have to use her wits to discover who the victim thinks she is.

**System:** The vampire receives a roll of Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 6). Success means that the chosen victim sees the vampire as a loved one for as long as the vampire remains in her presence.

**Experience cost:** 18

#### Flesh Wound

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Fortitude 2.*

True predators know when to rely on cunning and trickery to defeat enemies. Using this power, the Gangrel gives the appearance of taking no damage from attacks. In reality, the attacks hurt like hell, but the Gangrel maintains a facade of invulnerability in order to unnerve opponents. Particularly canny vampires may convince foes that they are, in fact, immune to assault.

**System:** The player spends one blood point to activate this power. For the duration of the scene, the Gangrel appears as she did upon activation of this power; any wounds or scars already present will remain visible. Further damage does not show on the Gangrel’s form, nor do any logical results, such limping or leaking blood. This power ends if the Gangrel reaches the incapacitated health level or is staked. Under no circumstances can the wounds be discerned by an outside source before the power ends.

**Experience cost:** 15

#### Shroud of Absence

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Obtenebration 3.*

This variant of Shroud of Night creates not just an area of shadow, but also an area no one looks at. It is effectively a cloak of invisibility, an area any bystander will simply ignore. To look inside the cloak of deception requires a powerful act of will.

**System:** The use of this power requires a blood point and a roll of Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). If successful, an area about ten feet/3 meters across within the vampire’s line of sight is cloaked. The cloaked area can be moved at a normal walking pace and lasts for an hour for each success. Anyone wishing to look into the cloaked area must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) and score more successes than the vampire did to create the area. If she succeeds, she can see through the cloak as if it wasn’t there.

**Experience cost:** 18

#### Creepy Clown Coat

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Dementation 1.*

Everyone fears something. It may be a phobia, a person, or a concept. This ability allows you to appear as a representation of a person’s worst fears. They may flee, break down and cry, or start throwing punches at the very sight of you.

**System:** Roll Wits + Awareness, with a difficulty equal to the target’s current Willpower. Success allows the user to appear as a human representation of what the target fears most. If the fear is of a concept or an animal, the user appears as a representation of that fear. For example, if a person is afraid of being burned alive, the Malkavian might appear as an arsonist, or as a relative of the target that burned up in a fire. The target must make a Courage roll to do anything other than react to the source of her fear. The target must generate a number of successes equal to the successes on the Malkavian’s roll.

**Experience cost:** 12

#### Bestial Presence

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Obfuscate 3.*

Using this power, the vampire summons up a little of the Beast in each nearby vampire and gives it form. This gestalt entity becomes a brooding animal presence that follows the vampire like a companion.

**System:** The companion is summoned using Manipulation + Animal Ken with a difficulty of 8. It remains for a number of hours equal to the amount of successes gained. The vampire must also spend one blood point.
The brooding presence of the companion puts all nearby vampires on edge. They feel their own Beast watching and whispering to them. While the companion is present, all vampires (except the summoner) in its immediate vicinity suffer -2 dice to all Social rolls and all rolls to resist any form of frenzy.

**Experience cost:**18

#### Cloak the Beast

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Obfuscate 3.*

Even a Kindred who has not mastered the Beast might learn to hide her failings from others. With this ability, the Nosferatu has such control over their animal side that she can use her powers of stealth to conceal how badly she may have fallen from grace.

System: This power requires no roll, simply granting an ability that comes into play whenever any power attempts to determine the Kindred’s Humanity/Path or Virtue ratings. The difficulty of such an attempt is increased by the Kindred’s Animalism or Obfuscate rating (whichever is higher).
A failure shows the Kindred to have solid control over their Virtues, and a Humanity/Path rating of at least a healthy 7.
The player should be warned that depending on whatever recent actions provoked such a scan or interview she may still have a lot of explaining to do!

**Experience cost:** 24

#### Soul Decoration

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Obfuscate 3.*

The body and soul are linked. Outer change brings inner change (and vice versa). The body’s experiences can be summed up in the aura, but this phenomenon is the product of physical forces. By physically adjusting certain locations on the body — chakras, joints, erogenous zones, and the like — a Tzimisce with this power can “paint” whatever aura he chooses. The aura artist uses tools such as needles, clamps, and electric shock to work such change.

**System:**Aura crafting is a sensitive and precise art and requires at least ten minutes of uninterrupted work. After spending three Willpower points, the player makes a Perception + Empathy roll. The difficulty of this roll is equal to the subject’s current Willpower — stronger personalities resist alteration. The number of successes indicates how completely the aura can be changed to the Tzimisce’s specifications.

**Successes Result**
1 Can alter primary color
2 Can alter secondary color
3 Can alter psychological state (frenzied, psychotic, etc.)
4 Can conceal or falsify diablerie and magic use
5 Can conceal or falsify natural condition (vampire, shapeshifter, ghost, etc.)

The deception lasts one night per success. During this time, the aura doesn’t change to reflect new conditions in its owner. This power changes only the aura, not the subject herself. At the Storyteller’s discretion, the subject may feel token emotions to match her new colors. She might feel somewhat distrustful if her aura was painted light green, for instance.

**Experience cost:** 21

#### Celebrity

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Presence 2.*

A lower-powered version of Majesty, this power allows the Kindred to claim some celebrity glamour. Those around her come to believe she is some sort of famous media personality. While they can’t quite place her, they become sure they have seen her on television or on an advertising billboard. It allows the Kindred to get preferential treatment, media attention, and access to VIP areas and exclusive places.

**System:** To activate this power the Kindred makes an Appearance + Presence roll, difficulty 8. For each success, she can add an extra die to her pool for any social interactions where fame is an advantage. This might be for convincing a doorman to let her into a club, or inspiring a group of people to ask for her autograph. Essentially, it allows the Kindred to gain all the benefits of the Fame background, with the ability to turn it off. The effects of this power last for a scene.

**Experience cost:** 15

#### Silent Voice

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Obfuscate 3.*

By pitching her voice impossibly high, the Daughter of Cacophony can use her powers inaudibly. This means that powers that rely on the voice to cause harm can be done in silence.

**System:**In most cases this power works whenever the user wants it to with no roll. However, as it involves sound outside even most supernatural ranges, those with Auspex are allowed a test to try and detect it (Perception + Awareness + Auspex, difficulty 8). Unfortunately, those who do so risk hurting their ears, and take 1 non-lethal wound level for every 2 successes they get on their roll.

**Experience cost:** 18

### Dot 4 Powers

#### Vanish from the Mind’s Eye

This potent expression of Obfuscate enables the vampire to disappear from plain view. So profound is this vanishing that the immortal can fade away even if he stands directly in front of someone. While the disappearance itself is quietly subtle, its impact on those who see it is anything but. Most kine panic and flee in the aftermath. Especially weak-willed individuals wipe the memory of the Kindred from their minds. Although vampires are not shaken so easily, even Kindred may be momentarily surprised by a sudden vanishing.

**System:** The player rolls Charisma + Stealth; the difficulty equals the target’s Wits + Alertness (use the highest total in the group if the character disappears in front of a crowd). With three or fewer successes, the character fades but does not vanish, becoming an indistinct, ghostlike figure. With more than three, he disappears completely. If the player scores more successes than an observer’s Willpower rating, that person forgets that the vampire was there in the first place.
Tracking the character accurately while he appears ghostlike requires a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 8). A successful roll means the individual can interact normally with the vampire (although the Kindred looks like a profoundly disturbing ghostly shape). A failed roll results in a +2 difficulty modifier (maximum 10) when attempting to act upon, or interact with, the vampire. The Storyteller may call for new observation checks if the vampire moves to an environment in which he’s difficult to see (heads into shadows, crosses behind an obstacle, proceeds through a crowd). When fully invisible, the vampire is handled as described under Unseen Presence, above.
A person subject to the vanishing makes a Wits + Courage roll (mortals at difficulty 9, vampires at difficulty 5). A successful roll means the individual reacts immediately (although after the vampire performs his action for that turn); failure means the person stands uncomprehending for two turns while her mind tries to make sense of what she just experienced.

### Dot 5 Powers

#### Cloak the Gathering

At this degree of power, the vampire may extend his concealing abilities to cover an area. The immortal may use any Obfuscate power upon those nearby as well as upon himself, if he wishes. Any protected person who compromises the cloak exposes himself to view. Further, if the one who invokes the power gives himself away, the cloak falls from everyone. This power is particularly useful if the vampire needs to bring his retinue through a secure location without drawing the notice of others.

**System:** The character may conceal one extra individual for each dot of Stealth he possesses. He may bestow any single Obfuscate power at a given time to the group. While the power applies to everyone under the character’s cloak, his player need only make a single roll. Each individual must follow the requirements described under the relevant Obfuscate power to remain under its effect; any person who fails to do so loses the cloak’s protection, but doesn’t expose the others. Only if the vampire himself errs does the power drop for everyone.

#### Forbidden Zone

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Potence 3.*

By infusing her strength into an area as a barrier, the Nosferatu can create a space that resists any form of physical entry. However, this barrier is illusionary and all in the mind of the target. The area might be cloaked or not, as the Nosferatu decides. However, entering the area requires anyone else to have to push through an apparent invisible force. The vampire can release individuals from this power simply by touch.

**System:** The vampire rolls Strength + Subterfuge (difficulty 6) and spends a blood point. For each success, the character may maintain the zone for one hour, although once set up she need not remain nearby.The vampire can create a zone of any size up to a radius of six feet/ two meters for each point of Potence and Obfuscate she has. So a vampire with Obfuscate 5 and Potence 3 could create a zone with a radius of up to 48 feet/16 meters.
For anyone except the vampire to enter the zone requires a roll as if the character was attempting to open a door. However, the zone is actually a mental barrier, not a physical one, so the successes required equal the vampire’s Obfuscate + Potence, and the difficulty is 7.
Characters already inside the zone may leave it without any problem, but must make the same roll to return. The vampire can touch any character and exclude them from the effects of this power at no cost.

**Experience cost:** 24

#### Haunted Place

*This is a combo Discipline and requires Presence 2.*

Given how few Nosferatu master Presence, this is a rare power, but a potent one. The Nosferatu cloaks an area in power, making the place almost impossible to miss. However, it becomes noticeable due to the fetid and corrupt aura the place acquires. Most people avoid it without even knowing why. It seems somehow corrupt and twisted; somewhere no one with any good intent might choose to visit.

**System**: To create such a place, the vampire must make three rolls on three consecutive nights. Each roll takes an hour to perform, as she spends at least five blood points around the area during the course of the hour. Then, the player rolls Manipulation + Empathy and chooses a difficulty number (the same difficulty number for each roll). If all three rolls are successful, the aura of corruption settles over the place.
For anyone but the vampire to enter it, he must make a Willpower roll with a difficulty equal to the one the vampire chose in creating the Haunted Place. The effect lasts for as long as the vampire lives, or until the Storyteller rules the area has changed significantly or lost some of its menace (such as an urban renewal program).

**Experience cost:** 21

### Dot 6 Powers

#### Conceal

The vampire may mask an inanimate object up to the size of a house (Obfuscate cannot be used to disguise inanimate objects without the use of this power). If the object is hidden, so are all of its contents. While Conceal is in effect, passersby walk around the concealed object as if it were still visible, but refuse to acknowledge that they are making any kind of detour.

**System:** In order to activate this power, a character must be within about 30 feet (approximately 10 meters) of the object to be concealed and the item must hold some personal significance for him.
The Conceal power functions as Unseen Presence for purposes of detection, as well as the duration and durability of the disguise.
Conceal can be used on a vehicle in which the character is traveling. In this instance, traffic patterns seem to flow around the vehicle, and accidents are actually less likely as other drivers subconsciously maneuver away from the concealed auto. A police radar gun still registers a speeding car masked in this fashion, but the officer behind the gun is disinclined to make a traffic stop of the phantom blip.
Using Conceal on aircraft is problematic, as the power’s range generally doesn’t extend far enough to cover air traffic controllers and the like.

#### Mind Blank

A vampire with this power is able to shrug off telepathic contact, easily withstanding invasive probes of her mind.

**System:** Any attempt to read or probe the character’s mind first requires a successful Perception + Empathy roll (difficulty equal to the character’s Wits + Stealth). Even if a potential intruder does succeed, his dice pool for the attempt is then limited to the number of successes he scored on the initial roll.

#### Soul Mask

In addition to concealing her form, a vampire who has developed Soul Mask is able to conceal her aura. She may display whatever combination of colors and shades she wishes, or may appear to have no aura whatsoever. This power is of particular use to those of elder Generation who have reached such heights of power through diablerie.

**System:** The use of this power allows the projection of only one aura (or lack thereof) — the vampire chooses the precise colors to be displayed when she first develops Soul Mask. If the character has no experience with the use of Aura Perception, she may not choose an alternate aura, as she has no idea what one would look like, though she can still choose to display no aura whatsoever.
Soul Mask can be bought multiple times, if desired, in order to give a vampire multiple alternate auras from which to choose.
Unless the player states otherwise, Soul Mask is always in effect. If the character has bought Soul Mask two or more times, her “default” aura displayed is the first one she learned.

#### Confusion of the Eye

This power extends the effect of Mask of 1,000 Faces to another person in a specialized way. While under the influence of this power, the victim perceives one other person of the vampire’s choosing as someone else. For instance, the victim might see and hear the city’s Sabbat Archbishop as a mortal janitor, or a despised Anarch as a primogen whose favor the victim desires. The victim hears whatever the “masked” person says, but unconsciously explains away any inconsistencies in the person’s responses. If the “masked” person directly tries to persuade the victim of his true identity, the victim will prove hard to convince and may become angry.

**System:** This power costs one Willpower point to use. The vampire’s player makes a Willpower roll (difficulty of the target’s current Willpower).
If the roll succeeds, the victim sees one person of the character’s choosing as one other person, also of the character’s choosing. The effect lasts up to 24 hours.
The victim will rationalize or ignore most evidence that the “masked” person is not who he believes. If the “masked” person tries to convince the victim of her true identity, the “masked” person makes a Charisma + Subterfuge roll, while the victim makes a Willpower roll (both difficulty 7). If the victim gets more successes than the “masked” person does, she is convinced. Otherwise, she isn’t, and must make a Self-Control roll to keep her calm.

#### Mental Maze

This power removes a victim’s sense of direction, forcing him to move in circles and binding him to an area of the vampire’s choosing. The vampire can trap a person in his own home. To the victim’s point of view, the house folds back on itself, and all the exits lead back inside.

**System:** The vampire’s player must make a Charisma + Intimidation roll (difficulty of the target’s current Willpower). The difficulty increases by 2 if the character cannot speak to her chosen victims, telling them they cannot escape. For each success, the character may affect one victim.
The effects last a full scene. Normally, the power is used in a multi-room structure such as a house, or an outside area about the same size. A much larger area (anything from an office tower to a neighborhood) reduces the difficulty by 1 and increases the duration to a full day. If the vampire wants to trap a victim within a single room, the character must expend a point of Willpower. A character must also expend a Willpower point to use the Mental Maze upon supernatural victims such as werewolves, mages, other vampires, or ghouls.

#### Scrawl

What seems like meaningless scribble to the untrained eye is sometimes a tacit way for Malkavians to communicate with one another. Malkavians often communicate to each other in ways only others understand, but Scrawl allows the Kindred to choose who makes out her cackling code. The shaky hand is recognizable as Scrawl to anyone with the Discipline, though no one outside the Clan recognizes the hidden meaning at all. Elders often use this to pass messages to other members of the Clan, or leave ones out in the open hidden in graffiti.

**System:** No roll is required to write the message, but if the Malkavian wants a specific Clanmate to read it only, she must know the target, his sire, or his progeny.

#### Busy Doing Nothing

With this ability, the Nosferatu is perfectly visible, but appears to be doing something innocuous when he is actually up to something else. If he is picking a lock, for example, he will appear to be standing by the door innocently. Even when involved in a brawl, he will seem to be a bystander. The image works in a similar way to Mask of a Thousand Faces, in that the Nosferatu is exactly where he appears to be.

**System:** To use this power, the Nosferatu rolls Manipulation + Performance (difficulty 7). The better the result, the more action the Nosferatu can take without disturbing the image. For one success, he might only be able to listen to a door while appearing to stand near it, while for five successes he can be engaged in a fight and appear to be a bystander.

#### Displacement

The Nosferatu can use his power not only to disappear, but also to appear shifted a little to one side or the other. Essentially, she isn’t standing quite where she appears to be. This makes the vampire extremely difficult to hit. It is almost harder to strike her than when she is invisible, as trying to ignore what you can see in front of you is very difficult.

**System:** This power costs a blood point to activate for a scene. While active, this power imposes a dice penalty of the user’s Obfuscate rating to any attempt to hit or touch her. The attacker is allowed a Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty equal to the user’s Obfuscate rating + 4, maximum 9) to notice the deception after a few blows.
If successful, the attacker can reduce the penalty by the amount of successes she gained. The penalty is also further reduced by the attacker’s Auspex rating, but to a minimum of 1 in all cases.

### Dot 7 Powers

#### Cache

Most Obfuscate powers require the individual using them to be within a short distance of the subjects of the concealment. Cache extends this range considerably, allowing an elder with this power to leave people or objects safely hidden while he goes about his business elsewhere.

**System:** A character must be within the normal required distance to initiate an Obfuscate power. Once this is done, the player spends a Willpower point, which activates Cache on top of the already functioning use of the Discipline. The concealment will now remain in effect as long as the vampire is within a distance equal to his Wits + Stealth in miles (or one and half times that in kilometers) from the object or person he wishes to conceal.
The enhanced concealment fades at the next sunrise, or breaks (as always) if the Obfuscate subject reveals himself.

#### Veil of Blissful Ignorance

This power’s development is attributed to the Malkavians, but many Nosferatu have also found it to be highly useful. The Veil of Blissful Ignorance allows a vampire to Obfuscate an unwilling victim, removing him from the notice of others. Some Nosferatu use this power to teach a humbling lesson to individuals who take the presence and aid of others for granted, while others utilize it to remove an essential member of a group in the midst of a crisis.

**System:** The character must touch the victim to activate this power. The player spends a blood point and rolls Wits + Stealth (difficulty equals the victim’s Appearance+ 3).
If the roll is a success, the victim is subject to the effects of Vanish From the Mind’s Eye for a length of time determined by the number of successes the player rolls.

**Successes Result**

1 success Three turns
2 successes One minute (20 turns)
3 successes 15 minutes
4 successes One hour
5 successes One night
The victim of Veil of Blissful Ignorance does not necessarily know that he is under the effect of this power. He is only aware that everyone around him has suddenly begun acting as if he were not there. The victim cannot break this effect, even with violence; if he attacks someone, the target ascribes the act to the visible individual nearest to him. More than one fatal brawl has been incited by this side-effect.
The Veil persists even if the vampire who activated it leaves the area. Curiously enough, Veil of Blissful Ignorance can never be used on anyone who is ready and willing to accept its effects.

### Dot 8 Powers

#### Old Friend

Many elder Nosferatu have made reputations for omniscience with the secrets they learn through creative uses of this power. A variation of Mask of a Thousand Faces, Old Friend allows a vampire to probe a subject’s subconscious and take the semblance of the individual whom that victim trusts over anyone else. Someone using this power does not appear as someone who the victim is frightened of or awed by, but rather someone to whom the victim feels comfortable revealing intimate secrets. Old Friend doesn’t necessarily make its user appear as someone who is still among the living; a long- dead friend or relative is just as likely, and in such cases the subject remembers the encounter as a dream or a ghostly visitation.

**System:** The player rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty equal to the victim’s Perception + Alertness or Awareness, maximum 10). The more successes, the more convincing the impersonation. This power only affects one victim at a time; other observers see the vampire as she truly is, unless she also establishes a Mask of a Thousand Faces in addition to using Old Friend.

### Dot 9 Powers

#### Create Name

Some Toreador call this power the ultimate development of method acting. Create Name allows a character to create a completely new identity; face, speech pattern, aura, even thought processes are constructed according to the vampire’s desired identity.
The power can be used to impersonate an existing individual, or it can project the semblance of a completely fictional identity with perfect accuracy.

**System:** A vampire working with Create Name must spend three hours a night in relatively uninterrupted quiet to establish a new personality by means of this power. The player makes an extended roll of Intelligence + Subterfuge (difficulty 8), one roll per night.
A total of 20 successes are necessary to construct a new identity, while a botch removes five successes from the vampire’s total.
Once a new identity has been successfully created, however, the character can step into it at any time without any sort of roll. Any outside observer without Auspex 9 or the equivalent sees the artificial identity. The character’s face, aura, Nature, Demeanor, even thoughts and Psychological Merits and Flaws all appear to be those of the persona selected and crafted by the character.
The only way to pierce this disguise, other than Auspex 9, is to notice any discrepancies between the assumed identity and the Abilities it logically ought to possess. A character with no dots in Medicine should have a hard time pulling off a created identity as a neurosurgeon, for example. The Storyteller should make a secret roll of Perception + Alertness (difficulty 9) for each character who should catch a slip made by the impostor.