Elixirs

# Elixir

The mystery cultists of
the Ascending Ones draw their power not from modern science or from the
inexplicable mysteries of the occult, but from the ancient and revered practice
of alchemy. By breathing in exotic incense, imbibing potions with bizarre
hallucinatory effects, and even injecting potent narcotics into their veins,
they unlock the higher powers of the human mind and body in order to make war
on the creatures of the night.

All Elixirs utilize the
same dice pool of Stamina + Elixir to activate successfully. Most Elixirs, by
themselves, are extraordinarily virulent poisons. It takes physical fortitude
(represented by Stamina) and the enlightened will that comes from the training
of an Ascending One (represented by dots in the Elixir Merit) to transform the
poison into the mind-elevating Elixir that gives a hunter power.

A character begins play
with a number of Elixir formulas whose combined dot ratings equal her Elixir
dots, plus her dots in Status (Ascending Ones). New formulas may be purchased
at a cost of one experience point per dot rating.

A character begins each
session with a number of Elixers prepared- their total rating cannot exceed
twice the character's (Status: Ascending Ones +Occult +Resources).

Example: Alia is a
character with Elixir 3, Occult 1, Resources 1, & Status (Ascending Ones)

She knows how to make
different Elixirs, that are worth a combined 5 dots (Elixir 3 +Status 2). She
chooses Crocodile Tears (1), Eye of Ra (1), and Bennu-Bird Feather (3).

She begins each game
with any combination of these potions prepared, up to a combined  8 dots worth.

## Crocodile Tears (•)

According to old
folklore, crocodiles weep to lure in prey. Feigning helplessness and
vulnerability, they present themselves as tempting targets and, when animal or
man draws near to investigate, they strike. The Ascending Ones learn from this
story that sometimes a false show of weakness is a more potent weapon than a
true show of strength. Crocodile tears are a thick, almost jellylike liquid
with a strong taste of lemons and almond. A character must drink them to
receive the effect. Upon drinking the Tears, the Ascended One grows pale and
shaky, with skin tightening to give an emaciated appearance consistent with
grave illness.

Action: Instant.

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
Ascending One is treated as though she had ingested a Toxicity 2 poison. This
poison may be resisted with a contested Stamina + Resolve roll subtracting the
poison’s Toxicity.

Failure: The character
is affected as if she had taken a mild (-1 to appropriate dice pools and
traits) dose of marijuana. Success: The Ascending One appears, for all intents
and purposes, as though she is at death’s door, about to keel over from
exhaustion or disease. A medical examination will reveal the ruse, but a visual
inspection requires a Wits + Medicine roll contested by the hunter’s
Manipulation + Subterfuge + Elixir.

Supernatural abilities
that gauge a character’s strength or weakness likewise register the hunter as
nearly dead if the Ascending One wins a contested, reflexive Manipulation +
Subterfuge + Elixir roll against the dice pool of the power. The hunter does
suffer a -1 to all dice pools — those tremors are real enough — but she may
spend a Willpower point as a reflexive action to instantly purge the effect of
the Elixir and negate the penalty. Unless the character purges the effect
early, the Crocodile Tears wear off in one scene.

Exceptional Success:
The character does not suffer the -1 penalty to her dice pools; the illusion of
deathly illness is perfect without actually impairing the character. The
successful use of Crocodile Tears does not compel an enemy to act in any
particular manner, but many monsters (and even many ordinary humans) prefer to
take on a much weaker opponent if they can. Crocodile Tears are a useful aid to
setting up an ambush, not a guaranteed lure.

## Eye of Ra (•)

The sun-god Ra sees all
that transpires beneath his fiery gaze. By anointing themselves with sacred
oils, the Ascending Ones gain a measure of this divine perception for
themselves. While they cannot truly gain insight into everything under the sun,
they can enhance their own perceptive abilities and sharpen their senses toward
what is hidden.

Eye of Ra is sandalwood
oil infused with sacred herbs and plants thought to aid in the sharpening of
the senses. It also contains kohl, the cosmetic traditionally used by the
Egyptians to darken their eyelids, which contains several toxic compounds.

Traditionally, the oil is applied by dabbing
it around the eye in the shape of the sacred symbol of the eye of Ra (also
called the eye of Horus). Ascending Ones who embrace Islam over the faith of
the pharaohs refer to the oil as “Eye of Jibril,” and simply anoint themselves
on the eyelids without drawing the eye of Ra.

Action: Instant.

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
Ascending One is afflicted with a Toxicity 4 bashing poison. This poison may be
resisted with a contested Stamina + Resolve roll subtracting the poison’s
Toxicity.

Failure: The hunter is
affected as though she had consumed a mild (-1) dose of heroin.

Success: The character
gains a bonus to Perception rolls (either general Wits + Composure or Wits + a
specific Skill) equal to her Elixir rating. The bonus lasts for one scene.
Exceptional Success: In addition to the Perception bonus, if the Ascending One
passes within two yards of a supernatural creature, she may roll a reflexive
Wits + Occult roll (not including the bonus from the Eye of Ra) contested by
the monster’s Resolve + Composure to recognize it as unnatural. She does not
gain any insight into what sort of creature it might be, only that it is not
human.

## Hound Mark (•) or (•••)

The Mask may hide
Changelings’ true nature from human perception, but Hound Mark ferrets out the
Lost’s true form. Those who consume this elixir are able to perceive
Changelings and other fae creatures through sensory clues, regardless of how
well their visages may be hidden.

Hound Mark is a
viscous, dark green draught that tastes like anise and hints of lichen. It
appears to have small granules in it, which crunch and pop when ground between
the teeth. The one dot version only works with fae creatures. But, with the
three dot version, the Hunter’s awareness extends to all hidden monsters.

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
hunter gains the Blind Condition (Persistent) until he earns three successes on
an extended Stamina + Resolve roll. Each roll represents a full hour of
attempting to overcome the elixir’s effects.

Failure: The hunter is
affected as though he had consumed a moderate dose of ecstasy (-2 to all dice
pools and traits).

Success: The character
gains the ability to perceive fae creatures in his immediate area (5 foot
radius). This perception will manifest differently for different individuals:
some may smell the cloying scent of overripe fruit on the Changeling, while
others may sense a golden aura around her, or hear whispers just below the
range of true understanding while in a fae presence.

Exceptional Success: As
above, but the range is increased to 20 feet in radius, and the perception
allows the hunter to detect supernaturally hidden fae creatures. While an
invisible Changeling will still remain invisible, the hunter will be able to
suss out his location by following his supernatural senses.

## Hunting Sight of the Asp (•)

Vampires might be the
loudest offender, but many things go bump in the night. Much of the Vigil
rightly takes place in the dark, and for some hunters the tell-tale flashlights
and bulky night-vision equipment isn’t always the most effective hunting tool.

This potent concoction
of cobra’s venom, fish liver oil, and strong opiate alkaloid (usually filling
up a small, nondescript bottle of over-the-counter eyedrops) works upon the
hunter’s eye to, as one hunter puts it, “open the eyes behind the eyes.”

The infrared spectrum
comes alive to the Ascending Ones, separating the world into hot and cold and
removing all other distractions. There is only life and unlife, rodents and
serpents, predator and prey. Hunters who have taken this draught tend to hold
their eyes open a little too wide and act just a little alien, but their
ability to hunt in complete darkness or identify the one vampire in the crowded
night club is unparalleled.

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
imbiber is struck blind for 24 hours and acts as if taking a dose of poison of
Toxicity 3.

Failure: The hunter
suffers as if having taken a mild hallucinogen (-1 to all dice pools and traits)

Success: The hunter now
sees in the thermal spectrum enabling her to more or less see in the dark
becoming particularly adept at detecting the heat radiated by living things.
The hunter gains the following benefits for the remainder of the scene:

• Even if a target is
attempting to hide, the hunter gains +3 on any Perception rolls made to find a
target attempting to hide nearby (heat radiating from a body behind a curtain,
for instance).

• This draught is also
quite useful for determining if a person is undead simply by noticing the
dramatic pitch in body heat. The hunter gains +5 to any roll used to determine
if a body is masquerading as alive. Alternately, werewolves (and some demons,
particularly those fresh from whatever Hell realm they come from) “run hotter”
than humans—the hunter gains only +3 on the roll to discern the nature of such
creatures with Hunting Sight of the Asp, however.

• This Elixir can be
used to help determine emotional states. The imbiber gains +1 on Empathy rolls.

• Perception rolls
regarding inanimate objects—especially those that feature little or no
temperature variation from their surroundings—suffer a -2 penalty while the
Hunting Sight of the Asp is active. (Think of trying to locate a set of car
keys with mystical infrared sight.)

Exceptional Success: As
above, but the hunter only suffers a -1 penalty when making Perception rolls
regarding inanimate objects.

== The Red Resin
(•) ==
The monsters hide. Most
look like humans. Many look like shadows or, worse, are invisible. With this
thick, toxic resin—comprising the dark sap of the dracaena tree or rattan palm
coupled with the toxic mercurial ore cinnabar—the hunter can survey the room
and identify the monsters on sight. The resin is a greasy clump of vermillion
powder.

It can be placed
between the gum and lip, but usually, a hunter smokes it in a pipe or rolled in
a cigarette. The smoke is slightly toxic to those nearby—anyone within five
yards breathing in the acrid smoke finds their eyes watering and suffers slight
dizziness, taking a -1 penalty to all rolls for the remainder of the scene.

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
character goes blind for a number of turns equal to ten minus his Elixirs
score. Failure: The character feels giddy and dizzy for the remainder of the
scene, suffering a -1 to all Mental and Social rolls.

Success: The hunter can
see all the monsters within sight—they are outlined by a tinge of red light
that only the hunter can see. Even entities hidden in Twilight are exposed. It
does not identify the nature of these creatures, however—only their
monstrousness. One exception exists: if a monster has a Morality (or equivalent
score) of 8 or higher, the Red Resin fails to note them. This ability lasts for
one scene.

Exceptional Success: The
hunter can also tell what kind of monster it is

## Breath of Ma’at (••)

Hunters must, in the course of their duties,
undertake actions that righteous men would consider sinful. These acts weigh
heavily upon the soul; even the Ascending Ones can be overwhelmed by sin. But
Ma’at, the goddess of truth and divine justice, knows that the hunter’s cause
is virtuous and that all may be forgiven.

By meditating on the soothing incense of the
Breath of Ma’at, an Ascending One may find a kind of peace in the rightness of
his cause. As with many of the Elixirs employed by the Ascending Ones, some
hard-liners reject the Dynastic interpretation of this Elixir.

They call it the Mercy
of Allah, and replace the silent meditation with Salah prayers, claiming it is
Allah the Most Merciful who grants forgiveness. Action: Extended; each roll
represents one hour of fasting and meditation or prayer.

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
hunter automatically gains a mild derangement, or upgrades an existing mild
derangement to a severe one. The hunter’s player and the Storyteller should
work together to choose an appropriate derangement.

Failure: No progress is
made toward alleviating the burden of sin on the character’s soul. Should the
character fail to achieve the required number of successes within the maximum
number of rolls, he is affected as though he had consumed three alcoholic
beverages in excess of his Stamina.

Success: The Ascending
One proceeds toward letting go of his sin.

Exceptional Success: In addition to
extraordinary progress being made toward regaining perspective, the Ascending
One gains a +1 bonus on his next roll to avoid degeneration. This Elixir may
only be employed within 24 hours of the Ascending One losing a point of
Morality, and the character may only benefit from this Elixir once per story.
The character must acquire a number of successes equal to (10 - the Morality
level of his most recent sin).

These successes must be accumulated in a
number of rolls equal to less than the character’s Morality, or the Elixir
fails to take effect. Should the Ascending One acquire the requisite successes,
he may re-roll the degeneration roll that caused him to lose his Morality.

If he succeeds, he
gains the lost Morality point back as though it had never been lost. This
Elixir has no effect
if the character has raised his Morality through another means, such as
experience points. Derangements gained from the now-lost point also diminish.

Example: Hassan, an
Ascending One, burned down an apartment building to kill a vampire that nested
there. Unfortunately, an elderly man was trapped on the upper floor and burned
to death in the ensuing blaze. The Storyteller rules that this was an
impassioned crime, similar to manslaughter, a Morality 4 sin. Hassan’s player
rolls three dice but gets no successes, dropping his Morality from 6 to 5.

He likewise fails his
check to avoid gaining a derangement, and gains a mild phobia of fire. Later
that night, he prepares the Breath of Ma’at to help him realize that the woman
was an unfortunate but unavoidable casualty of a righteous war. Hassan’s
Stamina is 2 and he has 3 dots in Elixir, for a total dice pool of five; since
his most recent sin was a Morality 4 sin, he must accumulate six successes (10
minus 4) in five or fewer rolls.

His first roll comes up
4, 8, 2, 6, 9 for two successes. His second roll is a lucky one, netting him
three more successes. His third and fourth rolls net no successes, but he
slides in under the wire with one success on his fifth and final roll. He may
now reroll his degeneration check of three dice.

This time he gets one
success, and his Morality increases from 5 back to 6 as though he had never
lost the point. He likewise loses the fire phobia, just as if he had never lost
the Morality in the first place.

## Elixir of the Fiery Heart (••)

Many of the beasts the
Ascending Ones hunt are terrifying in their own right. It takes great courage
to face down a deranged slasher in his darkened murder playground, or to stand
toe to toe with a ravening beast the size of a car. But quite apart from
natural fear, some creatures have the ability to fill the soul with abject,
supernatural terror.

Even the strongest
heart can quail before such mystical onslaught, which is why the Ascending Ones
carry this potent Elixir to steel their spirits against the terrors of the
night. Elixir of the Fiery Heart is a thin, yellowish liquid with a smoky
taste. It burns the throat as it goes down, like a potent liquor, but instead
of fuzzy-headed drunkenness, it imparts a kind of clinical disconnect from any
sense of self-preservation.

While the effect
renders a hunter fearless, it also makes her prone to rash action.

Action: Instant.

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
Ascending one is afflicted by a Toxicity 4 bashing poison. This poison may be
resisted with a contested Stamina + Resolve roll subtracting the poison’s
Toxicity.

Failure: The hunter is
affected as though she had consumed two drinks of alcohol in excess of her
Stamina. Success: For the rest of the scene, any attempt to induce fear in the
hunter (including mundane Intimidation or supernatural powers of fright)
subtracts her Elixir rating from the dice pool.

If the power is already
resisted by one of her Traits, her Elixir rating is added to that Trait to
determine the total resistance.

Exceptional Success: In
addition to receiving the benefits of a success against supernatural fear
effects, the Ascending One is entirely immune to mundane, non-magical fear.
Attempts to intimidate her or spook her that lack supernatural force simply
fail.

## Justice of Ma’at (••)

While the incense
called the Breath of Ma’at soothes a hunter’s soul when the righteousness of
his Vigil is called into question, justice is more than a salve for the soul.

Ma’at is the goddess of
truth as well as justice, something worth its weight in gold in a murder trial.
Inhaling this Elixir makes a hunter burn with the need for truth, his mind
alive with possibilities and his soul burning with the need for justice.

The Justice of Ma’at is
a blend of four drops of a child’s blood, the powdered bone of a hanged man,
and cocaine. Combined into a very fine red powder, the Ascending Ones either
inhale the compound or rub it into the gums.

While under the
effects, the hunter feels possessed by an otherworldly force, whether it is the
Just Will of Allah or the goddess Ma’at. She must find the truth — though
whether she uses it towards justice or revenge is a very personal thing.

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
Ascending One is afflicted by a Toxicity 4 bashing poison. This poison can be
resisted with a contested Stamina + Resolve roll against the poison’s Toxicity.

Failure: The hunter
receives no bonus from the Elixir, and is affected as though he had taken a
mild (-1 to Social rolls, no bonus to Strength or Stamina) dose of cocaine.

Success: For the rest
of the scene, the hunter burns with a need for the truth. He receives a bonus
to all Investigation rolls equal to his Elixir rating. If the hunter commits a
sin against Morality in her quest for the truth, she gains an additional die on
rolls to avoid degeneration.

Exceptional Success: In
addition to receiving the benefits of a success, the hunter is able to mete out
justice with the mandate of heaven. He ignores all wound penalties while under
the influence of this Elixir.

## Vapors of Mercury (••)

The element mercury is
also known as quicksilver. Extremely toxic, quicksilver poisoning can result
from simple skin contact with the element or by inhaling the fumes. The
alchemists of the Ascending Ones combine quicksilver with other esoteric
ingredients to brew the Vapors of Mercury. The Elixir is inhaled by breathing
in the vapors from a censor or, more commonly, from a modified asthma inhaler.

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
hunter fails to process the toxins carried by the vapor and is afflicted with a
Toxicity 4 lethal poison. This poison may be resisted with a contested Stamina
+ Resolve roll against the poison’s Toxicity.

Failure: The hunter is
affected as though she had taken a moderate (-2 to all dice pools and traits)
dose of hallucinogen.

Success: The hunter
manages to process the Vapors of Mercury and benefits from its effects for the
rest of the scene. The Elixir transmutes the blood of the hunter into a watery
silver substance that burns like acid if touched by a werewolf.

Each time the hunter
suffers a wound that causes at least one point of lethal damage, any werewolf
within one yard of the hunter takes an equal amount of lethal damage from the
silvery blood spatter. Wounds caused by the spatter are considered aggravated
for the purposes of healing for werewolves.

Exceptional Success: As
above, but the werewolf suffers an additional one point of lethal damage per
instance of toxic blood spatter.

== Agora Salve
(•••) ==
Those who engage in
Sulha, or diplomacy and peacemaking with the monsters, sometimes need a little
edge when it comes to speaking. The Agora Salve can be that edge. (Agora infers
“public places,” and also refers to a “place of assembly” in classic Greece.)
By mixing dried vampire’s blood with gold flake and the hunter’s own blood, it
creates a gooey unguent that can be used to coat the hunter’s tongue and affect
his words.

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
character goes mute and his tongue feels fat and useless in the mouth, like a
dead slug. The effect lasts until he can sleep for eight hours.

Failure: The character
feels profoundly fatigued, and must make Wits + Stamina rolls to stay awake
every minute (reflexive). This lasts for one scene.

Success: The hunter
speaks, and when he does, his words are slow, monotonous, and calming. He gains
a bonus equal to his dots in the Elixir Endowment to all Social rolls, and
during this time, he may not be attacked by anybody (monster or human) unless
he attacks them first. This lasts for a number of minutes equal to successes
gained on this roll.

Exceptional Success: As
above, and the hunter regains a point of Willpower.

## Bennu-Bird Feather (•••)

Supposedly plucked from
the tail of the Bennu-bird, the Egyptian phoenix associated with Ra, this
feather is ground up, along with medicinal herbs and potent opiates, into a
thick, gooey paste capable of accelerating the healing process tremendously.
Bennu-Bird Feather must be smeared over a wound to have any effect, whether an
open gash or a mere bruise. The unguent smells strongly of cardamom and
willowbark, with an acrid, medicinal tang.

Action: Instant.

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The hunter
is afflicted by a Toxicity 2 lethal poison. This poison may be resisted with a
contested Stamina + Resolve roll subtracting the poison’s Toxicity.

Failure: The hunter is
treated as though he has ingested a moderate (-2 to all dice pools and traits) dose
of heroin.

Success: Every success
on the activation roll heals two points of bashing damage or one point of
lethal damage. The character has no control over this healing; more severe
injuries are automatically healed ? rst.

Exceptional Success: In
addition to the immediate healing, the Ascending One heals naturally at double
the normal rate (one bashing wound per eight minutes, one lethal wound per day,
and one aggravated wound per four days). If the hunter has the Quick Healer
Merit, he heals wounds in one third the normal time (one bashing wound per five
minutes, one lethal wound per 16 hours, and one aggravated wound per three
days).

## A Glimpse of After (•••)

According to medieval
historians, initiates into the order of the Hashshashin assassins would be
drugged with a slow-acting poison such that they felt as though they were
dying. When they were given the antidote, they awoke to find themselves in a
beautiful garden, feasted and succored by lovely virgins and greeted by the
grand master of the order.

They were told they
were in Paradise, but they would be sent back to Earth to serve the order as
faithful soldiers. If they ever wanted to return to the garden, they would
serve loyally and carry out the goals of the order without question. Bolstered
by the thought of awaiting Paradise, these assassins fought with a fanatic zeal
that gave them the ability to fight far beyond the endurance of ordinary men.

While the Hashshashin were not a creation of
the Ascending Ones, the conspiracy did sometimes convert members of the
opiate-addled assassins, and with them, this Elixir.

The clear, slightly
cinnamon-flavored Elixir called A Glimpse of After fills the imbiber’s mind
with visions of the heavenly afterlife that awaits him after death (each hunter
is likely to experience his own unique glimpse of beyond — one may see a
garden, another a meadow, and another an endless-yet-comforting void).

These visions drive
away the pain of injury and fatigue, turning the Ascending One into a
nigh-unstoppable dynamo.

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
hunter is affected by a Toxicity 4 lethal poison. He may resist this poison by
rolling Stamina + Resolve as a contested action versus the poison’s Toxicity.

Failure: The hunter
receives no benefit and is affected as though he had taken a moderate (-2 to
all dice pools and traits) dose of heroin.

Success: The Ascending
One is filled with a rapturous vision of Heaven that drives away the earthly
distraction of torment and death. For the rest of the scene, he ignores all
wound penalties. In addition, he automatically stays up and conscious if his
rightmost Health box is marked with a bashing wound, and may make a reflexive
Stamina roll each turn to stay up if his rightmost Health box is marked with a
lethal wound

He does continue to
suffer blood loss if his last Health box is marked with a lethal wound. When
the scene ends, the effects of this Elixir wear off and the character
immediately suffers all his wound penalties and any effects of having his
rightmost Health box filled.

Exceptional Success: In
addition to the above effects, the Ascending One suffers only half damage from
bashing attacks for the duration of the Elixir’s effect (determine damage from
the attack normally, then halve the number of successes, rounding up).

## Mind-Talking Drug (•••)

Communication is a
vital component of success for any hunter cell. Without the ability to maintain
communication during an assault, no plan can survive contact with the enemy.
Other groups rely on sophisticated radios or complex systems of hand signals,
but the Ascending Ones simply brew up a vat of this mind-expanding psychotropic
and inject it into the base of their neck. Once he fights his way through the
hallucinations, the Ascending One finds he has the ability to read the surface
thoughts of others and even to project his own thoughts into their minds.

The Mind-Talking Drug
is a virulent shade of yellow, with subtle veins of a slightly darker color
swirled throughout the liquid. Since it must be injected, it is usually carried
in a large, sturdy syringe.

Action: Extended; five
successes required; each roll represents one minute of struggling with
hallucinations.

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
character is afflicted by a Toxicity 3 lethal poison. This poison may be
resisted with a contested Stamina + Resolve roll subtracting the poison’s
Toxicity.

Failure: The hunter
makes no progress toward sifting through the hallucinations to find the truth.
If he is unable to earn five successes in a number of rolls equal to his
Stamina + Elixir, he is affected as though he had taken a potent (-3 to all
dice pools and traits) dose of hallucinogen.

Success: For the rest
of the scene, the Ascending One may, as a reflexive action, hold a two-way
mental conversation with another character within his line of sight or scan the
surface thoughts of another. Holding a two-way conversation requires a Presence
+ Composure roll, with one roll required of both characters for every turn’s
worth of conversation. If the character being conversed with is also under the
effect of the Mind-Talking Drug, conversations are automatic, with no roll
required. Scanning the surface thoughts of another character likewise requires
a Presence + Composure roll, contested by the target’s Resolve + Composure if
the target is unwilling.

Even if the target has also taken Mind-Talking
Drug, the roll is required for reading surface thoughts. Exceptional Success:
In addition to communication and surface-thought reading, the Ascending One can
probe deeper into a subject’s mind to uncover buried thoughts. This requires an
extended and contested roll of Presence + Composure vs. Resolve + Composure,
with the number of successes determined by the “depth” of the information.

Surface thoughts
passing through the target’s mind require one success, something the character
thinks about in passing on a daily basis (where her kids go to school) requires
three, something thought about infrequently (where he went on vacation as a
child) requires five, while deeply buried secrets (the name of the man she had
an affair with) require 10 or more. Each roll represents one turn of psychic
probing. The effects of the Mind-Talking Drug last for one scene.

## The Tallyman’s Eyes (•••)

The Ascending Ones hunt
many creatures. Some are obvious nightmares, with twisted flesh around their
damned souls. Others wear the cloak of human form and never breach it.
Slashers, witches, and stranger things look entirely human to an autopsy, never
mind human sight.

The Tallyman’s Eyes
shows that lie for what it is, unveiling the hidden essence of a witch and
laying it plain in the hunter’s sight. She can see the alien marks on a
monster’s soul that others can’t. It won’t highlight a serial killer, but it
will bring light to people who traf? c in eldritch powers. Her eyes are the
eyes of Ma’at when weighing her target’s heart against a feather, and she knows
how the scales will fall.

The Tallyman’s Eyes is
a complex combination of dimethyl triptamine (DMT), alchemical reagents, and
the vitreous humor from a human eye. The ingredients must be blended into a
thin liquid that appears to glow softly with a green light. Most Ascending Ones
place three drops into each eye to see the true weight of a human soul, but a
small number inject the Elixir into their own pupils.

Though this is a scary
prospect the first few times a hunter tries it, the effects of the drug last
far longer. The injected form doesn’t wash out, though, and can lead to
problems with the hunter’s sight when she’s not affected by the Elixir.

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
hunter is affected by a Toxicity 4 bashing poison. If injected into the eye,
this is instead a Toxicity 4 lethal poison. He may resist this poison by rolling
Stamina + Resolve as a contested action versus the poison’s Toxicity Failure:
The hunter receives no benefit from the Elixir, and is affected as though he
had taken a mild (-1 to all dice pools and traits) dose of a hallucinogen.

Success: The Ascending
One can identify the traces of otherworldly energies around a human soul. He
can make a reflexive Wits + Occult roll to identify any magic-user (any
character who possesses the Gnosis or Gifted Merit) in sight. He must be able
to see the witch normally, but the cloud of magic around her is unmistakable.
In addition, the character receives a three-dice bonus to resist mind-altering
effects from
someone he knows to be a mage. The effects normally last for a number of
minutes equal to the character’s Resolve. If he injected the Elixir into his
eye (which necessitates success on a Resolve + Medicine roll), the effects
instead last for a full scene.

Exceptional Success: In
addition to the effects of a success, the hunter can identify places imbued
with magical energy.

## Amun’s Water (••••)

The monsters the
Ascending Ones face are at home among the shadows, lurking unseen in the night.
To face them and uncover their wickedness, a hunter must sometimes go unseen as
well, passing beyond sight and entering the very den of the lions. By quaffing
this potion, an Ascended One veils herself from sight, becoming truly
invisible. (Amun, a sun god, was often associated with the sun when it was
hidden from view — in other words, at night.)

Amun’s Water is a deep
blue liquid the consistency of ink, brewed from deadly nightshade and the venom
of an adder. It has a cloying, sweet taste, like over-sugared coffee, and as it
goes down, it feels like swallowing liquid nitrogen.

Action: Instant.

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
character is afflicted by a Toxicity 3 lethal poison. This poison may be
resisted with a contested Stamina + Resolve roll subtracting the poison’s
Toxicity.

Failure: The hunter is
affected as though she had taken a potent (-3 to all dice pools and traits)
dose of hallucinogen.

Success: The Ascended
One fades from sight and becomes invisible. This is no mere psychic trick; the
character is literally completely invisible. Even cameras, infrared tripwires,
and the like fail to register her presence. Similarly, witnesses simply see her
apparently vanish into thin air.

Any hostile action,
such as attacking or brandishing a weapon, immediately breaks the invisibility.
Exceptional Success: Any supernatural ability that pierces invisibility suffers
a -2 to its activation roll to detect the character. The effects of Amun’s
Water last for one scene.

## Breath of the Dragon (••••)

In the old legends,
before the fire-breathing cliché got started, it was said that the breath of a
dragon was a deadly poisonous fume. This Elixir, already toxic by nature, is
inhaled and distilled by the Ascending One’s will into a terrible airborne
contagion.

Breath of the Dragon is
a fine, crystalline powder of silvery hue. Because it must be inhaled to take
effect, many Ascending Ones either smoke it or carry a dose in a modified form
of asthma inhaler.

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
character is afflicted by a Toxicity 4 lethal poison. This poison may be
resisted with a contested Stamina + Resolve roll subtracting the poison’s
Toxicity.

Failure: The hunter is
affected as though he had taken a potent (-3 to all Social rolls, no bonus to
Strength or Stamina) dose of cocaine.

Success: The hunter
expels a small cloud of Toxicity 4 lethal poison from his mouth. The cloud is
large enough to catch one victim within close combat range (about two yards).
This poison may be resisted with a Stamina + Resolve roll subtracting the
poison’s Toxicity.

Exceptional Success:
The Ascending One distills the Breath of the Dragon into an especially potent
form. Add his Elixir rating to the poison’s Toxicity.

## Incense of the Next World (••••)

The Ascending Ones know
from the secret lore of ancient Egyptian priests that this world is not the
only one. The mortal world is an island in a vast sea of other realms, and by
performing the proper rites and inhaling the proper incense, an Ascending One
can leave his physical body behind and let his soul journey out into the
Twilight state of ghosts and spirits. The Incense of the Next World has a
strong, almost primal musk, like sweat and sex and animal skins from the dawn
of humanity. It gives off a deep blue smoke whose whorls seem to suggest
ancient hieroglyphs and arcane symbols.

Action: Extended; each
roll represents 10 minutes of prayer, chanting and breathing in incense. The
Ascending One may roll a maximum number of times equal to his Stamina + Elixir.

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
character slips into a deep coma and cannot awaken until he earns five
successes on an extended Stamina + Resolve roll. Each roll represents one day
of trying to wake.

Failure: No progress is
made toward attaining the ecstatic state that allows spiritual travel. Should
the Ascending One fail to accumulate the required successes before the roll
limit runs out, he is affected as though he had consumed a potent (-3 to all
dice pools and traits) hallucinogen.

Success: Progress is
made toward leaving the body behind.

Exceptional Success: No
additional effect beyond the large number of successes. Incense of the Next
World allows a hunter to completely free his consciousness from his physical
form and travel mentally to distant locations while leaving his body behind. It
requires 10 successes to separate the soul from the body; the Ascending One
must breathe in the incense for the entirety of the extended action. Once
separated, the character can move around freely, but he is intangible and
invisible, existing in the state called Twilight. He can be perceived through
any appropriate means (such as an Endowment that allows a character to perceive
Twilight beings).

Other astral projectors
or other beings that exist in Twilight can perceive him normally. Returning to
his body requires an instant action and a successful Wits + Composure roll.
There is theoretically no limit to how long the character may remain in this
astrally projected state, but the normal rules for deprivation apply

If the hunter’s
physical body is tampered with while he is “gone,” he may sense the intrusion
with a successful Intelligence + Composure roll. The character always feels
actual pain inflicted on his physical body, and may react as he sees fit.
However, an astral projector’s physical body may be subjected to a killing blow
if the body is left unprotected.

## Balm of Chronos (••••)

The empire of ancient
Egypt traded and warred with other Mediterranean powers and the Egyptians’
exposure to other cultures led to exchanges of religious and philosophical
ideas. From the Greeks, the Egyptians learned about the god Chronos, who was
revered by the Greeks as the personification of time.

The Egyptians noticed
similarities between the stories of Chronos and that of their own god P’tah
(both gods featured in creation myths) and discussed the possibility that both
gods were aspects of each other. When the Ascending Ones began their alchemical
studies, they sought out the power of Chronos to use time in their favor.

The Balm of Chronos
looks like a thick paste, white in color, and smells slightly of oleander. The
Balm is activated by rubbing it into the skin like a lotion.

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
Ascending One is affected by a Toxicity 4 lethal poison, which may be resisted
by a contested roll of Resolve + Stamina versus the poison’s Toxicity.

Failure: The hunter
receives no benefit and is affected as though he had taken a moderate (-2 to
all dice pools and traits) dose of heroin.

Success: The Ascending
One enters a trancelike state in which his perception of passing time is
slowed. For the rest of the scene, the hunter doubles his Initiative modifier
and Defense score. If used in a non-combat situation, the hunter gains a +3
bonus to extended rolls as a result of his enhanced concentration.

Exceptional Success: As
above and the hunter has the option of acting at any point in the Initiative
order he chooses or, in non-combat situations, gains a +1 equipment bonus to
all actions. Drawback: If the Balm of Chronos is used a number of times in one
day greater than the hunter’s Stamina, the hunter suffers the effects of a
Dramatic Failure regardless of roll

## Blood of the Cobra (•••••)

The serpent has a long
and colorful history of mythic symbolism. In various cultures, it has
symbolized good and evil, life and death, wisdom and deceit. In the mythology
of the Ascending Ones, vampires are frequently linked to serpentine imagery,
and Ascending Ones who specialize in destroying vampires are often called
Serpent Chasers.

The Blood of the Cobra
is an exotic compound of cobra venom, hashish and a variety of other alchemical
reagents brewed into a devastatingly toxic Elixir. It must be injected directly
into the vein to have an effect; most hunters use their inner arms for quick
access during battle.

Action: Instant.

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
Ascending One is affected by a Toxicity 5 lethal poison, which may be resisted
by a contested roll of Resolve + Stamina versus the poison’s Toxicity.

Failure: The hunter is
treated as though she had taken a potent (-3 to all Social rolls, no bonus to
Strength or Stamina) dose of cocaine.

Success: For every
success rolled on the activation, the Ascending One gains a +1 bonus to her
Strength and Dexterity. These bonuses likewise increase Traits derived from
these two Attributes. In addition, the character’s blood becomes a highly toxic
poison that affects vampires and mortals alike. Any creature attempting to feed
on the Ascending One’s blood suffers one automatic point of lethal damage per
point of damage inflicted by blood loss.

The Attribute bonuses
last for the remainder of the scene; the character’s blood remains toxic for 24
hours. Exceptional Success: No additional effect beyond an extraordinary
increase to Strength and Dexterity.

## Mesmeric Vapors (•••••)

Society has always warned of the dangers of
drugs. Whether strong drink, hashish, or pure Colombian coke, the manner in
which they can alter perceptions has been feared and cautioned against as far
back as history has recorded. Religions have railed against them, and
governments have tried to find ways to use them against their enemies.

But where CIA-programmed LSD sleeper agents
are largely relegated to the realms of conspiracy theory web sites, the
Ascending Ones have perfected an alchemical compound so intoxicating it can
literally reduce a hapless victim to little more than a puppet.

Mesmeric Vapors, in
their un-smoked form, resemble loose tobacco of the type used in hand-rolled
cigarettes. The scent is subtly sweeter, and often seems to hint at different
aromas to different individuals. Because of the nature of its use, Mesmeric Vapors
are rarely used as incense; instead they are smoked like a pipe or a cigarette.

The smoke given off by
this compound is a pale golden color, and it hangs with an unnatural heaviness
in the air, remaining still even in a moderate breeze.

Action: Contested (but
see below); Stamina + Elixir versus subject’s Stamina + Resolve

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
character is afflicted by a Toxicity 4 lethal poison. This poison may be
resisted with a contested Stamina + Resolve roll subtracting the poison’s
Toxicity. Anyone else who breathes in the smoke is similarly affected.

Failure: The hunter is
affected as though he had taken a potent (-3 to all dice pools and traits) dose
of opium. Anyone else who breathes in the smoke is similarly affected. Success:
The Ascending One breathes in the smoke of the Mesmeric Vapor and converts its
toxins into a deeply psychotropic drug.

In order to have an
effect, this smoke must be inhaled by another character. Ascending Ones are
taught specific breathing exercises to control and focus the smoke as they
exhale; the hunter may designate any one character within close-combat range as
the target of the smoke. If the target is aware of the smoke, she may try to
hold her breath by making a reflexive Stamina roll.

Success means she gets
a lungful of clean air before the smoke can affect her; failure means she is
affected normally. The affected character must make a reflexive Stamina +
Resolve roll, contesting the activation roll, to resist the smoke’s effects. If
the victim is in combat, or otherwise in an agitated or threatened state, she
receives a +3 bonus on this roll. A drugged character becomes calm, sedate and
relaxed, as though she has taken a dose of opium. More importantly, she enters
an extremely suggestible state, in which she may be given complex instructions
to be carried out right away or at some triggering stimulus. This drugged state
lasts for 10 minutes.

Programming a subject
with a command is an extended and contested action of the Ascending One’s
Manipulation + Persuasion versus the subject’s Resolve + Composure. Each roll
represents one minute of careful, hypnotic instruction. The number of successes
required is equal to three per “step” of the complete command.

A triggering action or
stimulus counts as a step. For example, the command “When a man says to you,
‘Do you have the time?’, call the police and tell them you’ve witnessed a
murder on Fleet St., then hang up immediately” requires 12 successes, because
it is a four-step command: the conditional trigger (“when a man says to you,
‘Do you have the time?’”), and three actions (“call the police,” “tell them you
witnessed a murder,” and “hang up immediately”).

Dangerous actions
double the number of successes necessary per action (six successes instead of
three). The subject may also be ordered to forget the encounter with the
Ascending One, or to forget any actions undertaken while entranced. Either adds
five successes to the required total.

If the command is to be
triggered by a later action, the subject returns to normal when the command is
fully implemented; the druglike effects vanish and the character remains her
normal self. When the command is triggered (whether immediately or by a later
trigger), the druglike state resumes. The victim will ignore or respond only as
much as necessary to anything not related to her task (questions are ignored
outright or answered with a single word, work and family are put aside and not
told why, etc.) and generally behaves like she’s stoned.

Once the command is carried
out, the effects end immediately. The psychic compulsion is only effective as
long as the drug holds the victim in her hypnotic state. When the 10 minutes
are up, the subject snaps out of it and all successes are lost; a partial
command does not take hold at all.

As long as the subject
is still in the trance state, another dose of Mesmeric Vapor can be applied,
but this gives the subject another chance to break free of the effect with a
contested Stamina + Resolve roll. As long as the hypnotic state remains
uninterrupted, the Ascending One doesn’t lose any successes; he may even go and
take other actions and then return to the programming action. Exceptional
Success: The subject is placed in an exceptionally deep suggestive state.
Programming the subject requires only 30 seconds per roll instead of one
minute.

## Nehebkau Tears (•••••)

Legend tells
of an Ascending One whose wife and family was taken as slaves by a clutch of
vampires. Unable to bear this fate but also unable to get close to their
stronghold, the hunter went to Nehebkau, Guardian of the Underworld and begged
him for help in freeing his family. The god acknowledged there might be a way
to approach them in the skins of their own kind, but to do so would close Duat
(the underworld) forever to him. The man did not care, he said, he only wanted
his family freed and the darkness could take his soul if that was the cost.

Nehebkau was
moved by the man so willing to sacrifice himself. The god cried two tears,
catching them in a canopic jar, and instructed the man that if he wished to
save his family, then he must drink the mixture as the sun set. Drinking the
tears would allow him to move among his enemy for one night. At the end of the
night, he would die but his soul would be lost forever without Ma’at’s judgment
or the mercy of Duat. The man agreed and drank the foul poison at sundown the
following day and felt himself die.

True to
Nehebkau’s word, instead of moving onto the scales of Ma’at, the man was
immediately able to open his eyes and walk how the sunless dead walked. He went
to their stronghold unassailed. He found his family and found only envy in
their warm embrace against his skin, but he knew this was the cost of their
safety. He led them to freedom and said a cold goodbye as the sun peeked over
the mountains. Choking and retching, the man fell to his knees feeling his life
violently tearing out of him. Yet he fought with all his will, all the purity
of spirit which moved the god.

The man
reached down his own throat, grabbing the darkness that he had so willingly
swallowed and tore it lose, vomiting forth a single fat scarab onto the sand
along with his blood and bile. The scarab regarded him and with Nehebkau’s
voice told the man that his purity and will would allow him to endure the morning
sun. As the sun edged over the mountains, so did the man’s heart beat again and
again. Only then, as he breathed out the last of graveyard air from his lungs
did the man weep for joy for the return of his family.

The Ascending
One who is willing to take her chances with this rarely-used draught better
have a good reason and peace within her god’s eyes before trying. There aren’t
many calls for the Tears of Nehebkau, but there have been in the past. Almost
every part of this potion is deadly or unclean. Particularly religious members
of the Ascending One say those that partake in this Elixir will find Paradise
forever closed to them.

With a
steeped brew of pig blood, quicksilver (mercury), natron (soda salt), and
formaldehyde, an Ascending One can cheat death in a manner nearly identical to
vampirism. If mixed correctly and with proper faith and strength of purpose the
process is reversible at the end of one night’s time when the imbiber
completely but painfully returns to life’s embrace. She will know it succeeded
when she coughs up the bloody scarab.

The hunter
uses this terrible potion to not just simulate, but in all ways join the ranks
of the undead for the night. The player and Storyteller should work together to
translate the hunter as they would a newly-created vampire for the duration of
this effect using the rules as they appear within this book.

Roll Results

Dramatic
Failure: The hunter effectively blinds Nehebkau and succeeds in transforming
into a vampire as per a normal success. At the end of the night, however, they
find Ra’s door is closed to them. They are forevermore outside of Nehebkau’s
(or whomever their god might be) purview and have effectively become a vampire.
The Storyteller and player should work together to design a vampire using the
rules found earlier in this book.

Failure: The
imbiber suffers as if taking a potent (and potentially fatal) dose of heroin
(all dice pools suffer -3 for a full 8 hours). Because the dose is potentially
damaging or lethal, the Elixir also counts as a Toxicity 3 poison.

Success: From
sundown to sun-up the hunter effectively becomes a member of the undead per the
rules found earlier in this book. This act against the natural world costs
either five Willpower points or one permanent Willpower dot at the end of the
evening as the hunter undergoes the slow struggle back to life.

Note that
during this time, the character works according to the rules for vampires in
this book (Night Stalkers). He cannot risk Willpower. He cannot utilize his
Endowments. He is similarly out of sync with his cell—he can still be a part of
Tactics, but suffers -2 dice to do so. He may need to feed (drinking one blood
equates to Willpower, at a rate of one point gained per one point of lethal
damage incurred), and is subject to all the advantages and disadvantages of
existing in a vampiric state.

Exceptional
Success: As above, but the vampire fills up his Willpower pool upon turning—as
a result, he may not need to feed during his (hopefully) one long night of
undead existence.

== Thoth's
Whisper  (•••••) ==
Thoth—one of the gods
believed to have inspired Hermes Trismegistus—was a psychopomp, a shuttler of
souls from the world of the living to the afterlife. This Elixir, in a way,
helps the hunter to facilitate that transfer, giving her the chance to “inhale”
a ghost into the temple of her flesh so that the ghost may be “borrowed and
used.”

The very process of
doing so is frightening to most— the mixture required is a potent concoction of
homemade gunpowder, crystallized snake venom, and potassium chloride salt (used
in lethal injections). The hunter ignites this, and quickly inhales the
resultant flame into his lungs. As he does so, the hunter is likely to hear a
chorus of babbling whispers from beyond the pale.

Action: Instant

Roll Results

Dramatic Failure: The
character burns his esophagus. He takes five points of lethal damage.

Failure: The character
enters a death-like trance for the remainder of the scene whereupon he
experiences intense hallucinations and visions. The hunter cannot move without
expending a Willpower point— and even that only earns her one turn of movement
and wakefulness.

Success: The hunter is
primed to “inhale” a ghost. The next manifested ghost the hunter meets can be
drawn into her body with naught but a whispered entreaty to do so (the wording
of the whisper is up to the hunter). No roll is necessary beyond the one made
to process this potent Elixir. The ghost is drawn into the character’s lungs
and lurks there for 24 hours. During this time, the hunter gains a handful of
benefits:

-User gains use of one
of the Ghost's Numina. The roll to use the Numina is Wits + Resolve.

-The hunter learns
everything about the ghost—at least, as far as the ghost can remember. Whatever
the ghost knows, the hunter now knows.

-The user can open and
enter any Avernian Gate (i.e. a subterranean gateway into the Great Below).

-User may spend a
willpower and manifest any Skills that the ghost possesses but that the hunter
himself does not possess. This lasts for one scene, and the only drawback is
that the hunter suffers a -1 penalty to any rolls using this new ghost-bound
Skill.

After 24 hours, the
ghost is expelled from the body (and may never be drawn into the hunter’s flesh
again). The hunter can keep the ghost in his body, however, beyond that time
frame—however, choosing to do so earns him one point of aggravated damage. His
body is wracked with pain and internal bleeding as the ghost is trapped for
another 12 hours. Each 12 hour period after this guarantees the hunter another
point of aggravated damage.

Exceptional Success: As
above, but the hunter can lay claim to two of the ghost’s Numina for his own
use, now.