Spina

**Parent Clan**: Daeva

**Disciplines**: Celerity, *Dominate*, *Majesty*, Vigor

## **Bloodline Weakness: Bound by Etiquette**

The Spina cannot tolerate rudeness. They suffer a -2 penalty to Resolve + Composure dice pools to resist any Frenzy inspired by reckless, crass, or insulting behaviour. A Spina must also spend 1 Willpower to act in a discourteous manner.

## **Bloodline Gift: Dignified**

The Spina's grace and dignity ensure that they always come out of a dispute looking the most respectable. If a Spina loses in a social contest, take a +2 bonus to her next social action or social resistance roll.

Spinas are, by default, members of the Order of the Thorned Wreath, and have access to the Fighting Style: Courtoisie.

## **Devotions: Advanced Courtoisie**

### **Clarity of Intent**

*Dominate • 1XP*

**Cost**: –

**Dice Pool**: Presence + Intimidation + Dominate

**Action**: Instant

Negates attack penalties by number of successes rolled. The intention to attack must be declared and described in some detail.

The attack penalties negated can be from any source. The most obvious possibilities are wound penalties that the Kindred is suffering, his opponent’s Defense and penalties for targeting particularly small areas (such as the heart). Clarity of Intention can never grant a bonus.

### **Fair Warning, Fairly Given**

*Celerity ••• 2XP*

**Cost**: 1 Willpower

**Dice Pool**: Wits + Weaponry + Celerity – (subject's Wits + Composure)

**Modifiers**: Each turn that the opponent spends to prepare (+1 to +5), opponent declines to use the preparation time (-2)

**Action**: Instant

The Spina allows his opponent to prepare for a fight. The character may cut the preparations short at any time by announcing his intention to fight now. This can be very brief: “Enough delay, Dragon. Defend yourself,” is ample.

For every success the Spina achieves on the activation roll, he gains the benefit of insight into the way his opponent moves and thinks. This benefit takes the form of a +1 bonus to the Spina’s Defense for each success. This bonus lasts for the remainder of the scene, but applies only to an opponent who was the subject of this power’s activation.

### **Penalty of Discourtesy**

*Dominate ••• Majesty ••• 3XP*

**Cost**: –

**Dice Pool**: Composure + Socialize + Dominate vs. a variety of contesting dice pools

**Action**: Reflexive

The Spina can activate this power in response to any attempts to taunt, provoke, or intimidate him while in combat. This power is in place of any other dice pool that might normally be used to contest the opponent’s action. This power can even be used to combat attempts to terrify or undermine the Knight using Dominate, Majesty or Nightmare.

If successful, the Spina immediately regains one Willpower point, and his opponent immediately loses one. This power does not allow a Spina to store more Willpower points than his Willpower score would normally allow. In the event that a Knight uses this power while he still has all of his Willpower points, he instead enjoys a +2 bonus to Defense for one turn.

### **Barbed Words**

*Dominate •••• Majesty •••• 4XP*

**Cost**: 1 Willpower

**Dice Pool**: Presence + Intimidation + Dominate – subject's Composure

**Modifiers**: Character is difficult for the target to hear (-1 to -4)

The Spina’s words penetrate the sturdy will of his target. Each success causes the subject vampire one point of lethal damage as his insides wither and split from the destructive force of the Kindred’s mystic voice.