Thaumaturgy (Discipline)

Thaumaturgy encompasses blood magic and other sorcerous arts available to Kindred. The Tremere Clan is best known for their possession (and jealous hoarding) of this Discipline. The Tremere created Thaumaturgy by combining mortal wizardry with the power of vampiric vitae, and as a result it is a versatile and powerful Discipline. Although there are whispers of the existence of Tremere antitribu in the Sabbat, other Clans in the Sword of Caine have also researched and developed access to such mystical might. Nevertheless, the Tremere of the Camarilla remain this Discipline’s masters.

Like Necromancy, the practice of Thaumaturgy is divided into paths and rituals. Thaumaturgical paths are applications of the vampire’s knowledge of blood magic, allowing her to create effects on a whim. Rituals are more formulaic in nature, most akin to ancient magical “spells.” Because so many different paths and rituals are available to the arcane Tremere, one never knows what to expect when confronted with a practitioner of this Discipline.

When a character first learns Thaumaturgy, the player selects a path for the character. That path is considered the character’s primary path, and she automatically receives one dot in it, as well as one Level One ritual. Thereafter, whenever the character increases her level in Thaumaturgy, her rating in the primary path increases by one as well. Additional rituals are learned separately, as part of a story; players need not pay experience points for their characters to learn rituals up to the level equal to their overall rating in Thaumaturgy, though they must find someone to teach the rituals in question. Path ratings never exceed 5, though the overall Thaumaturgy score may. If a character reaches a rating of 5 in her primary path and increases her Thaumaturgy score afterward, she may allocate her “free” path dot to a different path.

Many Kindred fear crossing the practitioners of Thaumaturgy. It is a very potent and mutable Discipline, and almost anything the Kindred wishes may be accomplished through its magic.

# Paths of Thaumaturgy

Paths define the types of magic a vampire can perform. A vampire typically learns his primary path from his sire, though it is not unknown for some vampires to study under many different tutors.

As mentioned before, the first path a character learns is considered her primary path and increases automatically as the character advances in the Discipline itself. Secondary paths may be learned once the character has acquired two or more dots in her primary path, and they must be raised separately with experience points. Furthermore, a character’s rating in her primary path must always be at least one dot higher than any of her secondary paths until she has mastered her primary path. Once the character has achieved the fifth level of her primary path, secondary paths may be increased to that level.

Each time the character invokes one of the powers of a Thaumaturgical path, the thaumaturge’s player must spend a blood point and make a Willpower roll against a difficulty equal to the power’s level +3. Only one success is required to invoke a path’s effect — path levels, not successes, govern the power of blood magic. Failure on this roll indicates that the magic fails. A botch causes some kind of loss or catastrophic backfire, such as losing a Willpower point (or dot!), spontaneous combustion, or accidentally letting a living statue run rampant. Thaumaturgy is an unforgiving art.

Various Sects and Clans have different access to each path, but unless the Storyteller decides otherwise, it is assumed the Tremere have some access to all of them. (“Having access” does not mean the same thing as “easily gained,” especially within the Tremere power structure.) The paths start with one of the most common (The Path of Blood), and thereafter are presented in alphabetical order.

## Path of Blood

Almost every Tremere studies the Path of Blood as her primary path. It encompasses some of the most fundamental principles of Thaumaturgy, based as it is on the manipulation of Kindred vitae. If a player wishes to select another path as her character’s primary path, the Storyteller may require additional reasoning (though choosing a different path is by no means unheard of).

### • A Taste for Blood

This power was developed as a means of testing a foe’s might — an extremely important ability in the tumultuous early nights of Clan Tremere. By merely touching the blood of his subject, the caster may determine how much vitae remains in the subject and, if the subject is a vampire, how recently he has fed, his approximate Generation and, with three or more successes, whether he has ever committed diablerie.

System: The number of successes achieved on the roll determines how much information the thaumaturge gleans and how accurate it is.

### •• Blood Rage

This power allows a vampire to force another Kindred to expend blood against his will. The caster must touch her subject for this power to work, though only the lightest contact is necessary. A vampire affected by this power might feel a physical rush as the thaumaturge heightens his Physical Attributes, might find himself suddenly looking more human, or may even find himself on the brink of frenzy as his stores of vitae are mystically depleted.

System: Each success forces the subject to spend one blood point immediately in the way the caster desires (which must go towards some logical expenditure the target vampire could make, such as increasing Physical Attributes or powering Disciplines). Note that blood points forcibly spent in this manner may exceed the normal “per turn” maximum indicated by the victim’s Generation. Each success gained also increases the subject’s difficulty to resist frenzy by one. The thaumaturge may not use Blood Rage on herself to circumvent generational limits.

### ••• Blood of Potency

The thaumaturge gains such control over his own blood that he may effectively “concentrate” it, making it more powerful for a short time. In effect, he may temporarily lower his own Generation with this power. This power may be used only once per night.

System: One success on the Willpower roll allows the character to lower his Generation by one step for one hour. Each additional success grants the Kindred either one step down in Generation or one hour of effect. Successes earned must be spent both to decrease the vampire’s Generation and to maintain the change (this power cannot be activated again until the original application wears off). If the vampire is diablerized while this power is in effect, it wears off immediately and the diablerist gains power appropriate to the caster’s actual Generation. Furthermore, any mortals Embraced by the thaumaturge are born to the Generation appropriate to their sire’s original Generation (e.g., a Tenth-Generation Tremere who has reduced his effective Generation to Eighth still produces EleventhGeneration childer).

Once the effect wears off, any blood over the character’s blood pool maximum dilutes, leaving the character at his regular blood pool maximum. Thus, if a Twelfth-Generation Tremere (maximum blood pool of 11) decreased his Generation to Ninth (maximum blood pool 14), ingested 14 blood points, and had this much vitae in his system when the power wore off, his blood pool would immediately drop to 11.

### •••• Theft of Vitae

A thaumaturge using this power siphons vitae from her subject. She need never come in contact with the subject — blood literally streams out in a physical torrent from the subject to the Kindred (though it is often mystically absorbed and need not enter through the mouth).

System: The number of successes determines how many blood points the caster transfers from the subject. The subject must be visible to the thaumaturge and within 50 feet (15 meters). Using this power prevents the caster from being blood-bound, but otherwise counts as if the vampire ingested the blood herself. This power is spectacularly obvious, and Camarilla princes justifiably consider its public use a breach of the Masquerade.

### ••••• Cauldron of Blood

A thaumaturge using this power boils her subject’s blood in his veins like water on a stove. The Kindred must touch her subject, and it is this contact that simmers the subject’s blood. This power is always fatal to mortals, and causes great damage to even the mightiest vampires.

System: The number of successes gained determines how many blood points are brought to boil. The subject suffers one health level of aggravated damage for each point boiled (individuals with Fortitude may soak this damage using only their Fortitude dice). A single success kills any mortal, though some ghouls with access to Fortitude are said to have survived after soaking all of the aggravated damage.

## Alchemy

Thaumaturgy has some of its roots in the early practices of Hermetic alchemy, which concerned itself with changing the properties of given ideals. Indeed, much of Thaumaturgy’s codifi ed structure and basic principles are very similar to those of alchemy. In the near-millennium that has passed since the Tremere’s earliest efforts with blood magic, alchemy has fallen by the wayside, however. Modern technology makes possible almost anything this path can do and far more — it is easier and more reliable to mine for gold, for example, than it is to create it by transmuting other materials. Still, old habits die hard among vampires, and the Tremere are no exception. A few elders still practice this path, and of these, some still teach it to their childer to illustrate the basic tenets of modern blood magic.

System: The number of successes on the activation roll determines how radically a thaumaturge may alter a given compound’s form. He need not use all his successes — a thaumaturge wishing to effect only a simple change of form need not turn lead into gold if he accumulates fi ve successes. The thaumaturge must, however, acquire at least the minimum number of successes suggested by the table below to generate the effect he seeks.

Changing one element into another requires familiarity with both elements. One cannot suddenly decide he wants to change a balloon’s worth of helium into a sphere of solid titanium if he has never dealt with either of those elements before. Simply knowing an atomic number is not enough to warp the laws of nature so radically. It is worthwhile to note, however, that Alchemy makes no distinction between naturally occurring and man-made elements — it affects Einsteinium as readily as it affects carbon.

Note also that this path has fallen out of practice because it is less useful in modern nights than it was in the past. Transmutations create Hermetic “ideals” rather than perfect real-world resources which cannot be broken down into lesser constructs. A hunk of gold is a hunk of gold — an attempt to cast coins with it will reduce the hunk to a pile of inert sludge. Before you ask — yes, this means your Tremere anarch will not be able to create nuclear bombs by turning the prince’s shoes into uranium. There’s nothing wrong with converting lead into gold and selling that hunk of gold to someone else, however — caveat emptor!

Note: Storytellers are encouraged to apply this principle to the use of the Path of Conjuring as well. Characters who try to conjure “antimatter” or create weapons of mass destruction magically should be subtly but reasonably discouraged.

Also, use of this path assumes the thaumaturge works with the elements in a laboratory-style (or at least controlled) environment. No vampire will be able to walk down the street and turn the iron in people’s blood to helium with a simple touch.

A vampire’s knowledge of Alchemy determines how greatly she may change a given element.

• Simple changes in form — solid to liquid, liquid to gas, etc.

•• Complex changes to form — liquid to a specifi c shape of solid, water to separate hydrogen and oxygen gas clouds, etc.

••• Complicated changes to form — water to breathable O2 and loose H2, compounds into separate elements, etc.

•••• Minor shifts in composition, such as adjusting an element’s atomic number up to fi ve greater or less than its original designation.

••••• Miraculous shifts in composition, such as turning lead into gold or nitrogen into radium.

## Biothaumaturgy

This bizarre path reputedly has its roots in the secret tomes of the inscrutable Black Hand. Over the past few years, its esoteric secrets have spread among certain cabals of Tremere, who regard it as a curious mixture of Hermetic science and genetics. Biothaumaturgy concerns itself with the manipulation of life energies. In the laboratories of inspired biothaumaturges may be found strange creatures almost out of myth, veritable Frankenstein’s monsters and less wholesome creations. Although it is not considered a “taboo” path, Biothaumaturgy is nonetheless strange and unsettling to those who observe its results.

Biothaumaturgy does not require the expenditure of blood points to create its magic. Rather, the powers of this path take one week per level to complete at Levels One and Two, and one month per level to complete at Levels Three through Five. For example, the Level One power takes one week to work, while the Level Three power takes three months for the biothaumaturge’s experiments to come to fruition.

Biothaumaturgy also requires the thaumaturge to have a laboratory where he may conduct his experiments. This need be nothing more complex than a doctor’s table and a few sharp knives, but it may be as complex as the “mad scientist” affairs of pulp fiction, with steaming alembics and crackling generators. The Storyteller should feel free to modify a character’s Biothaumaturgy difficulties if he has an excellent laboratory resources or his facilities are utterly lacking. Working with a crude lab may add two to the difficulty while a high-grade facility may lower his difficulties by two.

### • Thaumaturgical Forensics

The thaumaturge may take a tissue sample from a living, dead or undead creature and ascertain its distinguishing characteristics. A wealth of information may be gleaned from this sample, including information that “normal” forensics and genetics would not yield, such as age, generation, clan, etc.

System: Each success on the activation roll yields one piece of simple information about the subject, which may be any living, undead or dead entity (but not an inanimate object), including plants. This information is limited to physical characteristics of the subject — Thaumaturgical Forensics can be used to determine gender, clan, traces of diablerie and the like, but it will not reveal if a given subject killed an individual or where she kept her trove of personal belongings.

### •• Thaumaturgical Surgery

The thaumaturge uses his knowledge of magic and physiology to aid a body in its regenerative capacity. Even the most grievous wounds may heal more quickly if aided by this sorcerous art.

System: Each success on the player’s roll allows the thaumaturge to “convert” one health level of damage to a lesser type. Aggravated damage becomes lethal, lethal damage becomes bashing and bashing damage becomes easily slept-off fatigue (and vanishes completely). Note that the actual surgery does not take the above-mentioned two weeks to fi nish, but recuperation times account for that period.

### ••• Lesser Animation

The thaumaturge mystically endows a dead lifeform with magical energy and imparts to it a rudimentary set of instructions. The resultant creations carry out their orders to the letter; biothaumaturges use this power to populate their havens with deathless guard dogs and other, quirkier “pets.”

System: This power affects plants and simple animals — nothing more than a single tree or dog per use. If the effect is successful, the animated creation may be given a one-sentence command, which it will fulfill until destroyed. Minor variations on the subject may even be made — a thorn thicket could be animated to move slowly toward intruders to entangle them, or an animate cat could be given a set of larger, permanently extended claws that do additional damage. Specifics should be worked out with the Storyteller.

Creatures animated in this manner have their original Strength and Stamina Traits, while their Dexterity drops by one (but never below 1). Social and Mental Attributes are considered to be at zero. Each creation has a number of health levels equal to half of those it had in life (round up).

Creatures animated in this fashion immediately crumble to dust if stricken by sunlight, and suffer double damage from fire.

### •••• Greater Animation

At this level, the thaumaturge has refi ned her knowledge to allow her to animate more complex creatures. Even human corpses and large animals may be given the “spark of life” with this power — one biothaumaturge in Egypt is rumored to have a pair of animated elephants with which he terrorizes his enemies.

System: This power works the same way as Lesser Animation, but allows the vampire to animate more complex creatures. Certain lifeforms are probably beyond the capacity of this power — zombie whales sound fairly foolish — but the only limit is what the Storyteller chooses to allow. This power also allows minor changes to be made to the subjects, or allows major changes to be made to lesser subjects. For example, an animate human corpse may wield a bone-hook instead of a hand, or a rat might be able to fl y with a pair of leathery gargoyle-wings made from the bones and skin of birds and infants.

A human animated in this manner retains none of his original “self.” This power merely animates the corpse; it does not reunite the spirit with the body.

### ••••• Cognizant Construction

The pinnacle of Biothaumaturgy, this power bestows a dead creature animated through one of the lesser powers of this path with a semblance of the intelligence it had in life. Animated animals possess a malicious cunning while higher lifeforms gain a shrewd ability to reason deductively rather than satisfy rote commands.

System: Although this power gives an animation a base intelligence, the creature nonetheless still serves the orders it is given by its creator. A creature animated via Cognizant Creation has Mental Attributes of one less than it possessed in life (but never below 1). This won’t be creating any undead geniuses, but the story effect is that it creates an animated monster capable of reasoning. A Cognizant Construction won’t mindlessly fi ght to its second death if it sees a better or cleverer way of routing foes, and it will be capable of other deductive tasks as well.

## Elemental Mastery

This path allows a vampire limited control over and communion with inanimate objects. Elemental Mastery can only be used to affect the unliving — a vampire could not cause a tree to walk by using Animate the Unmoving, for instance. Thaumaturges who seek mastery over living things generally study paths such as The Green Path.

### • Elemental Strength

The vampire can draw upon the strength and resilience of the earth, or of the objects around him, to increase his physical prowess without the need for large amounts of blood.

System: The player allocates a total of three temporary bonus dots between the character’s Strength and Stamina. The number of successes on the roll to activate the power is the number of turns these dots remain. The player may spend a Willpower point to increase this duration by one turn. This power cannot be “stacked” — one application must expire before the next can be made.

### •• Wooden Tongues

A vampire may speak, albeit in limited fashion, with the spirit of any inanimate object. The conversation may not be incredibly interesting, as most rocks and chairs have limited concern for what occurs around them, but the vampire can get at least a general impression of what the subject has “experienced.” Note that events which are significant to a vampire may not be the same events that interest a lawn gnome.

System: The number of successes dictates the amount and relevance of the information that the character receives. One success may yield a boulder’s memory of a forest fire, while three may indicate that it remembers a shadowy figure running past, and five will cause the rock to relate a precise description of a local Gangrel.

### ••• Animate the Unmoving

Objects affected by this power move as the vampire using it dictates. An object cannot take an action that would be completely inconceivable for something with its form — for instance, a door could not leap from its hinges and carry someone across a street. However, seemingly solid objects can become flexible within reason: Barstools can run with their legs, guns can twist out of their owners’ hands or fire while holstered, and humanoid statues can move like normal humans.

System: This power requires the expenditure of a Willpower point with less than four successes on the roll. Each use of this power animates one object no larger than human-sized; the caster may simultaneously control a number of animate objects equal to his Intelligence rating. Objects animated by this power stay animated as long as they are within the caster’s line of sight or up to an hour, although the thaumaturge can take other actions during that time.

### •••• Elemental Form

The vampire can take the shape of any inanimate object of a mass roughly equal to her own. A desk, a statue, or a bicycle would be feasible, but a house or a pen would be beyond this power’s capacity.

System: The number of successes determines how completely the character takes the shape she wishes to counterfeit. At least three successes are required for the character to use her senses or Disciplines while in her altered form. This power lasts for the remainder of the night, although the character may return to her normal form at will.

### ••••• Summon Elemental

A vampire may summon one of the traditional spirits of the elements: a salamander (fire), a sylph (air), a gnome (earth), or an undine (water). Some thaumaturges claim to have contacted elemental spirits of glass, electricity, blood, and even atomic energy, but such reports remain unconfirmed (even as their authors are summoned to Vienna for questioning). The caster may choose what type of elemental he wishes to summon and command.

System: The character must be near some quantity of the classical element corresponding to the spirit he wishes to invoke. The spirit invoked may or may not actually follow the caster’s instructions once summoned, but generally will at least pay rough attention to what it’s being told to do. The number of successes gained on the Willpower roll determines the power level of the elemental.

The elemental has three dots in all Physical and Mental Attributes. One dot may be added to one of the elemental’s Physical Attributes for each success gained by the caster on the initial roll. The Storyteller should determine the elemental’s Abilities, attacks, and damage, and any special powers it has related to its element.

Once the elemental has been summoned, the thaumaturge must exert control over it. The more powerful the elemental, the more difficult a task this is. The player rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty of the number of successes scored on the casting roll + 4), and the number of successes determines the degree of control:

Success Chart
 Failure
 1 Success
 2 Successes
 3 Successes
 4 Successes
 5+ Successes

## The Green Path

The Green Path deals with the manipulation of plant matter of all sorts. Anything more complex than an algae bloom can theoretically be controlled through the appropriate application of this path. Ferns, roses, dandelions, and even ancient redwoods are all valid targets for this path’s powers, and living and dead plant matter are equally affected. While not as immediately impressive as some other more widely practiced paths, the Green Path (sometimes disparagingly referred to as “Botanical Mastery”) is as subtle and powerful as the natural world which it affects.

### • Herbal Wisdom

With a touch, a vampire can commune with the spirit of a plant. Conversations held in this manner are often cryptic but rewarding — the wisdom and experience of the spirits of some trees surpasses that of the oracles of legend. Crabgrass, on the other hand, rarely has much insight to offer, but might reveal the appearance of the last person who trod upon it.

System: The number of successes rolled determines the amount of information that can be gained from the contact. Depending on the precise information that the vampire seeks, the Storyteller might require the player to roll Intelligence + Occult in order to interpret the results of the communication.

Success Chart
 2 Successes
 3 Successes
 4 Successes
 5+ Successes

### •• Speed the Season’s Passing

This power allows a thaumaturge to accelerate a plant’s growth, causing roses to bloom in a matter of minutes or trees to shoot up from saplings overnight. Alternately, she can speed a plant’s death and decay, withering grass and crumbling wooden stakes with but a touch.

System: The character touches the target plant. The player rolls normally, and the number of successes determines the amount of growth or decay. One success gives the plant a brief growth spurt or simulates the effects of harsh weather, while three noticeably enlarge or wither it. With five successes, a full-grown plant springs from a seed or crumbles to dust in a few minutes, and a tree sprouts fruit or begins decaying almost instantaneously. If this power is used in combat, three successes are needed to render a wooden weapon completely useless. Two successes suffice to weaken it, while five cause it to disintegrate in the wielder’s hand.

### ••• Dance of Vines

The thaumaturge can animate a mass of vegetation up to his own size, using it for utilitarian or combat purposes with equal ease. Leaves can walk along a desktop, ivy can act as a scribe, and jungle creepers can strangle opponents. Intruders should beware of Tremere workshops that harbor potted rowan saplings.

System: Any total amount of vegetation with a mass less than or equal to the character’s own may be animated through this power. The plants stay active for one turn per success scored on the roll, and are under the complete control of the character. If used for combat purposes, the plants have Strength and Dexterity ratings each equal to half the character’s Willpower (rounded down) and Brawl ratings one lower than that of the character.

Dance of Vines cannot make plants uproot themselves and go stomping about. Even the most energetic vegetation is incapable of pulling out of the soil and walking under the effect of this power. However, 200 pounds (100 kilograms) of kudzu can cover a considerable area all by itself….

### •••• Verdant Haven

This power weaves a temporary shelter out of a sufficient amount of plant matter. In addition to providing physical protection from the elements (and even sunlight), the Verdant Haven also establishes a mystical barrier which is nearly impassable to anyone the caster wishes to exclude. A Verdant Haven appears as a six-foot-tall (two meter-tall) hemisphere of interlocked branches, leaves, and vines with no discernible opening, and even to the casual observer it appears to be an unnatural construction. Verdant Havens are rumored to have supernatural healing properties, hut no Kindred have reported experiencing such benefits from a stay in one.

System: A character must be standing in a heavily vegetated area to use this power. The Verdant Haven springs up around the character over the course of three turns. Once the haven is established, anyone wishing to enter the haven without the caster’s permission must achieve more than the caster’s original number of successes on a single roll of Wits + Survival (difficulty equal to the caster’s Willpower). The haven lasts until the next sunset, or until the caster dispels or leaves it. If the caster scored four or more successes, the haven is impenetrable to sunlight unless physically breached.

### ••••• Awaken the Forest Giants

Entire trees can be animated by a master of the Green Path. Ancient oaks can be temporarily given the gift of movement, pulling their roots from the soil and shaking the ground with their steps. While not as versatile as elementals or other summoned spirits, trees brought to ponderous life via this power display awesome strength and resilience.

System: The character touches the tree to be animated. The player spends a blood point and rolls normally. If the roll succeeds, the player must spend a blood point for every success. The tree stays animated for one turn per success rolled; once this time expires, the tree puts its roots down wherever it stands and cannot be animated again until the next night. While animated, the tree follows the character’s verbal commands to the best of its ability. An animated tree has Strength and Stamina equal to the caster’s Thaumaturgy rating, Dexterity 2, and a Brawl rating equal to the caster’s own. It is immune to bashing damage, and all lethal damage dice pools are halved due to its size.

Once the animating energy leaves a tree, it puts down roots immediately, regardless of what it is currently standing on. A tree re-establishing itself in the soil can punch through concrete and asphalt to find nourishing dirt and water underneath, meaning that it is entirely possible for a sycamore to root itself in the middle of a road without any warning.

## Hands of Destruction

This Path is practiced most commonly by the various thaumaturges of the Sabbat. Though it is not widely seen outside that Sect, a few Camarilla Tremere have managed to learn the secrets of this path over the centuries. The Hands of Destruction has an infamous history, and some Tremere refuse to practice it due to rumors that it is demonic in origin.

### • Decay

This power accelerates the decrepitude of its target, causing it to wither, rot, or otherwise break down. The target must be inanimate, though dead organic matter can be affected.

System: If the roll is successful, the inanimate object touched by the thaumaturge ages 10 years for every minute the Kindred touches it. If the vampire breaks physical contact and wishes to age the object again, another blood point must be spent and another roll must be made. This power does not affect vampires.

### •• Gnarl Wood

This power warps and bends wooden objects. Though the wood is otherwise undamaged, this power often leaves the objects completely useless. This power may also be used to swell or contract wood, in addition to bending it into unwholesome shapes. Unlike other powers of this path, Gnarl Wood requires merely a glance rather than physical contact.

System: Fifty pounds or twenty-five kilograms of visible wood may be gnarled for each blood point spent on this power (the thaumaturge may expend as much blood as she likes on this power, up to her per-turn generational maximum). It is also possible to warp multiple visible objects — like all the stakes a team of vampire-hunters wields.

### ••• Acidic Touch

The vampire secretes a bilious, acidic fluid from any portion of his body. The viscous acid corrodes metal, destroys wood, and causes horrendous chemical burns to living tissue.

System: The player spends one blood point to create the acid — the blood literally transmutes into the volatile secretion. One blood point creates enough acid to burn through a quarter-inch or half a centimeter of steel plate or three inches (seven centimeters) of wood. The damage from an acid-augmented hand-to-hand attack is aggravated and costs one blood point per turn to use. A thaumaturge is immune to her own acidic touch.

### •••• Atrophy

This power withers a victim’s limb, leaving only a desiccated, almost mummified husk of bone and skin. The effects are instantaneous; in mortals, they are also irreversible.

System: The victim may resist the effects of Atrophy by scoring three or more successes on a Stamina + Athletics roll (difficulty 8). Failure means the limb is permanently and completely crippled. Partial resistance is possible: One success indicates that the difficulty of any roll involving the use of the arm increases by two, though these effects are still permanent with regard to mortals. Two successes signify that difficulties increase by one. Vampires afflicted by this power may spend five blood points to rejuvenate atrophied limbs. Mortals are permanently crippled. This power affects only limbs or parts of limbs (arms, legs, hands); it does not work on victims’ heads, torsos, etc.

### ••••• Turn to Dust

This fearsome power accelerates decrepitude in its victims. Mortals literally age at the mere touch of a skilled thaumaturge, gaining decades in moments.

System: Each success on the roll ages the victim by 10 years. A potential victim may resist with a Stamina + Courage roll (difficulty 8), but must accumulate more successes than the caster’s activation roll — it’s an all-or-nothing affair. If the victim succeeds, he does not age at all. If he does not acquire more successes than the thaumaturge, he ages the full amount. Obviously, this power, while it affects vampires, has no detrimental effect on them (they’re immortal). At most, a Kindred victim grows paler and withers slightly (-1 to Appearance) for one night.

## The Hearth Path

For those Tremere who maintain private havens, secrecy is paramount. The Hearth Path seems to have evolved from a collection of rituals designed to protect the integrity of a vampire’s sanctum sanctorum. Havens protected by these powers often acquire reputations as “haunted” houses and the like. The Tremere are quick to point out, however, that these reputations help to strengthen the Masquerade rather than jeopardize it. When people find out that the house is just a house with a spooky atmosphere, they chastise themselves for being so foolish as to believe in ghosts.

### • Guest's Herald

This power, when used on a door or other portal, creates an audible or visual effect that notifies the Tremere that someone has crossed it. In this way, the vampire knows when someone has entered her haven and can deal with the interloper as she sees fit.

System: This power lasts for 24 hours. The signal may be anything of the thaumaturge’s choosing — a particularly noisy creak, a tendency to stay ajar or even something wholly unconnected, like the rotation of a decanter in another room. In all cases, the effect is static — it looks or sounds exactly the same every time it happens. Any point at which someone other than the thaumaturge crosses a warded area, the effect takes place. Whether or not the vampire is present to observe it is a different matter.

Note that complex chains of events are outside the purview of this power. The ritual will not trigger an elaborate Rube Goldberg-style “trap” (though it may set off the first part of one), nor will it aim and fire a shotgun at the door. These are simple, subtle, brief effects.

### •• Master's Orders

In his own haven, the thaumaturge knows where every last article lies. He knows where he placed an important book, he knows the drawer that the keys to his safe occupy, and he knows where his ensorcelled wooden stake rests. He even knows these things when he doesn’t.…

System: As long as this ritual is successful, for the duration of the scene, the thaumaturge knows exactly where any given object has been placed, as long as it is in his haven. This knowledge applies only to inanimate objects — he may not locate his childe in this manner. Also, the object must belong to the Tremere himself; an assassin’s knife will not be found by this power, nor will the objects on another’s person. Something the Tremere has stolen will turn up without difficulty, however.

This power works only in the Tremere’s haven, where he has spent at least one day’s rest prior to invoking the power.

### ••• Rhyme of Discord

The vampire may create a miasma of confusion in her haven. This power plays upon intruders’ minds, causing them to become lost in the vampire’s haven, to lose their direction and misremember specific details such as objects in rooms and their location.

System: Characters other than the thaumaturge fi nd themselves hopelessly lost in her haven, no matter how small it is. Additionally, they are unable to remember any but the smallest details regarding the place once inside. Even if an intruder attempts to follow or chase the Kindred through the haven, she will lose track of direction, make wrong turns, etc. This effect lasts for one full 24-hour period, but the confused memories an intruder takes with her last until she visits the haven when it is not under this protective ensorcellment.

### •••• Temportal

As master of her haven, a vampire may briefl y reshape it so that doorways lead to rooms other than those to which they are connected. For example, the door to the bedroom may suddenly open into the study, while the deepest catacomb of a Transylvanian dungeon might lead to a tower elsewhere in the castle. Thaumaturges find this useful both as a convenience — how better to retrieve a book from the basement when one is on the third floor? — and as an escape route.

System: This power works until sunrise. At the thaumaturge’s whim, he may walk through any doorway in his haven and be immediately transported to any room of his choice that is also in his haven. Anyone who follows him through the door will fi nd themselves in the room the doorway naturally connects to.

### ••••• The Cauldron's Rede

This power bestows a primitive awareness upon the magus’ haven. While her haven is under this sending, the thaumaturge may ask any of the items in her haven about specific events taking place therein. A bedroom mirror may whisper of guests conspiring in the foyer, a divan may disclose bedchamber indiscretions, and the lowliest kitchen rug may reveal high treachery taking place in a salon. Anything occurring within the haven (or within eyeshot of the outside, as the windows can “see” as well) can be relayed to an inquisitive magus by the common items inside.

System: This power lasts until the sunrise after the vampire invokes it. The vampire must verbally ask questions of her haven’s accouterments, should she desire information from them. Only in case of extreme danger, such as a pending attack or a haven set ablaze will the voices of the haven call out to the Kindred.

## The Lure of Flames

This path grants the thaumaturge the ability to conjure forth mystical flames — small fires at first, but skilled magicians may create great conflagrations. Fire created by this path is not “natural.” In fact, many vampires believe the flames to be conjured from Hell itself. The Lure of Flames is greatly feared, as fire is one of the surest ways to bring Final Death upon a vampire.

Fire conjured by The Lure of Flames must be released for it to have any effect. Thus, a “palm of flame” does not burn the vampire’s hand and cause an aggravated wound (nor does it cause the caster to frenzy) — it merely produces light. Once the flame has been released, however, it burns normally and the character has no control over it.

System: The number of successes determines how accurately the vampire places the flame in his desired location (declared before the roll is made). One success is all that is necessary to conjure a flame in one’s hand, while five successes place a flame anywhere in the Kindred’s line of sight. Less successes mean that the flame appears somewhere at the Storyteller’s discretion — as a rough rule of thumb, the thaumaturge can accurately place a flame within 10 yards or meters of themselves per success.

Individual descriptions are not provided for each level of this path — fire is fire, after all (including potentially causing frenzy in other vampires witnessing it). The chart below describes the path level required to generate a specific amount of flame. To soak the damage at all, a vampire must have the Fortitude Discipline. Fire under the caster’s control does not harm the vampire or cause him to frenzy, but fires started as a result of the unnatural flame affect the thaumaturge normally.

• Candle (difficulty 3 to soak, one health level of aggravated damage/ turn)

•• Palm of flame (difficulty 4 to soak, one health level of aggravated damage/turn)

••• Campfire (difficulty 5 to soak, two health levels of aggravated damage/turn)

•••• Bonfire (difficulty 7 to soak, two health levels of aggravated damage/ turn)

••••• Inferno (difficulty 9 to soak, three health levels of aggravated damage/ turn)

## Mastery of the Mortal Shell

Folklore warns of the dangers of the witches’ curse and the ability of warlocks to possess the weak and force them to do their bidding. During the early nights of Clan Tremere, Mastery of the Mortal Shell was developed to battle the Tzimisce and Gangrel marauders that attacked their chantries. The use of this Path was later expanded to enforce subservience among Gargoyles after their first revolt. A thaumaturge practicing Mastery of the Mortal Shell explores the fundamental workings of the body, granting control over the physical workings over her victim. Targets may include humans or any supernatural creatures with flesh such as vampires, werewolves, or mages, but not ghosts or demons, who are made primarily of spirit.

Lesser powers of this Path are clumsy in their control of the body, but become increasingly precise and complete.

A number of the powers in this Path are activated by touch. Depending upon the circumstances, the Storyteller may require a successful Dexterity + Brawl roll for the thaumaturge to make contact with the intended victim. Targeting rules apply for attacking a specific extremity if contact is not guaranteed.

Unless otherwise stated, the powers of Mastery of the Mortal Shell last a number of turns equal to the number of successes the thaumaturge scores on her activation roll. A victim may only suffer the effects of one power from this Path at a time. Thus, a thaumaturge may not enact Vertigo and Contortion at the same time upon the same victim. The most recent power activated replaces the effects of previous powers used upon the victim.

### • Vertigo

The thaumaturge induces minor disorientation and dizziness through subtle manipulations in the subject’s body. The physical discomfort is temporary and minor, but a clever thaumaturge can use it on rivals at the most inopportune times, causing them to lose their aplomb.

System: A touch from the thaumaturge invokes disorientation in her victim. If successful, all of the victim’s physical actions are at +1 difficulty for the duration of the power. Subsequent uses of this Path may extend the duration, though the difficulty will not increase further.

### •• Contortion

With a touch, the thaumaturge causes a group of her opponent’s muscles to contract involuntarily, reducing it to twitching fits. This effect is extremely disconcerting to the subject, rendering the limb or muscle group unusable.

System: By making physical contact with one of the limbs of the target, the thaumaturge renders it useless for the duration of Contortion. A leg rendered useless makes standing difficult, and the victim suffers from increased difficulty (+1 to +3, depending on circumstances) to appropriate Dexterity challenges related to her leg, such as dancing or balancing on ledges. A contorted arm hangs lifeless at the subject’s side. A useless head causes loss of speech and increases the difficulty of all Social rolls are at +2 as the facial muscles spasm out of control.

### ••• Seizure

Seizure causes the body to erupt into a fit of convulsions. All the muscles throughout the body tighten uncontrollably, while the victim foams at the mouth and spasms rack him with agony. A mortal may even choke to death as her tongue cuts off her air supply.

System: A light touch from the thaumaturge forces the very unpleasant effects of this power upon the target. For the duration of the seizure, a target’s body writhes, tormenting her to the point of incapacitation. Victims suffer a +2 difficulty penalty to all physical actions. The victim also suffers one level of bashing damage every turn, as her body helplessly twists itself. At Storyteller discretion, the effects of this power may even cause death in extremely ill or wounded mortals.

Damage may be reduced as normal (although levels from armor do not apply).

### •••• Body Failure

Thaumaturges wielding this frightful power gain devastating insights into the workings of the body, allowing a complete shutdown of its systems. This sudden biological overload often proves fatal to mortals and damaging to other supernatural beings. Body Failure has been used throughout the ages to afflict horrific ailments in inconspicuous ways that suggest a stroke or heart attack.

System: The thaumaturge no longer needs to touch her victim to strike out with this level of mastery of the Path. She may affect any target within her line of sight, but she must keep visual contact with the victim at all times to maintain this effect. A successful activation of this power grants effects similar to Seizure, except that damage is lethal (and thus not soakable by mortals) due to complete mass tissue and organ failure. Additionally, the victim suffers a + 2 difficulty penalty to all actions.

The subject may resist the effects of Body Failure via a Stamina + Fortitude roll when the thaumaturge attempts to strike the target (difficulty equals the thaumaturge’s current Willpower). Each success the victim gains on this roll reduces the duration of Body Failure by one turn.

### ••••• Marionette

The thaumaturge invoking Marionette gains such mastery over the body of others that she can magically seize control of another being and force her victim to act according to her own whims. This control is not as fine as the direct and personal command of the Dominate power of Possession, but the thaumaturge’s true body is not as vulnerable during the manipulation. Once established, the Marionette victim is under the complete sway of the thaumaturge, forced to perform as the thaumaturge’s macabre pawn.

System: The thaumaturge may affect any target within her line of sight, but she must keep visual contact with the victim at all times to maintain this effect. A subject may resist the effects of Marionette on a Stamina + Fortitude roll (difficulty equal to the thaumaturge’s current Willpower) when the thaumaturge attempts to take control. Each success the victim gains on this roll reduces the duration of Marionette by one turn. Victims lacking Fortitude do not have the physical resistance to defy this effect.

For the duration of this power, the thaumaturge can cause the victim to perform any physical action, using the target’s pools with a penalty of +2 difficulty to all rolls. The concentration this power requires also increases the thaumaturge’s own difficulties by two for all other personal actions undertaken while manipulating the victim. To extend the duration of this control, the thaumaturge must make a second activation roll. Marionette does not rob the victim of her cognizance, only physical control over her body. During this time of thaumaturge’s mastery, the target remains aware that some outside force is manipulating her physical actions, conscious that they are not her own. The victim may spend a point of Willpower to attempt to take a mental or social action, such as activating a Discipline or speaking.

## Neptune’s Might

Vampires are rarely associated with the ocean in most mythologies, and most Kindred have nothing to do with water in large quantities simply because they have no reason to do so. Nevertheless, Neptune’s Might has enjoyed a small, but devoted, following for centuries among Camarilla thaumaturges. This path is based primarily around the manipulation of standing water, although some of its more disturbing effects depart from this principle.

Once a character reaches the third level of Neptune’s Might, the player may choose to specialize in either fresh water or salt water. Such specialization lowers all Neptune’s Might difficulties by one when dealing with the chosen medium but raises them by one when dealing with the opposite. Blood is considered neither fresh nor salty for this purpose, and difficulties in manipulating it are unaffected.

### • Eyes of the Sea

The thaumaturge may peer into a body of water and view events that have transpired on, in, or around it from the water’s perspective. Some older practitioners of this art claim that the vampire communes with the spirits of the waters when using this power; younger Kindred scoff at such claims.

System: The number of successes rolled determines how far into the past the character can look.

Success Chart
 2 Successes
 3 Successes
 4 Successes
 5+ Successes

The Storyteller may require a Perception + Occult roll for the character to discern very small details in the transmitted images. This power can only he used on standing water; lakes and puddles qualify, but oceans, rivers, sewers, and wine glasses do not.

### •• Prison of Water

The thaumaturge can command a sufficiently large quantity of water to animate itself and imprison a subject. This power requires a significant amount of fluid to be fully effective, although even a few gallons can be used to shape chains of animated water.

System: The number of successes scored on the roll is the number of successes the victim must score on a Strength roll (difficulty 8; Potence can add to this roll) to break free. A subject may be held in only one prison at a time, although the caster is free to invoke multiple uses of this power upon separate victims and may dissolve these prisons at will. If a sufficient quantity of water (at least a bathtub’s worth) is not present, the difficulty of the Willpower roll to activate this power is raised by one.

### ••• Blood to Water

The thaumaturge has now attained enough power over water that she can transmute other liquids to this basic element. The most commonly seen use of this power is as an assault; with but a touch, the victim’s blood transforms to water, weakening vampires and killing mortals in moments. S

ystem: The character must touch her intended victim. The player rolls Willpower normally. Each success converts one of the victim’s blood points to water. One success kills a mortal within minutes. Vampires who lose blood points to this power also suffer dice pool penalties as if they had received an equivalent number of health levels of injury. The water left in the target’s system by this attack evaporates out at a rate of one blood point’s worth per hour, but the lost blood does not return.

At the Storyteller’s discretion, other liquids may be turned to water with this power (the difficulty for such an action is reduced by one unless the substance is particularly dangerous or magical in nature). The character must still touch the substance or its container to use this power.

### •••• Flowing Wall

Tales of vampires’ inability to cross running water may have derived in part from garbled accounts of this power in action. The thaumaturge can animate water to an even greater degree than is possible with the use of Prison of Water, commanding it to rise up to form a barrier impassable to almost any being.

System: The character touches the surface of a standing body of water; the player spends three Willpower points and the normal required blood point and rolls normally. Successes are applied to both width and height of the wall; each success “buys” 10 feet/three meters in one dimension. The wall may be placed anywhere within the character’s line of sight, and must be formed in a straight line. The wall lasts until the next sunrise. It cannot be climbed, though it can be flown over. To pass through the barrier, any supernatural being (including beings trying to pass the wall on other levels of existence, such as ghosts) must score at least three successes on a single Willpower roll (difficulty 9).

### ••••• Dehydrate

At this level of mastery, the thaumaturge can directly attack living and unliving targets by removing the water from their bodies. Victims killed by this power leave behind hideous mummified corpses. This power can also be used for less aggressive purposes, such as drying out wet clothes — or evaporating puddles to keep other practitioners of this path from using them.

System: This power can be used on any target in the character’s line of sight. The player rolls normally; the victim resists with a roll of Stamina + Fortitude (difficulty 9). Each success gained by the caster translates into one health level of lethal damage inflicted on the victim. This injury cannot be soaked (the resistance roll replaces soak for this attack) but can be healed normally. Vampires lose blood points instead of health levels, though if a vampire has no blood points this attack inflicts health level loss as it would against a mortal. The victim of this attack must also roll Courage (difficulty equal to the number of successes scored by the caster + 3) to be able to act on the turn following the attack; failure means he is overcome with agony and can do nothing.

## Movement of the Mind

This path gives the thaumaturge the ability to move objects telekinetically through the mystic power of blood. At higher levels, even flight is possible (but be careful who sees you…). Objects under the character’s control may be manipulated as if she held them — they may be lifted, spun, juggled, or even “thrown,” though creating enough force to inflict actual damage requires mastery of at least the fourth level of this path. Some casters skilled in this path even use it to guard their havens, animating swords, axes, and firearms to ward off intruders. This path may frighten and disconcert onlookers.

System: The number of successes indicates the duration of the caster’s control over the object (or subject). Each success allows one turn of manipulation, though the Kindred may attempt to maintain control after this time by making a new roll (she need not spend additional blood to maintain control). If the roll is successful, control is maintained. If a thaumaturge loses or relaxes control over an object and later manipulates it again, her player must spend another blood point, as a new attempt is being made. Five or more successes on the initial roll means the vampire can control the object for duration of the scene.

If this power is used to manipulate a living being, the subject may attempt to resist. In this case, the caster and the subject make opposed Willpower rolls each turn the control is exercised.

Like The Lure of Flames, individual power levels are not provided for this path — consult the chart below to see how much weight a thaumaturge may control. Once a Kindred reaches a rating of 3, she may levitate herself and “fly” at approximately running speed, no matter how much she weighs, though the weight restrictions apply if she manipulates other objects or subjects. Once a Kindred achieves 4, she may “throw” objects at a Strength equal to her level of mastery of this path.

•One pound/one-half kilogram

•• 20 pounds/10 kilograms

••• 200 pounds/100 kilograms

•••• 500 pounds/250 kilograms

••••• 1000 pounds/500 kilograms

## Onieromancy

Although the corrupt dream-magic of the Path of Morpheus had been used by the Sabbat for decades, the original augury that it was based upon has been a longheld secret by the Tremere. Oneiromancy, divination rooted in the somnolent state of consciousness, is actually based upon ancient Greek philosophies of prophecy. The Tremere, adopting these ancient sortileges, developed them into the thaumaturgical path of Oneiromancy shortly after their transformation to vampiric magi.

With the recent loss of the Sabbat’s Tremere antitribu, the Path of Morpheus has since fallen from common knowledge, and Oneiromancy no longer carries the stigma once associated with its practitioners. With the approaching of Gehenna, the elders of Clan Tremere have again rethought their disdain of Oneiromancy in the clan in an effort to gain more information on unfolding events.

Use of any of these powers requires at least five minutes of reading the signs during which the Warlock goes into a trance similar to sleep. Awareness of his surroundings is limited, and he can “awaken” from the trance at any time but will suffer the same penalties as if awakening during the day for three turns (maximum dice pool equals his Humanity score). Oneiromancy powers can also be used while the thaumaturge is in torpor.

### • Portents

From the ephemeral fragments of his own dreams, the magus may attempt a personal reading of the near future. While asleep, the oneiromancer draws upon the dream imagery flittering in the unconscious. Upon waking from the divination, the Cainite may scrutinize the meaning of the visions. Although these visions of the present and future are invariably hazy, they often provide important glimpses into significant events.

System: This power of Oneiromancy must be used immediately after awakening and takes the thaumaturge 10 minutes to read the signs. With a successful activation roll, the Storyteller relates disjoined dream images allegorically (or sometimes literally) concerning one forthcoming personal event to the oneiromancer. This event is completely up to the Storyteller’s discretion, and multiple uses of Portents may well result in the same vision occurring over and over again. The Portent should always be fragmented and cryptic, although the more successes scored on this activation roll, the more information the Storyteller should relay to the player.

### •• Foresee

Foresee lets the Warlock look into the mind of a sleeping individual, interpreting her dreams as clues to future events involving that individual. Used by thaumaturges in soothsaying, oneiromancers sometimes gain the trust of people while gleaming unconscious secrets from the targets.

System: This power behaves similar to Portents, but the imagery comes from the dreams of the target and the divination concerns an event for that person. The subject must be within the presence of the oneiromancer and asleep for Foresee to work, though Psychic Projection also works if the thaumaturge is not physically present. Additionally, if a Kindred is the subject of this power, the thaumaturge must spend a Willpower point to successfully see and understand the prognostication.

### ••• Dreamspeak

The oneiromancer can now send messages to others in dream form. Although these messages appear while the target is asleep, the subject remembers them clearly after waking. Since these messages are dreams, those unfamiliar with this power may discount them as such. More nefarious uses have included sending nightmares and threats to a victim.

System: Dreamspeak sends a static dream message, determined at the time of sending, to anyone the oneiromancer has previously met. If the subject is not asleep at the time this power is used, the Dreamspeak has no effect. While using this power, magi drop into a trance as with the other divinations of Oneiromancy. One turn’s worth of dreams can be sent per success of the activation roll — this won’t allow the thaumaturge to haunt her victim for a full night, but it will allow her to leave messages, impart warnings, etc.

### •••• Augury

Refining the power of somnolent divination, the oneiromancer is able to seek answers to questions and problems. While specific information can be sought by the oneiromancer, the dream images providing that knowledge have the same disjoined and confusing quality. Augury is helpful in seeking answers to problems, possibly providing the required breakthrough with a dilemma. Since fortune-telling and prophesy is convoluting and bewildering, Augury may not provide any answer that is useful to the thaumaturge, and has been known to be completely misleading, as is often the case with dream-symbols. Let the diviner beware.

System: Where broken and unguided imagery is the hallmark of Portents, Augury provides more direction and continuity. The augury comes to the Warlock in the same dreamlike imageries but the events are better understood. Thaumaturges who achieve this level of skill in the Path of Oneiromancy often have little use for lesser powers.

Note that the subject must have the knowledge the thaumaturge seeks, or the power is useless. The Storyteller has the final say on whether an Augury provides any beneficial information, and should not provide any revelations that will ruin a chronicle or plot.

### ••••• Reveal the Heart's Dreams

This power of divination works on a much more immediate means, the thaumaturge gaining an immediate insight into the dreams and desires of a person just by observing them directly. The innermost desire of the target becomes instantly apparent to the magus. With this information, a magus is able to approach a person with offers that are next to impossible to deny. It is hard to say no to the thing that you desire most. According to legend, even the hero-king Gilgamesh left his people in his desire for immortality.

This revelation of the soul occasionally reveals even more information about the target — that of his greatest of fears. It is this aspect of revelation that some say is the power the Followers of Set use to destroy the souls and virtue of their victims.

System: This power requires the expenditure of a point of Willpower (two, in the case of Kindred subjects) in addition to the normal blood point to activate and the subject must be within sight of the thaumaturge. If any successes are scored on the activation roll, the innermost desire of the target is reveled to the oneiromancer. Additionally, if more successes are gained on the activation roll than the subject has Willpower, the oneiromancer gains an even deeper understanding of the target’s soul and learns the victim’s innermost fear. The subject’s reaction to being confronted with this information is up to the Storyteller (or the player), but remember that it is their ultimate driving passion.

When confronted with her inner horror, the subject may be completely paralyzed with fear, or she may frenzy in the tradition of Rötschreck. Again, the exact results are up to the Storyteller, but they should be consistent with confronting one’s worst fears.

## Path of Blood's Curse

Elder vampires have forever flaunted their powers over their lessers, the ancillae and neonates. With the approaching threat of Gehenna, young Kindred actively pursue ways to circumvent the stranglehold these powerful elders possess in the Jyhad. With this desire driving their ambitions, a few rogue Pander and Caitiff thaumaturges gathered together and developed this thaumaturgical path as a means of ousting those above them.

These rebels resorted to a very basic concept for this path of thaumaturgy by exposing the inherent disadvantages that accompany the vampiric Embrace. The elders’ paranoia has only increased exponentially due to this movement toward a new method of usurping their power and vitae. These new thaumaturges give rise to the whisperings of the Day of Reckoning soon at hand in the courts of Elysium.

### • Ravaged of the Beast

From the moment a Kindred is Embraced, he suffers the rage and instincts of a primal Beast; it is the fi rst bane to accompany the Change. If provoked, the Beast Within sends a vampire into a mindless, berserk frenzy. Some Kindred struggle to keep their Beasts in check, while others enjoy riding the waves of this violent rage. A thaumaturge invoking this power coaxes the Beast to surface within his target, unleashing a rampant killer.

System: The subject of this power must make a frenzy roll (Self-Control, difficulty 7). If the victim cannot resist the Beast, he immediately enters a frenzy the Storyteller deems appropriate to the situation, whether rage, Rötschreck, hunger, etc. A thaumaturge may affect any target within her line of sight.

### •• Weight of the Sun

A concomitant curse of the Embrace is an inability to remain awake during the daytime. Forced to maintain a surreptitious existence at night, a Kindred loses the opportunity to ever again see the sun. As that fiery-white globe rises in the east, Kindred feel its pressing weight as it drives them down into slumber. This power allows a thaumaturge to invoke the same type of lethargy that the sun imposes during the long hours of the day.

System: This power lasts for one scene per success on the thaumaturge’s Willpower roll. Suffering the same penalty as if awake during the daytime, a Kindred reduces his maximum dice pool to equal his humanity (or Path of Enlightenment). Characters who have achieved Golconda are immune to this power.

### ••• Abated Tooth

All vampires require blood to survive; they depend on mortal vessels for sustenance and the Kiss to maintain their unlives. When Kindred do feed, they usually extend their fangs, to more easily pierce their victim’s flesh. By invoking this power, a thaumaturge mystically dulls a subject’s fangs, robbing him of the ability to use them effectively. His fangs become so severely blunted that it becomes nearly impossible to effectively pierce flesh, causing affected Kindred to search for alternate methods of feeding.

System: Each success the thaumaturge scores dulls the fangs of his subject for a night. Victims may make a Stamina (plus Fortitude, if any) roll (difficulty 8) to subtract successes from the thaumaturge. While affected by this power, a Kindred may not use the Bite close combat maneuver, and her Kiss ceases to cause ecstasy, instead becoming a “normal” bite. Storytellers may decide to throw as many obstacles as deemed necessary at the victim in this sticky situation. The police do not look kindly on psychopaths who bite others in the middle of the Rack, and anyone who feeds carelessly is almost sure to arouse the ire of Kindred interested in maintaining the Masquerade.

### •••• Treacherous Bonds

One of the most potent properties of Kindred vitae is the ability to create a blood bond. A regnant offering his blood to a victim on three separate nights fl oods a thrall with a powerful attraction and devotion to him. Under a blood bond, the thrall becomes a most loyal and subservient tool of the regnant and will do anything to appease him.

Traditionally when the connection of a bond becomes unstable or weak, emotions of hate may cloud the mind of the thrall, though it may possibly span lifetimes before these feelings become evident. The thaumaturge invoking this power incites an instantaneous, hate-induced emotional state within a regnant’s thrall; where once there was love, now only loathing drives his emotions. This power creates a backlash in the target’s blood, temporarily twisting any bonds he is under, from the newest to ones built over years’ time.

System: The vampire must touch his intended subject for this power to take effect. For the duration of one night per success a thaumaturge scores on his Willpower roll, and depending on whether the magus chooses to affect a regnant or his thrall, a blood bond becomes corrupt and unstable. Should a thaumaturge direct this power at a thrall, only the thrall’s bond is corrupt, consumed by hate for as many nights as successes. However, if the thaumaturge chooses to invoke this power in a regnant, one of the regnant’s thralls is affected per success. Should a regnant also be in thrall to someone else while under this effect, she too will feel only malignity for her regnant.

This power is mistrusted widely by vampires of Clan Tremere, and had the Ventrue and Lasombra any real knowledge of it, they would likely balk at it, too (when they weren’t inflicting it upon their enemies). More than one regent has levied extreme censure on vampires learning this power, and an apocryphal story tells of a European prince putting a Tremere to Final Death after learning that he had used this power to turn her ghouls against her.

### ••••• The Withering of Ages

This devastating power warps the blood within vampires, temporarily suspending the properties sustaining their immortality. A thaumaturge making physical contact with a victim may strip her of her agelessness and render her briefl y decrepit. Within moments, the body of the target will reveal the truth of her true age, shriveling and shrinking to refl ect the weight of her years. Additionally, the fangs of the victim become elongated, and other facial features accentuate his vampiric nature. Ancient vampires become crippled, as their bodies become their own worst enemies.

System: After the thaumaturge makes physical contact with her victim, the player engages in a contested Willpower roll (difficulty 8). Should he accumulate more successes than his target, the victim begins to grow physically older until he fully resembles his true age. A character will lose one Physical Attribute point per 10 years of age he physically gains, to a minimum of 0. Vampires who sink to scores of 0 in Physical Traits are so enfeebled that they must have help moving, feeding, etc. and can barely be heard or understood. This effect lasts for one night, after which time the victim rapidly sheds his physical years and is restored to the full potency of his vampiric blood. The affected Kindred can also restore himself by spending five blood points and one Willpower point, though this blood must be spent on the same turn he becomes afflicted. Once the duration of this power has expired, the victim will appear as youthful or as old as he was the night of his Embrace.

## The Path of Conjuring

Invoking objects “out of thin air” has been a staple of occult and supernatural legend since long before the rise of the Tremere. This Thaumaturgical path enables powerful conjurations limited only by the mind of the practitioner.

Objects summoned via this path bear two distinct characteristics. They are uniformly “generic” in that each object summoned, if summoned again, would look exactly as it did at first. For example, a knife would be precisely the same knife if created twice; the two would be indistinguishable. Even a specific knife — the one a character’s father used to threaten her — would appear identical every time it was conjured. A rat would have repeated “tiled” patterns over its fur, and a garbage can would have a completely uniform fluted texture over its surface. Additionally, conjured objects bear no flaws: Weapons have no dents or scratches, tools have no distinguishing marks, and cellphones all look like they just came out of their packaging.

The limit on the size of conjured objects appears to be that of the conjurer: nothing larger than the thaumaturge can be created. The conjurer must also have some degree of familiarity with the object he wishes to call forth. Simply working from a picture or imagination calls for a higher difficulty, while objects with which the character is intimately familiar (such as the knife described above) may actually lower the difficulty, at the Storyteller’s discretion.

When a player rolls to conjure something, the successes gained on the roll indicate the quality of the summoned object. One success yields a shoddy, imperfect creation, while five successes garner the caster a nearly perfect replica.

### • Summon the Simple Form

At this level of mastery, the conjurer may create simple, inanimate objects. The object cannot have any moving parts and may not be made of multiple materials. For example, the conjurer may summon a steel baton, a lead pipe, a wooden stake, or a chunk of granite.

System: Each turn the conjurer wishes to keep the object in existence, another Willpower point must be spent or the object vanishes.

### •• Permanency

At this level, the conjurer no longer needs to pay Willpower costs to keep an object in existence. The object is permanent, though simple objects are still all that may be created.

System: The player must invest three blood points in an object to make it real.

### ••• Magic of the Smith

The Kindred may now conjure complex objects of multiple components and with moving parts. For example, the thaumaturge can create guns, bicycles, chainsaws, or cellphones.

System: Objects created via Magic of the Smith are automatically permanent and cost five blood points to conjure. Particularly complex items often require a Knowledge roll (Crafts, Science, Technology, etc.) in addition to the basic roll.

### •••• Reverse Conjuration

This power allows the conjurer to “banish” into nonexistence any object previously called forth via this path.

System: This is an extended success roll. The conjurer must accumulate as many successes as the original caster received when creating the object in question. This can also be used by the thaumaturge to banish object she created herself with this Path.

### ••••• Power Over Life

This power cannot create true life, though it can summon forth impressive simulacra. Creatures (and people) summoned with this power lack the free will to act on their own, mindlessly following the simple instructions of their conjurer instead. People created in this way can be subject to the use of the Dominate power Possession, if desired.

System: The player spends 10 blood points. Imperfect and impermanent, creatures summoned via this path are too complex to exist for long. Within a week after their conjuration, the simulacra vanish into insubstantiality.

## The Path of Corruption

The origins of this path are hotly debated among those who are familiar with its intricacies. One theory holds that its secrets were taught to the Tremere by demons and that use of it brings the practitioner dangerously close to the infernal powers. A second opinion has been advanced that the Path of Corruption is a holdover from the days when Clan Tremere was still mortal. The third theory, and the most disturbing to the Tremere, is that the path originated with the Followers of Set, and that knowledge of its workings was sold to the Tremere for an unspecified price. This last rumor is vehemently denied by the Tremere, which automatically makes it a favorite topic of discussion when the matter comes up.

The Path of Corruption is primarily a mentally and spiritually oriented path centered on influencing the psyches of other individuals. It can be used neither to issue commands like Dominate nor to change emotions in the moment like Presence. Rather, it produces a gradual and subtle twisting of the subject’s actions, morals, and thought processes. This path deals intimately with deception and dark desires, and those who work through it must understand the hidden places of the heart. Accordingly, no character may have a higher rating in the Path of Corruption than he has in Subterfuge.

### • Contradict

The vampire can interrupt a subject’s thought processes, forcing the victim to reverse his current course of action. An Archon may be caused to execute a prisoner she was about to exonerate and release; a mortal lover might switch from gentle and caring to sadistic and demanding in the middle of an encounter. The results of Contradict are never precisely known to the thaumaturge in advance, but they always take the form of a more negative action than the subject had originally intended to perform.

System: This power may be used on any subject within the character’s line of sight. The player rolls as per normal. The target rolls Perception + Subterfuge (difficulty equal to the number of successes scored by the caster + 2). Two successes allow the subject to realize that she is being influenced by some outside source. Three successes let her pinpoint the source of the effect. Four successes give her a moment of hesitation, neither performing her original action nor its inverse, while five allow her to carry through with the original action.

The Storyteller dictates what the subject’s precise reaction to this power is. Contradict cannot be used in combat or to affect other actions (at the Storyteller’s discretion) that are mainly physical and reflexive.

### •• Subvert

This power follows the same principle as does Contradict, the release of a subject’s dark, self-destructive side. However, Subvert’s effects are longer-lasting than the momentary flare of Contradiction. Under the influence of this power, victims act on their own suppressed temptations, pursuing agendas that their morals or self-control would forbid them to follow under normal circumstances.

System: This power requires the character to make eye contact with the intended victim. The player rolls normally. The target resists with a roll of Perception + Subterfuge (difficulty equal to the target’s Manipulation + Subterfuge). If the thaumaturge scores more successes, the victim becomes inclined to follow a repressed, shameful desire for the length of time described below.

Success Chart
 2 Successes
 3 Successes
 4 Successes
 5 Successes

The Storyteller determines the precise desire or agenda that the victim follows. It should be in keeping with the Psychological Flaws that she possesses or with the negative aspects of her Nature (for example, a Loner desiring isolation to such an extent that she becomes violent if forced to attend a social function). The subject should not become fixated on following this new agenda at all times, but should occasionally be forced to spend a Willpower point if the opportunity to succumb arises and she wishes to resist the impulse.

### ••• Dissociate

“Divide and conquer” is a maxim that is well-understood by the Tremere, and Dissociate is a powerful tool with which to divide the Clan’s enemies. This power is used to break the social ties of interpersonal relationships. Even the most passionate affair or the oldest friendship can be cooled through use of Dissociate, and weaker personal ties can be destroyed altogether.

System: The character must touch the target. The player rolls normally. The target resists with a Willpower roll (difficulty of the thaumaturge’s Manipulation + Empathy). The victim loses three dice from all Social rolls for a period of time determined by the number of successes gained by the caster:

Success Chart
 2 Successes
 3 Successes
 4 Successes
 5 Successes

This penalty applies to all rolls that rely on Social Attributes, even those required for the use of Disciplines. If this power is used on a character who has participated in the Vaulderie or a similar ritual, that character’s Vinculum ratings are reduced by three for the duration of Dissociate’s effect.

Dissociate’s primary effect falls under roleplaying rather than game mechanics. Victims of this power should be played as withdrawn, suspicious, and emotionally distant. The Storyteller should feel free to require a Willpower point expenditure for a player who does not follow these guidelines.

### •••• Addiction

This power is a much stronger and more potentially damaging form of Subvert. Addiction creates just that in the victim. By simply exposing the target to a particular sensation, substance, or action, the caster creates a powerful psychological dependence. Many thaumaturges ensure that their victims become addicted to substances or thrills that only the mystic can provide, thus creating both a source of income and potential blackmail material.

System: The subject must encounter or be exposed to the sensation, substance, or action to which the character wants to addict him. The thaumaturge then touches his target. The player rolls normally; the victim resists with a Self-Control/Instinct roll (difficulty equal to the number of successes scored by the caster + 3). Failure gives the subject an instant addiction to that object.

An addicted character must get his fix at least once a night. Every night that he goes without satisfying his desire imposes a cumulative penalty of one die on all of his dice pools (to a minimum pool of one die). The victim must roll Self-Control/Instinct (difficulty 8) every time he is confronted with the object of his addiction and wishes to keep from indulging. Addiction lasts for a number of weeks equal to the thaumaturge’s Manipulation score.

An individual may try to break the effects of Addiction. This requires an extended Self-Control/Instinct roll (difficulty of the caster’s Manipulation + Subterfuge), with one roll made per night. The addict must accumulate a number of successes equal to three times the number of successes scored by the caster. The victim may not indulge in his addiction over the time needed to accumulate these successes. If he does so, all accumulated successes are lost and he must begin anew on the next night. Note that the Self-Control/Instinct dice pool is reduced every night that the victim goes without feeding his addiction.

### ••••• Dependence

Many former pawns of Clan Tremere claim to have felt a strange sensation similar to depression when not in the presence of their masters. This is usually attributed to the blood bond, but is sometimes the result of the vampire’s mastery of Dependence. The final power of the Path of Corruption enables the vampire to tie her victim’s soul to her own, engendering feelings of lethargy and helplessness when the victim is not in her presence or acting to further her desires.

System: The character engages the target in conversation. The player rolls normally. The victim rolls Self-Control/Instinct (difficulty equals the number of successes scored by the caster + 3). Failure means that the victim’s psyche has been subtly bonded to that of the thaumaturge for one night per success rolled by the caster.

A bonded victim is no less likely to attack his controller, and feels no particular positive emotions toward her. However, he is psychologically addicted to her presence, and suffers a one-die penalty to all rolls when he is not around her or performing tasks for her.

Additionally, he is much less resistant to her commands, and his dice pools are halved when he attempts to resist her Dominate, Presence (or other mental or emotional control powers), or mundane Social rolls. Finally, he is unable to regain Willpower when he is not in the thaumaturge’s presence.

## Path of the Levinbolt

Lightning has long been considered the dominion of the gods, but has traditionally been out of reach of thaumaturges due to a lack of understanding of the principles of electricity. As a result, this Path remained relatively obscure until the birth of modern science. The ample supply of electricity in the late 19th century meant that thaumaturges no longer had to wait until a convenient storm to charge their powers, but could gather the required electricity in mere seconds to direct as they chose.

Practitioners of the Path of the Levinbolt tend to cause a good deal of static electricity around them, even when not engaging their powers. Sometimes this plays havoc with cellular service, causes lights to flicker without reason, and computers to experience power surges in their presence.

A number of the powers in this Path are activated by touch. Depending upon the circumstances, the Storyteller may require a successful Dexterity + Brawl roll for the thaumaturge to make contact with the intended victim. Targeting rules apply for attacking a specific extremity if contact is guaranteed.

### • Flicker

Novice thaumaturges learn to freely absorb power around them through electrical outlets, circuits, or batteries. A user of this power can sense the current feeding into a specific electrical system and then draw it to her, effectively turning it off.

System: The thaumaturge simply glances at a target powered by electricity. Upon a successful activation roll, she can shut down an electrical device for ten minutes per success on the activation roll. The spark of electricity arcs from the device directly into the thaumaturge in a frightening display of mystical power. The source of this power is immediately known.

### •• Spark

Novice thaumaturges can build up a tiny static charge, enough to make a noticeable snap with a touch. Such a discharge poses little threat to healthy targets, though the energy can ruin delicate electronics or stun an unlucky victim.

System: The thaumaturge simply touches a target (after the requisite blood expenditure and activation roll by the player) and releases the spark. The electricity can snap from any part of the caster’s body, so a thaumaturge might give an unpleasant surprise to someone touching her. The resulting electrical discharge inflicts four dice of lethal damage to targets (difficulty 7 to soak), and short-circuits electronic equipment and devices not specifically grounded against lightning strikes.

### ••• Illuminate

Neonates sometimes derogatively refer to this effect as the “40-watt Tremere,” right up until they’ve felt its sting. The thaumaturge summons enough electricity to cover her hand or arm in arcing bolts. This power can charge a battery, briefly run a small device, or even leave a nasty burn on a touched subject.

System: Each success scored on the player’s activation roll translates to approximately one turn of power sufficient to run a handful of lights or a small electrical device. Alternately, the thaumaturge can shock someone by touch, as with the Spark power, but for eight dice of lethal electrical damage (difficulty 8 to soak).

The current created with this power is not strong enough to force its way through less-than-ideal conductors, and thus simply inflicts electrical damage on raw metals, woods, or other matter in the form of a burn and discoloration. The thaumaturge can alternately allow the electricity to spark around her hand, eyes, or head; this creates illumination about equal to a dim light bulb, and lowers the difficulty of any Intimidation rolls by 2.

### •••• Thor’s Fury

The thaumaturge may strike her enemies from afar as though she were a god. She may direct an arc of lightning from her body to nearby targets.

System: The thaumaturge focuses her concentration upon her target and then directs hurled bolts via a Perception + Science roll (difficulty of 6 plus the range in yards/meters, maximum 4 yards/meters). Each success inflicts a level of lethal damage (difficulty 8 to soak). The source of this power is immediately known.

••••• Eye of the Storm

The thaumaturge becomes a shifting, sparking pillar of electrical power. The energy channeled in the Eye of the Storm shields her body from virtually any direct harm.

System: When a thaumaturge spends a Willpower point to invoke this power, she solidifies the stored electricity inside of her into a mystical barrier that completely surrounds her. The caster becomes immune to any ranged attacks. Metal weapons such as swords inflict injury as normal for the first strike, but are then melted from contact with the barrier, and the wielder takes a level of lethal damage. Enemies that dare to touch the caster suffer two points of aggravated damage (difficulty 8 to soak). Non-metal weapons, such as wooden stakes, are not affected by Eye of the Storm. This power lasts for a single turn, with each additional success on the activation roll extending this duration by one turn. Mental and social attacks may pass through this barrier.

## The Path of Mars

Those rare Sabbat who have retained Thaumaturgical talents have turned their focus to the assistance of the Sect in times of war. This path has proven useful, turning the tides of several confrontations with elder vampires. The path adopts a very martial stance, whereas other blood magics tend to have subtler, less violent effects. It is rumored that some Camarilla Tremere have learned this path, but very few of them have the right temperament to wield this path effectively

### • War Cry

A vampire on the attack can focus his will, making him less susceptible to battle fear or the powers of the undead. The vampire shouts a primal scream to start the effect, though some thaumaturges have been known to paint their faces or cut themselves open instead.

System: For the duration of one scene, the vampire adds one to his Courage Trait. Additionally, for the purposes of hostile effects, his Willpower is considered to be one higher (though this bonus applies only to the Trait itself, not the Willpower pool). A character may only gain the benefits of War Cry once per scene.

### •• Strike True

The vampire makes a single attack, guided by the unholy power of her Blood. This attack strikes its foe infallibly.

System: By invoking this power, the player need not roll to see if the vampire’s attack hits — it does, automatically. Only Melee or Brawl attacks may be made in this manner. These attacks are considered to be one-success attacks; they offer no additional damage dice. Also, they may be dodged, blocked, or parried normally, and the defender needs only one success (as the attacks’ number of success is assumed to be one). Strike True has no effect if attempted on multiple attacks (dice pool splits) in a single turn from one character.

### ••• Wind Dance

The thaumaturge invokes the power of the winds, moving in a blur. She gains a preternatural edge in avoiding her enemies’ blows, moving out of their way before the enemy has a chance to throw them.

System: The player can dodge any number of attacks with her full dice pool in a single turn. This advantage applies only to dodges — if the character wishes to attack and dodge, the player must still split her dice pool. This power lasts for one scene.

### •••• Fearless Heart

The vampire temporarily augments his abilities as a warrior. Through the mystical powers of blood magic, the character becomes a potent fighting force.

System: Fearless Heart grants the vampire an extra point in each of the Physical Attributes (Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina). These Traits may not exceed their generational maximums, though the player may use blood points to push the character’s Traits even higher. The effects last for one scene, and a character may gain its benefits only once per scene. The vampire must spend two hours in a calm and restful state following the use of Fearless Heart, or lose a blood point every 15 minutes until he rests.

### ••••• Comrades at Arms

This ability extends the power of the previous abilities in the path. It allows any of the earlier effects to be applied to a group such as a pack or War Party.

System: The player chooses one of the lower-level powers in the path, invoking it as normal. Afterward, he touches another character and (if the roll for Comrades at Arms is successful) bestows the benefit on her as well. The same power may be delivered to any number of packmates, as long as the rolls for Comrades at Arms are successful and the thaumaturge pays the appropriate blood costs.

## Path of Spirit Manipulation

Created to replace the rituals practiced by Clan Tremere in the days when it was a band of mortal wizards, Spirit Manipulation is the art of forcing spirits into actions and situations that would normally be contrary to their nature. These spirits are not the wraiths controlled by Necromancy, but a manifestation of the great powers of the universe that the limited humanoid brain perceives as spirits. Some believe that spirits are tulpas — constructs of human will created by faith to explain how the universe manages to function. Spirit Manipulation forces these spirits into a grotesque mockery of their normal behaviors to achieve magical results in the material world.

### • Hermetic Sight

The vampire can perceive the spirit world, either by gazing deeply into it or by seeing the presence of nearby spirits as a hazy overlay on the material world.

System: Hermetic Sight allows the thaumaturge to perceive the spirit realm interlaid over the material world for one hour. Each additional level of success on the activation roll increases the duration of this power by an additional thirty minutes.

### •• Astral Cant

The languages of the spirit world are infinitely varied and mainly incomprehensible to mortal (and immortal) minds. Astral Cant does not teach the thaumaturge the tongues of the spirits, but it does allow him to understand them as they speak to him and to reply in their own languages. The use of this power is not always necessary; many spirits speak human tongues, but choose to feign ignorance when dealing with vampires. Spirits are not affected by Dominate, but may be manipulated by Presence. Some thaumaturges theorize that this is because spirits are not actually sentient as a vampire would understand the concept, but are manifestations based on the perception of those that are self-aware.

System: Astral Cant allows the thaumaturge to speak to any spirit visible via Hermetic Sight for fifteen minutes. Each additional level of success on the activation roll increases the duration of this power by an additional fifteen minutes to the duration.

### ••• Voice of Command

This is perhaps the most dangerous power in the Spirit Manipulation arsenal, for the consequences of failure can be particularly unpleasant. Voice of Command allows the thaumaturge to issue orders to a spirit, compelling it to heed her bidding whether or not it desires to do so.

Spirits compelled by this power are fully aware that they are being forced into these actions, and may well seek revenge on their erstwhile masters at a later time. Thaumaturges who issue commands above and beyond what their spirit servants are compelled to perform may find themselves ignored or mocked. A trickster spirit may agree to a situation to follow orders only to betray its master, leaving the thaumaturge in a situation of potentially fatal embarrassment.

System: The thaumaturge makes the normal opposed Willpower roll against the spirit. The target spirit resists with Willpower (difficulty of the thaumaturge’s Manipulation + Occult). The degree of success the thaumaturge attains determines the complexity and severity of the command that she can issue.

 Failure
 1 Success
 2 Successes
 3 Successes
 4 Successes
 5 Successes

### •••• Entrap Ephemera

This power allows a thaumaturge to bind a spirit into a physical object. This can be done to imprison the target, but is more often performed to create a fetish — an artifact that grants mystical benefits powered by the spirit. Fetishes created by this power are often unreliable and fail at inopportune moments, as the spirits within are understandably displeased with their situation and will take any opportunity to escape or thwart their captors. Lupines find it offensive for vampires to possess a fetish, and often they will frenzy simply at the sight of a vampire wielding one.

System: The thaumaturge must first locate a vessel symbolically aligned with the targeted spirit that will eventually become the fetish. Then she must command the targeted spirit to enter the vessel via an opposed Willpower roll. The target spirit resists with Willpower (difficulty equals the thaumaturge’s Manipulation + Occult).

Should the thaumaturge succeed, she can create a fetish of a power level based on the number of successes achieved over the spirit, up to a level five fetish. For example, if the thaumaturge wins the opposed Willpower roll against the spirit by three successes, she creates a level three fetish.

Creating and maintaining a fetish is difficult; because of this, the number of fetishes a thaumaturge may create is limited by her Willpower. If the thaumaturge gives away said fetish, it still counts against her total available slots. She may only create an additional fetish when one of her previous fetishes has been destroyed.

A fetish grants a number of bonus dice to a specific skill comparable to the level of the fetish. For example, a healing spirit trapped inside a scalpel would grant extra dice (the level of the fetish) for any Medicine roll. The Storyteller always has final authority on what sort of fetish can be made.

A fetish is activated by rolling the user’s Willpower (difficulty equals the fetish’s power level + 3). A botch on this roll destroys the physical component of the fetish and frees the spirit that was trapped within.

### ••••• Duality

The thaumaturge can now fully interact with the spirit world — a strange place that only sometimes resembles the real world. While using this power, she exists on both planes of existence at once. She is able to pick up objects in the physical world and place them in the spirit world and vice versa. Beings and landscape features in both realms are solid to her, and she can engage in any manner of interaction. She can even use Thaumaturgy and other Disciplines in either world. This is not without its dangers. With a single misstep, the vampire can find himself trapped in the spirit realm with no way to return home. Several incautious thaumaturges have starved into torpor while trapped on the other side of the barrier that separates the physical and spirit realms.

System: The thaumaturge may interact with the spirit world for fifteen minutes. Each additional level of success on the activation roll increases the duration of this power by an additional fifteen minutes. Duality can only be enacted while the character begins the process in the physical world. While in this state, the thaumaturge becomes susceptible to attacks from both realms and suffers from a +1 difficulty to all Perception rolls. The character is still considered to be in the physical world for purposes of basic physics (and common sense).

Spirits who have been previously angered will seek physical revenge on unwary thaumaturges using this power.

A botch on the roll to activate this power tears the vampire out of the physical world and traps him in the spirit realm. The way back the physical realm, if there is one, is left to the Storyteller’s discretion, and may spark an entirely new story.

## The Path of Technomancy

The newest path to be accepted by the Tremere hierarchy as part of the Clan’s official body of knowledge, the Path of Technomancy is a relatively recent innovation, developed in the latter half of the 20th century. The path focuses on the control of electronic devices, from cellphones to laptops, and its proponents maintain that it is a prime example of the versatility of Thaumaturgy with regards to a changing world. More conservative Tremere, however, state that mixing Tremere magic with mortal science borders on treason or even blasphemy, and some European Regents have gone so far as to declare knowledge of Technomancy grounds for expulsion from their chantries. The Inner Council did approve the introduction of the path into the Clan’s grimoires, but has yet to voice any opinion on the conservative opposition to Technomancy.

### • Analyze

Mortals are constantly developing new innovations, and any vampire who would work Technomancy must be able to understand that upon which he practices his magic. The most basic power of this path allows the thaumaturge to project his perceptions into a device, granting him a temporary understanding of its purpose, the principles of its functioning, and its means of operation. This does not grant permanent knowledge, only a momentary flash of insight which fades within minutes.

System: A character must touch the device in order to apply this power. The number of successes rolled determines how well the character understands this particular piece of equipment. One success allows a basic knowledge (on/off and simple functions), while three successes grant competence in operating the device, and five successes show the character the full range of the device’s potential. The knowledge lasts for a number of minutes equal to the character’s Intelligence.

This power can also be used to understand a nonphysical technological innovation — generally a piece of software — at +2 difficulty. The character must touch the computer on which the software is installed — simply holding the flash drive or CD-ROM is not enough. Software applied remotely to a device (such as through an app store) also cannot be analyzed until it is installed.

### •• Burnout

It is usually easier to destroy than to create, and sensitive electronics are no exception to this rule. Burnout is used to cause a device’s power supply (either internal or external) to surge, damaging or destroying the target. Burnout cannot be used to directly injure another individual, although the sudden destruction of a pacemaker or a car’s fuel injection control chip can certainly create a health hazard.

System: A character can use this power at a range of up to 10 times her Willpower in yards or meters, although a +1 difficulty is applied if she is not touching the target item. The number of successes determines the extent of the damage:

 2 Successes
 3 Successes
 4 Successes
 5+ Successes

Large enough systems, such as a server cluster or a passenger aircraft, impose a +2 to +4 difficulty (at Storyteller discretion) to affect with this power. Additionally, some systems, such as military and banking networks, may be protected against power surges and spikes, and thus possess one to five dice (Storyteller discretion again) to roll to resist this power. Each success on this roll (difficulty 6) takes away one success from the Thaumaturgy roll.

Burnout may be used to destroy electronic data storage, in which case three successes destroy all information on the target item, and five erase it beyond any hope of non-magical recovery.

### ••• Encrypt/Decrypt

Electronic security is a paramount concern of governments and corporations alike. Those thaumaturges who are techno-savvy enough to understand the issues at stake have become quite enamored of this power, which allows them to scramble a device’s controls mystically, making it inaccessible to anyone else. Encrypt/ Decrypt also works on electronic media; a DVD under the influence of this power displays just snow and static if played back without the owner’s approval. Some neonates have taken to calling this power “DRM.”

System: The character touches the device or data container that he wishes to encrypt. The player rolls normally. The number of successes scored is applied as a difficulty modifier for anyone who attempts to use the protected equipment or access the scrambled information without the assistance of the character. The caster can dispel the effect at any time by touching the target item and spending a point of Willpower.

This power may also be used to counter another thaumaturge’s use of Encrypt/Decrypt. The player rolls at +1 difficulty; each success negates one of the “owner’s.”

The effects of Encrypt/Decrypt last for a number of weeks equal to the character’s permanent Willpower rating.

### •••• Remote Access

With this power, a skilled thaumaturge can bypass the need for physical contact to operate a device. This is not a form of telekinesis; the vampire does not manipulate the item’s controls, but rather touches it directly with the power of his mind.

System: This power may be used on any electronic device within the character’s line of sight. The number of successes rolled is the maximum number of dice from any relevant Ability that the character may use while remotely controlling the device. (For instance, if Fritz has Technology 5 and scores three successes while using Remote Access on a keypad lock, he can only apply three dots of his Technology rating to any rolls that he makes through any use of the power.) Remote Access lasts for a number of turns equal to the number of successes rolled, and can only be used on one item at a time.

If an item is destroyed while under the effects of Remote Access, the character takes five dice of bashing damage due to the shock of having his perceptions rudely shunted back into his own body.

### ••••• Telecommute

A progressive derivation of Remote Access, Telecommute allows a thaumaturge to project her consciousness into the Internet, sending her mind through network connections as fast as they can transfer her. While immersed in the network, she can use any other Technomancy power on the devices with which she makes contact.

System: The character touches any form of communications device: a cellphone, 3G-equipped netbook, Wi-Fi tablet, or anything else that is connected directly or indirectly to the Internet. The player rolls normally and spends a Willpower point. Telecommute lasts for five minutes per success rolled, and may be extended by 10 minutes with the expenditure of another Willpower point. The number of successes indicates the maximum range that the character can project her consciousness away from her body.

 2 Successes
 3 Successes
 4 Successes
 5 Successes

While in the network, the character can apply any other Path of Technomancy power to any device or data with which she comes in contact. A loss of connection, either through the destruction of a part of the network or simply a loss of cell signal, hurls her consciousness back to her body and inflicts eight dice of bashing damage.

A character traveling through the Internet by means of this power can use her Path of Technomancy powers at a normal difficulty. Using any other abilities or powers while engaged thus is done at a +2 difficulty.

## Thaumaturgical Countermagic

This is less of a path than it is a separate Discipline, as the power to resist Thaumaturgy can be taught independently of Thaumaturgy, even to those Kindred who are incapable of mastering the simplest ritual. Though the techniques of Thaumaturgical Countermagic are not officially taught outside Clan Tremere, unofficial methods are likely to exist. Any non-Tremere who displays the ability to resist Thaumaturgy quickly becomes the subject of potentially fatal scrutiny from the entirety of Clan Tremere.

System: Thaumaturgical Countermagic is treated as a separate Discipline, although it uses the usual rules for Thaumaturgy (including experience costs and the fact that it is limited to only five levels). It cannot be taken as a character’s primary path, and a rating in it does not allow the character to perform rituals.

The use of Thaumaturgical Countermagic is treated as a free action in combat and does not require a split dice pool. To oppose a Thaumaturgy power or ritual, a character must have a Thaumaturgical Countermagic rating equal to or greater than the rating of that power or ritual. The player spends a blood point and rolls the number of dice indicated by the character’s Thaumaturgical Countermagic rating (difficulty equal to the difficulty of the power in use). Each success cancels one of the opposing thaumaturge’s successes.

Thaumaturgical Countermagic is only at full effectiveness when used against Thaumaturgy. It works with halved dice pools against Necromancy and other mystical Disciplines, and is completely ineffective against non-vampiric magics and powers. Thaumaturgical Countermagic can be learned by characters who are unable to learn Thaumaturgy (e.g., those with the Merit Magic Resistance). Any nonTremere character with a rating in this power automatically gains the Flaw Clan Enmity (Tremere), receiving no freebie points for it. This power cannot be taken during character creation and cannot be spontaneously developed. Whether the character has Thaumaturgy as an in-Clan power or not, it costs the same as any other non-Clan Discipline to learn.

• Two dice of countermagic. The character can attempt to cancel only those powers and rituals that directly affect him, his garments, and objects on his person.

•• Four dice of countermagic.

••• Six dice of countermagic. The character can attempt to cancel a Thaumaturgy power that affects anyone or anything in physical contact with him.

•••• Eight dice of countermagic.

••••• Ten dice of countermagic. The character can now attempt to cancel a power or ritual that targets anything within a radius equal to his Willpower in yards or meters, or one that is being used or performed within that same radius.

## The Vine of Dionysus

Years before the rise of the mighty Roman Empire, pagan sects dedicated to the Greek god Dionysus thrived. Small cults of vampires worshipped the lord of rebirth as a release from the burdens of undeath. Symbolized in oinos, or wine, and orgy, the cults of Dionysus spread their intoxicating practices throughout Eastern Europe. In practice, members of the cult of Dionysus would gather at night and debauch themselves with oinos, orgies and other euphoric activities. When the ecstasy rose to fever-pitch, the rites might culminate in castration or even cannibalism.

Any practitioner of the Vine of Dionysus often refers to himself/herself as a thyrsus (females are occasionally called “Maenads”, preferably from a safe distance). These Warlocks sometimes wear jewelry or other accouterments with ivy and/or pinecone motifs as symbols of their dedication.

### • Methyskein

By making physical contact with a subject, the thyrsus causes him to act as if he were drunk. While intoxicated, the subject falls into a slight euphoric episode, including slurred speech and clouded judgement.

System: A victim suffers a one-die penalty to all Dexterity and Intelligence dice pools for one scene per success the thaumaturge scores. However, a victim may make a Stamina roll (difficulty 6) to subtract successes scored by the Warlock. Failure on the part of the thyrsus will not alert her victim to this attempt at intoxication, though a slight “buzz” may momentarily cause a target to become disoriented.

Note: A mortal, if affected with Methyskein for three consecutive nights, lose the ability to willingly resist this euphoria. Only with the expenditure of a Willpower point can he initiate a Stamina roll (diffi culty 6). Kindred react differently should they be exposed to this infl uence for an equal amount of time. For every three consecutive nights of intoxication under Methyskein, a Kindred’s difficulty to resist on a Stamina roll (difficulty 6) raises by one, to a maximum of 9.

### •• Omophagy

According to myth, Dionysus had the ability to incite animal urges within anyone he pleased. The thyrsus invoking Omophagy creates a ravenous hunger in a target, overwhelming all sense of reason and reality. To the victim, the only thing that matters is devouring raw flesh and hot blood, and he is not choosy about his potential targets.

System: Once the thaumaturge makes eye contact with a subject, and successfully invokes this power, a target gains the derangement Gluttony. Whenever consuming food, the subject will gorge himself until physically unable to eat more. Kindred affected by Omophagy not only drain a vessel completely of blood, but may also attempt to devour the victim’s body. Vampires will also frenzy when confronted with the sight, smell or taste of blood when hungry (blood pool of three or less). This effect lasts for the remainder of the night. A victim may resist this effect by spending a point of Willpower to ignore Omophagy for a scene. Note that this power does not impart vampires with the ability to digest food — any flesh or food they eat will be immediately vomited forth unless other circumstances prevail.

### ••• Hamartia

Far less subtle than Methyskein, Hamartia grants the thyrsus the power to cause an extremely dangerous euphoric episode within a target, to the point of delirium, perversity and possibly torpid stupor. Cultists of Dionysus claim to gain superhuman vigor while in a similar state of intoxication on oinos.

System: For each success on the activation roll, a subject remains under the effects of Hamartia for a scene. Victims affected lower all dice pools by two, though they gain two dice to Strength-related pools. Targets can resist this effect by scoring more successes on a Stamina roll (difficulty 7). The Storyteller should decide how a character reacts to this type of intoxication, as a character’s Nature may dictate actions. Some might stand very still and glassy-eyed, while others might choose to engage in conjugal relations with the people around them (gender notwithstanding). This power lasts for one scene.

### •••• Enthousiasmós

A thyrsus may exude a pheromone into the air all about her person. Those affected fall into a druglike stupor as the empathogenic toxin induces visions of all sorts of ephemeral creatures: fauns chasing nymphs, angels in flight, sprites dancing in the corners of one’s eyes, and the like. The pheromone induces a happiness within the affected targets, who are likely to dance around in glee to fictitious music with makebelieve creatures.

System: A thaumaturge successfully invoking this affects any target within a 10-foot radius of herself. Victims suffer a two-dice penalty to all Dexterity and Intelligence dice pools for one scene. Furthermore, victims under the effects of Enthousiasmós are passive, content to while away their time in the euphoric haze. Anyone wishing to take any action must spend a point of Willpower to shrug off its effects for a turn.

### ••••• Oinos Aimatos

Many thaumaturges suspect that this power is not the original apex of this path, but rather a variation suited to a Dionysian cult headed by a vampire passing himself off as an incarnation of the god. When the thyrsus invokes this power, her blood takes on the properties of potent oinos. Whether this was intended as a deterrent to diablerists or to drive feeding ghouls into euphoric ecstasy is unknown.

System: For the duration of one scene, anyone drinking even the tiniest drop of the thyrsus’ blood is affected as per Enthousiasmós. The thaumaturge’s player need only spend a point of blood and make a Willpower roll when the character fi rst invokes this power — thereafter, anyone who drinks the blood suffers the effects without any further expenditure on the part of the vampire.

## Weather Control

Command over the weather has long been a staple power of wizards both mortal and immortal, and this path is said to predate the Tremere by millennia. The proliferation of usage of this path outside the Clan tends to confirm this theory; Weather Control is quite common outside the Tremere, and even outside the Camarilla. Lower levels of this path allow subtle manipulations, while higher stages of mastery allow a vampire to call up raging storms. The area affected by this power is usually rather small, no more than three or four miles (five to six kilometers) in diameter, and the changes the power wreaks are not always immediate.

System: The number of successes rolled indicates how long it takes the weather magic to take effect. One success indicates an entire day may pass before the weather changes to the thaumaturge’s liking, while a roll with five successes brings an almost instant effect.

The difficulty of the Willpower roll necessary to invoke this power may change depending on the current local weather conditions and the weather the character is attempting to create. The Storyteller should impose a bonus (-1 or -2 difficulty) for relatively minor shifts, such as clearing away a light drizzle or calling lightning when a severe thunderstorm is already raging. Conversely, a penalty (+1 or +2 difficulty) should be applied when the desired change is at odds with the current conditions, such as summoning the same light drizzle in the middle of the Sahara Desert or calling down lightning from a cloudless sky.

If the character tries to strike a specific target with lightning, the player must roll Perception + Occult (difficulty 6 if the target is standing in open terrain, 8 if he is under shelter, or 10 if he is inside but near a window) in addition to the base roll to use Thaumaturgy. Otherwise the bolt goes astray, with the relative degree of failure of the roll determining where exactly the lightning strikes.

Effects of the power default to the maximum area available unless the caster states that he’s attempting to affect a smaller area. At Storyteller discretion, an additional Willpower roll (difficulty 6) may be required to keep the change in the weather under control.

Weather Control is not the sort of power that lends itself well to indoor application. While certain of the path’s uses (changes of temperature, high winds, and possibly even fog) do make a certain amount of sense in interior settings, others (precipitation of any sort, lightning) don’t. The difficulty for all rolls to use Weather Control indoors is at +2, and the Storyteller should feel free to disallow any proposed uses that don’t make sense. Individual power descriptions are not provided for this path, as the general principle is fairly consistent. Instead, the strongest weather phenomenon possible at each level is listed.

• Fog: Vision is slightly impaired and sounds are muffled; a +1 difficulty is imposed on all Perception rolls that involve sight and hearing, and the effective range of all ranged attacks are halved. Light breeze: A +1 difficulty is imposed on all Perception rolls that involve smell. Minor temperature change: It is possible to raise or lower the local temperature by up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit or 5 degrees Celsius.

•• Rain or snow: As Fog, but Perception rolls are impaired to a much greater extent; the difficulty modifier for all such rolls rises to +2. In addition, the difficulty on all Drive rolls increases by two.

••• High Winds: The wind speed rises to around 30 miles per hour or 50 kilometers per hour, with gusts of up to twice that. Ranged attacks are much more difficult: + 1 to firearm attacks and +2 to thrown weapons and archery. In addition, during fierce gusts, Dexterity rolls (difficulty 6) may be required to keep characters from being knocked over by the winds. When gale-force winds are in effect, papers go flying, objects get picked up by the winds and hurled with abandon, and other suitably cinematic effects are likely. Moderate temperature change: The local temperature can be raised or lowered by up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit or 10 degrees Celsius.

•••• Storm: This has the effects of both Rain and High Winds.

••••• Lightning Strike: This attack inflicts 10 dice of lethal damage. Body armor does not add to the target’s dice pool to soak this attack.