Blood Gift of Virtus

The Blood Gift of Virtus is among the most common powers wielded by vampires, granting them unholy strength through the power of their blood. Virtus is also the oldest of all Blood Gifts, the first to be developed by Cain the long millennia he spent as the only member of his accursed race. However, the name of the Blood Gift dates back to the nights of Rome, which is when the name was streamlined and made commonplace among the Children of Cain.

## Mechanics

Virtus functions by generating and manipulating physical force through the power of vampiric blood, and expelling it through a vampire's body. This makes it so a vampire's physical form has no bearing whatsoever on their mastery over Virtus; a scrawny vampire is just as capable of dismembering a mortal as a powerfully built one, perhaps more so, if they have greater mastery of Virtus.

The force a vampire projects with Virtus is controlled by their minds, and subconsciously manifests as mere physical strength, projected from their bodies. This enables them to lift objects in manners that usually defy the laws of physics. Additionally, vampires who delve deeply into Virtus can learn to manipulate it more skillfully, being able to manifest telekinetic powers.

## Powers

### New Blood Gifts (Levels 1-2)

* **Prowess (Level 1):** The most basic manifestation of Virtus enables vampires to exert superhuman physical force with their body, enabling them to easily beat down and toss around ordinary mortals. As a vampire grows their mastery of Virtus, the strength granted by this ability grows greater and greater, and they progress from being able to overpower mortals to dismembering them, to flipping cars and even throwing them, then further beyond still.
* **Bound (Level 2):** Another easily attainable use of Virtus, the ability to Bound allows for a vampire to engage in long distance, controlled leaps. Though superhuman jumping is possible with basic Prowess, the added mastery of Bound enables vampires far more precision and control over the jumps they make. As a vampire masters Virtus further, they become able to make more and more potent bounds.

### Common Blood Gifts (Levels 3-4)

* **Bloodgorge (Level 3):** Normally, draining a mortal takes several minutes of exsanguination. With this power, a vampire may suck a victim dry in moments, as they violently drain the blood from the vessel, with such force that the victim's very veins are damaged. Mortals not completely drained by this power are usually severely injured, and sometimes die simply due to the shredding of the circulatory system rather than blood loss.
* **Spider Climb (Level 3):** This ability enables vampires to manipulate the forces of their body to adhere to sheer surfaces, allowing them to climb up walls and across ceilings without the use of equipment.
* **Dampen Fall (Level 4):** A natural advancement as a vampire manages to make greater Bounds, the ability to Dampen Falls allows vampires to disperse the force of the impacts created while falling by exuding force from their body to counteract it. This does not allow them to dampen the impacts of blows or strikes made against them, merely impacts from their bodies hitting the ground or some other surface. However, it can be used to lessen the harm of being knocked into a structure. The advancement of Virtus increases this ability, allowing vampires to withstand falls from greater and greater heights.

### Elder Blood Gifts (Levels 5-7)

* **Earthshock (Level 5):** Using this power, a vampire strikes a solid surface, using their fist or foot, and unleashes a devastating burst of force which ripples out from the center of the impact. Vampires more skilled in Virtus can unleash greater amounts of power with this ability, enabling those sufficiently powerful to shatter glass, send enemies flying, and cracking any unfortunate surface that happens to be struck.
* **Hover (Level 5):** An advancement on the powers of Dampening Falls, this allows a vampire to project sufficient energy to raise themselves into the air, and move themselves about through will alone. Though they cannot move with any great speed or dexterity, and are limited in that they can only travel within a certain distance of a solid surface beneath them, this power is useful for making entrances, and is a step towards achieving true flight.
* **Telekinesis (Level 5):** This is the first use of Virtus that enables a vampire to summon force at a distance, rather than by projecting it from their own body. Using this ability, they may summon force around an object to grip it and move it about, exerting as much force as they can muster through Virtus, allowing them to use it offensively to squeeze their enemies. This force can only be generated within the vampire's physical presence.
* **Gentle Rebuke (Level 6):** Surprisingly enough, some elder vampires skilled in Virtus are of the mind that not all who they wield their strength against need be killed. For that purpose, the power of Gentle Rebuke was created, using the principles that allow falls to be Dampened, which allows a vampire to strike out at a foe, and as they do so, generate a cushion of force that pushes against the direction they are headed to cushion the impact as the vampire sees fit. Using this power, it is possible to knock a man across a room and leave him unharmed, or only soften his crash into the wall enough to knock him out rather than split his skull.
* **Thunderstrike (Level 6):** This ability enables vampires to strike from a distance, sending out blows that carry force through the air to strike foes out of their reach. The name of this power derives from the loud noise generated whenever it is used. The more potent a vampire's skill in Virtus, the more force they can exert over greater distances.
* **Flight (Level 7):** After mastering the ability to Hover, elder vampires are able to exert such control over the physical energies they emit from their bodies that they are able to untether themselves from the earth, and achieve true flight. They are able to shift themselves about in the air in nearly any manner they wish, and when combined with Legerity, can achieve astounding speeds.
* **Root to the Earth (Level 7):** A power used mostly for the purpose of stopping large moving objects, the ability to Root to the Earth utilizes principles similar to the Spiderclimb, locking a vampire's feet to the ground they touch, as well as a fairly large area around them. This enables vampires the ability to stop big objects barreling towards them in their tracks, or knock them aside with a mighty blow, while they stand barely moved, if at all.
* **Thunderfall (Level 7):** The next step to Thunderstrike, this enables a vampire to continually project force equal to the initial blow they used in a Thunderstrike. This enables them to pin a target in place, or utterly flatten them. Thunderfall also generates a continual humming sound for as long as it is applied.

### Ancient Blood Gifts (Levels 8-9)

* **Elixir of Might (Level 8):** Any vampire who reaches ancient levels of Virtus gains this power by default, as their blood becomes saturated with the power of their unholy strength. While drinking the blood of any vampire enables the recipient the potential to learn their Blood Gifts, the blood of vampires with this ability instantly endows them with a portion of their Virtus. Furthermore, anyone who imbibes it continually finds learning Virtus to come far quicker and more easily to them than normal. The more a vampire masters Virtus beyond this point, the greater the Virtus endowed and the more ease of learning the recipient receives.
* **Store Thunder (Level 8):** This frightful power allows a vampire to store physical energy within an object or creature, to be released at their whim. They may store the force of a blow, a Thunderstrike, or any other power, and choose whether it is to be projected outward, or used to annihilate the object of their choosing at a later date. This enables vampires to empower agents as living bombs, or to threaten to crush them at a distance. If the vampire changes their mind, they may cause the energy they stored to dissipate harmlessly.
* **Thunderburst (Level 8):** A follow up to the ability of Thunderfall, this enables a vampire to emit a wave of power from their bodies, blasting everything around them away. At the vampire's discretion, this wave can be emitted in a single direction, or as an omnidirectional explosion. They may also choose to continually exude this burst of power, much like a Thunderfall, though it is rather taxing to keep up continuously. As one could expect, Thunderbursts are extremely useful when facing down large amounts of enemies. Like the previous powers in this ability line, Thunderbursts are extremely noisy.
* **Conjure Thunder (Level 9):** The culmination of the Thunder powers, this ability enables any of the lesser effects to be conjured anywhere within the vampire's presence with a thought or gesture. Ancients with this power are often known to summon Thunderbursts within the bodies of those who displease them. The results are messy, but make for spectacular executions.
* **Empower through the Blood(Level 9):** Through the use of this power, an ancient vampire may briefly endow any vampire of their blood with any amount of their Virtus. The more distant the subject is from the ancient Empowering them, the more difficult the power is to use, often requiring a Primordial to employ it to someone at the end of their bloodline. This ability can be used by a vampire from within torpor.
* **Touch of Obliteration (Level 9):** Using this ability, the merest brush against a vampire's skin can bring annihilation. If they will it, a vampire may transfer the full might of their Virtus with even momentary contact with a being or object, and then, direct it to destroy them utterly. Most mundane materials are shredded and ground to dust in moments, whilst the majority of living creatures subjected to this power usually wind up as little more than red mist.

### Primordial Blood Gifts (Levels 10)

* **Rage through the Brood (Level 10):** This ability enables a vampire to project any Virtus power in their arsenal out through one of their descendants, enabling them to transform any vampire descended from them into unwitting (and perhaps unwilling) conduits of their wrath.
* **Rip through the Veil (Level 10):** This power has thankfully been used only a few times throughout history. The Primordial vampire who wields it is able to project force so potent that it breaks through the Veil itself, allowing them to rip holes through to differing realms of Creation. Of course, holes in the Veil rarely go unused, especially those created in so violent and spectacular a manner.

### Godly Blood Gifts

* **Might of the Scions:** This ability that Cain wields is based upon the bond of blood he shares with every member of the vampiric race. It enables him to draw upon the collective power in Virtus of every vampire in Creation, enabling him to wield force beyond even his own tremendous strength.