Blood Sorcery

Here I will detail the particulars of Blood Sorcery, the users, their paths and rituals. First it should be noted, that some of the powers have been transferred to the Banu Haqim Discipline of Quietus.

When learning Blood sorcery powers a character is not bound to the path he picked initially. A Tremere, usually a student of Thaumaturgy, could if the story permitted pick a level 3 Power from the Necromancy path when leveling Blood sorcery to level 3, in so far the story and storyteller allows for it.

**Tit**

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R**it**

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## Necromancy

### Spells

#### Level 1

**Ashes to Ashes**

While some Cainites slaughter indiscriminately and fear no consequences for their actions, other Cainites feel the need to be a bit more discreet. The world is a violent place, and even some of the most devout adherents of Humanity might have the need to dispose of a body quickly. Use of this power turns a human corpse into a pile of unremarkable ash roughly one-fifth the weight of the original body.

* Cost: One Rouse check
* Dice Pool: Manipulation + Blood Sorcery
* System: The vampire drips her vitae onto the corpse. On a successful roll the corpse disintegrates in a number of turns equal to five minus the number of successes rolled. These ashes are utterly unrecognizable via mundane means, though use of supernatural powers might be able to uncover the identity of the former corpse. On a bestial failure, the corpse putrefies, but loses none of its integrity. The vampire may not use Ashes to Ashes on that corpse again.

#### Level 2

**Rigor Mortis**

With this power, the necromancer can make any target as stiff and still as a corpse. A target afflicted with Rigor Mortis can only move by sheer force of will as his own muscles contract uncontrollably, freezing him into place.

* Cost: One rouse chec
* Dice Pool: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery vs the Targets Strength + Athletics
* System: Each success margin freeze a human target in place for one turn, unable to act at all. A vampire under this effect may still move, but they take a penalty to all physical actions equal to the success margin of the Necromancer. A Target needs to be within 25 meters.
* Duration: One turn per success margin

#### Level 3

**Ashen Lady's Embrace**

The Ashen Lady’s Embrace causes a target’s limb to age, dry out, and wither like grapes left on the vine. Tendons snap as muscles shorten and shrink. Skin becomes saggy and sallow at first, and then paper-thin and pulled tight over the newly brittle bones. Eyes cloud over and dissolve into dust. Cartilage all but vanishes. The lips and gums recede, and the teeth become as chalk.

* Cost: Strength + Brawl vs Stamina + Fortitude
* Dice Pool: One rouse check and burn one Willpower
* System: The vampire touches one of her victim’s limbs. If the necromancer is successful, the target suffers from two levels of aggravated damage. Unless the target resists the power, the afflicted limb is crippled until both wounds are healed. Cainites heal these wounds as they would any other aggravated wound. Mortals, however, are not so fortunate; they will be crippled for life unless healed by supernatural means. The targeted mortal may take some small comfort in knowing that a crippled limb will not degenerate further (i.e., become gangrenous or infected). The effect of the Ashen Lady’s Embrace will depend on which limb is targeted. Crippled limbs cannot benefit from Potence. Crippled arms cannot carry anything heavier than roughly half a pound. A character with a crippled leg will limp slowly, dragging his leg behind him. If a necromancer chooses to target the face, she may choose to affect either the eyes, ears, or mouth. Any successful attack at the face will reduce a target’s appearance by one stage for each wound suffered (From stunning to beautiful, beautiful to normal, normal to ugly, ugly to repulsive), with additional effects depending on which part is targeted. A single withered eye or ear imposes a +1 difficulty on relevant Awareness rolls; losing both eyes or ears imposes an Impairment of the Senses. A withered tongue will render one Mute.
* Duration: Special

#### Level 4

**Gift of Melancholia**

This power inflicts a virulent wasting illness on mortals and Cainites alike. Both are afflicted with a disease that causes dizziness, weakness, malaise, and nausea. The disease is highly contagious among mortals, who can spread it to each other by mere proximity. A vampire must either be directly targeted with the power or feed on an infected mortal in order to contract it. An infected vampire, however, will spread the plague to everyone he feeds upon until he is cured.

* Cost: Two rouse check
* Dice Pool: Medicine + Blood Sorcery vs Stamina + Fortitude
* System: The player chooses a target within twenty yards and in the character’s line of sight. If the victim rolls fewer successes than the attacker, he falls ill immediately. The disease has the following effects: Strength and Wits are halved (round down). Dexterity is decreased by a single point. Cainite victims must roll an additional rouse check to awaken every evening; mortals take one level of aggravated damage per day. Cainite victims must roll willpower every time they feed difficulty 2. On a failure, the vampire vomits up the blood he just ingested in horrifying gouts of gore, losing any benefit the feeding would have provided. Humans vomit up the contents of their stomachs, with no rolls to resist. Once per day at sunset, a victim may attempt to throw off the plague by rolling Stamina. The difficulty is equal to 5 minus the number of days elapsed since contracting the disease.
* Duration: Special

#### Level 5

**Baleful Exorcism**

With but a word and a forceful gesture, a necromancer can exorcise a mortal’s soul from his own body, effectively making him a ghost for the duration of the power. His only tie to the mortal world is his comatose body, placing him at the mercy of the necromancer who exiled him.

* Cost: One Rouse check and burn a willpower
* Dice Pool: Willpower vs Willpower
* System: The necromancer makes a rouse check and burns a point of Willpower and makes a contested Willpower roll against her target. The success margin she wins over her target indicates the number of hours that the soul is banished from the body. After this time, the soul is free to return to the body, assuming that no other spirits have taken up residence in its absence (see Daemonic Possession below). This power cannot be used on Cainites or other supernatural creatures, save for ghouls.
* Duration: One hour per success margin

**Dust to dust**

As Ashes to Ashes affects corpses, so Dust to Dust affects the bodies of vampires. Invoking Dust to Dust allows a necromancer to reduce another vampire into a pile of ashes as though he had been stranded in the sunlight or burned at the stake.

* Cost: Two rouse checks and burn a point of willpower
* Dice Pool: Willpower vs Stamina + Fortitude
* System: The necromancer cuts open her own skin. She then drips the blood on a single Cainite target. The vampire must be within touch range of the target; it cannot be flung from more than arm’s reach. The player makes opposed rolls. For every success margin, the target suffers one aggravated wound. Any undead flesh damaged by this power disintegrates into dust. For every two health levels of damage inflicted against a victim, the player may choose a body part to target and destroy, as per Ashen Lady’s Embrace. Body parts regenerate when the aggravated damage associated with the wounds is healed.

### Rituals

#### Level 1

**The Hand of Glory**
The Hand of Glory is a mummified hand used by the necromancer to anesthetize a home’s residents and, thereby, allow him free rein to do what he will in the residence.

* Ingredients: The hand of a condemned murderer, a shroud, alkaline substances and herbs.
* Process: To create one, the necromancer wraps the severed hand of a condemned murderer in a shroud, draws it tight to squeeze out any remaining blood, and preserves the hand in an earthenware jar with salt, saltpeter, and long peppers. After a fortnight, the vampire removes the hand and dries it in an oven with vervain and fern.
* System: At the end of this process, if the roll to activatethe ritual garners success, the creation is viable. To use the Hand of Glory, the vampire first coats the fingertips of the mummified hand with a flammable substance derived from the fat of a hanged man and sets the fingers alight. The necromancer then recites the phrase, “Let all those who are asleep be asleep, and let those who are awake be awake.” All mortals within a household who are affected fall into a deep sleep and cannot be roused (the hand has no effect on supernatural creatures). For each unaffected occupant of a home, one finger of the hand will refuse to light.  The hand may be extinguished at any time by the necromancer who created it. Anyone else wishing to douse the hand must use milk to do so — nothing else works. Once made, the Hand of Glory may be reused indefinitely. Effects last for one scene.

#### Level 2

**Seal of Abamixtra**

By invoking the Seal of Abamixtra, a necromancer can raise a corpse or group of corpses to perform a simple task. The corpses remain animate until they complete their task or they are destroyed. If attacked, the corpses will not defend themselves in any way and will continue to work at their appointed task. Corpses animated by the Seal will gradually decay, albeit at a slower rate than a normal corpse. If the task has an indefinite duration, they will continue to work at the task until they rot away into a pile of bones.

* Ingredients: The casters own blood and mold harvested from a corpse
* Process: The caster must mix his blood with the mold and paint the Seal of Abamixtra on the forehead of each corpse he'd like to animate.
* System: If the Necromancer succeeds on the Ritual roll and for every success margin, she may choose to animate one corpse. She may give them a single command. These animated corpses have no judgment or intelligence and will follow any instruction literally. They can follow straightforward commands. “Sweep this room every day until the dust and cobwebs are gone” or “Hold this door shut indefinitely” are suitable commands; “Subdue any mortals who enter this room” or “Construct a shed” are not. The animated corpses have Physical Attributes at half the vampire’s Blood Sorcery dots, rounded up. They have no Skills. They have 4 Health.

#### Level 3

**Awaken the Homuncular Servant**

With this power, a necromancer can take a small piece of a corpse and transform it into a grotesque sort of familiar. The homuncular servant is typically a severed human hand, though some necromancers prefer to use rolling eyeballs or hopping severed heads. Regardless of the form it takes, the homuncular servant is preternaturally quick and possesses an animal cunning and mild intelligence. It can hide easily, and knows how to evade detection. Even if it has no sensory organs, a homunculus can see and hear anything that goes on around it. It is capable of relating what it sees to its master in a crude, wordless sort of telepathy. It is unfailingly obedient to its master, but it possesses no volition of its own. Some necromancers prefer to animate small dead animals instead of human appendages. These dead animals are referred to as feraculi. A feraculum moves in an uncanny fashion similar to a homunculus and retains little of the traits it possessed as a living animal. For example, a feraculum bird cannot fly, but it can scale walls and hop like a homunculus.

* Ingredients: Human bone meal, strips of dried human tendon
* Process: The Necromancer grinds up the dried human tendon together with the bone meal before sprinkling it over the body part or animal to animate.
* System: A success on the Ritual roll grants the necromancer a familiar with the statistics described below. The homunculus cannot carry anything, but the necromancer can attach small items to it, such as jewelry. The homunculus must remain within 100 yards/meters of its master or it will cease to move until the master comes within range again. The homunculus remains active indefinitely. A Necromancer can only have one homuncular servant active at a time. It is known that some of the more eccentric Necromancers keep “pets” that have served them for years. The homunculus can die in combat like any other creature, and is as vulnerable to Superficial damage as any mortal.

#### Level 4

**Shambling Hordes**

With the use of this power, a necromancer can create a group of walking dead minions to attack her enemies.

* Ingredients: A black onyx gem, his own blood.
* Process: As the Necromancer intones the spell, the onyx gem grows brittle and can then be ground up to be mixed with the casters blood, marking each corpse she wants to raise with a dab of the mixture.
* System: Upon completion of this ritual the caster can raise two corpses to fight for her, each additional success beyond the ritual roll allows the caster to make another rouse check and raise two additional corpses. She can immediately order the animated corpses to attack, or she can give them standing orders (e.g. “Attack anyone who enters this room!”). The corpses will retain their integrity for centuries if need be; they are supernaturally bound to carry out her commands, even if their bodies would have normally crumbled into dust. The corpse warriors have Physical attributes equal to half the Blood sorcery dots of the caster, rounded up, as well as 2 dots of Brawl and Melee. They have 3 + their Stamina in health and they resist most superficial damage like vampires. The Caster can risk an additional rouse check per corpse, up to the number of corpses she raised or till she reaches 5 hunger. Each such check permits her to divide her dots of Necromancy between it's physical scores.

#### Level 5

**Daemonic Possession**

Daemonic Possession allows a necromancer to channel a soul into a freshly-dead body. This power can give a physical body to a disembodied spirit such as a ghost or a vampire using Psychic Projection.

* Ingredients: Chalk, candles rendered from human fat and the night must be a Full moon or a New moon.
* Process: The Caster crafts a circle of intricate magical runes around the body in which she seeks to bind the target spirit. Then she lights five candles around the circle, in the five points of a pentagram all while she calls upon dark powers to grant her request.
* System: Upon completion of the ritual roll, the Ghost, spirit or Vampiric psyche is thrust into the body, to inhabit it for as long as they see fit. The body in question must be a corpse that is still warm and has not yet gone into rigor mortis. Alternatively, the body may be a vessel that has been prepared either by Baleful Exorcism (above) or the ritual Prepare the Vessel. The necromancer cannot force a soul into a body, but most ghosts hunger for a chance to walk the earth again. Many necromancers will use Daemonic Possession as a bargaining tool with the restless dead. If the body in question is the body of a vampire in the moments before it is reduced to ash, the necromancer must achieve five successes on a contested Willpower roll against the original owner of the body in order to proceed with possession. The soul may use whatever physical abilities or Disciplines (such as Potence) that the body possessed in life. The soul retains whatever mental abilities or Disciplines (such as Presence) that he possesses.

## Ogham

Ogham is special among blood sorcerery as it requires the Vampire to be inhabited with the rather unique spirit possessed by the Lhiannan vampire. It is technically possible for another Vampire to gain possession of a spirit that might allow them to practice the secrets of Ogham, yet if this is so no Vampire has stood forward and claimed to have found it. The most obvious method might be the diablerie of a Lhiannan Vampire.

### Spells

#### Level 1

**The** **Greensight**

The Lhiannan are known as witches of the forest for a reason, the Greensight is one such reason as it permits the Witch to "peer" into the umbra and lay her "sight" on spirits and to sense the presence and residue of magic. A mostly unknown side-effect is that while the Greensight is activated, the Vampire can see the life energies of animals and humans through solid objects.

* Cost: One rouse check
* System: This power requires no roll to active. Once activated the Lhiannan's eyes turn a vibrant color reflective of the spirit inside of her. While employing the Greensight the Lhiannan's "sight" extends into the realm of the spirits and magic, not only allowing her to feel the presence spirits themselves but also identify what type they are and their movements. Additionally while activated, the Greensight allows the vampire to sense the presence of magic and magical residue. Lastly the Lhiannan using the Greensight are able to see the life energies of animals and humans through other solid objects, up to a range of three meters.
* Duration: One scene

#### Level 2

**Guardian of the Grove**

The Lhiannan with this spell can use the power of her blood to awaken the spirits of plant life in her territory; they will act in her defense against any unwelcome intruder. Roots tangle feet, grass grasps at boots, trees sway unnaturally in foes’ way, and so on. Typically the Lhiannan slits a wrist and whirls in place, or stabs a palm and walks a spiral pattern through the foliage that she wishes to awaken.

* Cost:Up to two Rouse checks
* System: To use this ability the Vampire must be in a natural area covered in grass and filled with plant life. The Vampire can chose to affect an area of 6 meters or 12 meters, depending on the number of Rouse checks made to activate this power. Any being inside this area suffer a -2 penalty to all physical dice pools due to distractions and interference. Each turn an enemy remains in the thrashing foliage they must roll Dexterity + Athletics against the foliage in order to avoid superficial injury. The dice pool on the part of the foliage depends largely on the plants present, from 1 dice for just grass, to 5 dice if the area is filled with large trees that come to the Lhiannan's defense.
* Duration: One scene.

#### Level 5

**Thirst of Donn**

* Prerequisites: The Greensight

The spirit within every Lhiannan is drawn to sites of mystical energy, whether ancient stone circles, faerie rings, or dragon tracks. That spirit can wrest spiritual energy out of those places of power and use it to aid the Lhiannan. A word of caution, however: stealing too much power from any mystical site renders it barren and lifeless, much as if the Cainite had consumed the very blood of the Earth. Also, wizards and werewolves frequent these same sites, and destroying these places can rouse their ire.

* Cost: One Rouse check
* Dice pool: Wits + Blood Sorcery
* System: A Lhiannan must first use their Greensight to identify an area of strong magic, spiritual energy or the like, these places are known as Crays or Caerins. Each site such as these must be rated between 1 and 5 by the Storyteller. The Lhiannan knows the rating of a site. If the character wishes to tap the power of that location, she must spend a turn in concentration and splatter some of her blood out over the area itself. Once done the Lhiannan rolls Wits + Blood sorcery, with each success allowing for one turn of "drinking", up to a maximum of what the site has been rated. For each turn spent drinking the Lhiannan regains one Willpower point and heals one health level of damage no matter the type of damage. Should a Lhiannan "drink" a sites full rating it becomes useless for one entire year, the land for up to three meters around it turn in a withered barren wasteland. To fully destroy a site the Lhiannan must drink beyond a sites rating, this can only be accomplished with a critical success. If a roll is a critical success the Lhiannan can drink up to the entire rating of the site and then two additional points after that, this completely destroys the Cray or Caerin in question. If this is done at a site of very special power or with unique purpose the Lhiannan might gain the company of a spirit Mawla.

### Rituals

Ogham rituals have a curious relationship with the caster, the subjects of the rituals and the world. These rituals hail all the way back to ancient druidic traditions. This means that any Ogham ritual can be augmented by human or Kindred sacrifice. If an ordinary human is sacrificed during the casting of a ritual, this must take place in surroundings primarily dominated by nature, the ritualist benefits from two free successes on their Ritual rolls. If this sacrifice is a human of special import (such as a noble, a person of renown or a religious leader) or if the sacrifice is a Kindred of Neonate rank or above the ritualist enjoys a reduction of successes needed to complete the ritual by 2 in addition to the automatic successes granted.

#### Level 2

**Woad of Teutates**

The Lhiannan traces mystical runes or script on her own body in vitae, inviting spirits of war to infuse her and gird her for battle. While so imbued, she ignores many wounds and retains greater control of her mind as the spirits direct her Beast. The Lhiannan can also lash out at her enemies with a fierce, blood-borne attack.

* Ingredients: Her own blood.
* Process: The Lhiannan uses one rouse checks worth of blood to trace woad on her body. If the ritual is successful the Woad fuses to her body before it begins to flicker with a baleful blue sheen.
* System: The player rolls the Ritual roll, on success their body has managed to entice spirits of battle to inhabit her vessel. At any point after the ritual the Lhiannan can chose to activate the magic in her Woad granting her the following benefits for the next scene: First the spirits reduce physical injury by downgrading it's severity, the first attack suffered in a given scene activates the Woad automatically, downgrading 1 point of aggravated health damage + 1 for every success above the Ritual threshold to superficial damage. If the first damage of a scene is Superficial the Lhiannan can chose to still enjoy the benefit of her protection, but this ignores the superficial damage instead. Furthermore a vampire infused with these spirits of battle know no fear and therefor add 1 die, + 1 extra die for every two successes above the ritual threshold, on Rötshreck or Frenzy. Lastly the vampire can expend her contained power in one terrible blood strike, adding her successes rolled on the casting of this ritual as superficial damage value to her next attack,.

#### Level 3

**Mallacht of the Cyoeraeth**

THe Lhiannan inflicts a mhallacht upon an enemy, a curse, by etching her target's name into the body of a friend or companion. At the rituals completion this Companion seeks out the target, shrieking the targets name. Once the target sees the companion the curse takes effect instantly.

* Ingredients: Blood, Mistletoe berries, a metal torc and possibly a pair of antlers.
* Process: This ritual takes some time to prepare and requires a mortal friend or close relative of the target. The Lhiannan restrains the target’s companion onto a dolmen she has erected (or found), then slices open her wrist and feeds one rouse check's worth of bloodt and a handful of mistletoe berries to the companion. The Lhiannan then uses a sharp instrument to repeatedly carve the name of her target in the Ogham language across the entirety of the companion’s body and winds a metal torc around his neck. Once the ceremony is complete, make the ritual roll. If the roll is successful, the companion’s skin changes color to a sickly green and a thick fog (three meters high and twenty meters in width) forms around the companion, following him when he moves. Upon entering it, the fog obscures all normal vision within five two meters. The Lhiannan releases the companion, who runs terrified toward the location he believes the target to be, while continually screaming the target’s name in a shrill tenor. The companion will search day and night until he finds his target (or is destroyed in the interim), needing neither food, water, nor rest. Supplementary to the standard effects, should the mhallacht be enacted on dates corresponding to the Yule (20th-23rd of December), Imbolc (2nd of February), Ostara (19th-22nd of March), Beltane (1st of May), Midsummer (19th-23rd of June), Lughnasadh (1st of August), Mabon (21st-24th of September), or Samhain (1st of November) and the companion is a touchstone the Lhiannan may commemorate Cernunnos by bolting and tying a pair of stag’s antlers to the companion’s head the curse is amplified.
* System: The mhallacht takes effect when the target sees his name inscribed on the companion’s body. He does not need to understand the language used. As soon as the mhallacht takes hold of the target, the companion’s heart explodes from fright (killing him), and the target loses the power of speech; he can grunt or moan, but cannot say any words. Additionally, the target becomes ill and weak and parts of his mind become disconnected from one another. All difficulties on Physical rolls increase by two, all impairment penalties are increased by one die, and he must burn one Willpower point (on top of any other cost) in order to attempt a Knowledge roll or use any magical ability or Discipline, even if the power is innate. This Willpower doesn’t buy him a success on that roll; it simply allows him to make the attempt. If the target is a Cainite, he cannot rouse the blood while this power is in effect. The effects of Mhallacht of the Cyoeraeth last for twenty-four hours after finding its target. If the curse was amplified, the Cainite's curse lasts for a week.

#### Level 4

**Woad of Taranis**

Through burning an effigy to the Sky God and marking his chest with an ancient sigil, a Lhiannan is partially warded from the fiery curse of flames and the sun.

* Ingredients: A mortal Sacrifice, wicker man
* Process: This power takes three evenings to prepare and requires one mortal victim. During the three nights of preparation, the Lhiannan must construct a eight meter tall Wicker Man. Once constructed, the player makes three rouse checks during the course of the ritual while the Lhiannan cuts his wrist and splatters his blood over the effigy. The Lhiannan restrains his mortal sacrifice within the effigy, then lights it on fire. The Wicker Man burns to ash, which takes about three hours. If the Lhiannan has a container of some kind, he may save the ashes collected for later use.
* System: If the Ritual roll is successful the Lhiannan mixes a portion of the ashes with woad and takes one turn to paint the symbol of Taranis (an eight-spoked wheel) onto his bare chest.The symbol sears into his flesh amidst a clap of thunder, causing one aggravated damage and leaving a charred, dull grey scar. While this power is active, the Lhiannan is immune to Rötschreck, and all damage from fire and sunlight is considered superficial damage that vampires don't halve, but is otherwise treated as ordinary superficial damage. Only one use of the Woad of Taranis may be drawn from the ashes of a single Wicker Man. Once the woad of taranis is drawn it lasts for one hour, plus one hour for every two successes by which it beat the Ritual Threshold.

## Thaumaturgy

### Spells

#### Level 1

**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.

* Cost: One Rouse check
* Dice pool: Wits + Blood Sorcery
* System: The number of successes rolled on a Wits + Thaumaturgy determines the amount of information that can be gained from the contact. Depending on the precise information that the vampire seeks, the Storyteller may require a higher amount of successes. With 1 success giving a Fleeting, cryptic impression, 3 might give a concise answer to a simple question and 5 gives the thaumaturge the sum total of the plant-spirits knowledge on a given subject.

**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.

* Cost: One rouse check
* Dice Pool: Stamina + Blood Sorcery
* System: The vampire under the influence of this power reduce all superficial damage taken by 1 and increase all dice pools involving Strength by 2. The number of successes on the roll to activate the power is the number of turns these dots remain. This power cannot be “stacked” — one application must expire before the next can be made.
* Duration:

#### Level 2

**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.

* Cost: One rouse check
* Dice Pool: Stamina + Blood Sorcery
* 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.

**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 f 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.

* Cost: One rouse check
* Dice pool: Charisma + Blood Sorcerery
* 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.

#### Level 3

**Lure of the Flames**

With this power, the thaumaturge conjures an eerie flame in his palm that sheds light but offers no warmth and does not provoke frenzy in other vampires. When he releases it at a target within sight, however, it burns like any ordinary fire and is beyond his control.

* Cost: One Rouse check
* Dice Pool: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery or Dexterity + Athletics vs Dexterity + Athletics
* System: With a simple rouse check the character can conjure a flame in the palm of his hand, this flame radiates no heat and evokes no instinctive fear in Kindred. It may however evoke completely ordinary and quite rational fear either way. This fire can be sculpted to take on a variety of shapes for dramatic effect, left hanging in the air around a room to illuminate it or used to light torches, candles, campfires and so forth. This use requires a successful Intelligence + Blood sorcery effect with a difficulty equal to the complexity of the effect wanted. To use this in battle the thaumaturge must hurl it at his victims, once hurled the Thaumaturge has no further control over the fire which now acts as completely ordinary fire, each success margin on this roll deals one point of aggravated damage and evokes the Red fear.
* Duration: Special

**Movement of the Mind**

With concentration and simple gestures, the Thaumaturge who studies this power can lift and manipulate objects at a distance for a brief time. The amount of control is the same as if they were held, and objects suitable for use as weapons may be employed as such so long as they remain within the vampire’s line of sight. Masters of the path can use it to carry themselves or others through the air, or even to hurl objects more violently than they could through physical strength alone.

* Cost: One Rouse Check
* Dice Pool: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery vs Willpower or Strength + Athletics, or Melee + Blood Sorcery vs Special
* System: By employing this particular power, the thaumaturge can exercise control of the world around him through his mind with a few gestures to follow. This power can be used in one of two ways per activation. First it can be employed to lift, move or throw objects or people. Each success on this roll permits the thaumaturge to raise and manipulate an object with a weight of 70 kilograms per success rolled, if employed against another sentient being they may counter with an effort of will or strength with the thaumaturge needing enough of a success margin to lift the target. Once a target is held the Thaumaturge can chose to either throw them or hold them, each turn after the first requires an additional successful roll to keep hold of an object or person lifted. I a subject is thrown, they take damage equal to the success margin achieved on the roll by the thaumaturge. Secondly this power can used to wield melee weapons at a distance, this allows the Thaumaturge to roll Melee + Blood sorcery as they attempt to fight down an enemy rather than the usual roll needed. Damage value applies normally.
* Duration: One action

**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.

* Cost: One rouse check
* Dice pool: Charisma + Blood sorcery
* 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….
* Duration: One turn per success scored on the activation roll

**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.

* Cost: One rouse check
* Dice pool: Wits + Blood Sorcery
* System: 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.
* Duration: Up to an hour

#### Level 4

**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 (twometer- 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.

* Cost: One rouse check
* Dice pool: Intelligence + Survival
* 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 activation roll). The haven is impenetrable to sunlight unless physically breached.
* Duration: The haven lasts until the next sunset, or until the caster dispels or leaves it.

**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.

* Cost: One rouse check
* Dice Pool: Composure + Blood sorcery
* 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.
* Duration: Until dawn, or till cancelled.

#### Level 5

**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.

* Cost: One rouse check
* Dice pool: Manipulation + Blood Sorcery
* System: The character touches the tree to be animated. The player makes the rouse check and rolls normally. If the roll succeeds, the player must make an additional rouse check 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 Blood Sorcery rating, Dexterity 2, and a Brawl rating equal to the caster’s own. It is immune to most blunt superficial damage, and all aggravated damage is 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.
* Duration: One turn per success rolled.

**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:~~
* Duration:

### Rituals

#### Level 3

**The Swift Journey**

This power subtly strengthens the vigor of mortals, vampires, or animals so that they can cross great distances more quickly than they ordinarily could. It does not speed up their movement in the same way that Celerity does. Instead, it instills in them a determination to press ahead and a relief from the fatigue of a constant march.

* Ingredients: Herbs and spices from the destination of your journey, bundled together.
* Process: Set the bundle of herbs and spices alight, let the vast majority of your procession inhale the smoke as you murmur your incantation.
* System: If you succeed on the ritual roll up to 50 mounts, 18 supply wagons or 4 siege engines can be speed up to at speed of forty-five kilometers per hour, for one hour. During this time no member of the procession, mount or human being, feel the rigors or the march and the movement doesn't count towards accumulating fatigue. For each extra success upon the ritual roll, you can add another 50 mounts, 18 supply wagons or 4 siege engines to the magically altered procession or extend the rituals effect for another hour.

#### Level 5

**Tempestatum**

The power to influence weather is one of the oldest of magical techniques common among Tremere.

* Ingredients: A brass bowl filled with water, big enough to submerge an entire hand into.
* Process: The performer of the ritual kneels down in front of the bowl as they chant incantations, stirring the water to create horrible storms, blowing over it to create gusts of wind, whispering to it to create a thick fog and so forth. This ritual must be done under an open sky.
* System: If the Ritual roll is a success the water of the bowl takes on the properties of the weather the caster desires, this weather then takes effect up to a mile around where the caster placed the bowl. The bowl itself is completely unaffected by the weather. Winning the roll is enough to cause any kind of naturally occurring weather, however for more alien weather a higher margin might be required. The weather persists until the bowl is turned on its head.

## Dark Thaumaturgy

### Spells

#### Level 4

**Fire's of Inferno**

Practitioners of this spell may summon forth balefire that springs forth from her hands in jets or globes. Many believe that this malignant green flame is conjured from the very depths of Hades. Being burned by these fires is to taste the agonies that await them in Hell. Witnessing the conjuring of the Fires of Inferno allows anyone with mystical senses to know the source is infernal. Balefire is greatly feared, as fire is one of the surest ways to bring Final Death to a vampire.

* Cost: One Rouse check (Possibly one stain)
* Dice Pool: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery or Dexterity + Athletics vs Dexterity + Athletics
* System: Similar to Lure of the Flames, Balefire can be easily conjured with a simple rouse check, this calls the malignant flames forth in the casters palm. As opposed to Lure of the Flames, the Fires of Inferno can't be used for anything but destruction. To use this in battle the Infernalist must hurl it at his victims, once hurled the Infernalist has no further control over the fire which now acts as completely ordinary, albeit hateful green, fire, each success margin on this roll deals one point of aggravated damage and evokes the Red fear. Being burned by this fire does not reduce it's victims to ash, rather one rots away to a rotten pulp. Furthermore for each two points of Aggravated damage a target takes from this spell, they suffer an additional point of Aggravated Willpower damage, as the fires burn their spirit as much as their bodies.
* Duration: Special

### Rituals

#### Variable

**Call Forth the Host**

A favored ritual amongst all Corrupters, Call Forth the Host draws a demon or tortured spirit from the Inferno into the earthly plane. The creature appears through the power of the ritual and follows the thaumaturge’s instructions to the letter. While this is a favored ritual, most demons resent being summoned and ordered around in this way. They may return later of their own volition to torment the would-be sorcerer, and always seek to subvert the dark thaumaturge’s commands by exploiting weaknesses in their instructions. Demons take many forms, though they may generally disguise themselves to walk unnoticed among humankind. For this reason, the caster must know the precise, true name of the demon she wishes to summon for this ritual to take effect. This ritual can be learned from level one to level five, each time it's studied it refers to a specific class of Demon it can summon, which is specified below.

* Ingredients: A virgin sacrifice, five black candles rendered from human fat, ritual knife crafted from the bones of a mass-murderer
* Process: This ritual requires one hour per level to perform. The caster prepares a ritual circle around a pentagram with chalk, ash and places a Black candle at each point of the star. The Human sacrifice is then placed within. During the ritual itself the caster chants and defiles the body of the sacrifice in a myriad of ways, both sexually, mentally and physically for hours before finally using the knife to carve symbols into the body of the sacrifice. At the rituals conclusion the symbols on the body of the sacrifice erupts in green flames, as the demon consumes the soul of the sacrifice and takes its place in the circle.
* System: The summoned demon serves the thaumaturge for a number of hours equal to 10 minus the level of the ritual. By way of example, level one demon would serve the caster for nine hours while a level three demon would serve for only seven. During this period of servitude, the demon may not harm the caster, and it must follow her exact instructions in a literal fashion. When the duration of servitude expires, the demon vanishes in a puff of sulfur and returns to Hell. It may, however, return of its own accord later to even the score.