Discipline: Vicissitude

## **Lvl 1**

### **Altera Anatomica**

The most basic foundation of Vicissitude that the remainder of the Discipline is built upon. With this power, the Vampire gains the ability to kneed and alter flesh and bone, but only in the most cosmetic sense, allowing for changes to height, build, voice, and facial features, as well as color quality, such as eye color or skin ton. Non-natural changes cannot be made.

**Cost**: Free; 1 Rouse Check when used on another.
**Dice Pools**: Vicissitude + Craft, Medicine, or Intelligence
**System**: Upon activation, the Vampire gains the ability to mold flesh and bone at a very basic level for one turn, when used on another individual that isn't the Vampire's Thrall, a Rouse Check must be made, and the Vampire must make a contest of their roll against their subject's Stamina. Direct bare contact must be made in order to mold flesh. When the user begins to actually shape flesh, roll Vicissitude plus Craft for undead (Vampires) or Medicine for living subjects against a difficulty; 2 for quick and easy changes (elongating a limb), 4 for fine-tuned changes (increasing total height), and 6 for complex changes (modifying facial features).
Base the resulting change on the following:
-**Total Failure**: A Botched attempt that results in complete failure. The subject becomes **Mangled**, reducing applicable Social or Physical Dice Pools by 2, depending on the change. Additional flesh shaping, at Difficulty equal to the margin of failure, is required to revert the flaw.
-**Failure**: The intended change goes awry and the subject becomes impaired. This impairment has a severity equal to half the margin of failure, rounded up. Fixing this impairment requires an Extended Test with difficulty equal to the original intended change, plus the impairment severity, using **Altera Anatomica**.
-**Win**: The alteration occurs as intended. On a margin of 3 or more successes, the user can make a second alteration without taking another turn or making another Rouse Check.
**Duration**: Until changed again, or healed. Healing changes done by **Altera Anatomica** are healed as if it were **Aggravated Damage ()**.

## **Lvl 2**

### **Transfiguration**

By further mastering **Altera Anatomica**, the Vampire can now directly shape all bodily organic tissue without being limited to mere cosmetic change. This includes flesh, bone, fluids, and cartilage, and even allows the ability to duplicate these tissues to create new raw material when needed.

**Cost**: Rouse Check
**Dice Pools**: Vicissitude + Craft or Medicine
**System**: Uses the same system as **Altera Anatomica** unless otherwise noted. Allows for extensive manipulation bodily tissue and fluids, limited only by the Vampire's skill. Duplicating tissue requires direct touch to the intended tissue, and up to a number of pounds equal to the user's Vicissitude rating can be created. For Vampires, these changes cannot directly alter Attributes or Skills.
When used for changes that aren't merely cosmetic, the player states the desired change, and then makes an applicable roll with an applicable difficulty, as per in **Altera Anatomica**. On a success, the subject gains a change equal to a 1 point Merit and a 2 point Flaw, these flaws do not need to be purely physical in nature, and exist primarily as a mechanical downside to gained merits. The Flaw cannot be undone through application of Vicissitude or healing without also removing the Merit, it can be "bought out" with experience however, allowing the subject to keep the Merit, as they mechanically "pay" for it. On a success margin of double the difficulty, add 1 to the Merit. On a total failure only the flaw is gained.

**Example 1**: *Leeth wants to enhance his hands and knuckles for more brutal punches. He uses **Transfiguration** to make his knuckles more pronounced, conferring* **⬤ Merit: Big Boney Knuckles** - +1 Unarmed Damage, *but he's not yet used to the larger bones in his digits, conferring the* **⬤⬤ Flaw: Reduced Motor Control** - Dice Pools when using hands have a penalty of 2.
**Example 2**: *Bruno wants to be better at running, and asks Leeth to modify his legs to accomplish this. Leeth uses **Transfiguration** and modifies Bruno's musculature, conferring* **⬤ Merit: Sprinter's Legs** - Running and sprinting tests have their difficulties reduced by 1, *but his newly modified knees don't set quite right when used for raw strength, so he gains the* **⬤⬤ Flaw: Weak Knees** - All jumping tests have their difficulty increased, or Dice Pools reduced, by 2.
**Example 3**: *Theo asks Leeth for a stronger jaw that will be better at biting in combat. Leeth uses **Transfiguration** and modifies Theo's jaw muscles, strengthening them to allow for a deeper bite through materials, conferring* **⬤ Merit: Powerful Biter** - Called shots to bite have their penalty reduced by 1, *but the muscles in his jaw are too strong, and he gains* **⬤⬤ Flaw: Lock Jaw** - The Vampire's jaw locks up when feeding. Increase the number of turns it takes to feed by 2.

Further enhancing a Merit already present increases the Difficulty by half, rounded up, for eat dot the merit already has and dramatically increases the required time to perform the change, as well as requiring an additional Rouse Checks for each additional dot. The resulting flaw is also doubled.
**Example 4**: *Dani wants to look even more attractive, requiring a Merit gain of 2 on top of what he already has (Beautiful). Leeth must rouse three times (Once to activate the power, then twice more for each Merit point), and spend at least four hours improving Dani's face against a Difficulty of 8 (normally 4 for fine-tuned changes, but increased by half* twice *for the additional Merit gain). When all is done, Dani replaces his Beautiful merit with* **⬤⬤⬤⬤ Merit: Stunning** *but also gains the flaw* **⬤⬤⬤⬤ Merit: Too Pretty** - *All attempts at Intimidation automatically fail, and attempts to go unnoticed have their pools reduced by 4 in applicable situations, as everyone does a double take when seeing you or can't take their eyes off you to begin with.*
This power can also be used on living subjects to directly modify their physical Attributes. In this case, the user makes a test of Vicissitude + Medicine; Difficulty equal to twice the level of the Attribute. On a success, the attribute is increased by 1, and is reflected in their appearance if possible.
**Duration**: Same as **Altera Anatomica**.

## **Lvl 3**

### **Body Arsenal**

This gruesome power is similar to certain power of Protean, however it lacks the mimicry of animalistic, being instead more viscerally grotesque. When used the Vampire can reflexively bend, break, and shift tissues within their body, allowing for the violent and instantaneous formation of weapons and tools from within the Vampire using their own flesh and bone as tissue. The scope of these weapons are largely limited to the Vampire's imagination, allowing the formation of claws, swords, whips, or even basic tools. The ghastly nature of these weapons are always sharp and twisted, brutally ripping and tearing the flesh of mortals.

**Cost**: 1-2 Health ()
**Dice Pools**: Variable
**System**: The user instantly and violently alters their flesh and bone and takes 1 Superficial Damage to their Health Tracker to create a weapon with a +2 modifier for damage. If an especially large or vicious weapon is created, it will have a +4 modifier for damage, but takes 2 unhalved Superficial Damage instead. The user can also explosively expel parts of their body to release ranged projectiles in the same way. Attacking with these weapons always forms a pool using Vicissitude in place of the Physical Attribute, and they deal **Aggravated Damage ()** to Mortals.
**Example**: *Attacking with bone-claw knuckles would be Vicissitude + Brawl. Attacking with an arm-sword would be Vicissitude + Melee. Expelling bone-shards would be Vicissitude + Athletics.*
Weapons created by Body Arsenal can be further modified with **Transfiguration** at Difficulty 1 + the weapon's Modifier, this takes 1 full turn to perform. Success increases the Damage Modifier by 1, critical success increases it by 3, up to a maximum of double the weapon's initial damage.
**Duration**: Weapons left outside the body will rot away to ash unless 1 Rouse Check worth of blood is dripped onto them before sunrise.

### **Shape of All Beasts**

**Amalgam:** **Protean 4**

**Prerequisite**: **Metamorphosis**

A horrifying mastery over flesh that allows the Vampire to take on numerous animal shapes at once in a gruesome display of ferocity.

**Cost**: Rouse Check
**Dice Pools**: Variable
**System**: Choose a hybridized form of three separate animals, picking the Standard Dice Pools, Secondary Dice Pools, and Exceptional Dice Pools from one of each of them to form a monstrous transformation.
**Duration**: One scene unless ended voluntarily before that.

## **Lvl 4**

### **Horrid Form**

A form created to transcend the physical limitations of the Vampire's mundane physical form. Considered by the Tzimisce to be the first real step towards transcending their humanity. To those that don't follow their beliefs, it is merely a powerful combat form. Upon use, the Vampire beings to violently transform, as flesh converts between tissue type, bones grow and break into new shapes, and internal organs are assume a more malicious and practical form. Once finished, the Vampire's height and mass will be increased considerably, usually eight or more feet with well over double the weight, and reflects the sensibilities and desires of the user. Organic weapons, osseous plates, long and powerful limbs, as well as other additions granted by this horrid form dramatically enhance a Vampire's ability to perform physical actions and resist physical damage.

**Cost**: One to Three Rouse Checks to Transform and Revert
**Dice Pools**: None
**System**: No test is required. The transformation is violently incapacitating to the user, and takes three turns, though it can be sped up with additional Rouse Checks on a one-for-one basis. While in this form the vampire's Physical Attributes, Health Tracker, and Vicissitude Dice Pools are increased by 3, while all Social Attributes are reduced by 3, except for when dealing with other Vampires in Horrid Form. Disciplines can be used while in Horrid Form, however many powers that use Social Attributes, such as Presence and Dominate, will be much less effective due to Attribute reduction. Unnarmed damage and damage dealt by weapons formed from the user's body, including **Body Arsenal**, are increased by 2.
Reverting back to normal form requires the Vampire to make 1 a Rouse Check, and takes three turns, again this can be spend up with additional Rouse Checks.
**Duration**: Until reverted.

### **Inner Mastery**

Prerequisites: **Transfiguration**

The pinnacle of **Altera Anatomica'**s ability to manipulate flesh. Allows the user to affect the organs, fluids, proteins, and other biological chemicals that the body produces in any way imaginable to the Vampire. Allowing for reshaping, re-purposing, or outright destroying organs, rerouting or expelling blood or other fluids, modifying the neural circuitry of the brain etc. At least some degree of medical knowledge is needed to fully exploit the extent of **Inner Mastery**.

**Cost**: 2 Rouse Checks
**Dice Roll**: Vicissitude + Medicine
**System**: Uses the same system as **Altera Anatomica** and **Transfiguration** unless otherwise noted. The Vampire uses their most dexterous limbs to manipulate the complex inner processes of the body, allowing for complete re-purposing or reconfiguration of organs and their related systems. Difficulty depends upon the complexity of the organ being modified:
* Basic organs; Heart, Liver, Lungs, Stomach, etc. are Difficulty 4.
* Complex organs; Brain, Nerves, Thyroid, etc. are Difficulty 7.
* Whole systems, associated organs included; Nervous, Endocrine, Cardiovascular, etc. are Difficulty 9.

On a success, add an associated **Merit** and **Flaw**, as per **Transfiguration'**s system, but instead based on inner organ or biological chemical function.
**Example**: *Archbishop Anestily wants to make her ghoul especially deadly by giving him acid blood. She uses **Inner Mastery** to change his Cardiovascular system to allow it support such a change, rolling against Difficulty 9. On her success her ghoul gains* **⬤ Merit: Acidic Blood** - Spilled blood burns those it hits for 1 **Aggravated Damage ()**, *but now his biological functions are weighed down by the enzymes required to support such a system, conferring* **⬤⬤ Flaw: Poor Cerebral Circulation** - Dice Pools involving Wits are reduced by 2, due to poor blood oxygenation.
**Duration**: Until changed again, or healed. Healing changes done by **Altera Anatomica** are healed as if it were **Aggravated Damage ()**.

## **Lvl 5**

### **Marauder Aspects**

Prerequisites: **Horrid Form**

Confers additional benefits to **Horrid Form**.

**Cost**: None
**Dice Pools**: None
**System**: Uses the same system and confers the same benefits as **Horrid Form** unless otherwise noted.
When initially gained, the player chooses **two** of the following merits, which are only available while in Horrid Form unless otherwise stated:
* **⬤⬤⬤ Marauder Merit: Chiropteran Wings** - The user gains bat-like spined wings that allow them to fly for a number of turns equal to their Vicissitude rating, after they land they will be unable to immediately fly again in the scene without spending a Willpower. Wings can also be used as Heavy Piercing Melee Weapons with a +3 damage modifier.
* **⬤⬤⬤ Marauder Merit: Kraken's Kiss** - The user's can now extend prehensile appendages to grapple and/or bite targets at a distance equal to their Vicissitude rating in yards, adding Vicissitude grapple rolls. This bite obeys the rules of a normal bite action. Brutal Feed can be used for more deadly effect.
* **⬤⬤⬤ Marauder Merit: Blood Tremors** - While transformed, the user may choose to pass up to two Rouse Checks automatically, per scene. This cannot be used to pass Rouse Checks made during the transformation process.
* **⬤⬤⬤ Marauder Merit: Promethean Flesh** - Your transformations occur instantly, counting as a minor action rather than taking and one or more turns, as your flesh violently shifts to take your desired shape. This merit also works with **Protean** transformations.
* **⬤⬤⬤ Marauder Merit: Dracul Heart** - Within your body, your blood seethes and ignites. By spending a point of Willpower and then rolling Resolve + Athletics, the user can breath a stream of supernatural flame at a range of up to eight feet. On a win, the victim takes two **Aggravated Damage ()**, regardless of the margin, and becomes ignited, taking an additional **Aggravated Damage ()**.
* **⬤⬤⬤ Marauder Merit: Colossal Frame** - Your Horrid Form now triples your mass, rather than doubling it, greatly hampering your ability to take cover, and reducing your evasive Dice Pools by 3, but massively bolstering your durability and strength. Add your **full** Vicissitude rating to your Health tracker and Feats of Strength, rather than half. In addition and half of it to your Potence rating, rounded up.

**Duration**: Until shifted out of.

### **Graft Life to Life**

Prerequisites: **Inner Mastery**

Allows the use of **Altera Anatomica** to take body parts from living creatures and graft them on to others, living or undead, and allow for the recipient to use the new limb. Exceptionally monstrous and disturbing creatures can be created with this power or one may graft extra organs into others, allowing them to function longer while wounded.

**Cost**: 1 Rouse Check on Removal; 1 Rouse on Graft.
**Dice Roll**: Vicissitude + Medicine
**System**: Allows the user to pull tissue from one individual and permanently fuse it to another individual. This includes, but is not necessarily limited to; Limbs, skin, bones, and organs. Performing this Discipline forces the user to enter a Series Test; Removing the flesh is Vicissitude + Medicine; Difficulty 5, Preparing and grafting the recipient's flesh requires 3 tests of Vicissitude + Intelligence + Craft; Difficulty 5. Inter-species grafting, including human-to-vampire, increases the difficulty by 2 at each stage.
Each part of this test takes three hours to perform properly. If any part of the test fails it must be performed again, taking another three hours. If at any point a **Total Failure** or **Bestial Failure** occurs, the procedure fails completely, i.e. the donor dies, the flesh to be transplanted is ruined, or the recipient suffers from a **Botch** as described in **Alter Anatomica**. The result of this procedure adds **Merits** and **Flaws** based on what was accomplished, as per **Altera Anatomica**.
**Duration**: Until changed again, or healed. Healing changes done by **Altera Anatomica** are healed as if it were **Aggravated Damage ()**.