THAUMATURGY PATHS
LIST OF DISCIPLINE POWERS BY LEVEL
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Thaumaturgy has a large number of paths; though it is not the oldest tradition of blood magic, the Tremere were magical scholars long before they were vampires and toil ceaselessly to push their studies ever further. Many paths were once known by names which reflected the Tremere's previous magical heritage. Thaumaturgical 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 and learn all their secrets.
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 mastery of 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 must spend a blood point and make a Willpower roll against a difficulty of 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 blood magic fails, while a botch signifies that the character loses a PERMANENT Willpower point. Obviously, Thaumaturgy is not an art in which one merely "dabbles."
All Tremere should begin with the Path of Blood. Players wishing to select a different primary path must gain approval prior to submitting their characters. Players wishing to select a different primary path, especially an Uncommon or Rare path, must demonstrate in-depth knowledge of House Tremere.
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.
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. 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 as — 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!
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 specific 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: adjusting an element’s atomic number up to five greater or less than its original designation.
***** Miraculous shifts in composition: turning lead into gold or nitrogen into radium.
BioThaumaturgy 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.
* 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 form this sample, including information that “normal” forensics and genetics would not yield, such as age, generation, clan, etc.
System: Each success on the (Willpower) 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 sorcerers art.
System: Each success on the player’s Willpower 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 swept off fatigue (and vanishes completely). Note that the actual surgery does not take the above mentioned two weeks to finish, but recuperation times account for that period.
*** Lesser Animation
The Thaumaturge mystically endows a dead life form 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 (Willpower roll), 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 to do that 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 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 refined 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 (Willpower roll), but allows the vampire to animate more complex creatures. Certain life forms 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 fly 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 life forms 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 (With a Willpower roll to activate). 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 affect is that it creates an animated monster capable of reasoning. A Cognizant Construction won’t mindlessly fight 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 thaumaturge limited control over and communication with inanimate objects. Mistakenly believed by many to be related to the four basic elements (earth, air, fire, and water), this path is actually closer to an amalgamation of Spirit Thaumaturgy and the Path of Conjuring. Elemental Mastery can only be used to affect the unliving -- a vampire couldn't cause a tree to walk by using Animate the Unmoving, for instance. Thaumaturges who seek mastery over living things generally study Biothaumaturgical Experimentation
* Elemental Strength
The Vampire with this discipline can draw upon the strength and resilience of the earth, or of the objects around him, to increase his or her physical prowess without the need for large amounts of blood.
** Wooden Tongues
A Cainite with this discipline 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”
*** 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 the street. However, seemingly solid objects can become more flexible within reason: Bar stools can run with their legs, guns can twist out of their owners hands or fire while holstered, and statues can move like normal humans. This discipline takes a great deal of concentration to pull off, although the level of concentration decreases with experience and age.
**** Elemental Form
The Vampire with this discipline can take the shape of any inanimate object of a mass roughly equal to his or her own. A desk, a statue or a bicycle would be more feasible, but a house or a pen would be beyond this power’s capacity.
Invoking this power takes but a mere thought of the object you wish to mask, but requires immense concentration to maintain. You do have the ability to speak; you’re a disembodied voice trailing from the object you manifested into. However, you do not have the ability to use of your other disciplines while in this state. You remain in this state for one full night or when you release the discipline.
***** 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 Tremere claims to have contacted elemental spirits of glass, electricity, blood and even atomic energy, but such reports remain unconfirmed (even as their authors are being summoned to Vienna for questioning). The thaumaturge may choose what type of elemental he or she wishes to summon and control.
The Focused Mind
* Readiness: Gain a dice pool to add to Wits-related rolls or initiative
** Centering: Cause a subject to ignore any effect that reduces dice pools; grant bonus to resist frenzy
*** One-Tracked Mind: Make a subject unable to split perform multiple actions
**** Dual Thought: Take an extra mental action per round, including another Discipline use
***** Perfect Clarity: Reduce the difficulty of all actions, become immune to frenzy, and become resistant to mental influence
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 equally valid targets for this path's powers, and living and dead plants matter are equally effected. While not as immediately impressive as some other more widely practiced paths, the Green Path (sometimes disparagingly referred to as the "Botanical Mastery") is as subtle and powerful as the natural world which it affects.
The origins of the Green Path are thought to lie with the Order of the Naturists (see Clanbook: Tremere), a druid like sect within Clan Tremere. Most practitioners of the path are members of the order, and those who are not were more than likely mentored by one. According to those who are familiar with Tremere history, the Green Path is a blood magic-based derivation of some magickal workings formerly practiced by House Diedne, an order of mortal mages destroyed by the Tremere during the Dark Ages.
* Herbal Wisdom
With but a touch, a Cainite can communicate with the spirit of the 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 face of the last person who walked on it.
** Speed the Season’s Passing
This discipline allows the 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, the Vampire can speed a plant’s death and decay, withering grass and crumbling wooden stakes with but a touch.
*** Dance of Vines
The thaumaturge can animate a mass of vegetation up to his own size, using it for utility or combat purposes with equal ease. Leaves can walks along a desktop, ivy can act as a scribe and jungle creepers can strangle opponents.
**** Verdant Haven
This discipline 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 makes the Haven nearly impassible to anyone the caster wishes to exclude. A Verdant Haven appear as a six foot tall hemisphere of interlocked branches, leaves and vines with no direct opening, and even to the casual observer it appears to be an unnatural construction. You must be within a heavily vegetated area to use this power (such as a forest) and lasts until the next sunset.
***** Awaken the Forest Giants
Entire trees can be animated by the 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.
Hands of Destruction
* Decay: Cause an inanimate object to age years in seconds
** Gnarl Wood: Ruin an object of wood with a look
*** Acidic Touch: Your hand dispenses a powerful acid
**** Atrophy: Cause a victim's limb to wither
***** Turn to Dust: Make a person age years in seconds
The Hearth Path
This path deals with the security of the thaumaturgist’s haven.
* 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 after the Willpower roll. The signal may be anything of the Thaumaturges 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 Order
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 kept the keys to his safe occupy, and he knows where his ensorcered wooden stakes rest. He knows these things when he doesn’t….
System: As long as this ritual is successful (willpower roll), 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 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 this 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 find 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 on the 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 (after the Willpower roll), 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 briefly 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 (after a Willpower roll), 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 find 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 eye shot 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 (on a Willpower roll). The vampire must verbally ask questions of her haven’s accoutrements, 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. The Lure of Flames is greatly feared, as fire is one of the surest ways to bring Final Death upon a vampire.
Fire created by this path is not “natural.” In fact, many vampires believe the flames to be conjured from Hell itself. 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 – 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 on a Willpower roll determines how accurately the Thaumaturge places the flame in his desired location. One success is all that is necessary to conjure a flame in one’s hand, while 5 successes place a flame anywhere in a kindred’s line of sight. Individual descriptions are not provided for each level of this path – fire is fire, after all. The chart below describes the path level required to generate a specific amount of flame. To soak the damage at all, of course, a vampire must have the Fortitude Discipline.
* Candle (Diff 3 to soak, one health level of aggravated damage/turn)
** Palm of Flame (Diff 4 to soak, one health level of aggravated damage/turn)
*** Campfire (Diff 5 to soak, two health level of aggravated damage/turn)
**** Bonfire (Diff 7 to soak, two health level of aggravated damage/turn)
***** Inferno (Diff 9 to soak, three health level of aggravated damage/turn)
Mastery of the Mortal Shell
* Vertigo: Cause a target to be disoriented and dizy
** Contortion: Make a victim's limb constrict and become useless
*** Seizure: Cause a victim's body writhe and tighten uncontrollably
**** Body Failure: As Seizure, but more powerful
***** Marionette: Force a target's body to move and act as you desire
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 the fourth level or greater. Some thaumaturges 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. Many people are quite put off when the pages of a book turn by themselves!
System: The number of successes indicates the duration of the thaumaturge'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.
If this power is used to manipulate a living being, the subject may attempt to resist. In this case, the thaumaturge 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 Level Three, 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 Level Four, she may "throw" objects at a Strength equal to her level of mastery.
* Level One: Move at 15 Mph and lift 1 lb/500 g
** Level Two: Move at 30 Mph 20 and lift 20 lb/10 Kg
*** Level Three: Move at 45 Mph 200 and lift 200 lb/100 Kg
**** Level Four: Move at 60 Mph 500 and lift 500 lb/250 Kg
***** Level Five: Move at 75 Mph 5 and lift 2000 lb/500 Kg
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 the 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 discipline claim that the Vampire communicates with the spirits of the waters when using this discipline; younger Kindred scoff at such claims.
** 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. Mortals subjected to this power’s effects can drown if the thaumaturge is not careful (or if he or she desires it), and even Vampires can be crushed by extreme pressure thus brought to bear. A subject may only be held in only one prison at a time, although the thaumaturge is free to invoke multiple uses of this discipline upon separate victims and may dissolve any of their water prisons at will.
*** Flowing Wall
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. By merely touching the surface of a standing body of water, the Vampire may create a wall of water, commanding it to be placed anywhere within your line of sight, and must be formed in a straight line.
**** Blood to Water
The thaumaturge has now attained enough power over water that he or she can transmute other liquids to this basic element. The most commonly seen use of this discipline is as an assault; with but a touch, the victim’s blood transforms to water weakening Vampires and killing mortals in moments. This discipline may be used on other liquids as well, to turn them from their present state to water. The Vampire still needs to touch the liquid or its container.
***** Dehydrate
At this level of mastery, the thaumaturge can directly attack unloving 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 even evaporating puddles to keep other practitioners of this path from using them.
Oneiromancy
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 long-held 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. 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. Multiple uses of Portents may well result in the same vision occurring over and over again. The Portent should always be fragmented and cryptic.
** 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: 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 — 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. 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.
***** Reveal the Heart's Dream
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. 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. First turn will reveal the innermost desire of the target. 2nd turn and 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 is up to the player but remember that it is their ultimate driving passion. The Path of Blood This is the primary path of Tremere blood magic. It is the first path that all Apprentices are taught when they are first brought into the clan. It gives them powers to analyze and control the vitae in themselves and other vampires. 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 of 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 blood magic fails, while a botch signifies that the character loses a permanent Willpower point. * A Taste for Blood This power was developed as a means of testing a foe's might - an extremely important ability in the tulmultous early nights of Clan Tremere. By merely tasting the blood of his subject, the thaumaturge 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 recently 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 thaumaturge 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, 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 thaumaturge desires.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. *** Blood of Potency The thaumagurge 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: Successes earned on the Willpower roll must be spent both to decrease the vampire's generation and to maintain the change. One success allows the character to lower his generation by one step for one hour. Each success grants the Kindred either one step down in generation or one hour of effect. If the vampire is diablerized while this power is in effect, it wears off immediately and the diablerist gains power appropriate to the thaumaturge's actual generation. Furthermore, any mortals Embraced by the thaumaturge are born to the generation appropriate to their sire's original generation. Once the effect wears off, any blood over the character's blood pool maximum dilutes, leaving the character at his regular blood pool maximum..
**** Theft of Vitae
A thaumaturge using this power siphons vitae from her subject. She need never come into 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 Tremere transfers from the subject. The subject must be visible to the thaumaturge and within 50 feet. Using this power is like drinking from the subject - used three times on the same Kindred, it creates a blood bond on the part of the thaumaturge! This power is obviously quite spectacular, 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 are said to have survived.
The Path of Conjuration
The limit on the size of objects conjured is only limited by the size of the thaumaturge. Nothing larger than the conjurer can be summoned. A familiarity with the object is makes it easier to conjure. And the conjured objects will have no flaws, Items summoned more than once are always identical.
* Summon the Simple Form
The conjurer may create simple, inanimate objects. It can't have moving parts or be made of multiple materials. One willpower point per turn must be spent to keep object around.
** Permanency
Still only simple items, but no longer requires willpower points. Costs 3 blood points to make the object real.
*** Magic of the Smith
Now conjure complex items. Can create guns, bicycles, chainsaws, cellular phones, etc. 5 blood points to conjure.
**** Reverse Conjuration
Can now banish items summoned.
***** Power Over Life
This can't create true life, though it can summon some pretty impressive creatures and people. Anything summoned lacks the free will to act on its own but mindlessly follows simple instructions from the conjurer. Costs 10 blood points and creatures will disappear after a week.
Path of Corruption
These powers must be used on a victim within arm’s length. Followers of Set may learn this path without knowing Thaumaturgy.
* Contradict
The vampire may cause a victim to do the opposite of what she was originally going to do. Victim must be in sight.
** Subvert
This releases the victim's dark, self destructive side. Victims will act on their own suppressed temptations. Must make eye contact. From 5 minutes, one hour, one night, three nights, one week. You must continue using this for each time frame you want. One turn=5minute, 2 turn=one hour, etc. The victim will not be fixated on it at all times, but if the opportunity arise...
*** Dissociate
This power is used to break the social ties of interpersonal relationships. Even the most passionate affair or the oldest friendship can be be cooled with this. The vampire must touch the victim. The victim will become withdrawn, suspicious and emotionally distant. Five minutes, one hour, one night, three night, one week. One turn per time frame.
**** Addiction
By exposing the victim to a particular sensation, substance or action, the vampire creates a powerful psychological dependence. The victim must be touched after being exposed to the sensation, substance or action. And addicted needs his fix at least once a night. This will last a week or two.
***** Dependence
This allows 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. The victim will act depressed when away from the vampire or not doing something for the vampire.
Path of Curses
When cursing a victim, a thaumaturge is obvious--curses must be spoken aloud and directly towards the target, although the curse itself is often comprised of dead languages and sounds like gibberish. Additionally, the thaumaturge requires some essence of the victim to curse him. Hair, blood, flesh or any other part of the victim. The victim can use his strength of will and personality to resist but the severe psychological effects can take their toll. The thaumaturge can lift the curses that she brings down whenever she wishes.
* Stigma: Make an individual suffer socially for an evening
** Malady: Curse a victim with an illness, reducing their Physical Attributes
*** Pariah: Make others see the target as their worst enemy
**** Corrupt Body: Temporarily reduce one of the target's Physical Attributes
***** Fall from Grace: A victim gains a botch die to all actions
Path of the Levinbolt
* Spark: Generate a small electrical discharge
** Illuminate: Generate enough energy to charge a small device or produce light
*** Power Array: Discharge or absorb a greater amount of energy
**** Zeus' Fury: Build up energy and direct it as arcs of lightning
***** Eye of the Storm: Become charged with an incredible amount of electricity
Path of Shadowcrafting
Students of this learn to manipulate shades, but not in the same fashion as the Lasombra. While Shadowcrafting tugs at the absence of light, Tremere who have fought the Lasombra firsthand come away with the distinct impression that Obtenebration manipulates something else--a tangible darkness, a sort of abyssal nothingness coaxed into the material world. This path does not function for Kindred with the flaw Cast No Reflection.
* Out Light
The first rule of shade: darkness overcomes all light. A neophyte thaumaturge can exert this property of darkness, lights may flicker and dim or even snuff out completely, depending upon their strength and the thaumaturge's will. The thaumaturge can focus darkness upon any one light source within her range of sight. Only lights up to the strength of a torch, light bulb or neon light can be affected, but complete success snuffs a light permanently (light bulbs and neon signs burn out; candles go out, but could be re-lit later).
A wholly unnerving power, Shadow Taunt allows the thaumaturge to take command of a distant shadow. By sympathetically linking it to his body, the thaumaturge can make the distant obey his own shadow's motion. Success determine how many turns the caster can control a distant shadow. Only one shadow at a time may be influenced. The caster must be able to see the shadow, and it must be a natural shadow, not one created with Obtenebration.
*** Coruscating Shadow
A commanding Tremere can peel the very shade from surrounding surfaces and bend it into floating forms that whip about. These airborne shadows conceal the caster and create a roiling sphere of confusion. The unnatural display manifests as an ephemeral globe that encompasses the caster at about arm's length, though it contracts and expands rapidly while the shadows flit about its surface. Under the effects, the Tremere gains partial concealment due to the rapidly strobing passage of shadowy shapes. The ball of shadows that surrounds the caster has no physical substance.
**** Night's Veil
Shadows seem to devour the landscape hungrily as night falls. Where any shadow lies, the power of night remains--through that sympathetic power the Tremere can invoke the strength of night in any place. Mortals who have observed the bizarre power have left the experience ''touched'', talking of shadows impossible in the current light. Typically, the caster stands within a shadowed corner and invokes this power. In each successive turn, the shadow slowly expands to cover greater ground. The shade counts as an area under the province of night: the Tremere can act normally without hindrance from daytime and avoid the sun's rays. Should the cast step outside the shadow, though, the effect ends immediately--quite possibly stranding the Tremere, dizzy and disoriented, in burning sunlight.
***** Abyssal Pact
Mastery of the Path of Shadowcrafting allows a Tremere to imbue his shades with some semblance of substance. While smothered in darkness, the Tremere lets loose something that seems hungry and malevolent. Mastery of such shade creations also gives the Tremere a small chance to counter Obtenebration, though such hope perhaps leads more to overconfidence than to conquest. To summon this, both the Tremere and the target must be within the same patch of darkness. The caster doesn't have to see the individual, but must somehow sense the victim's presence, whether by hearing, touch or some other apprehension. The darkness must be total or near-total. Costs five blood points total.
Path of Technomancy
* Analyze: Learn how a device works
** Burnout: Cause a machine to malfunction
*** Encrypt/Decrypt: Cause a device to only work for you
**** Remote Access: Operate a machine remotely
***** Telecommute: Project your mind into the global telecommunication network
Path of Transmutation
* Fortify the Solid Form: Grant an object stronger
** Crystallize the Liquid Form: Transform a liquid into solid form
*** Liquefy the Solid Form: Cause an object to soften and melt for a scene
**** Gaol: Turn air into an indestructible block
***** Ghost Wall: Turn an object into a gaseous mist
Spirit Manipulation
Spirit Manipulation is a recent innovation of the Tremere. It is the art of forcing spirits into actions and situations that would normally be anathema to them. Any botch not only inflicts normal loss of Willpower but also turns the full force of the spirit's wrath against the offending vampire.
* 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. This power does not allow the thaumaturge to see into the realm of the deal or fae. One success is necessary to perceive spirits, while two allows him to view the spirit realm. This lasts for the duration of the scene or until deactivated. With less than four success, the thaumaturge operates at difficulty to all actions performed due to the distraction of divided perceptions.
** Astral Cant
The languages of the Spirit World are infinitely varied and mainly incomprehensible to mortal (or 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--in effect, a universal tranlator for the spirit world. Imprecise use of this power can be disasterous, particularly with a powerful spirit. The use of this power is not always necessary; many spirits speak human tongues but choose to feign ignorance when dealing with vampires. Sucesses determine accuracy of translation. Pidgin spirit language simple words and phrases, Simple sentences are possible, fluent conversation, complex issues, even the most obscure idiomatic expressions and forms of humor come through.
*** Voice of Command
This is perhaps the most dangerous power in this path, for the consequences if a Thaumaturge fails can be most unpleasant. This allows a vampire to issue orders to a spirit, compelling it to heed her bidding whether the spirit wants to or not. Botch-spirit is immune to character's commands for rest of night. Failure-The spirit is unaffected, further attempts to command it are more difficult. It may ignore, taunt, or even attack the character. 1 success Spirit obeys a very simple command that is no great inconvenience to it, the Spirit heeds a relatively straight forward command that it is not innately opposed to doing,
The spirit agrees to perform a moderately complex task that does not violate its ethics. The spirit consents to an extended or intricate task that does not place it in immediate danger. The Spirits accepts a lengthy or nigh-impossible task, or one that may mean its destruction. Spirits are aware they are being compelled by this power and may well seek revenge at a later date. Thaumaturges who issue commands above and beyond what their spirit is compelled to do may find themselves mocked or ignored, or even worse, the Spirit will "agree" to follow orders without following through.
**** Entrap Emphemera
This allows a thaumaturge to bind a spirit to an object. This can be done to imprison the target, but is more often used to create a fetish, an artifact that allows a user to channel a portion of the spirit's power through it to affect the physical world. Fetishes created by this power are often recalcitrant and fail at inopportune times, as the spirits within are most displeased with their situation and will take any opportunity to escape or thwart their captor.
***** Duality
The Thaumaturge can now fully interact with the spirit world. While using this power, he exists on both planes of existence at once. He is able to pick up objects in the physical world and place them in the spirit and vice versa. Beings and landscape features in both worlds are real to him, and he can engage in any manner of interaction. He can even use Thaumaturgy or other Disciplines in either world. This is not without its dangers, however: One misstep and the vampire can find himself trapped in the spirit realm with no way home. Several incautious thaumaturges have been starved into torpor while trapped on the other side. Number of successes determine length of time.
One turn, three turns, 10 turns, 10 minutes, remainder of scene. Character is susceptible to attacks from both the physical world and spirit realm. He is considered to be in the physical world for purposes of physics and common sense. Example, his feet rest on the ground in the physical world, not the ground of the spirit, and he could thus walk across a spiritual chasm if a physical parking lot overlaid it.
Vine of Dionysus
* Methyskein: Make a victim slightly drunk
** Omophagy: Cause a victim to be ravenously hungry
*** Hamartia: Give a target feelings of euphoria
**** Enthousiasmos: Cause multiple victims to enter a passive state of happiness
***** Oinos Aimatos: Imbue your vitae with the effect of Enthousiasmos
Weather Control
By spending a blood point, the vampire may create weather anomalies. She must also roll Manipulation + Survival, difficulty dependent on the typical likelihood of the weather pattern being perpetrated. (Lightning on a sunny day in Kenya is difficulty 9; fog in London is difficulty 3.) In the event of lightning, treat the strike as a firearm, doing ten dice of damage. The level of the effect (the magnitude of the weather anomaly) is limited to the number of successes on the Willpower roll.
* Fog: Light Breeze/Minor Temperature Change
** Rain/Snow: Forcing weather conditions to change
*** High Winds: Whirlwind/Moderate Temperature Change
**** Storm: Creating and controlling a storm.
***** Lightning: Focusing Lighting to strike. Difficulty is determined by weather conditions and weather or not you are in or out doors.
Path of Mercury
* Level One: teleport 10 Yards
** Level Two: teleport 50 Yards
*** Level Three: teleport 500 Yards
**** Level Four: teleport 5 Miles
***** Level Five: teleport 500 Miles
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 mastery of 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 must spend a blood point and make a Willpower roll against a difficulty of 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 blood magic fails, while a botch signifies that the character loses a PERMANENT Willpower point. Obviously, Thaumaturgy is not an art in which one merely "dabbles."
All Tremere should begin with the Path of Blood. Players wishing to select a different primary path must gain approval prior to submitting their characters. Players wishing to select a different primary path, especially an Uncommon or Rare path, must demonstrate in-depth knowledge of House Tremere.
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.
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. 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 as — 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!
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 specific 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: adjusting an element’s atomic number up to five greater or less than its original designation.
***** Miraculous shifts in composition: turning lead into gold or nitrogen into radium.
BioThaumaturgy 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.
* 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 form this sample, including information that “normal” forensics and genetics would not yield, such as age, generation, clan, etc.
System: Each success on the (Willpower) 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 sorcerers art.
System: Each success on the player’s Willpower 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 swept off fatigue (and vanishes completely). Note that the actual surgery does not take the above mentioned two weeks to finish, but recuperation times account for that period.
*** Lesser Animation
The Thaumaturge mystically endows a dead life form 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 (Willpower roll), 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 to do that 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 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 refined 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 (Willpower roll), but allows the vampire to animate more complex creatures. Certain life forms 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 fly 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 life forms 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 (With a Willpower roll to activate). 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 affect is that it creates an animated monster capable of reasoning. A Cognizant Construction won’t mindlessly fight 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 thaumaturge limited control over and communication with inanimate objects. Mistakenly believed by many to be related to the four basic elements (earth, air, fire, and water), this path is actually closer to an amalgamation of Spirit Thaumaturgy and the Path of Conjuring. Elemental Mastery can only be used to affect the unliving -- a vampire couldn't cause a tree to walk by using Animate the Unmoving, for instance. Thaumaturges who seek mastery over living things generally study Biothaumaturgical Experimentation
* Elemental Strength
The Vampire with this discipline can draw upon the strength and resilience of the earth, or of the objects around him, to increase his or her physical prowess without the need for large amounts of blood.
** Wooden Tongues
A Cainite with this discipline 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”
*** 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 the street. However, seemingly solid objects can become more flexible within reason: Bar stools can run with their legs, guns can twist out of their owners hands or fire while holstered, and statues can move like normal humans. This discipline takes a great deal of concentration to pull off, although the level of concentration decreases with experience and age.
**** Elemental Form
The Vampire with this discipline can take the shape of any inanimate object of a mass roughly equal to his or her own. A desk, a statue or a bicycle would be more feasible, but a house or a pen would be beyond this power’s capacity.
Invoking this power takes but a mere thought of the object you wish to mask, but requires immense concentration to maintain. You do have the ability to speak; you’re a disembodied voice trailing from the object you manifested into. However, you do not have the ability to use of your other disciplines while in this state. You remain in this state for one full night or when you release the discipline.
***** 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 Tremere claims to have contacted elemental spirits of glass, electricity, blood and even atomic energy, but such reports remain unconfirmed (even as their authors are being summoned to Vienna for questioning). The thaumaturge may choose what type of elemental he or she wishes to summon and control.
The Focused Mind
* Readiness: Gain a dice pool to add to Wits-related rolls or initiative
** Centering: Cause a subject to ignore any effect that reduces dice pools; grant bonus to resist frenzy
*** One-Tracked Mind: Make a subject unable to split perform multiple actions
**** Dual Thought: Take an extra mental action per round, including another Discipline use
***** Perfect Clarity: Reduce the difficulty of all actions, become immune to frenzy, and become resistant to mental influence
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 equally valid targets for this path's powers, and living and dead plants matter are equally effected. While not as immediately impressive as some other more widely practiced paths, the Green Path (sometimes disparagingly referred to as the "Botanical Mastery") is as subtle and powerful as the natural world which it affects.
The origins of the Green Path are thought to lie with the Order of the Naturists (see Clanbook: Tremere), a druid like sect within Clan Tremere. Most practitioners of the path are members of the order, and those who are not were more than likely mentored by one. According to those who are familiar with Tremere history, the Green Path is a blood magic-based derivation of some magickal workings formerly practiced by House Diedne, an order of mortal mages destroyed by the Tremere during the Dark Ages.
* Herbal Wisdom
With but a touch, a Cainite can communicate with the spirit of the 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 face of the last person who walked on it.
** Speed the Season’s Passing
This discipline allows the 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, the Vampire can speed a plant’s death and decay, withering grass and crumbling wooden stakes with but a touch.
*** Dance of Vines
The thaumaturge can animate a mass of vegetation up to his own size, using it for utility or combat purposes with equal ease. Leaves can walks along a desktop, ivy can act as a scribe and jungle creepers can strangle opponents.
**** Verdant Haven
This discipline 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 makes the Haven nearly impassible to anyone the caster wishes to exclude. A Verdant Haven appear as a six foot tall hemisphere of interlocked branches, leaves and vines with no direct opening, and even to the casual observer it appears to be an unnatural construction. You must be within a heavily vegetated area to use this power (such as a forest) and lasts until the next sunset.
***** Awaken the Forest Giants
Entire trees can be animated by the 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.
Hands of Destruction
* Decay: Cause an inanimate object to age years in seconds
** Gnarl Wood: Ruin an object of wood with a look
*** Acidic Touch: Your hand dispenses a powerful acid
**** Atrophy: Cause a victim's limb to wither
***** Turn to Dust: Make a person age years in seconds
The Hearth Path
This path deals with the security of the thaumaturgist’s haven.
* 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 after the Willpower roll. The signal may be anything of the Thaumaturges 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 Order
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 kept the keys to his safe occupy, and he knows where his ensorcered wooden stakes rest. He knows these things when he doesn’t….
System: As long as this ritual is successful (willpower roll), 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 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 this 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 find 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 on the 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 (after the Willpower roll), 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 briefly 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 (after a Willpower roll), 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 find 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 eye shot 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 (on a Willpower roll). The vampire must verbally ask questions of her haven’s accoutrements, 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. The Lure of Flames is greatly feared, as fire is one of the surest ways to bring Final Death upon a vampire.
Fire created by this path is not “natural.” In fact, many vampires believe the flames to be conjured from Hell itself. 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 – 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 on a Willpower roll determines how accurately the Thaumaturge places the flame in his desired location. One success is all that is necessary to conjure a flame in one’s hand, while 5 successes place a flame anywhere in a kindred’s line of sight. Individual descriptions are not provided for each level of this path – fire is fire, after all. The chart below describes the path level required to generate a specific amount of flame. To soak the damage at all, of course, a vampire must have the Fortitude Discipline.
* Candle (Diff 3 to soak, one health level of aggravated damage/turn)
** Palm of Flame (Diff 4 to soak, one health level of aggravated damage/turn)
*** Campfire (Diff 5 to soak, two health level of aggravated damage/turn)
**** Bonfire (Diff 7 to soak, two health level of aggravated damage/turn)
***** Inferno (Diff 9 to soak, three health level of aggravated damage/turn)
Mastery of the Mortal Shell
* Vertigo: Cause a target to be disoriented and dizy
** Contortion: Make a victim's limb constrict and become useless
*** Seizure: Cause a victim's body writhe and tighten uncontrollably
**** Body Failure: As Seizure, but more powerful
***** Marionette: Force a target's body to move and act as you desire
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 the fourth level or greater. Some thaumaturges 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. Many people are quite put off when the pages of a book turn by themselves!
System: The number of successes indicates the duration of the thaumaturge'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.
If this power is used to manipulate a living being, the subject may attempt to resist. In this case, the thaumaturge 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 Level Three, 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 Level Four, she may "throw" objects at a Strength equal to her level of mastery.
* Level One: Move at 15 Mph and lift 1 lb/500 g
** Level Two: Move at 30 Mph 20 and lift 20 lb/10 Kg
*** Level Three: Move at 45 Mph 200 and lift 200 lb/100 Kg
**** Level Four: Move at 60 Mph 500 and lift 500 lb/250 Kg
***** Level Five: Move at 75 Mph 5 and lift 2000 lb/500 Kg
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 the 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 discipline claim that the Vampire communicates with the spirits of the waters when using this discipline; younger Kindred scoff at such claims.
** 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. Mortals subjected to this power’s effects can drown if the thaumaturge is not careful (or if he or she desires it), and even Vampires can be crushed by extreme pressure thus brought to bear. A subject may only be held in only one prison at a time, although the thaumaturge is free to invoke multiple uses of this discipline upon separate victims and may dissolve any of their water prisons at will.
*** Flowing Wall
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. By merely touching the surface of a standing body of water, the Vampire may create a wall of water, commanding it to be placed anywhere within your line of sight, and must be formed in a straight line.
**** Blood to Water
The thaumaturge has now attained enough power over water that he or she can transmute other liquids to this basic element. The most commonly seen use of this discipline is as an assault; with but a touch, the victim’s blood transforms to water weakening Vampires and killing mortals in moments. This discipline may be used on other liquids as well, to turn them from their present state to water. The Vampire still needs to touch the liquid or its container.
***** Dehydrate
At this level of mastery, the thaumaturge can directly attack unloving 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 even evaporating puddles to keep other practitioners of this path from using them.
Oneiromancy
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 long-held 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. 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. Multiple uses of Portents may well result in the same vision occurring over and over again. The Portent should always be fragmented and cryptic.
** 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: 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 — 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. 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.
***** Reveal the Heart's Dream
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. 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. First turn will reveal the innermost desire of the target. 2nd turn and 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 is up to the player but remember that it is their ultimate driving passion. The Path of Blood This is the primary path of Tremere blood magic. It is the first path that all Apprentices are taught when they are first brought into the clan. It gives them powers to analyze and control the vitae in themselves and other vampires. 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 of 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 blood magic fails, while a botch signifies that the character loses a permanent Willpower point. * A Taste for Blood This power was developed as a means of testing a foe's might - an extremely important ability in the tulmultous early nights of Clan Tremere. By merely tasting the blood of his subject, the thaumaturge 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 recently 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 thaumaturge 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, 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 thaumaturge desires.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. *** Blood of Potency The thaumagurge 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: Successes earned on the Willpower roll must be spent both to decrease the vampire's generation and to maintain the change. One success allows the character to lower his generation by one step for one hour. Each success grants the Kindred either one step down in generation or one hour of effect. If the vampire is diablerized while this power is in effect, it wears off immediately and the diablerist gains power appropriate to the thaumaturge's actual generation. Furthermore, any mortals Embraced by the thaumaturge are born to the generation appropriate to their sire's original generation. Once the effect wears off, any blood over the character's blood pool maximum dilutes, leaving the character at his regular blood pool maximum..
**** Theft of Vitae
A thaumaturge using this power siphons vitae from her subject. She need never come into 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 Tremere transfers from the subject. The subject must be visible to the thaumaturge and within 50 feet. Using this power is like drinking from the subject - used three times on the same Kindred, it creates a blood bond on the part of the thaumaturge! This power is obviously quite spectacular, 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 are said to have survived.
The Path of Conjuration
The limit on the size of objects conjured is only limited by the size of the thaumaturge. Nothing larger than the conjurer can be summoned. A familiarity with the object is makes it easier to conjure. And the conjured objects will have no flaws, Items summoned more than once are always identical.
* Summon the Simple Form
The conjurer may create simple, inanimate objects. It can't have moving parts or be made of multiple materials. One willpower point per turn must be spent to keep object around.
** Permanency
Still only simple items, but no longer requires willpower points. Costs 3 blood points to make the object real.
*** Magic of the Smith
Now conjure complex items. Can create guns, bicycles, chainsaws, cellular phones, etc. 5 blood points to conjure.
**** Reverse Conjuration
Can now banish items summoned.
***** Power Over Life
This can't create true life, though it can summon some pretty impressive creatures and people. Anything summoned lacks the free will to act on its own but mindlessly follows simple instructions from the conjurer. Costs 10 blood points and creatures will disappear after a week.
Path of Corruption
These powers must be used on a victim within arm’s length. Followers of Set may learn this path without knowing Thaumaturgy.
* Contradict
The vampire may cause a victim to do the opposite of what she was originally going to do. Victim must be in sight.
** Subvert
This releases the victim's dark, self destructive side. Victims will act on their own suppressed temptations. Must make eye contact. From 5 minutes, one hour, one night, three nights, one week. You must continue using this for each time frame you want. One turn=5minute, 2 turn=one hour, etc. The victim will not be fixated on it at all times, but if the opportunity arise...
*** Dissociate
This power is used to break the social ties of interpersonal relationships. Even the most passionate affair or the oldest friendship can be be cooled with this. The vampire must touch the victim. The victim will become withdrawn, suspicious and emotionally distant. Five minutes, one hour, one night, three night, one week. One turn per time frame.
**** Addiction
By exposing the victim to a particular sensation, substance or action, the vampire creates a powerful psychological dependence. The victim must be touched after being exposed to the sensation, substance or action. And addicted needs his fix at least once a night. This will last a week or two.
***** Dependence
This allows 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. The victim will act depressed when away from the vampire or not doing something for the vampire.
Path of Curses
When cursing a victim, a thaumaturge is obvious--curses must be spoken aloud and directly towards the target, although the curse itself is often comprised of dead languages and sounds like gibberish. Additionally, the thaumaturge requires some essence of the victim to curse him. Hair, blood, flesh or any other part of the victim. The victim can use his strength of will and personality to resist but the severe psychological effects can take their toll. The thaumaturge can lift the curses that she brings down whenever she wishes.
* Stigma: Make an individual suffer socially for an evening
** Malady: Curse a victim with an illness, reducing their Physical Attributes
*** Pariah: Make others see the target as their worst enemy
**** Corrupt Body: Temporarily reduce one of the target's Physical Attributes
***** Fall from Grace: A victim gains a botch die to all actions
Path of the Levinbolt
* Spark: Generate a small electrical discharge
** Illuminate: Generate enough energy to charge a small device or produce light
*** Power Array: Discharge or absorb a greater amount of energy
**** Zeus' Fury: Build up energy and direct it as arcs of lightning
***** Eye of the Storm: Become charged with an incredible amount of electricity
Path of Shadowcrafting
Students of this learn to manipulate shades, but not in the same fashion as the Lasombra. While Shadowcrafting tugs at the absence of light, Tremere who have fought the Lasombra firsthand come away with the distinct impression that Obtenebration manipulates something else--a tangible darkness, a sort of abyssal nothingness coaxed into the material world. This path does not function for Kindred with the flaw Cast No Reflection.
* Out Light
The first rule of shade: darkness overcomes all light. A neophyte thaumaturge can exert this property of darkness, lights may flicker and dim or even snuff out completely, depending upon their strength and the thaumaturge's will. The thaumaturge can focus darkness upon any one light source within her range of sight. Only lights up to the strength of a torch, light bulb or neon light can be affected, but complete success snuffs a light permanently (light bulbs and neon signs burn out; candles go out, but could be re-lit later).
- Momentary flicker
- Pronounced guttering for several seconds
- Source produces only dim light or erratic light for two turns
- Light source blacks out completely for two turns then resumes
- Totally extinguished
A wholly unnerving power, Shadow Taunt allows the thaumaturge to take command of a distant shadow. By sympathetically linking it to his body, the thaumaturge can make the distant obey his own shadow's motion. Success determine how many turns the caster can control a distant shadow. Only one shadow at a time may be influenced. The caster must be able to see the shadow, and it must be a natural shadow, not one created with Obtenebration.
*** Coruscating Shadow
A commanding Tremere can peel the very shade from surrounding surfaces and bend it into floating forms that whip about. These airborne shadows conceal the caster and create a roiling sphere of confusion. The unnatural display manifests as an ephemeral globe that encompasses the caster at about arm's length, though it contracts and expands rapidly while the shadows flit about its surface. Under the effects, the Tremere gains partial concealment due to the rapidly strobing passage of shadowy shapes. The ball of shadows that surrounds the caster has no physical substance.
**** Night's Veil
Shadows seem to devour the landscape hungrily as night falls. Where any shadow lies, the power of night remains--through that sympathetic power the Tremere can invoke the strength of night in any place. Mortals who have observed the bizarre power have left the experience ''touched'', talking of shadows impossible in the current light. Typically, the caster stands within a shadowed corner and invokes this power. In each successive turn, the shadow slowly expands to cover greater ground. The shade counts as an area under the province of night: the Tremere can act normally without hindrance from daytime and avoid the sun's rays. Should the cast step outside the shadow, though, the effect ends immediately--quite possibly stranding the Tremere, dizzy and disoriented, in burning sunlight.
***** Abyssal Pact
Mastery of the Path of Shadowcrafting allows a Tremere to imbue his shades with some semblance of substance. While smothered in darkness, the Tremere lets loose something that seems hungry and malevolent. Mastery of such shade creations also gives the Tremere a small chance to counter Obtenebration, though such hope perhaps leads more to overconfidence than to conquest. To summon this, both the Tremere and the target must be within the same patch of darkness. The caster doesn't have to see the individual, but must somehow sense the victim's presence, whether by hearing, touch or some other apprehension. The darkness must be total or near-total. Costs five blood points total.
Path of Technomancy
* Analyze: Learn how a device works
** Burnout: Cause a machine to malfunction
*** Encrypt/Decrypt: Cause a device to only work for you
**** Remote Access: Operate a machine remotely
***** Telecommute: Project your mind into the global telecommunication network
Path of Transmutation
* Fortify the Solid Form: Grant an object stronger
** Crystallize the Liquid Form: Transform a liquid into solid form
*** Liquefy the Solid Form: Cause an object to soften and melt for a scene
**** Gaol: Turn air into an indestructible block
***** Ghost Wall: Turn an object into a gaseous mist
Spirit Manipulation
Spirit Manipulation is a recent innovation of the Tremere. It is the art of forcing spirits into actions and situations that would normally be anathema to them. Any botch not only inflicts normal loss of Willpower but also turns the full force of the spirit's wrath against the offending vampire.
* 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. This power does not allow the thaumaturge to see into the realm of the deal or fae. One success is necessary to perceive spirits, while two allows him to view the spirit realm. This lasts for the duration of the scene or until deactivated. With less than four success, the thaumaturge operates at difficulty to all actions performed due to the distraction of divided perceptions.
** Astral Cant
The languages of the Spirit World are infinitely varied and mainly incomprehensible to mortal (or 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--in effect, a universal tranlator for the spirit world. Imprecise use of this power can be disasterous, particularly with a powerful spirit. The use of this power is not always necessary; many spirits speak human tongues but choose to feign ignorance when dealing with vampires. Sucesses determine accuracy of translation. Pidgin spirit language simple words and phrases, Simple sentences are possible, fluent conversation, complex issues, even the most obscure idiomatic expressions and forms of humor come through.
*** Voice of Command
This is perhaps the most dangerous power in this path, for the consequences if a Thaumaturge fails can be most unpleasant. This allows a vampire to issue orders to a spirit, compelling it to heed her bidding whether the spirit wants to or not. Botch-spirit is immune to character's commands for rest of night. Failure-The spirit is unaffected, further attempts to command it are more difficult. It may ignore, taunt, or even attack the character. 1 success Spirit obeys a very simple command that is no great inconvenience to it, the Spirit heeds a relatively straight forward command that it is not innately opposed to doing,
The spirit agrees to perform a moderately complex task that does not violate its ethics. The spirit consents to an extended or intricate task that does not place it in immediate danger. The Spirits accepts a lengthy or nigh-impossible task, or one that may mean its destruction. Spirits are aware they are being compelled by this power and may well seek revenge at a later date. Thaumaturges who issue commands above and beyond what their spirit is compelled to do may find themselves mocked or ignored, or even worse, the Spirit will "agree" to follow orders without following through.
**** Entrap Emphemera
This allows a thaumaturge to bind a spirit to an object. This can be done to imprison the target, but is more often used to create a fetish, an artifact that allows a user to channel a portion of the spirit's power through it to affect the physical world. Fetishes created by this power are often recalcitrant and fail at inopportune times, as the spirits within are most displeased with their situation and will take any opportunity to escape or thwart their captor.
***** Duality
The Thaumaturge can now fully interact with the spirit world. While using this power, he exists on both planes of existence at once. He is able to pick up objects in the physical world and place them in the spirit and vice versa. Beings and landscape features in both worlds are real to him, and he can engage in any manner of interaction. He can even use Thaumaturgy or other Disciplines in either world. This is not without its dangers, however: One misstep and the vampire can find himself trapped in the spirit realm with no way home. Several incautious thaumaturges have been starved into torpor while trapped on the other side. Number of successes determine length of time.
One turn, three turns, 10 turns, 10 minutes, remainder of scene. Character is susceptible to attacks from both the physical world and spirit realm. He is considered to be in the physical world for purposes of physics and common sense. Example, his feet rest on the ground in the physical world, not the ground of the spirit, and he could thus walk across a spiritual chasm if a physical parking lot overlaid it.
Vine of Dionysus
* Methyskein: Make a victim slightly drunk
** Omophagy: Cause a victim to be ravenously hungry
*** Hamartia: Give a target feelings of euphoria
**** Enthousiasmos: Cause multiple victims to enter a passive state of happiness
***** Oinos Aimatos: Imbue your vitae with the effect of Enthousiasmos
Weather Control
By spending a blood point, the vampire may create weather anomalies. She must also roll Manipulation + Survival, difficulty dependent on the typical likelihood of the weather pattern being perpetrated. (Lightning on a sunny day in Kenya is difficulty 9; fog in London is difficulty 3.) In the event of lightning, treat the strike as a firearm, doing ten dice of damage. The level of the effect (the magnitude of the weather anomaly) is limited to the number of successes on the Willpower roll.
* Fog: Light Breeze/Minor Temperature Change
** Rain/Snow: Forcing weather conditions to change
*** High Winds: Whirlwind/Moderate Temperature Change
**** Storm: Creating and controlling a storm.
***** Lightning: Focusing Lighting to strike. Difficulty is determined by weather conditions and weather or not you are in or out doors.
Path of Mercury
* Level One: teleport 10 Yards
** Level Two: teleport 50 Yards
*** Level Three: teleport 500 Yards
**** Level Four: teleport 5 Miles
***** Level Five: teleport 500 Miles
