Thaumaturgy Rituals
Level 1
Blood Rush
This ritual allows the vampire to create the sensation of drinking blood in himself without actual feeding. The ritual can be used for pleasure, but is more often used to prevent frenzy when confronted with fresh blood. The vampire must carry the fang of a predatory animal on his person for this ritual to work. Performance of the ritual results in the Beast being kept in check automatically. Blood Rush allays the Beast for on hour, at which point the Cainite feels hungry again (assuming he did before). This ritual takes only one turn to enact.
Defense of the Sacred Haven
This ritual prevents sunlight from entering an area within 20 feet of this ritual's casting. A mystical darkness blankets the area, keeping the baneful light at bay. Sunlight reflects off windows or magically fails to pass through doors or other portals. The caster draws sigils in her own blood on all the affected windows and doors, and the ritual lasts as long as the Tremere stays within the 20-foot radius.
System
This ritual requires one hour to perform, during which the thaumaturge recites incantations and inscribes glyphs. One blood point is required for this ritual to work.
Dominoe of Life
This ritual allows the vampire to simulate one aspect of humans. The vampire can eat, drink or breathe just as a mortal can. The Thaumaturgist can assume the flesh tone of a mortal, cause her temperature to rise to 98.6, make her heart beat, or anything else she desires. The effects last for one entire night.
Engaging the Vessel of Transference
This ritual enchants a container to fill itself with blood from any living or unloving being who holds it, replacing the volume of blood taken with an equal amount previously held inside the container. When the ritual is enacted, the vessel, which must be between the size of a small cup and a gallon jug) is sealed full of the caster's blood and inscribed with the Hermetic sigil which empowers the ritual. Whenever an individual touches the container with his bare skin, he feels a slight chill against his flesh but no further discomfort. The container continues to exchange blood until it is opened. The two most common uses of this ritual are to covertly create a blood bond and to obtain a sample of a subject's blood for ritual or experimental purposes.
System
This ritual takes three hours to enact (reduces by 15 minutes for each success on the casting roll) and requires one blood point (although not necessarily the caster's blood), which is sealed inside the container. The ritual only switches blood between itself and a subject if it is touched bare-handed - even thin cotton gloves keep it from activating.
Individuals with at least four dots in Occult or three in Expert Knowledge: Mage Lor recognize the Hermetic sigil with two successes on an Intelligence + the appropriate Knowledge roll (difficulty 8).
Illuminate Trail of Prey
This ritual causes the path of the subject's passing to glow in a manner that only the thaumaturge can see. The footprints or tire tracks (or whatever) shine distinctly, but only to the eyes of the caster. Even airplane trajectories and animal tracks shine with unhealthy light. The ritual is nullified if the target wades through or immerses himself in water, or reaches the destination of his journey. The thaumaturge must burn a length of white satin ribbon that has been in her possession for at least 24 hours for this ritual to take effect.
System
The thaumaturge must have a mental picture or know the name of her prey. The individual's wake glows with a brightness dependent on how long it has been since he passed that way - old tracks burn less brightly, while fresh tracks blaze.
Impressive Visage
A thaumaturge may enhance his sexual appeal and charm when interacting with other individuals after casting this ritual. When this ritual is cast, the thaumaturge gains a degree of animal attractiveness; he’s simply more desirable than everyone else and commands attention as if he were a top model. For this ritual to take effect, the caster places a sprig of dried mint in a pocket or in his shoe.
System
The caster gains two dice on all Appearance-related rolls for the duration of this ritual. This power lasts for a number of hours equal to the successes scored on the activation roll. Storytellers may opt to narrow the use of this ritual by having a player dedicate one of the character’s characteristics as being more appealing above and beyond his other attributes. Hence, the character might gain a bonus when staring into a person’s eyes, speaking in a deep baritone voice, flashing a pearl-white smile, etc.
Purge The Inner Demon
All Kindred have a raging monster within their souls. A thaumaturge invoking this ritual can silence the Beast in a vampire for a time, even removing the vampire from the Beast's control. The caster must push a sturdy pin through his own hand to begin the ritual. This causes the subject to become strangely submissive, even pulling her out of frenzy. In actuality, her bestial nature has been temporarily separated from her psyche. According to legend, some Kindred have willingly starved themselves into torpor after having been subjected to this ritual.
System
This ritual lasts for a number of nights equal to the number of successes the caster scores on a Manipulation + Empathy roll (difficulty 10 minus the subject's Humanity, but never less than 1). During this time, the subject cannot frenzy. The thaumaturge may not use this ritual on himself.
The Scribe
This ritual creates a written document from the spoken words of the caster. The thaumaturge simply speaks, and her words mystically appear on paper before her. Some thaumaturges have observed variants of this ritual that involve moving feather-pens writing the words as they speak them, but the most common form of this ritual makes no such overt display. Further, some young thaumaturges have developed a variant that records their words directly to computer fi les — which their elders almost universally decry as vulgar. This ritual requires the beak of a bird or the tongue of a lizard to be crushed between the caster's thumb and forefinger.
System
For the duration of the scene, any words spoken by the thaumaturge are transcribed to whatever surface she wishes. This is most commonly paper (whether loose or bound into a book), but may also be a wall, the head of a pin, anything. The Scribe automatically fits the thaumaturge's ideas on a given surface, but it makes no provisions for legibility; transcribing all 400 pages of The Seventh Sigil onto a note card isn't going to make it readable without a microscope. Additionally, the Scribe does not improve a speaker's eloquence — in matters where clarity or quality is crucial, the speaker's Expression Trait may come into play. The Scribe may be cast on someone other than the thaumaturge, should the latter so wish. Also, she may voluntarily end the effects of the power before the end of the scene.
Will o' the Wisp
This ritual allows a Thaumaturgist to produce a supernatural ball of light. The ball of light travels as the vampire mentally commands. The ball of light, referred to as a Will o'the Wisp, can be made to travel anywhere within sight of the vampire and perform tricks.
Among the things the ball of light can do are: glow brighter, glow dimmer, divide into many smaller balls, fly about, bathe someone in its magical glow, swirl, remain stationary or perform whatever maneuver the vampire can imagine. This ritual is useful as a diversion or simply a light source.
This ritual requires a small branch from a willow tree. The vampire must recite the magical incantations and throw the stick into the air, whereupon it bursts into the ball of light. The light lasts as long as the vampire concentrates upon it.
Level 2
Bureaucratic Condemnation
Developed as the antithesis of Expedient Paperwork, this ritual causes forms, letters or other paperwork tendered by the target to become lost in red tape. Use of this ritual has created many apocryphal tales among the Tremere, who boast of rivals' havens foreclosed upon, cars repossessed and building permits revoked. The earliest recorded use of this rituals seems to have been during the Renaissance, when a Tremere had a Lasombra rival excommunicated for failing to submit a writ to the Inquisition. A thaumaturge must sketch an effigy (however crude) of her subject in squid ink when casting this ritual.
System
The time any single bureaucratic action takes to complete is tripled, including mailing documents, applying for licenses, etc. Characters with sufficient Influence or the like should still be able to "push things through," however, though they are likely to experience additional difficulty.
Burning Blade
Developed during Clan Tremere's troubled inception, Burning Blade allows a thaumaturge to temporarily enchant a melee weapon to inflict unhealable wounds on supernatural creatures. While this ritual is in effect, the weapon flickers with an unholy greenish flame.
System
This ritual can only be cast on melee weapons. The caster must cut the palm of her weapon hand during the ritual - with the weapon if it is edged, otherwise a sharp stone. This inflicts a single health level of lethal damage which cannot be soaked but may be healed normally. The player spends three blood points which are absorbed by the weapon. Once the ritual is cast, the weapon inflicts aggravated damage on all supernatural creatures for the next few successful attacks, one per success rolled. Multiple castings of Burning Blade cannot be "stacked" for longer durations. Furthermore, the wielder of the weapon cannot choose to do normal damage and "save up" aggravated strikes - each successful attack uses one aggravated strike until there are none left, at which point the weapon reverts to inflicting normal damage.
Calling the Restless Spirit
This ritual allows the caster to speak with someone who has died. Successful casting requires an Intelligence + Occult roll (difficulty the target's Willpower); the caster needs two cussesses. This ritual must be cast within 10 feet of the corpse. If the caster attempts to communicate with a ghost, she does not have to be near the body but must be in the area the ghost haunts. This spell does not affect vampires unless they have been destroyed.
Extinguish
This ritual eliminates the threat that fire poses to Kindred. The caster is able to douse dangerous flames, leaving vampire hunters quite surprised when their torches and brands are no longer effective tools. To enact this ritual, the caster pinches out a candle's flame while spitting on the floor.
System
The ritual is set up in advance, but for the entire night the vampire has but to speak a single magical syllable to extinguish one fire up to the size of a bonfire. For the duration of one night, the thaumaturge can use this power a number of times equal to the number of successes on the initial ritual roll. Pinching a candle's flame in preparation is likely to require a Rötschreck check, as well.
Summon Guardian Spirit
This power allows the vampire to summon a spirit for the express purpose of guarding him. The spirit aids the vampire in no way except to alert him to danger. Vampires often summon spirits to fill this duty while they sleep. The vampire is able to see the spirit summoned, but the spirit may not speak. In addition, the spirit will only be visible to the vampire during times of danger. Though the spirit cannot speak, it may communicate by ringing a bell, knocking on the bed, etc. The spirit serves the vampire for 24 hours.
Level three
Clinging of the insect
The vampire can crawl on walls and ceilings using this ritual. The only material component is a small living spider, which must be eaten alive. The vampire is then able to crawl upon any surface that will support her weight. Completely smooth, slick surfaces (such as Teflon or slimecovered glass) will negate this ritual.
Incorporeal Passage
Use of this ritual allows the thaumaturge to make herself insubstantial. The caster becomes completely immaterial and thus is able to walk through walls, pass through closed doors, escape manacles, etc. The caster also becomes invulnerable to physical attacks for the duration of the ritual. The caster must follow a straight path through any physical objects, and may not draw back. Thus, a Kindred may walk through a solid wall, but may not walk down through the earth (as it would be impossible to reach the other side before the ritual lapsed). This ritual requires that the caster carry a shard from a shattered mirror to hold her image as she moves insubstantially.
System
This ritual lasts a number of hours equal to the number of successes scored on a Wits + Survival roll (difficulty 6). The thaumaturge may prematurely end the ritual (and, thus, her incorporeality) by turning the mirror shard away so that it no longer reflects her image.
Mirror of Second Sight
This object is an oval mirror no less than four inches wide; no more than 18 inches in length. It looks like a normal mirror, but is much more useful in the hands of a Sabbat thaumaturge. Once created, the mirror is used by the vampire to see the supernatural; it reflects the true form of Lupines and faeries and enables the owner to see ghosts as they move though the Underworld. The thaumaturge creates the mirror by bathing an ordinary mirror in a quantity of her own blood while reciting a ritual incantation.
System
The ritual requires one point of the vampire's blood. Thereafter, the mirror reflects images of other supernatural creatures' true forms – werewolves appear in their hulking man-wolf shapes, mages glow in a scintillating nimbus, wraiths become visible (in the mirror) and changelings appear in their natural aspect. Sometimes, the mirror also reveals those possessed of True Faith in clouds of golden light.
Level 4
Drawing upon the Bound
This special ritual allows a vampire to utilize the Disciplines of any individual, Kindred or kine, who is Blood Bound directly to her. This ritual does not work for the Vinculum created by the Vaulderie, as the individual must be Blood Bound directly to the vampire. This ritual is used most often with ghouls, calling upon their Potence or other Disciplines. The victim cannot use the Traits while the vampire does. This ritual requires the vampire to carry a small vial containing a drop of the Bound individual's blood. This ritual was originally employed in Haiti, but has rapidly spread. Unfortunately, it is of much less use to Sabbat than it is to most other Kindred.
Peace of the Dead
This ritual causes the victims to fall into a deep slumber, akin to torpor in disadvantages but not in benefits. The area of effect is based on the number of successes obtained with a Manipulation + Occult roll (difficulty 6):
1 success One square yard (1 yard diameter)
2 successes 10 square yards (3 yard diameter)
3 successes 100 square yards (10 yard diameter)
4 successes 1,000 square yards (30 yard diameter)
5 successes 5,000 square yards (70 yard diameter)
Each turn that a character (aside from the caster) is within the area of effect, she must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) to remain unaffected. There are three levels of success possible. A complete success or better (three or more successes) means that the character remains completely unaffected that turn. A moderate success (two successes) means that the character feels drowsy and that all her Dice Pools for the turn are reduced by one die. A marginal success (one success) means that the character may perform no actions during the turn. A failure means the character falls asleep for two minutes (longer than combat typically lasts), while a bitch means the character falls asleep for two hours.
Level 5
A Curse Upon Thy House
This affects not only a person upon whom it was cast, but his entire progeny and brood also. The caster rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty 8). One success is needed, but for every success thereafter, one other vampire is affected (beginning with the closest to the target). Each Willpower point spent likewise affects another vampire. They will all have the Dark Fate Flaw until the head of the house (the target) atones for the crime done to the curser. If the curser was an anarch, and the target was the prince, then the prince must somehow pay reparation to the anarch's memory. A "good deed" must be done to overcome the curse, or else all the brood are affected. If the target dies, then the next one who was affected by the curse takes on the responsibility of reparation.
Enchant Talisman
This ritual is the first taught to most Tremere once they have attained mastery of their first path. Enchant Talisman allows the thaumaturge to enchant a personal magical item (the fabled wizard's staff) to act as an amplifier for her will and thaumaturgical might. A Tremere's talisman is a great source of personal pride, and any insult directed against a talisman is an insult at the thaumaturge herself. Many talismans are laden with additional rituals (such as every ward known to the thaumaturge). The physical appearance of a talisman varies, but it must be a rigid object close to a yard long. Swords and walking sticks are the most common talismans, but some innovative or eccentric Tremere have enchanted violins, shotguns, pool cues and classroom pointers.
System
This ritual requires six hours per night for one complete cycle of the moon, beginning and ending on the new moon. Over this time, the thaumaturge carefully prepares her talisman, carving it with Hermetic runes that signify her True Name and the sum total of her thaumaturgical knowledge. The player spends one blood point per night and makes an extended roll of Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8), one roll per week. If a nights work is missed or if the four rolls do not accumulate at least 20 net successes, the talisman is ruined and the process must be begun again.
A completed talisman gives the thaumaturge several advantages. When the character is holding the talisman, the difficulty of all magic or magick that targets her is increased by one. The player receives two extra dice when rolling for uses of the character's primary path an done extra die when rolling for the character's ritual castings. If the talisman is used as a weapon, it gives the player an additional die to roll to hit. If the thaumaturge is separated from her talisman, a successful Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 7) gives her its location.
If a talisman is in possession of another individual, it gives that individual three additional dice to roll when using any form of magic or magick against the talisman's owner. At the Storyteller's discretion, rituals that target the thaumaturge and use her talisman as a physical component may have greatly increased effects.
A thaumaturge may only have one talisman at a time. Ownership of a talisman may not be transferred - each individual must create her own.
Escape to a True Friend
One of the few rituals available to the Tremere that allows a form of teleportation, Escape to a True Friend allows the caster to travel to the person whose friendship and trust she most values. The ritual has a physical component of a yard-wide circle charred into the bare ground or floor. The caster may step into the circle at any time and speak the True Name of her friend. She is instantly transported to that individual, wherever he may be at the moment. She does not appear directly in front of him, but materializes in a location within a few minutes' walk that is out of sight of any observer. The circle may be reused indefinitely, as long as it is unmarred.
System
This ritual takes six hours a night for six nights to cast, reduced by one night for every two successes. Each night requires the sacrifice of three of the caster's own blood points, which are poured into the circle. Once the circle is complete, the transport may be attempted at any time. The caster may take one other individual with her when she travels, or a maximum amount of "cargo" equal to her own weight
Lion Heart
The vampire using this ritual may temporarily increase her abilities as a warrior. The ritual grants the vampire two points of Strength, one point of Dexterity, and one point of Stamina. The vampire's Courage or Morale is also increased by three points. Even beyond this, the vampire gains two extra points in her Brawl and Leadership Talents. The effects of this ritual lasts for 20 minutes. The vampire using this ritual must rest within two hours after this ritual ends or she will begin to lose Health Levels at a rate of one every 10 minutes until she rests. This can be a very dangerous ritual to cast, but its effects are incredible.
Author
Topic: Steeple Carson Olaf Trevesky The Fourth (Read 60734 times)