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[Sethaniel]

Health

BRUISED	[ O ] |	INJURED (-1)	[ O ] |	CRIPPLED (-5)	[ O ]
BRUISED	[ O ] |	INJURED (-1)	[ O ] |	INCAPACITATED	[ O ]
HURT (-1)	[ O ] |	WOUNDED (-2)	[ O ]
HURT (-1)	[ O ] |	MAULED (-2)	[ O ]

Willpower
Permanent: 10
Temporary: 10/10

Virtues
Courage: 5
Conviction: 3
Instinct: 2

Blood Pool

7/30

6 per turn

Path of the Grey Hunter

5/10

EXP:

40/42

(Auspex 1-3, Empathy 1-3)

Base Initiative

13

Penalties

Kiril is periodically subject to Husayn's memories and opinions.

Any time Kiril must make a Willpower roll in order to resist desire, he rolls his current Willpower as opposed to his permanent Willpower.

If another vampire enters Kiril's territory uninvited, he must make a frenzy roll. If he fails, he immediately attacks the interloper and continues attacking until the intruder is dead or has left his hunting grounds.

Kiril makes all frenzy checks at +2 difficulty around peasants. If he does frenzy, he will always attack peasants first.

Kiril is devoted to the protection of his mortal descendants.

Casts no reflection.

Kiril will never break the terms of an agreed-upon contract - unless the other contract holder betrays him first.

Kiril must gain three successes on a willpower roll (difficulty 9) in order to break his word.

Kiril cannot ever attempt to kill (directly or indirectly) his sire, Basilio the Elder.

Any time Kiril wishes to act against the Assamite faction he must garner at least 3 successes on a willpower roll of varying difficulty.

At the beginning of each night, Kiril must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) or lose one die on all actions for that night.

Kiril's aura shows that he has committed diablerie.

Benefits

Kiril may ignore a single "one" on every roll he makes.

Kiril may spend a Willpower point to shake off the effects of the vampiric Dominate or Demention Disciplines, as well as Mind-based charm and possession spells.  In addition, he has three extra dice to resist any mind-altering magic, spell or Thaumaturgy path, as well as any type of brainwashing.  Each turn he spends actively resisting the spell costs one point of temporary Willpower.  (No effect on Spirit-based magic, the Presence Discipline, or other emotion-based charm/appeal.)

At the conclusion of any frenzy, Kiril rolls Courage (difficulty 5). Each success restores one point of Willpower, up to his usual maximum.

Kiril remembers, with perfect detail, things seen and heard. (Under stressful conditions involving numerous distractions, he must make a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 6) to summon enough concentration to absorb what his senses detect.)

Kirin occasionally recalls information about Husayn's former acquaintances.

Specialties:
+2 to initiative
-1 to difficulty of tasks requiring fine manipulation
-1 to difficulty when making a contested roll versus lie detection
-1 to difficulty when making a contested roll to conceal emotion
-1 to difficulty of manipulation when Kiril has researched the topic or target
-1 to difficulty of discerning information about a person by looking at them, or their home.
-1 to difficulty when recalling information about demons
-1 to difficulty of pretending to be someone else

[Sethaniel]

Name: Kiril Petrov Veranin

Player: Seth

Chronicle: Transylvanian Chronicles

Nature: Soldier

Demeanor: Chameleon

Sire: Basilio, Prince of Sofia

Clan: Lasombra

Generation: 7 6th Generation (The Diablerie of Husayn Al Fatin)

Concept: Imposter Nobleman

Coterie: The Squamous Thugs of Brutal Doomosity and Some Random Tzimisce Who Keeps Following Them Around All The Time Plus One

Attributes

Physical 3

Strength: 1(3); Dexterity: 4; Stamina: 2

Social 7

Charisma: 2 Manipulation: 6 Appearance: 2

Mental 5

Perception: 2; Intelligence: 2; Wits: 4

Abilities  13/9/5

Talents 9

Alertness: 3; Awareness; 0; Athletics: 0; Brawl: 0; Dodge: 0; Empathy: 3; Expression: 1; Intimidation: 1; Leadership: 1; Streetwise: 0; Subterfuge: 4

Skills 5

Animal Ken: 0; Crafts: 0; Riding/Drive: 1; Etiquette: 2; Firearms: 0; Melee: 4; Performance: 0; Security: 0; Stealth: 2; Survival: 0

Knowledge 13

Academics: 1; Politics: 1; Finance: 1; Investigation: 4; Linguistics: 3; Medicine: 0; Occult: 4; Science: 0; Law: 1

Specialties:

Dexterity: Manual Dexterity (-1 to difficulty of tasks requiring fine manipulation)
Manipulation: Practiced Liar (-1 to difficulty when making a contested roll versus lie detection)
Manipulation: False Emotion (-1 to difficulty when making a contested roll to conceal emotion)
Manipulation:  Well-Rehearsed Story (-1 to difficulty of manipulation when Kiril has researched the topic or target)
Wits: Quick Reflexes (+2 to Base Initiative)
Investigation: Sherlock Scan (-1 to difficulty of discerning information about a person by looking at them or their home)
Occult: Demonologist (-1 to difficulty of recalling information about demons or infernalism.)
Subterfuge: Trained Impersonator (-1 to difficulty of pretending to be someone else)

Disciplines

Obtenebration 3; Obfuscate 1; Potence 3; Dominate 0; Auspex 3, Quietus 2; Celerity 1

Advantages

Backgrounds

Beneficial

Allies: 4; Influence: ; Mentor: ; Resources: 2; Contacts: ; Generation: 5; Herd: ; Retainers: 1 ; Status: 3

Adversarial

(Leave this section of your character sheet blank. This part is here purely for my use. If you gain any enemies or adverse backgrounds during your in-game time, they will show up here.)

Merits and Flaws

Merit:
Charmed Existence (5-pt. merit 7 pt merit by ST fiat)

Your unlife is somehow protected, and you do not face the perils that others must. It could be that you are simply lucky. Whatever the reason, you may ignore a single "one" on every roll you make. This makes it far less likely that you will ever botch, and grants you more successes than others obtain.

Iron Will (3-pt. merit)

Nothing can break you. Monsters and sorcerers can throw their mojo in your face, but nothing sticks for long. Sooner or later, you can break almost any charm or compulsion laid against you. When you do, heads will roll....
This Merit allows you to spend a Willpower point to shake off the effects of the vampiric Dominate Discipline, as well as Mind-based charm and possession spells (as opposed to Spirit-based ones). In addition, you receive three extra dice to resist any mind-altering magic, spell or Thaumaturgy path, as well as any type of brainwashing. Each turn you spend actively resisting the spell's effects costs you one point of Willpower, though, so your resistance is only as strong as your determination. This Merit has no effect against spirit-or Spirit-magic-based possessions, or against any emotional-based charms or appeals (such as Presence). Even the toughest badass can have a Silly-Putty heart.


The Merit: Iron Will grants immunity to Dementation in the same manner as it does versus Dominate: By spending a Willpower point, the player negates the effect of a successful application of Dementation to her character. However, as is the case with Dominate, high levels of Dementation may overwhelm even this resistance. Rather than completely negating the effect of an elder Dementation power, the use of Iron Will raises its effective difficulty, which may reduce the number of successes rolled. Against Dementation Level Six, the expenditure of a Willpower point through Iron Will raises the difficulty of the Dementation roll by two. Against Dementation Level Seven, the same expenditure raises the Dementation difficulty by one. Dementation Level Eight and higher cannot be resisted with Iron Will.

Cathartic Fury (2-pt. merit)

Forced to play the part of the civilized monster, you find solace and strength in periodic outbursts of rage. At the conclusion of any frenzy, roll Courage (difficulty 5). Each success restores one point of Willpower, up to your usual maximum. Vampires with this Merit still suffer degeneration for their frenzy if such anger violates the tenets of their road.

Eidetic Memory  (2-pt. merit)

You remember, with perfect detail, things seen and heard. Documents, photographs, conversations, etc., can be committed to memory with only minor concentration. Under stressful conditions involving numerous distractions, you must make a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 6) to summon enough concentration to absorb what your senses detect.

Flaw:

Spoiled Beast (3-pt. flaw)

What the Beast has had before, it wants again, and it wants it now. Any time the player must make a Willpower roll in order for her character to resist desire, she does so with only as many dice as she has in her Willpower pool, as opposed to her rating. That is, she rolls her current Willpower as opposed to her permanent Willpower. This Flaw can be particularly debilitating when it comes to staving off hunger for example.

Territorial (2-pt. flaw)

You are extremely territorial, staking out a particular area as your hunting ground and reacting aggressively to trespassers. If another vampire enters your territory uninvited, you must make a frenzy roll. If you fail, you immediately attack the interloper and continue attacking until the intruder is dead or has left your hunting grounds. You are reluctant to leave your territory except in desperate circumstances.

Fierce Bigot (2-pt. flaw)

You hold particular hatred or disdain for a specific class or community of mortals, most likely the common rabble of serfs and servants. You make all frenzy checks at +2 difficulty around such individuals and always attack them first if you do succumb to frenzy.

Ward (3pt Flaw)
You are devoted to the protection of a mortal. You may describe your ward, though the Storyteller will actually create her. This character is often a friend or relative from your living days. Retainers do not count as wards, as they "pay their own way". Wards have a talent for getting caught up in the actions of stories, and are frequently target’s of a character’s enemies.

Nightmares (1pt Flaw)
You experience horrendous nightmares every time you sleep, and memories of them haunt you during your waking hours. Upon awakening, you must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) or lose a die on all actions for that night. A botched Willpower roll indicates that, even when awake, you still believe that you are locked in a nightmare.

Diabolist, Secret (2pt Flaw)
You have committed diablerie at least once to achieve your current position of power, but no one yet knows your secret. Should the information ever be revealed, other elders may well refuse you aid, shun you or, even worse, turn against you. Should your secret ever be revealed, you will receive a +3 difficulty modifier to any social roll involving elder Kindred. 
The act of Amaranth stains the diablerist’s own soul upon its commission. The character’s aura acquires black veins that reveal her crime to those who can scrutinize such things. These black veins remain in the diablerist’s aura for one year per dot of Blood Potency the victim possessed.

Addiction, Vampire Blood (3pt Flaw)


Derangements

None (yet)

Languages

Slavonic
Greek
Hungarian
German

Combat

Weapon/Attack: Saber Difficulty 0 (+1 on land) Damage: +4-L Range: Swing rate: 1/swing Clip: 1 Conceal: No
Weapon/Attack: Fangs (infinite bitings!)

Armor

None

Possessions

Gear (Carried): Above shown weapons.

Equipment (Owned): Small library

Vehicles: None

Feeding grounds: ?

Blood bonds/Vinculi

Bound to:
Basilio (Rating: 1)

Havens

Location: Sofia

Description: Along with Anton, Kiril is allowed safe haven in the city of Sofia by their sire, Basilio.

History

His story till now: Gavril was born in the service of the nobleman Alexius of Byzantium.  His mother was a cook who had immigrated from Bulgaria, his father was unknown.   He might have spent his life as a castle servant, if not for one extraordinary event.

When he was six years old, a boy his own age named Kiril Petrov Veranin arrived in Byzantium.  The boy's father, Peter, was an influential nobleman in Vitosha, Bulgaria.  Kiril was being held hostage, in a friendly manner, to ensure Peter Veranin's cooperation. (Bulgaria was technically part of the Byzantine Empire, but relations had been tense for some time.)

Gavril, along with several other boys his age of Bulgarian heritage, were assigned to the young nobleman as servants/playmates.  Lord Alexius would often stop by and observe.

One day, Alexius suggested a new game: who could imitate Kiril the best?  The boys laughed and joked around, clumsily copying the young lord's movements, his Slavonic-accented Greek.  Gavril in particular seemed to have a talent for mimicry, along with a desire to prove his worth to the castle's lord.

Alexius had decided that he wanted someone more sympathetic to the empire in the noble houses. When Kiril proved resistant, Alexius decided that it would be in his best interests to have Kiril replaced and to send another in his stead when the time came to send Kiril back.  Thus, he planned to find a young servant of Bulgarian origin who looked and sounded like Kiril.  The boy would study Kiril's every move, hear his every story, copy his mannerisms, learn his secrets. When the time came for Kiril to be sent back, the servant would be sent in his stead, and Kiril would never be seen again.

Now, Alexius had found his stand-in, and one by one, the other servant boys departed, assigned new jobs, until only Gavril remained, Kiril's constant companion.   

Alexius was not disappointed in his choice.  Gavril worshiped Alexius-- clever, sophisticated, charming, and wise, he would have done anything to prove his worth to the golden lord of Byzantium. 
He and Kiril were inseparable, and though Gavril sometimes suffered pangs of regret at the thought of his twin's dark fate, he resolutely pushed them aside and focused on his own glorious destiny as the future lord of Vitosha, Alexius's trusted right hand.

In 1173, when he was 13, news arrived from Vitosha that Peter's eldest son Oleg had died of an illness, and Kiril was required to return home.  (His brother Miroslav would take his place as hostage.)

His mother cried when he left. She would never see her son again.  Gavril didn't care.  She was nothing to him now, nothing but a nameless servant from the castle where he'd stayed. Gavril Kiril had no regrets about leaving Byzantium. Kiril was returning home.

Only, it didn't feel much like home when he got there.  Bulgaria was a cold, savage place, so much further from lively, sophisticated Byzantium than he could ever have imagined.

Peter Ivanov, his father, was a stern scholar, who saw any display of emotion as a weakness.  Galena, his mother, was remote, distant.  Perhaps being married to Peter had robbed her of whatever warmth and vitality she once possessed, perhaps she had always been so. 

Kiril had never been so alone.  In Byzantium, most of his time was spent shadowing Kiril, or receiving instruction with Alexius.  Desperately lonely, he reached out to the only person close to his own age-his younger brother, Anton.  Kiril eagerly made overtures of friendship, but Anton was possessed of his father's disdain for emotion, along with a single-minded fixation on his apprenticeship to the priesthood.  He had neither the time, nor the inclination for brotherly love.

Bereft of human contact, Kiril clung to his loyalty to Alexius.  He wasn't truly alone so long as he had his mission, his purpose: to succeed Peter Ivanov as Lord of Vitosha.  He threw himself into his role as Peter's heir with the same determination that had impressed Alexius.

These were productive, but stressful years for Kiril.  His volatile personality often clashed bitterly with Lord Peter's insistence on strict discipline and decorum, much to Kiril's detriment.  Gavril could have adapted easily, but Kiril had no such skill, and he was Kiril now.  So he resisted- just not quite enough to make Peter give up completely and focus his efforts on Miroslav instead.
Gavril picked up new ideas quickly, but Kiril was rather scatter-brained.  So, he spent a great deal of his study time reading books about the occult and teaching himself foreign languages, in order to be suitably unprepared for his lessons. 
Thus he allowed himself to be gradually refined into the man his father demanded, until Lord Peter was satisfied that his stubborn, willful second son had become a worthy heir.

In 1180, at the age of 20, Kiril succeeded Peter as Lord of Vitosha. The stage was set. Kiril waited.  And waited.  And still no news from Byzantium.  He married Irina, a neighboring noble's only child, increasing the family's land and wealth.  It seemed like the proper course of action.  They had two sons, Alec and Peter.  Still, Kiril waited.

In 1185, Bulgaria rebelled against the Byzantine Empire and declared its independence. 
His wife and servants thought it was the news of his brother Miroslav's death in the fighting that caused him such distress.
 
Bulgaria had severed ties with Byzantium.  Kiril was trapped in this cold, dark land.  No instructions to follow, no goal to achieve, no hope of returning to the bright lord and his golden city.

For several dark months, Kiril floundered in despair.  His life's work- his entire existence - was for nothing.  Finally, he fell back on the lessons learned from Peter Ivanov: ruling Vitosha, expanding the power and influence of the Veranin family.  He found he was actually quite fond of his children.  His family increased, with the addition of Violeta, Valeria, Ivan, and Valentina.

The second great turning point in his life came at the wedding of his niece, Mariya (a wedding Kiril had arranged for political purposes.)  To everyone's surprise, Kiril's brother Anton was in attendance.  Anton hadn't so much as written a letter to any of them since he'd left Sofia for the priesthood in 1175.  But now he was back, ready to share the word of God.  By itself, unimportant- but Anton's presence at the wedding brought another guest.  Basilio, Prince of Sofia, recently of Byzantium.

It was Basilio's plan Alexius had been following when he selected Gavril to replace Kiril.  The Lasombra remembered the servant who became a nobleman, and was suitably impressed by how far he had risen. He offered Anton and Kiril the opportunity to become his children.

Kiril willingly accepted the Embrace-- the chance to once again have a purpose in life, to offer his determination and skill in the service of a visionary leader.  Kiril served Alexius, and Alexius served Basilio.  How could he refuse?  And yet, he found himself reluctant to completely abandon his mortal life.  The house of Veranin was his responsibility, after all.  So, he continued to watch over his family, guiding them from the shadows that had become his domain.


Goals/Destiny: Increase wealth and power of Veranin family II ; Diablerize more worthy friends; Acquire new destiny
Goals Achieved: Become Basilio's favorite child; Increase wealth and power of Veranin family I

Diablerie Candidates:
Myca Vykos
Steeple


Why he is willing to join the coterie (besides sire's request): To be honest, "sire's request' is a pretty powerful reason for Kiril.  Other, unacknowledged reasons include: desire for brother's friendship/acceptance, and secret fear/hatred of being alone.

Connection to other characters: Anton's brother

Description

Age: 38

Apparent Age: 30

Date of Birth: 1160

Death: 1191

Hair: Dark brown

Eyes: Hazel

Race: Vampire

Nationality: Bulgarian

Height: XX

Weight: XX

Sex: Male

Physical description:

[Sethaniel]

Expanded Backgrounds

Retainer/Allies:

Carinus Katakalon

The consummate servant, Carinus Katakalon is deceptively well-behaved and exceedingly polite. Given to Kiril as a gift from Basilio, the man appears to be in his early twenties, and is possessed of a startling force of personality matched only by his subtle ability to manipulate and deceive. His features are plain and unthreatening at first glance, but looking into his eyes engenders an abstract feeling of fear in most - a fear that is soon dispelled once he warmly greets them and smiles, showing off perfect white teeth and a pleasant personality.

Originally from Byzantine, Basilio chose Carinus to be one of his servants after seeing the energetic and intelligent man in action, believing he could be an extremely useful agent if kept hidden. Basilio soon found that Carinus was abnormally adept in the art of subterfuge, being able to impersonate and deceive others with an almost practised ease. Possessed of extremely refined tastes, perfect etiquette and good intelligence, Carinus was Basilio's agent of choice among nobility.

However, Basilio soon found a flaw with Carinus - one that became increasingly difficult to support. Carinus was so good at deceiving others that he had even managed to keep his... rather unique tastes hidden from his domitor for quite some while. A consummate servant, a charismatic, skilled manipulator, an appreciator of finer arts and a ruthless murderer, Carinus was very much a wolf in sheep's clothing. Basilio only found out about his servant's habits after an important merchant's family he had Carinus survey and deal with was brutally murdered and partially eaten. When asked what had happened, Carinus calmly explained that "the merchant's wife was absolutely delectable, unfortunately he showed up before I was finished cleaning up. He was much too fat, most of him had to go to waste."

Unsettled by the fact that he hadn't noticed Carinus' murderous habits before, Basilio decided to continue keeping him in his service regardless - the man was useful, he just needed a bit more self-control. However, as Carinus' appetites grew, Basilio found it increasingly difficult to justify keeping the man over someone who wouldn't potentially consume the people he was sent to spy on.

Knowing Kiril would appreciate a murderer of such fine (and indeed, similar to Kiril's own) social caliber, he decided to gift the child Carinus, who was to serve as both a pleasant companion and skilled servant. As the man originated from Byzantine, Basilio also believed he would help in making Kiril feel less alone now in Bulgaria, a taste of home.

Adept in hand-to-hand combat, Carinus is nonetheless unexperienced in use of any weapons, preferring to subdue his victims bare-handed so as not to "prematurely damage the flesh". He has not truly bothered with mastering any disciplines, focusing on improving his natural abilities in his time as a ghoul - though he has taken the time to learn basic Dominate. It is worth noting that he prefers not to rely on disciplines, seeing them as a crutch and only using them when he cannot solve an issue with more mundane means - he sees it as his way of proving that he is superior to his victims, besting them with only his own mortal means.

While he accepts his role as servant, Carinus prefers to behave as if his master is an equal. He will accept orders when given, but prefers to be asked nicely - he will do them regardless, but much prefers the more polite and respectful method of treatment. Should he be extensively debased by his master, it is unclear what might happen, but it is certainly nothing good for either the domitor or the servant.

Sherazhina Basarab

A revenant of the Basarab family, Sherazhina was found and rescued from a slaver in Buda-Pest. A Ventrue named Roland had wished to purchase her and got into a fight with Kiril after offering to buy her, as Kiril insanely attacked him for absolutely no reason. had already decided to consider Sherazhina a member of his family. Roland fled when Anton, Lucien and Sylvian appeared to help their allies, but not before swearing bloody vengeance. She is breathtakingly beautiful a likely product of her knowledge of Protean and Vicissitude.

[Sethaniel]

Disciplines

Obtenebration

The signature power of the Lasombra, Obtenebration grants the vampire power over darkness itself. The nature of the darkness invoked by Obtenebration is a matter of intense debate among Kindred. Some believe it to be merely shadows, while others feel that the power gives control over the stuff of the vampire's soul, coaxing it tangibly outward.

Regardless, the effects of Obtenebration are terrifying, as waves of darkness roil out from the Cainite, enveloping those in their path like an infernal wave. As Obtenebration is mostly known as a Sabbat Discipline, any Camarilla vampire caught using the power had better have a damned good explanation.

Note: Vampires using Obtenebration can see through the darkness they control, though other vampires (even those that also have Obtenebration) cannot. Dreadful tales of rival Lasombra struggling to blind and smother each other with the same wisps of darkness circulate among young members of the Clan, though no elders have come forth to substantiate these claims.



[ 1 ]   Shadow Play 

This power grants the vampire limited control over shadows and other ambient darkness. Though the vampire cannot truly "create" darkness, she can overlap and stretch existing shadows, creating patches of gloom. This power also allows Kindred to separate shadows from their casting bodies and even shape darkness into the shadows of things that are not there. Once a Kindred takes control of darkness or shadow, it gains a mystical tangibility. By varying accounts cold or hellishly hot and cloying, the darkness may be used to aggravate or even smother victims. Certain callous Lasombra claim to have choked mortals to death with their own shadows.

System: This power requires no roll, but a blood point must be spent to activate it. Shadow Play lasts for one scene and requires no active concentration. Kindred cloaking themselves in shadow gain an extra die in their Stealth dice pools and add one to the difficulties of ranged weapon attacks against them. Vampires who use the darkness to make themselves more terrifying add one die to Intimidation dice pools. Opponents plagued by flapping shadows and strangling darkness subtract one die from all Stamina dice pools (including soak). Mortals, ghouls, and other air-breathers reduced to zero Stamina by strangling shadows begin to asphyxiate; vampires lose all appropriate dice but are otherwise unaffected. Only one target or subject may be affected by this power at any given time, though some modicum of concealment is offered to a relatively motionless group. The unnatural appearance of this power proves extremely disconcerting to mortals and animals (and, at the Storyteller's discretion, Kindred who have never seen it before). Whenever this power is invoked within a mortal's vicinity, that individual must make a Courage roll (difficulty 8) or suffer a one-die penalty to all dice pools for the remainder of the scene, due to fear of the monstrous shadows.



[ 2 ]   Shroud Of Night 

The vampire can create a cloud of inky blackness. The cloud completely obscures light and even sound to some extent. Those who have been trapped within it (and survived) describe the cloud as viscous and unnerving. This physical manifestation lends credence to those Lasombra who claim that their darkness is something other than mere shadow. The tenebrous cloud may even move, if the creating Kindred wishes, though this requires complete concentration.

System: The player rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7). Success on the roll generates darkness roughly 10 feet (three meters) in diameter, though the amorphous cloud constantly shifts and undulates, sometimes even extending shadowy tendrils. Each additional success doubles the diameter of the cloud (though the vampire may voluntarily reduce the area she wishes to cover). The cloud may be invoked at a distance of up to 50 yards/meters, though creating darkness outside the vampire's line of sight adds two to the difficulty of the roll and requires a blood point's expenditure. The tarry mass actually extinguishes light sources it engulfs (with the exception of fire), and muffles sounds until they are indistinguishable. Those within the cloud lose all sense of sight and feel as though they've been immersed in pitch. Sound also warps and distorts within the cloud, making it nearly impossible to accomplish anything (+2 difficulty, as per Blind Fighting). Even those possessed of Heightened Senses, Eyes of the Beast, Tongue of the Asp, and similar powers suffer the penalty for blindness due to the unnatural darkness. Additionally, being surrounded by the Shroud of Night reduces Stamina-based dice pools by two dice, as the murk smothers and agitates the victims. This effect is not cumulative with Shadow Play, although targets asphyxiate as per Shadow Play if they reach 0 Stamina; more than one unfortunate mortal has "drowned" in darkness. Mortals and animals surrounded by the Shroud of Night must make Courage rolls per Shadow Play, above, or panic and flee.



[ 3 ]   Arms Of The Abyss 

Refining his control over darkness, the Kindred can create prehensile tentacles that emerge from patches of dim lighting. These tentacles may grasp, restrain, and constrict foes.

System: The player spends a blood point and makes a simple (never extended) Manipulation + Occult roll (difficulty 7); each success enables the creation of a single tentacle. Each tentacle is six feet [≈ average height of a human] (two meters) long and possesses Strength and Dexterity ratings equal to the invoking vampire's Obtenebration Trait -- Potence and Celerity dots are added to these Strength and Dexterity ratings, respectively. If the vampire chooses, she may spend a blood point either to increase a single tentacle's Strength or Dexterity by one or to extend its length by another six feet or two meters. Each tentacle has four health levels, is affected by fire and sunlight as if it were a vampire, and soaks bashing and lethal damage using the vampire's Stamina + Fortitude. Aggravated damage may not be soaked. Tentacles may constrict foes, inflicting (Strength +1) lethal damage per turn. Breaking the grasp of a tentacle requires the victim to win a resisted Strength roll against the tentacle (difficulty 6 for each). However, tentacles cannot be used for any kind of manipulation, such as typing or driving. All tentacles need not emanate from the same source -- so long as there are multiple patches of suitable darkness, there are sources for the Arms of the Abyss. Controlling the tentacles does not require complete concentration; if the Kindred is not incapacitated or in torpor, she may control tentacles while carrying out other actions.

Auspex

Seeing the Unseen

Auspex enables Kindred to perceive many things beyond mortal ken. Among its many uses, Auspex can detect the presence of a supernatural being who is hidden from normal sight (a vampire using Obfuscate, a mage cloaked with invisibility, a wraith) or pierce illusions created by the Discipline of Chimerstry.

Obfuscate
When a vampire tries to use her heightened perceptions to notice a Kindred hidden with Obfuscate, she detects the subject's presence if her Auspex rating is higher than his Obfuscate. Conversely, if the target's Obfuscate outranks her Auspex, he remains undiscovered. If the two scores are equal, both characters make a resisted roll of Perception + Subterfuge (Auspex user) against Manipulation + Subterfuge (Obfuscate user). The difficulty for both rolls is 7, and the character with the most successes wins.

Chimerstry
Likewise, vampires with Auspex may seek to penetrate illusions created with Chimerstry. The Auspex-wielder must actively seek to pierce the illusion (i.e., the player must tell the Storyteller that his character is trying to detect an illusion). Auspex-wielder and Chimerstry-wielder then compare relative scores, per Obfuscate, above. The process is otherwise identical to piercing Obfuscate.

Other Powers
Since the powers of beings like mages and wraiths function differently from vampiric Disciplines, a simple comparison of relative ratings isn't applicable. To keep things simple, both characters make a resisted roll. The vampire rolls Perception + Subterfuge, while the subject rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge. Again, the difficulty is 7, and the character with the most successes wins.


[1] Heightened Senses

This power sharpens all of the vampire's senses, effectively doubling the clarity and range of sight, hearing and smell. While her senses of taste and touch extend no farther than normal, they likewise become far more acute; the vampire could taste the hint of liquor in a victim's blood, or feel the give of the board concealing a hollow space in the floor. The Kindred may magnify her senses at will, sustaining this heightened focus for as long as she desires. At the Storyteller's option, this may make hunting easier.

Occasionally, this talent provides extrasensory or even precognitive insights. These brief, unfocused glimpses may be odd premonitions, flashes of empathy or eerie feelings of foreboding. The vampire has no control over these perceptions, but with practice can learn to interpret them with a fair degree of accuracy.

Expanded senses come at a price, however. Bright lights, loud noises and strong smells present a hazard while the vampire uses this power. In addition to the possibility for distraction mentioned above, an especially sudden stimulus - like the glare of a spotlight or a clap of thunder - can blind or deafen the Kindred for an hour or more.

System:  This power doesn't normally require the use of dice, instead being defined through the Storyteller's descriptions and the player's imagination. In certain circumstances, use of this power requires a die roll: for a normal Perception roll (the Storyteller may reduce the difficulty by the character's Auspex rating), to notice a subject using Obfuscate, or to perceive a threat (the Storyteller privately rolls the character's unmodified Auspex rating, applying whatever difficulty he feels best suits the circumstances). For example, in the last instance, sensing that a pistol is pointed at the back of the character's head may require a 5, while the sudden realization that a rival for primogen is planning her assassination may require a 9.

This power does not let characters see in pitch darkness, as does Eyes of the Beast but it does reduce difficulty penalties to act in pitch darkness from +2 to +1, and the character may make ranged attacks in pitch darkness if she can hear, smell or otherwise detect her foe.

[2] Aura Perception

Using this power, the vampire can perceive the psychic "auras" that radiate from mortals and supernatural beings alike. These halos comprise a shifting series of colors that take practice to discern with clarity. Even the simplest individual has many shifting hues within his aura; strong emotions predominate, while momentary impressions or deep secrets flash through in streaks and swirls.
The colors change in sympathy with the subject's emotional state, blending into new tones in a constantly dancing pattern. The stronger the emotions involved, the more intense the hues become. A skilled vampire can learn much from her subject by reading the nuances of color and brilliance in the aura's flow.
Aside from perceiving emotional states, vampires use Aura Perception to detect supernatural beings. The colors in Kindred auras, while intense, are quite pale; mage auras often flare and crackle with suppressed power; werebeasts have strikingly bright, almost frantic, halos; ghosts have weak auras that flicker fitfully like a dying flame; and faerie creatures' radiance is shot through with rainbow hues.


System:  The player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty 8); each success indicates how much of the subject's aura the character sees and understands (see the table below). A botch indicates a false or erroneous interpretation. The Storyteller may wish to make this roll, thus keeping the player in the dark as to just how good (or bad) the character's interpretation is.

1 success    Can distinguish only the shade (pale or bright)
2 successes    Can distinguish the main color.
3 successes    Can recognize the color patterns.
4 successes    Can detect subtle shifts.
5 successes    Can identify mixtures of color and pattern.


The Aura Colors chart offers examples of some common colors and the emotions they reflect.
The character may view a particular subject's aura only once with any degree of clarity. Any subsequent attempts that result in failure should be considered botches. It is very easy for the character to imagine seeing what she wants to see when judging someone's intentions. After a full month, the character may try again at no penalty.
It is possible, though difficult, to sense the aura of a being who is otherwise invisible to normal sight. Refer to "Seeing the Unseen."

Aura Colors
Condition            Aura Colors
Afraid            Orange
Aggressive            Purple
Angry                    Red
Bitter                    Brown
Calm                    Light Blue
Compassionate    Pink
Conservative    Lavender
Depressed            Grey
Desire/ Lustful    Deep Red
Distrustful            Light Green
Envious            Dark Green
Excited            Violet
Generous            Rose
Happy            Vermilion
Hateful            Black
Idealistic            Yellow
Innocent            White
Lovestruck            Blue
Obsessed            Green
Sad                    Silver
Spiritual            Gold
Suspicious            Dark Blue
Confused            Mottled, shifting colors
Diablerist            Black veins in aura
Daydreaming    Sharp flickering colors
Frenzied            Rapidly rippling colors
Psychotic            Hypnotic, swirling colors
Vampire            Appropriate color is pale
Magic    Use           Myriad sparkles in aura
Werebeast            Bright, vibrant aura
Ghost                    Weak, intermittent aura
Faerie            Rainbow highlights in aura
Ghoul                 Pale blotches in aura

[3] The Spirit's Touch

When someone handles an object for any length of time, he leaves a psychic impression on the item. A vampire with this level of Auspex can "read" these sensations, learning who handled the object, when he last held it and what was done with it recently.
These visions are seldom clear and detailed, registering more like a kind of "psychic snapshot." Still, the Kindred can learn much even from such a glimpse. Although most visions concern the last person to handle the item, a long-time owner leaves a stronger impression than someone who held the object briefly.
Gleaning information from the spiritual residue requires the vampire to hold the object and enter a shallow trance. She is only marginally aware of her surroundings while using The Spirit's Touch, but a loud noise or jarring physical sensation breaks the trance instantly.

System: The player rolls Perception + Empathy. The difficulty is determined by the age of the impressions and the mental and spiritual strength of the person or event that left them. Sensing information from a pistol used for murder hours ago may require a 5, while learning who owned a set of keys found days ago might be a 9.
The greater the individual's emotional connection to the object, the stronger the impression he leaves on it - and the more information the Kindred can glean from it. Also, events involving strong emotions (a gift-giving, a torture, a long family history) likewise leave stronger impressions than does short or casual contact. Assume that each success offers one piece of information. While one success tells the character only that "a man held this pocket watch last," three reveal that he was petty, middle-aged and afraid. Four successes discover his name, and five or more reveal his connection to the watch as well as some of the things he did with it in his possession.

[Sethaniel]

Obfuscate

Obfuscate is the uncanny ability for Kindred to conceal themselves from sight, sometimes even in full view of a crowd. An Obfuscated vampire doesn't actually become invisible, however -- rather, he is able to delude observers into believing that he has vanished. Obfuscate also allows Kindred to change their features and conceal other people or objects. Typically vampires using Obfuscate must be within a short range of their witnesses (approximately five yards or meters per dot of Wits + Stealth) for their power to be effective. Unless the Kindred chooses to make herself seen, she can remain obscured for as long as she wills it. At higher levels, the vampire can actually fade from sight so subtly that those nearby can't actually recall the moment at which she left.

Usually, few mortals or supernaturals (even those trained in Awareness) can pierce through the fog of Obfuscate. Animals, who rely more on their instincts than their normal senses, can sometime perceive (and be frightened by) the vampire's presence. Children and those to whom deception is foreign may also be able to pierce the illusion, at the Storyteller's discretion. Finally, the Auspex Discipline enables Kindred to see through Obfuscate. Even that is not guaranteed, however. (Storytellers needing a die roll for animals or children can use this quick and dirty guideline: Treat them as if they had Auspex 1 in terms of contesting Obfuscate. They do not have the Auspex 1 power, but are considered to have it when determining whether a vampire is noticed.)

Since Obfuscate clouds the mind of the viewer, vampires can't use it to hide their presence from electronic or mechanical devices. Video and photo cameras, for example, capture the vampire's image accurately. Even so, the person using, say, her cell phone to record an Obfuscated vampire will still have her mind impacted by the power, and she won't see the Kindred's image until she views the video at a later date (if even then).

Several Clans cultivate this power -- the Assamites, Followers of Set, and Malkavians, for example -- but the Nosferatu are particularly known for this Discipline. Some elder Kindred believe that Caine, or perhaps Lilith, bestowed the Clan with this Discipline to compensate for the hideous physical deformities its members suffer.

Most Obfuscate powers last for a scene, or until the vampire ceases maintaining them. Once evoked, they require very little mental effort to keep in place.

[1] Cloak of Shadows

At this level, the vampire must rely on nearby shadows and cover to assist in hiding his presence. He steps into an out-of-the-way, shadowed place and eases himself from normal sight. The vampire remains unnoticed as long as he stays silent, still, under some degree of cover (such as a curtain, bush, door frame, lamppost, or alley), and out of direct lighting. The immortal's concealment vanishes if he moves, attacks, or falls under direct light. Furthermore, the vampire's deception cannot stand up to concentrated observation without fading.

System: No roll is required as long as the character fulfills the criteria described above. So long as he remains quiet and motionless, virtually no one but another Kindred with a high enough Auspex rating will see him.

Quietus

The Discipline of silent death, Quietus is practiced by those of Clan Assamite. Based on elements of blood, poison, vitae control, and pestilence, Quietus focuses on the destruction of a target through a variety of means. This Discipline doesn't always cause a quick death, but the Assamites rely on its lethality to hide their involvement with their victims.

[1] Silence of Death

Many Assamites claim never to have heard their targets' death screams. Silence of Death imbues the vampire with a mystical silence that radiates from her body, muting all noise within a certain vicinity. No sound occurs inside this zone, though sounds originating outside the area of effect may be heard by anyone in it. Rumors abound of certain skilled Assamite viziers who have the ability to silence a location rather than a circumference that follows them, but no proof of this has been forthcoming.

System: This power (which costs one blood point to activate) maintains a 20-foot (6-meter) radius of utter stillness around the Kindred for one hour.

[2] Scorpion's Touch

By changing the properties of her blood, a vampire may create powerful venom that strips her prey of his resilience. This power is greatly feared by other Kindred, and all manner of hideous tales concerning methods of delivery circulate among trembling coteries. Kindred with Quietus are known to deliver the poison by coating their weapons with it, blighting their opponents with a touch, or spitting it like a cobra. An apocryphal account speaks of a proud Prince who discovered an Assamite plotting her exsanguination and began to diablerize her would-be assassin. Halfway through the act, she learned that she had ingested a dire quantity of tainted blood and was then unable to resist the weakened hashashiyyin's renewed attack.

System: To convert a bit of her blood to poison, the Kindred's player spends at least one blood point and rolls Willpower (difficulty 6). If this roll is successful, and the vampire successfully hits (but not necessarily damages) her opponent, the target loses a number of Stamina points equal to the number of blood points converted into poison -- vampires attempting to drink the blood of the Kindred with Scorpion's Touch are automatically considered to be "successfully hit." The victim may resist the poison with a Stamina + Fortitude roll (difficulty 6); successes achieved on the resistance roll subtract from the vampire's successes. The maximum number of blood points a Kindred may convert at any one time is equal to her Stamina. The number of successes scored indicates the duration of the Stamina loss. If a mortal's Stamina falls to zero through use of Scorpion's Touch, she becomes terminally ill and loses any immunity to diseases, her body succumbing to sickness within the year unless she somehow manages to increase her Stamina again. If a Kindred's Stamina falls to zero, the vampire enters torpor and remains that way until one of her Stamina points returns. If a Kindred is permanently reduced to zero Stamina, she may recover from torpor only through mystical means. To afflict someone with the poison, the Cainite must touch her target's flesh or hit him with something that carries the venom. Many Assamites lubricate their weapons with the excretion, while others pool the toxin in their hands (or fleck their lips with the poison, for a "kiss of death") and press it to their opponents. Weapons so envenomed must be of the melee variety -- arrows, sling stones, bullets, thrown weapons, and the like cannot carry enough of the stuff to do damage, or it drips off in flight. Players whose vampires wish to spit at their targets must make a Stamina + Athletics roll (difficulty 6). No more than two blood points' worth of poison may be expectorated, and a Kindred may spit a distance of 10 feet (3 meters) for each point of Strength (and Potence) the character possesses. Vampires with Quietus are immune to their own poison, but not the blood-venom of other Kindred with this power.

Successes   Result
1   One turn
2   One hour
3   One day
4   One month
5   Permanently (though Stamina may be bought back up with experience)

Potence

Kindred endowed with Potence possess unnatural strength. This Discipline enables vampire to leap massive distances, lift tremendous weights, and strike opponents with brutal force. Even low ranks of this power can give Kindred physical power beyond mortal bounds. More powerful Kindred can leap so far that they appear to be flying, toss cars like soda cans, and punch through walls like cardboard. While the more subtle mental Disciplines can be awe-inspiring, the brutal effectiveness of Potence is formidable in its own right.

The Brujah, Giovanni, Lasombra, and Nosferatu are naturally gifted with this Discipline, but members of other Clans often make a point to find someone who can teach them the awesome power of Potence.

System: Each dot that the vampire has in Potence adds an automatic success to all strength related rolls. In melee and brawling combat, successes from Potence are applied to the damage roll results.

While flesh and blood have their limits, undead sinews and vitae have a bit more latitude when it comes to feats of strength. Vampires who are close to Caine in descent are sometimes capable of strength-based maneuvers that awe even other vampires. A product of blood and will as much as of muscle and bone, mastery of Potence gives a vampire the ability to do far more than just lift progressively heavier objects -- if the vampire himself is willing to learn an alternate way.

Celerity

Not all vampires are slow, meticulous creatures. When needed, some vampires can move fast -- really fast. Celerity allows Assamites, Brujah, and Toreadors to move with astonishing swiftness, becoming practically a blur. The Assamites use their speed in conjunction with stealth to strike quickly and viciously from the shadows before they are noticed. Brujah, on the other hand, simply like the edge that the power gives them against overwhelming odds. The Toreador are more inclined to use Celerity to provide an air of unnatural grace to live performances or for an extra push to complete a masterpiece on time, but they can be as quick to draw blood as any assassin or punk when angered.

System: Each point of Celerity adds one die to every Dexterity-related dice roll. In addition, the player can spend one blood point to take an extra action up to the number of dots he has in Celerity at the beginning of the relevant turn; this expenditure can go beyond her normal Generation maximum. Any dots used for extra actions, however, are no longer available for Dexterity-related rolls during that turn. These additional actions must be physical (e.g., the vampire cannot use a mental Discipline like Dominate multiple times in one turn), and extra actions occur at the end of the turn (the vampire's regular action still takes place per her initiative roll).

Normally, a character without Celerity must divide their dice if she wants to take multiple actions in a single turn. A character using Celerity performs his extra actions (including full movement) without penalty, gaining a full dice pool for each separate action. Extra actions gained through Celerity may not in turn be split into multiple actions, however.

Combination Disciplines

Name: Dark Steel

Disciplines Required: Obtenebration 3, Potence 3

Where Arms of Ahriman normally allows a Lasombra to summon forth a tentacle of pure shadow to assault his foes, this bastardized power grants those psuedopods of darkness greater strength and endurance. Cainites used to dealing with the normal manifestation of this power may find themselves fatally suprised by the use of Dark Steel instead.

SYSTEM: Using Dark Steel requires a Manipulation + Occult roll (diff 7) and the expenditure of two Blood points. Each success summons forth one tentacle, which then appears from a nearby shadow (under a piece of furniture, from within the summoning vampire's cloak, etc.). The tentacles are all eight feet long and have Strength and Dexterity ratings equivalent to twice the vampire's Obtenebration rating. Furthermore, the vampire can expend a Blood Point, "feeding" it to the tentacles; for each point thus spent, the tentacle' ratings increase by one. A Dark Steel tentacle does Strength +2 crushing damage, has six Health Levels, and takes damage from fire and sunlight in addition to normal attacks. It costs 18 experience points to learn this power.

Name: Armory of the Abyss

Disciplines Required:
Potence 3 or Fortitude 3, Obtenebration 3

Description:

One of the few arts created by Abyss mystics that has spread throughout the Magisters, Amory of the Abyss allows a vampire to fashion weapons and armor from shadows. Summoned items extrude from every orifice and pore, quickly hardening from darkened phantasm to black crystal even as they assume the desired form.

System:

The player spends one blood point and rolls Manipulation + Crafts (dif. 6). Characters without the appropriate Crafts Field of Expertise to make the weapon or armor with mundane skill may only roll their Manipulation. The item takes one full turn of concentration to form and solidify. If the vampire is disturbed during this period, his player reflexively rolls the same pool at dif. 6. Any failure or botch abruptly ends the power and dissipates the half-formed shadow creation. A disturbance may include any violent physical contact, sudden loud noise or similar stimulus. At the end of the turn, the weapon or armor completely hardens. Weapons appear in their owner’s grasp, while armor forms around its creator. Weapons may take any form and cannot add more dice to their bearer’s Strength for purposes of delivering damage than their creator’s Obtenebration rating. Shadow armor adds the character’s Obtenebration rating in soak dice but provides no protection against sunlight or fire. Objects created with this power last until the end of the scene or an hour has passed, whichever is longer. Characters who learn the Fortitude-only variant can produce only armor, while those with exclusive Potence can fashion only weapons. Vampires with Fortitude 3, Potence 3, and Obtenebration 3 may learn a version that can provide attack and defense. Every use of this power requires a separate activation.

Name: Pulse of Undeath

Disciplines Required: Auspex 1, Potence 3

By focusing her heightened awareness and physical prowess, a Kindred can "feel" for which of the physical gifts of Caine another Kindred may have learned. Potence manifests as a vibration of the muscles, Fortitude generates a cold rigidity in the body and Celerity causes a brief feeling of vertigo.

System: This power enables a character to know which, if any, of the three physical Disciplines (Celerity, Fortitude, Potence) another character possesses and at what level. The player rolls Perception + Empathy (difficulty 6). Each success indicates that the character learns the nature and level of one of the other character's physical Disciplines.
In some cases, particularly if the subject has a higher rating in a given Discipline than the character using this power, the results may be imprecise. A character may feel the telltale dizziness that indicates Celerity, but might well be unsure of the subject's potential with it.

Name: Shadowed Eyes

Disciplines Required: Auspex 3, Obtenebration 3

Description: This particular skill is a matter of control and delicacy, not raw power. The wielder summons forth small patches of blackness which cover the eyes of the target, rendering him effectively blind and giving him a demonic appearance. Those thus afflicted may find themselves in more than a little trouble with their neighbors who have little tolerance for the blind, and less for those who appear unnatural.

System Description: The player rolls Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 7). If he succeeds, he summons the darkness successfully and blinds his target. The number of successes determines the duration of the shadows.

1 success: One turn
2 successes: One minute
3 successes: Five minutes
4 successes: 30 minutes
5 successes: One hour

Additional successes produce longer effects. The enveloping shadow cannot be removed by anything short of plucking out the eye thus covered — a somewhat drastic remedy.

Note: This power affects all of the eyes of the victim, whether he be a one-eyed beggar, a “normal” vampire, a Salubri or the mythical Argus.

Certain Lasombra have been able to create a purely cosmetic variation on this power, covering their own eyes with shadows while still maintaining the ability to see clearly. Using this power has the same difficulty as a regular use of Shadowed Eyes but can impose terror on any beholding it (Willpower roll, difficulty 5 to avoid fleeing in fear).

Name: Doubletalk

Disciplines Required: Auspex 2, Celerity 1, Obfuscate 1

Description: Doubletalk is a trick that’s been passed around among the Toreador for centuries if not millennia. As vampire powers go, it’s not as impressive as calling upon unholy strength or turning into fog, but it has its uses. When a Toreador uses Doubletalk, she speaks a full sentence very quickly and softly, between works spoken normally. To most listeners, it can sound like a normal conversational placeholder, like “uh” or “er” or “hmmm.” Someone familiar with this power knows what to listen for can hear the spoken, hidden sentence. True masters of this power can compress entire soliloquies into a single grunt.
This is not one of the great, deep secrets of the clan: Some Tremere and Malkavians have also mastered the technique and can listen in or take part in the conversation themselves. Nonetheless, it is quite useful to be able to have a secret conversation that seems completely innocuous to outsiders.

System:  When a character listens for dense speaking, the player rolls Perception + Subterfuge (difficulty 5). If the roll succeeds, the character may hear what was said. (This difficulty may be modified for circumstances – it’s more difficult over the phone or in a noisy area.) A failure means the character heard nothing; a botch indicates she completely misinterpreted what was said.
When a character speaks, the player rolls Intelligence + Expression (difficulty 6). If the roll succeeds, the char acter can seamlessly insert a dense phrase into her conversation. A failure means the character can’t be understood. A botch means the character accidentally spoke her phrase aloud and at normal speed.

[Sethaniel]

Can I spend my 3 background points in Allies?

[Drakilian]

So you're gathering allies in Sofia then? That works.

[Sethaniel]

Can I buy Auspex? There's got to be someone in Sofia who knows it.

[Drakilian]

You can buy any of the common disciplines, which includes Auspex

[Sethaniel]

Why are discipline paths so much cheaper than disciplines, I wonder.

Okay, trying to math.
10 exp,for Auspex 1
Then 7 for 2
And 14 for 3?

[Drakilian]

Why are discipline paths so much cheaper than disciplines, I wonder.

Okay, trying to math.
10 exp,for Auspex 1
Then 7 for 2
And 14 for 3?

Yep

[Sethaniel]

Okay, so, that equals 31.
Levels 2 and 3 have 2 different skills. Do I choose one or get both?

[Drakilian]

Choose one, though both level three powers are the same thing, I think.

[Sethaniel]

Choose one, though both level three powers are the same thing, I think.

No, one is reading the impressions of the creator of an item, the other is reading the Impression of the last person to handle an object.

I choose aura perception for,level 2 and the spirits touch for lvl 3

[Sethaniel]

42-31 means 11 points left.

3 points for new ability: empathy. Then 2 pts (2 times current rating of 1) for,level 2, then 4 pts (2 times current level of 2) to get to lvl 3.

Which is 9 pts. Leaving me with 2 pts.

[Drakilian]

Yep

[Drakilian]

As a result of his Diablerie of Husayn, Kiril undergoes a transformation:

Positive effects:

Husayn's unnatural Stamina is imbued from his heart's blood into Kiril. +1 Stamina.

Husayn's mastery of Quietus is instilled into Kiril. +2 Quietus.

Husayn's blood enhances Kiril's preternatural speed. +1 Celerity.

Husayn's incredible stealth capabilities are partially instilled to Kiril. +1 Obfuscate, +2 Stealth.

Husayn's martial knowledge and mastery of melee combat is added to Kiril's own repertoire of knowledge. +2 Melee

Kiril has lowered in generation. He is now a sixth generation vampire, 5 steps removed from Caine.

Kiril will occasionally recall information about Husayn's previous aquaintances.

Negative effects:

Husayn's partial consciousness now lives within Kiril's mind. Kiril will periodically be plagued by Husayn's voice, visions from Husayn's past, Husayn's opinion on a given situation, perhaps Husayns' anger given his actions.

Kiril often is struck by visions from Husayn's past - from an unidentified time in his life when he was captured and tortured, to many of his various brutal and violent assassinations. The visions are disturbing and have begun to haunt Kiril's nightmares. Kiril gains the Nightmares flaw.

Kiril will never break the terms of an agreed-upon contract - unless the other contract holder betrays him first.

Kiril must gain three successes on a willpower roll (difficulty 9) in order to break his word.

Kiril cannot ever attempt to kill (directly or indirectly) his sire, Basilio the Elder.

Any time Kiril wishes to act against the Assamite faction he must garner at least 3 successes on a willpower roll of varying difficulty

Kiril gains the flaw: Addiction (Vampire Blood) at rank 1.

[Drakilian]

Husayn's Character sheet before death:

Husayn Al Fatin

Image: Dark as a moonless night, Husayn has brown eyes and a curiously effeminate face. He looks more like a romantic lover than a killer. The Assamite prefers dark, jewel-toned colors and dresses in the Turkish fashion. He wears his one weapon, a curved dagger, thrust through his sash. Although he is quiet, Husayn almost always has a slight smile on his face. His eyes convey a lively intelligence and interest in all that he sees.

Haven: Husayn has been assigned quarters near the palace. He occasionally visits them to keep up the illusion that he resides there. His real haven lies beneath the marketplace, shielded from casual passersby by a permanent market stall that sells leather goods.

Secrets: The Assamite knows that the Turks will eventually lay claim to Constantinople and probably Bulgaria as well. Whenever Husayn receives word that his assignment should be carried out, he will know that Turkish armies cannot be far away. He is aware that Basilio keeps a haven in a villa near the popular House of the Eagle bath house.

Influence: Husayn has a great deal of influence with Basilio. The Lasombra needs all the friends he can get and welcomes Husayn's counsel and overtures of peaceful trade. Though Husayn has garnered some respect among a few of Bulgaria's Tzimisce, most dismiss him as a sycophantic foreigner.

Destiny (in the metaplot, I ignore this part): When the Assamite finally strikes against Basilio, agents that Husayn secretly hired to guard the prince counterattack and send him into torpor. He is placed in a crypt beneath the House of the Eagle, where he sleeps until Constantinople's conquest by the Turks. When he awakens, he learns if he failed or succeeded in killing Basilio (he is misinformed and told he succeeded). Husayn eventually returns to Alamut, where he becomes a staunch foe to those Assamites who support the Sabbat.

Clan: Assamite

Sire: Ahmal

Nature: Innovator

Demeanor: Gallant

Generation: 6th

Embrace: 639 AD

Apparent Age: 20

Physical: Strength 6, Dexterity 6, Stamina 7

Social: Charisma 5, Manipulation 6, Appearance 4

Mental: Perception 7, Intelligence 5, Wits 7

Talents: Acting 7, Alertness 5, Athletics 6, Brawl 4, Dodge 5, Empathy 3, Subterfuge 6

Skills: Archery 6, Etiquette 4, Melee 7, Music 3, Ride 3, Stealth 7, Survival 4

Knowledges: Academics 3, Investigation 7, Law 3, Linguistics (Slavonic, Greek, Romanian, Arabic, Italian) 5, Medicine 5, Politics 4

Disciplines: Celerity 7 (Flower of Death+Projectile), Obfuscate 6 (Invisible Weapon + Confusion of the Eye), Presence 3, Quietus 7 (Selective Silence+Blood Sweat+Baal's Bloody Talons), Auspex 3, Fortitude 6 (Sensory Shield), Potence 6 (Relentless Pursuit), Dominate 2, Path of Praapti 2 (Assamite Sorcery version)

Backgrounds: Contacts 5, Mentor 6, Resources 4, Status 4

Virtues: Conscience 3, Self-Control 5, Courage 5

Road: Chivalry 8

Willpower: 10

[Sethaniel]

Goals/Destiny: Become Basilio's favorite child; Increase wealth and power of Veranin family.

Why he is willing to join the coterie (besides sire's request): To be honest, "sire's request' is a pretty powerful reason for Kiril.  Other, unacknowledged reasons include: desire for brother's friendship/acceptance, and secret fear/hatred of being alone.

It's a good day for Kiril.  XD

[Drakilian]

Oh, by the way, Kiril finally gets his extra two background points and full Princely Status. Forgot about that.

[Sethaniel]

Oh, by the way, Kiril finally gets his extra two background points and full Princely Status. Forgot about that.

Whee. I'll spend those later.

[Drakilian]

Have to spend em' now, so I can factor them into your sidequest.

[Sethaniel]

Can I just go with allies again?

[Drakilian]

Backrounds above 5 can't be purchased with points. Pick other things dammit!

[Sethaniel]

But there's no point to retainers or mentors since we earn those thru sidequests.
Status is story-driven, too.
I don't really care about resources or influence or contacts.
Don't need a herd. Or a haven.

There's nothing I really need:want.

What would you choose, oh great & powerful expert on the setting of vampire?

[Drakilian]

What do you mean you don't care about influence? Do you WANT to have no control over the mortals of your city?

Resources - do you WANT to never be able to buy anything, at all?

Contacts - Do you WANT to have no idea what goes on in your city? XD

All of those were freebies before, because Basilio was there and you were living in his castle. Now you have to provide for yourself dammit. No big armies of servants and such.

Now fact of the matter is that you can get ALL the backgrounds, every single one, through the story. In fact, you're supposed to. You get freebies here. Spend them where you can and want.

Right now i'd suggest resources, because Kiril is most definitely a high-class person who needs a high-class lifestyle. No way he/you don't care about resources.

[Sethaniel]

As you wish.

(He's moving to Spain, why can't I keep living in his castle?)

[Drakilian]

As you wish.

(He's moving to Spain, why can't I keep living in his castle?)

Do you have any idea how much it costs to maintain a castle, its guarrison and its servants?

Dominate works fine up until the servants die from starvation. There's only so much Carinus can do.

[Sethaniel]

How did basilio afford it? XD

[Sethaniel]

Also, according to Husayn's sheet, he had resources. And contacts.

Now that I'm him, shouldn't they be mine? XD

[Drakilian]

How did basilio afford it? XD

He's an elder (it's literally part of his title) prince who comes from Spain. That's nobleman gold there.

Husayn's resources? Not so much. He got those from the Assamites and, more importantly, from killing a lot of people.

His contacts, on the other hand, you'd be able to re-appropriate for yourself. If you spend your points on them.

Carinus can provide you with resources but nothing so great as to help support the castle. He can basically just make enough to live as a nobleman himself. Mostly through liberal use of Dominate. Same with Sherazhina.

Once you start boosting your resources i'll take it as you taking control over the city's trade, getting money from Basilio, taxing Sofi's habitants, etc..

Thing is, anything up to resources three can easily be justified through vampiric powers (Dominate 2 especially). Anything above that you'll have to work at hard.

Basically, right now Kiril is going to have to abandon the castle to the puppet ruler Basilio previously had in place. While that dude struggles to keep the place in proper condition, Kiril's going to have to freeload with his family or Carinus.

[Drakilian]

Now seriously, spend your points, I can't update you until you do.

[Sethaniel]

I already said I was spending them on resources.

[Sethaniel]

 . . . Is there a Basilio the Younger?  Or is "Elder" just like, his title as a vampire?

[Drakilian]

There is no Basilio the younger, I've checked. Elder is totally his title. This is never explained.

[Not Aman]

XD

I hereby proclaim Anton's new title is no longer the Ashen Knight. It's the EldEST.

[Sethaniel]

XD

I hereby proclaim Anton's new title is no longer the Ashen Knight. It's the EldEST.

Hey, Kiril is older than Anton!

[Not Aman]

Yeah, but he's the Eldest Anton (who happens to be a lasombra and the childer of Basilio...)^_^

[Sethaniel]

 . . . Kiril doesn't have a title.

. . . What's that?  Kiril the Imposter?  No, of course that's not his name. . . that would just be ridiculous. . .

[Drakilian]

Yeah, I don't know what title to give Kiril. I based the titles off your personalities but no one would know about Kiril being an impostor. Kiril the nobleman sucks as a title. If Seth or one of you can come up with a good one I'd accept it.

[BerkaZerka]

Kiril the Bruce? 

[Daedalus]

Kiril, the unforgiven? For commiting diablerie?

[Sethaniel]

Kiril, the unforgiven? For commiting diablerie?

It's supposed to be a secret. Why would k tell everyone? XD

[Drakilian]

It's supposed to be a secret. Why would k tell everyone? XD

It would be hard. Diablerie is nigh impossible to hide. In fact, Kiril should assume any vampire likely to possess Auspex in his city knows about it. Certainly his elder Cappadocian ally.

Though it wouldn't be public fact. Information like that is to be kept for future use.

[BerkaZerka]

Kiril; The Stained. 

[Sethaniel]

It would be hard. Diablerie is nigh impossible to hide. In fact, Kiril should assume any vampire likely to possess Auspex in his city knows about it. Certainly his elder Cappadocian ally.

Though it wouldn't be public fact. Information like that is to be kept for future use.

I mean, why would he put it right up there in his title. 

Basilio knows he's an impostor, too, but I'm pretty sure he didn't tell Anton.

[Not Aman]

Kinda wondering, drak. If Kiril were to research his powers or somethinh, could he make a combo discp similar to Dark Steel except poisoness?

[Not Aman]

Also, maybe Kiril the Guardian? Since he guards his mortal family?

[Drakilian]

Quietus' poison aspect and Obtenebration don't really mix. maybe a Quietus 1/Obtenebration curse of some kind.

[BerkaZerka]

Steeple sends a letter to Kiril in Sophia. It reads:

Greetings Kiril! I finally have that Vozhd spleen that you were asking about back when we were building "The Castle" (if you know what I  mean, wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more!)... Or was that your man Carnivorous (or whatever his name is)? Anyway, I'll have it sent to you ASAP!

As always, you can count on me for all your Vozhd body parts needs, as I have recently slain one, and have been making a tidy profit selling the lot off on the black market haha!

I think of you daily Kiril. Especially when performing rituals involving paper. I think paper is one of the most sensual of things. My paper Kiril. My, Paper, Kiril. My Paper, Kiril.

Anyway, I cast a Ritual on this letter, so I could feel you handling it. Right now I sense your hand gently caressing the pages. Your eyes, softly scanning across the words. Thank you for reading it. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me.

Thinking of you always,

Your BiGGesT Fan, Steeple Carson Olaf Trevesky the Fourth, Seneschal of Tihuta Pass