Araneiform

By Paul Michael Graham, for the Arachne bloodline.

Modifications by Michael Dopheide emphasized.

Description

This discipline is the following of the spider. The mastery of this discipline can make a vampire more deadly than even the most dangerous spiders. The Arachne are masters of this Discipline.

* Spider Walk

This power allows a vampire to walk along any solid object that will support his weight (walls, ceilings, etc.) as if he where a spider.

System: No roll is required however, a blood point must be spent.

** The Jumping Spider

By employing this power, an Arachne can jump heights many times greater normal, thereby mimicking a jumping spider. This does not, however provide the user with a means to land, but powers such as level one-Spider Walk will allow the kindred to jump and then stick to a wall.

System: To activate this power, an Arachne must spend a blood point and then make a Dexterity + Athletics roll (Difficulty 7). The vampire may then jump 10' either vertically or horizontally for each success.

The kindred can summon and control arachnids just as a vampire with Animalism can with animals.

System: Only arachnids within hearing range are affected. Roll Charisma + Survival to determine how well the call is received.

1 Success	One animal responds.
2 Successes	A quarter of the animals who hear The Beckoning respond.
3 Successes	Half of the animals respond.
4 Successes	Most of the animals respond.
5 Successes	All of the animals respond.

*** Webs of Iron

This power allows a vampire to create and expel a strong form of sticky webbing. The webbing is spun from a small pair of spinnerets that appear at the base of the wrist when this power is developed and are virtually unnoticeable. The webbing is strong enough to hold the weight of the kindred employing it and may be used to swing from (AKA. Spider Man). Users of this power also have the innate ability to avoid sticking to their own webbing.

System: To attack with the webbing, the character must roll Dexterity + Weaving (Difficulty 7). If a successful attack is made, the webbing will grapple an opponent and have an effect equal to the number of successes made. Note that targets may attempt to dodge the webbing (Difficulty 7), with each success taking away an attack success.

Successes	Effects
1	-1 difficulty to all dice rolls
2	-1 dice to all rolls
3	-2 dice to all rolls
4	-5 to all dice rolls
5	Immobilized

**** Spider Shape

With this power, an Arachne can take the form of a spider similar to that of a tarantula. In this form the character is almost entirely unnoticeable (Perception + Alertness, Difficulty 9 to see).

System: There is no roll to use this power, but a blood point must be spent.

The vampire can now produce a potent paralyzation poison from his or her fangs. It is only effective against living, non-supernatural beings. The poison must somehow enter into the bloodstream of the victim in order to be effective. This can be accomplished by a bite or by something as simple as a pin coated in the poison. If administered by a bite, paralyzation is almost instantaneous. If, however, the toxin is administered in a smaller quantity, it could take up to ten minutes for the victim to be paralyzed.

System: No roll is necessary to make the poison, it just needs to enter the bloodstream. The victim can make a stamina check (difficulty 9) and stay aware one extra turn per success.

***** Kiss of the Spider

This power allows an Arachne to attack with a poisonous bite (Strength + Potence aggravated damage) that will also contaminate a victim's blood.

System: To use this power, a vampire must spend a first successfully bite his opponent and make a Dexterity + Medicine roll (Difficulty equal to opponents Stamina + Fortitude). Each success poisons one blood point of the victim, that can no longer be used. The contamination lasts until the new blood is replaced.

If all of a Kindred's blood points have been poisoned, she immediately enters a paralyzed state resembling torpor. The victim cannot recover until at least one point of fresh blood is given to the victim.

Mortals may attempt a soak roll to survive the poison. If a mortal fails to soak the damage, he becomes nauseated and will soon die.

The vampire can now change his or her own body mass into hundreds of individual spiders. The vampire can see everything that any of the spiders can see and can move each one individually. Any type of spider can be formed. The total of the vampire's mass has to remain constant. The kindred can change completely into a mass of spiders or just drop off one or two. If, while in Crawlerling form, the vampire loses 25% or more of his body mass, he must then use Level 2 Araneiform to absorb more spiders and regain mass. (basically the same as the Were-Spider's Crawlerling form)

System: To use this form the vampire must now consume 2 blood points per night instead of the normal one. If the vampire wishes to transform all of his mass into spiders all in one round, it will cost another 2 blood points to accomplish this. In this form, the vampire is almost impossible to detect (Peception + Alertness, difficulty 9).

****** Arachniphobia

This power will allow an Arachne to cause a permanent fear of spiders in an opponent. To use this power, the character must first show the target a spider while enacting the discipline. This may be a picture of a spider but most prefer a live one.

If successful, the victim has to make a courage roll (Difficulty 8) or spend a willpower point, to go anywhere near a spider. If a victim of Arachniphobia is encountered by a spider and can not flee, he may go into Rotschreck.

System: The vampire must make a Manipulation + Subterfuge roll (Difficulty equals target's Willpower) to implant the phobia. The number of successes needed is equal to the victim's courage.

****** Weave of Armor

With this power a vampire can coat his skin in an invisible protective webbing. The webbing is extremely resistant to physical damage and provides adequate protection form fire as well.

System: No roll is required to use this power, but three blood points must be spent to activate it. The webbing has a Fortitude bonus of +3 and lasts for one hour before the webbing desolves.

******* Cocoon of Blood

With use of this power, vampire can encase himself in a large cocoon filled with blood. The vampire then goes into a state of hibernation (similar to torpor) while the blood sinks into his skin. After the hibernation is done, the character becomes extremely potent for a limited period of time allowing him to increase his Max. Trait Rating.

System: To use this power, the vampire must drain three blood points, from himself, into the cocoon, for every +1 he wishes to add to his Trait Max. Rating. The hibernation takes a full 24 hours to complete. After this time, the vampire awakens and must make a courage test (Difficulty 5, +1 for every Trait Max. Rating increase) to avoid frenzy (all future frenzy rolls are made at -2 difficulty for the duration of the increase). The effects of the increase last for one full night in which time the vampire's Physical stats can be increased to the new levels.

In using this power, there is no limit to how high the Trait Max. Rating can go, however; this is not without its consequences. First, all social attributes, for the duration of the increase, are lowered by one for every +1 that the Trait Max. Rating is raised. Second, after the increases has faded, the character must make a Willpower roll (Difficulty 8) to avoid getting a permanent derangement because of the powerful blood.

******** Impending Doom of Arachne

This power allows an Arachne to summon a swarm of giant poisonous spiders to attack a foe.

System: A vampire using this skill must make a Wits + Animal Ken (Difficulty 7) to see how many spiders are successfully summoned. These spiders are identical to the ones in the Vampire Players Guide but are slightly different. They gain: +1 to all Physicals and Potence, one additional attack, and they are poisonous. The spiders arrive immediately and fight until destroyed.

Successes	Number Summoned
1	5
2	10
3	15
4	20
5	25

Levels Nine and Ten

There are no know Arachne lower than fifth generation, but the bloodline insists that they are a clan and have an Antediluvian founder.