Blessed Be the Tie that Binds

By Chris Pullen (negative_image@hotmail.com)

Description

More a series of Rituals than a Path, these levels deal with the power of the Blood Oath and it's manipulation. The various Rituals in this series grant powers ranging from the mere strengthening or weakening of a Bond, to the utter destruction and prevention of Bonds. Unfortunately, this Path is incapable of freeing the thaumaturgist from the Bond.

Rules for the Blood Bond may be found on pages 203-205 of Vampire: The Masquerade, Second Edition, pages 218-221 of Vampire: The Masquerade, Revised, pages 205-206 of Vampire: The Dark Ages, pages 46-48 of The Player's Guide to the Sabbat, page 30 of Ghouls: Fatal Addiction, and on pages 15-16 of Liege, Lord and Lackey for Vampire: The Dark Ages.

The Rituals that follow each require double the normal casting time, and they also require a point of the thaumaturgist's blood, as well as one point each from the thrall and the regnant. Most of the Rituals require the recipient to imbibe a serum prepared during the Ritual by the thaumaturgist. The serum will not bring the recipient closer to a bond with the thaumaturgist unless designed to do so.

As these are Rituals and not Paths, no Experience expenditure is required to learn them.

* The Fickle Mushhead

The Bond, in the end, can be reduced to a simple number. The number of times, past three, that the thrall has partaken of the regnant. This is also equal to the number of success required on the Willpower roll to resist the commands of the regnant. This basic power reduces this number. This allows the thaumaturgist to quickly increase her hold over others while weakening the bonds her enemies hold.

System: Each success on a Willpower roll (difficulty 5), reduces or increases this number by one. Five successes reduces the number by half or doubles it. This level requires a five minute ritual involving the mixing of a potion of the regnant's, thrall's and caster's blood. This will not cause the thrall to be closer to a bond to the caster unless that is the intention of the ritual. If this is used upon a ghoul, each use will increase or decrease the level of the bond by one. For information of binding ghouls see Ghouls: Fatal Addiction page 30.

This ritual may only be performed up to once, per thrall, per night.

** Tzimisce Craft

This ritual allows the thaumaturgist to create a blood bond with a specific emotional polarity, other than love. Additionally, multiple bonds could be used to instill feelings of love, lust, fear, respect, and worship in a single thrall.

System: This requires a potion to be mixed, taking ten minutes, of the caster's blood (or the blood of the regnant to be if used in conjunction with Talents of the Koldun). The potion must be imbibed by the thrall to be after two earlier draughts of the regnant-to-be's blood. The potion replaces the final draught. More than one such bond may be imposed upon a single thrall as long as no two bonds duplicate the same emotional effects.

*** Temporary Lapse

This ritual allows the thaumaturgist to temporarily free a thrall from an existing bond.

System: The thrall may act freely for one turn per success on the caster's Willpower roll (difficulty 5). The thrall may take any action whatsoever but must still spend a Willpower point to directly harm the regnant. This level requires a fifteen minute potion preparation, which must then be imbibed by the thrall.

**** Talents of the Koldun

At this level, the thaumaturgist may create a Bond, with her own blood, to another individual. This individual may be anyone, even a mortal, and the thaumaturgist may even bind herself to this individual.

System: This requires a twenty minute preparation after which the thrall to be must drink the potion, sealing the bond. If used with a mortal regnant, this bond will fade as usual and must be upkept by further use of this ritual.

***** The Rending

At this final level, the thaumaturgist may break the bond and prevent its reformation.

System: This level requires the performance of a 25 minute ritual, during which the thrall must be present, as must a point of the regnant's blood. After this ritual is completed, the bond is broken and cannot be reformed for another year, at which time this ritual may be performed again.