Refer to the Book of Thaumaturgy (see also the Ritual section)
Compiled by Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunixacc.qc.edu)
This path allows the Kindred to manipulate his or her own appearance through actual changes to the physical body. The Aura, however, remains unchanged, and those with Auspex that know the Kindred's Aura (and are well-learned enough to know that no two auras are exactly alike) can still identify the Kindred. It is rumored that there are ways to use this path upon others, both Kindred and Kine, but it is no doubt a tightly-held secret.
* The Magus can permanently alter her own skin and hair color (including new hair, grown later with this path or the more commonly known ritual of Rebirth of Mortal Vanity), with the expenditure of a point of Willpower.
** Facial features, hair length and style can be altered at this level. Baldness can be cured. Expends a point of Willpower.
*** Appearance can be raised or lowered to a maximum of 5 and a minimum of 0. Skin texture can be altered. Scars, the effects of Skin Diseases and similar problems can be added or removed. Requires an extended Wits + Medicine roll for a total of 3 successes against a difficulty of 7, with the Expenditure of a Willpower point for each roll.
**** Allows alteration of internal organs and surrounding flesh. Can provide a full sex change, removal of the effects of diseases, cancers, etc. Alternately, they can be induced as part of a disguise. Severe flesh wounds can be healed by closing and reshaping the flesh in the damaged region (a roll of Wits + Medicine is required, and the number of successes is the number of wound levels healed). Internal bleeding can be stopped or started. Tissue can be converted to or from fat. Muscle tissue can be added or subtracted by shifting it from other areas, up to a maximum of one Strength Attribute dot per fifty pounds (2.5 stone) that the Magus weighs. This level requires the expenditure of two Willpower points.
***** Bone alteration is now possible. The Magus can now heal or inflict spinal problems, including severed spinal cords and the effects of bone diseases. Height can also be modified; the Magus can shift bone tissue into other areas and alter height or width by as much as two feet in any direction. Note that mass remains constant; a thin, 100 pound (5 stone) Kindred who made himself/herself look like a professional bodybuilder would still only weigh 100 pounds.
This path allows Magi to travel more quickly. In no event does it allow for extra actions, save those instances where circumstance and the Storyteller dictate that it does. The Magus can not be encumbered beyond light clothing while using these abilities, especially the higher-level ones.
* This allows the Magus to move (run) at thrice normal speed. It requires the expenditure of a blood point and a Willpower roll (difficulty 6). The effect lasts for approximately ten minutes.
** At this level, the Magus can perform an unnaturally quick sidestep, allowing dodges to be performed as though heavy cover were nearby. This sidestep will take the Magus no more than 6 feet, at most, from his original location. Use of this ability expends a blood point.
*** The Magus can now move (run) at ten times normal speed. This costs two full blood points, and lasts only ten minutes.
**** The Magus has achieved the first level of true power in this path, and can Teleport instantly up to 100 feet distant, within his line of sight. There must be no intervening barriers which would stop the passage of air. To normal cameras and eyes, the Magi simply disappears with a sharp, cracking sound as air rushes in to fill the space he occupied. Stop-motion photography would reveal that the Magus turned into a blurred, dark form that darted with incredible rapidity, captured in only one high-speed film frame, in the direction of his destination.
***** The Magus is now a master of this path, and can use it to Teleport instantly to any spot on the planet or, depending on his Generation, beyond, with a range of approximately twenty thousand miles minus (Generation x 1,000 miles). When teleporting, a Wits + Survival roll must be made, against a difficulty, and with Blood Point costs, as listed below:
| Range | Blood | Difficulty Mod |
| 20 Miles | 2 BP | +0 No Modifier |
| 200 Miles | 4 BP | +1 Difficult |
| 2000 Miles | 6 BP | +2 Very Hard |
| 20000 Miles | 10 BP | +3 Straining |
| Difficulty | Location |
| 6 | One's own, well-known Haven |
| 7 | Visited 3+ times, well-known |
| 8 | Visited once |
| 9 | Described in explicit detail |
| 10 | Only have a photograph |
If a difficulty raises above 10 with a Modifier, it cannot be accomplished, and the Magus is very likely to emerge explosively in a solid surface, dying instantly. Willpower Points cannot be spent to achieve automatic successes in this instance, as the circumstances are wholly beyond control.
The ritual of Casting Thy Sight is an excellent companion to this path, as by thoroughly examining the area through the use of such Scrying Magic, one can lower the difficulty to that of a well-known, visited three or more times location.
In understanding our awareness of reality, we appreciate the fact that there is no gap between ourselves and our perceptions. To speak of a notion such as pain, we must speak of experiencing pain, for this is exactly what pain is. However, Practitioners of the path of Inner Silence can achieve a dualism in their perceptions, inserting a gap between their experiences and themselves while still maintaining both. Whether this path actually achieves this end or simulates the effect in another manner is a matter of debate.
On a practical level, when this path is learned as a Primary Discipline, as is the path of Blood Thaumaturgy, the powers operate as described below. However, if the path is learned separately, as other paths are, then the Magus must make a Willpower roll and spend a Blood Point for each use.
Frequent use of this power will reduce Humanity! This fact seems to suggest that there is not the separation of mind and body that this path is meant to accomplish, but a different effect being performed. What, though, has yet to be determined.
* Silence of the Lower Senses: At this base level, the path enables the disjunction of the practitioner from the senses of taste, smell and touch. While still fully aware of the perceptions of these senses, they are also distant and unconnected, as though belonging to someone else. Any effects caused by these sensations are muted by the degree of distance the Magus can achieve.
System: The Thaumaturge rolls Perception + Meditation against a difficulty of 8 to determine the duration and extent of the effect. Each success results in a duration of 1 minute. Each success will also result in a difficulty shift or a dice pool alteration for all experiences affecting the senses of taste, smell and touch. Thus the difficulty of Frenzy rolls inspired by wounds or by the taste or smell of blood, as well as wound penalties from injuries, are decreased by the number of successes attained. Note that these are only two examples of possible effects. The Storyteller must judge other cases that might also arise.
** Silence of the Higher Senses: This level of ability is greatly similar to Silence of the Lower Senses, but affects sight and hearing as well.
System: Roll, difficulty and duration of effect are similar to Silence of the Lower Senses. Possible examples of use include increasing the difficulty of Rotschreck and Frenzy rolls. An interesting effect of this power is the ability to see through a number of levels of Obfuscate equal to the number of successes achieved.
*** Silence of the Unconscious Mind: This level of ability is greatly similar to Silence of the Higher Senses, but affects the subconscious as well.
System: Roll, difficulty and duration of effect are similar to Silence of the Unconscious Mind. This power primarily affects the acquisition and effect of derangements. As derangements are largely role played, the Storyteller must judge the degree to which the Derangement can be ignored based on the number of successes achieved. In the case of acquisition of Derangements from botched Humanity, Frenzy and Rotschreck rolls, the successes gained with this power is the number of botches that can be ignored, with the removal of all botches resulting in no Derangements being gained. This power can also be used to see through Obfuscate in the manner of Silence of the Higher Senses. These two effects are cumulative.
**** Silence of the Conscious Mind
This level of ability is identical to Silence of the Lower Senses, but affects the Conscious Mind. The question of how the Consciousness can separate itself from itself is a troublesome one, and has led into discussion on the nature of the mind/brain interface, and whether one is the copy of the other... whether the tabula rasa, or blank tablet, of the soul mimics the development of the brain, and consciousness arises from both segments, or whether they are already separate, but that copy which is the soul is simply not being used. Regardless of the cause, the power works quite well.
System: Roll, difficulty and duration of effect are similar to Silence of the Lower Senses. This power's effect comes into play in subtracting successes from any Dominate or Presence Discipline rolls if used against the Magus, ignoring wound penalties that do not physically prevent the body from moving (i.e., legs blown off), and subtracting from the difficulties of Frenzy and Rotschreck rolls. Note that the effects which duplicate those of earlier powers are cumulative with the use of Silence of the Lower and Higher senses.
Silence of the Conscious Mind largely reflects a disjunction of the character from the present, while Silence of the Unconscious Mind is a disjunction from the past. Once again, the Storyteller must make judgement on individual cases.
***** Silence of the Spirit: At this ultimate level of the path, the thaumaturge can divorce herself from her soul, and the power that Animates her as a Kindred. While this power requires the judgement of the Storyteller as to the effect of this, there are two particular effects that need discussion; the ability of the Kindred to achieve Final Death at will, and the effect on her Humanity.
System: Roll, difficulty and duration of effect (where applicable) are similar to Silence of the Lower Senses. If the Kindred so desires, and achieves 4 successes on the roll, she can expire on the spot as her soul departs her body. Why she may wish to do so may vary; she may be being held, awaiting horrible tortures and then death, and it is better to end her life there and then before she reveals secrets under torture that are best kept in the dark.
This path deals with the summoning up of mist and fog to shroud oneself and/or an area, as well as certain unusual means of melding with the magically suspended water vapors. The use of a level of this path costs, as usual, 1 Blood Point and a Willpower roll is required.
* Summon the Fog: The Magus's vision will be unhindered by the mist, but all others must halve their perception rolls. In an odd way, the Magus mentally "feels" about himself with the fog.
System: A Blood Point of Energy must be expended and a Willpower roll is required. Note that the difficulty of the Willpower roll will range from 4 if the Kindred is upon or near a large body of water (Pond, Lake, Bay, Ocean), through 5 if it rained recently and the ground is wet, all the way up to 10 in a dry, arid desert, where the moisture will have to be pulled from far beneath the surface of the Earth. Performing the path near a large body of water also automatically moves the effect level (below) up by one.
The area the fog will cover is dependent upon the number of successes rolled by the Magus on a simple (Number of levels in path + Occult) roll:
| Successes | Result |
| 1 | A hazy fog that covers approximately 20 sq. ft. |
| 2 | A soft fog covering an area a city block in size. |
| 3 | A small neighborhood is enshrouded in soft fog. |
| 4 | A large neighborhood is enshrouded in soft fog. |
| 5 | A small city, or a large city if near a river. |
** Summon Chilling Fog: As above, but in addition the mist is creepy and unnerving (-1 to Willpower and +1 to Frenzy rolls). This costs an extra Blood Point's worth of Vitae to summon forth.
*** Shroud of Fog: In the fog, the Magus moves silently and is effectively invisible. Other Magii with this path can also use the fog for this purpose, without the original summoner knowing it.
**** Silent Fog: When this level of the path is exercised, the fog will grow thicker and more cloying. Sounds will only travel for a distance of four feet or so. The effective range of Protean level I, Gleam of the Red Eyes, will be reduced to only around ten feet or so. Mortals may panic. This is an unnatural condition, and if used in a City, should be considered a possible Breach of the Masquerade.
***** Become as one with the Fog: At this level of mastery of the path, the Magus can become invisible and semi-etheral, floating within the fog. While in this form, the Magus benefits from four automatic soak dice (non-aggravated only) and gains the ability to walk on water.
This path is one of the most jealously guarded bits of knowledge around. It allows, at its upper levels, for the complete integration of dozens of years worth of study into one's mind in an instant, granting the Kindred that possesses it the ability to absorb the knowledge of the ages without picking up a single book. The potential, as one can imagine, is astounding.
* Speed Reading: This requires neither the expediture of Blood energy nor a Willpower roll, merely a roll of Intelligence + Linguistics against a difficulty of 4. The more successes, the more quickly the book has been read. The total time, of course, depends on the size and complexity of the book.
** Shelve the Mind: One blood point must be spent to empower this ability, which grants Eidetic Recall as per the Merit, granting the Kindred complete and perfect recall of everything she ever experienced or learned on any given subject, no matter how many years ago. The number of successes rolled on a (Intelligence + rank in this path) roll against a difficulty of 6 determines the number of days for which that ability lasts. All information received within this time is retained in perfect detail. After this period elapses, if more blood is not used, then the detail will begin to fade, leaving the thaumaturgist with her "standard" memories or perhaps just a little better refreshed for the experience. Of course, most Magii will attempt to keep this level active at all times; it's a fantastic help when it comes to learning!
*** Illuminating Touch: By simply touching or holding a book, the Magus gains instant knowledge of all that is in it, provided it is written in a language she understands. This requires a blood point to use and an (Intelligence + rank in this path) roll against a difficulty of 7, the number of successes determining the knowledge received:
| Successes | Result |
| 1 | The general subject matter and topics |
| 2 | Basic recall of the outlines, with little detail |
| 3 | Basic recall of everything, with great detail |
| 4 | Complete, Eidetic Recall is possible |
| 5 | Complete, Eidetic Recall and full understanding |
**** Embrace the Store of Knowledge: This level of the path functions in the same manner as level 3, but may be used on large amounts of books simultaneously, such as in a library. All works to be scanned must be within line of sight of the Magus, but she is free to move about if necessary. A blood point must be spent each turn to maintain the flow of information. The number of turns required is determined by the Magus's roll of Intelligence + Linguistics against a difficulty of 8 every turn until a net amount of successes have accrued, according to the size of the library.
| Successes Required | Size of Library |
| 3 | Small box of books |
| 6 | Single bookcase |
| 5 | Small bookshop or home library |
| 25-50 | Large bookshop or College library |
| 70-90 | County or large University library |
| 200+ | National Library (Library of Congress) |
***** Reveal Scribe's Works: At this extreme level of mastery of this path, the thaumaturgist can retrieve information from anywhere within a 10' Radius as per levels 3 and 4, but the volumes or scrolls do not have to be within sight. Furthermore, this includes all written or printed mediums, such as scrolls, books and handwritten materials. The thaumaturgist need not necessarily understand the information, but can quote or copy it out with Eidetic precision. Two blood points need to be expended and an Intelligence + Linguistics roll made to determine the accuracy of the Recall.
This path deals with the generation of light. This light is a soft greenish-white or bluish-white in color, and generates no heat. The light must be cast upon an area, and will be sourceless to any observers. To use this path requires the expenditure of a Blood Point and a Willpower roll against a base difficulty of the level of the path to be used + 3. Each success indicates that the effect will last for ten minutes. To use a level of this path that is two levels or less than your total level of Mastery of this path does not require the expenditure of a Blood Point.
| * | A small room | 100 sq. ft. |
| ** | A large room or a small house | 1,000 sq. ft. |
| *** | A large house or small building | 10,000 sq. ft. |
| **** | A large building or other area | 100,000 sq. ft. |
| ***** | A football stadium or other area | 1,000,000 sq. ft. |
At level 5, the Magus can alternatively choose to focus a projected burst of light from his or her hands that can temporarily blind Kindred and Kine in a small area (100 sq. ft., Target(s) must be facing the Magus). The Magus must roll a Contest of Wits + Alertness with a Base difficulty of 6 against the Target's roll of Stamina + Alertness against the same difficulty. The Target's successes take away from the Magii's. If there is a positive value left, it is the number of minutes the Target will be blinded. Double this amount if the Target was using Auspex to enhance their vision. While blinded, the Target cannot make use of the Protean Discipline's Gleam of the Red Eyes, Dominate or any Auspex level pertaining to Vision (Aura Sight).
Due to the Complexity of this path, it cannot be learned by Kindred who are less than level 3, or preferably 4, in Blood Thaumaturgy.
This path involves the use and application of a combination of mortal and Kindred Vitae, the Kindred Vitae specifically having been drawn from those lower than Tenth Generation, and "Pure" red roses. A practitioner of this path grows more and more adept in the making and use of these mixtures to imbue certain crystals with reserves of life energy, as well as to enhance Kindred abilities.
Those who would walk this path must cultivate or procure a strain of rose that is only found in England and on the Northeastern American Seaboard, watering them with distilled water that has been mixed with a few drops of mortal Vitae. Once the roses bloom fully, the Magus must harvest them and crush their petals in a mortar and pestle, wetting them with a precise dmixture of Kindred and mortal Vitae (approximately ten crushed roses per pint (point) of Vitae) while murmuring a complex incantation in Latin. Once the roses and blood are completely combined into a muddy paste, they are set aside in a dark niche and allowed to rest for five nights. During this time the mixture will become crumbly and dried.
Once the five nights have passed, the dried mixture (known as Los Negro Rojas [nay-grow row-hoss]) can be wetted with mortal Blood (thus activating it) and used in the Casting of numerous rituals.
| Level | Description |
| * | Allows the manufacture of Los Negro Rojas. |
| ** | Allows the use of level 3 Blood Rose rituals. |
| *** | Allows the use of level 4 Blood Rose rituals. |
| **** | Allows the use of level 5 Blood Rose rituals. |
| ***** | Allows the Master of this path to add other forms of Vitae to the mixtures, including animal, Faerie, Garou and Demon. Experimentation at this level can lead to fascinating results, especially with Vitae of creatures of the Umbra. Some objects formed with such corrupted Vitae seem almost self-aware. |
This path is unique, and provides a great deal of insight into the true nature of that which is Vampirism. Somewhat akin to the Hermetic path of Elemental Mastery, it concerns connecting the thaumaturge to Nature, allowing communication and control over living plants and lower life forms. It does not allow control over or communication with organic materials that are no longer alive (leather). Kindred who are afflicted with the Flaw that Living plants will wither in their presence cannot, sadly, work this path.
* The Voice of the Mother: This level of the path allows the Magus to receive impressions from plants, insects and low forms of life (worms, spiders, etc). Although these creatures are not sentient, by interpreting the impressions from a number of plants and creatures in an area, a Magus can gain an idea of what took place recently, or, in a densely populated place like a forest, what is happening elsewhere in the forest. Note that plants such as trees do not notice a great deal of what does not intimately concern them (fire, trees being cut down, etc). Use of this level of the path does not require a Blood Point. Drastic events taking place in densely crowded areas of vegetation such as forests can be communicated throughout the length and breadth of the region, from plant to plant.
System: The Magus rolls Wits + Linguistics against a difficulty of 7 to see if she can properly interpret the impressions that the surrounding plants and lower life forms are giving off. The more successes, the more that can be understood, ranging from brief flashes of disconnected concepts to a fairly clear impression of what has recently happened or is happening within the domain of these life forms.
System: The Magus makes a Willpower roll versus a difficulty of 6 and expends a Blood Point to use the path level. Then she makes a Manipulation + Survival roll versus a difficulty of 7. The more successes gained on the roll, the more control the thaumaturgist gains over the plants or creatures she is attempting to influence (they must be within line of sight), ranging from being able to make a vine slowly creep towards a target at an inch a minute, or one or two insects to obey a limited directive, to having a great number of vines leap from a wall and entangle a target, or a large swarm of insects, as from a nearby wasp nest, will rush to obey.
*** Call to Arms: At this level of Mastery, the Magus gains two abilities. She can summon lower life forms from a distance to serve her will, and has gained enough control over plant life to enable her to bond them into new forms. Thus, a Magus can draw on the plant life around herself and create a Wall of Thorns, or a new form of plant. There must be enough living organic material around the Magus to create the form; if done properly, the form will be able to exist, and will not die out over time. Extreme caution should be used while exercising this ability, as a new form of plant life may be too aggressive for the local environment to handle, and it may soon supplant other plants. It is highly recommended that new plant life created be created (a) sterile, and (b) without the ability to grow unchecked. Beyond these restrictions, the Magus can experiment freely.
System: There are two systems, one for summoning lower life forms and another for manipulating and bonding plants. Each requires a Willpower roll against a difficulty of 6 and the expenditure of two blood points.
To summon lower forms of life, the Magus must make a Charisma + Survival roll against a Base difficulty of 6 (or lower/higher, depending on the area and scarcity of creatures -- it's easier to summon large quantities of insects in a jungle than it is in the scorched heat of a desert). The number of successes rolled determines the number of beings that will show up, as well as from how far they will come to answer the Magus's call. It may also, at the Storyteller's discretion, represent the amount of control the Magus has over the summoning (i.e., she wishes to summon only wasps, not all flying insects). The summoning will be "heard" approximately 500 yards distant per success. All lower forms of life that are summoned will respond to the call.
To bond plants, the Magus rolls Manipulation + Survival. The number of successes indicates how well the bonding has occurred (three successes indicates a fully stable construct), as well as how large the form may be. This power will never make a plant intelligent, nor can it force a plant to perform instinctive actions that it would not have before the bonding (i.e., trying to turn a Rose into a Venus Fly Trap).
**** Becoming One with Nature: This level of mastery of the path is somewhat similar with the Protean Discipline's Earth Meld, in that she who has achieved it may sink into the Earth. However, the Magus may also enter into other organic plant forms that are large enough to hold her (a large tree). This form must be solid, and cannot have spaces (such as bushes). This melding takes approximately a minute, as does exiting the melded form.
System: The Magus expends two blood points of energy and makes a Stamina + Survival roll against a difficulty of 7. If she is successful, she begins to meld with the Earth or plant form. The downside of this is that any damage taken by the plant form will also be taken by the thaumaturgist; it's easy to perish in a forest fire.
***** The Stream of Life: This power allows the thaumaturgist to draw upon the life force of a plant or lower life form to replenish her own life force and heal herself. This level may effectively be used to help the Master of this path replenish her Blood Pool.
Note that this ability touches very closely upon the true nature of Kindred; they exist as parasites, by consuming the life-force of others. There is no need to consume it via the coarse medium of Blood; it can be taken directly from living creatures through the use of Blood Thaumaturgy level 4, or from living plants using this level of The path of Nature's Touch. Note that any lower life form, not just plants, can be used, including insects and bacteria. Though there is not much life essence in bacteria, draining it away effectively stops growth, killing the bacteria.
Extensive use of this utmost level wreaks changes in the Kindred. The skin, normally a pale white or sallow color, becomes suffused with a faint green tint, slowly darkening to a mottled green/grey and brown over the course of a century or so. After this century-long change, the Magus feels a strong attachment to the forest, and will rarely, if ever, leave it. Forest and nature spirits will come at the Magus's call as though commanded by the path of Spirit Thaumaturgy, and animals will have no fear of the Magus whatsoever. Indeed, they will act to protect her if she is threatened.
The thaumaturgist can draw from the life force of all forms of plants, from flowers to extensive, mile-long branching root networks and towering redwood trees. The Magus deals one point of damage to the target plant for every point of energy taken; that's not a big deal for giant trees such as redwoods, but smaller plants will become sickly and even die if more than half of their life force is removed.
| 1 Blood Point | 20 fresh flowers/Beehive |
| 2 Blood Points | Large hedge or Bed of Ivy |
| 4 Blood Points | Small tree |
| 6 Blood Points | Mid-sized tree |
| 8 Blood Points | Large tree |
| 10 Blood Points | 100 sq. ft. of Jungle |
| 20 Blood Points | Giant sequoia (redwood) |
System: The Magus rolls (Stamina + Survival), and will gain one blood point per success, at the cost of one Health Level of damage to the form that she is draining.
This path requires the target(s) to be asleep. This is normally not a problem, as most mortals sleep while the Cainites stalk the World. It requires that the Magus either be able to see the target (scrying works) or know approximately where she is. The Magus will pass into a deep, trance-like state upon commencing use of this path, and will not awaken unless physically disturbed. Only one level of this path can be used a night, but the dreams of several people can be entered, so long as the caster has the appropriate number of blood points in his pool to expend.
| Level | Effect |
| * | At this level of ability, the Magus can enter the dreams of others, and observe what they are dreaming of. The Magus cannot interact in any way with anything, or be noticed by the dream's inhabitants. However, the dreamer may become aware (get the strange feeling) that she is being watched. The Magus must spend one Blood Point for each person's dreams he wishes to enter. If the dreamer makes a Willpower roll against a difficulty of 7, she gets the feeling of being watched. The dreamer can awaken as normal. |
| ** The Magus can now exercise some small amount of control over the target's dream. Specifically, the caster will normally appear as the target's "dream lover", in whichever sex the target finds more attractive. The direction the dream takes (as fas as the actions of the caster is concerned) is entirely up to the Magus. The Magus can appear as someone else (not a lover) by making a Willpower Check against a difficulty of 7. The Dreamer must make a Willpower roll versus a difficulty of 8 to wake up, if the caster does not wish her to awaken. This level of the path costs two full blood points per target to use. | |
| *** The Magus can now interact fully with the target's dream. He can move items, but cannot cause any major changes. For example, he could run and snatch someone from the path of an oncoming train, but could not just stop the train. The dreamer will not notice the Magus unless he makes himself known. This level of the path costs three Blood Points of energy per target. | |
| **** The Magus has become so powerful in this path that he can take several people into the same dream. The Magus must choose the person whose dream they enter. The person whose dream they are in will not realize that they are real people unless the sharing is voluntary. This ability costs the Magus 3 Blood Points per person involved (excluding the Magus). If one person is woken up, all in the link must make a Willpower Checks vs. a difficulty of 6 to see if they awaken as well. | |
| ***** Having achieved complete Mastery of the path, the Magus is now in total control of the target's dream. He can alter reality to any extent, but cannot control the actions of the dreamer herself. The Magus must spend a full five Blood Points to use this level of the path, and an additional three Blood Points if he wishes damage sustained in the dream (bruises, scrapes, burns, etc.) to be reflected (hysterically) on the dreamer's body in the real world. The target must make a Willpower roll against a difficulty of 9 to awaken if the Magus will not let her. Of course, the target has to fall asleep again sometime... Damage from wounds sustained in the dream and hysterically represented on the dreamer's body will never exceed the -1 penalty of Wounds, despite the severity in the dream (i.e., a dreamer who dreamed of having her wrist slowly being cut off with a hacksaw by a cackling tormentor would, dreaming, experience all the pain and suffering of the event, yet upon awakening, would only have a deep bruise on their wrist. Dreamers cannot die in their dreams unless they are in poor health and are frightened to death. |
| Baron Samedi | Protector of the Cemetary, Servant of Guede |
| Bokos | Sorcerors who work for the secret Voodoo Societies which are at times called "Red Cults" and at times the "Black Cults." It may be that there exist two sects which wage war on each other and it is not always clear who is good and who is evil. Whatever the case, the Boko is closely tied in with such things as ritualistic murder, cannibalism and black magick. Bokos will -- for a suitable fee -- call for the help of Baron Samedi to cast deadly curses upon the living -- and perhaps even more dreadful curses upon the recently deceased, as they are the ones who can be turned into Zombies or even worse things. |
| Damballah | Spirit of Snakes, a source of Virility and Power |
| Erzulie | Spirit of Love, Jealousy and Revenge |
| Grans Bwa | Spirit of the Forest |
| Guede | Spirit of the Dead, Lord of the Mysteries of Death and Dark Sorcery. |
| Mambo | A female Voodoo Priest(ess). |
| Houmfor | Typically a temple in the deepest forests of Haiti. The Houmfor is composed of a small building in which the holy artifacts are kept, a room with open walls attached to it, and finally a yard in which the believers can gather. |
| Houngan | A male Voodoo Priest. |
| Papa Legba | Overlord of the Loa Spirits, the Spirit of Communication between all Spheres, Lord of the Ways, Lord of the Crossroads. |
| Sobo | The Spirit of Thunder. |
| Tonton Macoute | Haitian term for wandering sorcerors, who are usually evil and only different from Bokos in the way that they do not work with a cult. |
| Veves | Magical symbols or Runes, which are specially associated with the Loa Spirit which the Priest wishes to Contact, Summon or Invoke. |
* The Mark of Guede: The target of this power becomes invisibly Marked for Death, and it is primarily the way to prepare for more powerful Voodoo. Guede is the Loa Spirit of the Dead and is usually the one whom Houngans (male Voodoo priests), Mambos (female Voodoo priests) or Bokos (the notorious, evil Voodoo priests) address when they wish to curse someone. Papa Legba and Guede's Acolyte Baron Samedi are also used for such purposes, as the Opener of the Gateway and the Lord of the Cemetary, respectively. However, when the Gateway has been opened, the cursed character seems to attract malicious Spirits who follow him and torment him by hindering his actions to some degree. While these Spirits do not follow the Marked person constantly, they show up frequently.
System: The Cainite practitioner needs three things to use this power: A broad bladed knife, with a serrated edge, and a handle wrapped in skin torn from a freshly-killed animal (this knife is sometimes known as the Ku-bha-sah), a clay amulet engraved with the Veves (Voodoo Runes) of Guede, which resemble a stylized image of a white snake curling around a tombstone. The snake is normally perceived as the Snake Loa Damballah's mark, but it is believed that his Veves have been mixed with that of Guede, for he also represents Power. This Amulet must be bound to the handle of the knife, using a leather strap made from the skin of a one-week-old corpse. The final ingredient are three blood points of Cainite Vitae, which are used to baptize the amulet and knife. If the materials have been properly prepared and approved by Guede, the Vitae is absorbed into the Knife and Amulet.
The Cainite makes a Spirit Lore + Intimidation roll (difficulty is the target's Humanity). The number of successes indicates the number of days that the Mark of Guede will remain effective. At the discretion of the Storyteller, the difficulty of rolls made by the Cursed Victim may be raised at the appropriate moments (such as when he is in trouble).
If the use of the Power is successful and the Vitae is absorbed, the knife with the attached amulet must be placed in the door, or doorway, of the victim in order for the Spirits to find their way to him. Note that once the Knife has been placed, it matters not if the victim removes it, since the spirits will already have homed in on their target.
The level of the path of Voodoo must be used prior to the casting of any of the ritual Curses described below.
** Ask of the Dead: This power allows the Priest to learn secrets from the Spirits of Dead Individuals. The existence of this power is well known in the Carribean; both true Voodoo worshippers and Followers of Set go to great lengths to ensure that the corpse of any dead ally is destroyed in such a way that nothing can be learned from it through this method.
System: For this level of the path to work, the head of the dead person must be relatively intact; if it has been severely damaged, it will yield no information. Furthermore, the person must not have been dead for more than seven (7) days, for according to Voodoo lore, the soul does not leave this plane of existence until the end of the seventh day. Until then, the Lore states, it floats invisibly in the vicinity of the corpse, highly vulnerable to the powers wielded by those who know the path of Voodoo. In fact, a number of special Voodoo amulets are available to the families of deceased persons. It is said that if one is buried with such an amulet, the magick of the Voodoo Priests can never harm the deceased.
The Priest recites the Praise of Samedi and forcibly inserts his fingers into the back of the deceased's head as she gazes into its eyes. The Cainite rolls (Perception + Occult) against a Base difficulty of 7. For every second Day beyond the first that the person has been dead, this difficulty is raised by one. Thus, beyond the Seventh Day, this power cannot be used. Only two attempts can be made, one day apart. The number of Successes gained on the roll determines what is obtained, as follows:
| Successes | Result |
| 1 | The Priest gains basic details about the deceased, such as name, place of residence, age, job, images of his closest friends, etc. |
| 2 | Information on places where the deceased has been is revealed, as well as the faces of those he recently spoke with. The vision is usually somewhat hazy -- street names and house numbers will not appear clearly, but the image of a building the deceased physically entered while alive will. |
| 3 | The Priest gains the exact location, address and details (if known by the deceased) of places the deceased has been up to a week before his death, including names and facts about people he has talked with. |
| 4 | The Priest gains all of the above, as well as secrets that only a very close friend to the deceased would know. |
| 5 | At this ultimate level of spiritual connection (some would say rape), virtually all that the deceased knew in life is open and accessible to the Priest. The soul is laid completely bare for inspection, and anything the Priest desires to know of the deceased is forcibly taken. The Storyteller is advised discretion...simply because the information is available does not mean that Priest is able to absorb it all; something that took the deceased years to master would not be learned in a matter of moments. |
*** Summon Snakes: This power allows the Priest to summon all of the natural snakes in the vicinity. While this power does not place the snakes under the control of the Summoner, use of the other third level Step of this path, Control Snakes, will. The snakes called will move toward the place from which the Priest issued the summons, and will move in a fairly direct line unless stopped by obstacles. If the snakes come across an impassible surface or if their existences are threatened, they will "snap out of it" and resume their normal behavior, as they will once they reach the point where the summoner was standing when this Power was used. At this point, confused, they will usually attempt to leave. It is unlikely they will attack the Priest or anyone nearby unless they are stepped on, or the Priest Botched her Summoning roll. Remember that it takes a while for the snakes to arrive, and those who were further away take longer to reach the summoning spot than those nearby -- as they arrive, they awaken from the enchantment and try to leave, creating all sorts of turmoil. They must be Controlled as they arrive.
System: The Priest must make a (Manipulation + Leadership) roll against a Fixed difficulty of 7. Each Success grants a larger radius of effect. The chart below lists two circumstances; when the power is used in a city (where the response will be slim), or in the wilderness.
| Successes | Result |
| 1 | All summoned snakes within one city block, or half a mile begin to respond. Ghoul snakes are not affected. |
| 2 | All summoned snakes within two city blocks, or one mile, respond. Ghoul snakes are still not affected. |
| 3 | All snakes within five city blocks, or two and a half miles, respond. Ghoul snakes are still unaffected, though they will sense the summoning, and may be restless. |
| 4 | All snakes within 14 city blocks, or 7 miles, respond to the summons, including ghouls. |
| 5 | All snakes within 20 city blocks, or 10 miles respond to the summonds, including ghouls. |
Note: If the Cainite summons the snakes while standing in a crowded place, there is bound to be trouble. If many snakes answer the summons and attempt to move into a crowded area, they will feel threatened by the milling people and start biting. Given the variety of snakes that will appear, it is likely to assume that there will be a few poisonous ones, or ones whose venom, while weak, can cause death from several bites.
*** Control Snakes: With this level of the path, the Priest is able to control those snakes that she has summoned.
System: The Cainite must roll (Manipulation + Leadership) against a difficulty based on (10 - the number of successes rolled during the Summoning of Snakes). The Priest will then be able to mentally control the snakes for a period of ten minutes per success rolled with this power. Commands given must be very simple and mentally couched in a way that they are understandable to the snakes. Furthermore, commands must be within the physical capabilities of the snakes. Whether the snakes understand the order or if they are capable of executing it is determined by the Storyteller. Snakes will usually still withdraw from smoke, fire and other lethal situations, unless the Priest rolls Five or more successes to control them, in which event they would act without regard for their own safety.
**** The Curse of Samedi: This terrible and feared level of the Path of Voodoo grants the Priest the ability to kill his or her victims without actually being near them. However, the Priest must have inflicted or caused someone to inflict a wound on the target (i.e., caused a loss of Health levels) with a Ku-bha-sah (enchanted knife) for this to work. When this has been done and this level of the path is used, the victim begins to die of a strange, wasting disease that slowly, painfully destroys the blood and eventually kills him.
System: For this Power to Work, the target must have been Marked for Death with the Mark of Guede. The Ku-bha-sah that is used to wound the target need not necessarily be the one that was used to mark him, and the Priest need not personally be the one to inflict the wound. As long as the Ku-bha-sah was enchanted by the Priest for this purpose, it will work.
The Cainite makes a Spirit Lore + Intimidation roll against a difficulty of the victim's Willpower + 2. The number of successes indicates the number of Health levels that the victim loses. At this point, the blood of the victim has been corrupted, and filled with the energies of death. Kine will lose additonal Health Levels as a result of this, at the rate of one level per 12 Hour period as their blood is slowly destroyed and their body mummified. When the Kine in question has no more blood left, he dies.
Kindred targeted by this Curse suffer a somewhat different fate. Their blood no longer runs naturally in their bodies, but rather is stored, for purposes of maintaining their "dead" bodies and expending in the use of Vampiric Disciplines. When a Cainite has been cursed and his blood corrupted, when he uses a point of Vitae, he loses a point of Health -- no matter what the Vitae is used for. So attempting to heal using Blood will only uselessly burn blood. The Cainite will eventually be forced into Torpor. Drinking fresh Vitae to cure the wounds will only prolong the agony, as the new Vitae will slowly become corrupted by the "bad blood" in the Cainite's system, and the process will begin anew. The only way to stop this magical disease is to remove all the Vitae from the Cainite's body. While this effectively removes the disease, the Beast will surge forth in frenzy and perhaps place the Cainite in more danger than he faced under the Curse.
**** Create Zombie: This level of the path allows the Priest to create Zombies -- Corpse Minions, to the Tremere. These Zombies follow all the same restrictions and requirements of Corpse Minions. ** See the level 4 Voodoo Ritual: Create Zombie
System: The body must not have been dead for more than seven (7) days for this to work, and the Spirit of the Corpse must still be unclaimed by any magic or bindings. Standard path Willpower roll. The Storyteller is under no obligation to disclose why the Zombie does not rise if something happened to the Spirit; that is up to the Priest to discover. The ritual for Creating the Zombie must be properly performed before this level of the path is used.
***** Create Serviteur: This ultimate level of the path of Voodoo allows the Priest to create a serviteur -- in this case an animal or Kine possessed by a Spirit, and not just a helper or acolyte, which are also called serviteurs. These True Serviteurs are probably one of the most feared servants of the Voodoo Priest (this being a Houngan, a Mambo or a Bokos). They are possessed of supernatural strength and abilities, and have no fear. Even Cainites fear these creatures, as none of the Mental Disciplines, such as Dominate, Presence, Obfuscate, etc) work against them. To confront one is to fight a tireless robot of flesh that will not stop unless it is utterly destroyed. And to face several... even the bravest might quail before the rush of a host such as these.
System: The serviteur is a human or an animal, into whom the Priest binds a Spirit. This actually creates a lesser form of a Demon Bound creature; though weaker in most respects, they do not suffer the overheating problem of the Demon Bound, and so are more useful at times. If the use of this path is successful, the Priest is left with a very powerful and utterly controlled servant. It is a much better tool than either a nearly mindless Zombie or a Kine or Childer with independent thoughts.
For this power to work, the Priest must have previously marked the target who is to be turned into a serviteur for death with the Mark of Guede, as previously described. Once this has been done, and the target obtained and tied to a tabletop, the spirit of the target must be driven out of the body, a function that this level of the path performs, after an Extended, Resisted Willpower Contest (The Priest's Manipulation + Occult versus the Marked Target's Willpower). The winner of ten cumulative successes is the victor. This attempt can only be made once a night. The target may be drugged to lower his or her Willpower. Once successful, the cast-out Spirit usually dissipates or becomes a Wraith (at the Storyteller's discretion).
When the body is bereft of Spirit, but still living, the Priest must Summon and then again enter into an Extended, Resisted Willpower Contest with the Spirit to be Bound into the body. If the Priest loses the Contest, the Spirit flees and may not be re-summoned. If the Priest wins, she has overwhelmed the will of the Spirit and forced it into the living flesh of the victim, and created a True Serviteur.
A True Serviteur adds two points to all existing Physical Characteristics of the Man or Animal, has Four Additional Health Levels that cause no loss in Dice Pools. Most devastatingly, the Serviteur has the equivalent of Three levels of Celerity and Three levels of Potence. A common True Serviteur has a Power Pool of 15 Points from which to power it's equivalence of Disciplines. Serviteurs are capable of seeing in complete darkness, similar to the Protean Gleam of the Red Eyes.
The Spirit will continue to inhabit the host body until freed or the body is destroyed. The Spirit, like a Demon Bound, will not destroy the body on purpose. Unlike Demon Bound, True Serviteurs can speak, and many have access to the memories and abilities of the body they now inhabit. When away from their Master, and without instruction, they grow restless, and occasionally lapse into the persona and mindset of the former host body.