Refer to the Book of Thaumaturgy (see also the Path section)
Compiled by Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunixacc.qc.edu)
Courtesy of: Oliver Cromwell (cromwell@cwu.edu)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This ritual allows the thaumaturgist to increase the volume of his or her voice. This increase can range from a shout to a bullhorn all the way to a deafening blast that can cause hearing loss and even physical damage. The caster must chant a fifteen second incantation and chew up the tongue of a crow. The tongue must have been previously enchanted during a fifteen-minute-long ritual in which the tongue is bathed in a mixture of belladonna and weak sulfuric acid. The effect lasts for one shout. The caster does not eat the tongue; the chewed-up slivers are sprayed out with the shout.
System: The caster rolls his or her appropriate skill (Acting, Oratory, Public Speaking, etc. + Stamina and consults the following table of Successes. A Botch indicates that the caster has lost the use of his or her voice for a length of time.
| 1 | One loud shout, of up to two words. |
| 2 | One loud shout, a full breath of words (spoken at normal speed), or a louder shout of two words (bullhorn level). |
| 3 | A loud, bullhorn shout of a full breath of words. |
| 4 | A painfully loud shout of one breath. All within 40 yards must attempt to soak 2 normal wound levels and may be temporarily deafened. |
| 5 | A shout so loud it can be heard for almost a mile, all within 40 yards must attempt to soak four wounds and most mortals will suffer permanent deafness. All within 80 yards will have to attempt to soak 2 normal wound levels and may be temporarily deafened. |
Open Sesame
Courtesy of: John Simeonidis (j_simeo@vega.concordia.ca)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This ritual requires sesame seeds that are enchanted in a twenty minute ritual, where they are steeped in a solution of olive oil and salt as the caster incants, then allowed to dry. When sprinkled into the keyhole of a metal lock (the lock must be a padlock, or separable from the object it is locking in some fashion, and must be metal) accompanied by a brief incantation, the lock may open. In this instance, a small lock is one weighing up to a half-pound, a mid-sized lock weighs up to five pounds and a large lock weighs up to twenty pounds. Locking devices larger than twenty pounds cannot be affected by this ritual.
System: The caster rolls his or her levels of Thaumaturgy + Perception and consults the following table of Successes. A Botch indicates that the lock has been jammed inside, and all future attempts to open it will be at -2 dice to the roll.
| 1 | The lock has been weakened, and it may be forced with an extra two dice added to the forcer's strength roll. |
| 2 | Small locks will open. Mid-sized locks may be forced with an additional two dice added to the roll. |
| 3 | Small locks will crumble. Mid-sized locks will open. Large locks can be forced with an extra die added to the roll. |
| 4 | Small and mid-sized locks will crumble. Large locks will open. |
| 5 | Small, mid-sized and large locks will crumble. |
Cast Thy Sight
Courtesy of: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
With this ritual and either a crystal ball or a wide, flat body of water (a puddle or a bowl would work fine, though unnatural surfaces such as mirrors cannot), a Magus can view distant events, places or people. Other thaumaturgists of rank II or higher, or mortal Psychics or Mages may detect this scrying (Contest of Perception+Occult to detect versus caster's Wits+Stealth to spy softly). Active Countermagick of any type prevents scrying, as does the presence of persons possessing True Faith. No sound can be heard, although lips can be read. Auras cannot be seen. The interior of relatively small enclosed objects (boxes, safes, people) cannot be viewed. Concentration is required; loud noises or interruptions will either require a willpower roll with an appropriate number of dice lost from the pool, or will simply break the caster's concentration.
System: The casting Magus must enter into a light trance and concentrate on the water, while murmuring a fifteen-second incantation and passing her hands over it a series of circles. After a successful willpower check, the Magus can either send her sight to a place she can clearly visualize or she can move it from her current point of reference, flitting it about as though from a flying perspective, sending it down pipes, through open windows, doors, etc. In either instance, the Magus must make a willpower check (or spend a willpower point) every half-hour beyond the first to maintain her concentration. Failure means that she has lost focus and must rest for an hour or so before continuing. She can force herself to continue without resting, but she must make an initial willpower check with -2 dice to her roll and every roll thereafter. A botch on either the normal roll or the forcing roll indicates that the Magus has developed a splitting headache (caused by a disruption of the energies of the mind, not of the body, thus Kindred are affected) and cannot continue that evening. In fact, the Magus will be at -2 dice to all actions for the rest of that night, or at least for several hours. In any event, the caster cannot scry for longer than one hour for every dot of stamina she has without taking an hour to rest. No blood points are required, and the Magus need only maintain her concentration to scry. The Magus, at her will, can spend a Blood Point to cast a slightly blurred version of the Vision of what she is seeing upon a reflective surface, such as another basin of water, or a mirror. This other surface will continue to display the visions for an entire Scene unless the Magus ceases concentrating.
Cipher of Vitae
Courtesy of: DataWolf (datawolf@inconnu.org)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This ritual can be, and often is, used between Chantries for the delivery of messages that are not important enough for the use of direct mental contact, yet require security. It has a number of other uses as well. Cipher of Vitae is somewhat similar to the old practice of writing messages on paper with milk or lemon juice. In that instance, when the paper is heated over a flame, the writing would become visible. For this ritual, the juice of poke berries mixed with a point of either the caster's or another's vitae.
System: The message is first written on virgin paper. When complete, a series of incantations are begun that end with the writing fading from sight. Another message can be written in a more mundane fashion on the other side of the paper to help disguise the nature of the page, or simply left blank. The message is completely undetectable by physical means until the paper is touched by the person whose blood was used in the ink, at which time is becomes visible again. Anyone using Auspex level II and getting 4 or more successes will see a dim magical aura about the message, though it cannot be read.
Perceive the Umbra
Courtesy of: Thomas Jensen (tj@hum.auc.dk)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This ritual allows the caster to peek into the Near Umbra in his immediate location (this range can be extended if used in conjunction with the Ritual of Casting the Sight). He will be able to see spirits and other beings either native to or traveling through the Near Umbra surrounding his area.
While doing this, the caster enters into a trance-like state, completely unaware of events taking place around his physical body. If he has not taken protective measures, he will be unable to defend against either physical menaces or creatures from the Near Umbra (i.e., Garou) detecting the caster's presence and emerging to see what is causing it.
System: The caster must prepare for this ritual by incanting the names of the Archangels in Latin while painting a Thaumaturgic Triangle surrounded by a Circle upon the floor with freshly drawn Kindred Vitae (this process requires one blood point's worth), from which point s/he cannot step without breaking the Circle and requiring it to be redrawn. Once the Circle has been laid, the caster will close his eyes and focus his will. He must roll Perception + Spirit Lore against a difficulty determined by the level of the Gauntlet in the area. The more successes, the better the caster will be able to perceive the Umbra. Supernaturals (Kindred, Garou, Wraiths, Changelings, and Mages) in the Umbra near the caster when the ritual is in effect have a chance (Perception + Alertness against a fixed difficulty of 8) to realize something odd just happened in their vicinty (a feeling somewhat akin to one's neck hairs prickling); exactly what has causes this, they probably will not know, as the caster presents no visible aura or shape as he views. It is not likely they will investigate by dropping to the normal world, but the possibility remains that they may choose to do so, just to be sure.
Sense the Supernatural
Courtesy of: Thomas Jensen (tj@hum.auc.dk)
This ritual allows the caster to sense whether nor not any other Supernatural (Kindred, Garou, Wraith, Mage or Changeling) is in the immediate vicinity. It may also at times give a general indication of the target's direction, if there is only one Supernatural in the vicinity.
System: The caster must smear her eyelids with fresh Kindred Vitae, as well as the palms of her hands. Holding her hands outstretched, the caster must close her eyes and roll Perception + Occult versus a difficulty of 7 (unless the target is magically or spiritually protected). One success will alert the caster to a Supernatural Presence (beyond his or her own). Achieving one or more 10 (complete successes) will give the caster a rough idea of what direction the target is at (at that precise moment -- they may be moving), but not knowledge of what the target is. Five or more successes not only exactly pinpoints the current location of the target but gives the caster the knowledge of which type of Supernatural it is (assuming the caster knows of the type detected); one dot in the appropriate Lore is required or the caster has no idea what the results mean (she doesn't know they exist, or anything about them if she does).
Mark of the Mistress
Courtesy of: Deirdre Brooks (xenya@teleport.com)
This five-minute-long ritual leaves a mystical mark or symbol upon the target individual, in a place determined by the caster, that any Kindred can see. If the recipient of the mark is attacked or harmed in any way, the caster knows something happened and where the recipient is. This ritual was originally created by a non-Tremere thaumaturgist to keep track of her Brood.
Tongue of the Spirit
** See the Thaumaturgic Path of Voodoo
Courtesy of: Thomas Jensen (tj@hum.auc.dk)
This ritual enables the caster to communicate on a very basic level with the spirits of the dead, as well as weak spirits of the Loa. The caster can only ask very simple questions to the spirits. The spirits are under no compulsion to tell the truth, and may not know the answers in any event. The caster can contact either spirits whose name they know, or the spirits of corpses which are found. This ritual does nothing if the spirit no longer exists, is bound or is not within ten miles of the caster.
System: In case of an unknown spirit to be summoned, the caster must be in possession of the head of the spirit's corpse. Having the head of a known spirit lowers the difficulty by one. If the caster is in possession of the entire corpse, his difficulty is lowered by one in the case of an unknown spirit and by two in the case of a known spirit. Spirits which exist but have been spirits for several centuries will be at a +1 difficulty to summon for every century since death. The caster must draw a circle around the site of contact -- a circle which has a diameter of at least three feet -- and inscribe the the thaumaturgic Symbols for Fire, Water, Earth, Air, and Ether at their correct positions around the circle. In the center of the circle, the Veve of Guede must be drawn; if part of the body or the body itself is available, it must be placed in the circle and the Veve of Guede drawn on top of it and blood (human blood, but not the caster's) sprayed over the remains to give the spirits the power to manifest and to talk. If the body is buried beneath the circle, a hole must be dug through the Veve of Guede and blood poured into the hole. When this is complete, the caster must position himself outside the circle and chant "The Song of Returning Spirits" (See the thaumaturgical Path of Voodoo) which will take two hours to complete. The completion of the ritual demands the expenditure of 5 blood points. The Vitae must be human, but never the caster's -- or the spirit will possess the caster!
Roll Perception + Occult against a difficulty of 5. The number of successes determines the number of minutes the spirit will stay. If the caster wishes the spirit to stay for an extended period of time, he must spill forth an additional five blood points of human vitae. The spirit will then stay for an additional number of minutes equal to the number of successes originally rolled by the caster. The summoned spirit will feel compelled to answer the caster, but the Storyteller will decide whether or not the spirit either knows the information desired and/or is willing to share this information. All questions must be phrased in a very simple fashion.
The Rune of Vigilance
Courtesy of: Yann Golanski (ymg@ukc.ac.uk)
This ritual requires approximately an hour for an experienced caster. It allows the caster to prepare a small vial of Vitae, which, when painted upon a wall or other flat object in the form of a thaumaturgic Rune (betokening Vigilance), approximately three inches high by three inches wide, will slowly fade to match the color of the object upon which it has been painted. Any individual passing within a meter of the rune will trigger it, and the caster will instinctively know which Rune was triggered. Since the rune has no mind, it is unaffected by Obfuscate. The caster may have as many Runes active as she has ranks in Thaumaturgy. The Rune can be perceived by someone ooking carefully about or with Auspex as a Perception roll with a Base difficulty of 7. This is modified by the Storyteller based on location; a Rune upon a door at eye-level is much easier to perceive than one hidden on the underside of a desk drawer.
Disaffection of Agonies
Courtesy of: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This ritual acts in a simple manner, yet can be very helpful and effective in certain circumstances. With it, a Magus can create nerve blocks at certain locations in his body, blocking or minimizing sensory input from digits, limbs or even the entire body. This is extremely valuable in a situation where one has been injured, or needs to deliberately injure himself (such as in the Casting of the ritual of Rutor's Hands). Indeed, a Kindred that has suffered heavy, painful, crippling wounds may still manage to function and flee to safety through the virtue of this ritual keeping back the red flood of pain. This ritual takes approximately five minutes to cast, and requires a short length of wood for each limb or section of the body to be affected (a strong toothpick will do in a tight spot). The short sliver(s) of wood is held in the Magus's mouth in a special fashion, pressed against the roof by the tongue. The Magus must hum softly, while concentrating (Willpower roll, difficulty 4 + 1 for every level currently wounded). Once the sliver has been prepared, it will change color, to a glistening light green. The converted sliver must then (within five minutes) be thrust deeply into flesh at the joining interface (to numb a hand: at the wrist, a forearm: the elbow, an arm: the shoulder, the legs: the hips, the body: the neck). The effect will last for either one day or until the sliver is removed, at which time sensation will slowly and agonizingly begin to return. The limb will not be fully restored to sensation for at least half an hour. Note that a numbed limb is fairly useless unless the Magus has extensive experience in manipulating his or her limbs without virtue of sensation (very rare... i.e., past victims of leprosy that either survived or were embraced might have this skill). Thus, a Magus who was injured to Crippled as a result of an explosion that tore shrapnel through his legs would still only be able to crawl -- but would not suffer from the effects of the mind-numbing agony associated with the horrible wounds, and, once calmed, would not suffer the additional risk of frenzy. However, since the Magus determines the level of the nerve block, he can set it so that some minor sensation is still received -- as though the limb had fallen asleep, were they still mortal. It would respond poorly, but might still be able to be used in an emergency.
The Creation of Gregor's String
Courtesy of: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This ritual takes a short length of string or twine, perhaps no longer than a foot (1/3 meter) in length and two to four millimeters in thickness, and imbues it temporarily with a bit of the Magus's life essence (one Blood Point is expended in the casting of this fifteen-minute-long ritual). The caster can then mentally command the string, as long as it is in sight, to slither along, like a snake or worm, wrap around objects, tie itself or untie itself, retrieve small items and the like. The string has a strength of zero -- it can barely move itself. It is incapable of even throwing a light switch. However, it could laboriously retrieve a ring, if it was not too heavy. Note that the string must be composed of material that was once alive, such as cotton or hemp. The ritual otherwise has no effect. It is an interesting ritual that was developed by a young Magus upon his entrance to the Neonate's Sixth Circle of Mystery. He later continued in this vein with the level 3 "Gregor's Rope", some hundred and twenty years later, a much more useful ritual. The enchantment of the string lasts for approximately (15 - Generation) Hours.
Courtesy of: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This ritual allows the Magus to store quantities of blood for extended periods of time without worrying about it losing its ability to nourish. Since the Kindred is really after the life force contained in the vitae and not the liquid itself, it is necessary to keep the vitae in a suspended state, in which it does not decay. This twenty-minute ritual acts to prevent the life force from escaping the fluid through enchantment of the container. The container must be of heavy, dark glass, with a wax seal. This wax must be made by the Magus, and must contain a quantity of Kindred Vitae, which lends it a reddish hue. One blood point of Vitae and a block of wax makes enough for two bottles, each containing no more than six blood points (pints) of vitae (if human -- less if animal). The bottle is filled with the fresh vitae and the ritual is begun; after twenty minutes of incantation and tight concentration by the Magus, the seal is affixed and the liquid enters a state of stasis. It will not slosh about inside the bottle if shaken, and appears frozen. If the bottle is broken, the liquid will resume it's normal state. Note that this ritual can be used to preserve any liquid, such as milk, tea, wine, etc. The temperature of the liquid remains constant -- if the ritual was performed on a bottle of hot tea, the tea would be just as hot when unstoppered a year later. The outside of the bottle is always cool and slick to the touch. The wax seal can be easily broken with a fingernail. Underneath it is usually a cork. Once the seal is broken, the ritual's effect abates, and the bottle quickly either warms or cools to match its contents. This ritual will last up to a century or more, depending on the conditions of storage -- if the wax decays or corrodes, the ritual effect is lost. Thus, being stored in a dry place, such as a desert, will give a longer "shelf life" than in a humid jungle environment.
The Gaze of Erzulie
Courtesy of: Thomas Jensen (tj@hum.auc.dk)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
** See the Path of Voodoo
This ritual calls for the caster to expend 2 Blood Points of Vitae, bled into a bowl and mixed with a number of dried and crushed plants associated with potence and love, including Ginseng and Amaretto. The Magus must then draw the Veve of Erzulie (in her aspect as the Loa of Love) on his forehead and above his heart. Several other symbols of love and potence must be drawn on various mentionable and unmentionable parts of the body over the course of the next hour as the caster chants in a steady rhythm. At the completion of the symbols and the chanting, the Magus places two small rubies over his eyes and speaks the final words of the ritual, to which he has been slowly building over the past hour. With a shiver, the rubies and symbols disappear.
The Magus can now, within the duration of that evening, use the "Gaze of Erzulie" at will to make a person (Supernatural or Kine) fall in love with him. The Magus must make eye contact and concentrate, and the pent-up power of the ritual is released in a heavy rush. To other watchers, it seems that the Magus's eyes flare a deep, ruby-red for a half a second.
System: The Magus makes a (Charisma + Leadership) roll against a difficulty of either the target's Willpower (for Supernaturals) or Willpower -2 (for Kine). If a botch is obtained, the target will know something was attempted, and will feel unreasoning anger towards the Cainite. Indeed, she may attack, with the mindless, enraged intent to kill. If less than three successes are gained, the target will be attracted to the Magus, although it will not be an overriding compulsion. All charisma-based rolls will have their difficulties lowered by one, and the roleplay of the conversation and interplay should reflect an interest. If the Magus is a boor, a snob, or is offensive, this feeling will rapidly fade. However, if three or more (3+) successes are obtained, the target enters into a state which is very similar to the emotional dependency experienced during a Blood Bond; the target will be fascinated by the Magus, and will want to spend time with him, to get to know him, to be with him and by his side. This feeling lasts until something bad happens to the target that might "snap her out of it" and she makes a Willpower roll versus a difficulty of 8. This difficulty is lowered by one for each of the following conditions: The Magus is physically distasteful/disfigured, physically or verbally abusive, uncaring of the target's needs, has revealed his Vampiric Nature, or has committed distasteful or frightening acts in the presence of the Target.
The Tongue of Damballah
Courtesy of: Thomas Jensen (tj@hum.auc.dk)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
** See the Path of Voodoo
Snakes can communicate in a very limited fashion, and this ritual allows communication with them. The Magus must have the tongue of a Boa Constrictor in her possession, and it must be washed over with a full point of the caster's Vitae while the Magus chants for a full two hours, carefully scratching the Veve of Damballah into the surface of the wet tongue with her nails. At the completion of the ritual, the caster places the snake tongue on top of her own, where it sticks tightly until removed. With this tongue in place, the caster will be able to communicate with all snakes within earshot. The caster, unfortunately, cannot converse verbally (writing is still fine) in anything save "snake" while the tongue is in her mouth, and once removed, the ritual is broken. Normal snakes obviously cannot carry on conversations, however, danger signals can be given, as can cries for assistance. This ritual comes in handy when attempting to discuss things with ancient Snake Spirits, those who have never bothered to learn the Tongue of Man.
Taint of the Sabbat
Courtesy of: Thomas Jensen (tj@hum.auc.dk)
This ritual enables the caster to sense whether or not a target has taken part in the Vaudlerie. The thaumaturgist may also be able to sense how strong the individual ties are to others (the Vinculum rating), depending on his number of successes.
System: A blood point of the target's vitae is required for this ritual. During the hour-long casting, the thaumaturgist (or a willing participant, knowledgeable enough to participate in the ritual) drinks the blood. For the remainder of the night, the imbiber is able to, upon making eye contact with the target, rolle Perception + Sabbat Lore versus a difficulty of the target's Willpower rating.
If the eyes of one of the Sabbat involved (possessed of Vinculum ties to the target) are crushed and her inner juices added to the vitae to be drunk, the difficulty drops to 2, regardless of the target's Willpower rating, unless it is lower than two already.
Severance of Thaumaturgy
Courtesy of: Thomas Jensen (tj@hum.auc.dk)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This ritual was originally designed to be used against the ritual of Illumination of the Trail of the Prey. However, it has other applications. As the name of the ritual would indicate, it acts to disrupt the workings of active thaumaturgical rituals. It can be used to break or disrupt nearly any thaumaturgical ritual up to level II, such as Trail of the Prey, Defense of the Sacred Haven, Wake with Morning's Freshness, etc. In most instances, unless forced by the parameters of the ritual to maintain concentration, or able to immediately see the result, the caster whose ritual effect is disrupted is unaware of it.
System: For attempting to Sever an existing, static ritual effect, the caster of the ritual must roll her Intelligence + Occult against a base difficulty of 6. This difficulty Rating is modified upwards by 2 for every level Higher than 1 that the ritual being affected is; thus a level 2 ritual would have a difficulty of 8, and a level 3 a difficulty of 10. The number of successes gained is rolled against in Contest by the ritual being disrupted, using the original caster's Perception + Occult against a fixed difficulty of 7. If the Severance ritual gains equal or more successes than the original ritual, it succeeds, and the original ritual ceases to function. Thus, a Trail of the Prey ritual would lead a tracker up to the point where the Severance had been cast, and the trail would dead-end there. The range of this spell (i.e., how far the caster can be from the target of the ritual (i.e, from the windows that Defense of the Sacred Haven had been cast upon) is five feet multiplied by the caster's level of Thaumaturgy. For those attempting to Sever an Active thaumaturgic ritual (i.e., one which requires the original caster to maintain concentration during the effect), the two opposing thaumaturgists must make an extended contest of Thaumaturgy + Willpower, each one's successes taking away from the other's, until one achieves a total of five successes. The loser may, at the Storyteller's discretion, lose a point of temporary Willpower as a result. The loser cannot attempt to break the spell again for at least a minute or two.
The Zone of Secret
Courtesy of: Thomas Jensen (tj@hum.auc.dk)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
Obfuscate is not available to all, and is often an envied Discipline to possess. This ritual is an attempt at duplicating some of the effects of Obfuscate. With this ritual active, you can conduct a private conversation with all other sounds being shut out and all sounds within the zone kept in (producing a hollow, echoing tone to the spoken word -- letting participants know the ritual is working). Movement within the Zone is slightly blurred to outside observers; attempts at Lip Reading will fail. Should this ritual be cast in a dimly lit area, an effect similar to the Cloak of Shadows will be cast across the participants, rendering them difficult to perceive without Auspex.
System: The caster must roll Manipulation + Stealth against a fixed difficulty of 6 for the Zone not to be flawed (which will allow sound to leak out). The Zone has a base diameter of 5 yards, but can be controlled to be smaller by the caster. It will last approximately 15 minutes per success, or until dispelled (at will).
Leary's Purification
Courtesy of: C.S. Jackson (csj2053@utarlg.uta.edu)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This ritual has its roots in the ritual of Purification of the Flesh, but is much more complex. Some call it the Purification of the Blood, and in that, the slang is aptly named. Although this ritual only requires level 2 in the path of Blood Thaumaturgy to learn, it requires level 4 in the path to have a chance of using it properly. This ritual allows the caster to inwardly condense from his or her tissues and inner blood all biological and/or mystical impurities (such as infectious diseases, the effect of Blood to Water, etc), pulling them together into a single pint (point) of Vitae over the course of fifteen minutes, at the end of which the contaminated Vitae is violently spewed from the caster's mouth, along with two other pints (points) of Vitae, washing the mouth and throat clean.
System: This ritual is physically punishing; the caster must make a Stamina + Occult roll against a Base difficulty of 6 plus 1 for every Blood Point used since contracting the contagion. Should it happen that this raises the difficulty above 10, the infection is so far reaching and deeply spread that this ritual will be unable to correct it. The caster loses four blood points whether the ritual is successful or not, but these do not count towards raising the difficulty. This ritual can be used on another, but with a fixed difficulty of 10 and, on mortals, its use causes three wound levels plus 1 wound level per success rolled. Thus, in this, the cure could be worse than the disease.
| 1 | Removes normal bacterial and parasitic infections: Mononucleosis, blood flukes, trichnosis, heartworm, syphillis, etc. | ||||||
| 2 | Removes viral infections: HIV, Hepatitis, etc. | ||||||
| 3 | Corrects the effects of Blood Altering Disciplines | ||||||
| 4 | Removes the effects of the Vaulderie* (the Sabbat Pack Blood Bond) | ||||||
| 5 | Breaks a Blood Bond* |
| 1 | Same Room |
| 2: | Same Building |
| 3: | City Block |
| 4: | Ten City Blocks |
| 5: | Anywhere within a City |
Shaft of the Rose
Courtesy of: Joseph D. Carriker (oakthorne@hotmail.com)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
Using this ritual, a thaumaturgist can create a magical weapon. A hardened wooden stake of oak or ash, up to two feet in length is taken, and, in conjunction with an intricate incantation, is wrapped with several plaited thorny stems of roses and slowly painted with a concoction composed of a pint (point) of the caster's Vitae, twenty powdered black rose petals and one ounce of black orchid pollen. After approximately two hours of this, the caster must incant a command phrase, upon which the stake will suddenly turn totally black, like polished ebony. The vines will sink under the surface of the wood, as though it were black water. If the stake is broken in half (no small feat, as it is now around four times as strong is it was before), it can be seen that they lie close to the surface, and that the black alteration of the wood is actually strongest at the core.
Note that if used without the thorned stalks, this ritual is an excellent way of strengthening wooden supports and/or objects. If used in conjunction with the ritual of Preservation of Wooded Objects, items can be crafted in wood and then modified through Thaumaturgy to serve as though they were made of metal. The term for this modified and strengthened wood is "Black Ironwood."
When this weapon is used, it acts as any other stake would, granting no special bonuses to the wielder. However, when it hits and pierces a Kindred heart, it suddenly sprouts large, wicked barbed thorns of the same black material as the stake along its forward length. These thorns pierce the heart and surrounding flesh, firmly anchoring the stake in the victim. It can be pulled out, if with difficulty and terrible consequences; three successes on a Strength roll against a difficulty of 9 are required, and this will invariably rip out the heart of the Kindred, causing Final Death. Only two things can remove the enchanted stake -- the command phrase, which causes the thorns to retract (the stake is reusable), or painstaking surgery, requiring a total of three successes in an extended roll against (Wits + Medicine) against a difficulty of the stake's creator's levels in (Wits + Occult). Each roll required is an hour's worth of surgery, and each time the surgeon rolls, she inflicts one wound for each success less than the needed total she makes. This damage cannot be soaked.
Vitriolic Vitae
Courtesy of: Deirdre Brooks
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This ritual requires an hour or more to complete, and the caster must drink a small quantity of powerful acid, which causes two aggravated wounds and renders the caster temporarily mute (at least two hours). The caster's blood will then become poisonous to other Kindred for a duration of the caster's levels in Thaumaturgy worth of days. Any who drink of the caster's blood during this time will swiftly take three wound levels per blood point taken, and the blood that was taken is unusable. If the caster's blood is spilled, it will foam and bubble upon objects as if it were acid, using the same rules for damage as mild acid.
The Singing Harp level
Courtesy of: Deirdre Brooks
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This intricate ritual allows the caster's instrument to be enchanted to play itself as if the caster were playing it. It can be enchanted with a number of musical pieces equal to the caster's rank in Thaumaturgy. It will commence to play one of it's selections at the mental command of the caster, and will continue to do so until either mentally commanded by the caster to stop or physically touched by someone. The instrument must be painted along its length in Kindred Vitae with certain symbols, linking it to the mind and spirit of the caster. These painted symbols slowly fade after the casting until they are nearly the same color and shade as the instrument. If the instrument with this ritual enchantment still in effect upon it is destroyed by fire, the caster will take one aggravated wound level that cannot be soaked with Fortitude.
Enchantment of Vestments
Courtesy of: Deirdre Brooks
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This ritual is relatively quick, only requiring half-an-hour for a practiced Magus to cast. It requires a gold-plated needle and a spool of fine silk thread. It will transform any set of clothing into any other set of clothing, within a reasonable range. If the original clothing is damaged, the changed one will be completely mended (some of the silk thread disappears from the spool when this happens). Some things, such as gold thread and filigree, cannot be formed in this fashion unless a small quantity of gold dust is sprinkled onto the clothing before the ritual is begun. Large amounts of metal buttons would likewise require a small chunk of metal to be placed atop the original clothing.
Shielding the Dazzled Eyes
Courtesy of: Deirdre Brooks
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This three-hour-long ritual enchants a pair of sunglasses, which must be the type with metal frames and glass lenses. The lenses of the sunglasses need to be dipped in a thin solution made from a blood point's worth of Kindred Vitae mixed with a gill of benzene and a pint of glycerine. At the end of this ritual, the glasses will have a thin, clear film on both the front and back of the lenses. These sunglasses need not be worn to be effective, merely carried upon one's person, no farther than three inches from the flesh. While a Kindred (any Kindred) possesses these sunglasses, he is not subject to sensory overload from the increased sensitivity given by level I Auspex. Everything is crisp and clear to the Kindred's gaze, and too-bright spots are softly muted by the enchantment. If the glasses are broken or exposed to sunlight, they cease to function. The same pair may not be re-enchanted.
Kiss of the Angel
Courtesy of: Datawolf (datawolf@inconnu.org)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
With a goodly amount of concentration (a Willpower roll), and the internal expenditure of one blood point prior to feeding, the caster of this ritual enhances the ecstasy of the Kiss as experienced by the Vessel. If the Kiss is normally an overwhelming rush of pleasure, it becomes transcendent, an indescribably potent sensation that may leave the Vessel sunk in a dazed, grinning stupor for hours afterwards. If the Vessel is mortal, the number of successes on a Manipulation + Empathy roll determines the level of rapture. If the Vessel is one of the Damned, the number of successes is the number of dice subtracted from any rolls, Physical or otherwise, attempting to resist the feeding. The extent of rapture may induce visions in the Vessel, the nature of which depend largely upon the Vessel's nature (i.e., a Priest would feel as though he had been touched by the very hand of God, etc). This ritual is used by many Kindred to enhance the loyalty of their herd, as it amplifies the already intensely addictive nature of the Kiss to a nearly unbreakable hold. Victims must make a Willpower roll against a starting difficulty of 5 after each feeding (the difficulty increases by 1 with each successive feeding). On a failed roll, the Victim develops a powerful psychological addiction to the Kiss. While a feeding by any Vampire will temporarily satisfy the inner craving, the Vessel will increasingly desire the effect of this ritual, and will associate it with the Kindred with whom she experienced it. Kindred of Humanities higher than 7 should require a Humanity Loss roll if they use this ritual to bind a Herd more tightly to themselves. Of course, strictly speaking, maintaining a Herd is in violation of a strict interpretation of the Oath of the Tremere, but some do it anyway, especially with rituals like this one, that act to increase their safety. An analysis of the blood of the Vessel up to a full day per success on the Rapture level roll after feeding will reveal unusual endorphins and strange, organo-molecular compounds in their bloodstream. Electroencephalograph (EEG) scans will show high residual activity in the pleasure centers of the brain, and unusual patterns in other regions.
The Bite of the Demon
Courtesy of: Datawolf (datawolf@inconnu.org)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
With a goodly amount of concentration (a Willpower roll), placing a piece of toxic herb such as nightshade or hemlock beneath her tongue and the internal expenditure of one blood point prior to feeding, the caster of this ritual turns the ecstasy of the Kiss into a hell of pain and terror within the Vessel. The caster must make a Manipulation + Torture (or Intimidation, Storyteller's decision) roll against a difficulty of the Willpower of the Vessel. The number of successes, when used on a mortal, indicates the level of terror and agony suffered, ranging from extreme discomfort and pain to a virtual Hell of mental and physical agony that could well drive the mortal insane. A mortal will be sick for many days afterwards, shivering and weak. If the Vessel is one of the Damned, the number of successes is the number of dice subtracted from any rolls, Physical or otherwise, attempting to resist the feeding. When used against mortals, casters of this ritual with Humanities higher than 6 will require a Humanity Loss roll due to the cruelty required to inflict such merciless pain.
Licking the wound closed after feeding with this ritual requires at least one success on a Dexterity + Medicine roll. The skin around the area of the bite will still bear a rash which is oddly similar to the bite of a mosquito, though much larger. A toxicologic analysis of the blood of the victim will reveal numerous natural organic toxins in the bloodstream, slowly being filtered out by the liver.
The Voodoo Doll
Courtesy of: Thomas Jensen (tj@hum.auc.dk)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
** See the Path of Voodoo
This ritual gives the caster access to one of the most feared powers of the Voodoo Priests -- the Voodoo Doll.
To make a doll, the Magus must gather a number of very special things: a special wax made from human fat, bone dust mixed with the powdered leaves of three secret plants, the finger bones from a human hand, black chips from a stone found laying at a crossroads for the eyes, a point of Vitae mixed with charcoal to form a slurry, hair from the head of the intended victim and more.
While forming the doll from the collected ingredients, the caster must chant in a slow, rolling monotone, a specific chant dedicating the doll to Papa Legba and Erzulie. This takes four or more hours of painstaking work. At the completion of the ritual, the caster must engrave the doll with the Veves of Papa Legba and Erzulie -- in her aspect as the Loa of Revenge -- and expend two Points of Willpower, concentrating fiercely on the intended target. The doll will shudder and grow warm -- and it will be active.
At this point, the doll can only be used to inflict minor damage and excruciating torments upon the victim. The caster can pierce the doll with ritual needles, made from silver, thus causing the target, however distant away, immense pain (the loss of 2-4 dice from any rolls reflects this) for a number of hours. The pain feels as though someone is cutting into the target with red-hot knives. These pains, however, are not lethal in and of themselves.
For real damage to be inflicted by the use of the doll, it must be further enchanted, a step rarely taken for the magic that must be used is the very blackest. Another two hours of chanting are required, dedicating the doll and the torments that it will inflict to all the evil forces of the sky and world, of the pits and darkness. During this frenzied chanting and impassioned dedication, the active doll must be kept in a circle drawn with chicken blood. The caster must wash the doll in a basin containing a full five points of his potent Cainite Vitae -- every drop of which will be absorbed by the doll, which will change from the sort of yellowish-white of the human fat to a glossy, heavy purplish-black. It will now weigh as much as the doll and the basin of Vitae did, combined. It will feel slick and oily to the touch, although nothing will rub off. Its little stone-chip eyes glitter evilly in the half-light. Casters of this dark section of the ritual, knowing its purpose and consequences, must make Humanity loss rolls if his Humanity rating is above a 5. The caster holds the doll, and concentrating on the target's features with all of his might, expends two Willpower Points, strengthening the mystic link between the doll and the target. This process must be repeated once more the following night, during which the other half of the dark spirits and Veves of Black Magick are inscribed into the now nearly living flesh of the doll. Thus, with a total of ten blood points of Vitae, and four Willpower Points, the Magus now has an object that is spiritually and thaumaturgically linked to the target -- damage inflicted upon the doll will now be reflected, to a greater or lesser degree, upon the target. For example, if a hot needle was placed against the arm of the doll, to hiss and sizzle, the target would scream in agony, a blistering welt rising on the affected arm. However, if the arm of the doll was cut off, while the arm of the target would go limp and useless, and she might black out from a wave of pain and nausea, sensation would eventually return.
Sadistic and evil Cainites often use this doll to torture their victims into nervous breakdowns, wracking spasms and eventual slow, lingering, painful death. The mind and body can only take so much.
Making of a Blood Rose Gem
** See the Path of the Blood Rose
Courtesy of: Aimee Cohen (mbkqc@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
A suitable cut crystal (either a ruby or a fine rose quartz) must be obtained, no larger than one carat in size. The gem must be purified by an overnight bath in vitae, either mortal or Kindred, to wash out any unwelcome psychic resonances. Cleansed, the purified gem is brought together and coated with the Blood Rose Mixture (see the Path of the Blood Rose - only those Magii who know this path can prepare this mixture) as the Magus incants a complicated series of injunctions in Latin. Over the course of an hour, the gem slowly becomes imbued with the power of the mixture coating it, lending it a dimly pulsing inner fire. Depending on the quantity of the mixture the gem is sitting in during this process, it can be imbued with up to ten (10) blood points' worth of energy. This gem can then be set into a ring made of platinum or gold, with the inner band being inscribed, amongst other things, "For the blood of the Rose" in Latin.
To use such a gem or ring, a Kindred would merely touch the jewel to a point near their heart and murmur, "For the blood of the rose", to release the blood energy as follows:
System: Roll one die, and the number that comes up is the number of blood points of energy that is released into the Kindred. The Gem can discharge once a turn.
Once the gem is exhausted, it can be re-imbued up to twice more. At the exhaustion of this cycle, it disintegrates.
Courtesy of: Thomas Jensen (tj@hum.auc.dk)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
** See the Path of Voodoo
This ritual allows the Magus to call upon the help of Grans Bwa -- the Loa of the Forest. Many wielders of Voodoo have used this ritual to escape from their enemies. The Magus must take green, living branches, leaves, straw, berries and similar things from the forest, braiding them in the shape of the Veve of Grans Bwa. While braiding, the Magus must chant for a full two hours, and at the end of the braiding and chant, he must wash the Veve in two points' worth of his Cainite Vitae. With this done properly, the braid will remain fresh and usable for an indefinite period of time, perhaps centuries (which is why some Houngans and Mambos carry several seemingly fresh braids of this type on their person all the time). When the time of need is at hand, the braid is thrown to the ground in the Forest (it is useless anywhere else) by the caster (and only by the caster) and the name of Grans Bwa is invoked. The forest around the Cainite will seem to awaken -- wherever she goes, branches, roots and undergrowth will move out of the way, allowing the Cainite to run at full speed through a fairly dense forest, in near-complete darkness. Pursuers are not quite so lucky. Branches seem to almost lower themselves to obstruct movement, roots place themselves in the path to be tripped over, thorny bushes seem to drag more tightly at their flesh and both the ground and the grass fail to properly hold the footprints of the caster. The ritual Severance of Thaumaturgy must be used to stop this. Alternately, if the pursuers possess one of these braids, they can make a similar use of it, in which case neither party would be hindered by the forest they were charging through.
The Creation of Zombies
Courtesy of: Thomas Jensen (tj@hum.auc.dk)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
** See the Path of Voodoo
The dreaded undead servants of the Voodoo Priests, the Zombies (aka Corpse Minions) can be created through this tightly-kept ritual. The caster must have available to him or her a body, dead no longer than seven days. The body must be placed inside a circle drawn with a mixture of blood from a goat, dust from a cemetery and the powdered body of a special poisonous tropical fish. The ritual also requires three hours of chanting and hand movements, during which Guede and his servant Baron Samedi are called upon to favor the caster with success, and to grant the caster control over one of their subjects. While chanting, the caster must inscribe the corpse with the Veves of the two Loa and the dreaded runes of Black Magick, as well as spray the blood mixture out towards all four corners of the world -- in honor of Papa Legba, the Lord of the Ways.
Once this ritual is completed and the Path of Voodoo's level four Measure, the Creation of Zombies, is excercised, the eyes of the corpse should open, and it will rise to do the bidding of the caster. The Zombie will have all its traits halved from what they were when it was alive -- except the physical attributes of Strength and Stamina, which are doubled. A Zombie will only be able to do what it is told to do by the caster. It will function until it rots to pieces or is damaged beyond the ability to move. For even though the forces of Black Magick animate the corpse, it will still decay at the normal rate of a dead body. It fears nothing, never tires, and only dismemberment or utter destruction will stop it. It can soak normal wounds with its Doubled Stamina.
The caster may destroy the Zombie through the simple expedient of throwing a handful of bone dust upon it and shouting out the names of Baron Samedi and Guede backwards. This will only work for the caster.
Bond of the Rose
** See the Path of the Blood Rose
Courtesy of: Aimee Cohen (mbkqc@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
Create a Rose Gem, using the third level ritual, using only the petals of three blood roses and one pint (point) of your own vitae. This gem must be set into a bracelet of platinum or gold that has been carefully inscribed in Latin with the names of the major Archangels and the words, "For the Rose Bond" and enchanted using an intricate series of incantations over the course of an evening. A full four blood points of the caster's vitae must be spilled and absorbed into the material of the bracelet during this enchantment. When it is complete, the vitae appears as a beautiful, translucent, cherry-red enamel on both sides of the bracelet, shot through with veins of gold or platinum from the engravings beneath.
When this bracelet is placed upon the wrist or arm of a Kindred, it will extrude thin spikes of metal down, into the flesh of its wearer, and rapidly pump in the altered and enchanted blood contained within the bracelet, using the energy in the Gem to power the spell. If the hapless victim of this attack is of lower Generation than the caster, he will be instantly blood bound to the caster. The bracelet will lose it's enamelled appearance, becoming a simple band of platinum or gold, set with a gem. Odds are the Blood Rose Gem will have been completely discharged by the activation of the bracelet, but there may be some energy still left in it.
The Rose Homunculi
** See the Path of the Blood Rose
Courtesy of: Aimee Cohen (mbkqc@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
Modified By: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
With this complicated and exhausting ritual, a Rose Gem is created, as per the third level ritual, and further enchanted in a several-hour-long process which requires seven blood points and seven crushed roses of a type specified in the path of the Blood Rose. The caster must know the ritual for creating Homunculi (Soul of the Homunculus), as several key facets of it are incorporated into this ritual. When this ritual is finally complete, the Rose Gem will have been transformed into a crystal that superficially resembles the type produced through the ritual Principal Focus of Vitae Infusion. However, when a Kindred places it in his mouth, the blood that bursts from it will collect at the back of the throat. The mass of blood will begin bubbling as its protoplasmic form takes on the shape and form that the spell extracts from the mind of the Kindred. After about a minute, the Kindred's mouth involuntarily opens wide, and the Homunculi plops forth, coated with blood and mucus. As is illustrated in the Tremere Clanbook, the Homunculi are usually anthropomorphic; that is, while they superficially resemble tiny animals, they have human-like aspects, such as features, arms, legs, etc. Homunculi created with this ritual are the same as, and are subject to, all the rules governing the keeping and aspects of Homunculi, except that neither the caster nor the Creator in this instance requires the permanent loss of a digit.
The Promethean Sphere
Courtesy of: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This fifty-minute-long ritual allows the Magus to maintain a sphere of very warm (80 degrees) air around her person, in the coldest of temperatures. Thus, a Magus may traverse icy wastes that would otherwise have rendered her body immobile. The sphere also works in water, but it takes a good deal longer to warm its contents as opposed to air; furthermore, the Magus will be hindered considerably by the presence of the Sphere in water -- it will cause a good deal of drag, slowing all purposeful directional movement (forward, back, etc) by the Magus to 1/2 normal underwater rate. Currents, on the other hand, will have a much greater effect, as they will push against the larger volume of water contained within the Sphere, and will drag the Magus pell-mell at 2x the normal rate s/he would otherwise be affected. Note that the Magus will not feel these currents in the water about her. Physically, in air, the Sphere is invisible. It is visible underwater as a slightly luminescent bubble about the Magus. To objects and persons passing through the Sphere towards or away from the Magus, it feels like a gossamer membrane that presents slight resistance, then allows passage. It provides no protection against attacks, only cold. The Sphere costs one blood point of energy for every two hours in air, and two blood points for every hour under water. The Magus must possess and keep upon her person a small crystal sphere with a bubble of air at its very center.
The Binding of Demons
Courtesy of: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
At times, it is required that Masters of Thaumaturgy make use of Spirits from the Deep Umbra. These creatures are often known better as "demons". While the Tremere Oath forbids trafficking with them, or making pacts, it does not forbid ruthlessly bending them to one's will, and forcing them to do your bidding.
Through the use of this ritual, which involves the expenditure of four Blood Points of Vitae, and the invoking of most of the Major Arcanum of Spirits for the creation and empowerment of a number of interlocking Circles of Protection, the Magus can enter into a Willpower Contest (as per the normal rules) with a Summoned Entity (Summoned using the path of Spirit Thaumaturgy) with a bonus of +1 die to his overall roll. This is dangerous! If the Magus wins the contest, he will have control over the demon and can force it to obey a number of commands. If the Magus loses -- the Demon can actually begin to attempt to break free, and forceful measures must be taken to banish it lest it get free and wreak havoc on the caster and any others nearby before departing back to the Deep Umbra. Even after it has been successfully mastered, after obeying a number of commands, it will attempt to once again break the Magus's hold on it. Another Willpower Contest will be required.
Countless spirits from the Deep Umbra are weak, and easily bent to one's will... but there are others, vast creatures whose names are best left unspoken, entities from before the dawn of Man, or the coming of Caine... some that are said to predate worlds; if one was so foolish enough to seek one out and summon it, woe betide him. Never again would he be seen again... but his hellish shrieks of agony would resound for millenia across the nameless gulfs of the Abyss that is the Deep Umbra.
This ritual is best used after one has found a number of weak demons, and is familiar in their summoning. It is advised that the Magus return them to their own plane as soon as possible, as they are dangerous not only to the Magus, but to the Masquerade as well.
Shaping of Kine
Courtesy of: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
Magii who possess this ritual require Medicine at rank 5 to be able to use it to its fullest potential. With this ritual, a Magus can take a pregnant human female and slowly alter the growing child within her in a variety of ways. Deformities can be added or taken away, gender changed, bone structure enhanced or atrophied. A Magus can thus bless or curse Kine under her domain by ensuring healthy, strong children, or weak, stricken ones. While it only takes one moment to curse, or damage the child, a Magus who takes the careful time to bless and gently develop a growing child to its fullest potential (requiring five hours a week of examination and physical contact with the pregnant Kine, every month, until term, beginning in the first three months of pregnancy) will result in the birth of a mortal who will have a natural base of 3 or even 4 dots in every Attribute, as opposed to the 2 dots comprising a "normal" level of ability. Unfortunately, despite being strong, handsome, smart and healthy, such mortals can never have a Humanity higher than 7 at the utmost. They are usually predisposed to be cruel, arrogant and domineering, and will naturally become so unless raised in a very gentle, pleasant environment (i.e., Buddhist Monk). It is reputed that a number of Ventrue have been raised from birth in this fashion, destined to be embraced, but that the practice rapidly died out when the false rumor was circulated that the Tremere could magically manipulate these altered mortals or Kindred from afar, as their puppets. Mortals who have been shaped in this fashion have a life expectancy of approximately 100-120 years, barring disease or accident. Some of these traits are passed on to their children, but gradually die out and revert to the dominant, natural traits of the line. Gregor's Animation of Plants
Courtesy of: Darrell Benvenuto (benvenut@qcunix.acc.qc.edu)
This is a potent and complex ritual, requiring the resources of either a well-equipped personal laboratory or that of a mid-sized Chantry to cast. Numerous objects and instruments are required, and the casting itself requires several hours of exhaustive concentration and the expenditure of five blood points of life essence. The Magus must make a roll of (Thaumaturgy + Science) against a base difficulty of 6 for a small plant, increasing by 1 (and costing an extra blood point) for each step upwards in size of the animated plant to a difficulty of 9 for the very largest. A failure indicates that the entire ritual must be recast, as it failed to take properly with the plant. A botch indicates that the plant either dies or animates, and refuses to obey commands. It may attack the caster(s), attempt to flee, or do nothing.
With this ritual, the Magus can enchant and alter the very essence of nearly any plant up to ten feet tall and ten feet wide, including small trees, hedges, etc. The plant becomes capable of motion -- it can laboriously trundle along by shifting its wide-spread roots (the smallest moving around 3 mph/6 kph, the largest half that). Its limbs, on the other hand, are much quicker -- it can snap out and strike or wrap around targets in an eyeblink. The limbs usually grow sharp, thorny spikes. The largest ones have a reach of ten feet or more, and can deliver four dice of normal damage with a brutal slash of them or three continuous dice of damage if it grapples, entangles and squeezes. The plant becomes carnivorous -- in effect, vampiric. It no longer requires sunlight to nourish and sustain itself, but rather blood. Indeed, it will shrivel rapidly and die if exposed to sunlight. Its intelligence is limited, but it obeys mental commands exactly, with no disobedience. It will normally limit itself to birds, squirrels, dogs, cats, racoons, opossums... i.e., small animals, but unless commanded otherwise, it will attack and obtain larger prey, including humans. It flushes pinkly after having fed, and leaves drained carcasses where they fall, unless commanded to bury them. It makes a terrifying and effective guard, for despite its inability to Dodge, it is difficult to destroy except by fire or sunlight, both of which are anathema to Cainites. It will quite willingly drain a Cainite intruder dry, forcing him into an Incapacitated state, but since it does not inflict aggravated wounds, it cannot kill him. Unlike a Cainite, the plant can exist for an entire week on a single blood point.
While these plants cannot reproduce, they can grow; assuming a steady supply of blood, over the course of hundreds of years, small plants will eventually grow to medium, large, huge and beyond...
It is rumored that over the course of centuries, these plants actually begin to develop intelligence on the level of that of human, but it has never been demonstrated. The very largest and oldest ones are barely as cogent as a moron. Their reserves of blood are dependent on the size of the animated plant -- the largest have a blood pool of 15, and the smallest sort have a reserve of only 1. Unused blood in a victim that is not absorbed by the plant (blood pool is temporarily full) will be run out into the ground around the struggling victim so that it can be retrieved by the plant's roots later, or, if instructed, the plant will release them, still bleeding, to make his escape. In this manner, the plant can maintain a full blood pool and only feed once a week or so, allowing the injured animal to escape, to either heal or die elsewhere. The plant can soak normal damage, and the largest ones are reputed to be able to soak some aggravated wounds, in addition to being sheathed in a thick, tough bark that acts like armor. Note that this plant can cause trouble unless it is set to guard a remote or thinly inhabited area. Neighbors get very upset when their pets turn up missing or limp back home, bleeding. And when small children start vanishing...
It is easy to see why plant guardians of this type are not permitted (Council Edict) to be placed within Cities or in areas nearby where Kine reside. The danger to the Masquerade is simply too great. If a botanist were to get his or her hands on one of these plants...
These plants exude an extremely powerful Wyrm taint, and look/smell horribly wrong to Garou. Keeping them in outdoor areas will only lead to their rapid destruction as well as bringing packs of Garou sniffing around to see if there are any more Wyrm-tainted things in the area -- and Cainites fall admirably well into this category.
| Strength | 1 | Stamina | 1 | Brawl | 1 | ||
| Dexterity | 1 | Wits | 1 | Alertness | 1 | ||
| Blood Pool | 1 | Slash Dmg | 2 | Squeeze Dmg | 1 |
| Strength | 2 | Stamina | 2 | Brawl | 2 | ||
| Dexterity | 2 | Wits | 2 | Alertness | 2 | ||
| Blood Pool | 5 | Slash Dmg | 3 | Squeeze Dmg | 2 |
| Strength | 3 | Stamina | 3 | Brawl | 3 | ||
| Dexterity | 3 | Wits | 3 | Alertness | 2 | ||
| Blood Pool | 10 | Slash Dmg | 3 | Squeeze Dmg | 2 | ||
| Fortitude | 1 | Armor | 1 |
| Strength | 4 | Stamina | 4 | Brawl | 4 | ||
| Dexterity | 3 | Wits | 3 | Alertness | 2 | ||
| Blood Pool | 15 | Slash Dmg | 4 | Squeeze Dmg | 3 | ||
| Fortitude | 2 | Armor | 2 | Intelligence | 1 |