It is in many ways much like Thaumaturgy, in that it has many separate divisions of the actual discipline. The differences are, however, profound. Elementalism has no rituals, no rites as part of its makeup. It relies not on using outside power to make an effect, but on the user knowing the way of the world in order to effect it. The separate areas of Elementalism, known as The Ways, build upon the previous ways, each branch of knowledge providing a basis for learning remaining ways.
In game terms, the possessor of Elementalism must first advance to at least the third level in any Way before they may start on to one of the next ways. [For instance, a beginning Kindred user of elementalism has 1 point in Elementalism, and 1 point in the Way of Earth. She must learn 2 more points of the Way of Earth (still with 1 point of Elementalism) before she may spend experience to buy another point of Elementalism, at which point she also gains a point in the Way of Air.]
A starting character can start with either the Way of Earth or the Way of Air. From there he can advance according to his choices and the restrictions given in the individual Ways.
System: By making a Perception + Earth roll, she may gain the sensory input from the stone around her.
Successes | Distance |
1 Within | 1 metre |
2 Within | 5 metres |
3 Within | 10 metres |
4 Within | 50 metres |
5 Within | 100 metres |
The difficulty depends on the type of material that is being attempted to be read. Earth and natural stone is difficulty 6, concrete and man-made stones are difficulty 8. The perception extends out of thestone to a limit of 1/3 of a metre.
In addition to the success-range limits, the earthen material being read must be contiguous. Ie: if using a concrete building, just the building may be read, not the surrounding footpath, etc. If reading a boulder, then the earth surrounding the boulder is not included in the effect.
On Per + Earth roll (diff 9), an earthmelded Kindred may be sensed (but not affected in any way).
They may cause a rock to melt and run like water, pits to open up in front of their enemies, or command the marble top of a tomb to flow out of the way to give them a temporary Haven. (Of course they need to move it back again before sun-up).
System: By spending a blood point, the vampire using this ability may command stone or earth to alter in shape in any way. He cannot destroy or create the earth. To determine how successful the effect is, the Kindred must roll Intelligence + Earth (diff 6 for natural stones, diff 8 for man-made substances).
Successes | Area effected |
1 | Approximately a cubic meter |
2 | Closet worth |
3 | Room worth |
4 | Factory worth |
5 | Most of a mountain. |
Each manipulation can cause one effect only. (e.g. to cause stone to flow away from a place and then flow back is two actions and requires two blood points.
She may see the location that she wishes to create the earth, and it must rest upon something solid, (i.e. its not possible to create rocks in mid-air). It is however possible to create the stone around an object, or even a person. It is not possible to create stone other than granite, or similarly natural stones. Gemstones cannot be created.
System: The Vampire using this ability must spend one blood point to invoke this power. In addition to this, she must decide ahead of rolling for successes how much earth she wishes to create. If not enough successes are gained, then nothing happens at all. Excess successes also have no extra effect. Roll Intelligence + Earth against difficulty 6.
Successes | Effect |
1 | Approximately a large bucketload. |
2 | Approximately one cubic metre |
3 | 2 cubic metres |
4 | 5 cubic metres |
5 | 10 cubic metres |
6 | 50 cubic metres |
System: Invoking this ability is quite trying to the Kindred attempting it. In addition to spending a bloodpoint, she must also spend a Willpower point to summon the spirit.
Each time the Kindred gives a command to the elemental, he must roll his willpower at a difficulty of 7. Only one success is needed for the command to be obeyed. Problems occur when the roll is failed or botched.
If he merely fails the roll, then he must immediately make another roll to regain control (willpower, difficulty 8, three successes needed). If this is failed then the spirit breaks free of the Kindred's control.
If the command-willpower roll is botched, then the Kindred suffers an immediate loss of 1 permanent willpower (as is usual for willpower rolls), and the spirit immediately breaks free.
What happens when an elemental spirit breaks free is up to the ST. It may simply leave the physical form it was ordered into and depart, it may attack the Kindred, it may wander off in its physical form. (Earth Elemental: Str 6, Dex 2, Sta 6)
The Vampire may take on the appearance of a natural boulder, or of a statue, or even of a stone wall (albeit a small one) and once assuming this shape the Kindred is immune to fire and sunlight, as well as being staked. She is however immobile unless she transforms to flesh and is vulnerable to being smashed as would be a normal stone object. A Kindred in this state may sense her surroundings using any sensory abilities she may have, including Earth Sense and Auspex.
System: Invoking this power requires the expediture of a single blood point, whether to become stone or to become flesh. Once in this shape she cannot move without transforming back to flesh (very painful in sunlight). This includes the spending of bloodpoints, other than the one necessary to revert to their "natural" shape.
In order to mimic a particular object, she must make a Manipulation + Subterfuge (why? who knows. If you can think of a better one...), and the accuracy of the copy is dependant on the number of successes (use the success table for obfuscate or viccisitude).
Once in the Stoneform, the vampire's Stamina is raised by 3 extra dice for soaking purposes.
System: The Kindred must roll his willpower, at a difficulty of 6. Each success he achieves on this roll negates one health level of damage. (Slows his fall so as to effect this.)
System: The Kindred spends a point of blood and makes a willpower roll to irritate and yet control the winds around herself. Each success increases the difficulty of all thrown and projected missile attacks (knives, arrows, etc, but not firearms) against the user or anyone withing 10ft of her by one. The distractions also reduce the dice pools of anyone inside the storm by one (except for the user).
Using this part of the discipline, the vampire may step off the side of a building and simply float in midair, or activate his power and draw his legs up to float in lotus.
Given enough ability, the Cainite may change his weight, or slowly rise into the air rather than hovering.
System: The player rolls willpower against a difficulty of 6. The degree of effect is dependant on the successes gained.
System: The player makes a willpower roll. Success indicates they have achieved flight, the number of successes determines he maximum speed (10 feet per turn, per success).
Each time the Kindred gives a command to the elemental, she must roll her willpower at a difficulty of 7. Only one success is needed for the command to be obeyed. Problems occur when the roll is failed or botched.
If she merely fails the roll, then she must immediately make another roll to regain control (willpower, difficulty 8, three successes needed). If this is failed then the spirit breaks free of the Kindred's control.
If the command-willpower roll is botched, then the Kindred suffers an immediate loss of 1 permanent willpower (as is usual for willpower rolls), and the spirit immediately breaks free.
What happens when an elemental spirit breaks free is up to the ST. It may simply leave the physical form it was ordered into and depart, it may attack the Kindred, it may wander off in its physical form. (Air Elemental: Str 5, Dex 5, Sta 3)
The distances can be judged exactly by the Kindred and will work in darkness, or if the Vampire is blind. There is a range of 20 feet when this power is used in air, but this is increased 100-fold when the he is underwater. One disadvantage to this power is that those who may be able to sense these sounds, like individuals with Auspex, or Garou, will be able to 'home in' on the vampire, after a length of time (depends on distance), if the Kindred keeps using this power.
This weather has little affect except to conceal the Kindred. However, if a fog is called, it has the additional effect that any being tracking the Kindred or sensing them, loses 2 additional dice to roll.
This power may be used to allow Kindred to walk across water, or to allow others to walk across the water, by altering the surfacetensions on the top of the liquid.
If the command-willpower roll is botched, then the Kindred suffers an immediate loss of 1 permanent willpower (as is usual for willpower rolls), and the spirit immediately breaks free.
What happens when an elemental spirit breaks free is up to the ST. It may simply leave the physical form it was ordered into and depart, it may attack the Kindred, it may wander off in its physical form. (Water Elemental: Str 5, Dex 3, Sta 5)
System: The Kindred using this power must overcome his natural fear of fire and look into the flames and make a Willpower roll. A failed roll costs one WP, on a successful roll the user knows how the fire will spread or grow, what it is feeding on and how to slow it down, stop it or make it grow.
System: The Kindred using this power must spend one Blood Point and make a Charisma + Occult roll (Dif=7) each success changes the intensity of the fire by one step on the following chart:
Match
Lantern
Torch
Fireplace
Bonfire
Small Room
Large Room
Building
Fireball/Conflagration
System: The Kindred must make a Willpower roll (Dif=6) and expend one blood point. The size of the fire produced depends on the number of Willpower successes, as per the "Lure Of Flames" Thaumaturgical Path.
System: The Kindred spends one turn immobile and makes a Manipulation + Subterfuge roll (Dif=8) and each success creates a partial image out of the wavering heat that suddenly surrounds the Cainite. Attacks against the user of the discipline are at +1 difficulty for every alternate image. These alternate images dissapear one per turn until they are all gone, or the Cainite restarts the power.
The elemental may be commanded by the Kindred to perform simple tasks, such as igniting flammable objects.
System: Invoking this ability is quite trying to the Kindred attempting it. In addition to spending a bloodpoint, she must also spend a Willpower point to summon the spirit.
Each time the Kindred gives a command to the elemental, she must roll her willpower at a difficulty of 7. Only one success is needed for the command to be obeyed. Problems occur when the roll is failed or botched.
If she merely fails the roll, then she must immediately make another roll to regain control (willpower, difficulty 8, three successes needed). If this is failed then the spirit breaks free of the Kindred's control.
If the command-willpower roll is botched, then the Kindred suffers an immediate loss of 1 permanent willpower (as is usual for willpower rolls), and the spirit immediately breaks free.
What happens when an elemental spirit breaks free is up to the ST. It may simply leave the physical form it was ordered into and depart, it may attack the Kindred, it may wander off in its physical form. (Fire Elemental: Str 3, Dex 6, Sta 5)
If one ability is invoked while another is being used (such as, Shadow Touch is used while using Shadow Eyes) but the second test is a normal failure then that indicates that the force was insufficient to cause the desired effect while a botch will require a concentration roll ( Self-Control - Difficulty 7 ) for the shadow to continue its existence.
System: Manipulation + Investigation Difficulty 5
System: Dexterity + Alertness Difficulty 5
System: Strength + Brawl Difficulty 7
System: Manipulation + Subterfuge Difficulty 7
System: Manipulation + Subterfuge Difficulty 9
System: Willpower roll. Lasts one scene as long as the Elementalist concentrates.
System: Elementalist rolls Charisma+Linguistics Dif=6 or Spirit's Rage. Each success allows the elementalist to converse with one nearby spirit for one round.
System: The spirit and elementalist make an opposed willpower roll' if the spirit wins it is free to leave and the Elemetalist loses one temporary Willpower to feed either the spirit's Willpower, Rage or Gnosis.
System: Summoner rolls Charisma + Occult (Dif=7). Each success lends the spirit corporeal existence for a certain period of time.
1 success | 1 turn |
2 successes | 5 turns |
3 successes | 20 turns |
4 successes | 1 Hour |
5 successes | 1 night |
The spirit/soul has the same Health Levels and stats as it possessed in life. It returns to the spirit realm when reduced to Incapacitated or when the duration ends.
System: The Elementalist must spend 1 Willpower and rolls Strength + Potence (Dif=Gauntlet -- but most Kindred do not understand the gauntlet very well), and then tears a hole in reality to the Umbra beyond using his sharp implement (claws work well, although ritual knives were more common and the occasional broadsword was used). The Elementalist then walks through next round. By spending additional willpower the Elementalist can keep the tear open for one additional person per point of WP spent. Returning from the Umbra is automatic for the Elementalist from the Near Umbra, but anyone in her company has to hold her hand or be stuck.