Hellhound

By Andrew Weitzman (aweitz@cam.org)

Compiler's Note

The author did not include a name for this discipline when he posted it to alt.games.whitewolf. It was originally written for a line of dog-vampires he never completed, so I grabbed the name "Hellhound" from the document's text. -BJZ

* Mark of the Beast

A Hellhound may secure its territory against routine threats via the application of mystical scent marks. Spraying minute amounts of vitae about the borders of its Domain, a Hellhound may invest these traces of blood with powerful emotional energies that deter predators and intruders. Any mortal animal will refuse to cross areas that have been Marked by the Beast; even supernatural predators, such as ghouled animals, must spend a Willpower point to ignore the intense fear the Marks generate.

The power has no effect on creatures of higher intelligence, as it plays upon the raw instincts of an animal. However, creatures with keen perception (such as Kindred employing Heightened Senses) can detect the foul stench of a Mark. Hellhounds who are members of the same pack as the Marker are unaffected.

A Hellhound can delineate an area about 30 yards in diameter with Marks without having to expend a Blood Point. Marking larger areas requires expenditure of vitae.

** Howl of the Hunter

A Hellhound may let loose a terrifying howl that can cow even the most intrepid of enemies. Rolling Charisma+Intimidation against the difficulty of the subject's Willpower, the banshee scream causes the target to freeze in terror and lose an action for a number of turns equalling successes rolled. Five or more results in a blind panic that sends the target of the Howl running as far away from the Hellhound as possible.

The Hellhound may also use it as a signaling ploy, allowing it to howl messages over great distances.

*** Bloodscent

If the Kindred are consumate predators, then Hellhounds are hunters par excellence. Use of this power allows a Hellhound to track her prey no matter how hard it attempts to evade her attentions. The Hellhound must have drunk at least one point of blood from the prey. Upon activating Bloodscent, the stalker will always know the general direction and relative distance between it and the target. This manifests as a vague awareness that strengthens when the stalker gets closer to its quarry.

Bloodscent only works for a night, and the Bloodpoint consumed must have been drunk the night of the hunt. As well, a Kindred who knows she is being hunted and is employing Obfuscate has a degree of protection. The Hellhound in this case must score as many successes on a Perception+Alertness roll as the level of Obfuscate employed.

**** Manspeech

This power enables a Hellhound to mimic human sounds and speech. A Hellhound with no Intelligence may use Manspeech to imitate human sound that does not involve intelligible speech. Laughs, cries, moans, and such may be duplicated with a successful Manipulation+Subterfuge roll.

Hellhounds with Intelligence may also, with the same power, speak in a human tongue they know on by rolling Intelligence+Linguistics. The degree of fluency depends on successes gained, but at no time can a Hellhound speak in anything more than a gruff and growling approximation of human speech.

In either use, the effects of Manspeech last a scene.

***** Barghest

The most feared of a Hellhound's powers. Upon expending three Blood Points, the Hellhound assumes the form of its legendary namesake. All Physical Attributes are doubled; the body gains twice the size and weight of the normal form, and a nimbus of pale blue fire plays over its pelt. This balefire makes all attacks by the Hellhound cause aggravated damage.

A Hellhound in Barghest form cannot disguise its true nature; all Social rolls automatically fail unless intended to intimidate or cause fear. Barghest lasts for a scene, after which the Hellhound loses half of all Dice Pools for the rest of the night.