Imagicia

By J.D. Simmons (jsimmons-der@worldnet.att.net) and Collin Steele for the Children of the Night

Description

Imagicia is a new discipline which only the Children of the Night can learn, for it feeds off their bizarre naïveté and childlike imagination.

* Innocence

The character calls upon a child's innocence and turns himself into the epitome of innocence and childishness. The targets find herself entranced by and pitying the character.

System: The vampire simply rolls his Charisma + Empathy ratings against a difficulty equal to the targets Self Control +3 (never higher than 10). Only one success is necessary but each additional success makes the effect more powerful. The target is overcome and ceases any attack, verbal or physical, upon the child for the remainder of the scene. She is simply overwhelmed by the helplessness of the character and cannot bring herself to attack him. If the target is attacked or sees an attack coming, the effect wears off instantly and the target can face the assault with a -1 modifier to all dice pools for that turn.

Note: In the event that the target has some sort of extreme dislike for cute things or children in general or she has a Via/Road that is too low or too evil, this discipline will instead cause such a character to enter a frenzy until the successes are done, or the character is dead.

** Call the Mother's Instincts

This is like Innocence, but stronger. The vampire actually forces the target's natural parental instincts to surface, and the subject deems the vampire as one of his own children/childer. The target will actively defend the child, and treat her like his own as long as he is affected. This power is one of the reasons the Children were able to gain so much knowledge. They found quite a few overindulgent "parents" who were more than happy to teach their "children" some new tricks.

System: The vampire spends a blood point and rolls her Manipulation + Empathy against a difficulty of the target's Willpower + 4 (no more than 10). For every success, the target will guard the vampire, though he will not risk his own life, from any danger for one scene. The Storyteller decides the how he acts; five or more successes means the target may be permanently affected.

Note: This discipline can backfire very viciously. Just because the target must act like a parent, doesn't mean he is nice. If the target is cruel by nature, he may very well be abusive and hurt the character to "teach her a lesson."

*** Bauble

Children always have the weirdest stuff in their pockets. With this discipline, the character can create small lifelike toys. The toys can be of anything: a doll, a crystal ball, or more practical things like a wooden dagger (for playing), or an all metal dagger (Str+1), or a quill. However, it may have no complex moving parts and it is composed of one material, and the material has to be appropriate for the object: no sulfur dolls! So the doll could not have button-like features, unless it is made of the same material as the doll itself.

System: Spend a blood point, and roll Wits + Crafts. The more successes, the better the quality.

**** Imaginary Friend

The vampire summons an imaginary friend to join him. This friend is kind, understanding, usually something of an idol, and will always be the same (except under circumstances below).

System: The vampire spends a blood point and rolls Charisma + Empathy at difficulty 9; only one success is necessary. The friend cannot really interact with the real world, is visible to all who can see chimera (i.e., Changelings and enchanted mortals) and can speak freely to the vampire who summoned them. The friend will act favorably to the child and will help him out, unless the child makes it mad. If the child angers the friend it will either leave or begin to torment the child and make bad suggestions ("No really, burning your house down will make mommy forget the mudpie incident!") and the children are apt to believe them, for awhile anyway. The Storyteller creates the friend. The chimera can perform all sorts of cartoonish stunts, but none truly mess with reality. This discipline is for those who are bored or lonely, but can be used as a very convenient spy. When used, this discipline will always summon the same chimera. With a Charisma + Empathy roll (difficulty 8) the character can allow another child to see the friend. An adult can not see the friend, with the exception of Changelings. If you have Changeling, consider the friend a level 2 chimera that looks like a person. Also, the vampire has no Glamour and can not see chimerical sight or any other special changeling chimera faerie reality things; this chimera is an exception. If you don't have Changeling, just create a personality and appearance; it cannot affect the real world.

***** Disappear

If I can't see you, you can't see me. The character covers her eyes with their hands, closes her eyes tightly and says "What you can't see, can't hurt you. I can't see you, so you can't hurt me," then give the person a raspberry. She will immediately become invisible, and insubstantial.

System: The character says the line above and keeps her eyes covered with her hands. As soon as this happens, she can use any supernatural senses to know what's going on around her, but if she uncover her eyes, she reappears. As long as the character's hands are over her eyes, nothing (including sunlight and fire) can hurt her. If the sun does come up, the vampire must make all the normal rolls; if she goes to sleep her hands will probably drop away from her face and the sun will probably get her. The Storyteller decides how this sort of thing resolves based on circumstances.

****** Dream To Life

Anything the vampire imagines can come true. The imagination will manifest itself in the world like it had been born and raised/created there.

System: The vampire spends a blood point and rolls Wits + Occult against a varying difficulty depending on the complexity and believability of the event, and requires one to five successes, depending on the situation and the likeliness of this occurring. Then, whatever image is his main mental focus becomes reality. It could be a monster, a Ventrue swearing fealty to him, or him appearing out of nowhere and pressing a dagger into the throat of an enemy. For example, if you are wearing a coat and picture yourself drawing a dagger that isn't there in real life, the difficulty would be three (because who knows there isn't a dagger there) and would require one success. Whereas making a Ventrue swear fealty to you would be a difficulty 10 (we all know how stubborn those damn Ventrue are) and five successes (what are the chances of this guy just suddenly swearing fealty to you?).