By Ian Turner (iant@wpine.com)
A Conjured item cannot be of greater mass than the conjuror. Once conjured, the object lasts for a single scene or until destroyed by any force that could normally destroy such an item, dispelled by another conjuror (see Reverse Conjuration) or willed out of existence by the creator. The item must appear within arms' length of the caster. Similarly, he cannot will it to disappear if he leaves the vicinity, although it vanishes automatically if he suffers Final Death.
With the expenditure of a Mental Trait and a Blood Trait, the conjuror can make a Simple Test to create any item that he can envision in his mind. If he fails the Test, the object appears, but is obviously fake or flawed in some way. An object conjured with this power cannot have moving parts or any sort of fine detail work.
Permanence
By expending one Willpower Trait the conjuror can attempt to make a conjured item remain indefinitely, not just for the duration of the scene. He must make a Simple Test to succeed, if he fails, the item is not made permanent and he must expend another Willpower Trait if he wishes to try again. Note that an object made permanent will not vanish if the creator attempts to will it out of existence or suffers Final Death.
This power acts as Summoning the Simple Form in all but the following: it can create decorated or complex items as long as the user has an appropriate skill to bid in lieu of a Mental Trait. Firearms could be bid to create a handgun, Melee to create a broadsword, Security to create a lock or alarm, etc. In a pinch, Repair could be bid to create almost any mechanical device.
Reverse Conjuration
The user can make a Mental Challenge versus the summoner to dispel any conjured item. If the item is permanent, the challenger becomes aware of it immediately and can choose to expend a Willpower Trait to be allowed to proceed, or can end the challenge at that point having only expended the initial Mental Trait.
This power acts as Summoning the Simple Form, except that it creates a living being for the scene and costs 3 Blood Traits. If the Simple Test to create it is failed, the creature is deformed or, worse, uncontrolled. Permanency will only make the creature last as long as it is fed a Blood Trait every night. Skipping a single night's feeding will cause it to die and wither away at night's end. These simulacra, whether humanoid, animalistic or totally fantastic in appearance will have no minds of their own and know only what their creator programs them to know.
With a Simple Test, the user can see and hear events that have occurred in the past around a still body of water. On a failure, the user must bid a Mental Trait if she wishes to try again on the same evening. Otherwise, this power acts similarly to the Auspex Discipline of Spirit's Touch, but requiring a still body of water in the area.
Flowing Wall
This power enchants a body of water with the ability to ward off any sort of supernatural creature, whether Kindred, Garou, Wraith, Changeling, Mummy, Mage or even Ghoul or Kin-folk. The enchanted water's surface will resist any attempt to penetrate it with as many Traits as are placed within it (the Traits can be Mental, Physical and / or Social) by the caster and the effect lasts until the next dusk or dawn (about 12 hours), during which time the caster will not be able to use the Traits sacrificed to the water unless she uses Willpower or other means to recover some or all of them prematurely. Mortals, animals and non-magical items can pass through the water's surface unhindered. The water will lose Traits if penetrated just as a Kindred failing a challenge would and will fail completely if it has no Traits left to bid.
The user can make a challenge using her Mental Traits versus the victims' Physical Traits and if successful inflicts a single Health level to a mortal or destroys one Blood Trait in a Kindred.
For each Mental Trait bid after the first the caster can attempt a Simple Test to destroy another Health level or Blood Trait, but the Mental Traits must be bid before the challenge is made, meaning that all the bid Traits must be lost if the initial Challenge fails.
Jail of Water
By expending one Blood Trait the user can cause a body of water of at least equal volume to the victim to rise up and envelop her. The water attacks as the casters Mental Traits versus the victims Physical Traits and if successful, restrains (and drowns, if mortal) the victim. A victim with Might, Swiftness, Rapidity and / or Fleetness may re-test as appropriate, but otherwise remains helpless and at the casters mercy for as long as she maintains the effect.
The mechanics of this ability are identical to those for Dehydrate; a Challenge of the caster's Mental Traits versus the target's Physical Traits with the caster bidding as many Mental Traits in the attack as damage she wishes to potentially inflict. The main difference is in the effects as each success inflicts the loss of one Blood Trait and one Health level to a Kindred target and even a single success will kill a mortal who does not receive immediate hospitalization (although those who can heal the damage in the same scene in which it was inflicted will survive). This damage can be healed as Aggravated damage by Kindred, Garou or Ghouls.
This power requires a normal Mental Challenge and, if successful, curses the target so that the caster can force him to make a re-test at any later time whenever he succeeds at any challenge in the caster's presence. Upon the initiation of the Mental Challenge, the caster can choose to bid multiple Mental Traits, and if successful in the initial challenge will be allowed to make a Simple Test for each Mental Trait bid over the first. For each of those Simple Tests that he makes he can force an additional re-test in the future. Of course, all the Traits bid are lost in the case of failure. Multiple re-tests can be used in the same challenge.
Spirit Eyes
The caster becomes capable of seeing spirits whenever he wishes. If the spirit possesses some form of defense against detection, a Mental Challenge may be required. Otherwise the power is automatically successful whenever the caster states that he is searching for spirits. Any spirit seen can be communicated with normally, once it is seen by the caster it will become audible to him as well (if it chooses to speak), although the caster will not be able to see, hear, etc what is going on in the material world at the same time and is quite vulnerable to surprise. With relevant skills, such as Spirit / Wraith Lore, Underworld Lore, etc the caster will be able to identify most spirits seen.
Once a spirit has been detected with the previous power the caster can attempt a Mental Challenge to control it. If successful, the spirit can be forced to perform one task. If failed, the spirit is free to attack or (more likely) flee.
Fetish
This power requires the expenditure of a Blood Trait and a successful Mental Challenge to use, but forces a spirit losing the challenge to inhabit an object of the caster's choice. While within the object the caster can call upon the spirit to answer questions or even exercise its abilities at his will. Note that many spirits will have no abilities of any use in the material world.
This power acts like the Advanced Auspex discipline of Psychic Projection (Masquerade, 2nd Edition, p. 56) except that the user must expend a Blood Trait to activate the power.
The caster can expend a single Mental Trait to gain three Physical Traits for the duration of the current scene. These Traits should be replicas of Traits already possessed; a Lithe, Quick and Wiry Tremere is not going to be able to add Brawny x3. The Miscellaneous Physical Traits, such as Athletic, Energetic, Steady, Tenacious or Vigorous are also allowable options.
Wooden Tongues
By expending a Mental Trait and making a Simple Test, the caster can speak with any inanimate object. An inanimate object will freely answer any questions, but the ST will have to determine what it knows about the subject. Asking a bullet what it hit, what sort of gun fired it and who loaded it into the gun are appropriate questions. This power is a form of Spirit's Touch and is not meant to imply that everyday items in the WoD have senses, awareness or memories. If the Simple Test is failed, another Mental Trait must be bid to try again.
This power allows the caster to animate an object no larger/heavier than herself. Each use of this power animates one object (although a bucket full of sand or a puddle could count as an `object' for these purposes) with the expenditure of a Mental Trait. The object remains animate and follows the caster's wishes for the remainder of the scene. Traits of objects are up to the ST; carpets being Lithe, chairs being Steady and Resilient and statuettes being Brawny, Tough and Resilient, for example. If an object runs out of Traits, it will be effectively destroyed.
Elemental Form
The user can expend a Mental Trait to assume the form of any item of roughly her own size and weight. Note that weight is the important issue here. The caster could assume the form of a relatively small statuette of iron and still weigh the same or she could become a large intricate wall-covering. The transformation lasts for the entire scene (or until she no longer wishes to be a wall-covering) and the Kindred can use her own senses (as well as any Auspex abilities) at will, and can even move as if the item were animated by the preceding ability, but cannot duplicate any unusual functions, such as transferring electricity, running programs, exploding or any other energy related function.
This power allows the caster to summon (and sometimes control) an Elemental. The caster must expend a Blood Trait and make a Simple Test to summon the being from the appropriate elemental material (easiest in the case of Air) and then must expend a Social Trait and make another Simple Test to control the thing for a single scene, after which it returns to its native element. The Elemental starts with 3 Physical Traits and can have one more Physical Trait for each Mental Trait or Blood Trait the caster wishes to expend. Elementals do not have Health levels, losing their Physical Traits instead at the appropriate rates. Air Elementals can fly allowing them to reduce travel times by 1/8th for their own movement or to carry another, reducing her travel times by 1/2. They can also move with Unseen Presence or strike another for 1Health level or engulf them acting as Snare. Earth Elementals strike for 2 Health levels and have the equivalent of Vigor. They do not have an engulfing attack, but do start with 3 extra Physical Traits. Fire Elementals strike for 1 Aggravated Wound (as Hand of Flame) and have Alacrity. When they envelop another it acts as Engulf. Water Elementals strike for 1 Health level and can engulf another acting as Jail of Water. They reduce their own underwater travel times to 1/4 and can propel another underwater, reducing travel times by 1/2 if a water route is available. Note that some ST's may have rules for Naturae Spirits also called Elementals, but that Path of Conjuring actually animates existing materials, it does not invoke Umbral spirits, so these creatures will have differing abilities.
To use any of the powers of the Path of Corruption requires that the caster be within arms' length of the intended target.
With a successful Mental Challenge, the caster can force a victim to do the opposite of his current intended action. This may require an ST's judgement.
Disfigurement
By making a successful challenge of the casters' Mental Traits versus the victims' Physical Traits the caster can alter that person's facial features for the remainder of the night. The caster may choose an appearance-related Social Trait to add or subtract from the victim. To make a person look like another person requires that the caster delete and / or add appearance-related Social Traits until the target has the same number and type of such traits as the intended model.
This power requires a Mental Challenge and allows the caster to change the Demeanor of the target to any that he specifies if the challenge succeeds. If he wishes to make the change in Demeanor permanent, the caster must be willing to permanently expend the Mental Trait used in the challenge.
Cripple
The user can now make a challenge using his Mental Traits against his targets' Physical Traits and expend one Willpower Trait to reduce an opponent to Wounded. This damage is treated as Aggravated for Kindred, Garou or others with special healing properties.
This power acts as Change Mind above except that it affects the targets' Nature instead of affecting his Demeanor.
To use any of the powers of this path requires a full laboratory, requiring either Resources 2 to afford or Health Influence 3 to `borrow.'
It requires a full hour to use this ability, which allows the surgeon to analyze a creatures' hair, blood, nail clippings, etc to determine any one thing from the following list; type of creature, natural or supernatural, age, gender, race, clan (or tribe or kith), generation, past diablerie, presence of Vicissitude, other disciplines or gifts. Each question asked requires a Simple Test and one hour. If the test is failed the experimenter learns nothing. Regardless of the outcome of the test, the sample used is destroyed.
This power requires only a single hour per Health level to use and a Simple Test per Health level to succeed. It allows the user to repair Wound levels to mundane creatures at a vastly accelerated rate or to cure Aggravated damage to supernatural creatures. Note that this can also be used upon Chimerical damage, but can only benefit Wraiths if they or the surgeon are somehow able to enter the other's world (an appropriate laboratory is still required) for the requisite duration. If the Simple Test is failed, a Mental Trait must be bid by the surgeon to prevent the recipient from receiving a new wound (which will be Aggravated / Chimerical if the damage being repaired was). If the surgeon cares, that is...
Human Experimentation
The use of this power is identical to that of Animal Experimentation, with the obvious exception that it affects humans. It can affect humans who happen to be Mages, Inquisitors, Psychics, Ghouls, Rom, Garou Kin-folk, etc but cannot affect full Garou (in any form), other types of were-creatures, Wraiths, Faerie folk, Mummies, etc.
This power acts identically to the powers of Animal Experimentation and Human Experimentation except that it does affect Kindred, Garou and other weres, Wraiths (under the limitations mentioned under Thaumaturgical Surgery), Faeries and Mummies. Note that an unwilling recipient cannot `heal' such changes as Aggravated/Chimerical damage and must either submit to later `corrective' surgery from a Biothaumaturgist or make use of more exotic healing methods (ranging from Vicissitude to True Magic and including the odd choice of a Mummy to simply die and wait to be reborn in an un-tainted body).
2) The caster may now affect another person's Social Attributes, although he can only add Social Traits that he possesses. He can remove them without naming them, simply by number and type (i.e. 3 Social Traits).
4) The caster now has the skill to grant or forbid the use of Abilities, although he can grant no Ability that he does not possess or that the target does not possess, he can either inflate the users current skills or add his own to them, they do not come out of thin air. However, he can remove access to an Ability that the user is not known to have, by making a lucky guess. If the caster removes Firearms and the target did not have that Ability and draws out a machete, then the caster is SOL until he can cast again to remove Melee.
This basic power takes 15 minutes of chanting to use, but grants one of the caster's allies (who must be present throughout the chanting) an extra Willpower Trait. This trait can take the subject's Willpower over what he is normally allowed by Generation (or human maximum for a mortal), but the power cannot be used upon the subject again until the extra Willpower Trait is used, even if multiple casters wish to fortify his resolve or days pass between castings.
Nuzra Allah
This power allows the caster to freeze another with the strength of his convictions, essentially preventing the target from attacking for the duration of the casters gaze. This power works much like the Eyes of the Serpent, except that it requires a Static Challenge using the caster's Willpower versus the subject's to determine the winner in the case of ties or to determine if overbids are an option. Note that no Willpower Trait is actually Bid by either participant and that the power only bars the subject from doing harm, he can continue talking or begin backing away, but he cannot lift a hand to break the casters gaze, turn his head or take other actions to break eye contact.
At this level the magician can bring another out of frenzy with a successful Social Challenge simply by reciting phrases from the Quran. The character could conceivably re-enter frenzy almost immediately if the object, person or situation that triggered the initial frenzy is still present.
Ghadub Allah
This power acts exactly like the Basic power of Nuzra Allah, but requires no eye contact be made. The subject must still be within the same scene and either be able to see or hear the caster (or be touched by him). In the case of a touch, the subject need not be aware of the caster for the power to affect him, but otherwise he must see or hear the caster to be affected.
At this level the sorcerer can make eye contact with another and force him to submit, just as with Nuzra Allah. The advantage to this Advanced level is that the subject will realize that the power will render him unable to attack the Hajj for the remainder of the evening and he can only attack the caster if he makes a Static Social challenge first, as if the caster had a version of Majesty effective against him! In any case, if he successfully attacks the caster after this power is successfully used upon him, he will immediately feel a force crushing him to the ground and take a single Health level of non-Aggravated damage.