Necrotomy

By Paul Michael Graham, for the Sons of Sam bloodline.

Description

This discipline is considered most repulsive by most kindred. However, it is a valuable weapon for those who use it. Necrotomy allows a Son of Sam to manipulate their bones as well as those of others.

* Casting the Bones

With use of this power, a kindred may take a small handful of bones and cast them onto the ground or other relevant surface. The vampire may then gain special knowledge.

System: To use this power, a vampire must spend a Willpower point and successfully roll (Wits + Occult Difficulty 8), gaining at least 3 successes. If successful, the player may ask the Storyteller one question about the past, present or future. The answer should never be direct, but rather cryptic and riddle-like and never can a question about a similar occurrence be asked more than once; successful or not. If a botch is rolled, the kindred is given false information.

** Dislocate

With this power, a vampire may remove bone-parts of his body at the joints. Arms, fingers, legs, feet, and even the head may be removed from the body with no harm to the vampire. While repulsive, a few kindred have saved their own lives by use of this power in a number of ways. It is important to note that bones that have been dislocated still function normally when dislocated and may be "re-located" without harm. A few disgusting kindred have been known to rearrange their limbs with this powe, a direct breach of the masquerade.

System: No roll is required, however, a blood point must be spent to dislocate the bone and an additional blood point to re-locate the bone.

*** Pile of Bones

With this power a kindred may turn his entire body to a pile bones. The pile cannot be damaged by sunlight or by fire and is nearly invulnerable. The bones can be separated however, and a kindred reforming without his arms can be quite painful. No disciplines can be used while this form is taken.

System: No roll is required however a blood point must be spent to take the form, and another blood point spent to reform.

**** Fracture

This power is one of the most dangerous of the Nocrotomy weapons. With but a touch, a vampire may fracture and break the bones of an opponent. These broken bones are quite painful and can cripple an opponent. This power has no effect on creatures without bones.

System: The vampire must first touch his opponent and then roll Strength + Medicine (Difficulty, 6). Each success causes one point of aggravated damage that can only be soaked with Fortitude. Any Potence is also added to the damage. By adding a +2 Difficulty to the Strength + Medicine roll, the vampire may break specific bones thereby attempting to cripple his opponent.

***** Bone Spurs

This power is arguably the most repulsive of the Necrotomy powers, but its effectiveness can not be challenged. Use of this power causes a kindred to grow large spikes made of bone, all over his body. The spikes are razor sharp and fighting an opponent with this power is often difficult.

System: No roll is required, however, a blood point must be spent and the Son of Sam will take one point of regular damage that cannot be soaked when the power is activated. This wound level cannot be healed until the spikes are re-tracted. Any opponent striking a kindred with Bones Spurs will take a number of dice worth of aggravated damage equal to the number of damage successes inflicted upon the wearer of the Bone Spurs. The spikes may also be used as a weapon (Difficulty 6, Strength da mage) by the kindred (Spiked knuckles-knees, diving on an opponent). Each success causes a point of aggravated damage.

****** Animate Skeleton

This power is similar to the level six Necromancy power "Zombie". However, this power allows the vampire to create animated skeletons. Animals or human skeletons can be used and unlike Zombie, the skeletons can be dead for any period of time. Skeletons are mindless automatons and will respond only to basic commands by the vampire who created them.

System: To animate the skeletons, the kindred must spend one blood point for each skeleton to be animated. The skeletons must then be given one blood point per day to maintain them. Animated skeletons made in this fashion have the following statistics:

Physical: Strength 4, Dexterity 3, Stamina 4
Social: All are zero.
Mental: Perception 2, Intelligence 1, Wits 3*
Talents: Brawl 3, Alertness 2*
Skills: None
Knowledge: None
Disciplines: Potence 2
Virtues: Conscience 0, Self-Control 0, Courage 5
Humanity: 0
Merit: Iron Will
Willpower: 0
Bloodpool: None, cannot use blood.
Special Defense: Damage taken from an edged or cutting source (swords, claws, etc.) do only half damage (rounded up).

* These are used for initiative purposes only.

******* Dismember

This power works identically to the level to power "Dislocate," but the kindred may now perform this on other people.

System: Using this power is identical to Dislocate however, the vampire must touch the part of the victim he wishes to remove.

******* The Mongrel

With this power, a vampire can take the severed limbs of an opponent or limbs that have been removed by the use of Dismember and connect them to his own body, thereby gaining the benefits of that appendage. Although quite repulsive by even the lowest of kindred standards, the power is quite effective. Nearly any combination of body parts is available to the kindred; arms can be switched with heads, the head replaced by an arm, etc.

System: Use of this power requires the vampire to spend five blood points to fuse the new appendage to his own body. Also the player must roll Intelligence + Medicine (Difficulty 6, +1 for each additional appendage) and score at least one success. Failure to do so ruins the appendage. Use of this power is quite heinous and unnatural even for a vampire. When this power is used the player must make a Humanity roll.

******** Skeletal Form

This truly powerful ability allows a vampire turn himself into a skeleton. Unlike animated skeletons however, the vampire maintains all of his abilities, disciplines, and attributes.

System: While in this form, the vampire takes 1/2 damage from all edged attacks (rounded up) and all soak rolls vs. Fire are made at a +2 bonus to difficulty. The kindred is also immune to any attack that would drain, manipulate, or contaminate any of the kindred's blood (Theft of Vitae, Cauldron of Blood, Blood Sweat, etc.). Additionally, no one may commit Diablerie on a vampire in this form or drink his blood. Finally, the kindred gains the benefits of the Iron Will merit. If this merit is already possessed, the kindred will be immune to all Dominate abilities. One blood point must be spent to take this form.