Rodentis

By Evan Haag (harlequin@toad.net) for the Pestilens bloodline.

* Beady Little Eyes

The Pestilens is able to gain the acute senses of rats.

System: This level of Rodentis works just like Gleam of Red Eyes (Protean 1), but the Pestilens also grows long, sensitive whiskers. This provides an overall bonus of -1 on all Perception targets for the duration of the scene.

** Rodent's Paws

The character's hands curl and gnarl into strong, clawed paws, which coincidentally are extremely strong digging tools. System: The Pestilens spends 1 blood point and gains claws as with Protean 2, but they do only (Strength) aggravated damage. They also grant the character an automatic success in any digging or climbing tests. The effects of this power last for one scene.

*** Hear the Blood Song

This is the power that drives most Pestilens to madness, and is considered the true curse of this Bloodline. When the character has achieved this level of mastery in Rodentis, the Birthing Plague has transformed them so much that they have become able to tap into the Blood Memory of the Ratkin race. The low-level squeaking which they constantly hear is now discernible as the muttering of the collective ancestral spirits of the Ratkin. While most of the chittering is a collection of curses, rants, and spiteful insults being heaped upon the poor Wyrm-creature, the character is still able to subconsciously tap into the more useful aspects of the Blood Memory.

System: This power allows the Pestilens to access the strong racial memories of the Ratkin. By making a Perception roll (target 8), they are able to recognize Ratkin, and even glean ancient secrets from the Ratkin ancestors. Treat this exactly as the Blood Memory powers, except that the character cannot actually channel true memories. The character also has the abilities of Maze Memory and Speaks in Squeaks active at all times, as the voices in his head constantly correct him and/or translate what he hears. Note that the meditation ability and the ability to recognize Ratkin cannot be used while the character is in any sort of Frenzy as you need an open and relatively calm state of mind to sort out the information.

**** Swarm-form

This is the fighting form of the Pestilens, and is very similar to the level four Protean power, Shape of the Beast. However, the character does not become one single animal, but is instead able to literally separate his physical form into a swarm of identical rat bodies, each of them capable of semi-independent action. Needless to say, this is disconcerting to say the least, and is a serious breach of the Masquerade.

System: The character spends 2 blood points, and takes an entire action to transform. (Characters with Celerity cannot spend blood to gain extra actions while transforming, so don't bother.) Once the transformation is complete, the character's swarm consists of one rat for every blood point remaining in the character's blood pool. These rats have the following statistics:

Str 1, Dex 3, Sta 2
Brawl equal to the character's rating
Dodge equal to the character's rating +1
Attacks: Bite (2 dice aggravated)
Health Levels: OK, -1, -2, -5, Dead.

All Mental statistics are identical to the character's original ratings, as are any Knowledges or Skills that a rat could reasonably act upon (no Drive or Melee, but a knowledge of Sewer Lore would be fine). The rats will collectively have access to any of the character's disciplines that don't require the expenditure of blood, and can even have a bit of the character's Potence and Fortitude (maximum 1 dot each). They are also assumed to have Beady Little Eyes active at all times.

The rats will usually act as a group, but can be instructed to perform separate actions with a successful Wits roll (target 8). Every success on this roll allows the character to issue a different command to one or more of his rats. So, if a Pestilens achieved 3 successes on his Wits roll, he could have his swarm split up to perform three different actions that round, like attack 2 (or 3) enemies, or perhaps go through several different sewer drains to escape a combat.

When the character reforms, any rats that are unable to reform with his body represent a loss of both one blood point and one unsoakable wound level. The character may be forced to check for frenzy from hunger, particularly if he lost several of his rats in a fight.

***** Rat Magic

The final documented level of Rodentis is extremely versatile, essentially giving the Pestilens a unique form of Hedge Thaumaturgy. At this plateau, the character has finally broken through the screaming hordes of Ratkin spirits that plague him, and has achieved a communion with Grandmother Rat. She has (for her own unfathomable reasons) given her favor for this feat, and has granted the character with spiritual powers not unlike those of her true children. While these powers are still less than those of the real Ratkin, they are definitely worth the effort.

System: Once this level is reached, the character receives a vision directly from the Rat Incarna, and is given permission to entreat her or her spirit servants for aid at any time. This essentially gives the character the equivalent of Spiritus 2, but only with respect to Rat and her spirit servitors. If the spirits respond to the Pestilens' call, they may be entreated to teach the character certain Ratkin Gifts.

When learning a Gift, the character must pay 5 x the level of the gift in experience points, and may not learn any Gift that requires the use of Rage or Gnosis. While it may seem that Blood or Willpower might be substituted for either of these costs, they can't. Only true Rage or Gaia-granted Gnosis will power these Gifts, and so Pestilens cannot learn them. Only Ratkin Gifts may be so taught (see the Ratkin book, pages 107-125). Any level of Gift may be learned, but with the following restriction: the character must have at least as many Gifts of the next lower level as he will in the level of the Gift he is trying to learn (except for level one Gifts). Therefore, a Pestilens with 2 level one Gifts and 2 level two Gifts must learn at least one more level one Gift before he learns another level 2. The same Kindred can't learn any level four Gifts, as he hasn't learned any level three Gifts.