By Jay Knioum (madafro@trip.net) for the Manticore bloodline.
System: This power costs a Blood Point and lasts for a scene. As long as Maw is in effect, the vampire's bite does Strength +3 in aggravated damage dice.
Because of the distortion Beast's Maw causes the face, and the fact that every single Manticore has it, the power has become something of a calling card of the bloodline. Therefore, any Manticore wishing to conceal her bloodline must avoid using this power.
System: The Manticore must spend one Blood Point and succeed a Stamina + Animal Ken roll (difficulty 7) to activate this power for a scene. Thereafter, the vampire may leap either from a standing or running start. Use the following chart as a rough guideline for allowed distances. In any case, the roll to leap is Dexterity + Athletics, difficulty 6 under normal conditions.
| Standing Start: | Each success allows the vampire to jump five feet in any direction (forward, back, up, to the side, etc.) |
| Running Start: | Each success allows the vampire to leap 10 feet in any direction. In addition, any dots in Celerity the vampire possesses may be added as additional successes (assuming Celerity is activated). |
| Falls: | The Manticore must roll her Dexterity + Athletics, difficulty 7. Each success indicates one less health level of damage suffered from any fall. |
System: The Hide costs two Blood Points to create, and requires a Stamina + Perception roll, difficulty 7. For each success scored, the Hide adds one die to Soak rolls against all physical attacks (aggravated or no), but not against sunlight or fire. The Hide remains for one scene.
System: The Tail can be sprouted by spending two Blood Points. The tail functions as a natural appendage for the Manticore, and can be used as effectively as the vampire's own fist. The tail is not prehensile, however, and cannot be used for anything more delicate than a violent swing.
When used as a Brawl attack, the tail does Strength +4 aggravated damage dice. However, the vampire may opt to swing the tail in a swift arc and launch one or more quills (9 maximum) from the tail with a single attack. The quills may be launched effectively up to fifty yards, and each quill does Strength +1 aggravated damage dice. The quills may be launched at a single target (Dex + Melee, diff 6) or at multiple targets, raising the difficulty by one for each target beyond the first. Thus, four targets would incur a difficulty of 9 to hit each.
A single use of this power grows nine quills on the Manticore's tail. If all the quills are thrown, the tail only works as a club (no aggravated damage) until another Blood Point is spent to grow more quills.
Several feats are possible when a Manticore Summons his Beast, but at great risk. The Manticore is able to do such things as swallow opponents whole, roar like a sphinx, grow to massive size, even transforming herself into the leonine, human-headed beast of myth. To Summon the Monstrous Soul, the Manticore must spend a Willpower point and a certain amount of Blood Points, depending on the effect desired, as described below:
The Terrible Feast: The Manticore's jaws expand and hyperextend like those of a snake, enabling the vampire to inflict massive damage on a single bite attack. The Terrible Feast enables a Manticore to rip large chunks from a victim, drastically reducing the time necessary to feed.
System: The Manticore spends two Blood Points in addition to the one Willpower point, and rolls Stamina, difficulty 6. The power may be maintained for a number of turns equal to the successes scored. The power takes a full turn to manifest, however, during which time the Manticore may take no other action.
While Terrible Feast is activated, the Manticore's mouth expands and distorts to around two feet in diameter when fully open. Obviously, the vampire's head will be monstrous-looking (Appearance 0) and attacks will be impossible to hide. Bite attacks will do a crippling Strength +7 aggravated damage dice. If the Manticore succeeds in doing at least seven levels of damage, she is assumed to have removed one of the victim's limbs (or appropriately large chunk of flesh).
While the Feast is in effect, the Manticore cannot communicate verbally, but may now feed in a matter of minutes, regardless of how many Blood Points the victim contains.
Roar of the Sphinx: The Manticore is able to roar, with such force and volume that those who hear it are consumed with terror.
System: The vampire simply spends the Willpower point and lets fly with a thunderous roar. The Manticore rolls her Charisma + Intimidation against a difficulty equal to a victim's Wits +2. At least one success means the victim is so startled that he cannot act this turn. Three or more successes cause the victim to flee in terror.
This power works on anyone who can both see the Manticore's face and hear her clearly, so multiple victims may be affected at once. (The front ranks of an angry mob, for instance). The victims must be within earshot...transmitting the roar does nothing special.
Colossus: The Manticore increases her mass and size, and thus her ability to withstand damage. System: The Manticore must spend two Blood Points in addition to the Willpower, and roll Stamina, difficulty 7. This transformation lasts for a scene.
For each success, the Manticore gains an additional Bruised Health level and increases its size by 20%. It must be noted that the vampire's clothes and possessions do not make this transformation as well.
Unchain the Devourer: Similar to a Tzimisce awakening her Zulo shape, a Manticore is able to give form to the Beast within. When Unchained, the vampire fully transforms into a shape resembling the mythical Manticore in all respects. The vampire increases in size to almost twenty feet long. She treads on four legs ending in clawed, hawklike feet. Scales of varied colors sheathe her leonine body, and a pair of huge batlike wings sprout from her back. At one end is a human-like head with the Manticore's own face, at the other is a long, whiplike scorpion's tail ending in a thorned tip.
System: Unchaining the Devourer requires the expenditure of another Willpower point (total of two) and five Blood Points. While in her Devourer shape, a Manticore increases all difficulties to Frenzy by three, and a roll to avoid Frenzy must be made immediately upon transformation. The Devourer shape may be held as long as desired, but never more than a single night per use.
In her Devourer shape the Manticore gains all benefits of the first four levels of Satyralis (hide of the Gorgons offers five extra Soak dice automatically in Devourer form). Other powers of Summon the Monstrous Soul (Terrible Feast, Roar of the Sphinx, Colossus) may be used without Willpower expenditure, but still require the expenditure of blood points. The Manticore's attributes are adjusted as follows: +2 Strength, +1 Dexterity, +3 Stamina, Appearance 0. She suffers -5 on all Social rolls that do not involve fear or intimidation. The claws upon the Manticore's feet may be used to deadly effect, and are treated as the Protean 2 power Wolf Claws. The monster effectively gains heightened senses, akin to Level 1 Auspex. She gains three extra Bruised health levels. She may use her wings to fly at about 40 miles per hour, and may even carry up to three human-sized riders on her back.
Finally, Each time the Devourer is Unchained, the Beast tears at the psyche of the Manticore, making it harder to separate herself from her monster within. The Manticore must succeed a Wits + Self-Control roll against a difficulty of 9. Failure indicates the Manticore gains a permanent Mental Flaw of the Storyteller's choice. A Botch means the Manticore gains a permanent Derangement of the Storyteller's choice, as well as the loss of one level of Humanity.
System: The Manticore engages in a contested roll, her Willpower vs. the victim's. Success means the victim's soul has been imprisoned within the Manticore's blood, and will be slowly "digested" or fused with the Manticore's own. The Manticore will gain access to that victim's memories and Knowledge Abilities for one night per level of the Manticore's Willpower rating.
If the victim is a vampire, the Manticore must also make a Perception + Occult roll, difficulty 7. The Manticore gains a total number of dots in the victim's Disciplines equal to the number of successes on this roll. The actual Disciplines so gained, and the levels therein are up to the Storyteller.
The powers remain with the Manticore for one night per success scored on the Perception + Occult roll, but if five tens are rolled, then the Manticore will retain one level of one of the victim's Disciplines permanently. If the Manticore already possesses the Discipline, then the level is simply added on.
Only the disciplines of the last Cainite devoured are gained. Thus, most Manticores who use this power will wait a while before feasting upon Kindred flesh again.
Such Manticores will sometimes collect powerful vampires in "wine cellars." The vampires are kept in torpor within sarcophagi until the Manticore wishes to feed upon them by desire or by necessity.
Note that because of the Manticore's Weakness, this is the only way these vampires may gain non-Clan disciplines.
Wise or knowledgeable Manticores do not use this power on Cathayan vampires. Upon devouring a Kuei-jin's soul, the creature's P'o assaults the Manticore's soul. The Manticore must roll her Humanity score (usually quite low in these monsters) against a difficulty equal to the Kuei-jin's P'o rating. Success sends the Manticore into fits of vomiting, as she purges herself of the victim's essence. Failure indicates the P'o Nature takes over -- permanently. A botch reduces the Manticore to a mindless, feral monster with levels of 0 in all Mental traits. She is doomed to this state forever, or at least until Final Death.