Scylla

By Luke Green (thrythlind@aol.com), for the Cristas bloodline

Description

Practitioners of this discipline slowly begin to embody the form of the ultimate hunter, the dragon. The Crista begins with some simple movement and tracking abilities and then begin to acquire some of the shape changing powers of the discipline. Unlike other shape-changing powers, it actually is easy to assume the secondary forms; the difficulty is in becoming human again. Crista that botch any roll using Scylla acquire either a derangement or physical trait that reveals their slowly increasing draconic natures. Examples include: scaled skin, slitted eyes, forked tongue, hoarding, arrogance, riddle-solving, etc.

* Lizard Walk

The vampire may scale walls and ceilings as if he were a lizard. The speed with which he can move increases as the discipline advances.

System: The vampire never needs to roll for climbing tests with the exception of greased surfaces. He moves as if his level in Scylla is his Dexterity while climbing.

** Tracking

The Crista can now distinguish and follow empathic trails left by various beings. This is related to the Auspex discipline's power of Object Reading but is geared more to tracking movement than to gaining personal information.

System: Roll Perception+Empathy with the following difficulties (roll each time the difficulty increases to see if the vampire has lost the trail).

Situation	Difficulty
No one else passed since the target.	4
A few (less than 10) people have passed since or with the target	5
A few people are present or a group (10-20) has passed	6
A group is present or a crowd (20-40) has passed	7
A crowd is present or a mob (40-60) has passed	8
A mob is present or a stampede (60+) has passed	9
A stampede is present	10

The difficulty is increased in the following locations:

Location	Difficulty Penalty
Church or other place of Faith	+1
Mage's node	+2
Garou caern	+3
Freehold or Haunt	+4

*** Name the Prey

This allows the Crista to recognize what type of being a trail belongs to. This is limited by the fact that the Crista must have had encounters with that kind of being before or else they can only say what the being is not.

This power also enables the Crista to detect the presence but not location of hidden or invisible characters, as long as there are less than ten people in the immediate area.

Note that they will only be able to identify things they have encountered before. A Crista that has never before encountered a Baali will be able to identify a Baali as a kindred, but not be able to identify the Clan. If he later discovers what the Baali is and then subsequently encounters another, he will be forewarned as to the new threat.

System: Roll Perception+Empathy versus the opponent's Willpower; the number of successes determines how much the learns about the subject.

Successes	Amount learned
1	Can identify whether a trail or person belongs to something you've encountered before.
2	Can distinguish between sentients and non-sentients.
3	Can distinguish a mortal from an awakened.
4	Can tell an awakened from an awakened. Can identify an exceptional mortal (numina, ghouled, kinfolk, etc)
5	Can tell sub-race (Clan, Tribe, Tradition, etc). Can identify source of exceptional mortal's difference.

To check if the Crista has detected a hidden individual roll his Perception+Empathy contested against the stealthed/invisbile character's Manipulation+Subterfuge. This only allows the Crista to know that someone else is there that they cannot see.

**** Hunter's Hide

The Crista can produce minor physical changes in order to fade into the background. There are two methods of thus camouflaging the user. The first is the expected chameleon-like ability to change color and blend into the background. The second is to blend into the background by assuming an archetype of some kind. The most common choices are bums and tourists, but it really depends on what's around. It is important to remember that this does not change the vampire's face or body in any way. The vampire is seeking to be overlooked, not defeat a concentrated inspection. Clothes do not just appear, they change. A baseball cap can become a ratty hood, or a denim jacket and jeans can become a tuxedo (if that is a predominant form of dress), but a hat will not be made from hair, and a bare chest will remain bare.

System: Roll either Manipulation+Survival versus the opponent's Perception+Survival for the chameleon method, or Manipulation+Acting versus Perception+Alertness.

***** Face of the Hunter

The Crista remains humanoid, but begins to appear something like a lizard person while this power is in use. Their height increases by about ten percent, and weight by fifty percent. Their skin becomes a leathery hide and the jaws become oversized maws. The final touch is the ripping claws at the ends of hands and feet. Personal items transform to fit the new form as well.

System: All physical stats increase by 1, all social stats drop by 3 for any use that isn't related to fear or the Hunter's Hide ability. The disguise version of the power doesn't work at all in this form. The Crista gains claws similar to Wolf's claws. and the bite increases to difficulty 7 with a damage of Str+3. All Frenzy rolls are made at +1 difficulty. It costs one blood point to change back.

****** Wyvern's Wings

The Crista can grow a set of wings from their shoulder blades, allowing them to fly at the decent rate of thirty miles per hour.

System: The wings cost one blood point to form, and one to change back.

******* Drake's Brood

The Crista now can create a minor telepathic link between him and anything that has been blood bound to him. This link allows both sides to sense the surroundings of the other. Once this link has been established either side can utilize it for as long as the vampire keeps it in place.

System: By rolling Manipulation+Empathy against the target's willpower the Crista may create a link as follows.

Successes	Strength of connection
1	Vague impressions and feelings.
2	Motion only.
3	Sound and Motion.
4	Visions become clear.
5	The Crista can see through the "hound" as if with her own senses.

The link lasts a number of hours equal to the number of successes rolled. The maximum number of links that can be maintained at a time is equal to the Crista's Intelligence.

******* Form of the Hunter

The Crista now has the capability to become a four-legged reptillian killing machine. The exact shape changes from Crista to Crista, most are variations of the Western dragon, but there are a few powerful enough to use this power that appear as Eastern style dragons. The Form of the Hunter is about twice as massive as the Face of the Hunter form.

System: The Crista can place a total of 6 extra points in the physical stats chosen any way they choose, with a maximum individual increase of 3. This choice must be made upon acquiring the power and cannot be changed at a later date. In addition the Crista gains two extra bruised health levels and they gain a tail swipe that does Str+2 normal damage at difficulty 5. It now takes five successes to drive a stake through the Crista's heart in melee, and the Crista makes all frenzy rolls at +2 difficulty. In order to return to their normal form they must make a willpower roll at difficulty 5 and spend two blood points. All social attributes are dropped to 0 except when used with the powers of this discipline and causing fear. Also the Wings power does not produce wings strong enough to lift this form. Claws and fangs as the Face of the Hunter.

******** Breath of the Hunter

The Crista at this level can produce a powerful, directed blast of fire.

System: The Crista can breath a blast at a range equal to their Stamina times five meters. The blast does unaltered Strength (regardless of blood expenditure or Potence) aggravated damage at a cost of one blood point. Further dice may be rolled at a cost of one blood point per extra die. When using this power the Crista is limited to movement and dodging actions in that round, she cannot use Celerity or pool splitting to produce several bursts of fire, or breathe fire and attack with some other form.