Dead flesh to living is but the first transformation Prometheans endure.
Alchemy is change, philosophy and reagents combining to mutate base
into refined. External alchemy, such as potions and burning braziers, tries to
work a change in the world. Internal alchemy, swallowed herbs and
transcendental meditation, seeks to catalyze change in the practitioner. Yet a
Promethean’s nature is alchemical, and Azoth — the ultimate catalyst — burns
where their soul should be. The Created body recognizes no difference between philosophy
and working, and their internal alchemy becomes externally manifest. Doing so
always reveals a Promethean titan’s feet of clay, however, either by rending
the fragile physical alchemy that hides her disfigurements, or by causing a
potent supernatural Condition to dog their steps.
Each Transmutation comes with an accompanying Condition, complications
of the Azothic emanations of the Alembics. Charging the Alembics of a
Transmutation without revealing disfigurements is always
considered a possible source of the Condition, unless otherwise
stated. Refinements cause physical changes in the Promethean’s alchemical
makeup, transforming their humours and generating supernatural powers called Transmutations.
Each Refinement has a philosophical affinity for two Transmutations.
Transmutations are not spells, but instinctual expressions of the Promethean’s
Azoth refined by the metallic philosophies. Each Transmutation is further divided
into four Alembics — concentrations of alchemical
power, brought to roiling expression by the Divine Fire.
Unlike many traits, Transmutations aren’t measured in dots or learned by experience expenditure. Instead, each Alembic follows a broad theme relating to the Refinement with a persistent effect emanating from the character’s Pyros-charged humours. Should the Created reflexively expend more Pyros to charge the Alembic, that effect can be magnified and utilized in different simultaneous ways called Distillations. As the Promethean masters the Refinement’s Roles, their philosophical and spiritual growth allows them to express new Alembics.
Clash of Wills
Sometimes,
two supernatural powers clearly oppose one another. If the normal systems for the
powers fail to resolve this, such as when two Prometheans attempt to use Rabid
Rage on the same animal, or when a vampire attempts to use a memory-altering
power on a person previously affected by a Distillation (such as Fog), a Clash
of Wills occurs.
All
involved supernatural effects enter a contested action using a dice pool.
Usually this is the wielder’s Supernatural Tolerance trait (Blood Potency for vampires,
for example) plus the dot rating of the power in question or dominant Attribute
for powers that don’t have dot ratings. Prometheans, however, add Azoth plus a
Resistance Attribute valid for the use of the Distillation in question
(Physical, Social or Mental). Ties reroll until one player has accrued more
successes than all others. That player character’s effect wins out and resolves
as usual; all others fail. Victory of one power in a clash does not mean the
immediate cancellation of the others, save in cases where only one power can
possibly endure (such as competing domination). Characters may spend Willpower
to bolster the contested roll, but only if they are physically present and
aware that powers are clashing. Certain powers, such as those with
exceptionally long durations, are more enduring in a clash. Day-long effects
add one die to the clash roll, week-long effects add two, month-long three, and
year-long or longer (including effects that don’t have a duration) add four.
Example:
Taking
the example cited above, consider a vampire attempting to view or alter the
memory of a person previous afflicted by the Fog Distillation. The vampire’s
player rolls Blood Potency + the dot rating of the power in question (three, in
this case). The Promethean’s player rolls the Promethean’s Azoth + Composure
(the Social Resistance Attribute, valid for Fog). Fog lasts for one day per
success (and the Created’s player garnered three successes), so the
Promethean’s player adds one die to his roll. If the player had garnered seven
successes, he would add four dice to his roll (since an exceptional success makes
the effect Persistent).
If the vampire’s player rolls more successes, the vampire breaks through the Distillation’s effects and reads the victim’s memories (and probably resolves the Amnesia Condition, restoring said memories). If the Promethean’s player wins, the Distillation holds until the effects wear off naturally, and the vampire cannot read the victim’s original memory until that time.
Gaining Transmutations
When a Promethean adopts a new Refinement, the player selects one
Alembic from each Transmutation. These are the only Alembics the Promethean has
access to upon first alignment. With each new Role mastered within a
Refinement, the player may select another Alembic each Transmutation; upon
mastering the third Role, the entire Transmutation is available.
The Promethean has access to a Transmutation’s Alembics only so
long as she retains the associated Refinement. Even a shift to a Refinement
that shares a Transmutation requires the Promethean to express different
Alembics and abort her progression. Humans may evince multiple cultural beliefs
without dissonance, but Refinements are hotter mental fires, an attempt to
catalyze a spiritual reaction. An Originist and a Fury approach Disquietism in
fundamentally different ways, even if the expression is similar.
Vitriol expenditure allows a Promethean to calcify certain internal
changes that come with adopting a Refinement and thus retain access to an
Alembic. She may expend Vitriol Experiences to retain an Alembic she has
mastered, even when she’s changed Refinement. Calcified Alembics are locked
into Role progression; they’re permanent parts of the Promethean now, no matter
what changes her philosophy brings.
Example: Chicago is an archetypal Fury, flirting with new
Refinements but constantly falling back to Tin when she needs to vent her rage.
She spends a great deal of time in the Refinement, rapidly mastering all three
Roles. This allows her to utilize all four Alembics of both Disquietism and
Electrification so long as she’s in Tin. One of the new Refinements she’s
trying is Lead; when she shifts to that Refinement she may only use one Alembic
of Disquietism (player’s choice), as well as one Alembic of Saturninus. If she
shifts back to Stannum, though, she regains all of the Alembics that she once
knew.
As her Pilgrimage progresses, she finds Disquietism too useful
to go without. After progressing through the Pilgrimage more (and falling back
into Stannum), Chicago calcifies three Alembics of Disquietism — Externalize,
Redirect, and Internalize — exempting them from Role progression. This allows her
to utilize the Alembics no matter what Refinement she’s adopted; should she
adopt Plumbum, she will continue to exhibit these three. This also means that
she automatically expresses Weaponize, since she must express at least one
Disquietism Alembic, if possible, that has not been calcified.
Systems
All Alembics have persistent effects. Most of these are ongoing changes
to the Promethean’s body or abilities, which last as long as the character has
access to the Alembic (so if the character spends Vitriol to calcify an
Alembic, the persistent effect becomes permanent). Some persistent effects
require rolls, but most of them do not, and none of them require Pyros
expenditure.
Using the Distillations of an Alembic requires charging that Alembic
with Pyros. Charging an Alembic with Pyros is a reflexive action; if the
Promethean cannot spend enough Pyros per turn to charge the Alembic to the
desired Distillation, she may do so over successive turns. She may charge as
many Alembics as she has the Pyros for. The charge grounds out after a scene.
Once the Alembic is charged, she may use the Distillation (and any lesser
Distillation of the Alembic) for the remainder of the scene without further Pyros
expenditure, unless otherwise specified.
Some Transmutations rely on the Promethean’s mundane Skills and
talent in shaping the Divine Fire (a roll of Attribute + Skill + Azoth). Others
merely require Pyros charging to find expression.
Example: Agamemnon needs to ensure that wealthy art collector bidding on the Aboriginal piece — unbeknownst to him, the key link to a potent Athanor — loses his nerve before he outbids the meager resources of the throng. Agamemnon spends 1 Pyros to charge the Penthos Alembic of Mesmerism, using Undermine on the wealthy bidder. It works, but even without the ability to spend Willpower, the man’s still got cash enough to spend without upset — and worse, his constant interest has attracted other bidders. The Mimic spends 2 additional Pyros to fully charge the Alembic for the scene. Each round of bidding, he uses Undermine on the bidders, then Defeat the next turn, shattering their wills completely. On the wealthy bidder who started this mess, he uses Depress. The bidding ends with a massive crowd of bitter, wealthy people in various stages of Disquiet — but the Promethean won the auction!