Louis Alard
  1. Characters

Louis Alard

NPC

12th generation

DOB - 1769

Age of Embrace - 27

Sire - Catherine of Valois (11th Generation)

Childer:

Fitzgerald Winters

Lysander Winters

Alarch

Derangement - Borderline - Borderline Disorders reflect emotional instability. Borderline characters suffer heavy mood swings, sometimes taking their anger out on themselves or others. Their relationships with others tend to be intense and conflict-ridden.

1973 - Embraced Fitzgerald under duress.

Has moved back to France since the security breach in London. He was not supposed to tell Fitzgerald where he went and yet he did.

Summoned Fitzgerald under the guise to strengthen his blood bond with him after hearing rumors about his childer fraternizing with Camarilla and Catholic individuals.

Escaped London due to help from his ghouls when a red list was put on him with hopes of retreating to desolation islands.

 

1978 - It is unknown if Louis made it to these islands or if they are still ‘alive’.

Type
NPC

Race
Vampire

Age
204

Gender
Male

Abilities

Auspex

Auspex : Level 1 : Heightened Senses - Discipline

Level 1

The vampire’s senses sharpen to a preternatural degree, giving them the ability to see in pitch darkness, hear ultrasonic frequencies, and smell the fear of cowering prey.

  • Cost: Free (but see below)

  • Dice Pools: Wits + Resolve

  • ■ System: The user adds their Auspex rating to all perception rolls. If exposed to extreme sensations, such as loud bangs, flashes of intense light or overpowering smells while the power is active the user must succeed on a Wits + Resolve (Difficulty 3 or more) roll to dampen their senses in time,

    or the overload causes them to sustain a -3 dice penalty to all perception-based rolls for the rest of the scene.

    ■ Duration: Until deactivated. Having the power active for longer stretches of time without rest (more than a scene), especially so for high-stimulus environments, might necessitate spending Willpower, at the Storyteller’s discretion.

     

Auspex : Level 1: Sense the Unseen - Discipline

Level 1

The senses of the vampire become attuned to dimensions beyond the mundane, allowing them to sense presences otherwise hidden from the naked eye. This can be anything from another vampire using Obfuscate to someone using Auspex to spy upon the character to a ghost in the middle of the room. Dormant Blood Sorcery spells and rituals might also be found with this power, at the Storyteller’s discretion.

■ Cost: Free


■ Dice Pools: Wits + Auspex or Resolve + Auspex


■ System: Whenever there’s something supernatural hiding in plain sight, the Storyteller makes a hidden roll of Wits + Auspex against a Difficulty they choose. Against an entity actively trying to stay hidden, the Storyteller can call for a blind roll (“Lisa, roll seven dice for me”) as a contest against the target’s relevant pool. (For example, detecting a vampire using Obfuscate would be a roll of Wits + Auspex vs Wits + Obfuscate) If the vampire actively searches for a hidden supernatural entity, they roll Resolve + Auspex similarly.

■ Duration: Passive

Auspex : Level 2 : Premonition - Discipline

Level 2

The vampire experiences flashes of insight. These may take the form of raised hackles, sudden inspiration or even vivid visions. While never too precise, these visions can nudge the vampire out of harm’s way or reveal a truth previously overlooked.

■ Cost: Free or one Rouse

Check ■ Dice Pools: Resolve + Auspex

■ System: Whenever the Storyteller deems it appropriate, this power gives the character a sudden hint that aids them in some way: letting them find a clue they’ve missed or saving them from danger. Whether it gives the character a sudden vision of themselves walking into a trap, an inviting red glow over the second right turn during a chase, or the brief flash of a skeleton beneath the floorboards in the Prince’s office, this power always gives the Storyteller license to subtly speed up play or move the story onto a desired track. The suggested limit is one premonition per scene, even if more than one character has Premonition.

■ The user can also actively provoke a premonition by focusing on a subject, making a Rouse Check and rolling Resolve + Auspex. The number of success- es rolled determines the level of insight on the subject, if any.

■ Duration: Passive

Auspex : Level 3 : Scry the Soul - Discipline

Level 3:

By focusing on a person, the vampire can perceive the state of that person’s psyche as a shifting aura of colors. Auras reveal little precise information but do provide clues regarding many subjects, e.g., emotional state, Resonance, and supernatural traits. If looking for a specific condition, the vampire can cursorily scan the crowd to detect it. Such cursory scans provide no further information.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ Dice Pools: Intelligence + Auspex vs Composure + Subterfuge

■ System: Make an Intelligence + Auspex vs Composure + Subterfuge roll. On a win, the Storyteller truthfully answers a number of questions equal to the margin of the roll about the target’s aura and psyche, including:

◻ The emotional state of the subject

◻  The Resonance in the sub- ject’s blood

◻  Whether the subject is a vampire, werewolf, ghoul or any other supernatural being

◻  Whether the subject is under the influence of Blood Sorcery or other magic

◻  Whether the subject has committed diablerie in the last year

◻  A critical win allows the discovery of something unexpected, as determined by the Storyteller

If scanning a crowd, roll versus a Difficulty determined by the size of the crowd and external distractions, as well as the type of trait being sought. (Finding the vampire in the living room might only be a Difficulty 3, while finding the most nervous person at a crowded rave is most likely Difficulty 6 or higher.)

■ Duration: One turn, or Story- teller’s discretion

Auspex : Level 3 : Share the Senses - Discipline

Level 3: 

By reaching out with their mind, the vampire can tap into the senses of another mortal or vampire, seeing, hearing, and feeling what they do. The user still retains their own perceptions and is still aware of their own surroundings, though the effect requires some getting used to. The user decides whether to tap into only one, some, or all of the target’s senses. When used on a stranger this power requires line of sight to initiate. However, it can be used over longer distances on someone who still has some of the user’s Blood in their body.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check


■ Dice Pools: Resolve + Auspex

■ System: Roll Resolve + Auspex at Difficulty 3. This Difficulty can go up depend- ing on distraction, distance, and other factors, such as the amount of the user’s Blood that remains in the target. The target usually remains unaware of the intrusion, but sense the Unseen can allow the passenger to be noticed. To get rid of an unwanted rider, the victim must beat the intruder at a Wits + Resolve vs Wits + Resolve roll. An Auspex user thrown out this way cannot make another Sharing attempt until the next night.

■ Duration: One scene

Auspex : Level 4 : Spirit's Touch - Discipline

Level 4:

By touching an inanimate object or the ground at a location, the vampire can sense the emotional residue left by those who have handled that object or visited the location in the past. The user gains insight into not only that person, but also what was done and under what circumstances. While rarely crystal clear, the information often provides leads impossible to gain from regular forensics and deduction.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ Dice Pools: Intelligence + Auspex

■ System: Make an Intelligence + Auspex roll versus a Difficulty depending on the information sought. Gleaning the emotional state of the user of a murder weapon used a few days before is Difficulty 3, but sensing the surroundings in which a 300-year old letter was written approaches Difficulty 6 or higher. Each point of margin on the roll allows the user to sense roughly one additional previous handler and set of circumstances, counting backwards from the most recent.

■ Duration: One turn

Auspex : Level 5 : Clairvoyance - Discipline

Level 5: 

By closing their eyes and entering a light trance, the vampire becomes master of its surroundings. In a few minutes it can gather information from roughly a city-block sized area (more if outdoors or less populated) that would normally take many hours, perhaps days of legwork and investigation. Once connected in such a way to their surroundings the vampire can also receive information on anything happening out of the ordinary in the area.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ Dice Pools: Intelligence + Auspex

■ System: Roll Intelligence + Auspex against a Difficulty based on the security and level of activity of the area. Using Clairvoyance on one’s own mansion would be Difficulty 3 while an unfamiliar city block in the slums of a major city would amount to 7 or more. The user adds their base Haven rating in extra dice to the pool when using Clairvoyance on their own haven.

The Storyteller answers the vampire’s questions about the comings and goings in the area, what people have seen and heard, topics of local gossip, recent major shocks or impressions, and so forth. The player can ask roughly one question per point of margin; answers about deliberately concealed information might consume more than one point. A critical win reveals something major, regardless of the questions asked, assuming there is something to reveal.

The vampire can also clairvoyantly monitor events in progress, though this requires them to remain in the area for as long as the effect is active.

■ Duration: A few minutes for information gathering, up to a night for vigilance.

Auspex : Level 5 : Possession - Discipline

Level 5:

■ Amalgam: Dominate 3

With this power the vampire can strip the will of a mortal and completely possess their body, using it as their own. While the mind of the subject remains hidden to the vampire, they can do anything and go anywhere the subject could while the power remains active. Using this, a vampire can even experience the sunlight, food, and physical sexuality long denied them, their host paying the price for whatever abuse the vampire wreaks on their body while riding it.

■ Cost: Two Rouse Checks

■ Dice Pools: Resolve + Auspex

vs Resolve + Intelligence

■ System: This power can only be used on mortals. If the mortal is a ghoul, they must first be Blood Bound to the user. Before possession can begin, the vampire must have eye contact with their victim (See Dominate, p. 254). The user then engages in a Resolve + Auspex vs Resolve + Intelligence conflict with the victim in order to inhabit their body. If the vampire’s player rolls a total failure, the victim becomes immune to further Possession attempts for the duration of the story.

Once the vampire inhabits the body of their victim, their own body falls into a torpor-like trance, completely unaware of their surroundings and their own physical state except for Aggravated damage, which breaks the trance and ends the effects. A vampire possessing a mortal can use Auspex, Presence, and Dominate through them. If the user wishes to extend Possession into the daytime, they must make a roll to stay awake (p. 219). Failure to stay awake ends the power. Any Aggravated damage to the subject also risks ending the possession – the user must succeed at a Resolve + Auspex roll (Difficulty 2 + damage taken) to stay in control. If the subject dies during Possession, the resulting spiritual trauma immediately causes the user to sustain three levels of Aggravated damage to Willpower.

This power does not give the user the ability to read the mind, use the skills, or emulate the manners of the victim. Any skills employed use the possess- ing vampire’s rating. The user must make a Manipulation + Performance vs Wits + Insight roll to successfully impersonate the victim’s manners, expressions, and the like.

Finally, Possession violates the victim even more profoundly than a Blood Bond. The Storyteller should consider awarding Stains for this action.

■ Duration: Until ended, voluntarily or involuntarily.

Auspex : Level 5 : Telepathy - Discipline

Level 5:

 

At the highest levels of Auspex the vampire can now literally read minds, as well as project their own thoughts into the minds of others. While reading a mortal mind is relatively straightforward, undead minds requires a higher effort to penetrate.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check (plus one Willpower vs nonconsenting vampires)

■ Dice Pools: Resolve + Auspex vs Wits + Subterfuge

■ System: The user is not required to roll any dice to project their thoughts to another, vampire or mortal, though they do require line of sight. To read the mind of a mortal within line of sight, roll Resolve + Auspex vs Wits + Subterfuge while looking into their eyes. (Unless the mortal consents, in which case no roll is required.) A win means that the user can discern surface thoughts as a stream of images, with a higher margin allowing the user to probe for more distant or buried memories. A critical win gives a coherent picture of the subject’s current thoughts and intentions. To read the mind of a non-consenting vampire, spend one Willpower point before rolling.

■ Duration: Roughly one minute per Rouse Check. Increased to a full scene on consenting subjects.

Disciplines

Auspex

Extrasensory perception, awareness, and premonitions

Storytellers may wish to make Auspex rolls for characters in order to more convincingly provide wrong or incomplete answers after failed rolls.

  • Type: Mental

  • Masquerade threat: Low. Auspex never by itself manifests in a way visible to the naked eye or causes effects that can’t be rationalized, if only as dumb luck.

  • Blood Resonance: Phlegmatic. Artists (especially photographers) and visionaries, certain schizophrenics, users of psychoactive substances, detectives.

Dominate

Mind control practiced through one's piercing gaze

Characteristics:

Most Dominate powers require
eye contact with the victim. Once they establish contact, Dominate holds the gaze of the victim until the user conveys their command or commands, barring interference. Catching the eyes of someone actively attempting to avoid the vampire’s gaze requires a contest of the user’s Resolve + Intimidation vs the target’s Wits + Awareness. It is of course impossible to catch the eyes of someone squeezing their eyes shut or wearing a blindfold, but that person should be easy prey to other tactics.

Using Dominate in combat or in other frantic situations is limited to people attacking or otherwise interacting with the user directly, as everyone else’s attention is firmly focused on their own peril.

Unless the user has supernatural means such as Telepathy (Auspex 5) at their disposal, they must command the victim verbally. The victim must be able to hear the user and understand their language.

Without Terminal Decree (Dominate 5), commands resulting in obvious death or serious injury fail automatically. Subjects roll to resist commands resulting in other social or physical harm (such as undressing in public), commands that have a character go against their Convictions, and those that would have negative effects towards their Touchstones or their relationship with them.See individual powers for details. Vampires cannot use Dominate to extract information, as the victim becomes a mindless puppet while under its influence. For example, the Compel command “Speak” results in blabbering word salad, while someone Mesmerized to “tell what you know about the assassin” responds “what you know about the assassin.” Dominate can- not make subjects do something they could not do on command, such as “Sleep.” Ultimately, the Storyteller determines what the Discipline can accomplish, but they should take care that Dominate remains one Discipline of many, rather than the catch-all solution to every problem.

Dominate cuts to the core of vampiric mastery and predation. Thus, vampires must resist attempts to Dominate them. A vampire of lower (stronger) generation can resist Dominate attempts from higher generation vampires by spending a Willpower point, negating the effect completely.

On a total failure on the roll of any Dominate power, that vampire can no longer Dominate that target for the rest of the story.

Dominate threatens Humanity, especially if the vampire has any Principles involving personal freedom or forbidding violations of human integrity. Using it may incur Stains (p. 239).

■ Type: Mental

■ Masquerade Threat: Low. Barring someone Dominating an entire auditorium to jump off the cliffs of Dover, it remains one of the more subtle vampiric powers.

■ Blood Resonance: Phlegmatic. The blood of the submissive or the dominant, masters and slaves, captains of industry, power trippers, cult leaders and followers.

Obfuscate - Discipline

The ability to remain obscure and unseen, even in crowds

Characteristics

Obfuscate powers work through ambient, low-level mesmerism. Observers see the vampire but their minds choose to ignore it. Witnesses unconsciously move out of the way if the user blocks their path and rationalize their behavior if pressed. Obfuscate affects all five senses unless otherwise noted.

The Discipline does have limits: the illusion fails if the observer cannot ignore the user or if the user backs the observer into a corner. A vampire blocking a doorway cannot maintain Obfuscate against someone walking through it. Likewise, violent action jeopardizes the façade, as does actions like raised voices, failed pickpocket attempts, and weapons raised to strike. Whispering without breaking Obfuscate is still possible.

Generally, the Discipline offers no protection against machine surveillance. A human staking out the vampire has a hard time pointing the lens in the right direction, but automatic cameras and other types of detectors can catch them.

A vampire with Sense the Unseen (Auspex 1) can detect Obfuscated characters by rolling Wits or Resolve + Auspex vs Wits + Obfuscate. Anyone can detect an Obfuscated vampire who draws attention to themselves; such observers detect such accidental revelations with a contest of Wits + Awareness (or Resolve + Awareness for an active searcher) vs Wits + Stealth. This also applies to surprise attacks from Obfuscate
– a victim always has a chance to sense the danger a moment before the strike.

■ Type: Mental

■ Masquerade Threat: Low. Avoiding detection is the whole point of this Discipline.

■ Blood Resonance: Melancholic.

The ignored and unseen, the homeless, forgotten, and depressed; spies, pickpockets, excellent servants, roadies and stagehands, and all the background people.

Presence - Discipline

The ability to attract, sway, and control emotions

Characteristics

Presence affects the emotions of those subject to it, not the minds. While this is useful in that victims are cognizant (unlike Dominate), they are not under the direct control of the user and are thus often unpredictable. In order to be affected by Presence, the subject must be in the physical presence of the user or at least within earshot. The Discipline does not transmit electronically unless the user possesses Star Magnetism (Presence 5). Detecting the use of Presence is very hard unless one has access to Sense the Unseen (Auspex 1) and can even then be too subtle to notice unless one is looking for it specifically.

Presence power effects do not stack, so someone using Awe and Entrancement on the same subject would only add their Presence rating once for any Social-based Persuasion rolls.

In combat, only the Dread Gaze and Majesty powers have any effect, as charm is of little use when someone has decided they want you hurt.

■ Type: Mental

■ Masquerade threat: Low-Medium. A subtle power, people seldom realize Presence has affected them at all. As with most Disciplines, its higher powers can leave puzzled witnesses behind, especially once the effects wear off

■ Blood Resonance: Sanguine. The beautiful and lustful, those completely infatuated with the vampire, models and actors and movie stars, compelling public and private speakers from politicians to car sales men, YouTube sensations and Instagram influencers.

Dominate

Dominate : Level 2 : Mesmerize - Dis'

Level 2:

Mesmerize

The vampire can issue complex commands to a victim, as long as they have the subject’s gaze and relative quiet in which to issue instructions. The instructions must be carried out immediately to the victim’s best ability, and must not contain any conditional actions (“...if you see Henry, give him the document”), as this would require the victim to exercise cognition.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ Dice Pools: Manipulation + Dominate vs Intelligence + Resolve

■ System: No roll is required against an unprepared mortal victim. Commanding a resisting victim or another vampire requires a contest of Manipulation + Dominate vs Intelligence + Resolve. Commands that go against the victim’s nature also require such a contest.

■ Duration: Until the command is carried out or the scene ends, whichever comes first.

Dominate : Level 1 : Cloud Memory - Discipline

Level 1:

Cloud memory

By uttering the phrase “Forget!” the user can make the Dominated victim forget the current moment as well as the last few minutes, enough to mask a superficial feeding or a chance meeting. No new memories are formed and if pressed the victim realizes they have a few minutes missing.

■ Cost: Free

■ Dice Pools: Charisma + Dominate vs Wits + Resolve

■ System: No roll is required against an unprepared mortal victim. Clouding the memory of a resisting victim or another vampire requires a Charisma + Dominate vs Wits + Resolve roll.

■ Duration: Indefinitely

 

Dominate : Level 1 : Compel - Discipline

Level 1:

Compel


With eye contact, the vampire can issue the victim a single-action command, no longer than a short sentence, to be obeyed to the letter. It must be possible to complete the command in a single turn. The Storyteller decides whether to interpret ambiguous commands in an unexpected or unfavorable way; alternatively, the command simply confuses the victim and fails.

■ Cost: Free

■ Dice Pools: Charisma + Dominate vs Intelligence + Resolve

■ System: No roll is required against an unprepared mortal victim. Commanding a resisting victim, a victim the vampire has previously Dominated in the same scene, or another vampire requires a contest of Charisma + Dominate vs Intelligence + Resolve. Commands that go against the victim’s nature also require such a contest.

■ Duration: No more than a single scene

Dominate : Level 2 : Dementation - Discipline

Level 2:

dementation

■ Amalgam: Obfuscate 2

This subtle power requires nothing more than casual conversation, as the vampire’s insidious influence hides between the lines and inflections employed. The victim finds themselves increasingly agitated as their inner demons bubble to the surface, eventually drowning out all rhyme and reason.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check per scene

■ Dice Pools: Manipulation + Dominate vs Composure + Intelligence

■ System: After engaging in conversation with a victim, the user can activate this power. For the duration of the scene, the user may attack a single individual each turn in a Manipulation + Dominate
vs Composure + Intelligence conflict, causing Superficial damage to Willpower. A mortal who becomes Impaired by this power experiences a nervous breakdown or psychotic break, the shape and nature of which depends on their personality (and perhaps their blood Resonance). A vampire that becomes Impaired by this power must immediately succumb to a Compulsion, as chosen by the power’s user.

If the user wants to affect multiple victims, they need to make a separate Rouse Check for each one.

■ Duration: One Scene.

Dominate : Level 3 : Submerged Directive - Discipline

Level 3:

When using Mesmerize, the vampire can now implant a post-hypnotic suggestion, allowing the command to remain dormant until a specific stimulus occurs. This trigger can be anything from a specific date, to a person (“When you meet Roland, tell him these words”), to hearing a specific phrase. The Submerged Directive never expires; people can conceivably walk around with an order buried in their mind for years. The user can only embed one suggestion per victim.

■ Cost: No additional cost

■ System: As Mesmerize, though the Storyteller might want to make any rolls in secret. There’s no way of knowing if the submerged suggestion works until the conditions are met.

■ Duration: Passive

Dominate : Level 3 : The Forgetful Mind - Discipline

Level 3:

The forgetful mind

The vampire can rewrite whole swathes of the victim’s memories, as long as they can keep the victim’s gaze and full, uninterrupted attention. The vampire verbally describes the victim’s new memories, which the victim then accepts as their own. This power does not allow the user to investigate the victim’s true memories; it more resembles blindly painting over the old canvas.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ Dice Pools: Manipulation +Dominate vs Intelligence + Resolve

■ System: The user rolls a contest of Manipulation + Dominate vs Intelligence + Resolve. Each point of margin allows the user to add or remove an additional memory. The victim recalls the edits vaguely, foggy ideations that can fall apart under close questioning. A critical win creates a flawless imprint, as real as any true memory.

■ Duration: Indefinitely

Dominate : Level 4 : Rationalize - Discipline

Level 4:

Rationalize

The vampire’s victims now believe that anything they do under the influence of Dominate was a result of their own free will, and defend their actions, however absurd. Long-term exposure to this power can lead to severe mental trauma in the victim.

■ Cost: No additional cost

■ System: If pressed on their belief, the victim can make a Wits+Awareness test (Difficulty 5). A win makes them question their own statement, and possibly their sanity.

■ Duration: Indefinitely

Dominate : Level 5 : Mass manipulation - Discipline

Level 5:

Mass manipulation

The vampire can now command entire gatherings of mortals, and in some cases even groups of vampires. The vampire can use this power both to issue instructions and to manipulate memories.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check in addition to the cost of the power amplified

■ System: The vampire can amplify any of their other powers to affect a group of people, mortal or vampire, at once. All of the victims need to see the eyes of the user. The user makes any needed roll against the strongest opponent in the group.

■ Duration: As per power amplified

Dominate : Level 5 : Terminal Decree - Discipline

Level 5:

Terminal decree

No longer hampered by the self- preservation instincts of their victims, the vampire can now issue commands that directly lead to the harm or death of the victim. Mortals can be made to blow their brains out, jump from rooftops,or swallow poison. Vampires can, with a bit of effort, be made to walk into fire or sunlight.

■ Cost: No additional Hunger cost, but the Humanity cost is potentially severe

■ System: Terminal commands now must be resisted (see individual powers regarding rolls involved), rather than failing automatically.

■ Duration: Passive

Obfuscate

Obfuscate : Level 1 : Cloak of Shadows - Discipline

Level 1:

Cloak of shadows

Standing perfectly still, the user blends into the surroundings. As long as they have some kind of cover, make no sound, and don’t move, only mechanical or supernatural means can detect them.

■ Cost: Free

■ System: Follow the general rules for Obfuscate. The effect lasts until the user moves or they are detected by other means.

■ Duration: One scene

Obfuscate : Level 1 : Silence of Death - Discipline

Level 1:

Silence of death

Popular among the Banu Haqim, this power completely silences the user, nullifying all sound made by them. As with other Obfuscate powers, this only works on people within earshot and does not fool microphones or other electronic sound detectors. Unlike Obfuscate in general, this power works only on the sense of hearing, but in exchange operates more robustly. A vampire needs to make a whole lot of noise to break this silence.

■ Cost: Free

■ System: The user silences their footsteps, clothing, minor collisions, and other sounds of their person. This makes the vampire undetectable if an observer could only notice them by sound, such as when on a different floor of a house.

This power does not eliminate sounds the user makes outside their personal space (throwing or dropping objects, or slamming doors, for example). Failing that, only Sense of the Unseen (Auspex 1) can detect the user.

■ Duration: One scene

Obfuscate : Level 2 : Unseen Passage - Discipline

Level 2:

Unseen passage

With this power, the vampire can now move around while staying hidden. The user is functionally invisible, per the usual Obfuscate limitations.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ System: As long as the user emits no overpowering odors and no sound louder than a whisper, this power automatically works. Only if the observer has their attention drawn to the user can they make a detection roll.

Sense the Unseen (Auspex 1) can also detect the hidden vampire, as per the general Obfuscate rules.

Note that the user cannot use this power to disappear while being actively observed; it automatically fails in such a case.

■ Duration: One scene or until detection.

Obfuscate : Level 3 : Ghost in the Machine - Discipline

Level 3:

Ghost in the machine

The user can now transmit the effects of Obfuscate through electronic media, allowing the vampire to appear invisible or masked when viewed live on screen. If an observer views the image later, as in a photograph or recording, the effect lessens: the image seems slightly blurred, making identification hard. In addition, automated surveillance has a tendency to glitch in the presence of the vampire, lessening their chance of being caught by automated systems.

■ Cost: No additional cost

■ System: No additional roll is required when being viewed on a live feed. Treat observers as present with the vampire, with regard to the Discipline. The observer adds +3 to their Difficulty on tests to identify the user on film, video, in photographs, or the like taken during active Obfuscation. The user also gains three additional dice to pools they use when trying to circumvent automated electronic surveillance and countermeasures.

■ Duration: As power used

Obfuscate : Level 3 : Mask of a thousand faces - Discipline

Level 3:

mask of a thousand faces

Instead of disappearing, the vampire using this power can make themselves appear as a nondescript stranger, someone expected to be present in the area. Unlike other Obfuscate powers, this allows the user to interact and communicate with those they might run into. They arouse little suspicion as long as their presence is at all plausible (meaning that it will not fool people who do not expect anyone or would be hostile against anyone they didn’t know). The power also does not provide any personal identification or other ways of misleading an identity check.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ System: No test is required.

Anyone viewing the vampire sees a forgettable face of the same gender and approximate build and height as the user. Clothes take on the same kind of blandness, depending on the environment. At an office the user might appear as a nightwatchman, while they may seem to wear overalls at an assembly plant. Sense the Unseen (Auspex 1) can pierce the power as usual.

■ Duration: One scene

Obfuscate : Level 4 : Conceal - Discipline

Level 4:

Conceal

■ Amalgam: Auspex 3

This ability allows the user to cloak an inanimate object such as a door, a car, or a small house. As with other Obfuscate powers, this does not actually make the object invisible, but creates a lingering hypnotic effect that causes most people to simply ignore it. In
this case the power is especially effective, given that the object is unlikely to call attention to itself. Unless something causes passersby to collide with it or someone points it out, people behave as if the object wasn’t there, moving around larger objects if need be

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ Dice Pools: Intelligence + Obfuscate

■ System: The vampire touches the object and rolls a test of Intelligence + Obfuscate against a Difficulty from 2 (Concealing a ring in a drawer filled with other memorabilia) to 6 (Concealing a house in the middle of an open square), depending on the target’s size and location. The power lasts for one night. Each point of margin on the win conceals the object for an additional night.

This power conceals anyone and anything inside the object (e.g., people in a car or shed), as long as the viewer remains outside. This power cannot affect anything larger than a two-story house or any object moving under its own power (such as a moving car). Someone with the Auspex power Sense the Unseen (or equivalent) can notice the object by winning a contest of Wits + Auspex vs the Intelligence + Obfuscate of the user.

■ Duration: One night, with an additional night per point of margin on the win.

Obfuscate : Level 4 : Vanish - Discipline

Level 4:

Vanish

■ Prerequisite: Cloak of Shadows

The vampire can activate Cloak of Shadows and Unseen Passage even while under direct observation. The vampire appears to vanish in the blink of an eye; even the memory of them becomes foggy and indistinct.

■ Cost: As per power augmented

■ Dice Pools: Wits + Obfuscate vs Wits + Awareness

■ System: When vanishing in front of a mortal, roll a contest of Wits + Obfuscate vs Wits + Awareness. On a win, the observer questions whether the vampire was ever there to begin with; their memory clouds on the topic. With a critical win, the vampire vanishes entirely from the observer’s memory. This power does not affect vampires’ memories, but any win by the user hides them as if they initiated their power unobserved. This power can only be used once per scene.

■ Duration: As per power augmented

Obfuscate : Level 5 : Cloak the Gathering - Discipline

Level 5:

Cloak the gathering

The vampire can shelter their companions under the cloak of Obfuscate.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check in addition to the cost of the power extended 

■ System: The vampire can extend their power of Obfuscation to a number of additional willing subjects equal to their Wits, plus one for each additional Rouse Check made. The Obfuscate power used on the group can be any known to the user, and every member of the group count as having used it on themselves, using the Obfuscating vampire’s rating as their own when needed for a roll. Members of the group can still perceive each other while under the effects of the power. If anyone besides the user is revealed, either through their own doing or an astute observer, the rest of the group remains hidden. If the user is revealed, so is everyone else.

■ Duration: As power extended

Obfuscate : Level 5 : Imposter's guise - Discipline

Level 5:

Impostor’s guise

■ Prerequisite: Mask of a Thousand Faces

With some preparation the vampire can make themselves appear as a specific individual of any build and gender. The user must carefully study the subject, otherwise, the charade fails when meeting anyone with more than a casual familiarity with the person being mimicked.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ Dice Pools: Wits + Obfuscate, Manipulation + Performance

■ System: The user must study the face to be copied for at least five minutes, from differ- entangles. The user requires another ten minutes of observation to mimic the subject’s voice and mannerisms. The user can only copy human appearance, not animal form. The Storyteller then makes a hidden test of Wits + Obfuscate (Dif- ficulty 4). A failure means that the resemblance is less than convincing, and anyone close to the person copied notices something amiss automatically. A win creates a convincing illusion, but the user must make a Manipulation + Performance roll to impersonate speech and mannerisms. A critical win creates a perfect illusion with no further roll necessary. Sense the Unseen (Auspex 1) can pierce the mask as per General Rules.

■ Duration: One scene

Presence

Presence : Level 1 : Awe - Discipline

Level 1:

Awe

Anyone in the presence of the vampire finds their attention inexplicably drawn to them. Those listening to the vampire speak might suddenly agree on subjects where they once held different viewpoints. While this power doesn’t cause rapt infatuation, it is still strong enough to sway the minds of most mortals

■ Cost: Free

■ Dice Pools: Manipulation + Presence vs Composure + Intelligence

■ System: Add the Presence rating to any Skill roll involving Persuasion or Performance as well as to other Charisma-related rolls, at the Storyteller’s discretion. Anyone aware that they’re being affected can try to resist with a contest of Composure + Intelligence vs the user’s Manipulation + Presence. On a win, the target can resist the effects for one scene; a critical win makes the target immune for the entire night. Once the power wears off, victims revert to their previous opinions.

■ Duration: One scene or until intentionally ended

Presence : Level 1 : Daunt - Discipline

Level 1:

Daunt

Instead of attracting people, the vampire uses Presence to repel. With this power the user appears

threatening and exudes an aura of menace powerful enough to make most mortals avoid their attention and even vampires think twice about acting against them.

■ Cost: Free

■ System: Add the user’s Presence rating to any Intimidation rolls. Attacking the user requires a Resolve+Composure roll at Difficulty 2.

Vampires cannot use Awe and Daunt simultaneously.

■ Duration: One scene or until intentionally ended

Presence : Level 2 : Lingering Kiss - Discipline

Level 2:

Lingering Kiss Errata

The Kiss of a vampire induces near-ecstasy in the victim, but this power leaves other Kisses in the dust. Victims fed upon by the user are temporarily empowered, but also become addicted to the Kiss, obsessing over it and even seeking the vampire out for repeated feedings.

Mortals often become anemic, self-harm, or even die from this addiction. Addicting other vampires is also possible, with the caveat that obsessed vampires demanding to be fed from risk the user becoming Blood Bound. Once under a Blood Bond, a vampire becomes unable to use this power on other vampires, being limited to employing it on mortals.

■ Cost: Free


■ System: The vampire can choose to use this power during each feeding where they sate at least one Hunger. The victim gains a bonus equal to half the user’s Presence (round up) to one Social Attribute of their choice.

This benefit lasts for a single night. Once it fades, withdrawal strikes and all the victim’s actions not spent working toward acquiring a new fix receive a dice penalty equal to the initial bonus. A victim in withdrawal can spend Willpower to ignore the penalties for a scene, and the penalties go away after a number of nights equal to the user’s Presence rating.

This power cannot be used on other vampires by a user who is under the thrall of a Blood Bond. Also, vampires with the Unbondable Merit cannot acquire this power.

■ Duration: A number of nights equal to the user’s Presence rating.

Presence : Level 3 : Dread Gaze - Discipline

Level 3:

Dread gaze

Briefly exposing their vampiric nature, the user instills a single subject with utter terror. Mortals are cowed, run, or freeze with fear, while other vampires either submit like whipped dogs or flee in frenzied Rötschreck.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ Dice Pools: Charisma + Presence vs Composure + Resolve

■ System: Displaying their fangs, their face twisted in a predatory grimace, the user rolls a contest of Charisma + Presence against their target’s Composure + Resolve.

◻ Failure: Mortals are unable to act other than in their own defense, backing off for a turn. Vampires are unaffected.

◻  Win: Mortals run in fear.

Vampires are unable to act other than in their own defense for a turn unless they spend Willpower equal to the users margin of win (to a minimum of one).

◻  Critical Win: Mortals freeze or crumple into a fetal position. Vampires must make a terror frenzy test (Difficulty 3). If they win, they are still affected as above.

■ Duration: One turn

Presence : Level 3 : Entrancement - Discipline

Level 3:

Entrancement

The vampire focuses their unnatural allure on a single person, instilling in them a rapt fascination or infatuation akin to falling head over heels in love or meet- ing one’s lifelong idol. The person affected does their best to remain in the vampire’s good graces, but stops short of causing themselves or their other loved ones physical harm.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ Dice Pools: Charisma + Presence vs Composure + Wits

■ System: The vampire only needs to gain the subject’s attention and win a contest of Charisma + Presence vs Composure + Wits. The effect lasts for roughly one hour plus one per point of margin on the win. The vampire can renew this effect indefinitely, but a failure ends the effect and makes the subject immune for the rest of the night.

After succeeding, the user adds dice equal to their Presence rating to any Social dice pool against the entranced subject. Requests resulting in obvious harm to the subject or their loved ones, or that oppose the subject’s Tenets, fail and require an immediate power contest roll as above, or the Entrancement immediately fails.

■ Duration: One hour plus one per point of margin

Presence : Level 4 : Summon - Discipline

Level 4:

Summon

The vampire can call to themselves any person, mortal or vampire, upon whom they’ve previously used Awe, Entrancement, or Majesty, or who has tasted their Blood at least once. The target knows who is summoning them and the user’s current location. This calling lasts for a night. After that time, the effect subsides, but the user can repeat it night after night if required to reach the target or if the target is otherwise reluctant. Anyone Summoned feels a pull toward the summoner and tries to reach them, though without endangering themselves physically or financially. They won’t sell their house to buy a ticket or miss a vital meeting, but they might skip out of normal work or social commitments.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ Dice Pools: Manipulation + Presence vs Composure + Intelligence

■ System: The user needs to concentrate for five minutes and think of the person being summoned, then rolls Manipulation + Presence vs Composure + Intelligence. On a win, the target hears the summoning, but may or may not heed it. On a critical win, the target arrives as quickly as possible, barring immediate risk to their well-being.

■ Duration: One night

Presence : Level 4: Irresistable voice - Discipline

Level 4:

Irresistible voice

■ Amalgam: Dominate 1

The Presence of the user becomes a conduit for Dominate. The vampire now only needs their voice to be heard in order to employ Dominate powers.

■ Cost: No additional cost

■ System: The user's voice alone is now enough to Dominate a target. This does not apply to voices transmitted through electronic media such as phones, television, or apartment door-buzzer speakers.

■ Duration: Passive

Presence : Level 5 : Majesty - Discipline

Level 5:

Majesty

At this pinnacle of the Discipline the vampire can amplify their countenance to supernatural levels. Whether they appear as heartrendingly beautiful, monstrously terrify- ing, or wielding absolute command, everyone who views them is struck by their image, unable to act or even speak against the vampire. To experience Majesty is to be in the presence of the divine - or the infernal.

■ Cost: Two Rouse Checks

■ Dice Pools: Charisma + Presence vs Composure + Resolve

■ System: People in the presence of the user can only stare, slack-jawed, or avert their eyes in fear or submission. Anyone wanting to act in any way in opposition to the user, except for self- preservation, must successfully win a contest of their Composure + Resolve vs. the vampire’s Charisma + Presence. A win allows one turn of freedom, plus one per point of margin; only a critical win resists the effect for the entire scene.

■ Duration: One scene

Presence : Level 5 : Star Magnetism - Discipline

Level 5:

Star magnetism

The Presence powers of the user now effect people viewing them on live feeds or hearing them over the phone. Recorded images or messages do not retain the effect, however.

■ Cost: One additional Rouse Check

■ System: Awe, Daunt, and Entrancement can be transmitted through live feeds via screens or phones. If Entrancement is used, the victim’s name must be spoken clearly, as that power only affects one person at a time. Anyone else viewing the same transmission only finds the user charming, but not supernaturally so.

■ Duration: As power used

Connections

Description Entity Location
Sire - Childe Fitzgerald Winters