Everyone around the vampire feels the world go slightly wrong as she exudes a deeply unsettling aura. Even if they barely notice her, they feel a wave of fear and uncertainty. The world seems colder, everything’s just that bit more distant. People feel like someone’s watching them even when they’re otherwise alone, and for just a second they see horrible truths manifest in the world around them.
Cost: None Dice Pool: None Action: Instant Duration: Scene
The vampire exudes an aura of fear for the rest of the scene that gives her a number of benefits. She adds her Nightmare dots to all mundane Intimidate rolls. People around her subconsciously register her as the cause of their fear, and they shy away from her. Her victims can act against her but their hearts aren’t in it — they can’t spend Willpower to bolster their actions, though they can still use it defensively. A vampire can lash out against this aura of fear with his predatory aura (see Lashing Out, p. 92). If he succeeds, he isn’t affected by Dread Presence.
As a reflexive action, the vampire can conjure brief illusions. One person’s food looks rotten and maggot-ridden, another raises his steak-knife but sees a murder victim’s head on his plate. A woman reaches for a doorknob but when she pulls her hand back it’s covered in blood. These illusions can only affect two senses each, and must be small — no larger than a small dog, and no louder than a shout. They only last for a turn or two at most, but they’re always unsettling. The vampire chooses who can see each illusion, and she can only project one at a time. Though equal parts frightening and disgusting, the illusions cannot themselves cause any harm or significant pain.