Post by enigma on Nov 25, 2014 0:19:56 GMT
Badgery Edit:
Name : Warrick
Player: GM
Chronicle : Birmingham by Night
Nature : Plotter
Demeanor : Visionary
Clan: Tremere
Generation : 9th
Haven : Birmingham Chantry
Concept : Scheming Philosopher
Attributes
Physical-------------------------------------
Strength : 2
Dexterity: 2
Stamina : 3
Social --------------
Charisma: 4
Manipulation : 4
Appearance: 3
Mental--------------
Perception : 3
Intelligence : 4
Wits : 4
Abilities:
Talents ------------
Acting : 1
Alertness : 3
Athletics : 0
Brawl : 0
Dodge: 2
Empathy: 2
Expression : 3
Intimidation: 2
Leadership: 4
Streetwise: 1
subterfuge: 4
Skills -------------------------
Animal Ken: 2
Gargoyle Ken: 2
Etiquette : 4
Firearms : 0
Larceny : 1
Melee: 0
Music: 1
Performance: 2
Stealth: 1
Survival: 3
Knowledge ---------------------
Academics: 5
Clan Lore: 4
Gargoyle Lore: 1
Investigation: 3
Law: 4
Linguistics: 5
Medicine : 4
Occult: 4
Politics: 5
Science : 4
Technology: 1
Disciplines:
Auspex :4
Dominate :3
Thaumaturgy:5
Thaumaturgy Paths
Path of Mercury : 3
Path of Blood : 5
Movement of the Mind : 5
Alchemy : 4
Path of Conjuring: 1
Thaumaturgical Rituals
Level 1:
Defense of the Sacred Haven Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual takes an hour to perform, and uses up one blood point. The vampire may put a drop of her blood on each window in an area, up to twenty feet away from the ritual site. All sunlight that would go in through these windows is instead reflected by them. This ritual lasts as long as the vampire is in the area
Purity of Flesh Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual involves concentrating for ten minutes in a lotus position, surrounded by thirteen sharp stones, and then spending a blood point. This ritual will remove all foreign matter from the vampire, good or bad leaving only a ring of gray film around the place where he sat. (This includes fake limbs, breast implants, surgical appliances, poisons, drugs, wooden splinters, etc.) This also affects matter touching her, and those performing this ritual would be advised to do it in the nude. This is useless against diseases of the blood or any sort of mind control. If the remaining grey is analyzed it will show traces of the ejected material and the caster's blood.
The Scribe Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual creates a written document from the spoken words of the caster. The Thaumaturge simply speaks and her words mystically appear on paper before her. Some Thaumaturges have observed variants of this ritual that involve moving feather pens writing the words as they speak them, but the most common form of this ritual makes no such overt display. Further, some young thaumaturges have developed a variant that records their words directly as computer files - which their Elders almost universally decry as vulgar. This ritual requires a beak of a bird or the tongue of a lizard to be crushed between the casters thumb and forefinger.
System: For the duration of the scene any words spoken by the thaumaturge are transcribed to whatever surface she wishes. This is most commonly paper (whether loose or bound into a book), but may also be a wall a head of a pin anything. The scribe automatically fits the Thaumaturges ideas on a given surface, but it makes no provisions for legibility; transcribing all 400 pages of The Seventh Sigil onto a note card isn't going to make it readable without a microscope.Additionally the Scribe doesn't improve a speakers eloquence - in matters where clarity or quality is crucial, the speakers Expression Trait may come into play. The Scribe may be cast on someone other than the thaumaturge, should the latter wish. Also she may voluntarily end the effects of the power before the end of the scene.
Rite of Introduction Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual involves reciting a half-hour incantation, and then speaking into water vapor. The vampire may contact the Regent of the nearest Tremere Chantry first, and then others, descending the hierarchy. By tradition, only the Regent is bound to answer, and a brief dialogue with each person is possible. Used often to announce one’s presence, or to call for help.
The Imp's Affliction Badgery Edit: Fine
A disgusting ritual, the Imp's Affliction curses the subject by aggravating his ears, throat and nose. Mucus membranes inflame, ears fill with liquid, the throat becomes raspy and dry, and the subject's eyes brim with tears. This ritual requires merely that the thaumaturge write her victim's name on a scrap of paper.
System
The Imp's Affliction lasts for one scene, during which the victim becomes winded after five minus Stamina turns. Subjects so exhausted suffer a temporary level of unsoakable bashing damage, which vanishes at the end of the scene as the symptoms disperse. This ritual is most often used to torment people in social situations, as their unpleasant maladies make them odious, to say the least — the difficulties of Social rolls for a character stricken with the Imp's Affliction increase by one. This ritual has no effect on Kindred
Blood Mastery Badgery Edit: Fine
Whispered rumors tell that one should never allow the Tremere to gain access to the blood of another vampire. Paranoid tales in hushed tones tell of the Tremere's mastery over other Kindred through the sole use of a small quantity of vitae. While modern, cosmopolitan Kindred scoff at such tales, even they are careful not to let their blood fall into the wrong hands, just in case.
Such caution, though, is well-deserved. A Tremere with even rudimentary understanding of blood can focus its power into sympathetic forms. By destroying another Kindred’s blood, the Tremere gains symbolic power over that Kindred. This in turn allows the Tremere to manifest his supremacy over the victim.
System
The thaumaturge must mix a tiny quantity of his own vitae (a negligible amount, less than a point) with that of his victim, then slowly burn it in a fire or boil the blood slowly over an open flame. The caster speaks the phrases of symmetry as he finishes. Once complete, the Tremere has magical mastery over the victim, however briefly.
Successful completion of the Blood Mastery ritual guarantees a victory of some degree over the victim. In the next contention that the caster brings against the victim, the ritualist automatically succeeds. If the task would require some roll, the caster garners one success automatically, but no more (and cannot roll or spend Willpower to improve the roll). This means that the caster is guaranteed a marginal success against the opponent. Of course, it may not be in a fashion that the thaumaturge desires – one success alone is not enough to decapitate an enemy, but it might influence him briefly with the Dominate Discipline. Similarly, if the victim takes some action first, the ritual is of no help if the caster’s player could not normally make a countering roll. For example, the caster would still be subject to an opponent's use of Presence, because he may not normally make a roll to resist. If the victim uses some Discipline that would require the caster to resist, though, the thaumaturge automatically counters it and thus ends the power of the ritual.
Bloody Mastery can only guarantee success in one limited endeavor – a thaumaturge cannot burn multiple points of blood to gain additional successes or success on multiple consecutive actions. Once the ritual is in place, it must be discharged before it can be invoked again against the same subject. Blood Mastery expires if its effects remain unused
Bind the Accusing Tongue Badgery Edit: Fine
This ancient ritual is said to have been one of the first developed by the Tremere and a primary reason for the lack of cohesive opposition to their expansion. Bind the Accusing Tongue lays a compulsion upon the subject that prevents him from speaking ill of the caster, allowing the thaumaturge to commit literally unspeakable acts without fear of reprisal.
System
The caster must have a picture or other image or effigy of the ritual's target, a lock of the target's hair and a black silken cord. The caster winds the cord around the hair and image while intoning the ritual's vocal component. Once the ritual is complete, the target must score more successes on a Willpower roll (difficulty of the caster's Thaumaturgy rating + 3) than the caster scored in order to say anything negative about the thaumaturge. The ritual lasts until the target succeeds at this roll or the silk cord is unwound, at which point the image and the lock of hair crumble to dust.
Level 2 :
Donning the Mask of Shadows Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual takes twenty minutes to cast. The vampire may make herself unnoticeable to others, for one hour per success. Those with Auspex make the resistance roll above with a difficulty reduced by three. Animals will automatically sense the vampire
Ward Versus Ghouls Badgery Edit: Fine
This ten-hour ritual requires a point of mortal blood, in addition to the object being made into a ward. This object, when touching a ghoul, will do three dice of damage, difficulty Stamina + Fortitude of the ghoul, and the ghoul must spend a willpower point to touch it again. If this ward is placed on a door or an unbroken circle, the ghoul will be unable to pass it. If a bullet is warded, then five successes are required on the Firearms roll to leave the bullet in the body where it will continue doing damage. (This only works on smaller calibers.)
Burning Blade Badgery Edit: Fine
Developed during Clan Tremere's troubled inception, Burning Blade allows a thaumaturge to temporarily enchant a melee weapon to inflict unhealable wounds on supernatural creatures. While this ritual is in effect, the weapon flickers with an unholy greenish flame.
System
This ritual can only be cast on melee weapons. The caster must cut the palm of her weapon hand during the ritual - with the weapon if it is edged, otherwise a sharp stone. This inflicts a single health level of lethal damage which cannot be soaked but may be healed normally. The player spends three blood points which are absorbed by the weapon. Once the ritual is cast, the weapon inflicts aggravated damage on all supernatural creatures for the next few successful attacks, one per success rolled. Multiple castings of Burning Blade cannot be "stacked" for longer durations. Furthermore, the wielder of the weapon cannot choose to do normal damage and "save up" aggravated strikes - each successful attack uses one aggravated strike until there are none left, at which point the weapon reverts to inflicting normal damage
Extinguish Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual eliminates the threat that fire poses to Kindred. The caster is able to douse dangerous flames, leaving vampire hunters quite surprised when their torches and brands are no longer effective tools. To enact this ritual, the caster pinches out a candle's flame while spitting on the floor.
System
The ritual is set up in advance, but for the entire night the vampire has but to speak a single magical syllable to extinguish one fire up to the size of a bonfire. For the duration of one night, the thaumaturge can use this power a number of times equal to the number of successes on the initial ritual roll. Pinching a candle's flame in preparation is likely to require a Rötschreck check, as well.
Level 3:
Shaft of Belated Quiescence Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual turns an ordinary stake of rowan wood into a particularly vicious weapon. When the stake penetrates a vampire's body, the tip breaks off and begins working its way through the victim's flesh to his heart. The trip may take several minutes or several nights, depending on where the stake struck. The stake eludes attempts to dig it out, burrowing farther into the victim's body to escape surgery. The only Kindred who are immune to this internal attack are those who have had their hearts removed by Setities.
System
The ritual takes five hours to enact, minus 30 minutes per success. The stake must be carved of rowan wood, coated with three blood points of the caster's blood, and blackened in an oak-wood fire. When the ritual is complete, the stake is enchanted to act as described above.
An attack with a Shaft of Belated Quiescence is performed with a normal stake: a Dexterity + Melee roll (difficulty 6, modified as per normal combat rules, as the attack does not need to specifically target the heart - the stake takes care of that) with a lethal damage rating of Strength + 1. If at least one health level of damage is inflicted after the target rolls to soak, the tip of the stake breaks off and begins burrowing. If not, the stake may be used to make subsequent attacks until it strikes deep enough to activate.
Once the tip of the stake is in the victim's body, the Storyteller begins an extended roll of the caster's Thaumaturgy rating (difficulty 9), rolling once per hour of game time. Successes on this roll are added to the successes scored in the initial attack. This represents the tip's progress toward the victim's heart. A botch indicates that the tip has struck bone and all accumulated successes are lost (including those from the initial attack roll). When the shaft accumulates a total of 15 successes, it reaches the victim's heart. This paralyzes the Kindred and is instantly fatal to mortals and ghouls.
Attempts to surgically remove the tip of the shaft can be made with an extended Dexterity + Medicine roll (difficulty 7), rolled once per hour. The surgeon must accumulate a number of successes equal to those currently held by the shaft in order to remove the tip. Once surgery begins, however, the shaft begins actively evading the surgeon's probes, and its rolls are made once every 30 minutes for the duration of the surgery attempt. Each individual surgery roll that scores less than three successes inflicts an additional unsoakable level of lethal damage on the patient.
Shaft of Belated Quiescence may be performed on other wooden impaling weapons, such as spears, arrows, practice swords and pool cues, provided they are made of rowan wood. It may not, however, create a Bullet of Belated Quiescence - wooden bullets are not large enough to absorb the full amount of blood required for the ritual.
Noncorporeal Passage Badgery Edit: Fine
This one-hour ritual requires a fragment of a mirror, and makes the vampire incorporeal for one hour per success, as long as she can see herself in the mirror. In this state, she may move through solid objects (in a straight line only), and is impervious to physical attack
Power of the Pyramid Badgery Edit: I adore this ritual. Uncommon one and awesome. Brownie points earned here
Among the Tremere clan's most famous exploits are its greater binding rituals over the entirety of the Tremere antitribu, and the majority of the Assamite clan. No lone thaumaturge could accomplish such a feet. Only by sharing strength can the Tremere achieve the necessary might to create or resist such forces.
To combine thaumaturgical strength, Tremere Kindred can use a linking ritual. The Power of the Pyramid rite requires that each participant know and invoke the ritual simultaneously, and requires physical contact – so a group of Tremere, formed in a circle with linked hands, all chanting the same words in unison, indicates that the clan prepares for a daunting task. Once completed, the rite allows the Tremere involved to gather their mental strength together so they can multiply their power.
Perhaps because of its connotations, this ritual only works for Kindred of Tremere lineage. Other vampires might be able to learn it, but it would probably not do them much good.
This ritual requires the casters to fast for 24 hours before performing it. Additionally, one of the thaumaturges participating in the group must wear a brooch or pin made from mortal bone, which must pierce his flesh (though it need not be visible to the rest of the group).
System
Each Kindred involved in Power of the Pyramid must know this ritual and successfully cast it simultaneously – any failed castings simply exclude the individual from the circle but do not hinder other successes. Once complete, a single Tremere can break from the circle without nullifying the ritual, but if any others lose physical contact the ritual ends. So long as the ritual continues, all participants may freely share their Willpower. Thus, one Tremere could break from the circle, perform another ritual and draw upon the Willpower of all Kindred involved. Once a caster has broken from the circle, he cannot return and release someone else; that "lynchpin" is the only one able to move around freely.
Level 4:
Soul Yoke Badgery Edit: Fine
A victim of this ritual finds herself spiritually harnessed to a fetish (usually a doll). Like all sympathetic magic, the victim directly experiences any pain or pleasure inflicted upon the doll. If that which is done to the done to the doll would normally kill a human being or vampire (such as decapitation or incineration), the victim dies. However, the stimulus must be actively caused. Thus, the victim would not feel pain if the doll were in a burning house and caught fire by accident; however, if someone lit the house on fire in order to burn the doll or if the doll were thrown into a fireplace maliciously, the victim would feel all the effects of the fire.
Distance from the fetish makes no difference; the victim can be one foot or a million miles away from the doll. Only those who harbor no ill will toward the victim may destroy the doll and break the enchantment; the victim cannot destroy it unless she is prepared to destroy herself in the process.
The ritual requires an elaborate liturgy lasting two hours and requiring a number of physical components. Witches performing the ritual must place wax candles, chalk, iron chains and help ropes around the victim (who must be on a stone altar) in a perfect circle. Then, standing outside the circle on a scrubbed floor, onto which are scattered strands of ox hairs and droplets of diseased horse blood, they must take turns chanting the words of the ritual.
Once that has been accomplished, they must step inside the circle, slit open the victim's forehead and touch the fetish doll to the victim's heart and to her forehead as it bleeds. At this point, part of the victim's soul enters the doll; one of the witches must then insert a hairpin through the doll's heart to "pin" the soul to the fetish, and the pin dissolves. When this has been done, the victim and the doll are permanently linked.
Victims of Soul Yoke are not mentally controlled in the magical sense; however, witches frequently use this ritual to enslave victims by threatening them with unbearable pain or death if they disobey. The victim takes damage equivalent to that inflicted upon the doll (thus, a lighter held up to a doll would be the equivalent to holding a torch to the victim).
The victim may make a special roll using Willpower instead of Stamina + Fortitude (even when the doll is being burnt or exposed to sunlight). The pain that the victim experiences in such circumstances is so great that she is incapacitated during each round that she takes damage. In order to avoid such incapacitation, the victim must spend a Willpower point
Unweave Ritual Badgery Edit: Fine
With the preponderance of cursing rituals among the jealous Warlocks, it's only a matter of time until a Tremere labors under the effects of an enemy's magic. Whether it's another Tremere eager to discomfit a political adversary, or some non-Tremere thaumaturge looking for retribution, having Thaumaturgy turned around against is supposed masters makes for a bitter aftertaste indeed.
Once a Tremere manages to identify the enemy ritual under which he labors, it's possible to build a counter-sorcery to unweave it. Thaumaturges skilled in this magic learn general principles to confound other rituals, shrug off their effects of collapse them prematurely.
System
First, the caster must figure out what ritual currently afflicts him. This is probably automatic if he knows the ritual (unless the caster has been very subtle or the subject is daft), but may require some research (and Intelligence + Occult rolls, at the Storyteller's discretion) otherwise. Next, the unweaving takes place. The caster must secure a component that would be used in the casting of the offending ritual, then destroy it in some fashion. His successes subtract from the successes scored by the original caster; if he manages to wipe away all of the successes, the offending ritual immediately ends, with all concomitant effects. Thus, a quick end to Bind the Accusing Tongue would allow the Tremere to speak ill of his enemies again, but a premature end to a Blood Contract would painfully shove him into torpor, and a premature end to Night of the Red Heart would result in Final Death.
Only rituals that have a duration can be unwoven. For instance, a Tremere who has thrown off a blood bond through Abandon the Fetters (below) is not constantly under the effects of that ritual – once the ritual is complete, the bond is gone and the ritual is done. However, a Tremere suffering from Steps of the Terrified would be considered under the duration of the ritual as long as it slowed his movement, so it could be unwoven. Note that a thaumaturge can only unweave a ritual on himself, not one on someone else. Also, a thaumaturge suffering from multiple rituals must weave each one separately. Multiple unweavings can be accumulated against a ritual so long as the appropriate time and components can be acquired.
Ward versus Kindred Badgery Edit: Fine
This warding ritual functions exactly as do Ward versus Ghouls and Ward versus Lupines, but inflicts injury upon Cainites. It does not harm kuei-jin although Tremere researchers are promising their elders a Ward versus Cathayans ritual "any night now."
System
Ward versus Kindred behaves exactly as does Ward versus Ghouls, but it affects vampires rather than ghouls. The ritual requires a blood point of the caster's own blood and does not affect the caster. As noted above, this ward does not harm kuei-jin. And there is currently no "Ward versus Cathayans" in existence.
Bone of Lies
This ritual enchants a mortal bone so that anyone who holds it must tell the truth. The bone in question is often a skull, though any part of the skeleton will do - some Tremere use strings of teeth, necklaces of finger joints or wands fashioned from ribs or arms. The bone grows blacker as it compels its holder to tell the truth, until it has turned completely ebony and has no magic left.
This ritual binds the spirit of the individual to whom the bone belonged in life; it is this spirit who wrests the truth from the potential liar. The spirit absorbs the lies intended to be told by the bone's holder, and as it compels more truth, it becomes more and more corrupt. If summoned forth, this spirit reflects the sins it has siphoned from the defeated liar (in addition to anger over its unwilling servitude). For this reason, anonymous bones are often used in the ritual, and the bone is commonly buried after it has been used to its full extent. A specific bone may never be used twice for this ritual.
System
The bone imbued with this magical power must be at least 200 years old and must absorb 10 blood points on the night that the ritual is cast. Each lie the holder wishes to tell consumes one of these blood points, and the holder must speak
the truth immediately thereafter. When all 10 blood points have been consumed, the bone magic ceases to work any longer
Level 5:
Enchant Talisman Badgery Edit: Fine (Magic pimp stick)
This ritual is the first taught to most Tremere once they have attained mastery of their first path. Enchant Talisman allows the thaumaturge to enchant a personal magical item (the fabled wizard's staff) to act as an amplifier for her will and thaumaturgical might. A Tremere's talisman is a great source of personal pride, and any insult directed against a talisman is an insult at the thaumaturge herself. Many talismans are laden with additional rituals (such as every ward known to the thaumaturge). The physical appearance of a talisman varies, but it must be a rigid object close to a yard long. Swords and walking sticks are the most common talismans, but some innovative or eccentric Tremere have enchanted violins, shotguns, pool cues and classroom pointers.
System
This ritual requires six hours per night for one complete cycle of the moon, beginning and ending on the new moon. Over this time, the thaumaturge carefully prepares her talisman, carving it with Hermetic runes that signify her True Name and the sum total of her thaumaturgical knowledge. The player spends one blood point per night and makes an extended roll of Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8), one roll per week. If a nights work is missed or if the four rolls do not accumulate at least 20 net successes, the talisman is ruined and the process must be begun again.
A completed talisman gives the thaumaturge several advantages. When the character is holding the talisman, the difficulty of all magic or magick that targets her is increased by one. The player receives two extra dice when rolling for uses of the character's primary path an done extra die when rolling for the character's ritual castings. If the talisman is used as a weapon, it gives the player an additional die to roll to hit. If the thaumaturge is separated from her talisman, a successful Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 7) gives her its location.
If a talisman is in possession of another individual, it gives that individual three additional dice to roll when using any form of magic or magick against the talisman's owner. At the Storyteller's discretion, rituals that target the thaumaturge and use her talisman as a physical component may have greatly increased effects.
A thaumaturge may only have one talisman at a time. Ownership of a talisman may not be transferred - each individual must create her own.
Escape to a True Friend Badgery Edit: Fine
One of the few rituals available to the Tremere that allows a form of teleportation, Escape to a True Friend allows the caster to travel to the person whose friendship and trust she most values. The ritual has a physical component of a yard-wide circle charred into the bare ground or floor. The caster may step into the circle at any time and speak the True Name of her friend. She is instantly transported to that individual, wherever he may be at the moment. She does not appear directly in front of him, but materializes in a location within a few minutes' walk that is out of sight of any observer. The circle may be reused indefinitely, as long as it is unmarred.
System
This ritual takes six hours a night for six nights to cast, reduced by one night for every two successes. Each night requires the sacrifice of three of the caster's own blood points, which are poured into the circle. Once the circle is complete, the transport may be attempted at any time. The caster may take one other individual with her when she travels, or a maximum amount of "cargo" equal to her own weight.
Sculpting the Perfect Servant Badgery Edit: Fine (love this one too long term game player mode )
Intrigued by the manner in which the Fiends bred their revenant servants and, improvising on those methods, a powerful European thaumaturge ritualized the ability to enroll an individual's service even before the child had been born. By manipulating an unborn fetus in the womb of a pregnant woman, a magus has the ability to grant exceptional aptitudes and attributes that develop in the child. These Warlocks may also be exceedingly cruel, cursing these innocents with scars and defects. This technique of creating ghouls was founded to increase the abilities of their ghouls, as well as the service of the mother. Children affected by Sculpting of the Perfect Servant, though possibly growing up normally, always feel a supernatural connection to the magus. To use this ritual, the caster must rend a stillborn baby in half and allow its blood to flow over the belly of the pregnant mother.
System
While it takes only a moment to curse or damage a child, a caster who expends the time and energy in blessing (which requires five hours every week until the pregnant mother comes to term, starting in the first three months of the pregnancy) will reap the benefits. This results in the baby possessing exceptional Attributes (three or sometimes four points per Trait, rather than the usual two points most mortals have) and gaining an extended life span (usually living for about 100-120 years). Unfortunately despite being strong, handsome and healthy, these mortals are also cursed by a lack of moral development; their Humanity can never be raised above 6. For every curse inflicted on the unborn child, one common deformity may be created as well, to bind the child to the magus.
Note: The full effects of this ritual are solely up to the Storyteller, as such manipulation of humanity can have a drastic effect on game balance
Night of the Red Heart Badgery Edit: Fine again an uncommon one that "technically" only one other tremere in the Milwaukee book knows but i'll let that slide as lets face it this one might get you dead real quick if you use it on the wrong target
Neonates whisper that Tremere elders can utterly destroy their enemies with but a sample of vitae. Although little is ever that simple, some truth lies behind the dread rumor. With Night of the Red Heart, a thaumaturge can send his enemies shrieking in terror, slay them outright or force a confrontation.
The thaumaturge needs only a quantitative sample of the victim's blood. Over the course of an entire night, the caster chants the syllables of the ritual continuously. After the first iteration of the ritual (which takes about 10 minutes), the victim suddenly feels a foreboding sense of dread. Whenever the subject faces the caster, he realized that a ritual is in progress to slay him – and that he must either escape its power, or else find and interrupt the caster by following the preternatural knowledge imparted. Once the ritual ends at sunrise, if the victim is within its range, he spectacularly crumbles to ash in a matter of seconds.
In addition to the victim's blood, the caster must have an effigy of the victim that he has carved himself from bone, rotten wood harvested at midnight or stone from the grave of a faithful priest's headstone.
System
Although extremely potent, Night of the Red Heart is not an all-powerful ritual. Chances are, as soon as it begins, the victim will either flee the city or else hunt down the caster. Because there are no holds barred – death or failure – this likely means that the victim will not stop until he can destroy the thaumaturge. Should the caster manage to complete the ritual with a full point of the victim's blood, though, the hapless subject immediately collapses to Final Death.
The player rolls for the ritual's success as soon as casting begins – if the roll fails, then the ritual will not work and the victim will feel nothing (although the caster doesn't necessarily know this.) The player must also spend one Willpower point to continue the casting for the duration of the entire night, and if the ritual is stopped or interrupted in any way, it fails.
Night of the Red Heart has a limited range. Popular lore holds that the rite works "for seven leagues beyond the accursed's haven"; scientific thaumaturges credit the rite with a range of 30 to 35 miles. Regardless, the subject can immediately tell if he has managed to escape the ritual's range, because the sense of dread vanishes – but if he returns while the ritual remains in progress, he once again comes under its influence. Note that although the subject can tell if he manages to escape the ritual's range, the caster does not know this; it's possible to cast Night of the Red Heart upon someone who's not in range, without knowing that the ritual will fail.
Backgrounds
Generation : 4
Clan Status: 4
Age : 4
Virtues
Self- control : 4
Conscience : 2
Courage : 3
Humanity : = 5
Willpower = 8
Blood pool: 14
Merits:
Occult Library (4 point merit)
Flaws :
Pride -1 point flaw
Superiority Complex
History:
Born in York, England in 1052. Warrick was the son of a minor aristocratic family. Young Warrick's early years were spent
learning the lessons that every young noble of his day was expected to learn. He received instruction in swordsmanship,
military strategy, politics, weaponry, finance etc. In 1068 after the Norman conquest of England, the ruling nobility of
York rebelled against England's new king William. Warrick's father alone secretly sided with the King and shortly after
King William's arrival in York and the rebellion's end, he was rewarded with the Dukedom itself. With his father's
ascension to the rank of Duke, it was expected of Warrick to devote himself to being a worthy heir, and for a time
the young Warrick did just that. Warrick was extremely intelligent and quite often surprised his tutors with his vast
intellect and wit. In time, he grew bored with the trappings of nobility and the tedium of his training; Warrick sought
other interests.
Young Warrick became obsessed with knowledge and it's acquisition; believing that knowledge was the only true
power. He devoted himself to the study of all things and gave smaller and smaller consideration to anything that
did not involve him learning. By the time he was twenty, Warrick was considered among the most learned in the
Dukedom and in all of England. Though he loved acquiring knowledge of all kinds, it was a love for the arcane
that burned brightest among his desires. Though it was forbidden and punishable by death, Warrick delved into
the ancient arts. His foray into these arts was with alchemy. Warrick found a passion for the application of this
technique and a flare for it as well. In time, he became well known for his skill of alchemy able to transmute one
substance into another with ease. Never satisfied with what he had learned, Warrick wanted more knowledge and
he began to study other more ancient arts.
Warrick's study of the arcane took him farther and farther away from his life as the son of a Duke. Warrick's
only interest was his tomes and the arcane knowledge they contained. It was at this time in his life that he
began seeking others who shared his interest; who possessed the ancient knowledge that he so desperately
wished to understand and learn to acquire. A few days before his thirtieth birthday, Warrick's father, the
Duke was slain in conflict with a neighboring lord and Warrick was to inherit his father's title and holdings.
Warrick refused to accept the position, and subsequently went into self imposed exhile.
His years of exile took Warrick to and fro across England and the wider continent. All the while his obsession
for acquiring arcane knowledge and power his driving force. Warrick, as talented as ever grew into a powerful
magus and word of his power and exploits preceeded the magus throughout the lands.As the decades passed
both the magus and his deeds became legendary and those who were brave enough and who had need serious
enough sought him out for his aid. Those whom he found worthy, Warrick often gifted them with his help. Those
who he found lacking, would never be a bother to him again.
Time again passed; years turned into decades and decades to a century. Warrick grew tired of the trappings of
the world and withdrew himself from it; hold up in his fortress that was itself secluded from the outside world
through powerful magics. One evening, to Warrick's surprise a stranger appeared at the gates of his home. This
stranger had breached the magical barrier and for that reason alone, intrigued Warrick treated with this, stranger.
Word of Warrick's power and exploits had reached the ear of Tremere, and he dispatched this disciple of his with
information that magic was dying and an offer. Warrick would be granted continued immortality and greater
knowledge and power than he could ever hope to achieve alone. To Warrick, this offer seemed to be a reason for
him to once again thrive and with his acceptance of Tremere's offer, Warrick became Tremere.
(more to come, perhaps)
Name : Warrick
Player: GM
Chronicle : Birmingham by Night
Nature : Plotter
Demeanor : Visionary
Clan: Tremere
Generation : 9th
Haven : Birmingham Chantry
Concept : Scheming Philosopher
Attributes
Physical-------------------------------------
Strength : 2
Dexterity: 2
Stamina : 3
Social --------------
Charisma: 4
Manipulation : 4
Appearance: 3
Mental--------------
Perception : 3
Intelligence : 4
Wits : 4
Abilities:
Talents ------------
Acting : 1
Alertness : 3
Athletics : 0
Brawl : 0
Dodge: 2
Empathy: 2
Expression : 3
Intimidation: 2
Leadership: 4
Streetwise: 1
subterfuge: 4
Skills -------------------------
Animal Ken: 2
Gargoyle Ken: 2
Etiquette : 4
Firearms : 0
Larceny : 1
Melee: 0
Music: 1
Performance: 2
Stealth: 1
Survival: 3
Knowledge ---------------------
Academics: 5
Clan Lore: 4
Gargoyle Lore: 1
Investigation: 3
Law: 4
Linguistics: 5
Medicine : 4
Occult: 4
Politics: 5
Science : 4
Technology: 1
Disciplines:
Auspex :4
Dominate :3
Thaumaturgy:5
Thaumaturgy Paths
Path of Mercury : 3
Path of Blood : 5
Movement of the Mind : 5
Alchemy : 4
Path of Conjuring: 1
Thaumaturgical Rituals
Level 1:
Defense of the Sacred Haven Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual takes an hour to perform, and uses up one blood point. The vampire may put a drop of her blood on each window in an area, up to twenty feet away from the ritual site. All sunlight that would go in through these windows is instead reflected by them. This ritual lasts as long as the vampire is in the area
Purity of Flesh Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual involves concentrating for ten minutes in a lotus position, surrounded by thirteen sharp stones, and then spending a blood point. This ritual will remove all foreign matter from the vampire, good or bad leaving only a ring of gray film around the place where he sat. (This includes fake limbs, breast implants, surgical appliances, poisons, drugs, wooden splinters, etc.) This also affects matter touching her, and those performing this ritual would be advised to do it in the nude. This is useless against diseases of the blood or any sort of mind control. If the remaining grey is analyzed it will show traces of the ejected material and the caster's blood.
The Scribe Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual creates a written document from the spoken words of the caster. The Thaumaturge simply speaks and her words mystically appear on paper before her. Some Thaumaturges have observed variants of this ritual that involve moving feather pens writing the words as they speak them, but the most common form of this ritual makes no such overt display. Further, some young thaumaturges have developed a variant that records their words directly as computer files - which their Elders almost universally decry as vulgar. This ritual requires a beak of a bird or the tongue of a lizard to be crushed between the casters thumb and forefinger.
System: For the duration of the scene any words spoken by the thaumaturge are transcribed to whatever surface she wishes. This is most commonly paper (whether loose or bound into a book), but may also be a wall a head of a pin anything. The scribe automatically fits the Thaumaturges ideas on a given surface, but it makes no provisions for legibility; transcribing all 400 pages of The Seventh Sigil onto a note card isn't going to make it readable without a microscope.Additionally the Scribe doesn't improve a speakers eloquence - in matters where clarity or quality is crucial, the speakers Expression Trait may come into play. The Scribe may be cast on someone other than the thaumaturge, should the latter wish. Also she may voluntarily end the effects of the power before the end of the scene.
Rite of Introduction Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual involves reciting a half-hour incantation, and then speaking into water vapor. The vampire may contact the Regent of the nearest Tremere Chantry first, and then others, descending the hierarchy. By tradition, only the Regent is bound to answer, and a brief dialogue with each person is possible. Used often to announce one’s presence, or to call for help.
The Imp's Affliction Badgery Edit: Fine
A disgusting ritual, the Imp's Affliction curses the subject by aggravating his ears, throat and nose. Mucus membranes inflame, ears fill with liquid, the throat becomes raspy and dry, and the subject's eyes brim with tears. This ritual requires merely that the thaumaturge write her victim's name on a scrap of paper.
System
The Imp's Affliction lasts for one scene, during which the victim becomes winded after five minus Stamina turns. Subjects so exhausted suffer a temporary level of unsoakable bashing damage, which vanishes at the end of the scene as the symptoms disperse. This ritual is most often used to torment people in social situations, as their unpleasant maladies make them odious, to say the least — the difficulties of Social rolls for a character stricken with the Imp's Affliction increase by one. This ritual has no effect on Kindred
Blood Mastery Badgery Edit: Fine
Whispered rumors tell that one should never allow the Tremere to gain access to the blood of another vampire. Paranoid tales in hushed tones tell of the Tremere's mastery over other Kindred through the sole use of a small quantity of vitae. While modern, cosmopolitan Kindred scoff at such tales, even they are careful not to let their blood fall into the wrong hands, just in case.
Such caution, though, is well-deserved. A Tremere with even rudimentary understanding of blood can focus its power into sympathetic forms. By destroying another Kindred’s blood, the Tremere gains symbolic power over that Kindred. This in turn allows the Tremere to manifest his supremacy over the victim.
System
The thaumaturge must mix a tiny quantity of his own vitae (a negligible amount, less than a point) with that of his victim, then slowly burn it in a fire or boil the blood slowly over an open flame. The caster speaks the phrases of symmetry as he finishes. Once complete, the Tremere has magical mastery over the victim, however briefly.
Successful completion of the Blood Mastery ritual guarantees a victory of some degree over the victim. In the next contention that the caster brings against the victim, the ritualist automatically succeeds. If the task would require some roll, the caster garners one success automatically, but no more (and cannot roll or spend Willpower to improve the roll). This means that the caster is guaranteed a marginal success against the opponent. Of course, it may not be in a fashion that the thaumaturge desires – one success alone is not enough to decapitate an enemy, but it might influence him briefly with the Dominate Discipline. Similarly, if the victim takes some action first, the ritual is of no help if the caster’s player could not normally make a countering roll. For example, the caster would still be subject to an opponent's use of Presence, because he may not normally make a roll to resist. If the victim uses some Discipline that would require the caster to resist, though, the thaumaturge automatically counters it and thus ends the power of the ritual.
Bloody Mastery can only guarantee success in one limited endeavor – a thaumaturge cannot burn multiple points of blood to gain additional successes or success on multiple consecutive actions. Once the ritual is in place, it must be discharged before it can be invoked again against the same subject. Blood Mastery expires if its effects remain unused
Bind the Accusing Tongue Badgery Edit: Fine
This ancient ritual is said to have been one of the first developed by the Tremere and a primary reason for the lack of cohesive opposition to their expansion. Bind the Accusing Tongue lays a compulsion upon the subject that prevents him from speaking ill of the caster, allowing the thaumaturge to commit literally unspeakable acts without fear of reprisal.
System
The caster must have a picture or other image or effigy of the ritual's target, a lock of the target's hair and a black silken cord. The caster winds the cord around the hair and image while intoning the ritual's vocal component. Once the ritual is complete, the target must score more successes on a Willpower roll (difficulty of the caster's Thaumaturgy rating + 3) than the caster scored in order to say anything negative about the thaumaturge. The ritual lasts until the target succeeds at this roll or the silk cord is unwound, at which point the image and the lock of hair crumble to dust.
Level 2 :
Donning the Mask of Shadows Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual takes twenty minutes to cast. The vampire may make herself unnoticeable to others, for one hour per success. Those with Auspex make the resistance roll above with a difficulty reduced by three. Animals will automatically sense the vampire
Ward Versus Ghouls Badgery Edit: Fine
This ten-hour ritual requires a point of mortal blood, in addition to the object being made into a ward. This object, when touching a ghoul, will do three dice of damage, difficulty Stamina + Fortitude of the ghoul, and the ghoul must spend a willpower point to touch it again. If this ward is placed on a door or an unbroken circle, the ghoul will be unable to pass it. If a bullet is warded, then five successes are required on the Firearms roll to leave the bullet in the body where it will continue doing damage. (This only works on smaller calibers.)
Burning Blade Badgery Edit: Fine
Developed during Clan Tremere's troubled inception, Burning Blade allows a thaumaturge to temporarily enchant a melee weapon to inflict unhealable wounds on supernatural creatures. While this ritual is in effect, the weapon flickers with an unholy greenish flame.
System
This ritual can only be cast on melee weapons. The caster must cut the palm of her weapon hand during the ritual - with the weapon if it is edged, otherwise a sharp stone. This inflicts a single health level of lethal damage which cannot be soaked but may be healed normally. The player spends three blood points which are absorbed by the weapon. Once the ritual is cast, the weapon inflicts aggravated damage on all supernatural creatures for the next few successful attacks, one per success rolled. Multiple castings of Burning Blade cannot be "stacked" for longer durations. Furthermore, the wielder of the weapon cannot choose to do normal damage and "save up" aggravated strikes - each successful attack uses one aggravated strike until there are none left, at which point the weapon reverts to inflicting normal damage
Extinguish Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual eliminates the threat that fire poses to Kindred. The caster is able to douse dangerous flames, leaving vampire hunters quite surprised when their torches and brands are no longer effective tools. To enact this ritual, the caster pinches out a candle's flame while spitting on the floor.
System
The ritual is set up in advance, but for the entire night the vampire has but to speak a single magical syllable to extinguish one fire up to the size of a bonfire. For the duration of one night, the thaumaturge can use this power a number of times equal to the number of successes on the initial ritual roll. Pinching a candle's flame in preparation is likely to require a Rötschreck check, as well.
Level 3:
Shaft of Belated Quiescence Badgery Edit: Fine
This ritual turns an ordinary stake of rowan wood into a particularly vicious weapon. When the stake penetrates a vampire's body, the tip breaks off and begins working its way through the victim's flesh to his heart. The trip may take several minutes or several nights, depending on where the stake struck. The stake eludes attempts to dig it out, burrowing farther into the victim's body to escape surgery. The only Kindred who are immune to this internal attack are those who have had their hearts removed by Setities.
System
The ritual takes five hours to enact, minus 30 minutes per success. The stake must be carved of rowan wood, coated with three blood points of the caster's blood, and blackened in an oak-wood fire. When the ritual is complete, the stake is enchanted to act as described above.
An attack with a Shaft of Belated Quiescence is performed with a normal stake: a Dexterity + Melee roll (difficulty 6, modified as per normal combat rules, as the attack does not need to specifically target the heart - the stake takes care of that) with a lethal damage rating of Strength + 1. If at least one health level of damage is inflicted after the target rolls to soak, the tip of the stake breaks off and begins burrowing. If not, the stake may be used to make subsequent attacks until it strikes deep enough to activate.
Once the tip of the stake is in the victim's body, the Storyteller begins an extended roll of the caster's Thaumaturgy rating (difficulty 9), rolling once per hour of game time. Successes on this roll are added to the successes scored in the initial attack. This represents the tip's progress toward the victim's heart. A botch indicates that the tip has struck bone and all accumulated successes are lost (including those from the initial attack roll). When the shaft accumulates a total of 15 successes, it reaches the victim's heart. This paralyzes the Kindred and is instantly fatal to mortals and ghouls.
Attempts to surgically remove the tip of the shaft can be made with an extended Dexterity + Medicine roll (difficulty 7), rolled once per hour. The surgeon must accumulate a number of successes equal to those currently held by the shaft in order to remove the tip. Once surgery begins, however, the shaft begins actively evading the surgeon's probes, and its rolls are made once every 30 minutes for the duration of the surgery attempt. Each individual surgery roll that scores less than three successes inflicts an additional unsoakable level of lethal damage on the patient.
Shaft of Belated Quiescence may be performed on other wooden impaling weapons, such as spears, arrows, practice swords and pool cues, provided they are made of rowan wood. It may not, however, create a Bullet of Belated Quiescence - wooden bullets are not large enough to absorb the full amount of blood required for the ritual.
Noncorporeal Passage Badgery Edit: Fine
This one-hour ritual requires a fragment of a mirror, and makes the vampire incorporeal for one hour per success, as long as she can see herself in the mirror. In this state, she may move through solid objects (in a straight line only), and is impervious to physical attack
Power of the Pyramid Badgery Edit: I adore this ritual. Uncommon one and awesome. Brownie points earned here
Among the Tremere clan's most famous exploits are its greater binding rituals over the entirety of the Tremere antitribu, and the majority of the Assamite clan. No lone thaumaturge could accomplish such a feet. Only by sharing strength can the Tremere achieve the necessary might to create or resist such forces.
To combine thaumaturgical strength, Tremere Kindred can use a linking ritual. The Power of the Pyramid rite requires that each participant know and invoke the ritual simultaneously, and requires physical contact – so a group of Tremere, formed in a circle with linked hands, all chanting the same words in unison, indicates that the clan prepares for a daunting task. Once completed, the rite allows the Tremere involved to gather their mental strength together so they can multiply their power.
Perhaps because of its connotations, this ritual only works for Kindred of Tremere lineage. Other vampires might be able to learn it, but it would probably not do them much good.
This ritual requires the casters to fast for 24 hours before performing it. Additionally, one of the thaumaturges participating in the group must wear a brooch or pin made from mortal bone, which must pierce his flesh (though it need not be visible to the rest of the group).
System
Each Kindred involved in Power of the Pyramid must know this ritual and successfully cast it simultaneously – any failed castings simply exclude the individual from the circle but do not hinder other successes. Once complete, a single Tremere can break from the circle without nullifying the ritual, but if any others lose physical contact the ritual ends. So long as the ritual continues, all participants may freely share their Willpower. Thus, one Tremere could break from the circle, perform another ritual and draw upon the Willpower of all Kindred involved. Once a caster has broken from the circle, he cannot return and release someone else; that "lynchpin" is the only one able to move around freely.
Level 4:
Soul Yoke Badgery Edit: Fine
A victim of this ritual finds herself spiritually harnessed to a fetish (usually a doll). Like all sympathetic magic, the victim directly experiences any pain or pleasure inflicted upon the doll. If that which is done to the done to the doll would normally kill a human being or vampire (such as decapitation or incineration), the victim dies. However, the stimulus must be actively caused. Thus, the victim would not feel pain if the doll were in a burning house and caught fire by accident; however, if someone lit the house on fire in order to burn the doll or if the doll were thrown into a fireplace maliciously, the victim would feel all the effects of the fire.
Distance from the fetish makes no difference; the victim can be one foot or a million miles away from the doll. Only those who harbor no ill will toward the victim may destroy the doll and break the enchantment; the victim cannot destroy it unless she is prepared to destroy herself in the process.
The ritual requires an elaborate liturgy lasting two hours and requiring a number of physical components. Witches performing the ritual must place wax candles, chalk, iron chains and help ropes around the victim (who must be on a stone altar) in a perfect circle. Then, standing outside the circle on a scrubbed floor, onto which are scattered strands of ox hairs and droplets of diseased horse blood, they must take turns chanting the words of the ritual.
Once that has been accomplished, they must step inside the circle, slit open the victim's forehead and touch the fetish doll to the victim's heart and to her forehead as it bleeds. At this point, part of the victim's soul enters the doll; one of the witches must then insert a hairpin through the doll's heart to "pin" the soul to the fetish, and the pin dissolves. When this has been done, the victim and the doll are permanently linked.
Victims of Soul Yoke are not mentally controlled in the magical sense; however, witches frequently use this ritual to enslave victims by threatening them with unbearable pain or death if they disobey. The victim takes damage equivalent to that inflicted upon the doll (thus, a lighter held up to a doll would be the equivalent to holding a torch to the victim).
The victim may make a special roll using Willpower instead of Stamina + Fortitude (even when the doll is being burnt or exposed to sunlight). The pain that the victim experiences in such circumstances is so great that she is incapacitated during each round that she takes damage. In order to avoid such incapacitation, the victim must spend a Willpower point
Unweave Ritual Badgery Edit: Fine
With the preponderance of cursing rituals among the jealous Warlocks, it's only a matter of time until a Tremere labors under the effects of an enemy's magic. Whether it's another Tremere eager to discomfit a political adversary, or some non-Tremere thaumaturge looking for retribution, having Thaumaturgy turned around against is supposed masters makes for a bitter aftertaste indeed.
Once a Tremere manages to identify the enemy ritual under which he labors, it's possible to build a counter-sorcery to unweave it. Thaumaturges skilled in this magic learn general principles to confound other rituals, shrug off their effects of collapse them prematurely.
System
First, the caster must figure out what ritual currently afflicts him. This is probably automatic if he knows the ritual (unless the caster has been very subtle or the subject is daft), but may require some research (and Intelligence + Occult rolls, at the Storyteller's discretion) otherwise. Next, the unweaving takes place. The caster must secure a component that would be used in the casting of the offending ritual, then destroy it in some fashion. His successes subtract from the successes scored by the original caster; if he manages to wipe away all of the successes, the offending ritual immediately ends, with all concomitant effects. Thus, a quick end to Bind the Accusing Tongue would allow the Tremere to speak ill of his enemies again, but a premature end to a Blood Contract would painfully shove him into torpor, and a premature end to Night of the Red Heart would result in Final Death.
Only rituals that have a duration can be unwoven. For instance, a Tremere who has thrown off a blood bond through Abandon the Fetters (below) is not constantly under the effects of that ritual – once the ritual is complete, the bond is gone and the ritual is done. However, a Tremere suffering from Steps of the Terrified would be considered under the duration of the ritual as long as it slowed his movement, so it could be unwoven. Note that a thaumaturge can only unweave a ritual on himself, not one on someone else. Also, a thaumaturge suffering from multiple rituals must weave each one separately. Multiple unweavings can be accumulated against a ritual so long as the appropriate time and components can be acquired.
Ward versus Kindred Badgery Edit: Fine
This warding ritual functions exactly as do Ward versus Ghouls and Ward versus Lupines, but inflicts injury upon Cainites. It does not harm kuei-jin although Tremere researchers are promising their elders a Ward versus Cathayans ritual "any night now."
System
Ward versus Kindred behaves exactly as does Ward versus Ghouls, but it affects vampires rather than ghouls. The ritual requires a blood point of the caster's own blood and does not affect the caster. As noted above, this ward does not harm kuei-jin. And there is currently no "Ward versus Cathayans" in existence.
Bone of Lies
This ritual enchants a mortal bone so that anyone who holds it must tell the truth. The bone in question is often a skull, though any part of the skeleton will do - some Tremere use strings of teeth, necklaces of finger joints or wands fashioned from ribs or arms. The bone grows blacker as it compels its holder to tell the truth, until it has turned completely ebony and has no magic left.
This ritual binds the spirit of the individual to whom the bone belonged in life; it is this spirit who wrests the truth from the potential liar. The spirit absorbs the lies intended to be told by the bone's holder, and as it compels more truth, it becomes more and more corrupt. If summoned forth, this spirit reflects the sins it has siphoned from the defeated liar (in addition to anger over its unwilling servitude). For this reason, anonymous bones are often used in the ritual, and the bone is commonly buried after it has been used to its full extent. A specific bone may never be used twice for this ritual.
System
The bone imbued with this magical power must be at least 200 years old and must absorb 10 blood points on the night that the ritual is cast. Each lie the holder wishes to tell consumes one of these blood points, and the holder must speak
the truth immediately thereafter. When all 10 blood points have been consumed, the bone magic ceases to work any longer
Level 5:
Enchant Talisman Badgery Edit: Fine (Magic pimp stick)
This ritual is the first taught to most Tremere once they have attained mastery of their first path. Enchant Talisman allows the thaumaturge to enchant a personal magical item (the fabled wizard's staff) to act as an amplifier for her will and thaumaturgical might. A Tremere's talisman is a great source of personal pride, and any insult directed against a talisman is an insult at the thaumaturge herself. Many talismans are laden with additional rituals (such as every ward known to the thaumaturge). The physical appearance of a talisman varies, but it must be a rigid object close to a yard long. Swords and walking sticks are the most common talismans, but some innovative or eccentric Tremere have enchanted violins, shotguns, pool cues and classroom pointers.
System
This ritual requires six hours per night for one complete cycle of the moon, beginning and ending on the new moon. Over this time, the thaumaturge carefully prepares her talisman, carving it with Hermetic runes that signify her True Name and the sum total of her thaumaturgical knowledge. The player spends one blood point per night and makes an extended roll of Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8), one roll per week. If a nights work is missed or if the four rolls do not accumulate at least 20 net successes, the talisman is ruined and the process must be begun again.
A completed talisman gives the thaumaturge several advantages. When the character is holding the talisman, the difficulty of all magic or magick that targets her is increased by one. The player receives two extra dice when rolling for uses of the character's primary path an done extra die when rolling for the character's ritual castings. If the talisman is used as a weapon, it gives the player an additional die to roll to hit. If the thaumaturge is separated from her talisman, a successful Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 7) gives her its location.
If a talisman is in possession of another individual, it gives that individual three additional dice to roll when using any form of magic or magick against the talisman's owner. At the Storyteller's discretion, rituals that target the thaumaturge and use her talisman as a physical component may have greatly increased effects.
A thaumaturge may only have one talisman at a time. Ownership of a talisman may not be transferred - each individual must create her own.
Escape to a True Friend Badgery Edit: Fine
One of the few rituals available to the Tremere that allows a form of teleportation, Escape to a True Friend allows the caster to travel to the person whose friendship and trust she most values. The ritual has a physical component of a yard-wide circle charred into the bare ground or floor. The caster may step into the circle at any time and speak the True Name of her friend. She is instantly transported to that individual, wherever he may be at the moment. She does not appear directly in front of him, but materializes in a location within a few minutes' walk that is out of sight of any observer. The circle may be reused indefinitely, as long as it is unmarred.
System
This ritual takes six hours a night for six nights to cast, reduced by one night for every two successes. Each night requires the sacrifice of three of the caster's own blood points, which are poured into the circle. Once the circle is complete, the transport may be attempted at any time. The caster may take one other individual with her when she travels, or a maximum amount of "cargo" equal to her own weight.
Sculpting the Perfect Servant Badgery Edit: Fine (love this one too long term game player mode
)Intrigued by the manner in which the Fiends bred their revenant servants and, improvising on those methods, a powerful European thaumaturge ritualized the ability to enroll an individual's service even before the child had been born. By manipulating an unborn fetus in the womb of a pregnant woman, a magus has the ability to grant exceptional aptitudes and attributes that develop in the child. These Warlocks may also be exceedingly cruel, cursing these innocents with scars and defects. This technique of creating ghouls was founded to increase the abilities of their ghouls, as well as the service of the mother. Children affected by Sculpting of the Perfect Servant, though possibly growing up normally, always feel a supernatural connection to the magus. To use this ritual, the caster must rend a stillborn baby in half and allow its blood to flow over the belly of the pregnant mother.
System
While it takes only a moment to curse or damage a child, a caster who expends the time and energy in blessing (which requires five hours every week until the pregnant mother comes to term, starting in the first three months of the pregnancy) will reap the benefits. This results in the baby possessing exceptional Attributes (three or sometimes four points per Trait, rather than the usual two points most mortals have) and gaining an extended life span (usually living for about 100-120 years). Unfortunately despite being strong, handsome and healthy, these mortals are also cursed by a lack of moral development; their Humanity can never be raised above 6. For every curse inflicted on the unborn child, one common deformity may be created as well, to bind the child to the magus.
Note: The full effects of this ritual are solely up to the Storyteller, as such manipulation of humanity can have a drastic effect on game balance
Night of the Red Heart Badgery Edit: Fine again an uncommon one that "technically" only one other tremere in the Milwaukee book knows but i'll let that slide as lets face it this one might get you dead real quick if you use it on the wrong target
Neonates whisper that Tremere elders can utterly destroy their enemies with but a sample of vitae. Although little is ever that simple, some truth lies behind the dread rumor. With Night of the Red Heart, a thaumaturge can send his enemies shrieking in terror, slay them outright or force a confrontation.
The thaumaturge needs only a quantitative sample of the victim's blood. Over the course of an entire night, the caster chants the syllables of the ritual continuously. After the first iteration of the ritual (which takes about 10 minutes), the victim suddenly feels a foreboding sense of dread. Whenever the subject faces the caster, he realized that a ritual is in progress to slay him – and that he must either escape its power, or else find and interrupt the caster by following the preternatural knowledge imparted. Once the ritual ends at sunrise, if the victim is within its range, he spectacularly crumbles to ash in a matter of seconds.
In addition to the victim's blood, the caster must have an effigy of the victim that he has carved himself from bone, rotten wood harvested at midnight or stone from the grave of a faithful priest's headstone.
System
Although extremely potent, Night of the Red Heart is not an all-powerful ritual. Chances are, as soon as it begins, the victim will either flee the city or else hunt down the caster. Because there are no holds barred – death or failure – this likely means that the victim will not stop until he can destroy the thaumaturge. Should the caster manage to complete the ritual with a full point of the victim's blood, though, the hapless subject immediately collapses to Final Death.
The player rolls for the ritual's success as soon as casting begins – if the roll fails, then the ritual will not work and the victim will feel nothing (although the caster doesn't necessarily know this.) The player must also spend one Willpower point to continue the casting for the duration of the entire night, and if the ritual is stopped or interrupted in any way, it fails.
Night of the Red Heart has a limited range. Popular lore holds that the rite works "for seven leagues beyond the accursed's haven"; scientific thaumaturges credit the rite with a range of 30 to 35 miles. Regardless, the subject can immediately tell if he has managed to escape the ritual's range, because the sense of dread vanishes – but if he returns while the ritual remains in progress, he once again comes under its influence. Note that although the subject can tell if he manages to escape the ritual's range, the caster does not know this; it's possible to cast Night of the Red Heart upon someone who's not in range, without knowing that the ritual will fail.
Backgrounds
Generation : 4
Clan Status: 4
Age : 4
Virtues
Self- control : 4
Conscience : 2
Courage : 3
Humanity : = 5
Willpower = 8
Blood pool: 14
Merits:
Occult Library (4 point merit)
Flaws :
Pride -1 point flaw
Superiority Complex
History:
Born in York, England in 1052. Warrick was the son of a minor aristocratic family. Young Warrick's early years were spent
learning the lessons that every young noble of his day was expected to learn. He received instruction in swordsmanship,
military strategy, politics, weaponry, finance etc. In 1068 after the Norman conquest of England, the ruling nobility of
York rebelled against England's new king William. Warrick's father alone secretly sided with the King and shortly after
King William's arrival in York and the rebellion's end, he was rewarded with the Dukedom itself. With his father's
ascension to the rank of Duke, it was expected of Warrick to devote himself to being a worthy heir, and for a time
the young Warrick did just that. Warrick was extremely intelligent and quite often surprised his tutors with his vast
intellect and wit. In time, he grew bored with the trappings of nobility and the tedium of his training; Warrick sought
other interests.
Young Warrick became obsessed with knowledge and it's acquisition; believing that knowledge was the only true
power. He devoted himself to the study of all things and gave smaller and smaller consideration to anything that
did not involve him learning. By the time he was twenty, Warrick was considered among the most learned in the
Dukedom and in all of England. Though he loved acquiring knowledge of all kinds, it was a love for the arcane
that burned brightest among his desires. Though it was forbidden and punishable by death, Warrick delved into
the ancient arts. His foray into these arts was with alchemy. Warrick found a passion for the application of this
technique and a flare for it as well. In time, he became well known for his skill of alchemy able to transmute one
substance into another with ease. Never satisfied with what he had learned, Warrick wanted more knowledge and
he began to study other more ancient arts.
Warrick's study of the arcane took him farther and farther away from his life as the son of a Duke. Warrick's
only interest was his tomes and the arcane knowledge they contained. It was at this time in his life that he
began seeking others who shared his interest; who possessed the ancient knowledge that he so desperately
wished to understand and learn to acquire. A few days before his thirtieth birthday, Warrick's father, the
Duke was slain in conflict with a neighboring lord and Warrick was to inherit his father's title and holdings.
Warrick refused to accept the position, and subsequently went into self imposed exhile.
His years of exile took Warrick to and fro across England and the wider continent. All the while his obsession
for acquiring arcane knowledge and power his driving force. Warrick, as talented as ever grew into a powerful
magus and word of his power and exploits preceeded the magus throughout the lands.As the decades passed
both the magus and his deeds became legendary and those who were brave enough and who had need serious
enough sought him out for his aid. Those whom he found worthy, Warrick often gifted them with his help. Those
who he found lacking, would never be a bother to him again.
Time again passed; years turned into decades and decades to a century. Warrick grew tired of the trappings of
the world and withdrew himself from it; hold up in his fortress that was itself secluded from the outside world
through powerful magics. One evening, to Warrick's surprise a stranger appeared at the gates of his home. This
stranger had breached the magical barrier and for that reason alone, intrigued Warrick treated with this, stranger.
Word of Warrick's power and exploits had reached the ear of Tremere, and he dispatched this disciple of his with
information that magic was dying and an offer. Warrick would be granted continued immortality and greater
knowledge and power than he could ever hope to achieve alone. To Warrick, this offer seemed to be a reason for
him to once again thrive and with his acceptance of Tremere's offer, Warrick became Tremere.
(more to come, perhaps)