Ethan Hawkin - Tremere Regent

Name : Ethan Hawkin
Player: Badgerman
Chronicle : Birmingham by Night

Nature : Architect
Demeanor : Fanatic
Clan: Tremere

Generation : 9th
Haven : Birmingham Chantry
Concept : Mad Scientist

Attributes
Physical-------------------------------------
Strength : 2
Dexterity: 4
Stamina : 3

Social --------------
Charisma: 2
Manipulation : 3
Appearance: 3

Mental--------------
Perception : 3
Intelligence : 4
Wits : 3

Abilities:

Talents ------------
Acting : 2
Alertness : 4
Athletics : 0
Brawl : 0
Dodge: 2
Empathy: 2
Expression : 1
Intimidation: 3
Leadership: 4 - speciality - gargoyles
Streetwise: 1
subterfuge: 4 - speciality - spin doctoring

Skills -------------------------
Animal Ken: 2
Gargoyle Ken: 4 - speciality - Gargoyle creation
Etiquette : 1
Firearms : 2
Larceny : 1
Melee: 0
Music: 1
Performance: 2
Stealth: 1
Survival: 2

Knowledge ---------------------
Academics: 4 - Speciality - Medical Sciences
Clan Lore: 4 - speciality - early Tremere history
Gargoyle Lore: 4 - speciality - gargoyle society
Investigation: 3
Law: 1
Linguistics: 3 (English, Gaelic, Romanian, Welsh)
Medicine : 5 - speciality - kindred physiology
Occult: 5 - speciality - Thaumaturgy Ritual components
Politics: 3
Science : 4 - speciality - Biology
Technology: 1

Disciplines:

Auspex :4
Dominate :3
Thaumaturgy:5
Dementation:3

Thaumaturgy Paths

The Focused Mind: 5
Biothaumaturgy : 5
Transmutation : 5
Path of Blood : 4
Hearth Path : 4

Backgrounds
Generation : 4
Clan Status: 4
Status : 3
Familiar : 4
Age : 4


Virtues
Conscience : 2
Self- control : 3
Courage : 4

Humanity : = 5

Willpower = 9


Blood pool: 14



Merits:
Occult Library (4 point merit)


Flaws :
Obsessive compulsive (2 pt flaw)


Combination Discipline

Thaumaturgical Sight

(Auspex 2 Thaumaturgy 1)
As with any combo discipline, storyteller approval is needed for this ability.
Just as some Kindred can sense the auras that surround living or undead beings, some acutely sensitive Tremere develop the talent to recognize thaumaturgical patterns. Magical energies cast by others are visible with Aura Perception, but with Thaumaturgical Sight, a Tremere can see the unholy vigor of blood magic. With enough occult knowledge, the Tremere may be able to decipher the lines of power to figure out exactly what sort of magic she faces.
A Tremere using Thaumaturgical Sight sees blood magic’s power as pulsing, viscous curves of liquid scarlet, which differ from the sparkles that punctuate the aura of a person using a living, dynamic magic. As the magic turns vitae into a fuel for a twisted manifestation of death’s curse, the viewer sees connections between thaumaturgical components and the resulting enchantment. A thaumaturge who uses the Lure of Flames, for instance, might appear to have crimson traceries weaving in his hands and coalescing until they burst into flames, while an enchanted knife might seem to have an unwholesome, sanguine glisten to it.
Like similar Auspex Disciplines, Thaumaturgical Sight isn't a power that’s used constantly or casually. Some magical wards – especially koldunic ones – can threaten a Tremere’s sanity when they're viewed with this sight. Certain places in Eastern Europe, it’s said, roil with diseased power that burns out all vision from a Tremere who would look upon their naked states. Wise Tremere confine their Thaumaturgical Sight to places or items where they're certain blood influence but need a clearer vision of the specifics.
System

Activating Thaumaturgical Sight is just like the use of Aura Perception. In fact, it augments that power; those without Thaumaturgical Sight will miss the subtle nuances of dead magic, while those who possess this power will find their Aura Perception abilities enhanced by it. However, as with any use of Thaumaturgy, a botch on the activation roll costs one permanent Willpower.
While under the effects of Thaumaturgical Sight, the character may be able to puzzle out other manifestations of blood magic within her line of sight. A Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 8) is appropriate to determine the character’s success in making out the results of some form of blood magic. If it’s an effect with which the character is familiar – such as someone using Theft of Vitae, if the character knows that power – then once success is sufficient to recognize the power. Otherwise, the successes scored determine the gist of the character’s understanding: With one success, she might puzzle out the general idea of the effect, like whether is geared to combat or divination; with three or more successes, she can probably figure out exactly what it’s supposed to do.
Thaumaturgical Sight does notice the patterns of power inherent to enchanted artifacts or wards, so long as they’re products of blood magic. A Tremere can therefore spot a ward and determine who it’s designed to deter, or notice that an object has some sort of blood magic upon it, such as Engaging the Vessel of Transference. Rituals show up to this sight, both during casting and while their effects remain, so a Tremere could tell if someone has invoked a ritual like Deflection of Wooden Doom or Steps of the Terrified.
More importantly, Thaumaturgical Sight allows the user to spot all forms of vampiric blood magic; Thaumaturgy, Setite or Assamite magic and koldunic sorcery are all equally visible. Conversely, Thaumaturgical Sight does not recognize "normal" magical effects, like the enhancements that mortal wizards use (though Aura Perception still reveals such magic as sparkling, coruscating energy). In any event, Aura Perception is required to learn this power, so the distinction is only parenthetical, if noteworthy.


Thaumaturgical Rituals

-=Level 1=-

Soul of the Earth
The powder of uncut piece of granite is mixed with the vitae of a gargoyle and then sprinkled on a normal animal. The process is very exacting and takes an hour. Upon completion of this ritual the animal to be embraced by the gargoyle whose vitae was used in the mixture
System: When the gargoyle embraces the creature the ritual takes effect, cushioning the animals body and mind from the shock of the embrace. The storyteller rolls the creatures Stamina + the Tremeres occult against a difficulty of 8. Success means the creature is successfully embraced. Failure or botch means that the embrace fails and the creature dies.

Feather-Stone
One of the problems that sometimes plagues the massive Gargoyles, particularly when laying siege to Tzimisce fortresses, is their weight. Those that can fly can collapse wooden floors beneath them if they land too heavily, and those that can't are often too hefty to climb well. This Ritual allows a Gargoyle to become much lighter than his stony appearance would indicate.
The Tremere performing this ritual must acquire a small chunk of soft brittle or lightweight (talc pumice etc) and coat it with a small amount of vitae. The Gargoyle must crush the the stone in its jaws, thereafter, the servant can call on the rituals effects at will.
System: Spend one blood point in addition to the usual Willpower roll to activate the spell. Assuming it succeeds the Gargoyle may invoke the effects if the player succeeds in a stamina + athletics roll (difficulty 6). The Gargoyle is then considered to weigh a fraction of what he normally does, but does not lose an of his physical prowess. If the Gargoyle also possesses the Flight power activating Feather stone reduces all flight difficulties by 2.

The Scribe
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.

The carrion Fly Delayed
This ritual allows for the preservation of body parts from living or unliving beings so that they can be used in rituals demanding fresh fleshy components long after being hewn from their original owners. The caster must make a series of incantations before vivisecting the living victim. He conducts the Vivisection and then passes the desired parts through smoke from a censer burning alchemical salts. Creative Vampires may devise other uses for the ritual. For example it is more disheartening to the kin of ones enemy to drop a fresh looking head in his lap than to deliver a mere skull. It is also useful in the formation of alibis; by the time discoverers find a body treated in this way, the caster may have traveled many leagues away, leaving a corpse that looks fresh - killed. This Ritual can also preserve blood for later consumption
System: Simple successes preserves five blood points or 100 pounds of meat from a single specimen for upto a week Players can spend additional successes to extend the preservation time (one week per success) or the amount preserved (five Blood points/100 pounds per success)

Purity of Flesh (PG)
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.

Bind The Accusing Tongue (GC)
Puts a compulsion on the subject which prevents him from speaking ill of the caster, allowing the thaumaturge to commit literally unspeakable acts without fear of reprisal. The caster must have a picture or other image of target, a lock of their hair and a black silken cord. The caster winds the cord around the hair and image while intoning the ritual's incantation. The ritual lasts until the cord is unwound, at which the image and hair will crumble to dust.

Level 1 • Engaging the Vessel of Transference

This ritual involves putting blood in a container, sealing it, and engraving a rune on it, and takes three hours. This container will take some blood from, and empty its current load into, anyone who touches it, who will only feel a shiver. If the rune is not covered, a roll of Intelligence + Occult, difficulty 8, will reveal it to read "change blood". This container will act as described, again and again, until broken open.


-=Level 2=-

Dust of Remembrance
Curaferrum devised this ritual to alert him to signs of disorder in his chantry. To perform it the thaumaturge severs one of her fingers, allowing it to crumble to corpse dust as he grows a new one. She combines the dust with myrrh, wine dregs silver powder and salt extracted from the tears of a child, allows the mixture to dry then performs a series of incantations. The result is several drams of white powder. The thaumaturge sprinkles the powder on an object of interest to her. If the object is moved while she is not in its presence the thaumaturge feels a sharp pain in her regrown finger.
The castellan uses this strategically by placing dust on certain doors to know when unwanted intrusions occur. He also sometimes makes petty use of it. He might place the dust in linen closets to catch out mortal servants, or on a tapestry depicting Etrius, to see who has been splattering it with paint.
System The ritualist may sprinkle the dust on up to twenty objects during the ritual. She can tell which of them is being interfered with if the player passes an Intelligence + Occult roll. The connection with prepared objects lasts one full lunar month per success on the ritual roll


Ward Versus Ghouls
Wary Tremere created this ritual to protect themselves from the minions of vengeful rivals. By invoking this ritual, the Tremere creates a glyph that causes great pain to any ghouls who come in contact with it. The Kindred pours a points worth of blood over the object he wishes to ward (a piece of parchment a coin a doorknob etc.) and recites the incantation, which takes ten minutes. In Ten hours the the magical ward is complete, and will inflict excruciating pain on any ghoul unfortunate enough to touch the warded object.
System: Ghouls who touch warded objects suffer three dice of lethal damage. This damage occurs again if the ghoul touches the object further; indeed, a ghoul who consciously wishes to touch a warded object must spend a willpower point to do so.
This ritual wards only one object - if inscribed on the side of a car, the ward affects only that door. or fender. not the whole car. wards may be placed on weapons even bullets though this usually works best on small calibre weapons. Bullets often warp upon firing, However and for a ward to remain intact on a fired round, the player needs five successes on the fire arms roll.

Extinguish
This ritual eliminates the threat 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 candles 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 roll. Pinching a candle's flame in preparation is likely to require a rotschreck check as well.

-=Level 3=-

Transubstantiation of Seven - Level 3
Even many outsiders know that the Tremere hold a blood loyalty to their clan, but the extent of this loyalty – or the means by which it's accomplished – remains a secret. Almost every Tremere holds a slight bond to the Council of Seven through their mixed blood. Of course, the Council cannot expect every newly Embraced neonate to come to Vienna to drink their blood. Nor can they simply ship their blood around the world – both solutions are far too impractical and dangerous, as any number of waiting Kindred would relish the thought of sealing such vitae or intercepting Tremere neonates and destroying them before they can become threats. To overcome this problem, most regents know and use this ritual instead.
After the Embrace, a Tremere neonate typically goes through a formal oath-swearing. No magic compels that oath, but the presiding regent (or higher ranking Tremere) ends the formality with the Transubstantiation. The ritualist fills a large chalice with his own blood and intones the syllables of the ritual. The neonate, still grappling with the new phenomenon of blood-thirst, drinks the entire contents of the chalice. As the blood enters and spreads through her system, the rite mystically transforms it into the blood of the Seven. By this means, the Tremere place each neonate a step toward a full bond with the council, without risk of having enemies steal the council's blood.
The Transubstantiation is considered a requirement for a fledgling to be recognized socially as a true member of the Tremere clan. For this reason, the vast majority of regents learn this ritual, which incidentally guarantees that most regents are at least reasonably competent with Thaumaturgy. Even in chantries where the regent lacks this power, some Tremere instructed in this rite must be present for any new Embrace, unless the hapless sire wishes to risk the ire of the clan.
Those who undergo the ritual, and indeed, many who have the ability to perform it, know little of its mechanical workings. Obviously, the transmuted blood is that of the Council of Seven – but how vast are their stores that they can transfuse neonates at the whims of those conducting the ritual? Where does the neonate's blood go? Whispers of a hidden vault beneath Vienna with labeled, preserved vials of vitae from every Kindred who has ever undergone this ritual can't possibly be true, can they?
System

The caster of the Transubstantiation must sacrifice a full quart of his blood – volume, not blood points, are required. The blood placed in the chalice remains unchanged until after it's imbibed and then spread throughout the subject's system, at which point it takes on the properties of the Council of Seven. This causes one step toward a blood bone to the whole council, but guarantees that the councilors' vitae cannot be stolen. Because the blood is already in the subject's system, it counts as his own vitae if it is later drained out.
In truth, there is no physical requirement that this rite be used on the new neonate. A rare few Tremere neonates escape the process, while conversely the rite could be used to generate a stronger bond in older Tremere or even in ghouls or Kindred of other clans. Kindred of the 14th or 15th generations, ghouls and revenants cannot use this rite – their blood is not sufficiently strong enough to channel the councilors' power.


Populate nights gardens

Level 3.
With this ritual, the vampire creates a hybrid creature from animals of two or more different types. Virstania, Malgorzata and Goratrix established it as a prelude to the Gargoyle project with some assistance supplied by Epistantia. Only Virstania continues as an enthusiastic user of the ritual, the results of which she seems to enjoy for their own sake. The others find her obsession with the hybrids gratuitously morbid and are glad to put behind them their memories of its creation.
System: The ritual takes place in stages: The vampire can leave as much time as she wishes between stages. The player must succeed at each stage before the vampire can proceed to the next; failure at any stage does not invalidate previous successes, however.

Stage One: Vivisection. The vampire vivisects at least three living specimens of each animal type to be hybridized. She draws exacting diagrams of the creatures' anatomies, naming the parts. The process takes two full nights of work, after which the player rolls Dexterity + Medicine (difficulty 5).

Stage Two: Finding of Correspondences. The vampire identifies the qualities she wishes to invest into the new creature. She consults scholarly texts concerning the natural world. She takes preserved parts of the creatures vivisected during the first stage and bathes them in alchemical substances. Through these means, she determines which parts of the creature house the qualities she seeks. For example, she may wish to create a centipede with the tracking instincts of a bloodhound. She may surmise that the instincts are resident in the bloodhound's snout, but must confirm this by subjecting a snout to alchemical testing. When she is satisfied that she has located the correct body parts, she proceeds. This process takes roughly two nights of research after which the thaumaturge rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 6).

Stage Three: Constructing the Fetal Entity. She then takes a living specimen of each creature to be used and vivisects it. She puts aside the vivisected parts identified during the finding of correspondences, as well as any required to give the animal its desired anatomy. (If she wants a centipede with the head of an owl, she must have an owl's head and a centipede's body.) She places these in a sac made from the uterus of a cow, sheep or other large animal. She then places them in a gestation chamber. This may be a barrel filled with a uterine solution created by alchemy. More powerfully, it might be the womb of a creature created by a previous casting of this ritual to serve as a birthing device for further horrors. (The creature in Virstania's Birthing Annex, p. 67. provides an example of this technique.) This takes a few hours of work, after which the player rolls Dexterity + Medicine (difficulty 6).

Stage Four: Donning the Creator's Mantle. Using an astrological ephemeris, the vampire calculates the amount of time required for gestation. When the creature is ready to be born, she opens the gestation barrel or makes an incision in the birthing beast's belly. She pulls the newborn creature loose and breaths the smoke of burned blood salts on it with a bellows. The vampire must now exercise great caution, as the new creature may immediately attack, especially if it was bred for viciousness. The minimum duration of gestation is at the Storyteller's discretion, and the player rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 7). The use of a living womb during stage three lowers the difficulty of stage four to 5.
The amount of blood used during the final stage depends on the new creature's desired game statistics. The player must spend 3 blood points for each dot of Strength, Dexterity, Stamina or Perception and 9 blood points for each dot of Charisma, Manipulation, Intelligence or Wits, which animals generally do not possess. Alertness, Brawl, Dodge, Intimidation, Stealth and Survival also cost 3 points per dot. Animals imbued with Intelligence may, at the Storyteller's discretion, use other Abilities at a cost of 5 per point. Every point of damage done by creature when it attacks costs 1 blood point. Infrequently-used attacks may cost only half a blood point per point of damage. The Storyteller may levy additional blood costs for special attacks or abilities, such as poisonous bites, petrifying gazes, unusual senses or exotic methods of locomotion.
The final stage of the ritual may take place over a long period of time, allowing the ritualist to store up the needed blood. IT is also possible to collaborate with others, drawing blood from apprentices. Virstania's Gargoyles are worshipfully ready to assist her whenever she calls on them for blood.


The ritual creates short-lived creatures; they die after a number of days equal to the blood spent on the final stage. Neither does the ritual grant the caster any control over the creature. However, both problems can be solved if the vampire chooses to ghoul its creation, which grants the standard advantages of longevity and obedience.
The creatures are infertile, but the caster can attempt an additional Intelligence + Occult roll (difficulty 9) at the conclusion of Donning the Creator's Mantle. If successful, the creature is fertile and may breed with another specimen of its exact type. (Ghoul creatures lose whatever fertility they once had.) Breeding the creatures requires an Intelligence _ Animal Ken (difficulty 7) roll. It takes up to five days before the success of the attempt is determined. One specimen is born for each success. Bred specimens are of a random sex, usually fertile and enjoy life spans about thirty times longer than their created parents. Subsequent generations maintain the fertility and longevity of their parents.

Sanguine Assistant (GC)
Allows a Thaumaturge to create a temporary assistant. The vampire slices open his arm and bleed into a specially prepared earthen bowl. This rituals sucks in and animates whatever happens to be lying around the workshop. Glass beakers, dissection tools, pencil, etc and binds them into a small humanoid form. This ritual almost never takes in any tool that the Thaumaturge finds himself needing during the assistant's lifespan. The servant is about one foot high. It lasts one night per success. At the end of its last night, it will crawl into the bowl and fall apart. The assistant can be re-animated through the same ritual. It reforms from the same materials with the same memories and personality. It will flee if attacked and has no disciplines, but a full understanding of its master's Thaumaturgical ability and can instruct others if necessary. Also impervious to mind control from others. It is completely bound to its creator.



Level 4
Consecration of the Sanctum
By painting the borders of a laboratory or workspace with an alchemical mixture of vitae, gold dust and rare herbs, a thaumaturge who knows this ritual can alter the delineated area's geomantic flow of power to favor his own form of magic.
System Each casting of this ritual enchants an area up to 10 square yards for one month. Multiple castings of Consecration of the Sanctum over the same area only reset the duration to one full month. Within the warded area the difficulty of all thaumaturgy rituals decrease by one. Conversely, the ritual adds one to the difficulty of all magic not based on hermetic principles. This includes the Pillars of non-Hermetic wizards, as well as the paths and rituals of other blood sorcerers. This ritual takes at least one hour to cast.

4 • Suspension of Incantation
This ritual binds one spell inside itself with conditions for release, effectively creating a triggered enchantment. Suspension of Incantation can easily create cunning traps or displays of effortless power to impress or intimidate later onlookers.
System: The caster carefully chants a long series of binding wards and activation clauses and her player rolls Wits + Occult (difficulty 6) The difficulty increases by one for every spell the thaumaturge currently has suspended with prior castings of this ritual, to a maximum difficulty of 10. If successful the caster must immediately invoke one power of any thaumaturgy path she knows. Her player spends blood and rolls Willpower normally to determine the success of the effect, but the magic does not manifest until the stated conditions are met. If the conditions never take place, the magic dissipates after a number of months equal to the initial successes rolled on the Wits + Occult Roll. Path effects can only be bound to specific inanimate objects or locations. Trigger clauses may be as simple or as complicated as desired, so long as any observed conditions take place within sight of the rituals focus. For example a caster could use Movement of mind to enchant a door to throw a spear at anyone who opened it without speaking the correct password.

Unweave Ritual
With the preponderance of cursing rituals among the jealous warlocks its only a matter of time until a Tremere labors under the effects of an enemy's magic. Whether its another Tremere eager to discomfort a political adversary or some non- tremere thaumaturge looking for retribution, having Thaumaturgy turned around against its supposed masters makes for a bitter aftertaste indeed
Once the tremere manages to identify the enemy ritual under which he labors, its 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 or collapse them prematurely.
System; First the caster must figure out which ritual currently affects 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 story tellers discretion) otherwise. Next the unweaving takes place. The caster must secure a component that would be used in 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 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 the blood bond through Abandon the Fetters is not constantly under the effects of this ritual - once this 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 each one separately. Multiple unweavings can be accumulated against a ritual so long as the appropriate time and components can be acquired.

Level 4 • Ward Versus Kindred

This ten-hour ritual requires a point of vampire blood, in addition to the object being made into a ward. This object, when touching a vampire, will do three dice of damage, difficulty Stamina + Fortitude of the vampire, and the vampire must spend a willpower point to touch it again. If this ward is placed on a door or an unbroken circle, the vampire will be unable to pass it. If a bullet is warded, then five successes are required on the appropriate Firearms roll to leave the bullet in the body where it will continue doing damage. (This only works on smaller calibers.)




Level 5
At our command it breathes
This ritual permits the creation of a Gargoyle from the dismembered parts of other Cainites and is the process through which the first of that line came into being. The vampire (with assistants, if desired) takes various victims and sews them together into a single humanoid form, which usually destroys the minds of the victims being used. She then sews a sac made from an animal's womb (usually from a cow but sometimes sheep or deer) around her creation. The sac is then suspended in a cask containing an alchemical equivalent of the womb's waters or placed inside an oversized, specially prepared female Gargoyle for gestation. During a period ranging from one to three months, the thaumaturge must periodically visit the gestating Gargoyle and perform various incantations and blessings. If she is away from the gestation chamber for more than a week at a time, the fetal Gargoyle dies and cannot be revived. Finally the Gargoyle either forces its way down the living mother's birth canal or bursts from its cask. The ritualist must be present to waft purifying smoke onto the newborn Gargoyle. Any other Gargoyles within half a mile instinctively sense the impending birth of a new brother. They feel a powerful urge to flock to its side when it is born and lick the bodily fluids off its skin. Although this custom helps bond the Gargoyle to its new community, it is not a requisite of the ritual. A Gargoyle can be born in isolation.


System: The Thaumaturge sews together pieces of Cainites in order to form a full humanoid shape and to grant various capabilities to the new Gargoyle. The correspondence of parts to capabilities is laid out in a variety of ancient and arcane medical texts (for example, the heart provides courage and resolve, the eyes perception and wisdom) but also depends on specific alchemical preparations. Physical beauty is beyond the ritual's capabilities, though. All Gargoyles appear stony and twisted.

The thaumaturge makes the ritual roll as the fetal sac is put into gestation. The roll is Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 9 + one for each donor after the first). An unliving womb reduces the difficulty by 4. A single success allows the creation of a Gargoyle. The basic blood cost of the ritual is 5 points for each Cainite used in the Gargoyle's manufacture. Add an extra 5 points if the caster wants the Gargoyle to be fertile. Tremere of the 12th Generation or higher cannot conduct this Ritual and it automatically fails if attempted.

The resulting Gargoyle is fully Blood Bound to its creator and its role as well as strength of the blood is determined by the vitae that was used to create it. Its Generation is based on the weakest of the Cainites used to create it (unmodified by Blood of Potency or any other effects) + 1. The created Gargoyle develops a dot in Visceratika and the Cainite combination used during the Ritual indicates which breed of Gargoyle is formed:

Gangrel/Nosferatu = Scout: Develops a dot in Flight and Fortitude. Abilities focus on Stealth and Survival.
Gangrel/Tzimisce = Warrior: Develops a dot in Flight and Potence. Abilities focus on combat.
Nosferatu/Tzimisce = Sentinel: Develops a dot in Fortitude and Potence. Abilities focus on Alertness and defensive traits.
By devoting further years of research to the Gargoyle arts, the thaumaturge may devise and construct variant types like the hexaped, iecur or womb-bearers.

Historical Note: The Tremere cease making Gargoyles after the Slaves revolt, and, as part of the Camarilla negotiations, promise never to revive the technique. The instructions for the ritual have been hidden, but not destroyed.

Level 5

Blood Phylactery -Binds a portion of the character's soul into an object. So long as the character holds or wears his Blood Phylactery, it grants the following advantages: Hostile magic directed at the caster is more difficult to perform. Character's ritual and path castings and Willpower rolls are easier to perform, especially his primary path. However, if the phylactery falls into someone else's hands, it becomes drastically easier to cast magic on the character, especially if the phylactery is used as a focus. Every full night the caster does not touch his phylactery, he loses one point of Willpower. However, he is always aware of where his phylactery is. (Players Guide to Low Clans, pg. 175)

Escape to a True Friend

A raw manifestation of the power of sympathetic emotions, this ritual allows a thaumaturge to be magically transported 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 name of her friend. She is instantly transported to that individual, wherever he may be at that 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 onto 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. The caster must speak the friend's true name, not an alter ego or appellation. Tremere legendary is replete with stories of thaumaturges who spoke false names and were lost to the void.


FAMILIAR
Although your Embrace has deprived you of the ability to function as a magus, it did not break the bond you had with your familiar. This bound spirit may take the form of any small animal, such as a cat, raven, mouse, frog or other creature normally associated with magi or witches. Conversely, the familiar may appear as a homunculus or mannikin. Large animals (horses, goats, bears and the like) as well as magical creatures (such as dragons) are not available as familiars. The number of points you put intO purchasing your familiar indicates its relative power. Only Tremere characters who were magi before receiving the Embrace may take this Background. Although it no longer acts precisely as a magi's familiar might, your bound spirit still performs simple tasks and minor guardianship duties for you. It also holds you to the agreements made upon initially binding it to your service, however, so you must adhere to those terms in order to keep its favor. The benefits purchased at each level include all the ones from lower levels.

1 Your familiar performs minor services but does
not risk itself for you.
2 Your familiar acts as an early warning to alert
you of the presence of intruders, but does not prevent them
from entering your haven.
3 Your familiar can perform fairly complicated
tasks and act as a messenger for you. It also attempts to deter
hostile creatures from entering your haven, although it does
not confront them directly.
4 Your familiar has developed a true fondness for
you despite your unliving state and your lack of standard
magic. It not only acts as an assistant (within the limits of its
form), it may incur minor risks to its own material form in
order to protect you from harm.