TREMERE - COVENANT

ABILITY SET: THAUMATURGY, NECROMANCY, CONJURING 

The Legacy of Tremere Covenant

The Covenant vampires are the second of the three arms of the Tremere and argue their magic is the oldest, and most powerful, of their clan's sub-castes, dating back to ancient Greece. Some members of the Covenants contend they are the descendants of the Sorceress Circe. These references are tenuous at best and historically this subject usually ends in blood fights.

While the Covenant's mortal beginnings are often debated, their first undisputed references occurred in the Dark Ages in the early years of Christianity when the Covenant merged sorcery with Christian rites, infiltrating the clergy. It was not difficult for them to present sorcerers' robes as those of priests, nor in presenting their powers of Conjury and Necromancy as divine gifts from God. It was also a small stretch of logic and faith for the Covenant to justified their abilities in speaking with and raising the dead as proof of heaven working through them. For no one disputed the miracles of the Savior in raising Lazarus from the grave, nor in his own resurrection. The hypocrisy of this evolution is that those of the Covenant do not believe in God, or any "divine" power not of their own making. Religion, in their opinion, is simply a potent device in which to control the ignorant masses.

While mortal, those of the Covenant thrived for several centuries during the early Dark Ages, gaining both influence, wealth and worship as God's representatives on Earth. However, because there were oftentimes a thin line between sorcery and the religion of the Christians, the Covenant easily shrouded their spells with incantations featuring holy names, creating rituals that took the forms of prayers and litany. 

Tremere's Dark Gift

This established seat of power was too seductive of a prize for Tremere, who presented the opportunity of true immortality to the Covenants. While there were some who attempted to resist the seduction of the dark gift, most did not hesitate long to trade the alleged promise of an immortal soul in God's service for the immediate immortality of their bodies in Tremere's.

Once they accepted the dark gift of Tremere, their roles in the clergy became much more direct, darkly manipulative and infinitely more severe. No longer fearing the wrath of God, their cruelty knew no limits. Some Kindred historians have claimed there is evidence that it was the Covenant who introduced the "blood and body" of Christ into the Christian ritual as a way to feed their blood to the masses and increase their power over the flock. Also attributed to the Covenant was the trade in "holy relics" or the worship of the bones of saints. Though this has not been concretely proven, the evidence does appear to be more than mere coincidence. 

Unsubstantiated accusations aside, what is not challenged is that the power they wielded after they were turned had a darker, sharper edge as they sought to expand their power, lands and influence. In the earlier part of the Medieval period between 1095 and 1291, the Covenant began to covet the wealth of the Muslims. Believing they could take whatever they desired as defined by their divine right, the Covenant instigated the religious wars and pushed for the capture of Jerusalem —  what we now identify as The Crusades. Blood flowed freely back then and with it came even more wealth.

One would think the Covenant had surely sated their blood lust with all that had been spilled during this time. But it was still not enough. Beginning in the year 1184 in France, the Inquisitions began. Designed to force conversions of non-conforming Christians, Jews and Pagans, the Inquisitions ruled by fear of torture and the threat of a gruesome death. While the campaign centered around heresy, apostasy, blasphemy, witchcraft, and customs considered deviant, they were quite successful in bringing in much wealth for the Tremere. It also put them well above suspicion as the executioners and judges of "God's Law." 

Modern Times - Dominions of Darkness

As time slipped from the Dark Ages to the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, the Covenant's roles in the Clergy as Vampires became more challenging to maintain. While even today in the Modern Age there are Covenant's still working within the robes of priests, bishops and Cardinals, they are more of a rarity than they were when their order was still mortal. 

In today's world of technology and communications, the Covenant have found it difficult to adapt and keep up with the changes of time, often falling back on the roles and lifestyles of their more glorious past. Few of their sub-caste have a good grasp on technology, and fewer still are able to thrive in it. They despise cell phones and computers, preferring to conduct business in person and their research has nothing to do with Google, preferring the comfort of their dank and dusty libraries filled with parchment scrolls and the distinct scent of ancient leather-bound books.

Unlike most other Kindred, Covenants still read, write and fluently speak several ancient languages. In addition to whatever native language they were born into, all Covenant's also know Latin (of course), Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. 

ABOUT TREMERE COVENANT

Quote: Born of magic, might and majesty, the dark gift we took of our own accord has simply made us more of what were were always meant to be.

Nickname: Inquisitors, Bone-Conjurers, Deacons

Disciplines: Conjuring, Necromancy, Thaumaturgy

Weakness: Tremere dependency on blood is even more pronounced than that of other Kindred. It takes only two draughts of another vampire’s blood for a Tremere to become blood bound instead of the normal three — the first drink counts as if the Tremere had taken two drinks. (For more information on the blood bond, click here).  

Strengths: 

• True Faith: Those of the Covenant are the only Kindred not negatively affected by True Faith and are actually energized by the presence of Christian or other religious icons. 
  • When dealing with any religious person or group attempting to use religious relics, rituals or prayers against a member of the Covenant, the Vampire receives a +10 Mod on all Willpower and Frenzy rolls.
• Covenants receive a permanent +5 Willpower if wearing a necklace or ring bearing a crucifix. (This must be Prim Jewelry actually worn on your Avatar in order to gain this bonus.)
• Covenants are well versed in the Bible and can quote any passage from memory.
• All Covenants can speak, write and read Latin, Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew.
• All Covenants can positively identify conjured objects or beings by touch.

Appearance: Covenants favor robes and loose-fitting garments reminiscent of the days of old. While some reach back to the archaic past where history and fantasy mix like swirls of mist in their collective memories, others prefer more simplistic attire that may even be considered vaguely modern. However, they are fully aware how anachronistic such garments are in today's world and seek to "modernize" their attire when in public. In this, they are not always successful. Younger Covenants are much better at blending in, but even they seek to have an accessory or two that pays homage to their ancient beginnings. 

Both male and female Covenants typically wear their hair long and free, though it is not uncommon for men to tie their hair back in a ponytail or bun. Women enjoy pulling their hair back with intricate gold combs. Some of these even double as dagger-like weapons. Like the Elite Tremere, they enjoy displays of wealth and will wear large gold rings with showy stones, and linked belts of gold.

Haven: Many Tremere rely on a central chantry the Clan maintains in cities where it has a notable presence. More solitary Warlocks develop private havens, with all of the trappings one might expect from an occult scholar, from libraries to alchemical laboratories to moonlit balcony observatories and even more sinister oubliettes where vivisected “research subjects” bleed according to experimental Tremere-controlled stimuli.

While Covenants rely on the vast shared Tremere libraries, they take pride in building their own impressive collections of ancient texts and artifacts. While they may invite others they trust to study their private collections, they are highly protective of the arcane knowledge they have acquired and will go to great lengths to procure such precious items for themselves. 

Embrace: The Tremere draw from a fairly narrow pool of potential acolytes. Those who have an awareness of the supernatural, who are driven to succeed, who seek answers that elude less inquisitive individuals, yet who also have the discipline to heed the edicts of the hierarchy make good Tremere. Some Gifted Humans are among these potential childer. To hear them tell it, Tremere seek out mortals who show the hallmarks of geniuses, psychics, craft masters and leaders. Certainly, a strong will and a formidable skill exist in most Tremere recruits. Tremere will Embrace for talent, especially magical talent, but as in all things there are exceptions. New Tremere recruits typically require approval from a local regent, in addition to a city’s Kindred prince. If some apprentice wants to bring in fresh blood, the regent needs to sanction the Embrace. 

Covenant Tremere are enticed by those who not only have a natural ability with magic, but who also have a deeper understanding of religion. Once such individuals are embraced, their Sires take pleasure in twisting their faith into one of manipulation. 

Character Creation: Mental Skills are prominent among the Tremere. Many have high points in both Willpower and Occult, but are somewhat lacking in Physical Skills. While diversity of abilities and skills is wise, Tremere benefit most if they stick to investing in those that raise their Mental Defense and Mental Attack. They often favor endeavors that heighten their relationship to the Clan, such as a working to earn the position of a titled leader within the Inner Circle. 

COVENANT - TREMERE ABILITIES

THAUMATURGY

Thaumaturgy encompasses blood magic and other sorcerous arts available to Kindred. The Tremere Clan is best known for their possession (and jealous hoarding) of this Discipline, known as the Path of Blood. The Tremere created Thaumaturgy by combining mortal wizardry with the power of vampiric vitae, and as a result it is a versatile and powerful Discipline. The Tremere of the Camarilla remain this Discipline’s masters. 

Blood magic isn’t pleasant. The thaumaturge burns through his very essence — and that of other vampires — in an effort to make the world into what he wants. This requires enough ego to feel worthy of imposing one’s will on the world, enough discipline to master the intricacies of arcane formulae, and enough ruthlessness to ignore the moral costs of harvesting so much blood. 

Some people know things about the universe that nobody ought to know, and can do things that nobody ought to be able to do. Humanity tends to wither in the face of the Thaumaturge’s willingness to exploit his own kind for the sake of power. Disregarding others as moral concerns makes the blood magic so much easier, after all, and it frees the magician to really explore lines of investigation without troublesome ethical concern.

Thaumaturges do not forget that Caine could, or so the stories say, create entire Disciplines by an act of will. He could make himself and his childer into whatever a task required them to be. Blood Magic aims to recreate that state of mastery over self and the night. For the dedicated magician of the blood, true triumph consists of removing every barrier between will and result.

◉◎◎◎◎◎◎◎: Thaumaturgy 1 - A Taste for Blood (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 50
• Energy/Blood Cost: 0
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Mental Attack
• Resist: None
• Duration: n/a
• Permanent Affects: 
  • none
• Temporary Bonus:
  • +5 Mental Skill for the duration of the scene.

Description: 
This power was developed as a means of testing a foe’s might — an extremely important ability in the tumultuous early nights of Clan Tremere. By merely touching the blood of his subject, the caster may determine how much vitae remains in the subject and, if the subject is a vampire, how recently he has fed, his level of Generation and, depending on how powerful they are able to execute this ability, whether he has ever committed diablerie.

System: 
The Player does not need to spend any blood points to activate this ability, but does need to make a successful roll. Depending how high of a roll the Player makes determines how much information his Character will receive. A Player can only use this ability once per person, per scene.

Roll Chart: (Each successful level is cumulative with the next and the Tremere receives all previous levels' information.)

1-10: Botch! The blood floods your mind with useless information, trivia, weather reports, the color of the dress/tux they wore to prom, etc. You must spend 10 blood points to release this junk data from your mind or be unable to focus enough energy to use any other of your vampiric abilities and skills for the duration of the scene.

11-49: The blood tells you ... nothing.

50-59: You know if the owner of the blood is another vampire, and if they have lost a significant amount of blood to weaken them and if they still live or if they are torpored. If the owner is mortal, it will tell you if the subject is at risk of bleeding out OR if the subject has already died.

60-69: You know the gender of the blood's owner and their approximate age and generation.

70-79: You know specific ethnic information regarding the blood's owner. If the owner is a Vampire, you know the time and date of when they last fed. If the blood is Mortal, you know their relative state of health.

80-89: You know the generation of the blood's owner if he is a Vampire, their clan and their level in their clan. If Mortal, you know their socio-economic station, and social level. For example, you will know if it is from a Garou Elder, the Primogen of a Clan, the Mayor of a city, if they are a Hunter Judge, etc.

90-99: You gain a mental picture of the owner's blood in your mind, along with their name.

100+: You know all the information from the previous successful levels, plus you may ask the Storyteller any one in-character question regarding the owner of the blood.

◉◉◎◎◎◎◎◎: Thaumaturgy 2 - Blood Rage (Buff)   

• Base Roll: 80
• Energy/Blood Cost: 1
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Mental Attack, Mental Skill
• Resist: Willpower
• Duration: n/a
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Physical Skill
  • +5 Mental Defense

Description: 
This power allows a vampire to force another Kindred to expend blood against his will. The caster must touch her subject for this power to work, though only the slightest contact is necessary. A vampire affected by this power might feel a physical rush as the thaumaturge heightens his Physical Attributes, might find himself suddenly looking more human, or may even find himself on the brink of frenzy as his stores of vitae are mystically depleted.

System: 
The Player identifies the target in local chat, then spends 1 point of Energy/Blood and makes a successful roll. If the Target fail his/her/their roll, they must spend five blood points immediately in a form of the Caster's choosing. The Target's Player must IM the Caster's Player the list of abilities he/she/they have earned in one of their skill sets. 

For example, the Target Vampire is a Ravnos with skills in Animalism, Fortitude and Chimerstry. He selects to provide all the skills he has earned in Animalism to the Caster's Player in an IM, which includes Feral Speech, Beckoning, Song of Serenity and Draw the Beast Out. The Target's Player is not required to inform the Casting Character or his/her/their Player on any nuances of the ability or how it works.

The Casting Character selects Draw the Beast Out and compels the Target to use it. If the ability can target another character, the Castor decides who will be his Target's Victim. (This can be the Target's friend, foe or even some innocent bystander walking down the street.) The Target must still make a roll, if using the ability requires it. This particular ability costs 13 Energy/Blood points to use, BUT under this situation it now only requires 5 of the Target's Energy/Blood points. 

IF the Target only has 4 Energy/Blood points left, his Energy/Blood points go down to zero and he must roll vs Willpower (DIF: 50) or Frenzy.

Note: The Thaumaturge may not use Blood Rage on herself. Can be used in combat.

◉◉◉◎◎◎◎◎: Thaumaturgy 3 - Blood of Potency (Buff)   

• Base Roll: 80
• Energy/Blood Cost: 2
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Willpower, Mental Skill
• Resist: Willpower
• Duration: One OOC Hour+
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Physical Skill
• Temporary Affects:
  • +5 Initiative

Description: 
The thaumaturge gains such control over his own blood that he may effectively “concentrate” it, making it more powerful for a short time. In effect, he may temporarily lower his own Generation with this power. This power may be used only once per night.

System: 
One success on the Willpower roll allows the character to lower his Generation by one step for one OOC hour. Depending on how high the Player's roll is will determine how many Generations he may lower his Character's Generation, and/or how long the effect will last past an hour.

NOTES: 

• This skill can only be used once per scene. 
• A Vampire cannot reduce his/her/their generation below the 8th Generation.
• If the vampire is diablerized while this power is in effect, it wears off immediately and the diablerist gains power appropriate to the caster’s actual Generation.
•  Any mortals Embraced by the Thaumaturge are born to the Generation appropriate to their sire’s original Generation (e.g., a Tenth-Generation Tremere who has reduced his effective Generation to Eighth still produces Eleventh-Generation childer). 
• Once the effect wears off, all bonus stats immediately disappear and the Vampire returns to his normal amount of modifiers.

Roll Chart:

1-10: Botch! You go down one Generation for the duration of the scene.

11-79: No Effect

80-89: You reduce your generation by one for one OOC hour.

90-99: You reduce your generation by one for 2 OOC hours instead of one.

100-105: You reduce your generation by two.

106+: You reduce your generation by three for 2 OOC hours instead of one.

NOTE: 

• Each Generation's Mods are cumulative with all the previous Generation's Mods.
• 10th Generation also comes with +5 Mod to Willpower, AND allows the Vampire to sense other Kindred in close quarters. You can't tell what type of Vampire they are, simply that they are Kindred.

◉◉◉◉◎◎◎◎: Thaumaturgy 4 - Theft of Vitae (Heal)   

• Base Roll: 90
• Energy/Blood Cost: 3
• Damage: 2
• Mods: Willpower, Mental Skill, Mental Attack
• Resist: Willpower
• Duration: n/a
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Physical Attack
• Temporary Affects: 
  • +5 Physical Attack for the duration of the scene
  • +5 Physical Defense for the duration of the scene
  • +5 Stealth

Description: 
A Thaumaturge using this power siphons vitae from her Kindred Target. She need never come in actual contact with the Target — blood literally streams out in a physical torrent from the subject to the Kindred (though it is often mystically absorbed and need not enter through the mouth).

System:
The Player identifies the Target, spends 3 points of Energy/Blood and makes a successful roll. How high of a roll the Player makes determines how many Energy/Blood points the caster transfers from the Target. You cannot consume more Energy/Blood points than your maximum number allowed. If you steal more points than your max, the excess stolen blood will simply fall to the ground.

The subject must be visible to the Thaumaturge and within 50 feet (15 meters). Using this power prevents the caster from being blood-bound, but otherwise counts as if the vampire ingested the blood herself. This power is spectacularly obvious, and Camarilla princes justifiably consider its public use a breach of the Masquerade.

Roll Chart:

1-10: Botch! You inadvertently transfer 10 of your Energy/Blood points to your named Target.

11-89: No effect.

90-93: You steal 10 Energy/Blood points from your target and add them to your own.

94-97: You steal 15 Energy/Blood points from your target and add them to your own.

98-99: You steal 25 Energy/Blood points from  your target and add them to your own.

100-105: You steal 50 Energy/Blood points from your target and add them to your own.

NOTE: 

• Any points you steal CAN go above and beyond your max amount of Energy/Blood. However, these excess points only last for the duration of the scene and must be used before then or you will lose them.
• If you steal more Energy/Blood Points than your Kindred Target has:
  • You only consume and add the total number of Energy/Blood Points your Target currently has available at that time.
  • Your target's blood points go to zero and he/she/they is immediately Frenzy.

◉◉◉◉◉◎◎◎: Thaumaturgy 5 - Cauldron of Blood (Physical Attack)   

• Base Roll: 140
• Energy/Blood Cost: 3
• Damage: 
  • NPC Mortals: Death
  • PC Mortals: Unconscious
  • Ghouls with Fortitude: 80 HP of damage, decreased by 10HP for every point they have in Fortitude.
  • Garou (NPC & PC): 
    • 50 HP damage in human or wolf form. 
    • 20 HP of damage in any other form.
  • Vampires: 50 HP damage, decreased by 10HP for every point they have in Fortitude.
  • Other Supernatural Beings: 50 HP of damage.
• Mods: Physical Attack, Mental Attack, Willpower
• Resist: Willpower, Mental Defense
• Duration: n/a
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Mental Attack
  • +5 Mental Defense
  • +5 Mental Skill
• Temporary Affects:
  • +10 Physical Defense

Description: 
A thaumaturge using this power boils her subject’s blood in his veins like water on a stove. The Kindred must touch her subject, and it is this contact that simmers the subject’s blood. This power is always fatal to mortals, and causes great damage to Vampires, Garou and other supernatural beings.

System: 
The Player identifies the Target in local chat, spends 3 points of Energy/Blood and makes a successful roll. If the Target fails their resist roll, they suffer the amount of damage specific to their race. 

Vampires and Ghouls with Fortitude reduce their damage by 10 points per every point they have purchased in Fortitude.

◉◉◉◉◉◉◎◎: Thaumaturgy 6 - Blood Strike (Ranged Attack)   

• Base Roll: 0
• Energy/Blood Cost: 1
• Damage: 3
• Mods: Physical Attack, Physical Skill
• Resist: Dodge (Those with Celerity)
• Range: 20 meters
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Mental Attack
• Temporary Affects:
  • +5 Initiative

Description: 
The vampire makes a single attack, guided by the unholy power of her Vitae. This attack strikes its foe infallibly like an arrow of blood.

System: 
By invoking this power, the player need not roll to see if the Vampire’s attack hits — it does, automatically. The Vampire's own blood forms into an arrow hard as steel. Only ranged attacks may be made in this manner. These attacks are considered to be one-success attacks and there is no defense. The Vampire can also aim the attack at a specific location or place on the body.

If the Target has Celerity, he/she/they may attempt to dodge the blood arrow, 

Dodge with Celerity:

• DIF: 70
• Mod: +5 for every one point they have in Celerity.
  For example: If a Target has 3 points in Celerity, they receive a +15 bonus Mod to dodge.

NOTE: This ability has a two turn cool-down, meaning it can only be used every third turn.

◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◎: Thaumaturgy 7 - Blood Salvo (Area of Effect)   

• Base Roll: 0
• Energy/Blood Cost: 1
• Damage: 3
• Mods: Physical Attack, Physical Skill
• Resist: None
• Range: 20 yards
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Physical Attack
• Temporary Affects:
  • +10 Initiative

Description: 
Similar to Blood Strike, the Vampire identifies up to five targets at which to shoot a blood arrow. The shot is always 100% successful. Only a Vampire with Celerity is capable of dodging the arrow.

System:
The Player identifies up to five targets. No roll is required, however if a Target has Celerity, they may attempt to dodge.

Dodge with Celerity:

• DIF: 80
• Mod: +5 for every one point they have in Celerity.
  For example: If a Target has 3 points in Celerity, they receive a +15 bonus Mod to dodge.

◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◉: Thaumaturgy 8 - Treacherous Bonds (Debuff)   

• Base Roll: 70
• Energy/Blood Cost: 1
• Damage: 3
• Mods: Mental Skill, Willpower
• Resist: None
• Range: 20 yards
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Mental Attack
  • +5 Mental Defense
  • +5 Mental Skill
• Temporary Affects:
  • +10 Subterfuge

Description: 
One of the most potent properties of Kindred vitae is the ability to create a blood bond. A Vampire offering his blood to a victim on three separate nights floods a thrall with a powerful attraction and devotion to him. This is called a Blood Bond. 

Under a Blood Bond, the thrall becomes a most loyal and subservient tool of the Vampire and will do anything to appease him. Traditionally when the connection of a bond becomes unstable or weak, emotions of hate may cloud the mind of the thrall, though it may possibly span lifetimes before these feelings become evident. 

The thaumaturge invoking this power incites an instantaneous, hate-induced emotional state within a Vampires thrall; where once there was love, now only loathing drives his emotions. This power creates a backlash in the target’s blood, temporarily twisting any bonds he is under, from the newest to ones built over years’ time.

System: 
The vampire must physically touch up to 5 of a Vampire's childer, ghouls or thralls as his intended subjects within 24 hours before using this power. Within this timeframe, the Player then spends 1 point of Energy/Blood and makes a successful roll. Depending on how high the Player's roll is determines how many of (and for how long) those bonded will be effected. (Player chooses if he/she/they fail to roll high enough to affect all those touched.)

for this power to take effect. For the duration of one 24 hour OOC time period, per success a thaumaturge scores on his Willpower roll, and depending on whether the magus chooses to affect a regnant or his thrall, a blood bond becomes corrupt and unstable. 

Should a thaumaturge direct this power at a thrall/bond/childer, only the thrall’s/bond's/childer's bond(s) are corrupt, consumed by hate for as many nights as indicated by the Roll Chart. However, if the thaumaturge chooses to invoke this power in a Vampire with bonds (or who is bonded to another), all of the Vampire's thralls/bonds/childer are affected. Plus, the Vampire himself/herself/theirself will have their own bond corrupted and loath the person they are bonded to for as many nights as are indicated by the Caster's roll.

Should a Vampire also be in thrall to someone else while under this effect, that Vampire will also feel only malignity for the one he/she/they are bonded to. This power is mistrusted widely by vampires of Clan Tremere, and had the Ventrue and Lasombra any real knowledge of it, they would likely balk at it, too (when they weren’t inflicting it upon their enemies).

For example: Clifton Andrews, a Tremere Elite, wants to settle a score with Josephine the Seamstress of Flesh, a Tzimisce, by corrupting the blood bonds of those in her thrall. He spends several hours tracking down and coming into casual physical contact with Josephine's Childer and Thralls. Mostly just shaking hands and "accidently" bumping into them. Clifton's Player documents each contact with a Notecard of the RP.

Once completed, Clifton’s Player spends an Energy/Blood point and makes a successful roll. He then warps the blood bond in one of Josephine’s childer. 

For the next three nights, three of Josephine’s blood bound thralls will not only loathe Josephine but may plot to harm their “tyrannical” mistress. Clifton’s revenge is sweeter still, as for the span of these three nights Josephine is racked by fiery hatred for her own sire, who had blood bound her decades before. Clifton knows how treacherous the Seamstress of Flesh is, and rejoices in the knowledge that there is a chance his enemy will suffer a slow Final Death at the hands of her sire.

Roll Chart:

1-10: Botch! Your attempt boomerangs back onto yourself. Any blood bonds you have with any other person or being fill you with utter contempt and loathing for the next 24 hours.

11-69: No effect. Looks like you just wasted a bunch of time stalking people and touching them. Facepalm! 

90-93: You corrupt ONE bonded person/being for 24 hours.

94-97: You corrupt up to TWO bonded people/beings for 24 hours.

98-99: You corrupt up to THREE bonded people/beings for 48 hours.

100-105: You corrupt up to FIVE bonded people/beings for 72 hours.

NECROMANCY

Necromancy is both a Discipline and a school of Blood Magic devoted to the command of the souls of the dead. The study of Necromancy is not widespread among the Kindred, and its practitioners— primarily the Giovanni — are shunned and despised for their foul practices (until those practices become useful, of course).

Like Thaumaturgy, Necromancy has also spawned a series of rituals. While not nearly so immediate in effect as the basic powers of Necromancy, Necromantic rituals can have impressive long-term effects. Unsurprisingly, the elements of Necromantic ritual are things like long-buried corpses and hands from the cadavers of hanged men, so obtaining suitable materials can be quite challenging.

Necromancers can witness, summon, and command the spirits of the dead, they can also force those souls to reanimate their remains and serve their Vampire Master. At higher levels, the necromancer can force the ghost to remain in a particular place or object, or even damage wraiths directly. 

Note: If a Kindred uses a power in the presence of something of great importance to the ghost the power affects, the chances for success in the summoning increases dramatically (reduce the difficulty by 2). This might be the bathtub in which the ghost’s mortal body was drowned, the rusted-out wreck of the car where the ghost’s physical body was trapped alive, or something unrelated to the ghost’s demise, such as a favorite book or a child-ghost’s beloved rocking horse in his nursery.

◉◎◎◎◎◎◎◎: Necromancy 1 - Insight (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 60
• Energy/Blood Cost: 3
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Willpower, Mental Skill
• Resist: Willpower 
• Duration: Scene
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Mental Skill

Description: 
Before it is possible to control the dead, one must perceive them. This power allows just that, attuning a vampire’s unliving senses to the presence of the incorporeal. 

Under its effects, a necromancer sees ghosts as translucent phantoms gliding among the living and hears their whispers and moans. The Necromancer feels the spectral cold of their touch and smells their musty hint of decay. Yet one cannot mistake the dead for the living, as they lack true substance, and appear dimmer and less real than creatures of flesh and blood. 

When a vampire uses this power, her eyes flicker with pale blue fire that only the dead can see. While it is possible for the Necromancer to use this skill to communicate with the dead, ghosts resent being spied upon, and more powerful shades may use their own powers to inflict their displeasure on the incautious.

System: 
The Player spends 3 points of Energy/Blood and makes a successful roll. The Vampire can now perceive ghosts as described for the rest of the scene, whether in the mortal world (or the spiritual realm should they find themselves there).

Speaking with Spirits
Once Insight has been successfully initiated, the Necromancer may attempt to communicate with the spirits. While some spirits may actively initiate a conversation, many may not. In this case, the Vampire must roll vs Persuasion to entice the spirit to engage in any type of conversation:

• Dif: 80
• Mod: Persuasion, Occult

BOTCH! Rolling a Natural 1-10
If the Player rolls a natural 1-10, the Player's Vampire Character will have keenly manifested this skill in reverse. For the duration of the scene, he/she/they can now clearly see the dead as they were when they were living standing in front of them, and everything in the material world appears as shapeless, translucent dim shadows. 

While the Vampire’s other senses still remain attuned to the living (feel, touch, hear, smell, etc.), he is all but blind in this state to the material world and suffers a -15 difficulty to most vision-based Perception rolls and attacks. 

In addition, the Vampire can very clearly hear the dead as though they were alive, which makes it difficult for the Necromancer to tell the difference between what he is hearing in the living world and what he can now clearly hear coming from the spirits.

◉◉◎◎◎◎◎◎: Necromancy 2 - Zombie (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 70
• Energy/Blood Cost: 5
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Willpower, Occult, Mental Skill
• Duration: Until the Necromancer ends the effect.
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Mental Skill
  • +5 Physical Skill

Description: 
The Necromancer can animate any fleshy corpse into a Zombie to perform non-combatant functions, or simply because it's fun to watch them twitch like rotting meat puppets. Whatever the motivation, this ability allows the vampire to perform their choice of one of following:

1.  Flail: Cause a corpse to flail, twitch, sit up or other rudimentary action.
2.  Animate: Give motion to a dead body, compelling it to rise and perform a simple function or task. For example, the corpse could be set to carrying heavy objects, digging, sweeping a floor, chopping wood, etc.
3. Zombie Shuffle: Animate a dead body and have it mindlessly shuffle about a set perimeter. While there is no intelligence or consciousness, the body will move around obstacles (much like a Roomba vacuum cleaner does by bumping into something, then moving aside to continue on in its programmed ask.)
4. Turn to Ash: The Necromancer can render any corpse (no matter how fresh or ancient) into a pile of gray-white ash. This is commonly used to easily dispose of one's unneeded minions.

The cadavers thus animated do not attack or defend themselves if interfered with, but instead attempt to carry out their given instructions until such time as they’ve been rendered inanimate again (or to dust) by the Necromancer. While a Necromancer can always stop a corpse from animating at any given time, he/she/they will need to use this ability again to render the corpse to dust.

Generally it takes decapitation, flame, or something similar to destroy a corpse animated in this way by anyone other than a Necromancer using this skill.

System: 
The Player spends 5 points of Energy/Blood and makes a successful roll. The Necromancer must then state the simple task to which he is setting the animated corpse. The cadavers turn themselves to their work until they finish the job (at which point they collapse) or something eventually destroys them. 

Corpses animated in this way have no initiative of their own, and are unable to make value judgments. They respond to very literal instruction. Thus, a zombie could be told “sweep this room every day until all the dust and cobwebs are gone” or “transcribe this manuscript” with an expectation of reasonable results, while a more open-ended command such as “fix this motorcycle” or “research this Necromantic ritual and write down the results” would be utterly doomed to failure.

There is no limit to how many times a Necromancer can use this skill to animate corpses. While it is possible to eventually create an army of these mindless zombies, there is really very limited uses for them given their impaired (and sometimes comical) lack of autonomy. They also continue to decay, giving off the stench of rotting flesh. (Besides, how many Roombas can one person reasonably use?)

◉◉◉◎◎◎◎◎: Necromancy 3 - Undead Servants (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 70
• Energy/Blood Cost: 12
• Damage: 0
• Mods: Willpower, Occult
• Duration: Until the Necromancer ends the effect.
• Permanent Affects: None

Description: 
Undead Servants creates the obvious results: reanimated corpses with the added ability to serve as guards, attack on command, or defend the Necromancer. The type of Undead Servant the Necromancer creates depends on the type of corpses he/she/they has available: Skeletons or Fleshy Corpse. 

In either case, once primed by this power the Undead Servants wait — for years, if necessary — to fulfill the command given them. The orders might be to protect a certain site and attack any who trespass, or simply to attack immediately. In either case, their instructions will be carried out faithfully until every last one of the decomposing monsters is destroyed by either decapitation, flames or by a Necromancer turning them to ash.

System:
The Player's Character locates an adequate source of skeletons or fleshy corpses. Usually a local graveyard is an ideal place to start, or a battlefield of the more recently dead.  Any corpse that is being summoned from a grave or tomb will take three full turns to dig themselves out to serve their Master. Corpses already dug up or not buried will be animated immediately.

The Player then spends 12 points of Energy/Blood, sprinkles their blood on the pile of dead bones and flesh, then makes a successful roll to animate three Skeletons, Zombies or a combination of both. Each time this skill is successfully used the Necromancer can raise a max of three Undead Servants from the grave (if the raw material is available). 

Each Undead can follow one relatively simple instruction, such as “Stay here and guard this graveyard against any intruders,” or “Kill my enemies!”

Note: All Undead created by this ability will wait forever if need be to fulfill their functions. The Undead will wait and wait and wait, still able to perform their duties.

ROLL BOTCH!

Rolling a natural, unmodified 1-10 brings to life an Abomino. This is a horrifying conglomerate undead creature made up of multiple corpses and random body parts. 

For stats on Undead (Skeletons, Zombies, Corrupt Liche and Abomino) CLICK HERE.

◉◉◉◉◎◎◎◎: Necromancy 4 - Soul Stealing (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 100
• Energy/Blood Cost: 20
• Damage: 10
• Mods: Mental Attack, Occult
• Duration: Scene
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Mental Attack

Description: 
This power affects the living, not the dead. It does, however, temporarily turn a living soul into a sort of wraith, as it allows a necromancer to strip a soul from a living body. A mortal exiled from his body by this power becomes a wraith with a single tie to the real world: his now-empty body.

System: 

This ability can always be used on NPCs. It CAN however be used on another Player Character, but is only effective if that Player Character botches the resist roll, meaning he/she/they rolls a natural, unmodified 1-10. 

The Player identifies the Target, spends 20 points of Energy/Blood and makes a successful roll. If the Target fails to resist, their soul is cast our of their body and must follow their body in spirit form or be lost to the ether. This lasts for the duration of the scene, after which the Target's soul is merged back with his physical body.

The body itself remains autonomically alive but catatonic. This power can be used to create suitable hosts for Daemonic Possession. It has no effect on Kindred or other supernatural creatures (except ghouls and kinfolk).

◉◉◉◉◉◎◎◎: Necromancy 5 - Daemonic Possession (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 80
• Energy/Blood Cost: 20
• Damage: 10
• Mods: Willpower, Occult
• Permanent Affects: None

Description: 
Daemonic Possession lets a vampire insert a soul into a freshly dead or spiritually-vacated body. This does not turn the reanimated corpse into anything other than a reanimated corpse, one that will irrevocably decay after a week, but it does give either a wraith or a free-floating soul (say, that of a vampire using Psychic Projection) a temporary home in the physical world.

System: 
The body in question must be no more than 30 minutes dead/vacated, and the new tenant must agree to inhabit it — a ghost or astral form cannot be forced into a new shell. However, most ghosts would gladly seize the opportunity. 

Should the vampire, for whatever reason, wish to insert a soul into another vampire’s corpse (before it crumbles to ash), the necromancer must roll a minimum of 20+ higher than the resisted Willpower roll against the original owner of the body. Otherwise, the interloper is denied entrance.

Note: The soul can use whatever physical abilities (Athletics, Brawl, Potence, etc.) his new fleshy home possesses, and whatever mental abilities (Computer, Law, Presence) he already possessed. He cannot use the physical abilities of his old form, or the mental abilities of his new one.

◉◉◉◉◉◉◎◎: Necromancy 6 - Breath of Thanatos (Area of Effect)   

• Base Roll: 90
• Energy/Blood Cost: 18
• Damage: 14
• Mods: Occult, Physical Attack, Physical Skill
• Resist: Physical Defense, Physical Skill
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Physical Attack
  • +5 Physical Skill
  • +5 Initiative

Description: 
The Breath of Thanatos is one of the most versatile skills in the Necromancer's portfolio of abilities, allowing him/her/them to use it in their choice of one of several powerful ways:

1. Lure Specters: The first is to draw out entropic energy and focus it upon an area or person by taking a deep breath and then forcefully exhaling a fog of powerful Necromantic energy. This cloud of virulence is completely invisible to anyone without the ability to see the passing of entropy.
   
   The energy of this cloud is like a beacon for Specters, and they are drawn to the entropic force like moths to a flame and may wreak havoc over those in the area. Once the energy is expelled from the Necromancer’s body, she can either disperse it over a large area as a lure for Specters, or use the mist for more sinister purposes.
   
   
2. Physical Attack: The second is to channel the Breath of Thanatos into an object or person. The death mist inflicts the subject with a debilitating, wasting illness. Furthermore, the focused energies are tainted and eerie, and though generally invisible (except to powers such as Aura Perception), they tend to cause people and animals to feel uncomfortable around the victim.
   
   
3. Corrupt Liche: When this powerful mist is focused and breathed into a Necromancer's already-created Zombie, it transforms the previously non-autonomous hulking mass of dead flesh into the more sentient Corrupt Liche underling. While similar in name only to traditional Liche, these creatures regain a small semblance of their former selves when they were alive, though that personality is extremely corrupted. For stats on the Corrupt Liche, CLICK HERE.
   
   

System: 
The Player identifies the purpose/intent of the Breath of Thanatos and spends 20 points of Energy/Blood. If the roll is successful, then one of the following intentions will result: 

• Lure Specters: 
  If the mist is dispersed to summon Specters, the energies cover roughly one-quarter of a mile (400 meters) in radius, centered around the Necromancer. Specters summoned with this power will ignore the summoning Necromancer for the duration of the scene unless provoked, but may well go out of their way to wreak havoc on anyone else in the vicinity. If the Necromancer rolls a Botch (natural 1-10) then the Vampire will become the focus of the most powerful Specter in the area, and this rarely if ever bodes well for the Necromancer.
  
  If successful, the Necromancer can then use other Necromancy powers to manipulate and affect these Specters. Ghosts so targeted may then interact with the Necromancer as normal, although the other Specters in the area will continue to ignore both the vampire and the targeted ghost. This energy disperses after a scene, after which the Specters leave to find new prey.
  
  
• Physical Attack: 
  If the cloud is directed toward a particular target, he/she/they suffers 14 points of damage over two turns. This generally manifests as sudden illness. This effects normal humans, as well living supernatural creatures. It has no effect on Vampires. A botch on the roll to control this power has the effect inflicted on a random person (Storyteller's discretion).
  
  
• Corrupt Liche:
  The Necromancer seals his lips about those of the Zombie's and directly exhales the Breath of Thanatos into the decaying vessel of animated flesh. (This does not work on Skeletons since there is no flesh to be infected.)
  
  The Corrupt Liche's eyes become clear and the flesh ceases to decay at whatever stage of corruption it had already attained. The spark of intelligence is reignited and the Liche gains independent thought. Some memories of the body's previous life and knowledge can be remembered, though this is merely residual. The actual soul of the person does not reinhabit the body. The Corrupt Liche will obey commands, even those far too complicated for Zombies or Skeletons.
  
  For information on the Corrupt Liche, CLICK HERE.

◉◉◉◎◎◎◎◎: Necromancy 7 - Wither (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 90
• Energy/Blood Cost: 18
• Damage: 12
• Mods: Physical Skill, Physical Attack
• Resist: Physical Defense, Physical Skill
• Permanent Affects: None

Description: 
Reminiscent of some of the powers of Vicissitude, Wither allows a vampire to cripple an opponent’s limb. Whether the foe is living or undead, muscle shrivels away, skin peels, and bone becomes brittle. The target is unable to exert any noteworthy strength in the crippled limb. This injury lasts for far longer than most injuries trouble vampires, and in mortals it simply does not heal under normal medical care.

Wither doesn’t have to be used on a limb, although that is its usual purpose. It can also be used simply to affect the target’s face and hair, making him appear far older than his years. It could also be applied to a target’s eye or ear, killing the sense in that organ (and thus requiring two uses to blind or deafen).

Wither cannot be used as an “instant-kill” power— necromancers cannot wither internal organs — but it can inflict a wide variety of injuries on a foe.

System: 
The Player identifies the Target and which body part is the focus of the Vampire's Wither. The Player's Character must then physically touch the body part effected. Failure to touch the body part negates this ability.

• If the Target attempts to avoid the contact, the Player must roll to hit. 
  • DIF: 60
  • MOD: Physical Attack, Physical Skill
  • Defense: Physical Defense
  • If the roll fails, or the Target successfully defends, the Vampire will be noticed attempting to touch the Target.

Once the Player's Character touches the body part (even a light touch in passing will do), the Player then spends 18 Energy/Blood points and makes a successful roll. 

• If the roll is a Botch (natural 1-10) the attempt backfires on the Vampire and a random body part on the Necromancer is temporarily affected for the duration of the scene (Storyteller's Choice).
• If the roll is successful and the Vampire touches the intended limb, the target instantly suffers 12 points of Damage, and the permanent crippling effect of the particular limb until healed by supernatural means, if mortal. Vampires will suffer the effects for 24 hours (OOC) unless healed by supernatural means.

Crippling Effects:

• A withered limb does not degenerate further, even on a mortal and the condition is not life-threatening. The character may be crippled for life, but the limb won’t become infected or gangrenous. The effects of the withering depend on the affected limb. A crippled arm has a Strength of 0, cannot benefit from Potence, and cannot carry anything heavier than about half a pound (200 grams). 
  • Crippled Leg: prevents the character from moving faster than a stuttering hop or dragging limp. The character suffers the effects of the Lame Flaw (see p. 482).
  • Withered Eye or Ear:  imposes a -10 difficulty to relevant Perception and Initiative rolls. Losing both eyes or both ears imposes will make the target blind/deaf until healed by supernatural means. 
  • Withered Tongue: will make the Target mute.
  • Withered Face: induces the same effects as Bell's Palsy.

◉◉◉◎◎◎◎◎: Necromancy 8 - Necropolis Mastery (Attack)   

• Base Roll: 120
• Energy/Blood Cost: 20
• Damage: 18
• Mods: Occult, Mental Skill, Willpower
• Duration: Until the Necromancer ends the effect 
• Permanent Affects:
  • +10 Physical Attack
  • +5 Physical Skill
  • +5 Mental Skill

Description: 
This powerful skill allows a necromancer to physically enter the Underworld and communicate with, attack, or compel the dead. While in the lands of the dead, the vampire is essentially a semi solid ghost and subject to the perils of this realm. The Necromancer maintains his normal number of health levels and abilities, but can be hurt by anything that damages ghosts, such as weapons forged from souls, certain ghostly powers, other Necromancers in the Underworld, etc.. 

A vampire in the Underworld can pass through solid objects in the real world (at the cost of 5 Energy/Blood points per physical object) and remain “incorporeal” for the duration of the scene, or until they wish to return to the material plane.

While in the Underworld, the Necromancer may attack spirits or even compel them to do their bidding. 

System: 
The Player spends 18 points of Energy/Blood and makes a successful roll. The Player's Character will then be transported into the Shadow Realm, a world that juxtaposes our own but is but a misty shadow of the world of the living.

While there, the Vampire can be injured or even killed. In turn, the Vampire can attack and injure or destroy ghosts and wraiths (attacks and damage are treated as the same). The Vampire can transport physical objects into the the Shadow Realm, but only if those objects are on his body or held in his hand. Necromancers still have all their mental and physical skills. While in this realm, the Vampire can compel ghosts or wraiths to do their bidding.

• Compelling Command
  DIF: 80
• MOD: Occult, Willpower
• Resist: Willpower

While in the Shadow Realm, the vampire can use Compel on any ghost or wraith he sees. However, if the Vampire is looking for a specific ghost, he can summon it to him if he speaks the ghost's name, or has an object having belonged to or is associated with the ghost (same DIF/MOD as Compelling Command). At this point, the Vampire may attack the ghost, attempt to communicate with it, or bind it with Compelling command.

If the Player's roll is successful, and the ghost fails it's willpower roll to resist, the Player's roll determines the degree of control he has over the ghost (see Roll Chart). Moreover, the vampire’s control keeps ghosts that have been called from other places in the Shadow Realm from returning to their original locations at the end of the scene. If the ghost successfully resists, the vampire is forcefully expelled from the Shadow Realm and suffers 20HP of damage.

Roll Chart:

1-10: Botch! The Vampire is forcefully expelled from the Shadow Realm, suffers 30HP of damage, and cannot reenter the Shadow Realm for the duration of the scene.

11-79: No effect. But you may attempt to enter the Shadow Realm on your next turn.

80-85: If requested, the ghost must perform one simple task for the vampire that does not place it in certain danger. It must attend to this task immediately. The ghost may not attack the vampire until this task is complete. It is possible instead to issue the task of answering one question, in which case the ghost must answer truthfully and to the best of its knowledge.

86-90: The vampire may issue two orders, or ask two questions as outlined above. Alternatively, the Vampire may demand a simple task with a real possibility of danger, as long as the danger is not certain.

91-95: The vampire may issue three orders or ask three questions, as outlined above. Alternatively, he may demand the ghost fulfill one difficult and dangerous task or a simple assignment that has an extended duration of up to one month. 

96-105: The vampire may issue four orders or assign two tasks, as outlined above. Alternatively, the vampire may command the ghost to perform one complex assignment that puts the ghost at extreme risk, or perform any number of non-threatening tasks as the vampire’s slave for up to one month

110+:  The vampire is now the Ghost's Master and may issue multiple orders of any level of danger or complexity. Such a tasks can place the ghost in immediate peril of destruction, or even force it to betray and assault loved ones. They must obey. The Ghost will follow the Necromancer wherever he goes until dismissed or destroyed. (See an Admin or Mod to receive a notecard Character Sheet for your new Ghost Servant.)

CONJURING

Invoking objects “out of thin air” has been a staple of occult and supernatural legend since long before the rise of the Tremere. This Thaumaturgical path enables powerful conjurations limited only by the mind of the practitioner, their advanced knowledge of complex devices they wish to create, and their artistic skills in Craft.

Objects summoned via this path bear two distinct characteristics. They are uniformly “generic” in that each object summoned, if summoned again, would look exactly as it did at first. For example, a knife would be precisely the same knife if created twice; the two would be indistinguishable. Even a specific knife — the one a character’s father used to threaten her — would appear identical every time it was conjured. A rat would have repeated “tiled” patterns over its fur, and a garbage can would have a completely uniform fluted texture over its surface. Additionally, conjured objects bear no flaws: Weapons have no dents or scratches, tools have no distinguishing marks, and cellphones all look like they just came out of their packaging.

The limit on the size of conjured objects appears to be that of the conjurer: nothing larger than the Vampire can be created. The conjurer must also have some degree of familiarity with the object he wishes to call forth. Simply working from a picture or imagination calls for a higher difficulty, while objects with which the character is intimately familiar (such as the knife described above) may actually lower the difficulty, at the Storyteller’s discretion.

When a player rolls to conjure something, the how many points above their required rolled (including any applicable Modifiers) will determine the quality of the Conjured object. 

• FOR EXAMPLE: If you require a 70 to succeed in your Conjuring Spell and you roll a modified 73, then your number is only 3 points over, ranking the quality of your item Mediocre. However, if you instead rolled a 95, that would put your attempt at 25 points over and above your required roll for success, making your conjured object ranked as a Masterpiece.

NOTE: The Roll Chart below applies to the quality of any Conjured item.

QUALITY AND PERMENANCY ROLL CHART OF CONJURED OBJECTS

1-10: BOTCH! (Natural 1-10) The item you conjured is nothing more than a pile of lumpy goo that smells strongly of sulfur and feces. Everyone within 20 meters (chat range) will gasp in revulsion from the scent. 

Mediocre — 1-5 points above required roll for success:  This yields a shoddy, imperfect creation. While useable, it is rather ugly and deformed. Lasts for 5 turns.

Adequate — 6-10 points above required roll for success:  A reasonable facsimile of what you were attempting to create, though far from perfect. The item has one or two elements that are misshaped. Lasts for the duration of the scene.

Quality — 11-15 points above required roll for success: The object you conjured is nearly a perfect replica. While a nice piece of work, it lacks some of the more intricate details, however most people will not notice unless the object is put under closer scrutiny. Lasts for 48 hours.

Perfect — 20-25 points above required roll for success: The conjured object is perfect in every way to what you were attempting to bring forth from the ether. Close observation of the item will convince even experts of its genuine origins.  It is permanent and will remain on the physical plain until destroyed.

Masterpiece — 25+ points above required roll for success: This object is a true work of art and is perfect and pristine in every way. Every detail is artistically and beautifully rendered. It is permanent and will remain on the physical plain until destroyed.

◉◎◎◎◎◎◎: Conjuring 1 - Simple Summon (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 60
• Energy/Blood Cost: 2
• Damage: n/a
• Mods: Mental Skill, Occult
• Resist: n/a
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Mental Skill

Description: 
At this level of mastery, the conjurer may create simple, solid and single-piece inanimate objects. The object cannot have any moving parts and may not be made of multiple materials. For example, the conjurer may summon a steel baton, a lead pipe, a wooden stake, or a chunk of granite.

System:
The Player spends 2 Energy/Blood points, declares in local chat what it is exactly the intend to conjure, and makes a successful roll. Depending on how high of a roll was made determines the quality of the item conjured, and how long it will remain on the physical plain. (See Chart above: QUALITY AND PERMENANCY ROLL CHART OF CONJURED OBJECTS.)

NOTE: All Covenant Tremere can identify all conjured objects and beings by touch.

◉◉◎◎◎◎◎◎: Conjuring 2 - Permanency (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 90
• Energy/Blood Cost: 18
• Damage: Craft, Occult
• Resist: n/a
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Mental Skill
  • +5 Physical Skill

Description: 
When an object has been created of questionable integrity and permanence, this handy spell allows the magic user to make the object permanent and "Perfect;"; even if the object was created by another mage. This only applies to simple objects and cannot be used on any created object composed of complex or moving parts to make them permanent. It can, however, make any mediocre object "Perfect" for as long as it does remain on this plain.

For example: A painting, pendant, a coin, a dagger, a mirror -- these all represent simple objects. A car, bicycle, reclining chair, articulated armor, ballpoint pen -- these all have moving parts and cannot be made "permanent" using this spell, but it CAN make them "Perfect" for the time they do exist.

A wooden ladder would be considered a simple object. Even though it is made of multiple parts, these parts do not move. However, a metal extension ladder would be a complex object because it has gears and moving parts to extend it to a certain height. 

A necklace made of separate moving links would be considered a complex object because movement is part of its design. While made of multiple parts, each link is created to move independently and flow with the body. But, the gold pendant encrusted with precious gems hanging from that necklace is a simple object. No moving parts. In another example, a solid silver hoop necklace is a simple object, but if the pendant on it moves freely and independently, it is now a complex object. The Mage can separate a solid hoop necklace from its pendant, cast this spell each on the now two individual parts, and then put them back together as a single permanent, and perfect, object. There's always a way around these types of limitations if Mages are creative in their applications.

System: 
The Player spends 3 points of Energy/Blood, declares in local chat exactly what they wish to make permanent/perfect, and makes a successful roll. A ripple of energy then flows through the object, causing it to shimmer and slightly vibrate in place. If the object is solid, it is now permanent. Any flaws in it's material, surface, details or quality instantly becomes "Perfect" on the conjuring scale of quality and permanence.

When using this ability on a complex object, the object becomes "perfect" but not permanent. It will only remain on this plain of existence for as long as it was designated upon its original creation. For example, the Covenant needs a fast car to make an escape. Unfortunately, the player only rolls a 73. While he needed to roll a 70 for success, he only rolled 3 points over that, which created a Mediocre car. Instead of a speedster, the Player's Character has conjured a barely functional rusted out 1990s Yugo.

Using this Permanency successfully on the Yugo transforms it into a shinning Porsche Taycan Turbo sportscar. However, it only lasts for 5 turns, and you took a full turn to "Perfect" it. Now you have 4 turns to use the car and make your getaway before it poofs into ethereal mist. 

◉◉◉◎◎◎◎◎: Conjuring 3 - Magic of the Smith (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 80
• Energy/Blood Cost: 3
• Damage: n/a
• Mods: Craft, Occult
• Resist: n/a
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +10 Mental Skill

Description: 
The Kindred may now conjure complex objects of multiple components and with moving parts. For example, the thaumaturge can create guns, bicycles, chainsaws, or any other type of item that is manufactured of moving parts. This also includes computers or cell phones if the Covenant has adequate knowledge in Computers. Or an MRI machine (or other complex medical device) if the Covenant has studied Medicine.

System: 
The Player spends 3 points of Energy/Blood, declares in local chat what it is exactly the intend to conjure, and makes a successful roll. Objects created via Magic of the Smith are automatically permanent. Particularly complex items often require a Knowledge roll (Crafts, Computer, Medical, etc.) in addition to the basic roll. 

For example: the Covenant must have purchased at least three points in the following skills to conjure certain items:

• Computer to conjure a laptop computer, a cell phone, a thermal camera, etc. 
• Medical to conjure any known medical device
• Chemistry to conjure explosive devices, detonators, or ammunition 

NOTE: While a Covenant can easily conjure a gun, he/she/they must conjure the ammunition separately. This requires at least three points purchased in Chemistry since it requires adequate knowledge of the chemical composition of gunpowder in the right ratios to be effective.

Conjuring items that require knowledge of computers, medical or chemistry without having at least 3 prerequisite points in those disciplines will result in a non functioning or dangerously-volatile object. A computer will simply be a solid block of plastic that merely looks like a computer, because the Conjurer lacks the knowledge of what actually makes it function. Bullets (at the Storyteller's discretion) could explode as soon as they are formed because the Conjurer has no concept of the actual chemical makeup of the gunpowder. (There's a reason why the Tremere spend so much time studying and learning.)

◉◉◉◉◎◎◎◎: Conjuring 4 - Reverse Conjuration (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 80
• Energy/Blood Cost: 2
• Damage: 12
• Mods: Mental Skill, Occult, Willpower
• Resist: n/a
• Permanent Affects: 
• +5 Mental Skill

Description: 
This power allows the conjurer to “banish” into nonexistence any object previously summoned by the Covenant mage, or items conjured by any other mage or magic user.

System: 
The Player spends 2 points of Energy/Blood, declares in local chat what it is they wish to Reverse Conjure, and makes a successful roll. The target object then dissolves back into the ethereal vapor from which it was called. This works on any and all conjured objects, no matter their level of quality or permanence. 

◉◉◉◉◉◎◎◎: Conjuring 5 - Power Over Life (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 90
• Energy/Blood Cost: 3
• Damage: n/a
• Mods: Mental Skill, Willpower, Occult
• Resist: Physical Defense, Physical Skill
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Mental Attack
  • +5 Physical Skill

Description: 
This power cannot create true life, though it can summon forth impressive and convincing life-like replicas. Creatures (and people) summoned with this power lack the free will to act on their own, mindlessly following the simple instructions of their Conjurer instead. People created in this way can be subject to the use of the Dominate power "Possession" if desired.

System: 
The player spends 3 blood points, declares in local chat what they intend to conjure (appearance, gender, species, etc.) and makes a successful roll. Beings created in this fashion are also subject to the QUALITY AND PERMENANCY ROLL CHART OF CONJURED OBJECTS, listed above. 

For example: a human conjured using this spell with a modified roll of 94 (Mediocre) would look something like (for example) the hunchback Quasimodo, or the evil Gollum from Lord of the Rings. A modified roll of 99 would produce an Adequate-looking human with some flawed features, perhaps something like Cyrano de Bergerac with a hard-to-miss long nose. While a modified roll of 105 would produce a spectacular Master piece of a human displaying such beauty and grace as would a god or goddess. Imagine a handsome young Chris Hemsworth, or Regé-Jean Page. Or picture a female conjuration that looks like a statuesque Julie Newmar, or shapely magnificent Marilyn Monroe. 

Conjurers are known for their imaginations and creativity, so choose whatever you desire based on your roll (at the Storyteller's discretion, they can also decide the form your conjuration takes should they choose).

◉◉◉◉◉◉◎◎: Conjuring 6 - The Salvager (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 95
• Energy/Blood Cost: 2
• Damage: n/a
• Mods: Mental Skill, Willpower, Occult
• Resist: Physical Defense, Physical Skill
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Athletics/Reflexes
  • +5 Initiative

Description: 
A Salvager is the incarnation of all that is lost and forgotten in death. It might manifest as an orphaned child, pale and emaciated from neglect, or as a frail, elderly man, abandoned and lonely in his twilight years. Its features may be slightly decayed, but the effect is more heart-wrenching than monstrous. 

A Salvager’s clothing is faded and worn to threads, as though it should have been discarded long ago, and it carries upon its back a frayed sack that has been patched together time and time again. The sack contains the detritus of the past, discarded and broken objects, or items that have been lost and forgotten by their owners.

Salvagers are typically called upon when a Tremere Covenant has hit a dead end with a problem at hand, and has run out of options. Also, when seeking information or objects that appears to be lost or hidden. Salvagers can utilize their connections to the lost and forgotten to provide the mage with valuable information related to the problem at hand. (see “Trial” below).

System:
The Player spends 18 Energy/Blood Points. If their roll is successful, the Player's Character may begin the ritual to summon forth The Salvager.

Trial: When the Tremere Covenant performs the ritual to summon a Salvager, he must bring a container (a box, a basket, folded cloth, etc.) filled to the brim with items that represent the joys of life, creation, and the new. For example, fine food and wine to remind the Salvager of what it was like to taste and smell, a painting or recording of a symphony to remind it what is was like to feel, or a photograph of a family to remind it of companionship. 

The Covenant sets the basket before her when she arrives at the summoning location. As the Moros approaches death’s door, she meditates intently on the problem at hand, attracting a Salvager. If the Salvager accepts the gift, the entity will take it back to Stygia.

A day later the mage returns to the same exact location of the summoning to find the container returned with the gifts taken. Within the container, she will now find items helping her with the problem at hand: old photographs, antique keys to unknown doors, faded newspaper clippings, perhaps even a hand-written note from one of the lost dead. 

While none of the items should present an immediate answer to the character’s problem, they may provide subtle though important clues, or present alternatives that the character may not have yet considered, or that the those involved with the problem referenced may have forgotten.

◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◎: Conjuring 7 - The Seraph Elemental (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 90
• Energy/Blood Cost: 2
• Damage: n/a
• Mods: Mental Skill, Willpower
• Resist: Physical Defense, Physical Skill
• Permanent Affects: 
  • +5 Mental Attack
  • +5 Mental Defense
  • +5 Physical Skill
  • +5Mental Skill

Description: 
A Covenant Mage who summons an Elemental finds himself confronted by a being composed of pure energy. It may manifest as a pillar of blazing fire, a shining ball of white heat and light, a crumbling, hulking beast of molten earth and stone, a shimmering and shifting heat mirage, or a sloshing, amorphous blob of water, undulating to an otherworldly tide. A Covenant that summons a Seraph Elemental must first beat it in combat. If successful, the Elemental will serve the Covenant for 24 hours, after which, it will return to the Aether. 

Services asked of an Elementa can include protecting the Covenant mage or a place of the Covenant's Choosing, or to fight the Covenant's enemies in a battle. Other services may include a mastery over the Elementals' element. For example, a water elemental can part a river allowing the Covenant and his allies to walk across or the water elemental can bring forth a permanent oasis pool of water in the middle of a desert.

Elementals, with the exception of the Fire Elemental, are not particularly intellectual beings, and they are known to become violent when taken from their realm. An Elemental will attack its summoner immediately after materializing within the summoning circle. Some Covenant Mages use this summoning spell to test their Childer in battle as an arcane rite of passage. The rite is representative of the Tremere's exertion of their will over the forces of the universe, and how through the mastery of magic, a mage may defeat whatever adversary he faces. A young Covenant Tremere mage can learn a great deal about his own abilities though the process, and gains valuable insight from the confrontation.

System:
The Player makes a successful roll and the Character calls upon the specific force of nature he/she/they wishes to summon (Fire, Water, Air or Earth). This takes a full turn to complete. At the beginning of their next turn, the specific elemental will appear. Elementals conjured in this way are relatively young and while still powerful, are not to the full strength of more ancient beings. 

• NOTE: If the Player rolls a Botch (natural 1-10), the Character will have summoned twin Elementals and must battle them both at once. However, if the Player's Character successfully defeats them, both will pledge themselves to the service of the Covenant Tremere mage for the next real-time 24 hours. It should be noted that if the mage defeats one of the twins, the other twin will defend the mage, but will not attack it's brother.

Elementals are the forces of the universe incarnate, and as such, they can be challenging adversaries. Many inexperienced Covenants have been badly injured or have even met the true death in the process of subduing an Elemental. As intimidating as this may be, no where in this Trial does it say the Covenant must fight the Elemental alone. An Elemental will serve the Summoner once defeated, no matter how it was defeated. However, it is quite a source of pride to be able to truthfully claim victory in such single combat.

When an Elemental attacks, it will make use of whatever force it commands: crackling bolts of lightning, rays of blasting heat or radiation, or rippling distortion waves of crushing gravity. When the battle is over and the Covenant is victorious, the Elemental will bend the knee to the mage and pledge his loyal service for the next 24 hours. At the end of the Real-Time 24 hours, the Elemental will return to its own realm.

For more information on the specifics of Elementals, Click Here.

NOTE: Each Elemental has its own strengths and weaknesses, however there is an extra level of danger for a Tremere Covenant mage attempting to conjure a Fire Elemental. If successful, the Covenant must roll vs. Frenzy in the presence of Fire Elemental. If successful, the Covenant will not need to roll vs. Frenzy again for the duration of the battle. However, all fire damage taken is doubled.

◉◉◉◉◉◉◉◎: Conjuring 8 - Bird of Fortune (Mental Skill)   

• Base Roll: 130
• Energy/Blood Cost: 3
• Damage: n/a
• Mods: Occult, Athletics/Reflexes
• Resist: Physical Defense, Physical Skill
• Permanent Affects: None

Description: 
The Bird of Fortune is a curious and allusive creature whose nature is not entirely understood. It's existence was first mentioned in very ancient Greek and Roman writings once stored in the Library of Alexandria. They spoke of the Bird as being an Avatar of the Goddess Fortuna, bestowing her blessings on those who earned her favor. Some more modern theories is the bird actually a trans dimensional being that resides in the limbo said to exist between universes. Whatever the case may be, the Bird of Fortune is a fickle beast that has within its capabilities to grant great riches, fortune or luck, or to take them away. Wise Covenant Mages should court the bird's favor by bringing gifts of fresh Rosemary sprigs, seasonal berries, coins, flowers, or spiced meats. Other historically-favored gifts include cones of incense, such as Vanilla, Aloe Vera, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, and Frankincense. However, feel free to be creative with something new that it might never have received as an offering before.

System:
The Player spends 3 Energy/Blood points and makes a successful roll. The Character will then be find herself in a boundless gray, barren field with a monstrous, gnarled, black tree rooted before him/her/them. The mage must climb to the uppermost branches of the tree, overcoming any number of obstacles that hinder the mage's progress: shifting branches, rotting and slippery bark, and piercing thorns. This requires (8) eight turns (successfully climbing 8 branches) to reach the nest at the top of the tree, requiring 8 separate rolls.  If the mage attempts to use any type of magic during his/her/their assent, the Covenant is once more on the ground and all progress lost.

Roll Chart for Progress in Climbing the Tree: 

• MOD: Athletics/Reflexes
• NOTE: Roll to climb the tree using the dice roller in the HUD and manually adding in your Athletics/Reflexes Modifier.

1-10: Botch! (Natural roll) You fall from the tree and find yourself back in the location of your summoning. Game over.

11-50: You slip down two branches, adding another two rolls for success to your journey to climb the tree.

51-85: Success, you climb one branch closer!

86-99: Greater success, you climb two branches closer!

100+: Amazing progress! You climb four branches closer!

After successfully climbing eight branches (making successful rolls that get you to the 8th branch), the Player's Character finds in the highest boughs of the tree a beautiful yet ghostly bird that is reminiscent of the Greater Bird-of-Paradise within an ethereal, mossy nest. 

For working diligently to reach the nest despite the perilous conditions, the Bird of Fortune will not attack the Covenant, but await a proper offering. Whether or not she likes the offering, the Covenant will not know. In any case, the Bird of Fortune will shift aside to reveal a nest full of small, softly luminous, light golden eggs with dark golden feathery splashes (about an inch or so long). The mage may take a single egg as a reward for the hard work of reaching her nest, but if the mage is greedy and takes more than one egg, all of the eggs will crumble to a dusty clay before the mage's eyes.

Once the mage obtains the egg, his/her/their surroundings fade away and the mage is back in the location of the summoning. The golden egg may be saved for a future time, given to another, or immediately cracked open by the Covenant. 

Once cracked open, the golden egg will bestow the blessings of fortune, or the despair of misfortune. As mentioned earlier, the Bird of Fortune is a fickle creature that is pleased or displeased with offerings on mere whim...as are the rewards. Anyone who cracks the egg will reap the benefits or suffer the consequences of Fortune. (See Chart Below.)

NOTE: The shell of the egg is much like any other egg and is fragile. If it is broken accidently, the person closest to it will reap the reward, or suffer the curse.

Crack the Egg Roll Chart: (non modified roll)

1-10: Botch! The Bird of Fortune was insulted by the offering. You permanently suffer -5 to your Athletics/Reflexes Mods and can not repurchase it.

11-16: Your offering, while not offensive, was not pleasing. For the next 24 hours, any metal you touch (or that is on your person) disintegrates instantly. Money, jewelry, the zipper on your jeans, fillings in your teeth, door knobs, etc., etc., etc.

17-23: The Bird of Fortune is enamored with your gift. When the egg is cracked, out pours a pound of pure 24K gold nuggets out of one side of the egg. Out of the other side of the egg pours ten 5-karat diamonds, rubies or emeralds (or a mixture of all three depending on the Storyteller.) These gems are flawless and perfect in color, cut, clarity.

24-29: The Bird of Fortune has smiled upon you and your offering. When the egg is cracked open, a silver necklace with a beautiful white pearl slips from within and into the hand of the person who cracked the egg. This is the Necklace of Do-Over, allowing the wearer to slip back into time 30 seconds and either make a different choice, or re-roll any roll Twice, whether it was a botch or not. The bearer may roll two more times and take the best roll out of all three of his/her/their rolls. This is a one-time magical item. Once used, it disappears into a whisp of vapor. It may be used by the person who cracked the egg, or may be given away or sold.

30-36: Your offering was in some way offensive. For the next OOC week, you suffer -5 to all your Mods.

37-43: The Bird of Fortune is extremely impressed with your offering. Within the Egg is the gold and ruby ring of Charisma. When worn, this ring gives the bearer a +15 Mod to all rolls related to Persuasion/Intimidation. This ring may be used by anyone who possess it. However, it may only have three owners. If given away to a fourth owner, it loses all it's magical properties and simply becomes a very beautiful ring.

44-50: The Bird of Fortune is impressed with your offering. From the golden egg emerges a silver necklace. When worn, it bestows a single-use gift of Deflected Death. If the Player's Character is ever killed while wearing this necklace, it will bring him/her/them back to life and full perfect health within one hour of their demise -- even if their body was completely destroyed. The necklace will turn to vapor and disappear upon the Character's miraculous return. (This does not effect Torpor since the Vampire is simply unconscious and not destroyed. If a vampire is set on fire and turned to ash, this will bring the vampire back to exactly as they physically were before being set on fire.)

51-56: Your offering was accepted by the Bird of Fortune. You crack open the egg and receive the Blessing of Fortuitous Luck. For the next 24 hours, you automatically succeed in any game of chance and win any competition based on luck or skill. Slot machines hit the jackpot every time, you are always dealt a Royal Flush in Poker and your competition in a foot race trip and fall over allowing you to win. Now that's lucky!

57-63: Your offering was looked upon with great favor by the Bird of Fortune. Add a permanent +10 to any one of your Abilities or Modifiers (Player's Choice).

64-70: The Bird of Fortune shows you what a fickle creature she truly is. Cracking the egg, the Character must permanently give up a +5 modifier in any one of their Abilities or Skills to the next person who voluntarily or accidently touches them without being prompted or made aware of this gift. This can be any kind of touch from a casual bump to a fist fight. This "gift" is in effect until it is activated in hours, days, weeks, months or even years. The +5 Modifier point can not be regained or repurchased and is lost.

71-76:  Your offering pleased the Bird of Fortune. Add a permanent +5 to any three of your Attributes or Skills. This can go above and beyond the standard max number.

77-83: The Bird of Fortune has seen this offering before, in fact, many, many times and it has bored her. Whoever cracks open the egg will instantly be unable to speak in anything but rhymes for the next 24 hours.

84-90: The Bird of Fortune has been moved by you. Your offering was mediocre at best, but she actually found herself rooting for you to make it up her tree alive. Whoever cracks open the egg receives a permanent +10 to their Athletics/Reflexes. 

91-96: The Bird of Fortune is greatly displeased by the offering. The egg spills forth a slimy substance that smells revoltingly of rotting eggs. Also, this smell sticks with you for the next 24 hours making everyone around you nauseous. You take a shower, but still come out stinking of rotten eggs.

97-98: Your offering greatly pleased the Bird of Fortune. For the next 48 hours, you are untouchable. Any attempt to strike you or do physical or mental harm automatically fails. You cannot be harmed, maimed, injured or killed. If someone tries to punch you, they will miss and hit nothing but air. Mental attacks fizzle, bullets never hit their mark, a dagger is suddenly as dull as a cheap plastic spoon. Not even fire or sunlight effects Vampires.

99: The Bird of Fortune likes the way the Covenant was respectful and polite, but the offering was only so-so. When you crack open the egg, you find a small vial of unknown blood. It smells incredibly delicious. Anyone who drinks the blood will instantly be bound to the person who cracked open this egg. This bond is unbreakable and the person or creature blood bonded to whom they are now bonded is the only one who can choose to release them.

100: The Bird of Fortune was amused by the Mage and found their ability to climb the tree entertaining. The offering was exceptional too. In return, she has given you an exceptionally rare and precious gift. When you crack open the egg, a 20 lb. brick of pure Uru slips out with a thud. Uru is an indestructible substance that is both metal and stone. It can be fashioned into any one item, but only one item, no matter the size as long as it does not weigh over 20 lbs. For example, a ring, a necklace, a sword, a shield, gauntlets, etc. Uru is capable of housing a powerful spirit, as well as having runes of power inscribed on its surface. Items made of this exceedingly rare supernatural metal are highly valuable and items made of them are considered Legendary and priceless.