Thaumaturgy Rituals Level 3

[Phsycodelic]

Thaumaturgy Rituals Level 3

Tremere

Rituals are Thaumaturgical formulas, meticulously researched and prepared, that create powerful magical effects. Rituals are less versatile than paths, as their effects are singular and straightforward, but they are better suited to specific ends.

All thaumaturges have the ability to use rituals, though each individual ritual must be learned separately. By acquainting herself with the arcane practice of blood magic, the caster gains the capacity to manipulate these focused effects.

Thaumaturgical rituals are rated from 1 to 5, each level corresponding to both the level of mastery of Thaumaturgy the would-be caster must possess and the relative power of the ritual itself. Unless stated otherwise, a ritual requires five minutes per level to cast.

Casting rituals requires a successful Intelligence + Occult roll, for which the difficulty equals 3 + the level of the ritual (maximum 9). Only one success is required for a ritual to work, though certain spells may require more successes or have variable effects based on how well the caster's roll goes. Should a roll to activate a ritual fail, the Storyteller is encouraged to create strange occurrences or side effects, or even make it appear that the ritual was successful, only to reveal its failure at a later time. A botched ritual roll may even indicate a catastrophic failure or summon an ill-tempered demon.

Rituals sometimes require special ingredients or reagents to work - these are noted in each ritual's description. Common components include herbs, animal bones, ceremonial items, feathers, eye of newt, tongue of toad, etc. Acquiring magical components for a powerful ritual may form the basis for an entire story.

At the first level of Thaumaturgy, the vampire automatically gains a single Level One ritual. To learn further rituals, the thaumaturge must find someone to teach him, or learn the ritual from a scroll, tome, or other archive. Learning a new ritual can take anywhere from a few nights (Level One ritual) to months or years (Level Five ritual). Some mystics have studied individual rituals for decades, or even centuries.

[ 3 ] A Touch Of Nightshade ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 149 )

Legends of the deadly poison nightshade stretch back to antiquity when it was used to weaken the legions of Marcus Antonius during the Parthian Wars. This ritual builds on these stories to create a poison that can punish a single victim, Kindred or kine, with only a touch.

The caster must anoint her hands with the bitter extract of nightshade before conducting this ritual, and then engage in skin to skin contact with her intended victim. Within half an hour, the victim begins to suffer effects that mirror that of actual nightshade poisoning. Some of the symptoms include dilated pupils, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, headaches, confusion, and convulsions.

System: This ritual creates a skin-contact poison that may only be used once before it turns inert. If the poison is not used by the end of the evening, the power fizzles and the poison is rendered useless.

The thaumaturge must apply the mystical poison to her own skin (which is immune to the poison) and then touch her intended target. The Storyteller may require a Dexterity roll or a Manipulation roll to touch the victim, depending upon the circumstances. Once per night, until the potency of the poison fades, the victim must make a Stamina + Fortitude (difficulty 8) check to resist the effects of the poison. With three or more successes, the target resists the toxic effects of the poison, but still suffers from minor headaches and feels that something is wrong. Otherwise, the victim suffers an extreme reaction to the poison, causing sweating, blurred vision, and convulsions. The difficulty for all rolls for the remainder of the evening is increased by one. (Remember that Kindred sweat blood! This can be a real problem for Kindred trying to preserve the Masquerade.)

The numbers of successes on the activation roll for the ritual determines the potency of the poison. Each success adds an additional night of effectiveness for the poison. The effects of this mystical poison may be countered by the Thaumaturgy ritual Purity of the Flesh.

[ 3 ] Amulet Of Mnemosyne ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 25 )

Careful lies and half-truths are amongst the most common and potent weapons a vampire has in her arsenal in the arena of politics. The right secret whispered at the wrong moment can shatter a sterling reputation and topple plans crafted over centuries. Locking away such secrets takes a good deal of will and a mastery of the art of deception. However, there are Disciplines and rituals that have the ability to pick thoughts from the head of an unsuspecting victim, force her to reveal secrets, or prevent her from lying at all.

A small chantry during the Regency era decided to devote their research to tackling this problem. Truth was a concept too powerful to completely remove from a subject's mind. They could obfuscate or rewrite the memories, but there was always an element of the truth in the vessel. Once the thaumaturges realized that truth could be measured, a solution became obvious. The Amulet of Mnemosyne allows a subject to whisper a secret into the amulet and thus transfer the energy of the truth into the mystical shell.

System: The thaumaturge creates an amulet forged from brass and soaked in a pool of her blood. Next, she must recite the proper incantations over the amulet while it is resting on an object that symbolizes the truth to the thaumaturge. Finally, the subject (who does not need to be the thaumaturge) must prick her lips, kiss the amulet, and then whisper her secret.

Once activated, this secret is completely removed from the mind of the subject until she reverses the ritual by again kissing the amulet. Memories are completely rewritten to account for the missing information. These new memories are generated by the power of the magic; neither the thaumaturge nor the subject has any control over the specific details.

Should the amulet be destroyed, the secret will return to the mind of the owner.

If a rival thaumaturge discovers the amulet, and knows or researches this ritual, he may attempt to learn the secret it contains. Holding the amulet to his ear, the rival thaumaturge engages the original caster in a contested Willpower roll. Should the rival thaumaturge win, the secret is implanted in his mind. The caster will feel uneasy as though something is wrong, but will not know the root cause as she has forgotten the secret.

The downside of this ritual is that the subject has no idea that the secret exists or that she has hidden it within the amulet. She will act as per her typical personality would suggest, which could cause a number of complications. Ironically, by hiding the secret, the subject leaves herself vulnerable. For example, if the subject murdered the Prince's childe, she won't know to be careful at court or to be watchful that others might have learned her secret.

A crafty thaumaturge will ensure that the amulet is placed in her hands after the danger in passed by mailing it to herself or hiding it away with a trusted retainer with a note written in her own hands. Because of this, any thaumaturge who knows the ritual will flinch anytime she finds an Amulet of Mnemosyne, dreading the secret she might unlock.

[ 3 ] Bladed Hands ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual takes 10 minutes to complete and requires two blood points. When finished, this ritual gives the ritual very sharp hands which do an extra die of damage when they are used to attack. It lasts until the next sunrise. Perfected by Victor, he will not share this one with many. Note that the caster must be careful about what he touches (especially himself), and will have a difficult time handling delicate objects.

[ 3 ] Blood Allergy ( XXX - Page X )

Reminded of their lost mortality, of illness and unhappiness, Kindred suffering from an allergy of the blood cannot keep vitae within their bodies. Attempts to hold down any blood after ingesting this unlife-sustaining fluid will result in moments of severe nausea followed by episodes of vomit-induced heaves that only abate when all of the blood is expelled from the system. After spilling his blood onto the dead petals of a red rose, a magus may infect a target with this allergy.

System: This ritual requires only 10 minutes of preparation before casting, during which a thaumaturge must spend a blood point and mingle it with dead rose petals. A target suffering a blood allergy is affected for one night per success scored by the caster. Victims are unable to keep blood within their bodies, and, therefore, unable to do much that concerns their vampiric powers. Vampires will not expunge blood if they have three or less blood points remaining, and this power does not work on Kindred older than the caster. While the loss of blood is not enough to cause a Kindred to enter torpor, he will be on the threshold of hunger, and may need to roll for frenzy if he encounters blood.

[ 3 ] Brotherhood Of The Cup ( Lore Of The Clans - Page 221 )

Prerequisite: Tremere

Sometimes the Tremere need to enforce a limited form of blood bond on an agent or even one of their own, so a variation on the Ascension of the Blood ritual was developed. With Brotherhood of the Cup, a Tremere can impose such a bond, but one designed to inspire loyalty to the Clan as a whole rather than an individual.

System: While no Tremere would admit it, this ritual bears a concerning similarity to the Vaulderie. In addition to the ritualist, it requires at least four other Tremere (although tradition requires a total of seven) to put their blood into a chalice. Anyone who drinks from the cup becomes blood bound, but to Clan Tremere and what they perceive to be its goals. The effect lasts for one hour for each success gained on the roll. Once the ritual wears off, so do the effects. This does not count as having drunk once from any of the Tremere who conducted the ritual.

[ 3 ] Cleansing Of The Flesh ( XXX - Page X )

Vampires must drink the blood of mortals in order to survive and, accompanying this bane is the risk of becoming addicted to mortal vices: illegal narcotics and alcohol. In some cases, Kindred lead their unlives as hosts to a number of sexually transmitted diseases, such as AIDS. The Warlock casting this ritual must spend one full night in a bathtub filled with purified water. Throughout the night, the thaumaturge must expunge all but the smallest drop of his blood from his body, a little at a time over the course of one night. As the blood is released from the body, all addictions and diseases the vampire formerly housed will no longer burden him.

System: The caster lies in a vessel of purified water and bleeds out all but one of his blood points, roughly two points an hour. All addictions to drugs and all diseases that are not supernatural in nature will no longer hinder the thaumaturge beginning at night's end, though he will likely be quite ravenous after performing the ritual. This ritual may be performed on another, who must open his own veins, with the Warlock chanting beside the tub.

[ 3 ] Clinging Of The Insect ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 235 )

This ritual allows the caster to cling to walls or ceilings, as would a spider. She may even crawl along these surfaces (as long as they can support her). Use of this power seriously discomfits mortal onlookers. The character must place a live spider under her tongue for the duration of the ritual (though the spider may die while in the thaumaturge's mouth without canceling the power).

System: The character may move at half her normal rate while climbing walls or ceilings. This power lasts for one scene, or until the vampire spits out the spider.

[ 3 ] Craft Dream Catcher ( XXX - Page X )

By combining the knowledge of the Spirit Lands and this ritual magic, the caster is able to create a minor artifact that helps protect a sleeping person. Used mainly in Native American culture, the Dream Catcher has a powerful talisman to ward against hostile spirits. A Dream Catcher is a personal item, crafted for an individual and only working for that person. The caster takes bits of hair, blood and spittle from the owner, mixing them into the creation of the Dream Catcher.

System: The Dream Catcher provides two protections to the owner. First, spirits trying to affect the character have an increased difficulty of two. Second, any of the Thaumaturgy powers of Oneiromancy may either add one or subtract one from the difficulty, based upon the desire of the owner. These benefits apply only when the character is in possession of the Dream Catcher.

[ 3 ] Crucible Of Sympathetic Agony ( XXX - Page X )

Mendacamina, Ceoris's chief torturer, performs much of her ministrations using perfectly mundane and effective techniques. She has, however, bent her thaumaturgic talents to pushing back the frontiers of pain and persuasion. Crucible of Sympathetic Agony disassociates the torture victim's body from his pain, hence getting around many mental strongholds. It is ideally suited to creating obedience but does have other uses.

Two victims are placed together on a long iron-shod bed so that their feet touch. The ritualist sews the soles of their feet together. If the victims are capable of orgasm, assistants work to stimulate each, with the object of bringing them to ecstasy at the same moment. If the ritualist has a Cainite collaborator, the two of them simultaneously feed from the subjects when climax comes so as to intensify the effect. Then the thaumaturge begins to torture one subject with implements that have been bathed in alchemical salts and vapors.

The second subject feels all of the agony suffered by the first, but remains physically unharmed. The suffering of the first subject batters down any resistance he could otherwise muster against cracking under torture. If the first victim is slain, the second feels what it is like to die.

System: If the thaumaturge is using the ritual as a simple aid to torture, successes on the player's ritual roll add to his dice pool for a subsequent torture or interrogation roll. If the ritual is used to create simple obedience, however, the ritual roll itself is opposed by a Willpower roll from the victim's player. If the ritualist obtains any net successes, the victim agrees to carry out whatever instructions the thaumaturge issues to him, short of killing himself outright. If the thaumaturge's successes exceed the victim's by two or more, she can, at will, re-evoke the pain experienced by the victim during the height of the ritual, provided she can make eye contact with him.
If the thaumaturge's orders place the victim in immediate mortal danger, the Storyteller may allow a second Willpower roll (difficulty 8) to resist the commands until the danger passes. A victim under orders has a broken will and although not in a trance per se, appears listless and spent.

[ 3 ] Dante's Urban Legend ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 26 )

People love to share urban legends. These dubious stories of modern folklore have limited veracity, but something powering the stories pushes the communities to preserve and propagate them through the generations. Tapping into the power of these stories, the thaumaturge can create a psychically-charged urban legend that discourages visitors to a specified house or location.

The caster recreates a popular urban legend upon the grounds that she wishes to protect. Tales shall arise in the community of something that happened to a friend of a friend recounting the horror of that location, such as a legend about a group of teenagers ambushed by the hook-man and then anesthetized only to find a kidney missing. Overly excessive uses of this may attract the attention of hunters or malicious supernatural creatures, so this ritual is used with care.

Some believe that this is a minor breach of the Masquerade, as it encourages a belief of the supernatural. However, those that practice this ritual argue that Dante's Urban Legend preserves the Masquerade by pushing away mortals from places they should not be, and upholds the tradition of Domain. A few Princes that have discovered this ritual have limited its use within their domains.

System: The caster must recreate the exact urban legend she wishes to propagate at the location. For example, she might need to steal some kidneys from a drunken mortal or kill a group of teenagers with a hook. Afterwards, she must sacrifice a point of blood to each entrance of the house or location.

Typically thaumaturges are careful to select an urban legend that does not remind others of vampires. Some will cast this ritual on the property of their rivals to make a point. Once the ritual is enacted, rumors will soon circulate among the mortals that the house is haunted or cursed, and therefore should be avoided by anyone with sense. Property values around the "haunted" house will plummet as neighbors move to avoid living next to the house that causes them nightmares.

These mortals rationally disbelieve in the supernatural, but they will feel disturbed by the thought of the location protected by the ritual and attempt to avoid it. Strong-willed mortals may feel curious enough to make a Willpower check (difficulty 8) to attempt to enter the building or area - failure means that they create some excuse to avoid entering. The duration of this ritual is one decade plus an additional year for every additional success achieved on the activation roll.

[ 3 ] Defender Of The Haven ( XXX - Page X )

Many Tremere have relied upon Gargoyles to defend their havens while they work other rituals to plot and scheme against the Tzimisce. So, while they are engrossed in their research, they need their Gargoyle guardians to be extra alert, and thus this ritual was devised. With it, the Gargoyle becomes linked with the haven (up to the size of a small castle) and may detect intruders of any sort, even if they are out of sight or under the veil of Obfuscate.

System: This ritual can only be used on Gargoyles of 10th generation or lower. The ritual takes an entire night to complete and involves taking the Gargoyle to the various cardinal boundaries of the haven, where a pint of the Gargoyle's vitae is infused into the structure. The Tremere also expends a point of Willpower to activate the ritual. When completed, the Gargoyle may detect anyone within the structure on a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 6). If the intruder is attempting to hide, he makes an opposed roll Self-Control + Stealth roll (sic) (or other appropriate roll), also against difficulty 6. This ritual must be cast during the full moon and works for the Gargoyle only in the structure in which the ritual was cast.

[ 3 ] Displacement Of The Pneuma ( XXX - Page X )

A prisoner is suspended inside a frame of copper tubing, secured to it by an elaborate system of leather belts and iron chains. Clamps are placed on the victim's eyelids, forcing them open. Copper clips are clamped onto incisions in the victim's neck, over his heart, kidney and stomach, on his genitals and inside his rectum. Alchemical vapors are wafted onto him, with the aid of a bellows. If the victim passes out from pain or terror, the ritual must be suspended until he recovers consciousness.

An animal, such as a goat or ewe, is lead into the room. It is placed in a cage and also incised at various critical points of its anatomy, and clips attached. The clips connect to catgut strings, which all lead to a simmering vat. The thaumaturge performs incantations to draw the energies of extra-worldly beings into the vat. She ritually "slays" the prisoner by drawing a dull blade across his throat. The blade is hollow and contains a quantity of her own blood; a lever on the trick blade releases the blood, which gushes down onto the victim's chest. The ritual works best if the victim is unaware of the trickery and momentarily believes he's seeing his own throat being slashed.

At this moment, the thaumaturge shouts a word of power into the victim's ear, as loudly as she can. If successful, she shocks the victim's soul out of his body. It travels through the clips, along the cat-gut, into the vat and then out into the body of the animal.

System: One success means that the victim's sou8l has been separated from the body, but has not traveled into the animal. The victim might as well have been murdered by mundane means. There is no known way to return the soul to the body, although it may linger as a ghost at the storyteller's discretion.

Two successes indicate that the soul has indeed traveled into the animal, but cannot be returned. The victim lives the rest of the animal's lifespan trapped in its body. IT lacks the animal's instincts and may be ill-equipped to survive. A semblance of the victim's intellect, shorn of memory, desire or willpower, remains in the human body. The soulless being is suggestible and follows instructions given by the thaumaturge, but only if they do not require interpretation. It continues to follow the instructions when out of the ritualist's presence, but only for a few minutes. After it realizes that the thaumaturge is no longer present, it simply stops. It either remains standing or curls up on the ground in the fetal position. Without volition, it doesn't even seek its own basic survival and will die of thirst if not ordered to drink.

Three successes allows the thaumaturge to return the victim's soul to his body at the ritual's conclusion. The victim retains no memory of the time his soul spent outside his body. For successes not only allow the soul's return to its body, but permit the victim to report sensations he experienced both in the animal's body and during the transmigration. In each of the latter two cases, the soul remains transgressed for approximately two hours, less ten minutes for each point of the victim's Willpower. The victim's player can nullify the effect entirely by spending Willpower points in excess of the ritualist's dots in Thaumaturgy.

Note: The ritual is a work in progress, the most coherent expression so far of Epistatia's researches into soul migration. She considers it successful if she is able to glean memories and impressions from the victim afterward. She keeps careful notes on these extra-bodily sensations, hoping she will one day be able to use them to design a more complete ritual. Her ultimate aim is to be able to possess a victim's body at will, with no permanent harm to either soul. She continues these investigations out of curiosity, even though the house has found a different replacement for Hermetic immortality. She does not know where they will lead, but is sure there is power in them.

[ 3 ] Eldritch Glimmer ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows the vampire to draw upon some sort of magical force that bathes the vampire in a pale green glow. In addition, the vampire is able to fire bolts of energy from this magical source. Any number of bolts may be discharged, at a rate of one per turn, but each costs the Thaumaturgist one Blood Point. Hitting with the bolts requires a Perception + Firearms roll (difficulty 6); they do three dice of damage each. The material component for this ritual is a piece of sandstone soaked in vinegar.

[ 3 ] Eyes Of The Past ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual shows what happened in the caster's present location at a specific time in the past, up to five years ago. The caster can see what happened in the past as if she had been standing where she is now.

[ 3 ] Father's Freedom ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 101 )

Prerequisite: Inconnu

This ritual takes an hour to cast, and must be cast upon a target who has diablerized at any point in her existence. If the ritual is successful, one diablerized soul (chosen by the caster, if there are multiples) is released from its captivity, pouring out of the target's mouth in a wash of brilliant light. The spirit remembers everything that has happened both before and after its death. By maintaining the ritual, the caster may keep the diablerized soul intangibly materialized, so that she can question it. The soul has no compulsion to be honest or reveal anything, but is likely to be well-intentioned toward the individual who set it free. Once the ritual circle is broken, the spirit is released and moves on from the physical world.

Most of the Inconnu who are privileged enough to learn this ritual utilize it to free (and question) Salubri who were long ago diablerized by the Tremere. However, a few cunning - and less moral - members of the society have been known to deliberately diablerize their enemies in order to escape with their souls, and then later cast this ritual on themselves.

System: This ritual takes an hour to enact, and requires 10 points of blood be spent by the caster during the course of the casting. The target of the ritual must remain within the ritual circle (a maximum 100 square foot/10 square meter area) throughout the casting, although she may be restrained by physical force or supernatural means. If the ritual is successful, it immediately removes all effects of this diablerie (both good and bad) from the target, except that the ritual does not restore any morality loss incurred by diablerizing.

[ 3 ] Fire In The Blood ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows the vampire to cause the victim's body to become extremely warm. The victim can feel the heat from her blood as it passes through her body. The effects of this ritual are extremely painful. The heat starts slowly, but as the victim becomes more and more active, the blood becomes hotter and hotter. The victim suffers an aggravated wound every time she does something which involves rolling a Physical Attribute, unless she can make a simple roll using Wits + Medicine (difficulty 7) in order to calm down enough for the blood to cool. The victim is thus forced to remain inactive or face extreme pain and injury. No material components are required for this ritual.

[ 3 ] Flesh Of Fiery Touch ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 235 )

This defensive ritual inflicts painful burns on anyone who deliberately touches the subject's skin. It requires the subject to swallow a small glowing ember, which does put off some vampires with low pain thresholds. Some vain thaumaturges use this ritual purely for its subsidiary effect of darkening the subject's skin to a healthy sun-bronzed hue.

System: Flesh of Fiery Touch takes two hours to cast (reduced by 10 minutes per success). It requires a small piece of wood, coal, or other common fuel source, which ignites and is swallowed at the end of the ritual. The subject who swallows the red-hot ember receives a single aggravated health level of damage (difficulty 6 to soak with Fortitude). Until the next sunset, anyone who touches the subject's flesh receives a burn that inflicts a single aggravated health level of damage (again, difficulty 6 to soak with Fortitude). The victim must voluntarily touch the subject; this damage is not inflicted if the victim is touched or accidentally comes in contact with the subject. This ritual darkens the subject's skin to that which would be obtained by long-term exposure to the sun in a mortal. The tone is slightly unnatural and metallic, and is clearly artificial to any observer who succeeds in a Perception + Medicine roll (difficulty 8).

[ 3 ] Friend Of The Trees ( XXX - Page X )

This power causes those who try to follow the vampire through woods to become entangled in roots, branches, and vines that just seem to be in the way. The power has the subtle effect of causing trees to animate slightly to provide this protection. Those trying to follow the vampire will only be able to move at half their normal speed. This ritual can only be performed in woods, and requires the vampire to plant an acorn.

[ 3 ] Gentle Mind ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual grants the target four extra Willpower points usable only for preventing frenzy. The caster and target must share a Blood Point, keeping a Tremere from casting this spell on himself.

[ 3 ] Haunted House ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual can be cast on any Vampire's Haven. Rumors will soon circulate among mortals that the house is haunted and should be avoided. While many mortals today profess disbelief in such things, even they will be disturbed by the place and not wish to approach it. The ritual takes three hours and involves three blood points to fuel the spell (more blood points may intensify the effect). The house will remain "haunted" for about 10 years, when mortals will start to think it is simply "run down" or "weird" instead of haunted. This ritual has long been forbidden by the Tremere as a risk to the Masquerade, but Dr. Mortius was around before that rule was made and still knows (and uses) the spell. He does not like to be disturbed.

[ 3 ] Ichor Of The Hexaped ( XXX - Page X )

The hexaped is an unusual form of Gargoyle that tracks its victims and, when it confronts them, coats them in a substance establishing a psychic link between victim and hexaped. In order to make use of the link, the vampire uses this ritual to crush the juice from the hexaped's body for distillation. The hexaped, which must be conscious during the ritual, is lowered into a gigantic, man-sized press. Although less intelligent than other Gargoyles, the hexaped generally realizes what is about to happen and fights to free itself from whatever restraints its captors have put on it. If it does escape, it certainly attacks its tormentors. If it does not, the bearers lower it into the press and then struggle to place heavy planks over its top, preventing the hexaped from springing out. Then, as the vampire chants and draws a series of arcane sigils in the air, the assistants begin to turn the large wheel that controls the vise-like press. As the two halves of the vise squeeze the life out of it, its blood and other juices drip down through the mesh and collect in a copper trough below. The sludgy mass drips from there into a silver bucket. When no more ichor can be pressed from the beast, the vampire takes the full pail back to his laboratory, where he mixes it with myrrh, copper powder, wine dregs and some of his own vitae. He then pours it into a shallow silver bowl about three feet in diameter. After another round of chanting, accompanied by the burning of six kinds of incense, an image appears in the greenish-red liquid in the bowl. When looking into the bowl, the thaumaturge can now see a blurry representation of what the hexaped's victim sees. If he leans forward and concentrates a bit, he can hear the victim's surface thoughts like a quiet voice in the back of his own head.

Epistatia is responsible for the creation of the hexaped. She made it for Paul Cordwood, to show the inefficacy of his own petty rituals. Though at first both annoyed and appalled by her gesture, he has since had occasion to usefully employ them. Like the simulacra, he finds them useful for their demoralizing effect on those unlucky enough to behold them as for any information they might gather for him.
System

One success allows watchers to see what the victim sees; two are required to hear his thoughts. Unless the vampire got three or more successes, the victim experiences a haunting sense of surveillance whenever the thaumaturge looks into the bowl. The liquid must be refreshed with a point of the thaumaturge's blood every week. If not, it congeals into a clotted mass and no longer receives images.

Note: The Tremere's use of hexapeds largely comes to an end when they join the Camarilla and accept the terms of the Masquerade.

[ 3 ] Illusion of Peaceful Death ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual heals obvious wounds on a corpse, causing a body to appear as though it died a natural death. While it does not add blood to a corpse, this ritual reduces the chance that anyone will notice how much is gone. The body must still have at least half its original blood for this ritual to succeed. The caster must "dust" the body with a white feather.

[ 3 ] Illusion of Perfection ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual is the perfect ritual for Vampires deformed in some way or who want to remain hidden. The ritual takes a little under an hour and requires a plain white mask, put on at the very end of the ritual. Once complete the caster looks like an ordinary person, in his mid-20s, with a nondescript face and an average body. The illusion allows the caster to blend easily into crowds. It also changes the caster's face to facilitate escapes. Invented by Dr. Mortius to hide his deformities when in public, he will gladly share it with any friendly Vampire Thaumaturgist. Note that with Auspex can penetrate this guise and, much to one Tremere's final amazement, so can Lupines.

[ 3 ] Incorporeal Passage ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 236 )

Use of this ritual allows the thaumaturge to make herself insubstantial. The caster becomes completely immaterial and thus is able to walk through walls, pass through closed doors, escape manacles, etc. The caster also becomes invulnerable to physical attacks for the duration of the ritual. The caster must follow a straight path through any physical objects, and may not draw back. Thus, a Kindred may walk through a solid wall, but may not walk down through the earth (as it would be impossible to reach the other side before the ritual lapsed). This ritual requires that the caster carry a shard from a shattered mirror to hold her image.

System: This ritual lasts a number of hours equal to the number of successes scored on a Wits + Survival roll (difficulty 6). The caster may prematurely end the ritual (and, thus, her incorporeality) by turning the mirror shard away so that it no longer reflects her image.

[ 3 ] Inherited Affinity ( XXX - Page X )

Although it's possible to learn Thaumaturgy with long and difficult study, experienced Tremere can help a student to "attune" his blood more closely to the twisted form of the Curse necessary for thaumaturgical practice. Students who are sluggish in mastering the basics of Thaumaturgy often suffer though this ritual once, which seems to "open the door," so to speak. Non-Tremere Kindred have a rougher time – should they find a willing tutor, this ritual can help in learning Thaumaturgy, but it's still a slow and painful process.

To awaken the Inherited Affinity, the caster must have uninterrupted access to the subject for an entire night. Typically her subject is chained to a wall, so as to avoid having her break loose and cause havoc. The caster feeds the subject a nauseating concoction of rendered fat, various herbs and powdered garnet all steeped in blood. Then the thaumaturge inserts six heated, gold-plated needles into various points of the subject's anatomy – points of bodily power, generally, though, the exact locations vary from caster to caster. Over the next three hours, the caster instructs the subject to infuse her body with the power of her vitae. The needles block off usual sources of blood circulation and alter the results (often quite painfully), complete with bloody splotches on the skin, profoundly distended veins and bleeding from various pores. Once complete, the subject may practice the new vistas of Thaumaturgy. This, of course, requires the subject to ingest more vitae to replace that lost through the ritual.

Many regents know how to use Inherited Affinity, and it's common to put a newly Embraced neonate through this process to help awaken the power of blood magic. The subject must remember the feelings of the blood flow from the course of the rite; for most Tremere, this comes naturally after one application.

System: Surviving the Inherited Affinity ritual does not guarantee that a subject can learn Thaumaturgy, but it helps. The end result is up to the Storyteller – if the Storyteller requires players to make various study rolls to unearth thaumaturgical knowledge or rituals, going through the Inherited Affinity ritual may lower the difficulty. The ritual itself takes three nights of time and requires the subject to suffer through five levels of lethal damage and to expend all but one blood point; it's most helpful if the subject then imbibes additional blood and contemplates the feelings evoked. Obviously, a Kindred is subject to the usual chances of frenzy from hunger and injury due to this ritual.

[ 3 ] Inscription ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 150 )

Blood magic is the ultimate advantage in the Jyhad, but not everyone can (or is allowed to) learn Thaumaturgy. The thaumaturge can craft an annotated version of a ritual, fueled with her blood, to make the formula accessible to someone else.

Clan Tremere created this ritual as an aid to teach their Apprentices the basics of blood magic by practicing a specific ritual. They later used Inscription to provide a one-time ritual advantage to their allies, allowing the Tremere to force a dependence upon them for magic.

The Inscription ritual allows the thaumaturge to cast any first or second level ritual onto a page or other flat surface (something portable and easy to fold is preferred). A reader can then unlock the power of that ritual by reading the inscription and following its instructions. The scribe uses her blood as a base for the ink, and her vitae's power remains in the mixture to help fuel the ritual. An inscribed ritual is in imperfect form and cannot be used to learn Thaumaturgy. It's a simplified set of instructions, with the scribe's vitae overcoming any omissions or sloppiness on the part of the practitioner.

System: A thaumaturge who knows the techniques of Inscription can write an abbreviated form of any first or second level ritual that she knows, at a cost of two blood points. Anyone who can read the language used may then recast the ritual later. Casting the ritual from the notes requires the use of the usual components and time, as well as an Intelligence + Occult roll, but the caster need not have any knowledge of Thaumaturgy. Once an inscription is complete, the power of the writer's vitae is trapped in the object; her maximum blood pool is effectively reduced by one until the inscription is used. After use, the inscription dries into a fine, illegible ash, with all the power expelled from the ink. The scribe can use the inscription himself (which is rather pointless) or give it to someone else.

It is well known in magical circles that the blood powering Inscription can be used for links of Sympathy and Identity, and an incautious thaumaturge could find her blood in the hands of an enemy who can use it against him. To prevent an inscription from reaching the wrong subject, many scribes also use the Encrypt Missive on their enchanted notes to ensure that only the intended recipient may use this ritual.

[ 3 ] Major Creation ( XXX - Page X )

Normally the Path of Conjuring is restricted to items the size of the thaumaturge, both in size and weight. However, by the application of this ritual, the conjurer is able to create items that exceed this normal limit. Tremere magi can surprise enemies by creating a motorcycle "out of thin air" for an escape or anything else they can think up. This ritual requires the caster to sever his own thumb, which disappears during any conjuration. Many thaumaturges suspect that the thumb provides the additional mass for large conjured objects, even though the object may be several times the caster's size.

System: After preparing this ritual, the number of successes on the activation roll determines the multiplier that the conjurer can exceed his normal weight and size limit. Example, if the conjurer's player earned three successes on the ritual roll, he could create something that was three times his size. Use of this ritual costs an additional three blood points, in addition to the normal costs of conjuring an item. What the thaumaturge creates is still limited by the Path of Conjuring power being activated. Additionally, severing one's own thumb requires a successful Willpower roll or the expenditure of a Willpower point.

[ 3 ] Mirror Of Second Sight ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 236 )

This object is an oval mirror no less than four inches (10 cm) wide and no more than 18 inches (45 cm) in length. It looks like a normal mirror, but once created, the vampire can use it to see the supernatural: It reflects the true form of Lupines and faeries, and enables the owner to see ghosts as they move though the Underworld. The caster creates the mirror by bathing an ordinary mirror in a quantity of her own blood while reciting a ritual incantation.

System: The ritual requires one point of the vampire's blood. Thereafter, the mirror reflects images of other supernatural creatures' true forms - werewolves appear in their hulking man-wolf shapes, magi glow in a scintillating nimbus, ghosts become visible (in the mirror), and so on. Sometimes, the mirror also reveals those possessed of True Faith in clouds of golden light.

[ 3 ] Moonlight Dancers ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual was created by a lonely and insane Kindred to create the illusion of ghostly apparitions and music. The apparitions resemble five or more dance couples from some time in history chosen by the Thaumaturgist. The apparitions are not spirits, and they are not sentient - they are merely figments which dance to the music. The effects last until sunrise, though the Thaumaturgist can dispel them at any time. Some Toreador cast this ritual at their socials.

[ 3 ] Noncorporeal Passage ( XXX - Page X )

This allows the caster to become intangible and move about. In this state, the caster still maintains a slightly hazy image of herself. This means that the Kindred can travel unhindered through all obstructions, even walls. The caster is also impervious to most attacks, just as if she were utilizing the Protean power Form of Mist. The caster must walk in a straight line through objects; once she begins, she must continue through - she cannot draw back. Thus, the vampire may not travel downward into solid ground, for it would be an impossible walk. Also, the caster must have a piece of a broken mirror to hold her image as she moves incorpor eally. The ritual takes about an hour to prepare and lasts a number of hours equal to the number of successes scored on a Wits + Survival roll (difficulty 6 ). The ritual can he canceled by shifting the mirror so that the caster can no longer see her reflection in it.

[ 3 ] Pavis Of Foul Presence ( XXX - Page X )

The Tremere joke privately that this is their "ritual for the Ventrue." Kindred who invoke the Presence Discipline on the subject of this ritual find the effects of their Discipline reversed, as if they had used the power on themselves. For example, a vampire using Presence to instill utter fear in a Kindred under the influence of this ritual feels the fear herself. This ritual is an unbroken secret among the Tremere, and the Warlocks maintain that its use is unknown outside their clan. The magical component for this ritual is a length of blue silk, which must be work around the neck of the person protected by the magic.

System: The ritual lasts until the sunrise after it is enacted. Note that the Presence Discipline power must actually succeed before being reversed by the ritual.

[ 3 ] Populate Night's Gardens ( XXX - Page X )

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 int he 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 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.

Final Stage: This part 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 lifespans about thirty times longer than their created parents. Subsequent generations maintain the fertility and longevity of their parents.

Note: When Virstania leaves the Tremere, the ritual is forgotten. Although copies of it still exist in Vienna chantry and a few other chantries, modern Cainites would hesitate before risking the Masquerade with large-scale production of hideous hybrid beasts.

[ 3 ] Power Of The Pyramid ( XXX - Page X )

Among the Tremere clan's most famous exploits are its greater binding rituals over the entirety of the Tremere antitribu, and the majority of the Assamite clan. No lone thaumaturge could accomplish such a feet. Only by sharing strength can the Tremere achieve the necessary might to create or resist such forces.

To combine thaumaturgical strength, Tremere Kindred can use a linking ritual. The Power of the Pyramid rite requires that each participant know and invoke the ritual simultaneously, and requires physical contact – so a group of Tremere, formed in a circle with linked hands, all chanting the same words in unison, indicates that the clan prepares for a daunting task. Once completed, the rite allows the Tremere involved to gather their mental strength together so they can multiply their power.

Perhaps because of its connotations, this ritual only works for Kindred of Tremere lineage. Other vampires might be able to learn it, but it would probably not do them much good.

This ritual requires the casters to fast for 24 hours before performing it. Additionally, one of the thaumaturges participating in the group must wear a brooch or pin made from mortal bone, which must pierce his flesh (though it need not be visible to the rest of the group).

System: Each Kindred involved in Power of the Pyramid must know this ritual and successfully cast it simultaneously – any failed castings simply exclude the individual from the circle but do not hinder other successes. Once complete, a single Tremere can break from the circle without nullifying the ritual, but if any others lose physical contact the ritual ends. So long as the ritual continues, all participants may freely share their Willpower. Thus, one Tremere could break from the circle, perform another ritual and draw upon the Willpower of all Kindred involved. Once a caster has broken from the circle, he cannot return and release someone else; that "lynchpin" is the only one able to move around freely.

[ 3 ] Quicksilver Eel ( XXX - Page X )

By mixing various alchemical substances in his laboratory, the thaumaturge creates a device which can burrow into the flesh of a mage and steal his will. The ritual produces a writhing ball of quicksilver about the size of a man's fist. It must be placed in a non-porous container for transport. A glass flask with a stopper works best.

When the user (who need not be its creator) finds himself int he presence of a mortal mage, he releases the device from its container. (In a combat situation, he might lob the glass flask to smash at his enemy's feet.) When released, the device comes to a semblance of life, resembling a silvery liquid tadpole with a face full of dagger-like teeth. The device launches itself at the closest magician, burrowing through clothes or shoe leather into his flesh. It then works its way up the victim's skeletal structure from within, riding up the spinal column into the brain. From there it begins to devour the victim's will and with it his ability to wield magic.

The ritual was devised by Epistatia for use in weakening or even destroying the mortal mages she must sometimes hunt down. She finds this manifestation of her creativity endlessly fascinating. She sometimes sits by a victim's side as the device takes its toll on him, verbally taunting him as his willpower flickers away like the wick of a dying candle.

System: If there are no magicians (characters with dots in any path of hedge wizardry or other supernatural powers) within a hundred feet of the quicksilver eel when freed, it beelines in a random direction until it finds one or loses its potency. The device remains potent for a number of days equal to twice the successes of the players roll to invoke the ritual. The eel harms the magician by devouring his individual will, thought by hermetic magi to be the seat of all magical power. The victim suffers no wounds when the eel burrows into him, although he can certainly feel it swimming up through his flesh and sinew. For each day it remains installed in the target's brain, it permanently lowers the magician's Willpower by one. Any path, numina or other mortal supernatural Trait rated equal or higher than the character's Willpower is also reduced by one at the time.

If the victim's Willpower drops to 0 while the quicksilver eel is still active, he rolls Stamina. Failure means instantaneous death, as the tissues of his brain dry up and crumble to dust. One or more successes allows him to linger as a mindless, drooling husk of his former self.

If the eel survives its victim, it may be extracted from the body. If distilled down, it provides 2 points of vis for every point of Willpower it devoured. The type of vis matches that most often used by the victim.

[ 3 ] Ritual Of Darkness ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual creates a very powerful darkness in the user's Haven. This darkness cannot be seen through by intruders, but the caster of the spell can easily. The caster must rub soot from a coal fire on the windows, and the ritual takes a full hour. Carna invented this ritual when she was in a tight spot 300 years ago. She will be willing to teach this one to other Tremere, and some other Tremere already know it. The darkness will last until sunlight hits it (if the haven is underground this could be forever).

[ 3 ] Ritual Of The Bitter Rose ( XXX - Page X )

Although this ritual has almost passed wholly from the face of the world, its reputation makes it one of the most fearsome weapons in the arsenal of the Tremere. The Ritual of the Bitter Rose allows multiple Kinred to gain the benefit of diablerizing a single vampire. Many elders rightly fear this ritual; nothing encurages a bloodthirsty coterie more than a chance to bring themselves closer to Caine and the opportunity for all of them to do it all at once... Needless to say, it is almost unthinkable that someone would teach a childe or protege this ritual, as the potential for having it turn around and harm her is too great. Scholarly Tremere suspect that perhaps a half-dozen or so transcriptions of this ritual exist outside the one copy carefully locked away at the Vienna chantry.

System: The diablerie victim must be drained of all but a single blood point. This in itself may prove difficult, and those players of vampires drinking this blood from the Kindred may have to make a Self-Control roll (difficulty 7) to halt their characters at the proper time. Thereafter, the victim's heart must be cut out and ground into paste with a marble mortar and pestle and mixed with a small amount of red wine. The thaumaturge adds to this mix a bit of ash from a burned alder stake and a pint of pure water. In old accounts of this ritual, the "pure water" comes from a mountain stream, but the few accounts of this ritual being used in the modern nights indicate that even purified tap water or store-bought distilled water works as well.

Each character wishing to take part in the communal diablerie must imbibe the concoction. The player of the character performing the ritual then makes the necessary roll. If the roll is successful, the ritual works correctly, and a number of characters may lower their generation. If the ritual fails, the concoction is sterile and no one gains any benefits (or suffers any detriments) of the diablerie. If the roll botches, the mixture becomes poisonous, inflicting three unsoakable aggravated wounds on each Kindred who partook of it.

The number of Kindred who can benefit from this ritual is equal to the number of generation steps between the diablerized vampire and the vampire of the lowest generation participating in the ritual, even if he's not the one performing the ritual. That is, if an eighth-generation vampire, a 10th-generation vampire, a 10th-generation vampire and an 11th-generation vampire use this ritual upon a fifth-generation vampire, all three can benefit from the ritual (as the difference between generations eight and five is three). If the number of steps yeilded by the difference is less than the number of vampires participating in the ritual, the Storyteller should lower the generations of those Kindred with the highest first until all of the steps have been accounted for. For example, if four vampires participate in the ritual and the lowest-generation diablerist is only two steps removed from the victim, only the two Kindred of the highest generation would gain any benefit from the ritual. No Kindred may gain more than one generation step through use of this ritual at any one time.

Anyone who participates in the ritual suffers the drawbacks of diablerie - loss of Humanity, veins in the aura, etc. - even if they did not gain a benefit from it.

A lesser know aspect of this ritual is that it requires exceptionally potent blood for it to take effect. It would seem that only methuselahs (and, presumably, the Antediluvians themselves) have rich enough vitae for the ritual to take effect. A few reports have surfaced stating that the blood of vampires of the Sixth Generation work, but all of these Kindred were of advanced age, if not generation.

Rumors, of course, abound regarding this Discipline, from the paranoid to the credible. A few sources say that particularly robust vitae might lower a diablerist's generation by more than one step. Others suggest that one variation of the ritual always yields a poisonous ichor. Yet another claim suggests a rite that allows the would-be diablerists to be "taken over" by the elder upon whom they have foolishly chosen to slake their thirsts. None of these rumors have been substantiated, but the possible repercussions have helped to keep this ritual suppressed - the risk, as far as most Kindred are concerned, far outweighs the benefit. Still, more than one Kindred has been willing to go to any length to strengthen his bond to the mystical First Vampire.

[ 3 ] Rotten-Wood ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual protects the caster against wooden stakes and similar wooden weapons. It makes wooden objects so rotten that they crumble to dust. The ritual must be set up in advance, but for the entire night all the vampire has to do is speak one magical command word to turn any wooden object she touches to dust.

[ 3 ] Pavis Of Foul Presence ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 236 )

The Tremere joke privately that this is their "ritual for the Ventrue." Kindred who invoke the Presence Discipline on the subject of this ritual find the effects of their Discipline reversed, as if they had used the power on themselves. For example, a vampire using Presence to instill fear in a Kindred under the influence of this ritual feels the fear herself; a vampire summoning the caster is instead drawn to the thaumaturge's location. This ritual is an unbroken secret among the Tremere, and the Warlocks maintain that its use is unknown outside their Clan. The magical component for this ritual is a length of blue silken cord, which must be worn around the caster's neck.

System: This ritual lasts against a number of effects equal to the successes rolled, or until the sunrise after it is enacted. Note that the Presence Discipline power must actually succeed before being reversed by the ritual. As such, only powers that specifically target the caster (and thus, require a roll to succeed) can be reversed - "passive" powers such as Majesty are not affected.

[ 3 ] Rutor's Hands ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 150 )

The creation of life, twisted and obscene as it might be, has long been a goal of some thaumaturges. While Gargoyles and homunculi are among the more well-known creatures created by Thaumaturgy, the Rutor's Hands are a more obscure and horrifying creation. A thaumaturge of sufficient will can pluck out her own eye and set it atop one of her own severed hands and animate this thing as a scurrying, malevolent spy. The eye rests on the back of the hand and swivels about to watch its surroundings, while the hand scuttles about like a desiccated spider. The construct obeys the will of its owner and can relay what it sees and hears (even though it has no ears) back to its master, as the thaumaturge desires.

System: The casting of this ritual requires that the thaumaturge cut off her hand and pluck out her eye at the conclusion of this ritual; this causes five-levels of unsoakable aggravated damage. Once this damage is healed, the Tremere regenerates her hand and eye, though the ghastly homunculus may still prowl. Completing this ritual may also require a Willpower roll at the Storyteller's discretion, simply to carry out the painful finale. The animate hand has one health level of its own and moves about with the equivalent of two dots in each Physical Attribute and in Perception. The caster mentally directs the thing's movement at will (so long as the thaumaturge remains conscious, of course). The Hand must have one point of blood each week, or else it crumbles to dust. Likewise, if the hand is exposed to sunlight or fire, it vanishes with a squeal, leaving behind a putrid stench.

[ 3 ] Sanguine Assistant ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 236 )

Thaumaturges often need laboratory assistants whom they can trust implicitly. This ritual allows the intrepid vampire to conjure a temporary servant. To cast the ritual, the thaumaturge slices open his arm and bleeds into a specially prepared earthen bowl. The ritual sucks in and animates whatever random unimportant items the wizard happens to have lying around his workshop - glass beakers, dissection tools, pencils, crumpled papers, semiprecious stones - and binds the materials together into a small humanoid form animated by the power of the ritual and the blood. Oddly enough, this ritual almost never takes in any tool that the caster finds himself needing during the assistant's lifespan, nor does it take the physical components of any other ritual nor any living thing. The servant has no personality to speak of at first, but gradually adopts the mannerisms and thought processes that the thaumaturge desires in an ideal servant. Sanguine Assistants are temporary creations, but some vampires become fond of their tiny accomplices and create the same one whenever the need arises.

System: The player spends five blood points and rolls. The servant created by the ritual stands a foot (30 cm) high and appears as a roughly humanoid shape composed of whatever the ritual sucked in for its own use. It lasts for one night per success rolled. At the end of the last night, the assistant crawls into the bowl used for its creation and falls apart. The assistant can be reanimated through another application of this ritual; if the caster so desires, it re-forms from the same materials with the same memories and personality. A Sanguine Assistant has Strength and Stamina of 1, and Dexterity and Mental Attributes equal to those of the caster. It begins with no Social Attributes to speak of, but gains one dot per night in Charisma and Manipulation until its ratings are equal to those of the caster. It has all of the caster's Abilities at one dot lower than his own. A Sanguine Assistant is a naturally timid creature and flees if attacked, though it will try to defend its master's life at the cost of its own. It has no Disciplines of its own, but has a full understanding of all of its master's Thaumaturgical knowledge and can instruct others if so commanded. A Sanguine Assistant is impervious to any mind-controlling Disciplines or magic, so completely is it bound to its creator's will.

[ 3 ] Sanguine Trail ( Lore Of The Clans - Page 221 )

Prerequisite: Tremere

By touching a target she believes to be blood bound, the user of this power can trace the target's regnant and anyone else connected to him by such a bond. A thin red thread appears to stretch out from the target and connects to anyone he has a blood bond connection with, whether they are master or servant. This does not work on vampires connected by the Vinculum, as the bond is too diffuse.

System: If the ritual is successful, the caster can see a connection between the target and anyone he is blood bound to. If multiple bonds are in place, the power user can see one for each success she makes. If she achieves five successes, she can also see which direction each bond goes, revealing who is bound to whom.

[ 3 ] Shaft Of Belated Quiescence ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 237 )

This ritual turns an ordinary stake of rowan wood into a particularly vicious weapon. When the stake penetrates a vampire's body, the tip breaks off and begins working its way through the victim's flesh to his heart. The trip may take several minutes or several nights, depending on where the stake struck. The stake eludes attempts to dig it out, burrowing farther into the victim's body to escape surgery. The only Kindred who are immune to this internal attack are those who have had their hearts removed by Serpentis.

System: The ritual takes five hours to enact, minus 30 minutes per success. The stake must be carved of rowan wood, coated with three blood points of the caster's blood, and blackened in an oak-wood fire. When the ritual is complete, the stake is enchanted to act as described above. An attack with a Shaft of Belated Quiescence is performed as with a normal stake: A Dexterity + Melee roll (difficulty 6, modified as per the normal combat rules; the attack does not need to specifically target the heart) with a lethal damage rating of Strength + 1. If at least one health level of damage is inflicted after the target rolls to soak, the tip of the stake breaks off and begins burrowing. If not, the stake may be used to make subsequent attacks until it strikes deep enough to activate. Once the tip of the stake is in the victim's body, the Storyteller begins an extended roll of the caster's Thaumaturgy rating (difficulty 9), rolling once per hour of game time. Successes on this roll are added to the successes scored in the initial attack. This represents the tip's progress toward the victim's heart. A botch indicates that the tip has struck a bone and all accumulated successes are lost (including those from the initial attack roll). Removing the part of the body where the tip impacted (such as a Tzimisce turning into blood or a vampire cutting off their arm) may stop the tip's progress, depending on the number of successes acquired and the Storyteller's discretion. When the shaft accumulates a total of 15 successes, it reaches the victim's heart. This paralyzes Kindred and is instantly fatal to mortals and ghouls. Attempts to surgically remove the tip of the shaft can be made with an extended Dexterity + Medicine roll made once per hour (difficulty 7 for Kindred and 8 for mortals). The surgeon must accumulate a number of successes equal to those currently held by the shaft in order to remove the tip. Once surgery begins, however, the shaft begins actively evading the surgeon's probes, and its rolls are made once every 30 minutes for the duration of the surgery attempt. Each individual surgery roll that scores less than three successes inflicts an additional unsoakable level of lethal damage on the patient. Shaft of Belated Quiescence may be performed on other wooden impaling weapons, such as spears, arrows, practice swords, and pool cues, provided that they are made of rowan wood. It may not, however, create a Bullet of Belated Quiescence.

[ 3 ] Soul Of The Homunculus ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 151 )

A thaumaturge in need of assistants for research work cannot always rely upon the loyalty of apprentices, but who doubts the loyalty of one's own flesh? A homunculus is a tiny creature crafted out of the caster's blood and tissue and invested with life via Thaumaturgy. Crafting a homunculus takes several hours of uninterrupted work, and a thaumaturge can have only one homunculus at a time.

The horrid little entity takes shape in a bubbling morass of oil, blood, denuded bone, and chunks of the caster's body. At the conclusion of the ritual, the homunculus crawls from its fatty birthing caul to serve its master. It can move about under its own power, and may be used as a spy or a means to fetch materials. The homunculus acts according to its master's orders, which may be issued by thought as long as the beast is in its creator's presence. Over time, some homunculi may develop their own personalities and goals.

System: A homunculus has two health levels and two dots in each Physical Attribute. It works much like a limb of the creator, as the homunculus only moves or acts if the caster so wills it. Homunculi are damaged by sunlight and fire like Kindred. A homunculus, though created from the caster's flesh, is a separate physical entity, and thus does not count as an arcane connection, nor do its bodily fluids count as its creator's blood.

Note: A homunculus is a tiny creature crafted out of the caster's blood and tissue, shaped to perform menial tasks or to be a spy. Homunculi can have many different capacities, including limited flight, burrowing, or grunting speech. Establishing a psychic connection to a homunculus causes a link instead to the consciousness of its creator. These creatures tend to be loyal, if prone to pranks and cruel amusements. A homunculus has two health levels and two dots in each Physical Attribute. When it is destroyed, its creator takes one unsoakable point of aggravated damage. A homunculus must be fed one blood point each week, or it will wither and die.

[ 3 ] Summon Mischievous Spirit ( XXX - Page X )

The vampire with this power is able to summon a poltergeist. The poltergeist will cause a ruckus, messing with appliances, furniture, plumbing, electronic devices and any other types of inanimate objects. The spirit may cause almost any object to animate and move about, but it will seldom directly harm a person. However, it will readily cause indirect injury, such as dropping a chair on a victim's head or causing a knife to fly across the room.

It is important to keep in mind that the spirit does not intend to harm the victim - it just wants to annoy the hell out of him. The effect of this spirit is left up to the Storyteller. The length of time the spirit stays is based on the number of successes the vampire rolls using Charisma + Spirit Lore (difficulty 7).

Successes	Duration
1	One hour.
2	One night.
3	One week.
4	One month.
5	One year.

[ 3 ] Telecommunication ( XXX - Page X )

This modern magic allows the caster to influence what is displayed on a television set. The caster can create a picture to communicate with people near the set or create fictional stories for broadcast: "We interrupt our regularly scheduled program...." Since the thaumaturge can view images from the set itself, this ritual also serves as an effective surveillance device.

System: Any television the thaumaturge has touched within the last week is subject to the effects of this ritual. Each success allows the caster to view and communicate through the television for five minutes, during which time the thaumaturge drops into a meditative state. He can observe everything from the television and can regulate everything that appears on the set, whether he chooses to use broadcast signals or the fruits of his own imagination.

[ 3 ] The Bottled Voice ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 150 )

To rob an enemy of her voice strikes into the heart of her identity. This ritual is often used as a public punishment for those rebel souls that refuse to moderate their behavior in court or Elysium. The victim must be immobilized as a crystal bottle is placed over her heart while the caster chants the incantation that draws out the target's voice. Next, the thaumaturge must seal the crystal bottle with wax to trap the voice and complete the ritual. Afterwards, the victim is no longer able to speak or make any sort of verbal sound. This curse can seriously limit a Kindred's powers. Without the ability to speak, disciplines such as Dominate or Presence may be useless to the target, as are blood magic rituals with a verbal component.

System: To cast the ritual, the thaumaturge must immobilize the victim. This can be done via staking or binding the target. The caster must have unfettered access to the victim while he attempts to draw forth the voice. Each point of Willpower the victim currently possesses extends the required casting time by fifteen minutes. Once the ritual is complete, the crystal bottle contains the essence of the victim's voice, and she may not speak nor make any verbal sound until the seal or the crystal bottle has been broken. The death of the thaumaturge does not break this curse.

[ 3 ] The Framing ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows an anarch to "frame" another for his own actions. It requires possession of some object belonging to that person, or even better, some of the victim's vitae. The ritual is performed before enacting the deed for which the target will be blamed. The caster rolls Appearance + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). If successful, the spellcaster can then perform the deed, and anyone who witnesses him will mistake him for his spell's target. One success is visual only. Three successes enable the caster to sound like the target. Five successes and the ritual works upon all senses; even Auspex cannot detect that a spell has been cast. This ritual lasts only as long as it takes to enact the crime. Example: James plans to break into the prince's favorite jewelry store, but knows it has been declared off limits to Kindred. So, he decides to "frame" another for his action - Gregor, a Malkavian. Earlier, James stole a jacket usually worn by Gregor, just in case he wanted to cast this ritual. He uses it now. To focus the ritual on Gregor. He rolls his Appearance + Subterfuge and gets three successes. Now, anyone who sees and hears him will think that he is Gregor.

[ 3 ] The Unseen Change ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual affects an area delineated by wolf's blood poured from a silver jug. From then on, any Lupine who enters the area will automatically change to Lupus (full-wolf) form unless she makes a successful Willpower roll (difficulty 9).

[ 3 ] The Watcher ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual calls to the caster a small rat who will then go where the caster tells her and look for whatever the caster tells her to look for. The rat can then return and, by pressing heads with the caster, "show" the Thaumaturgist what she saw. The rat can even be instructed to steal small items, though the caster must be very explicit as to what he wants stolen and where it is located. This little ritual takes about 20 minutes to enact and requires feeding the rat minute amounts of alcohol. This ritual was created by Victor's mentor to help him watch over other Vampires. The rat will remain in service until sunrise. It can still be affected normally by the Animalism discipline.

[ 3 ] Track Transgressor ( XXX - Page X )

Following the recent destruction of the Tremere antitribu, a subsect of Clan Tremere has undertaken hunting what they call transgressors, non-clan Kindred who wield the secrets of Thaumaturgy. This crackdown on those violating the most sacred of Tremere laws has not been widespread, but this is expected to change soon with the recent addition of this ritual. This ritual finds and tracks down these transgressors, presumably to be dealt with at the Tremere's discretion. The thaumaturge spills her own blood on the ground, which briefly reveals the footprints of the transgressor.

System: The thaumaturge must conduct this ritual at a site where Thaumaturgy has been used within the past 24 hours. After casting this ritual, the Tremere is able to flawlessly track down the other magus for the rest of the night. This tracking follows the exact path that the magus took after leaving the area where the magic was used. This ritual may track down only Thaumaturgy and not Necromancy or other types of magic. The caster must spend at least one blood point to activate the ritual.

[ 3 ] Translocation Of The Vessel ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 27 )

Legends abound of mighty wizards summoning forth items of great power with an incantation and a sweeping gesture. Rumored to have been created by Etrius during the siege of Ceoris when the entire Clan needed to be armed at a moment's notice, this ritual allows a thaumaturge to mystically link herself to a specially prepared vessel via the power of her vitae. By speaking the name of the object in question, the caster may teleport this vessel directly into her hand with a burst of shimmering black light.

System: Translocation of the Vessel requires that the thaumaturge select a vessel to attune to her vitae. This item must be small enough that she can easily lift it with one hand. Examples might include a scalpel, a walking stick, a handbag, a pouch, or a wand. Next, she must soak the vessel in a point of her blood over the course of an evening. The object will slowly absorb the vitae, creating a sympathetic bond between the vessel and the thaumaturge. The caster may sever the link at any time by spending a point of Willpower or if the vessel is broken.

When the caster wishes to have the vessel ready for translocation, she draws a circle of protection onto the ground with purified salt and a point of her blood. This circle must be large enough to completely surround the vessel. Once the vessel is placed into the circle of protection, it can be summoned to the thaumaturge by name, anywhere in the world. The caster must extend her hand, chant the incantation involving the name of the object, and it appears in her hand.

[ 3 ] Transubstantiation Of Seven ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 151 )

The Tremere hold a special loyalty to House and Clan, but the extent of this loyalty and the means by which it is garnered remain a secret to the Kindred at large. In reality, every Tremere Apprentice holds a partial bond to the Council of Seven through their mixed blood.

After the Embrace, a Tremere neonate undergoes a formal oath-swearing of the Code of Tremere. No magic compels that oath, but the presiding regent (or higher ranking Tremere) ends the formality with the Transubstantiation. The caster 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 Council of Seven.

By this means, the Tremere place each neonate one step toward a full bond with the council, without the risk of having enemies steal the council's blood. Partaking of the Transubstantiation is considered a requirement for a fledgling to be recognized socially as a true member of the Tremere Clan.

Those who undergo the ritual, and indeed, many who have the ability to perform it, know little of its mystical design or purpose. 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 point of her own blood. 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 bond 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 a new neonate. A rare few Tremere neonates escape the process. Theoretically, the rite could also 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.

[ 3 ] Ward Versus Fae ( XXX - Page X )

During the nights of ages long past, peasants and nobles took superstitious precautions to avoid an untimely visit from the Fair Folk. The Tremere created this ward to protect themselves and their mortal and ghoul thralls from any interactions with the Wild Ones. As the Middle Ages came to a close and the Industrial Revolution set in, most individuals no longer believed in faeries, and, as a result, this ritual ward was cast with less frequency. In tonight's society, only people tied to the occult and supernatural might possibly have some knowledge as to the existence of changelings, but nothing concrete. Although this ritual is not cast very often, it remains unforgotten, recorded for a later time when it is needed.

System: The thaumaturge casts this ritual in a similar fashion as he would the ritual Ward Versus Ghouls, but it affects changelings rather than ghouls. The ritual requires a handful of cold iron filings rather than a point of blood.

[ 3 ] Ward Versus Lupines ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 237 )

Wary Tremere created this ritual to protect themselves from werewolves. By invoking this ritual, the caster creates a glyph that causes great pain to any werewolves who come in contact with it. The Kindred pours a handful of silver dust over the object he wishes to ward (a piece of parchment, a coin, a doorknob, etc.), and recites the incantation, which takes 10 minutes. In 10 hours, the magical ward is complete, and will inflict excruciating pain on any werewolf unfortunate enough to touch the warded object.

System: Werewolves who touch warded objects suffer three dice of lethal damage. This damage occurs again if the werewolf touches the object further; indeed, a werewolf who consciously wishes to touch a warded object must spend a point of Willpower 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-caliber 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 Firearms roll.