Post by Phsycodelic on Nov 29, 2016 22:52:56 GMT
Thaumaturgy Rituals Level 6
Tremere
Tremere
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.
[ 6 ] Bone Contention ( XXX - Page X )
Weak Princes sometimes rely on a Bone of Lies to "interview" new arrivals in their domains. While the Bone of Lies is useful in weeding out Sabbat infiltrators, diablerists and other problem cases, it’s also a good way to earn the ire of the city’s respected Kindred - few Kindred enjoy being accused of lying. Still, paranoid prices rely on the bone to keep an iron hold over their domains, so the Tremere recently devised this ritual variant.
Like Bone of Lies, a Bone of Contention comes from a hundred-year-old fingerbone steeped in blood over several nights. Unlike the Bone of Lies, though, the Bone of Contention doesn’t compel truth; rather, it aids the Tremere in deception.
Naturally, this ritual’s very existence is a viciously guarded secret. If princes discovered that their Bone of Lies actually just gave whatever answers that the Tremere wanted... well, it wouldn’t be more than they’d expect, but it wouldn’t be pretty, either.
System: A Bone of Contention looks like a Bone of Lies: an aged fingerbone with ritual magic placed upon it. While a Bone of Lies darkens and forces truth whenever the holder lies, a Bone of Contention acts in this fashion only when its creator so wills. The Tremere can cause the bone to darken and then force the holder to speak a lie that the speaker is forced to believe, so long as the thaumaturge can see the bone. Like a Bone of Lies, a Bone of Contention only functions 10 times. In the creator’s absence, a Bone of Contention functions like a normal Bone of Lies, simply to avoid possible complications ("This Bone of Lies failed to work when you were missing from the last convocation. Is there something you want to tell us?")
[ 6 ] Gift Of The Immobile Form ( XXX - Page X )
The Tremere have found it useful for Gargoyles to be able to take shelter even in the open, and came up with the concept for this ritual from the grotesque adornments with which the Toreador have been decorating the cathedrals of Europe. A Gargoyle protected by this ritual may withstand even direct sunlight, and can see and hear everything transpiring around it. The drawback is that the Gargoyle cannot move a single muscle, or the sunlight will begin to burn at full force. Gargoyles with this ritual are highly prized as spies, able to become part of the decorations in many churches and castles and spy on what goes on inside and outside.
System: This ritual may be used on a Gargoyle of seventh generation or lower, so long as the Gargoyle has at least one dot of Fortitude. This ritual takes only a night to complete and lasts until the next new moon. After being cast, the ritual enables a Gargoyle, by remaining stock still, to avoid damage from the sun. The Gargoyle must roll Stamina + Fortitude (difficulty 9) in order to remain motionless through the day. In addition, this ritual does not make the Gargoyle's Beast react more calmly to sunlight, and the Gargoyle must still roll to avoid frenzying at the first sight of the sun.
[ 6 ] Iron Mind ( XXX - Page X )
This ritual makes its target invulnerable to Auspex for one night. The ritual requires an earring, hat pin or other object containing iron to be worn on the head. The object must have the ritual cast upon it. The object then creates what could be called "psychic static," blocking all uses of Auspex against the person wearing the object. The individual using the Auspex will know something is wrong, but not what.
[ 6 ] Mass Grave ( XXX - Page X )
Most members of the Black Hand first reach Enoch via this ritual, which is similar to Shadowland Passage except that it can affect an entire group. Everyone going to the Shadowlands must be buried together in one grave, using dirt mixed with the remains of at least one freshly killed sentient creature.
[ 6 ] Quenching The Lambent Flame ( XXX - Page X )
The origins of this ritual are surrounded in mystery. Some claim that it was developed as a way to censure unwholesomely ambitious Tremere while others suggest that it's not Hermetic in origin at all, but rather a survival device for Kindred in underpopulated areas, such as the Mayan territories where it was first discovered. Still others suggest that it is the penultimate punishment for diablerie, more effective than Final Death because it leaves the subject with the knowledge of the power he once had and the pale echo with which he is left after this ritual affects him. The ritual increases the generation of a Kindred to 13, regardless of his original distance from Caine.
System: This ritual takes one hour to perform. The thaumaturge must draw a circle with a mixture of his own blood and that of the subject. The subject must then lie motionless in the center of the circle for a full hour for the ritual to take effect, which requires that the subject be staked in the case of unwilling Kindred. If the subject is willing, the difficulty for the roll is 7, otherwise it is the normal 9 (ritual level + 3).
[ 6 ] Raise The Dead ( XXX - Page X )
This ritual allows the Thaumaturgist to do just that - resurrect a dead being, allowing it once again to dwell in the world of the living. This is not a "resurrection" in the truest sense, however; the creature is not alive, nor is it undead, but is in fact as dead as the day it died. The corpse is animated by a spirit the caster forces into it during an eight' hour ordeal. This ritual involves the pouring of black candle wax over the throat and heart of the corpse. The wax is what initially binds the spirit to the body. The corpse must also be branded on the forehead with a mystical symbol meaning '"debtor." The entire ritual must take place within a circle of salt, the diameter of which must equal the length of the corpse from head to toe. Furthermore, the ritual requires complete darkness, save for the candle's light. The body used must be fresh enough to have tissue still remaining on the hones, for the bondage of the spirit lasts only while tissue remains (decomposition continues at the normal rate); the fresher the cadaver, the better. This is a tortuous existence for the spirit trapped within the rotting frame, and most resurrected beings will wish release as soon as possible. This is the Warlock's main bargaining measure to get the spirit to do her bidding, for only she holds the power to release the spirit. Other than that, the immured being may do as it wills with its new body. Obviously, the spirit used must have been summoned or obtained beforehand. Statistically, the creature has Physical Traits equal to half those the body possessed in life. While the spirit is trapped within the corpse, its Traits are halved as well. A destroyed vampire cannot be raised by this ritual.
[ 6 ] Refined Digestion ( XXX - Page X )
Rumors tell of elder vampires requiring the blood of Cainites to sustain their unlives. Even the great fear of Gehenna is based upon the belief that the Antediluvians will one night rise up and consume the blood of all Kindred. This powerful magic makes this Kindred vitae a necessity for a Cainite target; even thin-blooded neonates can be affected. Unable to draw true sustenance from mortals, the Kindred turns to hunting his own kind. Such an effect is almost certainly a death sentence for most vampires.
System: Preparation for this ritual takes three nights and requires five blood points worth of blood from both the victim and from the thaumaturge. Non- Kindred blood is worth only one-third its normal amount (round down) to those inflicted with this curse. This ritual is normally permanent, but the thaumaturge can cancel its power by a reverse incantation requiring an additional five blood from the victim and the sacrifice of a normal mortal.
[ 6 ] Ritual Of Holding ( XXX - Page X )
This is simply a way of extending the effect of another ritual. Use of this ritual adds six hours to another ritual in order to extend its duration or enhance its effect. Of course, this spell's results differ for every ritual to which it is added. Examples: It will lengthen the reach of Blood Walk to include the subject's progeny, and perhaps those whose blood he has tasted as well. It will cause the container of Engaging the Vessel of Transference to exchange only one Blood Point for two Points that it takes. It may render a ward virtually indestructible. It may make it impossible for Cleansing of the Flesh to eliminate the Shaft of Belated Quiescence. It may keep a spirit trapped by Raise the Dead indefinitely immured in the corpse. The caster can make suggestions as to how it should work, but the Storyteller is the final arbiter of the extent of the "holding."
[ 6 ] Sands Of Time ( XXX - Page X )
The caster must enchant a marble bowl full of white sand and glass shards in a five-hour ritual. At the end of this time he rolls Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 7). Provided the ritual was successful, the sands will mystically slow anyone upon whom they are sprinkled. It takes the target a number of turns equal to the successes of the casting to take one action. Thus, if the caster rolled five successes on the ritual, its target could only take one action every five turns. Note that Celerity can partially or fully negate this effect; if the target in the last example had two points of Celerity, she could take an action every three turns, though at the cost of two Blood Points.
[ 6 ] Spider's Web ( XXX - Page X )
The vampire is able to create a web that resembles an actual spider's web in all respects, except the web is big enough to fill a large room, and sticky and strong enough to capture and hold victims. The vampire spins a web using her hands, spreading it out to make a web of any shape desired. The vampire is able to use this web to coat a haven for protection or some other area to trap food. It is not possible to use this webbing as a form of attack, because the web comes out slowly and must be woven into shape.
The vampire is immune to any webbing she has created herself and cannot get stuck in it. A victim is allowed to try to pull loose by scoring three or more successes on a simple roll using Strength (difficulty 6; Potence works normally). A person may make a simple roll using Dexterity + Dodge to see if he can avoid stepping into the web when he tries to get past it. The material component is a black widow spider that must be crushed and eaten.
[ 6 ] The Eternal Mask ( Dread Names: Red List - Page 80 )
This Level Six Thaumaturgy ritual is so rare, that the Justicars believe Kemintiri is the only blood magic user in the world who knows and uses it. While it's possible this Anathema may have traded her knowledge of The Eternal Mask to another for some dark secret over the years, no other Thaumaturgists have been caught with its effects.
The Eternal Mask grants the caster the ability to "absorb" her victim's aura, which allows her to wear it like a mask. When combined with Obfuscate, a caster may not only look like her victim, but "wear" her victim's aura, too, which allows her to escape detection by most means.
System: After committing her victim's aura to memory for an hour, the thaumaturge must ritually diablerize the victim to fully consume their essence. This is usually done after incapacitating the victim in some way.
The Eternal Mask lasts for a number of years equal to the successes rolled when first cast. When another vampire views the caster's aura, it will be displayed as the victim's aura in every way. Rumor has it that memories of the victim remain in the caster's mind even after the ritual has expired.
[ 6 ] The Gift ( XXX - Page X )
This ritual allows a vampire to grant part of her own Disciplines to another by laying her hands on the target. The exact Discipline(s) and number of points given is up to the granter of t he "Gift." The ritual requires five minutes per point transferred, and the vampire must make an Intelligence + Occult roll (difficulty 6) to judge how much of a Discipline has been transferred. If the vampire succeeds, she judged correctly and knows when to end the ritual. If she fails in the roll, she stops too soon for the full "Gift" to be given or waits too long and grants too much. If a botch is rolled, the Thaumaturgist loses the points to be given, but the receiver does not get them. They are lost.
The "Gift" is used very infrequently, as would be expected. It is used most frequently by the eldest of the Assamite antitribu to pass along all her Disciplines to her fellow clan members before she is ritually slaughtered. The "Gift" is also used occasionally as a form of reward or boon. The vampire granting the "Gift" must pay the same price as if she had never had the Discipline before to increase it. So, even though the vampire had a rating of five in Potence before the "Gift," she now has a rating of three. If she wants to increase her Potence again, it will cost her the normal amount for a vampire of her clan.
[ 6 ] Utter Destruction Of Bonds ( XXX - Page X )
This is an incredibly powerful ritual, although many do not realize the extent of its potential, and it must be used with discretion. This simple incantation takes a mere 10 minutes to recite, but requires that the caster's tongue be removed, crushed and smeared on the object to be affected. The tongue is removed at the very end of the ritual, so there is no point in cutting out and saving one's tongues in one's free time. This action subjects the Thaumaturgist to three aggravated Health Levels that cannot be soaked, and he will be unable to speak for at least three days (or however long it takes to regrow the tongue). It also costs the character a point of Willpower to bring himself to do it. However, this ritual opens any designated object, and that object will never again be able to be closed. This includes manacles, handcuffs, chests, boxes, windows, doors, safes, zippers, wounds, walls, books, eyes, mouths, throttles, holes in the earth, and the mouths of volcanoes. It also opens dimensional boundaries that are tied to physical objects, and permanently destroys wards. Not included are Blood Bonds, mental control or slavery. Storytellers must arbitrate in all cases.
