Post by Phsycodelic on Jan 30, 2017 20:19:11 GMT
Wanga: Voice Of The Wind
Followers Of Set
Followers Of Set
Except for the path known as The Flow Of Ashé, Wanga paths require the expenditure of blood for activation. In addition, any time Wanga is invoked, be it a path or ritual, the wangateur must call upon the spirit appropriate to the intended effect. For instance, a wangateur invoking Lure of Flames might call on Chango, Alternatively, were she attempting to call upon the Path of Weather Control, she might invoke Agarou Tonerre, aloa of thunder.
In addition, Wanga possesses its own unique wet of tools, components and ritualistic items that must often be present for the magic to work. Not every ritual involves all of these tools, but the vast majority of them require at least a few. Listed below are the more common of Wanga's tools, once again, a bit of research on the players' part will turn up a wealth of additional material.
Asson: Used primarily in voudoun. This is a rattle wielded by the houngan or mambo, and is considered a magical and sacred object. It is normally constructed out of a gourd to which has been affixed a wooden handle, and is often decorated with such esoteric items as snake bones and bits of coral.
Ekwele: From the Santerfa faith, this is a thin chain measuring about 50 inches in length, and broken at regular intervals by one-and-a-half inch disks made from a tortoise shell. It is used in the practice of Ifa, a form of divination.
Ese: Also from Santerfa, the Ese are poetic verses used in the interpretation of Ifa. Babalawos often have hundreds of these committed to memory.
Farine: This flour used to trace the veves utilized in voudoun rituals.
Gris-gris: A gris-gris is a charm, talisman or any other small magic item. Many of the faiths refer to such charms as wangas; gris-gris is the voudoun equivalent.
Hounfour: A temple or structure used for ceremonies to the god of voudoun.
Kisengue: A human shinbone wrapped in black rags, this is a common component of Palo Mayombe ceremonies.
Ngana: A large iron cauldron filled with graveyard earth, bones, and sticks and other disturbing ingredients. It is one of the most important components of Palo Mayombe. (This term also refers to a priest or shaman of certain African religions, though it is never used in that context here.)
Peristyle: An open courtyard in which voudoun ceremonies are held. There is often, but not always, a hounfour located on the property.
Poteau Mitan: The pole that stands at the center of peristyle or hounfour. It is often carved or decorated, and represents the center of the universe and its connection with the spirit world. All dancing during the ceremony revolves around the poteau mitan.
Veve: Common to many of the Afro-Caribean faiths but most prevalent in voudoun, this is a symbolic design representing one of the Ioa (or other spirit). Veves are used as the focus of rituals, and serve as a temporary altar when a more permanent construct is unavailable. Although they can be found written or inscribed on all manner of surfaces, they are most commonly constructed by pouring flour on the ground during rituals.
A holdover from the ancient Yotuba Kindred, this is possibly the oldest Wanga path practiced in the modern nights. Originally intended to grant influence over the predators of the savannas and jungles, it is often overlooked in a culture of sidewalks and skyscrapers. Enough creative wangateurs have found the path sufficiently useful, however, that it has not died out.
In addition to vitae, Voice of the Wild requires the use of materials, much like certain rituals and the Flow of Ashé. These components are consumed by the magic during casting.
A wangateur may attempt to influence the same animal as another Kindred utilizing Animalism. Assuming successful rolls on both sides, control goes to whomever has the highest level in their respective Discipline. If the Voice of the Wild and Animalism are tied, victory goes to the user of Animalism.
Setite Sorcery botches, regardless of school, cause the sorcerer to acquire an intense photophobia. When exposed to extremely bright lights, the sorcerer must roll for Rötschreck against a difficulty of (4 + the sorcerer's Path rating). Setite lector-priests do not suffer this effect. [Rites Of The Blood - Page 132]
Social Responsibilities
Kindred or kine, you cannot just wake up one morning (or evening) and decide, "Today, I will become a houngan (or tata)." As with any position of authority in any other religion, it takes years of learning and initiation to become a priest of voudoun, Santeria. Palo Mayombe or any of the Wanga-practicing faiths. Many are the steps between a simple practitioner and a recognized master of mysteries.
It is relatively uncommon for a Kindred follower of an Afro-Caribbean religion to learn the secrets of Wanga without being initiated as a priest of the religion. Remember, Wanga is much a religious system as a form of Thaumaturgy, and like any religious secret, it is rarely taught to those who have not gone through the proper steps and initiations.
What does this mean for your Kindred wangateur? For stargers, it can mean years - often as much as a decade or two - to reach this level of initiation.
Houngans and mambos, santeros and santeras, babalawos, tatas and yayas - they're all religious leaders, which means they have certain social obligations demanded of them by their community and by their own beliefs. In communities where these religions are the norm, the local priest is expected to lead ceremonies on a regular - sometimes weekly if not daily - basis. Many in his community seek his aid, his advice, even his powers of divination. He is expected to his magics to help those around him, to protect them from evil spirits and the influence of malice, or evil spells.
This can cause real problems for those of the vampiric persuasion. Leaving aside the fact that most such events, petitions and requests come during the hours of daylight, bear in mind that such a character is constantly standing on the very edge of the Masquerade. Even if you've managed to explain away your nocturnal leanings, what happens if you frenzy in the midst of a ceremony? Many such ceremonies involve the spilling of blood (albeit animal blood). Between the scent of vitae, the pounding drums, the pulsating pass of humanity dancing their ritual dances - the situation is absolutely ripe with disastrous potential.
There are cultures in which the use of magic isn't inherently a Masquerade breach, where magic is almost common - but most Western princes aren't going to see it like that. You can argue all you want that it wasn't really breaking the Masquerade to use Thaumaturgy in front of witnesses because they were expecting you to do magic, but the local sheriff or archon is still likely to stake first and decide later if she should bother asking questions.
At the same time, such a position of authority offers its own advantages. Herd, Allies, Contacts, even a few dots of Fame or Influence, are all easily justifiable - if not mandatory - for such an exalted post. Your position as a religious leader places all sorts of demands on you, but it opens up an equally large host of opportunities. Don't hesitate to make the most of them.
Some few wangateurs do not bear these responsibilities. Perhaps they have left such concerns behind them after years of practice, or perhaps they serve the spirits in some other capacity. The Storyteller should not feel obliged to include these social aspects if they're going to negatively impact the story.
Ritual Practice
Wanga is often a group activity. Although most of its rituals can be performed alone, they prove easier and more effective when cast as part of a ceremony involving numerous participants. Only the primary caster need follow the steps of the ritual itself; all others are involved primarily in the drumming, singing and dancing common to these religious. These other participants need not be wangateurs, or even Kindred, but they must be true believers in an Afro-Caribbean faith, they must be willing participants (no Dominated dancers, though thralls subjected to blood bonds are common among certain less-savory wangateurs), and they must know the true purpose of the ritual. If the number of participants is at least twice the level of the ritual, the difficulty of the Intelligence + Occult roll is reduced by 1.
Not the downside to this: Rituals invoked this way take substantially longer to cast. Although the standard casting time for a ritual is five minutes per level, the casting time for Wanga rituals that are cloaked in these ceremonies is half an hour per level. Of course, nothing forces the wangateur to make use of other participants if she's in a hurry.
[ 1 ] Scent Of The Beast ( XXX - Page X )v
The magician can produce scents and pheromones appropriate to a particular species of animal. Used in ancient nights to attract game and ward off predators, it finds similar use tonight among more creative wangateurs.
System: The caster must have in her possession a sample (tuft of fur, whisker, tooth, drop of blood, etc.) from the animal she wishes to smell like. If successful, the Kindred gives off a scent identical to that of the target animal for the remainder of the scene. Three successes allow the wangateur to smell like that animal in a particular emotional state; she could, for instance, duplicate the scent of a scared cat or a dog in heat. With five successes the power is effective enough to fool an animal ghoul. Five successes will also permit the caster to fool Lupines, Kindred in animal form, or Kindred using Auspex, but these received an opposed Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 6). If the opposed roll is successful, the Lupine or Kindred notices something subtly off about the caster's scent, and may well investigate further.
Any attempt to attract an animal must achieve at least three successes to inspire the creature to overcome its instinctive aversion to vampires; fewer successes mean that the animal will approach to within a few yards, but no closer. Any attempt o create a scent strong enough to affect a human or Kindred not using Auspex (duplicating the spray of a skunk, for instance) also requires three successes.
[ 2 ] Hide From Hunter's Eyes ( XXX - Page X )v
The cities of the 21st century may house vicious guard dogs rather than hungry lions, but the effect of this power is much the same as it was in nights past. With this power, the Kindred causes animals to overlook her completely. This applies to scent and hearing as well as sight. Although few animals willingly attack Kindred, this is powerful protection against those that will. Perhaps more importantly, it prevents dogs and other guard animals from rousing the neighbors.
System: The wangateur must have a body part (fur, hair or a tooth will suffice) from the kind of animal she wishes to hide from, and a pinch of pepper, drop of perfume or any other strongly scented material. This must be rubbed on the sample as the blood is spent. For the remainder of the scene, animals of the specified variety (dogs being the most common in modern cities) simply don't notice the Kindred specifically does something to attract attention (touching the animal, making any noise louder than low conversation or the like).
This power requires five successes to fool Lupines or Kindred in animal form, but they receive an opposed Perception + Alertness roll to see through it (difficulty 6). It functions on animal ghouls regardless of the number of successes, but they too are allowed an opposed Wits + Alertness roll (difficulty 7 for ghouls).
[ 3 ] Marking The Prey ( XXX - Page X )v
Working off the premise, "I don't have to run faster than the bear, I just have to run faster than you," this power allows the caster to fix the attention of a given variety of animal on a specific target. The beasts in question will focus only on that individual, unless someone else makes a concerted effort to get their attention. This power does not automatically make an animal hostile.
System: The caster must have a bit of hair or other sample from the variety of animal to be influenced, and a pinch or drop of something that animal might find attractive (catnip for cats, the fur of a small rodent for snakes, etc.). These must be combined at the time the blood is spent to invoke the magic. The target must be visible to the wangateur. If the roll succeeds, all animals of the chosen variety in the area will focus exclusively on the target for the duration of the scene, or until the target is able to escape their immediate vicinity (and avoid pursuit) for several minutes. Distracting their attention requires physical contact or an actual attack; shouting at them accomplishes nothing. Friendly animals will frolic and play around the target, whereas hostile animals will attack.
[ 4 ] Guiding Spirit ( XXX - Page X )v
This power allows the wangateur to manipulate the emotional state of an animal. This means more than just "angry" or "sad." The caster can achieve a specific degree of control by causing the animal to act one way to some stimuli, and entirely differently to another. Although not as particular as the control granted by Animalism, Guiding Spirit can create some truly impressive results.
System: The caster must have in his possession some body part (again, fur or the like is fine) from the type of animal to be influenced. The caster must make eye contact or direct physical contact with the animal as he spends vitae to invoke this power. The animal may resist with Willpower (difficulty 7) only if the wangateur is influencing it to do something totally against its instincts or training (attempting to make a loyal dot attack its owner, for instance). Animal Willpower can be found in the Beasts section of the site. For every success, the caster maintains control over the animal's emotional state for a scene.
The target can be made to calm down, grow enraged enough to attack a specific target, become playful or any other emotional effect on which the player and Storyteller can agree. The animal cannot be made to perform specific tricks for which it has not been trained (like shaking paws or fetching keys), nor can it be made to place itself in the path of certain harm (though it can be made to take risks). The exact limits of this power are deliberately vague, as animals react on a much more emotional and instinctive level than humans. It is ultimately the Storyteller's call as to what is and is not possible with Guiding Spirit.
[ 5 ] Mantle Of The Beast ( XXX - Page X )v
The caster may assume a single physical characteristic of an animal. The eyes of a cat allow vision in areas of very low lighting (though not complete darkness). The claws of a bear are sufficient for shredding opponents, and aid climbing to boot. The nose of a bloodhound can tell you exactly where that snooping reporter ran off to. And though Kindred aren't built for flight, a set of sings will at least break your fall, allowing you to glide to (relative) safety.
System: The character must have on her person a sample (as with other levels of this power) of an animal whose feature she wishes to duplicate. This power duplicates a single feature only. Thus, the caster could not take a snake's ability to wriggle through small places, because that is a factor of the snake's body structure and not a specific feature; she could, however, take the compressible ribcage of a mouse and accomplish much the same thing, as that is a single physical feature of the animal.
Claws created with Mantle of the Beast do Strength +1 aggravated damage. They also reduce climbing difficulty by 3. Wings require a roll of Stamina + Athletics against difficulty 7 to use properly. Kindred can glide for a distance of 100 yards per success rolled (further with a strong tailwind), and she can safely fall almost any distance without taking damage. A protective covering like a turtle's shell or an insect's carapace adds 2 to the character's soak pool; these dice can be used to soak aggravated damage. Advantages for taking other features are at Storyteller's discretion.
