Post by Phsycodelic on Apr 6, 2017 0:08:44 GMT
Fascination
Mystic Sorcerers
Mystic Sorcerers
Sometimes utter Fascination is not at all what the sorcerer wants. Stories abound of sorcerer and victim tied up in a web of conflicting loyalties and obsessions, with tragedy the nigh-inevitable result. Even worse is when a third party is brought into the mixture; some seek out sorcerers skilled in this Path, hoping to gain assistance in attracting the eye of some desired paramour.
But not all tales of this Path end in tragedy. Many sorcerers, careful to use only enough power to get what they want and no more, make a decent living in the media, as entertainers, as sales representatives and in almost any other job that requires constant contact with people.
Fascination works with the Social Traits; exactly which one depends on the circumstances. Normally, the client's most impressive Attribute will be enhanced; a good looking woman will appear stunning (Appearance), a smooth operator will become impossibly slick (Manipulation), and someone with a powerful personality will become positively magnetic (Charisma). A sorcerer can choose to enhance any of the Social Attributes, however; an already charismatic Wizard might choose to use Fascination to shore up his Appearance.
A sorcerer can inspire more than simple attraction or interest with Fascination; although it is more difficult, she can inspire loyalty, trust, camaraderie, faith, confidence or some other (generally positive) emotional link.
A subject has no real resistance to this ability, although subjects with a high Willpower are less likely to be affected. Some people are immune to Fascination altogether, however; anyone with Iron Will or similar advantages can ignore Fascination(except from a master of the Path, at the Storyteller's discretion).
Any attempt to order a subject to do something that he would not normally do (kill that man over there, jump off a bridge} allows him a Willpower check (difficulty 4 + Path level). Each success he scores reduces the sorcerer's hold on him by one level. How often the subject makes these checks depends,in large part,on his personality; a strong-willed, confident person might make them rather regularly, while a weak-willed person with Low self-esteem would be willing to put up with quite a bit When a Fascination ends, it may taper off (allowing emotions and bonds built up in the intervening time to take hold), or it may snap, leaving the subject confused and bewildered.
Those who possess similar mind-influencing powers(vampiric Dominate and Presence, psychic abilities, the Sphere of Mind, etc.) can also typically ignore attempts to influence them with this Path. Innately mystical creatures (shapeshifters, the fae, etc.) can counter a spell with their own power if they choose to (spending their mystical power sources as appropriate; each point spent reduces the level of effect by one). The blood bond of vampires is not sufficient, in and of itself, to counter Fascination, but the bond remains in effect; any demands that run counter to the bond will automatically call for a Willpower check.
Students of this Path can sometimes recognize its tricks being used by others: Often times, they even have a small measure of resistance to its effects. When someone uses this Path, or a similar power (vampiric Dominate and Presence, certain Mind effects, etc.), the will binder can make a Wits + Fascination roll (difficulty 4 + Opposing Power Level). He must score at Least as many successes as the caster to detect anything is amiss. This gives the willbinder a + 1 on all Willpower checks to resist any effects aimed at him (knowing is half the battle … ) and an additional +1 to resist for every 2 successes scored over and above those needed to detect the use in the first place.
Roll: (Social Attribute) + Occult.
Cost: None.
Modifiers: +1 difficulty for emotions other than attraction or interest, +1 difficulty if target's Willpower is 5+.
Duration: See below.
Price Of Failure: A simple failure means, at worst, having a bit of egg on your face, in most cases. Botches can be big trouble, however (as is often the case with sorcery). A spell could backfire making you as unattractive and unimpressive as it was supposed to make you impressive and attractive (reverse the adds to Social dice pools to penalties). Your meddling with other peoples emotions can have awful consequences;overuse of this ability can result in the emotional equivalent of a lobotomy, fierce fits of jealousy or just as fierce protective urges. And in extreme versions of the latter two problems, the subject will do anything to keep you safe/keep others from having you... anything.
[ 1 - 6 ] Fascination Levels 1 - 6 ( XXX - Page X )
Level | Level Of Influence |
1 | Minor: In a crowd, you are noticed, and individuals will find you interesting. Add l die to your Social dice pools. |
2 | Stirring: You aren't the center of the party, but you are being listened to. An individual will make it a point to hang out with you. Add 2 dice to your Social dice pools. |
3 | Life Of The Party: Of course you threw this party, didn't you? A subject will go out of his way for you. Add 3 dice. |
4 | Major: You are throwing a party, aren't you? What you do, others pay attention to. Individuals will sacrifice quite a bit to earn your approval. Add 4 dice. |
5 | Trendsetter: If you jumped off a bridge, more than a few people would follow. Your influence is unmistakable. An individual will do almost anything you ask him to, even kill or die. Add 5 dice. |
6 | Your influence is legendary, when you want it to be. An individual is utterly besmitten of you, a virtual (and possibly literal) slave, and willing to do anything you command. Add 6 dice to your Social dice pools. |
Level | Number |
1 | One Person. |
2 | Two People. |
3 | A small group (up to 10). |
4 | A party of up to 50 people. |
5 | A crowd; hundreds. |
6 | A stadium full of people; thousands. |
Level | Duration |
1 | A few minutes or so. |
2 | One scene. |
3 | A day or two. |
4 | A couple of weeks. |
5 | Several months. |
6 | Indefinitely. |
[ 1 - 6 ] Fascination Rituals ( XXX - Page X )
[ 1 ] Simple Protection ( XXX - Page X )
Any user of Fascination can possibly roll Wits + Fascination to recognize and prepare for uses of other supernatural powers. This ritual allows a user to prepare for this ahead of time, making their resistance more likely. Successes scored on this ritual, which lasts for one night, add to those rolled for the aforementioned recognition roll. No cost.
[ 2 ] Strength Of Will ( XXX - Page X )
This ritual uses the powers of the path on the Sorcerer themselves, granting them a strength of will and confidence that grants them a bonus dice per success (capped by path dots) for Willpower rolls, with the normal duration chart for the Path. This costs a willpower point.
[ 3 ] Hatred ( XXX - Page X )
While this Path is usually utilized to grant a positive outlook of the character, this ritual does the opposite. The target (singular) ends up utterly hating the caster or another named and present target if they have no way to resist the effects of the magic, and will go out of their way to harm them. This ritual is difficult to cast in realtime, but can be hung as normal and released in the presence of the prenamed target. Either way, it costs a willpower point.