Daimoinon

[Phsycodelic]

Daimoinon

Baali

These are the mysteries of the Baali, black arts torn whole and beating from the sorcerer-kings of ancient cultures and prehistoric civilizations, incoherent memories passed from tome to tongue, hearkening to times of oblivion. They are sibilant secrets in which all begins to end and begin again. With every new night and novice brought into the circle, the telling grows shorter.

[ 1 ] Sense The Sin ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 445 )

A real mark always convinces himself. The most dangerous Baali aren't the ones that use extortion, threats, or over displays of power; the most dangerous Demons simply know how to talk their victims into cutting their own throats. This power allows the Baali to find a target's particular vice.

System: The player rolls Perception + Empathy against living or undead beings; the difficulty is equal to the subject's Self-Control or Instincts +4. If successful, the Baali can sense the subject's greatest weakness. The significance of this information is dictated by the degree of success: One success might determine a low Virtue, weak Willpower, or a poorly defended avenue of approach, while two might yield a closely guarded secret or conversational misstep. Three or more yields a central derangement or formative trauma from the subject's past.

[ 2 ] Fear Of The Void Below ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 445 )

Once the Baali has mastered reading a subject's darkest secrets, he can reach into the victim's mind and twist what he finds there. The shock of feeling one's most deeply held beliefs and darkest fears manipulated can send the victim into catatonia or fits of panic.

System: The Baali must first employ Sense the Sin (above) or use some other method to discern the tragic flaw of the target. She must then speak to the target, playing upon his inadequacies and the inescapable consequences of his shortcomings. A successful Wits + Intimidation roll (difficulty of the subject's Courage +4) drives the victim into fits of terror (one success), mindless panic-borne flight similar to Rötschreck (two successes), or even unconsciousness (three or more successes). All effects last for the remainder of the scene. Kindred targets may resist with a Courage roll (difficulty equal to the Baali's Willpower) - they are accustomed to dealing with their Beasts. If the Kindred target garners more successes than the Baali did on her original roll, he resists the power completely.

[ 3 ] Conflagration ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 445 )

Not all of the Baali's powers are designed for manipulation and subtlety. The Demons can also call up the fire from the realms of their infernal patrons, hurling it at their enemies in exultation of the Outer Dark. This fire spreads and burns normally, but at the moment of creation it is black and cold, as though drawn from a place where terrestrial physics do not apply.

System: The player spends a blood point. This creates a bolt of black flame that inflicts one die of aggravated damage; more blood points may be spent to increase the size and damage of the flame. Such fires are fleeting and dissipate at the end of the turn, unless the Baali continues to spend blood points on Conflagration over several turns, gradually creating a larger flame. The player also rolls Dexterity + Occult (difficulty 6) to hit his target, who may dodge as normal. Vampires confronted with this black fire make Rötschreck tests as if confronted with a similar quantity of normal flame.

[ 4 ] Psychomachia ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 445 )

With this power, the Baali combines his ability to read the psyche of a victim with the ability to summon up matter from the Outer Dark. Psychomachia pits a victim against the most dangerous, shameful parts of her own subconscious.

System: The vampire, after learning the targets tragic flaw (such as after using Sense the Sin, above), forces the subject's player to roll her lowest Virtue (difficulty 6). Failing this roll pits the target against an apparition summoned from her darker self, perceptible to the subject only. The target may see or feel his abusive father, a long-dead lover, a childhood bogeyman, or (for Kindred victims) even the Beast itself. A botch indicates the target has been overwhelmed and frenzies - or, worse, becomes possessed by his inner demons. This imaginary antagonist may be wholly narrated, or assigned Traits equivalent or slightly inferior to the victim's, at the Storyteller's option. All injuries sustained by the target in such an encounter are illusory (substitute catatonia or tor for death as appropriate) and vanish upon the phantasm's defeat or the Baali's loss of concentration.

[ 5 ] Condemnation ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 446 )

The Baali levies a curse upon the victim. The more skillful in her dark studies the Baali has become, the more dire the curse is likely to be. Legend states that some Baali can wield curses so foul that the victims attempt suicide after a single night - only to find that they can no longer die.

System: An Intelligence + Occult roll (difficulty equal to the subject's Willpower) dictates the length and severity of the curse. Successes must be split between both these effects, as per the sidebar below. The player must split successes between effect and duration - curses with zero successes allotted to duration last for one night. For example, if the Baali's player rolls four successes, she can inflict a two-success curse for one month, a three-success curse for up to week, or a four-success curse for one night. At any time, the Baali may choose to end the curse. Storytellers should feel free to invent creative or story-appropriate curses.

Successes	Duration	Example
1	Up to one week.	"No voice shall be lent your lying tongue." - All Subterfuge rolls suffer a +3 difficulty.
2	One month.	"Sicken and wither, infidel... a babe's weakness upon you." - All Strength rolls suffer a +2 difficulty, or vampire cannot use blood to boost Strength.
3	One year.	"Reap this bitter harvest - may your closest friends turn foe." - The character's friends do not trust him. This can have any number of mechanical effects (higher difficulty on Social rolls, friends might be more prone to frenzy around the character) at the Storyteller's discretion.
4	Ten years.	"Barren be thy seed and the loins of all your line." - The character becomes sterile or barren, or (if Kindred) cannot Embrace childer or create ghouls.
5	Permanent.	"The mark of doom - all you touch must fail." - Simple failures are considered botches while the curse is in effect.

[ 6 ] Concordance ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 446 )

The Baali makes a Devil's bargain and takes the unholy nature of his masters into his own being. This wa his body both to his detriment and benefit. A truly dedicated Demon might make numerous such pacts, growing more grotesque and more powerful each time.

System: The most typical manifestation of this power incorates immunity to the damaging effects of fire, though other equivalently-powered assets may be available at the Storyteller's option. Most of these tributes take the form of left-handed "gifts" with unforeseen consequences (a telltale bronze tint to flame-resistant flesh, a vestigial set of wings, visible talons or horns that cannot be concealed, etc.). This Discipline may be purchased more than once at greater cost to body and soul. (The current shaitan is said to have been so gnarled and twisted by the Masters as to be no longer even remotely mistakable for human.) Note that three of the banes particular to the Baali - piety, vulnerability to sunlight, and dependency on blood for sustenance - may not be overcome by this Discipline under any circumstances. In the end, it is up to the Storyteller's discretion what the Baali can or cannot withstand.

[ 6 ] Diabolic Lure ( XXX - Page X )

The Baali use this power to impose her infernal will call on her subject's spirit. Upon gaining hold of the victim's soul, the Baali can steer a course toward damnation. No matter how noble the target is or how lofty her aims are, she may find herself unable to resist even the most depraved enticements.

System: After using Sense the Sin to disclose the best route to her target's true nature, the Baali spends a number of Blood Points equal to the amount by which she wants to lower the victim's Humanity or Path rating. If the player makes a Manipulation + Occult resisted roll against the target's Conscience/Conviction + 4 (maximum 10), the target's Humanity or Path rating drops by the desired amount, permanently. The victim now operates at her new rating, and can only regain her lost points in the standard way. While this change is sudden, intelligence is not lost with humanity. A cunning vampire should be capable of hiding her new inclinations for some time.

[ 6 ] Glimpse The Gulf Beyond ( XXX - Page X )

There are worlds beyond worlds and places beyond space and time; this power allows a Baali to shatter the boundaries between such zones of cosmic terror and the mundane world. Glimpse the Gulf Beyond is never used lightly, for even the masters of Daimoinon fear what they might see - or what might see them. But when a Baali does invoke the face of the Void, the effects are terrifying.

When Glimpse the Gulf Beyond is invoked, the Baali literally uses his will to force cracks in the walls of reality. Through those cracks come the sights, sounds, smells and other aspects of existence outside of reality as most know it. While exactly what comes through from the other side varies from moment to moment (blasphemous whispers one second, a charnel stench and the howls of the damned the next), the impact on the target is always tremendous.

System: The player spends a Willpower point, then rolls Stamina + Occult (difficulty 7) against the target's Willpower roll (difficulty also 7). The attacker's leftover successes dictate the effect:

Successes	Result
Failure	The passage fails to open; no effect.
1	The onlooker is shaken, but physically unharmed. He loses a temporary point of Willpower and is down one die on all rolls for the scene.
2	The subject temporarily loses two points Willpower, and must then roll Courage (difficulty = 10 minus his current Willpower) against Rötschreck, in addition to suffering a one die penalty on all rolls.
3	The target temporarily loses three Willpower, and must make a Self-Control/Instinct roll (difficulty 7) or lose consciousness. Even if this roll is successful, the target is badly shaken, and suffers a two die penalty on all rolls for the duration of the scene.
4	The target temporarily loses four Willpower, and must immediately roll Self Control/Instinct (difficulty 8) or fall into a catatonic state for an hour.
5+	The strain of perceptions battling the imperceptible proves to be too much for the victim's mind. The target must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7) or become severely mentally incapacitated to the point of permanent gibbering idiocy. Even if the victim succeeds on the Willpower roll, treat the effect as if the Baali scored 4 successes.

Reducing a victim's Willpower to zero in this fashion may leave her with a (random) Derangement. This infirmity can be either temporary or permanent, as warranted by the severity of the victim's trauma.

A botch indicates something has gone terribly wrong with the Baali's attempt to open the portal. In such cases, Storytellers are encouraged to exercise their fiendish discretion, but some possibilities include backlash from the Other Side, the escape of an unwanted visitor into this realm or even the abduction of the Baali herself.

Baali alone are immune to this power, but even among their ranks, there are few who gaze willingly into the Void, or who do so for long.

[ 6 ] Ignore The Searing Flames ( XXX - Page X )

At this level of mastery, the Baali is no longer harmed by fire. Her skin may take on a slightly iridescent sheen as it becomes immune to this bane of vampiric existence. Rötschreck check are not required in the presence of flames. Note that the character is still vulnerable to sunlight.

System: The character is immune to the damaging effects of fire. A blow with a lit torch or red-hot branding iron still inflicts bludgeoning damage, but the damage is solely from the object itself and not from the fire.

[ 7 ] Infernal Servitor ( XXX - Page X )

In their pursuit of darkness, some Baali call upon assistance from Hell itself. These damned vampires have, using arcane pacts and diabolical will, summoned up demonic attendants. An endeavor of this sort is not without its perils, of course. Although the demon is supposed to obey its undead master, rumor claims that many Baali have suffered horribly at the hands of their hellish servants. Such legends suggest that trafficking with the beasts of the Pit will be the Baali's downfall. Then again, such stories may be panicked claims spread by Cainites fearful for their own tainted souls.

System: The player spends three Blood Points and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 8). The number of successes indicates the type of demon summoned:

Successes	Result
1	Imp
2	Demonhound or imp.
3	Demonhound, doppelganger, imp or incubus/succubus.
4	Any of the above infernal hosts or a demonic warrior servitor.
5	Any of the above or a demonic tempter.

A mortal form must also be on hand; this subject may be a carefully selected sacrifice or simply some poor fool who stumbled in at the wrong time. The victim is possessed (or, in the case of the demonic warrior or tempter, mostly consumed) by the monster once it is summoned. The demon performs one task of the Baali's choosing and returns to the netherworld, leaving the husk of its mortal victim behind. While it is bound to its summoner, the demon always tries to twist its command to its best advantage. Usually, the more demanding the task, the more likely the demon will find a loophole through which to trouble the Baali. On a botch, a minor demonic lord appears to drag the presumptuous Baali back to its fiery lair.

[ 7 ] Summon The Herald Of Topheth ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 446 )

Using the same skill that allows for calling up demon-fire, the Baali can call a minion of his masters to Earth. Although the names assigned them differ (angel, demon, daeva, djinn, efreet, malakim, shedim, and countless others), the end results are the same. This being is under the Baali's control, at least for a short time after being summoned. Yet scholars who have studied the blasphemous rite by which this Discipline is enacted note that no provision is made for banishing the Herald.

System: To summon a Herald of Topheth, the Demon must spend at least three blood points and perform an infernal ceremony. Heralds of Topheth have the following stats: Attributes 10/7/3, Abilities (15 points worth), Willpower 8, Disciplines (10 points worth), Fortitude of at least 3, and the capacity to heal one health level at least every other round. Storytellers should feel free to alter these guidelines based on the power level of the troupe and the form the Herald takes. Though most celestial beings chafe at the notion of wearing a single shape, many adopt those common to myth and legend; preternatural succubi or angels, reptilian horrors, and bat-winged monsters are among the most often seen.

[ 8 ] Contagion ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 447 )

The most damaging disease is human sin. Pandora learned it to her detriment, as did the ungrateful and impolite denizens of Sodom. The Baali, of course, revel in the slow decay of human settlements, and Methuselahs of the bloodline learn to infect a mortal community with jealousy, slander, hate, and bigotry. Crime and violence soar, petty angers give rise to seething hatreds, and local economies take a downward spiral. Marriages end over trivial quarrels and the world becomes a nastier place in general. In the history of the Baali, entire towns and villages have been temporarily enslaved to an infernal master's will.

System: Successes garnered on an Intelligence + Occult roll (difficulty 9) must be divided between the intensity and the area of the desired effect - at least two successes are needed to cover both area and effect. Sufficiently high degrees of Auspex or powers that detect demons may be able to pick up on this vague, malevolent aura; otherwise they will simply assume that times have taken a dire change for the worse.

Successes	Area	Effect
1	Immediate vicinity.	Ill-tempered/out-of-sorts behavior.
2	An office complex.	Civil / domestic unrest, prejudice.
3	A city block.	Angry (even riotous) dissent.
4	A stadium or apartment complex.	Bar-brawls, hate crimes, blood in the streets.
5	An entire city.	A throng of blood thirsty single-minded Philistines.

[ 8 ] Unleash Hell's Fury ( XXX - Page X )

This most dreaded of powers curses the Baali's victim with the full thrust of Hell's flames. This affliction comes into effect when the sun reaches zenith directly above the subject, burning her as if she were fully exposed to the searing affects of sunlight. Flooring, heavy stone mausoleums, coffin lids and even yards of solid earth offer no defense against the curse. Only a vampire's preternatural resistance can hope to resist the all-consuming flames. This is a favored execution tactic of dangerous Cainite lords, but has also been used by the Baali for purely malicious entertainment.

System: To use this power, the Baali must touch or establish eye contact with the subject. After player spends Blood Points equal to the number of turns the flames will be in effect, an Intelligence + Occult roll is made (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower). The curse normally triggers on the next day; every success rolled allows the Baali an extra day before it takes effect (careful Baali often choose to delay the effects to deflect any suspicion from themselves). The victim may only soak with Fortitude or any other Disciples that defend specifically against sunlight. Rolling about on the ground or plunging in water douses some of the flames, but the target still takes "new" damage each turn until the curse runs its course. If the player botches, the Baali is immediately engulfed by her own backlash for the number of turns. This backlash causes aggravated damage, and is treated as sunlight instead of flame.

[ 9 ] Call The Great Beast ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 447 )

This Discipline is largely theoretical. Baali have, in the past, boasted that their most powerful elders know a ritual that can tear a rift to the Outer Dark and allow the creatures that dwell there into our world. Occasionally, a vampire destroys a Baali and sees the beginnings of such a ritual carved on a wall or tattooed onto a minion's flesh. But even among the Kindred who know of the Baali and what they are capable of, the ability to Call the Great Beast doesn't meet with much credence. This isn't because the Kindred don't think it's possible, but because they realize that if a Demon ever succeeded in using it, there wouldn't be much to be done anyway.

System: The preparatory ritual requires a tremendous investment of time and sacrifice; veiled allusions such as "fivescore souls, plucked clean and whole" and "when three times sets the hooded sun" indicate a selective sacrificial rite spanning days, nights, and dozens of victims. (Deviation or imperfection in this litany may well have unforeseen consequences, ranging from simple failure to unwelcome demonic attention) At this point, the high priest expends all of his permanent Willpower and releases his consciousness in a desperate attempt to breach the gulf Beyond, becoming an empty vessel for whatever will most effectively end the world as your chronicle knows it. You're the Storyteller - what would the Devil do to your world? (Call the Great Beast has two main functions in the chronicle. It's either a plot device that the characters must work to prevent, or a means to change the world of Vampire into a demon-infested apocalypse. Either is useful, but it's not the sort of power that a vampire just pulls out casually.)

[ 10 ] Open The Way ( XXX - Page X )

While the other clans prattle about the wars of the Antediluvians, the Baali have remained dedicated to a dark purpose: the release of their lords and masters onto an unsuspecting earth. Open the Way is the method by which this unholy act might be enacted, and such is the might and depravity required to use this power that it has only been attempted thrice in all of history.

Fortunately, all three attempts have failed. The past is of no moment to the Baali, however, as they maintain that such setbacks only postpone the inevitable. It will not be long, faithful Baali claim, before they release the ultimate darkness to ravage the face of the earth.

System: Open the Way is in fact a power and part of the Daimoinon Discipline. However, such is the intense formality of its use that it has become psychologically impossible to exercise this ability without an extensive ritual to "prepare" the Opener. In truth, Open the Way would function perfectly well without its trappings and folderol if performed by a Baali who did not believe in such, but seeing as none currently exist, the question is moot.

The preparatory ritual requires a tremendous investment of time and sacrifice. In order to place the caster in the proper frame of mind, he must chant paeans to the entity he is attempting to awaken, uninterrupted, for 48 consecutive hours. The slightest stammer or interruption causes the rite to fail, and may well attract the unwelcome attention of the entity being petitioned. At the conclusion of the chanting, the Baali must then make a sacrifice consisting of a hundred free, untainted souls. The victims sacrificed may be mortal or Cainite, but all must have a Conscience rating of at least four. At this point, the Baali summons and releases all of his Willpower, expending 9 points of permanent Willpower in an attempt to shatter the bonds holding his master outside the world. If a Willpower roll (difficulty 10) is successful, the Baali becomes an empty vessel and the gate through which his master flows back into reality.

From that point on, the character is no longer playable, as he has become an aspect of his foul master. On the other hand, the world now has graver concerns that the disposition of a single Cainite.