Dur-An-Ki Rituals

[Phsycodelic]

Dur-An-Ki Rituals

Assamites

Dur-An-Ki botches cause the ashipu to briefly become lost to the spirits from which her powers flow. The ashipu temporarily (and immediately) gains the Fugue Derangement. Assamite Sorcerers do not suffer from this effect, but all other Assamite ashipu do, as do all ashipu outside that Clan. [Rites Of The Blood - Page 132]

[ 1 ] Black Sunrise ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows a Tremere to awaken at any sign of danger, especially during the day. If any potentially harmful circumstances arise, the Tremere immediately rises, ready to face the problem. This ritual requires the ashes of burned feathers to be spread over the area in which the Kindred wishes to sleep.

System: This ritual must be performed immediately before the Tremere settles down to slumber for the day. Any interruption to the ceremonial casting renders the ritual ineffective. If danger arises, the Tremere awakens and may ignore the Humanity dice pool limit rule for the first two turns of consciousness. Thereafter, the penalty takes effect, but the Tremere will have already risen and will be able to address problematic situations.

[ 1 ] Blood Rush ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows the vampire to create the sensation of drinking blood in himself without actual feeding. The ritual can be used for pleasure, but is more often used to prevent frenzy when confronted with fresh blood. The vampire must carry the fang of a predatory animal on his person for this ritual to work. Performance of the ritual results in the Beast being kept in check automatically. Blood Rush allays the Beast for on hour, at which point the Cainite feels hungry again (assuming he did before). This ritual takes only one turn to enact.

[ 1 ] Curtain Of Will ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual prevents sunlight from entering an area within 20 feet of this ritual's casting. A mystical darkness blankets the area, keeping the baneful light at bay. Sunlight reflects off windows or magically fails to pass through doors or other portals. The caster draws sigils in her own blood on all the affected windows and doors, and the ritual lasts as long as the Tremere stays within the 20-foot radius.

System: This ritual requires one hour to perform, during which the thaumaturge recites incantations and inscribes glyphs. One blood point is required for this ritual to work.

[ 1 ] Falsely Sealed Vessel ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual enchants a container to fill itself with blood from any living or unloving being who holds it, replacing the volume of blood taken with an equal amount previously held inside the container. When the ritual is enacted, the vessel, which must be between the size of a small cup and a gallon jug) is sealed full of the caster's blood and inscribed with the Hermetic sigil which empowers the ritual. Whenever an individual touches the container with his bare skin, he feels a slight chill against his flesh but no further discomfort. The container continues to exchange blood until it is opened. The two most common uses of this ritual are to covertly create a blood bond and to obtain a sample of a subject's blood for ritual or experimental purposes.

System: This ritual takes three hours to enact (reduces by 15 minutes for each success on the casting roll) and requires one blood point (although not necessarily the caster's blood), which is sealed inside the container. The ritual only switches blood between itself and a subject if it is touched bare-handed - even thin cotton gloves keep it from activating.

Individuals with at least four dots in Occult or three in Expert Knowledge: Mage Lor recognize the Hermetic sigil with two successes on an Intelligence + the appropriate Knowledge roll (difficulty 8).

[ 1 ] Horoscope ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 162 )

Using Babylonian astrology techniques, the ashipu can study the stars to gain insight into his enemies. To cast a horoscope of a mortal, the ashipu must know her birth name, as well as the location and the date of her birth. To cast a horoscope for a vampire, the ashipu must know both of those and also the date of her Embrace. Armed with such knowledge, the ashipu can both learn his enemy's innermost secrets and target her more effectively with his magic.

System: Each success allows the ashipu to discover one secret about the target of the horoscope, chosen from the following: Nature, primary aptitudes (i.e. Traits rated at 3 or higher), Flaws, or major tragedies from her life (or unlife). Alternatively, the ashipu may use the horoscope in conjunction with an effigy to improve the efficacy of sympathetic magic, with the successes on the ritual roll reducing the difficulty penalty applied to such rolls. However, the ashipu may not use a horoscope to reduce the dice penalty by more than his Dur-An-Ki rating, nor may he use it to reduce the penalty to less than zero.

[ 1 ] Illuminate Trail Of Prey ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual causes the path of the subject's passing to glow in a manner that only the thaumaturge can see. The footprints or tire tracks (or whatever) shine distinctly, but only to the eyes of the caster. Even airplane trajectories and animal tracks shine with unhealthy light. The ritual is nullified if the target wades through or immerses himself in water, or reaches the destination of his journey. The thaumaturge must burn a length of white satin ribbon that has been in her possession for at least 24 hours for this ritual to take effect.

System: The thaumaturge must have a mental picture or know the name of her prey. The individual's wake glows with a brightness dependent on how long it has been since he passed that way - old tracks burn less brightly, while fresh tracks blaze.

[ 1 ] Loyal Eyes ( XXX - Page X )

To insure that messages remain secure against prying eyes, the Tremere sometimes use this ritual to encode documents magically. Created during nights long past to send messages across battle lines or hostile borders, this ritual is not used as often in the age of electronic communications, but is occasionally used to communicate between chantries. Also, this is a fairly common ritual - many anarchs of the Anarch Free State seem to have learned it, and use it to encrypt graffiti messages to others of their kind.

System: The thaumaturge writes the message in blood over the course of a night and speaks the name of the person he wishes to read it. Only the writer and the person to whom the letter is addressed can read the document, but numerous "counter-rituals" exist that can be used to confound the magic of this ritual. To any others who observe the letter, the writing simply appears as gibberish.

[ 1 ] Pebble From The Mountain ( XXX - Page X )

The vizier takes a stone from Mount Alamut, places it in his mouth, and meditates for an hour. He soaks the stone in his own blood, then in the blood of another Assamite. He gives the stone to that Assamite while chanting an incantation naming himself and the subject as successors to Tiamat, Ahriman, and all the shaiians of Hell. The ritual takes an hour and a half to perform. At any subsequent point, by placing the stone in her mouth and repeating the incantation, the other Assamite can initiate a mystical link between herself and the vizier identical to that created by Touch the Earth. She is not performing sorcery; the magic rests in the stone, which always works if the vizier's player made his initial roll.

[ 1 ] Purity Of Flesh ( XXX - Page X )

The caster cleanses her body of all foreign material with this ritual. To perform it, she meditates on bare earth or stone while surrounded by a circle of 13 sharp stones. Over the course of the ritual, the caster is slowly purged of all physical impurities: dirt, alcohol, drugs, poison, bullets lodged in the flesh and tattoo ink are all equally affected, slowly rising to the surface of the caster's skin and flaking away as a gritty grey film that settles within the circle. Any jewelry, makeup or clothes that the caster is wearing are also dissolved.

System: The player spends one blood point before rolling. Purity of Flesh removes all physical items from the caster's body, but does not remove enhancements, mind control or diseases of the blood.

[ 1 ] Rebirth Of Mortal Vanity ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows a vampire to grow her hair again. For every inch of hair the thaumaturge wishes to grow, she must pluck one hair from the head of a human child. She places them on a mirror and looks down into the mirror while mutely gesturing over it, inscribing glyphs into the air. As her hair begins to grow, the mirror absorbs the hairs on its surface. Once the ritual is complete, the vampire's hair follicles die again, but the hair remains at the new length until cut. This ritual may be cast on another Kindred, but the recipient must pluck the hairs himself, and both caster and recipient must stand over the mirror during the ceremony.

System: The number of successes determines how rapidly the vampire's hair grows. With one success, it takes 10 minutes for each inch of hair, whereas at five successes, the hair seems to pour forth from the subject's scalp, growing up to a foot in under a minute. If the hair is ever cut shorter than it was at the time of the vampire's Embrace, it will return to its original length the next night. A vampire who was bald in life will remain so in undeath; his hair simply does not grow, though some speculate a more powerful version of this ritual exists for the truly vain among the undead touched by baldness.

[ 1 ] Rite Of Reclamation ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 76 )

All Assamites on some level accept the possibility that one night they might fall in battle. If that fateful night should come, Assamite Sorcery has provided a way that the Clan can reclaim what is rightfully theirs. By standing on bare earth under the open night sky, the Sorcerer asks for his blood to be transported back to the Mountain upon the moment of his final death. Here, under the ceremonial supervision of fellow Assamite Sorcerers, the blood becomes one with the Heartblood of the Clan, rejoining the blood of Haqim from which it is ultimately descended.

System: The effects of the ritual last until a number of sunrises pass equal to the number of successes rolled during the casting. When the Sorcerer reaches Final Death, all of his blood seeps out through his pores and is claimed by the earth, mystically transporting it to Alamut. If the moment of Final Death comes as the result of being diablerized, the would-be diablerist feels all of the blood gained from the Assamite clawing its way out of her, causing a number of lethal damage equal to the successes rolled in the casting of the ritual. It seeps through her pores and is sucked into the ground. The diablerie is still considered successful, but no blood is gained from the act, which could provoke a hunger frenzy check.

[ 1 ] Sense The Mystical ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual provides the ability to sense the "mystical residue" left by magical objects and effects. This ritual was originally developed to seek out non-Tremere who use Thaumaturgy and magical artifacts, and is common among the younger Tremere seeking a name for themselves. While this power is in effect, the thaumaturge carries a lit candle, whose light causes the stuff of magic to glitter.

System: After chanting for five minutes, the thaumaturge is able to sense magical effects. Sense the Mystical can detect Thaumaturgy, Necromancy and similar blood-related vampiric magic if used within several yards of the object or person in question. This power does not distinguish between the different types of blood magic, nor does it pick up "normal" Disciplines. This ability lasts for one scene.

[ 1 ] Shepherd's Silent Vigil ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual enables the thaumaturge to mystically locate all members of his herd. While intoning the ritual's vocal component, he spins in a slow circle with a glass object of some sort held to each of his eyes. At the end of the ritual, he has a subliminal sense of the direction and distance to each of his regular vessels.

System: This ritual gives the character the location relative to him of every member of his herd. If he does not have the Herd Background, Incantation of the Shepherd locates the closest three mortals from whom the thaumaturge has fed at least three times each. This ritual has a maximum range of 10 miles times the character's Herd Background, or five miles if he has no points in that background.

[ 1 ] Speak With Sire ( XXX - Page X )

By enacting this ritual, a Tremere may join minds with her sire, speaking telepathically with him over any distance. The communication may continue until the ritual expires or until either party ends the conversation. The caster must possess an item once owned by her sire for the ritual to work.

System: The caster must meditate for 30 minutes to create the connection. Conversation may be maintained for 10 minutes per success on the activation roll.

[ 1 ] The Scribe ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual creates a written document from the spoken words of the caster. The thaumaturge simply speaks, and her words mystically appear on paper before her. Some thaumaturges have observed variants of this ritual that involve moving feather-pens writing the words as they speak them, but the most common form of this ritual makes no such overt display. Further, some young thaumaturges have developed a variant that records their words directly to computer fi les — which their elders almost universally decry as vulgar. This ritual requires the beak of a bird or the tongue of a lizard to be crushed between the caster's thumb and forefinger.

System: For the duration of the scene, any words spoken by the thaumaturge are transcribed to whatever surface she wishes. This is most commonly paper (whether loose or bound into a book), but may also be a wall, the head of a pin, anything. The Scribe automatically fits the thaumaturge's ideas on a given surface, but it makes no provisions for legibility; transcribing all 400 pages of The Seventh Sigil onto a note card isn't going to make it readable without a microscope. Additionally, the Scribe does not improve a speaker's eloquence - in matters where clarity or quality is crucial, the speaker's Expression Trait may come into play. The Scribe may be cast on someone other than the thaumaturge, should the latter so wish. Also, she may voluntarily end the effects of the power before the end of the scene.

[ 1 ] Touch The Earth ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows the vizier to contact another Assamite for the purpose of aiding him with further sorcerous effects.

Long in advance of the ritual, the vizier takes a stylus and writes, in ancient Mesopotamian script, on a small, still-wet, clay tablet, the name of a lesser-generation Assamite. Once hardened, the tablet is placed in an acid to weaken it again.

When he chooses to begin the ritual, the vizier uses chalk or paint to draw on the tiled floor of his ceremonial chamber the stylized image of an eye, with white, pupil and iris. The eye must be big enough so that a cat, dog or rodent can be placed inside it. Using a mortar and pestle, the vizier reduces the tablet to powder. He mixes it into food, which he places in front of the animal. When the animal has ingested the food, the vizier cuts its throat with a knife and waits until the pool of spilled blood has expanded in at least four places past the line denoting the white of the eye.

When the vizier speaks into the animal's ear, the Assamite whose name was written on the tablet hears his voice. When the vizier listens at the animal's mouth, he can hear his target's voice. This works no matter how much distance separates vizier and target. The vizier may proceed to use any Assamite path or other ritual power to benefit the target. The vizier may also pass to the target any object small enough to fit in the palm of his hand.

[ 1 ] Turn The Impaling Shaft ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual protects the Tremere from being staked, whether or not she is resting or active. While this ritual is in effect, the first stake that would pierce the Tremere's heart disintegrates in the attacker's hand. A stake merely held near the Tremere is unaffected; for this ritual to work, the stake must actively be used in an attempt to impale the vampire.

System: The thaumaturge must surround herself with a circle of wood for a full hour. Any wood will work: furniture, sawdust, raw timber, 2' x 4's, whatever. The circle must remain unbroken, however. At the end of the hour, the vampire places a wooden splinter under her tongue. If this splinter is removed, the ritual is nullified. This ritual lasts until the following dawn or dusk.

[ 2 ] Blade Of Smoke And Shadow ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 77 )

Ever since the nights of the Second City, the Assamites have fought against demonic forces. Mundane physical weapons normally have no effect upon such ephemeral beings, but Assamite Sorcerers have long-known the secret of enchanting a blade so that it can strike demons.

The Sorcerer first obtains an obsidian dagger with an iron handle. This may be prepared by the Sorcerer or otherwise obtained - the significance is in the composition of the weapon rather than the method in which it is created. Next, she prepares a chamber where no light can naturally enter. This ritual must be cast in complete darkness, or it automatically fails.

The following must be present in the chamber, but can be real or depicted in any way the Sorcerer chooses: A collection of water, representing the primordial ocean, and a block of hardened clay, representing the Sumerian Tablet of Destinies.

The Sorcerer invokes the name of the Sumerian hero Marduk in any way she desires, as long as she is calling upon his aid to strike at the forces of Tiamat, the forces of chaos and darkness. While chanting, the Sorcerer lets the blade taste her blood.

After ten minutes of invocation, if the roll is successful (which also incurs one lethal damage from the bloodletting), the ritual is complete. The obsidian blade becomes completely insubstantial, leaving only the handle solid. The blade now appears as a slowly swirling column of smoke extending from the handle but generally retaining its former shape. It remains in this fashion until a number of sunrises pass equal to the number of successes rolled. Afterward, the smoke dissipates and the obsidian blade is gone forever (thus requiring a new blade to be obtained for a new casting).

System: Given that the enchanted blade is now insubstantial, it cannot be used in conjunction with Quietus powers such as Baal's Caress. However, the blade can now strike at incorporeal entities such as demons, ghosts, and spirits when they enter this plane of existence. It passes harmlessly through solid objects and flesh, and thus may be used to strike at possessing entities without damaging the host. Importantly, the enchanted blade may be used by anyone, not just the caster, and the user does not need to know Assamite Sorcery to benefit from its properties. All users do damage with the blade against demons, ghosts, and spirits as though they were fighting a normal, physical opponent.

[ 2 ] Blood Walk ( XXX - Page X )

A thaumaturge casts this ritual on a blood sample from another vampire. Blood Walk is used to trace the subject's Kindred lineage and the blood bonds in which the subject is involved.

System: This ritual requires three hours to cast, reduced by 15 minutes for each success on the roll. It requires one blood point from the subject. Each success allows the caster to "see back" one generation, giving the caster both the True Name of the ancestor and image of his face. The caster also learns the generation and clan or bloodline from which the subject is descended. With three successes, the caster also learns the identities of all the parties with whom the subject shares a blood bond, either as a regnant or thrall.

[ 2 ] Burning Blade ( XXX - Page X )

Developed during Clan Tremere's troubled inception, Burning Blade allows a thaumaturge to temporarily enchant a melee weapon to inflict unhealable wounds on supernatural creatures. While this ritual is in effect, the weapon flickers with an unholy greenish flame.

System: This ritual can only be cast on melee weapons. The caster must cut the palm of her weapon hand during the ritual - with the weapon if it is edged, otherwise a sharp stone. This inflicts a single health level of lethal damage which cannot be soaked but may be healed normally. The player spends three blood points which are absorbed by the weapon. Once the ritual is cast, the weapon inflicts aggravated damage on all supernatural creatures for the next few successful attacks, one per success rolled. Multiple castings of Burning Blade cannot be "stacked" for longer durations. Furthermore, the wielder of the weapon cannot choose to do normal damage and "save up" aggravated strikes - each successful attack uses one aggravated strike until there are none left, at which point the weapon reverts to inflicting normal damage.

[ 2 ] Donning The Mask Of Shadows ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual renders its subject translucent, her form appearing dark and smoky and the sounds of her footsteps muffled. While it does not create true invisibility, the Mask of Shadows makes the subject much less likely to be detected by sight or hearing.

System: This ritual may be simultaneously cast on a number of subjects equal to the thaumaturge's Occult rating; each individual past the first adds five minutes to the base casting time. Individuals under the Mask of Shadows can only be detected if the observer succeeds in a Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty of the caster's Wits + Occult) or if the observer possesses a power (such as Auspex) sufficient to penetrate Level Three Obfuscate. The Mask of Shadows lasts a number of hours equal to the number of successes rolled when it is cast or until the caster voluntarily lowers it.

[ 2 ] Draught Of The Pebble ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual imbues a quantity of blood within the object upon which the ritual is cast. The object must be small enough for the vampire to carry in both hands, and it may be as small as a dime. After the ritual is conducted, the object takes on a reddish hue and becomes slick to the touch. At a mental command, the thaumaturge may release the object from its enchantment, causing it to break down into a pool of blood. This blood may serve whatever purpose the vampire desires; many Tremere wear enchanted baubles to ensure they have emergency supplies of vitae.

System: An object may store only one blood point of vitae. If a Kindred wishes to make an infused focus for an ally, she may do so, but the blood contained within must be her own (and if the ally then drinks the blood, he is one step closer to the blood bond). The ally must be present at the creation of the focus.

[ 2 ] Eyes Of The Night Hawk ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows the vampire to see through the eyes of a bird, and to hear through its ears. The bird chosen must be touched by the vampire when the ritual is initiated, and it must be a predatory bird. At the end of this ritual, the caster must put out the bird's eyes, lest she suffer blindness herself.

System: The vampire is able to mentally control where the bird travels for the duration of the ritual. The bird will not necessarily perform any other action than flight - the thaumaturge cannot command it to fight, pick up and return an object or scratch a target. The bird returns to the vampire after finishing its flight. If the vampire does not put out the bird's eyes, she suffers a three-night period of blindness. The ritual ceases effect at sunrise; if the bird has not reached its destination or is too far from the vampire for the final step to be taken, too bad, Dracula.

[ 2 ] Gift Of Mithra's Bull ( XXX - Page X )

Vizier and subject must be connected by Touch the Earth or Pebble From the Mountain. The vizier places a small, sharp blade inside a wineskin or plasma bag and then withdraws it and passes it to the subject. The subject cuts an incision in her chest. Blood bubbles out of the incision but then vanishes, reappearing inside the vizier's waiting container. Through this method, the target may pay the vizier in vitae for his services. The ritual takes one turn per blood point donated by the target.

[ 2 ] Follow The Lie ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual creates a small stone used as a tracking device. The caster must place a small pebble into a vial filled with three points of blood from any source. This blood need not be human. Every night for three nights, the thaumaturge recites an invocation over the vial. The bloodstone absorbs a single point of blood each night, and the liquid becomes slightly clearer, until on the third night it becomes as transparent as water. The vampire then has a mystical connection to the stone, and knows its relative position at all times.

System: A thaumaturge who creates a bloodstone instinctively knows where it is at all times. This is not so much knowledge of its precise location as it is an understanding of its direction and distance from the caster.

[ 2 ] Impassible Trail ( XXX - Page X )

The vampire can travel through even the densest woods without leaving any sign of his passing. He will still leave a trail for creatures with powerful olfactory senses, but that will be all. The thaumaturge must carry an owl's feather steeped in Kindred vitae or bum the legs of a dead toad and carry the ashes with him while this ritual is in effect.

System: The vampire will leave no evidence behind, save for a faint odor that takes three successes on a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 8) to detect. The ritual lasts for one night.

[ 2 ] Infusion Of Kalif ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 162 )

This ritual is important to all ashipu who seek enlightenment, but its effects have been duplicated by a number of blood magicians from a number of schools who abuse its ancient pedigree for a baser purpose: Getting high. The ritual allows the blood magician to ritually infuse vitae into hashish so that Kindred may imbibe of it through a hookah and become intoxicated.

System: The sorcerer must obtain a quantity of hashish and soak it in a quantity of his own blood. The ratio is fairly high - twenty ounces of hashish is soaked in one point of blood, and the process (which takes three full nights) yields only one ounce of kalif per success. The "quality" of the kalif is determined by the Generation of the vampire whose blood was used in the ritual (which need not be that of the sorcerer). Each dot of Generation increases the quality by +1, so kalif successfully infused with the vitae of a Ninth Generation vampire would have a quality of four.

To properly use the kalif as part of a Dur-An-Ki ritual, one ounce of it must be placed into a hookah along with specially prepared rosewater. After smoking for at least half an hour, the player of the imbibing character must roll Stamina + Fortitude (difficulty 6, with a dice penalty equal to the quality of the kalif used in the ritual). There is something of a "sweet spot" that the sorcerer must reach. If sorcerer fails or botches, he becomes too intoxicated to do anything more than continue to enjoy the kalif (and for many Kindred, that's enough). On the other hand, if the player rolls more successes than the character's Dur-An-Ki rating, the character doesn't get high at all and must continue smoking for another half hour interval before rolling again.

Only a number of successes greater than zero but equal to or less than the character's Dur-An-Ki rating allow for him to reach the ecstatic state required to properly use kalif in further rituals. If the proper number of successes are rolled, the character enters a state of heightened awareness in which Dur-An-Ki is easier to perform. For the rest of the scene, the difficulty of any roll related to Dur-An-Ki paths or rituals is reduced by an amount equal to half the quality of the kalif.

[ 2 ] Run To Judgment ( XXX - Page X )

This power lets the caster put the brake on a fleeing enemy. The harder the subject tries to run, the slower he becomes. Eventually, he slows to the point that he can barely move at all. The vampire is often able to take her time and still catch up with her target. The vampire must cast a handful of poplar buds at the target and then douse her hands in oil while repeating a short incantation seven times. She then wrings the oil from her hands before following the target.

System: The first turn after the ritual is completed, the subject moves at half his normal speed. If he tries to speed up, he slows to one-quarter his normal speed. Each time he tries to go faster, his speed is halved. The ritual lasts until the following sunrise.

[ 2 ] Ward Versus Ghouls ( XXX - Page X )

Wary Tremere created this ritual to protect themselves from the minions of vengeful rivals. By invoking this ritual, the Tremere creates a glyph that causes great pain to any ghouls who come in contact with it. The Kindred pours a point's worth of blood 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 ghoul unfortunate enough to touch the warded object.

System: Ghouls who touch warded objects suffer three dice of lethal damage. This damage occurs again if the ghoul touches the object further; indeed, a ghoul 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.

[ 2 ] Warding Circle Versus Ghouls ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual is enacted in a manner similar to that of Ward versus Ghouls, but creates a circle centered on the caster into which a ghoul cannot pass without being burned. The circle can be made as large and as permanent as the caster desires, as long as she is willing to pay the necessary price. Many Tremere chantries and havens are protected by this and other Warding Circle rituals.

System: This ritual requires three blood points of mortal blood. The caster determines the size of the warding circle when it is cast; the default radius is 10 feet, and every 10-foot increases the difficulty by one, to a maximum of 9 (one additional success is required for every 10-foot increase past the number necessary to raise the difficulty to 9). The player spends one blood point for every 10 feet of radius and rolls. The Ritual takes the normal casting time if it is to be temporary (lasting for the rest of the night) or one night if it is to be permanent (lasting a year and a day).

Once the warding circle is established, any ghoul who attempts to cross its boundary feels a tingle on his skin and a slight breeze on his face - a successful Intelligence + Occult roll (difficulty 8) identifies this as a warding circle. If the ghoul attempts to press on, he must roll more successes on a Willpower roll (difficulty the caster's Thaumaturgy rating +2) than the caster rolled when establishing the ward. Failure indicates that the ward blocks his passage and inflicts three dice of bashing damage on him, and his next roll to attempt to enter the circle is at a +1 difficulty. If the ghoul leaves the circle and attempts to enter it again, he must repeat the roll. Attempts to leave the circle are not blocked.

The Tremere have access to several other Warding Circle rituals: Warding Circle versus Lupines (Level Three), Warding Circle versus Kindred (Level Four), and Warding Circles versus Spirits, Ghosts, and Demons (Level Five). Each warding Circle must be learned separately. The material components required for each warding circle are the same as those needed for the corresponding ward, but in larger amounts. The effects against the targeted beings are the same as for Warding Circle versus Ghouls.

[ 3 ] Approach The Veil ( XXX - Page X )

The vizier enters the transcendental state required to experience visions of the veil. He ingests kalif-laden blood, bathes in the blood of a fresh-killed bull and meditates. He must first ward off a distracting cascade of unpleasant memories, then an even more tempting series of sensual pleasures. Then comes the opportunity for revelation. The ritual takes eight hours. Although the vizier performs it for research purposes, seeking the secrets of apotheosis, a peek past the Veil of Truth does grant direct benefits. Subtract the number of successes on the roll to enact this ritual from the difficulty of the first path or ritual roll the Assamite's player makes after completion of the ritual. The vizier must take advantage of the bonus before he loses his next blood point.

[ 3 ] Blood And Bane ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 37 )

Prerequisite: Sabbat Al-Aziz Assamite

This Assamite Sorcery ritual is native to the lineage of Al-Aziz, and only known to these Sabbat practitioners. It is said that the first member of this lineage created it to assist in her flight from the Mountain of Alamut, and taught it to her childer thereafter. It is a corruption of the ritual "Infusion of Kalif".

This ritual constitutes a powerful hex, causing its target's spirit to deteriorate slowly while under the effect of this spell. Other magical casters can feel when this ritual is in effect, and receive instinctive knowledge of the general direction and distance to the caster.

System: The Al-Aziz must spend an hour in ecstatic dance, chant, and meditation. Using the birth name of her victim and a small token belonging to that individual - a lock of hair, or some item of personal significance - she targets her spell upon that person. The caster must make a Wits + Occult roll (difficulty 7). For each success, she reduces the target's level of Thaumaturgy in their primary path by one dot. The effects of this ritual lasts until the next sunrise, or until the caster releases the spell or is destroyed.

[ 3 ] Bound By Oath ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 77 )

Mithra is the Zoroastrian angelic deity of oaths and covenants. By recreating his legendary bull-slaying, Assamite sorcerers can confer his blessing on an operation against a single target.

First, the Sorcerer ritually cleans an underground chamber and positions a bull which will be sacrificed. The Sorcerer and participants gather over the bull and chant the name of a single target for one hour. Each participant then smears a point of their own blood on the blade of a two-handed sword. In unison, the participants chant the target's name one last time and the Sorcerer plunges the blade deep into the throat of the bull to complete the ritual. As one, the participants kill the bull, and as one, they vow to kill their target.

Not all the participants need to know the ritual in order to take part, only the presiding Sorcerer. In order for the ritual to be cast, it must have at least two participants and no more than seven.

System: When the participants make an attack in unison against the selected target, a number of them (equal to the successes achieved in the casting) can propel themselves up the initiative order to act one round before the target. For example, four Assamites are attacking a target. The target acts on initiative 10, but three of the Assamites roll initiatives of 9, 9 and 7 respectively. Two successes were achieved in the casting, allowing two of the three stragglers to act on initiative 11 instead. The third remains on their original initiative order. The ritual only grants its benefit if all of the participants (including the Sorcerer) actively engage their target at the beginning of the combat.

In addition, each participant in the combat has a bonus (equal to the successes in the casting) to any Alertness rolls for that scene. The effects of the ritual last until the following sunrise, or until the end of the first combat against their target, whichever comes first.

[ 3 ] Bull Of Heaven ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 163 )

In imitation of the rituals supposedly used by the goddess Ishtar when she prepared the great Bull of Heaven to face Gilgamesh, this ritual allows the ashipu to enchant and command an animal to do its bidding. The result is similar to the Animalism power Subsume the Spirit.

System: The ashipu must drink from the animal while simultaneously feeding it blood. One point of blood is sufficient for any animal smaller than a man. Three points is required for any animal larger than man-sized, up to the size of a bull. Animals larger than cannot be used for this ritual. Upon receiving the blood, the animal immediately becomes a ghoul, gaining one dot of Potence and one dot of either Fortitude or any other Discipline possessed by the ashipu which does not require sapience (such as Dominate or Dur-An-Ki). For the remainder of the night, the ashipu can reflexively direct the animal at will and see through its senses while retaining his normal awareness of his surroundings.

[ 3 ] Haqim's Disfavor ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows the thaumaturge to poison a single victim by her slightest touch. The caster must anoint his hands with the bitter extract of nightshade before conducting this ritual.

System: The victim rolls Stamina + Fortitude (difficulty 8). With three or more successes, the target is unaffected. With two successes, the victim feels nauseous and queasy for three nights and increases his difficulties by one.

[ 3 ] Kafir's Bane ( XXX - Page X )

Although their potential is more in line with judgment and stealth, some Assamites are willing to go to any length to fulfill their purposes. Those Assamites of the warrior or assassin caste have been known to use this ritual to steel themselves before any situation in which they might find themselves exposed to overt combat. Through this rite, the Assamite harnesses his Beast and turns it upon his doomed foe.

Among conservative Assamites, this ritual is scorned because it allows the Kindred to grow too close to his Beast.

System: The player makes the roll to activate this ritual and the character partakes of kalif smoke or blood. If the Assamite enters frenzy as a result of combat, he does not need to roll to see if he can keep it in check; this ritual allows him to "ride the wave" of the frenzy automatically, as described under the Instinct Virtue. Such is the case even if the Assamite does not have the Instinct Virtue. This works for only the first combat that incites frenzy after the Assamite performs the ritual. If the Assamite fails to enter a combat frenzy before the end of the night, the ritual expires with the sunrise.

[ 3 ] Passage Of Ghul ( XXX - Page X )

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 as she moves insubstantially.

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

[ 3 ] Sanguine Assistant ( XXX - Page X )

Tremere often need laboratory assistants whom they can trust implicitly. As Tremere often trust no one whom they know and no one whom they do not, this ritual allows the intrepid thaumaturge to conjure a temporary servant. To cast the ritual the vampire 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 thaumaturge 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 process that the thaumaturge desires in an ideal servant. Sanguine Assistants are temporary creations, but some Tremere 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 high and appears 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 re-animated through another application of this ritual; if the thaumaturge 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, and having only four health levels, 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 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 ] Shaft Of Belated Quiescence ( XXX - Page X )

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 Setities.

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 with a normal stake: a Dexterity + Melee roll (difficulty 6, modified as per normal combat rules, as the attack does not need to specifically target the heart - the stake takes care of that) 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 bone and all accumulated successes are lost (including those from the initial attack roll). When the shaft accumulates a total of 15 successes, it reaches the victim's heart. This paralyzes the 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 (difficulty 7), rolled once per hour. 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 they are made of rowan wood. It may not, however, create a Bullet of Belated Quiescence - wooden bullets are not large enough to absorb the full amount of blood required for the ritual.

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

This wards an object in a manner in identical to that of the Level Two ritual Ward versus Ghouls, except that it affects werewolves. Other versions of this ritual are rumored to have created to affect different species of werecreatures.

System: Ward versus Lupines behaves exactly as does Ward versus Ghouls, but it affects werewolves rather than ghouls. It does not affect Nuwisha, Bastet or any Changing Breed other than Garou. The ritual requires a handful of silver dust rather than a blood point.

[ 3 ] Warding Circle Versus Lupines ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual is enacted in a manner similar to that of Ward versus Lupines, but creates a circle centered on the caster into which a Lupine cannot pass without being burned. The circle can be made as large and as permanent as the caster desires, as long as she is willing to pay the necessary price. Many Tremere chantries and havens are protected by this and other Warding Circle rituals.

System: Warding Circle versus Lupines behaves exactly as does Warding Circle versus Ghouls, but it affects werewolves rather than ghouls. It does not affect Nuwisha, Bastet or any Changing Breed other than Garou. The ritual requires three handfuls of silver dust rather than three blood points.

[ 4 ] Directing Ahriman's Lance ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 163 )

The ashipu must fashion a sympathetic connection to a target out of a talisman small enough to be swallowed. Then, she must swallow it, wait an hour, and then cut the talisman out of her own belly. Other sorcerers may assist in this undertaking, which inflicts a minimum of two levels of unsoakable lethal damage on the one performing the ritual. Until the next inauspicious night, any Kindred who holds the talisman will find that the spirits bless his efforts to kill the target.

System: To determine how long the ritual lasts, the ashipu must first use the Horoscope ritual against the target or, if the birth date and death date of the target is unknown, he may cast a horoscope for the assassin who will wield the talisman. In the latter case, only that assassin may benefit from the talisman's properties, but in the former case, anyone can use the talisman. When Horoscope is used in conjunction with this ritual, the talisman will function for a number of nights equal to the successes rolled for the Horoscope. During that time, any roll made by the bearer of the talisman which bring him closer to killing the target benefit from a difficulty reduction equal to the successes rolled for this ritual.

[ 4 ] Infirm Inert ( XXX - Page X )

One of the mystical powers of vitae possessed by Kindred is the supernatural ability of healing. With blood fueling the mending of their injuries, everything from stab wounds to the loss of appendages may knit and heal. When a thaumaturge drips some of his blood onto a target and casts this ritual, the victim loses the ability to use his vitae for healing. Before casting this ritual, the thaumaturge must imbibe a small quantity of blood laced with laudanum.

System: For every success the magus scores in casting this ritual, a target lacks his healing ability for one night. This ritual requires 20 minutes of concentration, during which time the caster spends one blood point. With its successful completion, Thin Blood causes an afflicted to immediately lose the ability to heal, though he may not be aware of this until he actively attempts to use his blood to do so. Victims may spend a point of Willpower to ignore this effect for one turn. When this ritual expires, all wounds may be healed according to the type of damage suffered, as normal.

[ 4 ] Rite Of Marduk Triumphant ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual asserts the vizier's authority over a lesser clan member. The vizier ritually enacts the coronation of Marduk, donning mask and robe. Other participants in the ritual, each of whom must be an Assamite of a higher generation than the vizier, take the role of various Mesopotamian deities; each kneels before the sorcerer and proclaims that his or her divinity is but an aspect of the 50 manifestations of Marduk. Everyone present opens a vein and bleeds into a bronze bowl. After the blood is mixed together, all drink from it. The vizier may increase the difficulty of any action undertaken by an Assamite by the number of other participants in the ritual. He may apply this penalty only to actions that directly threaten his unlife or position (Storyteller's discretion.) He may not increase difficulties above 9. The effect lasts until the next inauspicious night. The ritual requires one hour to complete, plus 20 minutes for each participant.

[ 4 ] Stain Of Guilt ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual enchants a mortal bone so that anyone who holds it must tell the truth. The bone in question is often a skull, though any part of the skeleton will do - some Tremere use strings of teeth, necklaces of finger joints or wands fashioned from ribs or arms. The bone grows blacker as it compels its holder to tell the truth, until it has turned completely ebony and has no magic left.

This ritual binds the spirit of the individual to whom the bone belonged in life; it is this spirit who wrests the truth from the potential liar. The spirit absorbs the lies intended to be told by the bone's holder, and as it compels more truth, it becomes more and more corrupt. If summoned forth, this spirit reflects the sins it has siphoned from the defeated liar (in addition to anger over its unwilling servitude). For this reason, anonymous bones are often used in the ritual, and the bone is commonly buried after it has been used to its full extent. A specific bone may never be used twice for this ritual.

System: The bone imbued with this magical power must be at least 200 years old and must absorb 10 blood points on the night that the ritual is cast. Each lie the holder wishes to tell consumes one of these blood points, and the holder must speak
the truth immediately thereafter. When all 10 blood points have been consumed, the bone magic ceases to work any longer.

[ 4 ] Splinter Servant ( XXX - Page X )

Another ritual designed to enchant a stake, Splinter Servant is a progressive development of Shaft of Belated Quiescence. The two rituals are mutually exclusive, which is fortunate for many, because a Splinter Servant of Belated Quiescence would be a truly terrifying weapon. A splinter servant consists of a stake carved from a tree which has nourished itself on dead, bound in wax-sealed nightshade twine. When the binding is torn off, the Splinter Servant leaps to life, animating itself and attacking whomever the wielder commands - or the wielder, if she is too slow in assigning a target. The servant splits itself into a roughly humanoid form and begins to single-mindedly trying to impale the target's heart. Its exertions tear it apart within a few minutes, but if it pierces it's victim in the heart before it destroys itself, it is remarkably difficult to remove, as pieces tend to remain behind if the main portion is indelicately yanked out.

System: The ritual requires 12 hours to cast, minus one per success, and the servant must be created as described above. When the binding is torn off, the character who holds it must point the servant at its target and verbally command it to attack during the same turn. If this command is not given, the servant attacks the closest living or unloving being, usually the unfortunate individual who currently carries it.

A Splinter Servant always aims for the heart. It has an attack dice pool of the caster's Wits + Occult, a damage dice pool of the caster's Thaumaturgy rating, and a maximum movement rate of 30 yards per turn. Note that these values are those of the thaumaturge who created the servant, not the individual who activates it. A servant cannot fly, but can leap its full movement rate every turn. Every action it takes is to attack or move toward its target; it cannot dodge or split its dice pool to perform multiple attacks. The servant makes normal stake attacks that aim for the heart (difficulty 9), and its success is judged as per the rules for a normal staking. A Splinter Servant has three health levels, and attacks directed against it are made at +3 difficulty due to its small size and spastic movements.

A Splinter Servant has an effective life of five combat turns per success rolled on its creation. If it has not impaled its victim by the last round of its life, the servant collapses into a pile of ordinary, inanimate splinters. Three successes on a Dexterity roll (difficulty 8) are required to remove a Splinter Servant from a victim's heart without leaving behind shards of the stake.

[ 4 ] The Sire Impotent ( XXX - Page X )

It is unknown whether this ritual was developed as a punishment or as a warning to neonate Assamites. Regardless of its origin, this ritual renders a given Kindred's vitae inert for the purposes of siring new vampires. Using this ritual requires the caster to partake of the kalif blood, not merely inhale the smoke.

System: The player makes his roll, and the character ingests the blood of a vessel under the influence of kalif. The subject must either be a descendant of the sorcerer, or the sorcerer must have the fang or tongue of the subject. If the roll is successful, the subject is unable to sire childer for a year and a night, or until the Final Death of the sorcerer, whichever comes first. Potential childer drained of blood will simply die if the Kindred attempts to Embrace them.

Using this ritual destroys the fang or tongue once the ritual is complete. If the ritual fails, the fang or tongue is destroyed anyway.

[ 4 ] Ward Versus Kindred ( XXX - Page X )

This warding ritual functions exactly as do Ward versus Ghouls and Ward versus Lupines, but inflicts injury upon Cainites. It does not harm kuei-jin although Tremere researchers are promising their elders a Ward versus Cathayans ritual "any night now."

System: Ward versus Kindred behaves exactly as does Ward versus Ghouls, but it affects vampires rather than ghouls. The ritual requires a blood point of the caster's own blood and does not affect the caster. As noted above, this ward does not harm kuei-jin. And there is currently no "Ward versus Cathayans" in existence.

[ 4 ] Warding Circle Versus Kindred ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual is enacted in a manner similar to that of Ward versus Kindred, but creates a circle centered on the caster into which a Kindred cannot pass without being burned. The circle can be made as large and as permanent as the caster desires, as long as she is willing to pay the necessary price. Many Tremere chantries and havens are protected by this and other Warding Circle rituals.

System: Ward versus Lupines behaves exactly as does Warding Circle versus Ghouls, but it affects kindred rather than ghouls. It does not affect the kindred who cast the spell.

[ 5 ] Enchant Talisman ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual is the first taught to most Tremere once they have attained mastery of their first path. Enchant Talisman allows the thaumaturge to enchant a personal magical item (the fabled wizard's staff) to act as an amplifier for her will and thaumaturgical might. A Tremere's talisman is a great source of personal pride, and any insult directed against a talisman is an insult at the thaumaturge herself. Many talismans are laden with additional rituals (such as every ward known to the thaumaturge). The physical appearance of a talisman varies, but it must be a rigid object close to a yard long. Swords and walking sticks are the most common talismans, but some innovative or eccentric Tremere have enchanted violins, shotguns, pool cues and classroom pointers.

System: This ritual requires six hours per night for one complete cycle of the moon, beginning and ending on the new moon. Over this time, the thaumaturge carefully prepares her talisman, carving it with Hermetic runes that signify her True Name and the sum total of her thaumaturgical knowledge. The player spends one blood point per night and makes an extended roll of Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8), one roll per week. If a nights work is missed or if the four rolls do not accumulate at least 20 net successes, the talisman is ruined and the process must be begun again.

A completed talisman gives the thaumaturge several advantages. When the character is holding the talisman, the difficulty of all magic or magick that targets her is increased by one. The player receives two extra dice when rolling for uses of the character's primary path an done extra die when rolling for the character's ritual castings. If the talisman is used as a weapon, it gives the player an additional die to roll to hit. If the thaumaturge is separated from her talisman, a successful Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 7) gives her its location.

If a talisman is in possession of another individual, it gives that individual three additional dice to roll when using any form of magic or magick against the talisman's owner. At the Storyteller's discretion, rituals that target the thaumaturge and use her talisman as a physical component may have greatly increased effects.

A thaumaturge may only have one talisman at a time. Ownership of a talisman may not be transferred - each individual must create her own.

[ 5 ] Rite Of Marduk Slain And Risen ( XXX - Page X )

The vizier makes contact with another Assamite. The beneficiary names a victim she intends to diablerize. The sorcerer then takes part in a group ceremony with at least three other participants who know the ritual. Donning robe and mask, he ritually enacts the myth of Marduk, taking the part of that god. The other participants alternately take the parts of Marduk's mother, Ea; his consort, Sarpanitu, and the chaos dragon, Tiamat. Tiamat "kills" Marduk, but Marduk "resurrects" himself and "slays" her, symbolically making her into the body of the world. Once this has been enacted, the primary ritualist must unflinchingly suffer a hard blow to the face from each of the other participants. The appearance of blood-tears in the ritualist's eyes signals the ritual's success. If the beneficiary succeeds in diahlerizing her specified target before the next sunrise, the victim's sire, all the sire's childer, all of the target's childer, and any vampire in blood bond with the victim share his final sensations as he perishes. Each of them loses one blood point and three Willpower points, which go to the killer (though the character may not exceed her Trait maximums). If the killer's blood pool is full, the remainder goes to the vizier. Furthermore, all of these collateral targets suffer an effect that lasts until the passing of 13 inauspicious nights: they lose one Willpower for every 10 minutes they spend in the presence of the beneficiary or the vizier, as they suffer flashbacks to the original victim's demise.

[ 5 ] Seeing With The Sky's Eyes ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 163 )

By meditating on the universe, the sorcerer can look down on his enemy with the eyes of Heaven. The ashipu must enter an ecstatic trance. Then, he must concentrate on an individual by studying an effigy of her. The effigy must incorporate at least a recent photograph of the target, if not something with a stronger connection. This ritual cannot be achieved with just the target's name (see Principles of Sympathy and Contagion on pages 133 - 135 of Rites of the Blood).

System: Each success allows the player to ask one question about the target's current location and activities.

[ 5 ] Severed Hand ( XXX - Page X )

Used during the Dark Ages, this ritual was used as a punishment for Cainites who did not deserve destruction. In Muslim countries, crimes of theft would be addressed by cutting off the offender's hand. Because of the great healing ability of vampires, threat of this punishment did not carry the grave penalty it had for mortals. This ritual prevents a severed body part from healing normally. Although a severed hand was the most common appendage removed, this ritual can affect eyes, fingers, tongues and other body parts. The most important component is the severed anatomy of the subject, which is why this ritual is almost always performed at the maiming.

System: This ritual takes an entire night to perform, during which time the wound is treated with different alchemical compounds to prevent the regeneration process. Although the health levels can heal in the normal way, the severed body part is unable to be restored to its former condition without magical healing (such as Obeah).

[ 5 ] Ward Versus Demons ( XXX - Page X )

Wary Tremere created this ritual to protect themselves from demons (including those summoned or given physical form via Thaumaturgy Paths such as Elemental Mastery). By invoking this ritual, the caster creates a glyph that causes great pain to any demons who come in contact with it. The Kindred pours a vial of holy water 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 spirit unfortunate enough to touch the warded object.

System: Demons who touch warded objects suffer three dice of lethal damage. This damage occurs again if the demon touches the object further; indeed, a demon 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.

[ 5 ] Ward Versus Ghosts ( XXX - Page X )

Wary Tremere created this ritual to protect themselves from ghosts (including those summoned or given physical form via Thaumaturgy Paths such as Elemental Mastery). By invoking this ritual, the caster creates a glyph that causes great pain to any ghosts who come in contact with it. The Kindred pours a handful of powdered marble from a tombstone 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 spirit unfortunate enough to touch the warded object.

System: Ghosts who touch warded objects suffer three dice of lethal damage. This damage occurs again if the ghost touches the object further; indeed, a ghost 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.

[ 5 ] Ward Versus Spirits ( XXX - Page X )

Wary Tremere created this ritual to protect themselves from spirits (including those summoned or given physical form via Thaumaturgy Paths such as Elemental Mastery). By invoking this ritual, the caster creates a glyph that causes great pain to any spirits who come in contact with it. The Kindred pours a handful of pure sea salt 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 spirit unfortunate enough to touch the warded object.

System: Spirits who touch warded objects suffer three dice of lethal damage. This damage occurs again if the spirit touches the object further; indeed, a spirit 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.

[ 5 ] Warding Circle Versus Demons ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual is enacted in a manner similar to that of Ward versus Demons, but creates a circle centered on the caster into which a Demon cannot pass without being damaged. The circle can be made as large and as permanent as the caster desires, as long as she is willing to pay the necessary price. Many Tremere chantries and havens are protected by this and other Warding Circle rituals.

System: Warding circle versus Demons behaves exactly as does Warding Circle versus Ghouls, but it affects Demons rather than ghouls. Warding Circle versus Demons requires three vials of holy water.

[ 5 ] Warding Circle Versus Ghosts ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual is enacted in a manner similar to that of Ward versus Ghosts, but creates a circle centered on the caster into which a Ghost cannot pass without being damaged. The circle can be made as large and as permanent as the caster desires, as long as she is willing to pay the necessary price. Many Tremere chantries and havens are protected by this and other Warding Circle rituals.

System: Warding circle versus Ghosts behaves exactly as does Warding Circle versus Ghouls, but it affects Ghosts rather than ghouls. Warding Circle versus Ghosts requires three handfuls of powdered marble from a tombstone.

[ 5 ] Warding Circle Versus Spirits ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual is enacted in a manner similar to that of Ward versus Spirits, but creates a circle centered on the caster into which a Spirit cannot pass without being damaged. The circle can be made as large and as permanent as the caster desires, as long as she is willing to pay the necessary price. Many Tremere chantries and havens are protected by this and other Warding Circle rituals.

System: Warding circle versus Spirits behaves exactly as does Warding Circle versus Ghouls, but it affects Spirits rather than ghouls. Warding Circle versus Spirits requires three handfuls of pure sea salt.

[ 6 ] From Marduk's Throat ( Lore Of The Clans - Page 31 )

This ritual is the means by which Assamites can continue to reduce their Generation despite the limitations imposed by the Tremere Curse. It is also the mechanism by which the sorcerer caste maintains some influence and control over the Clan despite their small numbers, as the ritual's difficulty means that only very experienced sorcerers can use it. The sorcerer creates an alchemical substitute for vampiric blood, allowing an Assamite who drinks enough to decrease her Generation. The ingredients include a wide variety of chemicals, herbs, and other exotic materials, but the most important ingredient is Kindred blood.

To reduce the drinker's Generation by one level, the potion must incorporate a number of blood points from vampires of lower Generation than the drinker equal to four times the maximum blood point value of the desired Generation. For example, an Assamite who sought to reduce her Generation from Eighth to Seventh would need to procure twenty-eight points of blood from Kindred whose own Generation was Seventh or lower. Regardless of how much vitae that is, the result of the alchemical process will evaporate down into a thick sludgy material that the imbiber must consume in a single attempt.

The potion is foul, and requires the imbiber to successfully roll Willpower (difficulty 9). If that roll succeeds, the Assamite must then successfully assimilate the blood into her body. This requires an extended Willpower roll (difficulty 9), seeking 15 successes for a new Generation. Failures don't stop the process, but they do deal six dice of lethal damage apiece (soaked normally). Assimilation is so painful and distracting that any attacks made against her during this time face a difficulty of only 2.