Thaumaturgy Rituals Level 1

[Phsycodelic]

Thaumaturgy Rituals Level 1

Tremere

Rituals are Thaumaturgical formulas, meticulously researched and prepared, that create powerful magical effects. Rituals are less versatile than paths, as their effects are singular and straightforward, but they are better suited to specific ends.

All thaumaturges have the ability to use rituals, though each individual ritual must be learned separately. By acquainting herself with the arcane practice of blood magic, the caster gains the capacity to manipulate these focused effects.

Thaumaturgical rituals are rated from 1 to 5, each level corresponding to both the level of mastery of Thaumaturgy the would-be caster must possess and the relative power of the ritual itself. Unless stated otherwise, a ritual requires five minutes per level to cast.

Casting rituals requires a successful Intelligence + Occult roll, for which the difficulty equals 3 + the level of the ritual (maximum 9). Only one success is required for a ritual to work, though certain spells may require more successes or have variable effects based on how well the caster's roll goes. Should a roll to activate a ritual fail, the Storyteller is encouraged to create strange occurrences or side effects, or even make it appear that the ritual was successful, only to reveal its failure at a later time. A botched ritual roll may even indicate a catastrophic failure or summon an ill-tempered demon.

Rituals sometimes require special ingredients or reagents to work - these are noted in each ritual's description. Common components include herbs, animal bones, ceremonial items, feathers, eye of newt, tongue of toad, etc. Acquiring magical components for a powerful ritual may form the basis for an entire story.

At the first level of Thaumaturgy, the vampire automatically gains a single Level One ritual. To learn further rituals, the thaumaturge must find someone to teach him, or learn the ritual from a scroll, tome, or other archive. Learning a new ritual can take anywhere from a few nights (Level One ritual) to months or years (Level Five ritual). Some mystics have studied individual rituals for decades, or even centuries.

[ 1 ] Bind The Accusing Tongue ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 230 )

This ancient ritual is said to have been one of the first developed by the Tremere and a primary reason for the lack of cohesive opposition to their expansion. Bind the Accusing Tongue lays a compulsion upon the subject that prevents him from speaking ill of the caster, allowing the thaumaturge to commit literally unspeakable acts without fear of reprisal.

System: The caster must have a picture or other image or effigy of the ritual's target, a lock of the target's hair, and a black silken cord. The caster winds the cord around the hair and image while intoning the ritual's vocal component. Once the ritual is complete, the target must score more successes on a Willpower roll (difficulty of the caster's Thaumaturgy rating + 3) than the caster scored in order to say anything negative about the caster. The ritual lasts until the target succeeds at this roll or the silk cord is unwound, at which point the image and the lock of hair crumble to dust.

[ 1 ] Blood Into Water ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 145 )

Mortals have discovered clever ways to use science and technology to discover hidden traces of blood in crime scenes. Kathryn Malcolm, a neonate Tremere in New York, realized that the police department was tracking a series of murders linked to vampires via blood evidence, and crafted this ritual to remove tainted evidence from a crime scene. Once the caster has completed this ritual, all spilled blood within the ritual's reach transmutes to water. This ritual is most frequently used to remove bloodstains, whether as a result of foul play or rites that involve blood.

System: The thaumaturge pours a cup of purified water through the fingers of her outstretched hand while chanting. The ritual transmutes all spilled blood within a radius of five feet/two meters per success on the activation roll. Blood in containers and in living things will not be affected - only spilled blood.

This power has no effect on blood used to create active or passive Discipline effects. Blood into Water could not be used to remove a ritual such as Ward Versus Ghouls due to the magic properties of the ritual having transformed the blood, though it could be used to clean up a drawn blood circle used to bind a demon, so long as that binding is done and over with.

[ 1 ] Blood Mastery ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 145 )

Kindred scholars urgently warn against allowing any blood magician to have access to your blood unless you have complete trust in her. A thaumaturge with a small quantity of vitae can focus its power into sympathetic forms. By destroying a point of blood from an enemy, the thaumaturge gains symbolic power over the target, which in turn allows her to manifest her supremacy over the victim in the next challenge.

System: The thaumaturge must mix a tiny quantity of her own vitae (a negligible amount, less than a point) with that of her victim, and then slowly burn it in a fire or boil the blood slowly over an open flame. The caster speaks the phrases of symmetry as she finishes. Once complete, the thaumaturge gains a limited magical mastery over the victim until dawn. In the next test that the caster initiatives against the victim, the caster automatically succeeds in the attempt.

If the task would require a roll, the caster garners one success automatically, but no more (and cannot roll or spend Willpower to improve the roll). This means that the caster is guaranteed a marginal success against his opponent, though it may not be in a fashion that the thaumaturge desires. For example, one success alone is not enough to completely mesmerize an enemy, but it might influence him briefly with Dominate. Similarly, if the victim takes some action first, Blood Mastery is of no help if the caster could not normally make a countering roll. For example, the caster would still be subject to an opponent's use of Presence, because he may not normally make a roll to resist. If the victim uses some Discipline that would require the caster to resist, though, then the thaumaturge automatically counters it and thus ends the power of the ritual.

Blood Mastery can only guarantee success in one limited endeavor - a thaumaturge cannot burn multiple points of blood to gain additional successes or success on multiple consecutive actions. Once the ritual is in place, it must be discharged before it can be invoked again against the same subject. Blood Mastery expires if its effects remain unused by sunrise.

[ 1 ] Blood Rush ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 230 )

This ritual allows the vampire to create the sensation of drinking blood in himself without actually feeding. The ritual can be used for pleasure, but it 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.

System: Performance of the ritual results in the Beast being kept in check automatically. Blood Rush allows the vampire to resist hunger-based frenzy for up to one hour, at which point the Cainite feels hungry again (assuming he did before). This ritual takes only one turn to enact.

[ 1 ] Brand ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 23 )

An enterprising Tremere neonate from Boston once overheard a powerful Brujah named Alighieri wish she could acquire a new tattoo that wouldn't fade away on the following evening. Curious, he made several trips to the local chantry archives and came across references to a ritual used in France to brand criminals. Considering the dark reputation of the Warlocks, this ritual is surprisingly popular amongst neonates of all Clans, especially Anarchs. The Tremere merely smile and collect the boons.

Brand allows the thaumaturge to transmute temporary tattoos and other body modifications received post-Embrace into a permanent state on the vampire's body. The thaumaturge does not need to be present at the creation of the tattoo, but the ink must have been imprinted within an hour of the casting of the ritual. After reciting the proper incantations, the caster must slowly spread an ounce of molten silver over the area of skin tattooed.

Brand was designed to be a punishment, and thus is exceptionally painful. Some Kindred view this ritual as a rite of passage for neonates and a demonstration of their courage.

System: This painful process burns an aggravated level of damage to the area of skin branded. This tattoo may be placed anywhere on the subject's body. Once the damage has healed, the tattoo remains upon the skin, unblemished. Due to the pain, the Storyteller may force the target to make a Self-Control roll to hold still during the procedure.

[ 1 ] Brand Of The Paramour ( XXX - Page X )

Thaumaturges cast this ritual to maintain an active awareness of their ghoul’s physical condition. The thaumaturge must first perform this ritual over the blood of mortal twins, then share the vitae with his ghoul. After imbibing the blood, the vampire remains aware of any physical harm befalling his ghoul by feeling a phantom pain. Hence, should the “paramour” ghoul sustain a bullet wound to the chest, the caster is immediately alert to this danger. This alertness also triggers should the paramour trip and fall, bruising his knee. The extent of danger is unknown to the thaumaturge, simply the fact that his ghoul has been harmed somewhere on his body.

System: Both the caster and his ghoul he desires to create as a paramour must each drink one of the two blood points of the mortal twin. Afterward, should any physical peril befall the ghoul, the caster feels a sympathetic pain in the same part of the body. Hence, if the vampire’s ghoul is hit in the shoulder by a stray bullet, the caster feels an acute pain in his shoulder.

This pain, however, does not translate as damage to the vampire should his ghoul sustain extreme bodily harm. If the ghoul sustains any health levels of damage, the thaumaturge will still only feel pain centered on the location where his ghoul suffers his damage.

Brand of the Paramour remains active so long as the ghoul is alive and remains a ghoul; the Embrace will negate this bond, as thaumaturges cannot create a paramour of another vampire.

[ 1 ] Chime Of Unseen Spirits ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 23 )

During the nascent Camarilla's conflicts with the Giovanni, the greatest danger to the Ivory Tower was the Necromancers' ability to spy upon their enemies with impunity. Clan Tremere created a ritual that would allow them to detect ghost, spirits, and demonic entities.

The thaumaturge must collect the wedding rings of three dead women and melt them to cast a metallic chime. She must chant over the chime over the course of the evening, naming each of the brides once per hour. Once the chime has cooled, it imprints the memory of the ritual in the metal.

Once it is hung in a room, the chime will harmoniously ring a soft warning when in the presence of an unseen spirit, ghost, or devil. Anyone that understands the mystical nature of the chime and is within earshot may benefit from this warning. This thaumaturgical device will work for a year before the ritual must be recast.

System: Once the chime has been enchanted, it will ring once every time an unseen spirit, ghost, or devil is within thirty feet/ten meters of its physical presence. Otherwise, the chime has been charmed to not ring, even in heavy wind or by manual manipulation. Some powers may block the ability of the chime to detect a specific entity, per the discretion of the Storyteller.

[ 1 ] Communicate With Kindred Sire ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 230 )

By enacting this ritual, the caster 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 ] Counting Coup ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows the caster to leave a "prerecorded" message at the scene of her crime, for the eyes of the prince or his brood only. This is often done to tell the prince exactly who ruined his building or destroyed his theatre. It will only activate when the prince or his brood enters the site, and only they will perceive it. The caster rolls her Wits + Intimidation (difficulty 8). The designated viewer(s) must be Kindred, and the ritual casting takes 15 minutes and a piece of chalk.

System: One success allows a visual message, such as a symbol or icon that floats before the prince's face. Two successes add a brief auditory message, such as a laugh or statement of the Anarch Manifesto. Three successes allow moving pictures. Four successes allow the creation of multiple images and sounds. Five successes allow the images to be touched, although they can cause no damage. After the message is delivered, all traces of the ritual disappear and no magical methods can be used to track the caster.

Example: Gibson and her gang have just trashed the Empire Theatre for the fun of it. It is the prince's favorite theatre, and they do not want to leave without dropping a calling card. Gibson decides to leave a ritual message that only the prince's men will hear. She casts her spell, rolling her Wits + Intimidation against an eight. She scores two successes. When the prince arrives to survey the damage to his precious theatre, he is suddenly surprised by a glowing anarchist's symbol floating before his face and a laugh he recognizes - "Gibson... that anarch scum!"

[ 1 ] Dedicate The Chantry ( XXX - Page X )

Tremere chantries typically house arcane books, special resources, servants and other major assets. It's no wonder they're so closely guarded. One common practice includes the casting of various wards over a chantry site, to prevent unauthorized entry and to make the place difficult to locate. Dedicate the Chantry expedites this process, making it easier to place subsequent enchantments over the area.

To Dedicate the Chantry, the caster must walk a counterclockwise circle around the entire grounds and sprinkle stagnant water as he travels. Once the ring is complete, the thaumaturge must return to the (rough) center and anoint his hands with stale water, then the lowest level of the floor.

System: A dedication functions over a single building, so a complex of homes or an estate and grounds may require several castings. Once dedicated, the chantry is open to more defenses; any site ritual cast over the chantry, from a ward to potent magics like Deny the Intruder, has its casting difficulty lowered by one.

[ 1 ] Defense Of The Sacred Haven ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 230 )

This ritual prevents sunlight from entering an area within 20 feet (six meters) of this ritual's casting. A mystical darkness blankets the area, keeping the baleful light at bay. Sunlight reflects off windows or magically fails to pass through doors or other portals. To invoke this ritual's protection, the caster draws sigils in her own blood on all the affected windows and doors. The ritual lasts as long as the thaumaturge stays within the 20-foot (6-meter) radius.

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

[ 1 ] Deflection Of Wooden Doom ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 231 )

This ritual protects the caster from being staked, whether she is resting or active. While this ritual is in effect, the first stake that would pierce the vampire's heart disintegrates in the attacker's hand. A stake merely held near the caster is unaffected; for this ritual to work, the stake must actively be used in an attempt to impale the vampire.

System: The caster 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.

[ 1 ] Devil's Touch ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 231 )

Thaumaturges use this ritual to place curses upon mortals who earn their ire. Using this ritual marks an individual invisibly, causing all those who come in contact with him to receive him poorly. The mortal is treated as the most loathsome individual conceivable, and all who deal with him do everything in their power to make him miserable. Even bums spit at an afflicted individual, and children taunt him and barrage him with vulgarities.

System: The effects of this ritual last one night, disappearing as the sun rises. The mortal (it doesn't work on vampires) must be present when the ritual is invoked, and a penny must be placed somewhere on his person (in a pocket, shoe, etc.).

[ 1 ] Domino Of Life ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 231 )

A vampire wanting or needing to simulate a human characteristic can do so once Domino of Life is cast. For one entire night, the vampire can eat, breathe, maintain a normal body temperature, assume a human flesh tone, or display some other single trait of humankind she desires. Note that only one trait can be replicated in this fashion. The vampire must have a vial of fresh human blood on his person to maintain this ritual.

System: Using this ritual adds one die to the caster's dice pools when attempting to pass as human. Unless onlookers are especially wary, the Domino of Life should fool them into thinking the caster is mortal - not that they should have any reason to suspect otherwise.

[ 1 ] Encrypt Missive ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 145 )

Letters were once the dominant form of communication and information collection. Cautious Kindred learned to either be discreet in their dealings on paper or to send blood-bound or Dominated personal messengers. Neither option was ideal when you needed to be explicit and ensure that only your intended recipient received the message. To insure that important messages remain secure against prying eyes, the Tremere utilized this ritual to encode documents magically. This ritual is not used as often in the age of instant electronic communications, but is occasionally used to communicate between chantries or to issue important edicts.

System: The thaumaturge writes the message in blood over the course of a night and speaks the name of the person or group that she wishes to read it. Only the writer and the target to which the letter is addressed can read the document. To any others who observe the letter, the writing appears to be gibberish. Obviously, this ritual may only be used for written communication. Encrypt Missive only works with the original document. If someone else tries to scan or copy the document, the magic holds and the message remains scrambled.

[ 1 ] Engaging The Vessel Of Transference ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 231 )

This ritual enchants a container to fill itself with blood from any living or unliving 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 one-gallon/four-liter 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 the blood it contains 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 (reduced 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 with bare skin - even thin cotton gloves keep it from activating. Individuals with at least four dots in Occult recognize the Hermetic sigil with two successes on an Intelligence + Occult roll (difficulty 8).

[ 1 ] Expedient Paperwork ( XXX - Page X )

This beneficial ritual expedites paperwork through the bureaucratic systems of governments or other hierarchies. By preventing the ensorcelled documents from being misplaced, the paperwork goes through the swiftest channels, even bypassing normal daytime agencies that would hinder the Kindred’s nocturnal lifestyle. Although extremely useful in modern society, this ritual was developed to handle the Church bureaucracies of earlier nights and allay any suspicion toward the caster. The ritual requires the hairs of a dog, known for protection and loyalty, to protect and guide the paperwork.

System: This ritual enchants the expedited paperwork, which shows up as an aura to anyone who looks for such. Normal handling time of a given document is reduced to roughly one-third and it will not get lost. The ritual ends when the material is finished being processed.

[ 1 ] Illuminate The Trail Of Prey ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 231 )

This ritual causes the path of the subject's passing to glow in a manner that only the vampire can see. The tracks 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 if he reaches the destination of his journey. The caster 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 of or know the name of her prey. The individual's wake glows with a level of brightness dependent on how long it has been since he passed that way - old tracks burn less brightly, while fresh tracks blaze.

[ 1 ] Incantation Of The Shepherd ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 232 )

This ritual enables the caster 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 caster has fed at least three times each. This ritual has a maximum range of 10 miles or 15 kilometers times the character's Herd Background, or five miles (eight kilometers) if he has no points in that Background.

[ 1 ] Impressive Visage ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 146 )

Beauty and sexual magnetism have always opened doors. Influence in the Ivory Tower is won via elegant social battles of wit, elegance, and charm. Apex predators navigate these choppy waters with sly smiles to obfuscate their intentions. Rumor has it that this particular ritual was developed by Aiden Balfour, a bitter, plain-looking Tremere tired of the local Toreador Ha unduly influencing the Prince's favor with his pretty smile. When this ritual is cast, the thaumaturge gains a heightened degree of sexual attractiveness; she is much more desirable and commands attention as if she were a top model. For this ritual to take effect, the caster must wash her face with a point of virgin blood and place a sprig of dried mint in her shoe.

System: The caster gains two dice on all Appearance-related rolls for the duration of this ritual. This ritual lasts for a number of hours equal to the successes scored on the activation roll.

[ 1 ] Learning The Mind Enslumbered ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 146 )

This ritual is used to determine the cause of torpor in a vampiric body or the cause of destruction in a Kindred's ashen remains. To conduct this ritual, the thaumaturge places a penny or other small coin over the eye of the torpid Kindred. He can then hear - in the vampire's voice - the cause of her cold rest. If all that remains of the body is ashes, the thaumaturge need only lay the penny in the remains to complete the ritual.

System: This ritual requires a half hour to cast, at the end of which the thaumaturge hears a ghostly message from the victim naming who she believes torpored or killed her. This is not a divination ritual, and therefore the information may not be accurate. If the culprit was disguised or hidden, the spirit of the victim will do her best to answer the question. This power has no effect on creatures other than Kindred.

[ 1 ] Now Its Sight Is Ours ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual creates a scrying device which can be used to observe enemies and events from safety; Paul Cordwood devised it for his use and that of his spies. The ritual requires a three-inch golden pin, a length of wire, a small golden claw cast in the shape of a rooster's foot, some of the caster's vitae, and a human victim with at least one healthy eye. As the ritual begins, the victim is on her knees, bound, gagged and blindfolded. The ritualist (or an assistant; usually two helpers are required to restrain the victim during the stage to follow) removes the victim's blindfold and shines a bright light into his face. Using a caliper, the vampire plucks out the desired eye, taking care not to unduly damage it. While the assistants remove the victim, the ritualist speaks a series of incantations and pierces the eye with a pin. He attaches the pin to the wire and the wires to the claw, draws the eye through the smoke of several censers as a preservative measure and then dips it in a pool of his own vitae that rests in a golden bowl inscribed with the image of Thoth, Egyptian god of knowledge. The vitae is then drawn off, placed in a solution of preservative salts and essences and saved.

The device can now be placed in any location the vampire wishes to survey from a distance. The claw is used to secure it to a surface. Needless to say, it must be well-hidden from observant targets.

To see through the eye of the device, the user (who must be a vampire, but needn't be the original ritualist) ingests the vitae potion. The device takes over his visual perceptions; instead of what stands before him, he sees what the device sees.

System: The ritualist must spend at least 3 blood points in making the vitae potion but is not limited to that quantity. Each point yields four doses of the potion.

Using the device requires no roll, unless the user is fed the prepared blood unwillingly. In that case she may roll Willpower against a difficulty of 9 to resist the vision. The image flooding the user's vision is flat; a single eye yields no perception of depth. It is purely visual, conveying no sounds, smells or other sensory information. The user may vary the duration of the vision by altering the quantity of the vitae potion she drinks. It lasts for ten minutes for every dose consumed. The potion does not also nourish the drinker; it can't be used to increase her blood pool.

The eye remains potent until destroyed but is useless without the correct potion of blood. The original thaumaturge and only the original thaumaturge can perform a new ritual using an existing eye (and no new victims) to gain further doses of blood. Each time this is done to a single eye, the ritual difficulty rises by 2.

[ 1 ] Preserve Blood ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows a vampire to preserve blood in a specially enchanted container. This ritual was very useful before refrigerators and it is still used heavily by nomadic Sabbat. The ritual requires a covered earthenware container large enough to contain the amount of blood the vampire wishes to store. The vampire prepares the container by burying it in the earth for two nights. The following night the container must be dug back up. The container is opened and the blood is poured in, with a healthy sprinkling of burdock added. The caster recites a few incantations over the container before sealing it with wax. The container may be carried but, if broken, the blood will spoil at a normal rate. The container may be opened at any time, but may not be resealed containing the same blood. The earthenware container itself can be used again, but the entire ritual must be reenacted.

[ 1 ] Preserve Corpse ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual enables the user to create a special elixir that keeps dead things from rotting and deteriorating. The ritual requires the caster to use her hand, coating the material to be preserved with a special liquid composed of decaying organic materials and rare herbs. Once the liquid dries into the surface, the material is protected indefinitely. The ritual produces enough of the liquid to cover one large adult corpse. The elixir will lose potency unless applied within a week of its manufacture. This is a widely known ritual among the Nagaraja.

[ 1 ] Purge The Inner Demon ( XXX - Page X )

All Kindred have a raging monster within their souls. A thaumaturge invoking this ritual can silence the Beast in a vampire for a time, even removing the vampire from the Beast's control. The caster must push a sturdy pin through his own hand to begin the ritual. This causes the subject to become strangely submissive, even pulling her out of frenzy. In actuality, her bestial nature has been temporarily separated from her psyche. According to legend, some Kindred have willingly starved themselves into torpor after having been subjected to this ritual.

System: This ritual lasts for a number of nights equal to the number of successes the caster scores on a Manipulation + Empathy roll (difficulty 10 minus the subject's Humanity, but never less than 1). During this time, the subject cannot frenzy. The thaumaturge may not use this ritual on himself.

[ 1 ] Purify Blood ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 147 )

The Black Death killed more than seventy-five million people across Europe during the Dark Ages. Early experimentation showed that most diseases, even blood-borne ones, rarely have any effect upon Kindred, yet vampires can carry such diseases and pass them to their victims. This devastated private herds and caused a severe blood shortage that strained the Masquerade to its breaking point. There had previously been mystical methods of cleansing blood, but they were time consuming and complicated processes.

A solution came from the Tremere - then a struggling Clan seeking to buy their way into polite society - in the form of this simple ritual. The tainted blood must be decanted into a suitable container and then stirred with a special mixture of ash and crushed ginger as the thaumaturge chants the ritual incantation. The blood lightens slightly in color if the ritual succeeds, and the rite cleanses all poison or disease from the sample.

Purify Blood does not function on blood that's still in a creature's system. The ritual therefore cannot cleanse a human of disease or make drinking from such a vessel safe; it will only purify blood that is removed from the human first. Some vampires shun this ritual because of the extra work involved in securing blood without the Kiss, and the less-than-satisfactory taste (not to mention the lack of a warm, beating pulse) definitely puts off Kindred connoisseurs. For these reasons, Purify Blood remains a ritual of last resort during desperate epidemics and not a nightly staple.

System: Purify Blood functions on up to one point of blood. Because of the volume limitations, Purify Blood can cleanse only one blood point at a time. Poisons, diseases, and other mixtures disappear, while foreign substances bubble to the top and can be skimmed off. However, the ritual does not in any way change the potency of the blood; vitae can still cause a blood bond, and blood rendered acidic or caustic by a Discipline (like Quietus or Vicissitude) cannot be cleansed. This ritual cannot counter the Vaulderie (nor is it stealthy enough to perform unnoticed in the midst of such a rite). Rotten, solidified, or excessively befouled blood also vanishes if subjected to the ritual (at Storyteller discretion), so a vampire needn't fear gagging on old, dead blood.

[ 1 ] Purity Of Flesh ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 232 )

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 equally affected, slowly rising to the surface of the caster's skin and flaking away as a gritty gray 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 enchantments, 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 Introduction ( XXX - Page X )

The Tremere use this ritual as the formal method of presentation for arrivals in a new city. However, it is an old ritual and not as widely used as it once was. Many young members of the clan are not even aware of its existence. Still, some traditional regents insist on its use and tolerate no excuses for a breach of courtesy. It is also possible to use this ritual to request aid. The caster boils a handful of ground tamarisk root in a pot of rainwater and recites a short incantation into the vapors that form over the water, then adds a drop of galangal oil. He then speaks a brief message, which is telepathically communicated first to the regent and then to the other clan members in the city according to their place in the hierarchy. The ritual allows the regent to reply telepathically, though she is bound to do so only by tradition.

System: The caster may make a 30-second "introduction speech" in which he presents himself to the other members of the city. The ritual also enables telepathic communication with the regent for five minutes.

[ 1 ] Sanguineous Phial ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 147 )

The Followers of Set have long practiced an archaic version of this ritual during their religious rites and devotions to their dark god. The Tremere streamlined the ritual to allow them to quickly hold large quantities of blood for an indefinite amount of time without it spoiling. In modern nights, it is useful for Kindred who do not have the medical knowledge or technology required to preserve blood in a more mundane fashion. A side benefit to this ritual is that it works on Kindred vitae without severing the Principle of Identity (Rites Of The Blood, page 132-133). This allows a cagey thaumaturge to store the blood of her enemies and use it at just the right moment.

System: To prepare for this ritual, the thaumaturge buries a covered earthenware container for two nights and then unearths it. The following evening, she crumbles dried ash leaf into the empty canister and then whispers the proper incantation. Afterwards, she may pour blood into the vessel and then seal it closed with tallow melted from a candle. The blood will remain fresh until the seal is broken. After the container is opened, the blood begins to spoil at a normal rate. If the vessel is broken, the blood immediately deteriorates to the state it would have attained had it not been preserved at all. The vessel may be used more than once, but the ritual must be recast or the blood will go bad.

[ 1 ] Scent Of The Lupine's Passing ( XXX - Page X )

Developed in a besieged Carpathian chantry were Tremere fell as often to the claws of the night-black Lupines as to other clans, this simple ritual lets the caster scent Lupines in the area. The thaumaturge prepares a small herbal bundle with milkweed, wolfsbane, sage and a handful of simple grass. With a short set of phrases she takes a whiff from the mixture, after which she can immediately tell any Lupine by scent. This does not mean that she can detect Lupines at a distance, merely that she can tell if a specific person’s smell happens to be Lupine, which can be useful when combined with augmented senses.

System: The thaumaturge simply completes the ritual and sniffs from the herbal bundle. Afterward, she can detect Lupines by scent; actually sniffing someone up close would require no roll, but catching a scent at a distance of a few feet might take a Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 6). Detecting a Lupine hidden around a corner, for example, could increase the difficult to 8. The scent distinction lasts for an entire scene.

[ 1 ] Sense The Mystical ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 147 )

Blood magic creates a resonance in the space in which is it cast. This mystical energy can be detected and measured. A thaumaturge can use this ritual to sense this resonance left by magical objects and effects. This ritual was originally developed to seek out non-Tremere thaumaturges and magical artifacts, and is commonly used among the younger Tremere seeking to make a name for themselves. The thaumaturge chants over a mystically prepared candle and then lights it. All sources of blood magic within the radius of the candle light glitters visibly to all present.

System: The effect of this ritual lasts for a number of hours equal to the successes scored on the activation roll. Sense the Mystical can detect Thaumaturgy, Necromancy, and similar blood magic if used within the radius of the candle light. This power does not distinguish between the different types of blood magic, nor does it pick up normal Disciplines. This ability lasts for one hour.

[ 1 ] Serenading The Kami ( XXX - Page X )

Through invocations and smudging with incense, the ritualist gains the temporary support of spirits known as kami, "highly placed beings" that are found in all things. Developed by a traditional Japanese Kindred to aid in a duel, this ritual is used prior to a major feat of strength. The thaumaturge must burn a stick of incense to invoke this ritual.

System: This half-hour ritual allows the thaumaturge to reduce the difficulty of any single physical action by two immediately following the completion of the ritual. This may be an extended action such as digging a ditch, or it may be as brief as guiding a deadly blow.

[ 1 ] Sigil Of Authority ( Rites Of The Blood - Page 24 )

Sigil of Authority utilizes the principle of sympathetic magic to create a link between the known authority of an office and the enforcer of said office, via a mystical sigil. When the Sigil of Authority is revealed to a vampire beholden to the specific office, she immediately knows that the possessor of the Sigil represents and carries the word of said office.

Initially, this ritual was designed by a Tremere Justicar to mark his agents traveling across the globe in his service. Popularity of this ritual spread, and many Princes now issue Sigils of Authority to officers of their court to ensure that new arrivals immediately know and understand who the court officers are of a domain.

System: The thaumaturge methodically cuts a design into the flesh of the willing subject with a silver-tipped blade. This sigil must be at least three inches in diameter and may be placed anywhere on the body of the subject. The design should metaphorically present the authority of the office represented and the meaning easily understood by those that see it. For example, the sigil of a domain's Sheriff might be a star shaped badge or police shield.

The thaumaturge must spend an evening in the willing presence of the Sigil Investor (the vampire that holds the office from which the authority arrives) and the Sigil Bearer (the vampire that will carry the voice of said office) to attune the sigil to the resonance of the office. At the end of the evening, the Sigil Bearer must swear an oath to the office. Once activated, everyone present instinctively knows that the Sigil Bearer lawfully represents the office of the Sigil Investor.

The Sigil Bearer must expose the sigil and expend a temporary point of Willpower to project the weight of authority of the Sigil Investor. Any vampire in her presence must make a Self-Control roll (difficulty 8) or be down three dice on all Social rolls against the Sigil Bearer for the next fifteen minutes.

Example: While working undercover, Alice the Archon is surrounded by a pack of troublesome neonates looking for a rumble. She doesn't have time for a long fight, so she flashes the Sigil of Authority on her arm and expends a point of Willpower. The Anarchs must make a Self-Control (difficulty 8) lest they fall under the sway of the power of the Sigil of Authority. If the neonates fail, they are down three dice on any social rolls for the next fifteen minutes.

The Sigil of Authority lasts one year per success on the activation roll, and the Bearer is aware of when it fades. This ritual may be renewed by the Sigil Bearer re-swearing the oath of office.

The authority of the sigil may be revoked immediately if the Sigil Investor expends a point of Willpower. Should this happen, the Sigil Bearer learns this immediately as the symbol cut into her flesh is burned until the symbol is no longer visible. This rejection is painful, and burns an aggravated level of damage into the former Sigil Bearer's flesh.

[ 1 ] Soul Of The Earth ( XXX - Page X )

The powder of an uncut piece of granite is mixed with the vitae of a Gargoyle and then sprinkled liberally on a normal animal. The process is very exacting and takes one hour. Upon completion of this ritual, the animal is prepared to be Embraced by the Gargoyle whose vitae was used in the mixture.

System: When the Gargoyle Embraces the creature, the ritual takes effect, cushioning the animal's body and mind from the shock of the Embrace. The Storyteller rolls the creature's Stamina + the Tremere's occult against a difficulty of 8. Success means the creature is successfully Embraced. Failure or botch means the Embrace fails, and the creature dies.

[ 1 ] The Carrion Fly Delayed ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows for the preservation of body parts from living (or unloving) beings so they can be used in rituals demanding fleshy components long after being hewn from their original owners. The caster must make a series of incantations before vivisecting the living victim. He conducts the vivisection and then passes the desired parts through smoke from a censer burning alchemical salts.

Creative vampires may devise other uses for the ritual. For example, this is more disheartening to the kin of one's enemy to drop a fresh-looking head in his lap than to deliver a mere skull. It is also useful in the formation of alibis; by the time discoverers find a body treated in this way, the caster may have traveled many leagues away, leaving a corpse that looks fresh-killed. This ritual can also preserve blood for later consumption.

System: Simple success preserves five blood points or 100 pounds of meat from a single specimen for up to a week. Players can spend additional successes to extend the preservation time (one week per success) or the amount preserved (five blood points/100 pounds per success).

Note: The advent of refrigeration makes this ritual a relic of the past.

[ 1 ] The Imp's Affliction ( XXX - Page X )

A disgusting ritual, the Imp's Affliction curses the subject by aggravating his ears, throat and nose. Mucus membranes inflame, ears fill with liquid, the throat becomes raspy and dry, and the subject's eyes brim with tears. This ritual requires merely that the thaumaturge write her victim's name on a scrap of paper.

System: The Imp's Affliction lasts for one scene, during which the victim becomes winded after five minus Stamina turns. Subjects so exhausted suffer a temporary level of unsoakable bashing damage, which vanishes at the end of the scene as the symptoms disperse. This ritual is most often used to torment people in social situations, as their unpleasant maladies make them odious, to say the least - the difficulties of Social rolls for a character stricken with the Imp's Affliction increase by one. This ritual has no effect on Kindred.

[ 1 ] The Ritual Of Death's Embrace ( XXX - Page X )

Prerequisites: Thaumaturgy 1 or Koldunic Sorcery 1

This Transylvanian ritual allows a vampiric master to savor the Embrace of a childe over a prolonged period of time. Instead of having to hurry through a quick killing or a complete draining of a vessel of blood, the act of the Embrace can be extended over several days. Each night, the Cainite drains one to three points of human blood, replacing it with one to three Blood Points of vitae. Each time this consummation occurs, the sire brings his potential childe closer to death.

A mortal victim slowly dies as she is seduced by Death's Embrace. Her skin becomes pallid, her breathing shallows, and her heart rate slows. Even the most talented mortal physicians will merely suspect that she has con¬tracted some disease of the blood. Bloodletting forestalls the process, but the taint of evil still remains. For every two pints (that's pints, not points) of blood drained or leeched, a Blood Point of vitae can be removed.

If the vampire transfers 10 Blood Points of vitae to the victim, the mortal undergoes the final transformation of the Embrace. If the body is then cremated, all, lost, but if the body is buried, the final stages of the transformation can occur. It is then possible for the sire or his servants to dig up the body and free the childe, although it is just as common for the newly created childe to earn the respect of her master by clawing her way to the surface. The result is a devotion that even death cannot destroy.

There is, of course, one other method of interceding for the poor victim. If the sire is killed before the ritual is complete, the victim will be restored completely within a day. Failing that, the body must be staked and dismembered before the unfortunate soul resurrects as a vampiric servant of the Damned.

[ 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 files - 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 ] Wake With Evening's Freshness ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 232 )

This ritual allows a vampire to awaken at any sign of danger, especially during the day. If any potentially harmful circumstances arise, the caster 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 vampire goes to sleep for the day. Any interruption to the ceremonial casting renders the ritual ineffective. If danger arises, the caster awakens and may ignore the Humanity/Path dice pool limit rule for the first two turns of consciousness. Thereafter, the penalty takes effect, but the thaumaturge will have already risen and will be able to address problematic situations.

[ 1 ] Widow's Spite ( Vampire: The Masquerade 20th Anniversary Edition - Page 232 )

This ritual causes a pain, itch, or other significant (but not deadly) sensation in the subject. Similar in effect to legendary "voodoo doll" effects, this ritual is used more out of scorn or malice than actual enmity. In fact, it requires a wax or cloth doll that resembles the target, which bleeds when the power takes effect.

System: The ceremonial doll must resemble, however rudely, the victim of the ritual. It produces no mechanical effect, other than a simple physical stimulus. The caster may determine where on the subject's body the pain or itch appears.

[ 1 ] Will O'The Wisp ( XXX - Page X )

This ritual allows a Thaumaturgist to produce a supernatural ball of light. The ball of light travels as the vampire mentally commands. The ball of light, referred to as a Will o'the Wisp, can be made to travel anywhere within sight of the vampire and perform tricks.

Among the things the ball of light can do are: glow brighter, glow dimmer, divide into many smaller balls, fly about, bathe someone in its magical glow, swirl, remain stationary or perform whatever maneuver the vampire can imagine. This ritual is useful as a diversion or simply a light source.

This ritual requires a small branch from a willow tree. The vampire must recite the magical incantations and throw the stick into the air, whereupon it bursts into the ball of light. The light lasts as long as the vampire concentrates upon it.