The signature power of the Lasombra, Obtenebration
grants the vampire power over darkness itself. The
nature of the darkness invoked by Obtenebration is
a matter of intense debate among Kindred. Some believe
it to be merely shadows, while others feel that the
power gives control over the stuff of the vampire’s soul,
coaxing it tangibly outward.
Regardless, the effects of Obtenebration are terrifying,
as waves of darkness roil out from the Cainite, enveloping
those in their path like an infernal wave. As
Obtenebration is mostly known as a Sabbat Discipline,
any Camarilla vampire caught using the power had
better have a damned good explanation.
Note: Vampires using Obtenebration can see through
the darkness they control, though other vampires (even
those that also have Obtenebration) cannot. Dreadful
tales of rival Lasombra struggling to blind and smother
each other with the same wisps of darkness circulate
among young members of the Clan, though no elders
have come forth to substantiate these claims.

• Shadow Play
This power grants the vampire limited control over
shadows and other ambient darkness. Though the vampire
cannot truly “create” darkness, she can overlap and
stretch existing shadows, creating patches of gloom.
This power also allows Kindred to separate shadows
from their casting bodies and even shape darkness into
the shadows of things that are not there.
Once a Kindred takes control of darkness or shadow,
it gains a mystical tangibility. By varying accounts cold
or hellishly hot and cloying, the darkness may be used
to aggravate or even smother victims. Certain callous
Lasombra claim to have choked mortals to death with
their own shadows.
System: This power requires no roll, but a blood
point must be spent to activate it. Shadow Play lasts for
one scene and requires no active concentration. Kindred
cloaking themselves in shadow gain an extra die
in their Stealth dice pools and add one to the difficulties
of ranged weapon attacks against them. Vampires
who use the darkness to make themselves more terrifying
add one die to Intimidation dice pools. Opponents
plagued by flapping shadows and strangling darkness
subtract one die from all Stamina dice pools (including
soak). Mortals, ghouls, and other air-breathers reduced
to zero Stamina by strangling shadows begin to
asphyxiate; vampires lose all appropriate dice but are
otherwise unaffected. Only one target or subject may
be affected by this power at any given time, though
some modicum of concealment is offered to a relatively
motionless group.
The unnatural appearance of this power proves extremely
disconcerting to mortals and animals (and, at
the Storyteller’s discretion, Kindred who have never
seen it before). Whenever this power is invoked within
a mortal’s vicinity, that individual must make a Courage
roll (difficulty 8) or suffer a one-die penalty to all
dice pools for the remainder of the scene, due to fear of
the monstrous shadows.

•• Shroud of Night
The vampire can create a cloud of inky blackness.
The cloud completely obscures light and even sound
to some extent. Those who have been trapped within
it (and survived) describe the cloud as viscous and unnerving.
This physical manifestation lends credence to
those Lasombra who claim that their darkness is something
other than mere shadow.
The tenebrous cloud may even move, if the creating
Kindred wishes, though this requires complete concentration.
System: The player rolls Manipulation + Occult
(difficulty 7). Success on the roll generates darkness
roughly 10 feet (three meters) in diameter, though
the amorphous cloud constantly shifts and undulates,
sometimes even extending shadowy tendrils. Each
additional success doubles the diameter of the cloud
(though the vampire may voluntarily reduce the area
she wishes to cover). The cloud may be invoked at
a distance of up to 50 yards/meters, though creating
darkness outside the vampire’s line of sight adds two
to the difficulty of the roll and requires a blood point’s
expenditure.
The tarry mass actually extinguishes light sources it
engulfs (with the exception of fire), and muffles sounds
until they are indistinguishable. Those within the
cloud lose all sense of sight and feel as though they’ve
been immersed in pitch. Sound also warps and distorts
within the cloud, making it nearly impossible to accomplish
anything (+2 difficulty, as per Blind Fighting
on p. 274). Even those possessed of Heightened
Senses, Eyes of the Beast, Tongue of the Asp, and similar
powers suffer the penalty for blindness due to the
unnatural darkness. Additionally, being surrounded by
the Shroud of Night reduces Stamina-based dice pools
by two dice, as the murk smothers and agitates the victims.
This effect is not cumulative with Shadow Play,
although targets asphyxiate as per Shadow Play if they
reach 0 Stamina; more than one unfortunate mortal
has “drowned” in darkness.
Mortals and animals surrounded by the Shroud
of Night must make Courage rolls per Shadow Play,
above, or panic and flee.

••• Arms of the Abyss
Refining his control over darkness, the Kindred can
create prehensile tentacles that emerge from patches of
dim lighting. These tentacles may grasp, restrain, and
constrict foes.
System: The player spends a blood point and makes
a simple (never extended) Manipulation + Occult roll
(difficulty 7); each success enables the creation of a
single tentacle. Each tentacle is six feet (two meters)
long and possesses Strength and Dexterity ratings equal
to the invoking vampire’s Obtenebration Trait — Potence
and Celerity dots are added to these Strength and
Dexterity ratings, respectively. If the vampire chooses,
she may spend a blood point either to increase a single
tentacle’s Strength or Dexterity by one or to extend its
length by another six feet or two meters. Each tentacle
has four health levels, is affected by fire and sunlight
as if it were a vampire, and soaks bashing and lethal
damage using the vampire’s Stamina + Fortitude. Aggravated
damage may not be soaked.
Tentacles may constrict foes, inflicting (Strength +1)
lethal damage per turn. Breaking the grasp of a tentacle
requires the victim to win a resisted Strength roll
against the tentacle (difficulty 6 for each). However,
tentacles cannot be used for any kind of manipulation,
such as typing or driving.
All tentacles need not emanate from the same source
— so long as there are multiple patches of suitable
darkness, there are sources for the Arms of the Abyss.
Controlling the tentacles does not require complete
concentration; if the Kindred is not incapacitated or
in torpor, she may control tentacles while carrying out
other actions.

•••• Black Metamorphosis
The Cainite calls upon his inner darkness and infuses
himself with it, becoming a monstrous hybrid of
matter and shadow. His body becomes mottled with
spots of tenebrous shade, and wispy tentacles extrude
from his torso and abdomen. Though still humanoid,
the vampire takes on an almost demonic appearance,
as the darkness within him bubbles to the surface.
System: The player spends two blood points and
makes a Manipulation + Courage roll (difficulty 7) —
vampires of lower Generation may have to take two
turns to make the transition. Failure indicates the vampire
cannot undergo the Black Metamorphosis (though
he spends the blood points nonetheless). A botch inflicts
two unsoakable health levels of lethal damage on
the vampire as darkness ravages his undead body.
While under the effects of the Black Metamorphosis,
the vampire possesses four tentacles similar to those
evoked via Arms of the Abyss (though their Strength
and Dexterity ratings are equal to the vampire’s own
Attributes, including dice from Celerity and Potence).
These tentacles, combined with the bands of darkness
all over the Kindred’s body, subtract two dice from the
Stamina and soak dice pools of opponents physically
touched in combat, for as long as the vampire remains
in contact with the victim. This is not cumulative
with other powers in Obtenebration, although targets
can asphyxiate at Stamina 0, as per Shadow Play. The
vampire may make an additional attack without penalty
by using the tentacles (for a total of two attacks,
not one additional attack per tentacle). Additionally,
the vampire can sense his surroundings fully even in
pitch darkness.
The vampire’s head and extremities sometimes appear
to fade away into nothingness, while at other
times they seem swathed in otherworldly darkness.
This, combined with the wriggling tentacles writhing
from his body, creates an unsettling sight. Mortals, animals,
and other creatures not accustomed to this sort
of display must make Courage rolls (difficulty 8) or succumb
to a panic that amounts to Rötschreck (though
it is inspired by the darkness rather than fire). Many
Kindred cultivate this devilish aspect, and the Black
Metamorphosis adds three dice to the invoking Kindred’s
Intimidation dice pools.

••••• Tenebrous Form
At this level, the Kindred’s mastery of darkness is so
extensive that she may physically become it. Upon activation
of this power, the vampire becomes an inky,
amoeboid patch of shadow. Vampires in this form are
practically invulnerable and may slither through cracks
and crevices. In addition, the shadow-vampire gains
the ability to see in natural darkness.
System: The transformation costs three blood points
(which may need to occur over three turns, depending
on the vampire’s Generation). The vampire is immune
to physical attacks while in the tenebrous form
(though she still takes aggravated damage from fire and
sunlight), but may not herself physically attack. She
may, however, envelop and ooze over others, affecting
them in the same manner as a Shroud of Night,
in addition to using mental Disciplines. Vampires in
Tenebrous Form may even slither up walls and across
ceilings or “drip” darkness upward — they have no
mass and are thus unaffected by gravity. Rötschreck
difficulties from fire and sunlight do increase by one for
vampires in this form, as the light is even more painful
to their shadowy bodies.
Mortals (and others not used to such displays) who
witness the vampire transform into unholy shadow require
Courage rolls (difficulty 8) in order to avoid the debilitating
terror described under Black Metamorphosis.

••••• • The Darkness Within
This power allows the Cainite to call forth the darkness
contained in her black soul. This enormous, turbulent
shadow vomits from the vampire’s mouth, though
some vampires are said to cut themselves and let the
blackness seep from their veins. The shadow-cloud engulfs
a chosen target, burning it with a soul-scarring
chill and siphoning its blood away in torrents.
System: The player makes a Willpower roll (difficulty
6) and spends a blood point. The resulting shadow
envelops the target and, though it does not physically
harm the victim, it may strike terror into him. Individuals
observing the Darkness Within, whether as targets
or onlookers, may suffer from the terror described
under Black Metamorphosis, unless they are already
familiar with the Kindred’s power.
Individuals touched by The Darkness Within lose one
point of blood per turn, though targets may resist this effect
by succeeding on a Stamina roll (difficulty 6) each
turn the target remains in contact with the cloud.
The Cainite invoking The Darkness Within must
devote all her attention to maintaining the cloud. If
the vampire is attacked, the darkness immediately returns
to her through whatever orifice it originated. The
Cainite can summon the darkness back at any time,
gaining a number of blood points equal to one-half the
number the shadow siphoned from its victims (round
up). Taking blood from another in this fashion is similar
to drinking from that vampire, and blood bonds
may result. Additionally, the Darkness Within may
take blood from only one individual per turn, though it
may be in contact with many.

••••• • Shadowstep
The vampire has such fine control over the darkness
that he may become it briefly and reform himself from
other darkness close by. The vampire may Shadowstep
through walls, floors, and even mystical barriers. The
Cainite simply steps “into” a shadow and re-emerges
from another shadow a short distance away (or next to
the barrier, if there is no shadow on the other side).
System: The player rolls Dexterity + Occult, and on
a successful roll, the character may emerge from another
shadow no more than 50 feet (or 15 meters) away.
Failing the roll means simply that the character cannot
step through the shadow-realm, while a botch signifies
the character has become trapped between shadows
(which fiendish Storytellers should have a heyday
with). Pulling another individual through the shadow
requires a Strength + Occult roll, with consequences
for failure similar to failing by oneself.

••••• •• Shadow Twin
The vampire’s control over darkness has progressed
to such a degree that he may bestow upon it a limited
degree of sentience. By animating his own shadow
or that of another, the Cainite can actually “free” the
shadow cast by light. While this power is active, the
subject casts no shadow, as it has left to pursue the
vampire’s commands.
This power can unnerve mortals and even a few inexperienced
vampires. The Kindred wielding Obtenebration
commands the individual’s shadow; some vampires
report having seen mortals literally scared to death, as
their shadows leapt away to taunt or menace them.
System: The player spends a blood point and makes
a Willpower roll (difficulty 8). If the roll succeeds, the
shadow springs to unholy freedom for one hour per
success (though it disappears at sunrise regardless of
how many successes the vampire had). The Shadow
Twin has Attribute and Ability ratings equal to half
those of its parent body; they won’t do much talking
or thinking, so Mental and Social Traits don’t matter
much, though Wits may come into play. Additionally,
the Shadow Twin has an Obtenebration score equal
to one-half of that of the vampire who animated it
(rounded down). Mortals and vampires unused to Obtenebration
require a Courage roll upon witnessing
this, as per Shadow Play.
The twin may separate itself from the parent and
travel up to 50 feet or 15 meters away, crawling
through crevices or sliding up walls. It may attack and
be attacked, though it takes and does only half damage
(again, round down). Flame and supernatural attacks
(such as vampire fangs, mystical powers, etc.) do
full damage. If the Shadow Twin is killed, its parent
loses half her Willpower points and must roll to avoid
Rötschreck (difficulty 9).

••••• ••• Oubliette
By creating a “chamber” of pure darkness, the Cainite
may entrap or smother her enemies. No air exists
in this shadow-trap, and mortals suffocate within its
chilling void. Even vampires have little recourse once
trapped — they may leave only at their captor’s whim.
The Oubliette appears as a dense patch of shadow, unaffected
by ambient light around it.
System: The vampire spends a blood point, but no
roll is necessary to create the Oubliette. To actually
create the Oubliette around someone requires a contested
Wits + Larceny roll against the target’s Dexterity
+ Occult (difficulty 7 for both rolls). Mortals suffocate
within a number of minutes equal to their Stamina
(though the Lasombra may choose to leave their heads
exposed or trap a quantity of air inside as well), while
vampires are simply suspended impotently in darkness
and may not use Disciplines or take other actions. The
Oubliette vanishes instantly when touched by sunlight
— which has left more than one vampire exposed to the
sun’s unforgiving rays — or when the Kindred chooses
to relax it. A vampire may maintain only one Oubliette
at a time (which can only contain one target at a time),
which leads some Cainite philosophers to argue that it
is a prison created from the vampire’s very soul.

••••• •••• Ahriman’s Demesne
This power allows the vampire to summon a darkness
so oppressive that it extinguishes the light of life
— or unlife — of any victim trapped within it. Ahriman’s
Demesne creates a 50-foot (or 15-meter) radius
of void that issues from the Cainite’s hand and takes
away the bodies of those it claims when it vanishes.
The overwhelming darkness destroys friend and foe
alike, claiming anyone unfortunate enough to be within
its circumference.
System: The player spends two points of Willpower
and concentrates for three turns. During this time, the
blackness billows out of the character’s hand, growing
to fill the area. At the end of the third turn, the player
rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 6). Everyone
in the darkness’ area suffers that many health levels of
damage (aggravated, if the victims are vampires) outright
— six successes yield six levels of damage, not
six dice of damage. After Ahriman’s Demesne does its
damage, it collapses, taking with it the bodies of any
who died when they came in contact with the dreadful
shadow.