ASSAMITE SORCERY

From a purely functional standpoint, the blood magic
that the Assamite sorcerer caste practices differs little
from that wielded by the Tremere. From a philosophical
perspective, however, worlds of difference separate
the two. The Tremere force every piece of knowledge
they incorporate into the structured, rigid framework
of high Hermetic invocation. By contrast, the sorcerer
caste’s practices are the result of millennia of adaptation
and melding, and are too disparate to be considered
“structured” in any real sense. The modern body
of knowledge that is Assamite Sorcery draws its content
from a wide array of magical traditions, from the
ecstatic rites of Kali and Shiva’s followers to the subtle
precision of feng shui to the elegant symbolic and
mathematical transformations of Islamic alchemists
and astronomers.
Assamite Sorcery is mechanically identical to the
more common Thaumaturgy that appears on pp. 212-
240. However, though they work on similar principles
(the use of vampiric vitae to fuel exertions of conscious
will in order to effect change upon the physical or
spiritual world), the two are not cross-compatible. A
Tremere strives to perform his magic the same way, all
the time, every time. An Assamite might never enact
the same ritual the same exact way twice in a millennium.
As may be expected, students of Assamite Sorcery
have great difficulty learning the practices of other
blood magic traditions. All experience points costs to
learn other blood magic paths and rituals are increased
by half (round up) for Assamite sorcerers. In addition,
even once the sorcerer has incorporated these lessons
into her repertoire, they are still alien to her. All invocations
of a “foreign” path require one extra blood
point and all rituals take triple the normal time and
require one extra success for any desired result.

Awakening of the Steel
Although combat mastery is hardly the sorcerer
caste’s primary goal, they have a long tradition of
standing ready to defend themselves and, if need be,
assisting the warrior caste on the battlefield. Awakening
of the Steel is one legacy of this preparedness,
a path that some say began with the alchemists who
studied in the forges of Toledo and Damascus. This set
of techniques focuses on the symbolism of the sword
as the ultimate extension of a trained warrior’s body,
drawing on the myths that various warrior traditions
attached to their swords and daggers: European Crusaders
and their blessed blades, the kris of Indonesian
Pentjak-Silat practitioners, and Indian Ghurkas and
their kukri knives, among others. The practitioner of
Awakening of the Steel focuses on this symbolism as
he uses the power of his blood to enhance his weapon
and his skill.
A student of Awakening of the Steel finds that a
keen understanding of both the form and the function
of a blade is necessary for full mastery of this path. A
character must have a level of either Melee or Crafts
Ability equal to his level in Awakening of the Steel.
Those who practice this path also find that its lessons
are tightly focused, perhaps to the point of overspecialization.
The path is at its most effective with swords
and knives, and the wielder can only extend its effects
to other edged weapons. Any attempt to use a technique
of this path on another edged weapon is at +1
difficulty.

Equivalent Assamite Paths and Rituals
The sorcerers have equivalent teachings for
many common blood magic techniques in
addition to their own unique lessons. The
following list is not an exhaustive coverage
of everything in the Great Library, but it is a
starting point for players and Storytellers who
wish to determine the capabilities of Assamite
sorcerers. Names in parentheses are the names
that the sorcerer caste prefers to use for each
item, if the Assamite name differs from the
commonly accepted one. Paths marked with
an asterisk are usually options for an Assamite
sorcerer to learn as his primary path, provided
his instructor approves.
Paths: The Path of Blood, The Lure of
Flames*, Movement of the Mind*, The Path
of Conjuring, Hands of Destruction
Rituals: Defense of the Sacred Haven (Curtain
of Will), Wake with Evening’s Freshness
(Black Sunrise), Communicate with Kindred
Sire (Speak with Sire), Deflection of Wooden
Doom (Turn the Impaling Shaft), Ward versus
Ghouls, Principal Focus of Vitae Infusion
(Draught of the Pebble), Incorporeal Passage
(Passage of the Ghul), Bone of Lies (Stain of
Guilt)

• Confer with the Blade
Although few Assamites claim to have actually spoken
to a weapon’s soul, blacksmiths and warriors alike
have ascribed spiritual qualities to hand-forged blades
for centuries. Practitioners of Auspex are familiar with
the manner in which inanimate objects can bear impressions
of their own history. Confer with the Blade
allows a weapon’s wielder to delve into the events that
have occurred around his weapon. Some practitioners
of this power claim this makes the weapon feel more
“comfortable” in their hands, while others speak of the
sense of history that an ancient blade bears. The actual
impressions only take an instant to gain, though many
prefer to spend much longer in contemplation if time
permits.
System: The number of successes determines the
amount of information the sorcerer gains regarding the
blade’s history and its present state, as well as all information
yielded by a lesser number of successes. With
three or more successes, the sorcerer may lower the
difficulty on his next attempt to apply a blood-magic
ritual to the weapon by one.
Successes - Result
One success - Physical information only: precise length and weight (to the micrometer and
milligram), chemical composition (assuming the character understands metallurgy),
number of damage dice and type of damage (lethal or aggravated).
Two successes - Historical overview: when and where the blade was forged, the name and face of its
smith, brief glimpses of significant events in its existence.
Three successes - Sorcerous understanding: the type and relative level of power of any enchantments
or supernatural enhancements that the blade possesses as well as the name and face
of the individual who laid them.
Four successes - Subliminal synthesis: comprehensive knowledge of the sword’s history. For the next
seven nights, the character recognizes the taste of any blood that has ever stained
the blade if she tastes it herself.
Five successes - Total communion: The sword and the wielder become linked at a level deeper than
the physical and more enduring than the immediate. The Storyteller determines
what information the sword holds for the character, but it may include any event
in the blade’s history or any aspect of its present existence and condition.

•• Grasp of the Mountain
The best scimitar in all creation does its owner no
good if it’s lying five yards away from him. Grasp of
the Mountain strengthens the spiritual bond between
the sword and the swordsman in order to reinforce the
wielder’s physical grip on his weapon. A blade that
is under the effect of this art never leaves its master’s
hand unless he so wills it.
System: For the rest of the scene, the character has
a number of automatic successes to resist all attempts
to disarm him, equal to the number of successes rolled.
He cannot accidentally drop the blade (which means
his botches are likely to result in self-mutilation instead
of an empty hand). If the character is somehow
disarmed in spite of Grasp of the Mountain, he may
call the blade back to his hand by successfully invoking
this power again, assuming he has a clear line of sight
to the weapon.

••• Pierce Steel’s Skin
At this level of understanding, the sorcerer can command
his blade with such precision that he can strike
at an opponent’s physical protection rather than his
body. The sword transfers its full fury to the intended
target, shredding even the toughest chain or plate. This
strips away the victim’s defenses, leaving him vulnerable
to the next attack. While this power is of limited
utility in modern nights, as traditional armor has fallen
by the wayside, it remains in the path’s progression of
lessons due to its utility in destroying other obstacles.
System: While Pierce Steel’s Skin is in effect, an attack
against an unarmored target inflicts half damage
(rounded down). However, for a number of turns equal
to the number of successes rolled, each successful attack
the character makes against an armored foe inflicts
damage on the target’s body armor rather than injuring
him directly. Only metal armor can be damaged
by this power. When the character makes a successful
attack against an armored target, the player does not
roll damage. Instead, he rolls a number of dice equal
to the sword’s damage bonus (the number of dice that
it adds to his Strength) against a difficulty of 7. Each
success reduces the armor’s soak bonus by one die. Armor
that is reduced to zero soak dice in this manner
is completely destroyed and unsalvageable. Additional
successes beyond those needed to destroy a piece of armor
have no effect.
At the Storyteller’s discretion, Pierce Steel’s Skin
may destroy other inanimate objects (walls, doors, cars,
dramatically appropriate obstacles) without significant
damage to the sword. For the purposes of this power,
Fortitude counts as part of the target’s Stamina, not
external armor.

•••• Razor’s Shield
Many swordsmen hold that the duel is the ultimate
test of the warrior because it places all opponents on an
equal footing: Death is only three feet of steel away, and
only the skill of the combatants determines who walks
away. However, observers who are more pragmatic than
romantic note that an enemy with a ranged weapon
(be it bow, sling, or gun) has the advantage of striking
from much farther away than arm’s length. While
Awakening of the Steel cannot completely counteract
this advantage, this power allows the skilled sorcerer
some measure of defense as the sword interposes itself
between its master and attacks from afar.
System: For a number of turns equal to the number
of successes rolled, the character may attempt to parry
projectiles. This requires one action for each projectile
that the player wishes to block, and the character must
be able to see the shot coming (Heightened Senses allows
visual tracking of bullets). Each parrying attempt
requires a Dexterity + Melee roll, with a difficulty determined
by the speed of the projectile. Thrown objects
have a difficulty of 6, arrows and crossbow bolts a
difficulty of 7, and bullets a difficulty of 9. Each success
subtracts one success from the attacker’s attack roll.
Razor’s Shield does not allow the character to parry
ranged attacks that do not incorporate solid projectiles,
such as flame, lightning, or spat blood.

••••• Strike at the True Flesh
Although pacifists may find other uses for blades, a
warrior knows that swords were created for one purpose:
to carve an enemy’s flesh into bloody ruin. Strike
at the True Flesh invokes the very essence of the sorcerer’s
weapon, reducing it to the embodiment of its
very definition (or, as the more classically minded
would put it, invoking the Platonic form) while simplifying
its target to a similarly basic level. The results
of such an invocation are usually devastating on both a
philosophical and practical level as weapon and victim
momentarily lose all supernatural attributes.
System: The effects of Strike at the True Flesh last
for a number of turns equal to the number of successes
rolled, and they end with the first successful attack that
the character makes within this time period. The sword
inflicts only the base amount of lethal damage that a
weapon of its size and type would normally cause, disregarding
all enhancements that it may have received
(though augmentations to the wielder’s strength or
speed, such as Potence and Celerity, still have their normal
effects, as do extra successes on the attack roll).
However, all the target’s supernatural defenses (including
Fortitude) are likewise negated — he soaks the
attack only with his base Stamina. If the negation of
his powers and defenses renders the target unable to
soak lethal damage, he cannot soak the attack at all.
Body armor does protect against this attack, as it is a
mundane form of defense.

From Marduk’s Throat

(Level Five)
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.