Discipline Powers

Implanted Opinion (Dominate ••••• •)
Dominate usually focuses on giving the target specific
orders. Using this power, a vampire can instill a feeling,
opinion, or even a personality trait the victim will believe
is their own. He might be told he loves modern art, hates
his new neighbors, or that aliens are looking to abduct
him. He can be given new political or religious beliefs,
suddenly becoming a dedicated liberal or a born-again
Christian (although in the latter case he don’t gain real
faith; he just decides to follow the tenets of a faith). He
might even be given bigoted views, making him racist
or sexist, or he may be cured of such opinions. Unlike
Conditioning, the vampire has little connection to the
target, and can use him as an agent to steer policies to her
design without needing to explain her plans.
System: When attempting to implant a new belief,
opinion, or following, the vampire makes a Charisma +
Leadership roll at a difficulty equal to the target’s current
Willpower. The Storyteller may insist on a certain number
of successes, depending on how contrary to the subject’s
original beliefs the new opinion is. Once instilled, the
new belief is very hard to remove. If the subject remains
for months in an environment conducive to their old
opinion, he may be granted Willpower rolls for the old
beliefs to reassert themselves.

Memory Block (Dominate ••••• •)
This variant of The Forgetful Mind (V20, pp. 153-154)
allows the vampire to stop a dominated subject talking about
or revealing specific information without forgetting it. When
questioned about the memory or detail, the victim will evade
the question without even noticing she is doing it. If pressed,
she will discover he cannot say out loud or even write down
the blocked information. This is very useful when a servant
needs to possess classified data, but the vampire wants to be
certain she cannot reveal it, even under torture.
System: As with The Forgetful Mind, the vampire makes
a Wits + Subterfuge roll (difficulty equal to the target’s
current Willpower). If successful, the memory is locked
for a duration dependent on the amount of successes.
Another vampire can unlock it with Dominate by making
a Wits + Empathy roll. The subject of this power may
make a Willpower roll (at a difficulty equal to the original
vampire’s Dominate rating) if he tries to answer a specific
question about the blocked memory.
Successes - Result
1 Success - One hour
2 Successes - One day
3 Successes - One week
4 Successes - One month
5 Successes - One year

Shadow Perspective (Obtenebration ••••• •)
Using this ability, the vampire can potentially observe
anything done near the shadows. She shifts her perception
from the shadows she is standing in to a nearby shadow.
She can choose to shift any or all of her senses across to
that area as if she were actually standing there. Should
she move all her senses, it will be as if she is standing in
the other shadow, but she would not even feel an attack
made on her own body.
System: The vampire must be in line of sight to the
shadow she wishes to shift her perception to, and spend
a blood point for each sense she moves. She may only
shift her sensory perceptions (touch, taste, sight, smell,
or hearing), and cannot affect the area with any other
powers she cannot already use from where she is currently
standing. However, by shifting sight she can change her
options for any line-of-sight effects. She must stand in
shadow for the power to work, and there must be shadow
at the area she shifts her perceptions to.
She may attempt to shift perception to an area she
cannot see but knows very well. If she does so, she must
also make a Perception + Awareness roll (difficulty 9) to
succeed. If there are no shadows at the area in question, the
power will not work, but the blood points are still spent.

Shadow Lair (Obtenebration ••••• ••)
This power is an advancement on Shadowstep (V20, p.
191), effectively allowing the vampire to pause mid-step.
She enters a dark realm outside existence, where she is
unaware of what might be occurring in the real world.
Just as nothing can see the vampire here, she also can’t
see anything outside the void.
System: Using Shadowstep the vampire enters the
shadows, but may spend a blood point to delay her exit
for up to an hour. At the end of that hour, she may spend
another blood point to remain for another hour or return
to the real world. If she returns to the world in a different
shadow, she must make a Dexterity + Occult roll as with
Shadowstep, but there is no roll if she returns to where
she entered. The vampire can take others into shadow in
the same way as Shadowstep, as long as they are willing.
They do not need spend any blood points, but if they lose
contact with the vampire, they are lost in shadow forever.

Shadow Watchtower (Obtenebration ••••• •••)
Using this ability, the vampire can merge so fully with the
shadow she becomes part of it. While standing in shadow
she seems to dissolve, vanishing into the darkness. While
merged in the shadow she is almost indestructible, and can see
everything going on around her as if she were standing there.
System: This power is an advanced version of Tenebrous
Form (V20, pp. 190-191). Like Tenebrous Form, it takes
three blood points to assume the form of the Shadow
Watchtower, and there must be a nearby shadow to merge
with. The vampire becomes part of the area, but can shift to
another shadowed area if she desires. If she has no shadow
to merge with or move to, she returns to her physical form.
When merged, she becomes a true shadow and cannot be
detected as anything but an indistinct shadow in the corner.
She also takes no damage, normal or aggravated, from
anything except sunlight (which is still aggravated damage).

Immovable Object (Potence ••••• ••)
The vampire’s strength is such that her force of will alone
is enough to make her an immovable object, whether or
not she has something to hold on to. She can lock herself
in place, clinging onto where she stands with the power
of her mind. Using this ability, she can resist any attempt
to shift her by telekinesis or physical strength. She digs in,
holding herself in place with her will alone.
System: If the vampire spends a Willpower point and
is standing on a solid surface, she cannot be moved. She
might be hit by a truck or a train and not budge an inch
(although she will take some hefty damage!). The only
way to move her is to destroy the surface she is standing
on. This will work if she is on a bridge, but blasting the
ground will just leave her standing at the bottom of a crater.


Combination Disciplines

Armor of the Abyss (Obtenebration •••, Fortitude •••)
When the vampire calls on this power, strands of darkness
weave around him and solidify into a dark suit of armor.
The vampire is completely encased in shadow, but able
to see out of it as if it wasn’t there.
System: This power is invoked in much the same way
as Arms of the Abyss (V20, p. 189), by spending a blood
point and making a Manipulation + Occult roll (difficulty
7). If successful, the strands of shadow encase the vampire
instead of reaching out. This cloak of shadow fully protects
the vampire but does not encumber him in any way,
conferring no penalty. It grants him an armor rating equal
to his Fortitude and lasts for 3 rounds (or ten minutes)
for each success gained on the activation roll.
This power costs 18 experience points to learn.

Empower Minion (Dominate •••, Potence •••)
Using this ability, the vampire can pass his immortal
strength on to those who serve him. No matter how far apart
they are, the bond of command allows the vampire to channel
his Potence to his servant to assist her in doing his will.
System: Any allies currently under the control of the
vampire’s Dominate power may act with a portion of the
vampire’s Potence. The vampire must spend one blood point
per point of Potence for each thrall he wishes to empower,
up to a maximum of three dots of Potence per thrall (the
vampire can spend blood over successive turns, as long as the
Dominate power is in effect). If the target already has Potence,
the controller’s Potence level replaces it instead of adding to it.
This power costs 18 experience points to learn.

Fear of the Dark (Presence ••, Obtenebration ••)
With a mixture of Dominate and Shadowplay, the
vampire using this ability can inspire a terrible fear of the
shadows in his target. Those caught in this effect find their
paranoia runs rampant, as fearful shapes seems to form
in the shadows around them in the corner of their eye.
System: The vampire invokes Shadow Play (V20, pp.
188-189), and then makes a Manipulation + Intimidation
roll, (difficulty 6). For each success, the vampire may force
one person (mortal or supernatural) in the immediate
vicinity to see frightening shapes within the shadows
around them. If the target fails a Courage check at difficulty
8, she runs in terror.
This power costs 12 experience points to learn.

Mind Strike (Dominate ••, Potence ••)
By focusing his mental power, the vampire can channel
their Potence into a powerful mental attack that does real
damage to the victim. He simply meets his victim’s gaze
and delivers a strike into her very mind.
System: This power costs a Willpower point to use and
requires eye contact (V20, p. 152). The vampire makes
a Manipulation + Intimidation roll (without any bonus
from Shadow Play — see V20, pp. 188-189) against a
difficulty of the victim’s current Willpower. The amount
of successes are added to the vampire’s Potence rating and
become bashing damage to the victim. Normal soak rolls
apply. As with many Dominate powers, targets of a lower
Generation are immune to its use.
This power costs 12 experience points to learn.

Shadow Mark (Dominate •••, Obtenebration ••••• •)
Shadowstep (V20, p. 191) only allows the vampire to
move between shadows. However, with this power he can
mark those he Dominates and use any shadow they are
standing in instead.
System: This power allows the vampire attempting
Shadowstep to step to one of his Dominated minions
instead of another shadowy area. The minion must be
standing in shadow himself or the power will not work,
but otherwise distance is no object: the vampire simply
appears out of the nearby shadow. There is no additional
roll or expenditure when making such a Shadowstep,
although the difficulty is one level higher.
This power costs 27 experience points to learn.

Shroud of Absence (Obfuscate •••, Obtenebration •••)
This variant of Shroud of Night (V20, p. 189) creates not
just an area of shadow, but also an area no one looks at. It
is effectively a cloak of invisibility, an area any bystander
will simply ignore. To look inside the cloak of deception
requires a powerful act of will.
System: The use of this power requires a blood point
and a roll of Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 7). If
successful, an area about ten feet/3 meters across within
the vampire’s line of sight is cloaked. The cloaked area
can be moved at a normal walking pace and lasts for an
hour for each success. Anyone wishing to look into the
cloaked area must make a Willpower roll (difficulty 7)
and score more successes than the vampire did to create
the area. If she succeeds, she can see through the cloak
as if it wasn’t there.
This power costs 18 experience points to learn.


Abyss Mysticism

As the Lasombra delved deeper into the secrets of
Obtenebration, they discovered it drew power from a dark
realm of shadows called the Abyss. Mystics within the
Clan began to study this secret realm to unlock its secrets,
and through this developed the art of Abyss Mysticism.
The Lasombra keep this power secret from the rest of the
Sabbat, as the creatures they summon and control with it
are as dark as they are mysterious.
Abyss Mysticism is difficult and time consuming to learn,
and comes at a cost. Its rituals often have side effects that create
Flaws the character cannot remove that provide no bonus
points. To learn the power, a vampire must have at least one
dot in both Obtenebration and Occult. She may not learn any
Abyss rituals higher than the lowest of her Obtenebration or
Occult ratings, and each ritual costs a number of experience
points equal to three times the ritual’s level.
Abyss rituals are cast using a Wits + Occult roll. The
difficulty is 3 + the level of the ritual being cast. Only one
success is required to cast the ritual, but the Storyteller
is encouraged to make the penalties for failure especially
horrifying.
(More detail on Abyss Mysticism can be found in Rites
of Blood, pp. 37-39.)

Light within Shadow
(Level One Ritual)
One of the first powers a savant of darkness learns is
the ability to see in darkness. Using this ritual, the mystic
summons up a ball of shadow and stares into it for so long
that her eyes permanently attune themselves to the dark.
System: Upon successful casting this ritual, the Lasombra
summons into her hand a sphere of pure shadow. As she
stares into the sphere, she makes a Perception + Occult
(difficulty 8) roll. If the roll is successful, she permanently
gains the Controllable Night Sight Merit (see p. 122). If
they fail, they may try again the next night, but if they
botch they permanently gain the Uncontrollable Night
Sight Flaw (p. 123).
Side Effect: Whenever the vampire uses her new vision,
her eyes become disturbing inky black pits of shadow.
If she has no control over her sight, her eyes will always
look like this.

Comforting Darkness
(Level Two Ritual)
The Abyss can heal as well as harm. Using this power,
the vampire draws darkness into herself and uses it to heal
her wounds. However, there is a price to be paid, and the
Abyss will claim it in blood.
System: Once this ritual is cast, the vampire spends
a Willpower point and makes a Stamina + Occult roll
(difficulty 8). If she botches, the darkness burns them, and
she takes an aggravated level of damage. If she succeeds, she
may then spend one blood point for each success, regardless
of Generational limits. For each blood point she spends in
this way, she may heal two levels of bashing or lethal damage.
Unfortunately there is an additional cost before the darkness
inside is sated. All blood the vampire consumes feeds the
dark inside, not even entering her own system. This goes
on until twice as much blood has been consumed as was
originally spent. Until this cost is paid, the Cainite cannot
use this ritual again. It can also only be used once each night.
Side Effect: The taint of darkness never leaves the caster’s
blood, turning it a dark ruddy hue, almost black, forever.

Claiming the Dark
(Level Three Ritual)
This ritual allows the caster to merge with the shadows,
drawing the power of the Abyss into herself. However, the
cost for this power, as always, is blood.
System: When casting this ritual, the vampire cuts
herself open with a knife and draws the surrounding
shadows into her own body. The process takes an hour
and is very painful, subtracting two dice from any rolls the
Cainite makes for the duration. After this torment, the
vampire makes a Manipulation + Occult roll (difficulty 8)
to hold the power of the shadows inside her. If she fails,
the shadows escape her, and if she botches, the shadows
take a blood point for each 1 rolled as well.
If she succeeds, her skin turns dark and her eyes become
black. All her physical attributes rise to the level of their
Obtenebration if they are lower. Obtenebration powers up
to level three are used at -2 difficulty, and the blood point
cost for Arms of the Abyss is halved. This augmentation
lasts for as long as the vampire desires.
Unfortunately, upon rising from slumber each night, the
vampire in this condition must pay an additional blood
point cost equal to their Obtenebration rating. Should
she fail to do so, she returns to normal. In her augmented
form, she is also more vulnerable to sunlight and takes
triple damage from it. Her Appearance also drops by one
point while empowered.
Side Effect: Should the vampire spend more consecutive
days in this form than her highest Virtue, her skin begins
to darken permanently, in a similar way to elder Assamites.

Vision of Shadow
(Level Four Ritual)
There are shadows everywhere, and with this power, the
mystic can use them to observe her enemies without their
notice. Using the Obtenebration power, the Cainite calls
up a ball of shadows and uses it like a crystal ball to see
what her enemies are up to several miles away.
System: The vampire makes a casting roll to call up a
ball of shadow that she will use to scry on a target. If the
caster fails the roll nothing happens, but a botch leaves
her confused and disoriented, suffering –2 to all dice
pools for the rest of the scene.
The Cainite then concentrates on a person or location
she has previously seen. As she does so, the shadow ball
will become clear to reveal a vision of that place or person
at that very moment, complete with sound. There must be
shadows near the target, and the vision will come from the
most optimal position in these shadows. The vision can be
anywhere within a radius of the caster’s Obtenebration +
Occult in miles, or 1.5 times that number in kilometers.
The vision lasts for a scene, or until the target leaves
the area. If the target has the ability to sense such scrying
(such as with Auspex or a similar power), he can attempt
a Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 8) to know he is
being watched.
Side Effect: Looking too far into the distance makes the
Cainite less aware of what is happening right under her
nose. For the rest of the night after successfully casting
this ritual, she suffers -2 to all Alertness checks to notice
nearby events.

Commune with the Abyss
(Level Five Ritual)
The Abyss listens. It is a place of secrets, and they say
it hears every whisper ever spoken. With this power, the
mystic infuses herself with the shadow so completely that
their minds become one. Once joined, the petitioner can
ask one question of the darkness, which for once cannot
hide the answer.
System: By casting this ritual, the vampire draws into
herself the surrounding shadows and darkness. Once they
are gone, the vampire falls into a deep torpor-like sleep
from which she cannot awaken. The character may then ask
one question, which may be as mundane or as complicated
as she desires. The Storyteller gives this question a rating
based on how obscure or difficult it might be to answer,
from one to ten. The rating may even be higher than ten
if the question is truly momentous.
Each night the vampire remains in their torpid slumber,
she rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 9) and keeps a
note of her cumulative successes. Once the amount of
successes equals the rating of the question, the vampire
awakes suddenly knowing the answer. This answer will
be true and complete, and not hidden in a riddle. The
Abyss only hides the truth; it does not confuse it or guard
it jealously.
Should the vampire fail to gain any successes on one of
the rolls, the interval between making rolls moves from days
to weeks. Continued failure moves this interval from weeks
to months, to years, millennia, and even further. It is said
that ancient mystics have lain for centuries contemplating
the ultimate questions of the universe. There may even
be Gehenna cults that await their awakening.
Side Effect: The touch of shadow never leaves those
who have communed with it in this way. After each use
of this ritual, the vampire reduces all Intimidation roll
difficulties by one, but increases her Social roll difficulties
with non-Abyss Mystics by one as well. These modifiers are
cumulative and gradually divorce the vampire from those
not comfortable with the shadow. They also permanently
gain the Nightmares Flaw (V20, p. 485).