THANATOSIS

This Discipline is an exclusive development of the
Samedi bloodline, and it is tied intrinsically to the
Stiffs’ identity and history. Although Thanatosis appears
to deal closely with death and the energies of
decay, no Giovanni have ever claimed mastery of this
power. Outsiders assume the Giovanni must be interested
in learning this Discipline. However, the Giovanni
view the Samedi with distrust and loathing,
while the Samedi take on the Giovanni is usually expressed
by muttering a curse on the Clan and spitting
blood. Thus, the possibility of an exchange of information
approaches nil.

• Hag’s Wrinkles
Perpetual rot makes the character’s flesh malleable.
The Samedi can open large folds in her flesh, storing
objects in them like a kangaroo’s pouch. She can also
massage the slimy flaps of fatty tissue to alter her appearance
slightly (though this does nothing for the
smell). Other Kindred can learn this Discipline, of
course, but if they do not possess the “advantage” of
having skin that already falls in droops and folds, large
wrinkles and bulges may be visible.
System: This power requires one turn to shape the
wrinkles and the expenditure of a blood point. If the
power is used to distort a character’s features, the
Samedi player must roll Stamina + Subterfuge (difficulty
8). Success raises the difficulty to visually identify
the character by one and lasts for one hour per success
rolled. If the character is attempting to hide a small
object (a wallet, a letter, a small pistol), the roll and
duration are the same, but all rolls made to see if the
object is detected (for example, a pat-down search or a
security guard’s visual inspection) are at +2 difficulty.

•• Putrefaction
The character can, with a touch, inflict decay upon
a target. Hair falls out, teeth loosen, flesh rots and fungus
grows on the skin. This power works on targets living
and undead, and is obviously quite unsettling both
physically and psychologically.
System: This power first requires that the character
touch his intended target. The player then rolls Dexterity
+ Medicine (difficulty of the target’s Stamina +
Fortitude) and spends a blood point. Success inflicts
one health level of lethal damage on the target and
removes one point of the victim’s Appearance. This
Appearance loss returns to vampires at the rate of one
point per night, but is permanent for mortals (though
plastic surgery can correct mortals’ physical disfigurement).
If a mortal suffers three or more health levels of
damage from repeated uses of this power in one scene,
gangrene or other ailments may occur.
Putrefaction can also be used on plants, in which
case the target becomes blighted and withered. It cannot,
however, be used on inanimate objects such as
cars or wooden stakes.

••• Ashes to Ashes
The character collapses into a thick, sticky white
powder. While in this form, the character cannot move
and is only dimly aware of her surroundings, but is immune
to fire and sunlight (meaning that this power is
an effective escape in some situations). The character
must take care, though — if the ashes are scattered, she
might never be able to reform.
System: The transformation to ashes requires one
turn and the expenditure of two blood points. While
the character is in ash form, the player must make a
Perception + Alertness roll (difficulty 9) for any scene
in which she wishes her character to be aware of her
surroundings. Reforming from the heap of ashes takes
one turn. If the character is in a confined space (such
as an urn), she explodes from it in a suitably dramatic
manner as she brings herself back to full size. If a Samedi
is scattered while in this form, one health level and
one blood point are lost for each tenth (roughly) of the
character that has been dissipated. Five blood points
are required to heal each health level lost in this manner.
At the Storyteller’s discretion, the Samedi may be
missing limbs or vital organs (though never the head or
the heart) until the missing health levels are healed.

•••• Withering
The Stiff can shrivel and render useless an opponent’s
limb. This power works on Kindred as well as
mortals. Kindred, of course, are horrified by the power,
as they tend to think of their bodies as immortal and
invulnerable to such ravages.
System: The Samedi must touch the limb he intends
to shrivel. The player spends a Willpower point and
rolls Manipulation + Medicine (difficulty equal to the
victim’s Stamina + Fortitude). Three successes are required
for this power to shrink a limb. With one or two
successes, the victim takes one health level of bashing
damage, which may be soaked normally, but is otherwise
unaffected. (If the Withering attempt is successful,
the subject suffers no health level of damage, but
rather the withering of the limb itself.)
The effects of Withering fade after one night if a vampire
or other supernatural creature is the victim, but mortals
(including mages) are permanently afflicted unless
some type of supernatural healing is used. If this power
is used on an arm or leg, the limb instantly becomes useless.
If this power is used on an opponent’s head, mortal
victims die instantly. Kindred lose two points from all
Mental Attributes while their heads are shrunken and
are unable to use any Disciplines except Celerity, Fortitude,
and Potence. Multiple uses of this power on the
same appendage have no additional effect.

••••• Necrosis
A more horrific and potent form of Putrefaction, this
power causes flesh to decay and slough off, exposing
the bone beneath. Use of this power can render an opponent
unable to move from lack of muscle tissue.
System: The Samedi must make contact with the
victim. The player spends two blood points and rolls
Dexterity + Medicine (difficulty of the target’s Stamina
+ Fortitude). The victim takes a number of health levels
of lethal damage equal to the number of successes
rolled and suffers additional effects as listed below.
Successes - Effects
1 success - No additional effects
2 successes - Lose one point of Appearance
3 successes - Lose a point each of Appearance and
Dexterity
4 successes - Lose a point each of Appearance,
Dexterity, and Strength
5+ successes - Lose two points of Appearance and
one each of Dexterity and Strength
Attributes lost in this manner are regained when all
damage from the Necrosis attack is healed. If a victim
is reduced to zero Strength or Dexterity, he is unable
to move except for weak flailing and crawling but may
still use Disciplines and spend blood points normally.

••••• • Creeping Infection
Rumors state that Samedi, especially elders, are infectious,
that their presence or touch causes a wasting
disease. This power might be the source of these
rumors. Creeping Infection allows the Samedi to use
Putrefaction, Withering, or Necrosis, but prevent the
Discipline from taking effect until the Samedi is well
away. This power allows for subtle curses, or insurance
against someone who might hire the Samedi and then
refuse to pay up.
System: The player must successfully roll for a use
of Putrefaction, Withering, or Necrosis, as above, and
may delay the effect for a number of months equal to
the Samedi’s Stamina. The player may spend a blood
point at any time during this period in order to activate
the dormant power. If the Creeping Infection is not
used before the end of its duration, it fades away with
no effect.

••••• •• Dust to Dust
With this power, the Samedi retains cohesion, awareness,
and mobility while in ash form. While not as impressive
as the Tzimisce Horrid Form, a clever Stiff can
find many tactical uses for such a power.
System: While a pile of ash, the Samedi remains fully
conscious and may use any Discipline powers that being
a pile of dust would permit (for instance, Majesty will
make the pile of dust very impressive, and no maid in
her right mind would dare sweep it up). The character
cannot be blown apart by high winds, and any deliberate
attempt to separate the pile of ash may be resisted
with a die pool equaling the character’s combined
Strength, Stamina, Potence, and Fortitude. The character
may move voluntarily at a speed no higher than
that at which a pile of normal dust would be blown by
the wind, even if he is indoors. He does not have to
move in the direction of the prevailing air currents, and
may “flatten” himself by spreading his ashes thinly so
as to slip under doors and through cracks. This power
functions like Ashes to Ashes in all other respects.

••••• ••• Putrescent Servitude
The practice of creating zombified servants is an old
one in vodoun, though most powerful Samedi can perform
feats of reanimation that put the finest houngan
to shame. The Stiff can raise a recently dead person as
an undead servant. The zombie can’t think critically or
move faster than a quick walk, but it is tough, strong,
and unquestioningly loyal.
System: The first application of this power allows
the Samedi to feed some of her blood to a recently dead
corpse (maximum time since death equal to the Samedi’s
Stamina in weeks) in order to animate it. Three
blood points must be spent to bring the corpse back to
a semblance of life. A reanimated corpse has the same
Physical Attributes as it did in life. It is capable of limited
reasoning (reduce all Mental Attributes by one),
but free thought is beyond it and the only person it can
clearly understand is its master or an individual who
its master has directed it to obey. Reanimated corpses
possess two levels of Fortitude and three extra health
levels. They suffer no dice pool penalties from wounds
until they lose their last health level, at which point
they collapse and cannot be reanimated again.
A reanimated corpse crumbles to dust at the third
sunrise after its creation. Its “lifespan” can be extended
by feeding it more blood at creation — one blood point
per extra night.
This power can also be used on a mortal. The Samedi
creates a ghoul in the normal fashion, by feeding the
subject one blood point. The player then rolls Manipulation
+ Medicine (difficulty equal to the mortal’s permanent Willpower).
Three or more successes are required
to turn the mortal into a zombie. If this roll succeeds,
the mortal loses all free will, becoming completely subjugated
to the Samedi’s command. The mortal may try
to break free once per night by rolling his Willpower
(difficulty equal to the Samedi’s Manipulation + Leadership).
If the mortal frees himself, he is still considered
a ghoul but regains his free will and normal Mental and
Social Attributes (see below). A mortal who botches
his Willpower roll or who becomes blood-bound to the
Samedi may never again attempt to break free.
A mortal under the influence of Putrescent Servitude
becomes pale and corpselike. He loses one point from
all Social and Mental Attributes (to a minimum value
of one). He gains three extra health levels and takes
no dice pool penalties from injuries until he reaches
Incapacitated, at which point he collapses. One more
lethal wound will kill him once he reaches this point.
The mortal also gains one level of Potence, as a normal
ghoul would, and has the potential to learn other Disciplines
if the Samedi feels inclined to teach him.
A ghoul zombie who goes a month without vampiric
blood loses all benefits of being a ghoul, as would
normally occur. He also loses all effects of this power
and regains his free will, though he may still be bloodbound
to his master.