Custom Blood Magic: Path
Some chronicles allow for their players to develop customized powers for their characters. The following is a compilation of player created custom content in OWBN. At this time, custom content that is created and/or used by vampire PC's is required to be listed.
Path of the Velvet Shadow
Masters of Heaven and Earth Ascend the Ladder of Heaven to invoke and create new covenants to gain power from the heavens himself. Almost all ashipu practice the Dur-An-Ki path of Spirit Manipulation. The Path of the Velvet Shadow is the next step in that mastery. While Ascending the Ladder of Heaven allows ones spirit to reach the heavens above, the Path of the Velvet Shadow focuses on physical mastery to reach the heavens. The Path of the Velvet Shadows deals primarily with the High Umbra where the various Heavens of the world exist. One needs to remember that the Heavens, and indeed anywhere in the umbra, is dangerous for a vampire to go. This path is the way for an ashipu to finally be able to face those dangers and attempt to have more direct contact with his gods. While this path deals primarily with the High Umbra, that does not mean it does not deal with other areas of the Umbra or disallow them access to go the other realms. Each Realm has it’s own dangers and troubles. But those risks are for each ashipu to deal with as he chooses.
•Eye of Heaven
As an ashipu the first step in mastering the ladder of heaven and thus the Velvet Shadow itself is to know where you are. The ashipu looks to the stars to learn his place in the world. While the Heavens may change, the stars never do. It is they who hold all the answers and thus can help any who are lost find their way.
System: The caster spends 1 willpower. For the next scene or an hour the ashipu knows the exact realm of the Umbra he may be in. This is useful for any who travel the cosmos and may become lost.
••Guidance of the Stars
When an ashipu travels the Heavens they learn very quickly it is easy to become lost. The Eye of Heaven may tell an ashipu where he currently is but it does nothing to aid him in direction to travel. While the first step of traveling the heavens may be to learn where you are, the Guidance of the Stars will show the Ashipu where to go. Once again the ashipu turns to the stars for answers. In them he will find the way he needs to go.
System: The caster spends 1 willpower point. For the next scene or hour the ashipu can sense direction in the Umbra. He can find a location or person within the spirit world. As long as they follow the sense created by this power the caster will not become lost in his journey in the velvet shadow.
•••Return From the Stars
For an ashpiu to master this path of dur-an-ki they will have to have already mastered the art of Spirit Manipulation. As any user of Spirit Manipulation knows the power of Duality is a dangerous one. If the ashipu is not careful when using this power they will be swept into the Velvet Shadow with few ways to return home. Once an Ashipu has mastered the path of the Velvet Shadow to this degree that fear is no longer necessary. By concentrating and forcing his will, the ashipu can always return home to the mortal realm.
System: When in any areas of the Umbra the ashipu may spend 1 willpower to attempt to return to the normal world. After spending the willpower, the caster then performs a static Willpower challenge against the difficulty of the gauntlet to cross back over. Success means he returns back to earth. A failure means he is still stuck and will have to try again.
••••Door to the Heavens
At this level of mastery the ashipu can finally open a doorway to the heavens. In order to open the way to the heavens the ashipu most first draw the door way into the heavens on a surface. He uses his own blood to draw the door that he may step through. Once the door is completed the ashipu may cross over into the heavens and begin his journey. Though the High Heavens have many dangers and no way for a vampire to feed, this does allow the ashipu to finally physically reach the heavens without incredible difficulty.
System: The caster draws a doorway in his own blood and spend 1 willpower to create a doorway to the high umbra. Only the caster himself may use this doorway to reach the heavens. While in the High Umbra the Vampire faces many dangers. There is no blood for a vampire to feast upon and many of the heavens are downright hostile to vampires. Not to mention the Lupines who would kill any vampire they found there. However, the Vampire is free to explore the heavens anywhere he so dares. Anytime the ashpiu wishes to return he need only will it by spending 1 willpower and he will return to earth.
•••••Gauntlet Mastery
At this the final mastery of the path of the velvet shadow, the ashipu gains control over the strength of the barrier that separates the worlds itself. By exerting his mastery over the spirit ways the ashipu can strengthen the barrier or weaken at as he desires to. It is even possible to raise the strength of the gauntlet so high that few can cross over, or if they so choose they can lower so far that it is possible to create a whole to allow himself and others to cross over (or for spirits to cross over to earth).
System: To use Gauntlet Mastery the ashipu spends one willpower trait. After he does that he may lower or raise the gauntlet rating by one level for each Temporary Mental Trait he spends. Raising the Gauntlet to 10 makes it extremely difficult for creatures to cross over from the Umbra. Lowering the Gaunlet to 1 (the minimum) makes it incredibly easy for beings to cross over into the Umbra (even possibly allowing those who cannot normally cross over to be able to. Either on purpose or by accident). The altering of the Gauntlet lasts one scene or hour.