Custom Blood Magic: Path

DATA MANIPULATION

Based on the idea that Technomancy was not sufficient to the information control and manipulation purposes of Clan Tremere, this path was created by Rosamonde Kurlein with the input and assistance of Elliot Maxwell and other Tremere in Northern California.  Unlike Technomancy, which focuses on technological devices, Data Manipulation is focused instead on the detection and manipulation of the data itself.

Data Manipulation uses the Computers Ability for retests, rather than the Occult Ability.

Basic Data Manipulation

Data Perception

With this power you can perceive electronic data, both on devices and in transmission, allowing you to detect even the most basic or passive of electronic devices and even potentially read electronic data in transmission.

You may activate this power at will and automatically detect active electronic devices, and perceive active transmission of electronic data (including wireless transmission) as a hazy overlay on the material world.  If you wish to read or comprehend electronic data in transmission, you must spend a Mental Trait; you may then perceive any form of electronic data in transmission clearly, and comprehend the data being transmitted.  Reading electronic data being transmitted requires line of sight on some portion of the transmission’s path.  Data Perception is not able to make securely encrypted data clear and comprehensible, although at Storyteller discretion some information may still be discerned

Communication

With this power you can understand and communicate with electronic devices.

Spending a Willpower Trait activates this power for the remainder of the scene.  As long as the power is active, you may comprehend and transmit electronic data, magically sending and receiving communications with any electronic device you are able to perceive regardless of whether the device normally includes any form of wireless communication.

Although you may use Communication to communicate with and transmit data to electronic devices, Communication does not inherently allow you to bypass security features such as secure encryption or requirements for passwords, thus preventing many forms of remote device operation, although it may be possible to operate some unsecured devices remotely at Storyteller discretion.

Practitioners may use Communication for a wide range of applications, ranging from placing cellular telephone calls and operating remote control cars, to reading unprotected computer files from across the room, however Communication does not allow a practitioner to simultaneously communicate with multiple devices.

Intermediate Data Manipulation

Control Data

With this level of mastery, security measures no longer thwart the practitioner, and you are able to not only magically manipulate data, such as breaking secure encryption, bypassing security features, or re-writing data on an electronic device, but even activate inactive electronic devices.

To utilize this power, you must interface with the active device with Communication and spend a Willpower Trait.  Once the power is invoked, spend Mental Traits (number determined by Storyteller) to bypass secure encryption, alter/rewrite data on the electronic device, or bypass passwords and other electronic security.  The details of these manipulations, and any further challenges required are left to the Storyteller, but let common sense be your guide.

To activate or power an inactive electronic device, you must have line of sight on the device and spend a Willpower Trait.  For electronic devices connected normally to a power source, this will cause the device to activate and draw power normally from the connected power source, but an electronic device not connected to a power source normally will remain active for a number of turns equal to your Data Manipulation score.

Shutdown

With this level of mastery, you can utterly erase all data on an electronic device, cut the power to an active electronic device, and even physically destroy some types of small electronic devices and storage media by generating bursts of electromagnetic energy.

Spend a Mental Trait, and make a Static Mental Challenge against any single device that you are aware of in the scene.  Cell phones or portable storage media have one Trait, normal household electronics or desktop computers typically have three Traits, while servers or more resistant devices may have nine or more Traits.  Electronic devices with exceptional protection against electromagnetic interference or surges, such as hospital or military servers, gain an additional three Traits for defense.  Success allows the practitioner to either disable the targeted electronic device by cutting all power to and from it, or to erase all data (including operating system, if applicable), or to generate a power surge that destroys small electronics and storage media.

Shutdown can destroy only data storage (tapes, discs, drives, CDs, etc.) and electronic devices with three or fewer Traits.  Attempts to destroy larger devices may at Storyteller discretion cause the larger device to suffer damage, with damaged devices ceasing to function, and becoming unusable until repaired.

Advanced Data Manipulation

Pulse

As a master of Data Manipulation, some lower levels of this path become easier or more effective.  Expenditures are no longer required to utilize Data Perception or Communication.  Electronic devices not connected to power sources can now be activated with Control Data for a number of turns equal to twice the practitioner’s Data Manipulation score.  Pulse also allows you to produce an effect similar to that of Shutdown, but affecting all electronic devices in an area simultaneously.

To activate Pulse, spend a Willpower Trait and make a Static Mental Challenge (against the number of Traits it would take to affect the single most resistant device in range with Shutdown), to simultaneously affect all electronic devices within your vicinity, up to a range of 10 times your permanent Willpower in yards, causing all electronic devices within that range to abruptly become non-functional for the remainder of the scene.  Spend an additional Willpower Trait each at the time of this challenge to also cause total data erasure, or the destruction of storage media and small electronics, as if all of the devices within range were affected by the functions of Shutdown causing these effects.

You may not exempt or exclude any devices within range from Pulse, and even devices on your person or of which you are not aware, are affected if they are within the range of the effect.