Custom Blood Magic: Ritual
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.
Crystal of Digital Imprint
Created by Jobe Xenu
By combining the mystical ability of quartz to hold information and the power of their blood, this ritual allows the thaumaturge to exactly copy all data in a storage device. The ritual is performed over a quartz crystal, which must be small enough to fit into the practitioner’s hand, yet big enough to scribe symbols on. Once the ritual has been performed, any kindred may activate the crystal by being close enough to see the target device and spending a trait of blood. Once activated, all data inside the target device is copied exactly into the crystal.
To complete the ritual, a similar device that is capable of reading the data stored must be touch at the same time as the crystal. Thus, a computer’s information can only be transferred to a computer, cell phone information requires a cell phone, ect. Once this occurs, an exact copy of the original target device is loaded into the new device. If the devices are computers, the information will be stored under a new user profile in the new computer. If the devices are cell phones, then the new cell phone will be wiped of any original data to make room for the mystical data. Because an exact clone of the device is made, anything that required a password on the original device still requires a password on the new device, and any viruses are also transferred to the new device. Once the data transfer is complete, the crystal crumbles to dust.
(The following went into researching this ritual: Two years of experimentation, learning of the Craft Bloodstone Ritual to better understand blood magic’s effects on stones, and learning of The Scribe Ritual to better understand how information can be transferred through mystical means. The character also possesses the following abilities that may be appropriate: 10 Mental Traits, Path of Blood 5, Occult 3, Computers 5 with a specialization in Hacking, Computer Aptitude, Electrical Engineering 3, Repair 3, and Repair Aptitude.)
This curse affects one of the powers most hated by Anarchs, Dominate. When an Anarch becomes aware, that someone has been using the discipline to hinder the freedom of others, they will seek out the user, and bear this curse upon them. The Anarch points out his target and declares forcefully that they will feel the same fear that they instill in those weaker than they are.
The Anarch Spends a Blood Trait and makes a static Mental challenge with a difficulty equal to the targets current Mental Traits (retest with Occult). If the curse is successful, the target becomes susceptible to the Discipline Dominate regardless of the generation of the attacker. Thus, a 13th generation Anarch could Dominate an 8th generation Prince, or a childer might successfully Dominate her Sire. This curse lasts for three months.
Custom advanced Seidr Rite (6 xp)
The Aesir cursed Loki punishing him for his folly by cursing him for a time. This Seidr ritual brings that myth to reality as until the next morning the Norn's and Fate have forsaken the target hindering their actions against those who are enacting the judgement of fate.
Components: Portrait of target, one blood trait from caster
1 - This requires a portrait using Expression, or Craft abilities, which requires the one who made the portrait to be familiar with the target. The Futhark Runes are cast, calling out their punishment. The runes are then written in the blood of the caster on the portrait cursing the targets actions against those participating in the ritual.
2 - Burning the photo then triggers the effect (Static Physical Challenge against a difficulty of the subject’s permanent Mental Traits, retest with Theology or Occult)
3 - Until the end of the Night, Fate has forsaken them. They must double all expenditure costs involving tempers (Blood, willpower, rage, gnosis, glamour etc). They must also bid an additional trait in all challenges against those who participated in the ritual. If the target has merits that would reduce the expenditure cost of tempers, the doubling of expenditures happens before merit reductions
4 - This ritual cannot be stacked multiple times on a target nor can it be stacked with other doubling effects for the purpose of the expenditure costs for tempers. The bidding of additional traits does stack with powers and effects that cause the target to have to bid additional traits.
Danse Macabre (Basic - 2)
It is said that this practice originated with Bahari cults in the middle ages, later being adopted by catholic priests for their own purposes. The celebrants get together at dusk to bid farewell to the day and to life and begin to dance. It is usually led by priest and priestess who command the celebrants to dance for their lives. They dance all night, and often into the day, sometimes lasting for several days with participants collapsing in exhaustion. The dance ends when the high priest and priestess copulate and cease dancing. The exhausted are then tended to and the dead buried in the earth to fertilize the local garden or crops. Those who survive the dance, rather than being tired, awaken rejuvenated.
Mechanics: Participants gain an Energetic physical trait and a temporary willpower (in excess of their current or total willpower).
Upon occasion, a shadow servant of some type will escape a Mystic’s control to cause trouble in their Diocese. It behooves a Mystic to be prepared for such eventualities. The Caster intones the syllables of a summoning Ritual (such as Calling the Thing in Darkness) in reverse to prepare a Holy Symbol - any religion will do - for banishment. Thereafter, the first time that symbol makes contact with an Abyssal Spirit, the Spirit is immediately returned to the Abyss.
Milk of Set
Dark Renewal (Advanced)
There is some question regarding the exact theological origins of this ritual, as it's workings touch on a number of pagan practices. The Egyptian symbolism of day and night cycles evoke a substitution of the victim for the subject in an act of divine trickery, while the use of a bezoar brings to mind a more internal purification. The abundant use of blood and the particulars of the sacrifice however, are more indicative of a sacrifice based culture such as those of Africa and South America, and a directed offering of life and power either to the gods, or, more disturbingly, to the recipient themselves. What is clear is that whatever forces this ritual brings to bear, it does so to an end which nearly all religions have sought at one time; the wholistic renewal of the self.
A single use of this milk requires a sentient being to be sliced open at the abdomen in such a way that every drop of it's blood drains into a container holding the bezoar of a cow's digestive track. During the process the caster must feed the victim an amount of their vitae equal to their normal maximum, thus at least doubling the amount of blood that must be bled out. This solution is then allowed to steep and concentrate in a warm environment for at least a month.
Once completed, the Lictor Priest may bathe in this solution for a full 24 hour period. While suspended in the fluid, the Priest is in a vulnerable state, unable to react unless directly attacked and even then functioning as though the sun were up for the duration of the scene. Upon completion of the cleansing a lasting euphoric complacency prevents the subject from using ability retests for 1 full lunar cycle unless they first spend a willpower as well, and any recent tap upon their soul is replenished from that of the sacrifice. If any power or effect has permanently reduced the subject's essence since the sun last rose before they submerged themselves, (permanently reduced or removed a quality on their character sheet) the life force from this solution renews the subject, restoring one such loss. Once used, this foul solution turns a reddish black and boils away to a hardened dried crust.
This cleansing may only be performed on the Priest himself unless a potential subject allows their veins to be cut open as the solution is poured over them, and spends a point of permanent willpower connecting their essence to that of the sacrifice."
Advanced Ritual
By gathering the remains of a mortician, pall bearer, funeral home director or the like a thaumaturge is able to call upon the pall of death that surrounded such an individual. By sowing their ashes with nightshade and sleeping in a graveyard for the three night surrounding the new moon the ashes are able to be infused with pure death energy. When applied to flesh they infuse the aura of the target with the cool emptiness of oblivion. For the ritual's duration, the individual's aura is smoother and filled with the quiet of the grave. However, this quiet slowly erodes the willpower of the caster.
System: Once cast, the ritual effects the caster for three nights. The caster may only benefit from the ritual's effects so long as he does not speak, make any loud noises or interact with his environment (doing does not end the ritual, it just prevents the caster from gaining the benefits while doing so). If these criteria are currently being met, any time someone attempts to perceive his Aura, he may spend a willpower a negate the challenge. Doing so causes the caster to appear as if he has no aura for that sole challenge only.
Learning the Mind Enslumbered allows a thamaturge to determine how an individual fell into torpor. Based upon this initial premise a less detailed and more general informative ritual was developed. The caster takes a silver coin, no smaller then a half dollar and soaks it in a mixture of one trait of blood from the ritual's target, crushed bone and ash. Once completed, the coin absorbs the blood, dust and ash and the coin turns blood red in color. For the next three nights the coin remains red while they target is alive (or as near as a Kindred can be), it turns white while their body is healthy, but their soul is elsewhere (Posession, Soul Steal, etc.), and turns black if they are in torpor or have met final death. At sunrise on the third night, the coin disintegrates to dust.