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.
Inhabit the Empty Shell
With this powerful ritual, the necromancer combined his fondness for the Dominate power of Possession with his mastery of undeath. The Necromancer lays a suitable body that has previously been Animated with Necromancy: Bone Path: Shambling Hordes, on a ritual alter and anoints the corpse with a trait of Vitae. The Vitae creates a mystical bond between the Corpse and the Necromancer. The Necromancer will lie on the alter next to the corpse and begin meditating on the stages of life and death and how as a vampire he is removed from the proper cycle, the meditation serves to loosen his soul from his own body. After a proper mental state is achieved, the necromancer will breathe into the mouth of the corpse, if the ritual was successful he will finish that breath inside of the corpse.
System: This is a thirty minute ritual that costs 1 blood 1 will and 5 mental traits. mental challenge vs 7 traits. If successful the Necromancer is possessing a bloodless lifeless corpse. As a shambling hordes Zombie the corpse will have the phys traits it had in life and four health levels. The necromancer will not have access to any physical disciplines, disciplines that require blood, or form powers. Like the power of dominate if the body is killed while he inhabits it he will return to his body in torpor. Unlike normal Possession, the grip of the corpse is not easily relinquished, in order to stop the effects of the ritual you must either be where the ritual was cast or win a mental challenge vs 7 traits. If the necromancer is still in the body at sunrise he is violently returned to his own body in torpor.
While hundreds of variations no doubt exist some commonalities occur. The initiate must painfully enter into the sacred space, sometimes through a gauntlet or a wall of thorns, or perhaps walking on broken glass. The initiate then drinks a brew consisting of a plant (often poisonous or with hallucinogenic properties), the blood of an animal sacrifice and the blood of the initiator as well as initiate, sometimes a little red wine is mixed in as well. An oath is performed and the initiate is flogged, fucked or otherwise christened into their new life. Among Lhaka sometimes a second initiation will occur to welcome them to the undeath or help transition them to a path.
Game mechanics: A successful initiation grants the initiated clear vision until the next sunrise. They gain insightful as an additional mental trait as well as a retest to resist their will being subverted. If the ritual is to help a Ba’ham onto a path then they gain a retest to succeed instead.
The ritual, Personal Symbol of Power, must be learned and successfully cast before this ritual can be used.
Inscription of the Hermit allows the Thaumaturge to inscribe a series of glyphs upon their body to act as an amplifier for her Thaumaturgical might. The glyphs, comprised of the caster's Personal Symbol of Power and symbols representing the desired effects of the inscription, must be self-inscribed upon the caster's person. These glyphs are of the same nature as those used in Enchant Talisman.
Prior to the ritual, the caster must declare which Path her Inscription will be linked to. This link cannot be changed and remains until the Inscription is dispelled or destroyed. This ritual takes 3 hours per night for two weeks, beginning on the night of the new moon. The caster enters one extended challenge per night. The challenge is 3 static mental challenges against 16 traits. The caster must win or tie (be sure to compare traits on a tie on the RPS) 10 times over the course of the 14 sets of challenges. Failure means that the effort has been wasted, and the thaumaturge must start over.
If successful, the caster now has a potent inscription attuned to her body with the following benefits:
The caster is considered 1 trait up on any Magical attack made against her.
The caster is considered 2 traits up on any challenge with her chosen path.
The caster is considered 1 trait up when casting her rituals.
If another person ever views the Inscription, they may make the test (as per Personal Symbol of Power) to determine the meaning behind the caster's True Name symbol used in the Inscription. If they succeed, they are considered three traits up in any Magical attack against the Inscribed thaumaturge. Inscriptions are considered an enchanted item even though they are part of the thaumaturge’s flesh, and remain until the caster’s death or is otherwise removed. The caster must specify the medium used to apply the rune at casting. Tattooing and scarification (such as ash rubbing, cutting or branding) are common methods.
You may only have one Inscription of the Hermit at a time. Inscription of the Hermit and Enchant Talisman may both be cast at the same time, though the Paths chosen must be different, and the bonuses do not stack.
Note: The bonus provided by Inscription of the Hermit and Enchant Talisman do not stack. The ritual, Symbol of Encryption, must be case before Inscription of the Hermit, if both rituals are to be in effect. Casting Symbol of Encryption after Inscription of the Hermit destroys the Inscription whether or not the ritual succeeds, but the Personal Symbol of Power is not destroyed, and the Personal Symbol of Power is Encrypted if the ritual is successful.
Ritual Name: Instill Knowledge
Ritual Level: Basic
Ritual Concept: This rituals allows an caster to learn the knowledge held within a text while keeping up with their other tasks and not falling behind on their studies. As a crafter and researcher locally for House and Clan this ritual was crafted to make the best use of the limited night hours.
In Game: The Text (A book, scroll, pamphlet, or other physically written object) is place within an symbolic circle and the casters ear is removed and placed on top of the object. The ear will slowly ash over the course of the ritual, once it completes this process the knowledge of the object is placed within the mind of the caster.
System: The Ritual is cast, then after the length of time it would take the caster to read the book the knowledge of the books contents are place within the casters memories, this includes images of pictures. This Ritual cannot be used to bypass magically enchanted books (the ritual will just fail) but will worked on books that have preserve and similar magics that wouldn’t affect the reader. Knowledge gained must still have XP spend to be understood if the knowledge would be reflected by ability dots. Casting this ritual causes 1 unsoakable lethal damage to that caster. If that damage is healed before the rituals completion the ritual automatically fails. The Ritual is considered complete once the time to read the book in question passes or immediately if the ritual casting chop results in a failure.
Challenge: Social (Retest Occult)
Cost: Double the cost of Ex Nilo
Duration: Instant
Difficulty: Shroud Raiting
Notes: This Ritual may only be used on another target;
Pre-Requisit: Charon’s Lantern
Effect: Through use of Ex Nilo, you may take a willing passenger with you into the shadowlands. Or you may pave the way so that they may travel alone.
As Charon used his Ore and Boat to navigate the Tempest and the Abyss, by studying his methods a Samedi has learned to allow another to travel the Lands of the Dead. This ritual is akin to Ex Nilo, thus the special rules for Voundun Blood Magic; still apply.
Challenge: Social (Retest Occult)
Cost: none
Duration: Instant
Difficulty: Static: 7
Notes: This ritual may be performed on another target, however they must also meet the requirements of indulging their frenzy previously.
Pre-Requisit: Charon’s Ore
Effect: If properly performed, you may negate any one frenzy (Player's Choice) until sunrise.
Although Charon founded the Boatmans Circle or otherwise known as Oath Circle of the Oar... they developed an ancient skill to seperate a Wraith from their Shadow. All but Charon was blessed by the Ritual of Severance. He was said to have absolute control over his darker impulses. While other Boatman ended up creating Pasiphae, Charon did not. There is a lot of speculation on how Charon was able to achieve this, the popular theory is that through his relationship with the Lady of Fate, and his “divine right to rule”.
Kindred however are not able to completely seperate themselves from their beast (except by the mythic stories of Gholconda). However, they can sedate privately, so when they are out in public they appear to have an Iron Grip control over their darker impulses just like the legends of Charon. Although not the same - not everyone can be as powerful or blessed by the Lady of Fate.
By invoking all the memories and the ideals that once was Charon of old in the early days of Stygia. The Samedi privately indulge their darker urges and impulses. Essentially they frenzy in private, and get the beast "out of their system"; so that later they may suppress it with a mere thought.
Challenge Type: Social
Retest: Occult
Static Difficulty: 7
This ritual is cast in a sacred space, and calls upon bond between the Chosen and the Baron. With this ritual, the Samedi Hougan forces the Devote or those chosen by other Children to recognize that you are among the Chosen, and they are not. Allowing you to Negate a single power granted by the Baron, that they wield, should they decide to use it against you, for the entire night.
The Powers you may choose from are: Thanatosis, Necromancy Paths, Necromancy Rituals. You may only choose only one power at casting, and you may not cast this ritual against the same target more than once at the same time. You must declare your target when casting, but need no arcane link to them as the power they call from the Baron, is enough to establish your Fortitude against the folly choice to use his blessings against his Chosen Children. This Ritual may not be cast on any other character under any circumstances, unless that character is also a Samedi.
Example: Billy Brujah attempts to use Thanatosis against Joe Samedi. Joe Samedi anticipated this, and Billy's use of Thanatosis is useless against Joe. Billy however may still use the Thanatosis against anyone else however, as they are not blessed by the Chosen's Fortitude.
Challenge: Social (Retest Occult)
Cost: “X” Temp. willpower, equal to the level of virtue restored.
Duration: Scene
Difficulty: Static: Triple the Level of the Virtue Level Violation
Notes: This Ritual may only be used on another target;
Effect: If successful the Target restores a permanently lost Virtue Trait, so long as “Penance” is performed in the same session/night in which it is lost. This ritual has no effect on Morality Traits. After the Ritual is successful, the Samedi is considered temporarily 1 less in the restored virtue for as many days as the level restored. This ritual may not be used on the same Target within X game sessions for the same Virtue - where X equals the level of virtue restored.
Shepherding one’s community is no easy task. Loco & Ayizan are no strangers to this either. It is through them the first Hougan and Mambo whom you call upon for their ages of experience and power. For if anyone could heal the mind it is them.
Loco & Ayizan, even more so than Papa Legba are very formal and very traditional - thus easier to offend, Naturally gifts always go a long way.. Although the Loa will help the Samedi’s community They must hear aloud what individual has done. Why they have done it. How they could avoid it. Lastly; how they will endeavor to be better.
Once they are satisfied, Loco will grant his permission for the individual to be marked. The Samedi then creates a paste from Cornmeal, Wood Ash, and both their and the targets blood. As it is mixed, and chanted over it thins to a paint like consistency and has a rough texture. Loco’s Veve is then put over the Targets chest. The ritual is concluded as the Samedi then places their hand over the veve and thanks the loa for their aid.
The Target experiences a brief possession, as Loco Passes through their body, as if their entire essence takes a few moments to “no longer be in the driver seat” and a feeling that all that they are is channeled through the veve, into the Samedi’s hand. During this Loco may be seen by the Target, and the Samedi as a Ghostly irredecent soft light that passes from one body, into the next. When the Samedi removes their hand the veve is gone (as it is now on the Samedi’s chest) After the fact, Loco leaves the target with a parting memory that although he has healed them; their transgression was passed to their priest so that it may no longer be theirs to burden. Let it be a lesson that nothing is without cost, and your Priest has paid yours.
By using a trait of an animal's blood, one of your shape of the beast (either flight or fight) is changed to that animal for the night. A duplicate casting, replaces the previous one, and you can not invoke both Flight and Fight castings at the same time.
Challenge Type: Social
Retest: Occult
Static Difficulty: 7
In revenge for the murder of relatives by rival tribes the Jivaro developed the practice of Blood Revenge. When the Jivaro went to war they did battle both physically and spiritually. The Jivaro believed that unless the spirit of a slain warrior was captured, it would be free to curse and send bad luck to the victorious warrior and his tribe. In exacting Blood Revenge the Jivaro would take the heads of their fallen foes. After a week long ritual (which would eventually shrink the head to the size of a grapefruit) the spirit of the dead warrior would be bound to the Shrunken head or Tsantsa. This gruesome act served a dual function of preventing the enemy spirit from harming the warrior's ancestors in the afterlife as well as prevent it from aiding its tribe.
Mechanics - The necromancer must take the head of a fallen foe. After taking the head it must be specially prepared in a week long ritual that involves removing the skin from the head and salting the flesh. After boiling the head to shrink it's size, and stitching the head around a rock the ritual would be complete. During this week long process the victim slowly takes form in the shadowlands released from his caul at the end of the week. Invoking this ritual costs a willpower, and one week of preparation. At the end of the ritual the shrunken head acts as a 5 point fetter to the wraith. Anyone in possession of the head is +2 traits up in all challenges involving the wraith.
optional - To avoid PC trouble, this ritual will not work on PCs or Kindred/Cainites who, because of their age, would crumble to ash upon Final Death.