Custom Discipline
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.
Inceptor Discipline - Mastermind
AKA Everything is Scarier than Me
People who practice this are called Pariah Oracles
WARNING: Those that learn this are unable to learn Auspex.
The concept of Insight amidst the Caitiff and higher generation Kindred is not always so clear. There are always those who fall prey to Cassandra’s kiss and become oracles of a sort. There are others who, without realizing it, create immense tactically advantageous plans to the point where half the time they are unsure why everything fits together, BUT THEY KNOW IT DOES.
This inceptor discipline is built along the idea of using these powers to subtly observe and plan for events. In reality, it’s just another use of the prophetic abilities of those who lost the generation lotto.
*Social Outmaneuvering aka Don’t MIND ME, I’m JUST AN UGLY NOSFERATU
The clan of Pariah’s has always been full of skilled behind the scenes manipulators. The youngest of which maintain a macabre showcase of social grace and can create clear parallels of appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
By making a Social Challenge, difficult the number of people in a scene, Retest Etiquette, before a scene has begun the young Nosferatu’s sheer existence points out the flaws in others behavior allowing the Kindred to block a single use of the Etiquette ability.
**Relationship Board aka Weird Crazy People Yarn Chart
Elders are the most skilled manipulators of people, often spinning near endless webs of influence. If there is a web, there are threads. Threads connect countless individuals together and like a deranged serial killer, a Pariah can utilize these crazy yarn charts to figure out where someone’s resources lie.
First to build a board, the Pariah Oracle must spend a Willpower and make a Static Mental Challenge, Retest Crafts, difficulty equal to the different number of influences and backgrounds their target has, excluding Generation. So, if someone only has Resources x4, Herd x2, and no influence, the challenge is against 2, not 6.
Then once the board is built the Pariah Oracle, once a night, may make a Mental Challenge vs 8 and spend a number of Mental Traits then ask a single question per Mental Trait about the target’s backgrounds. Mental Traits spent in this way are unable to be refreshed via Willpower.
Boards made in this way only last a month from the moment they are finished and take a number of days to build equal to the number of different backgrounds (including Generation) that the target has.
***Logical Conclusion aka The Sherlock Holmes Thingy
By examining a person, place or thing, logical conclusions can be made. You’ve changed your clothes, though there is still dirt under your fingernails. You brushed your teeth but your breath still smells of blood. You sir, are likely to be the Gangrel that broke the Toreador’s domain!
By staring intently and making a Static Mental vs the target’s Social (4 for objects and place) Challenge, Retest Investigation, the user may ask a question similar to Auspex 2: Aura Perception. However, instead of asking questions related to the aura of the object, they are able to ask questions related to where it has been, what it was doing, or a related mannerism. The difficulty of the challenge is increased by 1 for every day back the question is related.
Storytellers are encouraged to have the Static Challenge overbid the Pariah Oracle.
****Decisive Planning aka Bill and Ted’s Most Excellent Trick
Bill and Ted traveled through time to do their trick, but the Pariah Oracle is always preparing and setting up for the future. By using this level, a Pariah is able to utilize this to in effect have already prepared for something they needed. Anything done using this power must be able to be explained in one sentence. “Luckily I hacked it earlier and it should open right about… now!” is acceptable.
By spending a use of the Insight background, the Pariah may attempt a challenge or take an action that they should have attempted earlier in the evening. On failure, the Pariah was too busy thinking about it that they actually forgot to do the thing.
For every Willpower spent using this discipline, the preparation time can be extended by a week. If no Willpower is spent, it has to be an action that could have been accomplished earlier that day.
*****The Butterfly Effect aka House of Cards the TV Show
By pushing a cart, moving a log, and dropping a penny at the right time so that it’s picked up by the right person, mysterious things can happen. The Butterfly Effect lets you create a system of happenstance that directly prevents someone from correctly moving their resources or puts the phones of their retainers out of service.
Spend a Willpower and make a Mental Challenge vs 2 times the level of the background. With success, for the next 24 hours that background is unable to be used. It is required for the player using the Butterfly Effect to create a list of weird happenstances that are to be given to the player whose background was shut off in this fashion so its people can explain to it exactly why they were out of action.
Masterwork Series
Will of the Beast (First Basic)
You may touch a weapon and risk 1-3 Social Traits then, make a social challenge retest Occult against the weapons Bonus Traits (Double the difficulty if you did not make the weapon), retested with Occult. Upon success, For that many rounds the weapon is imbued with your presence and when it hits forces the victim to succeed a courage test against your levels in this discipline or flee.
Imbued Energy (Second Basic)
You may touch a weapon and risk 1-3 Social Traits then, make a social challenge retest Occult against the weapons Bonus Traits (Double the difficulty if you did not make the weapon), retested with Occult. Upon success, For that many rounds the weapon is imbued with the ability to afflict elemental damage. Changing its damage type dependent on the element at hand. Darkness, Fire, Sunlight, etc. (You are always immune to your own imbued element)
The Realised Potential (First Intermediate)
You may touch a weapon and risk 1-3 Social Traits then, make a social challenge retest Occult against the weapons Bonus Traits (Double the difficulty if you did not make the weapon), retested with Occult. Upon success, For that many rounds the weapon is imbued with the ability to make a ranged attack but your ability retest is replaced with Occult and the weapon only deals half its normal damage. If used on a naturally ranged weapon such as a gun, instead this allows you to shoot without ammo at its normal rate for the duration.
The Masterworks Eyes (Second Intermediate)
You may apply these effects to any weapon you can see within line of sight, assuming you succeed the needed challenges. However you may only risk 2 traits on the challenge for such.
Life's Work (Advanced)
After you succeed the activation of a level of this discipline, you may spend a permanent willpower to make the effect on the weapon permanent
Level 1 - Diagnostics
The player can touch a machine and concentrate for a second and know exactly what’s wrong with it.
Use and cost: The player must spend a temporary willpower and touch the machine for a round then make a Mental + Mechanics chop vs. a static chop
Level 2 - Manipulate Mechanical Lock
The player can manipulate one Mechanical ((But not Electronic)) lock to lock or unlock it
Use and Cost: The player spends 1 wp and concentrates for a round to lock or unlock 1 mechanical lock in his area
Level 3 - Manipulate Mechanical Device
The Player can manipulate and control one mechanical device in an area, this device can be as small as a gun or large as an airplane but only one device can be manipulated at a time at a time.
Cost and Use: The player spends one blood and one wp and with a Mental + Mechanics chop can manipulate 1 mechanical device for a full turn in which he can make the object work or not work (IE the player can make a gun jam or unjam, but he cannot manipulate it to turn and shoot someone))
Level 4 - Manipulate Electronic Lock
The player can manipulate one Electronic ((But not Mechanical)) lock to lock or unlock it
Use and Cost: The player spends 1 wp and concentrates for a round to lock or unlock 1 mechanical lock in his area
Level 5 - Mass Manipulate Mechanical Device
The Player can manipulate and control multiple mechanical devices in an area.
Cost and Use: The Player spends 1 blood + 1 WP + 1 temporary Mental traits per device being manipulated ((The player can make a number of mechanical items work or not work in the given area. IE they can jam the radar in an area or jam guns, but not turn them on the person to shoot them))
A crude twist on the Disciplines of Auspex and Dementation, this defensive power allows the user to see and copy from the psyche and metaphysical use that he sees from the actions of others. At higher levels, this may even mimic Discipline or other use, as the blood subtly shifts mystically as a magnetic reflection of what comes upon it
Temporarily, a user of this Discipline can, with an expenditure of a Blood Trait, copy the aura and patterns used from the user and symbiotically attune himself to use the same--effectively allowing them to use. However, the process is fleeting, as the blood cannot hold the mystical change for too long; thus the changes listed below only lasts a scene.
For each described level, the user either must see it being used while physically present on the scene, or have it used on them directly on their vampiric form (transformative powers count as vampiric form; possessing another body will allow for use of observing, but not physical contact). Subtle use of powers may require uses of Awareness or other Disciplines -- such as Telepathy -- to notice, at ST discretion, if they can at all.
Each activation is unique ability and must be activated separately from other levels, though they can be activated multiple times per scene (while the user has the capability) to mimic different unique effects .
Psychology is the retest for this discipline, where applicable.
As this is an inceptor power, the cost to learn is at 'out of clan' costs for both the inventor and anyone who the inceptor teaches.
Basic
Parallel Knowledge
Attuning yourself to subtle words or speech wavelengths or another, you can grasp some parts of working knowledge they possess on a subject and store it in the blood.
With a blood expenditure, you can copy a level (1) of an ability that you do not possess, or increase a level you do posses by one for the duration. This ability "dot" can be used for the purposes of retests, though when it is expended it is considered lost unless this power is used again.
Model the Major-General
Like the song says, you can behold the marvelous feats of others--whether blessed by fate or some natural aptitude--and glean the secrets of their success for yourself.
For the cost of a blood expenditure, this allows you to copy a merit that you do not possess, up to a level three (3). Merits that can normally only be taken at character creation or require prerequisites may be used, but they fade at the end of the scene. (Eidetic Memory, for example, will function for anything found during the scene, but memories of what occurred will fade to the vampire's normal memory at the end).
Intermediate
Basic Tracing
Your knowledge of the blood can produce copies of the blood, and produce the patterns necessary to hold the common outlines of other Disciplines.
At this level, you can copy a Basic level of any Discipline, as if you possessed it yourself. This does not automatically grant allow abilities of those Disciplines of lower level, except those abilities which are common to all level of an ability (e.g. copying Dread Gaze would not automatically include Awe, but copying Might would grant the ability to do lethal damage starting from Prowess, as on all levels of Potence). Ability retests are also not automatically gained; however this power can be combined with Parallel Knowledge and Model the Major-General, above.
As with others, you must expend a blood trait to utilize this power.
Journeyman's Facsimile
Your blood has become more malleable and flexible, allowing you to align its structure like a magnet and replicate the more advanced aspects of other Disciplines.
You can now copy the first Intermediate level of any Discipline, using the same rules as Basic Tracing.
Advanced
The Portrait of Another
At this level you have unearthed some fundamental secret of vitae and the vampiric condition. With impressive effort, you can take the stuff and substance hidden within the spark of all creatures and produce its changes in your own.
You can accomplish the amazing feat of copying a Basic level power of any supernatural creature you encounter.
The rules for Basic Tracing also apply here; additionally, any ability that is unable to have a supernatural essence equivalent to vampiric Blood (such as werewolf Rage), cannot be used as part of the power. Blood may be spent instead for Gnosis, Quintessence, Conviction, etc. as per ST discretion.
Generation also substitutes when determining effects based on Rank equivalents.
Anyone who learns level 2 or more of this power gains the flaw Monstrous(Mushroom Growth) as long as it remains on sheet.
Level 1: Shroom Communion: You can commune with fungus and their mycelium. Your urging via 1 mental trait can nourish, direct and encourage growth of any kind of fungus in a 50’ radius of the Mycomancer. Fungus that have a mycelium network provide a sense of what is in the soil or medium the mycelium lives in.
Level 2: Fungal Flesh: Now that you can commune with mushrooms, you can influence them to grow over you while you sleep next to them. This creates a thick mushroomy/fungal coating which provides an extra level of armor. Sleeping in the fungus each night replenishes this. Anyone that learns this power level will permanently have small mushrooms sprouting from their body.
Level 3: Symbiosis: The fungus feed on you, and you on it. When you wake each evening after sleeping with the fungus (Fungal Flesh), larger, vitae scented fruits appear on your skin, appropriate for the type of fungus. Each fruit consumes one blood point from your body during the day up to 1/2 of your current blood pool. When you wake, you can immediately consume these, or you can replenish your blood elsewhere and for the rest of the night, have those shrooms available to replenish your blood. Any vitae remaining in a mushroom at dawn is lost.
Level 4: I am the Fungus Among Us: Become the Shroom. Call upon the fungus on you and in you to enhance your form. YOu become a more disgusting looking Nosferatu, coated in thick fibrous fungus. This gives an additional +2 Armor and +1 Stamina traits with an additional Repugnant. This costs one blood per activation and can stack up to three times.
Level 5: Spore Choices: Spend one blood to emit a 20’ spore cloud around yourself. Any within that don’t also have Mycomancy suffer -1 physical trait from living spores entering their bodies and infecting them, up to -3 maximum
Allat was the goddess of the Underworld who eventually became the goddess known as Ereshkigal. Many Abyss Mystics place Allat at the head of their Pantheon and Queen of the Abyss itself. A small cult of Lasombra called the Priestesses of Ereshkigal claim lineage from her directly and invoke her name in all practices of the Abyss. Lord Alexander; in his dark rites to claim the secrets of the Abyss was offered this forgotten discipline of clan Lasombra. He was granted the powers of an Inceptor and created this discipline. By offering their blood to the goddess, Allat grants its servants expanded powers and an ability to command her realm in a limited fashion. Since Lord Alexander is the Inceptor for this discipline, he alone possesses it in In Clan as the Inceptor and may teach it to others. However, it is theoretically possible to learn it from the Abyss as well.
Calling Dusk - 3 XP
Allat hates the light, and as the goddess of the Underworld this comes as little surprise. Those who would invoke her name must first learn to snuff out and destroy the light that is anathema to her realm. By offer a sacrifice of blood the shadows from Allat reach out and extinguish any open flame that might be near the mystic.
System: The character spends 1 Blood Trait and makes a Willpower challenge difficulty of 7. Success allows the user to snuff out any flame in the same room they occupy.
Veil of Shadows - 3 XP
Allat teachers her children that the darkness can protect those who serve it. By finding a shadow a Mystic may step into it offering their blood to Allat. After which the shadows will meld and wrap the Mystic obscuring her from all view. Many mystics use this ability to spy on others or to help them escape potential threats.
System: The character spends 1 Blood Trait and makes a Willpower challenge at difficulty 7 to use this power. Once activated the character must step into a nearby shadow and be out of view of anyone who wishes to see them. If successful the character remains completely invisible as long as they do not move or interact with the environment at all. Even powers such as Auspex are unable to locate the character while it remains in effect.
One with Shadows - 6 XP
The Abyss is Allat’s home, and as such is the home to all Abyss Mystics. By finding a nearby shadow an Abyss Mystic may find safe haven from the day. His body and very being merges with the shadow offering him shelter and protection. During his sleep the darkness whispers and comforts the mystic while protecting him.
System: The character spends 1 Blood Traits and makes a Willpower challenge at difficulty 7 to activate this power. Once activated the character may merge with a shadow in the same manner and rules as the Protean power Earth Meld.
Shadow’s Betrayal - 6 XP
A mystic blessed with this capability by Allat can now strike out at those who would seek him harm. He offers his blood and prayers to the darkness and forces a person’s own shadow to attack them. While not damaging this effect is unsettling to say the least as the victim must grapple and contend with their own shadow in hopes of escaping.
System: The character spends 1 Blood Traits and makes a Willpower challenge at difficulty 7 to activate this power. Once activated the character may target a victim and make a contested social challenge retested with Occult attack against the victim as a normal action. If successful the target is grappled by their own shadow. Should the victim free themselves, the caster must reactivate this power and attempt to grapple them again with their own shadow.
Curse of the Underworld - 9 XP
Those who would harm the children of Allat are gifted with this final mastery to both protect them and offer them a chance to one on one conflict. The Mystic spills his blood and exerts how own will upon the victim. After which he must tackle the person into a nearby shadow; during which both are transported to Allat’s realm. The place they are taken too is that of a solid room of darkness perhaps two hundred feet wide. Enough for the Mystic and his victim to quarrel if they so wish. Some mystics however use this as a place to hold private conversations instead. Regardless of the use, those who perish here are consumed in whole by the Abyss, never to return.
System: The character spends 1 Blood Trait and 1 Willpower Trait to activate this power. In addition they must also succeed in a Willpower challenge at a difficulty of 8 to also activate this power. Once activated the character may attempt to grapple their victim and drag them into a shadow. This requires a successful contested physical challenge retested with Brawl versus the victim. If the user succeeds he and the intended victim are transported to a pocket space in the Abyss where only they may interact with each other. Each round of combat or minute outside of combat the victim may attempt to make a Willpower challenge at a difficulty of 8 to exit the realm back to the physical world. While in this realm both the caster and victim are the only ones able to interact with each other. The caster may end this effect at any time and eject both himself and his victim back into the physical world.
Nullix
Shiver
When blood magic is used on you, your blood reacts to its presence. Whenever you are the target of blood magic (whether path or ritual), then you may make a static Mental challenge (difficulty of the caster's appropriate traits), to know that someone attempted to affect you and you know the Paradigm.
Retest: awareness.
Reject
Your blood renders itself inert to the effects of minor magic. your blood cannot be used in any basic rituals involving blood magic,whether beneficial to you or harmful to you.
Impede
The very essence of your blood causes you to be less effected by blood magic than other Kindred. You may spend a Mental
Trait to gain an extra retest in any challenge that directly involves targeting you with a path of blood magic.
Halt
Your vitae's resistance to blood magic increases. your blood cannot be used in any intermediate or advanced rituals involving blood magic, whether beneficial or harmful to you.
Nullify
By spending a Willpower point, the thinblood causes blood magic used against him to require more concentration. Any attempt to target the thinblood with blood magic now requires the magician to spend an additional Willpower to activate the path or ritual. This does not replace the normal activation costs for the path or ritual. This power lasts for 10 minutes.
Retest occult
This discipline allows an Abyss Mystic to claim true mastery over the abyss and darkness itself. Since all Obtenebration comes from the darkness of the Abyss; it is a simple matter for a Mystic to offer in a sacrifice of blood to the darkness for its gifts gifted to another to be recalled. Whenever Obtenebration or an Abyss Mysticism Ritual is in use in the presence of an Abyss Mystic with this Path they can choose to call upon their pact with the darkness to revoke its blessing. This discipline has no specific individual levels. Rather levels in this discipline dictate what levels of either Obtenebration or Abyss Mysticism Ritual the user can effect. When a character wishes to counter and negate an active use of Obtenebration or Abyss Mysticism Ritual in their presence they must spend 1 Blood Trait and make a contested Willpower challenge against the target to counter the targeted power. Should they succeed the target’s power ceases to work and would need to reactive it in order to use it again. Level 6 and higher uses of Obtenebration or Abyss Mysticism Rituals cannot be countered with this path of blood magic. This discipline was created in with the same theory as counter magic, but only effects Obtenebration and Abyss Mysticism. Its secrets are long since lost to but a few from the Abyss.
Damkina is the Inceptor who created this discipline, and as such possesses it In-Clan. She is the only vampire able to teach this discipline.
May Counter level one Obtenebration or Abyss Mysticism Ritual
May Counter level two Obtenebration or Abyss Mysticism Ritual
May Counter level three Obtenebration or Abyss Mysticism Ritual
May Counter level four Obtenebration or Abyss Mysticism Ritual
May Counter level five Obtenebration or Abyss Mysticism Ritual