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.
In the aftershocks of the Betrayer, some Tremere sought to adapt rituals to avoid using mirrors.
This ritual is mechanically identical to Mirror Prison (Rites of the Blood p. 29) and should follow that writeup and relevant house rules regarding Mirror Prison, including all blood and willpower expenditures. There are 3 thematic changes:
1. The prison must be painted by the caster, with the interior of the prison resembling the painted scenery as a comfortable illusion for 'prisoners'. Painting a larger scene does not impact the number of prisoners this ritual can hold ("The cell can comfortably contain up to three individuals", as per Mirror Prison).
2. The caster may communicate with prisoners as a moving painting/portrait rather than a floating head. This still requires the blood expenditure to communicate.
3. Using a painting is intended to prevent Goratrix accessing this using their network of mirrors.
Domino of Life was designed to assist the anti-tribu in their dealings with mortal society. In their mission to gather intelligence on all the foes of House and Clan, agents of House Amethyst built upon the thaumaturgical foundation of this traitorous blood line to further their infiltrations by mimicking the pallor and unsettling presence of those that follow paths of enlightment other than the Path of Humanity.
System: The Amethyst agent bathes in a mixture of distilled water, crypt dust and mercury to enact this ritual. Until he next wakes, he exhibits all the negatives that plague the followers of an alternative path of enlightenment.
Pangs of Proserpina (Intermediate - 3)
The Baharist curses the target with a never ending hunger for a night. Pulling upon the curses imposed upon Caine, the Baharist intensifies them to the point of madness. The caster must first prepare of a special mixture of nightshade and her own vitae. After performing the proper prayer rites, she coats the black paste on her palms. She must then touch her targets bare skin. Once she succeeds in placing the paste upon her victim, she must engage her in a contested willpower challenge. If the Baharist succeeds in the challenge, the victim for the rest of the night must make Self-Control/Instinct tests every time they encounter the sight or smell of blood. A success on this test does not mean vampire no longer need test for the rest of the scene. Rather they must make the same test each time they see or smell new blood in a scene. This ritual takes 10 minutes to cast and costs 1 blood.
The wangateur must remove her ring finger, and cannot regenerate it until after the ritual is complete. The flesh is removed and the bones must be crushed to powder in a mortar. Three points of the caster's blood must be mixed with the bone powder. A wooden stake that is bound in iron is then placed in the blood and bone mixture and must sit for three nights. The blood and bone will be absorbed into the stake. This is the anchor.
On the night the ritual is completed, the wangateur must call on Papa Legbha, offering rum and tobacco. Once supplication is completed, the caster must stab the anchor into her abdomen. This does a level of Aggravated damage, that cannot be healed as long as the stake is in place. The anchor must remain in place for the ritual to be in effect.
As long as the anchor is in the caster's body, if her soul is removed from her body, voluntarily or not, the soul will return to the body at sunrise, no matter what is done to the soul (short of soul forging type destruction) assuming at that time the body is still intact. Furthermore, while Papa Legbha's Anchor is in place, so strong is the protection that the user is unable to travel or visit other planes of existence. Powers such as Auspex, Psychic Projection are unusable so long as the stake is in place. The caster may voluntarily stop the ritual at anytime before sunrise by removing the anchor from her body. Once the anchor is used, it is only good until the next sunrise, but it will last for one month once prepared if not used.
One of the foils of interrogation of a vampire is for those who may be in torpor. Vampires in torpor have their remains remain dormant and unable to be accessed any more than a normal corpse. With this ritual the caster may reawaken the slumbering vampires mine to interrogate it as they would a normal awake vampire. The caster must place the torpored vampires body on a ritually prepared alter and offer their own blood in sacrifice while canting the words of power to enact the ritual.
System: This ritual is cast on a vampire currently in torpor. Once the casting is complete they must engage their target in a contested mental challenge retested with Occult. If you succeed, and for the next scene or hour, the torpored vampire’s mind is accessible as if they were fully awake and active for purposes of things like telepathy, dominate, etc.
Advanced Ritual
The ritual costs a Willpower Trait to cast, you must have a holy relic, kept in a protective circle, while casting and be at least Humanity 4 (no roads or paths that act like humanity). It lasts until sunrise. The first instance of True Faith that would actively affect the caster will be met with a simple test. On a win of this test, the effect is reflected back onto the individual with True Faith. On a loss, the effect is merely negated. The user may not choose which effect this will block, it *must* be used on the first instance that would affect them. The True Faith power 'Miracle' will bypass this power. This applies only to powers which cause the individual with True Faith to be the aggressor in a challenge, and the power is equal to or less than the rating of the relic used when casting it, against.
One of the first rituals taught to new scholars of House Trismegistus allows the thaumaturge to personify their True Name within a single occult symbol. This symbol is used as the thaumaturge's personal signature, transferring the very essence of one's True Name into a single magical glyph. It becomes more than just a symbolic representation of the thaumaturge's True Name - for all relative and occult purposes it is the caster's True Name.
A thaumaturge's Personal Symbol of Power does not change unless the thaumaturge literally undergoes a nature-changing experience. Most magi only need succeed at this ritual once in order to discover the symbol which will represent them for the rest of their existence.
System: Using a complex and very personalized string of symbolic and mathematical equations, and requiring a whole evening of meditation, the thaumaturge induces a trance-like state in which he is able to reveal his Personal Symbol of Power. Success is determined through a static Mental Challenge versus 10 traits (applicable retest is Enigmas). If successful, the thaumaturge has found his Personal Symbol of Power and may use it in all applications where his True Name would apply.
Note: As with one's True Name, a Personal Symbol of Power may be used against the individual if deciphered properly. If another person ever views the Personal Symbol, they may make a static Occult test versus the caster's Mental Traits + levels of the Symbology ability (at the time of the symbol’s creation) to determine the meaning behind the Symbol. If they succeed, they may use the Symbol against the thaumaturge as if it were the thaumaturge's actual True Name.
It is recommended that the thaumaturge create an item card describing the symbol, and with the trait difficulty to decipher when this ritual is performed.
Regardless, most thaumaturges keep their Personal Symbol of Power a closely - and jealously - guarded secret.
The symbol does not replace the thaumaturge's True Name, is a representation of the True Name and can be used in place of the True Name. In effect, the Thaumaturge' has two True Names once this ritual has been performed.
One of the very first rituals taught to new scholars of House Trismegistus allows the Magus to personify their True Name within a single symbol of power. This symbol is used as the Magus' personal signature, transferring the very essence of one's True Name into a single magical glyph. It becomes more than just a symbolic representation of the Magus' True Name - for all relative purposes it is the caster's True Name.
A Magus' Personal Symbol of Power does not change unless the Magus literally undergoes a nature-changing experience. Most magi only need succeed at this ritual once in order to discover the symbol which will represent them for the rest of their existence.
System: Using a complex and very personalized string of symbolic and mathematical equations, and requiring a whole evening of meditation, the Magus induces a trance like state in which he is able to quest for his Personal Symbol of Power. Success is determined through a static Mental Challenge versus 13 traits (applicable retest is Enigmas). If successful, the Magus has found his Personal Symbol of Power and may use it in all applications where his True Name would apply.
Note: As with one's True Name, a Personal Symbol of Power may be used against the individual if deciphered properly. If another person ever views the Personal Symbol, they may make a static Occult test versus the caster's mental traits to determine the meaning behind the Symbol. If they succeed, they may use the Symbol against the magus as if it were the Magus' actual True Name.
Needless to say, most magi keep their Personal Symbol of Power a closely - and jealously - guarded secret.
Note: The symbol does not replace the magus' True Name, is a representation of the True Name and can be used in place of the True Name. In effect, the Magus' has two True Names once this ritual has been performed.
Advanced Aljusuri Ritual, Voudoun Necromancy Origin
Time Required: Ten minutes
Duration: varies
Components: A silver dagger, a sentient sacrifice and empty graves
This ritual is like Mass Grave except that it can only transport a group to the Weeping Stone. Everyone going to the Shadowlands must be buried together in one grave, using dirt mixed with the remains of at least one freshly killed intelligent creature.
Mechanics: To enact this ritual the Necromancer must sacrifice a sentient creature (Mortal, Vampire, Garou, etc.) by plunging a specially prepared pure silver dagger into its chest. The blood, flowing from the dagger's wound, then pours out and soaks the moist soil of the empty grave. This blood soaked soil is then used to lightly cover the Necromancer and her entourage. This is usually accomplished by having Ghouls do so, whist they lay in graves. Due to these actions, the Necromancer and her entourage will cross the Shroud into the Shadowlandsand travel instantly to the Weeping Stone.
The Necromancer must have been to the Weeping Stone in the Shadowlands sometime previously if she is attempting to transport herself, and her possible entourage. Once in the Shadowlands, the Necromancer can return herself, and the -other- to either where the ritual was enacted or to their current corresponding location in the Skinlands, and therefore ending the ritual. If she does not accompany them, they my only step into the corresponding Skinlands.
There are few opportunities for necromancers to help the more humane members of the family, and indeed it is rumored this ritual was first developed by a family member who thought the effect of repeated possession upon ghouls to be damaging to the psyche. While his intention to replace the use of ghouls has never come to pass this ritual is used from time to time by those who feared to posses valued ghouls in dangerous situations. The effects of possessing a corpse are not without drawbacks however, while in this state, the necromancer feels neither physical pain nor pleasure. The effort to maintain this position is taxing not only on the will but the spirit and often after prolonged use will find himself half rotted away. His flesh's immortality strained by animating this second corpse.
The necromancer anoints a freshly dead corpse (no more than a week and a day dead), with a point of his blood and enchants it as the vessels for his possession. The necromancer then possesses the body spending an additional willpower when evoking his advanced Dominate and suffering 1 Level of unsoakable agg. The caster then releases all of the breath in his lungs into the corpse. The necromancer’s essence animates the corpse and he may use it as he would a possessed mortal. The body had those physical traits it had in life, possesses 10 health levels and if injured the possessor suffers no wound penalties. No Abilities, memories or supernatural traits are retained. It should be noted that at the possession, any injuries or infirmities that affected the corpse affect the possessor, so if the vessel died of a slit throat the necromancer cannot speak.
The effort used to animate the corpse and use it as a vessel is very taxing on the spirit, and in the process a vampire's hold on immortality is weakened. For each hour past the first the necromancer holds the possession their true body begins to rot away suffering a lethal wound that cannot be healed until the necromancer is once more in their true flesh. The ST should also feel free to assign negative physical social to the suit relative its condition.