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.
Advanced
The lector priest crates a salve made out of a combination of sand from the Nile, prayers to the god Khnum and Anubis written on papyrus, and water from the Nile. This milky salve is then carefully applied to a specially prepared amulet. Once applied, the lector priests begins his prayers at his blasphemy shrine to cause the god Anubis to alter his soul and the god Khnum to alter his body ever so slightly to allow for the change that is reflected in the soul. It takes one week to create one dose of salve, which stays potent for one week before expiring. After the week of prayer and preparation; once the salve is applied to the specially prepared amulet for the lector priest the ritual, it becomes active.
Mechanics: After successfully casting this ritual and adorning the enchanted item the caster'a aura will betray no signs of Akhu. This will hide the Lector Priest's magical aura from Aura Perception entirely, and will conceal any active rituals from Thaumaturgical sight. Where all paths will be concealed from Aura Perception, only the paths of The False Heart (Corruption) and Snake Inside will be concealed from Thaumaturgical Sight. There may only be one of these in existence at any time, it does not conceal magic items, and only conceals Akhu.
Prerequisites: Expedient Paperwork and Bureaucratic Condemnation
Casting: By running several checks on local social media influencers and magically inserting oneself into the conversation, the caster grants themselves the reverse of a Mandela Effect. Basically becoming real where one wasn't before. This will allow the user to utilize influences and backgrounds as if utilizing the background Fame while within the domain area the caster is in when casting the ritual. Once the ritual expires, all the work that was done to "create the fame" also expires, and the users 15 minutes of fame are up. Each type of influence needs its own materials.
Bureaucracy: A signed copy of a form filled out in triplicate at the casters local city hall.
Church: A vial of holy water.
Finance: A diamond ring worth at least $10,000
Health: A prescription for Lenmeldy, or other similarly hard to procure expensive prescription drug. Not the drug itself, the prescription.
High Society: A working RC model plane version of a personal jet, like a Cesna Citation II
Industry: A copy of a local unions charter. All of it. (Local to the caster)
Legal: A copy of the casters state Legal Code, in full. Digital is fine, but it has to be all of it.
Media: A working video camera that was used to record a local news segment.
Occult: Materials used for any other ritual of the Advanced level.
Police: The local (to the caster) Police captains badge. The captain can get a new one, but it has to have been worn by the police captain and contain his information.
Political: Local (to the caster) lobbyist's proposal that was passed without alteration.
Street: A street buskers cups and cards.
Transportation: A piece of a local city bus/cab/transportation vehicle that is still in operation.
Underworld: A kilo of cocaine (or other drug)
University: A PHD from a living graduate of a local University (to the caster).
Effect: Utilize Fame 5 in the domain your character is located in. Ie: Caster visits Gary Indiana, Caster casts Ritual, Caster can use influences in the area as if they had Fame. Lasts for one game cycle (ie: 14 days for every 2 week games, 30 days for month long games) after which time the effect expires and must be cast again/renewed.
*NB* Does not work with Vires for extensions, can be cast once a night
System: The Mystic soaks a foot long wick of pure cotton in human blood for twenty four hours. At the end of this time, the wick has absorbed the blood and will turn a deep crimson in color. The Mystic then summons a single Arm of the Abyss (activation cost as normal) and forces it to condense around the wick into a foot long black candle. At the conclusion of this Ritual, the candle may be used as follows:
When the candle is lit, the Cainite using it must let a single drop of blood fall upon the flame; the blood is consumed entirely in the flame. If the blood is Lasombra blood, the flame turns black; no other type of blood will activate the candle. The Cainite making use of the candle may then converse with all other Cainites making use of candles created by this Ritual.
Basic
This curse was developed by an Anarch scorned by a socialite Toreador who loved dancing. It has since made several other practical applications, and generally a great thing to use against someone who may be planning to cause harm to an Anarch. The prerequisites that have to be met to enact this curse require that the Victim has to have, at one time, caused harm or damage to the Anarch in some fashion be it mental, social or physical damage. The Anarch looks deep within to feel that hurt or loss again and begins reminding the victim of that incident and cursing them for their aggressions. With a successful Static Mental Challenge against the intended target’s current Mental traits (Retest with Occult), the intended victim will suffer from the Clumsy Negative trait, and be considered 2 traits down in all Dexterity related challenges. This curse lasts for one Month.
One of the greatest strengths of House High Saturday is their ability to approach arcane puzzles from two separate vantage points. This ritual represents the colossal success the House is capable of, combining the Tremere's expertise in Hermeticism and symbology with Necromantic knowledge of the Shadowlands and its procedures. Inspired by Arthur E. Waite's ritual of the same name, this ritual confers the state of very specific invisibility upon the caster for a short time.
System: The caster must take nine days to prepare this ritual, although the subsequent 'magic beans' may be consumed at any time thereafter. According to the House Grimoire:
"Begin this operation on a Wednesday before the sun rises, being furnished with seven black beans. Take next the head of a dead man; place one of the beans in his mouth, two in his eyes and two in his ears. Then make upon this head the character of the figure which here follows.
This done, inter the head with the face towards heaven, and every day before sunrise, for the space of nine days, water it with excellent brandy. On the eighth day you will find the cited spirit, who will say unto you: What doest thou? You shall reply: I am watering my plant. He will then say: Give me that bottle; I will water it myself. You will answer by refusing, and he will again ask you, but you will persist in declining, until he shall stretch forth his hand and show you the same figure which you have traced upon the head suspended from the tips of his fingers. In this case you may be assured that it is really the spirit of the head, because another might take you unawares, which would bring you evil, and further, your operation would be unfruitful.
When you have given him your phial, he will water the head and depart. On the morrow, which is the ninth day, you shall return and will find your beans ripe. Take them, place one in your mouth, and then look at yourself in a glass. If you cannot see yourself, it is good."
Successful completion of this ritual creates seven beans which, when one is inserted into the user's mouth, produces one hour of a special sort of invisibility. For the duration of one hour nothing without a soul can perceive or react to the individual in question from a visual point of view. Only through the eyes of a soul or spirit can the individual be seen. What this means is that cameras, mirrors, infrared detectors, and any other sort of mechanical devise that recognizes individuals with light of any sort do not detect the individual. Similarly, even if someone views the individual through the lens of an unsouled instrument they will not be able to perceive the sorcerer. This facet means that binoculars, hand-held mirrors, scrying, eyes of the past, oracular ability, and any other such method to view remotely or with an aid to the prosaic eyes will fail as well if targeting the sorcerer during this hour.
The caster may only create one set of seven "magic beans" at any given time and cannot create another set until the whole batch (all 7 beans) has been consumed, one at a time.
The Mystic prepares and casts this ritual the next time the Mystic uses Shroud of Night an inky portal appears allowing those who enter to traverse the Abyssal Plane. Lacking the elegance and simplicity of Descent into Darkness the portal remains for 3 turns and is accessible from both sides. To exit the Abyss the Mystic only needs to activate Shroud of Night to reopen the portal for 3 turns.
Challenge: Social (Retest Occult)
Cost: “X” Temp. willpower, equal to the level of virtue restored.
Duration: Scene
Difficulty: Static: Triple the Level of the Path Level Violation
Notes: This Ritual may only be used on another target;
Effect: If successful the Target restores a permanently lost Path Trait, so long as “Absolution” is performed by the end of the next game session that the trait was lost. This ritual has no effect on Virtue Traits. After the Ritual is successful, the Samedi is considered temporarily 1 less in there own path, but must continue to follow their true level tenants 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 Path trait - where X equals the level of Path trait restored.
Challenge: Social (Retest Occult)
Cost: 1 Perm Willpower upon Learning, 1 Temp to activate
Duration: Instant
Difficulty: Static: Shroud Rating
Effect: Activation of this ritual summons a Faux Siklos to the Hands of the Invoker. This will work in the Skin or Dead lands. It is useless in the hands of anyone other than its creator.
This ritual calls upon the authority and sheer "awesomeness" that is the emotions and memories of the Tithe, and all the wraiths whom were used in its creation. Charon Created this scythe as an instrument of authority, power, and office. Although the True Scythe exists in the hands of the Sandmen, or perhaps the Skeletal Lord (no one is for sure admitting to anything). It is rarely seen and stories vary from wraith to wraith.
Although this ritual makes no attempt at summoning or fully replicating the real Siklos, merely use all the memories and emotions surrounding it. Your average wraith will either not be able to tell the difference from the fake and the real thing, or they would dare not presume to speak against someone who speaks with Charon’s voice and authority. In either event, it is meant to represent the "idea" that the Samedi whom is blessed by the Baron has command over the dead should they desire to use it. Afterall the "idea" is usually more powerful than the actual truth of the situation - and typically just the "idea" is enough.
Creating this Scythe requires connecting yourself to the Lands of the Dead in ways unspoken. Dangerous is an understatement. By this time in your journey following Charon and a collection of stories, memories, emotions, and no small force of will. The Samedi evokes the age old tales of the lands of the dead, its perception and a personal view on reality. Wraiths rise to power, Some are freshly culled, some are centuries old, some have no real power or even a lot of Arconi. But they are all restless dead, and have much more in common than some may admit or even realize. The Samedi who has studied, and learned to care for thier community, and rule it when nesecary; has but one final step to take.
Creation of the Scythe Costs the Samedi a Permanent Willpower, and the Samedi gains the Flaw “Shadow Walker” (Giovanni Clan Blook Revised) for the duration of its existence, but does not gain additional points for it. At any point the Samedi may Destroy the Scythe, but the Willpower is still permanently lost, however they will loos the flaw unless they create a new one.
Charon’s Sythe - Siklos
Weapon
# of Traits is conditional, see special rules, 2 Hands, Conceal: none/special 3 Damage
This weapon appears as a Scythe, made of a white ephemeral substance, some sort of Black ore, and also what appears to be copper coins.
Siklos is a Sentiant and self aware weapon, an Instrument of Charon's Will (or so it's said) and the memories used to create this faux one; although are not self aware and sentiant. However like Siklos will refuse to serve any but its one true master. Thus is is useless in the hands of anyone other than its creator, not even as a mundane weapon (it simply will pass through them; assuming they can even pick it up) Those Dur-An-Ki masters, who would be foolish enough to use Awakening the Steel on the Scythe. While various levels "Might" work, Storytellers are encouraged to "punish" that character in creative, but appropriate ways fitting the theme and idea that fits Siklos. The weapon, although created by Ritual, can not be a victim of Countermagic; or Unweave ritual. The Ritual creates a physical "real" object. that object just has special rules because of its creation. Much like Countermagic or Unweave ritual would have no effect against "Enchant Talisman"
Wraith Special abilities:
* Against a Wraith, this weapon is considered Stygian Steel.
* This weapon may be enchanted by various means, unless it is done by an Artificer (or Spirit Thaumaturgy), those enchantments fade at the next sunrise.
* When summoned, the holder gains +5 traits on any challenge against a Wraith, and +10 against Spectres
*This weapon, upon a successful strike may choose to do no damage, but instead banishes a wraith/spectre in the Skinlands back to the Deadlands, no matter what ability they are using to cross over.
Normal Special:
* This weapon may be used in the Skin lands against non-wraiths, its damage type is considered Aggravated, and has +3 traits.
* Although this weapon may be “destroyed” Unless destroyed by the Samedi who created it; it is simply banished, and may not be summoned for the rest of the scene.
* This Weapon may be summoned to the hands of the creator, or dismissed back to the ether. This is done at thought, regardless of whom is holding the weapon. Summoning it costs a Temp Willpower.
As Per Umbra Walk however the destination is the Shadow Lands. Casting of this ritual could also require a Virtue &/or Path test depending on the character. St Discretion advised
Challenge Type: Social
Retest: Occult
Static Difficulty: 9
This ritual cast in a graveyard at midnight, calls the Loa to hear a request of a Hougan. If the Loa make an appearance, the Hougan is then able to make a request either on behalf of themself, or on the behalf of another. If the Loa agree to assist (which they are not obligated too) They will assist the petitioner in some way for their goals; they will do this for a price. Should you not pay, or otherwise break the deal you gain the Loa's ire. Should a Hougan make a request on behalf of another, and the deal be broken, or not paid; both the Hougan and the Petitioner earn the Loa's Ire.
The Benifits and Drawbacks are limited by ST Discretion, as they can fluxuate drastically, depending on the request made. This ritual is usually made easier, and the Loa to some extend more likely to make an appearance and at least listen to the request, should the Shroud be thinned, and maybe even more likely to agree to assist, should gifts be offered. Both of these variable are also at ST discretion, as Characters could have poor etiquette and make more mistakes than good graces.