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.
Waystation Teleport (Advanced Thaumaturgy Ritual):
This ritual constructs the “spokes” that radiate out from a Teleport Hub. They establish a semi-permanent gate between a specific location, and a Teleport Hub. This may be either a location such as a chantry to a hub, or from one hub to another.
System: The doorways that function as the endpoints for this ritual must be constructed to identical dimensions, following a formula of for every 3 feet of width requires 6 feet in height. The “doors” are constructed of a flat plane of stainless steel (for its resistance to corrosion, and its reflective nature) with a wooden frame.
To use the frames once they’ve been enchanted and placed requires the expenditure of 1 mental trait per self-aware creature (person, vampire, animal, etc.) with an additional mental trait required per additional 250lbs being carried/pushed through the Waystation portal.
Each portal door set must be enchanted by the same thaumaturge, though past that, anyone may use it, if properly authorized. Enchanting a set of doors requires one night, and a trait of the thaumaturge’s vitae per 3x6 section of door, i.e. a 6x12 door would require 4 blood traits, though only a single night.
At least one door of the enchanted set must be placed within a Teleport Hub (see the appropriate ritual of the same name for details), i.e. a Waystation Teleport can go from hub to other location, or hub to hub. There is no limitation on the distance between paired doors.
Use of the Portals requires either permission from someone authorized to grant it. The only person capable of granting such permissions is the highest-ranking member of the Pyramid stationed at that location. For example, Regent A can authorize users of the Portal at his chantry. Lord B shows up with a couple of assistants and wants to send one back through for something. This requires Regent A’s permission, as the Lord is visiting, and not assigned to that chantry.
Permission can be granted by handing an individual who has sworn the Oath and is a member in good standing with the Pyramid a token, and explicitly and verbally granting authorization. Tokens are typically made from chipping a small piece from the Keystone at the time of its creation. Or by chipping a token from the wall the portal is placed against if it is a location with a single portal. It still requires the highest ranked person who is stationed there’s permission (as if the location were a hub) Such tokens may be incorporated into jewelry, etc. Should a keystone be destroyed, all tokens are rendered invalid. A maximum of three tokens may be active at any one time.
In the event of an emergency, a portal may be forced to function by the expenditure of a permanent Mental Trait by anyone attempting to use that portal, or any portal attached to the hub, if the expenditure is made in a hub room. This sets a 6-hour countdown clock, and the person authorized to create tokens at that location is immediately, mentally notified, and is aware of the time remaining. At the end of the six hours, that portal (or that hub) is treated as if there were no active Keystone in play.
By contrast with the ritual it is based on, We of the Grove is quite common, having purposely been spread to every to every Shepherd in an effort to ensure that the scattering which occurred after the death of Deverra never impacts their bloodline so harshly again. System: The focus of this ritual is a seed from the central tree of Riga's main chantry. The caster allows this seed to soak in stone concavity of their own vitae for a full cycle of the new moon. Once finished, it is planted just after sunset and grows to maturity within the evening. The bond this tree shares with others of its kind through its parent enables a form of communication akin to telepathic conversation. When in physical contact with the Tree, the caster can send their thoughts out to other Shepherds. If no others are currently available, the tree stores the message and delivers the next time contact is made. Due to the spiritual relationship between the Telyavelic Tremere and nature, this ritual fails when attempted by anyone not of the bloodline.
It is said that there is great power in one's horoscope, and while many use charts derived from this ancient practice to gain insight into what was and will be, few realize that they are merely the key to the doorway to dealing with the spirits of the planets themselves. For the infernal, there is always the lingering fear that one's master is but a cog or servant to greater beings. Assamite Sorcerers know well the old pacts, and that even demons must answer to higher authority- in the modern nights, the Dragons have turned to those ancient pacts and astrology to combat the tide of infernalism. This ritual invokes the planetary spirits and Zoroastrian gods to subdue an infernalist through their very connection to their demonic masters.
System: This ritual requires the presence of the infernalist to be affected, and takes a minimum of four hours to cast, dedicating at least one hour each to reciting the ancient covenants with the spirits of the Sun, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter. The Sorcerer, upon completing the recitations, immediately performs the ritual slaying of a bull that has impregnated a cow within the last lunar cycle. He then bathes in the blood of the slain bull, save for one Trait taken from the animal's heart. The heart-blood is then mixed in a wooden bowl with three Blood Traits taken from the infernalist and the pulp of fresh kalif. The mixture is cooked over a fire for half an hour to make a paste; during this time, the Sorcerer takes three of his Blood Traits and draws his own natal and fatal horoscope charts on the ground, first inside the second, with a diameter no less than twice the infernalist's height.
The Sorcerer then places the infernalist in the center of the circle and recites the legends of Ahura Mazda's battles against Angra Mainyu while completely covering the infernalist with the cooked paste, causing 1 aggravated damage. The Sorcerer then invokes the ancient pacts with the planetary spirits, calling the Sun to place his weight upon the infernalist; Mercury to aid in the Sorcerer's search for information; Mars to force the infernalist's submission and drain her strength; and Jupiter to wrest control of the infernalist's connection to her demonic master, forcing her compliance to the ancient covenants. For the ritual's capstone, the Sorcerer then invokes Ahura Mazda to bless the ritual so that light will triumph over darkness. For the remainder of the night, or until the infernalist leaves the horoscope charts, they are affected as if suffering from the penalties for being awake during daylight hours (Laws of the Night p. 111)
It is said that there is great power in one's horoscope, and while many use charts derived from this ancient practice to gain insight into what was and will be, few realize that they are merely the key to the doorway to dealing with the spirits of the planets themselves. For the infernal, there is always the lingering fear that one's master is but a cog or servant to greater beings. Assamite Sorcerers know well the old pacts, and that even demons must answer to higher authority- in the modern nights, the Dragons have turned to those ancient pacts and astrology to combat the tide of infernalism. This ritual invokes the planetary spirits and Zoroastrian gods to subdue an infernalist through their very connection to their demonic masters.
System: This ritual requires the presence of the infernalist to be affected, and takes a minimum of four hours to cast, dedicating at least one hour each to reciting the ancient covenants with the spirits of the Sun, Mercury, Mars, and Jupiter. The Sorcerer, upon completing the recitations, immediately performs the ritual slaying of a bull that has impregnated a cow within the last lunar cycle. He then bathes in the blood of the slain bull, save for one Trait taken from the animal's heart. The heart-blood is then mixed in a wooden bowl with three Blood Traits taken from the infernalist and the pulp of fresh kalif. The mixture is cooked over a fire for half an hour to make a paste; during this time, the Sorcerer takes three of his Blood Traits and draws his own natal and fatal horoscope charts on the ground, first inside the second, with a diameter no less than twice the infernalist's height.
The Sorcerer then places the infernalist in the center of the circle and recites the legends of Ahura Mazda's battles against Angra Mainyu while completely covering the infernalist with the cooked paste, causing 1 aggravated damage. The Sorcerer then invokes the ancient pacts with the planetary spirits, calling the Sun to place his weight upon the infernalist; Mercury to aid in the Sorcerer's search for information; Mars to force the infernalist's submission and drain her strength; and Jupiter to wrest control of the infernalist's connection to her demonic master, forcing her compliance to the ancient covenants. For the ritual's capstone, the Sorcerer then invokes Ahura Mazda to bless the ritual so that light will triumph over darkness. For the remainder of the night, or until the infernalist leaves the horoscope charts, they are affected as if suffering from the penalties for being awake during daylight hours (Laws of the Night p. 111)
The varying defenses of a well protected Haven most often require copious amounts of ritual components, time and blood for them to be cast upon the location. Frequently, the casting of these rituals also only ever takes into account the original targets of who are participating at the time. Usually these are just the residents of said location and no one else. To add others so they may pass through the defenses of a location, one must ordinarily destroy all their hard work and start from scratch once again. There are two versions of this ritual. The basic version allows for temporary access through such defenses, while the advanced version makes such access permanent.
System:
The thaumaturge casting this ritual must either be the original caster of the ritual that is being affected or have taken them over through the use of the combination discipline Theft of Will.
Basic: The target of this ritual must be bled and a single trait of blood taken to be used in a small inscription within the Haven’s main ritual chamber wall. This will grant the individual access through the various defenses that the location has for 1 to 3 nights, depending on the temporary mental traits spent at the time of the casting. This inscription fades away after the designated amount of time.
Adv: The target of this ritual must be bled and a single trait of blood for each ritual affected must be taken to be used in an intricate inscription upon the Haven’s main ritual chamber walls. This will grant the individual access through the various defenses that the location has until the inscription is removed from the walls. A willpower must be spent at the time of this casting by both the caster and targeted individual.
When one spends too much time seeing Gehenna scars form upon the psyche. This ritual attunes targets to the callsigns of world ending events by harnessing the foresight gaze of Enoch. However, this boon also curses the target permanently. The character experiences a striking vision that leaves them permanently scarred.
System: Using blood Potency the witch forms a puddle of blood using the false generation vitae and gazes into it with their target. The player makes a Static Mental Challenge, retested with occult, at a difficulty of 12. A success results in the target may purchase gaining the Merit Oracular Ability or Prophetic at ST discretion. Failure simply means that the ritual does not succeed and must be tried another night. Characters who undergo this ritual gain a physical quirk. While having their striking vision, one eye becomes permanently red like it has been ruptured and engorged with blood. If the character has manifested a third eye from learning Obeah or Valren, then even that eye has a chance to be affected, but it does not hinder their sight. They may conceal this quirk with obfuscation or other unconventional ways. In addition those who undergo this ritual gain the Derangement Perception Filter. --Perception Filter: In stressful environments, as called by storyteller discretion, your red eye sees a Gehenna themed overlay over your vision. You are down 2 traits on perception based challenges as you're distracted by the death overlaid around you.
Required Items:
A Glass Vial, Wood, Stone, Mortar, and Brick
After spending 3 days in a building the caster is already attuned to, the Wood, Stone, Mortar and Brick must be ground to dust and then mixed with two traits of the caster's blood. One trait of Blood is then ingested and the second trait is put into the already present vial. The ingested trait is unspendable except for use to activate the vial but it does take up one point in the kindred's system.
When the vial is activated by breaking it in the building the caster is attempting to take control of, the blood in it is considered used and disappears.The caster is now attuned to the new building for one scene or hour, which ever comes first. Once this attunment is completed, the caster may freelly use their Hearth Path in the new building. At the end of scene or hour, the attunment reveres to the previously attuned to building.
The Caster may only have one vial of this ritual prepared at a time.
Description: This Wanga ritual is designed to cause those who have a streak of the beast, or wild, to be subdued and bound for some time. Calling upon the Loa, the wagateur creates a doll of the intended victim, binding it with some sort of the sympathetic link to the victim (a bit of hair, an object they care for, a drop of blood, etc). Once created, at any point thereafter, the wangateur may inflict the power of the doll upon the victim by physically binding the doll with hemp rope. Once complete, the caster engages the target in a Mental Challenge; retested with Occult (indeed the caster need not even see the victim to cast the ritual against them, as they have a direct link to them via the Wild Doll). Should the wangateur succeed against his victim, for the next scene or hour the victim may not change his shape in any way. This does not include damage, or effects done to him, but simply prevents the victim from using his own innate shape changing abilities. This affects all manners of creatures in different ways. Vampires are unable to use Protean, Serepentis, Vicissitude, and other shape changing powers. Lupines are stuck in their breed form. Shape changing mages are rendered unable to take any form other than their natural one and so on. Once successfully used on a victim, the sympathetic component of the Wild Doll is considered to be used up, and the caster will have to gain another if they seek to use the Wild Doll upon a victim again.
Intermediate Ritual (Pre-req Mortis: Path of Skulls)
The knowledges gained while consuming the skulls of the dead are indeed potent. With this ritual the caster is able to relive the ecstasy of learning one more time. With a prepared skull of a learned or wise man, the caster then recites the incantation feeling the rush of knowledge as the skull is consumed. This provides the mechanics of a mental trait refresh. The eating of the skull is part of the ritual and as such the skull can not be prepared and then eaten at a later time.
Upon successful casting, the caster may enchant a garment bag or suitcase to be able to store up to the caster's Permanent Mental Traits in complete outfits. These outfits will remain safely in the storage item for half their Permanent WP in weeks. These outfits may be altered in size to properly fit any person the Tremere can see so long as the Tremere also possesses the Path of Transmutation. Doing so costs 1 blood upon withdrawing the outfit.
Recasting the ritual on a container already under its effects will reset its duration without affecting the items. Should the container be destroyed, all stored outfits are expelled, undamaged, in a flurry of clothing.
Wood Runner (Intermediate - 3)
The player spends 3 Blood point and a trait of Willpower. For the remainder of the scene, the character may move about through a Wall O’ Wood, in the same manner a Gargoyle may move through stone using “Flow within the Mountain.”
The secret ritual of the brotherhood of purity is held in reserve and preparations of those of the Lost Tribe who may turn traitor against them and join the enemy of the Tal’Mahe’Ra. This ritual pulls upon the arts of the Kiss of the Asp Ritual that is performed on all Black Hand members. All members of the Brotherhood of Purity have this ritual cast on them as well, and those outside of the brotherhood sometimes have this cast on them. If cast on someone outside of the brotherhood but within the Black Hand, the caster always masks this ritual with another; so those receiving it have no idea this magic exists or what it does. Much like Kiss of the Asp this ritual remains dormant and inactive in the Kiss of the Asp Ritual itself. Should those with this ritual cast on them ever betray the Black Hand to the Tal’Mahe’Ra this ritual activates and forces the user to perform the Kiss of the Asp.
System: Once cast on a target, this ritual is permanent and may not be removed by any means. Should those who have this ritual cast on them betray the Lost Tribe to the Tal’Mahe’Ra by any means or way; their Kiss of the Asp activates and the victim dies.