Custom Combination Discipline / Technique

XP Cost: 12XP
MET Write-Up:

Approved Feb 9, 2012:

Lucid Dreamers can exert incredible control over their own dreams, delving into their own subconscious, dredging up insights, and controlling their meditative states more effectively.  Similarly, those with knowledge of Telepathy can catch glimpses of others dreams and even interact with them in a limited fashion, so long as the telepath is actually awake.  Those who know Opening the Gates of Horn and Ivory, however, are able to do far more.

If the user is in close proximity to a sleeping target, either physically or on the Astral, they may initiate a Mental Challenge in order to merge a projection of themselves (and potentially, their own dreams) into the sleeper's dream state, effectively falling asleep themselves and creating a shared dream realm through which the sleeper and the user of this power can interact.  From this point until the target wakes, the user of Opening the Gates ofHorn and Ivory may perceive the target's dream and guide those dreams, including allowing the target to remember their dreams with perfect clarity upon waking.  Note that the cycles of dawn and dusk do not interrupt this power.

The real strength of this power is to allow for additional roleplay opportunities, to hold intimately private conversations, to perform psychological or psychic feats of various sorts, or to teach across great distances while sleeping.  The remaining paragraphs serve to offer guidance around those parameters, which are ideally worked out by the user and the target OOCly.

If the user of this power makes radical shifts in the target's dream state, the target may make a single Mental Challenge against the user to eject him from the dream, as his subconscious pushes against the foreign presence; if this Challenge is failed, however, the target's dreams are at the mercy of the user of this power; at a minimum, the target may be forced to suffer the effects of the Nightmares flaw.  If the target has the Lucid Dreaming ability, however, they may make such a Challenge whenever they become aware of the user or notice a significant shift in their dream state; if they succeed, they may force themselves awake, severing the connection.

Otherwise, this power may be used to probe for deep memories per the description of Telepathy.  The user is also considered to have the target's eye contact and attention for the purposes of Dominate, Presence, and Dementation, all of which can be used to effect drastic changes in the target's dreams (and, thus, the shared dream space).  The user is considered to be able to spend his own blood, as his consciousness is within his own form, sharing a dream space with the target.  This connection lasts as long as the target sleeps or the user wishes to maintain the connection, and, during the day, both user and target may elect to use their Lucid Dreaming scores in place of their Morality Traits for the purpose of determining trait caps.  The target may only relent to challenges if they implicitly trust the user of this power, are Blood Bound to the user, or possess the Lucid Dreaming ability

Also requires possessing at leas Malk Time 1.

Description –

This power allows a Malkavian to take control of their local madness network, amplifying, quieting, or even shutting it down completely.

MET mechanics –

All actions cost one willpower, and a simple mental test. All powers end immediately if the individual using the power loses consciousness.

Broadcast – spend a willpower and make a simple test of 10 minus malk time. You may broadcast a thought/feeling loud and clear. It will override any background noise, and only be filtered through your own derangement, and reach any Malkavian in the city.

Quiet – spend a willpower and make a simple test of 13 minus malk time. The network is dampened. One must concentrate (10 trait mental test) to hear anyone on the network. It lasts a scene or an hour. Length can be extended at the rate of 1 mental per hour, but cannot continue past the user dropping into sleep for the day.

Hold back the floodwaters – spend a willpower and make a simple test 18 minus malk time. The network is shut down. All feelings, emotions, or screams are held back. This power lasts a scene or an hour. Once the network is released, anything backlogged that would have come across it during that time blasts through at once. However, the expenditure of a permanent willpower by the user clears that backlog, and nothing blasts through. The Malkavian that was holding the network back is down one mental trait, due to the mental stress of holding the network in check. This lasts until sunrise.  

Must have Obtenebration in clan

Whenever you teach Obten to another, you spend one permanent WP. Whoever you teach Obten to, or any Obten combo, you may spend a WP to see through their Obten and be unaffected by their Obten for the scene. You may also grant others protection from your own Obten by beating them in a social challenge (occult). Each person you target this way may see through your Obtenebration as if they themselves created it. You may only target one person per permanent WP a night.

The Toreador clan are famous social masters and engineers.  The discipline they are most associated with is their true mastery of Presence.  The Toreador clan has developed this combination discipline to reinforce that belief.  By combining their arts of extending their senses and mixing it with their presence they appear to others as some of the most beautiful and graceful kindred on the planet.
System:  The Toreador spends 1 willpower trait to activate this power for the next immediate Social challenge.  During that time the Toreador may add their Presence discipline rating in Bonus Traits to that Social challenge.  This combination Discipline may only be learned by members of the Toreador Clan.

“Another Elysium, another boring Primogen Council meeting. The same thing, gathering after gathering. Primogen Elsabran scoffs at this, Primogen Igmond balks at that. I wonder if this is what my sire was on about with “Eternal damnation can manifest most deceivingly” all those years ago, because this is both eternal and I do indeed feel damned. I begin to doodle behind the cover of my legal pad when I hear Primogen Uktus shout “Break into your haven? I know NOTHING of the sort”, standard stuff really from Uktus when all of a sudden I start hearing gasps. I slowly raise my head over the vertical legal pad and notice that Uktus is paralyzed, as if he were having a heart attack. Blood leaked down his face, pouring out from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth, so hot that steam was furiously coming from it as it exited his body. “Uktus, what is this?! What is going on here?!” screamed Elsabran. Uktus struggled to speak “I…don’t…know…” but as the words finished leaving his mouth, the rush of blood intensified and grew even hotter, causing boils to form all over Uktus. Some of the other Primogen, the smart ones, immediately fled, while Igmond moved to help Uktus. Uktus gurgled “Igmond…help me! I do not deserve this!” and with that last sentence, the blood now poured out from him like a hose. Igmond got it in the face and recoiled back, the heat melting his skin. I lowered my head back down behind my legal pad and as the blood hit it I could feel the leather melting in my hands before snapping my arms to my side. After a minute, silence fell. I got up from under the table and saw Elsabran tending to Igmond, whose face had been melted right off. Uktus, or at least what remained of Uktus, was a pile of steaming blood and ash.”

Mechanics: The Malkavian targets another character within line of sight and engages in a contested Social challenge against, Retest Subterfuge. If successful then for the remainder of the scene/hour, anytime the target character tells a lie, their blood begins to furiously boil. Kindred take 2 Aggravated Damage and lose 2 Blood Points each time they say anything that they do not believe to be true. Other creatures take 2 Aggravated Damage.