Thaumaturgy

Thaumaturgy encompasses blood magic and other sorcerous arts available to Kindred. The Tremere Clan is best known for their possession (and jealous hoarding) of this Discipline. The Tremere created Thaumaturgy by combining mortal wizardry with the power of vampiric vitae, and as a result it is a versatile and powerful Discipline. After the fall of Vienna Chantry, many lessons were lost entirely, and most Tremere defaulted to using what was known as Blood Sorcery, or the Path of blood, and Thaumaturgy became far more rare than it once was.

The Discipline.

Like Oblivion, the practice of Thaumaturgy is divided into paths and rituals. Thaumaturgical paths are applications of the vampire’s knowledge of blood magic, allowing her to create effects on a whim. Rituals are more formulaic in nature, most akin to ancient magical “spells.” Because so many different paths and rituals are available to the arcane Tremere, one never knows what to expect when confronted with a practitioner of this Discipline.

Players need to pay experience points for their characters to learn rituals up to the level equal to their overall rating in Thaumaturgy, though they must find someone to teach the rituals in question. Path ratings never exceed 5, though the overall Thaumaturgy score may. If a character reaches a rating of 5 Thaumaturgy, her primary path matches that score, if she increases her Thaumaturgy score afterward, and may allocate her “free” path dot to a different path. You may additionally choose to increase your Thaumaturgy rating as though it were a level below what it actually is. If you do this, you may gain a dot in another path than your primary one, assuming that you have all the dots below it.

Paths define the types of magic a vampire can perform. A vampire typically learns his primary path from his sire, though it is not unknown for some vampires to study under many different tutors. As mentioned before, the first path a character learns is considered her primary path and increases automatically as the character advances in the Discipline itself. Secondary paths may be learned once the character has acquired two or more dots in her primary path, and they must be raised separately with experience points. Furthermore, a character’s rating in her primary path must always be at least one dot higher than any of her secondary paths until she has mastered her primary path. Once the character has achieved the fifth level of her primary path, secondary paths may be increased to that level.

For example, if Lauren's primary path is Lure of Flames at 3 dots, then she increases her Thaumaturgy rating to 4 dots, then Lure of Flames follows suit. However, she may also pay exp to buy the first level of a discipline, and she chooses Thaumaturgy even though she already has it. She instead learns a new path, choosing Path of Mercury in addition to her dots in Lure of Flames, being one dot in Sadhanna Path.

Activating Powers.

Each time a Thaumaturge invokes one of the powers of a path, the character must roll Willpower. The difficulty will either be listed in the power, or determined by your Storyteller. Failure to get any successes on this roll indicates that the magic simply does not work. A bestial failure causes some kind of loss or catastrophic backfire, such as losing a Willpower point, spontaneous combustion, or accidentally letting a living statue run rampant. Thaumaturgy is an unforgiving art. The storyteller should determine the exact nature of these mistakes, though they should play on the spell and go disastrously wrong.

Thaumaturgy

■ Type: Sorcery

■ Masquerade Threat: Low-High. The individual appearance of the powers and Rituals in Blood Sorcery varies as widely as their effects.

■ Blood Resonance: Sanguine. Although not inherent in the Blood itself, Blood Sorcery responds eagerly to blood from human occultists, sorcerers, and cult leaders, as well as hemophiles and bibliophiles.

Individual paths are listed below, in no particular order. Each one may be taken as stated aboe, and only has a single potential power for each level. Therefore, you must take that ability whenever you gain a dot in that discipline.

Path of Curses.

Early in the history of Blood Sorcery, the Path of Curses was developed and refined. It is still known by its early names in certain circles: Maleficium, Hexen-Kraft, the Evil Eye. Victims of this path are subject to extreme treatment and psychological feelings of inadequacy, often to the point of becoming social outcasts. Friends tend to distance themselves from the victim, creating a social schism and driving the accursed toward alienation.

■ Type: Sorcery

■ Masquerade Threat: Mid-High

■ Blood Resonance: Sanguine. Occultists, Paranormal Investigators and Gypsies

■ Ingredients: Hair, blood, flesh, or any other part of the victim (which depending on the age of the vampire decay pretty quickly), as well as clay, straw or another malleable material. Additional ingredients may be required, as detailed in the curse

■ Process: The thaumaturge creates an effigy using the clay and the parts from the victim. When directly seeing the target she then proceeds to curse them in whispers. The curse must be chanted for 30 seconds per level and often consists of dead, esoteric languages. You then roll Difficulty using the system explained above. Any interruption during the process automatically forces you to restart, though you may not make another rouse check if required.

■ System: Even if the ritual is successful, the target may cancel its effect. Once she knows which specific curse has been inflicted upon her, usually requiring an Intelligence + Occult (or Fortitude) roll against a Difficulty equal to the level of the power + 2, or contacting a specialist on the matter, she then can spend a number of Willpower per level of the Curse to negate the effect. This is the victim asserting his own strength of will and personality to throw off the yoke of anathema. The thaumaturge can lift the curses that she brings down at any time she wishes, which makes an excellent bargaining chip

••• Pariah

This curse touches upon one of the most feared elements of society, that of becoming an outcast. This power goes beyond cursing the victim with simple social ostracism. While under the effects of Pariah, the accursed appears to be the most hated of enemies to everyone they encounter. This alteration of perception is only in body and form, the victim still acts and speaks as normal. But then again, few are willing to listen to the ranting and ravings of a despised foe.

■ Ingredients: Blood from an Obfuscate user on top of the regular ingredients. Two rouse checks are required to cast this power.

■ System: Upon a successful roll the subject suffers the curse for a period of one week, a month on a Critical Win. Similar to the power Mask of a Thousand Faces, this power influences the perceptions of those around the accursed, leading observers to believe that the subject is a dire rival. This will not necessarily result in attack indeed, in most cases, it shouldn't - but will cause antagonism in whatever way is most appropriate to the onlooker. Most people will just leave the accursed's presence with a look of disdain, but some may snub her, insult her or even throw the first punch. Sense the Unseen can see through this involuntary disguise for the duration. This ritual does not work on people that already know the accursed.

•••• Corrupt Body

This powerful curse is invoked by the thaumaturge, who approaches the victim and denounces his physical form. Over the course of seconds, the victim's body distorts and perverts into a parody of itself. During this transformation, the victim suffers extreme pain that wracks his body. This defilement leaves behind a victim scarred both physically and mentally. Recently, Camarilla princes have had this power used upon violators of the Traditions to enforce their will; a graceful Kindred dancer reduced to an uncoordinated oaf is not likely to forget his mistakes.

■ Ingredients: Two rouse checks are required to cast this power.

■ System: During the three turns that the physical change occurs, the target suffers a three-dice penalty to all dice pools. For the duration of the Corrupt Body, the accursed is constantly marks 3 squares of aggravated damage as being sustained, and cannot heal them until it wears off. This is cumulative with other wounds. Additionally, the thaumaturge chooses Strength, Dexterity or Fortitude to warp. This drops the appropriate Attribute to 1 for the duration. The Storyteller should add any additional effects to aid in how nasty this power is. Only one Corrupt Body can affect a victim at any one time. The power stays in effect for a week, a month for a Critical Win.

••••• Fall from Grace

The magus is now able to curse his victim with supreme ineptitude, causing a loss in confidence and failings in any and all tasks. Striking a combination of mystical dread and self-loathing in the victim, failure becomes almost a certainty. Fate and circumstance now conspire to prevent prosperity. Victims of this power often retire from the normal activities of their lives as nothing goes right; relationships fall apart, jobs crumble around them, and accidents seem to become commonplace.

■ Ingredients: The blood of a Salubri and cypress leaves knit in occult forms, in addition to two rouse checks that are required to cast this curse.

■ System: While under this curse, all failures count as a Bestial failure. Additionally, even the most menial task becomes more difficult to accomplish. Add a +2 Difficulty to all the rolls the target makes. In case of opposing dice pools the enemy gains 2 automatic successes. The power stays in effect for a week, a month for a Critical win.

The Path of Transmutation

Guns and knives melt into pools of metal, wood petrifies and becomes brittle, and common boundaries such as walls and doors transmute to vapour. The laws of chemistry do not bind Warlocks employing the powers of transmutation, as materials shift their state regardless of their temperature. This path is looked upon somewhat unfavourably among elder Tremere, as it reflects a "quick and dirty" effect rather than true mastery of alchemical transmutation. Though the Path of Alchemy has also fallen out of practice, and yet users of this Path still find it incredibly handy to morph the environment around them.

■ Type: Sorcery

■ Masquerade Threat: Mid-High

■ Blood Resonance: Sanguine. Scientists, engineers, technicians.

• Fortify the Solid Form

By fortifying a solid object, a magus increases the strength and integrity of an item. A thaumaturge mystically transmutes a feather to become a crude blunt object, pencils become makeshift stakes, and a cardboard box becomes as tough as metal.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ System: This power increases the offensive or defensive capabilities of an object the caster touches. When used for defence, the object should be big enough to cover some part of the body of the vampire, becoming a reinforced cover. When used for offence, the object becomes a Weapon with a Damage bonus equal to half the Thaumaturgy rating (rounded up). Objects that are already weapons are unaffected. This power cannot be used to increase the structure of a living creature.

■ Duration: One scene or until the object is destroyed.

•• A World of Wet Clay

Thaumaturges with this power can deform a wall with a simple caress, leaving their fingers printed like it was made of clay. The main use of this power is to deform solid objects but with enough invention allows the creation of traps or artistic pieces. Quick uses of this power leave significant trails behind, like if the object was melted or the concrete was altered when it was still wet.

■ Cost: A Wits+Transmutation roll, in addition to the standard activation one. If either roll fails, the power is unable to be used until the next scene.

••• Liquefy the Solid Form

A thaumaturge may "melt" solid objects and leave them in a liquid-like state. By employing this power, attackers could find their weapons in small pools at their feet. Stakes rot away at a rapid pace, and blades corrode into soft, nondescript puddles. After a time, the object returns to its original shape. This fact leaves many thaumaturges claiming it is a recent improvement over an older, more dated version of this power.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ System: Touching an object, the thaumaturge transforms it into a liquid, thus assuming a deformed state and rendered useless. Only entire objects can be affected by this power. In combat this can be used against the weapon of an opponent, a win rendering the item useless. This power does not work on objects that forcefully contact the vampire, meaning it will not melt a weapon unless the user can catch it before it hits. As much as many Tremere would like it, Liquefy the Solid Form may not be used on living (or unliving) beings. A transformed object remains in a liquid state for one scene, after which it resumes its original shape.

■ Duration: One scene.

•••• Imbue the Water of Life

The thaumaturge is able to crystallize vitae with the concentrated essence of other Discipline powers. Said crystal grants one single use of the power to anyone who consumes it. Those that prefer commodities dissolve them first in a potion-like fashion, others destroy them with their jaws. But some thaumaturges prefer to create needle-like crystals and insert them with it. The sight of a thaumaturge decorated with bright red crystal became synonymous with trouble.

■ Cost: One or more Rouse Checks

■ System: Following a Rouse Check plus any needed to activate the desired power, the thaumaturge crystalizes its essence. The resulting crystal (which can have any form) can later be consumed to activate the effect of said power for free with the dice pool and rating of the original vampire. Crystals that house powers that require a target need to be introduced into the body of the desired target to make use of the effects. For the purpose of Dominate powers, the commands are said during the creation of the crystal. Imbue The Water of Life can also create crystals from Kindred that have any amount of the user’s Blood inside them.

■ Duration: Depends on the power, but are used but up immediately and often last a single scene.

••••• Ghost Wall

After attaining this level of mastery, a thaumaturge finds herself no longer hindered by common barriers such as walls and rock formations. With but a thought, solid objects shift to a vaporous state and may be traversed with little difficulty. The Warlock passes beyond walls, as they are insubstantial and will not obstruct his movement. Targets fall through a gaseous floor, and vaporous parachutes are useless in slowing the travel speed of a skydiver.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ System: The thaumaturge may transform an object within 5 meters. A transmuted object keeps its shape and becomes transparent, as things are able to pass through it. This effect lasts for three turns, after which the object in question reforms as if nothing had ever happened. Needless to say, this is an outrageous breach of the Masquerade if any inappropriate eyes observe it. If an object cannot reform fully due to the destruction of its environment, this power cannot be used again until the Scene ends. Should a victim occupy the same space as the object after this power expires, she suffers aggravated damage as the Storyteller determines appropriate to the circumstance. For example, a rock reforming within a body might inflict a single level of Aggravated Health damage, where a person trapped within a tree trunk should suffer at least five.

■ Duration: Three turns.

The Path of Mercury

Praapti is the power of instantaneous travel. The Indian Sadhana practitioners developed this Path to match their mysterious Asian rivals, who have the power to travel instantly along lines of mystical force. Later, turncoat sadhus sold the secret of this Path to the Tremere, who reverse-engineered it into what they call the Path of Mercury. A handful of New Age Anarchs have also stumbled onto the secret of this path, which they simply call Teleportation.

Being able to instantaneously transport oneself is incredibly useful for some. One notorious Nosferatu crime boss Prince kept a Tremere henchman to personally bring her everywhere, and yet after becoming part of his office's floor, decided against this course of action. A more esoteric path, the risks associated mean very few Thaumaturges bother to learn it, let alone carry it as their primary path. As such, finding a teacher is rare, and many looking to learn this even as a useful escape method or infiltration gimmick, and its uses cannot be denied.

■ Type: Sorcery

■ Masquerade Threat: High. It's difficult to explain why a strange person disappears instantly. ■ Blood Resonance: Sanguine. Thieves, Circus Workers, the Demented

■ System: Individual levels of this Path do not have distinct effects. Instead, a higher mastery simply indicates a farther distance that can be travelled. To activate the power, make a rouse check, then make the activation roll. Ideally, the sorcerer must be able to see the target location or know it intimately, though they are able to teleport even to broad ideas. For example, “the roof of Elysium” is a valid location, if it is in range. Failure on a roll to activate this path means that nothing happens at all, but bestial failures are more problematic. If the target location is within sight or is very near (the other side of a wall, for example), such a failure causes the character the usual catastrophic problems for blood magic. If the sorcerer attempts a blind teleport, however, they are much more dangerous. Typically, the sorcerer finds himself merged with a solid object, suffering one aggravated damage per “1” rolled, even on non-hunger dice. Three or more levels of damage also means that the sorcerer is stuck inside a large object such as a wall or the ground, and may need help to break free. The exact distance possible for each level can be seen in the table below.

Path Level	Travel Distance
•	Up to 10 Meters
••	Up to 100 Meters
•••	Up to a Mile
••••	Up to 50 Miles
•••••	Basically anywhere

Familiarity with the target location of a teleport location you cannot see affects the difficulty of the roll as follows. The Storyteller decides the exact difficulty of the jump, though some suggestions are below for modifying the number of successes required.

Familiarity	Difficulty Modifier
Intimate (your own haven)	-2
Visited Regularly (Elysium as a harpy)	-1
Unseen but understood (the other side of this wall)	+0
Unfamiliar (visited a few times)	+1
Very unfamiliar (a location you only heard of)	+2

Teleportation is rarely exact. Every “1” rolled on a successful roll throws the sorcerer off by 10% of the total destination. The sorcerer may only bring himself and the clothes on his back by default. Each additional person or 100 pounds of mass they want to take with them costs an additional rouse check. For example, if Chris wants to teleport himself, 3 members of his coterie, and a 50 pound computer, he must make 4 rouse checks to bring them all along, and if the roll is a bestial faliure…they’re all screwed.

Path of the Levinbolt

Lightning has long been considered the dominion of the gods but has traditionally been out of reach of thaumaturges due to a lack of understanding of the principles of electricity. As a result, this Path remained relatively obscure until the birth of modern science and the efforts of John Blackwood. The ample supply of electricity in the late 19th century meant that thaumaturges no longer had to wait until a convenient storm to charge their powers but could gather the required electricity in mere seconds to direct as they chose. Practitioners of Levinbolt learn to generate electricity with their vitae, use the flow of electrons as a means to influence the world around them or power up their undead nerves and brain as auxiliary “meat computers”.

■ Type: Sorcery

■ Masquerade Threat: High Harnessing the power of the electricity with bare hands is a clear Masquerade violation.

■ Blood Resonance: Sanguine. Scientists, engineers, technicians, those who are very energetic.

••••• Zeus's Fury

An advancement of the Discharge power, the strength of the vampire's bolts are such that the damage is an order of magnitude higher, lightning arcs and bursts from where the vampire wills it to strike, more in line with 'real' lightning.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ System: This power uses the same base system as Discharge, with increased damage. The lightning does Aggravated Health damage to mortals and vampires alike. If the target receives any point of damage, the lightning discharges electricity around them. Anyone within three metres of them must make a Dexterity + Athletics roll vs Difficulty 3 to avoid the bouncing lightning. Failing the roll causes the Crippling Injury Stunned for a turn. A mortal who takes even one point of damage dies instantly.

■ Duration: Instantaneous.

Biothaumaturgy

A shunned art, Biothaumaturgy, sometimes referred to as lame necromancy or stitching, is the art of manipulating the dead through science and magic. This bizarre path reputedly has its roots in the secret tomes of the inscrutable Black Hand. Over the past few years, its esoteric secrets have spread among certain cabals of Tremere, who regard it as a curious mixture of Hermetic science and black magic. Biothaumaturgy concerns itself with the manipulation of life energies. In the laboratories of inspired Biothaumaturgists, there's often strange creatures almost out of myth, veritable Frankenstein's monsters and far less wholesome creations. Although it is not considered a "taboo" path by the Tremere, Biothaumaturgy is nonetheless strange and unsettling to those who observe its results, and an instant masquerade breach when creations do escape. As such, many Princes frown on anything more than lab pets being kept.

A quirk of this power is that rather than an innate power, the path is made up of rituals, experiments and techniques that take time to complete. The powers of this path take one hour to complete for every level of the power used. They need not be consecutive. For example, the Level One power takes one hour to complete, while the Level Five one requires 9, as it is taking the level 4 power and adding onto it with its own. These can be done in a single period, or over the course of months, as the Thaumaturge dictates. Additionally, raw materials are required for each. On top of the bodies (or disseperate parts) required for most effects, magical plating, copper tubing, blood of certain resonances and all manner of other bizarre gear is used for these effects. Though not listed explicitly, take the time to play up the style of your thaumaturge and how they work. No activation check is required for Biothaumaturgy, unlike most other paths. Once other requirements are met, the powers simply take effect, though other checks may be necessary.

Biothaumaturgy also requires the thaumaturge to have a laboratory where they can conduct their great work. This need be nothing more complex than a doctor's table and a few sharp knives, but it may be as complicated as the "mad scientist" affairs of pulp fiction, with steaming alembics and crackling generators. The Storyteller should feel free to modify a character's Biothaumaturgy difficulties if he has excellent laboratory resources or his facilities are utterly lacking. Working with a crude lab may add two dice to the activation roll, while a high-grade facility may lower the same pool by two.

■ Type: Sorcery

■ Masquerade Threat: High, though the highest level powers can pass for regular people (assuming they're subjected to no more than a cursory scan), shambling corpses and horrors beyond comprehension tend to raise a few eyebrows.

■ Blood Resonance: Melancholy, the blood of inventors, the dying, gravediggers and morticians, as well as blood that emphasizes the specific goal of the creation, such as Chloric for a created body-guard.

• Thaumaturgical Forensics

Using their magics to first analyze flesh and blood, this power shares much with Auspex, and is able to reveal a wealth of information from what otherwise is a mundane pile of meat. The required tissue can range from blood, flesh, bone and other body parts of a creature, being substantial enough to take up the size of a clenched fist. It does not need to specifically be from a living, dead or undead creature; it only matters that it is from something that was once, or still is, alive. A wealth of information may be gleaned from this sample, including information that "normal" forensics and genetics would not yield, such as age, generation, clan, cause of death etc. This information can be conveyed even if only a small quantity of material is present.

■ Cost: 1 Rouse Check

■ System: A player rolls Intelligence + Medicine or Thaumaturgy. Each success on the activation roll yields one piece of simple information about the subject after the required period of time has passed, which may be any living, unliving or dead entity (but not an inanimate object), including plants. This information is limited to physical characteristics of the subject -- Thaumaturgical Forensics can be used to determine gender, clan, traces of diablerie and the like, but it will not reveal if a given subject killed an individual or where she kept her trove of personal belongings. The storyteller has the final call on what can be learnt.

■ Duration: Instantaneous

•• Thaumaturgical Surgery

The thaumaturge uses his knowledge of magic and physiology to aid a body in its regenerative capacity. Even the most grievous wounds may heal more quickly if aided by this sorcerer’s art. Through fusing mortal medicine with magic and grim science, subjects are often wary of submitting themselves to one that is often capable of turning a dog inside out, though their results are undeniably effective.

■ Cost: 1 Rouse Check

■ System: After activating the power, the user makes an Intelligence+Medicine or Thaumaturgy check. Each success on the player's roll allows the thaumaturge to heal one point of superficial damage. Otherwise, the thaumaturge may turn two successes to convert a point of aggravated damage into superficial damage. The player may divert successes however he pleases. This power takes the full amount of time to be completed successfully, (two hours) as the patient is treated, and otherwise recuperates.

■ Duration: Instantaneous

••• Lesser Animation

The thaumaturge mystically endows a dead life form with magical energy and imparts to it a rudimentary set of instructions. Some thaumaturges favour simple necromantic beings, their creations simply being corpses with energy flowing through their bones, while others are stitched from multiple animals, copper wiring running the length of their bodies in a grotesque simulacrum of life. The resultant creation carries out their given orders to the letter, which many Biothaumaturgists adore. Though often far more inconvenient to use than ghouling animals, the loyalty and adaptability will ocassionally make up for this. Skilled Thaumaturges use this power to populate their havens with deathless guard dogs and other, quirkier "pets", all of which no longer need to breathe, eat, and are endlessly loyal, to the dismay of many.

■ Cost: 1 Rouse Check

■ System: This power affects plants and simple animals - nothing more than a single tree or dog per use. If the effect is successful, the animated creation may be given a one-sentence command, which it will fulfill until destroyed. This command can be changed only by the thaumaturge, given verbally.

Biothaumaturgy Modifications

Major Adaptations

Modification	Abilities
Wings	Stitched from other animals, the creature is able to fly at a speed equivalent to its walking speed. They will likely be quite large for more complex creatures, if the ST allows it at all.
Extra Limbs	The creature possesses several extra limbs grated onto it, not always from the same creature. The limbs are able to function as intended, as the ST desires.
Extra Heads	With multiple heads, the creature is able to use each as if it were its own, for reconnaissance or guarding.

Modification	Abilities
Vocal Cords	The creature is able to talk. Though not intelligent without Cognizant Construction, it is still able to mimic sounds, whether as a distraction or psychological torment.
Innate Armour	Each time you apply this modification, the construct is able to ignore a single point of superficial damage, before it is halved. This armour may not be removed.
Blood Repository	The creature is able to take two levels of blood and store them within itself for up to a month without it spoiling, allowing a kindred to feed even after it kills, though it will not be pleasant.
Bloated Body	The creature's body is inflated with a substance of some kind. The first time it takes damage, the animation bursts, spilling the substance within a 10ft circle, killing it in the process.
Homunculus	The creature is designed to be a servant, possessing traits that allow it to move much quicker and ferry through information, though the exact details of this are up to the Storyteller.

The Lure of Flames

This path grants the thaumaturge the ability to conjure forth flames from nothing. Small fires at first, but skilled magicians may create great conflagrations. This path is greatly feared among Kindred, even by its practitioners, as fire is one of the surest ways to bring Final Death upon a vampire. Because of this, many vampires are known to go as far as outlawing its use aside from sanctioned pyromancers, as they are known. One Sheriff in St. Petersburg is known to be a master at the discipline, being the go-to hunter of other Kindred and leaving nothing but ashes in its wake.

• Contradict

The thaumaturge can interrupt a subject's thought processes, forcing the victim to reverse his current course of action. An Archon may be caused to execute a prisoner she was about to exonerate and release; a mortal lover might switch from gentle and caring to sadistic and demanding in the middle of an encounter. The results of Contradict are never precisely known to the thaumaturge in advance, but they very often take the form of a more negative action than the subject had originally intended to perform, twisting their current thought process to generally the opposite of what was meant.

■ Cost: Free

■ System: This power may be used on any subject within the character's line of sight. The player rolls activation as per normal. The target rolls Composure + Subterfuge. If they roll successes equal to or greater than those rolled by the Thaumaturge, they carry through with the original action. If they succeed by a margin of two, then they realize magic influenced them, and a margin of three allows them to pinpoint the exact source. The Storyteller dictates what the subject's precise reaction to this power is if it succeeds.. Contradict cannot be used in combat or to affect other actions (Storyteller's discretion) that are mainly physical and reflexive.

■ Duration: As long as the action takes.

•• Subvert

This power follows the same principle as does Contradict, the release of a subject's dark, self-destructive side. However, Subvert's effects are longer lasting than the momentary flare of Contradiction. Under the influence of this power, victims act on their own suppressed temptations, pursuing agendas that their morals or self-control would forbid them to follow under normal circumstances. A closeted agent may give into the apathy and start binge drinking, while a quiet pornographer would follow all his darkest sexual urges.

■ Cost: 1 Rouse Check

■ System: This power requires the character to make eye contact with the intended victim, as detailed in the Dominate section of the Core Rulebook (pg. 255). The user compares this to the victims roll of Composure + Subterfuge. If the thaumaturge scores more successes, the victim becomes inclined to follow a repressed, shameful desire for the length of time equal to the margin, as shown below.

• Five Minutes

•• One House

••• One Night

•••• Three Nights

••••• One Week

The Storyteller determines the precise desire or agenda that the victim follows. It should be in keeping with the Psychological Flaws that she possesses or with the negative aspects of her Nature. The subject should not become fixated on following this new agenda at all times, but should occasionally be forced to spend a Willpower point if the opportunity to succumb arises and she wishes to resist the impulse. Ultimately, consider the power to make it more difficult to say no to your darkest desires.

■ Duration: As above

••• Dissociate

"Divide and conquer" is a maxim that is well understood by the Tremere, and this power is an incredibly powerful tool with which to divide the clan's enemies. This power is used to break the social ties of interpersonal relationships. Even the most passionate affair or the oldest friendship can be cooled through use of Dissociate, and weaker personal ties can be destroyed altogether. Though not permanent, the actions of this power often prove disastrous for many allies, as once slighted, they do not forget it easily.

■ Cost: 1 Rouse Check

■ System: The character must touch the target. The caster rolls normally, as the target resists with a Willpower roll. If the thaumaturge scores more successes, the victim loses two dice from all Social rolls for a period of time determined by the margin of success gained by the user.

• Five Minutes

•• One House

••• One Night

•••• Three Nights

••••• One Week

•••• Addiction

This power is a much stronger and more potentially damaging form of Subvert. Addiction creates just that in the victim. By simply exposing the target to a particular sensation, substance or action, the thaumaturge creates a powerful psychological dependence within the subject. Many Tremere ensure that their victims become addicted to substances or thrills that only the Warlocks can provide, thus creating both a source of income and potential blackmail material.

■ Cost: 1 Rouse Check

■ System: The subject must encounter or be exposed to the sensation, substance or action to which the character wants to addict them to, as the power is activated. The thaumaturge then touches his target, rolling activation as normal. The victim resists with a Willpower check, contested against the number of successes. Failure gives the subject an instant addiction to what is desired by the character.

An addicted character must get his fix at least once a night. Every night that he goes without satisfying his desire imposes a cumulative penalty of one die on all of his dice pools (reduced to a minimum of one die). The victim must roll Willpower every time he is confronted with the object of his addiction and wishes to keep from indulging. Addiction lasts for a number of weeks equal to the thaumaturge's Manipulation score.

An individual may try to break the effects of Addiction. This requires an extended Willpower roll (difficulty of the thaumaturge's Manipulation + Subterfuge), with one roll made per night. The addict must accumulate a number of successes equal to two times the number of successes scored by the thaumaturge. The victim may not indulge in his addiction over the time needed to accumulate these successes. If he does so, all accumulated successes are lost and he must begin anew on the next night.

■ Duration: Thaumaturges Manipulation value

••••• Dependance

Some former pawns of Clan Tremere claim to have felt a strange sensation similar to depression when not in the presence of their masters, once they escaped of course. This is usually attributed to the blood bond, but can occasionally be traced as the result of a cruel thaumaturge's mastery of Dependence. The final power of the Path of Corruption enables the vampire to tie her victim's soul to her own, engendering feelings of lethargy and helplessness when the victim is not in her presence or acting to further her desires, forming feelings far greater than the blood bond, even though they’re rarely positive.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ System: The character engages the target in conversation before activating this power. The player rolls normally, and the victim rolls Willpower. If the Thaumaturge gains more successes than the victim, the victim's psyche has been subtly bonded to that of the thaumaturge for one night per success rolled by the thaumaturge.

A bonded victim is no less likely to attack their controller, and feels no particular positive emotions toward them. However, they are psychologically drawn to their presence, and suffers a one-die penalty to all rolls when he is not around or performing tasks for them. Additionally, the victim is much less resistant to mental powers used against them; dice pools are halved when they attempt to resist their Dominate, Presence or Social rolls. Finally, he is unable to regain Willpower when he is not in the thaumaturge's presence. As with Addiction, this power is largely role play focused, and should be treated as something that very much affects the subject while under its effects.

■ Duration: One night per success

Path of Technomancy

The newest path to be accepted by the Tremere in large part throughout the clan’s collective repertoire, the Path of Technomancy is a relatively recent innovation. Developed in the latter half of the 20th century, it has not yet proliferated past the North American Pontifices, with African Chantries in particular scorning the use of Thaumaturgy with their magic. The path focuses on the control of electronic devices, from wristwatches to computers, and its proponents maintain the versatility of Thaumaturgy with regards to a changing world, a fact many Kindred are loath to admit.

Path of Blood's Curse

Elder vampires have forever flaunted their powers over their younger kin, ancillae and neonates. With the approaching threat of Gehenna, Anarch revolt and desire to not be fucked at every opportunity, young Kindred actively pursue ways to circumvent the stranglehold these powerful relics of the past possess in the Jyhad. With this desire driving their ambitions, a few rogue Pander and Antribu thaumaturges gathered together and developed this thaumaturgical path as a means of ousting those above them, directly influencing one based on age and power.

The Green Path

This Path deals with the manipulation of plant matter of all sorts, acting as what the Kine would call druidry. Anything more complex than an algae bloom can theoretically be controlled through the appropriate application of this path. Ferns, roses, dandelions and even ancient redwoods are all equally valid targets for this path's powers, and living and dead plant matter are equally affected. While not as immediately impressive as some other more widely practiced paths, the Green Path (sometimes disparagingly referred to as "Botanical Mastery") is as subtle and powerful as the natural world it affects.

•••• Verdant Haven

This power weaves a temporary shelter out of a sufficient amount of plant matter. In addition to providing physical protection from the elements (and even sunlight), the Verdant Haven also establishes a mystical barrier which is nigh-impassable to anyone the caster wishes to exclude. A Verdant Haven appears as a six-foot-tall hemisphere of interlocked branches, leaves and vines with no discernible opening, and even to the casual observer it appears to be an unnatural construction. Verdant Havens are rumoured to have supernatural healing properties, but no Kindred have reported experiencing such benefits from a stay in one. Useful for Kindred on the lamb or looking for a private setting, the shelter is incredibly useful to create a place to lay low without any effort.

■ Cost: One Rouse Check

■ System:** A character must be standing in a heavily vegetated area to use this power. The Verdant Haven springs up around the character over the course of three turns, during which the Thaumaturge may take no other actions. Once the haven is established, anyone wishing to enter the haven without the caster's permission must achieve more than the caster's original number of successes on a single roll of Wits + Survival (difficulty equal to the caster's Willpower). The haven lasts until the next sunset, or until the caster dispels or leaves it. If the caster scored four or more successes, the haven is impenetrable to sunlight unless physically breached.

■ Duration: As Above

••••• Awaken the Forest Giants

Entire trees can be animated by a master of the Green Path. Ancient oaks can be temporarily given the gift of movement, pulling their roots from the soil and shaking the ground with their steps. While not as versatile as elementals or other summoned spirits, trees brought to ponderous life via this power display awesome strength and resilience. Many Princes have outright banned this power, as there’s not much that’s more obvious than a tree that stands up to fight for someone, and the lack of vegetation within urban spaces. Still, many Thaumaturges still favour this power for its sheer, blunt power.

■ Cost: 1 Rouse Check

■ System: The character touches the tree to be animated. The player makes their activation roll normally. The tree stays animated for one turn per success rolled; once this time expires, the tree puts its roots down wherever it stands and cannot be animated again until the next night. While animated, the tree follows the character's verbal commands to the best of its ability. An animated tree has Strength and Stamina 6, Dexterity 2 and a Brawl rating equal to twice the casters own. It is immune to superficial damage, and all aggravated damage dice pools are halved due to its size, except by fire.

Once the animating energy leaves a tree, it puts down roots immediately, regardless of what it is currently standing on. A tree re-establishing itself in the soil can punch through concrete and asphalt to find nourishing dirt and water underneath, meaning that it is entirely possible for a particularly sluggish sycamore to set up shop in the middle of a road without any warning. Abuses or misuses of this power can very easily lead to breaches of the Masquerade, and the thaumaturge who leaves a row of maples across a major traffic artery is unlikely to have the opportunity to make the same mistake twice.

■ Duration: Number of turns equal to successes

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