• Command
Vampires with this level of Dominate are able to issue single, one-word commands towards other characters.
Cost: One blood point.
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Leadership.
Action: Immediate.
Roll Results
Botch: The vampire is unable to successfully command the target. This ability cannot be used on the same target for a number of hours equal to the botch level. Ie. -1 botch, 1 hour, -2 botch, 2 hours, etc.
Failure: The vampire is unable to successfully command the target, and must wait until her next turn to try again.
Success: The vampire manages to successfully command the target.
System
This power requires the vampire to gain another character's attention, be this through a staring competition, conversation, or yelling at them from two feet away to move. Note that eye contact '''is not''' a requirement. Merely the character's attention.
The vampire issues a single, one-word command that must be obeyed instantly. The order must be clear and straightforward — freeze, jump, run, stop, fall, cough, blink and so forth. If the command is ambiguous or confusing, the subject might respond slowly or perform the task poorly. Further, commands are always interpreted (within reason) in the subject’s best interests. For example, if the victim stands on the edge of a roof and the character commands “Jump!” the victim might jump up and down, rather than leap off the roof. Of course, the victim would probably not leap off the roof even if the character could find a way to order it.
Subjects of Command cannot be made to directly harm themselves, so an obviously suicidal order such as “Die!” is ineffective. “Sleep” and the like causes the subject to follow the order only if she does not believe herself to be in any mortal danger. A character seduced by a vampire might sleep if so instructed, but one in the middle of a combat or interrogation certainly does not. In such situations, the character merely falls senseless, but only for a turn.
The vampire may include the command word in a sentence, in order to conceal her use of the power from others. The command itself must be stressed, and the vampire must make eye contact precisely when that word is spoken. Observers may notice the unusual emphasis, but only the most alert — and those familiar with the discipline — are likely to realize what has occurred.
•• Mesmerize
Mesmerize allows the vampire to implant a false thought or suggestion into the subject’s subconscious mind.
Cost: The number of blood points a vampire can, and chooses to spend. See Power Levels, below.
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Leadership.
Action: Immediate.
Roll Results
Botch: The vampire is unable to successfully mesmerize the target. This ability cannot be used on the same target for a number of days equal to the botch level. Ie. -1 botch, 1 day, -2 botch, 2 days, etc.
Failure: The vampire is unable to successfully mesmerize the target, and must wait until her next turn to try again.
Success System
One Success: The vampire may implant instructions that will be followed in the next turn.
Two Successes: The vampire may implant instructions that can be followed in anything up to a scene from the time of command.
Three Successes: The vampire may implant instructions that can be followed in anything up to 24 hours from the time of command.
Four Successes: The vampire may implant instructions that can be followed in anything up to a week from the time of command.
Five Successes: The vampire may implant instructions that can be followed in anything up to a month from the time of command.
Six+ Successes: The vampire may implant instructions that can be followed in anything up to 6 months from the time of command.
Power Levels
One blood point: By spending one blood point, the vampire is able to issues commands that do not seem strange to the target. The target will not act in defiance of his nature, or usual behaviour, but is otherwise obedient. He will also refuse to put himself in the way of harm, or death. I.e He may leave a party at 9pm, but is unlikely to leave the party at 9pm if he can see a row of snipers sitting at the front gate waiting for someone to open the door.
Two blood points: By spending two blood points, the vampire is able to issue commands that may seem strange to a target, but nothing that will have a victim acting in a manner he believes to be life-endangering, or doing anything he believes to be 'wrong'.
Three blood points: A target will now act in any manner that a merit, flaw, blood bond, or other force does not prevent. The target will not resist placing himself in harm's way, or taking injury, but will not do anything that will cause ultimate death to himself.
Note that if a character wouldn't lie at Level 2 simply because he believes it is wrong, he will have no defence against being dominated into lying at Level 3, unless he has a merit such as Code of Honour - Does Not Lie. Level 3 must be defended by more than 'I know my character, and he wouldn't'. It needs to be something substantial.
System
As with Command, the vampire must gain the target's attention before using this ability. Having done so, the vampire may activate the imposed thought or command immediately — “Walk over here and open the door” — or she may establish a stimulus that activates the suggestion at a later date — “When you see a man in a blue suit with a red rose in his lapel, you will spill your drink on him.”
The victim must be able to hear and understand the vampire. The character must keep the victim's attention only as long as it takes to implant the suggestion or idea. Mesmerize can deliver truly complex and long-term commands, such as following someone, taking notes on her activities and reporting back, however subject can have only one suggestion implanted at any given time.
••• Forgetful Mind
At this level a vampire may alter or even permanently remove parts of a target's memory.
Cost: The number of blood points a vampire can, and chooses to spend. See Power Levels, below.
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy.
Action: Immediate.
Roll Results
Botch: The vampire is unable to alter or remove part of the target's memory, and cannot use this discipline on the same target for the remainder of the night. In addition, the character suffers some form of significant memory loss herself. Ie. loss of name, sire, home, etc. All blood points spent are lost.
Failure: The vampire is unable to alter or remove part of the target's memory, and must wait until her next turn to try again. All blood points spent are lost.
Success System: The number of successes determine how long it will take for a target to begin feeling deja vu, when presented with stimulus that would in some way remind him of his lost memories. Once this deja vu begins, he is able to have his memories restored in some way. Note that this must be through the ability of another character.
One Success: One turn.
Two Successes: One week.
Three Successes: One month.
Four Successes: One year.
Five Successes: One decade.
Six+ Successes: One century.
Note that this cannot be used to make a character alter their merits/flaws/blood bonds/other.
Power Levels
One blood point: The vampire may alter/remove memories of up to a week ago.
Two blood points: The vampire may alter/remove memories of up to a year ago.
Three blood points: The vampire may alter/remove memories from any point during the target's life.
System
A vampire with this power can literally delve into a subject’s mind, stealing or reshaping memories at whim. The power, as with all uses of Dominate, requires the attention of the victim - only more so. The vampire and her target must be free from all distraction, and this will require eye contact. Once eye contact has been established, the victim falls into a trance-like state, and the vampire may look into the memories.
Not only can the vampire only alter memories from as far back as the blood point expenditure dictates, but she can only look back this far as well.
Once memories have been altered, the vampire 'turns off' this power, and the victim rouses.
Note that this does not turn a victim into a 'sitting duck', and if attacked he will snap out of his trance, quite capable of retaliation.
•••• Imposed Will
Using this power a vampire is capable of temporarily 'abolishing' a mental flaw in her target.
Cost: Two blood points.
Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy.
Action: Immediate.
Roll Results
Botch: The vampire fails to fix the flaw, and is instead overcome with the very same one herself. This lasts a number of nights equal to the botch level. I.e -1 botch, 1 night; -2 botch, 2 nights, etc. The blood points spent are lost.
Failure: The vampire fails to fix the flaw, and must wait until her next turn to try again. The blood points spent are lost.
Success System: The vampire successfully removes a mental flaw, for the following time periods.
One Success: One scene.
Two Successes: 24 hours.
Three Successes: One week.
Four Successes: One month.
Five Successes: Six months.
Six Successes: One year.
Note: This cannot be used to negate the Primary Discipline Flaw for vampires with Dementation, nor can it be used on someone currently suffering from frenzy.
When used, it suppresses character flaws, and breed/species flaws, such as garou frenzy, or a vampire's fear of fire.
•••• Restoration
Having learned how to alter and remove sections of a target's memory, Restoration now gives a vampire the power to turn back the effects of Forgetful Mind. This can be used on the vampire's own previous targets, or those of another vampire, however it cannot be used on the caster herself.
Cost: Two blood points.
Dice Pool: Wits + Empathy.
Action: Immediate.
Roll Results
Botch: The vampire fails to negate the effects of Forgetful Mind, and cannot attempt to do so again on the same target. All blood points spent are lost.
Failure: The vampire fails to negate the effects of Forgetful Mind, and must wait until her next turn to try again. All blood points spent are lost.
Success System:
One - Two Successes: The vampire may restore key points in altered memories, such as names, dates, addresses, etc.
Three - Four Successes: The vampire may fully restore altered memories to their original understanding.
Five or more Successes: The vampire may retrieve 'deleted' memories or scenes.
••••• Possession
By this point, the vampire need not rely on spoken commands and limited understanding. By viewing the target, the vampire can utterly supplant the subject’s own psyche with her own, possessing the subject like a malevolent spirit. Once the vampire has crushed the victim’s will she literally takes over the body, inhabiting it and controlling it as easily as she does her own. The victim enters something of a fugue state while possessed, and he is aware of events only in a dreamlike, distorted fashion.
The vampire suffers the opposite effect. Her mind now resides within the victim, and her own body falls into a torpor-like state, becoming indistinguishable from a true corpse. The vampire may choose to break the possession and return to her body at any time, over any distance, but until and unless she does so, her true physical form is utterly helpless.
Mortals, vampires and shifters alike can be possessed in this manner.
Cost: Three blood points.
Dice Pool: Manipulation + Empathy.
Action: Extended.
Roll Results
Botch: All previous rolls made are nulled, the effects so far sustained lost, and the vampire must begin afresh the following night. All blood points spent are lost.
Failure: The vampire comes no closer achieving Possession over her victim, and must wait until her next turn to try again. All blood points spent are lost. To continue rolling again, another three blood points must be spent.
Success: The successes rolled are added to the vampire's ongoing total. When these successes have overcome all of a target's willpower, the vampire takes Possession.
System.
The vampire can make one roll every 15 minutes, provided she doesn't break her gaze from the target. Should the vampire lose sight of the target, she must wait until she has him in sight again to try rolling after staring for another 15 minutes. It is conceivable this may take a number of nights.
Vampires may use other disciplines to assist them in this, such as Auspex 1 or 5, Obfuscate, Morpheus, Presence, etc. Anything that keeps the target in the vampire's line of sight is acceptable.
In order to supplant her mind into the victim, the target's willpower must be completely overcome, so multiple castings may be needed. In game terms, this means the vampire must gain 2x the victim's permanent willpower in successes before being able to overtake him.
If her torpored body is destroyed, the vampire can remain in the body of her host, and each coming sunrise must roll Blood Potency, or be expelled from the host.
So You've Overtaken A Body.
Now what?
A vampire is able to use any mental disciplines she has, whilst in a host's body. This is only available as long as her own body has blood to pay for the cost. Once her body runs out of blood, she loses any ability to use disciplines. Additionally, a vampire having taken over a shifter has no means by which to actually shift, or use gifts.
Essentially all the vampire gains access to are the host's strength, dexterity, stamina, and appearance rating, as well as the healing ability of the host. Everything else is hers.
