The Discipline of Spiritus opens the vampire up to worlds and vistas — and methods of feeding — that most Kindred can never touch. Vampires are spiritu- ally dead, unable to create life. The shamanic ritual that created the Ahrimanes, though, allowed a spiritu- al connection between the undead and the vast, living world all around them. While the vampire can barely scratch the surface of what living shamans can accom- plish, the Discipline of Spiritus is still formidable.
Rank 1 - Aid From Spirits
Spirits are everywhere, but invisible to most living (and unliving) beings. This power allows the vampire to briefly rouse the spirit of an object, making that ob- ject perform its intended function better and more ef- ficiently. It in no way makes the spirit well-disposed toward the vampire — not that this usually matters to the Ahrimane.
System: The character touches the object, and the player spends a blood point and rolls Manipulation + Oc- cult (difficulty 6). If the roll succeeds, the player receives a bonus to her dice pool using that item, equal to the num- ber of successes rolled. For example, if the character uses this power on a gun and the player rolls three successes, she then receives a +3 to her next Firearms roll made with that gun. Unused bonuses fade at the end of the scene, and multiple uses of this power do not combine (the most recent use trumps any previous uses). The character can, however, use the power on multiple objects she uses in the same scene, so long as she has the blood for it.
Rank 2 - Summon Spirit Beasts
The vampire might not fully understand the link be- tween “animal” and “animal-spirit,” but spirits of ag- gressive animals are usually more than willing to take on a physical body and fight for the vampire. Spirits of curious animals, meanwhile, seem to enjoy unlocking doors or following people. With this power, the Ahri- mane can summon up the spirit of an animal indigenous to the area and send it to do what comes naturally.
The spirit assumes the corporeal form of the appro- priate animal, and is capable of whatever the animal would normally be able to do. The animal can follow simple telepathic commands, and is slightly more in- telligent than a normal animal would be (but still not as intelligent as a person).
System: The animal summoned must be native to the area — just because the local zoo hosts a tiger doesn’t mean there are tiger-spirits running about. The player must spend one blood point and roll Charisma + Animal Ken (difficulty 7). The number of successes indicates how long the spirit remains material. The spirits have the same number of health levels their physical counterparts would normally have (see p. 388 for some sample animals traits). If they are reduced to Incapacitated, they discorporate.
| Successes | Duration |
|---|---|
| 1 success | One Turn |
| 2 successes | Five Turns |
| 3 successes | One Hour |
| 4 successes | One Night |
| 5 successes | One Week |
Rank 3 - Aspect of the Beast
Instead of calling up animal spirits, the vampire learns to emulate aspects of those spirits herself. In this way, she can become faster, stronger, tougher, or gain the special powers of nearly any animal, provided that the spirit is local to the area.
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (difficulty 7). The power lasts for one turn per success, unless otherwise noted. Some examples of aspects are given below, though the player and Storyteller are welcome to make up others: Beaver’s Bite — This makes the Ahrimane’s bite strong and sharp enough to cut through almost any substance (though it does no additional damage to liv- ing or unliving targets).
Chameleon’s Colors — The Ahrimane becomes ca- pable of changing color to suit the environment (-2 difficulties to all Stealth rolls involving hiding).
Ears of the Hare — The Ahrimane can hear as well as a rabbit, reducing the difficulty of Perception rolls involving hearing by two.
Falcon’s Eye — The Ahrimane can see great distanc- es as if she had the eyes of a falcon (-3 to all Perception rolls involving vision).
Ferocity of the Cougar — All Courage rolls are made at -2 difficulty.
Leapfrog — This grants the Ahrimane the ability to leap three times the normal height and distance. (See p. 260 for jumping rules.)
Nose of the Hound — The Ahrimane’s sense of smell is far greater than that of a mortal. She can even track by scent with on a Perception + Survival roll (difficulty set by Storyteller).
Serpent’s Venom — The Ahrimane’s bite transmits a venomous toxin that causes two health levels of damage in living victims per turn (see “Poisons and Drugs,” p. 301). The damage continues until the toxin is removed or nullified, or until the Ahrimane’s spirit power ends.
Sound of the Cricket — This grants the power to pro- duce an annoying, grating sound loud enough to deafen those nearby. The target suffers a +4 to all Perception rolls related to hearing for the next scene unless he suc- ceeds on a Willpower roll (difficulty 7).
Squirrel’s Balance — The Ahrimane can move about in the branches and limbs of trees or across tightropes with little fear of falling. All such Athletics rolls have their difficulties decreased by two.
Strength of the Bear — This gives the Ahrimane two extra dots of Strength.
Swiftness of the Stag — The Ahrimane can move at twice her normal running speed.
Rank 4 - Engling Fury
Spirits abound — supposedly everything, from one’s shirt to the very air, has one. The Ahrimane can take those spirits into herself, break them down, and refresh her own mental reserves. This destroys the spirit, but no repercussions have been reported.
System: The player rolls Manipulation + Intimida- tion (difficulty 8). Every success allows her to regain a point of Willpower, but each use of this power destroys another spirit.
Rank 5 - The Wild Beast
The Ahrimane grows leaner, lithe, and strong. She hunches over slightly, her eyes become slitted and cat- like, and she grows vicious claws on her hands. Her features become slightly feline, and in this form she is an even more formidable predator than usual. Animals react with fear to the Wild Beast, and mortals see her as a monster — if they see her at all.
System:The change does not require a roll, but the player must spend two blood points. The change raises the vampire’s Strength by three, and Dexterity and Stamina each by two. Appearance falls to 0 and Manipulation is reduced by three. The vampire’s fangs inflict an extra die of damage, and she grows claws that inflict aggravated damage. The character can see in the dark, and all difficulties involving scent, hearing, and vision fall by two. The character can retain the Wild Beast form for a number of hours every night equal to her Willpower rating.