Stop twitching, this is delicate work. You paid heavy Pathos for quality, and I'm the best you'll find. Ah, there we go. Excellent. Now try not to get those wings torn off -- I can't promise that anyone else could mend them and keep the incandescence going. The soulstuff of wraiths, called plasm, is a far more malleable suvstance than flesh. Molilate, stometimes called soushaping, is the power of sculting and rearraging that plasm. Wratish who know the secrets of Moliate can make plasm beautiful, cause it to shimmer or glow, and even make it look vibrantly alive. They can also sculpt it into any horrific disfigurement imaginable. With the expenditure of Pathos, Moliate turns plasm ever-so-briefly fluid, just long enough for a talented shaper to create a vision of beauty or a thing out of nightmare. The more complicated the effect sought with Moliate, the longer it takes. Simply ripping off a chunk of an opponent's plasm or drawing a clenched fist into a club is nearly instantaneous, while reshaping a wraith into a finely worked seat cushion or reworking the appearance of one's entire Corpus can take minutes or even hours.
The Guild
The Masquers' Guild, back in the bygone days, was a sprawling house of fashion and beautification. The Masquers devoted much of their time to filling the heavy demand for custom Moliation, and enjoyed a lofty position among Guilds. Whether it was shaping a wraith into her ideal self-image or drawing terrible weapons from her very Corpus, the Masquers claimed they would meet every request and create true art while they were at it. Of course, the masters of Moliate were also warriors, spies and assassins of the highest caliber. When the Masquers decided to withdraw from the Guilds' attempted coup, the other wraiths' distrust of them grew stronger. While practically every Citadel has a former Masquer on the payroll, any wraith talented at Moliate is watched very carefully these days. Masquers are exceptionally attuned to their art, and have a near-obsession with perfection. In addition, their Corpora are extremely malleable, and Masquers often appear to be just a bit too perfect. Occasionally, two or more Masquers who work well together adopt precisely the same visage.
Botches
A botched Moliate roll can result in any number of grotesque slip-ups, none of which are easily fixed. Perhaps the wraith to be shaped loses points in Appearance, or the enemy to be Rent actually gain Corpus Levels from the clumsy sculpting. Any undesirable change in appearance or capabilities should probably last for a scene, although the Storyteller may allow the character to spend a Willpower point to try fixing the careless soulshaping before then.
Basic Abilities
Glow: The wraith can use this art to cause herself or another to glow with an inner light of whatever color and intensity she chooses. This art costs 1 Pathos. Return of Death's Visage: This ability brings the wraith's form back to her original visage, making her appear as she did when her Caul was first removed. This art costs 1 Pathos. Shapesense: Those with Moliate can detect whether or not another wraith has been Moliated, and if so, in what manner.
1 - Imitate The first art taught to students of Moliate is the ability to change one's face to mimic another's. This is obviously easiest when the wraith is looking at the face to be Imitated, though Imitate may be done from memory. The wraith may only change her face, not her whole Corpus. This art costs 1 Pathos.
2 - Sculpt A wraith may use Sculpt to alter the Corpus however she chooses. She may devise new appendages, shape jagged teeth, grow new sensory organs, adorn herself with markings or patterns, or cause parts of her body to glow or shift color. The only effect Sculpt can create that mimics weaponry is the creation of enhanced teeth, allowing a wraith to perform the bite maneuver. Apart from this, the wraith retains her original physical capabilities regardless of her number of appendages; actively using new appendages requires Martialry. This art cannot cause damage; it just changes the target's shape. This art costs 1 Pathos to use, and the subject loses a Corpus Level. Sculpt can also be used to heal aggravated damage; a wraith using Sculpt can replace lost Corpus Levels by reworking the wounds.
3 - Martialry This art permits the wraith to shape her limbs into weapons or form her skin into armor. Any weapons created are automatically usable by one who knows how, but armor tends to be stiff and inflexible. The wraith simply molds the chosen limb into the desire weapon, hardening it as she goes. By the same token, the wraith trying to make armor works her Corpus into a formidable carapace with a mirrorlike sheen. Many Masquers deliberately make their bodily arsenal as ornate and personalized as possible without detracting a whit from utility. The shape of the weapon matters litte, although many wraiths prefer swords for ease of use. Using Martialry costs 3 Pathos. Weapons and armor cannot be created at the same time; Maritlary must be used twive to creat both effects. Furthermore, a wraith can only use Martialry on himself; girding other for war is one of the lost arts of the now-banished Guild.
4 - Rend Masters of this art can tear apart the Corpora of other wraiths. Creative use of Rend allows one to dismember, disfigure or otherwise mutilate another soul, even going so far as to permit tearing off a victim's face and keeping it as a souvenir. Such a grisly trophy is called a skinmask, and can aid the use of Imitate. Rend costs 1 Pathos to activate, plus whatever the players spends to gain extra dice. Each use of Rend gains the character 1 Angst.
5 - Bodyshape The character with this art may transform his or another's Corpus into practically anything imaginable, from a supermodel to a bookcase or chunk of modern sculpture. It is dangerous to stretch one's plasm too thin; the relative volume of the final form should be roughly equal to the wraith's normal volume. Taking the form of an oily puddle is very easy, while mimicking a Hierarchy Anacreon in full regalia is much harder. The wraith can only maintain a full-body change for a limited time before his Corpus reverts to normal. This art costs 4 Pathos. If Moliating an unwilling wraith into a torch or similar object, the wraith also gains 2 Angst.
