Updated: 17 July 1998
Appendice 2: Maat
Given the insight of Osiris, and plagued by their Beast, the Vampires of Ancient Egypt searched for a state where they would find the peace of the mind. In a way very different from Golconda, their philosophy searched more the discipline and control of the mind than the acceptance of the Beast (Order vs Chaos philosophy, instead of a balance between the two).
This philosophy is to be considered a general failure, as most of its praticioners disappeared or were corrupted. But they had found an artificial haven from the Beast. Where Golconda gave the Vampire the powers of the Beast (i.e.: No more Frenzies or Rötschrecks, no Generation Limits to Disciplines maxima), Maat gave them ultimate power of their own mind, a kind of introspective Auspex, using Willpower.
The problem is that this kind of cold Discipline is highly non-compatible with Golconda (one can't search Golconda while following Maat). Emotions are avoided, as they can decrease the power of Maat.
Consider Maat as a Discipline, as well as a kind of Virtue. As it is a different kind of Discipline, it is possible to increase it even going above Generation Limits. It can't, still go beyond the Humanity rating. In philosophical viewpoint, Note that the Vampire does not only search to understand the motives of her actions, and to feel sorry about them (like any normal Conscience Degeneration Roll). The Vampire only try to supress the hold the Beast can have on her soul via the the suppression of emotions.
Maat will become Bardo when the Children of Osiris will flee to the East.
Note: Bardo can be found only in the Hunter Hunted sourcebook, p52, and this sourcebook is very hard to find. So Every level of Maat will be explained, even those already found in the Bardo Discipline (but not the original Bardo powers of level 6+).
Note 2: Rumours abound about an evil/chaotic version of Maat, practiced by followers of Apep. This mysterious Discipline is called ''Isefet''.
* : Restore Maat
This power is used a Vampire to remove some of the hold taken by her Beast after having sinned against her Humanity. This power must be used within a week following the loss, or it will be ineffective, and once it is used, the Humanity is considered permanent (i.e.: One can't try to raise her Humanity by 3 points by using this power three times. One must use this power and have 3 successes).
System: Conscience+Empathy, Diff: Humanity to be restored
A failure means this particular Humanity loss can't be recovered,
while a Botch means that the Vampire can't use anymore this
power before long and quiet meditation. Note that the lost points
of Maat are also recovered.
** : Banishing Sign of Thot
By trying to control their own psyche, the Vampire learns to fight supernatural influence. It works against any supernatural power, but not against its indirect consequences.
System: Dexterity+Occult, Diff:8
This power must be triggered by a quick gesture (the Sign of Thot),
Each success will add 1 to the difficulty of the action. Note that
the Vampire does not necessarily need to win Initiative, as most
power have a progressive influence (Auspex, Dominate, Presence,
Faith, etc.). Others would need initiative (Fireball cast by a
Mage) to protect the Vampire from harm.
Sechat have theorized that this power enabled the Vampire to create and modify his own local paradigm, in a way very similar to the Mages' way.
*** : Feed from Faith
This power enable the Vampire to feed from emanations of Sekhem also called Vis, Quintessences or Tass) and of Faith. This is rarely usable when not in one's Temple. Not that the Vampire feeding with this power are considered to have no blood coloration: Their skin is white as chalk.
System: Permanent
Faith: A Vampire can draw in the Faith accumulated in the
Temple by the Faithful praying her. The maximum per night is
1 Sekhem or Blood Point from each 10 persons who pray her
(Normally, the normal priests, but in days of High Ceremonials,
this can include all the faithful coming to the Temple.
Sekhem: When inside a Magical Pyramid, powered by Magical
Obelisks (through the use of the High Rituals of the
Hekau Path of Celestial Magic:
Enchant Obelisk (Level 6) and Enchant Pyramid (Level 7)), the
Vampire can draw a number of Sekhem per night. This number can
vary highly, as each Pyramid and Obelisks has its own capacities,
depending on quality, on the near Magickal Nodes, etc.. Another
way is the Maat **** ''Djed'' power, which can give the equivalent
of 1 Blood Point/Sekhem, and isn't cumulative with the High Rituals
explained above.
As the Children of Osiris will need to move more often, and as a Magickal Pyramid is quite difficult to create and enchant, they will change this power drawing upon their Beast instead of exterior Magickal sources. This power will become the Gift of Apis.
**** : Djed
Normally, someone following Maat will have to find a quiet
mystical place to meditate. Most will find this in a Temple,
sometimes in a particular magickal Node. This power enable the
Follower of Maat to artificially create the conditions to meditate
in peace.
Failure to comply to this Meditation leads to an increasing of
the difficulties to resist Frenzies (and not Rötschreck).
Djed is the Pillar of Osiris, meaning Stability. This power doesn't
create or need a physical pillar. It only clean the local (or
Temple) from outside corrupting influence.
System: Willpower, Diff: Variable 5 to 9
The Difficulty depends on the surroundings of the local.
Each Spell or Supernatural Discipline praticed by a Follower of
Maat in a Temple sees its difficulty decreased by 3. In the other
way, each month spend without meditating in any suitable Temple
will increase the difficulty to resist Frenzy by 1, and will
increase the the instances in which a Frenzy is called, until
after a few months, even the slightest annoyance may trigger it.
The Ritual to create (or regenerate) a Djed is a night-long
Ritual. Each successes means a Week long before the Ritual is
required again.
***** : Paradox
At this level of Maat, the Follower of Maat knows enough from her
mystic studies to understand the illusory nature of the world.
She can share part of this disturbing knowledge by pronouncing a
simple phrase or haiku, which will seem non-sensical or paradoxal.
the
Anyone leastening the words can be affected. Those affected
are overwhelmed with paradoxal truths of the universe, and
they will be confused by their implications. In the end of the
scene, the knowledge will fade away, the illusions of the mind
protecting once again the person from those paradoxal truths.
Still, anyone who have been affected will remember the bliss the
Follower of Maat delivered (if only for a few fleeting moments),
and will find it difficult to harm the Follower in any way.
System: Wits+Manipulation (!)
The Wits+Manipulation is rolled, but without any difficulty.
Each 1' will remove the higher success. The remaining dices are
used to see if the power affected each listener. Note that if
the only dices remaining are 1' (i.e.: More than one half of the
dices were 1', the Follower is affected by his own Paradox).
The remaining Roll is compared with the Difficulty equal to each
listener Willpower. For those who have the Paradox Roll failed,
nothing happens (they don't understand it!). For those who
have the Paradox Roll Botched, they won't be affected by any Power
of Maat until the end of the Story. For those who have the
Paradox Roll successful, they are affected.
Those affected are confused for the Scene. Each action they want
to make while confused will need a successful Willpower Roll
Difficulty 7. After the Scene, the Paradoxal Knowledge will fade
away, but the person affected will be so awed by the Paradoxal
Wisdom of the Follower of Maat she will have her difficulty increased
by one when she tries to harm the Follower in any way.
***** * : Sense the Corruption
This power, similar to the Garou Gift, Sense Wyrm, enable the Vampire to feel for the taints of Corruption.
System: Perception+Empathy, Diff:7
One success is enough, through more can be used to see through
obstables as wall, supernatural powers like Obfuscate, etc.
Note that any Vampire with 6 in Humanity (or in any Path) or less
will be detected as ''Corrupted''. Note that the mastery of
Daimoinon, Serpentis (and not Sofis), the Path of Corruption,
any Path of Dark Thaumaturgy, Dark Thaumaturgy Ritual, Infernal
Investment, etc. will be detected as corrupted.
***** * : Shield of Thot
The Follower of Maat can erect a shield of his own will, materialized all around him. Anyone wanting to enter the shield will have to fight with his own willpower the willpower of the Follower of Maat.
System: ???
***** * : Tower of Ivory
This power enable the Follower of Maat to protect his own mind from exterior influences. Most Auspex powers will give blank answers, most Obfuscate powers will find their difficulties increased, and all Dominate and Presence powers will have no results.
System: ???
***** ** : Spiritual Transcendance
While their Discipline is the negation of the peace with the
Beast, and thus Golconda, it is also the open door the new
dimensions of understanding. The Childer of Set are gods, and
no influence from foreign gods can really stop one who reached
Spiritual Transcendance.
System: Automatic
Any use of Faith against the Vampire will be rolled against a
difficulty equal to Maat, Humanity or Willpower, whichever is
higher. The Roll has an automatic 1 as a malus.
if the Result is a success, or a normal failure, nothing strange
happen. But if the result is a Botch, then the user of the Faith
sees his own faith in his god wavering in front of such power.
At least, he loses 1 permanent Faith point (in addition to any
other loss, as decided by the Storyteller). Also, he won't be
able to affect this particular Vampire with his faith anymore.
***** **** : Faithful Priesthood
The Childer of Set mastering Maat has become so alien, and so humane in the same time he can now wear an aura of sanctity. Few creatures are able to have Faith, but those who are, and who are converted to the Vampire's principles (Maat, Egyptian Religion, etc.) can now cultivate Faith more easily.
System: Automatic
This power is for Story drama only. The vampire can now attract
followers, and among them, a few will be able to wield faith in
the name of the principles of Maat. For game purpose, each level
of Faith can be used by them as by any other priest.
***** ***** : Maat
This is a very dangerous power to use for Set was said to have used it and failed, thus accelerating his fall from grace, and his corruption by Apoph. This power is the pinacle of Maat. The Vampire's corrupted instincts are no more, so he won't Frenzy anymore. Most of the other instincts also disapppeared, and most emotion's power decreased to the point of being a hazy remembrance.
System: Maat, Diff: 9
The Vampire must succeed in this power to reach Maat. A failure
means the power is failed, but can be tried again. A Botch means
the Beast freed himself from the control of the Vampire.
The Vampire loses every level of Maat he possessed, and his
Humanity and Conscience decrease to 1. Needless to say, this is
a very hard shock. Set is believed to have botched when the
forces of Horus attempted once more to destroy his realm.
By using this power once, and succeeding, the Vampire reach Maat
and loses his Beast's instincts (excessive need for Vitae, fear
of Final Death, fire, sunlight, etc.), but also loses most of
his own emotions. There is no more need for Self-Control or
Courage Rolls, and the Vampire is now immunized to supernatural
powers that affect the mind (Dominate, Dementation, Presence,
etc.).
The irony is that the vampire lost what gave his life the little
color it retained. Most Vampire will soon after enter Torpor
because the ennui becomes to strong, and only the
strongest among them (High Willpower, Code of Honor, Higher
Purpose, etc.) will enable the Vampire to continue through the
ages.
This power is not permanent: It's a fragile balance. True emotions
still can affect the Vampire's soul. Love, Hate, Fear and any
other emotion could break the control the Vampire has on his own
psyche. Should the Vampire be affected by a true emotion (not from
supernatural power), she will have to succeed in a Conscience
Roll with variable difficulty. A success means nothing changed.
A failure means the Vampire was affected, and will have to roll
again this power to keep it active. A Botch means that the
vampire was so affect this power was lost (must be bought back
with XPs).
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