Updated: 10/02/98


Hekau Path of Stone Shaping

                    The Hekau Path and the Hekau Rituals presented here were created by Meryt-Neith when she found her Ushabtis weren't efficient enough to create the constructions she had in Mind. She needed too, a link to the stone that couldn't be found with any other Discipline or Hekau Path. She is the only surviving magician with mastery over this Path.

Sechat was the Egyptian Godess who acted as scribe of the gods, putting on the stone their history, as well as their hierarchy. But Sechat was, too, the Godess who decided each dimension of each new temple. This Hekau Path is the reason behind this mythology: Sechat used it to create her own havens, as well as havens for the other Gods of Egypt, havens so easily hidden, so devious and dangerous that they still remain to be discovered... And explored.

* : Stone Sense

Difficulty: 4 to 10 (See after)
Cost: 1 Sekhem per Turn
                    By touching stone with her bare skin, the magician can extend her senses, feeling any touch, but also hearing in a limited way anything that comes in contact with the stone. The range of this power is limited in distance, and the perception can be altered if some material exists between the stone and the source to be detected (like dirt).

                    System:
Each success extend the range of this new sense:

Material	Difficulty	Successes	Range
Stone	4	1	3m
Concrete	7	2	6m
Dirt	10	3	12m
		4	24m
		5	48m

In normal conditions, the Kindred can feel now any normal contact (like normal footsteps) without needing any roll. Any try to make a more precise detection (like hearing a conversation, or trying to recognize if the hand on this wall is a man's or a woman's (by the size) will need a Perception Roll with a variable Difficuty (around 7 or 8).
Note that a Ritual exists that attunes a building to the Kindred: The Range is then multiplied by 4. It is said that each success in the Attunement roll is one more dice in the Perception Roll to make precise detections.
A Botch means all the senses of the magician are overwhelmed by the Stone Sense power. Treat this like a ''touch-like'' sensitive overdose provoked while on Auspex.

** : Structure Alteration

Difficulty: Var.
Cost: 1 Sekhem

                    Now, by expending a Willpower point, the Kindred can change the nature of the stone: transform it into mud (or mud into stone), fortify or weaken its structure. The Kindred must be within 10 meters of the stone to affect, or be attuned to the building.

                    System: ?.


''Mudify''		''Solidify''		''Fortify''
Material	Difficulty	Material	Difficulty	Material	Difficulty
Dirt	5	Dirt	6	Dirt to Concrete-like	6
Concrete	8	Concrete	7	Concrete to Stone-like	8
Stone	9	Stone	8	Stone to Metal-like	10

The Zone of effect is 1x1x1 cubic meter. Each success adds one to this number (so 3 successes makes a 3x3x3 meters). Note that someone having 2 succeses can change in mud 2x2x2=8 cubic meters of material: He can choose to ''mudify'' a zone of 4 meters x 2 meters with a depth of 1 meter...
The magician can choose to weaken the material instead of ''mudifying'' it. The roll and difficulty are the same, but the material keeps its appearance, and will break when its resistance will be tested (quasi-instantaneous in the case of a building). Tests will show the stone or concrete was old or or poor quality.
The Botch result will have to be found for each individual situation (The building fall on you, and so on...).

*** : Greater Stone Sense

Difficulty: 6 to 10
Cost: 1 Sekhem per turn

                    This Ritual gives the same benefits than the Stone Sense Level 1 Ritual, but it gives, too, intimate knowledge of the material within the range. so the magician can search for ore, or even ''see'' the map of this annoying labyrinth, etc.

                    System:
See Stone Sense

*** : Statue Form

Difficulty: 6
Cost: 3 Sekhem

                    The Kindred can change himself and his normal equipement in a stone statue-like form. While she loses all his senses but the touch (and some kind of hearing, see level 1), she can retain consciousness unless she choose to enter Torpor. The stone appear to be normal, grey stone, even if successes help to change its appearance. Note that some stone actually covers the statue, so it is not really ''perfect'' (look at this hair!) and looks like another statue. When the Kindred cames back to normal physiology, this ''stone'' disintegrate itself and falls around him like stone powder.

                    System:
The magician in statue form automatically have the Stone Sense power at no cost. But he can't cast spells (as he is paralysed) or, in the case of Kindred, can't use Vitae.
The magician is now immune to ''normal'' damage. Someone using claws against him will, in facts, take damage! Any powerful damage (a car, a bullet, a hammer, a sword, etc.) will actually damage the statue, but the damage is simply divided by two and the magician can still soak ANY damage with his stamina (+Fortitude if mastered)
Normal Fire and sunlight doesn't damage the magician/Kindred, even if part of the statue is broken. Furthermore, any shock will probably damage the device used (like the sword, or the claws) making them useless should they be used too much against the statue.
The statue can awaken at will, or as per Torpor rules, or, if in Torpor, when the statue feels shock (Perception Roll).
Of course, a Kindred in Statue Form can't be Diablerized...
A Botched roll means that the magician is inconscious and paralysed in its statue form. Treat this like a forced Torpor, even if the magician is not Kindred.

**** : Stone Shape

Difficulty: 6+
Cost: 1 Sekhem per turn

                    Now the magician can will the stone to move, and change its geometrical configuration. This power is used to dig subterranean Havens, or even construct pyramid-like, parthenon-like or even sky-scraper-like buildings.

                    System:
The range of this Ritual is 20 meters, and the Stone must at least be partially seen, or touched. The magician must chose the weight of stone to be moved. Then she rolls Stone Path against the difficulty, and have enough success should the difficulty go over nine (by powering it with Sekhem or Vitae, for example). And then she will need at least another success to put in the Movement.

Weight		Movement
Difficulty	Weight of Stone	Successes	Movement in one turn
6	10 Kg	1	0,5m
7	100 Kg	2	1m
8	1 000 Kg	3	2m
9	10 000 Kg	4	4m
10	100 000 Kg	5	8m
11	200 000 Kg	+1	+4m
12	500 000 Kg
13	1 000 000 Kg
14	1 500 000 Kg
15	2 000 000 Kg
+1	+ 500 000 Kg

The stone is moved, in any direction (note that it doesn't float: it must climb something to raise itself...). The stone isn't liquid: It's still solid but has now some limited fexibility controlled by the magician only. While the stone moves, it is unaffected by gravitation, if part of it still touch the ground. The gravitation resumes its effects at the end of the power, possibly destroying an unstable construction.
The moving stone is like a crossing of gelatinous matter with very thick slime, so it is very difficult to make anything but simple geometrical blocks (cylinders, cubes, walls, etc.). More precise objects (like statues, bridges, etc.) can be created with an appropriate roll (Like Dexterity+Crafts)
This power can be used as an attack (try to soak a ''stone-wave'' rolling upon you at 8 meter per turn...), but the storyteller will have to define the damage in a case per cases basis.
As it's easy to remark it, this power, even if it doesn't need a roll each turn to remain active (for the same stone), still needs 1 Sekhem each turn to fuel it... Yes: creating an Egytpian temple can take centuries... Or a lot of sacrifices...

***** : Passwall

Difficulty: 6
Cost: 1 Sekhem

                    The Kindred can now walk through concrete, stone or even dirt, as if it was, for him, like water. Indeed, ripples seem to form when the Kindred enters or exits the wall.

                    System: ?.
Each success is 2 meter of movement in the stone. Note that the stone is still solid, and does not liquefy itself: It seems like ''water'' (Stargate-like effect) for the magician and her normal equipement only. ONLY the magician can use this power. She can't take passengers... (through some would find it very unpleasant to be trapped by a hand coming from a stone wall...)
While few building has now real, thick walls, temples and pyramids were quite difficult to walk through with this power... This Ritual doesn't modify the strucure of the stone: Someone entering a statue won't break it, and the statue will come back to its original state when the magician will exit.
This power isn't limited in time, only distance: A Kindred with 7 successes could enter 6 meters, enter Torpor there, awaken seven centuries after and still ''walk'' 8 meters to get out...
A mortal walking in the stone can't breath for long (less than 30 seconds of oxygen is trapped with the magician by this Ritual, so she must do it fast! Should a Kindred be emprisonned within the stone, she is trapped and will probably enter Torpor (unless strong enough to break the stone)... Until someone frees her. Another possibility for a magician is to cast the Statue Form Ritual while in the Stone...

***** * : Petrification

Difficulty: 6
Cost: 1 Sekhem

                    The Kindred can change organic matter into a statue form like the *** power

                    System: ?.
Each success is 2 meter of movement in the stone. Note that the stone is still solid, and does not liquefy itself: It seems like ''water'' (Stargate-like effect) for the magician and her normal equipement only. ONLY the magician can use this power. She can't take passengers... (through some would find it very unpleasant to be trapped by a hand coming from a stone wall...)
While few building has now real, thick walls, temples and pyramids were quite difficult to walk through with this power... This Ritual doesn't modify the strucure of the stone: Someone entering a statue won't break it, and the statue will come back to its original state when the magician will exit.
This power isn't limited in time, only distance: A Kindred with 7 successes could enter 6 meters, enter Torpor there, awaken seven centuries after and still ''walk'' 8 meters to get out...
A mortal walking in the stone can't breath for long (less than 30 seconds of oxygen is trapped with the magician by this Ritual, so she must do it fast! Should a Kindred be emprisonned within the stone, she is trapped and will probably enter Torpor (unless strong enough to break the stone)... Until someone frees her. Another possibility for a magician is to cast the Statue Form Ritual while in the Stone...

***** * : Greater Structure Alteration

Difficulty: Var.
Cost: 1 Sekhem

                    This ritual could make think about Alchemy, and transmutation. It is true, in some way. But the only thing that can be altered is stone and stone-like materials. By re-arranging the molecular arrangement of carbon, the magician can create diamond. The same thing can be done to create marble from limestone, glass from sand, etc.. The opposite transmutation is possible, and easier.
But the more common use of this Ritual is as the normal Structure Alteration, but with the possibility to create complex designs and sculptures (sharpening or smoothing it), and even changing the color of the stone (like chosing and modifying the veins structure in the marble, or lighten or darkening its hue)

                    System:


Material	Difficulty	Material Weight	Additionnal successes
Sand to Glass (1Kg)	7	Weightx2	1
Limestone to Marble (1kg)	9	Weightx4	2
Carbon to Diamond (10g)	12	x2	+1

To make the reverse Transmutation, the difficulty is decreased by one (note that the volume of the object will possibly increase...)

***** * : Multiple Passwall

Difficulty: 7
Cost: 1 Sekhem per person

                    The magician is now able to take willing (or unwilling) people with him through the Passwall. Note that the magician must touch each person affected, and can decide to abandon a person behind him trapped within the stone. The person is not crushed, but will probably die soon from lack of oxygen, or enter Torpor if Kindred because of lack of Blood if she can't free or be freed in time...

                    System:
See 5th Level Ritual: Passwall

***** ** : Greater Stone Shape

Difficulty: 7
Cost: 1 Sekhem

                    To Use this Ritual, the magician must first cast the Greater Stone Sense third level Ritual. Within the Range of the Greater Stone Sense, the magician can now use Stone Shape

                    System:
If successful, see Greater Stone Sense (Third Level Ritual) and Stone Shape (Fourth Level Ritual) for additionnal Rolls. Range is the range 20 meters radius, plus the range (in radius) given by the Greater Stone Sense Ritual: So if the Greater Stone Sense enabled to ''see'' within 24 meters, the Greater Stone Shape enable within 24+20=44 meters.

***** ***** : Level ?? Ritual

Difficulty:
Cost:

                    Text

                    System: ?.
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