BLESSINGS OF THE SPIDER QUEEN
This path of Thaumaturgy is available to pit elves, granted to
them by a powerful demigoddess they serve. Occasionally a sluagh with the "Friend
to Spiders" Merit may be found worthy to learn it as a secondary path.
Basic
Kiss of the Spider Woman: The thaumaturge may inject
a weak venom into a victim with a successful bite attack. The bite causes one
Lethal level of damage, plus one more with a successful Simple test (ties go
to the defender), and makes the victim lose one Physical trait per turn for
a number of turns equal to the pit elf's rating in this path of Thaumaturgy.
This power must be activated separately before each attack, but in Loathsome
Form or in Pit Spider shape, the thaumaturge can activate it once
(taking an action) and have it last through an entire combat.
Friend to Spiders: The thaumaturge effectively has the Animalism
powers "Beast Speech" and "The Beckoning" applicable only
to spiders.
Intermediate
Web: Spend a Mana trait to create either 10 meters of a single
web strand (as strong as a steel cable), or enough sheet webbing to cocoon a
troll-sized target or seal a doorway or corridor. Webs used to snare an opponent
can take four health levels of damage before breaking.
Spiderlings: You break apart into a thousand tarantulas. Allows
Fair Escape: if even one spider survives, you do, too, although if a majority
of spiders die it will take a while to recover and you will probably change
appearance and personality and possibly lose memories. You have complete control
of all individual tarantulas.
+ 6: Athletic, Dexterous, Energetic,
Lithe, Nimble x2; - Delicate x3, Puny x2
Advanced
Loathsome Form: Spend one Mana trait and two turns
to assume a sort of "spider centaur" form. Seven feet tall, two arms,
six legs, black and hairy, clawed hands and feet. Causes Delirium. Human speech
is hissing and slurred. Bite causes one Lethal, claws cause one Aggravated.
Extra limbs do not automatically provide extra actions (spend Mana for one followup
attack). Can climb walls with a successful static Physical challenge. Cannot
initiate Social challenges except Intimidation. Gain one "Healthy"
Health Level. Lasts one Scene.
+ 8: Lithe, Quick x2, Tough x2, Wiry
x3; - Bestial x2, Repugnant
Rituals
Basic
Drink Deep: The pit elf thaumaturge may regain Mana by feeding
on blood, just like a vampire. Use the same mechanics, including the Kiss. The
effect lasts for one scene. If the thaumaturge actually has the victim handy
when s/he casts the ritual -- bound in a web, for instance -- s/he gains one
extra Mana trait for every three Blood traits consumed. It does not cost any
Mana to cast this ritual.
Intermediate
Replenishment of the Flesh (As Ananasi Gift: Heal
yourself by eating spiders, insects, or humans.)
Advanced
Shape of the Pit Spider: When this rite has been
cast, the thaumaturge may, once during the day, become a jeep-sized tarantula
by spending a Mana trait and 2 turns to transform. Causes Delirium. Human speech
impossible. Bite causes two Lethal, claws cause one Aggravated. Cannot initiate
Social challenges except Intimidation. Gain two "Healthy" health levels.
Lasts one scene.
+ 9: Brawny x2, Ferocious x2, Quick x2,
Tireless, Tough x2; - Bestial x2, Repugnant, Tactless
FAIRIES’
FORTUNE
Fairies' Fortune allows the character to benefit from or, in
some cases, grant someone else a bit of good luck, ranging from a slight temporrary
edge to nearly unbelievable runs of good fortune. Fairies' Fortune can
in general directly benefit only one person at a time (although naturally everyone
benefits if the lucky person manages to, e.g., defuse the bomb).
This Discipline is most commonly available as a secondary Path of
Thaumaturgy, requiring a Mental Challenge using the Occult Ability. Some
characters may possess it as a "normal" Discipline, in which case
it requires a Social challenge using varying abilities depending on the situation
(e.g., Scrounge or Survival). Either way, each use of Fairies'
Fortune costs at least one Mana trait.
Basic
- Lucky Charm: The thaumaturge causes Fate to "bless"
an object so that it brings good luck to its user on the next turn: in game
terms, an equipment bonus equal to the thaumaturge's dots in Fairies' Fortune.
This power affects the object, not a specific person (even the thaumaturge);
someone who somehow manages to usurp the object before the power expires or
who uses it against the thaumaturge and his friends can still claim the bonus.
"Lucky Charm" can even in some cases (the Storyteller is the final
arbiter of which ones) grant a bonus applicable in challenges in which the object
would not normally be of use, starting from the cliché of the cigarette
case or Bible stopping a bullet (i.e., granting a defensive equipment bonus
against a Firearms challenge) to something more outrageous (a suddenly
lucky banana peel causes someone to slip just as the arrow passes through the
spot where her head had been a split second before; the tossed-aside jacket
jams the works of the doomsday machine). The results might not in every instance
be entirely unmitigated good luck (the woman with the banana peel will still
lose an action standing up next turn).
- Coin Toss: The character can make an event with only two
immediate outcomes turn out favorably for himself.
This has no effect on the outcome of a Challenge or Simple Test, or
on a situation involving the free will of another person; it works only when
a random event has just two possible resolutions or when the character himself
must make a split-second either/or decision. Examples include: the result of
a coin toss, which of two wires to cut on the bomb, "pick which hand"
situations, whether to go left or right, etc. Long-term or life-altering benefits
are beyond the scope of this power (whether or not you'll get the job). Beware
also of false dichotomies: "the next woman I talk to at the bar will either
be my true love, or she won't" is not really an either/or situation, as
there are millions of women in the world, not just your true love and one other.
Multiple uses of this power to affect the same general situation usually backfires,
so constructing some sort of binary "luck program" to solve a complicated
problem will not be a successful strategy.
Intermediate
- Reweave Fate: For the duration of one scene, the thaumaturge
may retest any test by spending a Mana trait, once per Challenge. "Reweave
Fate" costs a temporary Willpower trait to activate; Mana costs are reserved
for the retests.
While invoking this power does not itself end a Challenge (further
retests are possible), it can be used to cancel or follow up on any other
retest power, including "Might."
If using this Discipline to benefit another character, the thaumaturge
must bid an extra trait in the activation challenge and then spend all the Mana
herself (possibly requiring additional turns), up to a number equal to her rating
in Fairies' Fortune, granting a like number of retests. The recipient
should keep track of them (e.g., using spell effect cards or something of that
sort) and cannot of course give them out to anyone else. Any retests not used
before the scene/hour ends are lost.
- Stroke of Luck: The character can wish herself or someone
else a small turn of good fortune.
She finds a small amount of money on the sidewalk, for instance, or
a perfect parking place, or looks in just the right place for a useful clue,
or chooses just the right topic of conversation to make a favorable impression
with a new acquaintance, or turns up at a crucial moment. Occasionally this
power can even be life-saving (the bad guy's gun jams), but is not necessarily
life-changing (you can't make that attractive stranger on the train propose
to you, but you could probably arrange for a date if he's available). It is,
in short, a sort of rather limited wish that can affect the short-term future
(but not undo the past).
This is a fairly free-form power that is more a matter of roleplaying
than Challenges; the player should describe to the Storyteller a general desired
outcome which will happen immediately or eventually (but by the end of the game
session), depending on the circumstances. (The Storyteller reserves the right
to rule that a given wish is outside the scope of this power.) Overuse of this
power will backfire; if a character invokes it more than a couple of times in
a game session, or for particularly selfish ends, or with the intention of harming
someone else (finding just the right sacrificial victim), the thaumaturge will
find that her luck will afterwards take a turn for the worse.
This power costs a temporary Willpower trait in addition to the normal
Mana trait for activation; when using it on someone other than herself, the
thaumaturge must bid an additional Attribute trait.
Advanced
- Dance of Destiny: This is essentially the Changeling Soothsay
cantrip of the same name. The character becomes Fate's darling. For the duration
(one scene) of this power, the thaumaturge wins all ties in challenges (except
those related to the use of Disciplines or other magic), cannot be Surprised,
can invoke Fair Escape once per combat, and may ignore the first wound delivered
in a combat unless it stems from the character's Weakness.
Fate always rebalances a character's destiny with a stroke of bad
luck (in game terms, usually the loss of a dot or item somewhere on the character
sheet); the character has no control over what this price will be, but the player
is free to suggest something to the Storyteller, who is not however obligated
to comply. The thaumaturge pays this penalty even if the recipient of the spell
is someone else; when using it on someone other than herself, the thaumaturge
must also bid an additional trait in the activation Challenge.
LICH WIZARDRY
Liches have access, as a secondary path of Necromancy or
Thaumaturgy, to a special form of magic which allows them to tap into
Sphere magic rotes. Whether a given lich learns Lich Wizardry as a path
of Necromancy or of Thaumaturgy is mainly a matter of magical
"paradigm" and roleplaying (and may guide Rote selection).
Choose a starting Sphere for the lich (any except Life; liches
cannot learn the Life Sphere.); each dot of Lich Wizardry grants one
level of that Sphere. Lich Wizardry, and thus the lich's starting Sphere,
may not be raised higher than the lich's Rank or its primary Path of Necromancy
or Thaumaturgy.
A lich's starting Sphere is not a "Favored Sphere"; liches
gain no benefits from that game mechanic. A lich's personal starting Resonance
is always Entropic.
Once the lich has attained the Intermediate level of Lich Wizardry
(i.e., is at least a Disciple of its starting Sphere), it may purchase other
Spheres at "Opposed Sphere" costs; these may not be raised higher
than the character's Rank.
Liches are limited to Rotes -- they cannot cast dynamic/improvised
spells. Liches do gain the benefits inherent to Rote casting. Each level of
a Sphere grants one free Rote; others may be purchased normally.
Conjunctional effects are possible if the Lich has the requisite Spheres
and buys the Rote, but they must be cast as rituals.