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Level 2 Rituals
Rituals are Thaumaturgical
formulas, meticulously researched and prepared, that create powerful magical
effects. Rituals are less versatile than paths, as their effects are singular
and straightforward, but they are better suited toward specific ends.
All thaumaturges have the
ability to use the rituals, though each individual ritual must be learned
separately. By acquainting herself with the arcane practice of blood magic;
the thaumaturge gains the capacity to manipulate these focused effects.
Thaumaturgical rituals
are rated from 1 to 5, each level corresponding to both the level of mastery
of Thaumaturgy the would-be caster must possess and the relative power
of the ritual itself. Unless stated otherwise, a ritual requires five minutes
per level to cast. For example, Jean Claude the Tremere wishes to cast
Ward Versus Ghouls, a Level Two Ritual. Invoking this ritual requires 10
minutes, and Jean Claude must know Thaumaturgy at 2 or greater.
Casting rituals requires
a successful Intelligence + Occult roll, for which the difficulty equals
3 + the level of the ritual (maximum of 9). Only one success is required
for a ritual to work, though certain spells may require more successes
or have variable effects based on how well the caster's roll goes. Thus
uncertainly of effect is a recent development; Tremere ecuted them successfully.
Many thaumaturges fear that the movements of awakening Antediluvians have
caused imbalance in the flow of magic, making the success of rituals more
precarious than in previous nights. Should a roll to activate a ritual
fail, the Storyteller is encouraged to create strange occurrences or side
effects, or even make it appear that the ritual was successful, only to
reveal its failure at a later time. A botched ritual roll may even indicate
a catastrophic failure or summon an ill-tempered demon.
Rituals sometimes require
special ingredients or reagents to work -- these are noted in each ritual's
description. Common components include herbs, animal bones, ceremonial
items, feathers, eye of newt, tongue of toad, etc. Acquiring magical components
for a powerful ritual may form the basis for an entire story.
At the first level of Thaumaturgy,
the vampire automatically gains a single Level One ritual. To learn further
rituals, the thaumaturge must find someone to teach him, or learn the ritual
from a scroll, tome or other archive. Learning a new ritual can take anywhere
from a few nights (Level One ritual) to months or years (Level Five ritual).
Some dread Warlocks have studied individual rituals for decades, or even
centuries. Precisely what these rituals do is unknown, but their effects
are surely grave.
WARD VERSUS GHOULS
Wary Tremere created this ritual to protect themselves from the minions of vengeful rivals. By invoking this ritual the Tremere creates a glyph that causes great pain to any ghouls who come in contact with it. The Kindred pours a point's worth of blood over the object he wishes to ward (a piece of parchment a coin a doorknob etc.) and recites the incantation which takes 10 minutes. In 10 hours the magical ward is complete and will inflict excruciating pain on any ghoul unfortunate enough to touch the warded object.
System: Ghouls who touch warded objects suffer three dice of lethal damage. This damage occurs again if the ghoul touches the object further; indeed a ghoul who consciously wishes to touch a warded object must spend a point of Willpower to do so.
This ritual wards only one object-if inscribed on the side of a car the ward affects only that door or fender not the whole car. Wards may be placed on weapons even bullets though this usually works best on small-caliber weapons. Bullets often warp upon firing however and for a ward to remain intact on a fired round the player needs five successes on the Firearms roll.
PRINCIPAL FOCUS OF VITAE INFUSION
This ritual imbues a quantity of blood within the object upon which the ritual is cast. The object must be small enough for the vampire to carry in both hands and it may only be as small as a dime. After the ritual is conducted the object takes on a reddish hue and becomes slick to the touch. At a mental command the thaumaturge may release the object from its enchantment causing it to break down into a pool of blood. This blood may serve whatever purpose the vampire desires; many Tremere wear enchanted baubles to ensure they have emergency supplies of vitae.
System: An object may store only one blood point of vitae. If a Kindred wishes to make an infused focus for an ally she may do so but the blood contained within must be her own (and if the ally then drinks the blood he is one step closer to the blood bond). The ally must be present at the creation of the focus.