In China there exists a Clan of Vampires who serve the Ebon Dragon. These Vampires unlike many Kindred, who are ignorant of such things, willingly and with full knowledge serve the Wyrm. Lost in antiquity was a time when great Antediluvian Civilizations flourished. Their true names are lost but they are recognized today as Atlantis, Lemuria and Stygia, though the last name is only an euphemism for 'city of the dead'. These ancient times where when gods walked the earth, Paradox was inexistent and there was no barrier between the worlds of the living and the dead. There existed Wraiths and Vampires who commanded True Magic and among these the most powerful where the Ancestor-gods of Atlantis and the Vampire-mages of Stygia. From Stygia appeared the first true Vampires from the mortal custos of the Vampire-mages. The ancient Vampire-mages sought to create servants who could survive the long centuries of existence. To achieve this they transubstantiated Blood for Quintessence. Living while their bodies were sustained by blood and magic they were the first real Vampires.
These Vampires were immortal and had incredible powers imbued in them by their masters. However they were still mostly human and chafed under the rule of the vastly more powerful Vampire-mages. Many sought new homes away from their creators. Those that escaped or where released from service soon congregated in Lemuria. Away from the Ancestor-gods of Atlantis and the Vampire-mages of Stygia they made their own society and rules. The mystics and esoterics of Lemuria paid them little heed as long as they stayed in the shadows out of sight. It is believed that the curses that make Vampires susceptible to Sunlight and Fire were placed upon them during this period by the mystics to keep them away from their mortal Acolytes.
Then the War of Rage broke out. It had little effect upon the incredibly powerful Wraith-mages of Atlantis and the Vampire-mages of Stygia but the War of Rage brought the wrath of the Gurhal down upon the world and none could escape that. It is the Natural order of things for the spirits of the dead to pass on upon their death. When this balance was disrupted the roads of the dead began to weaken and the Triad started to take an active interest in the workings of the world. The Gurhal forestalled total reconstruction of the world by calling upon a long winter. The second ice age, what Vampires and believers call the great deluge. The focus of the Long Winter were the Ancestor-gods and Vampire-mages. So while the curse was placed that no True shard of Avatar could remain outside the natural order, the Lemurian Vampires slept their first torpor, and survived as the more powerful Stygian Vampires where destroyed. Why the Triatic Wyrms chose the Lemurian Vampires to gift with incredible power is something no one can guess at. But it was during this third age that the gauntlet formed and humanity rose to preeminence among the creatures of the world.
During the third age, what is called the second city, a Vampire came to Tibet in the Himalayas. Here he met the servants of the Wyrm and saw their corruption and they took him in and protected him from the mystics and holy men who sought to destroy him. In return he slew them and drank their blood, but not before learning their dark ritual and dancing in their unhallowed places. His progeny would have remained simply a bloodline had the Vampire not learned of the Dragon's cave. There he performed dark rituals to cross into the Velvet shadow. He met dark spirits and learned to bind them to do his bidding. But even this power was not enough. The Vampire sought to spread pain through the world to garner the attention of the sleeping dragon. Here there was power beyond measure if only he could wake it from its slumber. He sent his ghouls across the world and his favorite conquered much of Europe and all of China. So much death and destruction did he cause that during one of his rituals the Dragon roused. Half awake and half asleep the ancient Vampire made contact with the most ancient expression of the Wyrm. What passed between them is a secret that not even the Dragon Sons who were present know. But when the Vampire came out of his trance and the mountain ceased to tremble he renamed his brood the Sons of the Dragon and informed them of their new mission. Reaching into the Velvet shadow he took hold of the Urge Wyrm Incarna that acted as Totem for the bloodline. Taking it by surprise he committed Dark Diablerie upon it thereby becoming a member of the Third Generation. Immediately he began to encourage his Childer to do likewise and also convinced them to destroy all other servants of the Wyrm who were not of his brood.
Sons of the Dragon despise corruption and ugliness. They are not only dedicated to destroying those who champion the cause of Gaia and life but they also seek to destroy all other minions of the Triatic Wyrms. They believe that these lesser servants are insane, corrupt and are not carrying out the true plan of the Wyrm.
The Sons of the Dragon hold this as their creation myth and scoff at the notion of Caine and Abel and such nonsense. They have seen the velvet shadow and have garnered power from the Wyrm. Enough power to sneer at other Vampires and even mages who are foolish enough to pry into their secrets.
Members of this bloodline are dedicated to service of the Wyrm and they sneer at other Vampires who foolishly believe that they come from the blood of Caine. The Sons of the Dragon know better. Each of the supposed Second Generation can be roughly matched to each of the Triatic Wyrms. The only Clan that the Sons of the Dragon despise are the Ravnos who do not trace their origins back to the first city but instead are the product of a chance encounter between a Gangrel and an Incarna of the Wyld. The Ravnos, they feel, are the only Vampires who understand the importance of the eventual Apocalypse and might oppose the plans of the Sons of the Dragon. In the far east the Sons of the Dragon wage war with the Indian and Middle-eastern Ravnos. Nickname: Wyrms Appearance: Sons of the Dragon wear ornamental silk robes of great finery during their rituals and have a definite Hermetic bent to their brand of Blood Magic. During their normal dealings with mortals they usually dress as they did in life regardless of time and circumstances. Haven: The Fabled Cave of the Great Dragon is the center of worship for these depraved Vampires. Under the shoulder of the Great Dragon they perform hideous rituals with Balefire and intelligent sacrifices. Background: Dragon Sons hate deformity and ugliness and will not embrace people who do not meet their standards. Sons of the Dragon are drawn from only oriental stock. And from those only Chinese, Mongolians and Koreans are chosen to form the inner core of Vampires who are taught Malediction. Dragon Sons do not make general use of ghouls and human retainers, they prefer to create subordinate Vampires and immediately force Blood bonds upon them. Dragon Sons are also highly misogynistic, female members are few and the target of twice as much intrigue and violence as males of similar status. Character Creation: Vampires who are not taught Malediction are not considered true Dragon Sons and are treated as Caitiff for character generation. But since Draconis predates Malediction and is a true Vampiric Discipline they can learn it normally and carry it in their blood. Appearance is never less than three though physical or mental attributes may be primary. Among abilities Martial Arts is highly prized with Dodge and Firearms following. Skills are therefore the primary abilities with knowledges being secondary. Mystic ability is very important and Dragon Sons can have path ratings in Thaumaturgy paths and dark Thaumaturgy paths up to their rating in Malediction. They can also learn rituals up to the level of their rating in Malediction. Hedge magic is practiced by these Vampires as well but they usually try to Diablerize demons rather than make pacts with them. For this reason they do not usually have access to infernal paths. Clan Disciplines: Draconis, Malediction, Potence Weakness: This Clan has three distinct Weaknesses each manifesting depending on which of the Triatic Wyrms the Vampire identifies with rather than whose blood courses through his undead heart.
Servants of the Eater of Souls are afflicted with Consumption and must consume twice as much blood as other Vampires. Each two Blood Points consumed equal one for the Vampire's Blood Pool.
Servants of the Beast of War are afflicted with Calamity and all ones rolled during tests to resist or recover from Frenzy count double. Whenever a one is rolled it negates two successes instead of just one. Botches are certainly more likely.
Servants of the Defiler Wyrm are afflicted with Corruption and must spend twice as much Willpower to resist derangements and maintain control. Whenever the Vampire spends Willpower to resist an action dictated by Frenzy or Rötschreck two points are spent instead of one. To overcome a derangement the Vampire must expend twice the amount normally required by the chronicle. (Usually 20 instead of 10 under normal circumstances.) Organization: The Clan has little structure beyond the personal relationships between individual members. Dragon Sons work towards the same goal but not as a single unit nor towards the same execution of that goal. The Clan has two purposes, to spread destruction and tear down civilization and at the same time destroy the 'tainted' minions of the Triatic Wyrms. Even though the Clan is apparently disorganized and each member follows his own agenda, Clan meetings are rigorous affairs full of ritual and magic. Such meetings serve to concentrate the efforts of the Clan as a whole and direct the younger members towards the plans and affairs of their elders. Age does not automatically confer prestige. In a Clan where diablerie is a common practice and the accepted method of advancement, power is the measure of status. The ultimate goal of each Dragon Son is to commit Dark Diablerie upon one of the Triatic Wyrms to become second to the Wyrm itself. Gaining Clan Prestige: Service of the Wyrm is the goal of the entire Clan and anything that hastens the coming Apocalypse and the wakening of the Dragon is considered highly prestigious. Daring acts of Diablerie and destruction are also respected. Quote: "Caine is a Western character in a bad storybook. I serve my true father the Dragon Who Eats His Tail."
Stereotypes
• The Camarilla-The Tremere that came by where interesting. I enjoyed their blood even though it did not bring me closer to the Dragon. There are strange powers at work in mainland China that we may never fathom. Someday we must harness this mystic power. I believe the answer lies in an alliance with Oriental mages.
-Delpro, Tremere regent of Hong Kong
• The Sabbat-They came here once and they keep sending cannon fodder to die beneath our claws. Amusing, I wish I had time to visit their lands and amuse myself some more. It frustrates me so that we have not made more progress in our attempts to take over this mysterious land. Once we crush the Camarilla we will have to dedicate more resources to this effort.
-Pargo, Black Hand Assassin
• The Inconnu-Whatever that is we have none here and if we did I would be the first to destroy them. As it stands we dare not go near their halls of power or wherever they bind their demonic spirits. Of all the fractured clans of the world they are the only ones who fight with knowledge of the true nature of Gehenna. They must be stopped before it is too late.
-Po Sheng, Salubri Monitor of Hong Kong
Draconis
The Discipline of Draconis is similar to the Discipline of Serpentis practiced by the Setites but it also resembles Protean in its basic applications. It is a Physical Discipline that affects changes of the body that resemble the physical aspects of the classical Dragons of myth, but that is where the similarities end. Indeed the dragon forms at the higher levels of Draconis mimic the dream forms of the Celestial Dragons. Practitioners of Draconis draw their power from the Dreams of the Wani, the Celestial Dragons. As a result of this the Dragons have a special affection for the Zhong Lung whom they refer to as their 'little brothers'. Only the Zhong Lung are spared the deadly attentions of the Dragon Sons. Consequently when a Dragon Son is confronted by these staunch defenders of Gaia he will most often retreat, politely amused at the Zhong Lung's presumption. The Vampire who has Draconis adds his rating in Draconis to his rolls to resist frenzy when provoked by a Zhong Lung.
• Dragon Eyes
The Sons of the Dragon operate mostly underground and in total darkness. Dragon Eyes allow the Vampire to see in total darkness. They also glow a sickly green or yellow regardless of the light. This is very intimidating and can be used to strike fear in an enemy. Especially when Frenzy causes them to literally burn with neon light. System: The change from normal vision to Dragon Eyes is automatic. To intimidate someone the Vampire must roll opposed Willpower scores, difficulty of 7. The Vampire must roll three or more successes beyond those of his opponent to completely terrify his victim. One or two successes simply frighten the victim and causes a +1 to combat and social difficulties against the Dragon Son. Failure frustrates the Dragon Son causing him to have a +1 to combat and social difficulties against his intended victim. A Botch causes a derangement and an immediate Frenzy check. This power can be used on any creature as long as the Vampire can see it. The Vampire does not have to be looking into the creatures eyes and can use this power even on spirits, creatures that have no eyes and by staring at the back of the victim's head.
•• Dragon Claws
By expending a blood point the Vampire causes large scaled claws to erupt from his hands. The scales reach up to the elbows and are useful for blocking melee attacks. System: Creating the claws costs one blood point. The claws do Str+3 damage in hand to hand combat while the scales add three dice to block maneuvers in Martial Arts. To retract the claws takes an entire turn but does not cost anything. Once retracted however the claws must be grown again at the cost of one blood point.
••• Dragon Skin
The skin of the Vampire grows scales all over his body with spikes along his spine and extremities. The color and texture are similar to the paper dragons seen in Chinese festivals but these scales are often as hard as steel and do not catch fire so easily. System: The scales provide six extra dice like armor to soak damage. Damage from fire can be soaked and is considered to be non-aggravated as long as the Vampire is sheathed in Dragon Skin. The Vampire uses his full dice pool to soak damage from almost any source while using this power, except sunlight which can only be soaked with Fortitude. The spikes can be used in combat to add one dice to block maneuvers or to do Str+1 damage to attackers. The Dragon Skin can be called upon at will but it takes a full turn to effect the transformation. While covered in scales the Vampire's Appearance drops to zero.
•••• Dragon Wings
Leathery flaps of skin sprout from the sides of the Vampires body extending from his arms to his thighs. These flaps must be unbound for the Vampire to garner their benefits. System: The Vampire with Dragon Wings can fly at three times his normal running speed. Dexterity + Athletics rolls can be made to extend this even further. When pursuing or being pursued by an opponent on the ground count each success as double to determine if the Vampire overcomes or escapes his opponent.
••••• Dragon Fire
The Vampire can open his mouth and spit fire at his opponents. The fire is mystical and damages opponents immune to natural flame. It is always the color of natural flame and appears to be nothing more than the fire spitting trick of a circus performer. System: Roll Stamina + Survival difficulty 7 to hit an opponent using the complications and circumstances from the firearms chart. Base damage is equal to the dice value of the Vampire's Generation. A Thirteenth Generation Vampire would not cause any damage with this power unless he had more than one success on the strike roll while a Fourth Generation Vampire would cause a base damage of nine Health Levels.
Level Six Cloud Form: At this level the Vampire can take the form of a Wind Dragon. The scales of the dragon form are ghostly white and the dragon has no wings even though it can fly with ease. The Cloud form gives no special benefits beyond the physical transformation and the ability to fly. System: It costs five blood points to become a dragon and each dragon form has different benefits. Each time the Vampire transforms into a dragon form his heart becomes solid and covers over with a white semigloss cocoon. This 'Dragon Pearl' exits through the mouth once the transformation is complete and the Dragon must swallow it again in order to become himself. While the Vampire is a dragon attacks directed at his heart and blood pool automatically fail. However the Vampire cannot regain blood while a dragon, not even from spirits. To drink blood the Vampire must be in humanoid form. The dragon pearl can be left behind and the dragon form maintained indefinitely free of the need to ingest blood. While in dragon form the Blood pool is put on hold and all Vampiric blood is assumed to reside in the heart. The dragon cannot spend blood points and can only use Vampiric Disciplines that do not require the expenditure of blood. Of course the heart is vulnerable to attack while separated from the Vampire and can suffer Diablerie which leaves the Vampire trapped in dragon form until killed. The dragon pearl has the same Stamina and Fortitude as the Vampire and can lose one Health Level for each Blood Point it contains before being destroyed. All of the dragon forms take normal damage from fire and sunlight but can roll Stamina to soak. The powers of Dragon Eyes, Dragon Claws and Dragon Skin are assumed to always be in effect for each dragon form.
Note: While the dragon form can eat meat (and other less organic materials) and breath air, this is not necessary and the material consumed simply disappears.
When flying the dragon can achieve incredible speeds. Each turn the Vampire moves 100 yards per point of Dexterity. The physical attributes of the Vampire are modified when in dragon form. When in dragon form modify the attributes of the vampire as follows: Strength +6, Dexterity +3, Stamina +3 (plus any gains from Dragon Skin and other natural armor.). And at this level add two extra Health Levels before Bruised that suffers no dice penalties. Claw attacks in dragon form do Str +3 damage, while Bite attacks do Str +4 damage. Appearance is 6 though it is impossible to use Charisma and Manipulation with Mortals.
Level Seven Rain Form: At this level the Vampire can take the form of a Sky Dragon. The scales are green and the wings are feathery. The Sky Dragon can withstand the rays of the sun as long as there are rain clouds in the sky. Lord of the storms fury the Sky Dragon can call down lightning and monsoon rains. System: The Sky Dragon must spend two minutes within a dark cloud for every minute he wishes to expose himself to sunlight. The Sky Dragon can also cause any cloud to disgorge precipitation while in contact with the cloud. People within the deluge have reduced vision and are distracted by the constant pouring, increase all difficulties on dice rolls by 2. The Vampire in dragon form is not affected by the water and can see clearly both through the water and the mists. Likewise lightning can be called from any cloud the Dragon is in contact with. The lightning strike hits on a Dexterity + Survival roll, difficulty 7. The lightning strike always does 7 Health Levels of damage plus the number of successes on the strike roll. Do not roll again for damage.
When flying the dragon can achieve incredible speeds. Each turn the Vampire moves 100 yards per point of Dexterity. When in dragon form modify the attributes of the vampire as follows: Strength +6, Dexterity +3, Stamina +3 (plus any gains from Dragon Skin and other natural armor.). And at this level add four extra Health Levels that suffer no dice penalties. Claw attacks in dragon form do Str +3 damage, while Bite attacks do Str +4 damage. Appearance is 7 though it is impossible to use Charisma and Manipulation with Mortals.
Level Eight River Form: At this level the Vampire can take the form of a Water Dragon. The dragon is huge with blue green scales but without any wings. It can swim as fast as the Vampire can fly and it is invisible in water. If he rears his head however his entire length will be seen below the waters. System: While in the water the Vampire travels at blinding speeds. Each turn the Vampire moves 100 yards per point of Dexterity. While submerged the Vampire is invisible and can only be seen with Aura Sight or indirectly such as with Eyes of Chaos. The dragon conversely, while in the water, can see through all illusions and all levels of Obfuscate as if he had Clear Sight. When underwater the dragon is unaffected by sunlight but only as long as he remains completely underwater. While the dragon is submerged in a large body of water, such as a lake or ocean, he can call a Tsunami to strike the nearest coast. The tsunami swamps any boats and beach side structures with waves of water. A few mortals are likely to be drowned but this power is mainly used to destroy property and crops. The Tsunami lasts anywhere from five minutes to several hours depending on location and weather conditions. A Tsunami called in a small lake on a cloudless night will last only a few minutes. A Tsunami summoned from the Pacific ocean during a fierce storm with high winds will last for hours. During this time anyone who tries to move about in the Tsunami risks being pulled out to sea. Strength and Dexterity are useless against the fury of the Tsunami, roll Willpower difficulty of the dragon's Strength + Potence, every minute to avoid being sucked out to sea. Characters who have been pulled out to sea are for the most part at the mercy of the dragon employing this power who is immune to the effects of his own Tsunami.
When in dragon form modify the attributes of the vampire as follows: Strength +6, Dexterity +3, Stamina +3 (plus any gains from Dragon Skin and other natural armor.). And at this level add six extra Health Levels that suffer no dice penalties. Claw attacks in dragon form do Str +3 damage, while Bite attacks do Str +4 damage. Appearance is 8 though it is impossible to use Charisma and Manipulation with Mortals.
Level Nine Celestial Form: At this level the Vampire can take the form of a Star Dragon. The scales of the dragon are silver and the wings are transparent like those of a dragonfly. But the most fearsome aspect of this dragon are its silver claws and Void black eyes. System: The Star Dragon has claws and scales of silver and is a terror to shapeshifters causing them to lose two points of Gnosis and Rage just by looking upon it. This only happens once per encounter, at the beginning of the encounter. The eyes of the Star Dragon are black voids and leech magic energy from those who fall under its gaze. Mages lose all Quintessence from their personal pool and that from talismans if these are viewed by the dragon. Vampires subject to this gaze cannot use Thaumaturgy, paths or demonic investments for an entire day. Werecreatures cannot use gifts or travel to the Umbra for a day also. Fomori and other minor supernatural creatures cannot use any powers or special abilities for a day. Humans are unaffected unless they are hedge wizards in which case they cannot use their paths for an entire day. The claws do damage to shapeshifters like real silver but unlike silver they do not blunt or bend.
When flying the dragon can achieve incredible speeds. Each turn the Vampire moves 100 yards per point of Dexterity. When in dragon form modify the attributes of the vampire as follows: Strength +6, Dexterity +3, Stamina +3 (plus any gains from Dragon Skin and other natural armor.). And at this level add eight extra Health Levels that suffer no dice penalties. Claw attacks in dragon form do Str +3 damage, while Bite attacks do Str +4 damage. Appearance is 9 though it is impossible to use Charisma and Manipulation with Mortals.
Level Ten Golden Form: At this level the Vampire can take the form of a Great Emperor Dragon. With golden scales and gossamer wings the Emperor Dragon is the greatest of all dragons and fears neither sun nor fire. The Golden form radiates the sun's fire and is immune to the frailties of the human mind. System: The Golden Form is immune to the suns rays and can cast a glow equal to the noonday sun. This radiance has several effects not the least of which is the ability to destroy Vampires though the Emperor dragon can choose to spare them if he pleases. Magicks and Disciplines that hide, disguise or otherwise fool the senses are dispelled by the glow of the golden form. While in the presence of the Golden dragon all shapeshifters transform into their breed form. Vampires cannot use the transformation powers of Protean, Serpentis or Vicissitude and any such alterations are reversed. Mages cannot maintain transformations done with the Sphere of Life or by any other means. And also the illusions of Chimerstry, and all levels of Obfuscate and Obtenebration are dismissed by the golden light. While in this form the Vampire is immune to all mental states including derangements, frenzy, blood bonds, dominations, presence and all types of fear, normal and magical. Not even True Magick can influence or control the mind of the Vampire in golden form. Fire is also of no concern and even magical fire and all forms of hellfire and balefire do absolutely no damage to the Emperor Dragon.
When flying the dragon can achieve incredible speeds. Each turn the Vampire moves 100 yards per point of Dexterity. When in dragon form modify the attributes of the vampire as follows: Strength +10, Dexterity +6, Stamina +6 (plus any gains from Dragon Skin and other natural armor.). And at this level add ten extra Health Levels that suffer no dice penalties. Claw attacks in dragon form do Str +3 damage, while Bite attacks do Str +4 damage. Appearance is 10 and it is possible in this form to use Charisma and Manipulation with Mortals.
Malediction
The Discipline of Malediction is the power given to the founder of this clan by the Wyrm itself in those brief moments of communion. Only Vampires of his brood can learn this Discipline. There are even those among the clan who do not know this Discipline, mostly among those created before the original Dark Diablerie that elevated the founder to the Third Generation. The end of the Fourth Age and the beginning of the Fifth age is believed to have occurred at the same time as this power appeared.
• Demon Eyes
The Vampire can use this power to see into the Umbra and the Shadowlands. There is no visible change in the Vampire but he is oblivious to his surroundings while looking into the spirit realms. System: The change from normal vision to Demon Eyes takes one turn and requires a Malediction roll, difficulty of the local Gauntlet or 7.
•• Demon Call
The Vampire with this power can summon and bind spirits of the Wyrm, Spectres and Demons. The spirits will come when the Vampire calls them but may be unable to manifest or otherwise be of use to the Vampire. System: The Vampire must roll Charisma + Occult to get a spirit to heed his call. To bind a spirit to do one service or to an object or place requires a Manipulation + Intimidation roll. Both rolls are made with a difficulty of the spirit's Willpower and can be resisted by the spirit with an opposed roll. The difficulty for the spirit is the level of Malediction of the Vampire.
••• Demon Ward
The Vampire causes Delirium in mortals when displaying his Vampiric powers. He can also cause a lesser reaction in supernatural creatures with eye contact. But even the weakest supernatural creatures are not as impressed by this power as a mortal. System: Mortals who see the Vampire and realize what he is are affected by the Delirium according to the chart in the Werewolf rules book. When trying to affect a supernatural being the Vampire must enter a contest of Will. Roll opposing Willpower scores against a difficulty of 7. The Vampire must garner two or more successes more than his opponent to have any effect. For each success the Vampire achieved over his victim subtract the result from 11 until it is equal to the permanent Willpower score of the victim or higher and apply the result from the chart. While the result can be higher, and the effect thus less, than the Willpower of the victim would indicate on the chart if the victim were human, it cannot be less, and the effect cannot be for that reason any greater.
•••• Demon Rage
The Vampire can enter a state of Battle frenzy like the Garou in which he is immune to fear and pain and continues to regenerate even from Aggravated damage that cannot be soaked. System: The Vampire must have an action with which to activate Demon Rage and must have suffered damage just prior to the activation of this power. The Vampire gains all the usual benefits of Frenzy and suffers no penalties to dice pools from damage. This power can be activated even if the Vampire is incapacitated or in torpor as long as it is still the same turn as when he fell into torpor or was incapacitated. The Vampire rolls Malediction against a difficulty of 8. For each success one Health Level is instantly regenerated. If further damage is taken it cannot incapacitate the Vampire as he falls into frenzy and continues to regenerate one Health Level each turn. If the roll fails the Vampire cannot attempt it again during the scene and further more if the Vampire was incapacitated or in torpor when he attempted Demon Rage he suffers Final Death immediately.
If the Vampire was incapacitated when attempting Demon Rage, or if the total damage received while in frenzy would have taken the character below incapacitated, then the Vampire will suffer from a debilitating scar that cannot be regenerated. The recuperative powers of the undead were heightened to such a degree that some wounds healed too fast and in the wrong way. The Vampire loses one dot from either Strength, Dexterity, Stamina or Appearance. The player can decide which.
••••• Demon Portal
The Vampire can open a passage to the Umbra thereby gaining access to the spirits and passages therein. The Garou call it stepping sideways, the dragon sons call it following the twisting path. System: Just like the Garou the Vampire can step sideways into the Umbra. Also like the Garou the Vampire must gaze into a reflective surface to effect the passage. Roll Malediction vs. the local Gauntlet and consult the stepping sideways chart in the Werewolf rules book. The Vampire can dispense with the reflective surface but must make a Wits + Meditation roll, difficulty 9 and cannot gain more successes to step sideways with the Malediction roll than those gained on the Meditation roll.
Level Six Kuai: Removing Corruption, the vampire with this power can finally commit Dark Diablerie drawing power and nourishment from the essence of spirits. System: The power of spirits is treated as blood for the purposes of drawing nourishment and replenishing the blood pool. To commit Dark Diablerie with the intention of lowering generation, compare the power attribute of the spirit to the size of the blood pool of the generation the Vampire wishes to achieve. If the power of the spirit exceeds the size of the lower generation blood pool by as much as the current blood pool of the Vampire then he can use that spirit to lower his Generation by one. Take current blood pool, add desired blood pool and compare to spirit power. If the totals are equal or the Spirit Trait is higher then Dark Diablerie can be attempted. Spirits use Willpower to resist Dark Diablerie. The power pool must be sufficient when the process is begun to cover the generation of the vampire and the generation he wishes to achieve. If the spirit spends power in combat with the Vampire or the Vampire strikes it and causes sufficient loss of power that the power pool is no longer sufficient, then the attempt fails. Once begun the spirit can only use Willpower to resist but the process can be negated by any damage to the spirit that causes it to lose the amount power necessary to lower the Vampire's generation.
Level Seven Sui Ch'ien: Following the Path of Heaven, the Vampire with this power is no longer limited to the Umbra and whatever realms he can reach from there. At this level of power he can travel instantly to all levels of the Umbra and even to the realms beyond the horizon. System: The Vampire must first be in the Umbra to travel beyond. Travel to Horizon realms and Anchorheads is automatic as long as the Vampire has been to them before. To pierce the Horizon and travel to Shard realms and other Celestines the Vampire must roll his Malediction level against a difficulty of 8 and garner ten successes on an extended roll.
Level Eight Ming: Darkening of the Light, the power to destroy reason and ordered thought. With a few words and insinuations the Vampire can cause any thinking creature to doubt its own thoughts and actions. What seemed perfectly reasonable and sane a moment ago will appear the most illogical and insane course of reasoning possible. It only affects one train of thought not an entire body of belief. So while it would be possible to convince a priest that the residents of a certain area cannot be saved, it would take many months of discussion to undermine his faith completely. System: The Vampire rolls his Manipulation + Leadership against the Willpower of the target. This is an extended roll and each time the Vampire garners as many successes as the target has Willpower he can defeat one idea or derail one train of thought.
Level Nine KU: Arresting Decay, the power to halt and destroy corruption itself. In essence the Vampire can oppose the powers of corruption. The corruption banished by the power of Entropy is forever lost. Subsequent exposure can corrupt it again but until that moment the target is free of corruption. This power can oppose all levels of Vampiric Disciplines as these are inherently corrupt. Toxic waste and radiation can be cleared from a place or person. Poisons can be neutralized even at their source. Nephandi can be opposed since their magic, while remaining True Magick, is Quilthoppic. Black Spiral Dancers, and other Garou servants of the Wyrm, draw their Gifts from the Wyrm and these Gifts can be stopped. System: The Vampire rolls his rating in Malediction against a difficulty of 6 to remove Toxic waste and pollutants. Restoring a Fomori to humanity is also against a difficulty of 6, as is blocking or counterweaving the effects and powers of Infernalist hedge magic and demonic investments. Blocking the powers of Vampiric Disciplines and the Gifts of Black Spiral Dancers is against a difficulty of 7. Countering the True magic of a Nephandus is against a difficulty of 8. This power does not affect nuclear radiation only toxic radiation. Toxic rad
