Psychic Abilities
The 20th century is full of those people who
have claimed to have powers and abilities far beyond those of normal men, such as the ability to read minds (telepathy), move
objects with pure thought (psychokinesis) or even cause a camera to take a picture of something you are thinking of.
Many
of these abilities, after study by scientists (parapsychologists), have been shown to
be hoaxes. In other cases, such as poltergeists, it has been theorized that disturbed children with mild psychokinetic ability
are the cause of flying objects. But in a world where Vampires stalls the streets, mortals can actually, at times, see distant
events, or foresee the future, or pick up objects with their minds.
Parapsychologists label most of these powers under
the heading of ESP, or Extrasensory Perception. Most psychics usually only possess one such ability.
There are also a host of minor abilities, such as predicting numbers, that, while they may help
you win big in Vegas, do not play a role in Vampire hunting. The Storyteller should feel free to come up with the point costs
for players who want minor abilities. Psychic abilities, like Merits and Flaws, must be bought at the start of character generation.
Characters either have them or they do not. Most psychics first discover their powers early in life, and if you have not exhibited
powers by the time you are Vampire hunting, you probably do not have them. Telepathy
The ability to read minds. This form
of telepathy is only open to mortals; Vampires must have Auspex.
You can read multiple minds at once or discover the deepest
secrets of people, even things unknown to themselves or repressed by them. You can read the mind of someone across the world,
if you can see them (for instance, if they are on television). You can even read the
mind of a clairvoyant who is observing someone on the other side of the globe, and use that mental image to read the mind
of the person observed. Eerie. Psychokinesis (also known as Telekinesis)
The ability
to move things with your mind by thinking about it. Wits + Athletics is rolled against a difficulty of 8. If the roll is botched,
your unconscious desires take over and start to throw things around at those you have a grudge against- maybe even yourself.
Line of sight must be maintained to first pick up an object, but once you "hold" it, you do not have to see it again. Clairvoyance
The ability to use your senses at range, and see or hear things happening in other places. Usually it requires a focus,
such as someone you know being at the place to be observed. Perception + Alertness is rolled against a difficulty of 8. While
sending your senses out, you cannot see things happening where your body is. You also cannot affect events you witness in
any way. You are but an observer.
Other Psychic Abilities are Precognition (ability to see the future), Mediumship (ability to see
and talk to spirits), OOBE (Out-Of-Body-Experience, the ability to astrally travel), and many others. Any player or Storyteller
interested in psychic powers should do some research on the scientific study in the field of parapsychology. It's fascinating,
and sometimes convincing, reading. Thaumaturgy: Magick is the Science and Art of causing Change to occur in conformity with
Will. -Aleister Crowley, Magick In Theory and Practice
Some hunters employ magical spells especially designed for use against Kindred. Many of these
spells are unsophisticated compared to the highest levels of the art of magic, as they were mostly created by simple folly
who had no need of the vast education of most wizards. Education in olden days led one astray from true, unquestioning faith.
This
hedge magic differs greatly from true Thaumaturgy. If the Storyteller wishes, then the hunter can use Thaumaturgy as written
in Vampire. However, this use of Thaumaturgy is generally confined to those who have spent their lives in study and contemplation.
Few dedicated hunters have this opportunity, and for most, their mystical abilities are limited to the following system.
Using a spell requires knowledge of certain occult abilities. The most important of these is Casting,
for without a successful Casting, the other abilities-Duration, Extent and Ritual-would never come into play. These can only
be bought with Freebie Points as they are not talents, skills or knowledges, but a combination of all three. They cost as
much to buy and increase as do normal abilities (Two per level during character creation, 2 x current
level to increase with experience). Learning these skills during play costs three experience points; however,
it would require Storyteller permission (and probably a special Story) for someone who
has no sorcerous abilities to learn these skills.
The last ability is Ritual, which allows the character to cast Thaumaturgical rituals. Not only
is Ritual the basis for the success role but a character cannot learn a ritual unless he has at least as many kinds of Ritual
as the Spell. Thus learning Splinter Servant (Level Four Ritual) requires at East four
levels of Ritual . Note that without extensive study, no human can learn any ritual higher than level five.
Learning spells follows a similar pattern, but requires the character have a mental
attribute to match the appropriate level of the spell. Thus there are Perception spells, Intelligence spells and Wits spells.
Note that without Storyteller permission, this method of spellcasting is not available to Vampires- their minds lack the flexibility
necessary to handle it. Perception
Spells
Level 1 - Scent of the Vampyre This spell allows a character
to sense when one of the Kindred is near. It will not pinpoint the location of the Vampire, but will let the character know
one is around.
Level 2 - Escape the Undead Eyes Ghouls and Vampires trying
to find the spellcaster when she hides have their difficulty increased by the number of successes made during the spell casting.
Level 3 - Voices of the Dead Allows the caster to communicate
with the recently deceased. The caster must be m the presence of their body, and it must not have decomposed to the point
that the vocal cords are useless (generally this takes a week-less in hot weather, more if the body has been preserved).
Level 4 - Cloak of the Shadows When standing unmoving in darkness,
the spellcaster remains effectively invisible to anyone looking for him. Note that other senses or Aura Perception can still
detect him.
Level 5 - True Sight Allows the character to see through obscuring
conditions like fog or dust and even to penetrate the Obfuscation of the Undead, though this requires a Perception + Alertness
roll opposed by the Vampire's Wits + Stealth.
Intelligence Spells
Level 1 - Gift of Psyche With this spell, the caster can
determine the mental state of the target- frenzied, asleep, in torpor, drugged, medative, etc.
Level 2 - Return of Light
For as long as the spell is in effect, the target will not be affected by one of her derangements.
Level 3 - Confess This spell
can force whomever it is cast upon to tell the truth and causes its target to tell the truth in answer to any questions put
to him. Once cast, the caster rolls his Charisma + Intimidate versus a difficulty of the ensorcelled person's Willpower. A
botch means a lie was told, but the caster is unaware, and will take it for the truth.
Level 4 - Grasp of the Mind
The character's mind is shut off from the effects of outside Domination. Any attempt to control her mind has its number of
successes decreased by the number of successes gained during spellcasting.
Level 5 - Heart of Evil
With this spell, the caster can determine who is really behind the actions of the individual being studied. Thus this spell
will reveal Domination, bribes, Blood Bonds or blackmail. It will not show simple alliances and friendships, however.
Wits Spells
Level 1 - Bring to Body With but
a snap of the fingers, the character can awaken someone in the depths of slumber. Note that this will not work on a Vampire
in torpor.
Level 2 - Light of the True Spirit
The caster of this spell becomes infused with the purity of his cause, and thus more commanding. Add the number of successes
to the total for any roll involving commands or leadership. This spell will not aid fast-talking or deception.
Level 3 - Soul of the Tree This
spell is cast on a wooden stake. The number of successes made when casting is added to the number of successes used to hit
a Vampire through the heart. Additionally, the ensorcelled stake seeks out the Vampire's heart, no matter where it is.
Level 4 - Shield of the Thinker
A character shielded by this spell is less affected by Vampiric Presence than are others. Every success on casting this spell
reduces the Vampire' s successes on the Presence roll . Note that this spell can also steep the character from being swayed
by demagogues or the Faith of others.
Level 5 - Flash A burst of light
fills the area around the caster, blinding those who can see and sending Vampires into frenzy. While it does not cause physical
damage to the Kindred, they must make a Courage roll against a difficulty of 6 to not frenzy. Kindred and humans alike will
be blinded for a number of turns equal to the number of successes in casting.
Note that these are just some examples of hunter spells. There are certainly many more, and the
Storyteller should feel free to come up with her own.