The Ravnos are heirs to a legacy of illusion, and none can say exactly why. The elders of their clan, when
properly approached, speak cryptically of ghuls and rakshasas, and the shapeshifting antics of their Antediluvian founder
are the subject of many a dark campfire tale among the clan. But whatever the source, the nomadic Ravnos have a potent weapon
in the form of their Discipline of Chimerstry. Chimerstry is an art of conjuration; the vampire may draw upon her inner reserves
to bring phantoms to life. These false images can confound mortal senses and sensory equipment alike. If the Cainite's power
is strong enough, illusions created by Chimerstry may even baffle the heightened senses of the vampire. The Ravnos are fond
of using this power to seduce, swindle or enslave mortals, effectively purchasing their victims' souls in exchange for a sack
of bouillon that isn't there.
Level 1: Ignis Fatuus
The vampire may create a static illusion involving one sense. She
must be able to sense it to be able to create it, or sustain it. If it is revealed to be an illusion, it disappears.
Level 2: Fata Morgana
The vampire may create a static illusion involving all senses.
She must be able to sense it to be able to create it, or sustain it. If it is revealed to be an illusion, it disappears.
Level 3: Apparition
Having created an illusion, the vampire may spend a blood point to
make it move. This movement is limited to a specific pattern, and may not be changed once she has stopped concentrating on
the illusion.
Level 4: Permanancy
Having created an illusion, the vampire may cause it to remain for
as long as she is in the general vicinity, even if she can no longer sense it.
Level 5: Horrid Reality
The vampire may create illusions, as described above, and use
them to "injure" a victim. A victim may not be killed in this fashion, but she will still be subject to wound penalties for
as long as she believes herself to be injured.
Level 6: Fatuus Mastery
All illusions created will last as long as the vampire is no
more than a mile away, unless she wishes them to end before then; she need not sense them to maintain them.
In addition
to the ability previously stated, Ravnos gain an additional benefit from mastering this level of Chimerstry, though in most
cases even the wielder herself will not know it. Upon attaining Fatuus Mastery, illusions created by the character also manifest
in the Penumbra and the Shadowlands, and appear convincing to anyone viewing the scene from there. However, a Ravnos who cannot
peer into these locations is still unable to affect them directly.
Level 6: Mass Reality
As Horrid Reality, but the vampire may use the illusions to "injure"
everyone in her general vicinity.
Level 6: Fata Amria
Using this power, a Ravnos may place a potent curse on a target.
By evoking the power in her blood, the Ravnos essentially "locks" an illusory effect to the target, which manifests from time
to time. The effects of Fata Amria can range from merely annoying to potentially lethal, depending on the severity of the
curse.
Level 7: Far Fatuus
The vampire may create illusions at a distance. Once she has succeeded,
she may use any Chimerstry power at that location. The difficulty varies with her familiarity with the area.
Level 8: Pseudo Blindness
The vampire will always know a lie when she hears it. She also
can not perceive any power of Obfuscate or Chimerstry, even if she wants to, and is incapable of either being affected by
them, or realizing that they are being used. In addition to the benefits previously stated for this power, a Ravnos who has
mastered Pseudo-Blindness is also unmoved by the effects of the Delirium, nor is she affected by faerie seemings. The Ravnos
can also see any chimerical items or animals drawn from the Dreaming as if she were exchanged.
Level 8: Sensory Overload
By overstimulating all five senses, a Ravnos may physically
incapacitate a target. Though the target may remain conscious, he is unable to move or speak coherently; he is effectively
cut off from the outside world, save through his screams.
Level 9: Sensory Deprivation
The vampire can cause her victim to lose all five senses,
and all related abilities, like Auspex.
Level 10: Reality
The vampire can invent a fantasy world, and put her victim into it.
To escape, the victim must spend one willpower point for each success. This victim actually disappears from the real world,
and cannot be found with any discipline.
