Hecata

The mortal Giovanni Family began as merchants, and even in modern times, knows the power of cold hard cash. You have access to a substantial bank account. Gain four free dots to spend on the Resources Background or its associated Advantages.

You've got a nose for business and a knack for networking. Gain five free dots to spend on the Contact or Ally Background or their associated Advantages.

The Giovanni Family excels at many things, but they particularly excel at bringing spirits of the dead to heel. Your loyal Wraith can be any of the four types of Wraiths described in Chapter 10 of Laws of the Night: Specter, Poltergeist, Spook, or Phantasm (see page 329). It possesses all the listed characteristics of a Wraith. Choose one attribute category (Physical, Mental, or Social). Your Wraith has a 7 for all pools involving that attribute, and a 4 for pools involving the other two. They have six health levels, four Willpower, and two level-one Discipline powers of your choosing. If your wraith perishes or you lose its fetter, you do not immediately regain a new servant and must spend one downtime action to bring a new one to heel.

If a Touchstone of yours dies, you may study their corpse and the scene, doing so allows you to transfer their Conviction to another mortal. The change requires a Humanity test at Difficulty 4, and the Storyteller is satisfied that your character has gained knowledge from the Touchstone's death. If anyone interferes with your study, you must test against Fury Frenzy at Difficulty 6. This benefit can only be used as long as the previous Touchstone's corpse hasn't decomposed beyond recognition. In addition, you only gain 1 Stain for the death of any of your Touchstones. Finally, gain the first three dots of the Medicine skill.

You are an expert at covering your actions when studying death. With five minutes of uninterrupted actions, you can disguise the actual cause of a mortal's death, leaving any story or explanation you wish. If another mundane power can automatically make forensic tests, such as the Murder Most Foul Loresheet Advantage, they must defeat you in an Intelligence + Medicine opposed challenge to discover the true nature of the body's death. Supernatural powers, such as Sense the Unseen or Spirit's Touch, can see through your ruse as normal. In addition, you gain a two-dot contact with the two-dot diversity advantage. Your contact is part of the Health, Police, and Underworld Spheres of Influence.

In the city of Kaymakli, your ancestors stood before your Antediluvian with your elder brothers and sisters. While many others were denied sanctuary from the coming pogrom, those who were spared were chosen for their natural intelligence and academic acumen. You have never forgotten these stories, and since that time, you have dedicated yourself to study and research. Gain five dots in the Academic Skill, then gain the Phenom Merit for free and apply it to the Academics Skill. In addition, gain the Loremaster Merit for free.

You enjoy a unique spiritual connection to Loa, powerful Vodoun spirits that can offer you aid. Once per game session, you can ask for their assistance. As you call upon the Loa, they seize control of your body, and they guide your actions. For one turn, you may choose one skill and increase its value to five dots. This ability may be used at any time, even before your turn in the initiative order, but not once a challenge that you are participating in has been declared.

At one time, the Samedi looked like walking corpses, but the Family Reunion gave them new faces. You can return to looking like a corpse (even without the use of Obfuscate), a pile of ash, or you may take on the appearance of a corpse you've touched in the last month. Noticing this ruse requires the use of a supernatural power such as Sense the Unseen. You gain a +2 bonus to your Wits + Stealth pool versus such powers. While a corpse or a pile of ash, you cannot move voluntarily, or the power ends; however, you remain aware of your surroundings and still take damage from fire and sunlight.

Sure, you and the Baron's children don't look dead anymore, but some of you still have benefits from being dead. Like the fact that dead people can't feel much anymore. You suffer no ill effects from drugs, alcohol, or mundane poisons when consuming blood tainted with these substances. When you suffer the Impaired condition, your test pools are only reduced by 1. Finally, twice a night, if you suffer the Weakened Condition, you may spend a Willpower to end it immediately.

Lamia had a staunch tradition of serving as bodyguards and fierce protectors for their Cappadocian counterparts. You carry a powerful sense of purpose, and you are capable of delivering swift punishment to any who would harm those under your protection. Whenever you attempt to defend another character via the Assist Defender maneuver, they cannot refuse. In addition, you may move up to six steps (instead of three) towards the character you are defending. If the attack you are defending against fails, you may opt to make an immediate Physical attack against the attacker as long as you have not taken a Standard Action this turn. This takes the place of your normal Standard Action for the turn. If you use Not On My Watch to make a counterattack, that attack does not trigger another instance of Not on My Watch, or a similar power, if your target also possesses it. This advantage cannot be used in conjunction with any other powers or advantages that modify Assist Defender.

You draw power from the energy of death. The Bahari have developed obscure blood rituals, which may come from the gifts bestowed upon your bloodline by being descended from the Dark Mother herself. Once a scene where a sentient creature (mortal or supernatural) dies within your line of sight, you may immediately lose 1 Hunger to the lowest allowed by your Blood Potency. The death of non-sentient beings, such as animals, zombies, etc, does not provide this benefit.

The Lamiae were known as the "Gorgons" due to their terrifying nature and supposed disease-carrying blood. However, members with deep knowledge of the bloodline possess a hidden power relating to their epithet. Once a night, a Lamia may attempt an opposed challenge against a target with whom it holds Gaze and Focus. The Lamia uses their Charisma + Intimidation versus the target's Resolve + Composure. If the Lamia wins, the target cannot move or speak for 5 minutes unless threatened or harmed.

You may Slake Hunger by eating human flesh and organs instead of drinking blood. Only major organs, such as the majority of the epidermis, heart, liver, lungs, and spleen, are rich enough in blood, and each of these organs Slake 1 Hunger. You may also feed from a corpse in the same way, provided the corpse has been dead for no longer than eight hours.

Modern Nagaraja are experts at studying murder scenes and tracking down the perpetrators of the crimes they investigate. By spending three standard actions studying a murder scene, you may auto succeed at any Investigation, Science, Medicine or Awareness challenges related to the scene. This applies only to evidence still present, though challenges to notice missing evidence still gain this benefit. In addition, you gain a free two-dot Mask that allows you to portray yourself as a police officer, forensic scientist, or similar profession.

When ready to attack or feed, your teeth extend to lengthy, splayed, and vicious dagger-like fangs that protrude from your mouth. You may bite a target without first establishing a grapple. In addition, your successful bite attacks inflict the Weakened Condition. Your victims automatically resolve the Weakened Condition after they have taken actions for two turns.

While outsiders sometimes think the term banker, when referring to the Dunsirn, is a colloquialism, you are, in fact, a banker. Whether it's security or the intricacies of global financial markets, you know everything there is to know about banks. Choose either the Larceny or Finance skill and gain five dots in it.

The Dunsirn can find information anywhere. All it takes is a little money to get people talking. Gain five dots of Contacts or Allies, or their Advantages in the Finance, Legal, or High Society Spheres of Influence.

You are the financial king or queen of your city. You have the most money and countless ways to access it. Gain six dots to spend on the Resources Background or its associated Advantages. In addition, if any downtime actions are taken in the Finance Sphere of Influence within your local area, your Storyteller will alert you before the game. You do not know who made them, only what was done.

The secrets of Oblivion are yours to control through study, your ancient bloodline, or knowledge gained from relatives. Your affinity for Oblivion is unmatched. Once a night, if you fail a Rouse Check to use Oblivion, you do not gain a Stain.

The remaining Pisanob survived because they are exceptional at staying hidden. Even some of their ancestral temples in the Mexican hinterlands remain secure. You have learned how to avoid being followed expertly. It is impossible to track you without using supernatural powers. In addition, once per game session you can declare fair escape from a non-combat scenario.

Named for the chief Aztec god Tezcatlipoca, you have learned a specialized ritual allowing you to enchant and to use an obsidian mirror to gain dark insight into the world around you. By gazing into the mirror's ebony depths, you and anyone else you allow can see wraiths in the surrounding area, even if they have not manifested. In addition, you (only you) can see the stain of death on the living. You can determine a mortal's current number of Health levels, the location and severity of any injuries, diseases, or maladies, or the presence of drugs and poisons in their system. You may possess only one such mirror, which is designed specifically for you. If your mirror is broken, it takes 1 downtime to replace.

Not every argument has to end with a punch to the face or a baseball bat to the knees. Once per game session, you can automatically succeed on a Frenzy test caused by being insulted, embarrassed, or humiliated. You also gain the first two dots of the Streetwise and Subterfuge Skills.

Against all odds, you've fought hard and achieved respect, wealth, and influence. Other Hecata may even stop insulting you directly. You gain five dots to spend on Allies, Contacts, Mask, Resources, or their advantages.

Not every Puttanesca likes getting their hands dirty. Once every three months, you may call for aid, and two loyal neonate mooks will answer. Two neonate NPCs with the statistic block for Hecata Mook will do your bidding, as long as they don't act against local Hecata interests. Attempting to use these vampires for improper purposes, such as to seize personal power, will fail, and the mooks will leave.

Your siblings in the Giovanni view Oblivion as a tool. You understand that Oblivion is a beautiful art, rewarding those who are patient and ruthless in exploring it. Three times per game session, if you fail a Rouse Check to activate an Oblivion power, you may make another static challenge. If you win or tie this challenge, you do not gain a Stain, but still suffer the other effects of a failed Rouse Check.

Ghosts are emotions trapped in a form. Some Hecata feed on ghosts, but you have a better way to use them. You have the ability, similar to a Ceremony but not as powerful, to attune yourself to a ghost's fetter. This process takes only a minute; then, you immediately sink your fangs into the fetter, releasing the ectoplasm from within and destroying it. Eating this substance allows you to regain 2 lost Willpower or reduce your Hunger by 1 (to your Blood Potency Minimum). Unfortunately, if this is the ghost's last fetter, the ghost is destroyed.

You can shred corpus, the substance which ghosts are made of, with ease. Any attack on a ghost causes Aggravated damage, even outside the Shadowlands. You can also strike them when they are intangible so long as you can perceive them.

The reputation of the Milliner's ability to hold grudges is very well known. To such an extent that most rivals are willing to sit down and work things out instead of acting out of turn. You can request an informal "off the record" meeting with another local NPC of reasonable repute (and likely unscrupulous) figure. Provided you and anyone you bring to the meeting conduct themselves properly, you can reasonably expect to leave the meeting intact. If you attack or are caught using powers against the other party during the meeting, you lose access to this benefit for 2 months while you repair your reputation.

The Milliners always get their due, even at the worst possible times. You have a network of cronies to make sure you get what you are owed. Gain 5 of the Contacts or Allies Backgrounds, or their associated advantages.

The Milliners maintain law enforcement connections, which grant them proximity to potential vampire hunters. You have access to a faction in the Second Inquisition, such as FIRSTLIGHT or the Entity, or even a local intelligence agency. You have a mole on the inside who you have manipulated into reporting back to you at key moments. Discuss with your Storyteller whether your control over this "friend" takes the form of supernatural coercion, blackmail, threats, or bribery. The mole alerts you if your chosen faction is coming after you, and, once every three months, they will commit an act of minor sabotage (destroying evidence, screwing up an operation, etc.) on your orders. This mole does not count as a Contact or Ally.