Serpentis

• Eyes of the Serpent

  Level 1

  Like the snake-charmers of old, your gaze has the power to soothe and hypnotize. When you use this power, your eyes turn shining gold, capturing the attention of those who meet your gaze. As long as you hold her attention, your subject remains completely immobilized.

  Expend 1 Blood and use a simple action to activate Eyes of the Serpent. You must have your target’s attention (see Gaze and Focus, page 113) and engage your target in an opposed challenge using the Serpentis test pool. If you succeed, the target is paralyzed so long as you hold her gaze with your own. If you break eye contact, utilize any other powers, or if the target is attacked, injured, or targeted by hostile powers, your hypnotic spell breaks.

• Tongue of the Asp

  Level 2

  By activating this power, you gain several of the natural and mythical powers associated with serpents. You may speak with, control, and summon snakes. Some who are particularly blessed may even gain a natural advantage in spoken persuasion, much like the Serpent of old.

  Spend 1 Blood and use a simple action to activate Tongue of the Asp for one hour. While this power is active, your tongue is forked and you may speak to snakes (or individuals in serpent form) with a sibilant whisper so quiet that the sound can go completely undetected by anyone who does not possess Heightened Senses or a similar power. While Tongue of the Asp is active, you can sense your surroundings perfectly even in the depths of night or in unnatural darkness such as that caused by Obtenebration. Normally, characters who cannot see while in combat must use the Fighting Blind combat maneuver. So long as your character’s Tongue of the Asp is active, you may fight without needing the Fighting Blind combat maneuver.

  Further, by expending an additional Blood and a standard action, you can summon up to five local small serpents or two medium-sized serpents. These snakes take up to 10 minutes to appear, and must be able to naturally travel to your location. They have only animal intelligence, but are loyal to you and will attempt to do your bidding until dawn. Treat small serpents as 1-point Retainers, and medium serpents as 3-point Retainers.

• Skin of the Adder

  Level 3

  With but a moment of concentration, you cause your skin to erupt into slick, protective scales, and your limbs and muscles lengthen. While this power is active, you have a hideous, snakelike appearance, but gain significant defense against Physical attacks.

  By spending 1 point of Blood and expending a standard action to invoke this power, you acquire defensive scales and become extremely flexible. While this power is active, you have a +2 bonus to Dodge-based defense test pools. Individuals using Skin of the Adder can also bite without first needing to Grapple their opponents.

  Obviously, being seen by mortals while using Skin of the Adder is a breach of the Masquerade.

  Skin of the Adder is a transformative power and cannot be combined with other transformative powers. You can end this transformation at any time by expending a simple action. Skin of the Adder’s transformation is close enough to human to allow you to use weapons.

• Form of the Cobra

  Level 4

  Myth states that ancient priests of Egypt could command their staves to turn into snakes. You can perform an even greater metamorphosis, transforming yourself into a massive cobra, which retains the size and weight of your original form. This reptile shape grants a venomous bite and the ability to slip through small passages, while still allowing you to use any disciplines that do not require hands or speech.

  Spend 1 Blood point and use a standard action to transform into a massive, human-sized cobra, approximately 15 feet long. You may end this transformation at any time by expending a simple action. A character in Form of the Cobra is extremely lithe, and cannot be grappled; attackers who attempt to Grapple you automatically fail. Further, you may bite your foes without the need to Grapple fi rst, and your bites are venomous.

  Individuals who are bitten by a vampire in Form of the Cobra must resist a virility 15 poison. Poison inflicted by this power damages living characters and destroys the blood of vampires. For more information on poison, see Drugs and Poison, page 286. Remember that all vampiric bites, including those by characters in Form of the Cobra, inflict aggravated damage. Form of the Cobra is a transformative power and cannot be combined with other transformative powers.

• Heart of Darkness

  Level 5

  In Egyptian legends, the hearts of the dead are removed so that they may be weighed against the feather of truth. Those found wanting are thrown into a lake of fire and devoured, while those who are worthy are accepted into paradise. It is within your power to remove the hearts of undead creatures, taking judgment into your own hands.

  Spend 1 Blood and one hour performing a complex ritual in order to draw the heart from an unliving (vampiric) body: either your own, or that of another willing participant. No test is necessary to remove a heart.

  This power can only be utilized on the night of a new moon.

  While most vampiric flesh rots and decays in a single turn after being separated from its body, a heart removed with this power remains intact. The heart can be replaced by another use of Heart of Darkness, so long as the power’s user possesses the correct heart to restore. It is not possible to install a fake heart or the heart of another individual using Heart of Darkness.

  Anyone whose heart is removed in this fashion is immune to staking . Further, when this character attempts to resist frenzy, she does so as if she had one less Beast trait. A separated heart may be staked, even if the target vampire is not otherwise wounded. If the heart is staked, then that vampire is immediately paralyzed as though she had been staked normally. Should the heart be exposed to even a single point of damage from fire or sunlight, it is destroyed, and its owner erupts into flame and is reduced to ash, meeting Final Death in a single turn. Obviously, trying to use this power on a mortal, even a ghoul, is messily fatal.

• Seed of Corruption

  Level 6

  With only a few moments of discussion, you can plant subtle ideas of defi ance and vice within a target’s subconscious, tempting someone into committing evil actions. If left unchecked, this inner turmoil can corrode the victim’s morals and bring suppressed impulses to the surface, causing her to act on her darkest desires.

  Spend 2 Blood, speak with your target for at least three full turns, and make an opposed challenge using your Serpentis test pool. If successful, you cause your target’s darker nature to surface. Seed of Corruption brings out the victim’s hidden desires, repressed fears, bottled anger, and suppressed temptations. The individual should roleplay a darker, more flexible moral attitude, taking advantage of any opportunity to play out her character’s wicked impulses.

  For the rest of the evening, the target gains Beast traits any time she restrains this darker nature. If the target voluntarily ignores an opportunity to take advantage of another person’s suffering or to indulge in wickedness or vice, she gains 1 Beast trait. A character also gains Beast traits as normal if she sins against her standard Morality, which remains in effect during Seed of Corruption’s duration. In cases where this causes internal conflicts, Seed of Corruption overcomes a character’s moral stance.

• Dust Devil

  Level 6

  While often upheld as dishonorable, throwing sand in an opponent’s eyes has always been effective. In ancient times, even the proudest of gladiators could be brought low with only a handful of dirt, rendering them vulnerable during a crucial moment. As Set also holds authority as the god of storms, his influence grants you the ability to call upon the desert winds, and as the god of war and chaos, he likely would not object to fighting dirty.

  Spend 1 point of Blood and your simple action to conjure a swirling vortex of blistering hot sand that envelops you. The storm can project gusts of wind and sand that have the potential to blind your opponents. For as long as this power is active, your Brawl and Melee attacks, as well as any attacks using Thaumaturgy where your target defends with her Physical attribute, are considered Blinding Attacks. For example, powers such as Force Bolt, Firestorm, and Lightning Bolt are now considered Blinding Attacks in addition to their standard effects. Targets struck by a Blinding Attack in this way do not suffer 3 fewer points of damage, and you do not have to spend Willpower to make these attacks. Blinded opponents may still spend 2 simple actions to clear out their eyes, but until they have done so, they cannot be considered observers for the purposes of Unseen Presence, even if they are using the Flighting Blind combat maneuver.

  You may also spend a simple action to disperse the storm in an intense burst of wind and sand to aid in your escape. If you do, anyone 3 or more steps from you cannot be considered an observer if you also activate Unseen Presence during the round. If you do not disperse the storm in this way, it lasts 10 minutes before quietly fading.

• Divine Image

  Level 6

  Egyptian gods possessed great beauty, appearing human when they wished to impress or be adored by their worshippers, and transforming into beast-headed forms when they wanted to invoke fear or show their immortal heritage. So, too, can an elder with this power invoke love or terror by allowing the glory of divine inspiration to reflect upon her countenance.

  By spending 3 Blood and using your standard action, you invoke a change in your appearance that is visible to all. When you activate Divine Image, you must choose to personify a benevolent or a malevolent countenance, and you receive benefits according to that choice:

  • Benevolent: A benevolent countenance is extraordinarily beautiful, lending unnatural grace and poise as well as raw physical attractiveness. This form may appear utterly human, or it may show signs of divine manifestation, such as wings, feathered hair, small, opalescent scales, or some other appropriate physical manifestation of mythological “good,” but it always has a faint, golden glow. Mortals react with awe and reverence when dealing with a character using this countenance, and even supernatural creatures feel a desire to please this individual. A character displaying this countenance receives a +2 bonus to all Social test pools used for mundane challenges, or Social test pools involving powers, such as Entrancement or Eyes of the Serpent, which rely on emotions like sexual attraction, affection, or persuasion.

  • Malevolent: Typically, when an elder Setite invokes a malevolent countenance, her head transforms into that of an appropriate beast – a jackal, hawk, or other such totem – and her body radiates a dark, golden aura. Characters with other beliefs may show alternate signs of this countenance, such as demonic horns, red skin, an oni’s fangs, or some other appropriate physical manifestation of mythological “evil,” but it always has a dark, flame-like radiance. Mortals react with abject terror and submission when dealing with a character using this countenance, and even supernatural creatures feel afraid of incurring the character’s wrath. A character displaying this countenance receives a +2 bonus to Social test pools used for mundane challenges, or Social test pools involving powers, such as Dread Gaze or Majesty, which rely emotions like intimidation, fear, or subservience.

  Once a character invokes Divine Image and chooses her form, she must invoke the power again and meet all of its requirements a second time in order to alter her countenance to the opposing manifestation.

  Divine Image is a transformative power and cannot be combined with other transformative powers. Divine Image’s transformation is close enough to human to allow you to use weapons. Divine Image lasts for 10 minutes.

• Spewing Venom

  Level 6

  As one of the deadliest predators, the cobra is not known to hide in the face of threats. When challenged, it rises and remains poised, ready to strike or retaliate when its foes draw too close. Like the serpent, you too retain poise in the face of threats, reacting quickly with a deadly barb or a biting remark.

  Whenever you win an opposed challenge where you are the defender, you may immediately activate Spewing Venom (even outside of your normal initiative) for no additional cost. As a result, you may then immediately activate one of your Social powers without spending a simple or standard action; however, the Social power must exclusively target the character you defeated in the opposed challenge. You may not use powers that add additional targets, such as Capricious Visage. This action happens immediately and is resolved before proceeding to the next character in the initiative order. You must still pay any Blood point cost to activate the chosen Social power, and are still subject to your maximum blood spend per turn.

  You may only activate Spewing Venom once per turn; however, you may activate it (and your chosen Social power) during Celerity rounds as an exception to the rules preventing you from activating Social powers during Celerity rounds. The use of this power is subject to rules governing the maximum number of attackers.

• Heart Thief

  Level 7

  Some believe that the heart is the seat of the soul and that in death, when material wealth is claimed by the state and the earth reclaims the body, it is the heart that remains the last bastion of human memory. Your power supersedes these mortal trappings, giving you the ability to seize the most precious of organs. With an invocation and a twist of the wrist you can extract the heart from a victim’s chest, bypassing the need for ritual or lunar timing.

  Upon learning this power, you gain the ability to remove the hearts of your victims. To do so, your target must be on the Incapacitated wound track and you must succeed in a Brawl attack. If you succeed in the opposed challenge, you may spend 2 points of Blood to reach into the body of your victim for their heart. This power instantly kills mortals and ghouls but can remove the hearts of vampires. Thereafter, the removed heart functions as if it had been removed through the Serpentis power Heart of Darkness, and can be likewise damaged, destroyed, or replaced. This power may be used during Celerity rounds. Targets who are immune to the Pierce the Heart combat maneuver due to armor with the Chest Plate quality or other effects are likewise immune to this power unless you have the Armor Piercing quality. Characters with the Bonecraft Modification Transformed Biology are not immune to this power, as this power intuitively guides your hand to the correct area. Creatures aside from mortals, ghouls, and vampires cannot be affected by this power. Characters whose hearts have already been removed are not affected by this power.

• Mantle of Sutekh

  Level 7

  Those who know the secrets of Set’s undead kin understand that the clan believes its discipline is validation of divine heritage. His most prominent worshippers developed the Mantle of Sutekh as proof of their direct ties to godhood and assuming the mantle of power allows Set’s priests and priestesses to not only lay claim to divinity, but also to bestow blessings on those who support them in their beliefs. Invoking the Mantle of Setekh can be used to punish even the most stalwart of skeptics.

  Spend 1 point of Blood and a standard action while speaking aloud and making a claim to your connection to Set’s divine power. Once done, you assume a radiant aura of powerful magnificence. For example, you may appear to shine with divine light, or storm clouds may shroud you in darkness. Your supernatural nature becomes obvious to everyone within your line of sight and they are overcome with a palpable, discomforting weakness, similar to tremors of the heart. For the next five minutes, anytime anyone within your line of sight spends fuel such as Blood, Gnosis, or Glamour, you may choose to demand a tithe for that expenditure. Tithed expenditures require the target to spend 1 additional point of their fuel in order for their desired power to take effect. For example, if your target is a vampire, she must spend 2 points of Blood to activate Celerity instead of the usual 1 point of Blood, and if your target is a werewolf, she must expend an additional 1 point of Gnosis to fuel her supernatural gifts. Extracting a tithe through Mantle of Sutekh does not affect the number of Blood points your targets can spend per turn.

  The tithed fuel is transferred to you. Regardless of the type of fuel, you gain 1 point of Blood for each tithed point. For the remainder of the power’s five-minute duration, you can retain the points of Blood you gain through Mantle of Sutekh even if they exceed the normal maximum limit of your Blood pool. Once the duration ends, any points of Blood you retain in excess of your Blood pool immediately dissipate without expenditure, restoring you to your normal Blood pool maximum.

  In addition, while Mantle of Sutekh is active, you may spend a simple action to make a visible gesture of blessing towards a target within your line of sight and within 30 steps of your location. You may do this during Celerity rounds if you have an action. If that target is a supernatural creature and a willing recipient, you immediately transfer up to 5 points of Blood from you to that target resulting in her gaining a unit of fuel appropriate to her (Blood for vampires, Gnosis for werewolves, etc.). Points of Blood transferred in this manner cannot allow a target to retain units of fuel in excess of her maximum pool. If she does not have space in her pool at the time of the transfer, the transferred fuel is lost. All transferred points of blood are of neutral origin and do not create or increase blood bonds, nor do recipients suffer any ill effects from the blood they receive through Mantle of Sutekh.