MORTIS

This Discipline was developed by the Cappadocians in an attempt to uncover the secrets of death. It seeks to explore many aspects of death, from outright cheating it, to causing it with a single touch. Rumor has it that masters of Mortis are able to defy death itself. Practitioners of Mortis are often consumed with all aspects of death and the afterlife.

Level One - Masque of Death

This power allows the vampire or a chosen subject to assume a visage of death. Flesh becomes taut and sallow, and joints grow rigid and stiff. Assuming the appearance of a corpse colic he quite useful-if a hunter searches a mortuary far a vampire, he would be likely to ignore one under the effects of this power. The Discipline may also be used as a dreadful curse, causing another to appear as the walking dead.

System: The character assuming this form must simply spend a Blood Point. If attempting to use the power on another, the intended victim must be touched, a Blood Point must be spent, and the player must make a Stamina + Medicine roll (difficulty equal to the victim's Stamina + 3). The effects of this power last until the next dawn or dusk. Characters under the influence of this power subtract two from their Dexterity and Appearance ratings (minimum of 1). A vampire affected by this power may spend two Blood Points to remove its effects.

Level Two - Blight

This power allows the character to cause rapid aging in an opponent. The victim begins to suffer the effects of old age: skin becomes pallid and thin, bones become brittle, and the victim may even begin to experience advanced effects of arthritis or other ailments of the elderly.

System: This power requires the character to touch his opponent. The player must then score a number of successes on a Manipulation + Medicine roll (difficulty of the opponent's Willpower) and expend one point of Willpower. Use of this ability causes the victim to suffer the effects of extreme old age (subtract three from all Physical Attributes, down to minimums of 1). Cainites are affected by this power just as mortals are; it is as if they were Embraced at a later age, though blood can still be spent to increase Attributes.

A mortal who undertakes strenuous activity while under the effects of this power risks heart failure. For each round the mortal maintains such activity, she must make a Stamina roll (difficulty 6), or suffer a heart attack. The effects of this power last until the following dawn or dusk.

Level Three - Awaken

A character who possesses this power call pry himself from death's grip. The character can awaken himself or another vampire who is in torpor.

System: By expending two Willpower Points the Character can attempt to awaken himself or another vampire from torpor. The character must then roll his permanent Willpower (difficulty varies depending upon the target's Via). To obtain the difficulty, subtract the target's Via from 10. Thus. the difficulty to awaken a character with a Via of 6 would be 4. If attempting to awaken another vampire, the character must touch the vampire he intends to awaken. If the subject of this power was driven into torpor due to blood loss, she awakens with one Blood Point.

Level Four - Death's Whisper

For a brief time the character sloughs off Caine's curse. While the character is under the influence of this power he is not affected by any of the traditional banes against vampires. His body is not burned by sunlight, and holy water does not harm him in any way; however, his body becomes nothing more than a corpse. A character who is staked through the heart while under this power is still paralyzed once the power's effects wear off. This state is beyond that of even torpor; tile character cannot use Disciplines of any kind, and is unaware of anything that transpires around him. For the duration of the power, he is truly dead.

System: There is no Cost to assume this form, although the character must expend two Blood Points to awaken. While the character is in this state he may take no actions whatsoever, and even mental Disciplines may not be used.

Level Five - Black Death

By touching an individual. the character can cause the victim to experience an early death (or, in the case of vampires to enter torpor). The victim, if mortal, begins to exhibit signs of plague: sunken and hollowed eyes, swollen lymphs and a sickly pallor of the skin. Within one day, all bodily functions cease. Cainite victims of this power enter torpor immediately.

System: The vampire must touch the intended victim, and the player must roll Stamina + Occult (difficulty equal to the target's Willpower) and expend two Willpower points. Success indicates that the vampire has caused his target to expire (or go into torpor)

Level Six - Vigor Mortis

By feeding a corpse some his blood, the Cainite may reanimate the body, creating an undead servant that serves its master until it falls completely into decay. This walking corpse cannot talk (though some have been known to utters low moan), but is servant to its creator through the Blood Oath.

System: In order to reanimate a corpse, the character must feed it three Blood Points. As soon as the first drop falls onto its lips, the corpse animates and begins to drink of its own accord. This can be a dangerous time for the Cainite, as some corpses have been known to continue feeling after the initial Blood Points have been taken.

A zombie created in the method has the same Physical Attributes as the original person, and the body appears as it did at the time of creation. These creatures do possess some degree of intelligence ( lower all mental Attributes by one ), but are so overwhelmed by the bond to their masters that they seldom exhibit free thought. They possess three extra Health Levels, do not suffer wound penalties, and are destroyed when they reach Incapacitated.

These automatons crumble to dust on the third sunrise after their creation. The duration of their existence can be extended by feeding the creatures more blood at the time of creation- they remain in existence for one addition day for each additional Blood Point spent.