The Bonsam claim heritage from a hunter possessed by a darkness from a time before the light. It is impossible to trace the veracity of this statement, but the Discipline of Abombwe certainly taps into both primal darkness and predatory prowess.
The Bonsam is the greatest predator in zir territory and senses whenever a potential ally or rival is nearby.
System: Spend a blood point. For the rest of the scene, the Bonsam can sense predators in the area, including vampires, shapeshifters, ghosts, predatory animals, mortals, and ghouls with a Humanity or Path rating of 4 or less. To pinpoint the location or find a hidden creature, the player rolls Perception + Survival (Difficulty 6, modified by the strength of the predator as determined by the Storyteller; stronger predators are generally easier to detect).
Sculpting the malleable darkness inside zir and pushing it outward, the Bonsam can copy aspects of predatory animals.
System: This transformation takes 1 turn and requires 1 blood point. The character might grow claws that inflict [Strength + 1] Lethal damage or a tail for balance. Most transformations are automatic, but particularly exotic ones such as poison glands require an Intelligence + Survival roll (Difficulty 7). A botch results in a successful transformation, but adds cosmetic changes such as scales or stripes. This power does not suspend the laws of physics; the Bonsam cannot create wings or spider webbing strong enough to carry zir weight.
The Bonsam makes zir lair inside natural formations, plants, or earth by melting into the darkness hidden under their surface. A natural object significantly altered or sculpted by man is not suitable for this power; a wooden hut cannot be used, but a tree with carvings on it might do.
System: The player spends a blood point. Unseen Hibernation is automatic and takes a turn to complete. The character falls into a consciousness 1 step above torpor during this time and zir player must make a Humanity/Path roll (Difficulty 6) for the character to rouse prematurely.
The Difficulty of rolls to locate the character increases by 2. Astral individuals cannot affect zir directly, instead meeting with writhing darkness as xyr hands pass through zir.
Violence upon the submerged vampire expels zir from the object in a blinding spray (everyone near the vampire, and the vampire zirself, are at +2 Difficulty on Perception for the turn). The vampire subtracts 2 from zir Initiative for the first turn upon expulsion, but may act normally after that.
The Bonsam lets darkness flow out and over zir like black, clotted blood that clings to zir body. This grants zir power and special abilities even as the light repels it.
System: This power costs 2 blood points and is automatic. 1 transformation may be active at a time, lasting for a scene, during which resisting Rötschreck is at +1 Difficulty.
Examples of use are listed below, but players and Storytellers are encouraged to come up with their own changes:
The Bonsam slays a predator and consumes a part of it, be it heart, liver, flesh, or blood. Ze then becomes that creature as zir vitae fully absorbs its essence.
System: The player spends 1 blood point and rolls Stamina + Survival (Difficulty 7). If successful, the Bonsam physically transforms into the creature. The creature must be predatory in nature and at least the size of a cat. Humans and supernatural beings may be duplicated, but this does not include powers. Predator’s Transformation lasts until sunrise or the Bonsam ends the power.
A Bonsam may duplicate a previous transformation without consuming another creature. This requires a Stamina + Survival roll (Difficulty 10) with Difficulty reduced by 1 for each time ze has killed and transformed into a creature of that type, to a minimum Difficulty of 6. With mortals, vampires, and other humanoids, the Bonsam takes on an average appearance for zir victim’s ethnic group, unless the player succeeds on the roll at Difficulty 9, in which case the previous transformation is perfectly duplicated.
Emulating the horror that created zir lineage, the Bonsam becomes a mass of darkness, writhing and turning as it tries to emulate predators not known to man. In this form, the Bonsam becomes the ultimate hunter: both deadly and unseen.
System: This power costs 3 blood points, but requires no roll, as the Bonsam’s blood bursts from zir skin and transforms zir into roiling darkness. The vampire may take on 1 of 3 basic shapes: winged (allowing for flight at 25 mph/40 kph), insectoid (burrowing through earth and rock, and granting automatic success on climb rolls) or brutish (all brawling damage increased by +1 Lethal). In addition, zir Physical Attributes each increase by 3 dots, while all Social Attributes drop to 0 (however, the vampire may substitute Strength for a Social Attribute for purposes of Intimidation). The Bonsam becomes the perfect stalker, decreasing the Difficulty for all of the Bonsam’s Perception and Stealth rolls by 2. Zir claws and teeth inflict [Strength + 2] Aggravated damage and inject the victim with an inky poison that causes 1 level of damage per turn in living victims until the toxin is nullified.