Presence is the Discipline of emotional manipulation. Vampires with this power can inspire passionate fervor or unreasoning terror in mortals and Kindred alike. In addition, unlike most Disciplines, some of Presence’s powers can be used on entire crowds at one time. Presence can transcend race, religion, gender, class, and (most importantly) supernatural nature. As such, this subtle power is one of the most useful Disciplines a vampire can possess.
Anyone can resist Presence for 1 scene by spending a Willpower point and succeeding on a Willpower roll (Difficulty 8), but the affected individual must keep spending points until they are no longer in the presence of the vampire (or, in the case of Summon, until the effect wears off). Vampires 3 or more Generations lower than the wielder need only spend a single Willpower to ignore the Presence for an entire night and need not roll Willpower to do so.
The major drawback of Presence is that it controls only the emotions. It causes others to feel a certain way toward the vampire, but does not give zir outright control over them. While people weigh strongly the orders that the vampire declares, their minds are still their own. Suicidal or ridiculous directives don’t sound any more sensible just because the person giving them is unusually fascinating. Still, inspired eloquence or significant wealth used in combination with this Discipline can enable the vampire to urge others along a desired course.
The Brujah, Followers of Set, Toreador, and Ventrue clans are all adept in this Discipline. The Ventrue are arguably the most skilled with its application, however, due to their ability to use Presence and Dominate in efficient combination.
Those near the vampire suddenly desire to be closer to zir and become receptive to zir point of view. Awe is extremely useful for mass communication. It matters little what is said — the hearts of those affected lean toward the vampire’s opinion. The weak want to agree with zir; even if the strong-willed resist, they soon find themselves outnumbered. Awe can turn a chancy deliberation into a certain resolution in the vampire’s favor almost before zir opponents know that the tide has turned.
Despite the intensity of this attraction, those so smitten do not lose their sense of self-preservation. Danger breaks the spell of fascination, as does leaving the area. Those subject to Awe will remember how they felt in the vampire’s presence, however. This will influence their reactions should they ever encounter zir again.
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Charisma + Performance (Difficulty 7). The number of successes rolled determines how many people are affected, as noted on the chart below. If there are more people present than the character can influence, Awe affects those with lower Willpower ratings first. The power stays in effect for the remainder of the scene or until the character chooses to drop it.
| Successes | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 person |
| 2 | 2 people |
| 3 | 6 people |
| 4 | 20 people |
| 5+ | Everyone in the vampire’s immediate vicinity (an entire auditorium, a mob) |
Those affected can use Willpower points to overcome the effect, but must continue spending Willpower every scene for as long as they remain in the same area as the vampire. As soon as an individual spends a number of Willpower points equal to the successes rolled, they shake off the Awe completely and remain unaffected for the rest of the night.
While all Kindred can frighten others by physically revealing their true vampiric natures — baring claws and fangs, glaring with malevolence, hissing loudly with malice — this power focuses these elements to insanely terrifying levels. Dread Gaze engenders unbearable terror in its victim, stupefying xem into madness, immobility, or reckless flight. Even the most stalwart individual will fall back from the vampire’s horrific visage.
System: The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (Difficulty equal to the victim’s Wits + Courage). Success indicates the victim is cowed, while failure means the target is startled but not terrified by the sight. 3 or more successes means they run away in abject fear; victims who have nowhere to run claw at the walls, hoping to dig a way out rather than face the vampire. Moreover, each success subtracts 1 from the target’s action dice pools next turn.
The character may attempt Dread Gaze once per turn against a single target, though ze may also perform it as an extended action, adding zir successes in order to subjugate the target completely. Once the target loses enough dice that xe cannot perform any action, xe’s so shaken and terrified that xe curls up on the ground and weeps. Failure during the extended action means the attempt falters. The character loses all zir collected successes and can start over next turn, while the victim may act normally again.
A botch at any time indicates the target is not at all impressed — perhaps even finding the vampire’s antics comical — and remains immune to any further uses of Presence by the character for the rest of the story.
This power bends others’ emotions, making them the vampire’s willing servants. Due to what these individuals see as true and enduring devotion, they heed the vampire’s every desire. Since this is done willingly, instead of having their wills sapped, these servants retain their creativity and individuality.
While these obedient minions are more personable and spirited than the mind-slaves created by Dominate, they’re also somewhat unpredictable. Further, since Entrancement is of a temporary duration, dealing with a lapsed servant can be troublesome. A wise Kindred either disposes of those ze Entrances after they serve their usefulness, or binds them more securely by a blood bond (made much easier by the minion’s willingness to serve).
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Appearance + Empathy (Difficulty equal to the target’s current Willpower points); the number of successes determines how long the subject is Entranced, as per the chart below. (Subjects can still spend Willpower to temporarily resist, like any other Presence power.) The Storyteller may wish to make the roll instead, since the character is never certain of the strength of zir hold on the victim. The vampire may try to keep the subject under zir thrall, but can do so only after the initial Entrancement wears off. Attempting this power while Entrancement is already in operation has no effect.
| Successes | Result |
|---|---|
| Botch | Subject cannot be Entranced for the rest of the story |
| Failure | Subject cannot be Entranced for the rest of the night |
| 1 | 1 hour |
| 2 | 1 day |
| 3 | 1 week |
| 4 | 1 month |
| 5+ | 1 year |
This impressive power enables the vampire to call to zirself any person whom ze has ever met. This call can go to anyone, mortal or supernatural, across any distance within the physical world. The subject of the Summons comes as fast as xe is able, possibly without even knowing why. Xe knows intuitively how to find xyr Summoner — even if the vampire moves to a new location, the subject redirects xyr own course as soon as xe can. After all, xe’s coming to the vampire zirself, not to some predetermined site.
Although this power allows the vampire to call someone across a staggering distance, it is most useful when used locally. Even if the desired person books the next available flight, getting to Kyoto from Milwaukee can still take far longer than the vampire needs. Obviously, the individual’s financial resources are a factor; if xe doesn’t have the money to travel quickly, it will take xem a far greater time to get there.
The subject thinks mainly of reaching the vampire, but does not neglect xyr own well-being. This is less of a consideration if xe only has to cross a room, unless xe must get through a gang of gun-wielding punks to do so. The individual retains xyr survival instincts, and while xe won’t shirk physical violence to reach the vampire’s side, xe won’t subject xyrself to suicidal situations.
The Summoning dissipates at dawn. Unless the subject is trained to continue toward the vampire after the first call, the immortal must Summon each night until the target arrives. Still, as long as the vampire is willing and able, ze is assured to greet zir desired subject some night — as long as nothing happens to xem along the way, of course.
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Charisma + Subterfuge. The base Difficulty is 5; this increases to Difficulty 7 if the subject was met only briefly. If the character used Presence successfully on the target in the past, this Difficulty drops to 4, but if the attempt was unsuccessful, the Difficulty rises to 8.
The number of successes indicates the subject’s speed and attitude in responding:
| Successes | Result |
|---|---|
| Botch | Subject cannot be Summoned by that vampire for the rest of the story |
| Failure | Subject cannot be Summoned by that vampire for the rest of the night |
| 1 | Subject approaches slowly and hesitantly |
| 2 | Subject approaches reluctantly and is easily thwarted by obstacles |
| 3 | Subject approaches with reasonable speed |
| 4 | Subject comes with haste, overcoming any obstacles in their way |
| 5+ | Subject rushes to the vampire, doing anything to get to them |
At this stage, the vampire can augment zir supernatural mien a thousandfold. The attractive become paralyzingly beautiful; the homely become hideously twisted. Majesty inspires universal respect, devotion, fear — or all those emotions at once — in those around the vampire. The weak scramble to obey zir every whim, and even the most dauntless find it almost impossible to deny zir.
People affected find the vampire so formidable that they dare not risk zir displeasure. Raising their voices to zir is difficult; raising a hand against zir is unthinkable. Those few who shake off the vampire’s potent mystique enough to oppose them are shouted down by the many under zir thrall, before the immortal need even respond.
Under Majesty’s influence, hearts break, power trembles, and the bold shake. Wise Kindred use this power with caution against mortal and immortal alike. While Majesty can cow influential politicians and venerable Primogen, the vampire must be careful that doing so doesn’t come back to haunt zir. After all, a dignitary brought low before others loses their usefulness quickly, while a humiliated Kindred has centuries to plan revenge.
System: No roll is required on the part of the vampire, but ze must spend a Willpower point. A subject must make a Courage roll (Difficulty equal to the vampire’s Charisma + Intimidation, to a maximum of 10) if xe wishes to be rude or simply contrary to the vampire. Success allows the individual to act normally for the moment, although xe feels the weight of the vampire’s displeasure crushing down on xem. A subject who fails the roll aborts xyr intended action and even goes to absurd lengths to humble xemself before the vampire, no matter who else is watching. The effects of Majesty last for 1 scene.
Some Toreador have learned to leave a “residual” Presence in their wake. Artists of the clan can imbue their artwork with certain emotions; territorial Toreador may leave palpable claims to a domain wherein it “feels” as if they are a constant, looming threat. When this power is used, the Toreador can inspire those emotions in those who are not even within zir presence. Art works its effect on those who view it and an area “marked” by the Kindred resonates with emotional undercurrents. The art or area must also be designed or appointed with the intent of inspiring that emotion in mind — in other words, an author is unlikely to be able to inspire hope in those who read zir graphic account of World War I battlefield atrocities. Thus, the Kindred may produce a photograph of an emaciated child that makes viewers intensely sad or decorate zir sanctum with such opulence that those within it doubt their own worth.
System: The character begins this process when ze undertakes a work of art or decides to imbue a room with zir essence. Ze must decide ahead of time which single emotion ze wishes to inspire. The player then spends a blood point (which the character mixes into zir paint or ink, or secretes in the general area) and rolls Manipulation + Expression (Difficulty 7). Success indicates that whoever experiences the work or visits the area feels intensely the emotion the Toreador wished to inspire. Obviously, roleplaying is the best way to illustrate this; much of this power is left in the hands of the Storyteller, and its effects are best handled by the players. Storytellers may wish to mechanically “assist” players whose characters do not react appropriately to the power’s effect — not allowing belligerent characters to spend Willpower in the presence of a frieze that inspires dread, for example.
The blood bond is one of the most powerful tools in an elder’s inventory. However, more and more childer are aware of how to avoid being bound, so alternatives are needed. The Presence power called Love is one such alternative, as it simulates the effects of the bond without any of the messy side effects. While not as sure a method of control as a true blood bond, nor as long-lasting, Love is still an extremely potent means of command.
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (Difficulty equal to the target’s current Willpower points). Success on the roll indicates that the victim feels as attached to the character as if xe was blood bound to zir. Each success also reduces the victim’s dice pool by 1 die for any Social rolls to be made against the character. A botch makes the target immune to all of the character’s Presence powers for the rest of the night. This power lasts for 1 scene and can be applied to the same victim over multiple scenes in the same night.
Some elders have honed their mastery of Dread Gaze to such a degree that they are said to be able to paralyze with a look. The power‘s name is something of a misnomer, as victims of this power are not precisely paralyzed in a physical sense, but rather frozen with sheer terror.
System: The character must make eye contact with zir intended victim. The player then rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (Difficulty equal to the target’s current Willpower points). Success renders the victim so terrified that xe falls into a whimpering, catatonic state, unable to take any actions except curling into a fetal position and gibbering incoherently. The condition lasts for a length of time determined by the number of successes rolled. If the victim’s life is directly threatened (by assault, impending sunrise, etc.), the poor wretch may attempt to break out of xyr paralysis with a Courage roll (Difficulty equal to the character’s [Intimidation + 3]). 1 success ends the paralysis. A botch sends the victim into a continuous state of Rötschreck for the rest of the night.
| Successes | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3 turns |
| 2 | 5 minutes |
| 3 | Remainder of the scene |
| 4 | 1 hour |
| 5 | Rest of the night |
| 6+ | A week (or more, at the Storyteller’s discretion) |
A vampire possessing this power can shorten tempers and bring old grudges and irritations to the boiling point with a minimum of effort. Spark of Rage causes disagreements and fights, and can even send other vampires into frenzy.
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (Difficulty 8). The number of individuals affected is determined by how many successes are rolled. If this power is used in a crowd, those affected are the people in closest proximity to the character. A vampire affected by this power must spend a Willpower point or roll Self-Control/Instinct (Difficulty equal to the character’s Manipulation + Subterfuge); failure sends the target into a frenzy. A botch by the vampire using Spark of Rage sends the invoking character into immediate frenzy.
| Successes | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 people |
| 2 | 4 people |
| 3 | 8 people |
| 4 | 20 people |
| 5+ | Everyone in the vampire’s immediate vicinity |
This power allows the Kindred’s Presence to carry over onto photographs or video, whether digital, video tape, or even film. It even carries over to paintings or drawings, if the portrait is an accurate representation. The vampire may consciously turn this power off, but it will otherwise snap into effect whenever a camera turns toward the Kindred.
System: The representation resembles Awe, and the effects are permanent. Anyone who sees an image may spend a Willpower point to resist the effect until the next time xe sees it again.
This power lets a Setite tempt the victim into some action that xe normally wouldn’t do. This is usually some sinful action, but Temptation works just as well to provoke unwanted generosity as greed, or chastity as well as lust. The Setite must talk to the victim for at least a minute and allude to the action ze wants the victim to perform.
System: To goad the victim, the character must make a successful Manipulation + Leadership roll (Difficulty of the target’s Humanity/Path rating). A simple success results in a change to the victim’s personality and goals for a scene. If the number of successes exceeds the victim’s Conscience/Conviction rating, the change lasts indefinitely (although the victim may overcome it with time and expenditure of Willpower, like a Derangement). The Setites have created many variations on this power. The player chooses which variation at the time of purchasing this power. Sample variations include:
Any elder knows that Kindred are the most difficult beings in existence to force to work together. Peaceful coexistence is not a common tenet of vampiric society. With that in mind, this power can be used to nudge those affected by it into a fragile spirit of camaraderie. Some cynical (or realistic) Ventrue claim that their clan’s mastery of this Presence effect is the sole reason that anything is ever accomplished in Camarilla conclaves. Ventrue who voice this opinion too loudly also tend to have numerous chances to test just how effective Cooperation is.
System: To invoke Cooperation, the player spends a blood point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (Difficulty 8). The number of individuals affected is determined by how many successes the player rolls. Cooperation lasts for the remainder of the scene in which it is invoked, though particularly strong users of Presence may create longer-lasting feelings of non-aggression (at the Storyteller’s discretion) by spending Willpower. While this power is in effect, all those under its influence are more favorably disposed toward one another and are more willing to extend trust or make cooperative plans.
For the most part, players should simply roleplay Cooperation’s effects, but there are some concrete ramifications to the power’s use. For example, Self-Control/Instinct Difficulties to resist frenzy in response to insults from within the target group are decreased by 3, and certain Social Flaws may be decreased in impact for the duration of Cooperation.
| Successes | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 people |
| 2 | 4 people |
| 3 | 8 people |
| 4 | 20 people |
| 5+ | Everyone in the vampire’s immediate vicinity |
By talking to their victim, the Setite can instill an irrational fear of a certain object, substance, person, or condition. The object of the phobia can be broad (cars) or very specific (pink ‘79 Fords), although the victim must be able to recognize and distinguish what the vampire wants them to fear. The latter example, for instance, would not work on a person who was colorblind.
System: Implanting the Phobia requires success on a Manipulation + Intimidation roll (Difficulty of the target’s [Courage + 3]). A simple success confers a Phobia that lasts a single scene. Rolling more successes than the victim’s Courage results in a Phobia that lasts indefinitely, although the victim may overcome the Phobia as if it were a Derangement.
Used by elder firebrands of nights long past, this power is a bit too dangerous to see much modern usage. The Kindred stands before zir assembled followers and whips them into a righteous frenzy using the power of zir personality and the force of zir Charisma. Those who heed zir call succumb to the rages of the Beast that dwells deep in all of them, hopefully placing it on a short leash that allows them some control over their fury.
System: The player rolls Charisma + Leadership. If ze is successful, those who hear zir speak zir words of revolution allow their Beasts to rise to the fore. Those affected are considered to be “riding the wave” of frenzy regardless of whether they have Instinct or Self-Control as their Virtue.
The number of successes scored on the roll indicate how many Kindred are swayed by the revolutionary fervor.
| Successes | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 person |
| 2 | 2 people |
| 3 | 6 people |
| 4 | 20 people |
| 5+ | Everyone in the Kindred’s immediate vicinity (an auditorium filled with people; a mob) |
This terrible power enables a Setite to break down the mental barriers between the target’s Beast and libido. As a result, the victim becomes addicted to sadism as xe takes pleasure in rage and aggression. The Setite can also reverse the connection, so that pleasure might rouse the Beast to frenzy. These two effects produce a spiral of desire, the decaying orbit to madness.
Once started, the decay cannot be stopped. The Inconnu might know how to remove a Corruption, as might a member of the Cult of Ra or Isis. The esoteric knowledge might be found in the writings of a dead Child of Osiris. However, killing the Setite in question certainly will.
System: To corrupt a victim, the player must pit the vampire’s Manipulation + Empathy vs. the victim’s Humanity (or Path of Enlightenment) in an extended roll. If the vampire can accumulate net successes equal to the victim’s Humanity or Path rating, the victim suffers the Decaying Orbit effect. A character with a Humanity greater than 3 will automatically lose a point of Humanity for using this power.
A corrupted victim must receive a frenzy check for anything that gives xem pleasure, from sex to xyr favorite food. Like a frenzying vampire seeking blood, the victim will try to indulge xyr lust in the most brutal and immediate way. Conversely, a frenzying vampire might seek out more than blood in xyr rage. This may result in bizarre situations such as a maddened vampire smashing into a record store to hear xyr favorite music and killing anyone who tries to stop xem.
The victim cannot overcome this corruption by expending Willpower (unlike most Presence powers). The Decaying Orbit is no mere induced Derangement, but a fundamental alteration to the Curse of Caine. Killing the Setite who laid the Corruption will immediately end its effects. The Setite who laid the Corruption could remove it at will, but the Setites would probably urge the victim to view the Corruption as an opportunity for self-discovery.
Any individual can normally resist the powers of Presence for a brief time through an effort of will. Some elder Toreador and Ventrue have developed such force of personality that their powers of Presence cannot be resisted without truly heroic efforts.
System: This power is always in effect once it has been learned. A mortal may not spend Willpower to resist the character’s Presence (for purposes of this power, the definition of “mortal” does not include supernaturally active humans such as ghouls or those who possess True Faith). A supernatural being must roll Willpower (Difficulty of the character’s [Willpower + 2]; Difficulties over 10 mean that the roll cannot even be attempted) the first time xe attempts to spend a Willpower point to overcome the character’s Presence. For the rest of the night, the maximum number of Willpower points xe can spend to resist the vampire’s Presence powers is equal to the number of successes xe rolled. A botch doubles the character’s Presence dice pools against the hapless victim for the remainder of the night.
A vampire who has developed zir Presence to this terrifying degree can control the emotional climate of the entire region around them, up to the size of a large city. This power is always in effect on a low level, attuning those who dwell in the area to the Kindred’s mood, but it can also be used to project a specific emotion into the minds of every being in the area. Pulse of the City affects residents much more strongly than tourists, and also has a significant impact on those individuals who might be elsewhere at the time but who still have strong ties to the affected city.
System: The character must be present in the city in question, and have at least a casual, personal knowledge of its streets and makeup (maps won’t help). The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Streetwise (Difficulty 9, though specializations or Storyteller fiat may decrease this Difficulty if the character is intimately familiar with a particular city. The number of successes indicates how long mortal residents are affected by the particular emotion that the character broadcasts; visitors with no ties to the area and supernatural beings are affected for a duration 1 success step lower. The character can choose to terminate this effect at any time before it expires.
| Successes | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 minute |
| 2 | 10 minutes |
| 3 | 1 hour |
| 4 | 1 day |
| 5+ | 1 week |
Pulse of the City can be used by a character in torpor.
When a Kindred invokes the Vengeance of the Martyr’s Legacy, ze sends a surge of blood-rage through zir bloodline, causing all those descended from zir to enter frenzy at that moment, no matter where they are or what they’re doing. Even those Kindred on the opposite side of the world succumb to this frenzy, even if they’ve entered their daily slumber. It is outmoded in a similar manner to Scourging the Instinct, above, but such are the realities of the earliest nights of the Movement.
This is a dangerous power to use, for few Kindred (and even fewer Anarchs) know where all their childer, grandchilder, and others are located at any given time or what they might be doing. As such, some Kindred believe that the powerful patron of a small and localized brood developed Legacy of Frenzy, likely in preparation for them to wreak havoc upon the moment of their betrayal or some other situation in which such a death-trigger would prove useful.
System: This power comes in two variants. The impulse variant (Presence 6) costs 1 Willpower to invoke and causes the Kindred’s descendants to make a Self-Control roll against a Difficulty of 8, wherever they are. The mandate variant (Presence 7) costs 1 Willpower to activate and provokes the frenzy in all of the Kindred’s descendants without requiring a roll (though the frenzying Kindred may briefly subvert the frenzy with Willpower as normal).