The Discipline of Spiritus opens the vampire up to worlds and vistas — and methods of feeding — that most Kindred can never touch. Vampires are spiritually dead, unable to create life. The shamanic ritual that created the Ahrimanes, though, allowed a spiritual connection between the undead and the vast, living world all around them. While the vampire can barely scratch the surface of what living shamans can accomplish, the Discipline of Spiritus is still formidable.
Spirits are everywhere, but invisible to most living (and unliving) beings. This power allows the vampire to briefly rouse the spirit of an object, making that object perform its intended function better and more efficiently. It in no way makes the spirit well-disposed toward the vampire — not that this usually matters to the Ahrimane.
System: The character touches the object, and the player spends a blood point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (Difficulty 6). If the roll succeeds, the character receives a bonus to zir dice pool using that item, equal to the number of successes rolled. For example, if the character uses this power on a gun and the player rolls 3 successes, ze then receives a +3 to zir next Firearms roll made with that gun. Unused bonuses fade at the end of the scene, and multiple uses of this power do not combine (the most recent use overrides any previous uses). The character can, however, use the power on multiple objects ze uses in the same scene, so long as ze has the blood for it.
The vampire might not fully understand the link between “animal” and “animal-spirit,” but spirits of aggressive animals are usually more than willing to take on a physical body and fight for the vampire. Spirits of curious animals, meanwhile, seem to enjoy unlocking doors or following people. With this power, the Ahrimane can summon up the spirit of an animal indigenous to the area and send it to do what comes naturally.
The spirit assumes the corporeal form of the appropriate animal, and is capable of whatever the animal would normally be able to do. The animal can follow simple telepathic commands, and is slightly more intelligent than a normal animal would be (but still not as intelligent as a person — except for animals that display human-like intelligence to begin with).
System: The animal summoned must be native to the area — just because the local zoo hosts a tiger doesn’t mean there are tiger-spirits running about. The player must spend 1 blood point and roll Charisma + Animal Ken (Difficulty 7). The number of successes indicates how long the spirit remains material. The spirits have the same number of health levels their physical counterparts would normally have. If they are reduced to Incapacitated, they discorporate.
| Successes | Duration |
|---|---|
| 1 | 1 turn |
| 2 | 5 turns |
| 3 | 1 hour |
| 4 | 1 night |
| 5+ | 1 week |
Instead of calling up animal spirits, the vampire learns to emulate aspects of those spirits zirself. In this way, ze can become faster, stronger, tougher, or gain the special powers of nearly any animal, provided that the spirit is local to the area.
System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Manipulation + Occult (Difficulty 7). The power lasts for 1 turn per success, unless otherwise noted. Some examples of aspects are given below, though the player and Storyteller are welcome to make up others:
Spirits abound — supposedly everything, from one’s shirt to the very air, has one. The Ahrimane can take those spirits into zirself, break them down, and refresh zir own mental reserves. This destroys the spirit, but no repercussions have been reported. (Of course, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any...)
System: The player rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (Difficulty 8). Every success allows zir to regain a point of Willpower, but each use of this power destroys another spirit.
The Ahrimane grows leaner, lithe, and strong. Ze hunches over slightly, zir eyes become slitted and cat-like, and ze grows vicious claws on zir hands. Zir features become slightly feline, and in this form ze is an even more formidable predator than usual. Animals react with fear to the Wild Beast, and mortals see zir as a monster — if they see zir at all.
System: The change does not require a roll, but the player must spend 2 blood points. The change raises the vampire’s Strength by 3, and Dexterity and Stamina each by 2. Appearance falls to 0 and Manipulation is reduced by 3. The vampire’s fangs inflict an extra die of damage, and ze grows claws that inflict Aggravated damage. The character can see in the dark, and all Difficulties involving scent, hearing, and vision fall by 2. The character can retain the Wild Beast form for a number of hours every night equal to their Willpower rating.