Vicissitude is the signature power of the Tzimisce, and is rarely shared outside the clan (though it is known to some other Cainites of the Sabbat). Similar to Protean in some ways, Vicissitude allows vampires to shape and sculpt flesh and bone. When a Kindred uses Vicissitude to alter mortals, ghouls, and vampires of higher Generation, the effects of the power are permanent; vampires of equal or lower Generation can choose to heal the effects of Vicissitude as though they were Aggravated wounds. A wielder of Vicissitude can always reshape zir own flesh.
The wielder must establish skin-to-skin contact and must often manually sculpt the desired result for these powers to take effect. This also applies to the use of the power on oneself. Tzimisce skilled in Vicissitude are often inhumanly beautiful; those less skilled are simply inhuman.
There are rumors that Vicissitude is a disease rather than a “normal” Discipline, but only the Fiends know for sure, and they aren’t talking.
Note: Nosferatu always “heal” Vicissitude alterations, at least the ones that make them better-looking. The ancient curse of the clan may not be circumvented through Vicissitude. The same applies to physical deformities from the Gangrel clan weakness.
Tainted Blood
Since time out of mind the Fiends of Clan Tzimisce have worked their magic, fleshcrafting their minions, shaping deadly weapons and painful modifications from their very bones. The magic of the Tzimisce homeland, Eastern Europe’s “land beyond the forest,” resonated with the arcane power in the Fiends’ blood.
Over time, however, the land grew sick, and corrupted with it the Tzimisce ties to that selfsame earth. Their blood became cursed, possessed of a bizarre unlife of its own. The mystical vitae that once sustained them now twisted the Tzimisce, making them alien and freakish.
Indeed, the Fiends’ prized Discipline, Vicissitude, has become a disease, and it may infect anyone with whom it comes in contact. Indeed, rare cases have been reported of mortals learning the Discipline, and some apocryphal tales even speak of Lupines learning the fleshcrafting art. Anyone who partakes of Tzimisce blood — even the smallest of quantities — may be at risk of contracting the disease.
The Fate of Fiends
Note: These rules are optional, to be used at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Rather than functioning as a normal Discipline, Vicissitude may be used in a special manner. Whereas other Disciplines have set costs to learn and improve, Vicissitude varies by the individual, as it mutates zir body to its own malignant end. Some individuals find the Discipline difficult to learn, while others seem to have an unnatural affinity for it.
When a player creates a Tzimisce character, or whenever a non-Tzimisce character tastes the blood of a Fiend, the Storyteller should make a few quick, secret die rolls and record the results. This represents the character’s relationship with the disease.
The second roll determines how strongly the disease “takes root.” If the character in question ever actively attempts to learn Vicissitude, this is the experience-point price ze pays for learning it as a new Discipline. It bears mention that an infected character need not have a teacher to learn this new Discipline — the disease manifests itself as it courses through zir unliving veins. It is not possible to learn Vicissitude without becoming infected.
The next roll defines how receptive the character’s body and mind are to the corruption in zir veins. Whenever the character learns a new level of the Discipline, this is the experience cost to do so.
The final roll signifies how destructive to the character’s mind the disease is. Whenever the character learns a new level of Vicissitude — even zir first — ze must make a Willpower roll against the Difficulty indicated by the chart. Failure on the roll yields the character a permanent Derangement, as decided upon by the Storyteller. Alternately, the Storyteller may rule that a character who fails this roll instead loses a point from a given Virtue, or perhaps Empathy, as the character slides inexorably away from the human ze once was and ever more into the thrall of the disease ravaging zir body.
Players should roleplay their characters’ growing emotional detachment, for maximum effect, as they lose themselves more and more to Vicissitude. This mental degradation is not mania or lunacy, and rarely results in erratic or whimsical behavior. Rather, it is a slow withdrawal from all that is human. Some Tzimisce researchers have hypothesized that the afflicted individual becomes less and less a functional personality, and more of a mindless host for the invasive disease.
Vicissitude Cost and Derangement Table
Stamina Roll Initial Cost Cost per Level Derangement Development Chance 1 10 Current Rating x8 Difficulty 8 2 10 Current Rating x7 Difficulty 7 3 9 Current Rating x7 Difficulty 7 4 9 Current Rating x7 Difficulty 6 5 8 Current Rating x6 Difficulty 6 6 8 Current Rating x6 Difficulty 6 7 7 Current Rating x6 Difficulty 5 8 7 Current Rating x5 Difficulty 5 9 6 Current Rating x5 Difficulty 4 10 5 Current Rating x4 Difficulty 4 The Storyteller (not the player) should roll once on each table entry for a character who contracts Vicissitude, making a note of the result and keeping it secret from the player. Thereafter, each time the character increases zir knowledge of the Discipline, the Storyteller may make the appropriate roll in secret, and introduce the result as part of the story.
For example, Darius tastes the blood of his pack priest, a Tzimisce, during the Vaulderie. He later decides that he wants to learn Vicissitude. The Storyteller, ruling that Darius has tasted enough of the Tzimisce’s blood to become infected, makes a secret Stamina roll for Darius and fails. Darius may learn Vicissitude without instruction, as the disease slowly spreads through his undead body. The Storyteller also makes 3 other rolls, to see how much it will cost Darius to learn the Discipline and how likely it is to warp his mind. Rolling a 4, 6, and 3, The Storyteller notes that it costs Darius 9 experience points to learn his first level of Vicissitude, it costs the current rating x 6 to increase thereafter, and Darius must succeed in a Willpower roll against a Difficulty of 7 every time he learns a new level of the Discipline or gain a Derangement.
A vampire with this power may alter zir own bodily parameters: height, build, voice, facial features, and skin tone, among other things. Such changes are cosmetic and minor in scope — no more than a foot (30 cm) of height gained or lost, for example. Ze must physically mold the alteration, literally shaping zir flesh into the desired result.
System: The player must spend a blood point for each body part to be changed, then roll Intelligence + Medicine (Difficulty 6). To duplicate another person or voice requires a Perception + Medicine roll (Difficulty 8), and 6 successes are required for a flawless copy; fewer successes leave minute (or not-so-minute) flaws. Increasing one’s Appearance Attribute has a Difficulty of 9, and the vampire must spend an additional blood point for each dot of Appearance increased beyond zir natural total. A botch permanently reduces the Attribute by 1.
This power is similar to Malleable Visage, above, but allows the vampire to perform drastic, grotesque alterations on other creatures. Tzimisce often use this power to transform their servitors into monstrous guards, the better to frighten foes. Only flesh (skin, muscle, fat, and cartilage, but not bone) may be transformed.
System: After spending a blood point, the vampire must grapple the intended victim. The player of the Fleshcrafting vampire makes a successful Dexterity + Medicine roll (Difficulty variable: 5 for a crude yank-and-tuck, up to 9 for precise transformations). A vampire who wishes to increase another’s Appearance Trait does so as described under Malleable Visage; reducing the Attribute is considerably easier (Difficulty 2), though truly inspired disfigurement may dictate a higher Difficulty. In either case, each success increases or reduces the Attribute by 1.
A vampire may use this power to move clumps of skin, fat, and muscle tissue, thus providing additional padding where needed. For each success scored on a Dexterity + Medicine roll, the vampire may increase the subject’s soak dice pool by 1, at the expense of either a point of Strength or a health level (vampire’s choice).
This terrible power allows a vampire to manipulate bone in the same manner that flesh is shaped. In conjunction with Fleshcraft, above, this power enables a Vicissitude practitioner to deform a victim (or zirself) beyond recognition. This power should be used in conjunction with the flesh-shaping arts, unless the vampire wants to inflict injury on the victim (see below).
System: The vampire’s player must spend a blood point and make a Strength + Medicine roll. Bonecraft may be used without the fleshshaping arts as an offensive weapon. Each success scored on the Strength + Medicine (Difficulty 7) roll inflicts 1 health level of Lethal damage on the victim, as xyr bones rip, puncture, and slice their way out of xyr skin.
The vampire may utilize this power (on zirself or others) to form spikes or talons of bone, either on the knuckles as an offensive weapon or all over the body as defensive “quills.” If bone spikes are used, the vampire or victim takes 1 health level of Lethal damage (the vampire’s damage comes from having the very sharp bone pierce through zir skin — this weaponry doesn’t come cheaply). In the case of quills, the subject takes a number of health levels equal to 5 minus the number of successes (a botch kills the subject or sends the vampire into torpor). These health levels may be healed normally. Knuckle spikes inflict [Strength + 1] Lethal damage. Defensive quills inflict a hand-to-hand attacker’s Strength in Lethal damage unless the attacker scores 3 or more successes on the attack roll (in which case the attacker takes no damage); the defender still takes damage normally. Quills also enable the vampire or altered subject to add 2 to all damage inflicted via holds, clinches, or tackles.
A vampire who scores 5 or more successes on the Strength + Medicine roll may cause a rival vampire’s rib cage to curve inward and pierce the heart. While this does not send a vampire into torpor, it does cause the affected vampire to lose half of xyr blood points, as the seat of xyr vitae ruptures in a shower of gore.
Kindred use this power to become hideous and deadly monsters. The vampire’s stature increases to a full 8 feet (2.5 meters), the skin becomes a sickly greenish-gray or grayish-black chitin, the arms become apelike and ropy with ragged black nails, and the face warps into something out of a nightmare. A row of spines sprouts from the vertebrae, and the external carapace exudes a foul-smelling grease.
System: The Horrid Form costs 2 blood points to awaken. All Physical Attributes increase by 3, but all Social Attributes drop to 0, except when dealing with others also in Horrid Form. However, a vampire in Horrid Form who is trying to intimidate someone may substitute Strength for a Social Attribute. Damage inflicted in brawling combat increases by 1 due to the jagged ridges and bony knobs creasing the creature’s hands.
A vampire with this power can physically transform all or part of zir body into sentient vitae. This blood is in all respects identical to the vampire’s normal vitae; ze can use it to nourish zirself or others, create ghouls, or establish blood bonds. If all this blood is imbibed or otherwise destroyed, the vampire meets Final Death.
System: The vampire may transform all or part of zirself as ze deems fit. Each leg can turn into 2 blood points worth of vitae, as can the torso; each arm, the head, and the abdomen convert to 1 blood point each. The blood can be reconverted to the body part, provided it is in contact with the vampire. If the blood has been utilized or destroyed, the vampire must spend a number of blood points equal to what was originally created to regrow the missing body part.
A vampire entirely in this form may not be staked, cut, bludgeoned, or pierced, but can be burned or exposed to the sun. The vampire may ooze along, drip up walls, and flow through the narrowest cracks, as though ze was in Tenebrous Form (Obtenebration 5).
Mental Disciplines may be used, provided no eye contact or vocal utterance is necessary, although the vampire can perceive zir surroundings just fine (but the perceptions are always centered on the largest pool of blood). If a vampire in this form “washes” over a mortal or animal, that mortal must make a Courage roll (Difficulty 8) or fly into a panic.
At this level of mastery, the vampire has converted zir blood to a viscous acid. Any blood ze consumes likewise becomes acid, which is corrosive enough to burn human (and vampiric) flesh as well as wood. This effect is particularly potent when the vampire assumes the Blood Form. One of the side effects of this power is the complete inability to create new vampires and ghouls, or give blood to another vampire — the acid would corrode them as they drank it. The obvious benefit, however, is that would-be diablerists are likewise unable to devour the Cainite’s blood.
System: Each acidified blood point that comes in contact with something other than the vampire zirself does 5 dice worth of Aggravated damage. If the vampire is injured in combat, their blood may spatter on an opponent — foes must make Dexterity + Athletics rolls to avoid the blood, which must be accomplished by splitting their dice pools. (Unless an opponent knows the vampire has this power, xe’s unlikely to split xyr dice pool on xyr first attack, which causes many Tzimisce to cackle with glee.)
Similar to Horrid Form, the Chiropteran Marauder is a terrifying, bipedal bat, bearing a wickedly fanged maw and veined, leathery wings. This power confers all of the benefits of the Horrid Form, in addition to a few others. The mere sight of the Marauder is enough to make mortals or weak-willed vampires flee in horror.
System: The vampire gains all the effects of the Horrid Form. Further, the Marauder’s fluted wings allow flight at 25 mph (40 kph), during which the vampire may carry, but not manipulate, objects no larger than it can hold in its hands. If the player chooses to, ze may make a Strength + Medicine roll (Difficulty 6) to extend bony claws at the ends of the vampire’s wings. These claws inflict [Strength + 2] Aggravated damage. Also, the vampire subtracts 2 from all hearing-based Perception rolls (though ze adds 1 to vision-based Wits and Perception rolls). Assuming the mantle of the Chiropteran Marauder costs 3 blood points.
Pain is transformative. Pain awakens primal potential in the tortured flesh. A Fiend with this ability delights in every slash of the blade and caress of bullet, transmogrifying agony into physical prowess and incredible displays of Caine’s Gifts.
System: After spending 2 Willpower points, the character becomes empowered by pain. Add zir wound penalties to all non-reflexive actions involving a Physical Attribute or use of a Discipline. As the character heals, this bonus wanes. Treat Incapacitated and Final Death normally. This power lasts for 1 scene.
The elder vampire with this power is formidable indeed, becoming increasingly difficult to take down.
System: The user spends 1 blood poitn to activate the power, which remains active for a number of rounds equal to the user’s Stamina + Fortitude rating. While the power is active, the user heals 1 bashing damage per round without the need for blood expenditure. This power cannot heal wounds of any sort aside from Bashing. If the user has no Bashing wounds left the power still remains active until the duration is over.
The Cainite can form an opaque cocoon from blood and other fluids excreted from their body. The cocoon hardens after a few moments, turning into a tough, white shell. This cocoon provides considerable protection to the vampire, even shielding them from sunlight and, to a limited degree, fire.
System: A vampire may only cocoon zirself, and the process takes 10 minutes. Additionally, creating a cocoon costs 3 blood points. The cocoon offers complete protection from sunlight, and provides a number of dice of soak equal to twice the vampire’s unmodified Stamina against all damage, Aggravated or otherwise. It lasts as long as the Cainite wishes, and ze may dissolve it at zir whim, emerging from a pulpy, bloody paste. A vampire contained within a cocoon may still use mental Disciplines that do not require eye contact or other conditions to be met.
The Fiend’s face erupts into a mass of tentacles, a foot in length and similar to that of a squid. These tentacles can be used to grasp and constrict a foe. Moreover, in place of a squid’s suckers are rows and rows of fanged, drooling mouths, permitting incredibly rapid blood drain.
System: The vampire spends a Willpower point and rolls Stamina + Medicine (Difficulty 8). Success enables formation of the tentacles with no loss of sensory abilities. The tentacle mass can be used in melee (Difficulty 5; [Strength + 2] damage). A successful hit indicates a grab. Feeding begins on the same turn as the initial grab, and for each success scored on the attack roll, 1 additional blood point can be drained from the victim each turn, as dozens of mouths bite and suck. To break the grip, the victim must score 3 more successes than the vampire in an extended contest of Strength.
The vampire becomes like one of the terrible draculs of the Old World, able to exhale a deadly gout of flame. This flame does not hurt the vampire zirself, though ze may become trapped in flames if ze engulfs flammable objects.
System: The flaming cloud affects a 6-foot area, doing 2 dice of Aggravated damage to anyone in the flames’ circumference. This fire may cause combustible items to ignite, and it may ignite victims who suffer fire damage as per the ordinary fire rules.
What greater oppression exists than the hated blood bond, so callously employed by the elders to bring their headstrong childer to heel? A symbol of the vast abuses of the War of Ages, blood bonds represent the ultimate tyranny: the subjugation of the self and the denial of freedom to make one’s own way.
An enterprising Tzimisce discovered — or perhaps rediscovered — the secrets of shattering the blood bond over 8 centuries ago, which played no small part in touching off the Anarch Revolt. With but a word, the Tzimisce could release a vampire from the shackles of the blood bond. And given the strange properties of Tzimisce vitae, this potential sometimes passed on to Cainites who didn’t belong to the clan, especially after partaking of the Vaulderie cup with one of the Fiends.
Needless to say, this is certainly a fool’s bargain, but it is important for two reasons. First, the power of Oathbreaker is so rare that tales of its duplicity (see below) exist, and in fact form some of the legendry of the Anarch Revolt itself. Second, some suspect that this power provided the basis for the ritus that became the Vaulderie. It is a historical curiosity, to be sure, but every now and then, some powerful Tzimisce or other Cainite afflicted with Vicissitude manages to dupe a reckless and desperate Lick into emancipating xemself with tainted blood. Better to have the fool bonded, even if imperfectly, to oneself than to the true lord of the dom.
System: The vampire spends a blood point and a Willpower point and imbues zir blood with the ability to suborn blood bonds. Each blood point creates 1 draught’s worth of blood that can be consumed in this way, and it retains this property for 1 night before it becomes dead and inert. The vampire who consumes the blood feels an immediate cessation of any blood bond that exists.
This freedom graces the vampire for 1 month and 1 night, whereupon the Kindred who activated the power may spend a Willpower point and replace the suborned (but true) blood bond with an illusory blood bond to zirself. This replacement blood bond lasts for 1 night. Alternatively, ze may spend 10 Willpower in a single scene and sustain the illusory bond for 1 year and a night.
If the vampire replacing the bond chooses not to spend the Willpower point at the point when it would normally be renewed, the original blood bond returns, and the false one ceases immediately.
This power, developed in the nights when the Tzimisce were the terrible masters of Eastern Europe, allows the vampire to sink into and disperse zirself through the ground. Unlike the Protean power of Earth Meld, however, the vampire actually dissolves zir body into the ground; nothing short of a wide-area explosion can affect zir, and ze may not be dug up bodily. In addition, from sunset to sunrise, the vampire may see and hear everything happening in zir environment through zir mystical connection to the land. The mere fact that this power exists terrifies many Tzimisce, who are secretly unsure of whether or not the diablerie of their Antediluvian was successful.
System: This power costs 6 blood points to activate, and it lasts as long as the vampire wishes to remain contained within the soil. As per the Cocoon, the vampire may use mental Disciplines that do not require physical solvency or eye contact. Ze may communicate mentally with anyone who wanders into the area under which ze rests.
Body Crafts
Vampires who wish to use Vicissitude well often specialize their knowledge of Medicine in an art known as Body Crafts. This specialization enables its possessor to make all manner of alterations to living and dead flesh and bone. It also gives insight into more mundane techniques; many Tzimisce are skilled at flaying, bone-carving, embalming, taxidermy, tattooing, and piercing.