Blood Magic Rules

Below you will find our complete house rules regarding Blood Magic and Thaumaturgy.

General

1. As Staff is not omniscient, we reserve the right to make any rules call necessary at any time for the flow of the game and story.
2. All Paths and Rituals not found in either Laws of Night Revised or MET Sabbat Guide must be written down by players for use during game.
3. All Secondary paths of Blood Magic are paid at out of clan costs. If a Character possesses a Blood Magic In-Clan, only their first path costs In-Clan costs.
4. Blood Magic may be used to counter True Magic Spheres and vice versa as per the Vampire Storyteller’s Guide.
5. Rituals are far too numerous to list here for house rules. As all rituals are required to be written down and carried by the player at game, they should consult the storyteller for any house rules they wish to make in regards to the ritual in question. That is to say, House Rules on all Blood Magic rituals are on a case by case scenario. Until they are signed by the Storyteller as an item card or piece of paper, with any house rule notes, player’s rituals may not be used until he has done so.
6. Ritual creation requires the following (Taken from Blood Sacrifice):
   1. Occult Ability x5
   2. Blood Magic rating one higher than the level of the desired ritual (Meaning PCs can never make advanced rituals without the aid of at least one other blood mage of the same paradigm working with him, who also has advanced blood magic))
   3. The Blood Sorcerer must perform a static Mental challenge retested with occult at a difficulty of 7 plus level of the ritual (1=basic, 2=intermediate, 3=advanced, 4=elder, etc). He may perform this test once a week, and must accumulate a number of successes equal to the level of the ritual x3. Each time the test is thrown, the player must spend 2 blood traits. The time to research the ritual is as follows:
      1. Basic=2 weeks
      2. Intermediate= 4 and half months
      3. Advanced=1 year
7. Path creation requires the following (Taken from Blood Sacrifice):
   1. Occult Ability x5
   2. Advanced Blood Magic
   3. The Sorcerer performs a static Mental challenge retested with Occult at a difficulty of 7+the new level (1-5, basic basic, intermediate intermediate, advanced). This test may only be thrown once a year and costs 5 blood traits each time.
8. Only One Path or Ritual may be worked on at a time.

Specific Paths

Path of Blood

LVL 3 - Potency of Blood: Your Blood Pool does not increase and the vampire would need to feed or drink blood to increase his blood traits to his new maxium.

Movement of the Mind

May only be resisted with Potence or Celerity if the Storyteller deems is appropriate to the type of action to resist.

Neptune’s Might

LVL 3 - Blood to Water: Only 5 Traits of Blood may be turned into Water per use of this power.

Spirit Manipulation

LVL 4 - Entrap Ephemera: In order to make a fetish, the vampire first needs to hunt down the spirit in question for the fetish he is attempting to make. Once the Spirit has been found, the vampire must engage in a series of contested Willpower challenge with the Spirit in question. A Maximum of 5 tests are thrown, with them ending immediately when the vampire loses. The number of victories by the vampire determines the level of the fetish (1-5). The Storyteller then assigns an appropriate related ability to the spirit (example: spirit of war gets assigned to brawl). The activation rules for the Fetish are the same as in the book, however the only effect is that the Fetish adds a number of Bonus Traits to a challenge equal to its rating in challenges related to its assigned ability only. Crafter may create and maintain a number of fetishes equal to their permanent willpower. The Crafter may burn a permanent willpower to sever their connection with a fetish, so that that fetish no longer counts against their maximum. Finally, Fetishes can be consumed by their owners--reducing their rating (and bonus traits) and in exchange giving the vampire equal blood or willpower traits. Doing this requires an Occult rating equal to the level of the fetish and permanently reduces the level of the Fetish.

LVL 5 - Duality: You may not put people into the Umbra. Other vampires may not be moved into the Umbra unless they are in Torpor.

Path of Curses

The Sympathetic Link required to perform the magic is considered to be used up after any attempt at use of this power regardless of success or failure. Meaning they will be required to gain a new one for each casting. In addition, the Sympathetic Link must be something of actual value to the target. Blood or Wedding ring for example will work, a piece of clothing or hair will not. The Storyteller makes the final ruling on wither or not the item in question will work. Finally, you must actually curse your victim. He must hear the curse said aloud or the power has no effect. He need not understand what you are saying, but he must hear it.

Focused Mind

LVL 3 - One Tracked Mind: This power is not a railroad or loop, the target will continue the Intent of their last action, not the literal last action.

Mastery of the Mortal Shell

LVL 2 - Contortion: The Target may restore limb loss with the cost of a blood trait.

LVL 3 - Seizure: This power’s rules are replaced with the following: The victim must bid 4 additional traits on all challenges and suffers one level of bashing damage a turn for as long as this power is active.

Gift of Morpheus

LVL 3 - Enchanted Slumber: If used on a PC this power lasts one scene or hour

LVL 4 - Dreamscape: This Power requires a Sympathetic Link to the victim

LVL 5 - Dream Mastery: This Power requires a Sympathetic Link to the victim

Thaumaturgical Counter Magic

Only Active magical power being used against you count as a free action (example someone throws a flamebolt, but not their elemental Strength.). Any other effects you wish to counter may only be so once per round as a free action.

Way of the Levinbolt

A stunned vampire is down 2 traits in all challenges. This is the only effect of being stunned.

Way of Warding

LVL 4 - Glyph of Enlightenment: Each Thaumaturgy power a vampire wishes to use through this power costs 1 willpower per use.

Binding the Abyss

This Path is not allowed in Kings of New York, either to purchase or use

Path of Better Self

This Path is not allowed in Kings of New York, either to purchase or use

Way of Spirit

• Domain: Only 1 Koldunic Sorcerer may have W.O.S. spirit active in a radius at a time. Should 2 or more Kolduns have W.O.S. active in the same radius they must make a willpower challenge against each other. The winning Koldun maintains his/her radius while the losers W.O.S. ceases to function.
• Other Realms: It is possible for a Koldun to extend their senses into other realms with difficultly. In order to extend their senses into the Umbra, Shadowlands, or Astral Realm the Koldun must spent an additional willpower a and make a static Social test vs. 4 traits plus double the level of the power they wish to activate. A failure has no effect apart from wasting willpower. A Koldun may only view 1 additional realm in this manner.
• W.O.S. Omniscience: Way of Spirit Does not allow you to process all the information you are gaining in it’s radius of effect. Rather if functions similar to google earth. Meaning you must focus in on one specific area to be able to see everything go on and effect it.

Orisha’s Fortune

LVL 2 - Fortune’s Blessing: This power may be used for Mundane abilities only. Mundane abilities are any ability listed in Laws of the Night Revised.

Flow of Ashe

Use of this path does not count against your Generational blood usage for a turn.

Awakening the Steel

Weapons must be metal to use this power.

LVL 5 - Strike the True Flesh: Works as per the Book--weapons become non magical when used.

Covenant of Nergal

Traits lost through this path of magic may not be recovered until the time limits and conditions under the powers are met.