Blood Sorcery
Blood Sorcery — also called Thaumaturgy in older nights — is the art of using blood to reshape reality. It is practiced primarily by the Tremere, the Banu Haqim, and a handful of other Clans. Blood Sorcery is slow, deliberate, and dangerous. It is not a quick power — it is a discipline of ritual, will, and sacrifice.
How Blood Sorcery works
Blood Sorcery uses the vampire's own blood as fuel. Each use requires a Rouse check and a roll of Intelligence + Blood Sorcery (or Wits + Blood Sorcery for reactive rituals). The difficulty is set by the ritual's power and complexity.
Costs
| Cost | Effect |
|---|---|
| Rouse check | Required for most Blood Sorcery actions |
| Willpower | May be spent to add dice or resist backlash |
| Blood points | Some rituals require spending additional Blood Potency |
| Time | Most rituals require preparation, chanting, or blood drawing |
| Material components | Some rituals require specific ingredients |
Backlash
When a Blood Sorcery roll fails, the blood rebels. The vampire suffers a backlash — a supernatural consequence that reflects the ritual's failure. Backlash may include:
- A Rouse check that increases Hunger
- A condition such as Shaken, Fixated, or Withdrawn
- A physical effect such as bleeding, pain, or disorientation
- A supernatural effect such as a spirit manifestation or a curse
Blood Sorcery powers
Blood Sorcery is organized into levels of increasing power. Each level requires the previous level to be learned first.
Level 1: A Taste of Blood
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 2 Effect: Taste the blood of a mortal or vampire and learn one fact about them — their emotional state, their health, their recent experiences, or their supernatural nature. Duration: Instant Limit: You must have a sample of the target's blood.
Level 2: Blood Bond
Cost: Rouse check, one drink of the target's blood Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 3 Effect: Create a Blood Bond with a mortal or vampire. The target becomes infatuated with you, gaining a compulsion to please you and obey your commands. Duration: Permanent until broken Limit: The target must drink your blood three times to form a full bond.
Level 3: Scour
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 3 Effect: Purge your own blood of impurities, reducing Hunger by 1 and removing one supernatural effect from your blood. Duration: Instant Limit: You cannot reduce Hunger below 0.
Level 4: Theft of Vitae
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 3 Effect: Drain blood from a target at a distance. You reduce their Blood Potency or Health by 1 and gain the equivalent amount of blood. The target must be within line of sight. Duration: Instant Limit: The target may resist with a contested roll.
Level 5: Shape of the Wrath
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 4 Effect: Shape your blood into a weapon or tool. You may create a blade, a shield, a rope, or another simple object made of solidified blood. The object lasts for one scene and deals 2 damage. Duration: One scene Limit: You cannot create complex objects or objects larger than your body.
Level 6: Movement of the Mind
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 4 Effect: Move objects or people with your blood. You may lift, push, pull, or throw objects up to your Strength rating in size. You may also push or pull a target up to your Blood Potency in size. Duration: One scene Limit: You must have line of sight to the target.
Level 7: Cauldron of Blood
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 5 Effect: Boil the blood of a target. The target suffers 2 Aggravated damage per round and must succeed on a Stamina + Fortitude roll to resist. The target may resist with a contested roll. Duration: Until the target succeeds on a resistance roll or is incapacitated Limit: You must have line of sight to the target.
Level 8: Theft of the Soul
Cost: Rouse check, 2 Willpower Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 5 Effect: Steal a piece of a target's soul. The target loses 1 Humanity and you gain a temporary power or memory. The target must be within line of sight and must be a vampire or supernatural being. Duration: Permanent Limit: The target may resist with a contested roll. This is a violation of the Masquerade and a serious crime.
Level 9: Blood Meridian
Cost: Rouse check, 2 Willpower Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 5 Effect: Create a zone of supernatural influence. Within the zone, all vampires suffer +1 difficulty to resist your powers, and you may use any Blood Sorcery power at +1 die. Duration: One night Limit: The zone is centered on you and extends up to your Blood Potency in yards.
Level 10: The Blood Harvest
Cost: Rouse check, 3 Willpower Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 6 Effect: Drain the blood of every vampire within a radius equal to your Blood Potency in yards. Each target loses 1 Blood Potency and you gain the equivalent amount of blood. Each target may resist with a contested roll. Duration: Instant Limit: This is a violation of the Masquerade and a serious crime. It may attract the attention of powerful beings.
Blood Sorcery rituals
Blood Sorcery rituals are more complex than standard powers. They require preparation, material components, and often a longer casting time. A ritual may take minutes, hours, or even days to complete.
Ritual structure
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The ritual's common name |
| Level | The Blood Sorcery level required to learn it |
| Cost | Rouse check, Willpower, blood points, material components |
| Roll | Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty set by the ritual |
| Effect | What the ritual does |
| Duration | How long the effect lasts |
| Limit | The clearest boundary or counter |
Example rituals
- Blood Walk: Walk through a trail of blood to find its source. Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 3.
- Craft Bloodstone: Create a gemstone that stores blood and can be used as a focus for Blood Sorcery. Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 4.
- Incantation of Light: Create a burst of sunlight from your blood. Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 5.
- Ritual of Binding: Bind a spirit or ghost to your service. Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 5.