Thin-Blood Alchemy
Thin-Blood Alchemy is the art of using thin blood to create supernatural effects. It is practiced primarily by Thin-Bloods and those who associate with them. Thin-Blood Alchemy is improvisational, experimental, and dangerous. It is not a formal discipline — it is a collection of formulae, techniques, and tricks that thin-blooded vampires have developed to survive.
How Thin-Blood Alchemy works
Thin-Blood Alchemy 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 effects). The difficulty is set by the formula's power and complexity.
Costs
| Cost | Effect |
|---|---|
| Rouse check | Required for most Thin-Blood Alchemy actions |
| Willpower | May be spent to add dice or resist backlash |
| Blood points | Some formulae require spending additional Blood Potency |
| Time | Most formulae require preparation, mixing, or blood drawing |
| Material components | Some formulae require specific ingredients |
Backlash
When a Thin-Blood Alchemy roll fails, the blood rebels. The vampire suffers a backlash — a supernatural consequence that reflects the formula'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- A condition such as Shaken, Fixated, or Withdrawn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 blood plague or a curse
Thin-Blood Alchemy formulae
Thin-Blood Alchemy 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 Scrying
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 3 Effect: Use blood to scry on a target. You may see through the target's eyes for a short time. The target must be within line of sight or have a piece of their blood. Duration: One scene Limit: The target may resist with a contested roll.
Level 3: Blood Healing
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 3 Effect: Use blood to heal a wound. You may heal 1 Health point of superficial or aggravated damage. The target must be willing or must be a vampire. Duration: Instant Limit: You cannot heal damage that was caused by supernatural means.
Level 4: Blood Shaping
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 4 Effect: Shape your blood into a simple object. 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 1 damage. Duration: One scene Limit: You cannot create complex objects or objects larger than your body.
Level 5: Blood Theft
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 4 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 6: Blood Bond
Cost: Rouse check, one drink of the target's blood Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 5 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 7: Blood Transmutation
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 5 Effect: Transmute your blood into another substance. You may create blood that heals, blood that harms, blood that binds, or blood that reveals. The effect depends on the formula used. Duration: One scene Limit: You cannot create blood that has permanent effects.
Level 8: Blood Dominance
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 5 Effect: Dominate a target through their blood. You may issue a single command that the target must obey. The target may resist with a contested roll. Duration: One scene Limit: The target must be a vampire or supernatural being.
Level 9: Blood Storm
Cost: Rouse check Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 6 Effect: Create a storm of blood that damages everything in a radius equal to your Blood Potency in yards. Each target suffers 2 damage and must succeed on a Stamina + Fortitude roll to resist. Duration: One scene Limit: This is a violation of the Masquerade and a serious crime.
Level 10: Blood Apotheosis
Cost: Rouse check, 3 Willpower Roll: Intelligence + Blood Sorcery, difficulty 6 Effect: Temporarily become a being of pure blood. You gain +2 dice to all rolls, +2 Health, and immunity to mundane damage. The effect lasts for one scene. Duration: One scene Limit: When the effect ends, you suffer 2 Aggravated damage and must succeed on a Humanity test or lose 1 Humanity.
Distillation
Distillation is the process of creating new formulae from existing ones. A Thin-Blood may combine two or more formulae to create a new effect. The difficulty is the highest difficulty of the component formulae +1.
Distillation rules
- You must know both component formulae
- You must spend a Rouse check and a Willpower point
- You must succeed on an Intelligence + Blood Sorcery roll at the combined difficulty
- The new formula lasts for one use and cannot be learned permanently
- If the roll fails, you suffer backlash from both component formulae
Cross-clan cooperation
Thin-Blood Alchemy is more powerful when practiced with other vampires. A Thin-Blood may cooperate with a full-blooded vampire to create effects that neither could create alone. The full-blooded vampire provides the blood potency; the Thin-Blood provides the technique.
Cooperation rules
- Both characters must be present
- Both characters must succeed on an Intelligence + Blood Sorcery roll
- The combined pool is the sum of both characters' dice
- The difficulty is increased by +1 for each character beyond the first
- If either roll fails, both characters suffer backlash