Shadowy Betrayal
Obtenebration ●●●●● ●
Ever since humans first took notice of their shadows, they have suspected them of duplicity. This power allows you to cause your target’s own shadow to strike out against her with her own power.
System
Spend 1 Blood and your standard action as you entice your target’s shadow to attack her. If you succeed in an opposed challenge using your Social Attribute + Empathy skill versus your target’s Social Attribute + Willpower your target is assaulted by her shadow, which immediately makes a physical attack against her. The shadow has the same test pools, focuses, and health levels as your target and has access to her physical powers, which the shadow may use without cost. If your target has any weapons, the shadow is equipped with them as shadow weapons with the same traits. If your target is using a transformation power the shadow will be in the same form as the target. The shadow will seek to attack the target in the most damaging and efficient manner. The storyteller will assume the role of your target’s shadow so as to keep your target’s character sheet a secret. In addition, once Shadowy Betrayal is activated, once per turn for the next two turns you may spend a simple action to direct your target’s shadow to attack again.
Your target’s shadow is nearly invulnerable as it cannot be grappled, disarmed, or affected by any powers that do not cause fire damage; however, it can be affected by fire. Unless your target enters the Shadowlands or becomes a shadow herself, your target cannot escape her shadow as it remains attached to her. Attacks made by one’s own shadow do not count against the maximum number of attackers one person can face. For the duration of this power your target’s shadow is hostile and she cannot use powers that require her shadow to provide assistance, such as Shadow Twin or Tenebrous Ally. This power has no effect on targets that have lost their shadow due to mystical means.
Exceptional Success
You may use your simple action to command additional attacks for the next 5 turns instead of the next 2 turns
The Darkness Within
Obtenebration ●●●●● ●●
Tendrils of shadow pour forth from your mouth, eyes, ears, and even open wounds enveloping your enemies in clouds of thick, inky, darkness like a more sinister Shroud of Night. Within the darkness your enemies are assaulted by horrors they cannot comprehend as you feed on their very essence.
System
Spend a standard action and 5 Blood and designate a number of targets up to your dots in the Occult Skill that are within your line of sight. Inky black tendrils of the abyss erupt from any orifices of your choosing, including wounds, to envelop your targets. You must then succeed in an opposed challenge using your Social attribute + Occult versus your targets Physical attribute + Dodge. Characters who are successfully targeted by the Darkness Within are considered to be grappled. If an individual grappled by this power attempts to escape the Darkness Within, she must succeed in an opposed challenge using her Physical attribute + Brawl versus your Social attribute + Occult. A victim who succeeds in breaking free or that you willingly release from The Darkness Within must immediately test for fear frenzy.
Characters Grappled by The Darkness Within immediately gain 1 Beast trait and lose 1 Blood. At the beginning of each Everyman action that she remains grappled she gains an additional Beast trait and loses an additional point of Blood. You may choose to ingest the blood drained, without risk of blood bonds, or you may feed the blood to the Abyss, consigning it to oblivion. However, any harmful effects, such as Acid Blood, still take effect on you.
Exceptional Success
Should your target escape The Darkness Within, she may not spend a point of Willpower to avoid the effects of a frenzy caused by The Darkness Within.
Oblivion Orb
Obtenebration ●●●●● ●●
Your Shroud of Night now opens a gateway to true Oblivion. The sheer emptiness of the Abyss destroys most creatures, even some Wraiths are sent screaming back to the Maelstrom. Even Vampires find their resolve tested and cannot survive for long.
System
When activating Shroud of Night, you may spend 3 additional Blood to summon an Oblivion Orb within the Shroud’s area of effect. This creates a terrifying storm of entropy within the shroud that is harmful to those who remain within it. Non-Supernatural Stock NPC creatures in the Oblivion Orb are instantly killed. Stock NPC Wraiths are dragged into Oblivion and destroyed. At the end of each turn any remaining living creatures suffer 2 levels of aggravated damage that cannot be reduced or negated. Undead creatures within the Orb suffer 1 point of damage at the end of each turn that they remain in the Orb; this damage cannot be reduced or negated.
While within the Oblivion Orb, movement is reduced by one step to a minimum of one. As with Shroud of Night, you are immune to the effects of your own Oblivion Orb. Being able to see through a Shroud of Night does not prevent the effects of an Oblivion Orb.
Tenebrous Ally
Obtenebration ●●●●● ●
Your studies of Obtenebration have directed you to ponder the shadow within. While most are victims to their darker impulses, you have learned the secret of making the unconscious your ally, relying on your inherent drive to rise and overcome even when struck down or unable to act.
System
Whenever you are unconscious due to sleep or torpor, or your consciousness is separated from your body due to Possession, Psychic Projection, or similar powers, you may allow your shadow to take control of your physical body. By spending 2 Blood to activate this power, your consciousness will remain separated or dormant, but your body will be fully animate under the control of your shadow; however, because you consciousness remains separated or dormant, you are unable to directly observe the actions of your body unless you have at least one dot in the Awareness skill. To all onlookers, your body will appear to immediately wake and will be able to act at the beginning of the next turn. While this power is active, your eyes become dark pools of shadow, fully black, and somewhat disconcerting to behold.
Your shadow shares some of your motivations, but will act on its own. It will defend your physical body if threatened and will feed if your body is low on blood. However, it will not risk itself for your allies nor will it place itself in danger for your cause. Instead, your shadow will seek to preserve its own life and kill anything that threatens it. Your shadow will avoid using your body to speak and may act in ways that you find reprehensible. However, you do not gain beast traits for its actions. Your shadow can spend your Blood and Willpower, and can use your powers and test pools. If when you activate this power when you are in torpor as a result of damage suffered, you will awaken with a number of health levels equal to the number of levels you have in Obtenebration. Once activated, this power lasts for 1 hour, or until the effect that keeps your consciousness or separated from your body ends.