Presence

Presence is a vampiric Discipline that enables users to influence the mental and emotional state of those near them. It can be used to incite terror, whip crowds into a frenzied rage, or make people filled with the desire to please and serve the user.

Unconscious Influence
Vampire, Cainites with Presence sometimes unconsciously activate their powers of charisma. Those who suffer from Unconscious Influence do so constantly, and to make matters worse refuse to believe that this is the case. When talking to someone whom they would like to influence, they automatically use Entrancement, yet if others accuse them of using Disciplines they will deny it, as they believe that their target finds them utterly charming without any supernatural powers being involved.

Awe
Those near the vampire suddenly desire to be closer to them and become receptive to their point of view. Awe is extremely useful for mass communication. It matters little what is said — the hearts of those affected lean toward the vampire’s opinion. The weak want to agree with them; even if the strong-willed resist, they soon find themselves outnumbered. Awe can turn a chancy deliberation into a certain resolution in the vampire’s favor almost before her opponents know that the tide has turned. Despite the intensity of this attraction, those so smitten do not lose their sense of self-preservation. Danger breaks the spell of fascination, as does leaving the area. Those subject to Awe will remember how they felt in the vampire’s presence, however. This will influence their reactions should they ever encounter her again.

System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Charisma + Performance (difficulty 7). The number of successes rolled determines how many people are affected, as noted on the chart below. If there are more people present than the character can influence, Awe affects those with lower Willpower ratings first. The power stays in effect for the remainder of the scene or until the character chooses to drop it.

Successes  Result

1 success One person

2 successes Two people

3 successes Six people

4 successes 20 people

5 successes Everyone in the vampire’s immediate vicinity (an entire auditorium, a mob)

Those affected can use Willpower points to overcome the effect, but must continue spending Willpower every scene for as long as they remain in the same area as the vampire. As soon as an individual spends a number of Willpower points equal to the successes rolled, he shakes off the Awe completely and remains unaffected for the rest of the night.

Dread Gaze
While all Kindred can frighten others by physically revealing their true vampiric natures — baring claws and fangs, glaring with malevolence, hissing loudly with malice — this power focuses these elements to insanely terrifying levels. Dread Gaze engenders unbearable terror in its victim, stupefying him into madness, immobility, or reckless flight. Even the most stalwart individual will fall back from the vampire’s horrific visage.

System: The player rolls Charisma + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the victim’s Wits + Courage). Success indicates the victim is cowed, while failure means the target is startled but not terrified by the sight. Three or more successes means he runs away in abject fear; victims who have nowhere to run claw at the walls, hoping to dig a way out rather than face the vampire. Moreover, each success subtracts one from the target’s action dice pools next turn. The character may attempt Dread Gaze once per turn against a single target, though she may also perform it as an extended action, adding her successes in order to subjugate the target completely. Once the target loses enough dice that he cannot perform any action, he’s so shaken and terrified that he curls up on the ground and weeps. Failure during the extended action means the attempt falters. The character loses all her collected successes and can start over next turn, while the victim may act normally again. A botch at any time indicates the target is not at all impressed — perhaps even finding the vampire’s antics comical — and remains immune to any further uses of Presence by the character for the rest of the story.

Entrancement
This power bends others’ emotions, making them the vampire’s willing servants. Due to what these individuals see as true and enduring devotion, they heed the vampire’s every desire. Since this is done willingly, instead of having their wills sapped, these servants retain their creativity and individuality. While these obedient minions are more personable and spirited than the mind-slaves created by Dominate, they’re also somewhat unpredictable. Further, since Entrancement is of a temporary duration, dealing with a lapsed servant can be troublesome. A wise Kindred either disposes of those she Entrances after they serve their usefulness, or binds them more securely by a blood bond (made much easier by the minion’s willingness to serve).

System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Appearance + Empathy (difficulty equal to the target’s current Willpower points); the number of successes determines how long the subject is Entranced, as per the chart below. (Subjects can still spend Willpower to temporarily resist, like any other Presence power.) The Storyteller may wish to make the roll instead, since the character is never certain of the strength of her hold on the victim. The vampire may try to keep the subject under her thrall, but can do so only after the initial Entrancement wears off. Attempting this power while Entrancement is already in operation has no effect.

Successes Result

Botch  Subject cannot be entranced for the rest of the story.

Failure Subject cannot be entranced for the rest of the night.

1 success One hour

2 successes One day

3 successes One week

4 successes One month

5 successes One year

Summon
This impressive power enables the vampire to call to herself any person whom she has ever met. This call can go to anyone, mortal or supernatural, across any distance within the physical world. The subject of the Summons comes as fast as he is able, possibly without even knowing why. He knows intuitively how to find his Summoner — even if the vampire moves to a new location, the subject redirects his own course as soon as he can. After all, he’s coming to the vampire herself, not to some predetermined site. Although this power allows the vampire to call someone across a staggering distance, it is most useful when used locally. Even if the desired person books the next available flight, getting to Kyoto from Milwaukee can still take far longer than the vampire needs. Obviously, the individual’s financial resources are a factor; if he doesn’t have the money to travel quickly, it will take him a far greater time to get there. The subject thinks mainly of reaching the vampire, but does not neglect his own well-being. This is less of a consideration if he only has to cross a room, unless he must get through a gang of gun-wielding punks to do so. The individual retains his survival instincts, and while he won’t shirk physical violence to reach the vampire’s side, he won’t subject himself to suicidal situations. The Summoning dissipates at dawn. Unless the subject is trained to continue toward the vampire after the first call, the immortal must Summon each night until the target arrives. Still, as long as the vampire is willing and able, she is assured to greet her desired subject some night — as long as nothing happens to him along the way, of course.

System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Charisma + Subterfuge. The base difficulty is 5; this increases to difficulty 7 if the subject was met only briefly. If the character used Presence successfully on the target in the past, this difficulty drops to 4, but if the attempt was unsuccessful, the difficulty rises to 8. The number of successes indicates the subject’s speed and attitude in responding:

Successes Result

Botch Subject cannot be Summoned by that vampire for the rest of the story.

Failure Subject cannot be Summoned by that vampire for the rest of the night.

1 success Subject approaches slowly and hesitantly.

2 successes Subject approaches reluctantly and is easily thwarted by obstacles.

3 successes Subject approaches with reasonable speed.

4 successes Subject comes with haste, overcoming any obstacles in his way.

5 successes Subject rushes to the vampire, doing anything to get to her.

For Supernatural beings, this can be opposed by Willpower roll, difficulty equal to the Presence level. Each success subtracts one success from the Summon roll.

Majesty
At this stage, the vampire can augment her supernatural mien a thousandfold. The attractive become paralyzingly beautiful; the homely become hideously twisted. Majesty inspires universal respect, devotion, fear — or all those emotions at once — in those around the vampire. The weak scramble to obey her every whim, and even the most dauntless find it almost impossible to deny her. People affected find the vampire so formidable that they dare not risk her displeasure. Raising their voices to her is difficult; raising a hand against her is unthinkable. Those few who shake off the vampire’s potent mystique enough to oppose her are shouted down by the many under her thrall, before the immortal need even respond. Under Majesty’s influence, hearts break, power trembles, and the bold shake. Wise Kindred use this power with caution against mortal and immortal alike. While Majesty can cow influential politicians and venerable Primogen, the vampire must be careful that doing so doesn’t come back to haunt her. After all, a dignitary brought low before others loses his usefulness quickly, while a humiliated Kindred has centuries to plan revenge.

System: No roll is required on the part of the vampire, but she must spend a Willpower point. A subject must make a Courage roll (difficulty equal to the vampire’s Charisma + Intimidation, to a maximum of 10) if he wishes to be rude or simply contrary to the vampire. Success allows the individual to act normally for the moment, although he feels the weight of the vampire’s displeasure crushing down on him. A subject who fails the roll aborts his intended action and even goes to absurd lengths to humble himself before the vampire, no matter who else is watching. The effects of Majesty last for one scene.

Force of Personality
This power takes the abilities granted by Majesty to a new level. The Cainite’s personality becomes so powerful that people are actually physically forced away from her.

System: The player spends a point of Willpower to activate Force of Personality and then rolls Charisma + Intimidation or Leadership (the player chooses which when this power is first purchased). The roll is then compared to the Willpower rating of each person in the character’s vicinity as a difficulty — most mortals have a Willpower rating of 2–3. Each success indicates one step that the person must take directly away from the character and also the difficulty of the Willpower roll needed to advance toward the character. Should a person be unable to retreat directly away from the character (due perhaps to a wall or a deep chasm), she still tries to move away in some direction. After the initial activation of this power, the area of the force shrinks to about six feet, which makes it a quick way to move through a crowd. In addition, the character has all the benefits of Majesty (Presence 5) while Force of Personality is in effect. Force of Personality lasts for one scene. When first activating Force of Personality, the player may nominate any number of individuals who are simply affected by the Majesty — a wise thing to do when one has to have allies close by.

Kingmaker
The power called Kingmaker lets the vampire extend their Presence to another individual and grant them social graces that normally is beyond them. The most clueless brute can gain an understanding of human nature, the most obnoxious brat can transform into a perfect example of grace and virtue, and the shyest wallflower can become the charismatic heart and soul of the feast. Yet, Kingmaker is even more powerful when turned on an already competent individual. An already competent speaker can with the blessing of Kingmaker hold a speech that will be remembered for millennia. A skilled singer will be able to sing with the voice of an angel. A charming smile can be made so radiant it melts the blackest of hearts. To use this power, the vampire must be within line of sight and earshot of the target, and must remain in the target’s presence at all times.

System: The player chooses a target within line of sight and earshot of the vampire. The player then spends a blood point and rolls Manipulation + Empathy. The normal difficulty is 7, but if the vampire and target know each other well, the difficulty is reduced to 5. A success lets the vampire add as many bonus dice as she had dots in Presence to all the target’s Social rolls. Every 2 successes also lets the vampire reduce the difficulty on the target’s Social rolls. A failure means that the vampire can no longer assist the target. The power remains in effect for a scene, or until the vampire decided to no longer uphold it.

Love
The blood bond is one of the most powerful tools in an elder’s inventory. However, more and more childer are aware of how to avoid being bound, so alternatives are needed. The Presence power called Love is one such alternative, as it simulates the effects of the bond without any of the messy side effects. While not as sure a method of control as a true blood bond, nor as long-lasting, Love is still an extremely potent means of command, enabling users to enrapture those around them with the same passionate devotion.

System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty equal to the target’s current Willpower points). Success on the roll indicates that the victim feels as attached to the character as if he were blood bound to her. Each success also reduces the victim’s dice pool by one die for any Social rolls to be made against the character. A botch makes the target immune to all of the character’s Presence powers for the rest of the night. This power lasts for one scene and can be applied to the same victim over multiple scenes in the same night.

Paralyzing Glance
Some elders have honed their mastery of Dread Gaze to such a degree that they are said to be able to paralyze with a look. The power‘s name is something of a misnomer, as victims of this power are not precisely paralyzed in a physical sense, but rather frozen with sheer terror.

System: The character must make eye contact with her intended victim. The player then rolls Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty equal to the target’s current Willpower points). Success renders the victim so terrified that he falls into a whimpering, catatonic state, unable to take any actions except curling into a fetal position and gibbering incoherently. The condition lasts for a length of time determined by the number of successes rolled. If the victim’s life is directly threatened (by assault, impending sunrise, etc.), the poor wretch may attempt to break out of his paralysis with a Courage roll (difficulty equal to the character’s Intimidation + 3). One success ends the paralysis. A botch sends the victim into a continuous state of Rötschreck for the rest of the night.

Successes Result

1 success Three turns

2 successes Five minutes

3 successes Remainder of the scene

4 successes One hour

5 successes Rest of the night

6+ successes A week (or more, at Storyteller     discretion)

Spark of Rage
A vampire possessing this power can shorten tempers and bring old grudges and irritations to the boiling point with a minimum of effort. Spark of Rage causes disagreements and fights, and can even send other vampires into frenzy.

System: The player spends a blood point and rolls Manipulation + Subterfuge (difficulty 8). The number of individuals affected is determined by how many successes are rolled. If this power is used in a crowd, those affected are the people in closest proximity to the character. A vampire affected by this power must spend a Willpower point or roll Self-Control/Instinct (difficulty equal to the character’s Manipulation + Subterfuge); failure sends the target into a frenzy. A botch by the vampire using Spark of Rage sends the invoking character into immediate frenzy.

Successes Result

1 success Two people

2 successes Four people

3 successes Eight people

4 successes 20 people

5 successes Everyone in the character’s immediate vicinity

Star Magnetism
This power allows the Kindred’s Presence to carry over onto photographs or video, whether digital, video tape, or even film. It even carries over to paintings or drawings, if the portrait is an accurate representation. The vampire may consciously turn this power off, but it will otherwise snap into effect whenever a camera turns toward the Kindred.

System: The representation resembles Awe, and the effects are permanent. Anyone who sees an image may spend a Willpower point to resist the effect until the next time he sees it again.

Cooperation
Peaceful coexistence is not a common tenet of vampiric society. With that in mind, this power can nudge those affected by it into a fragile spirit of camaraderie. Few dispute that Cooperation can wield frightening, effective results.

System: To invoke Cooperation, the player spends a blood point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 8). The number of individuals affected is determined by how many successes the player rolls. Cooperation lasts for the remainder of the scene in which it is invoked, though particularly strong users of Presence may create longer-lasting feelings of non-aggression (at Storyteller discretion) by spending Willpower. While this power is in effect, all those under its influence are more favorably disposed toward one another and are more willing to extend trust or make cooperative plans. For the most part, players should simply roleplay Cooperation’s effects, but there are some concrete ramifications to the power‘s use. For example, Self-Control/ Instinct difficulties to resist frenzy in response to insults from within the target group are decreased by three, and certain Social Flaws may be decreased in impact for the duration of Cooperation.

Successes Result

1 success Two people

2 successes Four people

3 successes Eight people

4 successes 20 people

5 successes Everyone in the character’s immediate vicinity

Fire of Conviction
With this power, a Cainite may whip a crowd into frenzy, convincing them of the truth in a certain matter and sending them into action. This can be used by a general to inspire his troops, a firebrand preacher to send peasants after heretics or a shrewd manipulator to send an enraged, devil-hunting mob away from her own haven to that of her rival. The Brujah Furore and diablerist Gonsalves de Cruz have caused problems for princes in both Christian and Muslim Iberia with this power.

System: In order to use Fire of Conviction, the character must first command the attention of at least 3/4 of the crowd she wishes to affect, usually by shouting at them, though other Presence effects can be used. She must then speak passionately about a certain topic (heretics, rich nobles, corrupt bishops), and what must be done about it, for at least one minute. The player then rolls Charisma + Expression. The difficulty varies according to a number of factors. If the character speaks for only a minute, the difficulty is 9. If she speaks for five minutes, it is 8, and if she manages to hold the crowd’s attention for 15 minutes, the difficulty is 7. If the character actually does not believe in the cause, or if what is being suggested is especially dangerous, the difficulty rises by one. The power affects a part of the crowd depending on the number of successes, starting with those of the lowest Willpower.

Successes Effectiveness

1 success 1/10 of the crowd responds

2 successes 1/3 of the crowd responds

3 successes Half the crowd responds

4 successes 2/3 of the crowd responds

5 or more successes The whole crowd responds

If the roll is successful, the people affected immediately start on the suggested course of action, generally in a loud and destructive manner. Important characters (such as those controlled by players) may resist Fire of Conviction with a Willpower roll (difficulty equal to the orator’s Charisma + Expression). Anyone affected by Fire of Conviction is considered to have a Willpower rating of three higher than normal for the purpose of Willpower rolls and difficulties based on Willpower. In addition, he may draw upon an extra point of Willpower, above and beyond his normal pool, for such things as automatic success or ignoring wound penalties.

Ironclad Command
Any individual can normally resist the powers of Presence for a brief time through an effort of will. Some elders have developed such force of personality that their powers of Presence cannot be resisted without truly heroic efforts.

System: This power is always in effect once it has been learned. A mortal may not spend Willpower to resist the character’s Presence (for purposes of this power, the definition of “mortal” does not include supernaturally active humans such as ghouls or those who possess True Faith). A supernatural being must roll Willpower (difficulty of the character’s Willpower + 2; difficulties over 10 mean that the roll cannot even be attempted) the first time he attempts to spend a Willpower point to overcome the character’s Presence. For the rest of the night, the maximum number of Willpower points he can spend to resist the vampire’s Presence powers is equal to the number of successes he rolled. A botch doubles the character’s Presence dice pools against the hapless victim for the remainder of the night.

Perfect Paragon
Perfect Paragon allows the user to appear as everyone’s ideal — a knight sees a master general or virtuous lady, a greedy merchant sees a wealthy individual, and a devout peasant sees a saint. This power is subtler than Majesty, but a crafty Cainite can exploit Perfect Paragon for a substantial benefit, especially if using it against other Cainites to appear as an elder of their clan or road.

System: Perfect Paragon can be used in one of two ways: either to affect a single target or to make the character seem exceptional in the eyes of all who see him... If used to target a specific victim, the player rolls Charisma + Subterfuge (difficulty equal to the target’s Willpower). If successful, the target sees the character as a perfect example of whatever her ideals are and anything the character says is subtly twisted to correspond with this perception. The player makes all Social rolls against this victim at –3 difficulty and any uses of mind-affecting or emotion-altering Disciplines, such as Dementation, Dominate or Presence, receive three extra dice. Should the character do something that violates the illusion (swearing when appearing to be a pious knight, disrobing in public while appearing to be a noble lady), the victim may roll Perception + Empathy (difficulty of the character’s Charisma + Performance) in order to realize that the character is not what he appears to be. If this roll succeeds, the character immediately loses all mechanical benefits of Perfect Paragon, although viewers do not see him for what he truly is. Note that, unless high levels of Auspex are used, the character does not know what she is appearing to be. For example, if a person sees the user of this power as a noblewoman, the character will only know that she is treated with respect, not that the person in question sees her as a noblewoman (though if he calls her “milady,” she might figure it out). A Perception + Empathy roll (difficulty 6) allows the character some idea of how people perceive her. In order to invoke Perfect Paragon upon all in the character’s presence, the player spends a point of Willpower and chooses whether to invoke the power subtly or powerfully. If invoked subtly, all present who can see the character ascribe to her traits and virtues that they find appealing. This translates to a –1 difficulty on all Social rolls while this is in effect (unless she grossly violates people’s perception of her) as well as one additional die on mind-affecting and emotion-altering Disciplines, as above. If invoked powerfully, the player must spend a blood point. All who can see the character react as if the character had targeted each of them specifically, as above. This usually results in the character suddenly having a small crowd following her, which is usually a boon but can be troublesome at times. Also, since each person in the crowd sees something different, fights occasionally break out over the true nature of the being before them.

Perfect Paragon lasts for a single scene

A Perfect World
This manifestation of Presence is one of the most dangerous — not only to those affected, but also to the user herself. With it, she affects an exceptional number of people, either a huge city or an entire barony, forcing all to act toward making the area the perfect representation of the character’s dream. The only Cainite known to possess this power was the Toreador Michael, Patriarch of Constantinople, and it not only drove him mad but also indirectly led to the chaos, death and destruction that afflicted his city when the Fourth Crusade reached it.

System: The exact effects of his power are best left up to the Storyteller. In general, all mortals and Cainites of sixth generation or higher work toward making the area correspond with the ideals of the user. Each month, the player rolls Charisma + Empathy (difficulty 7). If a character has a good reason not to work toward the user’s dream, her player may spend a point of Willpower and roll Willpower, difficulty 6. If she gains more successes than the user, she can act normally, but only for one night. The next night, the expenditure and roll must be repeated. Theoretically, this power can be turned off — but why?

A Perfect World can also be used in torpor.

Pulse of the People
A vampire who has developed her Presence to this terrifying degree can control the emotional climate of the entire region around her, up to the size of a large city or, in less populated areas, whole regions encompassing several towns and small villages. This power is always in effect on a low level, attuning those who dwell in the area to the vampire's mood, but it can also be used to project a specific emotion into the minds of every being in the area. Pulse of the People affects residents much more strongly than travelers, and also has a significant impact on those individuals who might be elsewhere at the time but who still have strong ties to the affected place.

System: The character must be present in the city in question, and have at least a casual, personal knowledge of its streets and makeup (maps won’t help). The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty 9, though specializations or Storyteller fiat may decrease this difficulty if the character is intimately familiar with a particular city). The number of successes indicates how long mortal residents are affected by the particular emotion that the character broadcasts; visitors with no ties to the area and supernatural beings are affected for a duration one success step lower. The character can choose to terminate this effect at any time before it expires.

Successes Result

1 success One minute

2 successes 10 minutes

3 successes One hour

4 successes One day

5 successes One week

Pulse of the People can be used by a character in torpor.

Summon the Brood
With this godlike level of Presence, the power of Summon can be used to extend down the generations. Vampires with this ability are able to summon any vampire who is descended from them, whether they have met or not.

System: The vampire spends Willpower point, and then spends a point of blood for each Generation they wish to Summon, beginning with their childer. The vampire then makes a series of Charisma + Subterfuge rolls, one for each Generation they wish to Summon, difficulty equal to 4+ the difference in Generation. Difficulties over 10 require one additional success for each point past 10, meaning it is far harder to Summon individuals from the end of one's lineage. Otherwise, the Charisma + Subterfuge roll functions the same as an ordinary Summon.