Potence

Potence is a vampiric Discipline used to augment the user's physical strength to supernatural levels. Users that grow progressively more skilled in the use of Potence gradually experience a passive increase in physical strength, and has additional powers that can be activated at need.

Level 1-5
Kindred endowed with Potence possess unnatural strength. This Discipline enables vampire to leap massive distances, lift tremendous weights, and strike opponents with brutal force. Even low ranks of this power can give Kindred physical power beyond mortal bounds. More powerful Kindred can leap so far that they appear to be flying, toss cars like soda cans, and punch through walls like cardboard. While the more subtle mental Disciplines can be awe-inspiring, the brutal effectiveness of Potence is formidable in its own right.

System: Each dot that the vampire has in Potence adds one die to all Strength-related dice rolls. Further, the player can spend one blood point and change his Potence dice into an equal number of automatic successes to all Strength-related rolls for the turn. In melee and brawling combat, successes from Potence (either rolled or automatic) are applied to the damage roll results.

Crush
The vampire with this refined application of Potence knows just how to apply her deadly strength to destroying inanimate objects.

System: Spend two blood points to activate Crush for the scene. With a successful attack against an object, your character automatically destroys it. In the case of weapons or armor on active combatants, this may mean a targeted attack. If you choose to destroy a victim’s weapons or armor, they take no damage from the attack

Imprint
A vampire with extensive knowledge of Potence can squeeze very, very hard. As a matter of fact, she can squeeze (or press, or push) so hard that she can leave an imprint of her fingers or hand in any hard surface up to and including solid steel. A use of Imprint can simply serve as a threat, or it can be used, for example, to dig handholds into sheer surfaces for purposes of climbing.

System: Imprint requires a point of blood to activate. The power remains active for the duration of a scene. The depth of the imprint the vampire creates with Imprint is up to the Storyteller — decisions should take into account how much force the vampire can bring to bear, the toughness of the material, and its thickness. If the object the vampire grasps is thin enough, at the Storyteller’s discretion, the vampire might simply be able to push through it (in the case of a wall) or tear it off (in the case of a spear or pipe).

Master of the Forge
Master of the Forge allows the user to make metalwork, generally weapons, of masterful quality by

striking the metal with immense, focused force. The power is well known in places like Milan and Damascus, with the Damascene Brujah Wafid al’Asim ibn Suleiman acknowledged as the foremost master, and a Cainite with this power can command top prices for his work, in money or favors. It is rumored that such luminaries as Lord Jürgen of Magdeburg, Lucita of Aragon and Nastasio the Galician all wield blades made with this power.

System:The player makes a standard roll to forge a weapon (Intelligence + Crafts; difficulty varies according to the kind of weapon being made: 5 for a mace, 6 for an ax, 7 for a sword), though special, reinforced tools are needed when such strength is used. Depending on the type of weapon, the effects vary:

• Any edged weapon, such as a sword or ax, has its damage increased by one. This also applies to spears, but not to arrows, as arrowheads are too small to benefit from this power.

• Any bladed weapon, such as a dagger, is imbued with exceptional durability and will not break when used by someone with great strength. This also applies to the metal chains of morning stars. Hafted weapons, such as maces and axes, can be specially reinforced with this power by adding metal reinforcements to the haft, though this adds considerably to the time needed to forge the weapon.

• Exceptional tools can also be made, such an extra-sharp scythes or hammers that won’t break, though most Cainites consider this application beneath them.

Relentless Pursuit
This power is an improvement on Leaps and Bounds

System: There is no cost to use this power, which is always active. The vampire doubles the number of automatic successes granted by Potence when applying them to jump rolls. A Dexterity + Athletics roll is required to make sure the character lands safely.

Brutality
With this level of power, the vampires hands move through flesh the way a mortal’s moves through packed sand.

System: A character with Brutality causes lethal damage with her unarmed strikes. Her unarmed strikes may only be dodged, not blocked or parried, as her punches move weapons and shields aside effortlessly. This power does not require activation, and is considered “always on” unless the user wills it.

Earthshock
According to some pundits, Potence is merely the art of hitting something very hard. But what do you do when your target is too far away to hit directly? The answer is, if you’re sufficiently talented with the Discipline, to employ Earthshock. On its simplest level, Earthshock is the ability to hit the ground at point A, and subsequently have the force of the blow emerge from the ground at point B.

System: The use of Earthshock requires the expenditure of two blood points, as well as a normal Dexterity + Brawl roll. The vampire punches or stamps on the ground, and, if the attack is a success, the force of the blow emerges from the ground as a geyser of stone and earth directly underneath the target. The attack can be dodged at a +2 difficulty. Earthshock’s range is 10 feet or three meters for every level of Potence the vampire has, up to the limits of visibility. A failure on the attack roll means that the strike goes errant and is liable to explode anywhere within range; a botch means that the vampire pulverizes the ground beneath him and may well bury himself in the process.

Fist of the Titans
With this power, a Cainite may either disdainfully push away an opponent or, with a little more effort, send her flying away with a powerful blow. First of the Titans can be used both as an attack in itself, with a seemingly gentle push, as well as in combination with a normal attack, though it is easier to focus the force when using the power on its own.

System: In order to simply push an opponent away, the character must shove the target, possibly requiring a Dexterity + Brawl roll to hit. The player then rolls Strength + Athletics, with a difficulty of the target’s Stamina + Athletics (unmodified by Fortitude, maximum difficulty 9). Each success sends the target backward one yard and she is automatically knocked to the ground at the end. Should the victim hit something (or someone), both she and it take damage as if she had fallen the same distance (see p. 256 of Dark Ages: Vampire for falling damage). Using Fist of the Titans as part of a melee attack requires the use of a blood point as the weapon connects. The target is hurled back one foot for every health level of damage inflicted by the blow, before soak is rolled, +2 feet if the attack was with a bashing or smashing weapon and –2 if it was piercing, hacking or slashing (see Spoils of War for more information on the various types of damage). The target must roll Dexterity + Athletics to remain standing. Hitting an obstacle is handled as above.

Immovable Object
The vampire’s strength is such that her force of will alone is enough to make her an immovable object, whether or not she has something to hold on to. She can lock herself in place, clinging onto where she stands with the power of her mind. Using this ability, she can resist any attempt to shift her by telekinesis or physical strength. She digs in, holding herself in place with her will alone.

System: If the vampire spends a Willpower point and is standing on a solid surface, she cannot be moved. She might be hit by a truck or a train and not budge an inch (although she will take some hefty damage!). The only way to move her is to destroy the surface she is standing on. This will work if she is on a bridge, but blasting the ground will just leave her standing at the bottom of a crater.

Aftershock
The eldest practitioners of Potence can infuse the power of their blood to delay the physical devastation of her attacks. Instead of destroying an opponent immediately, she stores her Potence in their body for later effect.

System: Make an attack normally. Spend three blood points and do not add Potence to the damage pool. If the attack causes the victim one point of damage after soak, Aftershock takes effect. Instead of adding Potence as dice or automatic successes to the damage pool, Aftershock “stores” those automatic damage levels for later. Specify any time in the next 24 hours. At that time, the victim suffers lethal damage equal to your character’s Potence to the victim. A character may only have one instance of Aftershock “storing” damage at a time.

Flick
It is a truism that “the great ones always make it look easy.” In the case of Flick, that saying stops being a truism and becomes literal truth. With this power, a master of Potence can make the slightest gesture — a wave, a snap of the fingers, the toss of a ball — and have it unleash the full, devastating impact of a dead on strike. The attack can come without warning, limiting the target’s ability to dodge or anticipate; this makes Flick one of the most feared applications of Potence.

System: Flick costs a point of blood, and requires a Dexterity + Brawl roll (difficulty 6). The vampire must also make some sort of gesture directing the blow. What the gesture is remains up to the player — anything from a snap of the fingers to a blown kiss has worked in the past. Flick‘s range is equal to the limit of the Kindred’s perception, and the blow struck does damage equal to a normal punch (including all bonuses).

Lend the Supernatural Vigor
When a Cainite reaches this level of Potence, she can master it to the point of granting some of her immense strength to others. Rumors abound of Lasombra warrior-ghouls capable of cutting their enemies in half with single swipes.

System: The character concentrates for an hour, focusing her strength. The player spends a number of blood points equal to how much of the character’s Potence is to be distributed and then rolls Willpower (difficulty 6). If successful, these blood points pour from the hands of the character, usually into some vessel or the mouth of a waiting servant. Each blood point is “charged” with one point of the character’s Potence. Anyone drinking it gains, in addition to the normal effects of consuming the vitae, one dot of Potence per point of blood consumed (which adds to any Potence the target may have already), subject to normal generational maximum. This power lasts for a number of nights equal to the successes on the Willpower roll. Lend the Supernatural Vigor has two limitations. First, the user cannot grant more Potence than her own rating in “standard” Potence (that is, if the character has seven dots of Potence used for automatic successes and her eighth level is Lend the Supernatural Vigor, she cannot grant more than 7 levels of Potence). Second, the character loses the Potence granted to others until the power expires. This has no effect on special Potence powers, but it does limit the number of automatic successes. Mortals, including animals, empowered by Lend the Supernatural Vigor frequently overexert themselves. If they botch any Strength roll before adding Potence, they suffer a number of bashing health levels equal to their augmented Potence.

Might of the Heroes
History and mythology are full of heroes and gods capable of astounding feats of strength, such as Hercules, Thor, Atlas and Samson. Cainites often believe themselves on par with the heroes and demigods of legend. With this power, a vampire is able to perform some incredible acts of pure physical power.

System: Might of the Heroes grant a number of abilities that are always in effect. First, the character’s unarmed attacks strike with such force that they inflict lethal damage and the character has no risk of injuring himself from striking hard objects (so a Cainite with this power and no Fortitude can smash his fist into solid rock repeatedly and not even skin his knuckles). In effect, the character is able to destroy just about anything given enough time. This also means that the character is immune to powers that injure him when he strikes his opponent, such as the Fortitude power Armor of Kings. Second, the muscles of the character’s legs can absorb the shock of a fall of any length — as long as the character lands on his feet, he takes no damage (generally, a roll of Dexterity + Athletics, difficulty 4, is enough to ensure such a landing). Third, the difficulty of a Feat of Strength is reduced to 6, making it even easier for the character to lift immensely heavy objects, and the increased Strength lasts for an entire scene, though it applies only to lifting and throwing. Still, this allows the character to use tree trunks as clubs (these generally inflict Strength +6 Bashing and are so large that they cannot be dodged and can strike more than one opponent at a time) and toss boulders like a catapult (see Spoils of War for the effect of siege engines). In addition to this, the character can actually strike so hard that the force of the blow travels through the air, hitting a target yards away. In order to do this, the player spends a point of blood and makes a normal attack roll for a punch or kick. The target cannot dodge unless she knows what the character is attempting — for example, if he’s just seen the character using this ability on another — and even then, the dodge difficulty is 9. The punch or kick inflicts normal damage for the character (Strength lethal for a punch, Strength +1 lethal for a kick), but loses one die of damage for each yard beyond the first that it has to travel.