Ogham

The Ogham Discipline is unique to the Lhiannan, though there are rumors of similar script-based magics that are practiced elsewhere. Ogham allows its practitioner, through attunement to her blood and knowledge of the ancient names of things, to inscribe runic glyphs and thereby evoke various effects.

Level 1: Consecrate the Grove


By bleeding widdershins (in a spiral pattern) onto an area of vegetation, the Lhiannan awakens the spirits of the immediate area, rousing them to her defense.

System: The Lhiannan opens a vein and bleeds one to three Blood Points of vitae onto the earth. One Blood Point affects a 10-foot-diameter area; each further point doubles the radius (it is 40 feet with three points). This process takes one turn per Blood Point spent.

After the circle of blood has been drawn, the player must roll Charisma + Survival (difficulty 6). Success enables the Lhiannan to awaken the plant- and soil-spirits of the area to attack those whom she designates: Tussocks blast outward like earthen geysers, roots reach upward to trip foes, and branches whip at enemies. Victims in the area subtract two from all Dice Pools and must make successful Stamina + Dodge rolls (difficulty 6) each turn or suffer three dice of normal damage.

The power lasts for a scene. A botch angers the spirits, turning them against the Lhiannan.

Level 2: Crimson Woad


The vampire may summon spirits of blood and battle into her body by inscribing mystical characters on herself.

System: The Lhiannan must spend a scene inscribing her body with runes. The player rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 7 ). For each success, the Lhiannan may ignore one point of wound penalties due to pain, and may subtract one from the difficulties of rolls to avoid Rotschreck and frenzy. Additionally, the Lhiannan may, once per scene, make a "wrathful strike": a brawling or melee attack. If this attack succeeds, the number of successes on the inscription roll is added to the damage Dice Pool of the attack.

The glyphs maintain their power for the duration of one combat, or until the vampire takes four or more Health Levels of damage (at which point the glyphs are obscured).

Level 3: Inscribe the Curse


By writing a foe's name on his own body, the Lhiannan gains great power over that foe.

System: The Lhiannan must know the foe's true name. The player spends three Blood Points for the vampire to inscribe a runic version of that name on his body; this name must be displayed on a spot that is visible to the foe. The opponent must roll Wits + Occult (difficulty 8) or be affected by this magic. The effect is chosen by the Lhiannan and may include any one of several curses:

Body - The Lhiannan renders the foe impotent (or, if a vampire, unable to use Blood Points).
Mind - The Lhiannan causes the foe to be addled or confused. Whenever attempting to invoke a Knowledge, magical power, Discipline or other product of concentration, the foe must spend a Willpower point.
Voice - The Lhiannan renders the foe mute.
Soul - The Lhiannan renders the foe intensely susceptible to frenzy; all difficulties to avoid frenzy increase by two.

The effect begins when the foe sees his name, and lasts until the glyph is erased (or the Lhiannan takes four or more Health Levels of damage). Note that unless he is familiar with the Lhiannan's runic writing, the foe may not recognize his name as it is written on the Lhiannan's body.

Level 4: Moon and Sun


The Lhiannan may use her blood to inscribe the ancient symbols of moon or sun on her forehead or that of a subject. In doing so, the Lhiannan channels the power of a celestial spirit, creating a form of talisman.

System: The Lhiannan must spend 15 minutes inscribing a symbol. The player spends three Blood Points. If the Lhiannan inscribes the moon sigil, the effect depends on the current phase of the moon:

New Moon - add one die to Stealth rolls
Crescent Moon - add one die to Wits rolls
Half Moon - add one die to Perception rolls
Gibbous Moon - add one die to social rolls
Full Moon - add one die to damage rolls

Whenever the Lhiannan inscribes the moon sigil, regardless of lunar phase, the subject's difficulty to avoid frenzy increases by one. Additionally, any werewolf who sees the subject bearing such a glyph is enraged (if the presence of a vampire isn't enough to anger him).

If the Lhiannan inscribes the sun symbol on herself or another vampire, the subject may make a Stamina roll (difficulty 8) whenever damage from fire or sunlight is taken; for each success, one level of aggravated damage is considered normal damage instead.

Level 5: Dragon Lines


The Lhiannan may inscribe powerful runes to invoke the magic of ley lines- the "dragon tracks" of pagan lore and thereby channel mystic energy though her body.

System: The Lhiannan must be in an area where mystic "fey lines" of power lie close to the surface (Storyteller's discretion, though werewolf caerns or mage Nodes are almost certain to be repositories of mystic energy). Caerns, mage Nodes, haunts, changeling freeholds and the like are generally rated from 1 to 5, with 1 being the weakest and 5 being the most powerful. The Lhiannan must spend a scene (and the player must spend five Blood Points) inscribing glyphs on the site.

For each success on a Perception + Occult roll (difficulty 7), the Lhiannan may convert one level of the mystic site into two dice which may be added to any Dice Pool the vampire chooses to use in a single turn (so long as the vampire remains in direct contact with the site). This mystic energy is siphoned from the site each turn. A site has a repository of mystic energy equal to 10 times its level. When that many dice have been channeled, the site is irrevocably drained (the area turns barren and wasted, grass dies, trees wither and soil turns to ash). Partial draining reduces the level of the mystic site proportionately. Dice gained are not cumulative over the turns that siphoning occurs.

Example: A Lhiannan stands on a powerful werewolf caern (Level Five). She inscribes the Dragon Line glyphs and gets three successes, enabling her to channel energy from the site. The caern could provide as many as 10 dice of mystic energy in a single turn, but because the vampire received only three successes, she may siphon only six dice per turn. If they are not used in the turn that they are gained, the extra dice are lost, and can only be replenished in a subsequent turn spent siphoning. Once 50 dice have been drained from the caern, the site is destroyed.

Additionally, some sites dedicated to specific deities or purviews (War, Death, Love) provide the vampire with appropriate powers; the Storyteller adjudicates all such "bonus" powers.

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