Level 2 Rituals

Blood Mead

It was thought by the cults of Dionysus that supernatural powers could be gained through intoxication. By mixing Vitae with Mead (a fermented honey drink), the user creates a powerfull intoxicating beverage that greatly increases the user's resilience, albeit at the cost of the intoxicating effect of the beverage. (User rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The user spends 10 minutes to cast the ritual, mixing 2 bloodpoints of his own vitae with Mead or a similiar honey brew. The number of successes dictate the potency of the brew, allowing anyone drinking it 1 hour of it's effects per succes. Being both an anesthetic and intoxicant, anyone who drinks the brew gains an extra health level, a copy of the "Bruised" health level. (So one without wound penalties) However, even supernatural creatures who drink this brew will suffer from the intoxicating effect, losing one die from all Dexterity and Intelligence dice pools. The brew itself loses it's potency after sunrise, any vampiric vitae in it dillutes and dissapears. However, when consumed the effect will last beyond sunrise if possible.)



Blood Walk

As the Tremere soon realised as vampires, in the end it all boils down to blood. This ritual was created to "see back" in the blood, allowing the user to see the ancestors of himself and others. (The user rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 8. The ritual takes 3 hours to cast, minus 15 minutes for every succes gained. The user also requires a bloodpoint from whoever the user is trying to cast this ritual on. Each succes allows the user to see back one generation, granting the user the True Name of the ancestor on that generation and an image of that ancestor's face. The caster also learns the generation (obviously) and clan/bloodline of that ancestor. With 3 successes, the user also learns the identity of all with whom that ancestor shares a Bloodbond.)

Bureaucratic Condemnation

Developed as a counter to Expedient Paperwork, this ritual causes great difficulty if the victim attempts to push paperwork through the bureaucratic systems. Papers get lost, are stalled and have a habit of ending up in the wrong hands, causing great delay. (User rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The ritual requires 10 minutes of casting the ritual, and the user must draw an effigy of the subject in squid ink, (this effigy may be quite crude, no need to be an artist to draw it) A single bureaucratic action, such as mailing documents or applying for a licence, will take 3 times as long. Subjects with sufficient influence may be able to push the documents through the system, but will encounter more difficulty in doing so then usual.)


Burning Blade

A ritual developed at the threshold of thaumaturgic developments, the Burning Blade ritual causes a weapon to burn with unnatural flame, allowing for a much more devastating impact when used against other supernaturals. (The user rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The ritual takes 10 minutes to cast, during which the user must cut his/her own weapon hand with the weapon (if edged) or a sharp stone (if blunt), which inflicts a single level of unsoakable Lethal damage on the caster. The user then "feeds" 3 bloodpoints to the weapon, which the weapon will absorb. The weapon must be a melee weapon. Once the ritual is complete, the weapon will burn with an unholy greenish flame and deal Aggravated damage to any supernaturals it hits. Each succes on the activation roll will give the weapon one attack dealing Aggravated damage. The user will not be able to control the charges once applied, the weapon will deal consume a charge every time the user makes a succesful attack against a supernatural. This ritual does not stack on the same weapon, if there is already an application of Burning Blade on a weapon then another casting will just overwrite the original cast. If the user misses, then no charge is consumed. Burning Blade has no effect on non-supernaturals.)


Craft Bloodstone

A Ritual used to create a small tracking device. The user infuses blood into a stone, and from there onward always has an awareness of the location of that stone. (Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The user places a small stone in a vial containing 3 bloodpoints, it does not matter what type of blood, wether human or non-human. Each night for 3 nights, the user recites an incantation over the blood, causing the stone to absorb one bloodpoint each night. The blood will become clearer each night, untill eventually it is nothing but a clear liquid. The user is then always aware of the stone's location, not so much where it is precisely, but it's direction and distance from the user self.)


Deny the Intruder

A chantry is often defended by several different wards and other mystical means of keeping intruders out. However, many chantries have equipment that runs on electicity and require telephones in order to keep in touch with the rest of the clan, and wards will do little good against a tax collector from the local govermental institution. Therefore this ritual was designed, which makes it almost impossible for anyone to track the chantry down in normal records. The bills for electricity and the like just never get send to the chantry and letters of the same sort never have the adress listed of the chantry. Still, the electricity keeps running and the phoneline isn't cut off, making this an exeptionally usefull ritual in the modern world. (The user rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The user spends 10 minutes preparing a letter by writing mystical characters on it in charcoal. The user then sends the letter to "the system" by email, mail or fax, and the letter simply vanishes, as well as records of the chantry that are in the system. From the moment this happends, any investigation into the chantry or attempts to unearth records of the chantry increase in difficulty by 1 for every succes on the activation roll. This ritual will not hamper any connections the chantry has though, the telephones will continue to work as will the electricity, even though no one is paying the bills.)


Donning the Mask of Shadows

Inspired by Obfuscate, the Tremere have made various attempts at creating an effect of true invisibility. This ritual, though not providing total invisibility, makes the user's form transluecent, his/her form appearing as a dark and smoky figure, and his/her footsteps barely making a sound. (The user rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The ritual merely requires 10 minutes to cast with no further requierments. The user may however cast the ritual on other individuals, up to an extra number of individuals equal to his/her Occult rating. Each individual adds to the casting time of the ritual with 5 minutes. Anyone under the effects of this ritual can only be detected if onlookers succeed in a Perception + Alertness roll at a diff of the caster's Wits + Occult or posses Auspex at level 3.)


Enhancing the Curse

Unlike vampires, ghouls can withstand the light of day. However, this ritual takes away that advantage, causing (possibly lethal) third-degree burns on ghouls that dare walk in the sun. This ritual is often used as a test or punishment for ghouls, though creative users might be able to think of other uses. (User rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The user spends 10 minutes casting the ritual, during which the user must make physical contact with the ghoul. Normally, the user scratches the ghoul, drawing blood as he/she does, to inflict this ritual upon that ghoul. However, there are variants of this ritual that instead requires the user to strike the ghoul. For a month, for as long as the ghoul holds vampiric blood in his/her body, the ghoul will suffer 1 health level of Aggravated damage per 2 turns of exposure to sunlight. If the victim no longer holds vampiric blood in his/her system, they will no longer take damage from the sun, but the ritual's effect does not end.)


Extinguish

This potent ritual allows the user to douse sources of fire up to the size of a bonfire. This ritual is a powerfull tool against vampire hunters, who are bound to be suprised when their torches are suddenly extinguished as they are facing a now very angry Thaumaturge. (User rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The ritual requires 10 minutes to be cast, during which the user must extinguish a candle between thumb and finger. For the remainder of the night, the user need only speak a magical syllable to extinguish any fire within his/her line of sight, up to the size of a bonfire. The user can do this as many times as the number of successes rolled on the activation roll.)


Impassable Trail

The vampire using this ritual will leave no sign of his/her passing even when travelling through the densest of woods, save for an odor only animals with an acute sense of smell will be able to detect. (User rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The ritual takes 10 minutes to cast, and the user must carry with him/her the feather of an owl steeped in kindred vitae or ashes created from burning the legs of a toad. For one night, the user leaves no trail behind save for a faint odor that only those with an acute sense of smell can detect, which requires a Perception + Alertness roll at diff 8 and at least 3 successes.)


Inscription

Sometimes, a ritual must be conducted, but the only Tremere that is capable of preforming the ritual is either not present or incapable of preforming the ritual himself. In this case, the ritualist may use this ritual to trap his own power and the knowledge of a ritual in a scroll, which another vampire can then use to cast that ritual even if that vampire has no knowledge of Thaumaturgy other then what is written on that scroll! (The user rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The ritual takes 10 minutes to cast, during which the user spends 2 bloodpoints, including 1 permanent bloodpoint, on writing the scroll. On the scroll, the user writes the simplified instructions for any level 1 or level 2 ritual, including the usual reagent cost and mechanics required to power the ritual. Anyone who happends to find the scroll need do nothing more then follow the instructions and make a succesfull Intelligence + Occult roll (diff 4 for level 1, diff 5 for level 2 rituals), and the vitae on the scroll will power the rest of the ritual. The way this ritual is cast allows even an outside to Thaumaturgy use this ritual's effects, but unfortunately it is too crude a means to actually learn Thaumaturgy through it's use. Also, once the scroll is used the blood on the scroll dries into a fine illegible ash, and even if the owner of that scroll memorized the instructions, without the caster's vitae the ritual cannot function. The permanent bloodpoint however, returns to the user once the ritual is cast. This power can also be combined with Encrypt Missive to prevent the wrong people from using the scroll. Indeed, truly anyone who finds the scroll can use it, making it a great risk if the scroll falls into the wrong hands. More so, the blood on the scroll is potent enough that it can be used as a reagent in other rituals by a rival.)


Jinx

This fearsome ritual curses a victim with failure, causing anything from minor typographical errors to automobile accidents. This ritual requires a dash of the target's blood to be sacrifised, which explains the fearsome reputation the Tremere have gained about using the blood of their enemies against them. (The user rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The ritual requires 10 minutes and one bloodpoint of the subject. The bloodpoint is sacrifised at the end of the ritual, the powerfull link of Identity between the blood and it's previous owner makes the distance between the caster and the victim irrellivant. Upon completion, the victim will be vexed with bad luck, causing the victim to automatically fail in the next roll he/she makes. This does not mean a botch, just an automatic fail. If used on a victim taking an extended action, the roll for the current turn fails, though if so possible the victim can continue normally the next turn.)


Mourning Life Curse

A ritual that allows a user to feed of a victim without injuring them. However, the effect of this ritual can still be quite traumatizing. This ritual causes a victim's eyes to bleed blood, allowing the user to feed without all the hasle of biting a victim. Some thaumaturges prefer to use this ritual on victims that are sleeping, to prevent them from having to live through the unpleasentness of this ritual. (The user rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The ritual takes 10 minutes to cast, during which the user must drink thrice-distilled crocodile blood. The user must then make a paste from copal oil, ground eyebright and dates. The user must then dab the paste on a victim and whisper a two-line invocation in the victim's ear. The mortal will then start weeping tears of blood, which the user may drink. It takes about 5 minutes of feeding in this way to drink one bloodpoint of the victim. The effect ends if the user stops staring at his/her victim, and the only side effects are a slight swelling of the capillaries around the subjects eyes along with the normal effects of bloodloss.)

Principal Focus of Vitae Infusion

This ritual is used by Tremere who wish emergency supplies of blood to be ready at hand. The user may store a limited quantity of blood in an object. This object has to be small enough that the user can carry it in both hands and may be as small as a dime. Using  mental command, the user can release the blood from the object, causing the object to fall apart in a pool of blood altogether. (User rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The ritual takes 10 minutes to cast and requires an object of apropriate size to store the blood in, the item will be consumed if the blood is released. A single object can carry one bloodpoint. The user can also create items for allies, but the ally must then be present at the creation of the item and the user must use his/her own vitae for the ritual.)


Ritual's Recognition

Unfortunately for Thaumaturges, rituals often have little to no visible effect if they succeeded or not. Thaumaturges could recognize the importance of being able to see if for example, Deflection of Wooden Doom has succeeded or not, so that they would not have to find that one out right as a stake enters their heart. As such, this ritual was created, which allows the user to see exacly wether or not a ritual has succeeded or not. (The user rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. This ritual takes 10 minutes to cast, during which the user must cut off the last 8th of an inch of his/her nose or an earlobe, which causes an unsoakable level of Bashing damage. The user then grinds the fleshy bit into a paste using mortar and pestle. Once a paste, the user then applies the paste to his/her entire face. The user must then immediately begin with his/her next intended ritual. If this ritual succeeds, the user will feel a distinctive warm flush if the next ritual cast is succesful.)


Steps of the Terrified

A most usefull ritual, this ritual allows the user to prevent an enemy from running away. The victim slows more and more, untill eventually the victim can barely move at all, while the user can take his/her sweet time to catch up. (The user rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The ritual takes 10 minutes, at the start of which the user throws a handfull of poplar buds at his intended victim. The user then douses both hands in oil, and repeats a short incantation seven times. The user may then pursue his victim. The first turn after the ritual is completed, the victim's movement speed is halved. Each time the victim tries to go faster, his current movement speed is halved again. This effect lasts untill the next sunrise.)


The Open Passage

Thaumaturges are ofcourse aware of the advantages of getting into places where you shouldn't be. As such, they came up with a ritual that allows the user to circumvent barriers as though they werent even there. (The user rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The user must spend one hour smearing snake or vermin excrement over the surface of whatever he/she wants to pass, such as a wall or door, in an intricate pattern. Once finished, the user may pass the barrier as though he/she was insubstantial, stepping through whatever was blocking the user as though he/she was a ghost. However, this lasts only one turn and has no effect on anything attached to the barrier, so a clumsy thaumaturge may find him/herself blocked by a large mirror on the other side of a wall.)


Trima

This ritual is used to create a sleeping toxin from the user's own blood that when mixed with spices or herbs, induces sleepiness and lethargy in it's victims. Tremere regens would often use add the Trima poison to the food and drink he serves to his mortal guests so that his cainite guests can feed with ease. (The user rolls Intelligence + Occult at diff 5. The ritual takes 10 minutes to cast, and the user must mix at least one bloodpoint of his own blood with the intended spices or herb-based drinks. A mortal who imbibes the Trima becomes drowzy and lethargic, forcing the mortal to roll Willpower at diff 8 to take any action at all. Subjects who drink the Trima may make a Stamina roll at diff 8 to resist the effects, requiring at least 3 successes. The effect lasts a number of hours equal to the number of bloodpoints the user spend on creating the Trima. Vampires who drink of a vessel that imbibed the Trima may feel a slight buzz, but the poison itself is not strong enough to effect supernaturals.)

 Ward versus Ghouls