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Levinbolt

Revision as of 03:23, 11 September 2019 by Sharei (talk | contribs)

The lightning sparked across the room, hitting both floor and ceiling. “You seem to ignore why you’ve failed… again.” The target, a wooden totem, lied on top of a black pedestal, untouched by the electricity. “You’ve mastered the… liberation of the energy your body now produces, but you lack… the focus. I thought I told you to read that book.” The sorceress was sitting on chair, all clad in black and deep blue, reading something from a tablet while speaking. “But why would a book about Science help me? I mean no disrespect, but when I joined you, I thought I would have access to arcane tomes and deep secrets, not lessons about mundane and humane things. I seek eldritch horrors, knowledge about ancient things.” The neonate was fidgeting his hands, feeling the phantom sensation of the electricity on its undead body. “Underestimating the knowledge of the humans was one of many mistakes we made. We have much to learn from what they’ve discovered. Controlling the lightning requires knowledge of polar charges and interactions between them” The sorceress raised its sight from the tablet to the totem and extended one of her arms. A continuous stream of sparks emerged from her fingers, caressing and blackening the wood of the totem. Without interrupting the stream, se began to move her arm at random, the end of the stream still focused upon the totem. “It’s as simple as that. Negatives go to positives, boy. Now, go study.”

Nicknames: Path of Levinbolt, Electromancy

Lightning has long been considered the dominion of the gods, but has traditionally been out of reach of thaumaturges due to a lack of understanding of the principles of electricity. As a result, this Path remained relatively obscure until the birth of modern science and the efforts of John Blackwood. The ample supply of electricity in the late 19th century meant that thaumaturges no longer had to wait until a convenient storm to charge their powers, but could gather the required electricity in mere seconds to direct as they chose.

Practitioners of the Path of the Levinbolt tend to cause a good deal of static electricity around them, even when not engaging in combat. Sometimes this plays havoc with cellular service, causes lights to flicker without reason, and computers to experience power surges in their presence.

Characteristics

  • Type: Sorcery
  • Masquerade Threat: Mid-High

Harnessing the power of the electricity with bare hands is a clear Masquerade violation.

  • Blood Resonance: Sanguine. Scientists, engineers, technicians.

Level 1

Flicker

The vampire draws in ambient charge from around her; static electricity and ambient electricity in the air, or actual electricity from nearby outlets and devices. The effect is not obvious, only visible in the snap of static electricity from her fingertips This charge can be used to cause glitches in machinery and other devices or to directly fry it.

  • Cost: Free
  • Dice Pool: Intelligence + Levinbolt
  • System: No additional test is needed to create the glitches. Any use of a device or machinery within a 10 meter radius of the vampire takes a disadvantage equal to half the Levinbolt rating rounded up, as the electricity causes things like systems slowdown, glitches etc. The vampire can attempt to 'discharge' the electricity into a single machine, frying it. This requires a roll of Intelligence + Levinbolt vs Resolve + Stamina of the user of an item (if held, such as a cell phone or laptop) or a Difficulty determined by the Storyteller, based on the machine's size, surge protection and other factors. If successful, the electricity arcs from the caster's fingertips like static sparks, frying the machine.
  • Duration: One scene or until deactivation.

Frictionless Mobility

The vampire forces the electrons of the outer layers of her body or clothing to avoid reacting with others. This lack of interactions eliminates friction for the vampire, allowing her to slide across surfaces as if having rollers or treat a steep slope as her personal slide. This power does not prevent damage from direct falls, but depending on the angle it can redirect it to a slide, maintaining the momentum and potentially bumping into things.

  • Cost: Free
  • Dice Pool: Wits + Survival or Dexterity + Athletics
  • System: If the vampire has time to prepare, no roll is required. As a reaction, such as during a sudden grapple, activating the power requires a Wits + Survival roll at Difficulty 3. As long as the power is in effect, the vampire becomes slippery. Pushing or grappling her becomes impossible, but regular Brawl attacks still works. Additionally, maintaining the balance while this is power active becomes tricky. The character needs to make a Dexterity + Athletics roll vs a Difficulty dictated by the Storyteller to avoid stumbling and falling. On a win, the vampire is able to move with grace and ease until the surface she’s moving changes significantly. On a failed roll, she falls and continues moving in the direction she was trying to move.
  • Duration: One scene or until deactivation.

Electroception

  • Amalgam: Auspex 1

The vampire detects the electric fields generated by living beings and modern technology or machinery. This allow them to “see” these fields even through walls, effectively adding a new sense to her arsenal.

  • Cost: Free
  • Dice Pool: Resolve + Levinbolt
  • System: No roll is required to activate Electroreception. While active, the user senses electrical fields related to electronic devices and living beings as part of their standard perception tests. This power also allows the vampire to perceive objects, animals and people otherwise hidden from the naked eye (such as behind a wall or in supernatural darkness). Anything that has a perceptible electrical charge may be found with this power, at Storyteller’s discretion, including radio waves and other electrical signals. In the modern nights, radio and similar signals saturate the city. Discerning between the multiple signals requires a Resolve + Levinbolt vs a Difficulty decided by the specific signal. Deciphering walkie talkie or radio signals is usually rolled vs Difficulty 2, while cell phone communication is rolled at 3. Landline or more encrypted methods involve higher Difficulties at Storyteller discretion.
  • Duration: Passive

Level 2

Synapsis Enhancement

The vampire draws in ambient charge from around her, and immediately applies that charge in an unorthodox way: channelling it into her mental faculties, essentially giving herself medical electrical brain stimulation, increasing cognitive function.

  • Cost: One Rouse Check
  • Dice Pool:
  • System: Add your Levinbolt rating to all Academics, Science and Technology rolls for the Scene; other Skills can be included at Storyteller's discretion when narratively appropriate.
  • Duration: One scene or until dismissed.

Electrical Stimulation

The vampire draws in ambient charge from around her, and immediately applies that charge to attempt normal body functioning under extreme circumstances, like making broken muscles work as intended or to ready one's mind after mental defeat, effectively negating the effects of the impairment of choice.

  • Cost: One Rouse Check
  • Dice Pool:
  • System: No roll is needed to activate this power. When activated, the vampire chooses its Willpower or Health tracker, ignoring the penalties from impairment for the duration. This power does not prevent penalties from crippling injuries. Only one instance from this power can be active at any time.
  • Duration: One scene


Level 3

Discharge

Rather than drawing in ambient charge from around the area; this time the effect is much more pronounced, as their body takes on a deep blue hue as energy arcs across them, making this an obvious breach of the Masquerade. The vampire immediately discharges this as a burst of electricity from their hands, either in the form of an arc of blue lightning from their fingertips, or a full-body discharge of deep blue electricity. Upon impact, the muscles of the target stiffen up, making hard to move.

  • Cost: One Rouse Check
  • Dice Pool: Intelligence + Levinbolt vs Dexterity + Athletics or Strength + Stamina.
  • System: Channeling the raw energy of electricity involves a Intelligence + Levinbolt attack roll (which can be dodged like any ranged attack) with +2 to damage bonus. This causes the crippling injury stuned for a turn and causes Aggravated Health damage to mortals and un-halved Superficial to Kindred. Alternately, if the character is being touched by the target (such as in a Grapple) this becomes a full-body discharge, resisted by the target's Strength + Stamina. A mortal who takes even one point of damage collapses unconscious. It is possible to use this power in a non-lethal way.
  • Duration: One use

ElectroMagnetic Cover

Channeling the electricity produced by her undead body with great precision, the vampire creates an electromagnetic field strong enough to stop bullets.

  • Cost: One Rouse Check
  • Dice Pool: Composure + Levinbolt
  • System: The vampire creates a vertical field of crackling electricity that has an area in yards/meters equal to the Levinbolt dots of the user. After the initial cast, the shape of the field can be modulated once per turn. The vampire can do nothing else except control the field and walk while this power is active. Anyone attempting a Ranged attack against targets protected by the field roll against Difficulty 1 and subtract the margin to the field health. It collapses after sustaining three times the Levinbolt dots of the user as levels of damage.

The user can opt to redirect the bullets trapped in the field to attack with a roll of Composure + Levinbolt, with half its missing health (round up) as damage bonus. Attempting such action makes the field collapse early.

  • Duration: One scene or until collapse.


Level 4

Eye of the Storm

The vampire draws in so much ambient charge that her body becomes the centre of a veritable electrical storm, with significant electrical charge enveloping her body.

  • Cost: Two Rouse Checks
  • Dice Pool: Intelligence + Levinbolt
  • System: Roll Intelligence + Levinbolt. Anyone attempting to make a Ranged or Thrown attack against the caster suffers a penalty to their pool equal to the successes on the activation roll, to a maximum of 5. When struck by a Melee or Brawl attack, the attacker suffers 3 Superficial Damage as the electricity reacts to the stimulus and 'lashes out' at the attacker.
  • Duration: One scene or until dismissed.


Level 5

Thor's Fury

  • Prerequisite: Discharge

An advancement of the Discharge power, the strength of the vampire's bolts are such that the damage is an order of magnitude higher, lightning arcs and bursts from where the vampire wills it to strike, more in line with 'real' lightning'.

  • Cost: One Rouse Check
  • Dice Pool: Intelligence + Levinbolt vs Dexterity + Athletics or Strength + Stamina.
  • System: This power uses the same base system as Discharge, with increased damage. The lightning does Aggravated Health damage to mortals and vampires alike. If the target receives any point damage, the lightning discharges electricity around them. Anyone within three meter radius of it must make a Dexterity + Athletics roll vs Difficulty 3 to avoid the bouncing lightning. Failing the roll causes the crippling injury Stuned for a turn. A mortal who takes even one point of damage dies instantly.
  • Duration: One use


Credits

Author: Sharei

Other Credits: Consultation and balancing input from ElmerG

Comments


 

Demonslayerelf

59 months ago
Score 0
I really love the way this works, I really have nothing negative to say on the matter. However, it kind of goes against the design of V5, you know? V5 combines a ton of disciplines together under the same name and system, but this does the opposite and takes what used to be merely a part of Thaumaturgy(Only one path of many) and makes it a new discipline. Perhaps you might consider a note or system making it part of Blood Sorcery, rather than a standalone thing?
 

Sharei

56 months ago
Score 0
I've been trying to find a way to incorpore it to Blood Sorcery, but it just does not feel Blood Sorcery. On the original document, since this was origianlly a google drive doc, i add a disclaimer on top with several methods this could be added to a game. I tend to see it as an out of clan discipline for everyone since its really different, but also say it can be merged with Blood Sorcery if the St does not see it clasing thematically.
 

Plotter the gnome

47 months ago
Score 0

Perhaps divide blood sorcery again, with different paths the way it used to be. If you create some cool extra disciplines for what we have already, you can divide the vanilla discipline into the paths of Quietus and Thaumaturgy, and then introduce paths such as this into the discipline. Perhaps to not completely overload the versatility of the discipline, you can make it be that your path is 'locked in', meaning you can't add other paths and switching paths requiring you to start over after dropping the previous.

Alternatively, you can add other paths as loresheets exclusive to the tremere and Banu Haqim.

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